Chapter 21

Ephie woke up in a dark room, forgetting for a moment where she was. Remy's house. Nocturne Falls. She blinked, but it was so dark from the blackout shades that she couldn't make out more than shapes.

It had to be daylight, though. She grabbed her new phone to check the time. Nearly 10 a.m., so she'd slept longer than she'd expected, even with not going to sleep until two in the morning.

After going to the drugstore for the phone, she'd crashed. She'd left her old phone, the one Turner was using to keep tabs on her, with Remy. He'd promised to package it up and get it ready to mail.

She stretched and used the dim light of the phone to look around the room. "Jean-Luc? Where are you?"

Not in the room. Not where she could see, anyway.

She got up, pulled on some leggings over the underwear and T-shirt she'd slept in, and went out to start some coffee and, hopefully, find her cat.

The hall was as dark as her room. So was the whole house. But Remy needed it that way. Curiosity got the best of her, and she peeked into his room.

He was on his side in his big king bed, facing the outside wall.

Jean-Luc, traitor of all traitors, was tucked into the bend of Remy's knees.

She shook her head. "I see how it is," she whispered.

Jean-Luc's eyes came open to slits, then closed again. A single flick of his tail was his only response. She closed Remy's door, which wouldn't impede Jean-Luc's access, since he could walk through it, and went on to the kitchen.

The light was on over the stove. It was enough to see by, so she left the blinds down.

She peered through the ones that covered the window over the sink just to see what kind of day it was. The backyard really was charming. He'd done beautiful work out there. From the steps of the deck to about ten or twelve feet out was a patio paved with big pieces of flagstone.

A table with an umbrella and two chairs sat on the patio, beckoning her. A citronella candle in a squat glass jar sat in the center. The underside of the umbrella was dotted with LED lights.

Maybe she'd have her coffee out there. She'd promised Remy she wouldn't go anywhere without him, but this was just the backyard.

It was so inviting. Especially with the sun shining. The day was too nice to be ignored.

Sad Remy couldn't enjoy it with her.

She found the coffee and the filters and got a pot going, doing her best to keep quiet, although from what she understood, vampires slept very solidly. She still didn't want to be the reason he woke up before he was ready.

Jean-Luc suddenly appeared by her feet, fully materialized. He wound around her ankles and rubbed against them like he loved her more than anything in the world.

Despite how much favoritism the little cat had shown for Remy, Ephie scooped him up and kissed his face. "You little stinker. You're kind of a user, you know that? I see how much you like Remy. Is it because he's … not … that is…" She didn't like to say the word "dead" in front of Jean-Luc. It sounded so final. He was anything but dead.

"You know, you're both unalive. Is that why you like him so much?"

Jean-Luc snuggled up to her, extending one paw to touch her face.

She smiled. "I can't stay mad at you when you're this cute. Want to go outside with me while I have some coffee? There's all sorts of things to investigate out there."

The backyard was fully fenced in, too. Not that a fence would keep Jean-Luc contained, but then, neither would the walls of the house, so attempting to keep him in was pointless. If he wanted to go, he would. Whenever and wherever.

She took a quick shower, then came out to find the coffee had finished brewing, so she found a big mug and fixed a cup. Quietly, she went to the sliders, unlocked them, and slipped out. She left them open a few inches just in case she needed to get back inside quickly.

She stood on the deck and took her first sip. The coffee was good. Not her usual brand. In fact, it was nicer. Remy had good taste.

Jean-Luc came outside and sat next to her.

"What do you think? Nice, huh?" There was no outside for him at home unless she took him for a walk. There was no yard when you lived in an apartment. The best she could do was open a window for him on nice days. He might be a ghost, but he loved sniffing the fresh air.

She didn't know if he could truly smell things. Seemed like he could, the way he reacted to food. Maybe a sense of smell was one of the senses a ghost retained. She'd never know for sure unless Jean-Luc suddenly developed the ability to talk.

"Let's go down to the patio." She walked down the steps, and he followed.

She took a seat at the table. Jean-Luc went beyond the patio to the grass. He rolled around in it as if he could actually feel it. A little white butterfly flitted past, catching his attention.

The hunt was on. He crouched low, wriggling his butt and making Ephie laugh. He was so cute.

"Hello?"

Ephie jumped, nearly spilling her coffee. She glanced toward the voice and saw an older woman had come through the gate that opened onto the front yard. The woman had short blue hair, a few extra pounds, and a bright smile. She held a piece of folded paper in one hand. A fringed and bedazzled purse swung from her shoulder.

Ephie grabbed for her phone and realized she'd left it inside. Dumb move. Although the woman didn't look very dangerous. "Hello."

"Didn't mean to startle you. I know Remy's still asleep." The woman smiled as she walked over. "I was going to stick this in his front door, but then I smelled the coffee and thought I'd take a chance he was out here in the shade. You're awfully pretty. You must be Ephelia."

Ephie had several questions. "You smelled the coffee from the front yard? How do you know my name? And sorry, I don't mean to be impolite, but who are you?"

The woman laughed. "I'm the one who should apologize. I'm Birdie Caruthers. I run the sheriff's department. My nephew, Hank Merrow, is the sheriff. He'll tell you he runs it, but everyone knows that's not true. I know your name because Remy filled us in on what was going on. I mean about you-know-who threatening you and your mom. And I smelled the coffee because I have especially acute senses."

Birdie tapped the side of her nose, and her eyes flashed blue.

Ephie's mouth came open. "What was that?"

"Oh, honey. I'm a werewolf. Didn't Remy tell you?"

"I—maybe. No, he did. You just startled me. So you're Birdie?" Remy had mentioned her. And Ephie had no reason to doubt her. Although he could have said something about the blue hair.

Birdie nodded. "Any chance I could wrangle a cup of that coffee? Smells great."

"Oh, sure, yes. Please, have a seat. I'll go get you a cup and be right back. Cream and sugar?"

Birdie helped herself to the other chair. "Sweet and light, that's how I like it."

"I'm on it." Ephie went in, made the cup of coffee with a big splash of cream and two and a half teaspoons of sugar, hoping that would be enough. She gave it a good stir, then carried it back out.

"Here you go. I hope it's sweet enough." Ephie sat. "It's nice to meet you, by the way. Remy talks about you like you can pretty much do anything."

Birdie grinned. "That's because I can." She laughed at her own joke. "Within reason, of course." She sipped the coffee. "It's perfect. Thank you." She pointed toward Jean-Luc. "That little nugget yours, or did Remy get a cat?"

"He's mine. That's Jean-Luc. You can see him, huh?" He did seem to be fully materialized as he continued to stalk the butterfly.

Birdie frowned. "I'm old. I'm not blind."

Ephie snorted. "I didn't mean it that way. Jean-Luc is a ghost." Maybe he thought being fully materialized would give him a better shot at catching his prey. Hard to tell what went through that little head.

Birdie stared harder. "Is he? Well, I'll be. I never would have guessed. Looks real to me."

"So, um, what's on the paper? Or is it top-secret sheriff's department stuff?"

"Not all that top secret. I just wanted to show him the report on the plate he called in."

"Plate?"

"As in license plate. It came back registered to a 2019 Kia Sorento and was listed as stolen."

"That's not good." Ephie stared out at the yard. Jean-Luc had given up on the butterfly and was now lounging, eyes closed, belly up, in a pool of sun. He'd gone translucent again.

"With what I understand is going on, I'd say it's not. Have you seen anything to indicate that Turner's men are here in town?"

"I haven't, no. But if that vehicle had stolen plates, that could mean something. Remy said something about a car, but that was all."

"Probably didn't want to worry you."

"Probably. Or it just slipped his mind." They'd been a little busy kissing. Ephie smiled. Then she remembered about her phone. "Could I ask you for a favor? I know you don't know me, so that's a bit bold, but—"

"Nonsense. What can I do for you?"

"I have a package that needs to be mailed. Could you drop it off at the post office for me? I'll give you some money. Turner's got a tracker on my phone, so I'm going to mail it back to New Orleans and let him think I've changed my mind about staying here."

Birdie grinned. "I like that. I'd be happy to mail it for you, and Remy can settle up with me when I see him next. I'll do it soon as I finish this coffee. Anything else you need?"

"Nope. I have work to keep me busy until Remy wakes up."

Birdie's eyes narrowed. "Uh-oh. I think your cat just disappeared."

Ephie glanced at him. He was right where she'd last seen him, translucent in a puddle of sun. "He's still there, but he's back to being all ghosty." Curious that Birdie could only see him when he was solid.

"How'd you figure out about the tracker on your phone?"

Ephie shrugged one shoulder. "I ran a systems check for hidden apps, anything running in the background. I'm fairly computer-savvy. I've got a degree in computer science. I'm a web designer by trade. It's what I do."

Birde's brows lifted. "You don't say? I do a little dabbling myself on the interwebs." She wiggled her fingers. "Comes in handy at the sheriff"s department."

"I'm sure it does."

"What are you going to do when he goes back to work? Doesn't seem to me like you should be alone."

"I don't know yet. He said we'd figure it out."

"Well, if you don't mind the company of a more seasoned woman, I'd be happy to come over and spend the night. My boyfriend's out of town. He went out to visit his granddaughter at college for a few days. So I'm free."

"That seems like an awful imposition. You still have work during the day."

"It's all right. I can get ready and go from here. Remy and I will overlap, meaning you won't be by yourself. And while I might not be a vampire, I can be pretty formidable when necessary."

"I have no doubt." Ephie smiled, trying to imagine Birdie in her werewolf form. Would the wolf have blue hair, too? "I think I'd like your company very much."