The look I sent her said I thought she might be crazy. "They'll still remember what came before."
Caroline frowned. "Are you sure?"
I nodded. "Pretty sure."
Her shoulder's drooped with disappointment before her face brightened. "I could tase them before you start. Then while they're doing the herky jerky on the floor you can get in there and do your thing."
I propped my chin on my hand, lifting my eyebrows at her. "And what exactly is my thing?"
She crooked two fingers and mimed jabbing something with them.
Was that supposed to represent fangs?
Seeing the look on my face, Caroline stopped. "What?"
"Maybe you don't need any more alcohol after all."
"Well, what's your plan?"
"Certainly not that."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"Now you sound like you fit right in with this crowd."
Her snort told me she wasn't really insulted even as she started bobbing her head to the music. I flagged down a waitress and held up Caroline's beer, signaling for two more.
"Those are eight dollars each, you know."
"For a beer?" I asked in dismay.
"Downtown Columbus."
"Yeah, it’s Columbus not Chicago."
Prices lately were getting ridiculous. Not just in downtown either. The price hikes were everywhere these days.
Columbus was a foodie town enjoying a bit of a revolution. We were one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest and it was starting to show. If prices like these were what we had to look forward to, I'd have to give serious thought to relocating.
"If you think that's bad, you should see how much their cocktails cost," Caroline said.
I now regretted ordering beers neither of us could get drunk off of.
"I'm definitely wishing we'd gone to the Blue Pepper," I muttered.
At least there I could get a buzz while lightening my wallet.
The crowd spat our waitress out of its maw. She set our beers down in front of us and then was off, called to another table.
"What do you know about the Scattered?" I asked, picking up my beer.
Caroline was a new member to the spook ranks, but she had one advantage that most did not. She worked for the library, the biggest repository of knowledge regarding the supernatural world. It was housed in a popular independent bookstore located in German Village. Only those with power could find the entrance, let alone access the front door. Anything you wanted to know was available—for a price.
Caroline frowned, not bothering to hide her suspicion. "Why? And don't tell me it's because you're curious. That lie stopped working when we were freshmen in high school."
I picked at the label on the beer, peeling one edge off. "I might have run into a couple."
And they were possibly trying to kidnap and/or kill me. Jury was still out on which.
