A few seconds later, they caught up to me. “He hasn’t changed since this picture in the yearbook with your parents in it,” Beth said.
“So this isn’t one of those creeps who try to look younger to play football or something,” Deva said with a frown.
“And, as far as you know, he’s human?” I asked, just making sure.
They both nodded.
“The shifters would smell that he wasn’t human,” Beth said, slowly.
“And all us witches would sense that something was off,” Deva added.
“You know all the paranormals in town?” I asked.
Again, they both nodded.
“Basically, we’d know if he was a supernatural... or should know.” Deva looked even more upset. “If in a town like Mystic Hollow, he hid what he was, it was for a bad reason. I’m sure of it.”
“Do you think that’s why Carol is gone?” Beth’s voice was barely louder than a whisper. “Did she figure this out, and he came for her?”
I felt sick. “It’s definitely possible.”
Deva tossed the book onto the table. It hit the laminated surface with a smack and the pages all fluffed up before settling again. She turned with Beth and I hot on her heels. “We’ve got to get to the body shop and get to the bottom of this!” she called. She didn't need to be loud since we were right there and it seemed we all had the same thought. I for one was willing to bet that wherever Carol was, Joel would be with her. I just hoped we weren't too late.
I also hoped that the sleeping potion wasn't too much for Glynda since she was still out like a light when we left. Beth made sure to lock back up, since we didn't want anyone accidentally hurting Glynda or causing any damage to the library. It was probably best to keep everything secure. Plus, it might slow Joel down if he went back there.
We got back into the car as there were only gray streaks left in the sky from the setting sun.
“That took too long,” I said.
They both nodded, and the air got thick with tension.
I sent a quick text to Daniel letting him know what we’d found out, then shifted the car into drive. I wasn’t usually a fast driver, but with Carol missing, and all signs pointing that Joel was involved, I was going to tap into my reckless teen days.
Thank goodness for small towns. The library was only about a two minute drive from the body shop. If we’d cut through a side street, and across a couple people's backyard, we probably could’ve run faster. Being without speedy transportation wasn't what I wanted though, not when I saw what waited for us.
As soon as we pulled into the body shop parking lot, I knew that Joel knew someone was on to him. Maybe he just thought it was Carol or maybe he was starting to freak out. Either way, the whole place was shut down and dark. Joel never closed during the day. He hardly ever closed. Period. In a small town he was one of the few mechanics, which meant being available at odd hours, and being willing to work when everyone else had already gone home.
There were only a few places that constantly had some kind of light on and Joel's shop was one of them. Even if he was gone for the day there was normally a light on in the parking lot. Tonight though, there was nothing. The moon, thankfully, was bright enough that we didn't need it. That didn't make it any less weird though.
“This is as unsettling as the library was,” I whispered. The metal roll doors were all down and I didn't need to try the handle on the door to the waiting area and business side of the shop to know it was locked.
We got out and looked around cautiously. One of the big bay doors hadn't closed all the way so there were a couple inches open at the bottom. I debated for a moment between stealth and getting into the shop and decided that getting in was more important. As I hooked my fingers under the door and pulled, it gave a little before stopping. The gears and chains that moved the door weren't exactly quiet and made me wince at the noise. There was no way around it though, not if we wanted to get inside. “I think we can squeeze under there,” I said quietly.
“Let’s make sure nobody’s in there.” Deva stood on her tip-toes and peered inside through the tiny window or vent that was in the roll door while Beth put her hand on the building.
“I think someone is,” Beth said. “But I don’t feel any current threat. Just sadness and anger. Residual.”
“Good.” I got down on my hands and shimmied under the door, using my body to push it as far up as it could go. I had to squeeze one boob underneath and then the other. My back protested the movement sharply and my neck twinged like my whole body was threatening me, but I ignored the pain.
Once I was through I pushed carefully to my feet, trying not to anger my back any further, but then I did something stupid and pulled on the door, forcing it a little higher so Deva and Beth could get underneath. When I straightened my back said I'd be paying for that mistake later.
When the girls joined me, we looked around in shock. The lights were off but there was enough ambient light that came in through the vents and the windows in the office to show a total mess.
Tools were strewn everywhere, and a couple of tool boxes turned over. And worse, many of them had been spattered with blood. There were smears of oil on the walls as though someone had been trying to do a Jackson Pollock with oil and blood. What I found most concerning was the stench of gasoline. Obviously it would smell a little like that, it was an auto shop after all, but this was too strong. It was like an entire gas can had been tipped over and it was soaking the floor somewhere, only I didn't see where. Whatever had happened here, it wasn't good.
"Do you guys smell that?" I asked as I brought the edge of my t-shirt up to my nose to try and block some of it out.
They both nodded, their faces grim. None of us were getting good vibes from this place or what had happened before we got here.
