We took off in Beth's beast of a car, heading for a neighborhood I'd been in a thousand times before, Circle Groves. It was near the edge of Mystic Hollow, backed against the woods. The houses were modest but beautiful, and the properties were large. It was a gardener's dream. If I hadn't lived right on the beach, I'd want a house here.
On the drive, they filled me in on some of the history of gnomes. Gnomes had a long and storied history in folklore and mythology. Legends told of gnomes being mischievous and playful creatures, often living in gardens and forests. They were said to be guardians of the earth and its creatures, as well as protectors of secret knowledge.
Beth parked across the street from a cozy house with white siding, trimmed with light blue. No cars sat in the driveway, but the windows were all open, their blowing curtains giving the illusion of peace and comfort inside. The fence around the house was easily six feet tall and white.
We got out of the car. Beth whistled while she walked, looking like someone out of a comedy show, trying desperately to look casual and failing. I glanced at Daniel. As soon as our eyes met, we both burst out laughing.
"What are you doing?" I asked, in a high pitched, hysterical voice.
She glared and came closer, grabbing my arm and whispering in my ear, "Acting casual. If you didn't remember, we don't exactly have the homeowner’s permission to be in their backyard. We need to blend in."
Daniel tried and failed to hide his laughter. "Follow my lead." This ex-cop knew the right way to sneak around.
Daniel strutted up to the house as if he owned it, threw open the gate, and gestured for us to enter. Beth shot him a glare, and I reminded myself to have Daniel smooth things over with her later. She loved being a PI, and I was pretty sure his practical, reasonable advice had hurt her feelings.
After closing the gate behind us, Daniel already knew what to do. "Now what, Captain, I don't know a thing about all this PI stuff."
Beth's scowl eased into a smile. "Just follow me."
Crisis averted.
We moved through the side yard and into an incredible garden with gnomes in every direction. Some were small and cute, some tall and regal, and some with mischievous grins on their faces. It was like a gnome wonderland.
I couldn't believe my eyes. Boy gnomes, girl gnomes, kid gnomes, even tiny sculptures of mushrooms, frogs, and cats. Could all these gnomes be alive? I couldn't imagine it.
Beth marched out to the center of the garden, sticking to the paths. "Gnomes, I'm Beth Ari from Private Psych. I've come with Karma to help." Nothing happened. Not a thing. "Oh, and the guy is a bear shifter so we're all cool."
None of them moved. A tiny gnome sat on the edge of a window. After a furtive glance around, I reached out with one finger and moved it inch by inch toward the gnome's face. It still didn't move. Taking a deep breath, I kept going, coming within an inch of the little guy.
Without warning, he leaped at me. "Aaah!" I screamed and fell backward, yanking my arm back so fast and hard my elbow popped. Only Daniel's strong arms kept me from a nasty fall. The little gnome fell to the ground in front of me and laughed. Hysterically. Riotously. With abandon.
Like Beth had waved a magic wand, the gnomes came to life. They looked somewhat similar as they had seconds before, except their arms moved around and life sparked in their eyes. After a few seconds, they all moved around. Children fought and played. The frog jumped around, the cats uncurled, and the adults rushed toward us
I stepped back, overwhelmed, as a gnome with a red hat, gray hair, and glasses approached us, coming to stop at our feet. "I'm Nespos Bunnyhop." He gave a sweeping bow. "I apologize for the young one startling you. We're still working on her manners."
I told my heart to calm the heck down and forced a smile. "Nice to meet you."
"Can you tell us more about why you called?" Beth asked, all business.
He nodded solemnly and told us to follow him. Our group headed toward a dark, private corner of the garden. Big trees cut us off from the woods behind the garden.
When we stopped, Nespos Bunnyhop leaned forward and whispered, "We're all in great danger."
7
EMMA
I exchangeda glance with Beth and Daniel, then focused my attention on Nespos Bunnyhop. The whole situation might have been comical, with the brightly painted gnome looking so intense in the shadows of a beautiful garden, but something in the way he spoke worried me. Things had been off all day. All I could hope was that this was a regular case, not one which would overwhelm me with secrecy and weirdness.
“Tell us more about what’s been going on,” Beth whispered.
He nodded, shifting even closer. “Are you all familiar with how gnomes work?”
Daniel and Beth said they were, but I shook my head. I only knew what they'd told me in the car. The gnome looked surprised but continued. “When there are humans around, we go into our stiff-state.”
My gaze swung to Daniel’s pants, then to his face, and my cheeks heated. His gaze met mine, and he lifted an amused brow.
There was something wrong with me. I was far too old to be holding in giggles when someone said, “stiff-state.”
