"We are," Beth said quickly, her smile gone. "This is what we think." She gestured to the pink and white flowers we had chosen.
"Good choice," Sam replied, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes as she hurried to make notes about what flowers we’d chosen for the wedding, how many we’d need, and when we’d need them by.
"Thank you,” I told Sam.
She gave a tense smile. "Of course. We’ll make their special day even more special with just the perfect flowers.” She glanced down at the flowers that looked pale compared to the big, bright ones around most of the shop. "And these are a great choice.”
"Simple is best," I said. "Henry and Alice would prefer it."
"Agreed," Carol nodded, her blue eyes serious now.
I put the down payment for the flowers, and she wrapped up a sample bouquet for us to take with us to show the bride and groom. Her movements were rushed, and her gaze kept moving back to the street. I honestly felt bad for keeping her.
"Let's pack up." Deva tucked the box of cake samples under her arm, and we grabbed the flowers.
We stepped out into the evening, the streetlights casting long shadows on the pavement. The usual hum of the town wasreplaced by an eerie quiet. Doors slammed in haste as people shuffled to their cars, heads down, quickening their steps.
"This is so much worse than just a few nights ago. What happened?" I frowned, looking around at the deserted streets.
"Didn't you hear?" Deva asked. "Another attack, just a couple of days ago."
"How did I not know?" My voice was laced with disbelief. I hadn’t heard about this latest attack.
Carol clutched her purse close. "It's gotten everyone spooked."
"Let's not linger then," I urged, ushering them to my car.
"Good idea," Deva said, glancing over her shoulder as we hurried and climbed into the car.
As I turned the car on and started driving, Carol gripped the door handle and glanced out the window. "It happened right outside the flower shop.”
I pressed my foot a bit more firmly on the gas pedal.
"Right in front of Sam's place," Deva confirmed, her voice low. "He was closing up for the night. The person was mauled this time. Not just attacked. Like some giant dog tore into him."
"Mauled?" Beth's lips parted slightly, shock written across her face. "You're kidding! I hadn’t heard that part. Just that there was an attack."
"No kidding here. Broad daylight turned into a nightmare," Deva said.
We exchanged glances, the light-heartedness of our earlier cake tasting and flower selecting faded away. Mystic Hollow wasn’tthe kind of town where people had to be afraid to walk on the street. I was pretty sure no one knew what to do with this kind of uncertainty and fear, including us.
"Could it be supernatural?" I asked, the question heavy on my tongue. "Or was it a human thing?”
"Could be," Deva said, not meeting my eyes. "This isn't normal, even for Mystic Hollow."
More supernatural trouble? No, it was more likely just a normal human thing. A normal, human psychopath attacking people. Yeah, that was better.
"Let's not jump to conclusions." I tried to sound more convincing than I felt. "But let's also not take any chances."
"Home sounds real good right now," Carol murmured, and I caught the flicker of agreement in Deva's eyes through the rearview mirror.
"Home it is," I confirmed, steering us away from the darkening streets and towards the promise of safety and light.
THREE
Emma
I steered the car onto the familiar gravel path leading toward Beth’s house. Beth sat beside me, her gaze flitting between the window and her phone. I got the sense she had something on her mind, but I couldn’t focus on her with Deva and Carol talking in the back.
