Luc had suffered no small amount of fear himself. What would his future be like, cursed to be fully human only when the moon was full?
He couldn’t imagine. However, now he knew more than he cared to, and in some ways, it was worse than death.
The dogs, who slept beside Grace’s bedroom door, stirred, rose, whined and scratched at the door, rousing him from painful thoughts. “What is it my friends?” It hadn’t taken long to gain their affection and respect. Unlike the horses, Mercury and Mars seemed undisturbed by his cursed state.
“Woof,” they chorused.
“Intruders? I’ll deal with them. You stay here and guard Grace.”
The dogs stared, and as one tilted their heads in understanding. Mars settled at the foot of Grace’s bed. Mercury stood guard at thedoor. Luc passed quickly through the door and the floors. When he reached the kitchen, he hovered in a darkened corner. Clouds curtained the nearly full moon, leaving an occasional beam. If he crossed one, he’d be visible. Here in the dark, the trespassers could not see him. He waited. Every spectral sense alert. If he was lucky, they were only young men out on a lark and unaware that anyone lived atSweet Dreams. Luc hadn’t been lucky in a long time. Indeed, the intruders were two men, not curious teens. One man was heavy-set, with a graying brown scruff covering his jowls. The other was thinner, but just as scruffy with dirty blond hair and beady black eyes on either side of a nose that’d seen more than one break. That fellow was Davy, and Luc had followed him around the house the day the fencing had been delivered.
The jowly fellow, Luc had seen around Guidry’s tavern on more than one occasion. The patrons had called him Billy.
Each carried a cudgel and sported a gun belt with holster and pistol. Davy carried at least one knife at his waist. His clothes were as grimy as the color of his hair His cohort, Billy, had the hilt of a blade sticking out from the top of his left boot. “You smell something? Like cinnamon. And maybe sulfur?” Billy whined.
“Don’t smell nothing but swamp and dirt. You’re nuts. Now shut up.”
As they moved through the space, Billy tossed aside any object in his path. When he managed to demolish whatever it was, he smiled.
They’d wake Grace if they didn’t stop. Luc sensed her restless stirring and the dogs moving to her side, seemingly uncertain what to do about the woman they guarded.
“Damnit! Stop being so gol-durned noisy,” Davy cursed.
“What’s it matter? Ain’t no one within ten miles to hear nothing.”
“Ain’t so,” Davy informed him. “I met the woman who lives here. She’s nosy, mean and cold. Heard tell she got two dogs she’d sic on us quicker than a catfish can jump. Last thing we need is to wake her up.”
“I s’pose. A lone woman ain’t got no business living out here.” Billy grumbled. “Why didn’t we wait ’til we knew she was gone?”
“Cause the boss said he wanted it done now. He said, do it fast and clean. We don’t find nothin’ this week, he’ll hire someone else, and we don’t get paid. Besides, throwing trash is a waste a time.”
“Fine.” Billy said. “Let’s get a move on. I wanna get home and get some sleep. Gotta work my regular job in the morning.”
“Quit your bitching,” Davy barked. “The money we’ll make when we find it is worth some lost shut eye.”
“I don’t know,” the other man groaned again. “A hundred dollars sounds like a lot a money. But the boss seems mighty anxious. Bet we could get more out of him.”
“Got to find the doll first. You take that north wall. I’ll search the old ovens and pantries.”
That’s right. You two split up. Taking you down one at a time will be much easier.
Luc smiled.
Davy made a beeline for the pair of huge iron stoves set next to a trio of brick ovens. Billy lumbered off toward the north wall where he pressed on bricks.
Does he imagine he’ll find the keystone for a secret room or compartment?
The walls were thick, but not that thick. One quick look at the width of the doorframe would reveal that no room or compartment could hide in that wall.
Luc glanced across the room at Davy, who was opening oven doors and lifting burner covers.He won’t find anything either. I’ve spent years searching all of Sweet Dreams. Doesn’t mean I can’t have a bit of fun.
That wall would keep dim-witted Jowls busy. Luc aimed for Davy, and the stove the man was examining. The fellow went down on his knees, bracing one hand on the floor and opened the firebox door with the other.
The cat erupted from its nesting place, claws extended, and launched itself at the intruder’s face.
“What the…? Ow, damn, get off me.”
He must’ve somehow pulled the feline’s tail because the cat yowled louder.
