“But that’s far away from the house.”
“The mudroom’s in the back. It’s not like you can just walk up and ring her doorbell.”
“Good point.”
I parked the ATV on the street. The road was quiet, and most of the houses were dark.
“Do you think Birda’s made it back yet?”
Alice nodded. “Yep. Smell that?”
I noted the slight sent of corn in the air. “Someone made popcorn?”
“That’s corn fuel. Birda uses it in her ATV. Has it delivered to her from somewhere. So yep, she’s back.”
I shook my head. “Y’all are some weird folks in Haunted Hollow.”
Alice pulled a tin from her jacket. “Millionaire shortbread?”
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. “Sure.” I took a small square and bit into the goodness.
“This is heaven,” I said.
“I like to think so.”
The caramel and chocolate melted on my tongue, and I gave it a second before I decided to head over to Birda’s house.
I raked my fingers down my face. “How am I going to get in?”
Alice tucked the tin back into her jacket. “That’s easy. Birda always leaves a spare key underneath a flowerpot by the door.”
I hitched a brow. “Don’t you think that’s a little cliché?”
Alice blinked at me innocently. “It might be cliché, Blissful, but it’s true.”
“Under the flowerpot, you say?”
“That’s right.”
“Okay.” I sighed. “I’ll go check it out.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Alice and I walked down the quiet street. It was late. So late I had to stifle a yawn.
I followed Alice around back and lifted up each flowerpot until I found the correct one. A shiny key lay hidden in a small circle of earth.
“Bingo.”
I slid the key in the lock and paused. “You don’t think Birda has an alarm, do you?”
Alice shook her head. “This is Haunted Hollow, not New York City. The only people here who have alarms are the ones who live up on the mountain.”
“We’re all up on a mountain,” I pointed out.
Alice thought about that for a moment. “The other mountain. The one that’s higher than we are.”
I had no idea what she was talking about but took her word for it. I turned the key and knob at the same time. The door gave, and I quietly pushed it open.
