Alice settled a messenger bag on the desk and lifted the flap. She brandished the camera and smiled. “We’ve got our proof of the banshee right here, ladies. That should take care of that silly news story and get us back on top.”
“Good. I was so worried,” I said flatly.
Alice scowled. “You should be. You’re trying to help the people of Haunted Hollow, Blissful. Anyway, I think all we need to do is show Devlin and he’ll run a corrected story.” She chewed the inside of her lip. “The only problem is I have to track him down.”
A sparkle ignited in Ruth’s eyes. “I know a place where he’ll be.”
“Where’s that?”
“Cora’s visitation. Along with a couple hundred other people.”
“Like Ross Yates, perhaps?” I said.
Ruth grimaced. “Yes, I suppose so.”
I drummed my fingers on the desk. “When’s the visitation?”
“Tomorrow.” Alice set the camera down and picked up a skein of yarn. “That’s what the obituary read.”
I clicked my tongue. The visitation would be the perfect time to speak with Ross Yates. Francine the Ghost had said she would help, but she seemed batty. I wasn’t sure if she was reliable. The visitation seemed like the most sure-fire approach to discovering who’d framed Ruth.
I smiled brightly at my two cohorts in crime. “Well then, I guess we’ll be at the visitation, too.”
TEN
“Are you avoiding me?”
I stopped by Roan’s for lunch. He’d texted and said he had a huge platter of deli meat, cheese and freshly baked bread.
I replied that I’d be over within thirty minutes. I had also promised to bring some back for Ruth and Alice, but I didn’t mention that part to him.
I built myself a sandwich and sat at the counter in his kitchen. “No. I’m not avoiding you. I just saw you last night, remember?”
He ran his thumb over his lips. “Just wondering.”
“You’re asking about last night.”
He scratched his head and proceeded to top a thick slice of homemade bread with turkey and ham. “Well, it was a little strange that your mother banished me to the car.”
I laughed while swatting at him playfully. “She didn’t banish you.”
“Didn’t she?”
I took a big bite of my sandwich to avoid answering. I figured if I chewed long enough, Roan would forget all about our conversation.
No such luck.
“Seriously, whatwasthat all about?”
I dabbed my mouth with a napkin and sighed. Looked like there was no way to get out of this. No, I didn’t want to discuss it, but it seemed I had no choice.
“My mother thinks you’re bad for me.”
His eyebrow quirked.
“Not in the sense that you’re a bad influence.” The words darted from my mouth. “But your supernatural gifts and mine don’t mesh. They’re sort of catastrophic together. We can cause more bad things to happen than good.”
Roan’s gaze drifted to his plate. He thumped his thumb on the edge of the porcelain and shook his head.
