The Ghoul Next Door

chapter Twenty-Six

Before turning the corner to make our way onto the sidewalk, we paused. Callahan placed his hands on my cheeks. “I know you have to wake up really early, so I’m going to let you get some sleep.” He brushed my cheek with his finger. “It’s hard to stay away though.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

When we reached Callahan’s car, I knew something was wrong right away. The driver’s side window had been smashed out and glass littered the ground below. I wanted to lay down right there on the sidewalk and cry, big blubbering tears, but I couldn’t. Yet again, I had to pull myself together and face the bad luck. Again. Why was this happening to us? It was as if I had been cursed. If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.

“Your window is smashed,” I called out as we hurried toward his car. As If he couldn’t see what had happened with his own eyes. “Do you think someone was trying to steal your car?”

“Probably,” he said, examining the broken window.

“Is anything missing?” I asked.

Callahan looked up and down the street. Things had quieted down around town. Not many people stayed out after dark around Magnolia. Stone buildings and brick sidewalks lined the quaint and cozy historic section of town. Awnings covered some of the shop entrances, while others had clever signs dangling gently over the doors.

Then I remembered. “Oh my gosh. I left my purse in your car.”

I rushed over to the passenger side and looked through the window. My bag was gone. My stomach sank. I shouldn’t have left it in there. I had been asking for someone to vandalize his car to get to it. Could I stop causing problems for Callahan already? It was like he had stepped into a perpetual Larue tornado the day that he’d met me. It was a never-ending whirlwind.

“I’m so sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you to put the bag in there.”

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s no big deal. The window can be fixed, but what about your purse? Did you have a lot of money in there?”

“Luckily, no. Oh, wait. The necklace. I left the necklace in the purse.”

I had meant to wear the necklace Karyn had given me, but the clasp wouldn’t stay fastened, so I’d put it in my bag. An action that I now regretted.

“What necklace?” Callahan asked.

I’d failed to mention this special necklace to Callahan… one crazy part of my life at a time.

“It was a necklace Karyn had given me.”

The necklace was special and meant for the coven leader. Even though I wasn’t the coven leader, Karyn and the coven had insisted I keep the necklace until I decided if I wanted to take the position. I’d already told them no, but apparently for some reason they thought I’d change my mind. Well, I guessed I hadn’t worded my answer strongly… I’d left an opening there in case for some strange reason I decided being a coven leader was something I wanted to add to my resumé.

“That’s a real bummer.” Candy Cherry smirked.

“It was a dumb move to leave valuables in the vehicle.” Mr. Fine tossed his cigarette on the ground and shook his head.

“Please don’t be upset, Larue, I’m sure the necklace will turn up.” Elvis offered a reassuring smile.

Within minutes the police had arrived and were filling out a report. They’d seen a lot of me lately. A few worried-looking strangers hurried by as if we were a part of some kind of organized crime bust. The noise from the day had disappeared and the empty streets amplified the desolate feeling taking over my thoughts.

After talking with the police, Callahan and I said our goodbyes and I watched in the rear-view mirror as he drove home with a busted-out window in his car. Our date hadn’t turned out as planned. But with any luck, it hadn’t completely ruined our relationship.

The more I drove away from town, the more I thought about the necklace. I had to get it back, but how? Where would I even begin to look? I needed to tell Karyn. As much as I wanted to hide it from her, I knew that wasn’t the right thing to do. Did this incident have anything to do with the black shadow I’d seen outside my house? The demon at Jennie Blake’s home? What about the damaged books in the store? That was when I remembered the letter. How could I have forgotten the letter? I hadn’t even mentioned it to Callahan.