Page 14 of Mystery in the Mountains

The answer surprised even herself.

“Do you want to pick up some shifts? I don’t have much available, but I might be able to help a little.”

“No, I think I might bartend a few nights a week down at the Tap . . . I’m also thinking about maybe reading some cards . . . Ya know . . . like Mom used to.”

A warm smile appeared on Betty’s face.

“The Midsommer Festival will be here before you know it. I could sign you up for a booth.”

“Ya know what? Do it . . . That should give me enough time to settle in a bit and get ready to deal with the Hollow on that level.”

After she ate, Sunny made it home. The pocket doors next to the front door called to her. That was the parlor her mother had read cards in. Her dad had closed these doors the day after the accident.

Maybe it was time to open them again.

Taking a deep breath, she slid the door open. It was just as her mom had left it.

She switched on the lamp, and even in the dim lighting, the layer of dust covering everything was apparent. In the center of the room was the small round table where she would tell fortunes, where her deck of cards was still lying in the center.

Sunny had her own cards in the van. She had the gift of sight just like her mother and had used that gift to read fortunes on the West Coast. She traced her fingers along the dust in the bookshelf, leaving little finger trails. Letting out a shaky breath, she could feel her mother’s presence in this whole house, but in the parlor, it was like she was still here.

She made her way to the table. After picking up the cards, she could smell smoke. Not only that, but it seemed to be filling the room.

When she closed her eyes, she found herself surrounded by flames.

She opened her eyes, and she was on the road, rain falling everywhere. The car was burning in front of her.

“Mom!” She ran to the car and tried to look inside, but it was empty.

Where her mother should have been, along with Asher’s parents, was nothing but empty space.

Slowly, a large black figure stood in front of the car. Her mouth dropped in a silent scream. It was dark, and all she could make out was a massive frame until it opened its eyes. Two red eyes peered at her before the figure jumped straight up into the rain as sirens sounded in the distance.

She gasped for breath and opened her eyes but found herself there in her mother’s dusty parlor. She jumped as loud music started playing from the living room. After putting the tarot cards back on the table, she found the radio in the living room, which somehow, was blaring once again, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” This time, it was coming from the old stereo.

A big part of her was tempted to go to sleep in her van. This was all part of why she left. Since she’d been gone, she hadn’t had a vision like that in years. These visions were part of why she ran.

But there was a small part of her that, even through the terror of such an intense vision, drew her close to her mother. Her energy was all over this place in a way Sunny wasn’t able to feel before she left. But she could feel it, even if the blaring music had her on edge and served as a distraction from Asher.

She turned the radio down before heading up to her room. The next day, she would get this house a little more cleared out. Somehow, she would turn it into a home again. Somehow, she would prove to the Hollow that she belonged here. She would make amends to the Black family. And she would make things better with Asher. There was still a chance. But first, she would sleep.

Chapter

Seven

SUNNY

The next morning, Sunny woke up to the unpleasant sensation of being wet. Then she opened her eyes, only for dripping water to hit her right between her brows. After jumping up out of bed, it took a moment for her mind to come into focus.

“No!” she shouted in vain at a new crack in the plaster of her ceiling. “I give! Uncle! What do I have to do to make things right?”

Just then, a loud crack of thunder accompanied a flash of lightning.

She blew out a breath. Nothing to do but start the day and change her wet clothes. Looked like she would be sleeping in her van again.

After clean, dry clothes and a cup of coffee, she was on her way into town to get a tarp and what she would need to patch the roof until she could fix that, too.

As she walked into Crawford’s Hardware, she saw a large familiar figure. Her heart sank as she watched Abe peruse the aisle with nails and screws. She couldn’t handle any more run-ins with the Blacks, so she quickly dodged Abe and set off down a different aisle.

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