Page 40 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part Two

“Hmmmmmmmmmm,” I said. “You’ve outdone yourself, Olivia.”

She turned so that I could see her smile.

“Maybe you think that because you haven’t eaten in a while.”

“Maybe. But I can’t imagine this being better. Hey! Do we have some cranberry juice?”

“We do,” Liv said.

“Can I have some? With, um, sweetener?”

Keir laughed under his breath because he knew I was embarrassed about wanting to sweeten the cranberry juice. Ideserved it because being embarrassed about appearing childish was silly.

The door chime sounded and, yes, it had changed on its own. Keir and I looked at each other.

“That’s interesting,” I said. “It’s been a long time since I used that song.”

“What do you think it means?”

“I don’t know, but it’s kind of a fun game.” I grinned.

When “Der Kommissar” played again, both of us jumped up to go and see who it was.

Keir opened the door to reveal Maxfield Pteron then looked at me. I gave a look that said,“Ohhhhhhhhh.”

“Hi, Max,” I said brightly. “Come in and have ham and cheese croissants with us.”

“Thank you, Magistrate. I broke my fast some time ago.” He lightly slapped his quirt against the thigh of his jodhpur.

“We’re getting a later start than usual,” I defended. It seemed the insecure Rita would never die. “Will you join us while we finish then?”

He nodded and strode past us like my casa was his casa. When he reached the kitchen, he eyed my chair, saw that there was uneaten food, and reluctantly – at least that’s what I imagined – took a different seat.

“Will you have tea?” I asked, as Keir and I took our places.

“Certainly. Very kind.” He turned toward Olivia. “Orange pekoe?” He didn’t wait for Olivia’s nod before returning his attention to us. Max was a guy used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it. “An interesting affair this has turned out to be.”

Apparently, Keir and I both thought it would be rude to say, “Duh.” So, we let our silence indicate that we were in agreement and waiting for him to continue.

He did.

“I’ve spent the past half hour or so with your clerk. Since, the Medusa case has evolved into an entirely different situation, I believe the prudent next step is to contact the Greeks. Hopefully, they will want to send someone for her.”

Based on the little I’d heard about the Olympians, I thought ‘hopefully’ was an apt word to insert. They didn’t strike me as folks eager to take responsibility for their misdeeds. Why should they, I suppose. In their world consequences only apply to those not on the top shelf.

“I hope that’s soon,” I said. “I’m sure it’s an imposition on Lochlan and Ivy.”

Max looked off in a way that left the impression he hadn’t taken that into account. “Yes. I see what you mean.” Turning back to face us, he said, “I’ll give some thought to a…”

“Plan B?”

My meaning seemed to confuse him at first, but then he smiled. “Yes, indeed. Should a Plan B require implementation, I will, hopefully, have something in mind.”

“We appreciate you this sharing this, Max.” I spoke for both of us. “I’ll instruct Lochlan to take the matter off the docket."

“Very well.” He hurriedly drank the rest of his tea then stood.

“I’ll walk him out,” Keir said.

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