Page 2 of Deadly Sins: Gluttony
Grabbing the box of sweet treats the female employee packed up for him before he left, he headed to the front door, stopping when he noticed movement behind the red velvet curtains.
The air conditioning wasn’t on, so why had the curtains moved?
“Hello?”he asked.“Is anyone there?”
There was no response, and the longer he stood there, the more he was convinced he wasn’t alone.Someone was there—or something.
“I know someone’s there,” he said.“Come out.Come out right now.”
Again, he was met with silence.
He grabbed hold of one of the curtains, yanking it to the side.
From behind, a tiny bird sprung free, darting around the bakery as if trying to get its bearings in the unfamiliar setting.
“Well, aren’t you cute,” Gideon said.“How’d you get in here, little fella?Come on, let’s get you outside where you belong.”
Not wanting to intimidate the bird, Gideon opened the shop door and stepped back, giving the bird plenty of space to exit the shop.The bird seemed intimidated at first, perched on top of the cash register, its eyes darting between the door and him.
After a time, it got up the courage to flap its wings, and out the door it went.
Shaking his head, Gideon laughed, and as he went to step outside, a voice from behind stopped him, and he whipped around.
A shadowy figure came into view, a figure pointing a gun at his chest, and then the words, “You took something from me, and now I’ll take something from you.”
2
Hollow Pines in Southern California was a town I’d always wanted to visit, ever since I heard about Spooktember Fest.During the month of September, horror movies were played on an inflatable screen at the local park next to dozens of booths filled with all kinds of spooky trinkets for Halloween enthusiasts.Following the movie, the evening concluded with a haunted history walking tour where a local guide led people on a behind-the-scenes exploration of the town’s haunted past.
I’d dreamed of attending for years, and tonight I got my wish.As we neared the end of the walking tour, Cade dipped his cowboy hat, leaned closer, and whispered, “Still can’t believe I let you drag me here.”
I elbowed him with a playful jab.“Why?I’m having a lot of fun.”
“Your idea of fun and mine don’t always line up.”
He had a point.
Whenever I convinced him to sit through a horror film, even the faintest jolt had him leaping in his seat.Meanwhile, I stayed put, popping kernels of popcorn into my mouth.
I suppose after so many years working as a private investigator, I was jaded.These days, it took far more than a splash of fake blood in a staged scene to rattle me.Nowadays, I only worked part-time, but I’d been considering whether it was time for me to retire, though I had a sneaking feeling I wasn’t finished solving murders just yet.
As we rounded the corner onto Ravenwood Drive, our tour guide, Ichabod, though I doubted that was his real name, said, “It’s the 1800s, the mid-century gold rush era.Several states began being known as the ‘Wild West.’”Boomtowns began springing up around mining strikes, and many in those towns became notorious for lawlessness, saloons, and outlaws.”
He paused for effect, then continued, pointing out several red stains splattered across the side of a cream-colored brick building.“Any of you ever heard of Barrett “Bear” McCoy?”
More than twenty of us had shown up for tonight’s tour, but if anyone recognized the name, they kept it to themselves.
“McCoy was a cowboy during the Wild West, wasn’t he?”I asked.“Famous around here during the mid-1800s from what I’ve heard.”
Ichabod pointed at me and said, “Miss, you are correct.Here, at this exact spot in 1855, McCoy was shot dead in the street.”
He’d said it with all the dramatic flair I’d expected.
“What happened?”Cade asked.
Ichabod raised a finger.“I’m getting to that.But first, they say the streaks of blood before you belong to McCoy himself.Time has passed, yet the marks remain etched into the brick, a chilling testament to what took place here that night.”
He was wrong, of course.
