Page 8 of Something Cryptid This Way Comes
Downstairs, Bram enters the kitchen first so I don’t startle Hades. When I open the back door, Bandit rockets toward me and jumps up. Cradling him against my chest, I stand, mostly curious and a little worried that he and Hades will have forgotten about each other during the minutes they were separated.
Their tails wagging, Bandit and Hades look at each other, and Hades wanders closer, but Bram detours his path with a single command and we ready them for the walk. I don’t want to jump the gun on them becoming comfortable with each other, but so far, so good.
After a stop by the front door for Bram to grab his leather jacket, we set off on a winding tour of the homes beyond the inn. I point out the three apartments and two houses I rented over the years. We loop around the firehouse, then cut through the city park, the trees showing off with vibrant colors of red, orange, and golden yellow.
The last time we walked these streets together, we were seventeen. Now, we’re forty-two. It feels like a lifetime has passed since Bram’s been away. It’s so good and weirdly strange to be walking here with him again. If he hadn’t had a football career waiting for him, would he have stayed? And if he had, what would’ve become of us?
Bram gazes at the colorful storefronts lining Maple Street. “I don’t know what I was expecting. A lot of places still look the same. But a lot is different.”
The places that have been here forever, like Sparky’s Diner, Red’s Diner, The Striped Maple, and the Playhouse on Garnet Avenue near my inn haven’t changed much. The new shops, like the coffee place, the ice cream shop, and Ever’s store, are welcome additions to the town. Across the street, the three are in a row, directly in front of the park.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Ever. But first, I need caffeine.” Bram points to Special Blend, his brows raised in question.
“They make great coffee. Let’s go.”
We jog across the street and I leave him outside with the dogs, promising to return with lattes for the two of us and Ever. I’m conscious of him every moment I’m inside the coffee shop and I have to force myself to keep my eyes forward instead of constantly peeking out the window to watch my friend. It’s like part of me still can’t believe he’s here.
Back outside, in the cool autumn air, Bram accepts his latte with a smile and a thanks.
Holding the tray with my latte and Ever’s, I open the door to the Honey Spot. Ever’s never minded when I’ve stopped in with Bandit, and I know he’s looking forward to seeing Bram. “Hello? Ever?”
Footsteps sound from the back of the shop, and then our silver fox friend comes into view. His face breaks into a smile. “Hey, guys.”
“I come bearing lattes.” I set the tray down on the counter. “And longtime friends.”
Ever and Bram exchange hugs, and Ever claps him on the shoulder as they draw apart. “Good to see you, Bram. I couldn’t believe it when Trevor said you were coming.”
“The store looks great.” Bram loops Hades’s leash around his wrist a few times, drawing the dog to his side. “Yourgrandfather would be proud. Oh, and I need to order more soap, and honey.”
Stooped down, petting the dogs, Ever runs a thumb under his eye before looking up at us. He and his grandfather were close and even after a decade, I know Ever still misses him. “Do you want to take them back to the inn today, or later, when you don’t have your hands full of lattes and dogs?”
Bram grins at Ever’s dry tone. “Later would be great. I’ll stop in toward the end of the week.”
Brushing his hands on his thighs, Ever stands. “Have you started your investigation research?”
“Not on the ground here yet, but over the last week and a half, people have reached out with stories, thanks to the festival committee putting the word out. I talked to Ethan Gallagher a few days ago. Since he’s back in Seattle for hockey season, and couldn’t meet in person to tell me about his Mabel sightings, we did our interview over a video call. I didn’t know he bought the Montgomery family’s place.”
“Yeah. He bought it when he was here in the spring.” I sip my latte. The property is thirty acres of mostly woods with a great pond every kid in Maplewood loved playing on in the winter.
“He swears that, as a kid and teen, he and his friends saw Mabel there.” Bram bounces lightly on his toes like he did when he played football and couldn’t wait to get off the sidelines and back in the game. “Ethan pays Tommy Harrington to leave food for Mabel every couple of weeks during hockey season, carrying on a tradition that the Montgomerys had. He’d helped the Montgomerys build a place for Mabel’s food back when he was a kid. He said we can investigate on the property if we want. Really nice guy.”
Ever slips behind the counter, pulls out a box of dog treats that he started carrying once I adoptedBandit, and sets it in front of us. “Ethan’s great. Did you hear his moms bought the Playhouse a few years ago?”
“Ethan mentioned they’re showing scary movies this month as part of the Halloween activities.” Bram digs two bones out of the box, handing one to me and one to Hades. “I remember Grace and Elena, but with Ethan eight years younger than us, I didn’t know him when I lived here. It’s nice talking to a fellow athlete, even if we do play different sports.”
The wistfulness in his tone catches me. I look up from feeding Bandit his treat. “Are you missing football?”
“A little. Sometimes I miss it a lot. I was lucky to play for as long as I did.” He was a cornerback for most of his career then moved positions to safety for his last few seasons.
I want to cheer him up, want to keep him smiling, and think I know how. “You know that spot in the woods we always used to go to after your football games here?”
He grins. “Yeah. Those were good times. We have to go back and see it.”
“We will.” I cast a sly glance at Ever. “Ever took Dmitri there, and things got heated.” I wiggle my eyebrows.
Ever’s eyes grow wide and he sputters his latte.
I continue, “And Mabel interrupted them.”
