The Death Thief

Humble Hen

I managed a few winks during a night of constant tossing and turning. With every creak of a floor board, I sprang up and sent my eyes around for a fresh intruder. However, it always was someone walking about above me or moving through the corridor outside my door, which happened rather often considering how nocturnal most of the guests were.

When the sun peeked above the trees and shed it's first tendrils of soft, warm yellow across my floor, I surrendered the night and rose up with dark circles around my eyes. A few splashes of cold water against my face jolted my muscles from their reluctant lethargy and the biting hunger inside my stomach motivated my exhausted mind. Within the hour, I freshened up, put on one of my new outfits from Hearth Home, and then headed out the door. However, once I passed the threshold, I came to a grinding stop.

The obvious course of action was to find my way to the banquet hall and pray that Spencer had breakfast set and ready. Yet, I couldn't manage to provoke myself to wander that far. I still felt the impression left on the inside of my skull from the constant beating of hypotheses over Calista's murder. I needed that vacated from my cluttered mind just as much as I needed a blueberry muffin or a whole pot of coffee. However, I could only grant my body reprieve in the hall, while my mind would continue to boil over with distracting theories.

I managed to make my way to the lobby, which was still and quiet in the early hours. The fireplace no longer snapped and flared, and the seats once filled with conspiring friends were empty and cold. I made my way over to the wingback that had held Violet the night before. I took a seat and allowed a deep breath to shove my hunger back into the pit of my gut.

I needed to deal with the noise in my head, but I knew that I no longer could just sit on the sidelines and sort it out on my own. I needed another brain, a fresh pair of eyes to translate all the secrets piled on me over the past few days. However, I didn't have anyone to turn to. The closest thing I had to a friend was, to my surprise, Bungee. Had I told the me from three nights prior that the cannibal in the woods would be the one person I could most comfortably chat with in the coming days, I would have backed away slowly and sought a quick exit. Still, that realization did me little good since Bungee was somehow connected to this whole tangled mess and I couldn't very well trust him to give me an unbiased opinion.

That left me with nearly no options, yet I did still have options. Really a single option considering what time it was. I wouldn't call him a friend, but he already knew some of my secrets and he certainly was eager to learn more should I be willing to share. At that point, I didn't care how gruff or intimidating he was. Everett was my best hope for sorting through this nonsense.

I rose up from my chair with some pep in my step, now that I had a plan for ridding myself of this burden of information. However, once again, as I passed through the grand doors of the hotel, I stopped upon the realization that I didn't know where to go.

I had been brought to the police station while knocked out cold and then I left the station with a vampire that kept me too distracted to notice where I was going. I knew if I just turned back into the hotel and sought out Spencer, I could locate the station without problem, however, my stomach held on to one hope and it's will was now stronger than my need for urgency. Instead of locating the sheriff's office, I made my way to the Brew and Stew.

"Good morning, hon. Awfully early for you, isn't it?" Hen wiped the counter as a couple customers turned to me with tired glances, only to look right back down at their plates with apathetic interest.

"Another rough night," I answered with a fragile smile. "Do you know if Sheriff Hathaway will be stopping by this morning?"

"Oh he always comes for a coffee and pastry," said Hen with a ruby-lined smile. "He won't be here for a bit though. It's still early and he'd be doing a shift change with Kyra right now. Depending on how the night went, he may be here in a half hour or in two."

"Then, I'll just wait it out. May I sit at the counter?"

"Of course, take a seat." She trotted out from behind the counter and wiped off a stool for me with an enthusiastic flourish. As I took my seat, I wondered how long Hen's shift was. Though she wore a pair of tight, yet lovingly worn jeans, as well as a light, floral blouse, both of which looked comfortable for a long day's work, she also chose to wear emerald pumps with a good two inch heel. Not too dramatic, but I simply couldn't imagine they'd be enjoyable to wear after spending eight hours on her feet.

"Is there a drink I can get you while you look breakfast over?" she asked, handing me a laminated menu.

"Coffee. Strong," I answered with a sigh.

"Gotcha," she replied with a wink.

I later ordered a heaping stack of pancakes, as well as a bowl of yogurt and fruit since it made me feel better about cramming myself full of carbs. As I made steady progress on my tasty tower of syrup soaked pancakes, I found that, with my stomach quieting, the demons of suspicion were once again toying with my mind. Whenever the door swung open, I jumped and twisted to see if Matias had shown up with the intention of guaranteeing my silence about his potential motivations for killing his would-be lover as well as his vicious brawl with Bungee in the alleyway. Then, I'd remember that Matias was a vampire, that the sun stood out bright in a cloudless sky, and that I was surrounded by hungry witnesses on their way to work.

"What's your favorite color?"

The question came out of nowhere. I turned back from a couple of blue collars strolling through the door, to find Hen resting her chin upon her arms which she had crossed upon the counter.

"Um, purple," I mumbled, before turning my eyes to my untouched yogurt.

"Good choice," she said with a smile. Then with a flourish, she straightened up, did a few waves of her arms, and, with a last triumphant reach towards the ceiling, a burst of violet glitter, lavender flowers, and purple confetti rained down onto the countertop.

"W-what was that?" I asked, nearly falling off my stool. After the initial shock sent my heart pounding against my ribs, my smile brightened with an astonished laugh. Soon the rest of the diner was applauding and Hen took a few humble bows. Then, just as I reached out to pluck a dainty purple bloom from my yogurt, it all disappeared.

"Illusions come cheap," answered Hen, who still gave the counter a quick wipe despite there being no remaining evidence that the sparkling explosion ever existed. "If you ever need a pick me up, I'd be happy to do it again for free."

"You're a mage," I said with the sudden dawning of realization.

"I'm a chef and business owner, who happens to know a few magic tricks," she said with a shrug. "Let me know if I can get you anything else, hon. It's all on the house this morning. Consider it my way of welcoming you to town."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know, but I am." She winked at me and then looked past my shoulder, towards the door. "Just give me a holler if you do want something, I'll leave you two alone until then."

I turned to follow her gaze. Everett Hathaway strolled in with a half smile on his face. He knew he was looking at trouble.