Work wasn't overly busy; I had a few deliveries outside of town and then my usual route to the seniors apartment complex before stopping off at Dorothy Bernadine's house, who had been diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer less than two months ago and was subsequently going through heavy amounts of chemotherapy. She was losing her hair in patches and decided to take it upon herself to shave the rest off, having bought a new wig that always sat a little awkwardly on her head. Luckily, I hadn't seen a premonition of her death, and I hoped that maybe she would be spared from the grueling monster that is cancer.
After I finished my routes, I stopped back at Leeson's Grocery to drop off the money and left the invoices on Ernie's desk in his office. I hadn't seen any sign of John all day, but I didn't know where I would unless we happened to pass each other on the street. As much as I wanted to stay positive and focus on the things that were making me happy, I couldn't help but think of who had broken into Elaine's house. I wanted to believe it was a misunderstanding, maybe Jane had come home early from her vacation and decided to bring Elaine a gift. But if that were the case, Jane would have stayed over night at the house because she lived all the way in Brook. There was no way Jane would drive almost two hours to Harrow Hall only to drop off a gift without saying a word and then turn back to head home. My stomach twisted nervously into tight knots, trying not to think of the worst case scenario. It seemed too strange to believe it was coincidence, especially given that the shoes were very similar to the ones that the heroine wore in the movie. Even though I didn't want to admit it, I had a feeling that somehow Mahala was involved.
On my way home I stopped at the police station, hoping to get any information to put my mind at ease. Ben Cimson was working at the front desk, he had recently graduated from the academy and was happy to be pushing paper in order to, hopefully, one day be out on the streets of Harrow Hall protecting and serving our community. Ben was sweet and soft spoken with big eyes that almost reminded me of a deer, he had been very shy in middle-school but really came out of his shell once we got into secondary school. We were both the same age and practically grew up together. He moved to Harrow Hall with his mother when he was halfway through grade four, and had a hard time making friends. Our lockers were beside each other for the entirety of our middle-school careers, so we were always friendly. I would be lying if I said that I didn't have a crush on Ben from the time we were little kids up until I started dating Atheson.
"Hey Ellion, how are you – how's your dad?" Ben asked, leaning his elbows against the desk, but not before checking around to make sure that no one was watching him. I could tell he was still being hazed by the other officers and that he hadn't quite come into his own at the station.
"Good and good," I replied, watching as he tried to stifle the smile from his face. I didn't see it then but I knew the look now to realize that I hadn't been the only one who had stars in their eyes for the other in high school. I asked him how he was doing and he replied that he was also doing well, that he was excited to be back in Harrow Hall doing the job that he had dreamed of as a child. He talked for a little bit longer about work and how he was enjoying himself, but mostly about how he couldn't wait to get out onto the roads. After realizing that he had been talking for awhile about himself, his cheeks went red.
"Sorry, I don't suppose you came in here to shuck corn and swap stories," Ben said, tensing his shoulders as if he suddenly put on his police officer persona. "What can I do for you this evening, Ellion?"
"I was just wondering if there's been any break-ins around town in the last few weeks or even any odd characters hanging around?" I questioned.
Ben shrugged his shoulders, once again easing back into himself and not his title. "I don't believe so. Why – was there something you needed to report?"
"Well, you know how I spend time with Elaine Baker down on Shirley Street?" I asked and he nodded. "It's just that last night I left her house and made sure all of her doors were locked, but I'm worried that someone may have got in through the night."
"Oh, that's worrisome," Ben replied, pulling out his government issued notepad that hadn't even had a scratch on it yet. "Was anything taken from her home?"
"No, nothing like that."
He paused, going over his list of questions to ask. "Well, was there any sign of forced entry?"
Again, I shook my head. "Not that I can tell."
He balanced his pen limply between his fingers, trying to think of a follow-up question but unsure of how to proceed. "But you think someone was inside of her home?" He asked, and I nodded. He chewed at his lip for a moment, setting his pen down on the notepad before once more leaning against the counter between us. "So there was no sign of someone trying to force their way into the home and nothing was missing, but you think someone got in through the night? You are absolutely sure that her doors were locked?"
"Yeah, I locked them before I left. I even made sure to double-check them," I replied.
Ben twisted his mouth around a few times before sighing. "Sorry, Ellion, I don't want to dismiss your feelings but can you try to explain why you think someone broke into Mrs. Baker's home?"
I didn't know how to explain the gift that had been left on her table without sounding crazy, but there really was no way around it. Even if there weren't any signs of a break-in, it was definitely unsettling. Ben nodded a few times, and I could tell that he was trying to be polite about the situation in the best way that he could. But, I also knew that his fresh knowledge of the law provided that nothing illegal had been done to Elaine. In the most Ben-like way, he explained just that – he tried not to dismiss my concerns, and assured me that maybe there had been some sort of misunderstanding.
"I understand," I replied, feeling awfully foolish at the time but knowing it was better to inform the police rather than to let it fester. "I know there's nothing you can do about that, but would it be too much to ask if you could add Elaine's street to the normal patrol route? Just to keep an eye on her, that's all?"
Ben smiled the same way he did all of those years ago and suddenly all I could see was the sweet boy that had shared a locker beside mine for such a long time. "I'll mention it to the others, but I can't make any promises. The routes change depending on who is on shift, though I can't see why it would be an issue."
I reached forward and placed my hand on Ben's, squeezing it tightly as we stared into each others eyes. "Thanks Ben, any little thing makes a difference."
He paused for a moment as if he had been swept into some other universe, quickly coming back down to ours with almost a look of awe. "You're really a good friend to Elaine, I'm glad someone is looking out for her," He said before I gently released my hand from his. I thanked him once more before heading out.
Before I went home, I stopped over at Madame Lenore's Studio to pick up a pamphlet about what sort of classes were offered as well as prices and the schedule. Madame Lenore was often very full of herself, which seemed to be a common trend among dance teachers, and told me that if I planned on taking classes then I better work on my cardio. Sure, I wasn't stick thin but I wasn't out of shape either. It boiled down to the fact that I wasn't what Madame Lenore considered in peek physical condition, despite the fact that barely any of her dance students really were. For that reason alone I thought about taking my business elsewhere, unfortunately I didn't have any other options so I sucked up my pride and wished her well. This was for Elaine, not for myself.
When I returned home, dad was griping about being starved half to death but he did it in a joking way. He had his feet propped up on the coffee table, which I scolded him about. He had spent all of his savings on a brand new television and didn't think to see if he could cut a deal with the furniture retailer to get a new couch recliner included, thus freeing the coffee table from his stinky feet. Eventually I was going to have to touch my own savings and buy a brand new living-room set because we had owned the same one for almost twenty years, so it was suffice to say it had definitely seen better days.
After I chopped the vegetables that came in an array of different colours, I put them in a pan while boiling rice on the other element. I seasoned the chicken with thyme and a pinch of oregano before sliding it into the oven. While I was waiting for the food to be ready, I went upstairs to rinse my face and slip into some more comfortable clothing. It didn't take long until the food was ready, setting the table for the two of us while balancing the hot dishes full of food. As we were about to sit down to eat, the doorbell chimed. Dad sighed, rolling his eyes playfully before heading down the hallway to answer the door. I sat down and began to scoop some food onto my own plate, leaving dad to portion out what he wanted, he always said I was too modest with my portions.
I heard the door creak open and soon after the booming voice of Frank Moon carried down the hallway. I could already hear the tired sound of dad's voice as he asked Frank what the problem was and that we had just sat down to eat dinner, but Frank completely dismissed him.
"That girl of yours, Ellion, ought to sleep at night instead of running around like some hooligan," Frank yammered, lifting his voice to an obvious extent so that I would overhear. Frank could be confrontational, but he was also a coward when it came to yelling at anyone besides my dad. "I've had just about enough of her thinking it's perfectly acceptable to play games at such an ungodly hour."
"Frank, I can assure you that Ellion isn't doing anything of the sort," Dad replied. What the heck was Frank on about now?
Frank huffed. "Is that right? Then why is it that she's been sneaking around outside of your house like some animal in the night? And that awful costume that she's wearing – it could give an old man like me a heart attack if I didn't know how weird she already is!"
"Sir, I shouldn't have to remind you that you are talking about my daughter," Dad snapped back. "Besides, why on earth would she go around outside at night in a costume? Are you sure you're not seeing things?"
"Are you saying I'm senile?" Frank shouted, immediately clearing his throat as dad told him to calm down.
"I said no such thing," Dad added, clearly fed up with Frank's witch hunt, "but what you're telling me is dumbfounding."
I could hear Frank shuffle around on the front porch, his clunky boots pumping around like an angered rooster. "I don't know what kind of things you two are into, but whatever it is, knock it off! It's been three nights of this, I've had enough. I like to have my blinds open, and by God I pay enough money to enjoy such a thing when I own my house. If I see her out there again---" Frank began to threaten, but dad quickly cut him off, "Good night, Frank."
As calmly as he could, dad slammed the front door. Frank called out something but it was nothing more than a murmur that was shielded by the door. I had no idea what Frank was on about, I hadn't been running around outside of the house at night. In fact, I had always gone in and out of the front door as I didn't want to look at the mess of what the spring had done to our backyard. The porch light had been on every time I was outside, and in no way had I ever worn a costume. But then it hit me – maybe Frank had seen someone? The thought unnerved me, hoping that it was just Frank being the paranoid old man that he is.
Dad sat down at the table, clearly disheveled by the confrontation with Frank, immediately scooping himself a large portion of rice. I sat quietly, taking a spoonful of food while I waited for him to calm down. Once he shoveled a good helping into his own mouth, he cracked open the beer I had set out for him. "That old man could be skyrocketed into outer space against his will and I wouldn't protest it for a second," Dad muttered between chewing.
"What was he even talking about?" I questioned, trying to hide the fact that I was getting extremely nervous. First Elaine had a weird gift left for her inside of her locked house, and now Frank Moon was claiming that someone was sneaking around our house at night? Nothing about this screamed safe.
"He's losing his mind, saying that he thinks you're running around outside and something about you dressing up – I don't know, it's all Frank Moon nonsense," Dad replied, taking a hefty chug of his beer before digging back into his dinner, his knife scraping aggressively against the plate. I stayed quiet as he chewed ravenously at his food, swallowing what he had in his mouth before looking over to me with a raised eyebrow. "You're not, though, are you? I mean, doing that sort of stuff?"
I snorted. "I don't know what sort of stuff that even is, but if it were true, don't you think you would be the first to know?"
He laughed, shrugging it off. "You're right," he paused as he helped himself to another spoonful of food. "But you'll tell me if you ever get into some weird things that immediately require me to wash my eyes out with bleach or something like that?"
"I hope you're joking," I replied, shaking my head as I focused on my dinner.
"What kind of dad would I be if I didn't try to support you, even if that meant you getting into some weird sex cult?"
"A sex cult, really dad?"
"I don't know why, but that's the impression I got from Frank."
"And must I remind you that this is the same Frank Moon that believes our reptilian overlords faked the moon landing?"
Dad paused, nodding as he pinched his lips together, "Enough said."
But that didn't retract from the real possibility that something more sinister was going on, and I was going to have to figure out what. I had a good feeling that Mahala was involved, and if that were the case, I needed to find the crazy witch.