And once again, I awoke to a phone call.
Fumbling on Cody’s nightstand, I found my phone and answered, croaking a sleepy “Hello” into my phone.
“Daisy?” It was Sandra Sweddon, who was a friend of my mom’s, a volunteer in the community, and a member of the local coven. “Sorry to disturb you so early, honey, but I’m over at the Open Hearth Center.” She lowered her voice. “Sinclair told us about the, um, situation. I’m afraid there may have another incident. A serious one.”
A jolt of adrenaline brought me more fully awake. “Another Night Hag attack?”
“I can’t be sure,” she said. “Old Mrs. Claussen passed last night. Mind you, she was very sick. But I heard the nurse who was on duty last night telling another nurse about hearing Mrs. Claussen cry out in the middle of the night, before she passed. She was saying ‘Get her off me, get her off me.’”
I swore. “Is the night nurse still there?”
“No, she’s gone home.”
“What about Mrs. Claussen’s, um, remains?” I asked. “Did the M.E. take her?”
“No, she’s here,” Sandra said. “They’re just waiting for Doc Howard to come by and sign the death certificate. She had advanced liver cancer, Daisy, so they’re not considering it a suspicious death. But I thought you’d want to know.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I wrapped myself in a big plaid bathrobe hanging from a hook on Cody’s bedroom door and went into the living room to wake him. The call hadn’t awakened him and he was still sprawled on the couch, sound asleep, a crocheted blanket tangled around his limbs. I allowed myself a wistful moment to gaze at him before calling his name.
He woke with a start, jerking upright and baring his teeth. His face softened at the sight of me. “Daise. No luck?”
“Bad luck,” I said. “It sounds like she struck somewhere else last night. And this time it was fatal.”
He ran his hands over his face and through his sleep-disheveled hair. “Tell me.”
I filled him in on the details.
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound good,” he agreed. “I’ll call the chief and ask him to meet us there. We’ll see what the magic watch has to say.”
Beneath Cody’s plaid bathrobe, my tail lashed with pent-up fury. “Goddammit! I really wanted to catch her.”
“I know.” Standing, Cody laid his hands on my shoulders. “It’s not your fault, Daisy. You did everything you could. But you can’t force your subconscious to cooperate.”
“I’m not going to stop trying,” I informed him.
He gave me a faint, sleepy smile. “I never imagined you would. Nice bathrobe, by the way.”
“Thanks.” I fought the sudden urge to reach up one hand and caress the bronze stubble on his cheek. “Let’s get moving.”
I’d been to the Open Hearth assisted-living facility a few times as a teenager, tagging along when my mom helped Mrs. Sweddon out with her volunteer work, planning activities for the residents. One year Mom even sewed costumes for a pet parade that the seniors talked about for months. As Cody and I pulled into the parking lot, I felt ashamed that I hadn’t been back since.
It was a nice enough facility as such things go—or at least as far as I knew, since it was the only one I’d ever visited. There were gardens surrounding it and a three-season room in the rear of the complex looked out into woodlands where the staff hung bird feeders. There were plenty of windows to admit a good amount of natural light, and all the residents had their own cozy little rooms, which were decorated with paintings donated by Pemkowet High’s most promising art students.
Still, it was a place where people came to spend their final days, and there was no getting around that knowledge.
Sandra Sweddon greeted us at the door. “This is Nurse Luisa,” she said, introducing us to a pleasant-looking woman in pink scrubs and a name tag that read LUISA MARTINEZ. “I’m sure she can answer any questions you have.”
Nurse Luisa shook our hands, her expression slightly bewildered. “I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.”
“That’s okay,” I assured her. “We just have a few quick questions. Can we speak privately?”
“Of course.”
“Do you want to take this, Daisy?” Cody asked me. “I’ll stay here and wait for the chief.”
“The chief of police?” Nurse Luisa paled a little. “Is that necessary? I’d really rather not alarm the residents.”
“It’s just a courtesy visit, ma’am,” Cody said. “Chief Bryant likes to pay his respects to the deceased.”
Nurse Luisa gave him a look that said News to me, but she escorted me to an office and closed the door behind us. “Can I ask what this is all about, Ms. Johanssen?”
“It may be nothing,” I said. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to wait until the chief arrives to discuss it. Can you tell me how Mrs. Claussen died?”
“Well, Dr. Howard will make the final call after he examines her, but she appears to have suffered an acute myocardial infarction,” she said. “A heart attack.”
I fished a notepad out of my messenger bag. “Is that unusual for someone in her condition?”
The nurse shook her head. “She had a mild coronary incident earlier in the year,” she said. “Normally I’d say it was a blessing in disguise.”