On Borrowed Time

  “On Borrowed Time”

  A Witch Cozy Mystery

  Dark Lake Chronicles Book 4

  Raven Snow

  © 2019

  Raven Snow

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner & are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images & are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.

  Edition v1.0 (2019.04.10)

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  Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: Renee Arthur, VMH, Jim T., and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Lady had been very still for the better part of an hour. Or maybe it had only been five minutes. It was difficult to say. It certainly felt like she had been there for ages, lying on her stomach in the grass. She had her arms folded beneath her chest. Her eyes were narrowed and focused on the squirrel a dozen or so feet away.

  The squirrel wasn’t looking in her direction. It was more focused on digging around the base of a large oak tree. She was still trying to will it to acknowledge her. Not that it was working.

  “Hey,” Lady said quietly. “Hey, squirrel.”

  Crispin was sitting a few feet away, an open book in his lap. He raised his head when Lady spoke. It seemed to take him a moment to realize she was talking to a woodland creature. “I’m not sure this is a Doctor Doolittle type situation. I’m not sure animals can actually understand you.”

  “Lion can,” Lady said, making a vague motion toward her cat.

  “Where is Lion?” asked Crispin.

  Lady looked left and then right. She sat up suddenly, realizing there was no sign of her orange tabby. He was usually really good about staying close.

  “There he is,” said Crispin and pointed.

  Lady turned just in time to see Lion pounce on the squirrel, pinning it between two big paws. “Lion!” The sound of Lady shouting his name startled the cat. He jumped and looked in her direction. That gave the squirrel an opportunity to make a break for it. He broke off and scampered up the oak. By the time Lion turned back, the squirrel was gone. The next look Lion gave Lady was one of betrayal. She didn’t have to be able to converse with animals to interpret that.

  “Is this really what Ms. Poole told you to do?” Crispin closed his book, giving Lady his undivided attention. “It’s not that I mind keeping you company and everything. I just… Is this what she asked you to do?”

  “More or less.” Lady dusted the grass and pine needles from the front of her t-shirt. “She told me to try going into the woods and to focus on the… you know. The wildlife.”

  “And— Not to tell you how to do your job or anything, but… Do you think this is what she meant?” Crispin asked all that slowly and carefully. He obviously didn’t think she was making the right call. He just didn’t want to say that explicitly.

  “Staring at something long enough is kind of a meditative state, right?”

  Crispin inclined his head with an indecisive noise. “Kind of,” he reasoned. “I mean, more or less. If you stare at something long enough it can work as a focus. Your mind does reach that meditative state.”

  Lady rolled her eyes. “No, don’t defend me. I’m not doing this right. I know I’m not.” She pulled her legs in and sat down in a more comfortable position. “It’s just that meditation is so boring.”

  “Well.” Crispin shifted where he sat, hands on top of his book. “I’ve read that there is no wrong way to meditate. It’s all about reaching the right state of mind. Clearing your thoughts, being receptive. Do you think you got there?”

  “No.”

  Crispin shrugged his narrow shoulders. “I don’t know then. I never really picked up the knack for it myself. Never been a big fan of sitting down for long periods of time.”

  Lady could see that. Crispin was a busy guy. He ran the Dark Lake Library almost single-handedly. Even now, in his down time, he looked on edge. His button up shirt was tucked into his khakis. He was being careful to sit on a pile of dead leaves so as not to crease or stain them. They hadn’t even gone that far from the library. They were just in the forested area out back.

  Crispin had finally hired on someone new. He had come into some money after they had helped solve a decade’s old crime. He had put part of that to use remodeling parts of the library, but part of it had been set aside to hire an assistant. Crispin wasn’t happy about it. He didn’t think it was sustainable. He was sure it would be a steady drain on their finances, an inconvenience he would have to train and then abruptly be without when he couldn’t budget for the extra help anymore.

  His best friend Dom helped out at the library when he could and had a general constant concern for Crispin’s well-being. He insisted that the help would free up Crispin so that he could find creative ways to find the library better funding. Lady wasn’t sure if that could be done, but it had finally won Crispin over. Lady wondered if Dom would find some way to pay the new guy out of pocket if budgeting him in really didn’t work out.

  “What do you do to relax?” asked Lady as she cast a look around for her cat. She could see him skulking around near the base of the tree. He didn’t look to be of a mind to climb it, but he didn’t want to rejoin Lady either. He was probably mad at her.

  “I used to read.” Crispin flipped the book in his hands.

  “So, I take it that’s not working out great for you right now.”

  “No.” Crispin turned his head in the direction of the library. “Maybe we should go in. I should see how he’s getting on without us.”

  “It’s fine. How long has it even been?”

  “Almost forty minutes.”

  “That’s all?” Lady winced. Considering it had taken them at least five minutes to walk up here and get settled, she was feeling pretty
bad about her ability to sit still and clear her mind. “I’m sure he’s fine. There’s no point in having him at all if you’re always there hovering.”

  Crispin hummed as if to give the illusion that he was considering the point she was making. “I was thinking about going and getting some lunch.”

  Lady nodded. “That sounds like a great idea. I’m pretty hungry. What do you want to grab?”

  “Oh, you’re coming too?”

  Lady felt her face warming up. “I mean, I don’t have to. I’m sure Ms. Poole has something I can eat back at the inn.”

  “No,” Crispin said quickly, raising his hands apologetically. “I didn’t mean for that to sound like— Of course you can come with me. I’d love the company.”

  Her face still felt warm but Lady nodded. “Well, do you have a place in mind?”

  “Whatever you want. I’m fine with anything.”

  “What about… Chinese? Do you want to do Chinese?”

  Crispin nodded and got to his feet. He wiped the leaves and pine needles from his pants as he stood. “Sounds good. I can drive.”

  Lady got to her feet as well, clicking her tongue for Lion to follow. She saw him turn his head and, reluctantly, trot over. He still wasn’t thrilled with her for robbing him of the squirrel, it seemed.

  Crispin walked in the direction of the library. They would need to walk past it to get to his car. “You know, I might as well just poke my head in and see how things are going. We are right here.”

  Lady rolled her eyes, though Crispin wouldn’t have seen that. His back was to her. She couldn’t say she was surprised. “I really think you should trust him.”

  “It’ll just take a second.” There was no dissuading Crispin at this point.

  The library was a large building, a pretty one too. It was an old church that had been converted. That meant there was no discreet way to poke one’s head inside. Both of the heavy double doors creaked loudly as they opened.

  “You can go wait in the car if you want,” Crispin offered, looking back at Lady. She must have sighed louder than she thought.

  “No, I’m all right. Thanks.” Something told Lady this was going to take a little longer than a minute or two, and it was a hot day out. Sitting in a car waiting an indeterminate amount of time for him to get back was not her idea of a good time.

  She picked up Lion and followed Crispin inside. Cats weren’t allowed in the library, but Lion insisted on being an exception. He would often find a way in even if she left him outside. Not that she wanted to leave him outside. He was a very well-behaved cat. Luckily, Crispin had no qualms about looking the other way when it came to Lion.

  The inside of the library was quiet, quieter than most libraries. That wasn’t a surprise. The Dark Lake Library didn’t see a lot of foot traffic. That was a real shame, because it was probably the nicest library Lady had ever seen. It had two floors and tall stained glass windows that threw colorful shadows over the interior. The bookshelves were dark and wooden and smelled wonderful.

  Crispin made his way straight to the back of the library. It was where the check-out desk was. Presumably, it was where Crispin’s new employee, Chad, was as well.

  Lady had only met Chad once, and it hadn’t been for long. He wasn’t the sort of guy she could ever see herself being friends with. He had short, sandy blond hair and glasses. He wore striped, untucked polo shirts and fancy analog watches. He talked a lot, but it was mostly about stuff Lady didn’t know.

  She clearly hadn’t read as many books as Chad had. He quoted literary passages often. It would get a smile or a nod from Crispin, and Lady would know something had just flown over her head. She would try to smile along, but she could tell she was fooling no one from the way Chad regarded her with self-important smarm.

  To Crispin’s credit, he didn’t seem to notice that Chad was doing anything to annoy Lady. He did notice when a reference went over her head, though that it might be saying anything bad about her seemed to be the last thing on his mind. “Have you read it? Do you want to?” he would ask before finding the right book for her.

  Lady had started reading a lot more since moving to Dark Lake. Crispin made her want to broaden her horizons in a way that Chad did not. Chad was the sort of guy who would balk if he ever learned she never went to college. He probably thought he was better than her because his parents paid his way in to the school of his choice.

  It was a mean thing to hope, but Lady suddenly wanted to catch Chad messing up on the job. Surely there were other people Crispin could hire. Lady knew more than one person had interviewed for the position. Not many people, but still. Anyone had to be better than Chad.

  When they found the check-out counter empty, Lady thought she might get her wish. Crispin opened his mouth to say something, but the door behind the counter swung open suddenly, cutting him off. Chad stepped out carrying an armful of books, wireless buds in his ears. He nearly dropped a few of the books when he caught sight of Crispin and Lady.

  A punchable smile spread across Chad’s face. He walked a few more feet to the counter and put the books down, removing his earbuds. “Hey. What’s up?”

  Crispin was eyeing the earbuds like he wasn’t sure how he felt about Chad wearing them. “I was about to head out to lunch. I just thought I would check in, see if you wanted anything.”

  “Ah. No thanks. I packed my own lunch. Can’t do take-out. You never know what’s in that stuff, you know?” Chad followed Crispin’s gaze to the earbuds. “I was listening to that audiobook you told me about. Is it a problem? I don’t have to. I just like to know my stuff working at a library, you know?”

  Lady wanted to grab the earbuds and see for herself whether or not he was actually listening to an audiobook. She restrained herself. This wasn’t any of her business.

  Crispin believed him. At least, it looked like he did. “No, that’s all right, I guess. Just… Keep the volume low. You need to be able to hear if anyone comes in.”

  “Oh!” Chad grinned, and Lady felt a new spike of dislike for him. His teeth were too shiny. “I was thinking about that, actually. You know how we spend so much time in the back room and shelving stuff? I was thinking maybe I could hook up some kind of electric sensor on the front door and pair it with my headphones.”

  Crispin raised his eyebrows. “You can do that?”

  “Oh, yeah. Sure. No problem.” Chad grinned again.

  “Well that… We’ll talk about that later.” Crispin glanced over to Lady as if just remembering she was there.

  “Right,” said Chad. “You two go enjoy lunch.”

  “You’re all right here? Do you have any questions?”

  “If I do, I have your number.” Chad gave Crispin a thumbs up. “Thanks for checking in.” He hadn’t said anything to Lady, though his gaze did linger on her cat for a moment.

  “All right. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Take your time.” Chad put his earbuds back in.

  Crispin turned and started toward the front of the library. “It looks like he’s doing well.”

  Lady shrugged, reluctant to give Chad much credit, even if he deserved it. “Looks that way.”

  They stepped outside and nearly ran into Dom in the process. He was a big guy and hard to miss. His large hands settled on Lady’s shoulders, stopping her before they could collide. Lady blinked and took a step back.

  “Didn’t expect to see you here,” Crispin said, looking up at his best friend. The two of them couldn’t have looked more different from each other despite how close they were. Dom looked at home in a fitted black t-shirt and jeans tucked into motorcycle boots. A Viking hipster. Crispin, meanwhile, looked every bit the part of a librarian.

  “I thought I’d check in on the new kid.” Dom took a step back from Lady, dropping his hands from her shoulders. “I see I wasn’t the only one with that idea.”

  Lady wasn’t sure whether he was talking about Crispin or Otsuya. Lady could just make out her slight frame behind Dom’s large one. She had
on a tank top, shorts, and knee-high socks despite the heat. “I don’t trust him,” Otsuya said plainly. She didn’t have any reservations about saying what was on her mind. She seldom did. No one was surprised by it either. She was more than a little overprotective of the library.

  “I was just in there.” Crispin probably didn’t need to mention that. They had all just seen him leaving, after all. “He’s doing an all right job.”

  Otsuya crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  “You won’t,” Dom said to her plainly. “You don’t work here.”

  “I do work here,” Otsuya insisted, but those words went ignored.

  “I’m glad it’s working out.” Dom put on a smile, an expression he rarely wore. Lady didn’t much care for it on him. “I told you this was a good idea.”

  “That remains to be seen,” muttered Otsuya, earning herself an elbow in the ribs. Dom had campaigned long and hard to convince Crispin to take on some additional help. He wasn’t about to let Otsuya ruin that. Lady decided she would hold her own tongue. She could always commiserate with Otsuya later. They both lived at the same inn.

  “Where are you two off to?” asked Dom, changing the subject.

  Crispin glanced back at Lady. “We’re going to get some lunch. Lady was trying to meditate, but I don’t think it was working out.”

  “Oh?” Otsuya raised a single dark eyebrow. It was difficult to gauge how she was feeling.

  Lady ventured a smile at her, hoping she wasn’t picking up any jealousy vibes. Otsuya liked Crispin. At least Lady was fairly certain she did. “Do you two want to come?”

  Dom shook his head immediately. “I wanted to look in on Chad. I’m sure he’s doing fine, but I told him I’d give him a better run down of the filing system.”

  “Oh.” Crispin perked up. “Do you want my help with that?”