Chapter 3 - It's The Little Things

Kerry stepped out into the afternoon sun and away from the weirdness of the Daydreamer Inn, the brightness of the day making her squint as she shaded her eyes with her hand. The air was warm, but not hot, as a light breeze tossed up the edges of her blond hair. The first thing she had to do was find whoever this Arden McCarthy was and ask him why he had sent for her sister. All Brandie told her was the man's bank was about to be robbed, but not which bank. Thanks to her close-lipped sibling, Kerry had no clue where to even begin. How many banks did this town have? She wished she had quizzed her sister more the day she left.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brandie shoved another set of jeans into her luggage, still debating whether or not she had enough clothes. Kerry just chuckled as she watched her sister over-think things again, just as she always did. "How long are you expecting to be gone?" Kerry asked as she peeked inside the third massive suitcase her sister started to fill. "I mean, you have enough clothes to last a month or longer."

Brandie shrugged. "I really don't know," she said. "I just like to be prepared, you know. I didn't get much information when Arden McCarthy called and asked for my help." She glanced over at her sister, a stack of panties in her hand. "Hey, it's work, and we both know I need the work."

"You know I did an Internet dive on this place you're going to, this Black Hollow, and nothing even came up, Not one page. Don't you think that's a little odd?" Kerry shifted on the bed. "I mean, even small hole-in-the-wall towns have at least a city page. Black Hollow doesn't seem to exist."

Brandie stared at the stack of underwear in her hand, shrugged, and tossed them into the suitcase. "Better safe than sorry." She glanced back up at her sister. "I don't know what to tell you, Sis. Arden sent me directions and said I came highly recommended, some woman named Seraphine heard of my detective skills and thought I could help Arden with his problem. Apparently, he heard of a plan to rob his bank and wants me to find out who's behind it."

"Isn't that a job for the police? Or even the FBI? How did this Seraphine hear of you, anyway?" Kerry still didn't like it. A person could find anything online except this city. Somehow, she felt like her sister was walking into a trap of some kind; Kerry just didn't know what it was. Or why.

"What?" Brandie looked at Kerry weirdly. "You don't think Underwood Investigations has a worldwide reputation?" She winked at Kerry. "I'm Miss Popular."

"You're Miss Naïve if you go there alone," Kerry said, her nerves wound tight as she stared at her sister. "This is a mistake, and you know it."

Brandie shoved her hands onto her hips and stared at her sister. "This is my job. I go where the work is, and right now, Black Hollow is where the work is." She shook her head, "I'm sorry, Kerry, but I have to go. It'll be fine. I promise. Now, help me get these bags into the car." She grabbed two bags and waited for Kerry to grab the others.

Kerry just stared at her, anxiety twisting a knot in her stomach. This still didn't feel right.

Brandie arched an eyebrow at her. "Are you going to help me load up the car or what?"

Kerry growled as she shoved herself off the edge of the bed, snagging two of the bags as she did. "This is still a bad idea."

"Yeah, yeah," Brandie said as she led the way out of her bedroom. "I'm the queen of bad ideas. Remember Brandon in eleventh grade."

"At least he was a hot bad idea," Kerry sighed. Still, even their jocularity couldn't ease the bad feeling churning in the pit of her stomach as she watched her sister load her car and drive off. It was the last time Kerry saw her sister.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kerry's stomach growled. Okay, maybe she knew where to start. Food. With her hands on her hips, she scanned the area, trying to decide where the best place to eat was hiding. As she walked the streets, the names of the businesses struck her as odd: Medusa's Lockes, Yeti's Ice Cream, Hell's Brew, and Scales and Tails. What the hell type of place had her sister wandered into? This seemed more like a theme park than a town.

Kerry decided a quick cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich from Hell's Brew would settle her stomach's grumbling, and then, she could search out this Arden McCarthy and find out what he did with her sister. As she neared the town center—a roundabout with a grassy park in the middle, benches lining the area and a giant gazebo in the center—she noticed the people walking about. Most seemed normal enough, but there were a few that appeared dressed more for Halloween than an average day in town. Kids carried smoldering cauldrons, and the giant of a man running the ice cream shop seemed to be covered in a thin fur coat. Maybe they have a festival going on or something, she thought as she neared the coffee shop. Weird time of year for a costume party, though.

As she passed the main window to the coffee shop, she noticed two small kids sitting on a stack of books at a table all by themselves, dressed like leprechauns. Why they weren't in school, Kerry had no clue, but worse, they were unchaperoned. Who left their kids in a coffee shop unattended in this day and age? News reports were full with missing kids every day. Who even permitted their elementary-aged child to consume coffee for that matter? This wasn't right, even in this crazy town.

Upon entering Hell's Brew, she glanced around the coffee shop for anyone looking as if they were missing two little boys or even trying to keep an eye on the small adolescents before returning her gaze onto the kids sitting on a stack of books just so they could reach their drinks. "Aren't you two a little young to be drinking coffee?" she asked, her tone scolding. "Where are your parents? Are you here alone? That doesn't seem right."

The redheaded kid growled as he turned to face Kerry, his hands on his hips as he glared at her. "Young? Parents? How rude! I'm old enough to have seen coffee created, Missy!"

Kerry was completely taken aback by the child's vehement tone and almost took a step back. Whoever this child's parents were, neglect was only one of their poor parenting skills.

The other child, blond—and did he have whiskers along his jawline?—stared at her as if measuring her up or something. Kerry wasn't comfortable standing there being scrutinized by such a young child. The blond boy tilted his head to the side as if he studied her, and then, he asked, "You wouldn't have a sister named Brandie Underwood, would you?"

Her face twisted into a tight knot of anguish. "How do you know my sister?" she demanded. "Where is she?"

"I hoped you could tell me." the blond boy said as he slid the derby from his head. What? His parents couldn't afford an entire leprechaun costume?

Kerry felt her eyes widen as she watched the boy's body shift, stretching into a full-sized man with broad shoulders, a scruffy jawline, and the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen. Her whole body tensed as she watched him grow right in front of her eyes, and then she did the only thing she knew to do; she screamed.

"What the bloody blazes is she screaming for?" the redhead snapped. "Shut her up before Sheriff Thayer comes rushing in here thinking we played some joke on the tourist."

The man in front of her reached a hand out to her, but Kerry backed up, afraid to allow a man who was just a boy a second ago touch her. "It's all right," he assured her, slipping his rejected hand into his pocket. "Obviously, your sister didn't fill you in on all the fun details of Black Hollow."

"My sister didn't fill me in on anything," Kerry snapped, her body still trembling from her shock. "How the hell did you do…" she gestured at his body, "that."

The redheaded man shook his head as he mumbled, "Tourists."

Kerry ignored him, her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she tried to keep from shaking. It wasn't working, however.

The man in front of her—the hot man in front of her—ran his hand through his blond hair as he sighed. "Black Hollow is a town of paranormals. Quinn, here, and I are leprechauns. Our magic permits us to shift so we can resemble what we really are or transform into what the outside world would consider normal." He shrugged. "There are several paranormals in Black Hollow with the same abilities, only in slightly different ways. If you're going to stay here, you might want to brace yourself to see some unusual things."

"And how do you know my sister?" Kerry asked, her voice still holding a slight tremor.

The blond man straightened. "Because I hired her."