After the Brownie left, Larry surveyed the small office. He’d hoped to find some information about the location of the powerful magical tool he knew lay beneath the scrapyard’s moldering mounds of metal. But there were no records or other evidence to suggest where the Universum was. In fact, there wasn’t much of anything in the way of paperwork at all.
Larry snorted. The previous manager may have been a whizz at warding, but he was crap at record-keeping. Hmmmm. He cocked his head, considering. Maybe that was on purpose. After all, the guy knew the Universum was extremely magical and very dangerous. Perhaps hiding it in a poorly run scrapyard was a genius move. Absolutely no one would think to look for it in the almost-forgotten magical backwater that was O’Malley’s Supernatural Scrapyard.
Worry tensed Larry’s shoulders, and his stomach rumbled with concern. Or hunger. More likely both, he philosophized. He padded back to the house in search of some lunch. He always thought better on a full stomach.
* * *
As Larry finished his meal, Jesse’s key jiggled in the front door’s lock. He had heard several voices besides Jesse’s whispering and giggling long before the front door opened, so he knew Jesse had brought company home. First things first, though. He swallowed the last piece of kibble and licked the bowl.
“Larry? Larry! Are you in here? I brought some new friends home for lunch.” A wheedling tone entered Jesse’s voice. “I even brought enough food for you.”
Larry smothered a grin, wondering idly why Jesse was feeling guilty enough that she felt the need to bribe him with food. Not that he’d turn it down. Oh, no. His momma didn’t raise no dummy. Eat first and ask questions later.
Jesse hobbled into the kitchen, followed by a gaggle of senior ladies sporting hair in various shades of purple, pink, and blue. They all wore sweatpants or flowery dresses and each sported their own version of the chunkiest and ugliest costume jewelry ever.
Larry fought not to snicker. Or cower. All the old ladies crowded around him, oohing and aaahing over his handsome good looks. Couldn’t fault them there, he thought. He knew he was the most handsome junkyard dog ever.
With his muscular, jet-black body and huge blocky head that reflected his bully breed heritage, what wasn’t there to praise? He’d had to sweet-talk his caseworker at DEAF to get this body at his last Familiar incarnation meeting. He didn’t want to wind up as a toad again. Or worse, a cat. He shivered in remembered revulsion. His time as a cat had left him mentally scarred for eternity. Eew. If he never drank a warm bowl of milk again, it would be too soon.
A tantalizing scent tickled Larry’s nose, pulling him out of his musings. “Is that meatloaf I smell? And mashed potatoes?” Larry groaned in anticipation. “Baclava for dessert? You’ve found a Greek diner, haven’t you?”
* * *
The tallest of the old ladies took a special liking to Larry, fixing him his very own plate of delicious diner food. If Jesse hadn’t put a stop to it, she might have pulled up a chair for him, too.
“Cerri, no,” Jesse scolded her new friend. “Larry’s a ... dog. He can eat on the floor.”
Feeling the brunt of Larry’s irritated side-eye, Jesse added, “Besides, there’s barely enough room for all the ladies at the table.”
“Well, at least let’s put his bowl next to my chair. That way, he’ll feel like he’s part of our gathering.” Cerri gave Larry a warm smile, her eyes twinkling with suppressed mirth.
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As the ladies chattered over their meal at the table, Larry savored his portion on the floor next to Cerri’s chair. She slipped several more juicy tidbits from the table into his bowl, earning his undying gratitude. Out of ingrained habit Larry mind-spoke a thank you to his new best friend.
“You’re welcome, Familiar.”
Cerri’s mind-spoken words almost caused Larry to choke on his next mouthful. But he wasn’t really surprised at her reply. Instinctively, he’d known that she—and the rest of the supposed old ladies gathered around the table, were powerful witches the moment they’d arrived.
“So, you lot are witches then.” Larry tilted his head.
“Stating the obvious, Familiar?” Cerri’s knowing eyes crinkled in mirth.
“Well, judging by your old lady getups, I’m assuming you’re all in disguise for some reason.”
Cerri reached down and patted Larry’s head, then scratched the perfect spot behind his left ear, causing his leg to twitch in pleasure.
Larry overcame an urge to give in to Cerri’s ministrations and just enjoy the moment. “What’s the reason? Why are you all magicked up to resemble a gaggle of extremely senior AARP members?”
“Nothing wrong with being an AARP member, Larry. It gets you great senior discounts at lots of places.” Cerri grinned down at him.
“Now you’re just teasing me.” Larry lay down on the cool tiles of the kitchen floor, just out of Cerri’s reach. “Seriously, why the disguises? I know most of you aren’t past middle age, in witch years. And what are you all doing hanging out at the Catholic Church, since I’m assuming that’s where you met Jesse? When she left this morning, she told me she was going to a Bingo game in the church hall.”
“We’re semi-retired. Mostly. And the Catholic Church here provides excellent cover for our, uh, activities. Plus, who doesn’t love a good game of church Bingo? And the cash prizes rock!” Cerri coaxed Larry back to her side with a piece of Baclava, then gave him a final pat on the head before addressing the still chattering women out loud. “Ladies, I think it’s time to talk strategy. Can we please all quiet down?”
The gathered witches ceased their conversations and turned as one to face Cerri. Or rather, their leader, Larry realized with a start.
Cerri directed a nod of acknowledgement at Jesse. “If you don’t mind, Jesse, I’ll chair today’s meeting.”
“I don’t mind at all. While I’m glad you’re here, I must admit it shocked me to run into you at the church today.” Jesse’s words were welcoming, but her gaze remained wary. “I wasn’t aware the supposed goings on at the scrapyard merited the attention of the Supernatural Council.”
At a nod from Cerri, a diminutive witch with light blue hair that clashed with her orange velvet track suit rose to her feet. “Hello Jesse. I’m Risa. Thank you for hosting today’s meeting. Cerri has asked me to bring you and Larry up to speed on our investigation.”
Jesse’s lips curved in an agreeable smile, while her face reflected doubt. “I’m still not sure why the Supernatural Council has called in the elite members of the Brew Crew to investigate the disappearance of the manager of a nearly derelict magical scrapyard. Surely, he just got bored with the job and took off for parts unknown? Besides, Larry and I are here now. We can keep an eye on things.”
An uncomfortable silence descended on the gathering.
Frowning, Cerri broke the tense pause. “Jesse, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t refer to my team as the ‘Brew Crew.’ I know there are those in the supernatural community who don’t respect or appreciate the work we do, but until now, I didn’t count you among them. As you know, my team of witches is one of several investigative units who handle sensitive investigations on behalf of the Supernatural Council.”
Larry snorted in surprise. “Holy shit! You guys are SBI agents, right?” He scurried over to Jesse’s chair. “See? I told you something hinky’s going on here. I knew it!”
Jesse’s truculent frown told Larry she still wasn’t completely buying it.
“Larry is right, Jesse.” Cerri’s voice reflected the gravity of her words. “There’s a lot more going on here than you know. The Supernatural Bureau of Investigations dispatched us here a month ago, just after the previous manager’s disappearance. Please, let’s all listen to Risa’s recap.”
Risa resumed her report and spoke of mobsters, kidnapping, and corruption in high places. She even spoke of the Universum but didn’t go into detail about what it could do. Larry listened intently, nodding occasionally as Risa confirmed things he already knew and explained others he hadn’t. Dammit. He had known something wasn’t right at the scrapyard as soon as they arrived, but he never dreamed he and Jesse had walked unwittingly into a plot that could destroy the earth.
Jesse’s fingers tapped a staccato rhythm on her knee, then she jumped up and started clearing the table. “Would you look at this mess? I’m glad everyone enjoyed the food. Thanks for the Greek diner recommendation, Cerri. I’m going to clean up now.”