“That can’t be good,” Susan said, taking a step back. “Knowing my grandfather, it’s going to explode any minute.”
I jumped back and away from the possibly explosive ball, but then I saw the object inside it take shape. As the mist cleared away, a tiny Jack, his face as grim as I’d ever seen it, carried a suitcase out what was clearly the front door of my house.
Before I could process that, letters formed words on the inside of the ball, with an effect in the mist like a finger writing on a foggy mirror in the bathroom.
He
Will
Leave
You
I waited, but that was it. No more words. No punctuation. No emojis.
Crystal balls really suck as modes of communication.
I looked up at Susan, whose mouth hung open, and tried to smile. “Well. I guess the Eeyore ball thinks Jack will leave me.”
But he loves me,my heart protested.
Then why are you listening to a rock?my brain replied.
“That’s not—that doesn’t—who cares what a piece of glass says, anyway?” Susan muttered, shoving her hands in her uniform pants pockets. “Tess. Forget this. I’ll go toss it in the lake.”
I shook off the chill that had snaked down my spine at the vision. “Nope. I’m not going to let an inanimate piece of rock scare me in my own business. Leave it. We’ll get an expert to have a look at it. Who knows? It may have some historical value. Did your grandfather have any provenance on it?”
“Maybe? I have boxes of his papers to go through. I finally just gave up and hauled everything from his study home with me to look at, or I’d be spending months up there.”
“What if—”
But the door connecting my shop to Jack’s new private investigations business flew open, interrupting me, and Jack strode into the room.
“Hey, Jack,” Susan said.
“Welcome back, Sheriff.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes, and when he turned to me, his expression was grim.
“Is everything okay?”
“No. Not really.”
I involuntarily glanced down at the crystal ball.
Surely not.
“Jack?”
He shoved a hand through his hair, frowning. “Tess. Sorry, but I have to go home and pack.”
“What?”
“I’m leaving. Today.”
2
Tess
“So.” I looked at Susan. “Haunted crystal ball. Check.”
