The Winter Solstice: A Cassandra Blake Mystery

Chapter 5.3

Cassie pulled her phone out of her coat pocket and began to dial it when the door to city hall opened. Her Aunt Sam and mother were wheeling in a large utility cart loaded with trays and boxes of food left over from the festival. She smiled as she placed her phone on Malekai’s desk and removed her coat. She should have known they would box up all the food left from the festival and bring it to the city hall, now acting as a makeshift command center.

“A little help, please!” Aunt Sam yelled in a commanding voice, sending Aaron and Malekai, among others, to help with the food.

“I will be there in a minute. I have to make a call first,” Cassie called out to her mom and aunt as she picked up her phone and dialed.

“Cassie?” a male voice asked as he answered the phone.

“Hey, Jax,” Cassie said. “I’m sorry for calling you this late, but I need your help.”

“What’s going on? I thought you were spending time with your family,” Jax said, a little confused.

“I am, but there is a situation. A teenage girl went missing toward the end of the solstice festival. I have reason to believe she is dead and that a crime may have been committed. I’m the only cop in town, and the locals can’t call in outside law enforcement on this.”

“I’ve got to say, Cass. This all sounds very weird.” There was a pregnant pause as Cassie waited for Jax to continue. “I have some stuff to do in the morning, so I can be there sometime in the afternoon if that’s OK.”

“Jax, I could kiss you right now,” She told him with a sigh of relief. “Just to let you know, at 2 pm, a few of us have been asked to do a taste testing of my Aunt Sam’s new hot wing recipes, and my mom is bringing over her new peanut butter chocolate cheesecake as well. I mean, if you are interested.”

“Hell yeah!” Jax yelled into the phone, making Cassie giggle. “Why didn’t you open with that? Is 1:30 OK, and I will meet you at your aunt’s diner?”

“That’s perfect. I will send you the address. Remember to pack snow gear and be prepared to be out in the wilderness from time to time.”

“You are telling the city boy, who spent most of his life in the south, to be ready for the wilderness and snow? You are an evil woman, Cassandra Blake,” Jax laughed.

“Relax. I will make sure you have a trusted local with you at all times, and you will love the running trails we have. One of us will point those out to you. However, I need to tell you something about the town after you arrive that might seem a bit odd.”

“Should I be worried about that?”

“No, you have nothing to worry about, and you might even be thrilled when you find out.”

“You know what? It doesn’t even matter,” Jax told her. “I get to meet your Aunt Sam, the creator of the most magnificent boneless chicken wings on the planet. The reason I beg you to visit your family every Christmas is because I know you will bring back a washtub full of these delightful delicacies in every flavor she makes. Do you think she would be upset if I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me?”

Cassie could no longer control her laughter. She cackled as she replied, “She might not have a problem with it, but I have the feeling my uncle might make you disappear if you do it.”

“You know how to break a man’s heart, Cass.”

“Better your heart than your kneecaps or neck.”

“True! See you tomorrow, Cass.”

“See you tomorrow,” Cassie replied before hanging up her phone.

Cassie stepped out of Malekai’s office and glanced toward the break room, where she had considered taking a nap. As she walked closer, she could see that it was now full of people and the food her mother and aunt had brought for them to share. She loved how her hometown would always come together when someone needed help. Cassie hated the reason for it tonight. She knew things would be this way until they had the answers and could give Laura’s family some peace and closure.

“Can I help with anything?” Cassie asked her mom and aunt when she reached them.

“You can take a plate of food, sit down in Malekai’s office, eat, and rest,” her mom told her as she cupped Cassie’s cheek in her hand. “This is supposed to be your vacation so you can relax, and instead, you’re working.”

“It’s fine, Mom. I need to do this. I can always schedule to take time off in the spring or summer and come back. I get four weeks of vacation each year and never use it. I usually give it to others if they have an emergency and need to take time off work.”

“How did I get so lucky to have a daughter like you?” Her mom asked, beaming.

Cassie shook her head and rolled her eyes before she turned to her Aunt Sam.

“Aunt Sam,” Cassie said, trying not to laugh as she remembered Jax’s response to the wing tasting. “Tomorrow, I have someone coming in to help with things in case a crime has been committed. So, if a handsome black man walks into the diner, drops to one knee, and proposes to you, don’t kill him.”

“Excuse me?” Aunt Sam asked, utterly confused.

Cassie giggled, “He is the one I always take the buckets of hot wings to back in Seattle.”

“Oh! I get to meet my biggest fan!” Aunt Sam gushed as she looked as if she were near tears. “How does he manage to eat all those wings before they go bad?”

“He doesn’t. He does meal prep packages with them and puts them in his gigantic freezer. They last until I bring him a new supply each December.”

“I think I love him,” Aunt Sam laughed. “I can’t wait to meet him tomorrow.”

“Here, Cass,” her mother said, handing her a heaping plate of food. “Go rest and eat. You will need your strength.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Cassie said as she took the plate. “I will be in Malekai’s office.”

Cassie walked into the office and made herself comfortable in the corner of the couch. She began picking at the plate her mother had given her. She sighed as she mind linked Malekai.

“Kai, help will be here tomorrow. He will meet us at the diner around 1:30. He is obsessed with my aunt’s hot wings, so I thought he should be included in the taste testing. We might even get a show if he proposes to Aunt Sam how he has said he might.” Cassie told him.

“That is perfect. I will be back inside in a minute. Have you eaten yet?”

“I am in your office on the couch, eating an enormous plate my mother gave me.”

Malekai laughed, “See, I’m not the only one who thinks you need to eat more and get some rest. See you in a few minutes.”

Cassie felt the link close as she continued to eat slowly. She knew she needed to eat, but her mind would not slow down. They needed to find Laura. Even though Cassie was trying to keep a tiny shred of hope, sadly, Laura was almost certainly dead. Cassie and the other pack members had felt her link sever. Cassie had only felt the tether to other pack members break a few times. Each time it had been an old wolf who had passed away due to natural causes. This was the first time she had felt it, and knew it was unnatural.

“Cass?” Malekai asked as he stood in front of her. “You OK?”

“Yeah, fine, sorry,” Cassie answered. “My mind is spinning about Laura. You will see how one track I can be when I am on a case.”

“Great, that means I will be even more worried about you than I normally am,” Malekai smiled as he sat beside her. He took her fork from her hand, filled it from her plate, and stuffed it into his mouth before handing it back to her.

“There is plenty of food in the break room,” Cassie chuckled.

“I know, but it tastes better when I steal it off your plate. That also gives you another crime to investigate and a reason for you to stay longer,” Malekai said as he kissed her cheek. He stood, walked to his desk, and dropped into the chair. “Cassie, I am serious about you becoming the police chief here. Will you please give it some serious thought? I have already brought up the idea with the city council. That’s where I was when you were making your call.”

“I will think about it if you eat the rest of this food,” Cassie said as she held the plate out to him.

“Deal!” Malekai said as he hurried to take the plate from her and sat on the other end of the couch.

Cassie snuggled into the corner of the overstuffed leather couch, turning to where she had her side pressed into the back of the sofa. She watched Malekai as he enjoyed the food she had given him. Sitting quietly with him nearby made her relax and feel calmer. She could feel her eyes get heavy as she watched him, and she didn’t fight it.