Midnight Ruling (14 page)

She grinned, showing her spaced teeth. “Couldn’t go back to sleep and I bugged Mom ‘til it was really late.”

Under other circumstances, I would have laughed. I stuck my tongue out at her instead, and she returned it in kind. I wasn’t in a laughing mood, but she brightened my day a little.

Mona glanced at the guests one last time before heading into the back hallway, her long brown hair swinging. She slammed the back door shut after her and I heard her shout for our mother.

The thin box on the table in front of me had my name on it. It had the same brown paper wrapping with no return address, stamps, or postal code. If I were getting more dolls, it must mean Damien was trying to tell me how to find a way back in. Unless it was just as Aidan said, and it was our friends. But this meant that there was still a chance.

I picked up the box and stood up. “You guys should go.”

Claire stood up, seemingly grateful to leave. She was out of the kitchen and heading toward the front door before Cooper had a chance to push his chair back in.

Slipping around the kitchen counter, I grabbed the scissors and realized Cooper wasn’t leaving.

He stood beside me and stared at the mail in my hand. “No stamps?” he asked.

“Go home, Cooper,” I said and held up my mildly bruised arm for him to see.

He winced and had the audacity to look at his own hand.

I hated to throw that in his face. He obviously didn’t realize he’d been holding me so hard, but I’d swing the low blows to get him out.

“What’s in the package?” he asked, sounding softer.

“None of your business.”

Cooper sighed and glanced to the doorway where Claire disappeared. “I’m not leaving until I find out. If you’d rather, I can call your mom in here too. I’m sure she’d be curious as to what you got there.”

I glared at him, and he flashed the dimpled, all-winning smile he’d worn when we’d first met. “Fine,” I grumbled, “but no questions.”

“No promises,” he said to my great dismay. He had me in a corner, and he knew it.

I tore open the box with Cooper peering over my shoulder.

Cracking back the flaps revealed the same designed doll amongst the wood chips. Layers of honey blond hair were carved to frame the angular, olive face. Forest green, defiant eyes stared up at me.

“Is that another one?” Cooper breathed.

I nodded. “It’s Phoebe,” I answered, not taking my eyes off of the startling resemblance to my friend. The body was shaped exactly the same as the other two, with Egyptian hieroglyphics that meant nothing to me. What did it all mean? Egyptian artifacts didn’t have anything to do with Grandma or anything Hungarian as far as I could tell.

I gasped. “I need your help,” I said to Cooper.

“Cooper!” Claire whined from the doorway.

“What is it?” he asked me, stepping closer.

Turning the doll around in my hand, I said, “I need you to drive me to the Ancient Pawn.” It was the last place Aidan had mentioned.

“Why me?”

“Because you are Mr. Responsible and dragged me home last night. Otherwise my mother won’t let me leave this house,” I pointed out, setting the doll in the box just as I’d found her. If there were answers, I needed to find them.

I was back in the game.

“If I do this…” Cooper began.

“If you do this,” I snapped and glared up at him, “then we’re even.”

“Even?”

“Yeah.” I lifted my arm up again for him to see. “And maybe I’ll forgive you for stalking me last night and ruining…”
Everything
. I tugged at my shirt, twisting it in my fist.

Taken back, he stared at me, deciding what to do. Finally he nodded, his eyes flickering to the box. “Will it help find Robin?”

This time I looked at him, really looked at him. Concern lined his face, and I knew I could use that somehow.

“Maybe,” I said. “You want to help me or no?”

The chipped red sign was almost too big for the shop. Crammed between towering brick buildings, it appeared squat and insignificant.
The
Ancient Pawn
store had one boarded up window while the other looked like it’d been built back in the 1930’s.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Claire said, speaking up for the first time since we’d left the house.

Claire initially refused to come, stamping her feet and scowling at Cooper during the request. To convince her, Cooper flashed dimpled smiles and flowered her with compliments. I knew she was still mad that I was tagging along. She made it clear she’d rather go with Cooper alone. Wasn’t she dating Joel anyway?
Whatever. I didn’t need to be prying into their personal lives the way they did mine.

The plus side was that Joel wasn’t coming. Maybe he didn’t even know about their visit today.

“Is it…open?” Cooper asked from the front seat.

If Aidan hadn’t told me about it, I’d have said no.

The old window on the other side of the rickety door had a few display items, barely visible through the grime.

Stepping out of Claire’s Chrysler 300, I could see there were small figurines like dragons, swords, and African statues in the window. No light illuminated them, no fancy colors to catch someone’s eye. I wondered how much business this guy could actually do.

Chipped white paint coated the stout building, making it appear out of place compared to the two modern stores on either side. They must have been thrilled to have
The
Ancient Pawn
as a neighbor.

I heard Claire snort as I stepped up to the front door, the box tucked under my arm. To Cooper in a low voice, she said, “I’m not going in there. The dust alone would wreck my Gucci blouse.”

The doorknob had peeling gold paint and wobbled as I twisted it with my free hand.

The door opened half way before dragging on the wooden floor. Shouldering it open, I noticed the scratched floorboards beneath the dragging door. Above my head, the door hit a cheerfully, yet piercing, bell.

Pausing, I peered into the dimly lit shelves. Perhaps the bad lighting was for the best. Where the sunlight hit, I could see layers of dust on some of the shelves while others were spotless.

Nothing moved in the tiny, cluttered store as I stood in the doorway. Glancing back, I saw Cooper and Claire sneering as if the store were diseased.

Ignoring them, I tip-toed inside and listened. Realizing I was acting like a thief, I straightened and stopped tugging at my shirt. I started to shoulder the door closed when Cooper snaked inside before it shut. The bottom scraped the warbled hardwood and struck the bell again. It wasn’t loud, but it seemed to be in the quiet.

I glanced at Cooper, who returned the reluctant gaze with unease. We looked toward the shelves, tentatively stepping between them. I was surprised to see items that looked somewhat expensive. A black stone elephant was on the floor, standing as high as my hip. Intricate vases, all different and unique, lined three shelves. Beside them were disturbingly cute kitty figurines and tea sets. Handwritten price stickers were pressed to each object, some curling and yellowed at the edges.

“Welcome,” said a faraway voice.

Standing near the door together, neither of us moved.

“Come in, come in. Don’t be shy,” said the mystery man from the back.

Taking a deep breath, I led the way through the maze of shelves and furniture, holding the box in front of me like a shield. Cooper stayed close behind.

The store seemed much smaller from the outside, if that were possible. Beside the tall display of crystal flowers was a dark brown counter that held an old-fashioned cash register. The buttons jutted out like that of an antique typewriter. Behind the counter, an older man maybe in his 70’s with thick grey hair smiled under a mustache that covered his lips.

I think he was smiling—at least his eyes were—and I attempted a rigid one in return.

“Excuse me,” I said, trying to sound respectful. There was something kind about those eyes. “I was recommended to speak to you by Aidan Birket.”

“Birket?” He laughed, high-pitched and airy. “I know the Birkets. What can I do for you, sweetheart?”

Nervous, I set the box on the counter as if it were about to break. “I need to know what this is…” Opening the box, I tried to stop my hand from shaking. Something inside me didn’t want to know what he’d say. When connected to Damien, it couldn’t be good.

The old man squinted at me and waited. He was close enough for me to smell the peppermint that he clicked against the back of his teeth.

“A
shabtis
doll,” he said the moment I pulled Phoebe from the box.

“What is that?” I asked in a whisper. Somehow speaking too loud hurt my head in this quiet place.

“The
shabtis
is ancient Egyptian. They were buried with the dead and were intended to be servants in the afterlife.”

I felt a chill.

“What do you know about an ankh?” I asked.

The old man sighed thoughtfully before saying, “To put it simply, it represented
life
to the ancient Egyptians.”

“Is there any way that a
shabtis
and an ankh could have some type of connection?” I asked.

He shrugged frail shoulders beneath a faded plaid shirt. “They’re both Egyptian, both connected with life and death. The Egyptians saw death as a new life, an afterlife. The preservation of their souls was paramount.”

This was completely insane. I wanted to laugh but suppressed the urge. No need to go insane now. I’d save that sort of fun in my pocket for later—for Damien specifically.

“What’s so funny?” the shopkeeper asked.

Realizing I was smiling, I shook my head. “Sorry, just thinking.”

The shopkeeper set the doll carefully back in the box. “You watch yourself, alright?” He said this in a grandfatherly way.

No one could watch out for me. I was alone.

With the thought still sticking, I said, “I will. Thank you for your time.” I turned from the counter, motioning for Cooper to do the same.

He was reluctant, but I eventually managed to sway him into following me to the rickety old door. Shoving it open, I waited for him to step through before shutting it behind him.

“What was that all about?” Cooper asked.

“Thanks for taking me,” I said to ignore his question.

Cooper’s eyes narrowed.

Claire fidgeted with the cell phone in her hand. Her rosebud lips pursed before she asked, “What happened?”

Cooper said, “He knew Aidan and knew about the doll I was telling you about.”

I frowned. “You told her about the one in my locker?”

“Just Claire,” he said defensively.

Claire cleared her throat. “And Joel.”

“Wow.” I twisted the bottom of my shirt in my free fist, feeling the sweat absorb into the fabric.

“So?” Claire pressed. “What are those things?”

Cooper told her about the
shabtis
. “And Nora was asking him about…some life thing.” He scrunched up his face, confused. “What was it again?”

“Ankh,” I said. Damage being done, I couldn’t think up a good enough lie without looking conspicuous.

“Yeah, what is that?” Cooper asked.

“Doesn’t mean anything,” I said. “I was just curious. He seemed like he’d know about it.”

Cooper and Claire exchanged a knowing glance. It made it all too obvious that they didn’t believe me.

Not pressing the matter, Claire gestured towards the car. “Now what? Does this explain anything?”

I shook my head. “It’s a hint,” I blurted. Though mostly it was intended for myself, I managed to say it out loud and make myself flinch all at the same time. Aren’t I talented?

Claire perked. “What hint? We have a hint?”

I bit my lower lip, angry with myself. “There is no
we
,” I snapped, “and no hint. I was just talking.”

Claire flushed. “Listen, the only reason I didn’t go to the police is because of this little trip. You know something, and you’re not telling us.”

Flashbacks of the previous Challenge where Aidan accused me of the same thing made me smile.

“Okay, seriously,” Cooper said. “What’s so funny? You did that in there too.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” I said. It was partially true; there was nothing they needed to know. “And I’m not stopping you from going to the police. Go and make an ass of yourself, and when they come to see me, I’ll lie and give them a plausible story.”

Claire shoved her phone into her purse. “Things aren’t right.” She shifted her weight, unable to keep still.

Something about that had me on edge. I realized that I wasn’t upset because she was flinging accusations my way but because she seemed nervous.

“Did something happen while we were in the store?”

Her hazel eyes shot up from the pavement and met mine, her pretty face pinched. She glanced at Cooper first then said, “I’ll drive you home.”

I couldn’t have thought of a better idea myself.

“No, Claire, what happened?” Cooper asked.

I opened the back door of the car and jumped in, urging the idea to go home. My hip bumped into something, knocking it to the floor. I reached down to pick it up my fingers and stopped a few inches from the
shabtis
doll lying face down. Looking at the closed box in my lap then to the thing on the floor, I realized the hair was different, pale and short.

Claire and Cooper hopped into the front seat, sealing us all in the car.

Reaching down, I wrapped fingers one by one around the new doll, taking my time. I didn’t want to see it. I already knew, but somehow I didn’t want to know that it was him.

Half listening to Claire and Cooper argue about a wasted day, I settled back in my seat with the doll.

“I probably failed my test this morning,” Claire raged.

I was enraptured by the doll with the spiky, bleached blonde hair. He had a narrow face and nose to match. The eyes were a light brown, innocent and watchful.

The two in the front seat fell silent as Claire caught sight of the doll in the rearview mirror, and Cooper spun around in his seat.

“Was that in my car?”

I nodded, clutching the thing and sinking back in the seat.