There's Been A Murder: A Spicy Paranormal Cozy Mystery by L.A. Boruff

Author:L.A. Boruff [Boruff, L.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Phantom Pen
Published: 2024-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

fourteen

heather

I stared at the ceiling fan spinning lazily above my bed. The events of the past few days played through my mind like a surreal movie reel. Meeting Augustus, learning about reapers and the supernatural world that existed right under our noses. It still didn't feel real.

I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled to the kitchen. As I poured cereal into a bowl, I couldn't reconcile the mundane normalcy of my daily routine with the extraordinary knowledge I now possessed. Ghosts, magic, an entire bureaucracy dedicated to ferrying souls to the afterlife. It was like I’d stumbled into the pages of an urban fantasy novel.

I dropped a spoon into the cereal with a clatter. How was I supposed to go about my day, interacting with patients and coworkers, when I knew what lurked in the shadows? When I knew a villainous lich was out there stealing people's life forces? It made the concerns of cavities and gum disease seem so trivial.

I sighed and started packing my lunch, a turkey sandwich, an apple, some pretzels. The juxtaposition between the ordinary contents of my lunchbox and the extraordinary world I'd been thrust into made my head spin. I zipped up the lunchbox and leaned against the counter.

"Get it together," I said. "Weird as it is, this is your reality now. Just gotta...compartmentalize it somehow."

I took a deep breath, trying to steel myself for the day ahead, to slip back into the skin of regular old Heather the dental hygienist, and tuck away Heather the...what? Reaper-in-training? Supernatural detective's assistant? Those roles felt like an ill-fitting costume.

I glanced at the clock. No more time to contemplate my newly complicated existence.

I brushed my teeth on autopilot, my mind a million miles away from the mundane task at hand. As I scrubbed, I kept picturing Clint's lifeless body, imagining how Bert must have drained away his essence. I shuddered and nearly choked on the toothpaste foam.

I spat into the sink and rinsed my mouth. My reflection in the mirror looked pale and haunted. I splashed some cold water on my face, trying to shake off the morbid thoughts, but they clung to me like cobwebs.

Getting dressed was a robotic process. I barely registered what clothes I pulled on. Jeans, a plain top, my favorite denim jacket. Armor for facing the ordinary world, when I knew it was anything but.

I grabbed my purse and lunch and headed out to my sedan. The morning sun seemed too bright, too cheery for the dark turn my life had taken. I slid into the driver's seat and just sat there for a moment, hands on the steering wheel, staring blankly out the windshield.

"Okay Heather, you can do this," I said out loud to myself. "Just...pretend everything is fine. Act normal."

I let out a shaky laugh. Easier said than done. But I couldn't exactly call in to work and say "Sorry, can't come in today, I'm busy processing the fact that supernatural entities are real, and I'm being recruited to help police them.

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