Read Online Crone's Moon: A Rowan Gant Investigation by M. R. Sellars - Free Book Online Page B

switched over to a glaring red.
    Considering the events of the day, I was
surprised to find myself in such a good mood. Truth is, even if
today had never happened, I still would have been surprised. I
hadn’t felt this good about life since the first time I’d been
cold-cocked by an unwanted ethereal vision of a horrific murder;
and that had been almost four years ago.
    A far cry from past experiences, my
seizure-induced headache had faded relatively quickly. None of the
typical creepy sensations that always accompanied these events had
plagued me in the least. Even though I could still feel a troubling
shadow falling across my life yet again, it was faint and nebulous.
Nothing like the dark foreboding that always forced me into a
brooding stupor.
    I didn’t know if it was some sort of
artificially conjured euphoria brought on by my wife’s contagious
good mood, or what. Maybe I was just getting better at keeping
myself grounded and centered. As basic a task as that is for a
Witch, it was something I’d been having trouble with for some time
now. In the end, I simply didn’t care what it was, but I knew one
thing for sure— I planned to enjoy every minute of it.
    I simply felt good. I was truly relaxed and
happy for the first time in a very long while.
    I felt my wife’s fist thump hard against my
shoulder as she playfully punched me. “What are you grinning about,
Row?”
    I hadn’t realized that the broad smile had
carved itself into my face, but I suppose it was just part of the
mood. “Nothing,” I replied, rolling my head to the side so I could
look at her. “Not a thing.”
    “Sure, whatever,” she replied with her own
smile, then asked, “So, did Ben say when he would be getting out of
there?”
    “Probably in a couple of hours is what he
said. Why?”
    “Well, it’s only a little after six right
now, so that would still be early yet,” she replied, pulling her
hand across her forehead and dragging some of the wild strands of
hair from her face. “Maybe he and Allison could join us later for a
pint or two.”
    “I’m not so sure about that,” I replied,
remembering that I had purposely not told her about the phone call
I’d overheard. Truth was, I didn’t actually know to whom Ben was
talking on the other end, but I had my suspicions. Still, it was
best not to start a rumor, even if it was only between us.
    “Come on,” she urged. “It’ll be
fun. The Don’t Be Brothers are
supposed to be playing tonight.”
    “The what?” I asked, furrowing one eyebrow
and squinting at her.
    “The Don’t Be
Brothers ,” she repeated. “It’s a play on…”
    “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I told her as I
nodded my head. “I’m just not sure I want it.”
    “They’re really good, Row. I’ve heard them
play before.”
    “Okay, so speaking of playing, what DO they
play?”
    She shrugged. “Irish folk songs, what
else?”
    “You mean Irish drinking songs.”
    “Of course, they’re playing in a Pub.”
    “So that means we have to sing along.”
    “Your point?”
    “I don’t know any of the words, and I doubt
if Ben or Allison do either.”
    “Aye,” she said as she shook her index finger
at me. “But I do.”
    “Okay,” I gave in, reaching to my belt and
grabbing my cell phone. “I’ll give him a call, but I don’t make any
guarantees.”
    I wasn’t actually sure if I would be able to
reach him, but I was willing to try. If I was correct, and the
earlier call had in fact been from Allison, maybe they had managed
to patch things up by now. An evening out might even be just
exactly what they needed. After all, it was Friday. They were
adults. Their son was old enough not to require a sitter, so that
shouldn’t be an obstacle. Looking at it that way, there was really
nothing to keep them at home.
    I thumbed in the speed dial code and put the
phone up to my ear. I heard the ringer at the other end issuing
from the earpiece, but halfway through the trill it suddenly became
muffled. As I