Slenderman by CeeRee Fields (good novels to read TXT) 📗

and Ian to see if they can talk to the agents that check those bags. Someone might remember a costume and dagger.”

“Sullivan, you need to get out of here.” Jo pointed to the door with her needles.

“Why?”

“Because you’ve got to get Arabelle ready for her trick-or-treat night with Elle, Rhys, Rian, and Evan. Then meet me at the address I gave you.”

“I don’t want to go to a Halloween party, Jo. I want to take my daughter and girlfriend trick-or-treating.”

Karma chuckled. “I’m glad Maker and I only have to hand out candy here, and now dig into international conventions to see if Jo’s lead holds up.”

Jo flipped Karma off while narrowing her eyes on Sullivan. “We won’t be long since we’re picking Kyle up at the party and I want to go trick-or-treating with Rhys and Rian. Kyle’s friend is nervous about being seen in public with cops.”

“I swear we always get the weirdos to question,” Sullivan muttered as he left.

“And don’t worry about a costume.”

“I wasn’t going to worry about one since I’m not dressing up as anything but a cop.” He shouted down the hallway.

Jo chuckled as she put up her knitting in the chest nestled between the chair and the couch.

“What?” Karma cut her eyes to Jo.

“Arabelle’s dressing him up as a skeleton to fit in with her and Elle’s costumes.”

Karma and Maker laughed. Maker pointed at her. “Get pictures.”

“Of course.” Like Jo would ever pass up an opportunity for more blackmail fodder on her partner. She pushed up from the chair and stretched.

“You sure you two don’t need backup?” Karma asked.

“Nah, I checked up on the kid we’re meeting. Basic possession of marijuana and one loitering charges. Besides, he looks like this.” Jo flipped her phone around to show Karma the scrawny teenager that looked like he’d never seen the sun.

“Yeah, you two have this.”

“If the convention lead pans out, we should see if those venues have video surveillance—”

“We don’t have a face to match it to.”

“Not yet, but I can feel we’re closing in on him. Between the dagger, three hundred names and fifty potential victims. Now with the conventions . . . I have a lot of questions for Kyle’s friend. If he has the answers, we’ll catch the asshole.”

“Good luck,” Karma called while Jo left to get ready for tonight.

~ ~ ~

Jo frowned when her cell belted out the Don’t Worry Be Happy tune she’d chosen for Carl after her mother gave him that atrocious singing fish for a gag gift. “Dad?”

“Jo, thank God,” he whispered over the line. “Are you on your way to the Halloween party?”

“Yes, I just took the exit, so I’m about fifteen minutes out.” She pulled to a stop at the red light. “Why? Do you need me to pick up something?”

“No, I need you to run by our house first,” he continued to whisper.

“Dad, why’re you whispering?” She turned onto the main drag and then made the turn that would take her to her parents’ house.

“Because I don’t want the neighbors coming over.”

“Umm . . . okay, so you’re still at the house?”

“Yes.” He sounded almost as if he were panicking.

Why was he still at the house? Her mother was already at the party. Jo knew because she’d been tasked with picking up drinks, ice, and more cups and plates.

Confused, Jo swung onto the dead-end street and pulled into her parent’s driveway. Her father was caught briefly in the headlights as Jo parked the car. “Dad?”

“Keep your voice down,” he whisper-shouted.

Jo sighed, stepped from the car and walked to the door of the house, only to freeze in horror. “What the hell are you wearing?”

“Oh nice, Jo. I thought you weren’t cursing anymore.” Her dad shifted from one heeled foot to the other.

“Is that a Hooter’s shirt?” She ignored the cursing reprimand. If at any point in her life she deserved to curse  . . .  this would be the time. “And fishnets? Dad? What. The. Hell?”

There was a snarl before Carl finally replied. “It was your mother’s idea. I was going as a retired Hooter’s girl, and your mom dressed up as some kind of beer-bellied customer.”

“Ooookay.” It really wasn’t. There was way too much hairy, sagging skin for Jo to be comfortable looking at her father right now. “Umm . . . Dad? Are those nipples?”

“Yes, Jo. Okay? Yes, those are the sagging boobs’ nipples that come out of the bottom of the shirt. When I went to lock the door, one of the damned things got caught in the door. Before I could get my keys, my purse fell over there.” He pointed towards his truck. “And of course, the keys skidded under the danged truck.”

“You’re wearing saggy boobs?”

“That’s where you went?” An exasperated huff passed his lips as he frowned at her.

“I thought you were with Mom.”

“No, she left early to help set up and now I’m running late.”

Jo dropped to the concrete and grabbed her dad’s keys from under his truck. “Why didn’t you call Mom? She could’ve been here sooner than me.”

“Heck no! She’d take pictures and selfies and put them on her Facebook page. So no. It’s bad enough I let her talk me into this.” He gestured with one hand down his body.

“How did she do that?” Jo found the key to the knob, slid it in and tried to unlock the door.

“Sex.”

“Oh God.”

“I’m admitting it, your mother is hot in bed. That tantric sex retreat—”

Jo slapped a hand over her father’s mouth. “If you want me to get you out of this mess with no documented proof, you’ll stop right now.”

A muffled hum of agreement had Jo dropping her hand and trying the door again.

“It might be stuck.”

She gave the knob a jiggle, her dad pressed against her side too close for comfort the way he was dressed. “I’m getting that feeling too.” The fake boob brushed her arm making her shudder. Ew.

“See, I tried to force the handle like I saw in this movie. The guy