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They walked into the front of the room, stopping when she got to first row. She took the light from Steve and shined it at the stacked boxes.
She could barely make out the writing. She had to get closer to the box to see the year, nineteen sixty, scribbled in pencil.
“What year are we looking for?” he asked.
“Nineteen ninety-five,” Della said.
It took fifteen minutes to find the right year. Unfortunately, it appeared it had been a busy year, too. There were over forty boxes.
Talk about a needle in a haystack …
She climbed up the metal rack, and brought down a box. Steve took it from her. Frowning, she realized that if they didn’t get lucky, it could take forever.
Making it worse was that whoever had packaged the files hadn’t taken care to put them in any order. Some were alphabetized and others random.
They were on the last six when Della started to worry that it wouldn’t be here. That she’d dragged Steve out and forced him to help her break the law for nothing.
But then when she picked up one of the remaining boxes to open, she felt it. A chill.
“I think it’s in here,” she said. She pulled off the top. One file was standing up higher than the others.
The name of the file tab read: CHAO TSANG.
* * *
Chase paced. He took Baxter for a walk. Then he went for a run.
He wanted to see her. Just tell her he was sorry for acting like an ass. If she started asking questions again, he’d leave.
Running inside, he filled Baxter’s bowl. “I’ll be right back,” he told the dog.
A few minutes later, he walked through the Shadow Falls gate. Burnett looked at the window as he walked through. He just waved.
As he got closer to Della’s cabin, he heard voices. Taking the steps, Chase had already knocked before he took in a breath and tasted the air. He got some odd scent—probably the chameleon chick—and a witch. Miranda.
What he didn’t get was Della.
The door opened and Miranda stood there. She smiled. Then her smile faded. No, not faded; vanished. Like bam! There one second and gone the next.
“Chase?” she said. Panic filled her eyes. Then she looked back. “Kylie, look who’s here. Chase. Come talk to Chase.”
Kylie appeared at the witch’s side. “Hi, Chase,” she said, but like her friend she appeared … not herself.
“Do you know where Della is?”
“Nope. Don’t have a clue,” the witch blurted out. And her heart did a tumble.
His gaze shot to her wide hazel eyes.
Kylie cleared her throat, obviously trying to communicate to the witch not to lie. But it was too late.
“Is she okay?” he asked the witch.
She nodded.
“Is she here at the school, or did she go out?”
Her head didn’t budge. But her eyes cut to the right to peer at Kylie. “It’s your turn.” Then the witch ran off. Disappearing into a bedroom.
