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"Oh" Judging fro it, too

"Hey" I shifted the spirit lantern in rabbed Jen’s hand, and squeezed it "I’m sorry if I’ve been secretive I don’ton And I’o, but I’lad you’re here now Okay?"

"Okay" Jen squeezed side the park, Sinclair’s red, yellow, and green bus pulled up to let passengers disembark, PEMKOWET SUPERNATURAL TOURS painted on its side I couldn’t help but gaze wistfully at it I’d liked Sinclair Well, I still did, of course, but life would have been a lot different if things had worked out between us "Does he ever talk about me?" I asked Jen "Now that you’re houseaze "A little, sure I mean, he knoe’re friends, obviously I think Sinclair feels bad about what happened Aside froe deal breaker at the moment, he’s a sweetheart" She paused "Do you think youup with him?"

"No," I said "But I wish I did"

Jen nodded "I don’t blame you"

A little before three o’clock, the harvest festival began winding down and young kids and their parents began to assele ghost had lad, but it didn’t do anything to alleviate the uneasiness I felt in the ht, Daisy baby,"me in farewell "And you, too, honey," she added to Jen

"We will, Mom Jo," Jen assured her

Jen and I followed the parade on foot down the h to do since the array of pint-size lions, witches, skeletons, zombies, and princesses ht up the rear in a squad car, creeping behind the procession

At the end of the parade route, parents and children gathered on thechairs on loan from the Women’s Club had been set up, and Mrs Brophy froend of Sleepy Hollow" in a loud, theatrical voice

Even though I kneas co, it was effective There was a paved footpath that led up the hill alongside the basketball court, and when Mrs Brophy got to the story’s cli down the footpath astride a coal-black horse, looking about seven feet tall in the saddle thanks to the long, dra his entire head and torso Children shrieked, local parents cheered--it was an annual event, and the guy who played the Horse stable a few miles outside of town--and adult tourists shouted in excitement and reached for their ca it was a real apparition Like I said, it was a badass costuh to hurl a jack-o’-lantern onto the court, s briskly back up the footpath

Once he’d vanished, the an to scatter, sheepish tourists putting away their ca it had all been part of the act Rafe, who’d circled around town to position hi the parade, roared away on his reed to lis where widespread panic could prove dangerous

At least we’d gotten through the first one without incident I let out a sigh of relief "Well, that’s phase one over with, anyway"

Jen tapped the ha from her carpenter’s apron "On to phase two?"

"Yep"

We retrieved Jen’s convertible and drove up the hill--it’s not ot--to theon the street in front of the high school, where we’d have a good view of the neighborhood

Ken Levitt pulled up alongside us "Are the two of you going to be all right here on your own, Daisy?"

"Yeah," I said "We’ve got additional backup co the neighborhood up here on the hill Cody’s doing the sa a circuit of those new develop happens, call dispatch"

"Will do," I said "And if you see anythingcall me"

Jen watched hi that additional backup coly

"Thanks"