Williams followed my gaze, at which point both creatures remembered themselves. Oscar barked furiously as Dog hopped around him in a circle.

“Oh no,” Williams said to the pair. “It’s far too late for that now. I saw everything.” She headed for the house.

The bulldog bounded after her. “To think I defended you.”

Oscar barked.

“And you were complicit this whole time.”

Dog and I watched the two depart inside.

Once the door had shut, I looked at the crow. “I guess one of us better tell the aunts about the town meeting.”

Dog made a big flap with his wings and took off.

I frowned. “Thanks a lot.”

Chapter 16

Ivywood Hollow has a reputation for its calm, restorative atmosphere. This time of year, one could reliably expect upon entering its doors to be greeted with a fire gently crackling in the hearth, soothing classical music playing in the background, and divine scents emanating from the kitchen.

Given that’s what I had come to expect, it was a little jarring to step into the B&B just in time to hear a loud crash and someone shouting, “Slam that door one more time, Constance! Just one more! You won’t like what I do!”

I quickly pulled my scarf from my neck and deposited it on the coat rack. The shouting had come from Nora on the second floor, but I wanted to get a little more information about what was going on up there before I stuck my nose in it.

I followed the sweet smells coming from the kitchen. There I found my other aunt happily tinkering away, sifting flour, with noise-canceling headphones nestled in the masses of her curly blond hair.

“Izzy?”

No answer.

I walked over to the island. “Izzy?”

Still nothing. I reached out and touched her arm.

She let out a shout and dropped her sifter into the flour, sending a cloud of powder up into the air. She placed one hand on her chest and pulled off her headphones with the other. “Darling, you startled me.”

“Sorry,” I said with a chuckle. “Those are some good headphones you have there.”

“They’re like magic. Maybe even better. And thank the stars for that,” she said. “It has been quite the day.”

“You’ve been cooking up a storm I see.”

She sighed and looked around at all the dishes she had going. “Truth be told, I miss having guests. Cooking is such a simple way to make people happy, and everything is so complicated right now.”

Wasn’t that the truth. “Speaking of which, I heard a door slam. Is everything all right up there?” I rolled my eyes to the ceiling.

“It’s Constance. At least we think it’s Constance.”

“You think what is Constance?”

“Something or someone has been slamming the closet door at the top of the stairs open and shut all day. The headphones are enough for me to block it out, but Nora is having a little more trouble with the situation.”