Games, Ghouls, and Waffles Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  GAMES, GHOULS AND WAFFLES

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  Games,

  Ghouls

  and

  Waffles

  Book Nineteen

  in

  The Diner of the Dead Series

  By

  Carolyn Q. Hunter

  Copyright 2017 Summer Prescott Books

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

  **This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

  Author’s Note: On the next page, you’ll find out how to access all of my books easily, as well as locate books by best-selling author, Summer Prescott. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my books, the storylines, and anything else that you’d like to comment on – reader feedback is very important to me. Please see the following page for my publisher’s contact information. If you’d like to be on her list of “folks to contact” with updates, release and sales notifications, etc…just shoot her an email and let her know. Thanks for reading!

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  GAMES, GHOULS AND

  WAFFLES

  Book Nineteen in The Diner of the Dead Series

  PROLOGUE

  * * *

  The sky was filled with a carpet of gray clouds most of the day, presenting a constant threat of rain to the little mountain town of Haunted Falls, Colorado. Wishing she had brought an umbrella, Cassiopeia stepped out the front door of The Waffle Diner and Eatery.

  She had just finished signing up to participate in diner owner Sonja Reed’s End of Summer Game Day which was being held that upcoming Friday. High school would be starting up again soon, marking the end of the lengthy vacation from books, homework, and teachers.

  The game day was Sonja’s way of giving the local kids and teens a last hurrah before the day-to-day work of classes started up again.

  Cass had only moved to the small town that same year but had quickly begun to make friends thanks to the weekly game nights held at the diner. Every Friday they had various board and card games available for everyone to play.

  There was even one small group of teenage boys who played a fantasy themed role-playing game called Wizards and Warlocks.

  Cass had always been interested in trying that sort of game, but was too intimidated by the large rule book required to play. Luckily, at the End of Summer Game Day Sonja would be hosting a game session of Wizards and Warlocks where she taught newbies how to play. She had informed Cass that she was an avid player in college and would be running Friday’s game as the “Game Master.”

  If she was correct in her assumption, Cass understood the Game Master was a person who controlled all the monsters, traps, and non-player characters during the game. She still didn’t completely understand how the whole thing worked but was more than excited to give it a try. In fact, her sole reason for showing up at the diner that afternoon was to add her name to the list hung near the counter.

  The informational sheet Sonja handed her stated that players could bring their own set of gaming dice or just use some that were provided.

  Cass knew that Wizards and Warlocks mainly used a special polyhedral die that had twenty sides, at least that was what she’d seen the boys playing with during other sessions. She was really hoping she could get a die for herself to use at the game. The group of young men who usually played always talked about how it was more meaningful to use your own set of dice.

  The only problem was Cass wasn’t exactly sure where she could buy something like that. Haunted Falls was a tiny rural town and didn’t have any game or hobby shops. Heck, there wasn’t even a toy store to speak of.

  She contemplated whether she could order a few dice online and have them delivered in time for the game on Friday when the first rumble of thunder echoed between the mountains. Slowly, a few cold drops of rain touched her cheeks, foretelling of the oncoming downpour.

  “Darn,” she muttered, picking up her pace and crossing the diner’s parking lot. She had waited until late in the day to go sign up for the game, thanks to the fact that she had gotten caught up binge watching television online, and was beginning to regret her procrastination.

  She should have brought an umbrella, or at the very least a heavier jacket than the thin hoodie she had on. Thoughts of the game day and dice left her mind completely as she began to jog toward home, only a few blocks away on Main Street.

  Unfortunately, her pace wasn’t fast enough as the towering clouds darkened, speaking to the earth in flashes and booms. The rain began to fall.

  Flipping up her hood, she desperately looked for someplace to take shelter and wait out the worst of the storm. She considered even calling her Aunt Pan, whom she lived with, and asking her to come pick her up.

  It was then that she spotted the nearby building—just next to the library—that had a sign labeled as open hanging in the front window.

  Cass didn’t remember a shop there. When she had moved in, it had been an empty lot. With no recollection of a construction crew on the street or word from the locals about a new tourist attraction opening for business, she shrugged and headed for the door. If nothing else, she was just grateful for a place to wait out the rain.

  Moving inside the short brick building, she flipped her wet hood back and let out a sigh of relief. She knew it was only another two blocks up Main Street to The Lucky Leprechaun shop where she lived in a second-floor apartment, but she would be soaked through to her very bones if she attempted it.

  Besides, she knew Aunt Pan would be more than willing to come and pick her up. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she pushed the button to illuminate the screen. To her surprise, the device remained dark. “What the heck?” she muttered, pushing the button again.

  Nothing happened.

  It didn’t make a whole lot of sense. She had just charged her phone that morning. There was no way it could be dead already, could it?

  “Ah, a customer.”

  At the sound of the low, unexpected voice, Cass jumped. Her heart sped up for a brief second and then calmed down again.

  Taking a short step out of the entryway and into the shop itself, the young woman instantly noticed just how cluttered and claustrophobic the store felt. Shelves of old dishes, figurines, dolls, and other assorted kni
ck-knacks were displayed throughout the room. Large pieces of antique furniture filled in the gaps, pressing in on her as if they were feral animals about to pounce.

  All of it was covered in a thick layer of dust.

  This puzzled Cass. If the shop was new, why would everything appear as if it had sat in the same place for the past ten years?

  “Over here, young lady,” a strange voice croaked from behind a Victorian folding screen. Emerging into the dim light of the room was a haggard looking woman in a black cloak. Her skin looked like leather and small wisps of silvery hair escaped from the raised hood. Her smile revealed rows of yellowed crooked teeth and a pair of square glasses magnified her grey eyes.

  Cass nearly let out a gasp of fright at the woman’s appearance, but managed to quiet herself before it escaped. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. It was raining and this was the closest place.” She shrugged and tried to force a smile. “The sign said you were open.”

  “And we are,” the woman announced, flourishing a hand and motioning toward the array of dusty items. “I sell anything you might need right here.”

  “I thought you only sold antiques. I mean, that’s what all of this looks like.”

  A half smile curved up the right side of the woman’s mouth. “I dabble in a little of everything. Name it, and I’ve got it.”

  Cass felt uncomfortable in the woman’s presence and wished she had weathered the storm for a few more blocks rather than come inside this strange shop. However, another small part of her was intrigued. She hesitated. “You don’t happen to have a twenty-sided die, do you?”

  Cass expected the woman to return the question with a confused expression. After all, how would a woman as old as this know anything about role-playing games?

  Instead, the shopkeeper gave a knowing nod. “I have just the thing.” Turning on a dime, her cloak spinning out around her, she headed behind the check-out counter and reached up to a top shelf. Pulling down a small box, which looked like it was made for jewelry, she opened it and held it out toward Cass. “Like this?”

  Cass’s jaw dropped open. Inside the box was a small twenty-sided die. The object appeared to be crafted completely out of stone and used roman numerals in place of normal numbers. She had to admit, it looked cool.

  “That would be perfect,” she exclaimed. “How much?”

  “Five.”

  “That’s all?” Cass dug into her purse, feeling around the collection of gum wrappers, coins, receipts, and more, and finally came out with a five-dollar bill. “There.” She placed the wadded piece of money in the woman’s hand.

  “The die is yours,” the old shopkeeper announced, holding out the box to Cass.

  * * *

  Cooper Rickerson had just stepped out of Macamery Pool Hall when it began to rain. “Darn,” he muttered, taking a step back under the small awning on the front of the seedy bar. Pulling out a smashed pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket, he tapped the box and released one of the short white sticks and gripped it between his lips.

  With a flick of his wrist, he ignited the metal lighter—with a jester embellished on the front of it—and lit his cigarette.

  Drawing in a deep breath, the familiar tingle of smoke filled his mouth, throat, and lungs. Exhaling a gray cloud, he sighed, instantly feeling more relaxed.

  He’d just lost a tidy sum on a game of pool, and he was about ready to jump into another game when he realized he was out of cash. His opponent, Jack Peters, had said straight out that he didn’t accept IOUs.

  “Cash on the table,” he’d informed him.

  Cooper had begged to play again, desperate to win back at least some of his money. He offered his watch, his car, anything to entice Jack into another game. The well-known pool shark had declined. “Like I said, I only play for cash, my friend,” he’d mused in his usual deep throated voice.

  In a fit of irritation, Cooper walked out the front door for a smoke. The rain, while annoying, hardly deterred him from having his usual tobacco fix. He’d deal with the rain.

  He was about halfway through the cigarette when he spotted someone moving among the forested area across the road. Taking another drag, he squinted his eyes and tried to see through the sheets of rain. Who the heck could be out in the woods in this kind of weather? Maybe a hunter or birdwatcher who had gotten caught in the downpour?

  Shrugging, he flicked the butt of his cigarette into the growing mud puddle at his feet.

  If someone was stupid enough to wander through the woods during a summer storm, it was none of his concern. Let them get soaked through.

  He had bigger problems on his hand—like convincing Jack to play one more round. He needed to win his money back.

  Turning toward the low doorway of the building, he didn’t hear the quick pattered footsteps dashing from the trees, across the street, and up behind him.

  It wasn’t until he felt something cold and sharp pierce his lower back, digging through his abdomen and out the front of his stomach, that he realized someone was even there. By then, it was far too late.

  Glancing down, he saw the tip of a shimmering metallic blade sticking out of his body, blood pooling on his dirty clothes. He hardly had a moment to feel the pain when he toppled over into the same puddle of mud he had dropped his cigarette.

  CHAPTER 1

  * * *

  It had been raining since the night before, creating a constant river of rain down the mountainside and past The Waffle Diner and Eatery. Sonja Reed looked out the kitchen window watching the water go across the dirt parking lot behind the diner as she worked on the thirtieth waffle plate that morning.

  She thought about Cass and wondered if the young woman had gotten safely home the evening before. The storm had come up unexpectedly and she knew Cass didn’t have a car of her own. No use worrying about it, she told herself. The young woman was probably fine.

  Sonja hated to admit it, but she’d grown attached to the young teenager. In many ways, Cass reminded her of herself—sort of a loner, struggling to make a place for herself in the world.

  Cass often seemed sad.

  Of course, it helped that she was Panelope’s niece. Pan was another local small business owner and an old friend of Sonja’s family.

  That was why Sonja had tried to reach out to Cass, take her under her wing. She’d made sure that the young woman felt welcomed at the weekly game nights that so many of the local kids and teens showed up for.

  The fact that Cass had decided to sign up for Wizards and Warlocks at the End of Summer Game Day thrilled Sonja. She had participated in role-playing games just like it when she was Cass’s age—and through most of college—and they held a special place in her heart. She was excited to be acting as the Game Master again after all these years and was beginning to wonder why she hadn’t jumped in and joined the teens earlier.

  “I’ve got the stuff,” Alison, Sonja’s best friend and coworker, announced as she pushed through the backdoor into the kitchen. In her arms, she carried a large cardboard box.

  Sonja, snapping out of her deep thought, opened the iron in front of her and removed the warm, crisp waffle and set it on a plate. This particular dish was made with a hint of cinnamon in the batter. Taking a cup of pre-chopped apple, she added it on top of the waffle. A dollop of cinnamon-vanilla whipped cream finished it off.

  It wasn’t anything too complicated, but it was delicious.

  “Order up,” Sonja called, setting the plate in the service window and ringing the bell.

  When she turned back toward Alison, she saw that the box was now resting on the counter. “Thanks for bringing all that stuff, Ally.”

  “No problem,” she smiled and shrugged, removing her wet coat and hanging it on the peg near the wall. Heading into the cramped office, she took a seat.

  “You didn’t have trouble finding it?”

  “Nope. It was near the attic ladder, so it was no trouble at all. I just hope that none of it got wet.”

  “I wouldn
’t think so.”

  “I mean, I only carried it from the house to the car and then from the car into the diner. But you never know. It’s really coming down.”

  “It’s been doing that since last night,” Sonja said, walking over to the cardboard box and flipping open one of the flaps.

  “You’d think it was monsoon season or something.”

  Pulling the box open all the way, she revealed the cluttered contents inside. Various gaming components including playing cards, dice, pawns, and other such implements filled the interior.

  “You’re sure you’re okay parting with all of this?” Sonja pressed, reaching in and touching the old childhood relics.

  “Sure thing. It isn’t like I’ve used any of that stuff recently. It’s just been sitting up in my attic collecting dust.” Pressing the button on the computer, Ally leaned back and waited for it to hum to life. “Besides, I’ve never really liked games that much anyway. That was always your thing.”

  “Makes sense,” Sonja agreed, lifting the box and carrying it into the office.

  “Most of that is just loose pieces from other games. I’m not even sure there is a complete deck of cards in there.”

  “Well, it’ll be perfect for making decorations.” Sonja had plans to make festive garlands by punching holes in old cards and threading a colorful string through them. The old loose boards could be cut up into small five inch sections, have dice and pawns glued onto them, to make cute center pieces for the tables. In addition to all of this, she had ordered table cloths with dice and cards patterned along the top.

  All of it would make the perfect atmosphere for the event. She couldn’t think of a better way to say goodbye to the summer season—except for maybe having a campout. Sonja wasn’t much for outdoors activities, though.

  Camping.

  One of Sonja’s close friends, Belinda Smith, had gone camping over a month prior and hadn’t ever come back. Sonja was worried about what it all could mean, but knew she shouldn’t even think of it. Belinda was an avid student of the occult, and was hot on the trail of a modern-day witch that had supposedly taken up residence in Haunted Falls.