Page 58 of Demons Dig Donuts

From the outside, it was a simple condo.

Brick, old, boring.

Indy caught a glimpse of an equally boring and surprisingly empty foyer as they stepped through the front door. Indy only saw it for a blink before it vanished. There was obviously a portal to the actual place Mr. Heiss called home, and Indy suspected the condo he’d seen was merely a front. They now stood in the living room, where King still sat on the coffee table and Gammy…

Well, she had been busy.

Every conceivable surface was covered in strange symbols and complex circles. Candles had been found and lit, and there were so many it had to be some sort of fire hazard.

Gammy had changed into a black nightgown patterned with skulls that had pink mohawks, and she had added black fuzzy slippers with the same skulls to her ghostly wardrobe. Her hair remained a shocking shade of purple. She’d been in the middle of finishing another series of symbols when she saw them, and she squealed.

Mr. Heiss appeared mildly concerned. “What in the fuck—”

“My sweetie cakes!” Gammy threw herself at Indy and hugged him tight, nearly physical from head to toe. “You’re all right!” She shot Mr. Heiss a hateful glare. “Where have you been? Hmm?”

“Sorry it took a while,” Indy soothed. “We had to go see a fae for—”

“A fae?”

“—the sap stuff. But here, look! Look! We got everything, okay?” Indy looked her over. “You must be feeling better. You’re hard as a damn rock.”

“Isn’t that what you usually say to the fellas?” Gammy teased, her hand cupping Indy’s cheek and then giving it a pinch.

Indy laughed, swatting her away.

“What in the fuck is this?” Mr. Heiss barked, glaring at them both and waving toward the mess around them.

“Oh, isn’t it obvious?” Gammy blinked. “You two were gone for so long, and I was getting worried. So, I was busy preparing a banishment.”

King beamed. “I helped!”

Mr. Heiss rubbed his hands together and clapped.

The candles and symbols vanished, the entire room shuddering from the flex of power it took to remove everything in an instant.

King was also now absent.

“So you know, I can easily do that again!” Gammy wagged a finger at Mr. Heiss. “Now, do you have a kitchen I can use, hmm? I need to get to conjuring as soon as possible.”

“Yes, please.” Indy turned to Mr. Heiss. “Do you have a kitchen?”

Of the many rooms Indy had found before, he hadn’t seen one.

Maybe that’s what was behind that locked door.

“Yes.” Mr. Heiss waved back toward the hallway.

Indy could see a new doorway that hadn’t been there before which led to a sleek kitchen with black-and-gold appliances. He carried the bag there with Gammy right behind him. He placed it on the marble counter of a large island, asking, “Okay! What do we do?”

“You sit back and relax,” Gammy said firmly. “I’ve got this.”

“What are you—” Indy looked over his shoulder to talk to Mr. Heiss, but he was gone.

Of course.

He shouldn’t have been surprised, but it stung unexpectedly.

Gross.