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in law enforcement. The sheriff would have been a small child at the time.
    “Thanks for your help with this. Is the sheriff free?”
    Rayanne seemed uncomfortable with my question. “Umm … he’s outside Pies & Stuff, handing out buttons.”
    “Buttons?”
    Rayanne nodded. “Don’t ask me. As soon as the power went out, he left with a box full of buttons. He said he was going to hand them out. Apparently it’s to help keep the town’s moral up.”
    “Hmm … well, thanks again.”
    Instead of going straight home, I decided to stop by Pies & Stuff and see for myself what the sheriff was up to.
    Pulling up to the quaint, blue and white building, I found a parking place as close to the front as I could get.
    Sure enough, Jeb was standing near the entrance with a box on the concrete beside him.
    “Hello, Izzy.” He nodded, handing me a yellow smiling face pin.
    “What’s this for, Jeb?” I asked, feigning only casual interest.
    “I thought it would brighten everyone’s mood. Losing the lights at this time of year can be tough.”
    “Okay then,” I muttered.
    It wasn’t as if handing out smiley faces was a crime, even if it was weird. At least it was weird for Jeb.
    “I was just curious, but do you know anything about the lighthouse murder … like were there any unofficial suspects? Did they do a thorough search of the surrounding area?”
    He stared at me, a blank look in his eyes. “The lighthouse murder?”
    “You know … Muriel, the most notorious ghost on the island?”
    This was strange. Everyone knew about Muriel, especially those who were born islanders.
    “Never mind.” I smiled. “I’m just going to get me something to eat before I head for home.”
    Jeb nodded, a strange - empty grin on his face. “Don’t let the outage get you down. If you get bored, there is always the option of family game night.”
    Family game night?
    Now I knew there was something wrong with the sheriff. The only kind of game he’d ever cared about required a bowling ball.
    Since I was already at Pies & Stuff, I figured I might as well get some takeout. A freshly baked chicken potpie would beat a frozen dinner every time.
    I had no more than settled in my car when my phone rang.
    “Hello,” I answered.
    “Izzy … did I catch you at a bad time?” Aunt Mandy asked.
    “Not at all. I was just on my way home.”
    “I was wondering if I could ask a big favor of you? You know how we have Christmas Dinner scheduled for 3:00. Is there a way we can push that to a later time?”
    “Sure, but why?”
    There was a slight hesitation before she answered. “I was hoping I could bring Marty along, and you know how he is with the sun and all. I know you’re not thrilled about my relationship with him, but he’s practically part of the family.”
    By Marty, she meant, Marty Morrison, a paranormal researcher who just happened to be a vampire, and he was dating my Aunt Mandy.
    She was right, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of my aunt dating a vampire, but who was I to complain? I had terrible taste in men.
    As long as he didn’t bite her or turn her, I would make myself be okay with it.
    “That’s fine Auntie. We’ll move it to 6:00.”
    “Thank you.” There was a note of joy in her voice that was difficult to ignore.
    Mandy was happier than I’d seen her in years. I just hoped it would last. Vampires and mortals seemed like such a bad match.
    Humans were their food. One didn’t date one’s food.
    Suddenly Zane’s handsome face popped into my thoughts. Remembering the part about being a vampire’s food was important if I were to keep that vampire at a distance. Zane was one vampire who could easily make me forget all the cons about dating an immortal.
    “No problem. I’ll see you on Christmas,” I replied.
    After ending the call, unbidden thoughts of Zane took over.
    If only he weren’t a vampire, I’d be all over that one. The problem with my line of thinking was that as much as I hated to admit it, the