Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Revelations

by Lydia Sherrer

  He fell silent, but Sebastian didn’t reply, still trying to wrap his mind around this sudden development. “You may leave through the rear,” Anton said, gesturing with the gun in a not-quite-threatening fashion. Turning slowly, Sebastian saw an exit light shining at the end of the hall. He started walking, glancing back over his shoulder and seeing Anton’s silhouette against the light from the gallery. As he reached the exit, he heard Anton’s voice once more. “Oh, and Mr. Blackwell, if you ever ask me about one of my clients again, I will shoot you. Good day.”

  With that, Sebastian heard steps receding and a door click shut, cutting off all light except for the red glow of the sign above. Sighing, Sebastian pushed out onto the sunlit alley and headed back to his car.

  * * *

  “Hey, Terry! How’s it going, man?...Great, glad to hear it. Look, I’ve got a job for you. There’s this dude, Rex Morganson. I need a face to go with the name. You think you can find out who he is?...Good...Yeah, I think it’s a cover, but finding out is your job... Pardon?...Yeah, as soon as you can...I don’t care if you’re busy, bill me for a rush fee, whatever. Just get it done fast, okay?...Thanks.”

  Sebastian hung up and started his car, heading toward Agnes Scott. He had a bad feeling in his gut and hoped to goodness he was wrong. But in case he wasn’t, someone had to warn Lily, and that someone was him.

  Episode 2

  Möbius Strip

  1

  The Pitfalls of Well-Meant Interference

  “Stop wiggling!” Lily said, exasperated. “It won’t sit right if you keeping twisting around like that.”

  “But it feels strange,” Sir Kipling complained.

  “Of course it does, silly. You’ve never worn a collar before. Give it a few days and you won’t even notice. There, finally.” She finished fastening the ward collar around her cat’s neck and sat back on her heels to admire her handiwork. The collar was made of a slender strip of tooled leather decorated with rune-carved aluminum studs. The ID tag was a small aluminum plate attached flush to the collar instead of dangling from the front. Sir Kipling had insisted on this, pointing out that a dangling tag would make noise.

  “It still feels strange,” he said, sitting to scratch at the collar.

  “Don’t do that.” She reached out to reposition the collar so that it mostly disappeared underneath his long fur. “Does that feel better?”

  “Humph. Perhaps. I still don’t like it.”

  “Well, it’ll keep someone from taking you to the pound if you get picked up—”

  “—as if I’d let anyone lay their hands on me—” Sir Kipling muttered.

  “—and the wards will keep a wizard from scorching your nose off for being a nosy, annoying know-it-all,” she finished.

  Sir Kipling sniffed and started cleaning himself, obviously ignoring Lily now that she had stopped saying anything useful and was merely teasing him.

  “You’ll thank me later,” she promised with a smile as she got to her feet. “Now, be good. I have to get to work.”

  “Be good,” her cat grumbled. “I’ll be good when you stop accepting invitations from mysterious wizards of questionable intent.”

  “Will you quit bothering me about that?” Lily sighed, gathering up her purse and keys. “I’m going, and that’s final.” After accepting the invitation to meet John Faust LeFay and his friends, she’d gotten a second levitating letter saying he’d send his chauffeur to pick her up on Friday. She’d written back, insisting she drive herself to his estate and asking for his address. She had yet to receive a reply.

  “You should tell someone where you’re going. Someone like Madam Barrington.”

  “It’s none of her business. It’s not anyone’s business, actually. Including yours.”

  “It will be my business when they discover your cold, dead body and I have to find myself a new human,” Sir Kipling retorted, giving her a perturbed look.

  “Why are you being so difficult? You’ve never even met the man.”

  “Well, he’s rather murderous, according to your own description—”

  “—that was an accident—”

  “—and I’m a cat. I know these things.”

  “Well, you’re wrong. I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”

  Sir Kipling didn’t reply, just stared at her with that look cats give you when they think you’re being supremely idiotic. Lily pursed her lips and turned away, heading out the door to work.

  * * *

  It was almost three by the time she finished her last bit of paperwork. She was leaving early today to meet with Agent Grant over coffee—well, tea, in her case. Waiting until Wednesday had given her enough time to “recover” from Saturday’s ordeal at the museum, plus given her space to think about what to say. She’d considered calling it off—after all, she’d agreed on the spur of the moment, annoyed at seeing her “friend” Sebastian getting cozy with a girl he’d just met, even if she was a witch like him. But the more she’d considered Agent Grant, the more he’d intrigued her. So she’d decided to keep the appointment.

  Lily paused as she gathered up her purse, her mind drifting automatically back to Sebastian. She realized she’d started putting air quotes on “friend” in her own head when she thought about him. She shook herself. It was silly, really. His relationships were none of her business. It just irked her so...

  “Hey, Lil! I was hoping to catch you...oh, you’re leaving early today?” a voice said behind her. She spun, surprised, and glared at the “friend” himself as he lounged in the doorway, blocking her exit.

  “How many times do I have to tell you, this is a women’s college. You aren’t supposed to be here.” She said it more harshly than she’d meant, but perhaps that would get him to leave her alone.

  “Well, I wouldn’t have to break the rules if you’d answer your phone,” he replied, unperturbed.

  Lily avoided his gaze. She had been ignoring his calls. “I’m very busy and late for an appointment. Can’t this wait?”

  “If I didn’t think you were saying that as an excuse to avoid me, then yes, it could. But this is important. I’m sure you can spare five minutes.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but he kept talking.

  “I’ve been doing some digging into who was behind the museum theft. Something just felt fishy, and I thought it would be good to for us to track them down. Keep them from causing any more mischief.”

  “Is that so?” Lily said, arms crossed.

  “Yeah,” Sebastian paused and raised an eyebrow at her tone, but she motioned impatiently for him to keep going. “So Tina and I found—”

  “Ah-ha, so you’ve been hanging around that girl again? You know she basically confessed to being a criminal. She’s trouble, and you get into enough of that without her around to make it worse—”

  “Will you shut up a minute and listen?” Sebastian’s sharp voice cut through her indignant tirade, and she snapped her mouth shut, heat rising to her cheeks.

  “I don’t know what you have against Tina. Yeah, maybe she’s had it rough. But you’ve got to take what you can get on the streets. She’s been helping me dig up dirt on this guy we’re tracking. I think her heart’s in the right place.”

  “Are you sure it’s not something lower down you’re worried about?” Lily snapped, and immediately regretted it. What was she doing?

  Sebastian’s nostrils flared, but he smoothed his features and flashed her a casual grin. “I never worry. But I’m not stupid. So far, we’ve confirmed that, whoever this bozo is, he’s definitely a wizard, and pretty powerful, too. People seem to know who he is, but no one will tell me a thing about him. They’re all scared. I did find out, though, that the bid didn’t go out until after we got back from Pitts. That’s pretty short notice. I mean, contractors usually give a couple months’ notice, and this was barely a few weeks. It’s not like no one knew the tablet was there before. It’d been on display for almost two years. So what changed? I think it has something to do wi
th that Mr. Fancy Pants we ran into in Pitts. Maybe he didn’t get as stuck in Nowhereville as I’d hoped.”

  At the mention of “Mr. Fancy Pants,” Lily started. She tried to hide her surprise, but Sebastian was on it like a hawk on a rabbit.

  “What? Have you heard something?”

  “No, I haven’t. Thank you for all this fascinating information, but I really am late for an appointment.”

  “This is important, Lil. We’ve got to find out who this guy is. He’s going to cause more trouble, I can feel it.”

  “Sorry. I’m leaving Friday and will be gone for a week. But I’m sure Tina can help you. She seems to know everything there is to know about criminals, after all.”

  Sebastian’s gaze sharpened. “What are you doing for a week that’s more important than finding a dangerous wizard?”

  “The library is closed between semesters. I’m taking a vacation. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “You? Vacation? Yeah, right,” he scoffed. “You love this place and you’re a workaholic. I bet you haven’t taken a vacation since you started. Come on, what’s really going on?”

  Annoyed, Lily wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but Sir Kipling’s vociferous objections came back to her. His insistence that she tell someone where she was going resonated with her common sense, sending her wall of stubbornness tumbling down. Of course, Sebastian’s theory that John Faust was the mastermind behind the museum heist was pure speculation. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious. In a moment of weakness, she spoke.

  “I’m going to meet...someone. Someone who has information about my family.”

  Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. “Who? Are you sure it’s safe? I should probably go with you, just in case.”

  That raised Lily’s hackles. “It’s really none of your business. I can take care of myself just fine without you, thank you very much.”

  His brow creasing in concern, Sebastian pushed off the doorframe and came forward to put his hands on Lily’s shoulders.

  “Hey, Lil, come on. What’s gotten into you? If it were safe and normal you wouldn’t be trying so hard to hide it, so I know you’re up to...hey, is that perfume you’re wearing?” He paused suddenly, sniffing. “You never wear perfume. Are you going on another one of those blind dates?” He grinned, eyes twinkling at the anticipated opportunity for teasing.

  Lily raised her chin, goaded into replying. “Yes, as a matter of fact I am going on a date. It’s with that FBI agent you saw at the museum. The handsome one,” she added.

  Sebastian guffawed. “That government stooge? You know he just wants an excuse to nose into your life and get dirt on you for Pitts and the museum, right? They’re sneaky bastards, the FBI. I’d avoid him if I were you.” He said it casually, but Lily detected a frigidness behind his smile.

  “Well, you’re not me,” she said, and pointed at her office door. “Now, out. I’m already late and I need to lock up.”

  “But we’re not done—”

  “Yes, we are. Have fun playing investigator with your new best friend. I’m sure she’s oh, so trustworthy. She won’t get you into trouble at all. A pillar of the community, that one.”

  Sebastian’s expression grew closed. “Well, if that’s the way you feel, I hope you have a pleasant vacation.” with a snort, he stalked out of her office.

  That went well, Lily thought with a sigh. Locking her office door, she hurried to her car. Though tempted to worry about it, she forced it from her mind. He’d eventually get over Tina and all the rest. Then things would go back to normal. Him, getting into trouble. Her, getting him out. Right now she had to focus. She didn’t believe what Sebastian had said about Agent Grant, but that didn’t mean she was going to let her guard down.

  * * *

  Coffee Press Café was a very urban-looking little coffeehouse. It was situated on a tree-lined street in a reclaimed district where old buildings had been adopted, cleaned up, and repurposed for chic cafés, boutiques, and a stray antique store or two. Agent Grant was waiting for her, of course. She offered a breathless apology then ducked her head and accompanied him inside to select their drinks. It was challenging to not steal sideways peeks at him as they waited in line. Though not in uniform, he still looked just as handsome. He wore his dark jeans and brand-name t-shirt with the quiet confidence and muscled build of someone who knew how to take care of himself. She might have forgotten he was FBI if it weren’t for the watchful way he took in everything around them, and—she squinted—were those iron lines on his t-shirt? She smiled inwardly.

  Once she’d ordered the least awful–tasting tea and a biscotti, she settled down at a small table near the front window and waited for Agent Grant to retrieve their order. He joined her a few minutes later and flashed her a warm smile as he got situated. They sat in awkward silence while Lily stirred her tea, thinking desperately for something to say that wasn’t completely idiotic.

  Agent Grant saved her the trouble. “I see you’re not a coffee drinker,” he said, one side of his mouth quirking upward in an almost-smile.

  “No. I find it rather disgusting,” she replied, then blushed, hoping she hadn’t offended him. Silently berating herself, she bemoaned her traitorous brain that seemed to shut down anytime she was in the presence of a handsome man. Well, except Sebastian. His irreverent attitude and aptitude for getting into trouble had become familiar enough that she was immune to his charm.

  Taking a long sip of something that smelled bitter enough to be straight black coffee, Agent Grant’s eyes danced. “It is an acquired taste, I’ll give you that. I don’t go in for all the frou-frou drinks, the mochaccinos and frappes. I’d inject myself with coffee bean extract if I could and skip the whole drinking process.” His tone was lighthearted, obviously meant to help her relax, which it did.

  “Agent Grant, did you just say frou-frou?” Lily asked with a smile. “Surely such language violates some code of manliness you FBI agents are sworn to.” There, that was witty. She was getting better at this.

  He laughed. “Please, call me Richard, or just Rick, if you prefer.”

  “Richard...” she said the word slowly, testing it out. It was a good name. Solid. Respectable. Like the man who wore it.

  “Well, when you say it like that, it sounds like you’re checking it for misspellings,” he said, eyebrow raised and that twinkle back in his eyes.

  Lily blushed and raised her cup of tea, taking several sips to give her something to do as she stared out the window.

  “So...” Rick began again, obviously trying to restart the conversation he’d inadvertently derailed.

  “I suppose you want a statement about last Saturday?” Lily asked briskly, trying to focus on business. Anything to get her brain functioning again.

  He leaned back in his chair, examining her. “Not really, no. Unless you have anything to add to what you told the police.”

  “I—well—no, I don’t. I told them everything. But I thought that’s why we were here,” she said, confused.

  “Technically, yes. But mostly it was just an excuse to see you without my partner hanging around.” He smiled at her, this one warm and a not a bit embarrassed. “I’ll put in my report that you repeated what you told the police and that will be the end of that.”

  “Oh,” Lily said in a small voice. “But aren’t you supposed to be figuring out what happened?” She immediately regretted what she said, mentally kicking herself. Here was an FBI agent not prying, and she was poking the sleeping dragon with a stick.

  Rick raised an eyebrow, a bit of his previous watchfulness returning. “We know what happened, at least as much as we’ll ever know unless the police track down the vandals who did it and get signed confessions. Is there something we’re missing?”

  “No, no, nothing,” she assured him, trying not to look away, knowing that would seem suspicious. But looking at him was worse. His gaze seemed to go right through her, and that made her nervous. She was positive he wasn’t the least bit magical. He
was as normal as a mundane could get. But the way he examined her made her skin crawl as if he were using a scrying spell on her.

  He must have sensed her unease, because he leaned forward, expression softening. “Don’t worry, Miss Singer. I’m sure you never hurt anyone, or anything. Personally I don’t think you’re telling us everything. But everyone has secrets, and you’re entitled to yours, as long as they’re nothing illegal.” He winked and leaned back. “In the big picture, the FBI’s job is to prosecute federal offenses, and none were committed. End of story. I’m here because I’d like to know more about you, for my own sake.” His smile was now uncertain, giving just the right impression of interest mixed with hesitancy.

  Lily looked away, envious at how easily he seemed to control his emotions, but also a little wary of it. She didn’t know much about the FBI, but “end of story” didn’t seem to be in character for a government organization. Was there something else going on? Or was she just terrible at reading body language and social cues, as usual?

  Finally, she looked back and tried a small smile. “There’s not much to know. I organize books, drink tea, and read about history. It’s all rather boring.”

  “I like boring,” Rick said, grinning widely. “It beats getting shot at. What kind of history do you study?”

  Perking up at the question, Lily told him about her bachelor’s thesis on ancient Mesopotamia and her study of the classics. Soon, they were having a lively debate about the virtues of Greek versus Roman philosophy and she’d forgotten all about being shy or awkward. Rick, though no expert on ancient civilizations, was well read and had a sharp mind for debate. They talked as her substandard tea, forgotten, grew cold, and she completely lost track of time. Finally, a ringing sound interrupted them and Rick apologized, stepping away to answer his phone. He came back, explaining that duty called and they would have to finish their debate another time. They exchanged phone numbers and Lily wrapped up her forgotten biscotti in a napkin to take home and enjoy later. Though it made her blush, he insisted on walking her to her car. When she pulled away, it was with the picture of his tall, solid form waving in her rearview mirror.