“The Miser sticks his nose into everything,” June said. Again, I picked up on some bitterness in her tone. “He looks out for his brother. They're very close. Maybe The Miser had better luck following her than I did. Maybe he even figured out who her lover is.”
“I think I need to talk to The Miser about this,” I said.
“And you’d better talk to Polly, too,” June said. “But please don't tell her that any of the information came from me. I don't want her to be upset with me. I could lose my job.”
Or your life, I thought. If Polly really was the killer, it could be a grave mistake to get on her bad side.
“Of course,” I told her. “I wouldn’t want that.”
We walked the rest of the way in silence, and soon we were back at the center. The two pups gave each other licks goodbye in the lobby, and then June led Snowflake up the stairs.
“Time to go find your mamma and pappa!” June told the Pomeranian pup as she leapt up the stairs.
“And it’s time for us to talk to The Miser,” I told my own little furry companion. “But first, I need some breakfast.”
Chapter Nine
I brewed up a cup of strong chai tea and carried it, along with a slice of still-warm pumpkin spice bread smeared in butter, out onto the deck. I sipped tea and ate the bread while the sun finally came up over the rocky mountain tops. The first tentative rays warmed my cheeks, nose, and toes.
Blueberry curled up at my feet. It seemed she was tired after the long walk on the bike path.
Just as I polished off the last bites of pumpkin bread, Skili landed on the bench beside me.
“You wore her out,” she said, pointing with a wing to the snoozing ball of fur at my feet.
“I took her for a walk on the bike path and we met up with June and Snowflake. The two dogs played by the creek; it must have tired her out.”
“I wonder...” Skili said.
“About what?” I sipped down the last of my tea.
“I wonder if the two of them communicated,” Skili said.
“That’s right! Animals can talk telepathically to each other,” I said.
Skili nodded. “They can tune into the same thought-channel,” she said.
“I bet they did share some words,” I said. “I think Blueberry is really chatty.”
“You got that right,” Skili said in a clipped, disapproving tone. “When does Cora return?”
I laughed. “You want your peace and quiet back, don’t you?”
Skili nodded. “It will be nice,” she said.
I stood. “Cora will be back tomorrow afternoon. Just one more day, and then we’ll be back to our quiet ways. Hey, could you watch Blue this morning, while I work on getting a moment alone with The Miser? He and King Midas are giving a lecture, so I know where to find them. Blueberry looks so comfortable out here in the sun.”
“Fine,” Skili said. She adjusted her wings and gave me a piercing look. I could tell she wasn’t happy with her charge.
“I know she’s chatty,” I said. “But she has a great heart and such a cheerful attitude. Hopefully it won’t be that bad.” I stood up and picked up my empty mug and plate. “Hey, you know what?” I transmitted. “What you just said about Blueberry talking with Snowflake... that gives me an idea!”
“What?” Skili asked.
“Maybe Blueberry talked to Snowflake about the case! I’m trying to get an alibi for everyone for Monday evening. I wonder if Snowflake was with June, or King Midas, or Polly! Maybe Snowflake's account of the evening could give us some helpful information. Would you ask Blueberry what the two of them talked about?”
“Yes,” Skili said. “Wise idea, child.” She hopped over to where the end of the leash was lying on the bench and gripped it in her talons. “I will ask her when she wakes.”
She blinked her wide eyes a few times, and then settled in with them closed.
I had a feeling that she was going to take advantage of the quiet sunshine with a nap of her own.
I hurried across the deck. I was energized, thanks to the tea, and ready to work.
I took the steps up to the second story two at a time. It didn’t take me long to figure out which conference room the lecture was taking place in. King Midas' jolly voice echoed down the hallway.
“And that’s how you want to think about money, my friends. Let’s stop here for a minute. I’m sure you have questions.”
I hurried to the doorway, which was ajar. I slipped inside, and saw a horseshoe shaped formation of chairs that faced the front of the room; an attentive guest filled each chair. King Midas stood before the guests in a flashy satin shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a jewel studded belt, and black slacks. He smiled as he pointed to a man in the chairs who had his hand up.
Next to King Midas, The Miser stood. He was dressed in a faded gray work shirt, gray slacks, and his brown jacket with patches at the elbows. Seeing as his hat was probably still at the crime scene in town, his head was bare.
The man who King Midas had called on spoke up. “I understand what you’re saying intellectually,” he said. “I get the concept of abundance, and I want to have that kind of attitude about money. It’s just, it never seems like there’s enough. Should I just ignore that, and spend it as if I have it? Do you think that will work?”
The Miser stepped forward. He looked at King Midas briefly and then said, “I’ll take this one, brother.” Then he eyed the man. “That’s a great question. We get that at a lot of our workshops, actually. The answer is, no. You see, King Midas and I work as a team. He has the abundance mindset, and then I come in and work on a practical level. He creates money, and I manage it.”
“How do you work together exactly?” a merwoman called out. She had a notebook on her lap, and held a pen poised over it.
“Ah—it can be very tricky,” The Miser said. “Because on the surface, we have very different goals. King Midas wants to make more gold. He wants more income. And I am the one who has to constantly restrain the flow of money outward.”
“You mean spending,” the first man said.
The Miser nodded. “Spending. Yes. I keep a tight watch on spending. But I make sure that King Midas feels appreciated for what he earns. I don’t want him to feel discouraged. I don’t want to be bossy. That will only dampen his enthusiasm for creating and earning more money. So I am very careful not to dull his spirit.”
The merwoman spoke as she scribbled down her notes. “Encouraging, not bossy,” she said, as if to confirm what she’d just written.
“Precisely,” said The Miser.
The merwoman raised her pen to indicate that she had another question. “Do the two of you ever fight?” she asked.
I perked my ears up. I was curious about the answer as well. I stepped farther into the room, and leaned against the back wall.
King Midas and The Miser were so wrapped up in their lecture duties that they didn’t notice me. I did not see their eyes travel to the back of the room, even once.
King Midas spoke. “We disagree constantly,” he said. “But when that happens, we have a healthy debate. Usually, our arguments are resolved quite quickly.”
“It’s healthy to have that kind of back and forth debate,” The Miser said. “That’s exactly what we’re encouraging you all to learn to do. We want you to get in touch with your inner King Midas—the part of you that can create abundance out of nothing. The part of you that touches objects and turns them to gold—figuratively, of course. We wouldn’t wish my brother’s condition on anyone.”
“It’s very challenging to manage,” King Midas said. “I’ve already spoken to that point. But it has taught me so much about abundance, and how to really believe in abundance. And that’s what I hope to share with you.”
The Miser nodded. “We want you to get in touch with your very own King Midas energy inside. And at the same time, we want you to know that there’s a counterpart to that energy, and you really do need both. Find The Miser inside of you—the
one that wants to hoard and save and be cheap. That part of you is important, too. Don't ignore either one. Don’t let them get out of balance.”
King Midas jumped in. “Listen to both of these parts of yourselves, my friends, and great things will happen. Let these two internal energies engage in healthy debates. Let them have dialogue, as two brothers would. You’ll find that your financial situation, whatever it may be, will become aligned. Balanced. Healthy. Vibrant. Magical.”
King Midas let this sink in for a moment, and then he waved his chubby, blue-gloved hands excitedly. “Great! Now, who is ready for an activity? Partner up! We’re going to do a role-playing exercise. One of you is going to play the role of King Midas. Really step into that abundance mindset. The other is going to play the role of The Miser. Think like The Miser would. Pinch every penny as though it’s your last.”
“Pinch those pennies!” The Miser said gruffly with a shake of his finger. His bushy gray brows were furrowed as he scowled at the crowd.
King Midas smiled. “We have written down a few scenarios for you to act out,” he said, as he gestured to his brother.
The Miser pulled a stack of note cards from his jacket pocket.
King Midas went on. “I want you to really get into this, my friends! You’re not here just to sit on your butts and listen to my brother and me talk to you. You’re here to get involved! So get into it! Choose your partners!”
Participants stood, and The Miser started handing out note cards.
I figured I’d wait until The Miser had handed out a few cards, and then I’d ask for a moment alone with him, maybe out in the hallway so that we’d be out of earshot of King Midas.
A voice pulled my focus away from The Miser.
“Partners?”
I looked to my side and saw Hal—or whatever his name really was.
Unicorn poop. He was looking good—really good. His eyes looked directly into mine, his relaxed jeans hung from his hips, his broad shoulders made my heart flutter. I felt my energy level pick up. Just standing next to this guy was doing things to my body.
I shook my head and held up my hand, “Oh, I’m not taking part,” I told him. “I’m just here to talk to The Miser.”
“But you heard the instructions,” Hal said. “King Midas wants everyone to participate. Are you telling me that you’re going to disobey a king?”
“I—” I started to protest again, but he flashed a shy smile and I stopped short. He had a really nice smile.
“Come on,” he said. “It’ll be fun.”
I raised a brow. “You think so, hm?”
“Yeah. You can take whichever role you want. I’ll let you choose first. Besides, there’s an uneven number of guests in attendance. If you don’t participate, I’ll have to sit this one out. You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”
I giggled. He was flirting with me, and I couldn’t help but flirt back just a little bit.
Just then King Midas and The Miser walked up to us.
King Midas smiled broadly. “Wonderful! Just look at this team,” he said. “Two good-looking young folks, getting together to sort out their money mindsets. That’s what I like to see! Here’s your card.” He gestured to his brother, who handed me a little white note card with words written on it.
King Midas gave me a wink. “Have fun with it, you two!”
I was blushing as the two brothers departed.
It seemed I was stuck with Hal. At least, if I couldn't talk to The Miser, I had a chance to speak with Hal. He might be involved with all of this, too, I thought to myself as I eyed him over the index card now in my hands.
I started reading from the card aloud. “Scenario 4: you are faced with a decision about buying a new bicycle for your daughter for her 6th birthday. It costs several hundred dollars.” I lowered the card. “Are we really going to do this?”
“Oh yeah,” Hal said. “Which role do you want to play?”
“I guess I’ll try out King Midas,” I said.
He grinned. “Okay, cool,” he said. “I’ll be The Miser.”
“And we’re thinking about buying a bike?” I asked.
“I guess so...” Hal said. “For a six-year-old girl. I don’t have kids, so I’m just going to have to imagine what that’s like.”
“I don’t have kids, either,” I said.
“No?” He looked at me, with a little glimmer of hope in his eye. “Are you married?” he asked.
I shook my head. I felt my blush growing deeper. “How about you?”
“Nope.”
“And your name is Hal Holt,” I said. “H-O-L-T, right?”
He nodded, and cleared his throat. “Shall we do this thing? Okay, here we go. A few hundred dollars sounds like a lot of money to spend on a bike that she’s just going to grow out of in a year or two.”
I felt uncomfortable, but I couldn't really see a way around doing the exercise. “It’s not that much,” I said. “And... um... besides, it’s going to be money well spent. She deserves a bike.”
“But a new bike?” Hal said. “Does it have to be new? Let’s just go look at tag sales this weekend, and see if we can find a used one. I’ll clean it up and she’ll love it.”
“Don’t be silly,” I said. “We can afford this.”
“No, we should save the money.”
The Miser walked by us and added his two cents. “Pinch those pennies son!” he said. He gave Hal an encouraging slap on the back.
I watched Hal eye The Miser after he’d left us.
“Do you know him?” I asked.
It took Hal a moment to register my question. He seemed deep in thought. After a few seconds, though, he shook his head. “Hm? Do I know him? Oh, no—I don’t. I’m here because I want to fix my... my money mindset.” He continued to watch The Miser.
I felt my heart begin to pound in my chest. I knew I had to call Hal out on his behavior, and it made me nervous. But it had to be done. “Then why were you in his room last night?” I asked.
He whipped his head around and focused on me. “What?” he said.
I kept my voice quiet as I said, “I saw you snooping around in his suite. I want to know what you were doing.”
“Excuse me?” he said. “You saw me? But I checked and the hallway was empty!”
I raised my brow. He’d just admitted to his activities.
He pinched his lips closed. He knew he’d made a mistake.
“Yeah,” I said. “The hallway was empty, but I was using magic to watch you.” Oops. That came out sounding kind of creepy, I thought. I felt myself blush.
“You were spying on me?” he said. “Why?”
I didn’t answer him right away. I had to sort past the confusing memory of wanting to see an image of Hal, last night. Finally I got to the real reason I was checking up on him.
“I had to see what you were up to,” I said, “Because I’m the owner of this center and it’s my responsibility to keep people safe.”
“And you think I might be dangerous...” Hal guessed.
I nodded. “Maybe. I don’t know. I suspect you’re using a fake name. That’s a red flag, Hal.”
Again he looked shocked.
“I tried to look you up on the InterRealm Net,” I told him. “And there was no entry for Hal Holt on the Record Keeper Reviews.”
“Why did you try to look me up?” he asked. “I doubt you looked up every guest here. So why me?”
Now I was really in hot water. I remembered gushing to my girlfriends about his hunky piano playing. I certainly couldn't tell him that.
“Listen,” I said. “I’m just trying to keep everyone here safe, and you’re suspicious to me. I need to do my due diligence. So... you want to explain to me what your deal is?”
King Midas approached us, and I saw Hal’s focus flick over to him.
Hal stayed quiet as King Midas walked behind us, calling out encouragement as he went. “That’s it!” King Midas said. “I want to hear a robust, healthy dialogue between both part
ies! Really hash it out—get to the bottom of things and then make a decision. To spend or not to spend... that is the question!”
Once he’d walked past us, Hal leaned in and said in a whisper. “I’ll tell you my deal—but not here, Marley. Not right now. Meet me in the lobby tonight at ten. The guests should be in bed by then, and we can talk in private.”
He looked around the room again, and I saw his gaze land on The Miser, who was hovering over a fairy and her partner, who looked like he might be a vampire.
Hal was obviously concerned about talking about his identity, especially, it seemed to me, in front of King Midas and The Miser. But why? Who was Hal, really?
I was eager to find out.
Chapter Ten
I excused myself from the role-playing work with Hal. Until I had a better grasp on his motivations, I didn’t want to be around him. I couldn’t trust myself not to keep working up the slowly developing crush I was sensing, and for all I knew he was a hired assassin, like Penny had said.
Penny’s not known for her logical sense. But once in a rare while she hits the nail on the head. Maybe this was one of those times. I really wasn’t sure.
I lingered out in the hallway until the workshop wrapped up. Once guests started pouring out through the doors, I went in.
I feigned business by straightening chairs. King Midas left, voicing his enthusiasm for lunch hour as he walked out. Before The Miser could follow, I held him back. “Could I have a word with you?” I asked politely.
He nodded in my direction. “Yes, yes, fine,” he said. “But make it quick, please. The free food down in the lobby gets picked over very quickly between sessions. I don’t want to miss out on the brie. Yesterday, that was the first cheese on the platter to go. Do you know how much brie cheese costs?” He rolled his eyes. “It’s ridiculous. I always get the store-brand cheeses. Did you know that usually they’re brand-name cheese, just packaged at the factory in store-brand wrap? And you can save some money that way.”
“Great tip,” I said mildly.
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