We parted. “Oh!” he said, as he reached into his jacket pocket. “This is for you. Twelve thousand dollars worth of gold.”
I was tempted to stuff the sack of gold into my vest pocket without thinking too much about it. In the past, I might have just stuck it into a corner of my van and not thought about it for weeks, until the urge struck me to donate it. But now that I was in touch with my inner miser, I had a new attitude. I placed the gold appreciatively in my vest pocket, and buttoned the pocket closed to keep it safe and sound. I had a debt to pay, after all.
“This is totally enough to pay my late taxes,” I said as I beamed at The Miser. “Thank you so much! I’m going to take this to the bank and cash it in right away. I’d better not put it off.”
Skili’s golden eyes flashed with approval. “Very responsible of you, child,” she said with a subtle nod.
“Well, I’m going to get to packing,” King Midas said. “There’s so much to do at home. Polly and I have some news to share with Mother.” He put his arm around his wife. “Don’t we, darling?”
Polly beamed. “We’re going to tell her the truth,” she said happily. “Finally, after all these years. It’s going to feel so good.”
King Midas gave her a gentle squeeze. “We think that with a little bit of open dialogue, we can show her that shifters are wonderful beings, and that she’ll lay aside her rotten opinions. It’s time to put those to rest and move on.”
“Indeed,” Polly said, before giving her husband a kiss on the cheek.
The Miser spoke up. “I’m going to consult our books and figure out what we can cut out of our production model in order to come up with the funds to pay the employees more.”
“Now you’re going to do that?” June burst out with frustration. “After all these years of paying me nothing but old peanuts, you’re finally going to give out raises on the day that you fire me?”
He looked down at her. “You’re more than fired, June. You’re going to jail. I hate to break it to you, but trying to kill one of your employers is not a good way to get a raise.”
She struggled against her bonds.
Sam eyed the rope. “We’d better get her up to the portal gate before she manages to free herself. I’ll call a few of my colleagues and have them meet us there.”
He looked at me. “If that’s okay with you?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’ll let them through the gate. But there is one thing we need from June, first.” My mind was on the escaped convict.
It didn’t take us long to convince June to let us film a thorough confession for shooting Old Two-Cats. She was filled with rage, but that anger was only directed to those who affected her, not the man that the Hillcrest PD was holding in jail. She didn't want him to pay for the crime she committed. Once we had her confession on video, Sam and I carted her up to the portal gate and Sam’s colleagues took her away in cuffs.
Next, Sam and I brought her confession to the police station. Chris was confused as he watched the video, which didn’t surprise me.
After it played, he looked up from his computer screen. “Who is this woman again? And where is she now? I need to gather my troops and go make an arrest.”
“No, you don’t,” I told him.
“It’s already taken care of,” Sam informed him.
Chris tented his brows. “And who are you again?”
“I’m an agent from the Spirit Realm,” Sam said.
“And a friend of mine,” I added. “Chris, we can trust Sam. If he says it’s taken care of, then it is.”
“The Spirit Realm...” Chris muttered. “Is that some town in Europe? You’re saying that this is an international case, and the killer will serve justice in her home country?”
“Something like that,” I said with a smile.
He pressed his lips together, thinking this through. Then he stood and shook Sam’s hand. “Well, from our department to yours,” he said to Sam. “Thank you for your assistance. Glad to get this case wrapped up. I’ll keep this video on file, and we’ll close the case.”
“Whew!” I said as Sam and I descended the stone steps in front of the police department. “I’m so glad he accepted that confession. I’m so relieved that the escaped convict isn’t going to be nailed for June’s crime. That wouldn’t be fair. Thanks for your help in there.”
I stole a look at Sam as we started walking down the sidewalk.
The wind ruffled his curly hair. Warm sunbeams lit up his cheeks. He looked back at me with his gentle eyes. “My pleasure,” he said. “I’ve had limited exposure to Earth Realm beings, but it seems to me that they’ll do just about anything to protect their beliefs about how the world works. That guy in there didn’t want to hear about other realms; he just wanted to make sure his world-view wasn’t shattered.”
“That’s Chris for you,” I said. “My friend Penny actually used to date him. She tried to tell him about magic a few times, and he just wouldn’t hear it.”
As we walked side by side, our footsteps naturally fell into sync.
“So they broke up?” Sam asked.
I nodded. The sun felt so nice on my cheeks. “Yeah, Penny met a really great vampire guy who is perfect for her. He treats her like a queen. They got married a few months ago and they’re really happy. And Chris found a great girl in town, too. Her name’s Glenna. They’ve been dating for a while.”
We reached the end of the side street. Though a right turn would bring us back to the center, I pointed to the left. “Want to walk to the bank with me?” I asked. “I have to trade this gold in for cash so I can make a payment.”
“Sure,” he said. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. I sensed something was on his mind, so I stopped chatting for a minute. Cars swished by on the road beside us. And a few locals passed us by, each giving a friendly smile and wave, plus of course the curious glances toward Sam. He was a handsome guy, and I knew they wanted to know more about him.
The truth was, so did I.
After a few moments, Sam spoke. “So... um... how about you, then, Marley? I think you mentioned your ex once, but I never got the full story. Are you seeing anyone?” He walked as he talked, and I could feel his sideways glances as they brushed over me, searching for clues.
“Yeah, I... I was seeing someone,” I said softly. “My boyfriend and I recently broke up.”
I thought of Justin, on tour. I really missed him.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sam said, though I could tell he wasn’t at all.
“Thanks,” I said. “It was pretty serious. Actually, the owner of the Lazy S Inn, Sarin, arranged the tour that got him out of town. She wanted him to leave so that I would be more likely to give up my life here on the Earth Realm, and move to her inn—permanently. That’s actually why I thought you were here, Sam. I thought you were part of her master plan of manipulation, too. I thought she’d sent you to tempt me to move to the Spirit Realm.”
“I’m tempting?” Sam asked.
“Yeah...” I said softly.
He stopped walking, and looked at me quizzically. “Why?”
I felt myself blush. “I think you know,” I said. I looked down at the ground. “I think... I think you feel it too. Don’t you?”
My heart beat faster.
I looked up at him. He was looking down at me, ever so thoughtfully. What was on his mind?
Finally, he nodded. “I do,” he said. “And I have to tell you, Marley, I haven’t felt this way about a woman in a long, long time. Maybe ever. I—I want to see you again. Would that be okay?”
A sensation of happiness swept through me. I couldn't control it. I wanted to see Sam again, too.
Of course, I still had feelings for Justin. I thought about him all the time, danced when his band’s songs came on the radio, and dreamed about the day he’d return from his tour.
But I couldn’t deny the way I felt about Sam, too.
I allowed myself to nod. “I’d really like that,” I said.
; “Great.” He grinned with relief. “I’m going to have to leave, to go home to the Spirit Realm soon. But once I wrap up the paperwork on the peanut factory investigation, I’ll take a few days off. Maybe I could come back here to the Earth Realm next Friday, or something like that, and we could spend some time together. I’d love to learn more about this place... and you.”
The kind warmth of his tone filled me with longing.
“That sounds fun,” I said. “Next Friday would work for me. I could take you on a hike, and show you some of my favorite places out in the woods. Before this crazy workshop started, I found an old swing way up on Hillcrest Peak. I’ve been dying to hike back up to it and give it a try.”
“I’ll go with you,” Sam said with a grin. “It’s a date, then.”
“It’s a date,” I repeated dreamily.
We started walking again, and soon reached the bank. It didn’t take long for me to receive cash for the gold. Hillcrest has a long history of gold mining, and trading gold for cash was one of the very first roles that the bank played in the community. The bank tellers all looked thoroughly intrigued by my request, and I saw many whispers being passed along as they watched the bank manager weigh out the gold that I’d handed over. He then put it into a machine to test its purity, and went about depositing money into my account.
Once it was into my account, I felt better. I knew that Cora would be home that very afternoon to get Blueberry, and she would help me pay my taxes.
“Let’s head back to the center,” I said to Sam as soon as we were back out in the fresh air. “My friend Cora should be home soon to pick up little Blueberry Muffin. I can’t wait to tell her all about how Blueberry provided us with the final piece of the puzzle.’”
“Sounds good to me,” Sam said happily. As we walked, he reached for my hand.
Our hands fit perfectly together. His palm felt warm and comforting, his fingers slid perfectly between mine. His fingertips brushed the back of my hand.
“I’m glad you don’t have the same powers that King Midas does,” I said, as I squeezed his hand. “Or else holding hands like this would turn me to gold. I don’t want to be used as a doorstop.”
He laughed.
“No,” he said with a chuckle. “We wouldn’t want that, would we?” He turned and gave me the friendliest grin.
I smiled right back at him.
And in that moment, I knew for sure that I had many different energies inside of me. I’d learned to get in touch with the miserly energy inside of me, and suddenly, I was very much feeling King Midas' nature. It was like everything I touched was as valuable as gold—or even more precious. The blue sky above, the sunshine that streamed down from the heavens, the melodic birdsong that floated through the air. Sam’s hand in mine. My friends and employees up at the center, waiting for my return. And even my money in the bank.
I felt filled to the brim with abundance.
Epilogue
I carried two mugs of beer over to the table where Penny was sitting. As I placed them on the table, sloshing a little bit of the amber liquid onto the polished wood, I heard a familiar voice.
“Penny! Marley! Girls, it’s great to see you!” Joy Dupont placed a hand on my shoulder as she joined us. In her other hand, she gripped her own pint of beer. “Are you girls here for the re-reenactment?”
I nodded and smiled. “Yeah!” I said. “And here’s to hoping that this one goes better than the last.”
“Cheers to that!” Joy said, lifting her mug.
“No murders tonight!” Penny said. The three of us clinked glasses and then took swigs of our drinks. Then I looked at Joy, “You’re not going to play the role of the Masked Bandit this time?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “Goodness gracious, no, no. Never again. I’ve given up that gig for good.”
She sipped her drink, swallowed, and then added, “I still don’t really know what happened that evening. The police told me that the shooter was some international guest who was staying up at your center, Marley.”
Penny and I exchanged glances. Whenever the murder came up in town, we stuck to the same story. The murderer was from a very small, off-the-grid island off the coast of Italy. Chris bought the story, and so did the chief of police and the Melrose police department, so we figured it was good enough for the public, too.
“Yep. Very strange,” Penny said. “Those tourist types can really cause some trouble.”
“What kind of center are you running up there anyway, Marley?” Joy asked.
For a brief instant, I started to feel defensive. Then she broke out into a wide smile and clapped me on the shoulder again. “I’m only joking, hon. I know that every barrel has a few bad apples. You just never know who’s going to show up, when you invite the public to stay. It's not your fault you had a guest with a few loose screws.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Are you doing okay, since all of that happened?” I remembered how traumatized she’d been, and I hoped it wasn’t affecting her negatively.
“Oh yes, fine,” she said. “In fact, the most wonderful thing happened. I guess it could be called a silver lining to the gray cloud that was Two-Cats' death—that poor old man.”
I sipped my beer and enjoyed the taste of hops on my tongue as I waited patiently to hear Joy’s good news.
Penny wasn’t quite as patient. “What wonderful thing?” she asked. “Tell us! Tell us!”
Joy laughed. “As you girls know, Two-Cats owned two cats. When he died, they wound up at the shelter, and I happened to be there to visit a friend who volunteers. Well, I got to cuddling with those cats, and I had a realization.”
“You're a cat person?” I guessed.
I eyed Penny, who was grinning like a fool. “Join the club!” she said as she looped her arm around Joy’s shoulders.
Joy laughed. “I just love them! Such characters. I’ve always been nuts about my dogs, and now I realize that all these years I’ve been missing out on so much fun. Cats! I adopted both of them. And since they worked so hard while Two-Cats was alive, I told them that they don’t have to do a lick of work now. They’re both retired. I got them two matching cat beds and put them by the windowsill, and those two just lounge around all day soaking up the sun. And at night, we all snuggle up on the couch. I love it!”
“That is such good news,” I said. I was thrilled to hear that Two-Cats' little workers had found a home for their sunny, lazy, love-filled and much-deserved retirement years.
We chatted about our animals for a while. In the middle of my story about how happy Blueberry was to see Cora, the door to the bar swung open. Midnight, the black stallion, pranced into the bar with a costume-clad rider on his back. The horse filled the empty space between the tables and bar with her shiny black girth. The new Masked Bandit held up a squirt gun and aimed it at the bartender.
I was very relieved to see that the drama department had rethought their use of props for this reenactment. They’d also done an excellent job of recreating the Masked Bandit’s costume. June had confessed to burning the original, but the recreation was almost identical.
“Put ‘em up, pardner!” the actor playing the Masked Bandit called out. “I’m here for your gold!”
The actor playing Jake the Snake didn’t put up his hands. Instead he kept a cool demeanor as he said, “You think you’re gonna take our gold, then you don’t know the miners of Hillcrest. Get out of this town, Masked Bandit, before I count down from ten.” The actor playing the part this year really was doing a great job with his role.
I watched with anticipation as the Masked Bandit aimed the pink squirt gun right at Jake the Snake.
I’d seen this skit over a dozen times. I’d grown up seeing it. But still, I got a thrill, thinking about how it must have been for the Hillcrest locals all those years ago.
The whole bar was hushed, waiting happily for the great finale of the skit.
After a dramatic pause, Jake the Snake finally started in on his countdown. “Ten... nine.
.. eight...”
Everyone in the bar joined in, including me and Penny. By the time we got to “one,” we were all shouting at the top of our lungs.
Jake the Snake reached into his pocket and pulled out a fake rubber snake. He tossed it at the Masked Bandit. The rubber snake flew through the air as everyone cheered.
“Ah!” The Masked Bandit batted the snake away. “A rattlesnake!” he shouted. “I’m out of here!” He turned Midnight skillfully around and steered her out of the bar. Applause and happy hoots and hollers raised up around the bar.
“Three cheers for Hillcrest!” Jake the Snake shouted.
I lifted my mug to join in. Penny and Joy raised up theirs too. “Hip, hip, hooray!” we all cheered together.
We drained our glasses. “Who wants another?” Penny asked.
“I do,” I said. I stood up, “I’ll get us a round. And I’m buying.”
I tuned in to see how my inner Miser felt about that. We’d been having lots of healthy dialogues over the past few days since the workshop ended.
Is this okay with you? I asked inwardly. I’ll just buy one round. I know we have a budget to stick to.
She approved, and I walked up to the bar.
And as I ordered, my necklace started to glow.
It didn’t surprise me. It happened often, since the workshop had ended. Every time I acknowledged parts of myself that before I’d been unwilling to see, my necklace warmed and glowed with pale, golden light.
It was showing me that I was on the right track. My center was designed to heal those who entered into it, and this week taught me that I wasn’t exempt from that healing. Slowly, but surely, I was healing the conflicted parts of myself.
Dear reader,
Thanks for taking a trip to Marley’s magical retreat center with me!
I hope you enjoyed your stay:)
Be sure to grab the next book in the series,
The Hermit’s Hideout: A Marley the Witch Mystery Book #4.
Marley invites a reclusive hermit to speak at her center,
King Midas' Magic Page 17
