Spooky Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Book 4)
Page 9
Chapter 24
Thea stood by the door to “A Stitch in Time,” her keys already in the lock.
“And we are officially...” she paused and closely watched the clock for dramatic effect, “closed. Great work, as usual, today, Jesse.”
“Thanks,” Jesse replied as he carefully organized the yarn, tossing skeins in their appropriate bins. “I think I’m just about done over here. Anything else you need before I close out the register?”
“Nothing I can think of.”
“So,” Jesse asked as he left the yarn, “learned anything fun or new lately?”
“Yes, actually,” Thea said and nodded her head. “Tiegen’s been teaching me a binding spell.”
“Ooh, sounds fancy. Can you show me?” He asked eagerly.
“Really?”
“Yeah, let’s see it.”
Thea couldn’t resist Jesse’s enthusiasm.
“Alright, stand right here.” Thea motioned for Jesse to come closer to her. “And now I’ll stand over here, and...” Thea hesitantly waved her hand just as she’d practiced.
“Woah, cool.” Jesse exclaimed. “I can barely move.”
“But you still can?” Thea was frustrated that the spell hadn’t worked completely.
“Well,” Jesse’s right arm slowly rose from his side. “It feels like I’m deep underwater, but it’s not completely impossible.”
“Ugh, it’s supposed to be. I can’t seem to get it right.” Thea waved her hand again and Jesse was free from the magical bonds. He moved over to the register so he could count it down for the night while he kept talking to Thea.
“Is it something I did?”
“Not at all,” Thea responded with a smile. “It’s just that I don’t want to hurt anyone. The spell is supposed to work on the outside of the body only, leaving breathing and other bodily functions in working order.”
“But you aren’t confident enough to do that?” Jesse implored. Thea gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.
“Something like that. Look, I’ve got some other work to do tonight. Do you think you’ve got things from here?”
“Of course, boss.”
Thea gathered her things and made her way outside. She inhaled the crisp October air and closed her eyes. This truly was the best time of the year. It was too bad she was so focused on her training and sleuthing to truly enjoy it.
Thinking a drive around town might clear her head, Thea got into her car and began making her way to nowhere in particular.
She enjoyed watching Ardensville transform from a quaint summery town into a southern approximation of a spooky New England villa. Cartoonish witches and silly skeletons intermingled with the changing foliage and cooler weather.
Thea’s October cheer was interrupted, however, when a fancy car rolled through the stop sign up ahead. Thea looked closer and saw that the driver was none other than Nichole.
Without giving it much thought, Thea started following. She made sure to keep at least two cars between hers and Nichole’s while still carefully watching where the college student went. Eventually, Nichole parked.
Thea wanted to stay incognito, so she drove around the block before parking a few cars away from Nichole’s. Fortunately, she hadn’t gone too far from her car yet and Thea could watch where she went.
Nichole crossed the street and went inside what looked almost like an empty storefront, were it not for the huge crowd gathered inside and the banner hanging inside the window. It read “Ardensville Community Church.”
Thea waited another minute before going inside herself. She wanted to remain positive that Nichole wouldn’t see her. When Thea got inside, she was rather surprised at what she saw.
On the other side of a large room normally reserved for church services were two banquet-style folding tables laden with steaming chafing dishes. Thea spotted Nichole standing behind one of the tables, her hair gathered behind her head in a hairnet.
“Wow, I guess people still can surprise me,” Thea mumbled to herself. She looked around and saw a man holding a clipboard and chatting with a mother and her young son. Thea approached the man but kept her distance until he was clearly done talking with the two.
“Hi, excuse me?” Thea waved the man down as he started to walk away.
“Hi there,” the man turned around and smiled at Thea. “How can I help you? Do you want to volunteer?”
Thea blushed before responding. “Well, no, that’s not why I’m here.” The volunteer’s smile faded slightly, but he made sure to remain cheery. “I actually was hoping I could ask you some questions about one of your volunteers?”
The man’s smile completely disappeared as he said, “I’m sorry, but I really can’t discuss stuff like that with just anyone.”
“Oh, no, I’m not just anyone,” Thea explained. “I’m investigating a local crime. With the police, of course.” This was, of course, a bit of a fib, but Thea didn’t feel too bad about lying. Hopefully, he wouldn’t ask to see any sort of identification.
“Well,” the volunteer hesitated, “maybe I can help you. What’s your question?”
“One of the women serving food, Nichole, how long has she been volunteering here?”
“Not long,” the man replied, “she’s doing a bit of community service.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, she was caught speeding and I guess her parents didn’t want to pay it off this time. To be honest, when she first got here I didn’t expect much, but she’s really shown her true colors. Nichole does great work, and she’s always incredibly kind to the people she serves.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Thea. “Do you happen to know what her volunteering schedule is?”
“Not offhand,” the man replied, “but I’ve got it right here.” He held up his clipboard and flipped through a few pages before he found the schedule. “Let’s see... looks like she’s here every Tuesday and Thursday night. And she’s got perfect attendance so far.”
So Nichole wasn’t the killer. Thea was frustrated that yet another lead had fallen through, but she couldn’t help being a little happy that Nichole had a softer interior than she let on. Thea thanked the volunteer for his help and walked back outside.
She pulled out her phone and called up Blaine.
“Hey there,” she said, “I just found out some news.”
“What’s up?” Blaine jumped at the possibility of a lead.
“Nothing crazy, unfortunately, but I did inadvertently find out Nichole’s alibi. She’s clean.”
“Hmm.” Thea could hear the excitement drain from Blaine’s voice.
“Did you find anything out about Leroy?” She asked, trying to cheer Blaine up by refocusing his attention.
“Nothing,” he replied. “The school sent the footage over right away. Leroy was at the school all night.”
“Shoot. Well, I do have another potential lead. When I spoke to Professor Potter the other day, he mentioned looking into Shawn some more. I’m not convinced he’s involved, but I guess it can’t hurt to look.”
“Alright, I’ll see what I can find out,” said Blaine. “I guess I better get started.”
“Wait, one more thing,” Thea said quickly. “Since you guys are done with Rhianna’s phone, do you think I could take a look at it? Maybe see something magical your guys missed?”
“Sure, that sounds like a smart move. How about I drop it off at your place once I’m done here?”
“That’s perfect, thanks, Blaine. I know we’ll catch whoever did this together.”
“I appreciate your confidence,” Blaine responded, “and I sure hope you’re right.”
Chapter 25
As she parked her car in the usual spot outside, Thea noticed two familiar silhouettes inside the house. By the looks of it, they were engaged in a heated discussion. One of them was Granny, that much was clear.
She raised her brow once she realized that the other person was Aunt Tiegen. As she gathered her things and locked her car doors, Thea
watched with a mindful gaze as her Aunt paced around the kitchen. From where she stood, she could hear their muffled conversation. Tiegen seemed more peeved than Granny was. The reason for that was lost on Thea.
Unlocking the front door as quietly as she could, Thea figured that she would try and overhear parts of their conversation. However, the small nod she received from Sybil told her not to worry. The familiar would fill her in on the details later.
For that reason, Thea didn’t hesitate to slam the door behind her and made sure her keys jingled loudly as she rounded the corner towards the kitchen. Immediately, the chatter between Granny and Tiegen paused. Both of them were all smiles once Thea appeared in the doorway.
“Aunt Tiegen,” Thea said, setting her bag on the counter. “I didn’t expect you to come by. What’s going on?”
Tiegen made a nonchalant gesture with her hand. “I just wanted to talk to Freya. No big deal.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, eyes flickering towards Granny. “You two sounded kind of animated before I came in.”
“Trust me, Thea. Nothing’s wrong,” Tiegen reassured. She dusted a piece of lint off her blazer. “Now, if you two will excuse me. I need to get going.”
“You don’t want to stay a little bit longer? I can make us some tea to enjoy.” Thea motioned towards the kettle on the stove top.
“Another time, perhaps,” her Aunt replied with a brief smile. “I can’t keep those people waiting. We have another town hall meeting tonight, and while I love how engaged some of our citizens are, there are others who are more precocious with public affairs than others. Like that Shawn Morgan kid.” Tiegen let out a huff. “He’s always there, asking more questions than anyone has time for. If I’m a few minutes late, he’ll be the first to notice.”
Although she hadn’t known Shawn for too long, her Aunt’s description of him matched flawlessly. She quietly laughed, beginning to make her way towards the kitchen table, before stopping abruptly in her tracks.
“Hold on,” Thea said, glancing over her shoulder towards her Aunt. “When was the last town hall meeting? Do you remember?”
“The night before the parade,” Tiegen replied. She scrunched up her face in confusion. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, you mentioned how Shawn always attends the town hall meetings. If he was around people the whole evening, then there was no way he could have killed Rhianna Stewart,” she reasoned. “He’s one of the last suspects in the case. This complicates things, but it proves his innocence.”
Granny and Tiegen exchanged wide-eyed looks, both impressed by how astute Thea could be.
Letting out a short laugh, Tiegen pointed at her niece. “You are way too smart for this town, Thea.”
With that, Tiegen hurried out the front door. Once Thea was alone with Granny, she became determined to find out what they were discussing.
One look at Granny and she knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get her to talk. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her lips were pressed tightly together. No matter how persistent she was, Granny wasn’t budging.
Luckily enough, there was a certain familiar who strolled into the kitchen just as an expected visitor knocked on the front door. Letting Blaine in, Thea soon hurried back to hear what Sybil had to say.
“Sybil,” Granny started. “I really don’t think you should say–”
“They were arguing because Tiegen doesn’t like the way Granny is teaching you magic,” Sybil interjected, focused solely on Thea as she spoke. “She called Granny’s methods archaic and outdated.”
“Sheesh...” Blaine whispered, setting Rhianna’s phone into Thea’s open palm. “Did I come at a bad time?”
“Not at all,” Thea replied softly as she turned towards Granny. “Is that true?”
Granny sighed. “Tiegen was complaining that my way of teaching magic is inefficient and time-costly. The type that needs potions and knickknacks to do properly, according to her. She doesn’t think it’s helpful.”
“That’s not true. I like your lessons,” Thea said, frowning.
“I know you do. They’re helpful. I’m teaching you what you need to know to become a stronger witch. Meanwhile, Tiegen is teaching what she wants to teach. It’s fast paced and modern. Without a doubt, Tiegen’s methods are powerful. However, you are still in the beginning stages of learning. It seems silly to make you learn complex spells right off the bat.”
Thea shared a quick look with Blaine, who looked conflicted. With his hands in his pockets, he didn’t know what to think. He hadn’t expected to walk into such a tense conversation in the first place.
Meanwhile, Sybil batted her tail incessantly. She stared up at Thea with a curious expression.
“I hope you know that I agree with Granny,” the familiar said. “Tiegen is an impressive witch, but I don’t think she should be rushing you to learn complicated stuff just yet.”
“Thank you, Sybil,” Granny said with a smile. “I’m glad to have some back up around here.”
“To be honest...” Thea started, twiddling her thumbs. “I kinda like both styles of learning. I feel like I’ve learned a lot from the two of you and there’s advantages to both. I don’t see what the issue is.”
Granny hummed, leaning back into her chair. “Well, you should go tell that to Tiegen. Let her know how you feel. And if she’s ever overwhelming you with her style of magic, make sure that you tell her. She cares about you, but at the same time, she shouldn’t bury you with all this magic. It can get dangerous.”
Thea nodded in wholehearted agreement. Leaning in for a kiss from Blaine, he said his goodbye before departing from the house.
As Granny watched them, a small grin formed on her face. Thea was content and that was what mattered to her.
Chapter 26
Early the next morning, Thea was already out of her bed and straight to work. Throughout the night, she’d been thinking about what Sybil mentioned regarding Aunt Tiegen and Granny’s conversation. She loved her Aunt, but she didn’t appreciate the way she tried to disregard Granny’s magic lessons. That didn’t sit right with Thea.
For that reason, Thea made her way over to Granny’s room to set up the remote viewing ritual that would help her see the world through Sybil’s eyes. Her plan was to spy on Kim without the girl knowing. What better way to accomplish that than by using a little magic?
“You’re up early today, aren’t you?” Granny quipped as she finished putting on some hand lotion. “I didn’t even get the chance to boil some water yet.”
“There’s no time to waste, Granny. Not when there’s still a killer on the loose in Ardensville,” Thea replied, gathering the materials for the ritual. “I want to do the remote viewing ritual with Sybil. Could you give me some pointers again?”
“Of course I will. That’s what I’m good for,” Granny said, already assisting Thea in remembering the correct symbols and lines.
Just as they were getting ready to start the ritual, Thea paused and sent Granny an apologetic look. “And... I wanted to talk to you a bit about what happened yesterday. Y’know, about what Tiegen said. I hope you know that I appreciate your lessons just as much as I appreciate hers.”
Granny let out a short laugh. “Thea, you don’t have to tell me that. I already know. Look at us.” She motioned to the room around them, already disheveled thanks to the ritual. “Would you really be in my bedroom at 7 o’clock in the morning if you didn’t appreciate my lessons?”
Thea smiled. She was glad that Granny didn’t take too much offense to Tiegen’s words. Thea was always going to remind her how great she was and how grateful she was for her help.
With Sybil in the room, they finally commenced the ritual. Along with Granny’s reminders, Thea was able to chant the correct words under her breath that would allow her to see through Sybil’s eyes. The ritual was already becoming natural for her. She had done it so many times by then, with her body adapting to the odd sensation of seeing the world through another’s perspective.
Is this some sort of blockage? Thea thought to herself, as she shook it off and tried one more time. Again, nothing was working. Although she was providing the energy for the ritual to work, the magic wasn’t sticking.
Sybil shot her a concerned look as Granny furrowed her eyebrows at the scene. As she sat in the middle of the room, Thea realized that the ritual wasn’t working. She glanced down at her hands, frowning.
“What’s going on? Am I doing something wrong?” Thea asked. “I-I thought I was getting the hang of this ritual. I guess not...”
Granny stared at her. Eventually, she shook her head. “No, Thea. That’s not it. You’re not the issue here.”
“I’m not?”
“What’s in your pocket?” Granny asked.
Sticking her hand into her left jean pocket, Thea pulled out her phone and showed it to Granny. Again, she shook her head.
“The other one.”
Thea did as she was told. It had slipped her mind that Rhianna’s phone was still in her pocket and it didn’t hit her until she was staring down at it. As Thea focused on the meditation Tiegen trained her to do, she watched as the rest of the magical items in the room began to glow. They all had an aura.
Curiously, Rhianna’s phone did not.
“See? I told you it wasn’t you,” Granny said, easing the tension in the room. “That phone is charmed in some way. That can explain the blockages.”
Thea twisted the phone around in her hand, observing it from all angles. Of all the things that could have been charmed, she didn’t expect the phone to have been tinkered with. Nevertheless, this discovery was interesting. She definitely planned to talk to Blaine about this later.