by Lily Webb
“Why?”
“Like I told you before, Harper was known for sticking her nose where it didn’t belong — and the police were no exception for her,” Flora said.
“She heard something about discriminatory hiring practices and started poking around at the station. She wanted Ewen to go on record as a source for the story she was working on, but he refused and told her she was chasing something that didn’t exist.”
“Yikes,” I said. “Was it true?”
“I don’t know,” Flora said. “The story never went to print, though.”
“And not even your fairy lie detector caught anything?” I asked.
“Not from Ewen, no. But I guess that doesn’t mean it wasn’t happening. He might not have known anything.”
“So why would you two break up over that?”
“I was stuck between them. Harper wanted me to talk Ewen into doing the story, and he wanted me to talk her out of it,” Flora laughed. “I couldn’t handle it, so I broke things off with Ewen to keep us all friends, but it didn’t work. Harper resented him after that, and he resented her just as much.”
“I’m sorry, that’s awful,” I said.
“It’s all water under the bridge now,” Flora said.
“When was this?”
“About a year ago,” Flora said.
“That must be why he felt so guilty about what happened to Harper,” I said. Flora nodded, frowning.
“I can’t imagine how upset he must’ve been,” she said. “Ewen always puts too much pressure on himself.”
“Then maybe you should give him another chance,” I said. Flora blushed again and shrugged.
“It’s not out of the question. But enough about me, what did you find out?” she asked and pulled me by the arm to start walking again.
“The police found a broken broomstick in the bushes near where Harper was buried,” I said, keeping my voice low. Flora’s brows furrowed.
“A broken broomstick?”
“My thoughts exactly. Of all the ways to kill someone, why use a broomstick?” I asked.
“Good question,” Flora said. “Seems like it’s one of the worst ways if you think about it. All broomsticks are magically bonded to the witch or warlock that owns them, so the police could easily trace it back to its owner. It’s an anti-theft measure so people won’t steal them if they’re parked somewhere. Sure, you can take the broomstick itself, but you won’t be able to fly on it.”
“Interesting,” I said. “But get this: the broomstick belonged to Opal Cromwell.”
“Seriously? They told you that?” Flora asked.
“Not in words, no,” I said, smirking. Flora scoffed and slapped my arm.
“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, you know,” she said.
“What the werewolves don’t know won’t hurt them,” I said. “Besides, it’s not like I’m going to print any of this.”
“Good. It’s not about the story, anyway. It’s about figuring out what happened to Harper,” Flora said.
“Wait, are you saying you’re actually on board?” I asked. “I mean, you could go down with me if it comes to that.”
“I’m not worried. Harper was one of my closest friends, I owe her that much,” Flora said. “And I’m not sure the police are going to be able to solve her murder without some outside help anyway.”
“Agreed,” I said.
“So what are you going to do with that information?” Flora asked.
“I need to talk to Opal, see if I can get something out of her. I might try to get into her head too,” I said.
“That’s risky,” Flora said.
“Isn’t all this?”
“Fair enough. You know, I have the number for her office. You could probably call and schedule an interview with her for the Messenger. I bet Mitch would love the coverage and wouldn’t think you were up to any funny business,” she said.
“That’s brilliant,” I said.
“But first you need a phone,” Flora said, and I laughed.
“I don’t have any Moon Grove currency,” I said.
“That’s okay. I’ll buy it, and you can pay me back when you get your deposit tomorrow,” Flora said.
“Tomorrow? Even paranormals treat Friday as payday?”
“It’s the start of the weekend, why not?” she asked.
We’d walked a few blocks while we were talking and wound up among the endless numbers of shops I’d seen on my first day in town.
Flora led me into a smaller boutique, and we were greeted by an unnaturally tall and slender man with long, pointed ears. He sat behind a glass case of electronics, and his white-blond hair, which could’ve given Flora’s a run for its money, moved fluidly across his shoulders as he waved at us.
“Welcome to Ronala Electronics, ladies,” he said, his soothing voice like a gentle gust of wind.
“Is he…?” I whispered to Flora, afraid to say the word in case it was offensive.
“An elf? Yes, I am,” the elf said, smiling pleasantly. Did he have superhuman hearing? “We elves are the so-called tech gurus around these parts.”
“Hi, Triandal,” Flora said.
“Nice to see you again, Flora. How can I help?” Triandal asked.
“My friend Zoe here needs a Paraphone. She’s new in town,” Flora said.
“I see,” Triandal said, smiling. “What kinds of things would you like to do with your phone, Zoe?”
“Make calls, send texts and emails, browse the web. You know, the basics,” I said.
“Then I’ve got just the thing,” Triandal said.
He slid open the back of the glass case to pick up one of the phones. His long, narrow fingers wrapped around it and he handed it to me. It looked just like any other black slab of a smartphone, but when I turned it over, I found a planet-shaped logo I didn’t recognize etched into its back.
“It’s the latest entry-level model from Pluto. Affordable and capable,” Triandal said.
“And it’ll be able to access non-magical networks outside Moon Grove?” I asked.
“If you use a VPN, sure,” Triandal said.
“What’s that?”
“A Virtual Paranormal Network,” Triandal said. “It’s the only secure way to make the two networks talk to each other. We wouldn’t want to leave a trail online for anyone to find us.”
“Of course not,” I said like I had any idea how that stuff worked. “Okay, yeah, I’ll take it.”
“Fantastic. Anything else?”
“No, I think that’s it for now,” I said and set the phone down on the counter.
“Then your total comes to three-hundred Moons, please,” Triandal said. I stared at Flora and shrugged.
“Is that a lot? It sure sounds like it,” I said. Flora laughed.
“Mine cost twice that, so I’d say no,” she said as she reached into her pocket for her phone. She tapped it against a device on top of Triandal’s case, and the machine beeped to acknowledge the payment.
“Wow, modern,” I said.
“And convenient,” she said. “No more carrying around a ton of heavy Quarter Moon and Crescent coins.”
“So does that mean I don’t really need to understand the currency around here?” I asked.
“You’ll catch on quick,” Flora said.
Triandal tapped around on my new phone’s screen a few times until it chimed. Smiling, he handed it to me.
“You’re all activated and ready to go,” he said. “The service plan is thirty Moons per month.”
“I think I can handle that. Thank you for the help, Triandal,” I said.
“My pleasure,” he said.
A text message showed my new phone number on the screen in the same six-digit format that everyone else in town seemed to have. It was a small thing, but having the phone made me feel like I was finally starting to fit in in Moon Grove.
“You can open a bank account right from your phone and set up your pay deposit too,” Flora said.
“Cool. I�
��ll take care of that later. The first thing I need to do is call Opal’s office,” I said.
“What’s your number? I’ll text you hers,” Flora said.
After I read my number off the screen to her, she typed out a message that came through immediately with Opal’s office digits. I tapped the number to place the call as we stepped out of Triandal’s shop, and someone answered after three rings.
“Thank you for calling the office of Opal Cromwell. This is Lena, her assistant. How may I direct your call?”
“Hello, Lena. My name’s Zoe Clarke, I’m a new reporter with the Messenger covering the town and government beat. I’d like to request an interview with Councilwoman Cromwell to discuss her campaign, if possible,” I said.
“Absolutely. I’m sure she’d love the coverage,” Lena said, and I pumped my fist in the air. “The Councilwoman has an hour-long opening tomorrow morning at 10 AM. Does that work for you?”
“That’s perfect,” I said.
“Great. I’ll add you to her schedule. I’ll meet you in the lobby at Town Hall to make the introduction,” Lena said.
“Thanks for your help, Lena,” I said.
“Of course. I’m looking forward to meeting you tomorrow,” she said.
“Likewise,” I said and hung up.
Just like that, I was one step closer to the truth.
Chapter Twelve
I strolled into the Town Hall’s entrance ten minutes early the next morning, my head buzzing. As predicted, Mitch was over the moon when I told him I’d landed an interview with Opal, and he didn’t ask me a single question about why I might want to talk to her.
Either I was really innocent looking, or he was playing me. It was hard to tell.
In any case, my interview with Opal would help fill the gap left by the candidates’ debate getting canceled.
“You must be Zoe,” a female voice echoed through the chamber. I turned to find a short young witch who couldn’t have been more than a year or two older than me approaching. Her maroon robes swished with her steps.
“I am. Are you Lena?” I asked as I offered a hand to her.
“That’s me,” Lena said, smiling as she took my hand and gave it a gentle shake. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I said.
“I’m sure you’re eager to speak with Councilwoman Cromwell, but before we get started there are a few things we need to go over,” Lena said.
As she spoke, a towering catlike figure with sweeping, scaled wings and blue-grey skin stepped out from the shadows behind her. It took everything I had not to scream.
“Don’t worry, the gargoyles are just here for security,” Lena said. “First, Khalvorr needs to check you for anything dangerous.”
The gargoyle extended its massive, clawed hands and started to pat me down like I was at airport security; it didn’t slip my mind he could‘ve torn me to shreds if he wanted.
“All clear,” Khalvorr said, his voice like rocks grinding together. He returned to his post outside a wooden door down the hall behind Lena — and literally turned to stone.
Well, that explained a lot.
“Sorry, we can’t be too careful these days,” Lena said. “Now that that’s out of the way, some ground rules for the interview: Councilwoman Cromwell is under no obligation to answer any question she deems inappropriate. Also, at this time, she is only interested in talking specifically about her campaign for Head Witch, so if you have other questions, we kindly request you save them for another time. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said, shrugging. I was the definition of a captive audience at that point, so what else could I say?
“Great, then follow me,” Lena said and led me down the hall to the third door on the left, where Khalvorr stood still as a statue — probably because he was one. Lena opened the door, and I shivered as I passed Khalvorr.
Inside, Opal sat behind a wide mahogany desk. The same off-white robes she’d worn before spilled over the sides of her high-backed chair, and wrinkled, tea-stained pieces of paper littered her desk. The walls behind her seemed to sag from the weight of all her awards and certificates she’d hung on them.
The largest, situated right behind Opal’s head, was an Excellence in Magic award given to her by Veilside Academy. She definitely knew her magic, then.
“Hello, Zoe, it’s so nice to see you again,” Opal said. “Please, come in, make yourself at home.”
She gestured at two chairs placed in front of her desk, so I plopped down in the nearest one and rested the pad of paper I’d brought with me in my lap.
“Is there anything I can get you while I’m here, Councilwoman?” Lena asked.
“No, we’re quite all right, aren’t we, Zoe?” she asked. I nodded. “Thank you, Lena.”
Lena smiled and left us alone. As soon as the door closed, my anxiety doubled. I couldn’t say for sure yet that Opal was a killer, but it was a distinct possibility.
“I must say, Zoe, I’m surprised you’re here,” Opal said.
“Really? Town and government is my beat,” I said.
“Oh, of course. I just thought you might be afraid of me like all the rest,” Opal said.
“Why would I be afraid of you, Councilwoman?”
“Please, call me Opal. And I can’t fathom why anyone would find me frightening, but sure as the setting sun, they do,” Opal said. She drummed her sausage-like fingers on her desk and smiled at me.
“I don’t understand that either. You’re as approachable as they come,” I said. Based on my interaction with her so far, approaching Opal was one thing, but getting through a whole conversation with her without wanting to scream was another.
“Thank you,” Opal said, her smile widening. “And Zoe, dear, I apologize for calling you an attack dog the other day. Mitch has a habit of picking some prickly employees, so I just assumed—”
“It’s okay,” I said.
“Good. Let’s start over on better footing,” Opal said. “After all, it’s not every day the Moon Grove Messenger comes knocking on my door for an interview.”
“Well, running for Head Witch surely has something to do with it,” I said.
“Absolutely. So, tell me, Zoe, what would you like to know?” Opal asked as she sat back in her chair.
Luckily, I’d already prepared a few softball questions the night before with Flora’s help to ease Opal into things. Lena might’ve made me agree to avoid heavy hitters, but I’ve always found it easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
“What inspired you to run for Head Witch?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s a fantastic question,” Opal said. “My primary reason for running is my fundamental belief that a government should represent all its citizens. Our sole duty as members of the Council is to serve those who elected us, and unfortunately, the leadership in Moon Grove hasn’t done an adequate job of that.”
“How so, specifically?”
“Zoe, dear, you’ve seen the Council. Don’t you think its members look, well, mismatched to the population?” Opal asked. “Witches and warlocks aren’t the only beings living here.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty clear,” I said, and Opal chuckled, her white curls bouncing.
“So it stands to reason that there should be members of every group on the Council, don’t you think?”
“I’m interested in what you think, Councilwoman,” I said.
“Opal,” she corrected me. “And yes, I suppose that’s why we’re here. To answer your question directly, the lack of diversity in the town’s government is what motivated me to throw my name in the ring.”
“That’s a noble motivation,” I said to test her as I scribbled some notes on my pad of paper.
“And a true one,” she said, smiling. We’d see about that.
“What about your opponent, Grace Magnus? What do you think your biggest challenge is running against her?” I asked.
“Oh, Lilith, everything,” Grace sighed. “We couldn’t have more contrary
opinions, which is amusing given our respective generations.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, clearly Grace is younger than me by quite a few years, but her worldview doesn’t match her age,” Opal said. “Where I’m interested in expanding the government, Grace is interested in keeping the status quo — or worse, further restricting things.”
“True. She didn’t seem too keen on the vampires being at the Council meeting earlier this week,” I said. It was an understatement, but I hoped it would loosen Opal’s tongue.
“No, of course not. She’s always been a bit prejudicial, but that unfortunate core conviction of hers seems to have gotten worse in light of recent events,” Opal said.
“You mean Harper Woods’ murder?” I asked. Opal cringed.
“Yes. So tragic,” she said. “I’d give anything to have that mystery solved.” Would she? Or would she give anything to make it go away?
“It’s a shame your debate with Grace was canceled. I was looking forward to covering it,” I said, changing the subject. I wasn’t ready to ask about Harper, and Opal didn’t seem like she was prepared to cooperate yet either.
“Yes, a shame, indeed. We had another scheduled earlier, but we agreed to cancel it after the murder happened. It didn’t feel appropriate,” Opal said.
That was news to me.
“Every time I tried to reschedule, Grace provided some excuse or another. I really thought this time we’d do it, but she fell ill, or so she said,” Opal continued, waving her hand in the air.
“Is it common for Grace to be ill?”
“Now that you mention it, no. She was elected to the Council at the same time I was, almost five years ago now. She was the picture of good health then,” Opal said. “She’s acted strangely for months, so maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise she canceled the debate.”
“Strange how?”
“The queerest things. Often, she seems in a daze like she’s only vaguely aware of where she is and why. And if you dare question her about it, she explodes, not unlike the way she did during the Council meeting you attended,” Opal said.
“She’s not normally so combative?”
“Oh, she’s always been combative, but within reason. Grace Magnus has never been afraid to stand up for herself. I respect her for that, I must say,” Opal said.
