Desiree waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, that’s not true at all! Daphne here has a beautiful singing voice. Not that she ever lets anyone hear her sing to know it.”
Daphne blushed. “Ah, that’s just for fun, though.”
“I tell her all the time she could be a jazz singer in some mysterious lounge club somewhere, living like a character from one of those old-timey Hollywood flicks, but she just won’t believe me,” her sister laughed.
“That’s just not me at all, but we had better go back to the Manor, if that’s alright. I’m exhausted. I’m healing quite well from the surgery but I still do get tired pretty quickly these days,” Daphne said, shooting the rest of us an apologetic look.
“Of course. We’ll head back,” I said, offering her my arm. She smiled and took it gladly.
“See you later!” Desiree said, waving as she made her way to her own broomstick.
Lara, Daphne and I turned and made our way back up to the Manor, Daphne leaning ever so slightly on my arm and Lara’s.
“She’s a treasure, isn’t she?” Lara remarked.
Daphne nodded. “Yes. She’s always been the life of the party, you know. When we were growing up, even though I’m a year older, she was the one who looked out for me. Sometimes, the kids would bully me on the playground, but they’d all scatter and go running off whenever Des came marching over,” she chuckled, then sighed. “I sure miss living close to her. Being able to spend time with her here has been great, but I’m not looking forward to going back down south and not seeing her for a while again.”
“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder,” I said, trying to be helpful.
She nodded, smiling wistfully. “Perhaps that’s true.”
Once we made our way back home, Daphne headed upstairs to go take a nap, leaving Lara and I downstairs in the living room. I sat down on the couch and to my delight, both cats came bounding into the room to jump up between Lara and me, purring incessantly.
“You’ve been gone all morning,” Luna whined, rubbing her head against my knee.
“I know. Official police business,” I said with a wink. “Well, more like unofficial police business on my part, I suppose.”
Lara was talking softly to Lucy, too, smiling at her lovingly. Witches could always understand their animal familiars, but they couldn’t understand others’. So whenever one of us was talking to our familiar cat, we kind of just sounded like we were talking to ourselves. Luckily, in a town like Moonlight Cove, that was completely normal. Nearly everyone had a familiar of some kind, and it wasn’t unusual to walk through the park and catch a man having a lively, one-sided debate with a chipmunk, or see a woman whispering to the parakeet in her coat pocket.
Lara looked over at me, petting Lucy, who was curled up happily in her lap. “Well, I’m getting a little antsy about this whole kidnapping situation. I feel terrible just hanging around here doing nothing, so I’m going to go out and see if there’s anything I can do to help. I’m sure the police have it covered, especially with your help, but I just want to make sure the people of Moonlight Cove know that I’m interested in helping out the community however I can. Maybe there’s a search party or something that I can join.”
“Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “You don’t have to, you know. Nobody expects you to get involved, Lara. Especially after what happened back at your place,” I trailed off.
She shrugged, looking determined. “Well, that’s precisely why I’m so determined to help out somehow. The police and the community as a whole were so supportive and kind to me during that time, and now that things are better for me, I want to return the favor. Moonlight Cove is the town I want to make my forever home, and I want to show that I’m committed to helping keep it safe and happy. Besides, I don’t want to let fear rule my life. That terrible guy who hurt me doesn’t get to control me after the fact. I can go wherever I want and help the people who helped me,” she concluded bravely.
I gave her a fond smile. “That’s awfully courageous of you.”
She blushed. “Well, I don’t want people here to think I’m just some spoiled, useless rich girl with nothing to offer. I want to do my part.”
“Go for it. I’ll support you,” I told her, patting her on the shoulder. “I’m going to stay here though, in case Xander calls.”
“Thanks, Artemis. You’ve been a true friend to me from the very start. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for everything you’ve done,” she said.
“Don’t mention it,” I replied with a wave of her hand.
She gently scooted Lucy aside and stood up, stretching. “Well! I’m off. Call me if you want to check in later. Maybe I can help you cook dinner tonight or something. And maybe that would help me learn what the heck I’m supposed to do in a kitchen.”
I laughed softly. “Okay. You got it. See ya.”
Lara left, and Luna looked up at me with round, pleading eyes. I just knew she was about to ask me for something. “What is it? Spit it out.”
“I want to go out,” Luna declared firmly.
“Out? What do you mean?”
She rolled her big, beautiful eyes. “Out, as in outside. Duh.”
“Why? Don’t you know it’s freezing out there? You hate the snow. What could possibly be out there you’re willing to suffer for?” I chuckled.
“Well, first of all, you could do that crazy insulation spell on me to keep me warm. I know your tricks, woman! And secondly, Lara’s speech got me riled up. I want to help, too.”
“You want to… help?” I repeated, incredulous.
She scoffed. “Yes. Is that truly so hard to believe?”
Lucy meowed in a tone that even I could tell was sarcastic. Luna glared at her. “Oh, hush. Just because you’re content to lie around all day eating bonbons doesn’t mean I am.”
“Luna, you’re not an outside cat,” I reasoned. “It’s dangerous out there.”
“Yeesh, Arti, don’t call me out right in front of her!” Luna complained, glancing pointedly at Lucy, who often walked around freely outside with no issue. “I want to be tough. And play sleuth. You always get to have all the fun out there solving mysteries and I feel left out. So this time I’m going to solve it myself!”
I snorted. “And how do you plan on doing that? How will you interview anybody?”
“Interview? No. That’s not how I do things. I’m a cat, remember? I just sneak around and squeeze into small spaces and eavesdrop, of course,” she said, as if it were obvious.
“I don’t know, Lu. It’s not safe,” I said.
“Ugh, you’re not my mother! And I’m not a dumb little kitten anymore. I can totally handle this. Just consider me your deputy or whatever. Any information I find out I promise to report back to you, okay?” she offered.
I sighed. After all, as much as this could be a bad idea, Luna had a point. She could eavesdrop on people much more easily than I could, and if it helped Tina Frost get home safe, then why not? “Alright. Fine. You wore me down. But you had better be careful, Luna. And don’t wander too far. And don’t get into trouble. And be back by dinner time.”
“Yawn. Blah, blah, blah,” she said as she hopped down off my lap and went padding over to the back door. “Let me out!”
“Fine. My moon, you’re impatient,” I muttered. I got off the sofa and opened the balcony door, following her onto the back deck. There was a lovely view of the ocean from here, and I often stood out on the deck when I needed a moment of peace to think things over. As Luna deftly leaped down from the deck to the fence and down to the ground to scamper away, I turned to stare up at the sky. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
My magical powers were linked directly to the moon and the tides, so it was truly a blessing to be able to live on the coast like this. I could recharge and center myself just by walking outside to gaze at the sky and the sea. Sometimes, if the moon was full, my intuition was so strong it was almost like being half psychic. It was a strange, mystical thing I could do
, and sometimes I wasn’t sure if the answer was coming from the moon’s power source or just from deep inside myself. But either way, I knew that it could be worth a try calling out to that mysterious force, to see if I could gather any truths about the case at hand.
Especially because I knew tonight was going to be a full moon.
Of course, right now it was still afternoon, so the sun was high in the sky, peeking out from behind the grey clouds ever threatening to drop more snow on the town. But the moon was ever-present, even when she appeared hidden to the untrained eye. She was always watching, always keeping tabs on me. It was rather comforting, really.
I took a slow, deep breath, and cleared my mind of all distractions.
All the stress and worry began to fade away like bubbles popping, leaving a smooth, white, blank space upon which to write out my question.
And then I felt the moon’s presence, like an eerie, calming warmth over my whole body, infiltrating the dark corners of my mind to bring me peace and truth. I sent my questions out into the stratosphere. Is she here? Is little Tina Frost still nearby? Is she alive? Where will we find her? How will we find her? What do I do?
There was a long moment of quiet, and then the answer occurred to me like a ship appearing out of the fog. Yes. Tina was still in town, and what was more… she was alive. My heart began to pound as the foggy peace receded and I drifted back to reality. I opened my eyes, feeling rejuvenated and overwhelmed. I knew better than to expect anything more specific from the lunar force. It was not an exact science or even a science at all, really. It was less about interrogating the moon for answers and more about opening up myself as a conduit for the truth. It was an instinct, not an experiment. But even though this kind of information was absolutely inadmissible in court, I knew it could point me in the right direction. Somehow.
I was not going to give up. I couldn’t give up.
Chapter 8
I didn’t care what anyone said, there was something therapeutic about cleaning.
Sure, the B&B was a big house, and sure, cleaning was no small task, but it was a simple thing that gave me simple joy, and that was something I wouldn’t trade away. Besides, having a small magical army to help me out was a big plus.
I made my way backwards down the hall, guiding the animated brooms with my finger, moving it back and forth as if I was an orchestra conductor. In front of me were four brooms in a staggered formation, each of them making short strokes to the right side of the hallway, and behind them, a little dustpan and brush scooped the dust into a tray. Behind it, a damp mop scrubbed the swept floors and left the scent of fresh pine in the air along with a stretch of pristinely clean wood.
It took a lot of concentration to keep things coordinated like this, and it didn’t come without practice. I remembered being young enough to barely reach my mom’s hips, and she had me practicing the spells by sweeping leaves off the deck.
The first few times I tried, I ended up almost sweeping Dad off the edge. It was a while before Mom let me try it out inside the B&B.
I was so focused on leading my little train of animated brooms that I barely noticed that I had swept my way into the wing of the house where Lara’s room was. I hadn’t actually been in her room much since she moved in, with the exception of our brief yoga session that morning, during which all her stuff was kind of pushed back out of the way to make room. I just assumed that she valued her privacy, and besides, when I was home, she spent plenty of time out in the common area chatting with me if she wasn’t on her way somewhere.
When I reached her door, my nose twitched at the smell of something unusual that wasn’t the pine-scented cleaner I was using. I turned my head to see that the door was ajar, and there was something colorful I didn’t recognize in view.
Trying to be subtle, I scooted a little closer to the open door while my brooms did their work, and I craned my neck to see what was going on inside.
Lucy was curled up on the bed, thankfully, so she couldn’t see me blatantly creeping on Lara’s room. But what was most interesting was the thing that had caught my attention.
There was a large canvas set up in the middle of the room.
Lucy sat on the bed, sleeping soundly with her tail flicking back and forth as she dreamed. It was a painting of what looked like a castle perched on a high cliff. It loomed over a deep valley full of fog, and both the height of the castle and the sheerness of the cliff gave the whole scene a very dramatic, spooky vibe. That was my high-brow artistic analysis, at least. The castle stood against a bright night sky illuminated by the moon behind it, and despite the gloomy environment and creepy stonework, the lights within the castle were bright and warm, and Lara appeared to have left off in the middle of painting what looked like shadows of people visible on the interior walls from the outside, to give it a very lived-in, cozy feeling.
The whole painting was very paradoxical.
About that time, I heard the loud sound of glass getting shoved aside with a crash.
I yelped and looked up in time to see that one of my brooms had gotten away from me and had swept its way up to the high ceiling of the hallway. The crash was the sound of it trying to sweep one of the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
Lucy jumped and hissed at the sound as I quickly cancelled the spell on the renegade broom, and there was a loud clatter down the hallway as all the brooms fell over hard, followed by a louder clang as the uppermost broom hit the ground.
In the span of about half a second, I had put my arms over my head for cover, and when it was finally over, I cracked an eye open, wincing terribly.
Everything was still in the hallway, save for the little dustpan set, which was still enchanted and valiantly trying to sweep one of the full-sized brooms into the pan.
“...meow?”
I yelped again and jumped back, heart racing a mile a minute as I looked at Lucy in the doorway, who was peering at me and the hallway mess with wide eyes.
“Nothing happened!” I said on reflex. “I mean, uh, I’m fine. Just fine. I was cleaning, and... goofed,” I half-lied, looking up at the light fixture that was still swinging back and forth precariously.
Lucy took in the scene for a few seconds before blinking slowly at me, and I quickly changed the subject by pointing to the painting Lara had been working on
“Is that what she’s been working on down here all this time?”
Lucy blinked a few times as if surprised by the question, then meowed.
“When was she planning on telling me she was a painter?” I asked out loud, and I was met with another plaintive meow as I stepped into the room to inspect the painting.
As soon as I did, I was stunned to see that it wasn’t the only one. All around the room, Lara’s paintings were hanging up - at least, I assumed they were hers.
And they were simply amazing paintings, too. One was of a geisha whose shoulder was turned to the viewer, her gaze on something to her left, out of the view of the portrait. Another was what looked like a movie set, complete with stage workers and actors in the middle of setting up a scene, a director shouting orders at some of the lighting crew as they arranged the set. There were no fewer than three paintings of Lucy in different poses, and I was delighted to see one of Lucy and Luna sitting together, their tails dangling off the edge of the wooden railing of the B&B’s own deck.
“Lara!” I gushed, stepping in and taking the whole studio in with wonder on my face.
Lucy meowed at me, hopping up on the bed and walking in circles around it as if gauging my response.
“No, I mean, this is all good,” I told the familiar. “Really, really good. How long as she been doing this?”
“Meow.”
“Wow. Think she would let me buy some of these for the B&B?” I asked, my smile growing ear-to-ear. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this excited for someone.
Lucy put her ears back, then hissed suspiciously, turning and flicking her tail at me.
“Come on, now, d
on’t be like that, you don’t know she’d say no,” I chided her, admiring the one in progress. “I’ve never seen anyone who paints this well. Heck, I’ve seen hanging art that isn’t this good. Is she planning to do anything at all with this?”
Lucy furrowed her brow at me, tail curled around her form and flicking when my phone started buzzing, and she stopped herself. I glanced at it and saw Xander’s name on the screen.
“Hold that thought, I need to take this,” I said, flashing her a grin and holding up a finger. “But this isn’t over, and she will take my compliments when she gets back home!”
“Meow!” Lucy called after me as I stepped out of the room and nearly tripped on one of the fallen brooms.
“Hey,” I said, trying to sound casual as I leaned against a window and answered the call.
“Hi,” came Xander’s voice, and only then did I realize how odd I sounded. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah! Yes. Definitely, more than okay. How are you? Hi.” My face was going red. How could I possibly be this awkward all the time?
“Good,” Xander said. “Just fine.” There was some hesitation in his voice, possibly the first hint of it I’d really heard from him since we started talking to each other.
“So, what’s up?” I asked. “Everything okay? If you’re being held at fingerpoint, just cough.” I was half-joking, but my anxiety kicked in as soon as I said that. What if he was being held at fingerpoint, and I just tipped off the kidnapper?
“Oh, things are going- well, they’re going. We don’t really have any new leads, so I think what’s best right now would be to, you know, give the facts we have some more thought, kind of a fresh start.” Another pause. I was really starting to get worried before he spoke again. “Listen, Artemis- Arti.” He coughed, and my eyes went wide. “That was a real cough, everything’s fine.”
“Don’t give me a heart attack.”
“I was calling to see if you wanted to get dinner tonight.”
He let it all out in a single breath, and I realized it sounded a little rehearsed. It took me completely off-guard, too, which led to my incredibly tactful reply.
A Perfect Spell Page 6
