"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you.
I shook my head. "You didn't. You're right. I'm not the PI, you are. I'm just here to consult and handle the things you don't understand."
"And sometimes that's a PI's greatest asset. We don't know everything, and we need help." He shut the pizza box. "Want to come over to my office and see if you can find the ghost?"
I rolled my eyes. "I was joking about the ghost."
"Yes, but I need to figure out who or what keeps stealing my stuff."
"Okay, fine, I'll come over and look." I rolled my eyes and picked up Copperfield. "Come on buddy, let's go see what's going on in the office."
Copperfield jumped from my arms and to Trace. "Traitor."
"He just knows I keep bunny treats in the office is all."
"Seriously? You've been spoiling my bunny?"
We walked out together, and I locked the door behind us. Trace unlocked his office, and we entered. On the reception desk was a mess of shredded papers.
"I don't think you have a ghost problem. I think you have a wild animal problem." I went closer to the desk and glanced down at the tiny shreds of paper. "One who apparently doesn't like paperwork."
Trace sighed, and Copperfield jumped out of his arms and turned a bright blue color as he dug through the scraps of paper, almost as if he were looking for something.
"What's gotten into him?"
"Maybe he thinks it's his new home?" I shrugged as the bunny went in circles and then settled into the scraps of paper.
"Okay, I like him, but he's not going to sit here and make friends with a wild animal that I can't even find." Trace shook his head. "Let's get searching."
I laughed and went around the desk to see if we could find any signs of the animal. The shredded paper had fallen from the desk and left a little trail back into the main part of the office. I followed it into the bathroom and found…
Nothing.
What the heck.
Trace came up behind me. "A ghost wild animal?"
"Ha, ha." I glanced over my shoulder at him. "But I guess it's not out of the realm of possibilities. Either call animal control or look at your camera footage to see what's causing the issue." I walked back to the front of the office to see Mortimer holding a black-furred Copperfield.
I hadn't heard the front door open. From the look on Trace's face, neither did he.
"What can I do for you Mr. Leer?" Trace's voice was a little bit tight around the edge instead of his normal pleasant tone.
"It seems to me that you're not doing your job Mr. McHue. I've located my brother while you've sat here…" He glanced at me. "Mucking around."
CHAPTER FIVE
Trace glanced at me and then back to Mortimer. "Why don't you come back to talk about what you've found. I assure you that I've tried to locate him the best I can with the resources and information I have. Lacey, take Copperfield back to the shop?"
"I'd prefer if she stayed here for this talk." Mortimer met my gaze. "As a magical person, I trust her more than you."
His words sent a shiver down my back, and Trace stepped closer to me. "Okay then, let me put Copperfield back up, and I'll come back." I held my arms out, and the bunny jumped to me. I stroked Copperfield's ears, and he turned back into a lavender bunny.
"That's a complicated little spell there. You must be quite the witch." Mortimer muttered to me as I walked by. "Such a shame you haven't contributed much to this case."
I refused to rise to his words and just strolled out of the office. I looked at Copperfield. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
The bunny just looked at me, his nose twitching. I was going to take it as no since he was still purple. I unlocked my store and looked around to make sure there were no unwanted visitors. Nothing that I could see. I let out a sigh of relief and put Copperfield back into the cage. "There you go buddy, safe and sound."
He turned his back to me and settled down. I figured he probably wanted a well-deserved nap.
I took a couple minutes to collect myself before going back to the office. Mortimer was trying to throw us off, but the question was why?
I walked back to Trace's back office and found Mortimer and him staring at each other in silence. "Sorry that took a few minutes. I had to get Copperfield settled."
"He's a special bunny, isn't he?" Mortimer asked, idly arranging the mints in a bowl Trace kept on the desk.
"One of a kind." I sat in a chair next to Trace. "Did I miss anything?"
Trace shook his head. "Nope, Mortimer is refusing to tell me what is going on. He insisted that we wait for you to get back."
I folded my hands on the table. "Okay, well, I'm here. Go on."
Mortimer looked at me. "I found my brother. Like all things, something that disappears must reappear. Somewhere. Correct?"
"Typically yes, normally you make it appear back where it belongs." I had to add normally because I had never had luck with that. Which was why I didn't try to make living things disappear.
"So, Lacey, if you made these mints disappear, where would they go?" He waved his hand over one, and it disappeared. Trace opened his hand and found the candy there. "It goes where my magic directed it to go. That's how I found my brother. Why didn't you try something like that?"
I didn't want to sit there and listen to his lecture. "Because my magic is quirky, and it doesn't work like everyone else's." I left it at that. "I make things disappear, and they don't typically go where I direct them." I waved my hand over the candies, and the only thing that was left were the wrappers.
Mortimer stared at me. "A simple trick. My brother is in a house in the south end of town." He pulled out another black card. "Here is the address for you to check it out. I'd go, but I don't know who's house it is. I used my magic to send him a cell phone with GPS."
"Did he answer the phone?"
"No, I sent it mid-call, hoping he would be able to say something. Anything. But he didn't. All I could hear was clicking noises and moaning." Mortimer stood up. "I have tried to inform the police, but they do not take magic very serious and think that I am simply pulling their leg."
It did sound kind of far-fetched, but I kept my mouth shut. He stood. "I expect you to do something about this."
"With all respect Mr. Leer, you're not the client, Chloe is. I will have to pass this through her first and get her permission to move forward." Trace tucked the card into his shirt pocket.
Mortimer shook his head. "The woman is in on it. All I want is my brother found." He stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind him.
I leaned back in my chair. "I don't like him."
"Me either." Trace shook his head. "Where did you send the candy?"
"I have no idea." I laughed. "With my luck, somewhere he will find them." I ran a hand over my face. "Let's hope that's not going to happen."
Trace snorted. "I think that would be hilarious."
"Until he came in here yelling about how I did it on purpose." I stood. "Okay, I'm going back to work now after that eventful meeting."
"What he was talking about though, sending a phone with a GPS in it. Is that possible through magic?"
"I've never tried it, but sometimes magic can cause issues with electronics, which is why you don't see people making them appear and disappear often. I don't trust his story."
"Yeah, me either, but let's run this address in the system first. Then I'll check it with Chloe. I need to mention to her that Mark's estranged brother has shown up."
"Okay, you have fun with that. I'm going back to work and then tonight the gathering. I'll text you when I'm done." I stood and glanced at the empty candy wrappers. Maybe if I tried to make them reappear it'd work. Nah, best not to try.
I'd followed my GPS to address on the invitation to the magical gathering. I waited for Natalie while leaning against my car. I didn't want to show up at an unknown place w
ithout someone I knew at least a little bit. The house looked like any other one on the street. Two stories, some plain color of paint that blended in with the rest of the neighborhood, it was neither tan nor brown. Just plain with white trim. The door, however, was bright blue, and it was the only thing that set the house apart from its neighbors.
A black car pulled up behind mine, and Natalie got out and smiled at me. "I'm so glad that you managed to come." She pulled me into a hug, and I returned it with a small squeeze.
"Yeah, well, I couldn't stand you up." I smiled. "What kind of person would I be?"
She laughed and led me up to the house. She rapped her knuckles against the door, and after a moment it opened.
Eli stood there and looked at me. His eyes darted from Natalie to me and then back to her. "Um. Welcome." He stepped to the side. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, Lacey."
I shrugged. "I got an invite and thought a night out sounded like fun. I just didn't realize that it was your house."
"Oh, it's not. I'm just answering the door. Our host is in the back of the house." Eli moved so Natalie and I could get in. Natalie beelined to the kitchen, leading me to believe that she'd been there before. A small feeling of dread started in my stomach that told me this was a setup, but I doubted it. That would have been a lot of pre-planning.
I stared at Eli for a moment. "Sooo, how was your date last night?"
"How did you know about that?" He narrowed his eyes at me. "Have you been stalking me?"
I smiled. "It happened to be with my best friend. It just worked out that way."
There was a moment of silence between the two of us, and then he started laughing. "We had a great time. She's a hoot."
I relaxed a bit and smiled. "Yeah, she really is. I'm glad you guys had a good time."
"You weren't mad at her for going out with me? No high hopes after your parent's bad attempt to hook us up?"
It was my turn to laugh. "Oh no, my mother did that without my knowledge, which is why I panicked and ran away. Jenny is a great girl, and honestly, I'm not really looking to date right now. I'm just trying to live my life without blowing something up or accidentally summoning more color-changing animals."
"More?"
"I have a color-changing rabbit." I shrugged. "Last year I summoned a bunch of bunnies out of hats in the formal department of a store."
He tried his hardest to keep a straight face, but his lips were turning up in the corners.
"It's okay to laugh, my magic is a bit quirky. But it got the job done. The day saved. The bad guy caught."
At the words 'bad guy' Eli paled just a little bit. "Bad guy?"
"Yeah, I was working with a PI on a case." It probably sounded a lot cooler than I meant, but it was the only interesting fact about me right now. Or so it seemed.
He chuckled. "Your mother made it sound like you do desk work for him."
"My mother is crazy. I run a magic store, I do enough of my own paperwork. I wouldn't do Trace's. He's more than capable of doing it." I shook my head and saw Natalie come out of the kitchen with Mortimer.
I blinked a few times at him as he stared at me. I waited until he reacted because I wasn't sure how I was supposed to play it off, other than saying that Natalie brought me.
Natalie gave a short laugh. "Mort, this is my friend Lacey. I brought her along as my guest."
Mortimer glared at me. "I'm very well acquainted with Lacey." He stepped up and held his hand out to me, but I didn't take it. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you here."
"Yeah, me either. I was just told to come and be myself, a safe haven for a quirky little witch."
"Quirky. Don't you mean powerful?"
I gave him a small smile. "I have no idea where this power is you keep talking about. I'm just me."
He made a hmph noise before walking away. I shook my head. "Sorry, that was awkward. Let's just have some fun?"
Eli smirked. "Oh, we're going to have some fun." He motioned to the backyard. "Mortimer always gives a demonstration with the new girl."
See, giant set up. "I'm not volunteering for anything." I crossed my arms. "You guys have the wrong witch."
"Mort is a hypnotist. It's not actually magic."
He came from a magical family. I doubted that. "Then why is he here if he isn't magical."
"I didn't say he wasn't magical. I said that his hypnotism isn't magic." She corrected me. "Come on, it's just a bit of fun."
"Is this how Mark ended up having pictures taken of him, naked, wearing just unicorn items?" I shook my head. "I'm out of here."
"No, I'm afraid you aren't 'out of here' Lacey." Mortimer walked back in.
I heard the locks around the house all click shut with an audible snap. I was trapped with no way out.
Mortimer walked toward me. "Now, you weren't able to locate my brother, but you have a color-changing rabbit. You can make living things appear, why didn't you try that magic with my brother?"
"Because Copperfield was an accident. I was trying a spell way too far out of my ability range." I met Mortimer's gaze and shoved my hands in my pocket, trying to go for casual. "Why do you have gatherings to pick on people. I thought this was a place of safety."
"I've done my own research on you, you're well off, own your own store, work for a PI. Certainly you have some cash to spare? Blackmail is a wonderful thing."
I pressed my lips together. "That's what you were hoping for from your brother? Blackmail? And he said no? Then you what? You made him disappear?"
"Oh no, I have nothing to do with his disappearance." He pulled out a pocket watch, and the ticking was the loudest thing in the room. Hypnotism was kind of like having the gift of sight, some people had it, and others were frauds. I didn't think Mort was a fraud.
I took a deep breath and did the only thing I could think of. I called on my magic and tried to find something to channel it into. I looked up at the ceiling and prayed it would work.
Mints fell from the ceiling, pelting everyone but me. I ran for the front door and turned the deadbolt. Luckily for me, it unlocked. I glanced back over my shoulder to see the three of them covering their heads as hard mints hit them. They ran for cover as I ran out the door. I jumped in my car and spared no time peeling into the road.
After my heart had settled down, I pulled off the road and took a few more deep breaths just to make sure that I was still okay. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that no one was behind me. I wasn't sure what the hell to think about what happened. Blackmail? Well off? I shook my head. My net worth wasn't public knowledge, and though I was far from a millionaire, I wasn't poor either.
I pulled my phone out and called Trace. "Hey, meet me at my house?"
"Not a 'hi Trace' or anything? Was the gathering that bad?"
"I um…" I started to laugh a little bit. "I dumped a bunch of hard mints on the group because they wanted to hypnotize me." The sentence came out so jumbled that I growled in frustration. "Look, just meet me at my house." I disconnected that call and then called Jenny.
"Oh, Lacey, I wanted to talk to you about Eli." She sounded way too excited.
"Dump his ass and find a non-magical person to get it on with."
She was silent for a moment, and I switched the call over to the hands-free system so that I could head home.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that creep was going to let some wizard hypnotize me for blackmail material. Stay away from him." I snapped and then took a deep breath. "Sorry, let me try that again. Jenny, Eli is working with a creep, and he may be connected to my current case."
Jenny let out a dramatic sigh. "Seriously, why can't the men I date just be normal."
"Seriously, that would be nice, but I have to go." I pulled the car on to the main highway. "I'm meeting Trace at the house to talk about what just happened." I shook my head. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. But seriously,
stay away from him, please."
"Aye, aye, you too then?"
"I'm going to try, but if he's connected to this case, I don't know if that's going to work."
She laughed. "Well if he is, take his ass out." She disconnected, and I concentrated on driving through the city to my house.
Trace's truck was parked on the street in front of my house, and he was leaning against the truck, waiting.
I pulled into the driveway and jumped out of my car. I put my hands on my hips. "I don't know what the hell is going on around here, but we have one man who has the ability of magical hypnotism with a brother who is supposed to have the power of sight, and blackmail going on."
Trace raised a brow. "Come on inside. Let's talk about it over some coffee."
"I'll make some herbal tea." I shook my head. "My nerves don't need any caffeine right now."
He chuckled. "Hold on." He opened the truck door and pulled out Copperfield. "He was sitting in your shop window when I left. I couldn't just leave him there."
I held my arms out, and Copperfield jumped into my arms and turned white. I snuggled him for a moment. "You know when I gave you the extra key to the shop for emergencies, I didn't mean picking up my rabbit. He would have been fine out of his cage for one night."
Trace laughed. "Yeah, but I think he wanted to come home." He put a hand on my back and gave me a gentle push. "Come on inside. It's getting cold out here."
I nodded and unlocked the door. When we entered I took a moment to glance around There were no signs of anything wrong, but I didn't want to risk being caught off guard.
"Okay, so you dropped a bunch of candy on the group?" Trace asked as I sat Copperfield down.
I nodded. "Yeah, I panicked, and it was the only thing I could think of doing."
"You know, I'm starting to think it's not that your magic is quirky, but innocent. Where you just trying to escape a socially awkward situation?"
"No, Mortimer is a hypnotist. My best bet is that he hypnotized his brother and got him to pose for the pictures and then Mort used them as blackmail. That's what he said he wanted to do with me. Said he'd looked into me and I was 'well off' and had 'enough to spare.'" I shook my head. "Seriously, I'm not filthy rich."
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