Shadow Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Book 6)

by Constance Barker

“Oh please, this space can use some youthful energy,” Granny smiled. “Now come in, come in! Look what came!”

  Granny led Thea to the couch where a large white cardboard box sat. Sybil lifted her head from her curled up position on the armchair nearby.

  “She’s been desperate for you to come home,” Sybil said as she gestured to the full-length mirror propped against the wall. “Even set everything up like our own bridal salon.”

  “The dress?” Thea asked. She knew she should be thrilled about trying on her wedding dress, but after the day she had all she wanted was to curl up in bed and think everything through. But Granny looked so excited. She couldn’t disappoint her.

  “We’ve been waiting forever for the alterations!” Granny said. “Come on, let’s try it on.”

  Thea obediently undressed while Granny opened the box and removed the dress. She was instantly commenting on everything: ‘Does this color match?’ ‘Oh, why did she take it in there?’ ‘I don’t know about this, Thea. What do you think?’. Granny unzipped the dress and held it open for Thea to step into. With a sigh of excitement Granny zipped it up and stood behind Thea, admiring her in the mirror.

  “Look at that. It’s beautiful. A little modern, maybe, but beautiful.”

  Thea took in the image of the curly-haired girl in a wedding dress in front of her. It was like looking at another person. The dress had been her mother’s, and Thea had stared at it a hundred times in the wedding photo on Granny’s nightstand. Standing here now, it almost felt like she was still looking at a photograph. The dressmaker had taken it in here and there, and she had removed some of the lace that made it look dated, but it looked the same. If only her mother could be here to see it.

  Thea hardly took in the whirlwind of activity around her as Granny pulled at the waist and discussed adding some beading and Sybil batted the loose fabric of the train around on the floor. With a sigh, Thea stepped back and dropped onto the couch, the fabric billowing up around her in a whoosh of taffeta and tulle. Sybil and Granny both stopped and took her in.

  “You’re upset,” Granny observed, sitting down next to Thea. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you to try it on.”

  “It’s alright. I should be excited. I’m just a bit...distracted.”

  “What’s going on?” Granny asked. Thea’s initial instinct was to brush the conversation aside. She could just tell Granny she was tired, which was true. But part of Thea wanted to confide in her. She needed a sounding board, and Granny had always been wonderful at talking through problems.

  “I met with the group tonight,” Thea said, turning to Granny. “The rebel group. Shannon showed me around their headquarters. And I’m just not sure how to feel. Tiegen seems to think they’re all about chaos. But this...it didn’t look chaotic. It looked organized. Well thought out. And when Shannon talks about things, it’s not about anarchy. It’s about being equal. It’s about sharing knowledge and finding a sense of fairness.”

  Granny nodded gently through Thea’s small speech, encouraging her to continue.

  “I’ve seen magic in the wrong hands. I know it can go terribly wrong. But then there’s my parents. If they believed in this group...then I don’t want to go against them.”

  Sybil glanced up in Granny’s direction before jumping back into the armchair and curling up to sleep. She would let Granny handle this one.

  “Your parents would be proud of you,” Granny said, taking Thea’s hand. “They would want you to figure out what you feel. And come to your own conclusions. Whatever conclusions those are. Just because you think the group is dangerous doesn’t mean you’re betraying your parents. And if you decide the group is here to do some good, well it doesn’t make them prouder.”

  Thea looked up to Granny’s eyes, finding comfort. She didn’t want to admit that she was still seeking her parent’s approval after all these years. It seemed crazy, but Granny acted like it was the most normal thing in the world.

  “That goes for me too, you know,” Granny said. “I won’t judge you or be upset with you. Whatever choice you make. As long as it’s your choice.”

  “Every new detail seems to throw a wrench into everything from before. I’m like some ping-pong ball being bounced back and forth here.”

  Sybil looked up, eager at the mention of a ball she could play with. Granny chuckled and the cat settled down again.

  “I’m proud of all the progress you’ve made so far. But you must remind yourself—you’re not alone here. You have Blaine and Pippa. And I’m here too. We’re working right alongside you, you know.”

  “I know,” Thea said. “I know you have this new burden of taking care of Danny, and I’m so grateful for it...”

  “Taking care of Danny isn’t what I mean, Thea.”

  Thea looked up at Granny, a questioning look in her eye. Was Granny working on Marie’s disappearance too?

  “What does that mean?” Granny looked at Thea as if considering what she should say next, but she quickly smiled and broke out of the serious conversation.

  “It means I’m working on getting my granddaughter’s dress perfect for her wedding. Which is only a few days away, you know! If there are going to be changes we have to act now.”

  “Alright, alright,” Thea said, laughing as Granny pulled her to her feet. She went back to fussing with the dress, taking it in again.

  “You know,” Granny said, resting her head on Thea’s shoulder as they looked in the mirror, “I think it’s just about perfect.”

  Thea smiled and pulled Granny into a hug.

  “Me too,” she said.

  Chapter 19

  Thea woke to the sound of Danny laughing in the kitchen. It was a nice way to wake up, and she found herself in a good mood as she dressed for the day and went down to join them. Danny was feeding marshmallows to Charlie from his bowl of cereal while Sybil looked on, feigning boredom. Thea chuckled at the sight and rubbed the cat’s head.

  “Feeling left out?” She asked as she lifted Sybil into her arms, but the cat wouldn’t dignify that with a response. Thea grabbed a granola bar from the cupboard and said goodbye to Granny and Danny who were politely debating whether five marshmallows was too much for a gecko. Meanwhile Charlie found his way into the open box on the table and helped himself.

  THEA WAS STILL SMILING about the domestic scene in the kitchen when she wandered into the shop to find Jesse already there. She dropped Sybil on the counter as she and Jesse fell into their usual rhythm with Jessie dusting shelves and re-stocking while Thea prepared the register. Suddenly, Pippa burst through the front door, jolting them both out of their reverie.

  “It’s so close!” She said, squealing.

  “What’s so close?” Thea asked from behind the counter. She looked to Jesse with the usual ‘What is this crazy girl talking about?’ expression.

  “The wedding!” Pippa cried. “I don’t know how you can think about anything else these days.”

  “Well, there has been a lot going on,” Jesse mumbled.

  “Did you choose the favors? I think chocolates are the way to go. Who doesn’t like chocolate?” Pippa asked.

  “All set to open?” Jesse asked, checking his watch.

  “Jesse, we’re talking wedding plans here!” Pippa sighed, but Thea nodded at Jesse.

  “And if we don’t open the store I won’t be able to pay for the wedding,” Thea laughed. As Jesse flipped the sign to ‘Open’, he saw Blaine through the door and held it open for him.

  “I think this guy’s supposed to do the paying,” Pippa laughed. “What with his big cop salary and all that.”

  “A lot less than you might think,” Blaine said with a smile, but one look at him and all merriment was sucked out of the room.

  “You look rough. Some all-night car chase or something?” Pippa asked as Thea came around the counter to meet Blaine at the door.

  “What’s going on? Are you alright?”

  Blaine laughed and ran a hand through his hair.

  �
��I didn’t think it was that obvious,” he said under his breath.

  “I’m thinking coffees all around,” Jesse said. “Alright to pick some up, boss?” Thea nodded and Pippa volunteered to join him. They headed out, arm in arm.

  Thea guided Blaine towards the counter and pulled out a chair.

  “I’m fine,” Blaine said, but he sat down when Thea told him to. “After your meeting last night, I just felt like I couldn’t go back home. I wanted to do something. So, I exhausted every resource, trying to find any possibility that Marie left on her own. Or at least left in a mundane way.”

  “You were up all night?” Thea asked, and Blaine nodded. “What did you find?”

  “There’s nothing. Her car hasn’t been touched. Her phone has no new messages or calls. No changes since she disappeared. Same with her bank account. It’s like her life was just...frozen. No one’s called in on the tip line to report anything. None of her online accounts have been logged into. It’s like...”

  “Like she dropped off the face of the planet,” Thea finished.

  “I really thought I would find something.” There was defeat in Blaine’s voice as he looked to the ground.

  “It’s good you tried,” Thea insisted. “We had to know for sure.”

  Blaine took her hand and squeezed as he looked up into her eyes.

  “I’m finally ready to admit that this is a magical problem. And...I’m pretty disappointed to admit that it’s outside of my skill set. I think it’s why I was holding on. I wanted an explanation I could help with.”

  “You know you’re helpful,” Thea assured him. “Knowing that this isn’t mundane, it means we can likely eliminate Ralph Hartley as a suspect. That’s definitely progress.”

  Jesse and Pippa returned with coffee and locked the door behind them, knowing this conversation was more important than work at the moment. Jesse flipped the sign back to ‘Closed’ while Thea filled them in on what Blaine had found out. Sybil had been listening from her spot on the counter, and now she raised her head with a stretch.

  “I think you should press Granny,” Sybil suggested. “She didn’t admit to knowing the rebel group until after you confronted her. There must be some reason she’s hiding something. Especially now that we know your parents were involved.”

  “Yeah, I don’t trust this group,” Pippa said. “And it’s not just because they didn’t invite me to their super-secret hide-out open house. I just think they have more secrets.”

  “I don’t know,” Thea said. “Shannon seemed pretty honest. She wants answers, just like us. But, you’re both right about one thing: there’s something we’re missing about this group.”

  They sipped their coffees as they discussed their options, bouncing ideas back and forth.

  “Since Blaine already talked to Ralph Hartley, and in light of what he learned last night, I think we can cross him off the list,” Thea said. “But I’d like to talk to Marie’s friend Eileen. Maybe there’s something new we can get out of her.”

  “What about Tiegen?” Jesse asked. “She has to know more than she’s telling you.”

  Thea shook her head. She had already thought through that option.

  “She’s not talking. She’s going to sit back and watch until I figure it out on my own.”

  “She’s your aunt, Thea. It’s stupid she won’t help you.” Pippa said.

  “It’s just her way,” Thea shrugged.

  “Maybe you could make it sound like you’re on her side,” Jesse suggested. “Frame your questions to make her believe that you agree with her about this group being dangerous.”

  Thea nodded.

  “It’s possible,” she said. What Thea didn’t say was that making Aunt Tiegen believe she had suspicions about the rebel group wouldn’t be hard. She already agreed with some of her aunt’s concerns.

  A click at the door startled the group. They looked up to see the locked door swing open as Aunt Tiegen strolled in, a beaming smile on her face.

  Chapter 20

  The tinkle of the doorbell seemed to bounce off the walls much longer than normal as they all stared awkwardly at each other. For a moment Thea had almost forgotten where she was.

  “Aunt Tiegen,” she finally stammered. “This is such a nice surprise. I mean I hope it is. Is everything okay?”

  Tiegen looked at her strangely for a moment and then swept into Thea for a hug. “I can only come into the shop if it’s an emergency?”

  “No. No! Of course not. You’re welcome to come anytime,” said Thea, hugging her back. “What can I do for you?”

  Tiegen held her at arm’s length.

  “No. You’re the almost bride,” she said. “I’m here to do for you.”

  Thea looked at her quizzically. She wasn’t sure she had the capacity to juggle another variable. There was so much pulling her in every direction already, but she smiled at her Aunt. Tiegen took her hands and looked into her eyes.

  “I want to give you both an early wedding gift. Selena and Alistair were like cats on roller coasters the week before their wedding. It’s a super stressful time, even for the most stable couples,” she said, sliding a pointed look at Blaine. “So it looks like I’m right on track giving this to you before the big day instead of on it.”

  Tiegen handed Thea a heavy linen envelope embossed with the logo of the Four Pines Hotel & Spa. Thea’s mouth fell open a little. This was a place so expensive and exclusive that Thea had never even been inside for lunch, forget about the spa. Inside was a voucher for a full couple’s day. Tiegen lit up, listing all the virtues of this particular spa: mud baths, Epsom salt scrubs, cucumbers, hot towel wraps, hot stone massages, even one of those pools with the fish that give your feet a pedicure. It was making Thea dizzy.

  ‘This is so generous,” she said. “We could definitely use a break-“

  “Then take it,” pressed Tiegen

  “I want to but, there’s planning to still do, the shop, we’re making progress on Marie’s case.-“

  Her aunt interrupted, taking her by the forearms and gazing firmly into her eyes.

  “There will always be something,” she said. “There will always be something to be solved or fixed or set right. If you let the huge number of demands that are waiting for you in your future be in charge of your time, then you will never have time for yourself and, just as important, you will never have real time for your marriage.”

  That stopped the protest that was rising to Thea’s lips. Thea looked over at Blaine, who had discreetly busied himself dusting and tidying a display.

  “He looks exhausted, doesn’t he,” Tiegen whispered.

  “He’s been working really hard.”

  “He likely always will. That’s why you have a spouse in this life, to look out for you and help you take a break when you’re working too hard to see you need one.”

  “A whole day though?”

  Tiegen smiled. “All of the urgent demands that are running the show right now will still be here tomorrow morning. Take a deep breath and a day off before you get married.”

  Thea looked down at the beautiful voucher. It was tempting. She smiled up at her aunt, ”Okay, I’ll talk to Blaine. This might be just what he needs.”

  “Wonderful,” said Tiegen, patting her on her cheek. “If you’re still sure about this wedding, then I’m still excited to be there. And I’m happy to make it a little more relaxing for both of you.” And with that she turned and disappeared out the front door, taking all of her surety and crackling energy with her.

  In her wake everyone seemed to exhale. Blaine sauntered up and leaned on the counter.

  “She is really enthusiastic about this spa, huh?”

  Thea turned to look into his blood shot, gentle eyes.

  “It actually sounds kind of perfect,” she said. “Do you think you could get some time off today, to at least get a massage?” Blaine chuckled in response.

  “It is kind of eerie timing,” he said. “When the morning shift found me still at my desk
from the night before, the higher ups ordered me to take the day off.”

  “Really?”

  “I believe the exact phrase was – R and R son. Mandatory.”

  Thea started to get an odd warm feeling in her chest. She had only played hooky from school once, but it was a very specific and delicious sensation. She was going to avoid a day of must do and sneak off for a day of want to. Why shouldn’t she and Blaine do that for each other? She turned her gaze to Pippa and Jessie.

  “I hate to abandon you like this, but do you think you could handle the shop and the wedding favors? It doesn’t have to be for the whole day,” she said.

  Pippa cocked her head at her. “Yes it does have to be for the whole day,” she scoffed.

  “Agreed, “ said Jessie. “This is perfect timing. Get out of here. Everything will be fine.”

  Pippa took her hand. “You need this.”

  From the strength of her look Thea could tell that she meant it. She realized she must be looking pretty worn out as well. She hated to stop the investigation, but Tiegen's words had struck home. “There will always be something to solve or fix or set right.” She could feel how true that was.

  Blaine put his hand on the small of her back. “Sounds like we’re going to have a spa day babe.”

  Thea took a deep breath and thought to herself, “Yes, let this be the first of many days where I remember to care for myself, my man and my love as fiercely as I care for others.”

  She squeezed Blaine’s waist and picked up her purse. She grinned at her lovely supportive friends and then turned to the door.

  “We’re going to have a spa day.”

  Chapter 21

  The Four Pines Hotel was tucked part way up a wooded hillside, out of sight of any sign of civilization. Thea and Blaine drove over a sturdy stone bridge spanning the small creek, which wound around the gracious property. The wide white colonnaded porch gave the enviable impression of being incredibly elegant and warmly welcoming in equal measure. The worn stone steps lifted them into a cool and quiet lobby.