by Amy Boyles
Betty frowned. “Think he’s hiding something?”
I shrugged. “Hard to say. I don’t know. But he certainly didn’t jump on the bandwagon of taking the dragon, either. If he’s aware of some sort of black market for selling them, he’s not talking.”
“I bet I could’ve found out.”
I folded my arms and leaned one hip against the counter. “So you’re saying that if we had sent you in instead of me, you could’ve discovered the real truth that Barry the Dragon Tamer is hiding?”
“Of course. I run this town, don’t I?”
“Doesn’t mean you run the world.”
“You’d be surprised.” Betty sipped her coffee. “So we’re back to square one.”
“Not really. Mysterio had contacts in Magnolia Cove. Someone might know something; I just don’t know what.”
Betty raised her cup. “Let me know if that boyfriend of yours comes up with a plan. We’ve got to keep you safe.”
I discreetly avoided acknowledging the boyfriend comment.
“I am safe. Rufus isn’t getting into town anytime soon.”
Betty scowled. “You know what I mean. I’m not talking about Rufus. I’m talking about whoever here in town wants to harm you to get to that dragon.”
I dismissed her with a wave. “I’ll be extra careful. How’s that sound?”
“Good.” Betty tossed her cup in the trash bin. She pulled her pipe from her pocket and stared out the window. “There’s that Hattie Hollypop.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Hattie! I totally forgot.”
“Forgot what?”
I smirked. “With all your craziness about someone wanting to steal Hugo and whatnot, I forgot Hattie told me she could help me discover the message Mom had for me.”
“And you believe her?”
“I believe her about as much as I believe someone wants to kill me.”
“Hmpf.”
I strode toward the door. “Can you watch the store for me? Only for a few minutes. I want to talk to Hattie.”
Betty pulled her corncob pipe from her mouth and lit it from a flame that appeared on the tip of her finger. Wow. If that didn’t appear so scary, I would actually say that it was cool. “Go on. I’ll be here.”
I nearly catapulted from the store to catch up with Hattie. Turned out, I didn’t. I walked all the way to Brews and Jewels, and ended up following her inside.
I had no idea why I’d never entered this store before. The first thing I saw was a handcrafted silver and amethyst necklace that took every breath I had from my body. And I mean every breath—past and present. The piece was stunning.
In fact, the whole store was filled with cases of richly colored gemstones set in either silver or gold.
“Wow,” I said.
Hattie, who’d taken a spot behind the counter, smiled at me. She’d tamed her hair into a coiffed gorgeous up-do. Her dark eyeshadow matched the jewel tones of the gems sprinkled around the shop. I peeked beyond her and noticed the bar.
There were already a few people drinking wine.
Hey, who was I to judge?
“So you decided to come,” Hattie said.
I dragged my gaze from an emerald ring to her. “This store is amazing. I can’t believe I’ve never been in before. Of course, my pocketbook wouldn’t like it very much,” I said, laughing in embarrassment. “But boy, I could spend a fortune here.”
“Lots of people could and do,” she said, still smiling.
I strode up to the counter, keeping my hands plastered to my sides so that I didn’t touch anything. Last thing I needed to do was break a valuable that cost my entire year’s income. Boy, I’d be in deep trouble then. I was pretty sure this place had a You-Break-It-You-Buy-It policy.
“Is your dragon okay?” she asked.
“He’s fine, though that little fire-breathing stint caused me some problems with the law. He’s young and I’m still learning how to bond with him and whatnot.” I rolled my eyes. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m cut out to own a dragon. There’s a lot of responsibility that goes with that.”
Hattie smiled. “That’s one thing I don’t have to worry about with a cat.”
“Too bad I couldn’t bond with one of those,” I said.
She laughed and held my gaze for a long moment. “So. What can I help you with?”
“Yes. Do you remember when I mentioned I was trying to figure out about that message my mother had left with Mysterio?”
“Of course. Are you here to see if we can figure it out?”
I pulled the folded sheet from my purse. Yes, I had it with me. There was no way I was going to separate myself from it. After all, it was the closest thing I had to a message from my dead mother. I didn’t want it far from me at all.
Hattie pressed the page onto the counter. She pursed her lips as she rubbed the writing. “There are some things I can try. I’m not sure if they’ll work, but it may help shed some light anyway.”
Hope bubbled in my chest. “Oh? What things?”
Hattie slid open a case and pulled out a rough looking ebony stone. She slid it over the page. Then she looked up and smiled. “Sometimes the burned bat’s bone does the trick. Sometimes it doesn’t. Let’s see.”
I leaned back, horrified. “Burned bat’s bones?”
“Yes. Some of the precious stones in this shop aren’t stones at all. They’re actually bones or other organic substances.”
“Other organic substances?” I said, no less grossed out by what she was implying.
“Things like petrified dove hearts, dried lizard livers, that sort of thing. They’re all hard as stone, even if they aren’t technically rock. The uses for such things is myriad.”
The edges of the paper began to smoke. Worry knotted my stomach. “What’s happening? That thing isn’t going to destroy the page, is it?”
“It shouldn’t.” Hattie waved her hand over the paper until the smoke cleared. The page looked exactly as it had before.
“What are you trying to do?”
Hattie tapped her fingers on the glass as she searched the contents of the case. “I’m trying to return what was written on that page to it. I guess the bat’s bones didn’t work. We might have to pull out the big guns.”
My eyebrows rose. “The big guns?”
“I’m thinking an owl’s eye.”
“Ew.”
She laughed. “It’s only called that.”
“Thank goodness.”
“It’s really an owl’s testicle.”
I nearly vomited. “Gross.”
Hattie rubbed a white marble over the page. This time the paper curled and flexed as if warming up for a sprint.
“I think I might throw up before I leave this place.”
Hattie laughed. “You wouldn’t be the first person that’s happened to.”
The paper stopped twisting. I leaned over to see if any writing had appeared. “Nothing again.”
Hattie poked the air. “Don’t worry. I’m not giving up. The third’s the charm, right?”
“So they say.”
She pulled a blood red stone from another case. She rubbed it between her palms before setting it on the page.
I shoved the phone in my pocket as a spark burst from the page. I ducked to the floor, covering my head. “Holy crap! What was that?”
Hattie leaned over the counter, where I cowered like a big pansy. “That was the bloodstone at work. Come see what was written.”
I pressed a hand to my heart, where my chest hammered against my palm. I took several deep gulps of air and pushed up to standing.
The paper sparkled and glistened. I stared at the words. My body filled with joy as I gazed on more of the text. Letters hovered in the space where they would normally have been if the rest of page had existed. But instead of paper, it was ink floating in the atmosphere—ink and handwriting that perfectly matched the beginning of the text.
Tell her that though we are separated, there is something she must know
. The depth—
My chest deflated. “What? Is that it? Where’s the rest of the message?”
Hattie shot me a sympathetic frown. “I’m sorry. That’s all that written. The bloodstone revealed everything that was on the page before it had been ripped off. Was there something else you wanted or expected?”
I stared at the paper and realized that Mysterio must’ve been interrupted when he wrote the message.
I sighed. All my hope and joy vanished in less than an instant. “I didn’t know what to expect. I had hoped the message would’ve been complete, but it’s not.”
I glanced at the stone and a new thread of thought flared. “Are you sure that stone is right? That there isn’t more? I mean, maybe that stone is defunct or something.”
Hattie laughed as if I’d said the most asinine thing since someone suggested that slicing bread was a horrible idea.
Not sure if that ever happened, but it sounded reasonable.
“There’s no way the bloodstone is wrong. It’s the most accurate artifact I have.”
I cocked a brow. “What makes you so sure?”
Hattie’s lips coiled into a smug smile. “Because of what it’s created from. Blood from the purest and most magical creature that has ever been known to exist.”
I shoved a hand on my hip. “Just because it’s so magical doesn’t mean it’s right. Maybe it missed something. Can you try again?”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you. I know this was important, but the bloodstone is never wrong. It just never is. I wish I could say that there’s been a time that doing the spell twice worked, but it didn’t. The bloodstone did its job.”
I sighed. “Okay. I guess that’s it, then.” I flashed her a feeble smile, knowing I’d come to the end of the road about the message my mother had left me. “Thanks.”
I shouldered my purse and headed toward the door. I paused before opening it and turned to Hattie. “And just what was that bloodstone made of?”
Hattie polished the rock before placing it carefully in the case. “That particular bloodstone is made of the heart of a magical creature.”
“Right. You said magical creature, but which one?”
My blood froze when Hattie said, “Why, a dragon, of course.”
SEVENTEEN
I trembled the entire walk to Familiar Place. When I got inside, there was a young woman with shoulder-length brown hair browsing the merchandise.
“I’ve got a nice iguana in the back,” Betty offered.
“I’m looking for a Maine coon cat.”
“How about a nice basset hound? I’m sure we can order one of those for you,” Betty said.
I nearly smacked my forehead. I strolled up to the woman and smiled. “I’d be happy to order a Maine coon for you, but we can’t guarantee a match with a familiar sight unseen. I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. You never know what sort of familiar you’re going to connect with.”
My gaze shifted to Hugo, who slept on a towel that Betty had obviously tossed in a corner for him.
The woman sniffed. “I have my heart set on a Maine coon.”
“Those are stupid cats,” one of the kittens said. “Send her my way.”
I peered over the woman’s shoulder at a long-haired silver tabby. “Why don’t you look at this little guy?”
The woman’s nose wrinkled. I led her over to the cage and said, “What do you think?”
“I don’t know,” she said.
Then lightning struck. Not literally, but kinda sorta. The woman’s gaze met the cat’s and the rest was history.
Ten minutes later, another satisfied customer exited Familiar Place. Betty brushed her hands. “Another successful pairing thanks to me.”
I nearly choked on her lie. “Are you kidding? If it had been up to you, she would’ve ended up with a bumblebee for a familiar.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Yes. Especially since we don’t sell them.”
“A minor inconvenience.”
I flared my arms. “Okay. Whatever, but I think I may have discovered something pretty serious.”
“What’s that?”
“Hattie Hollypop has a store filled with stones that are taken from the body parts of animals.”
“That’s what some witches use for spell casting. Why?”
I grabbed a bottle of water from behind the counter and drank half of it. “Because one of the stones she had was made from a dragon.”
Betty’s eyebrows shot to peaks. “My, my. Now that is interesting.”
“Yeah, but I don’t know what to do with it.”
“Did you ask her where it came from?”
Oh, crap. “No, I didn’t. I wasn’t thinking straight. She said dragon; my body went all wonky on me. It was very strange. But I feel like that’s a solid lead. Remember, I saw her with Mysterio. She knew him. He could’ve been buying dragons for some horrible trade that makes magical stones from them. Then Hattie was buying the stones.” I clapped my hands together as if I’d solved the case. “See? It’s perfect.”
The bell tinkled. “What’s perfect?”
Cordelia entered carrying two boxed plates of food. “We had some left over lunch from a party. Thought I’d drop it by.”
“You’re my favorite granddaughter today,” Betty said.
I smirked.
Cordelia shook her head. “I’m not looking for brownie points.”
Betty opened it and dug into the plate filled with chicken, pimiento and fruit salad. I smiled as Cordelia handed me a box.
“Thank you.”
“So what no-good thing are y’all up to?” Cordelia said.
I plucked a cranberry from the chicken salad and popped it in my mouth. “Hattie Hollypop has a dragon bloodstone.”
Cordelia whistled. “Wow. Now that’s something I didn’t expect. A dragon bloodstone? You think she’s in on the whole dragon selling ring?”
Betty raised a fork full of salad. “Why don’t we tie Hugo outside her jewelry shop and see if she steals him? We’ll hide out and yell ‘gotcha’ when Hattie nabs him.”
I swiveled in a chair toward her. “That’s a teensy bit too crazy even for me.”
“You’re the sane one.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Cordelia inspected a long strand of her blond hair. “Grandma Betty’s got a good point. If this whole thing is about dragon buying, then there are several ways we can go.”
Betty poked the air with her fork. “Cordelia’s right. We can one, bait the killer. Two, don’t bait the killer and wait for them to come to you. Or three, we bait the killer.”
My stomach coiled. “I take it you think we should bait the killer.”
A slow smile spread across Betty’s face. “That’s a great idea, and I’ve got the perfect plan to make sure it happens.”
Cordelia studied her. “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”
“If you’re thinking we should stage something that showcases Hugo but also makes him vulnerable, then you’re exactly right.”
I frowned. “But what? What are we supposed to stage?”
Cordelia groaned. “Our grandmother wants us to stage a helpless creature nearly being eaten by a baby dragon.”
I shook my head. “No one’s going to buy him eating a creature. We need flames. Flames and fire.”
Betty snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it.”
“What’s that?”
Her tooth glinted in the sunlight as she smiled. “We set the neighborhood on fire.”
“And kill someone?” I screeched. “No way.”
She shrugged. “Okay. We’ll set our own house on fire then.”
I nodded. “That’s better.”
EIGHTEEN
That afternoon, the three of us worked through the entire set up. We ironed out the wrinkles and even though Betty tried to create more dents in the plan than she smoothed out, we still managed to wrangle her in until we had a sold working outline.
“Okay, one last time,” I said.
Betty moved little tuffs of napkin around on the counter as if they were chess pieces. “I’ll set a fire here, on the front side of the house. You and your cousins run out screaming that the dragon set the house ablaze. Throw your hands up in the air and look scared.” She shot me a pointed look. “Should be easy for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Then what?”
“Then we make a big enough fuss that the neighbors say that the dragon needs to be taken away. We put up a big fight with Garrick about this—”
“—And make an enemy in the meantime,” I said.
Cordelia grabbed one of the papers and moved it to the side. “Garrick’s not like that.”
I rubbed my arms. “Okay, so we don’t make an enemy. After Garrick gets called, what do we do?”
Betty plucked the paper from Cordelia’s grasp and returned it to its spot. “Then we put up a big fuss that no one’s going to take the dragon.”
“Okay.”
“Then here’s the brilliant part,” Betty said smugly. “Then we wait. We put the dragon outside as if we’re mad at him, as if we’re punishing him and we wait.”
“Because all that ruckus will ensure we got someone’s attention?” I said.
Betty nodded. “The right person’s attention.”
“Or the wrong one,” Cordelia said.
“All that fuss will buzz around the neighborhood faster than a mosquito drinking up the town’s blood.”
“Gross,” I said.
“But it gets to the point,” Betty said, shuffling in her chair. “They’ll be watching and waiting, thinking their time is near. So that’s what we do.”
“Okay. When’s the plan set for?”
Betty’s eyes sparkled. “Tonight.”
I arrived home with the dragon draped around my neck. I was beginning to get attached to little Hugo and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t want any harm to come to this little guy. He was supposed to grow up to be my protector. Well, in the meantime, I was his protector, right? It was my job to make sure he stayed safe.
And I planned on doing that to the utmost.
When I entered the house, I saw that Betty had Cordelia and Amelia on the couch, going over our plans.
