by Mara Webb
“Well, here’s the thing,” Deacon said as Clark walked up the steps and handed the keys to me. He saluted and made his way inside. “I didn’t actually rent it this time. I bought it for you.”
My mouth dropped open. “Deacon! What?! Really?!”
A massive grin spread across Deacon’s face. I hugged him again. I’d never had a car of my own. “Surprise,” he said as we broke away. “The rental place was going to cube her, so I thought I’d save poor Buttercup from the clutches of death.”
“Cube my Buttercup? Those monsters! Oh gosh, I’m so overwhelmed. I have to take you for a drive at some point!”
“I’d be delighted, but I have to say if your driving is anything like the rest of your family then I’m a little nervous. Between your Aunt Glenda and Cousin Lizzy they have like half of the speeding tickets on the island.”
“Well they’re both insane, but I’m a responsible driver. Why don’t I pick you up from work later and we can go out for dinner?”
“Sounds perfect. You headed to the studio now?” he asked.
“I’ve got a small detour to make first. I’m potentially digging up more of my family tree. A murder mystery might be easier to stomach though.”
Deacon and I kissed goodbye and arranged to meet up again later. I sprinted down the steps from the police station and did a small victory lap of Buttercup. “Hello again angel,” I said as I climbed in and started up the engine. It was not the smooth purr of a fine Italian sportscar, or the deep rumble of a luxury SUV. She sounded like a tin can full of marbles, and I loved her.
“How about a short maiden voyage, Buttercup. A trip to the theatre for some comedy or tragedy. Let’s see how amazing The Amazing Zandino really is.”
“Dead,” the girl behind the counter said.
“What?!”
“Yeah. Like… fifteen years ago.” She pointed to a spot on the wall behind me and I turned to see a giant mural honoring the late Zandino. I had to admit I didn’t expect this line of enquiry to end so abruptly. I looked around at the sleepy theatre lobby and sighed. “Uh… did you want an autograph or something? We sell copies in the giftshop.”
“You’re sure he’s dead?”
“Yup. I’m his niece. I was at the funeral. Why’s it so important anyway?”
“It’s stupid,” I said and shook my head. “There was a chance he might be my father.”
“Father?” The girl knotted her brow. “He never had kids, sorry. As far as I know he never even really had a long term relationship. He spent his entire life devoted to his craft. Maybe he had a secret love child, but I doubt it.” She shrugged. “I can give you ten percent off the museum tour if you like?”
“No, that’s cool though, thank you. Have a good day.”
I headed back outside and decided to stretch my legs a little and let my mind unwind. Somehow my mom coming back to the island had turned into a ‘Let’s find my father!’ adventure, one that she had promptly ducked out of, leaving me to figure it out alone. Not only was this a question that I hadn’t been concerned with answering before she came back, but in true mom fashion I was the one now doing all the work while she ran around playing happy housewife for a fleeting romance.
I was halfway down the street when I noticed it had started to snow. I then saw the figure of a man running across the street, waving his hand at me. He was the size of a fridge-freezer, wearing a long brown coat and a flat fluffy hat. At once I recognized him as Viktor Oblonsky.
“Sponks!” he said in his heavy Russian accent. He caught up to me and came to a stop.
I had first met Viktor a few months ago when pursuing another murder mystery. At the time I thought he was a cold-blooded Russian gangster, but that was just a front he put on to keep people away. Oblonsky was actually a powerful wizard, one that was guarding an area of dangerous wild magic on the northern edge of town.
“Viktor!” I said and stopped to talk with him. “You’re looking as menacing as ever.”
“Thank you.” He smiled through his thick Russian accent. “I was actually hoping to bump into you. Did you have a chance to think over that job offer?”
To be honest I had, but I’d just been so busy tripping over dead bodies that I hadn’t found the chance to get back to Viktor. He wanted help figuring out the triangular area of magic that he was protecting the rest of the island from. For some reason he thought I was just the person to help.
“Look, I can’t say I’m not interested, it just seems like every time I get a second to myself someone ends up dying.”
Viktor laughed. “Yes, life has a funny way of keeping us busy. I wanted to speak to you because the triangle has been…” Viktor looked around to make sure no one was near and lowered his voice. “Extra weird lately.”
“Weird how?” I asked.
“Let’s just say that things have been appearing. Things that shouldn’t be here.”
“You’re not going to give me anymore, are you?”
“I think it is too dangerous to talk about here. But I think we urgently need to solve this problem.”
“How long do you think we have?”
“It’s hard to say,” he said on a long and outward breath. “The triangle, she has been here for years undiscovered, but she has been growing. Her boundaries have finally settled I think, but these other strange things have started happening now. It could be weeks; it could be months… it could be days!”
“I’ll try and swing around at some point in the week, I promise, yeah? I’d get a lot more done if people on this island stopped killing each other!” Viktor laughed again. “Can’t you give me any clues?”
He looked around again. There were only a few people on the street with us, and none of them were nearby. “Okay. Riddle me this. How many gas stations are on this island?”
“I have… no idea. I only just got a car today actually! It’s that little yellow one down there! My Buttercup!”
Viktor squinted to see the distant silhouette of my small car and smiled. “You can fit in that thing?”
“Just about. How many gas stations are on the island?”
“There used to be three,” he said. “One in Pendle town, one in Delfino Bay, and one in Babonix up north.”
“So?”
“We now have four.”
I stared at the large Russian. “And that is a problem why?”
Viktor glanced around once again before moving in close and pulling a phone out of his pocket. “I have a video. Take a look.” He pressed play and the video started. I heard Viktor’s voice.
“Gee, these prices sure are cheap!” he said. “How do you folks stay open?” The camera was currently pointed down at a checkered floor. It shifted up and I got the impression Viktor was recording this conversation in secret. A counter came into view, and behind it there was a woman in a bright pink waitress uniform. She was dressed up real nice, much too nice for someone behind a gas station counter.
“What can I say cupcake, we like to stay competitive on Regent Rock. Say, are you from out of town? I ain’t heard an accent like that before. You almost sound like one of them Russians.”
“Oh, not me!” Viktor laughed in his obviously Russian accent. “I’m from the mid-west!”
“That explains it then. Have a good day now!”
The video ended and Viktor slipped the phone back into his jacket. “What do you think of that Miss Sponks?”
“Pendle Island’s new gas station is fifties themed?”
“No,” he said with a grave shake of his head. “Not fifties themed. It is from the fifties. It appeared on one of the roads in the triangle just yesterday morning. Now perhaps you see my concern.”
“I’ll admit it’s a little odd, but this is way out of my remit. We should get the MCI involved.”
“No!” he said quickly. “Those idiots, they will only mess this up. We have to handle this together, quietly. The MCI cannot know. You hear?!”
“All right, don’t get your Russian panties in a twist. I�
��ll admit the MCI have a habit of making things worse. I’ve got enough on my plate as it is, but if I get a chance I’ll swing by and see you soon. Okay?”
“Hurry,” he said as he turned around and started to walk back across the street. “I think something big is coming!”
“Chances are you’re right,” I muttered to myself. “This island doesn’t like me to rest for too long.”
My ringing phone broke me out of my trance. I pulled it out and saw Adam was calling.
“Hey Adam,” I said. “What’s up? Did you find Artemis?”
“Yeah, he was passed out in the multiplex. I put him in the travel cage and took him home. He’s still asleep, but I’m sure he’ll be plenty angry when he wakes up.”
I was actually surprised, I had asked someone to do something, and they had followed through.
“That’s it? No catch? No bad news? Nothing went wrong?”
“I mean he ate a lot of popcorn, so he is definitely going to vomit at some point, but all things considered that’s a pretty desirable outcome with Artemis.”
“Darn, Adam, consider me impressed. It’s not often my friends or family make my life easier.”
“Hey, you did me a real solid rescuing me from that shifter pack, so I figured I should try and get a few things done without screwing up. I’m just working in the garden now, undoing everything Serena did—hey! Serena! Put the rake down!” There it was. The sound of frantic footfall came, followed by Adam’s rapid breathing. “I’ve got to go Chelsea, see you later!”
“At least Artemis is safe and sound,” I said to myself as I headed back to the car. I fired up Buttercup and drove in the direction of the studio, trying to clear all the noise out of my head while I focused on the case at hand.
So far, we had a few suspects, though nothing concrete on any of them. Tyson’s girlfriend and the main actress in the movie, Winnie, wasn’t even on the set, but she appeared to have some sort of secret relationship going on. Deacon mentioned her neighbors had confirmed her alibi, meaning she was basically out of the mix.
Then we had the writer, the jazz playing salmon eater, Leonard Bell. Tyson had not only humiliated Leonard in public, but he’d screwed him over royally with a bum contract. Again, Leonard had an alibi, and Deacon said it had been confirmed, so that basically crossed him out too.
Leonard pointed the finger at the director, claiming he killed Tyson for a fast promotion. I didn’t fully agree with the logic but hadn’t yet had a chance to talk with Marty properly, so he was still a person of interest.
Then there was mom. I really didn’t think she was the killer, but there was that small window where she was alone, and she had been mad at Tyson.
My head was running in circles, and before I knew it, I was back at Moon Drop studios. I pulled up to the barrier and stopped my car at the booth.
“Chelsea!” Larry said from his window. He was certainly more amiable now we knew one another. He peered around me and his mood seemed to drop a little. “Ah yeah, they arrested your mom. It figures she’s not with you.”
“What? Oh. Yeah. She’s definitely under arrest. Anyway, can you buzz me in? I’ve got to tie up a few loose ends in there.”
“I’m afraid not, sorry,” he said. “I’m under strict orders to not let you in.”
“What?! From who?!”
“Sorry Chelsea, I’m not supposed to say. Look, it was swell to meet you and all, but I’m only supposed to let official police in. You’re not police and you’re not on the list… so…”
“Larry, where is this coming from? Someone specifically doesn’t want me inside?”
“What can I say? It’s not personal! Just following orders!”
“Tell me who issued it.”
“I can’t. I really can’t.”
“I’ll tell you what my mom said about you.”
He suddenly perked up. “She said something?”
“Yeah, now who’s stopping me from getting inside?”
Larry looked up at the sky, appearing to hate the pressure he was under. “All right. It was Mr. Miller. Marty.”
“The director?!”
He nodded. “Sorry Chelsea. You didn’t hear it from me by the way. Now what did your mom say about me?”
“Huh? Oh. Uh… she said you’re cute,” I lied, putting my car into reverse and pulling away from the booth.
“Cute? Oh, Chelsea! That’s just swell!”
“Yeah, it’s just fantastic, Larry,” I muttered sarcastically under my breath.
9
I drove around the corner to give the appearance that I was leaving, but to be honest I had the intention of doing anything but that. Once my car was out of sight of the main entrance, I turned off the engine and looked at the ugly ruby ring on my finger.
“Uh… do I really have to do this again?” I muttered to myself as I rubbed the lumpy red stone. The ring started to vibrate and with a flash of red lightning the spectral form of Granny Sponks appeared in the passenger seat next to me.
“Oh goody, my favorite grandchild again!” she said sarcastically. The see-through red woman pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag. “That was a joke by the way. You’re not my favorite.”
“My heart weeps. Whatever will I do grandmother?”
To my surprise the old crone actually laughed. It was an odd sound, and I imagined she was very out of practice. “What do you want?” she snapped. “Make it quick! I got better things to do than answer your silly questions all day!”
“I need to get back in the studio.”
“What is this? A repeat?! Use the invisibility spell I prepared for you! Are we done?!” Her appearance started to crackle, and I knew she was about to leave.
“Wait!” I said. “It’s not that straightforward! The invisibility only lasts so long, and once it wears off, I’ll just get thrown out.”
The spectral vision of my long dead grandmother took another long drag of her cigarette and let out a very long sigh. “So what do you want? Spell it out, moron!”
I hadn’t actually thought of that, I was hoping she would give me all the answers. The disapproving expression on her face told me she knew as much. “Well I—” I stuttered.
“You thought now you have a magic ring with all the answers you never have to think for yourself! Ha! I swear you witches get lazier with every generation!”
“Okay, okay, calm down you old witch. Is there a spell that can change my appearance? Just for a short time? Something to help disguise me?”
“Most likely. Honestly, I never changed my appearance because I liked to face my problems head on. Like a real woman.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Why did I think this would be useful,” I muttered, speaking mostly to myself now. “I guess I have to figure this out myself. But how?”
“But how? But how?!” Granny Sponks mocked from the passenger seat, miming crying as she balled her hands into her eyes. “Listen to yourself girl! You sound like one of those brain-dead Bouchard witches! Now you’re lazy, dumb, and I don’t understand your fashion sense, but I know one thing about you, you have Sponks blood in you!”
“Despite the uplifting sentiment in that sentence it was all insults,” I pointed out.
“Will you stop talking for one second and let me finish? That’s the problem! Always trying to crack jokes instead of listening. You think this business is all so complicated, and that’s why you’re not learning anything. Magic is just like any other skill. Pick up a book and open it. That’s how you learn. That’s how I did it!”
It made sense the answer would be in a book, and I’ll admit I felt a bit stupid for not realizing that. It was just a matter of which book, and how to find it. “Okay so, a book—”
“Stop!” Granny said. “I’m about to tell you. What you need to do is climb to the top of Pendle Mountain. There you’ll find the witching books, now it’s a long hike and it will take several days, but once you get—”
“Or I could just… summon something?�
� I said as I talked over her.
I snapped my fingers and all of a sudden, a huge tome appeared in my hands and landed on my lap and the steering wheel. My side of the car dipped slightly under the new weight. The book said ‘Witch’s Digest: Issue 3942’ on the front.
Granny Sponks just stared at me for a moment. “Well, I guess that works too,” she grumbled quietly.
“I’ve seen Lizzy use Witch’s Digest for magical answers before. I’m pretty good with witch runes now so shouldn’t have a hard time reading it. I just need to empty my mind and think of what I’m searching for.”
To my delight the angry ghost next to me was actually quiet while she watched me figure things out. I held one hand over the cover and thought of what I wanted to know.
How can I change my appearance?
All of a sudden the huge book exploded open and pages started turning in a blur. My hair was blowing everywhere and the entire car was filled with violent wind. It stopped as suddenly as it started, the book resting on a page that contained a spell to change one’s appearance. A quick glance over and I saw it didn’t look that complicated, but I would need the assistance of someone else.
“It says you need another witch,” Granny Sponks said as she read over my shoulder. “Don’t think I’m helping!”
“Oh, come on!” I said.
“Fine,” she growled, “but after this you leave me alone for three entire days.”
“I can go far longer than that.” I glanced back at the book and read the spell. It was fairly simple. I just needed to hold my hands over my face and whisper a small incantation. While I was doing that I needed someone else to look at me and imagine a different face in their mind.
Once the spell was done I would take on the appearance of that person until sunset, or until I cancelled the spell.
“Are you ready?” I asked. “I’ll cover my face and you imagine someone else’s face. Just keep it normal. Nothing recognizable.”
“Got it,” she said with a straight face. “Do the thing already.”
I covered my face and started whispering the incantation. All of a sudden, I heard a loud pop and felt the warm rush of magic pour down over my body, from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. It fizzled out and I knew the spell was done. At once I became aware that I was much bigger. My cheek was pushed up against the roof of the car and my knees were pushed back against my shoulders.
