by Linnea West
Esmeralda gave a sharp yank on the rope and Nancy stumbled forward, narrowly avoiding a collision with Maggie. The crone glared at Maggie as she went by, but Maggie just put her head down and ignored it, glad that there were no more liquids in the nearby vicinity to spill.
As the snarling crone came closer to them, both gnome police officers took a few steps back. In fact, they shuffled a few steps back, each clinging to the other’s arm before realizing that they were supposed to be in a position of authority. Letting go of each other, they dusted off their jackets and cleared their throats. Officer Wes leaned forward.
“Is it human?” he said in a stage whisper, pointing at Nancy without even trying to hide it.
“Yes I’m human, you nitwit,” Nancy screeched. “Whatever happened to respecting your elders? First, these two come to my house and accuse me of killing my best friend just because they found my hair in her poisoned potion. Then, they wrapped me in these stupid ropes and walked me here. And now this? It is complete and utter folly.”
“I think it is human,” Officer Chris whispered to Officer Wes.
Nancy opened her mouth and let out such a high-pitched squeal that Ned was finally roused from his slumber in the cell. Ned rolled off of his cot and hit the floor with a loud thud. He jumped to his feet so fast that Maggie had to admit that she was impressed with how spry the old man was.
“What in the world was that?” Ned spluttered.
His long gray hair was tangled and pieces were falling over his face as he frantically tried to push them back behind his ears. Strands kept getting caught in Ned’s half-moon glasses until finally he gave up once most of the hair was out of his face. As he looked around at the scene in the police station, pieces of hair were still stuck in the corners of his glasses, pointing out to the side like radio antennae.
“That would be the new main suspect,” Esmeralda said. “You’re free to go.”
For a beat, everyone stood still. Ned swayed a bit side to side as he tried to figure out if he was still dreaming. The gnome policemen stared at each other as though they were trying to telepathically come up with a plan. And Nancy stood wrapped in rope, her chest heaving. For her part, Maggie simply tried to blend into the background like she was some sort of houseplant.
Ned took a step forward and pushed on the door of the cell. Nothing happened, but optimistic Ned tried once more. Maggie started dying inside of second-hand embarrassment although Ned didn’t look put out at all by it.
“How am I supposed to get out?” he asked.
Maggie glanced down at the police officers, both of whom were looking around at everyone else like they expected someone else to have a set of keys to the jail cell. Esmeralda cleared her throat to try and send them a message, but it didn’t work.
“I’m sure one of these fine officers has a key to the cells,” Esmeralda finally said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.
Officer Chris and Officer Wes looked at each other and Maggie could tell immediately that no, neither of Grimwood Valley’s finest had a key to the jail cell. Or at least, neither of them had a key readily available. The two gnomes started whispering furiously to each other. They were far enough away from Maggie that she couldn’t tell exactly what they were saying, but it quickly became heated to the point that Officer Chris poked Officer Wes in the chest which caused Officer Wes to knock Officer Chris’s hat off of his head. Apparently, they were each accusing the other of losing the keys. They were about to jump into a full-fledged brawl when a sharp whistle cut through the brouhaha.
“Enough,” Esmeralda said. “I’ll do it myself. Ned, you are free to go. Make yourself scarce, but not too scarce. Officer Chris and Officer Wes, Nancy is now the main suspect. We will be putting her in the jail cell. You are to keep the door shut and locked but feel free to interrogate her. I will leave the clue that we found on the table over there. Maggie, we are going home.”
Esmeralda pointed to the jail cell and the door swung open. Ned stared at the opening for a moment like it was a trick. Taking a step toward it, he cautiously waved his hand through the doorway as though there was some sort of invisible trap on the other side that wouldn’t let him through. Once he saw that his hand and then the rest of his arm were safe and sound, Ned grabbed his pointy wizard hat from the ground next to the cot and dashed toward the door.
“Thank you, Esmeralda,” Ned yelled as he dashed out the front door and into the fog.
Maggie couldn’t help it. She laughed out loud at the sight of Ned running away, his long robe hitched up to mid-thigh level. A part of her wished she could be a little bit like Ned. He never cared what anyone thought of him, unless they thought he was a murderer of course.
Esmeralda tugged on the rope until she got Nancy to the jail cell. Once the door was shut and locked, Esmeralda pointed her finger once more and the ropes holding Nancy disappeared. The crone shook herself like a dog, hard enough she stumbled sideways into the cot and almost fell over. Maggie let out a giggle again but quickly silenced it when her mother shot a look her way.
“I’d appreciate a hint of professionalism,” Esmeralda said.
Her voice was so sharp that Maggie felt the sting of it on her face even though it had hopefully been quiet enough for only Maggie to hear. It was a laugh born only out of nerves, not out of amusement, but Maggie could feel her cheeks start to burn. Esmeralda looked away quickly, walking toward the police officers.
Maggie was so lost in the haze of embarrassment and shame that she had no idea what her mother said to the police officers and Nancy. The next thing she knew, Esmeralda was leading her out the front door of the police station. As they walked, Maggie could feel tears sting her eyes. She hadn’t meant to laugh at Nancy. The whole situation had been so overwhelming that unfortunately, it had come out as a laugh.
“I didn’t mean to laugh,” Maggie finally said. There was something about the fog that made her feel secure and comforted. When she had first learned about the fog, it had been terrifying. But as she and her mother walked home, it felt like a cozy blanket, tucking them in and making them comfortable in each other’s presence.
“I know you didn’t,” Esmeralda said. “I’m sorry that I snapped at you. I’m just a little on edge. There is something about this case that feels off. It’s something that I just can’t put my finger on.”
If Maggie had been in a better mood, she would have made a snarky joke about wondering if her mother had forgotten that they were solving paranormal crime, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything like that. She was still feeling the after-effects of the entire incident in the police station. In fact, she was so lost in it that she didn’t realize at first that they weren’t headed toward home.
“This isn’t the way home,” Maggie said. She stopped dead in her tracks. “Did you get turned around in the fog?”
“We aren’t going home,” Esmeralda said. She looped her arm through Maggie’s. “We need to talk to an expert about that potion and the ingredients. Like I said, I don’t know a lot about potions or how someone could possibly poison one. But I know someone who does.”
Esmeralda tried to keep walking, but Maggie stayed rooted to the spot.
“You said we were the only ones who really knew magic,” Maggie said. “So how is there someone out there who is a potion expert? Who are we going to see?”
Esmeralda’s hazel eyes twinkled.
“We’re going to pay a little visit to Ned.”
Chapter Thirteen
Maggie was a little surprised that Ned had run off to his shop instead of his house, but Esmeralda had guessed right. Pushing open the door, Ned was sitting on a little wooden stool behind the table that held a large, clunky, metal cash register. It looked a bit out of place considering the rest of the decor was more medieval, but Maggie had grown to learn that the paranormal fog didn’t follow rules of any sort.
“I’m not going back to jail,” Ned said as they stepped in the door. He stood up off of his stool and waved one wizened
finger in their direction. “You let me out of the jail cell and the police station fair and square. I took my leave and no matter what mistake you both made, I’m not going back.”
“Do you mean to tell me that we made a mistake and you are actually guilty?” Esmeralda asked. “Is that a confession?”
Ned’s face drained of color and he looked as though he were about to be sick. He started to stutter, tripping over his words so much that none of them actually came out. The words seemed to dam up in his mouth, only letting guttural sounds get past.
“I’m sorry, that was a mean thing of me to say,” Esmeralda said. “Unless you are actually trying to confess, Maggie and I are not here to take you back in. We are here for your help.”
Plopping back down on his stool, Ned seemed to slowly come back from the brink. Maggie wasn’t sure if they should move further into the store, so she just stood awkwardly in the doorway, waiting for her mother to make the first move. Maybe she was waiting for Ned to say something.
“I hope you are also here to apologize,” Ned said, folding his arms across his chest.
“Apologize?” Esmeralda said. “Ned, you know better than that. Obviously, I didn’t want it to be you, but right off the bat, all of the pieces fit. We would have been doing a terrible job if we had just let you walk free. But we did exactly what we were supposed to do. Maggie and I continued investigating and found more evidence that pointed to someone else.”
Ned wrinkled his nose up like he wanted to acknowledge that what Esmeralda said was true, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he stood up and produced two more stools from behind the table. He plopped them in the middle of the room and silently gestured toward them before heading back to his own seat.
Esmeralda bustled across the room, her skirts swirling around her. Maggie trailed behind, feeling like she was the eternal third wheel. It wasn’t in a romantic sense, but just in the sense that she was extra, not quite sure what was going on and just along for the ride. Sure, she was learning a lot, but she felt that she was still miles behind where she should be.
Once the witches were settled onto their stools, Esmeralda turned to look at Maggie. Ned noticed and turned to look at Maggie also. Maggie had been sitting with her hands folded in her lap and as soon as everyone looked at her, she squeezed them so tightly that her fingernails were digging into her own flesh. Once again, she was being thrown into the deep end.
“Well Ned, you know a lot about potions,” Maggie finally said.
She forced a smile onto her face that felt just a touch too wide. Judging by the fleeting glimpse on Ned’s face, he had noticed also. But he was either too polite to say anything or didn’t care as much.
“I certainly do know a lot about potions,” Ned said. “They are my life’s work. Look around you. As far as the eye can see are potion books and ingredients for potions. I spend all of my time perfecting my technique and my recipes. I would venture a guess to say that I am the best potion maker in town and perhaps, all of the world.”
Esmeralda let out a small sound that Ned and his puffed-out chest didn’t seem to hear. He was the only one who made potions in town so the competition to be the best wasn’t very competitive. The whole world was another matter, but Maggie didn’t care to figure out the logistics of that right now.
“Then I think that we’ve come to the right place,” Maggie said. She tried to make sure her smile didn’t look too forced this time. “As you know, Linda was most likely poisoned last night with the good luck potion that she was making at the potion making class.”
“I am well aware,” Ned said. His face furrowed into a stern look. As his half-moon glasses slid down his face, he pushed them back up with one bony finger. “I was leading the class, after all. I was right there as it happened and, if you can recall, I was subsequently blamed for her death and made to spend the night in a jail cell listening to those bickering police officers.”
Maggie sucked her breath in through her teeth. She thought she was being professional by laying out all of the details so far to Ned, but he had taken it as a question of his intelligence. She tried to steady her breath as she figured out where to go from there. If Ned really was the only person who could help them out with all things potion, she couldn’t be on his bad side.
“We’ve found other evidence so you are no longer the main suspect,” Maggie said. “But now we need your help. We are guessing that the potion was poisoned, but we don’t actually know for sure. We have dissected it down to the ingredients, but we need help figuring out what everything is.”
Ned straightened up, shimmying his shoulders a bit until he was sitting up so straight that it looked downright uncomfortable. In the paranormal world, potions were his wheelhouse and he had just hit the mother lode. Maggie had to wonder what his regular world self would think of that. In the regular world, Ned was a buttoned-up bachelor bookseller. Maggie didn’t think there was anything he went gaga over, not like potions for paranormal wizard Ned.
Esmeralda opened up her bag and started producing jar after jar of ingredients. It was like a clown car of magical items as she kept diving her arm back in to scoop out another. Finally, after Maggie had lost count of how many things had been pulled out, Esmeralda shut her bag and set it on the floor.
“This is everything we pulled out of the potion,” Esmeralda said. “When we tried to identify them, some of them were quite obvious to us, but we need your help to make sure we are correct, especially when we try to pinpoint the poison.”
Ned rubbed his hands together, cooing in delight as he looked at each jar on the table.
“I can’t believe you dissected a potion,” Ned said. His glasses had once again slid to the end of his nose, but Ned was so excited that he simply looked over them instead of trying to push them back up. “I’ve always wanted to do that, but even with the simplest of potions, I simply don’t have the magical ability to separate them yet.”
A sly smile slid across Esmeralda’s face as Maggie knew exactly what she was thinking. Ned might be a great potion maker, but he would never have real actual magic. Not like the kind the witches have. Maggie got the sense that her mother took great pride in their magical abilities to the point that she was a bit smug about it, no matter how nice Esmeralda was and no matter how many nice and kind things she used her magic to achieve. Maggie’s stomach turned sickeningly over. She didn’t like to think of herself as superior to anyone for any reason. It didn’t help that
“Let’s start with the easy ones,” Ned said. He folded his hands together and pushed them outward, cracking his knuckles like someone about to start a physical challenge. “These are obviously the river pebbles and the sticks are just little sticks from a willow tree. That green ooze is frog slime. But the liquids are where we start getting a bit more difficult.”
Ned sorted through the ingredients, setting aside all of the ones that he knew as Esmeralda quickly made labels for each jar and made notes about what was in each one on a little notepad that she had thought to bring along. Maggie watched the whole thing with rapt interest. As much as it pained Esmeralda to have to ask Ned for help, he actually was very helpful. He was categorizing the ingredients much faster than they would have. Maggie knew that she and her mother would have had to page through book after book of potion-making before they would figure out what everything was.
As the unlabeled bottles dwindled down, Maggie could feel a rush of anticipation sweep over her. The more they recognized and took away, the closer they would be to knowing what had poisoned Linda. Maggie was so clueless about potions that she couldn’t tell by looking if something was good or bad. Things she thought looked dark and mysterious were really lilac juice or daffodil essence. Things that she dismissed as harmless were actually things like snake venom and bramble brittle. As little as Maggie knew about magic, she knew even less about potions.
Picking up the last bottle, Ned opened the lid and wafted it his way to catch the scent. As he wrinkled his nose up, his e
yebrows drew together in confusion. He wafted and sniffed again. This was it. This had to be the poison. Once Ned identified it, they would know what had killed Linda. And perhaps once they could identify it, they would be able to figure out who had put it there. If they had done their job right, that person would be Nancy.
“That can’t be,” Ned muttered to himself. He set the jar down and twisted the lid on. After a moment, he picked it up, took the lid off and wafted it again. Ned took a deep sniff of the scent as though he were expecting it to smell differently than it had the first time. “That simply can’t be.”
“Is that the poison?” Maggie asked. She was on the edge of her stool, so close to falling off that she had to brace herself on the floor with her toes. “What is it?”
“This isn’t poison at all,” Ned said. “It’s just plain old pond scum water.”
“Could that poison someone?” Esmeralda asked. She seemed to catch herself, settling back on the stool as she tried to rein in her curiosity.
“That’s just the thing,” Ned said. “None of the things you’ve brought me could poison someone.”
Maggie could feel her mother bristle next to her. Just when Maggie thought they were all working so nicely together.
“Are you suggesting that we somehow botched this?” Esmeralda asked. “All of these jars are all of the ones we used to collect the ingredients. We brought everything we had. And we checked multiple times before leaving the Cauldron Shop.”
“Perhaps you forgot one of the jars in your bag?” Ned suggested.
Ned meant it to be helpful, but Maggie could tell that Esmeralda took it as an affront to her very character. After glaring at Ned, she picked up her bag and slammed it down on the table. If there was a glass jar in there still, Maggie hoped the bag had some sort of protection spell on it otherwise the jar would be in a million pieces at the bottom of the bag.
Shoving her whole arm in, Esmeralda felt everywhere. She even stuck her head part way in but came up empty-handed. The older witch raised her eyebrows, gesturing to show Ned that there was nothing else in the bag.
