“I like picturing you in here when we talk.” He grinned. “What are you wearing during our conversations?”
“Usually shorts and a T-shirt. I’m too lazy for pajamas.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Why not be too lazy for clothes in general?”
I smiled and slid my arms around him. “I’ll take it under advisement.”
“Maybe you could practice now.” He lowered his lips to mine.
“Ahem.”
I pulled back to see Alice hovering in the doorway. I glared at the ghost over his shoulder. “I don’t think we need the extra set of eyes, thank you very much.”
Chief Fox craned his neck. “I assume you’re talking to the ghost.”
“The ghost has a name,” Alice said.
“Alice,” I reminded him.
He dipped his head slightly. “Nice to meet you, Alice.”
“Don’t mind me,” Alice said. “Carry on with your date. I only wanted you to know I was here.”
I released my hold on the chief’s firm body. “Now that I know you’re here, I don’t think there’ll be any more carrying on today.”
“That’s…disappointing,” he said.
“For you and me both.” I sighed. “Would you mind helping me hang the painting I bought while you’re here?”
“Straight to chores after lunch. You run a tight ship, captain,” he said.
“And he’s got tight…”
I silenced Alice with a penetrating look. “If I don’t hang it now, it’ll probably end up propped against the wall for months.”
“Do you have a ladder and a toolbox?”
“I’ll get them.”
As we headed downstairs, my heart rate returned to normal. Well, almost normal. I seemed to have an elevated heart rate whenever the chief was within range.
I retrieved the ladder and the toolbox and set them up in front of the target wall.
“Couldn’t you just fly up here with the painting?” he asked from the top of the ladder.
“I like to limit use of my powers,” I said. “Household chores don’t tend to qualify.”
He hammered hooks into the wall. “Because you don’t like the reminders that you’re a fury?”
“That, and because I don’t want more powers. The more often I use my abilities, the more traits the gods will give me.”
“Huh.” He climbed down to get the painting. “You’ll need to tell me if it’s lined up.”
I took a few steps backward for a broader view. The view of his backside wasn’t so bad either.
“A little to the left,” Alice said.
“Alice says a little to the left.”
“You’re a Wentworth, right?” The chief turned as though he might be able to see her.
“Can you peer into the ether when you’re not on a ladder?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Fair enough.” He turned back to the wall and focused on the painting. “Why isn’t this place riddled with Wentworth ghosts? This was your family’s old farm, right?”
“That’s right and I don’t know. Alice isn’t sure why she’s still here either.”
“Tell him I don’t mind,” Alice said. “I putter around town and have my routine. It’s a perfectly pleasant way to spend the afterlife.”
“She likes it here. She also doesn’t have the same sense of time that we do.”
“Neither does your cousin from the sound of it,” the chief said.
“Yeah, Helena’s skills are pretty interesting. No drugs required and the trip is free.”
“Still crooked,” Alice said.
“She’s not,” I insisted, feeling flustered. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“The painting,” Alice said.
An idea occurred to me. “Come down, Sawyer.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. You’ll see.” I should’ve thought of this sooner.
He climbed down the ladder. “Have you decided to use your ability to fly after all?”
“No, I’ve decided to use hers.” I motioned to Alice. “Go ahead and fix it, Alice. You know you want to.”
The ghost drifted over and adjusted the painting so the top line was even. She hovered in the air for a moment, admiring her contribution.
Chief Fox gaped at the wall. “How?”
“She has a smidgeon of poltergeist abilities.” I held my thumb and index finger a few millimeters apart.
“It’s how I watch TV,” Alice added, not that he could hear her. She returned her attention to the painting and gave it a final nudge before floating back to ground level.
“It’s perfect, Alice. Thanks.”
Chief Fox snaked an arm around my waist. “I can see why you wanted it. Looks tailor-made for this space, doesn’t it?”
I sighed contentedly and enjoyed the moment—my new house was starting to feel like home. I imagined Princess Buttercup curled up on her dog bed in the corner—as curled up as a hellhound her size could be—and the man I adored by my side. Cozy evenings in front of the fireplace. Sunday breakfast in bed. And to think I’d believed my life was over when I was forced back to Chipping Cheddar. Although it wasn’t entirely rainbows and unicorns thanks to my family, overall the transition was better than I’d feared. I’d reconnected with family members I liked and, of course, with Clara. I’d made new friends and embarked on a whole new career path that gave me focus and direction. I’d never admit it to my family, but part of me was glad that I’d bitten Fergus. Well, sort of.
“I probably shouldn’t stay much longer,” the chief said, breaking me out of my reverie. “I can’t hide like Alice if any of your family drops by unannounced.”
“True. We don’t want to push our luck. I just really wanted you to see everything finished.”
He pulled me close and placed a lingering kiss on my willing lips. “Thank you for inviting me. It means a lot that you’d share your safe space with me.”
I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him again, not quite ready to stop. “I’d like to share all my safe spaces with you.”
“Incoming!” Alice’s panicked voice rang out and I jumped backward.
To his credit, the chief didn’t bat an eye, despite not hearing Alice’s freak-out voice. He smoothed the front of his shirt and put on his authoritative face as an impatient knock permeated the silence.
“Eden, open up,” Helena called.
I pushed aside the door and greeted my cousin with a cheerful smile. “Hey, you’re back earlier than I expected.”
“Your grandmother got into an argument during a Little Critters raid and we thought it best to hightail it out of Baltimore before the police were called in.”
Grandma caused trouble in the city. What a shock. “Perfect timing. Chief Fox and I were just finishing a meeting.”
Helena frowned. “You hold meetings at home?”
“We needed to go over last night’s incident,” I explained.
“Don’t you have an FBM office that everyone thinks is an FBI outpost?” she asked.
“Yes, but it’s best to meet off the record. People see me go in and all of the sudden they think there’s a child pornographer in town.” The chief laughed ruefully. “You know how people can be.”
Her brow lifted. “Oh, yeah. Got it.”
“We can’t meet at the station either because we might be overheard. Sean Guthrie is his deputy and…”
Helena grimaced. “Ugh, that soulless ginger is on the police force? When did that colossal mistake happen?”
“Now, now. He’s not that bad,” Chief Fox said good-naturedly.
“Only because he never cornered you at a party in the woods and offered you five bucks to cop a feel,” Helena said.
“To be fair, he was about sixteen at the time,” I added. “I bet he’d offer you ten dollars now.”
Helena laughed. “That wouldn’t even account for inflation.”
“Of the economy or your boobs?” I queried.
Helena off
ered the chief an engaging smile. “You look a little red in the cheeks, Chief. Not used to girl talk, I take it.”
“He’s a professional,” I said. “He doesn’t want to listen to us rag on his deputy.”
“I appreciate the update, Agent Fury. We’ll talk later, okay?” He clapped me on the shoulder and exited the barn, sliding the door closed behind him.
Helena whistled. “Merciful Hecate, that dimple. He can butter my biscuit any day. Chipping Cheddar sure lucked out when the old chief died.”
“He’s really good at his job.”
She snorted. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. I bet your mother leaves a trail of saliva whenever he walks past.”
I didn’t want to think about my mom objectifying the chief. There were certain thoughts that needed to be banned permanently.
“How much does he know about the supernatural world?” she asked.
“The whole thing is new to him, so he’s still learning.”
She eyed me closely. “I guess he doesn’t know the particulars about your family. Can’t imagine he’d voluntarily traipse through the yard of a vengeance demon and a coven of evil witches.”
“To be honest, they’ve been on their best behavior since I’ve been home.” Kind of.
Helena’s hands drew to her hips. “How many times have your mom and Aunt Esther killed each other since you’ve been back?”
“That’s irrelevant. It’s not like they’re out murdering other people.”
Helena snickered. “Remember that time Aunt Esther killed my gran right before your sleepover party and buried her in the backyard?” She slapped her thigh. “Holy hellhound. That was the most amazing night.”
I cringed at the memory. “You do realize that I try to suppress a lot of that, right?” The timing had been unfortunate. The fight broke out between the two older witches before the party started and Aunt Thora ended up buried in the back garden. I’d been so focused on the impending party that I’d been unaware of the disagreement or the fact that my great-aunt had gone missing. Helena hadn’t noticed either. After we’d finished watching Pet Sematary, one of the girls suggested that we raise the dead outside under the full moon. Of course, we had no idea there was an actual dead witch about to rise. When Aunt Thora clawed her way out of the earth, I thought five girls were about to die of cardiac arrest right in front of me. Helena, on the other hand, laughed until she was blue in the face. General pandemonium followed and it took a full hour to get the others to stop screaming. It was like playing Whac-A-Mole with girls’ mouths. Once they were sufficiently calm, my mother and Grandma did a spell that wiped their memory of the event. These were human girls, so we couldn’t risk letting the incident imprint on their memories. The last thing they remembered was watching the movie and falling asleep. After that night, I shied away from having friends at my house just because I never knew what might happen. Clara became the one constant in my life, and eventually Tanner, although that relationship had its own unfortunate conclusion thanks to the machinations of my family.
“Chief Fox is better off not knowing anything about my family,” I said firmly. “I have to be careful, too. The Federal Bureau of Magic wouldn’t take kindly to their illicit activities. Even Anton…” I trailed off. I didn’t feel like rehashing the situation. It was too disheartening.
“I thought he worked for an ad agency or something.”
“He’s still doing vengeance work as a side hustle to pay for the remodeling on his house.”
Helena nodded approvingly. “I have the utmost respect for a good side hustle. You should consider one. No need to let your talents go to waste.”
I thought about the events of last night and released a deep sigh. “They definitely don’t go to waste, but I sure wish they would.”
Chapter Seven
I hurried to the main house with Helena to distract my family from the sight of Chief Fox walking back to his car. At least he’d been smart enough to park on a street outside the cul-de-sac. Still, if one of the neighbors caught sight of him, they’d be wondering what kind of trouble we were in.
The witches were gathered in the kitchen with cups of tea when we entered the house.
“Hello, Eden. Would you like a cup?” Aunt Thora asked.
“Only if there’s tea left in the pot. I need to run an errand shortly.”
Aunt Thora paused at the island on her way to the counter. “Why are these lemons green?” she asked, aghast.
“Because they’re limes,” Grandma said from her place at the table.
My great-aunt stared at the offending fruit. “Why do we have limes?”
“For margaritas, of course,” my mother said, sashaying to the pantry. “That reminds me, I need to check for the rest of the ingredients. We have a special guest and that means special drinks.”
“All this for Helena?” I asked.
“What? I’m worth it,” Helena said.
“And Jacques,” my mother added, her response slightly muffled from the pantry.
I froze. “Who’s Jacques?”
Grandma glanced up from her phone. “Your mother has a date coming.”
I balked. “You invited a date to a family dinner?”
“He’s one of us,” my mother said, as though that excused it. “And we were originally supposed to go out tonight, but I would’ve had to cancel and he’s traveling the rest of the week.”
“You know what that means?” I asked. “Everyone needs to be on their best behavior.”
“Except your mother,” Grandma said. “It’s a date, remember? If she’s on her best behavior, there won’t be a second one.”
Aunt Thora handed me a cup of tea on a saucer. “Would you like a slice of lemon with it, dear?”
I knew better than to say no thank you. “Yes, please.”
She smiled and uses a tiny skewer to place the lemon on my saucer. “Baltimore was an adventure. You should’ve come.”
“Unfortunately, I had work to do.”
“Yeah, she was in a meeting when I got there,” Helena said, biting into a slice of lemon loaf.
“A meeting?” My mother emerged from the pantry. “What kind of meeting?”
“No big deal,” I said. I couldn’t silence Helena with a swift kick without raising questions.
“That chief of police is something else,” Helena continued.
I tried to maintain a neutral expression, knowing perfectly well I was about to be placed under the microscope.
My mother eyed me closely. “Why was Chief Fox at your place for a meeting?”
“It’s official business, Mom. I can’t disclose it.”
“Since when is the FBM in cahoots with the human police force?” Grandma asked.
I drew a calming breath. “First, we’re not in cahoots. We had to discuss an incident. Second, it’s not the police force. It’s just Chief Fox. You should know that the supernatural council agreed to allow him to attend our meetings. We’re thinking about involving the mayor as well.”
Silence followed my announcement.
“I don’t think that’s such a hot idea,” Grandma said.
I sipped my tea. “Well, it isn’t really up to you.”
The older witch regarded me coolly. “Everything in this town is up to me. I don’t need a title for that.”
“Oh, believe me. You have a title.” I knew I was risking a retaliatory hex with this attitude, but I was feeling feisty.
Grandma observed me quietly for a moment before looking back at her phone. It didn’t necessarily mean I’d escaped her wrath. Sometimes she bided her time. Little did she know that the bone I had to pick with her was far bigger than this petty squabble.
“I’m heading into town in a minute,” I said. “Does anybody need anything?” I planned to drop by the gallery and see whether Nari’s credit card machine was up and running. I hated owing anyone money. That painting would haunt me until I’d settled up with the artist.
“Yes, as a matter of fact,” my mother said. “Yo
u can pick up a few odds and ends for the dinner menu tonight. I’ll give you a list.”
Terrific. I didn’t mind running errands for anyone else, but my mother would undoubtedly find fault with some of my purchases. I’d buy the ‘wrong’ brand of mustard or pick up sour cream and onion rather than the onion and chive. If the possibility for complaint existed, Beatrice Fury would be sure to make it a reality.
I held out my hand for the paper that was sure to ruin my afternoon. “I guess you need all this by a certain time.”
“Naturally. Make sure you’re back by four-thirty. We have everything we need to start the main meal, but I’ll need a little time for the rest, so no dilly-dallying.”
I saluted her before fleeing the house. My stomach only unclenched once I was safely behind the wheel of my car. Everyone seemed to buy my story about Chief Fox, which meant that lunch had been a complete success.
I drove out of the cul-de-sac to downtown and parked right outside the art gallery. If I could run in and out in five minutes, I’d still have time to complete my mother’s task list without the risk of missing her four-thirty deadline. Otherwise, I’d pay for my infraction throughout dinner and into dessert. I hated when that happened, particularly in front of company. Suddenly I was nine years old again, withering beneath my mother’s glare and wondering what form of retribution awaited me.
I opened the door to the gallery, my thoughts on the chief. More specifically, thoughts of what might’ve happened had Alice not interrupted. Although I didn’t want to ban the ghost from the barn, I also didn’t want her to interfere with my romantic life. It was limited enough already.
There was no sign of Nari or anyone else in the gallery. There was a half-filled cup of coffee on the counter and a partially opened package. The canvas was still on the easel near the far wall, just as it had been this morning. As I moved closer, I noticed a trail of red paint across the floor. Uh oh. That was going to stain.
“Nari?” The gallery was eerily silent. The artist had probably run off in search of paint cleaner. The hardwood floor was in pristine condition and a stain like that would ruin the entire look.
Every Picture Tells A Fury (Federal Bureau of Magic Cozy Mystery Book 8) Page 6
