Every Picture Tells A Fury (Federal Bureau of Magic Cozy Mystery Book 8)

by Annabel Chase

  “Hello?” I continued to the back office to find the door ajar, so I poked my head inside. “Nari?”

  There was no one in the room. A jacket hung over the back of the chair and I tried to recall whether she’d been wearing the jacket this morning. No. No jacket.

  I lingered in the gallery for a few more minutes to see whether Nari returned from a quick errand. Clearly it wasn’t a coffee run.

  Something about the spilled paint beckoned me back to the spot. The tray appeared to have fallen on the floor but only the red had splashed out. She’d made a bit more progress on the picture. There were more streaks of color, mostly dark hues of blue and grey, like a brewing storm. Standing here, I suddenly began to feel uneasy.

  I pulled out my phone and called the number to the art gallery to see if it forwarded to Nari’s phone. Voicemail. I hung up and examined the area around the canvas. A sense of dread washed over me. I had no idea whether there was actually an issue, but I’d learned to trust my gut. I decided to err on the side of caution and call Chief Fox. If I was mistaken, then there’d be an embarrassing laugh and all would be well. I could live with embarrassment. I was a Fury, after all. I had a lifetime of practice.

  He arrived five minutes later, still looking as appealing as he had during lunch. “You missed me that much, Agent Fury?”

  “I came by to pay Nari, but she isn’t here.” I motioned to the gallery. “There’s spilled paint and…You know how I had a strong feeling about The Rescue? Well, I have a strong feeling now, except this one isn’t good.”

  The chief observed me in silence for a moment. “Nari knew you were coming in?”

  “Yes, although we left the time open. She didn’t know when the system would be working again. She was here somewhat recently. The cup is half full and it wasn’t there this morning.”

  The chief walked over to the counter and placed both hands around the mug. “Still a little warm.” His gaze landed on something else. “Her phone is here.”

  Okay, now it seemed even less plausible that she’d left of her own accord. “It must be on mute because I called but didn’t hear it ring.”

  “She probably keeps it silenced when she paints.”

  That was likely. Nari seemed the type who liked to be ‘in the zone.’

  “I find it impossible to believe she’d spill paint and then walk away without cleaning it up. That deep red will stain the hardwood and these are original to the building.” Chipping Cheddar residents are obsessive about historic details. If you have original wood flooring, you take good care of it.

  The chief frowned. “Are we sure it’s paint? It looks thick.”

  I sucked in a breath. Some agent I was. It hadn’t even occurred to me that the substance was anything other than paint.

  He strode over and kneeled next to the red liquid. “It’s paint.”

  My shoulders relaxed. It didn’t mean Nari was safe, but at least we knew her blood hadn’t been spilled. After seeing Clara in jeopardy last night, my mind was jumping to all sorts of horrific possibilities.

  The chief contemplated the scene. “Let me have a look around.”

  “I’ll look with you. We don’t know if this is human or supernatural. It might fall under my jurisdiction.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself. We don’t know yet if there’s a case at all. Maybe she ran to the store for a cleaning agent.”

  “That was my first thought, but my gut is screaming at me.” There was different energy in the gallery from the night before. An uncomfortable vibe.

  The chief nodded. “Okay, I trust your gut too. We’ll look around and then scroll through her phone to see if there’s anything helpful.”

  I shadowed him around the gallery, but there was nothing to indicate what might have happened to Nari.

  “Do you want me to find out her address?” I asked.

  “No need.” He pointed to the ceiling.

  “How do you know she lives upstairs?”

  “There’s a second door in her office that I bet leads to her private apartment on the second floor. Either way, we should check it out.”

  It made sense. “Cops first.” I made a sweeping gesture toward the office.

  The adjoining door was unlocked and we crept up the staircase where we reached another door at the top. He twisted the knob and the door gave way.

  “This is Chief Fox. Is anybody here?”

  “I hope she’s okay,” I whispered. “She’s so nice.”

  Worry gnawed at the pit of my stomach as we entered the apartment. There was no sign of Nari or a struggle. Just all the usual evidence of an artist more concerned with her muse than her mess—a sink filled with dirty dishes. An empty pot on the stovetop. Clothes strewn across the bedroom floor.

  “She’s a kitsune,” I said, standing helplessly in the doorway of the bedroom. “It’s possible she shifted for a run through the woods.”

  Chief Fox joined me. “But you don’t think so.”

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”

  “I’ll put out an alert and have Deputy Guthrie hang around here in case she comes back. In the meantime, let’s divide and conquer.”

  “I’ll talk to Colin Andrew,” I said. “I met him last night. He owns Majestic Cheese. They went to art school together.”

  “Good thinking. He might know something. Anyone else at the exhibit last night that might be helpful? I met a nice lady named Kaley Hannigan.”

  “Not a lady. A vampire.”

  He squinted at me in a way that made his green eyes even sexier, if that was possible. “Seriously?”

  “Yep. She’s friends with my stepmom. They’re in the same bridge club.”

  He exhaled. “I guess she’s yours then.”

  “If we’re dividing and conquering, then that’s probably for the best.”

  “Jayson Swift,” he said.

  “Are you sure you want to speak to him? He might sue you for wrongful conversation.”

  The chief chuckled. “With his forked tongue, I’m sure he could convince a judge that was a real crime.”

  “On second thought, I don’t think we need to speak to everyone who was here. Not until it’s necessary.”

  “I’m happy to skip Swift for now.”

  “I don’t think we need Kaley either, unless she has a solid connection to Nari.” A name flashed in my mind. “Nari mentioned the mage that provides her paint. Kirby Russian. No, Kirby Germain. He might know something.”

  “I’ll check to see if she has any family in the area,” he said.

  “Good idea. I’ll head over to Majestic Cheese now, but I need to get home with all the items on the shopping list for a family dinner or my mother will have my head.”

  “With anyone else, I’d think that was a euphemism,” he teased.

  I bit my tongue. He had no idea how close he was to the truth and I wasn’t about to enlighten him.

  “I’ll let you know what I find out.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Be careful. If someone is walking off with pretty women, you’re a prime candidate.”

  “That is both sweet and terrifying.”

  He squeezed my side. “You can handle yourself, Agent Fury. Just bust out that snake hair of yours and show them who’s boss.”

  “Who’s the Boss would’ve been a much better show if Tony Danza had had a head full of snakes.”

  He looked at me with a bemused expression. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  Chapter Eight

  Despite the ticking clock in my ear, I headed straight to my office with the jacket I’d taken from Nari’s office. I figured if Neville and I performed a locator spell, there was every chance I could have this matter wrapped up before dinner. I knew I risked returning to the house later than my mother requested, but sometimes my overachiever tendencies were too strong to ignore—which sometimes resulted in those tendencies backfiring on me. I’d load up my plate with effort and expectations until the weight of it became too much and it all came crashing down.


  “Neville, you beat me here,” I said, as I entered the small and dimly lit office. I immediately crossed the room and switched on the SAD light to counteract the gloomy atmosphere—an early gift from Chief Fox.

  The wizard stood at the table in the back of the office sweeping a group of items to the side. “I was already here. Now tell me more about this missing artist.”

  I reached the table and caught a glimpse of tiny figurines. “Neville, were you playing Dungeons and Dragons here by yourself?”

  “No, I was playing online with friends from my wizard chat group.” He motioned to the open laptop at the end of the table. “When we can’t meet in person, we play via video.”

  “I can’t decide if that’s awesome or pathetic.” I shook the jacket at him. “Here’s Nari’s personal item. Let’s do a quick locator spell and see if we can find her.”

  “There’s nothing quick about perfection, Agent Fury.”

  “That’s your boss?” a male voice asked. “You didn’t say she was hot.”

  Neville slammed down the lid of the laptop. “You’ll have to forgive offtoseethewizard128. He has an unfortunate habit of objectifying women.”

  “Does he have a girlfriend? Maybe he can give you a few tips.”

  Neville gestured to the table where the game had been. “What do you think?”

  I placed the jacket on the table. “This belongs to her.”

  “By ‘her,’ I assume you mean the missing artist.”

  “Yes, Nari. Chop chop. Let’s do this because Beatrice Fury will bury me in the back garden with garnish and an apple in my mouth if I’m late.”

  Neville looked at me askance. “She’s planning a pig roast?”

  “No.”

  “Then why bury you with accoutrements?”

  I looked at him in disbelief. “Because she’s extra.” The ‘duh’ was silent but implied.

  He retrieved a few candles from the shelf and then disappeared into the closet for other items. He returned to the table and plonked down a few jars of herbs and dried flowers. “If you’d like to do this quickly, you could offer to help.”

  “I would, but I don’t want to step on your assistant toes while you’re assisting.”

  He tried unsuccessfully to unscrew the lid of the first jar and handed it to me. “Perhaps you could help with lid removal.”

  “Wow. Taking a page out of my mother’s book. That’s bordering on insubordination.” I popped off the lid and a sweet scent filled my nostrils. “Nice fragrance. We should leave this stuff lying around the office to mask the damp smell.”

  “Oopsie. I got the wrong jar. I don’t think we want Melancholy spread around the office. The space is far too small.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “That’s the smell of Melancholy? But it’s so sweet.”

  Neville replaced the lid. “With a hint of death mixed in, no?” He returned the jar to the closet and emerged with a different one. “Here’s Luck.”

  “We need Luck?”

  “A dash of Luck is always advisable,” he said.

  I removed the lid and the scent of roses emanated from the jar. “Okay, that’s also acceptable.”

  “These are five-petaled roses found in the wilds of western North America.”

  “I don’t need the information from their Wikipedia page. Thanks.” I twisted off the next lid. “This one smells nutty.”

  “Prunus dulcis,” Neville said. “You smell almonds.”

  My stomach rumbled. “Don’t mention any food right now, okay? I don’t have time for a snack.” Lunch seemed like hours ago.

  Neville tapped the side of the jar. “Some believe that carrying these in your pocket will lead you to treasure.”

  “And so you use them in a locator spell.” I nodded approvingly. “Makes sense.”

  Neville set the candles in an oval shape around the table.

  “We don’t need to make a magic circle on the floor?”

  “You requested an expedited version.” He continued setting up and folded the jacket neatly in the center of the oval before sprinkling some of the contents of both jars on top.

  “Do you need to hold my hands or anything?” I extended my arms in front of me and wiggled my fingers. “I can do that.”

  “Would it help you feel more involved?”

  I dropped my hands to my sides. “You don’t have to placate me.”

  The wizard angled his head. “I’d rather not risk you siphoning my magic in the middle of a spell.”

  My mouth opened. “What? I’m not going to steal your wizard magic.”

  “You might. History has shown that you can’t always control yourself.” I reached for his hands and he pulled away. “No means no, Agent Fury.”

  “Sweet Nyx. You act like I’m Helena.”

  His brow furrowed. “Who’s Helena?”

  “Oh, my cousin. Aunt Thora’s granddaughter. She’s in town for a visit. Temporal demon.”

  He grimaced. “Temporal demon? Oh, my. They can be…challenging.”

  “Trust me. Helena’s challenging days are behind her. She’s like me now—a valuable member of society.”

  Neville lit the candles. “Ready when you are.”

  I took a step backward and motioned for him to continue. He lowered his head and began to chant. The flames grew stronger and brighter and his chanting intensified. The air began to move, scattering the dried petals across the table. Neville stared intently at the nearest flame as though waiting for an answer there.

  “Anything?” I whispered.

  He raised his hands and turned the palms downward, causing the flames to extinguish. “She isn’t here.”

  “Well, I know that, silly. The question is—where is she?”

  He frowned. “No, I mean she isn’t here. According to the spell, she isn’t anywhere.”

  “How can she not be here?”

  “I can’t answer that, Agent Fury. I can only tell you the results of the spell.”

  I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Does that mean she might be…dead?”

  He rested his hands on the table. “I suppose that’s one interpretation.”

  I squeezed my eyes closed, unwilling to accept that answer. “Are you sure?”

  He hesitated. “No, of course not. The spell isn’t foolproof. No spell is. You know that.”

  I did know that. It still didn’t offer me any insight into Nari’s whereabouts though. “Thanks, Neville. I appreciate the help. Would you mind cleaning up? I have a few stops I need to make before dinner.”

  “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”

  “I rated your app, by the way. Did you see it?”

  “I did, thank you. Your feedback is appreciated.”

  I headed for the door, taking Nari’s jacket with me. “If you don’t hear from me tomorrow, come to my house with a shovel and a can-do attitude.”

  He bowed his head. “As you wish.”

  I knew I was pushing limits by going to Majestic Cheese next, but I was sufficiently concerned about Nari to take the risk.

  “Hello again,” Colin greeted me as I entered the shop. The heavenly scent of stinky cheeses filled the air and I took a moment to inhale deeply.

  “This place is amazing. You’d never know these were made of cheese.” Except for the smells, of course. There were multi-tiered wedding cakes adorned with flowers and cake toppers, graduation cakes, birthday cakes, and general occasion cakes. Each table was stacked with delicious samples that made my stomach rumble.

  “Thank you,” Colin said, pushing back his shoulders. “I pride myself on my creations.”

  “What’s your favorite cheese to work with?”

  Colin sucked in an appalled breath. “Bite your tongue, madam. That would be like choosing a favorite child.” He released a soft laugh. “Although, let’s face it, every parent has one.”

  I knew that well because it wasn’t me.

  “I tend to incorporate the sweeter cheeses into my creations. A nice Wensle
ydale, for instance, but triple cream bries work really well too.”

  “You said you went to art school with Nari, right? What made you choose this route as a creative outlet?”

  He stepped out from behind the counter to join me. “Well, originally I thought I’d end up a painter like Nari, but life took me in an unexpected direction.”

  “I’ve been there, my friend. Unexpected directions seem to be the only ones I follow.”

  He chuckled. “I didn’t have the luxury of enduring the years of a starving artist. I had no safety net. My parents cut me off when I chose art school over an MBA. I don’t regret it though. Majestic Cheese is my labor of love and I consider each cake a masterpiece.”

  “I can see why. What’s your most popular request?”

  “Weddings are my specialty.”

  I briefly wondered how Chief Fox would feel about a wedding cake made of cheese but quickly brushed aside the thought. The relationship was new and shiny; it was ridiculous to fantasize about a wedding at this point. I’d never been a girl who dreamed about a white dress and a handsome groom. I grew up with dreams of leaving Chipping Cheddar and taking down criminal elements for a living. Achievement unlocked—and then locked again.

  “Are you interested in a cake for a specific occasion?” Colin asked.

  “I am, actually,” I said, surprising myself. “Something small for a family gathering tonight. Everybody in my family loves cheese.”

  “This is Chipping Cheddar. We swear allegiance to cheese the way the English pledge allegiance to the monarch.” He maneuvered around the shop to a small table and placed his hands along the rim of a cake base. “This is my impromptu event cake. You slice each wheel and serve on a cheese board. I’d recommend crackers and honey with this one.”

  “Looks perfect.” I couldn’t let myself get distracted by thoughts of glorious cheese. I had to get back to the real reason for my visit. “You supplied the cheese for Nari’s event last night, didn’t you?”

  “That’s right. I always supply the cheese for her exhibits.”

  “What time did you leave last night?”

  “Oh, I think I left around eleven. It’s always difficult to tear myself away from Nari’s gatherings, but the shop must open.” He held up an index finger.