She smiled at me. “That would be perfectly lovely, dear. And going forward?”
Yeah, stocking them up wouldn’t last long if there were customers waiting, would it? “Would one day a week of concentrated brewing work for you? You could even pick the day.” I gave her a conspiratorial grin. “If we’re lucky, I can rope Amie into helping too, and we can get a heck of a lot done in a really short time.”
“Her extra juice would make things go quicker, that’s true. But let’s keep that for the one day a week plan, if she’s willing. I’d kind of like to have you to myself for that promised week, if you don’t mind.”
Funny, but when I’d been looking for something to do while Amie was away, this never crossed my mind. I was such a terrible daughter. Time to up my game here. Look at me, becoming the more well-rounded person.
“I’d like that too. Next week? Eight o’clock Monday morning?”
“See you then. Drive safe.” Then she gave me a quick hug and walked back into the house. I owed Liz for more than just the help with Mabel’s case.
Time to pay that back.
WE SAVED THE SPELL casting for the morning. Even though with it so close to hand, Liz was really chomping at the bit.
The trouble was, it wasn’t an end-all, be-all spell. It had some major limitations. First of all, there was a distance limit. The spell wouldn’t allow unlimited travel to wherever the spirit, namely Liz, wanted to go. The rough estimate on the spell’s range was fifty miles from the haunting ground.
That would do for what we had in mind for today, but it would limit Liz’s ability to travel. She wasn’t as upset about that as I’d thought she’d be.
“Fifty miles? In any direction? That’s huge.” She gave me a chilly ghost hug, then stepped back as I shivered. “Sorry.”
I grinned at her. “Don’t be. Chilly feels nice right about now. You’ll be great in the car. Give the air conditioning a break for a change.” Then I hesitated ever so briefly. “There’s a time limit too, I’m afraid. You get three hours, max.”
Her teeth caught her bottom lip in a vise grip. “What happens if I’m not back at the end of the three hours?”
“Nothing major, according to the research Mom found. You’ll simply be transported back here. Kind of like snapping a rubber band.”
That, she didn’t seem so sure about. I can’t say I blamed her. The unknown was scary.
“Is there any way you could make sure to have me back here in three hours? I don’t want to rush you, but...”
“Don’t worry. I get it. We’ll be back well before that time is up.”
She was okay with my answer, but she still looked sad.
“Is something wrong?”
Liz lifted one shoulder. “It’s just that... well, I haven’t been off the grounds for years. Three hours is such a short time. And I know you need my help, and I’m not complaining—not really, anyway—but there are a lot of places I’d rather go and people I’d rather see. You know?”
I nodded and grinned at her. Then I held up the satchel Mom had given me of spelling ingredients. “I know you can’t feel how heavy this bag is, so you’ll have to take my word on it. Mom stuffed it to the gills. The spell has limitations, yes. But nothing says we can’t cast it more than once.”
She bounced up and down. “Awesome. Could we cast it again at Britney’s to give us more time?”
“Unfortunately, no. We’ll still be limited to the three-hour window for this trip. But Mom said to tell you that she’ll be back on the research for a more permanent and far-reaching spell. Hopefully, she’ll find something soon.”
Liz took a deep breath. At least, that’s what she made it look like. “Well, if you’re ready to go, then I am. Let’s do this.”
First things first, I took a countdown baking timer from the kitchen and set it for two hours and thirty minutes. Then I clipped it on the outside of my handbag. When it went off, we’d need to head home.
The spell only took a few seconds to mix and chant, and we were off.
Off to see the unicorn.
Chapter 9
There was a good reason why I was more than happy to have Liz with me for the trip. And it wasn’t just for good company, though there was that too.
It wasn’t because I thought she’d be an enormous help in getting the unicorn to talk to us either. I had a plan for that too. A plan I was pretty sure would work.
But in order for my plan to have its best shot at success, I had to dress in my full gear. My full bounty-hunting gear. Leather all the way. And wearing leather in late June isn’t a very good idea. There may be some places on earth where you could get by with it. Alaska comes to mind. Most definitely not Michigan. We’re north, but not that far north. It’s hot here in the summer.
And that’s where Liz came in super handy. It wasn’t just the car’s air conditioning that she was giving a break. It was me too. There were times we’d be out of the car, after all.
I timed the drive to Britney’s. Twenty-five minutes and change. That gave us a maximum of two hours to do this before heading back. I glanced over at my mostly transparent traveling companion. Her eyes hadn’t stopped moving the entire trip. Her conversation hadn’t been exactly stellar either. Mostly confined to oohs and ah’s and ‘how long’s that been there?’... that kind of thing.
“You ready to do this?” I asked her.
She nodded. “Is there a plan?”
I grinned at her. “Yup. I shouldn’t really need you, but it’s always a good idea to have a Plan B.”
“Just call me B then.”
We got out and walked up to the front door. The place was a modest little ranch home. Nothing ornate, but at least the outside was newly painted and kept up. That said a lot about the person inside to me.
When the door opened, I got my first shock. I hadn’t expected Britney to live with her mother.
“That’s her,” Liz whispered. Though why she bothered to whisper, I didn’t know. Unless the woman in front of us was a witch, too, she wouldn’t be able to hear her even if she shouted. Or see her if she danced naked in her front yard for that matter. Not that I expected Liz to do that. But a free-roaming Liz was a more out-going Liz than what I was normally used to. So I was thinking nothing would surprise me right now.
Except, of course, the woman holding the door open and giving me an odd look. She wasn’t anything like I’d expected her to be.
“Britney Daniels?” I asked.
She nodded slowly, her eyes taking in my full gear. “Aren’t you roasting in that getup? It’s June, you know.”
“Yes. I’m well aware. But I’m working, and this is kind of my uniform.”
Britney arched an eyebrow at me. “And just what kind of work would that be?”
I angled my hips just enough to give the handcuffs a little jingle. Her eyes caught the movement and widened. “I think that’s a conversation we should have inside. Don’t you, Ms. Daniels?”
She glanced around and sure enough, the neighbor across the street had paused in watering her lawn to watch us with great interest. “Yes. I believe that might be best.”
The front door gave way right into her main living room, so within a few short steps, we were all seated and looking at each other. Well, Britney and I were seated. Liz just kind of hovered around the room, taking everything in.
“Would you mind telling me what this is all about? And why you’ve shown up at my door with handcuffs? I hope you don’t expect me to believe that you’re the police. You aren’t, and I wasn’t born yesterday.”
“No ma’am, I’m not the police. The police, should they need to be brought into this, will come with a warrant. I can assure you of that.”
Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. She was good, this woman.
But I was better. I let her stew. No way was I breaking the silence. One doesn’t negotiate by being the first to break. And if there is one thing I’m a master at, it’s negotiation.
It didn’t take long, either
. “And may I ask what you are referring the police might be brought into?”
I gave her a slow smile. “I think you know what I’m referring to. Now, don’t you?”
Her eyes shifted slightly, but the woman was a rock. She didn’t lose her cool or break like I’d kind of hoped. “I’m afraid I don’t have a clue. You’ll have to enlighten me.”
She was very good. She almost had me believing her. Almost.
I took one of the printouts of the unicorn logo from my bag. “I believe you will recognize this logo? A digital signature, I believe they call it?”
She hesitated for the briefest of seconds. “I’ll ask again if need be. What is this all about?”
“Oh, nothing earth-shattering. Just fraud, counterfeiting legal documents, and blackmail.”
Britney gasped. “Blackmail? I never!”
“Well, if you never, then one of your clients did, Ms. Daniels. And I have the images in my bag with your little logo in the corner. Quite a distinctive little unicorn. Very original, I have to say.”
For the first time, she seemed a little nervous. Even now, when she knew the cards I was holding, she kept her cool. This woman was very, very good.
“So, I’m going to ask you a direct question, Ms. Daniels, and it would greatly benefit you to be upfront and honest with me. But before I do that, I will tell you that I’m not here about you. I’m here about your client. That could change if I don’t get the help I need.”
I hadn’t asked my question yet, but I waited all the same. Finally, she gave me a small nod. “I’m listening.”
“Is this your business logo?” I pointed to the tiny purple and gold dancing unicorn.
“It is. Though I should point out that it could easily be copied and inserted into images.”
“It could. But that argument rather loses its strength if the copier makes it so hard to find, now doesn’t it?”
She squared her shoulders. “Not necessarily.”
“I see.” I took a deep breath and stood. “I’d hoped not to bring all this out and into the open, but if that’s what it takes to get my answers in a straightforward manner, then that’s what I guess I have to do.”
I didn’t even get fully turned to the door.
“Wait,” she said. “You really aren’t interested in me? Can I have a guarantee of that?”
“I have interest only in the blackmail case at this point. I have no direct knowledge of any wrongdoing on your part. Are we clear?”
She thought about it and then nodded slowly. “If you show me the images, and I tell you who ordered the work, you leave and never come back?”
“If I leave here with everything I need to stop the blackmailer, then yes. To a point. If I get hired by another client and the path leads to your door, I may however return.”
But what were the chances of that happening, right? Still, I thought it important enough to mention. One never knew what the future held.
MY STEP WAS A WHOLE lot lighter by the time we left Britney’s house. Things were coming together nicely.
I had what I needed to confront the Tanners, and I was well on the way to proving myself a competent woman. All in all, things were definitely going my way.
We left her house with plenty of time to reach the safety of Liz’s haunting grounds too. At least, that’s what we thought at the time. With a full thirty minutes to make a twenty-five-minute drive, it shouldn’t have been any sweat, right?
But then we had to stop for a long train and lost five full minutes. It made things a lot closer, but still doable. Liz didn’t look too worried. A little concerned maybe, but not really worried.
Until we got behind the huge farm equipment, going thirty miles below the speed limit.
“We aren’t going to make it,” she said. There was a lot more than just concern in her voice.
I tried to pass three times, and each time another car was coming, and I had to pull back behind him again. “You know, according to Mom’s research, you’ll be fine even if we don’t make it back. You’ll just snap back there, that’s all.” I just wish my words sounded a little more sure of themselves. Liz’s worry was catching.
On the fourth try, I got around him. I think it’s safe to say that my car didn’t go a single mile under the speed limit the rest of the way. We were about a half-mile away from our driveway when Liz gasped. “Ruby, I don’t feel so good. I’m not sure your mom was right about that snapping thing. That would just be an instant thing, right?”
I swallowed and floored it.
Chapter 10
“Hold on, Liz. I think we can make it!”
We’d reset the timer before we left Oak Hill. Back when we thought we had plenty of time. I was kind of wishing now that we’d saved those precious few seconds. But at least with the timer, we knew just how close we were on time.
Seconds away.
I turned into the driveway going way too fast, and when the tires hit the gravel, I kind of lost control of the car there for a few seconds. We’d need a new mailbox, but that didn’t really matter to me right at the moment.
All that really mattered was that at least the front half of the car—and more importantly, its ghostly occupant—was on that drive as the timer went off.
When I finally came to a stop with the car actually on the driveway, I turned to Liz. “You okay?”
Her eyes were still a bit wild, but she nodded. “Yeah. But man, that was a little too close for comfort.”
Yeah, not what I had wanted at all for her first time out. It might be a long time before she agreed to leave the comfort of her haunting grounds again. I’d really wanted her to go with me to see the Tanners. But I wasn’t sure that would be an option.
“We’ll need to plan a little more leeway to get back after we visit the Tanners,” Liz said.
Or maybe it was an option after all.
“You sure you’re up to another trip? I would totally understand if you weren’t.”
She thought for a minute. “I’ll be okay. But I would like a few minutes to recuperate before we do the spell and head back out.” She glanced over at me with a mischievous smile. “Besides, I think maybe Destiny wants a word with you.”
Liz turned to look at the house, and I followed the path of her gaze. Destiny was sitting in one of the big picture windows staring out at the car. And I could see her tail slashing the air from here.
I was in so much trouble. Liz floated off to check on the estate, and I went in to face the music.
After letting myself in, I turned to the angry feline. “I know, and I’m sorry. But let’s face it, there’s still food in your bowl, right? And water in your dish? And you didn’t really go to the bathroom so much that your litter box is all that bad, now did you?” I looked her dead in her angry eyes. “So get over it. If you’re nice, then I’ll bring you over some of the leftovers from our dinner tonight as a treat. I’m planning to cook.”
She tilted her head and just looked at me.
“Yes, actually cook. And not hot dogs or spaghetti with stale hot dog buns doubling as garlic toast either. A proper meal.” I glanced at Amie’s kitchen wall clock after re-filling Destiny’s dishes. As I’d thought, neither was empty. The day wasn’t even halfway gone yet.
I so had this.
First the spell on Liz, and then the confrontation with the Tanners. That still should give us plenty of time for us to run into the market at Wind’s Crossing and pick up a cart full of food.
Yes, I wish I had a grocery list, but there wasn’t really time to make one out right now. I’d just have to wing it.
IT ONLY TOOK TWENTY minutes to make it to the Tanners. Guess we were a little closer to Wind’s Crossing than we were to Oak Hill. Five minutes closer to be exact. And yes, we brought along our handy little timer. I set it to go off a full forty minutes before the three-hour window. Plenty of time to get home with lots of minutes left.
And that gave us two entire hours to deal with the Tanners and stock up on food. So doable.
We sat there and looked at the house for a full minute, gathering our thoughts.
“I suppose you have a plan for this one too? Can’t see how I’ll be much help on this one.” She grimaced. “Not that I turned out to be much help on the last one either.”
I grinned at her. “Oh, you’re tons of help.”
“I am? How? Moral support?” She gave me a crooked grin. “Should I do your little cheer again?”
“No need. I know you have my back. But you really help with the whole temperature thing. I really need my leather for this, and it’s June. In Michigan.”
Her eyes grew big. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh, is right. You’re practically an essential for these trips. I really appreciate your help.”
Her smile was a lot more genuine now. But I meant every word.
We got out and walked up to the front door. I rang the bell and waited. It didn’t take long.
Mrs. Tanner opened the door with a huge smile. “Oh, hello again! You’re in luck, Mr. Tanner is home...” Her words trailed off as her eyes went from my face to my outfit. “Are those handcuffs?”
Funny how some people focused on the handcuffs. Me? My eyes would be totally focused on the other side of my hips. Where the taser holster was.
“As a matter of fact, yes, they are. And it’s a very good thing that Mr. Tanner is home because I need to speak with the both of you.”
She hesitated.
“I really think you will want to listen carefully to what I have to say, Mrs. Tanner.”
Finally, the door opened, and we were in.
Mr. Tanner stood from the sofa with a big smile. He must not have heard the bit about the handcuffs. Probably still thought I was there to tell them when their new fridge would be delivered. Surprise!
“Please, don’t stand on my account, Leroy.” I was done with the formalities here. The only reason I’d called Mrs. Tanner by her proper name was because for the life of me I couldn’t remember what her first name was. If I’d ever even known it. “I’m thinking this won’t take long.”
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