Relatively Familiar (Accidental Familiar Book 2)

by Belinda White

  As we printed off the names, we did what we could to research each person online. After an entire afternoon, we were still no closer than we had been before we started. But we had the beginnings of a plan. We’d numbered the remaining suspects from highest to lowest probability. Stan Grayson was at the top, followed by Patricia Bluespring, who was in turn followed by the mother with the illegitimate son, followed by a host of other blackmail victims.

  We’d move down the list, visiting and investigating each one until we could reliably mark them off the list for good. Or, even better, circle them in that bright red bullseye.

  Around six thirty, we headed for Lily’s. No way was I going to be late again. She’d excused me last night. I didn’t think I’d get the same favor the second time around.

  Ruby and I were the first to arrive. I was glad, because that gave me time to ask Arc a few things.

  “Is there any way for someone to know your ward key when they see it?” I would definitely be looking for it when I went back to Firestorm, but it would help a lot if I knew, you know, what it looked like.

  Arc nodded. “Oh yeah. It’s bright green, and if you clap, it glows so you can find it. Then if you don’t pick it up in thirty seconds from the clap, it whistles.”

  Ruby laughed. “You have a whistling ward key?”

  He looked pleased with himself. “No. I have a whistling ward key that glows. It makes it kind of hard to stay lost.”

  I thought for a minute. “Could we do a find spell on your magical signature?”

  Arc grimaced. “I tried that. It didn’t work. It kept leading me around in circles.”

  “That’s odd,” Ruby said. “Find spells are usually pretty accurate.”

  He shrugged. “But I’m trying to find my signature, and I’ve . . . well, I like my magic.”

  And obviously, he’d spread it around a lot too. Still, at least I could identify the key now. That was something.

  The others started filing in, and Opal arrived with Yorkie Doodle in tow.

  “Before you ask, I called to check with Lily to see if I could bring him. And I called the lodge where you’re staying, and they allow small dogs, so you’re okay there too.”

  Ruby picked him up for a snuggle. “I thought you wanted him to stay out of the way at the farmhouse.”

  “I did, at first. But now I’m going away for a couple of days, so you’ll just have to make arrangements to not leave him alone too much.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked. It wasn’t like the perfect time to take a vacation. But then again, the only thing she really had riding on this was her seat on the council. Although, I had to admit, I would have thought the whole treason thing would have her more concerned. But bottom line, she could leave if she wanted to.

  She hesitated. “There’s something I want to check out in Indianapolis. A clue. And no, I’m not telling you what it is. You do your thing, and I’ll do mine.”

  “My caseload is pretty light at the moment,” Merlin said, coming up behind Opal. “I can go with you, if you like.”

  All he got for his offer was one of Opal’s signature stares—with extra ice. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I already have my traveling partner.”

  Mom stepped up. “Who would that be?”

  Opal just looked at her. “You have your secrets, and I have mine. I’m keeping this one.”

  It was good that Opal wasn’t going alone, especially if her trip had anything to do with the case. I’d still feel a whole lot better if I knew that whatever, or whoever, she was investigating wouldn’t put her in danger.

  And yes, I wanted to know who her traveling companion was too. I was hoping it was someone competent. Knowing Opal, they would be. She didn’t suffer fools lightly.

  “All right, everyone. Dinner is on the table. I hope you all like meatloaf. If not, there’s ham and beans with cornbread too.”

  Lily obviously believed in being prepared. I respected that. Especially as meatloaf wasn’t one of my favorite foods. I’d eat it if I had to just so I wouldn’t be rude, but I was grateful that she’d prepared an alternative.

  As always, the talk over dinner wasn’t allowed to stray into what we all really wanted to talk about. The case. But that was okay. I was starting to have a healthy respect for Lily and her rules. They had seemed kind of a time waster before, but it was nice to have a small half-hour window each day where we at least pretended that everything was normal in our lives.

  Afterward, we met back in the living room. The others took seats on the furniture, but me and Arc sat on the floor next to the kittens' box. They were active tonight, and I had yet to pick out which one would be mine.

  It would be a hard choice. All three were adorable. One was a pure white except for a small bit of black at the tip of her tail. Another one was mostly black, with a little white mustache and eyebrows. And the last was a striking calico with a yin-yang face divided in color between black and orange.

  Each one seemed to have their own personality too. Having never been able to be around kittens before due to my allergies, they fascinated me. Too bad a witch couldn’t have three familiars. Then I wouldn’t have to choose.

  Merlin started off the case talk. “Okay, so I had a long talk with Karen Moore today about being on Sonya’s list. She admitted to the blackmail but insisted that what Sonya had asked of her wasn’t anything worth killing for. A simple favor that she would have done anyway if she’d asked her nicely, according to Karen.”

  “What was the favor?” Arc asked, scooping up the little white ball of fur for a quick cuddle.

  I was content to just watch them. For now, anyway. I was still getting the hang of this being around cats thing. It was a good thing Yorkie Doodle was behaving himself. He’d shown some initial curiosity but had taken the momma cat’s no as the final answer on the subject.

  Good dog.

  “According to Karen, all Sonya wanted was an invitation to a party that a friend of Karen’s husband was throwing. One that had a lot of celebrity attendees. She got the distinct impression that Sonya was on the prowl for a rich and influential husband.”

  “But what was to stop Sonya from coming back later for more? Or letting her secret out, anyway?” I mean, it was a pretty big secret that her youngest child didn’t have the father her husband thought she did.

  Merlin shrugged that off. “Truthfully, I don’t think Karen thought it as much of a threat as we all think it was. Glen’s been known to see a few ladies behind her back too. She might just view it as getting a little vengeance on him. I don’t think there is much love left in that marriage at this point.”

  Another name crossed off the list. That left us with two primes. Stan Grayson and Patricia Bluespring.

  I was up next and told them about Bluespring’s visit to our hotel.

  “She really, really doesn’t like you all, you know. And she’s . . . not a normal witch, is she?” I was looking at Senior when I said it. Of all of us, he would know her the best. After all, he’d been married to her, even if the marriage hadn’t lasted all that long.

  He looked away and wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Nothing about Patty is normal. She’s a one of a kind for sure.”

  “What happened between the two of you that caused her to hate you so much?” Mom asked.

  I held my breath and waited. Would he confess?

  No. He just shook his head. “I have no idea. We parted amicably enough. She was the one to leave me, though it was a mutual agreement. There didn’t seem to be any hard feelings at the time. Just something that didn’t work out. I had hoped we could stay friends. That changed about a week later. I have no idea why.”

  “I think I do,” I said quietly. Every eye in the room focused on me. “I asked her today why she hated you all so much. I kind of think it stems from you not returning her grandfather’s pocket watch. I think it meant a lot to her.”

  He stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “But of course I returned it! I took it to her new plac
e the very next . . .” his voice trailed off, and he started cursing. “I knew I shouldn’t have given it to her roommate. There was just something about her that didn’t feel right. At the very least, I should have followed up to be sure she got it.”

  Merlin’s face was a little whiter than it had been. “That’s bad, Archie. That watch was an heirloom with a lot of built-up family power behind it. Even in the hands of non-witches . . .”

  Senior groaned. “I know. But the roommate wasn’t a witch. All she would have seen was the money it would bring. I’ll bet she sold it. And that was a couple of decades ago. How on earth do you trace something like that now?”

  He put his head in his hands. “It’s no wonder she hates me so much. She’ll never believe me if I tell her now.”

  I glanced over at Opal. She was used to finding things for people. Her specialty was in finding one of a kind items. Precisely like the pocket watch at the center of Patricia’s hatred. She gave me a small nod. She’d find it.

  That didn’t stop Patty from being a suspect. Her hatred was still firmly in place, even if it was unfounded.

  Chapter 17

  IN THE HOTEL ROOM BY the television was a sign-up offering complimentary DVD players upon request at the office. Opie hit the Redbox on the way home, even though I was a little leery of letting him choose the night’s entertainment. I was really hoping the rental unit would be out of Ghostbusters.

  When he came in with an actual comedy, I breathed a major sigh of relief. Finally, something worth watching. He’d even stopped by the store for two big plastic bowls and some microwave popcorn.

  The movie was good, and the company was even better. I enjoyed having a small period of time to just relax and pretend things were normal. Kind of like Lily’s dinner rules, but at my new home away from home.

  I must have been more tired than I’d thought, because I dozed off sometime before the end of the movie. The sound of breaking glass and Ruby screaming woke me in a hurry.

  Someone had thrown some kind of firebomb through the room’s window, and it had broken against the foot of my bed and ignited the bedclothes. If I’d been in the room by myself, that probably would have been the end of Amethyst Ravenswind. But I wasn’t alone.

  Opie threw the flaming covers off the bed before the flames could make it through to me. I got a little scorched, but nothing like the burns I’d have gotten had the fire burned through the thick cover.

  Ruby stepped in then and grasped my hand. “Sorry,” she said, then I felt the magic flowing from me to her through our clasped hands.

  Our hair started floating as Ruby quickly chanted, raising our arms together in a single fluid motion. When she brought them down, the fire snuffed out like someone blowing out a birthday candle.

  Once he saw we were okay and the fire was out, Opie was running for the door. He didn’t get far.

  “Girls, come quick!”

  The first thing I saw after stepping through the room’s threshold was my precious baby engulfed in flames. Ruby and I did the magic thing again, but it didn’t work quite as well as it had on the room. Probably because her magic had already been drained from the first spell.

  Opie ran back into the room and came out with the fire extinguisher to polish it off. Far too late to save my wonderful freedom-giving car, but fast enough to stop any kind of explosion should the flames have reached the gas tank.

  By now, people were gathering. I leaned against the side of the hotel as the manager rushed toward us.

  “What the hell happened here?”

  “I think someone just tried to kill my friends,” Opie said. “Almost got all of us.”

  “And almost burnt down my bread and butter in the process.” The manager, probably the owner, too, from the amount of worry on his face, stepped past us and into the room. When he came out, he looked a little relieved. “You guys must have acted very quickly. I appreciate that.”

  He paused, and I knew what was coming next. We were about to get our walking papers.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to think about the safety of my other guests, and of the hotel itself. As greedy as that sounds, it’s true.” To give him credit, he didn’t look happy about it. “You three need to leave. I’ll refund the money for the rest of your stay.”

  I swallowed, then shook my head. “Keep the money I gave you. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have this damage to fix. Hopefully it will help you cover the deductible on your insurance.”

  He nodded. “Thanks. I was kind of wondering how I would come up with that.” Then he turned to my car. What was left of it. “Ouch.”

  Yeah, I had to agree with him there. Ouch, indeed.

  “Come on, Amie,” Opie said, reaching down a hand to help me up. Funny, but I didn’t remember sitting down.

  I stood with his help, and we went in to pack up our stuff. Luckily, nothing was damaged beyond the bed’s footboard, the bedcovers, and the carpet by the bed. Well, besides the big gaping hole the bottle had made in the front window.

  What was it with people and Molotov Cocktails, anyway? I was attracting the wrong kind of bad guy in my life. They really needed to switch things up.

  Then I thought of Ruby’s fast-acting spell. Maybe that wasn’t what I wanted after all. She wouldn’t have had that spell ready so fast if she hadn’t already had experience with it.

  “Are we going back to the farmhouse?” Ruby asked, placing her bags by the door. “Or do we try another hotel? Surely the town has more than one, right?”

  I was having trouble thinking clearly. Was it the magic that had flowed from me to Ruby doing that? Were these the aftereffects of spellcasting? If so, then it was just one more reason to get rid of the blasted magic and go back to being my little ol’ self again.

  Ruby and Opal could have it.

  “No to both those choices,” Opie said, coming into our room carrying his bags. “This is a time for family to stick close together. There’s safety in numbers.” He eyed Ruby and me. “Especially with the kind of power you guys have.”

  Then he smiled and shook his head. “I sure am glad you all are the good guys. I’d hate to have to come up against you.”

  Never gonna happen.

  “Besides, I have a place for us already in Oak Hill.” Wow, that was fast. “I just got off the phone with Sapphire. We’re expected at Senior’s house in less than a half hour. Your mom was rather insistent.”

  Oh joy, nothing like living under your newly discovered father’s roof to get to know him. But even I had to admit it offered perks. Especially as I no longer had a car to make the commute back and forth from the farmhouse.

  Sure, I had insurance, but I was pretty sure getting new wheels wouldn’t be an overnight thing.

  With one last, sad look back at our now not so pretty room, I picked up my bags and followed the others out to Opie’s car.

  By the time we had the bags stowed in his trunk, the police arrived. How on earth had I forgotten that part of the process? I must be in more shock than I’d realized.

  Needless to say, we didn’t make it to Mom's in the promised time frame.

  SENIOR’S HOUSE WAS everything I’d expected it to be and more. This wasn’t just the home of a prominent small-town attorney. This was the home of old money.

  Well, I say home. Mansion is more like it.

  Mom and Senior met us at the door. It was after midnight when we made it. Answering the police’s questions repeatedly had taken a lot of time. And they hadn’t been happy at all with our answers.

  I was formally warned to stay off the murder investigation. According to them, that was a job for them, not me. My tongue was sore from biting it so hard. That and Opie’s quick elbow was all that kept me from telling them it was me who came up with Sonya’s computer. Their biggest break in the case to date.

  What I was doing wasn’t breaking any laws. And warning or no, I planned to keep right on doing it. After all, if the killer had tried to add me to the victim list, he had to know I was getting c
lose.

  Surely that narrowed things down? Tomorrow, when I had a clear head, I was really hoping my thoughts would all come together with a brilliant revelation. Until then, my brain seemed to be declaring a holiday.

  Mom and Senior both had to give us all hugs, and then they led us inside, past the immaculate porch—and here I’d thought the sexy librarian’s porch was nice. Senior’s put hers to shame. No, there weren’t any futuristic hanging chairs, but it was incredibly stylish in an old-fashioned way. My kind of porch.

  Part of me wanted to cuddle up on one of his cushioned porch swings and pass the night swinging my cares away. If only it were that easy.

  “I’m so glad none of you were hurt,” Mom said, clicking her tongue. Her face had a far more serious expression than she normally allowed on it. “The sooner we get this figured out, the better. If that person hurts any of you . . .”

  Okay, so Mom could be a bit scary. I’d seen that side of her only once before, back in my grade school days when we were dealing with a couple of witch-hating kids and their families. Normally, Mom was a very easy-going person. Not so when someone threatened a loved one.

  If we’d been hurt or, Goddess forbid, killed, I know that Mom would have hunted them down to the very ends of the earth. And I wouldn’t give you a plug nickel for their chances when she’d found them, either. I had a feeling Mom wouldn’t stop with slamming them up against a wall.

  Then again, I wouldn’t have either, if Opal hadn’t stopped me. Mom and I take the protection of our family very seriously.

  “I know it’s late tonight, so why don’t we all try to get some rest and regroup in the morning? We can figure out tomorrow where to go from here.” Senior’s voice was kind and soothing. He made it sound like the best idea in the world.

  We followed them up the stairs. A massive staircase with a curved oak railing and banisters led to the second floor of the house.