by Joyce Lavene
“Not a problem, my dear.” Sir Reginald was right behind us. He shoved the gun in my face. “Jessie, you and I have unfinished business once I take care of this little slut.”
“Slut?” Isabelle started crying again. “Why are people always saying mean things about me?”
He raised the gun toward her head. “Goodbye, my lady.”
I probably should have reacted. Thrown myself between the gun and Isabelle, but I was too tired and disgusted with her to care.
She screamed but there was no gunshot. The lights were dim but not dim enough that I couldn’t see Sir Reginald trying to fire the gun over and over. The click of the trigger brought no response. He was out of bullets.
Sighing at my fate, I threw myself against him. He managed to hit me a few times in the arm with his gun before I got it away from him. He was strong, but I had him at a disadvantage since I was on top of him, beating him with my fists and kicking him.
I heard Isabelle get to her feet. I was foolish enough to think she was going to jump on him too. Instead she vanished into the darkness, screaming for help. Maybe that would bring someone from one of the parties into our direction. Maybe not. I held on to Sir Reginald and kept pummeling him until he was lying still beneath me.
Exhausted, I rolled off him and on the grass. I could barely catch my breath. I heard people running in our direction. The stadium lights from the Village Green came on. Suddenly I could see everything.
Sir Reginald was gasping for breath too. His face was white and drawn. A police car came through the Main Gate with lights and sirens blaring. A few residents stood away from me and Sir Reginald watching to see what would happen next.
Knowing what I did about the other Sir Reginald, I immediately started CPR on him. It was weird putting my mouth on his after punching him there a few minutes earlier. I pushed hard on his chest to make him breathe and finally someone pulled me aside and took my place.
“Are you okay, Jessie?” Chase asked.
I looked at Canyon. He was on the ground with Sir Reginald. “I think he had a heart attack.”
“We saw Isabelle. She told us what happened. A few people from Stage Caravan had come over to Baron’s talking about a fight. We just didn’t know they were talking about you.”
Chase put his arms around me, and I leaned against him. I don’t know how Bailiff-like it was, and I didn’t care. The ambulance finally arrived and had to push Isabelle aside to make room for Sir Reginald, promising they would send another vehicle back for her.
Sir Reginald might recover from his heart attack here. One of the paramedics said that some people went out of their heads when they were having problems with their heart—something about not getting enough oxygen to the brain. Maybe the crusty, old knight would still make it to fulfill his job as manager of the castle.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” Chase asked as we started walking toward the castle. All the outside lights were on now making the Village much brighter. Dozens of residents had come out to see what was going on.
“I’m fine. Just a little sore. Nothing a hot shower won’t help.”
“I think we can take care of that, and I do a pretty good back rub too.” He smiled down at me. “You know, all of this has started me thinking about what you said.”
“That you should be the next Bailiff?”
“Yes. I was glad I could be there when the horse crashed into the bleachers. I wish I could’ve been here to protect you and Isabelle. I think I could be good at it.”
“I think you’re right. We’ll have to have some kind of duel or something to see who gets to be Bailiff.”
He stopped walking. “Canyon said he’s not interested anymore.”
“I’m still Bailiff. I was talking about me.” I stared at him without smiling. “I think I’m good at this.”
“Come on. You don’t want to duel.” He wrapped his arms around me again. “It was your idea for me to be the next Bailiff.”
“We’ll see. I may be willing to take you on as an apprentice until you learn the ropes. Don’t forget you have to live in the Dungeon if you’re the Bailiff.”
He picked me up and put me over his shoulder. I screamed and laughed all the way back to the castle. It didn’t take long to run a hot bath instead of a shower. We shared it and then shared a bottle of wine before we went to bed.
I was almost asleep when I heard Starshine tell me goodnight. I was too tired to reply and fell asleep with my head against Chase’s shoulder. There was always tomorrow to talk to her about what I needed to do next.
* * *
“Time to wake up, sleepy head.” Chase playfully slapped my butt under the blanket.
“After last night, I think I get to sleep in today. Someone else will have to be Bailiff. Maybe you could start training yourself.”
“What are you talking about? I know you don’t like the fairy convention, but you can’t have my job to get away from it. That wouldn’t help anyway. I probably see more fairies every ten minutes than you do all day at the museum.”
Museum?
I lifted my head and glanced around the room with one eye open.
This was it. I was home at my Dungeon.
There was a custom-made wedding band on my hand that matched Chase’s. I’d finally done it. I was back in my Village.
“You aren’t going to believe where I’ve been.” I sat up to tell him. “You probably didn’t even miss me with the dead fairy investigation going on.”
“Oh yeah. We figured that out last night. I didn’t want to wake you. I’m afraid the new guy, the one you hired to help me, was the one who killed the fairy.”
“Canyon?” That really caught my attention. “What do you mean? It wasn’t Lord Dunstable or Sir Reginald?”
“No. You must’ve dreamed that. Canyon admitted that he killed her. He said he has a problem with women who reject him. Her friend actually witnessed the whole thing but was afraid to tell us. I talked to her again, and she spilled everything. Canyon folded when I found him.”
I followed Chase to the kitchen—our kitchen—and stared at him as he made pancakes.
“I can’t believe Canyon killed her. He had excellent references.”
“Besides his record for assaults against women?”
“What? I checked his police records. There were no assaults.”
He hugged me. “You did the best you could.”
Then it occurred to me. “We can still go on our honeymoon?”
“Sure.” He kissed me. “I think I need a vacation. I’m finally finished with that mess my father and Morgan made too. Let’s do something fun.”
I hugged him and squealed. “Awesome. When do we leave?”
“Not until the fairies are gone at the end of the week,” he said. “They need you here for the museum, and I have to be here because my new assistant is in jail.”
“Sorry.”
He handed me a plate of pancakes. “Next time, let me hire my own assistant.”
“But you won’t,” I argued. “You need help, Chase. You can’t do this by yourself.”
“You’re right. As soon as we come back from vacation, I’ll hire an assistant who can get up at three a.m. and tell the security guards what to do. Okay?”
“Yes.” I smeared my pancakes with maple syrup, happy to be home again. Only one thing bothered me. “You didn’t even realize I was gone, did you?”
He sat across from me with his pancakes and raised his brows. “Gone? You mean you left the museum early yesterday? Yeah. Manny told me.”
“No. I was gone like I left the Village.”
“Where did you go?”
I started thinking before I told him I’d gone to another Village where he and I weren’t together. It hadn’t happened. It looked as though I’d dreamed the whole thing.
“I went to the store.” I shrugged. “I was only gone a little while. It was nothing.”
We finished breakfast together, and Chase had to go. He’d
already received calls for various problems in the short time we’d been eating.
I showered and put on my tan gown with the large pockets. The fairies weren’t going to get me down with their skimpy outfits. Chase and I were together. Life was good. I would never make a stupid wish again.
When I hit the cobblestones headed toward the Art and Craft Museum, the Village was teaming with fairies. I’d never seen so many. There were tall fairies, short fairies, blue and green fairies. Most of them had wings although a few just wore capes.
I smiled into the sunshine as I approached the museum. Mrs. Potts from the Honey and Herb Shoppe waved to me. I wasn’t looking where I was going as I waved back and stumbled against someone.
“Oh! Excuse me,” a very familiar voice said.
I looked down, and there was Starshine. She was wearing the same hooded blue cloak and gown with ruffles at the bottom. But she was walking along the cobblestones, barely three feet tall.
“It’s you!” I grinned and moved out of her way. “I wasn’t sure if I’d see you again.”
“I wasn’t sure if you saw me at all since you almost stepped on me.”
“I’m sorry. I’m used to you being up higher.” I held my hand at my waist. “You know—with your wings buzzing—while you’re flying.”
“Buzzing wings? Flying?” She frowned and turned her back to me. “You must be thinking of someone else, young woman. I don’t wear wings. I like my hood and cloak.”
“Oh. I understand.” I whispered, “You’re worried about people knowing who you are. I get it.”
“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you.” She held out her tiny hand. “I hope we’ll see each other again under better circumstances.”
Was I wrong? Had I imagined having a fairy godmother too? I felt stupid as I shook her hand. “I hope you have a wonderful time in Renaissance Village. Please come and visit me at the Art and Craft Museum.”
“Huzzah!” She giggled.
I left it at that. When you’re not sure what’s real, the best thing is to know that you don’t know.
“Goodbye, Jessie.”
I looked back, and she was moving away from me with a quick smile and a wink.
“Goodbye, Fairy Godmother. And thank you for everything.”
About the Authors
Joyce and Jim Lavene write bestselling mystery together. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications.
Pseudonyms include J.J. Cook, Ellie Grant, Joye Ames and Elyssa Henry
They live in rural North Carolina with their family, their cat, Quincy, and their rescue dog, Rudi. They enjoy photography, watercolor, gardening, long drives, and going to our local Renaissance Fair.
Visit them at:
www.renaissancefairemysteries.com
www.joyceandjimlavene.com
www.Facebook.com/JoyceandJimLavene
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorJLavene
Amazon Author Central Page: http://amazon.com/author/jlavene
Other books in this series
Book 1 – Wicked Weave – ISBN 9780425223307
Book 2 – Ghastly Glass – ISBN 9780425230305
Book 3 – Deadly Daggers – ISBN 9780425236444
Book 4 – Harrowing Hats – ISBN 9780425242773
Book 5 – Treacherous Toys – ISBN 9780425251584
Book 5.5 – Perilous Pranks – a novella ASIN: B00EJMVTDM for Kindle
Book 6 – Murderous Matrimony – ISBN: 9781494874919 – ASIN: B00GOA74N6 for Kindle
Book 7 – Bewitching Boots – ISBN: 978-1500683412 – ASIN: B00M9NZN4E for Kindle
Table of Contents
Fatal Fairies
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
About the Authors
