After slipping through the door, past the security guards that gave Vin a nod as he approached, I followed Vin as he wove through the convention. Patagonia raced ahead of us, meowing and sniffing the air. The booths were set up in long rows, with the occasional aisle to allow people to easily move between them.
The corner of each booth was marked with tape and poles with separator curtains dangling between them, but inside the booths were a variety of setups. Some had displays all along the back with colorful banners that boasted of the products for sale by the vendors.
Others looked like mini storerooms with shelves, cabinets, tables, and chairs. A few simply had a table draped with a cloth and a pile of cheese on top, but those were rarer, while the fancy mini-storefronts abounded.
The smells made my mouth water in general, but as we moved through the feta foyer, I pinched my nose against the strong odor of dirty socks.
Vin caught sight of my reaction. “They say it tastes better than it smells, but I can’t imagine getting it close enough to my mouth to find out.”
“They should sell that cheese with a complimentary clothespin for your nose.” I stuck out my tongue and made a gagging noise.
He chuckled as he turned a corner around a booth. And just like that, we were back to playful banter, and my eyes wandered across his strong and expansive back. I paused and scooped up Patagonia when she jumped up onto a counter to snag a piece of feta cheese. She swallowed it as I staggered under her squirming weight. Then she licked my nose, giving me a strong whiff of her kitty breath.
He stopped in front of a white sheet on the floor.
I stepped back. “Is he… still under there?”
“Sure, if he was three inches tall.” He bent over and flipped back the sheet to reveal a pile of blankets.
It hardly resembled a body at all, but I had only given it a quick glance. “Do you want my help, or are you just giving me a hard time?”
Vin gave me a wide grin.
With a shake of my head, I attempted to clear my mind and prepare myself for a reading.
The opportunities to perform magic were many. In addition to training with Auntie Ann all day, I have been doing secret nighttime training with my father’s two closest friends, Bear and Badger. They owned the two businesses underneath my loft in an industrial building my father had owned and left to me. I thought they were only tenants until I learned that they were mages and had been watching over me and the building. Their magic was the reason my loft always had the right temperature when I first moved in, why there was virtually no crime on our block despite being in a questionable area, the fact that I was never disturbed by noises even though both businesses had some late-night hours, and a million other things.
Not even Vanessa knew that I was training every evening with Bear and Badger. They had a police scanner running, and every suspicious death meant another field trip to test my skills. Murder was never good, but I hoped I someday had the chance to show off in front of Vin.
I stepped forward, closed my eyes, and cleared my mind. Once I’d set Patagonia on the ground, she nestled in close to my leg. Though she was a terror on four legs most of the day, when I was actively performing magic or attempting to, she had started to stay close and in direct contact. The few times she didn’t, I found even the most basic task challenging. A few slow breaths and I could feel that I was slipping deeper within myself while expanding into the environment around me. Slowly, the world around me came back into sight, this time in my mind’s eye, but things were shifted, and it was dark.
The room was the same, but the booths around me were different. The green light on a piece of electronics illuminated a sign reading Granner’s Cheese. Previously these visions would play out like a movie, but this time I was disoriented, and the visions kept spinning and snapping back, like my vision after spinning in a circle too many times and becoming dizzy.
I opened my eyes and flung out a hand. “Something’s not right. I’m getting a vision, but it’s not…” I looked around. “Does ‘Granner’s Cheese’ mean anything to you?”
“Granner Santini is my great-great-grandmother on my mom’s side. Everyone calls her Granner, and yes, she has a booth here, but it’s way on the other side of the convention hall. She had nothing to do with him.” He gestured at the spot where the man had passed away.
I could explain why I thought it was important, or I could torment him. “Take me there.” I pursed my lips and dared him to say no.
He rolled his eyes as he turned to lead me through the booths. “You are such a pain in my—” The rest of his comment was lost in a series of grunts as he tripped over Patagonia, who had run under his foot.
I snickered as I followed him across the room. Based on the way his shoulders flexed under his shirt, he was annoyed at me. Why did it give me such a thrill to get under his skin? As possible answers drifted into my awareness, they brought other thoughts to mind, thoughts that I didn’t want to deal with or answer. The situation had all the markings of an adolescent crush, something that I had skipped in my earlier life and certainly didn’t want to delve into now. Maybe it was more than passing infatuation that I had for him.
Perhaps Patagonia had answers for me. She twined around my feet, and I expertly stepped around her without tripping. At least until I slammed into Vin’s stationary back.
I regained my composure. “Uh, sorry. I was thinking about… Is this it?” I avoided his eyes and hoped that my burning cheeks weren’t noticeable. The booths in this area were about the same as the others throughout the convention hall, but I instantly recognized that my attempt at a vision had shown this area. These booths were fully assembled rather than the skeletons and boxes I had seen in the vision. The sign that bragged about Granner’s Cheese was hung in a booth full of food for sale, but the booth was dominated by a block of cheese.
The cheese had not been in the brief vision I had seen, of that I was sure. It was the size of a queen-size bed and sat awkwardly in the space in the center. The piece had been placed so that at two corners, there was less than a foot to squeeze between the edge and the shelves lining the edge of the area designated for each vendor.
A small plaque was pinned to the cheese boasting that it was the “World’s largest wedge of cheese. Take home a hunk for $15.” The top corner nearest the sign was missing, as pieces had apparently been sawed off with a hacksaw that sat on top.
“You going to do your reading or what?”
“You know what? I’m just getting my bearings.”
Vin held up his hands. “I’m just doing my job. I can’t keep the vendors out much longer.”
I reached down to scratch Patagonia and get myself settled. I performed magic much better with a clear mind, but Vin being near was becoming a larger distraction.
“Don’t worry. You take what time you need.” He leaned against a countertop, his voice a little softer.
He probably didn’t realize that being nice was an even bigger distraction than teasing me. I stepped away, purposefully turning my back to him and pressing my calf against Patagonia. She sensed the magic I was pulling in around me and was purring with her eyes shut.
The second I closed my eyes, the vision burst out before me. The location was the same but set up a bit differently. The booths were skeletons with unpacked boxes spewing bubble wrap. Most noticeably missing was the bed-sized wedge of cheese.
The vision was dark, even with my eyes closed. I squinted harder to try to capture every ray of light in my vision. Among the debris in Granner’s booth, an object started to glow green. It was clear, perhaps glass, and could fit in the palm of my hand but was not discernable beyond that.
Footsteps approached and, with them, emotions. There was sneakiness, smugness, and a hint of elation as the man rounded the corner and spotted the glowing object. I strained to see him more clearly. He was middle-aged and moved with the grace of an athlete, though perhaps he was just a mage. I had learned that being a mage of any age meant being better t
han the average human at virtually everything.
He scooped up the object, and his satisfaction soared. I was so engrossed in the scene that I was caught off guard by his sudden alert, and I fell backward out of the vision when the world’s largest wedge of cheese crashed down on top of him.
My eyes flew open, and I would have hit the floor if Vin hadn’t caught me in his arms.
“Whoa. You okay?” He pulled me toward him, his fingers digging into my arms and radiating warmth that spread over me.
“I… I was just startled.” I didn’t immediately move away from him or his touch. I shook my head, thinking the vision couldn’t have been correct. “Is there video footage I can review?”
His grip loosened, but his fingertips gently rested on my skin, and he didn’t step back. “Depends on when you mean. Did something happen here?” He looked around for threats.
“Yes, it happened here, but I’m not sure when. The booths were here but not fully done.”
“No surveillance once setup started. No paranormal event allows cameras. Security precaution.” He made a disappointed sound, and his hands gently trailed off my arms before he turned to face the footsteps behind me.
Raymond, Vin’s friend and team member, stepped up. “The vendors are grumbling to get back in.” He eyed the distance between Vin and me and gave me a wink. “You guys done? Or do you need a few more minutes?”
Vin smoothly stepped away. “Just a few more minutes. Thank you, Raymond.”
Raymond smirked a bit as he turned to leave. He disappeared behind a booth.
“What did you see? Is it connected to the man that died today? Tell me something.” Vin scooped up Patagonia who was rubbing against his shins.
In general, she was skittish or aggressive around people, especially those who tried to touch her, as tourists sometimes attempted. But she was crazy about Vin, if a bit rough. She purred loudly in his arms before biting down on his hand and kicking with her rear feet. He winced briefly before changing positions to lessen the damage.
“I have good news and weird news. The good news is that I didn’t see anything about the man that passed away today. Nothing magical involved. God rest his soul.” I lowered my head in a moment of respect.
Vin echoed my action, mumbling a blessing under his breath. “But you did see something, didn’t you? No one has been killed recently that I know of.”
“I think there was…” I cast a glance back at the world’s largest wedge of cheese in the middle of Granner’s booth. “And I have bad news about the body.”
CHAPTER THREE
I sat on the floor and dangled a string for Patagonia to bat at while I waited for Vin to confirm my vision. He had gathered his security team and arranged for white sheets to be hung around the cheese just in case. While he was unsure of how a murder could have happened with no one the wiser, he trusted me and my abilities enough to investigate. It gave me the same feeling as when I bit into a double-chocolate cupcake. I felt warm and happy from my head down to my toes.
The vendors had been allowed back in to prepare their booths for the next day. Patagonia flipped in midair to grab the string from my hand. She bit her white fangs into it while growling and scratching it with her claws.
I placed my hand on the floor and danced my fingers across the carpet. Patagonia jerked around to stare, lowering her shoulders to the floor and sticking her butt in the air before pouncing on my hand to chew on my fingers.
“Gently, Patagonia. Gently.” I tried to loosen her grip, but she doubled down on her efforts, growling and pinning her ears back against her head. I gave her a shove. “Either you let go or there’ll be no kitty crunchies in your future. Ever.”
She glared and grumbled but relaxed her jaw so the bite went from painful to playful.
“Patagonia, you finally got a mage. I didn’t think I would ever see the day,” someone said.
I looked up at a woman who appeared too old to still be living. I tried to disengage myself from Patagonia, but she kept her grip on me as she rolled over to present her belly. “Yes, I’m the lucky pincushion.”
She offered me a delicate, bony hand. It was light, like a bird’s wing. “Everyone calls me Granner. And you are?”
She looked like a question mark with her dowager hump. All hunched up, her bony physique made clothes look as if she had left the hangers inside. I figured that she could be thrown across the room by a stiff breeze. Wispy white hair curled tightly against her pale scalp.
I finally disengaged from Patagonia and crawled to my feet. Granner only came up to my bra line, and I reached down to shake her hand. “I’m Ella Marie.”
“Marie? Marie? I don’t know any Maries. Who are your people? Where do you come from?”
We had decided I should go by an alias to distance myself from my father and the question of why he had hidden me. Instead of my last name, I was using my middle name for now. The plan didn’t seem to work very well, unfortunately.
A loud muttering approached through the crowd. Vanessa could be heard addressing people. “Excuse me. Pardon me. Oh! Sorry about that. Let me help you pick that up.” People shuffled out of her way as she charged toward us. Vanessa swooped in to rescue me, wrapping her great-great-grandmother in her arms gently. “Granner! So good to see you.”
The tiny woman reached up to pat Vanessa on the head. “What? You just saw me yesterday. But it is always lovely to see my little girl.”
“Ella trains with Mom. I told you about her.”
“Yes, dear, but—What’s going on with my cheese wedge?” She narrowed her eyes at me until they were just little black pits in her face, surrounded by a mass of wrinkles.
I smiled nervously. “Uh…Vin and his security team are investigating.”
She reared back and her face turned red. “What! Investigating what?”
“Were you here when they put the cheese into your booth?”
“No!” She barked then coughed at the sudden exertion. She wheezed and puffed into a tissue she pulled from her sleeve before she caught her breath. “They unloaded it when I first arrived, and it was by the doorway yonder. Next morning, I come in and some idiot had dropped it into my booth all crooked. I have bruises all over my shins from running into it. But what does that have to do with what’s going on now?”
I leaned in, trying not to upset her. She was very old and might faint away. “They think there might be someone… underneath it.”
“Underneath? If anyone is underneath it, then they are flatter than that sandwich from New Orleans. You know, they put a bunch of meat and cheeses inside a hollowed-out round loaf of bread, then they put a bunch of books on top of it. It gets real flat, then when you cut it open, there are layers of meat and cheese. Remember when we flew down to New Orleans a few years ago, Vanessa? We got one in the French Quarter? The name is right on the tip of my tongue. Reminds me of a street urchin. No, a ragamuffin. Oh, that’s it. Muffuletta, that’s what it’s called. Mmm, that sure does sound good. Maybe I should just zap one up for lunch.”
Vanessa shook her head. “Granner, remember what happened the last time? You promised Mom you wouldn’t teleport food anymore.”
“Oh, your mother overreacted. It was just an accident that I brought the waiter along with the food. We sent him back to Paris first-class. He was thrilled.”
She was tougher than she looked
Grunts drifted over from the crime scene. We turned to face the white sheets that blocked any activity from sight. The groans of exertion from the men were muffled behind the sheets, indicating that the magic at play wasn’t as easy as they had hoped.
Granner adjusted the large white patent-leather purse dangling from her arm and hitched up her pants. “I’m going to speak with young Vin.” She stomped to the edge of the sheet and pushed it aside to peer at the activity beyond. “Don’t bruise my cheese!”
Vanessa and I leaned over the counter to catch a glimpse between the sheets, but all I could see was Granner and the yellow of the chee
se, which was now on its side. I couldn’t see the dead man, but the white faces of the men standing around made me happy that I was missing what was obviously a gruesome sight. The tallest man, with a six-pack that rippled his tight cotton shirt, turned green and sprinted away to hurl into a trashcan.
But Granner’s voice carried clear as day. “Good Heavens! Lord above, that man is flatter than a pancake. Who is it? Those boots look familiar except for the—Oh my stars, is that Michael Peteman? He’s flatter than a toad on a highway.”
She was cut off as Vin grabbed her arm and firmly marched her out. He yanked the sheet shut behind him. “Granner, please stay out here.”
She shook off his large hand and shouted up at him. “Don’t you manhandle me, young man! I’ll grab you by the ear and swat your behind if you act up.”
Vin sighed. “Granner, I didn’t want to upset you. I would never manhandle my favorite old lady.”
“Upset? Ha! You don’t know the things I’ve seen.” She pulled herself up to her full height, which was much taller than her stooped-over height but still made her head barely reach his chest. Jabbing him in the ribs with a bony finger, she berated him. “I’d been dealing with death and mayhem for decades before I wiped your tiny baby butt, and don’t you forget it.”
I whispered in Vanessa’s ear, “She’s feisty. I want to be her when I grow up.”
She nodded. “I hope I’m that pulled together when I’m in my one hundred eighties.”
“What?”
Vanessa perked up when Raymond came out from behind the white sheet and addressed Vin. “There is no way around this. I think we are going to have to call the marshal.”
Vin groaned and rubbed a hand across his forehead. “I guess you’re right.”
I leaned over to Vanessa. “Who’s the marshal? Is he part of the Federal Order?” Vanessa had previously told me that the Federal Order was what they called mage police.
Which Mage Moved the Cheese?: Casino Witch Mysteries 2 Page 2
