The bear growled. I set the man’s cup down and whirled around, wand in the air. He was still safely tied up, but his eyes were darting around, and he looked a little confused by the situation now. I’d be willing to bet a fairly hefty sum of money that he had requested some calming in his drink.
The door swung open again, and this time Officer Kent and a woman I vaguely recognized stepped in. It had been a while, and she had changed her hair, but if memory served, that was Mary Bells, a medical witch, which was absolutely perfect considering the problem.
Officer Kent quickly introduced us. “Michelle Oaks, this is Mary Bells, one of the medical witches who respond to community disturbances. Dispatch sent her over after you told them how many people have been spelled.”
Mary smiled at me. “It’s good to see you.”
I shook her hand, returning her smile. “I wish this could be under better circumstances.”
She nodded. “You have an idea what happened to them?”
“Actually, I do.” I leaned over and grabbed the two cups off the table. “Both of these coffee cups, as well as three belonging to the sleeping people over there, list a magical additive. I think something went wrong with the additives, and they’re causing very extreme reactions that oppose the original intent. So, if you read these two cups, they should have gotten a very small amount of indifference and some joy. Instead, he seems to be under some sort of obsessive compulsion, and she’s sobbing.”
Mary Bells took the cups from me. She stared at them and then held a hand over one. A second later, she jerked her hand back and rubbed it on her pants. “Well, there’s definitely some unstable magic in there. You think it affected everyone in here?”
I sympathized with her. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation. “Everyone who consumed something with a magical additive.” I hated this next part, but it was a necessity. “It’s possible there are people around town suffering from this, too. I don’t know how long it’s been going on, but anyone who got a beverage in the drive-through would be well away from here before the effects started.”
Both Officer Kent and Mary Bells muttered unpleasant things under their breath. Finally, Officer Kent said, “That might explain some of the calls we’ve been getting today.”
Mary Bells nodded in agreement. “I do appreciate you taking care of this so far, but I think I can manage. I’m going to have ambulances transport all of these people to the hospital for further treatment and have this place shut down until the health department can sort out exactly what happened.”
I couldn’t help but look at the poor werebear again. “Are you sure? It’s a lot to handle. I can help narrow down the search for the health department.”
Mary shook her head. “If you can free the drive-through customer’s cars, I can take it from here. I can even handle Mr. Bear over there. As for narrowing down the search, there was a case just last week where a coffee shop had recently switched suppliers for their magical syrups, and the new batch wasn’t up to the same standards and had some interesting effects. My guess is it’s something like that, but the health department will have to be in there anyway, so there’s no point in you doing their job.”
“All right. I’ll go free those cars and get out of your hair.” I shook both of their hands again. “Hopefully the next case will be a little less of an emergency for all of us.”
Officer Kent and Mary agreed. After saying goodbye, I went outside. The cars in the drive through were exactly as I’d left them, though the passengers were now under the watchful eye of another police officer. In just a couple of minutes, I freed all of the cars. It was no more difficult than sinking them had been. That was something I should keep in mind for future cases.
With a friendly wave for both Officer Kent and Mary in case they happened to be looking out the door, I headed back to my car. I wasn’t so sure I wanted that tea with a shot of energy anymore.
In fact, as I slid into my seat, I thought it would be quite nice to go home and make some tea myself.
My phone rang, and I groaned. Please not another emergency.
Chapter Fifteen
It was another emergency, or rather the same emergency, but a mile down the road.
I hadn’t gotten there in time. Mary Bells had been right. People and drinks were spread across town, causing trouble, and the worst of it was a mile away. With a groan, I headed to the next call. Being premier had to be less stressful than this.
As nice as that sounded, today I was still Michelle of Oaks Consulting. And my next case was on the left.
On my way, I tried to call Elron. Twice his phone sent me to voice mail. “Narzel fart,” I muttered as I took the left into the parking lot. “Hey, I know we were planning on meeting with the florist at noon, but I’m not going to be able to make it. Could you reschedule and call me back? Thanks and love you.” I hung up and pulled in behind Rodriguez’s car.
Midmorning on a weekday wasn’t usually a busy time for a strip mall and restaurants, but today, four police cars edged in a beefy pickup truck with half a shrub stuck in its grill. An officer on a speaker asked the driver to exit the car. Even from here, I could see the rude hand gesture the driver pressed against the window as their answer.
Rodriguez sauntered over. “Fancy seeing you here on this fine morning,” he drawled.
“Missed you at Roasted Beans.” I summoned my wand as I got out of the car.
“Sorry, I was having too much fun getting a human who thought they were a soccer ball who could roll down the highway all on their own restrained and into an ambulance. Funny thing, I found a Roasted Beans cup in her car.” Rodriguez tipped his head toward the truck. “It sounds like this guy visited everyone’s favorite shop of horrors too.”
“Oh, that’s great. One of their drinks forced a werebear into an uncontrolled change.” I locked my car and shoved my keys in my pocket. Thanks to years of working with the police, I knew the drill. If this party traveled, I’d be in a patrol car. “What’s the story?”
“Driver passed a car in a no-passing area. An officer tried to pull them over but they kept driving. It was an average car chase until the driver hopped out and flung a stop sign and three golf clubs at officers. According to reports, the brownie’s powers are out of control. They levitated a hubcap and bits of road debris before getting back in the truck, with the levitated items following them, and took off. So, here we are. Most the officers here are human. This is the sixth call of this type, and the department is stretched thin.”
That explained why the officers were keeping their distance. What brownies lacked in stature, they made up for in powers. The hearth, home, and farm abilities included levitation and magical strength disproportional to their size. I’d never heard of a gang of brownie thugs, but I wouldn’t want to meet them in a dark alley. “If we can get him out of the car again, it would be easier.”
“I’m open to ideas. I set out spike strips at the entrance before we forced him in here. He levitated them into the grass.”
“Then we try a more direct method. Do you have a knife?” Brownies weren’t the only people who could levitate stuff.
Rodriguez slapped a folding knife in my hand. “All yours.”
“Thanks.”
I knelt behind a patrol car, unfolded the knife, and tapped it with my wand. “Nazid.”
The knife floated out of my hand.
Smiling, I directed it down until it was hovering a few inches above the pavement and then sent it on a path to the truck’s rear driver’s side tire. When it was level with the tire, I made a jabbing motion with my wand. “Tewaz.”
The knife slid into the tire. Perfect.
The truck lurched into motion, back tires screeching as it took off. The motion shattered my hold on the knife. The back tire went flat. The truck slowed, but then the back end leveled out, and it kept going. The troublesome brownie was levitating the side I’d punctured.
I bolted toward Rodriguez’s car. As soon as I got the door shut behind me, we took o
ff after the brownie. “Sorry about your knife.”
“Department issue,” he said, his voice terse as he swerved around a panicked sedan halted in the entrance of the shopping center.
Between the wildly swerving truck and police cars, I couldn’t blame the drivers for being confused. Nor could I blame the three motorists who laid on their horns when the truck barreled onto the street without hesitation. I grabbed the Oh, Narzel handle over the door and hung on.
“Any bright ideas?” Rodriguez asked.
“Puncture more tires?”
“We can see how well that’s working.”
“There’s got to be a limit to how much he can levitate.”
“You held up a car.”
“Car, not truck.”
“Sure! That’s the distinction that matters right now!” he yelled as he stomped on the brakes as we slowed for a hard right.
“Fine. I’ll end it,” I snarled. “Warn the other officers they’ll need to stop quickly.”
While he got on the radio, I pointed my wand at the road in front of the truck. “Orzu.”
The truck took the turn and rolled into the soft road, sinking in to the running boards in hardly more than a second.
“Fehu.” I solidified the road with the truck in it, which couldn’t be doing the road any favors.
Enough cars cleared out of the lane to our left that Rodriguez could go around. He parked us on the driver’s side of the truck. I hopped out of the car as an officer bellowed instructions for the brownie to exit the truck.
The window shattered and chunks of glass went flying at the officers.
“Gebo fehu.” Moisture from the air surrounded the glass and froze, sending it crashing to the ground harmlessly.
The truck door popped open, and the brownie hopped out, coffee staining his jeans and white t-shirt. True to Rodriguez’s story, a hubcap trailed along behind him, as did several golf balls, a Roasted Beans mug, and a phone.
“You!” The brownie pointed at me, and a golf ball hurtled in my direction.
I froze it as I’d frozen the glass. Another followed, and I did the same.
“Why can’t you let a man morn his lost marriage in peace?” He shuddered, toppled onto his butt, and bellowed, “Why’d ya leave me, Darcy?” His levitating pile of junk fell to the ground.
“Give me the nullifying cuffs.” Their main purpose was to block magic, but they worked just fine on other powers too.
Rodriguez handed them over without a word.
Wand in one hand and cuffs in the other, I marched over to the brownie and grabbed his hand.
He yanked back and glared at me through his tears. “You’ll not be wanting to do that, lass.”
I snapped the cuff closed. “Try me.” I snarled.
The hubcap rattled as it lifted off the pavement.
“Do it.” I met his wild eyes with my resolve. “I’ll make you eat it.”
The hubcap thudded back to the ground.
I closed the cuff around his other hand and locked them, activating the nullifying effect. “Now, I’m sorry about Darcy, and I’m even more sorry to tell you that your morning coffee drugged you. You’ve been causing trouble and are going to go with the police and paramedics and get help.” Deciding it was as safe as it was going to be, I dismissed my wand.
He looked past me to the officers. “Where did they come from?”
“They came to help you,” I said gently. With the cuffs on, he seemed different, as if by blocking his abilities, the effects of the corrupted magic were also blocked. “Let’s get you up and to a hospital.”
He staggered to his feet. “Do ya think my Darcy will come visit me?”
“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the hospital staff.” I handed him over to an officer.
“Oh, I will. Darcy also cares for me when I’m sick.” He let the officer get him settled in the car.
Turning back to the car, I raised my wand. “Orzu ansu.” The ground softened, and the truck lifted out.
“Fehu.” With that, I solidified the road. The truck, listing to the side from the flat tire, sat atop it, ready to be towed away.
“Thank you,” Rodriguez said softy.
“He didn’t want to cause trouble.”
“I know. I heard you took care of the source.”
“For all the good it did.” While no one had been hurt dealing with the brownie, it could easily have ended in tragedy.
“I know we were supposed to meet today, but I think we’re both going to be on call dealing with other incidents.”
“The reports,” I groaned. “I haven’t finished them.”
“Me either.” Rodriguez tried to grin, but a yawn interrupted it. “Tell you what, I’ll drop you off at your car, and we can go over reports tomorrow.”
“I’ll have them done by then, I promise.”
Rodriguez winced. “Before either of us make promises we can’t keep, let’s see how the rest of the day goes.”
“Deal.” I returned to his car, checking my phone. Still no message from Elron, so I tried calling him again. He didn’t pick up.
I eyed the clock. Assuming he hadn’t canceled our appointment with the florist, I had just enough time to get there as long as I didn’t have to rush to another emergency. “Any cases you need me for?”
“I don’t think so. The rush seems to be over.” He sighed. “I need a break.”
“Same.”
He pulled up next to my car. “Until next time?”
“You know it.”
Rodriguez waved and drove off.
As if those words were taunting the universe, my phone rang. I answered without checking who was calling. “Oaks Consulting. This is Michelle.”
“Ms. Oaks, we need to review the plans for Ethel’s funeral.”
“What?” It took a moment for my brain to match the voice with a name. “Susanna, what funeral arrangements? Last I heard, we didn’t have a body. The medical examiner was going to have to do some extensive testing to see if one of the difficult to identify remains was hers, and until we have proof she’s missing, she’s presumed dead, but not officially dead.”
Her voice shifted from business as usual to sympathy. “I have it on good authority that one of the burned remains is that of the former premier.”
That was news to me. “I’d like to see that paperwork.”
“As I said, it’s in process.”
“If there isn’t any paperwork yet. Then why would I plan a funeral?” I rubbed my temple, sure I was missing something.
Susanna sighed. “We need to be ready. It can’t look like you’re delaying the funeral of the previous premier. What would people think? The moment we have definitive news, we need to have a funeral to announce.”
“Fine. I’ll review it tonight, but right now, I’m Michelle of Oaks Consulting, and I have to do that job.”
“You’re going to be the premier!”
“It does look that way, doesn’t it?” I said dryly as I turned on my car. If I left now, I’d only be a couple of minutes late for the florist.
“This is your job.” Susanna’s voice crept up in pitch. “The transition from ordinary witch to premier is where your focus should be.”
I sighed loudly. “It will be my job. Right now, police contracts pay my rent and buy my food. When I see a paycheck for being premier, then we’ll talk about my priorities.” I hung up on her protests.
The phone rang again while I was pulling out of the parking lot, but I ignored it. Susanna had gotten all she would from me right now. I had flowers to pick.
The drive over went smoothly, more smoothly than I’d expected. Usually after channeling as much power as I had this morning, and yesterday for that matter, fatigue settled in. Only I didn’t have the tired empty sensation I’d expected. Sure, I could tell I’d used magic, more than I had in months, but I had plenty left, and more trickled in as I took stock.
Huh. Dr. Stiles had been right. Practice was what stood between me and the power
reserves I’d once had. Oh, it would be months or years before I was fully back to my old self, but this was a vast improvement from a week ago. Too bad I hadn’t practiced more before the Trial by Magic. I might’ve been able to win.
With that sour thought, I parked in front of Fab Flowers. Elron’s car was clearly absent. I dialed his phone again as I headed for the shop with a multicolored display of iris tucked under an OPEN sign. Inviting enough, though it would be even better with my fiancé.
The call went to voice mail again, and I hung up. Two minutes past our appointment time, I pushed open the door.
Coolers showing off brightly colored flowers dominated one wall. Tables topped with vases and arrangements of every size and for any occasion should’ve looked graceful, but two large ones had toppled from the table and shattered on the ground.
“I told you to go away!” A woman yelled.
My eyes followed a trail of flowers past the counter. A tidily wrapped, but now squished, set of red roses lay under the pass-through.
“I miss you,” a man pleaded.
A twist of my wrist, and my wand was in hand. I pushed through the pass-through, edged around a steel-topped table, and shoved open the door to the back room.
Flowers of every type and size dotted the floor in clumps. More than a few of the bunches had been ground underfoot, likely by one of the two satyrs. Probably not by the lady, feet tapping nervously from her position atop another worktable, but the male. He gazed up at her as he shoved a rose in his mouth and started to chew.
“Can I help?”
The satyr on top of the table blushed until her cheeks matched the soft pink of her sundress. “Ah, you must be Michelle. Fern, proprietor of Fab Flowers. As awkward as this is, I would be delighted to have your aid in removing him from this establishment.”
“You know my name!” Rose petals flew out of his mouth. “You used to love telling everyone about your boyfriend. Couldn’t wait to brag about me! I’m more than a him to you!” He made a grab for Fern’s feet.
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