by Zoe Arden
She pushed the door open and her face grew pale. Her house had been ransacked. Everything inside was a mess. Tables were overturned. Chair cushions had been pulled out. Clothes, papers, you name it, were strewn all over the place.
"Oh, my roses," I breathed. "We need to call Sheriff Maxwell."
Tazze dialed Lincoln's number, but he was still in Sweetland Cove and it would take him an hour to get back. He told us to wait outside in case someone was still there, hiding, but Tazzie insisted on checking to see if anything was missing. I stayed with her, refusing to leave her alone. If someone was still in the house, it was better to face him or her together.
Other than the monstrous mess that had been left, nothing appeared to be missing.
"Why would someone break in just to mess my things up?" Tazzie asked.
It was in her bedroom that we saw the purpose for the intruder's break-in. Written on the wall in black spray paint, painstakingly done in big block letters, were the words:
STAY OUT OF THE ELECTION
Simple and to the point.
Tazzie's face went white. Her hands started trembling.
"It is the assassin. He came back to finish the job."
"Come on," I said, "let's wait outside for Sheriff Maxwell."
She followed me out and we sat on her porch. Lincoln must have used a supersonic speed charm because he arrived thirty minutes later with a few of his deputies. They searched Tazzie's house but didn't find anyone or anything to lead them to who had done this.
"Could have been a prank," Lincoln said of the spray-painted message.
"A prank?" I asked. "Who would do that?"
He shrugged. "Who knows? Teenagers who have heard about what's going on and wanted to frighten Tazzie."
"Yeah, or it could be the assassin." I paused, thinking. "Or whoever hired him."
"Could be," Lincoln agreed.
He finally told me to just go home, that there was nothing else to see or do here and Tazzie would be fine. I headed back toward home and was halfway there, near Whisper Crossing, when my car started making a funky noise.
"Not now," I murmured as I rolled to a stop. Steam shot out of the engine in all directions, or was that smoke? I tried to lift the hood of the car but it was too hot to touch.
"Warthogs." I hoped Eleanor wouldn't be mad at me. It wasn't my fault that her car had gone kerplunk. Maybe it just needed to cool down. I decided to walk around Whisper Crossing for a while.
Whisper Crossing was the colorful halfway point between Mistmoor Point and Sweetland Cove. It was full of exotic animals and wild mushrooms, plants and herbs that you could only find here, and beautiful foliage that could rival the colors of the rainbow. It was peaceful at this time of night, almost midnight. All I could hear were the sounds of animals scampering over the ground and crickets as they rubbed their legs together.
Out of nowhere, a louder, more ferocious noise sounded from behind some trees. It sounded like someone was ripping trees out by the roots and tossing them over the ground. I looked around, suddenly nervous, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"Hello?" I called out. Silence.
I fished my phone from my pocket. Maybe I should call Eleanor or my dad and let them know where I was, just in case.
There was no signal coming in just now.
"Shoot." I headed back to my car, holding my Witchmobile up in the air, hoping to pick up a trace signal from somewhere. Just one bar was all I needed.
As I got back to my car, I saw something stuck to my windshield. I froze, looking around again. Whatever it was, it hadn't been there before. Someone had to have put it there. I lifted my wiper blade and pulled up what looked like a note. When I unfolded it, though, I realized it wasn't a note. It was a list.
1. Tazzie Singer $35,000.
2. Grayson Redfern $20,000
3. Amanda Hollyberry $10,000
4. Hadley Miner $10,000
I threw the note on the ground, totally freaked out. It was the assassin's new hit list. He must be here, watching me.
"Who's there?" I called.
Was this a game the assassin was playing? And if so, why were they playing it with me? What was Hadley Miner doing on this list? She wasn't even a candidate.
I jumped into the car again and turned the key. Thankfully, it started right up. I put it into drive, thought better of it, and parked it again as I quickly grabbed the note off the ground. Evidence.
I hurried home, determined to tell Colt and my family about the list. When I was finally able to get a signal, I called Colt. It went straight to voicemail. I had no better luck with Lincoln, who was probably still at Tazzie's house, or Sheriff Knoxx, who was probably home in bed.
It was two in the morning, and I could hear my dad snoring upstairs when I came in. Aunt Eleanor and Trixie were both fast asleep.
"Snowy?" I asked, gently shaking my sleepy looking cat.
Snowball raised one eyelid.
"Hi, Mama," she said and closed her eye again, purring herself back to sleep.
Fine. I guess it can wait until morning. I didn't like the idea of it, but it wasn't exactly news that there was an assassin out there. The only difference was the change in price tag for all the names on the list and the addition of Hadley Miner. What did the assassin want with her, anyway?
I'll tell Sheriff Knoxx and Colt about the new list, first thing in the morning. I closed my eyes and five seconds later I was out.
* * *
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
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I woke up to the smell of bacon frying downstairs and hot coffee wafting through the air to my nostrils.
Tootsie strolled into my room.
"Ava is awake. Ava come downstairs now, please. Snowball demands tuna. Ava must do something about Snowball; tuna addiction is serious. Last night, Snowball stole Tootsie's tuna, but Tootsie got it back. Next time, Tootsie will not be so nice." He strolled back out of my room, leaving me to get dressed.
Downstairs, I found Snowball sitting in front of her dish, her mouth hanging open. Eleanor, Trixie, and my dad looked up when I came in.
"Morning," my dad said.
"Good morning," I replied. I scooped Snowy into my arms and nuzzled my head against her soft fur. "Snowball, I need you to be honest with me. Did you try to steal Tootsie's tuna last night?"
Snowball's eyes widened. "No, Mama. Snowy never steals. Tootsie left unfinished tuna in his dish. Snowball did not want to waste it."
I kissed the top of Snowy's head. "Next time, Mama wants you to leave Tootsie's tuna alone, okay? Tootsie might want to finish it later."
"Okay, Mama. Tuna now?" She licked my face, and I giggled.
"Okay, tuna now. Chicken later, though. Tuna is a treat, only, understand?"
"Yes, Mama. But Snowy gets tuna now?"
I couldn't help laughing. "Yes, Snow gets tuna now."
I got her bowl ready and watched her slurp it down as fast as she could. I sat down with my family and grabbed a plate.
"Eggs?" Eleanor asked from the stove. "I scrambled them today."
"Sure, thanks."
We sat around in silence for a bit until Trixie said, "I hear Hadley Miner might be joining the new mayoral race. If she does, she's got her work cut out for her."
"Hadley Miner?" I asked. "Mayor Singer's secretary?"
My father nodded. "She wants to pay homage to him or something. Personally, I think Tazzie would make a better homage payer than Hadley but who am I to judge? Hadley certainly has more experience."
"Oh, my roses," I said, remembering the note that had been left on my car last night. I'd been so tired when I got home last night I'd almost forgotten it. "Hadley's on the assassin's new hit list."
Everyone paused with their forks in the air.
"What?" my dad asked. "How do you know that?"
"Because I've seen it."
I ran up to my
room, grabbed the list from where I'd tucked it in my dresser drawer, and ran back to the kitchen.
"It was under my windshield wipers last night," I told them. "I got stuck in Whisper Crossing on my way back from Tazzie's. The car overheated so I walked around for a little bit while it cooled down. When I got back to the car, this note was there."
"Was that it? Just this list, I mean? There was nothing else there?" My father’s right eye was twitching, a nervous tick. He always got nervous when there was even a hint that I might be involved with danger. Ever since my mother was murdered when I was a baby, he'd been ultra protective of me.
"Something else? Like what?" I asked.
My dad shrugged. "No idea, just asking."
Our doorbell rang. Eleanor went to answer it.
"Zane, what a pleasant surprise," her rosy voice said.
"I'm here on business, I'm afraid," Sheriff Knoxx said as she leaned in to kiss him. If I leaned the right way in my chair, I could just make out their figures. Eleanor paused, her lips already pursed for a kiss. She leaned back and walked him into the kitchen, looking irritated but calm.
"Good morning, Sheriff," everyone said.
He looked right at me.
"Ava, I need to ask you a few questions. I'm not going to beat around the bush about it because there isn't time. Where were you last night, around midnight?"
I looked at Eleanor, who frowned. "At Whisper Crossing. Why?"
"What were you doing at Whisper Crossing at midnight?"
"My car broke down on my way back from dropping off Tazzie Singer. It overheated, and I had to let it cool off." My heart began to quicken its pace. "Why?" I asked again. Something was wrong.
He cleared his throat. Eleanor's eyes were burning into him. "Grayson Redfern was attacked outside his home. Someone tried to shoot him with an enchanted gun."
"Shoot him?! Is he okay?" I asked.
"Yes, he's fine. They missed. Lucky for him they did. Otherwise, he'd either be dead or a donkey right now. Or maybe both."
My dad and Elanor exchange a look.
"Lincoln's ballistics guys are still working it out. Seems as though the bullets may have been meant to transform rather than kill. Anyway, the reason I'm here is because..." He gulped. "It's just that... Ava, he claims his attacker was you."
I blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say me? As in... me?"
Sheriff Knoxx nodded. "I'm sorry, but I have to look around a little."
Eleanor pounced on him. "Is this a sick joke?" she demanded. "You think you can come in here and just accuse my niece of... of attacking someone?"
"Eleanor," Sheriff Knoxx said quietly, blushing, "I don't really think Ava did anything, of course not, but it's my job to check things out. Lincoln called me early this morning and asked me to look into it."
"Of course he did," Eleanor snapped. "I've never liked that Lincoln Maxwell." Everyone in the room knew that wasn't true. Eleanor had always been fond of Lincoln and Felicity. They were two of only a few Mistmoor people we spoke to on a regular basis.
Sheriff Knoxx turned and exhaled a long breath. The assassin's list that was sitting on the table fluttered to the floor. He picked it up. "What's this?"
I blanched. "Sheriff Knoxx, I was going to tell you about that this morning. I actually tried to call you last night and tell you then but never got an answer. Someone left this on my windshield last night."
His eyes had clouded. He seemed upset. "They left this on your car?"
"Yes."
"Why would they do that?"
"I don't know. It's the same list as before, only the prices are different."
"And Hadley Miner is on here now, too," he said, his face ragged.
"Right. My dad was just telling me that she's running in the new election in two weeks."
Otis Winken came into the room just then. I hadn't even realized that he was here. "Sheriff, Tadpole found something I think is important. He sniffed it out. I told you he's got a good nose. We should make him an honorary deputy." Otis sounded immensely proud of his familiar.
Sheriff Knoxx rolled his eyes.
"You want to come see it, Sheriff Knoxx, sir? It's in the car in the garage."
"What is it, Otis?" Sheriff Knoxx asked, letting out a heavy sigh.
"It's a gun. I found it, I mean Tadpole found it, in the trunk of Miss Eleanor's car."
"You found a gun in Eleanor's car?" I murmured, my throat dry. Otis nodded. Every eye was on me. I was the last person to use Eleanor's car. If there was a gun in there... I just hoped it wasn't the same gun that had been used with Grayson.
* * *
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
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Sheriff Knoxx's station was small. I remember taking a tour once of a police station in New York City on a third-grade field trip and thinking that the station was like its own city. It was just that big. In Sweetland Cove, though, we had a few cells, a few desks, and not much more. There were two interrogation rooms but they were mostly filled with coats and extra uniforms—another closet space as opposed to a place to question hardened criminals.
Sheriff Knoxx had actually cleared out one of the rooms and asked me to sit in it so he could talk to me alone, but Eleanor, Trixie, my father, and even Colt had all insisted on staying with me. Sheriff Knoxx had called Colt before coming over to our house, as a courtesy, to let him know about the allegations Grayson had made against me.
Colt was furious, though not quite as furious as Eleanor. She stomped around the room, glaring at Sheriff Knoxx. When he'd tried to convince her to leave me alone in the interrogation room, she'd thrown a stapler at him.
So, now I was sitting at the sheriff's desk, while my boyfriend and family gathered around me. They circled me like protective vultures, Sheriff Knoxx the prey they had their eyes on. He cleared his throat before speaking, feeling the weight of all those eyes on him as he did so. I almost felt bad for him—almost. The fact that he'd dragged me down prevented me from feeling true sympathy for him. He was clearly uncomfortable. I knew he was just doing his job, the thing was... I didn't care. He continued to proclaim to Eleanor and the others that he knew I was innocent, but it wasn't enough to stop him from holding me in a police station.
A loud squawk sounded from the back room and a pelican suddenly appeared, sprinting past Sheriff Knoxx's desk as Elmer and Otis chased after it.
"What the heck is that?" Colt asked, looking amused.
"Long story," Sheriff Knoxx said.
The pelican ran back past us. Elmer cornered it, and he and Otis managed to push it into the back once more.
"So, Ava, why don't you tell me your side of things?" Sheriff Knoxx began.
Eleanor slammed her hands on his desk. "Her SIDE? You already know HER SIDE! She's innocent!" Eleanor stared at Sheriff Knoxx until he cleared his throat again.
"Right, but according to Grayson—"
"Grayson Redfern is a beetle!" Trixie suddenly yelled. Everyone looked at her. "Well, not literally. I just mean, he's like a bug that doesn't know what's going on in the world around him."
My father was the calmest of all. He sat in a chair beside me, his hands folded together. He steepled his fingers, put them back down, then steepled them again. "Let Sheriff Knoxx ask his questions so we can hurry through this."
Sheriff Knoxx looked at my dad appreciatively but my father shot daggers at him with his eyes.
"I didn't do anything, Sheriff Knoxx," I said. I felt Colt's hand on my shoulder and drew strength from it.
"I'm sure you didn't—"
"Look," Eleanor said, grabbing the back of a chair and rattling it, "whoever attacked Grayson was probably disguised as Ava. Just like that body double of yours who washed up on shore and the man who attacked Tazzie before the first election."
"That's right," my father said. "Did Dr. Dunne or Dr. Wallace ever figure out what killed that man who resembled you?
"
Sheriff Knoxx twiddled his thumbs. "It was exactly what we initially thought—a death curse."
"And did he have a fake nose? Fake chin? Fake everything?" I asked hopefully.
"As a matter of fact, yes, he did," said Sheriff Knoxx. "But he was also a man."
"So?" spat Elanor. "What are you saying? That women can't be assassins?"
"No, I'm saying that... you know what? I'm not sure what I'm saying. I need you to remain calm and stop screeching at me so that I can concentrate. It's just a few questions, Eleanor." I'd never heard Sheriff Knoxx sound so discombobulated before.
"Screeching?!" Eleanor yelled back at him. "Did you just say that I've been SCREECHING at you?"
For the sheriff's sake, I hoped that he knew enough to keep his mouth shut. His face turned pink.
"Eleanor..."
"I'LL SHOW YOU SCREECHING!"
Eleanor's face was red and pinched in the worst possible way. She looked like a cartoon devil. Any second now, I almost expected her to sprout horns.
"Aunt Eleanor?" I said, hoping to calm things down a bit. "It's really okay. Sheriff Knoxx is just doing his job. Let him ask me a few more questions and then I can go home, right?" I looked encouragingly at the sheriff.
"Well..."
"Well?" I asked, borrowing some of Eleanor's anger. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing, I just need to wait and see—"
"Sheriff Knoxx, Sheriff Knoxx!" Elmer Muster yelled, running inside. He was flapping a piece of paper in the air. "I found this in Ms. Fortune's car. It was hidden under the spare tire in the trunk."
Poor Elmer didn't even realize that we were all glaring at him right now. Whatever it was that Elmer had, it was undoubtedly going to hurt me instead of help me.
"What is it?" asked the sheriff. Elmer handed it to him and his eyes widened. He looked up at me. "Have you ever seen this before?"
I took the slip of paper. It was a note, written in big block letters, just like the previous threats, just like the graffiti in Tazzie's bedroom. It was the assassin's calling card.
