by Raven Snow
Rolling over to Wyatt after I'd finished the block, he gave me a look reminiscent of the people I'd just talked to. "Why the skates, again?"
"Speed, baby," I said, doing circles around him. "And I'm most comfortable in them."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm in love with a woman who's most comfortable in no clothes, a green wig, and skates."
"The no clothes thing is a blatant exaggeration."
We picked up Cooper on our way home, and though I was tired, I would've gladly skated all the way back to the house to avoid the confrontation. When Wyatt told him about Whale, he nodded silently like some stoic guy from a 50s sitcom, and looked out the window for the duration of the ride. Before he retreated upstairs to his room, though, I noticed his red-rimmed eyes and wet cheeks.
After he was out of earshot, I banged my fist down on the kitchen counter and repeated myself. "I'm gonna kill that Stink Bomb."
I wanted to go right up to Cooper's room and make him feel better— wasn't sure how I'd accomplish that— but I knew boys, even small ones, and I don't like anyone to see them cry. Plus, he had a healthy dose of his father in him, and Wyatt was as self-reliant as they came. It made me a little jealous at times.
So, I shoved away my instincts until around dinner time, and then I snuck away from Wyatt and his crossword puzzle. Cooper was curled up under his comforter, his backpack and homework strewn on his otherwise spotless floor. Sitting next to him, I didn't pull the covers away for fear that was the wrong move.
I couldn't remember my mother ever trying to comfort me, though she probably did. She'd had to work all the time, so we could afford those silly things like food and shelter. I didn't blame her one bit for my lack of knowledge in this situation, but I was a little bitter with myself for being so clueless.
"I've never had a pet before."
That quiet statement took all the wind out of my sails.
"We'll find Whale," I told him. "He won't say anything, but I think your dad is sweet on that cat."
Cooper's head poked out from under the covers. "You think so?"
"I saw him scratching Whale's ears." The corners of my mouth turned up. "He's got a softer center than he likes to let on."
The head that had just revealed itself shook vigorously. "No way. My dad's the toughest there is."
I messed up his hair. "Yep. And that's why he'll find our cat and bring him back to us."
Getting up, I pulled the comforter off him, throwing it on the floor. His eyes widened at the sight of the covers lying on the ground, dirtying up the room. It would've been cute if I hadn't had the sudden realization that I had to live with these two neat freaks. Permanently.
"Come on," I said, pulling him out of bed. "Let's try and convince your dad to order pizza for the second night in a row."
On the way down— Cooper in front of me— I picked a bit of orange fuzz off my black dress, and my eyes watered. I flicked the fur away and shook off the sadness before Cooper could see it, but my resolution to find that fat cat had never been stronger. He was my first pet, too.
Chapter Nine
Driving through town was an exercise in emotion, because everywhere I looked, I saw Whale's picture posted. Likely, the whole town had seen it by now and was talking about it, but I didn't have any time for their gossip. I was trying to solve a mystery.
"I thought Edward Nelson was making people break in places," Cooper said from his position as copilot in the bug.
"Yeah," I said, a little bitter, "I thought so too. But I just don't see him making someone else break in after he already did it himself. I could have believed it of him for the Funky Wheel— where they took money— but it seems like our witch or warlock is looking for something."
"Cats they can take," Cooper said darkly.
"Ours is the only missing cat— I checked."
"That's because he's special."
I smiled, because Cooper didn't even know about the familiar thing. He just knew this pet was better than the average orange fluff ball. It was endearing, though a little frightening. What was I going to do if I couldn't find this cat for him?
"Unfortunately," I said, clearing my throat. "Edward and Amber are our only suspects. And I only have Amber on the list because, if Ed's involved, she likely is too."
"My dad said it could be any witch or warlock in town looking for more power."
"So, anybody at all."
I parked outside the Funky Wheel and turned off the car. Cooper was out of school for the day, so I figured I'd bring him along while I checked on my business. After all, the bathrooms could've probably used a good cleaning, and I knew the kid had a thing for cleaning.
When we walked inside, Cooper gasped, stealing looks at me for my reaction, but I kept my face school in blankness. Once again, the Wheel appeared to have been broken into. This time, however, they'd done a real number.
Everything that had once had a place now resided on the ground. Holes had been knocked in walls, dust and dirt coating everything. On the dance floor, someone had written some not-so-nice things in spray paint.
A piece of paper floated down into my hands when I crossed the threshold, making Cooper jump. It was one of the flyers about Whale, and in big red letters, it said "back off."
"Should we call my dad?"
I shook my head, crumpling up the piece of paper. "He's at my grandma's; best not to interrupt the groveling."
Pulling out my cell phone before Cooper could start in with the "my dad would never grovel," I dialed the station. The lady of the front desk— a frequent flyer on the Oliver Express— told me they'd have someone out there as soon as possible.
As soon as I hung up, I played with the idea of praying that Kosher wouldn't be the one to answer the call. But since I wasn't religious, I figured it wouldn't do any good.
Cooper held my hand while we waited. "I'm sorry about the Funky Wheel, Harper. I'll help you fix it up if you want."
I squeezed his fingers reassuringly. "Oh, I'm gonna make you regret saying that. I'll put you to work and just watch, kid."
But inside, I felt cold. The disco skate was the only thing I had left of the father I'd never known. It was stupid, but sometimes, when I was skating, I could've sworn that I felt his presence. Like he was watching down on me as I boogied.
When a squad car pulled up, and I saw who was in it, I tried to make myself smile nicely. Really, though, I was thinking I'd rather take my chances with Kosher than spend a couple of hours with the woman my boyfriend's mother liked better.
Alicia stepped out of the car, nodding briefly to Cooper. I felt a surge of pride when Cooper didn't acknowledge her back, though I guessed I probably should have taught him manners.
Wyatt's partner surveyed the damage with pursed lips, barely looking my way more than once or twice. She was all business, but I couldn't help the feeling that she wanted to avoid me. I couldn't imagine why; she was winning.
"This is a lot of damage for one person," she said, almost to herself.
I snorted. "Not if it was done by magic."
Her smile froze on her face, making it look like she'd had a bad Botox. "Magic?"
"Where do you think you are? In Waresville, it's always magic."
"I don't like to assume anything until I have the facts, Miss Beck." She handed me a great amount of paperwork. "Fill out a report and file it at the station. Rest assured, we'll find who did this."
She was gone then, leaving Cooper and I standing in a cloud of dust as her car rolled down the road.
"Kosher would've at least stayed for a little banter," I told Cooper. "As is polite among adversaries."
"My dad's new partner is your adversary?"
I sighed. "No. I'm just jealous. She makes me look uncouth and wet behind the ears."
Climbing back in the car after boarding up the door, I thought about the threat I’d just received. Maybe I needed to employ more covert tactics to find the cat.
I dialed up Oliver, and he answered with the pep of a salesman, le
ading me to believe he was in the store. Hanging up without saying anything, Cooper and I headed over.
When I walked into my grandma’s shop, he glared at me, setting down the phone. “I suppose that little dine and dash was you just now?”
“The Wheel was just broken into— again. And they totally trashed the place this time. If I didn’t have insurance, I’d be out of business.”
He almost knocked over a knickknack and scrabbled to save it, banging his elbow against half of the store on his way. “Wha− what? The Wheel?”
“Am I speaking French? Yes, the Wheel,” I said, wondering at his shock. “They want me to stop looking for the cat.”
Cooper stuck his chest out. “But we’re not gonna.”
“Right.” I nodded. “But I think it might be time for a new direction. Do you have any locator spells?”
He twitched slightly. “Why don’t you ask your grandmother?”
“That’s a whole other can of worms. I’d prefer if she never knew I lost the cat.” I nudged a vase out of his radius of destruction. “Kind of promised I wouldn’t.”
“Harper reliability. You can take that right to the bank.”
“Can you do the spell or not?”
He paused, making a big show of looking around. “I’ll need to get some supplies.”
We passed Edward on our way back to the car. His hair was looking especially unclean, and his expression was a little too smug for my taste.
“Heard about your disco skate. What a shame.”
News like that could travel that fast in a small town, but it still made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Rather than punch him, I made sure Cooper got in the car and drove home at twice the normal speed limit.
Wyatt was waiting for us in the driveway.
“Every time I hear your name on that scanner, I age ten years,” he said.
I pressed a kiss to his cheek since Cooper was there. “Maybe we should talk about redoing your will, then.”
He stopped me before I could go inside. "My mother's here."
"Oh," I said, taking a step back and ignoring the ache in my chest cavity. "Good thing there's still a bed in my loft. I'll−"
Tugging on my braid, Wyatt shot me an annoyed look. "She's here to watch Cooper while we meet with your insurance adjuster."
I shuddered. "I think I'd rather take a chance with your mother."
We waited outside Bert Jiffer's office for a good hour before he was ready to see us. By the time he came out to get us in the lobby, my teeth had been turned to powder from my constant grinding. Wyatt squeezed my hand as we got up and followed the sleazy-looking man. I wondered if he'd been wearing the plaid suit when I signed on with his insurance firm about seven years ago. I sure hoped not— it reflected badly on my fledgling adult decisions.
He looked through the paperwork Wyatt had filled out over the phone as soon as he heard, nodding and smiling the whole time. My business had been trashed beyond recognition, and this guy had the audacity to smile and nod at me. Suddenly, I was infinitely glad Wyatt had come with me, because I really couldn't afford an assault charge on top of everything else.
"Well, Miss Beck," Mr. Jiffer said finally. "I'm afraid we can't help you at this time."
Wyatt's hand forcing my butt to stay in the chair was the only thing that kept me from leaping at that man. "Excuse me? I'm covered for damages— I pay an unreasonable amount of money every month to make sure I'm covered."
"Harper−"
"People screwing me over had better call me Miss Beck. Or their worst nightmare."
He visibly gulped, which made me feel a little better. "You are covered, Miss Beck, but only if the culprit is caught." The look I gave him had him sweating. "It's just a precaution against insurance fraud."
Wyatt had to push me out the door, locking it behind me, to keep me from going at Mr. Jiffer's throat. Breathing hard, I seethed out in the hallways while Wyatt talked to him man to man. As if testicles had ever made a business negotiation go smoother.
When he came back out, he was looking grim. Guess my hypothesis about balls was correct.
"He's going to give you a minimal payout now, while we look for whoever did this."
My stomach sunk. "Minimal is not going to cover those damages, especially if I can't open the Funky Wheel for a while."
"I know. Listen−"
"No."
He smiled, but it was a little tired. "It'd just be a loan. You could pay it back."
"If you want to help me, do it by finding this guy— not a check."
He was silent for a minute as we walked to the car, but then he nodded. "We'll find him."
Chapter Ten
I walked into grandma's shop and almost tripped over a stray table, because the lights were all off. Swearing a blue streak, I limped around, bumping into a few other things.
A man came out from the back, flipping on the light and frowning at me for all the noise.
"I can't believe I asked you to help me break into Melanie's house," Oliver said. "Embarrassing."
His barb was irritating, but it was all made better a few seconds later when an ornament fell from the ceiling, crashing onto his head. He swayed slightly and then bought the farm, collapsing on the hard wood floor.
"Nice," I said into the silence.
Oliver regained consciousness a couple minutes later after I nudged him— hard— with my foot. He had a start to see me staring down at him, but that only added to my good time. Coming here may not have led to Whale, but at least it was cheering me up.
"I take it you haven't gotten your doll back from that mean, old Melanie."
He struggled to his feet. "You could have some compassion for your best friend, you know."
"I know."
He sighed, pulling me into the back room. "Come on. I made a circle."
I was about to congratulate him, though he was a couple of decades behind this year's graduates of shape school, but I was cut off by the sheer magnitude of the scene before me. Intricate lines with symbols and writing in Latin words even I didn't know formed a complex circle. On the outside edges sat about a dozen candles, all lit and looming in the darkness. The scent of herbs— not the fun kind— was overpowering.
Making an uneasy noise, I said, "Nope. I've seen how this movie ends."
He caught me by the elbow, raising his eyes. "Do you want to find your cat or not?" He noticed my hesitation and nodded to the circle. "Then this is how you do it."
We sat down at opposite sides of the circle, and Oliver began to chant. I didn't have to understand his word because I felt what he was saying deep in my bones. Like riding a bike, you never really forget how to do magic.
It was an addicting kind of feeling, the untapped power I had inside of me. I knew that if I let it out, I could do anything. No one would dare take anything from me again. I would be infinite and invincible. I could−
"Stop," I choked out.
But the spell was too far gone. I could feel it sucking at me, taking such a minuscule amount of power, but it was more than I wanted this entity to have. No one got to take anything from me. They could only have what was freely given.
Getting up, I stumbled away from the circle, leaving the back room. Oliver called after me, but I didn't stop until I hit my car. Once I was in my seat of power, I let my body heave and retch from that wonderful feeling of power that I liked too much. Way too much.
During my childhood, I'd seen my fair share of junkies. Those individuals who would do anything for their drug. Nothing else mattered. My neighborhood had been riddled with them, and in a small way, I'd hated them for their weakness.
Then, I'd grown up to be just like them.
When I got home, both of my boys were asleep, and I sat up at the kitchen table for a while longer, thinking about Edward and Amber. I didn't want to put Amber anywhere near this whole mess— even in my thoughts—but her involvement with that guy had me worried.
What if Edward had broken into Frank's to ca
se the place before making Wyatt break in to try and secure whatever he was looking for? Going hand in hand with that, what was he looking for? My cat couldn't give Edward anything besides pissing me off, because I was pretty sure he wasn't strong enough for the dark magic Grandma had been talking about.
But if it wasn't him, who did that leave? Melanie? She was my go-to for magical crimes, as I hated her, but the only way she'd been popping her head up lately was as a victim of one of the break-ins and as Oliver's torturer. Neither of those roles led to involvement in this case, but there was something about her behavior that bothered me. Unlike most of the witches and warlocks in this town, she'd known about my familiar before I did.
When my butt started to hurt from sitting in the chair too long, I headed up to bed and fell into a restless sleep.
______
When I opened my eyes, I was acutely aware that it was not morning and that none of this was real. For one, I didn’t have a body, and except for that one bad acid trip from my youth, I’d never had that happen while I was conscious before.
I couldn’t see much, but the smells of the place I was at were very familiar. Not pleasantly so, either. I tried to get more, but it was like a veil was over my eyes; nothing was getting through.
Somewhere off to the side, I heard a cat meow, and I went still. That was my cat. Was I dreaming of Whale? That would’ve been a little obsessive and creepy for a cat I’d known less than a week, even if I did feel some strange kinship with it.
The meowing got louder and more annoyed, but I still couldn’t see anything. I strained to pick up anything else about this place I was in with my cat.
“Shush,” a voice said. I knew that voice, but like with the scent, I couldn’t pinpoint from where.
But I was out of time. Like the credits rolling to a close, I could feel myself being pulled away from this reality— kicking and screaming all the way. Just before I went, my eyes seemed to fly open of their own accord, and I was looking into the face that matched the voice.
Alicia Hutchinson sneered down at me, and then I was gone.
