But, where to start? I grabbed a handful of the white, plastic letters and began to arrange them.
Blast! I’m a screwy rat.
I had no idea where to begin. I ran through the list of suspects in my mind. Rad Silverback.
No. There was no “D.”
I shuffled some letters around. Violet? No. No “V.”
I looked up at Portia, hoping she wasn’t looking, then looked back at the letters.
E-A-R-W-Y…whew! No “F” or “N.”
That only left one, albeit improbable name left.
I reshuffled the letters, and suddenly, everything became crystal clear.
There’s a little magic in everything if you’ve half a mind to look.
Good old Grammy.
Jet was zooming past on another lap around the shop, Millie hot on his heels. I scooped his up by the scruff of his neck and planted a big, wet kiss on his furry little face. “Jet, you great big beautiful disaster. You’re the greatest!”
He floundered under the immediate attention, still confused whether he should be hightailing it for the hills. “I am?”
“Yes. You are an absolute mess, my dear sweet cat. An absolutely purr-fect mess!”
“Wait!” Millie said, skidding to a sudden stop. “You mean we’re not mad at him anymore?”
I pointed to the letters, neatly arranged in a perfect sentence.
I – T – W – A – S – A – M – B – E – R – C – R – Y – S – T - A – L.
17
Tempus-Fuggedaboutit
“But, isn’t the Chief out on a date with Amber tonight?” Fraidy’s voice quavered. More than just a little. My heart leaped into my chest.
“Omigosh! Fraidy’s right! Amber said something about cooking him dinner. At her place!”
A nice, home-cooked meal.
Amber had made someone else a nice, home-cooked meal. Spithilda.
“Quick! Portia! Had you already harvested your Pokeberry leaves to bring for Verdantia’s before we showed up at Gaunt Manor?”
Portia shook her head. “No. As a matter of fact, I did not.”
“But, someone did!” I turned to the cats. “Remember we saw fresh breaks on the pokeberry stems? Like someone had just ripped some of the leaves free?”
“You’re right, Hat. You think it was Amber?” Eclipse asked.
“I’m not sure yet. Shade. When we found you in Portia’s basement, you said ‘she’ dumped you in the basement. What made you think it was a woman?”
“It was that funky perfume. Some cats go for that earthy aroma, but not me. It’s kinda like a musky, sweet, greasy…”
“…straw.” I finished his statement.
“Yeah! That’s exactly it. How did you know, Hattie?”
I scrambled for my cloak, the Apple Wand (not that I thought I would be able to do much more than light up a room with it), and Grammy’s pentacle charm.
“Because,” I replied as I fastened the necklace around my neck. “I smelled the same exact scent when the Chief was kicking me out of the station, and Amber was fiddling with her necklace. Ugliest brown crystal I’ve ever seen.” I shuddered.
“Hyraceum,” Portia said.
“Amber’s mother?” I asked.
“Well, yes, but hyraceum is also a powerful magical crystal. It’s used in many control spells.”
“Hyraceum!” I slapped myself in the head.
“Yeah, Hat. We’ve gone over this,” Shade quipped.
“No! Don’t you see! Hyraceum is Amber’s mother.”
“Duh,” Shade interjected. Midnight knocked him off the sill…again.
“Druida told me that when the Roach family fell apart, Hyraceum moved to Mag Mell...”
“…where she married one of the Fae and learned some of their magic,” Onyx finished.
“Exactly,” I said.
“Magic along the lines of a glamour, you mean?” Shade offered. “Like Verdantia was talking about?”
“Like a glamour,” I confirmed. “I thought something was a little off about ‘Alban Dewdrop.' He had this funny webbing between his fingers, and he started acting all strange when a fly started buzzing around the room. When Druida showed me a picture of the Roach family, guess who had a toad for a familiar?”
“I’m guessing Hyraceum,” Millie offered.
“Bingo. And I’m sure it would be nothing for her to generate a portal between Mag Mell and here. The only thing I don’t understand is why create a glamour to make us think Alban Dewdrop was still running The Mutley Crew Operation?”
“A good question, Hattie. But, a better question is ‘What does Amber have in mind for the Chief’?” Onyx reminded me.
“Holy Saint Brigid! Portia, I beg of you. Can you please make me a batch of fairy ointment? If I’m going to go up against a wife and daughter of a Fae, I want to be able to see what I’m up against.”
“It’s not a spell to be taken lightly, Hattie. The Fae are extremely judicious in whom they ‘allow’ to have the sight. If they think you have come about it dishonestly…well, there is more than one tale of a person being blinded forever.”
I steeled myself. “That’s just a risk I have to take. David is my friend, and he has no idea what he’s getting involved in. I know he told me to butt out, but I know what’s at risk.”
Portia nodded solemnly. “Very well then. Do you have Hawthorn, Eyebright, Elecampane, and Yarrow? Oh, and I’ll also need some St. John’s Wort. And, I’m telling you now Seraphim Joyvive, if you get caught with this ointment, I will, of course, deny all knowledge of having anything to do with this.”
“Of course, Portia. I completely understand. I swept a wide gesture toward the shelves. “Use what you need.”
Portia went about her ministrations.
“Hat,” Fraidy said somberly. “The Chief said he would have you arrested. Worse. He would never speak to you again.”
“I don’t care.”
Eclipse laid a gentle paw on my arm. “But, Hattie. He’s your best friend.”
“And that’s exactly why I have to do it. Some things are more important.”
Once Portia completed the ointment, she sealed it in a small jar and placed it in my hand. “Be careful, Seraphim. I cannot come with you. The Talisman suits would revoke my Fae license if I were to directly invoke their magic against them. I am afraid you are on your own.”
There’s a little magic in everything if you’ve half a mind to look.
Grammy Chimera’s words floated through the air. I looked up at Portia and replied with confidence.
“I’m never alone, Miss Fearwyn.”
For the first time, I think I saw a hint of a smile quirk the corners of Portia Fearwyn, dry, wrinkled mouth.
The deep, booming chime of the grandfather clock tolled the encroaching hour. Onyx nudged my heel with his head.
“Tempus fugit, Hattie.”
“Right.” I pulled my cloak a little tighter about me, opened the front door and strode bravely into the outside night. My brood of cats —minus the absent Gloom — behind me.
All the cats and I arrived outside the Kiln Bakery just a few minutes after seven. Well, not all the cats. Gloom was still missing in action along with Remulus. Normally, I might have been a little irritated, possibly even angry at Gloom for having ditched us in our hour of need. But, in light of the undercurrent of conspiracy running through Gless Inlet and, quite possibly, all of Glessie Isle, frankly…I was more than a little worried. But there wasn’t time for that now. Time was running out. I stepped toward the front door of the bakery.
Gabby, my golem friend and, indeed, cosigner on the bakery, had long since closed shop. The fires in the bakery oven had been extinguished. The storm shutters pulled over the gilt lettering Rabbi Goldsmith had painted on the window for her, English and Hebrew. Other than the mouth-watering baked goods that always filled the shelves, the window was my favorite part of the bakery. I could see the windows above the bakery. Warm, golden light spilled over the sills. Light that belied
the darkness that lurked inside. Inside with David.
It was now or never.
I reached into the pocket of my cloak and pulled out the small jar of fairy ointment that Portia had made for me. I quickly unscrewed the top and the strong, sweet forward notes of the yarrow, reminiscent of chrysanthemums, floated to the olfactory fore. The genus name of the yarrow plant was Achillea. The name derives, of course from the ancient Greek hero, Achilles. If you believe the stories, Achilles carried yarrow whenever his army went into battle for it was a powerful herb in the treatment of wounds suffered on the field of battle.
Appropriate, I thought, considering what I might have to do tonight. I dipped an index finger into the slightly oily mixture and dabbed it on the right eyelid only. No use accidentally blinding myself in both eyes if Portia’s recipe was screwy. From the sounds of it, I was in danger enough of losing my eyesight if the Fae discovered I had gained The Sight without Fairy permission.
There was a bit of a slow, warming burn in the lid of the right eye that spread into the eye itself, then down through the cheekbone. It wasn’t necessarily unpleasant, just slightly uncomfortable until the warm sensation dissipated. Finally, I dared open my eyes.
“Well?” Shade needled. “Fess up! Do you have x-ray vision, or what?”
“It’s not x-ray vision, you dope. But, it – it is kinda weird. Through my left eye, everything looks exactly the same – dark, dim, full of shadows. Through the right, though, there’s a sort of – well, a glow. A gradual, burgeoning glow.”
“Man…I know that feeling,” Jet’s white teeth practically glowed in the dark as he grinned widely, reminiscing, no doubt, of a particularly good batch of catnip. Jet’s teeth weren’t the only things that were glowing. Jet himself had an entire halo around him, a sort of golden shimmer that shivered in outline around all the cats in fact. And it wasn’t just the cats. Trees, buildings, a mailbox on the sidewalk. Certain shapes shimmered a little brighter, more definitively than others – living things, like the apple tree outside the post office, definitely commanded a stronger light. My hand instinctively went to the Apple Wand in my pocket, tempted to draw it out and look at it, in the hopes of finding some great inspiration. But, before I could, I suddenly went spot blind.
A supernova of light danced from Verdantia’s grocer. I threw my arm over my face as a shield and took cover in the alcove of the bakery. I peered round the corner to follow the light. Bit by bit, my pupils adjusted to the level of brightness and a clear figure came into focus. It was Verdantia, but her appearance though still breathtakingly beautiful had slightly altered. Her normally golden hair now glittered a bright silver. But, perhaps the most noticeable feature was the pair of silver, ephemeral wings cresting from her shoulders. They fluttered with the speed of a hummingbird’s wings. It’s no wonder she always seemed to be gliding across the ground. She probably had been.
“Wow. She's just soooo beautiful,” Shade mumbled dreamily. I scooped him up and dove, with him and the remaining cats, back into the alcove just as Verdantia snapped her head in our direction. I didn’t think Verdantia was on the list of fairies who’d be in line to stick a red hot poker in my eye because I had “stolen” The Sight, but why risk it. Point was, Portia’s ointment worked. I could see the Fae. Now, it was Amber’s turn.
I stole a careful look around the corner. Verdantia had gone about her business, apparently sensing no threat.
“Come on.” I motioned to the cats. We went around to the back of the building where I knew there was a fire escape.
“Silentium,” I whispered before I pulled the stairs down, fearful of any noise the rusted metal might make.
“Ooh, Hattie. Do we have to go up there? I’m afraid of heights.” Fraidy was back to his old tricks.
“Stay down here then,” Midnight suggested.
“That won’t work. I’m afraid of being alone more!” Fraidy moaned. “Being a coward is so conflicting!”
As soon as the steps were down, I signaled to the cats, and we made a rapid ascension up to the second floor.
Had the occupants of the apartment been looking, we might have made a curious sight. Eight heads lined up perfectly along the sill, like a weird little collection of kitsch. David was sitting at the kitchen table, his handsome head thrown back in laughter. Amber had set a beautiful table. White tablecloth. Two perfect place settings. An African violet centerpiece. Was that the Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream I heard playing in the background?
“What fools these mortals be,” Carbon muttered.
Everyone’s head turned. “What? Hector reads Shakespeare in the morgue when I’m down by the boiler. You know, for a zombie, he’s extremely erudite.”
I looked back at the room. I could see David, but I couldn’t get eyes on Amber. A furry head pushed up under my chin, angling for a better view. It was Jet.
“What’d she make for dinner? I’m starving!” He wedged his two paws up on the sash. I shoved his head down, but I looked anyway. A casserole dish sat on the table next to the waiting plates. It looked a lot like…POKE SALLET!
Amber meant to poison the Chief! Just like she did Spithilda!
“Of course!” I whispered. “If the Fae’s plan was to eliminate humans from Glessie Isle and take the land back over, it only made sense to eliminate anyone who could stand in the way. That means people in authority. Like the Chief!”
I jumped to my feet, nearly knocking my head on the overhang. At that moment, Amber came into view carrying two champagne flutes. She wasn’t glowing, though. And she certainly didn’t have wings.
“Well?” Carbon asked. “Is she a Tinkerbell, or what?”
“Or…what,” I answered plainly. So, she didn’t have wings She wasn’t Fae. Did this mean she didn’t murder Spithilda. Oh, heck, how was I going to play my inevitable intrusion into their intimate little tete-a-tete?
Amber was dressed a lot more casually than how she did at the station, and by that I mean she was showing a lot more skin. How much more? Let’s just say I’m surprised she hadn’t caught a cold yet. But, she certainly wasn’t from the Fae.
The horrid brown crystal around Amber’s neck, however, was certainly popping a brilliant, golden wattage, though.
She started to dish the green casserole onto the plates. David picked up his fork. He must have said something clever because Amber’s face broke out into a wide smile. She sat down. She pretended to laugh at one of his jokes.
Hmph. If it was me there, I wouldn’t have to pretend to laugh at his jokes. The guy’s hilarious! Gosh, I still remember that joke ..
“Hattie, now may not be the time,” Onyx cautioned gently.
“Right. I can’t let him eat that. And he may arrest me, but, I don’t really have a choice. Okay. So, here goes.”
I stood up and rapped on the back door. I realized the cats were all loitering around. Oh, yeah, cause that’s not suspicious. The door opened.
“Hattie? My! What a surprise!” Amber said pleasantly if not a little stiffly. I squinted against the glow I was catching off her necklace. She must have suspected something, because her hand instinctively shot up to cover it.
“Yes,” David said sternly behind Amber. “What a surprise, Hattie. What brings you here of all places? Tell me you’re not here about the case. Because I was dead serious, Hattie. I will throw you in a cell without a moment’s hesitation.” All of a sudden, shouting out “Amber’s the murderer!” Seemed out of place. I had interrupted the eating of the greens, so maybe that would do for a moment, until I could figure out a way to phrase what I was going to say.
“The case? Oh, no! No, no, no. I’m just here because, well, I’m worried about Spithilda’s dog. You know, Remulus. The one you asked me to take care of because he was a potential witness?”
That seemed to take a little of the edge off David’s attitude. He straightened a little, and settled quickly into detective mode. “Oh, yes. I guess we will have to find other arrangements for him now that you are no longer a pa
rt of this investigation. Where is he?”
I bit my lip. This was gonna hurt. “Well, you see. That’s just it. I haven’t seen him for hours. He went off with Gloom and…”
“You lost him?”
“I’ll go call the S.P.C.A. Animal Control Division. Maybe they’ve already picked him up.” Amber left to go into the other room to make the call. Out of the corner of my right eye, I caught Shade slinking in after her, melting into the cover of shadows. Only, he didn’t disappear from view like he usually did when he pulled that trick. My magical eye could still see a faint, golden outline as he moved from shadow to shadow. Maybe my cats were part Fae? Grammy Chimera had never really gone into an in-depth explanation of their history. Only to say that they had been with Opal witches for generations.
David and I shared a few awkward words in the hallway. Polite greetings and uncomfortable downward glances.
“Well, you should come in,” David suggested finally, as he stood to the side. “At least until we find out if Remy’s alright.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
He led me to the kitchen where Amber was serving up an extra plate of greens and poured another glass of champagne which she offered to me.
“They said they would call back in a few minutes. They’re going to check the evening log. Why don’t you join us for dinner while we wait.”
“I really shouldn’t.”
I felt a tug at my pant leg. It was Shade.
“No. You really shouldn’t,” he whispered.
“Amber!” I said. A little too exuberantly. I cleared my throat. “Amber. Do you have a ladies room I can use?”
“Sure, Hattie. Down the hall and to the left.”
"Great, thanks. Please don't start eating without me. I'm famished!" If I was convincing them with my overly cheery act, I’d be surprised. I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow I had to upend those plates of food before we touched them, and I also had to call the Chief’s new flame a murderer. I felt outrageously nauseous.
I excused myself and walked slowly, but purposefully to the bathroom where I immediately locked the door. “What's going on Shade? What've you got? I don't know how to play this, so help me out, will ya?” “
The Violet Countercharm: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Hattie Jenkins & The Infiniti Chronicles Book 2) Page 17
