“I was talking to the witch who owns the pins stall,” I explained. “She told me that she would like to open somewhere permanent, but that there’s nowhere in town that’s small enough for her needs.”
“So? How does that help me?”
“Well, the old café is the perfect place for your business, except that it’s a little bit too big. Why don’t you go into business with her, and share the space? She can use some of where the tables used to be as her store, and you can use the rest, and the two of you can pay rent based on the proportion of the store that you use.”
I had half expected Ellie to tell me about all the reasons it wouldn’t work, but instead, she tilted her head at me and smiled. “Now, that is an interesting idea right there. So you’re saying we would both be on the lease, but if I used seventy five percent of the space I would pay seventy five percent of the rent.”
“That’s right,” I nodded. “And the two companies would go pretty well together, I think. Especially with the tourists that come by. People could pop in looking for a couple little souvenir pins or whatever, and then grab a cinnamon bun to go as well. And the local customers who pop in for a cinnamon bun might decide that while they’re there they could use another little fashion accessory.”
“Yeah,” Ellie said. “I could definitely see that working. Maybe I could take the space at the front up to the counter, and then she can have everything to the right of the old counter. That would be a little bit more space than a stall here, but without being overwhelmingly big. After we’re done here, I might go talk to her. Good thinking!”
I grinned. “Thanks. I just figured you have to get into that shop where the café used to be. The location is perfect, people are used to going there for your pastries, and it would definitely set you up for success better than anywhere else. I just had to figure out how we could make it happen while still staying within budget.”
“You’re a genius,” Ellie said, taking me into a big bear hug.
“Well, you can thank me later, since it looks like Barry is getting ready to take that break,” I said. It was time to interview our new murder suspect.
Chapter 19
“So, what’s up?” Barry asked when he reached the two of us, wiping his hands on his apron. “How can I help?”
“You didn’t tell us that your sister Anita was dating Florin,” Ellie said, getting straight to the point, and Barry scowled.
“It’s not right. I definitely don’t advertise the fact, because to be honest, I’m ashamed that my sister would do something like that. And besides, they’re not dating anymore.”
“Do you have anything to do with that?” I asked.
Barry looked at me curiously for a second, and as he realized what I was asking, his eyes widened. “Hold on. You think I killed the dude? Not a chance. I might not have liked the fact that my sister was dating him, but it’s still her life. She can do what she wants, even if I disagree with it. And besides, I’m not a killer. I thought it was embarrassing, and it brought shame to the family, but I wouldn’t have killed someone over it. No. No way. You’re way off base.”
“Are we, though? You were also working at the coffee stall, and you would have had just as much opportunity as Aquaria to follow after him and murder him after it shut down.”
“No,” Barry said, shaking his head. “I couldn’t have done it. Immediately after my shift I had to help my dad out.”
“Your dad manages the whole market, doesn’t he?” Ellie asked, and Barry nodded.
“Yeah. He was having trouble with the amount of people in the markets. Since it had rained for a few days leading up to it, the number of people on the grounds meant everywhere was super muddy. He needed my help to cast spells everywhere to make the ground firm again. He hasn’t been able to cast spells in a few years thanks to a work accident that destroyed his fingers; he can’t hold a wand properly.”
“So? You could have snuck away for a minute and killed Florin,” I said, but Barry shook his head.
“No way. Not a chance. I hadn’t been at that end of the markets at all; I was on the other side of the gardens when it happened. I didn’t find out about it until way later.”
“Can anyone vouch for that?” Ellie asked, and Barry shrugged in reply.
“I don’t know exactly when he was killed.”
“Let’s say around four, four-thirty.”
Barry thought for a moment. “You could ask Li’l Tim, the wizard who officially sells magical posters and unofficially sells potions that make you feel good,” he added with an abashed smile.
“Yeah, I know who he is,” Ellie said, rolling her eyes. “He’ll vouch for you?”
“He should. I was out in front of his shop around that time, and said a quick hello to him between customers.”
“You’d better hope that holds up,” Ellie said, and Barry held up his hands in front of his chest.
“Woah. I don’t want to start any trouble here. I’m telling you, I might not have liked the fact that Anita was dating a vampire, but I definitely wouldn’t kill the guy over it. Anyway, I gotta go. That’s my break over.”
“Alright,” I said, nodding, and Barry rushed back off towards the coffee stall. I turned to Ellie, biting my lip. “What do you think? Is he on the up-and-up, or is he trying to hide something from us?”
“I don’t know,” Ellie said slowly. “I think we need to chat to Li’l Tim. He should be here somewhere.”
The two of us wandered through the stalls, and it didn’t take long before we found Li’l Tim’s. Decorated in red, yellow and green, his stall was filled with posters of what had to be magical movies, all enchanted to make the characters look like they were actually acting in the posters. There was a wizard that I was fairly certain was supposed to be a magical James Bond shooting spells at a bad guy who jumped behind a rock to avoid it, a woman walking up to the middle of a stage by herself before belting out an acapella version of ‘Can’t Touch This’ by MC Hammer – seriously? – and more.
Li’l Tim, on the other hand, stuck out so little I barely noticed him. He had to be five foot two and a hundred pounds soaking wet, and he slouched so deeply into his beach chair that it made him seem even smaller. He had a dark complexion, with his black hair being pushed into his face by the knit cap he wore so low it practically covered his eyes.
“Yo, Tim,” Ellie said, and he looked up at her without moving a single inch.
“Ellie, right?” He asked. His voice was a lot deeper than I had expected, and Ellie nodded.
“That’s right. The other day, when that vampire was killed. Did you see Barry?”
“Sure,” Tim replied. “He was here, helping out his dad by drying out all the mud. Good thing, too. Customers don’t want to get their shoes wrecked when they’re out shopping.”
“Do you remember when that was?” Ellie asked, but Tim shrugged in reply.
“Afternoon sometime?”
“Before or after that vampire got killed?”
“Definitely before. As soon as I realized what had happened, I booked it out of here. I know they weren’t interested in me, but you know, I see an Enforcer, I get out of the way. Just in case.” He shot us both a knowing smile, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“So how much earlier was he here?” Ellie asked, moving her hand in a circle as if encouraging Tim to tell us everything that he knew instead of having Ellie get it out of him slowly, question by question.
“I dunno. Maybe an hour before I realized something was going down? Something like that. Sorry, I don’t exactly pay a ton of attention to what time I have conversations.”
“Okay, thanks,” Ellie said.
“Hey hold up, you need anything?” he asked, but Ellie shook her head.
“Not today,” she said without turning around as the two of us walked back along the stalls.
“How long do you think it would’ve taken Tim to find out about the murder?” I asked.
“Probably some time,” Ellie mused.
“After all, Florin was murdered, and at least a few minutes had to pass between his death and when the body was discovered. Then, the alarm had to be raised, the Enforcers arrive, and only then did people start heading towards the crime scene. Plus, Li’l Tim’s stall is on the complete opposite side of the gardens from where Florin was killed, so it probably would have taken some time before people at this end of the market found out what had happened and got word over to Tim.”
“So the timeline could work,” I mused. “On the other hand, it couldn’t have been more than a ten minute walk to get from one side of the coven Gardens to the other on Saturday. I’d say we can’t rule out Barry completely.”
“I’m not going to lie, I kind of hope Chief Enforcer King solves this, because it feels like we’re spinning our wheels here,” Ellie said, shaking her head.
I couldn’t help but agree. Still, I felt like I was missing something. Something in my head had begun nagging at me, like there was a clue that I had missed somewhere, and if I just managed to figure out what it was, I could blow the whole case wide open.
Unfortunately, whatever it was just wasn’t clicking.
Chapter 20
“I can’t believe it!” Ellie shouted gleefully. “We actually have a store!”
I laughed at her enthusiasm as the two of us walked back home after leaving the market. After we left Li’l Tim, I brought Ellie over to the pin stall, and introduced her to the witch in charge. Ellie and Lucy immediately hit it off, and after Ellie explained to her the idea of sharing the space where the café had been, Lucy was absolutely on board.
Ellie was now in charge of talking to the elf who was renting out the space, and all she had to do was organize a time for Ellie and Lucy to go in and sign all the paperwork.
“The Witching Flour is going to be a real store! This is amazing.”
“I’m really happy for you,” I said with a smile, and I meant it. I couldn’t believe it was now almost 5 in the afternoon, and Ellie still had so much energy. After all, I had been up since four in the morning, and Ellie had obviously already been awake for hours at that point. She worked so hard to get this business off the ground, I was thrilled that she had finally found a great permanent spot to sell her baked goods.
“Now, I’m going home, shove my face full of food, and then pass out,” Ellie announced. “I am absolutely exhausted.”
I laughed. “I was just thinking how amazing it is that you have this much energy. I’m basically dead on my feet right now and here you are, having gotten up even earlier than I did, and you look fresh as a daisy.”
“Aww, thanks,” Ellie said. “I can promise you, the only freshness in my present or future are the fresh sheets I’m about to crawl under as soon as I can.”
“Well, hopefully Sara or Amy have made some dinner,” I said as we continued. As soon as we walked through the door, I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of them definitely had. Was there anything more wonderful on a cold winter’s day when you’ve been outside for hours than the smell of comfort food?
“Is that bolognese?” I called out through the house as soon as we stepped inside. Another smell wafted in over it that I couldn’t quite place, but that sent my taste buds immediately drooling.
“Sure is,” Sara called back. “And garlic bread.” That was the other smell, roasting garlic.
“You’re my favorite witch on the planet right now,” Ellie said.
“So I should be,” Sara replied. “It’ll be ready in about two minutes if the two of you want to grab a couple of plates. Nice timing!”
The four of us sat down to eat dinner together, with Ellie and I telling the stories of the day in turn while Amy and Sara listened.
As soon as I shoved a forkful of spaghetti into my mouth, the broccoli pin on my sweater complained.
“One cup of cooked broccoli has as much vitamin C as an orange,” it squealed, and Ellie glared at it.
“Can’t you make that thing shut up?”
I laughed and took off the pin, who didn’t give up, even as I placed it inside a pocket. “Broccoli is high in fiber, which promotes digestive health!” it squealed before disappearing into the depths of the fabric.
“I can’t help but feel like I’m missing something,” I said. “Like there’s something I should have figured out, but can’t.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Sara said. “It might honestly be nothing. After all, out of all of us, I think you’ve easily had the most stressful couple of days. And tomorrow you have your witch’s examinations, too.”
I groaned and leaned back against the chair. “I’d forgotten about that. I can’t believe that’s already tomorrow.”
“Hey, on the bright side, finding out you’re probably the daughter of the most infamous wizard to ever live and that you were prophesized to destroy him got your mind off it for a few hours,” Ellie offered unhelpfully.
“Yeah, my entire life is just an emotional disaster right now,” I said with a laugh that sounded far more hysterical than I had intended.
Amy looked at me, her brow furrowed. “Are you sure you’re alright? Do you want something to help you sleep? Honestly, I think this counts as extenuating circumstances and would probably get your test delayed, but I don’t think we should tell Lita what we’ve found out, yet.”
“I agree,” I said. “It’s not that I don’t trust her. It’s just that I really, really don’t want word of who I am getting out. And the more people know, the more likely it is that if Titan is really out there, he’ll find out as well. No, I should be fine. I’m just overly tired, I think. I shouldn’t need anything to help me sleep. I’ll sleep like a baby.”
“Good,” Amy said. “Well, if you change your mind, just find me. I don’t care if I’m asleep, you can wake me up if you have to. I just want you to go into this exam well rested.”
I nodded. “I think I might actually hit the hay now,” I said, happily taking my now-empty bowl to the kitchen. “I know it’s early.”
“You do what you have to,” Ellie said. “I’ll make sure there’s a good breakfast for you here in the morning. When is the exam?”
“Ten tomorrow,” I replied. “I’m guessing it’s at coven headquarters?”
“That’s where the first part will be,” Amy confirmed. “The second part will take place in the forest, but Lita will guide you. And I’ll come with you.”
“So will I,” Ellie said.
“And me,” Sara added. “I remember how nerve-wracking it was to have to do it all by myself. I would have given almost anything to have my friends there.”
“You guys,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, or just the emotions of the last few days, but I was definitely going to cry.
“Come on,” Amy said, getting up and leading me to the bedroom. “Let’s get you into bed. You need to get as much sleep as you can before tomorrow.”
A part of me was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get to sleep, that the events of the last couple of days coupled with the stress of the exams the next day would keep me awake despite my body’s obvious need for sleep.
I didn’t have to worry. I fell into oblivion as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Chapter 21
I woke up the next morning to the always-fun sensation of Mr. Meowgi kneading my face.
“Urgh,” I muttered, trying to roll over and cover my head with the pillow. “What is wrong with you?”
“You should be more thankful that I’m waking you up in time to have a good breakfast and get to your examination,” my familiar replied.
As soon as he said those words I bolted upright, sending my cat flying across the bed. He reached the end of the mattress, tried in vain to get a hold of the sheets, and then slipped off the end, landing on the floor with a soft thud and a squeal that sounded half-surprised, half-embarrassed.
“That’s the last time I ever do anything to help you,” he muttered as I grabbed my phone off the side table and checked
the time. It was just after eight; I had two hours to get ready.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Mr. Meowgi, jumping out of bed and giving him a quick pat as he scowled at me. “I really do appreciate you waking me up.”
“Well you have a terrible way of showing it,” he muttered as I grabbed yesterday’s clothes off the floor and threw them back on, figuring that deciding on a new outfit was going to take too much time.
As I made my way down to the kitchen, and the wafting aroma of bacon and eggs reached my nostrils, my mouth began to water. I found Ellie in the kitchen, happily working on a pan of bacon. As soon as she saw me, she beamed.
“Good, you’re up. I figured if you weren’t awake by the time I had finished cooking this, I was going to come up and get you myself.”
“Mr. Meowgi took care of that for you,” I said, yawning and stretching. “This smells amazing.”
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and you’re going to need all the energy you can get for your examinations,” Ellie said, flipping over all of the bacon, causing it to sizzle further.
“Can you tell me anything about what it’s like?” I asked. “I have no idea what to expect at all.”
Ellie shook her head. “The written portion is fairly straightforward: it’s about one hundred multiple choice questions, and you just need to answer them. The second portion, however, is done differently for every witch or wizard. They do it that way on purpose, so that nobody can study for the exams, or try to cheat by asking older siblings what happened. So unfortunately, nothing I tell you could help at all, but if it makes you feel any better, you’re in the same boat as everybody else who has ever done this.”
I nodded as I made my way to the fridge and poured myself a big glass of dragonberry juice. “Ok, fair enough. What was your second examination like?”
“Mine took place in the ocean. Luckily, it was April, so it was in the dead of winter, but it was still absolutely freezing. I had to cast a spell to get my body temperature up just to stop myself from freezing to death in the middle of it. I basically had to cast a bunch of spells from the middle of a canoe into the water, and try to avoid tipping over.”
Six Ways to Spellday Page 11
