by Molly Fitz
I’d had the suspect right here but hadn’t been able to get anything useful out of her. If she’d been a friend or family member, she’d have said something, right? Her sudden departure screamed of a guilty conscience—but could she be guilty of murder?
Whatever the case, I had a feeling this strange visitor would turn up again sooner rather than later. Hopefully, though, it wouldn’t be with murderous intent, especially now that she knew I suspected her.
Gah!
What was wrong with me? I hadn’t merely tiptoed around danger, I’d dived headfirst in after it.
7
I spent the rest of that day trying and failing to write some pages to make my agent happy. Of course I had way too much on my mind to focus, which meant my agent would just have to get used to being unhappy with me for a while.
Parker turned up outside my cottage at fifteen minutes to eleven that night. Apparently he was my official keeper when it came to all things Paranormal Temp Agency.
And even though I didn’t feel I needed a constant chaperone, I was grateful that at least it was him. I mean, he had less sass than the cat. And he wasn’t so bad on the eyes, either.
The old me would have leaned into that attraction a little, flirted whenever the moment felt right. But this was the new me, a woman who I was quite frankly still getting to know.
Ever since I stumbled over Mrs. Haberdash’s dead body and straight into this brave new world full of strange magic, I’d been changed. Sure, it had happened just this morning, but both of these once-in-a-lifetime occurrences together made for a monumental shift in what I knew about myself and the greater world around me.
I strode out to Parker’s car, wearing a confidence I didn’t quite feel. I also wore a flowy black floor-length skirt with a tight black leather bustier, old boots which were mostly hidden beneath the skirt, and my favorite statement piece of jewelry—a shiny black metal necklace with a series of interesting shapes that kind of looked like an eagle if you squinted a bit.
Apparently I’d also shown up with more cleavage than my escort had anticipated. He turned beet red under that beard of his the moment his eyes locked onto said cleavage.
“You didn’t have to get dressed up for this,” he muttered, clenching his hands even tighter around the steering wheel.
“Is that your way of saying I look nice?” I teased. Okay, maybe the old me was still in there a little bit.
Parker coughed. “Sure. Let’s go with nice. Um, did you have a good day?”
“I don’t think there’s much recovering from a murder accusation and the discovery of magic, so let’s just call today interesting instead.”
“We know you probably didn’t kill her if that helps,” he offered with an apologetic shrug.
Oh, good. They knew I probably wasn’t guilty, which meant I wasn’t fully in the clear yet. It also meant… “So I guess you didn’t catch the real killer yet,” I said with a sigh.
“No, but we have some leads.” Parker’s expression remained firm, serious.
Me, on the other hand, I preferred to lighten the mood a bit—especially when I was already feeling scared out of my mind. “So, what are you? Are you actually a cop, or was all that pomp and circumstance this morning simply for my benefit?”
I expected him to loosen up some at my playful banter, but no dice. He adjusted himself in his seat, sitting taller, commanding even more of a presence. His jaw clenched, and his shoulders tightened. Was he afraid of me, or just not good with people in general?
“I am an officer of the law, yes,” he said, his voice deeper than usual. “I’m also the paranormal liaison to the force.”
“So you’re a double cop?” I asked, scrunching up my nose playfully.
Finally a smile spread across his face. “Something like that, yes.”
“And the cat’s your boss. What about all the other people who were there this morning?” If anyone was going to give me information, it would be Parker, so I decided to press him for all I could on the drive over. It would be easier to influence him privately without the watchful eyes of Mr. Fluffikins.
He glanced at me for a moment and the car jerked toward the curb. Maybe expecting him to multi-task behind the wheel wasn’t the best idea I’d had that day.
Parker returned his attention to the road. “You mean, the other liaisons. Right?”
“If that’s who was sitting around that conference room table, then yeah.” I thought back to the woman with the fantastic outfit and the ancient guy with the Merlin beard and business suit. The other two had made less of an impression on me, but whoever they were, they were important enough to be at that meeting, which meant I shouldn’t simply forget they existed.
Parker nodded and readjusted his hands on the wheel. “Yes, we’re all liaisons. I’m the liaison to the police force. Each of them keep an eye on other key influencing bodies around the region.”
I bit my lip to keep from frowning. I was beginning to feel stupid, considering how little I knew, and I hated nothing more than feeling stupid. “That’s pretty vague. Are you saying you speak up for the paranormal interests with the police?”
The car jerked as Parker suddenly hit the brake—whether accidentally or on purpose, I couldn’t quite tell. He eased off before we came to a full stop. Luckily, no one had been driving behind us, or we’d both have a serious case of whiplash right now.
Parker’s voice turned pitchy and panicked. “No, no. Gosh, no. Non-magic people don’t know anything about us, so there’s definitely no speaking up about anything. We watch to protect us from them. Not the other way around.”
The fact that he was so nervous had to mean I was hitting on all the good questions, right? I decided to keep going, even though I was more than a little concerned for my safety with such a reactive driver behind the wheel. “Uh, hello. I’m non-magic, but you wasted no time in showing your hand to me.”
“You showed up at the murder scene for one of our most important magical locals, so yeah. We had no choice but to bring you in. Besides, you’ll have some magic in you before the night is through.”
A shiver of excitement passed through me. I was about to get magic. That almost made the whole being a murder suspect thing worthwhile.
Almost.
8
The drive over was short and bumpy, thanks to Parker’s erratic behavior behind the wheel. This time I was actually happy to see the dark office complex, because it meant we had made it to our location without the epic car crash I’d half-anticipated.
Inside Paranormal HQ, Parker guided me in the opposite direction we’d gone that morning. A series of long halls delivered us to a large, echoing space where all the furniture had been cleared away and the carpeting ripped out.
“You’re definitely not getting the security deposit back on this place,” I mumbled, remembering the time I’d forfeited one of my own, thanks to an ill-fated attempt at candle making. Incidentally, that was not a hobby I’d decided to keep.
I turned toward Parker to see how my joke had gone over, but before I could meet his eyes, we were joined by a new arrival.
Mr. Fluffikins hopped down from a hole in the ceiling where one of the hanging tiles had been removed. He landed with a thump right in front of me, proving definitively—at least to me—that cats always landed on their feet.
“Good evening,” he purred, appearing rather pleased with himself, if not with me.
“Thanks for bringing her to me, Barnes,” he said, offering Parker a curt nod. “That will be all. Dismissed.”
“Wait,” I called after his departing form, but either he didn’t hear me or he didn’t care.
I glanced back toward the black cat with growing discomfort. Something told me he wouldn’t be gentle in making my big introduction to magic.
“Human,” he said, flicking the tip of his tail rhythmically as he regarded me. “It is time to—”
“My name’s Tawny,” I informed him.
His eyes widened as if my speaking my n
ame had somehow been an insult. “That’s not important. What’s important is that—”
“Actually, my name is kind of important, and I’ll thank you to use it.” If I didn’t put some rules in place now, I doubted I’d be able to introduce them later. And if I was going to be around long enough to do this Town Witch thing right, then I definitely needed to at least push for him to use my actual name.
Mr. Fluffikins rose to all four feet and paced a circle around me. “That’s a rather tall demand from someone who still hasn’t been cleared of murder.”
“Actually it’s a fairly simple request. You’re asking me to learn magic and temporarily fill in for a witch. All I’m asking is that you treat me with a little respect.”
The cat stopped, cocked his head to the side, and watched me with swirling golden eyes.
We both remained silent, unwilling to budge. As far as I was concerned, I had more leverage here. He may have magic, but he also needed me—and it had to be me for some reason, even though I had no idea why.
After what felt like a small eternity, the cat finally laughed. Not just a small chuckle, but a side-splitting display of amusement.
“You won’t go easy on me, I see. I hope you know I’ll extend you that same courtesy. So Tawny it is, but keep in mind, your future demands will be met with far more resistance.”
“Thank you,” I said between clenched teeth. Even though he’d finally given in, I still felt on edge. Why couldn’t Parker have stayed with us? It would have been so much easier, having a friendly face along for the ride, even if he, too, was still largely a stranger. But I’d take the handsome cop over the scary magic cat any day of the week.
“So what now?” I asked when Mr. Fluffikins didn’t make any effort to explain himself.
“Well, now,” he said, while studying the unsheathed claws on one of his front paws. “Now I grant you temporary access to magic.”
“Magic,” I repeated, relishing the power of the word on my tongue.
The black cat nodded and schlinked those claws back into his paw. “It won’t be a perfect match for Lila’s, but it will be a fair replica and should allow you to temporarily fill her post. That is, unless you actually did kill her and have already absorbed her magical legacy.”
“I didn’t—” I was promptly cut off by a strong gust of wind that tore through the room and knocked me off my feet.
Ouchy ouch ouch. Everything hurt. My head, my chest, and especially my butt.
“What was that?” I screamed. He wanted me—needed me—to help him, right? So why was he attacking me all of a sudden?
Mr. Fluffikins opened his mouth, but instead of answering my very reasonable question, he unleashed a pulsing plume of fire.
It whipped out fast and determined, flying toward me much faster than I could ever hope to move even if I wasn’t already knocked flat on my rear.
Then in a split instant, the flame disappeared, right before crashing into my face and turning me into a melted ball of wax.
“You’re crazy!” I shouted, but fear made my words sound jumbled and drunken. “Let me out of here!”
Fluffikins laughed as he took slow deliberate steps in my direction. I took a deep breath and braced myself for whatever came next. We both knew I didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Miami of coming out the victor here.
But, oh, what a way to die!
9
“Relax,” Fluffikins drawled as he stepped closer and closer.
Instantly my muscles loosened, and a calming thrum reverberated through my core.
The magical cat watched me for a moment.
When he decided I had well and truly followed his order, he continued with his horrifying presentation. “I had to make sure you didn’t already have magic that you were attempting to hide. I can tell you don’t have much practice, which means you wouldn’t have been able to prevent yourself from unleashing your defenses at the sudden arrival of an external threat.”
“You’re crazy,” I spat again. My body was calm, but my mind still reeled. “I don’t have any magic, and I definitely don’t appreciate you trying to turn me into roast Tawny!”
A smile stretched from one of his whiskered cheeks to the other. “Trusting a human with magic is no small thing. Your kind doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to wielding power of any kind.”
Well, he had me there. Still, he may have understood humans, but that didn’t mean he knew me.
“Don’t attack me again,” I ordered, wishing I already had the magic so I could force him to obey my command the same way he’d forced me to be calm.
“I hadn’t planned on it. Now wait there.” He crouched into a low pounce and then leaped into the same hole in the ceiling from which he’d emerged earlier.
Fluffikins was an unnaturally gifted jumper, that was for sure. Oh, right. Magic, duh.
When he returned, he had a simple silver brooch clutched in his mouth. It looked like a cross between a butterfly and a bow and appeared to be made of gleaming silver. He dropped it at my feet. “Your choice of attire isn’t exactly suitable,” he said in that off-putting almost serpentine way of his.
I glowered at Fluffikins. He may be the boss here, but that didn’t give him the right to control every aspect of my life. His latest barb stung, especially since I’d put so much effort into looking nice.
“No more insults,” I growled.
But he didn’t back down. Instead he buckled down. “It’s just you have so much skin exposed. This is your magical badge.” He placed a paw on the silver brooch. “It needs to be placed close to your heart to have the best effect.”
I glanced down at my expansive cleavage and grimaced. “Oh, I see. Hmmmm.”
“Could you maybe just…?” His words fell away and, well, if you’ve never seen a black cat blush, I promise it’s a sight to behold. Fluffikins coughed, which turned into a hack, which soon resulted in a slimy hairball being spat up right by my feet. Charming.
I grabbed the gleaming brooch, trying my best to not look at the mess that sat dangerously close. “How’s this?” I asked after popping it at the very top of my bustier so it jutted slightly above the neckline.
“Well, let’s put it to the tests.” Fluffikins regained his composure, winked, then threw another gust of wind my way.
This time I raised both hands in front of me, and the wind immediately died down without so much as ruffling a single hair on my head. Shocked, I studied my hands in search of the magic which had just come out of them. They still looked—and felt—exactly the same.
I didn’t have much time to think about it, though, because next came the fire. Instinctively, I thrust my hands forward and pushed out a stream of water that collided with Fluffikins’s flames, causing both to blink out of existence.
The cat wore a smug expression now. “See. You can’t help but defend yourself.”
“But how? I definitely didn’t do any of that on purpose.” I continue to study my hands carefully as if they’d suddenly reveal all the secrets of the universe. Unfortunately, I still felt just as confused as ever—and possibly more.
“Wielding magic is as easy and natural as breathing air for those who have it. Yes, you must practice to strengthen it, but our natural aptitudes are innate within us.”
“But I don’t naturally have magic. I shouldn’t have been able to do the things I just did,” I argued. I didn’t write fantasy, but I’d read enough of it to know that magic required lots of practice and self-control. This thing with Fluffikins tonight was turning out to be the exact opposite.
He shrugged as if none of this meant anything to him. “Everyone has the potential. Few just ever realize it’s there.”
“So every single person in the whole entire world has magic?” I marveled at this. How could such a big thing be kept a secret? Was it because of people like Parker and Fluffikins and all the other paranormal liaisons around the world? Was I part of that now? Wow.
“When it comes to adult humans, it
’s less than a fraction of a percent,” Fluffikins informed me with a contented grin. “Most are too caught up with the other aspects of their busy lives.”
“You said adults,” I pointed out as I finally pulled myself to my feet. “Does that mean—?”
“Yes, many children can still access their innate magic, but as they grow older, the adults in their lives convince them it isn’t real, and eventually most will lose that spark.”
“That’s actually really sad,” I choked out.
“We already have more than enough messes to clean up from the few humans who keep their magic. Why do you think there are so many stray cats around? It’s our job to keep an eye on you and fix things before the other humans realize they’re broken.”
“So stray cats are…?”
“Field agents, yes. If you ever have any extra money laying around, try to donate to your local shelters. We’ve lost too many good agents to…” He shuddered. “Never mind.”
“I’ll do what I can,” I promised, wondering whether it would be okay to pet him or if such a gesture would be more condescending than comforting. “So what now?”
“Now, you head home and get some rest. I’ll come for you in the morning to get you started on your Town Witch duties.”
I wanted to thank him, to apologize for the friends he’d lost in the field, but before I could say anything, he raised his voice and bellowed, “Barnes!”
Parker appeared almost immediately, grabbed me by the arm, and led me away. Well, it looked like I’d have to wait for tomorrow to get any more answers.
10
I knew I should try to get some sleep, but I was way too excited to make such a thing possible. I still had so many new questions spinning about my brain, and they needed answers.
Of course, Parker had remained relatively tight-lipped on the drive back home, which left me to my own internal musings.
One thought in particular dominated my mind from the get-go: “OH MY GOSH, I HAVE MAGIC NOW! WHEEEEEE!”
