by Esme Addison
Stop your investigation before you get hurt.
Alex looked down at Athena, who was going wild, ears up, growling and prancing around, her eyes stretched wide and the whites extra bright, like she could see an intruder about to break into a house. But no one was there—at least no one that Alex could see. She tried to keep calm and breathe deeply. And remember her abilities. Remember her training. She was a Magical too. She wasn’t helpless against whoever this was. This coward who was obviously using a spell for trouble to hide his appearance, a cloaking spell.
Who are you? she sent back.
The invisible restraints somehow tightened even more around her.
Stop asking questions and you won’t get hurt.
She’d never been taught how to get out of this—whatever it was. That would have to be corrected immediately. She tried sending various thoughts to the person. But they were invisible, so where to direct the energy? She tried to send the intention to free herself through her body—but nothing. She tried to imagine herself running free on the beach—but nothing. Her mind raced for a solution. She hadn’t been raised as a Magical—it wasn’t fair. Nothing came naturally to her. What was she supposed to do?
Athena. Athena could sense the person. Could she see him? Smell him? Feel him? She looked at her beautiful dog, crouched low and growling. And sent her thoughts: Where is he, Athena? Where is the bad man? Show me! She didn’t know if it would work. Would Athena pick up on the telepathy? And if so, would she understand? Of course, if she could hear it, she could understand. Dogs understood commands. She knew how to sit and roll over and get her leash.
She watched as Athena stopped her frantic activity, though she kept the low growl going and she trotted purposely about twenty-feet away from Alex and stopped, her barking high and her tail wagging. He was there, invisible but there. Desperate to do something, an idea came to mind, as ridiculous as it at first seemed. She called on the moisture in the sand around Athena to rise up and cover the man so she could see him.
Unbelievably, the sand floated up and began landing on something, sticking to it, and in seconds the vague shape of a man took form. Finally, she could see her enemy. Good girl! She sent to Athena, who barked in response. Free me. Let me go. She sent her thoughts to the sand figure, and her bonds released, the cold slippery feeling sliding off her like icy water. She shook herself off like Athena might do and, with raised hands, flung her own energy at him, thinking, Stop! Freeze!
And for a moment, the sand covering the man-shaped form actually crystalized into ice, but then he broke free of the ice sculpture, and the sand form crumbled, and he must’ve taken off running, because Athena took off in chase, barking and scaring a flock of birds resting on the beach, with Alex behind her. And then Athena stopped and began walking in circles.
Alex caught up with her, panting. She rubbed her head, nuzzling her face with her own. “Good girl. You went after the bad guy. You’re a good girl.”
Alex stood, staring down the expanse of the beach. Whoever he was, he was gone. But he was a Magical. And he’d warned her to stop investigating the case. Which meant she was close to revealing the truth. And nothing about this case was as it seemed.
What did magic have to do with this case?
When Alex and Athena returned home, she gave her dog a large bowl of water and a peanut butter doggie treat for being so protective and willing to do battle with an invisible foe. Then she headed upstairs to shower and change. She’d heard voices downstairs, but she wasn’t ready to face anyone just yet. She was tired, a little freaked out about the attack, and angry with herself for not being able to do a better job of protecting herself.
After a nap, Alex called Kamila and told her what happened. Kamila was both a Magical— nonpracticing —and a police officer, so she seemed like the best person to call. She told Alex she’d come by after work for dinner with the family, and they could discuss it.
Alex wanted to keep investigating, but frankly, the attack had shaken her. She made herself a cup of Calm Down tea and lay down to take a nap.
After what seemed like only a few moments, a light tap on the door woke Alex. She looked up to see her aunt Lidia poking her head into the room.
“Hello, sleepyhead. Sleuthing made you tired?”
Laughing, Alex sat up. “I guess so.”
“No worries. I heard you had an interesting day. Are you okay?”
“Kamila told you?”
Aunt Lidia nodded. “She told me and Minka. We’re concerned, of course. But it seems like you handled yourself well.”
“Could’ve been better.” Alex she explained how inadequate she felt and how she wanted to better understand how to defend herself against all Magical techniques.
“It will come in time. You’ve just discovered who you are. We don’t want to overwhelm you.”
“I don’t like being at a disadvantage.”
Lidia smiled at her niece. “And that’s exactly why you’ll get better. Minka will teach you a few tricks after dinner.”
* * *
During dinner, Alex explained to everyone in detail what happened.
Kamila rubbed her hands together. “I was really hoping this case had no Magical elements to it. The investigation just got that much harder.”
“Well, it does, and we’re trying to figure it out—as a family,” Minka said, her jaw jutting out stubbornly, “whether you’re on board or not.”
Alex laughed at Minka’s expression, but Kamila only frowned, her cop face firmly in place. She waited a beat and then grinned. “Well, if we’re going to do this, it’s best we go whole hog with it. Fill me in.”
Minka looked relieved and glanced at Alex. “It’s your show. You want to start?”
Nodding, Alex updated everyone on Bryce’s lack of alibi and possible motivation. She decided not to tell them about the mermaid gene, because why get everyone upset for no reason if she didn’t have to? But she did share the information about Jasper.
“Next steps?” Minka prompted.
“I’ll talk to Jasper tomorrow,” Alex said, “and figure out a way to speak to Montgomery.”
“Sounds like a plan, ladies,” Lidia said. “Let’s have dessert and coffee. And then Minka is going to teach Alex how to break free from a Magical vise. Once it’s explained, you’ll realize just how easy it is.”
Minka nodded and snapped her finger. “Yeah, just like that.”
* * *
Minka led Alex to the backyard and whipped her hand around like she was holding an invisible lasso. Alex was immediately wrapped up in a tight cold vise. Minka giggled. “I know how to do this, but I’ve never used it. It’s kind of fun, actually.” She grinned at Alex, who tried unsuccessfully to wiggle out of the energetic grip.
She walked around Alex in a circle, as if she were giving a college lecture. “The vise is created by the energy we use to create our magic. You send the intent to the source of your energy, which for us is usually, for lack of a better word, our heart or heart chakra, and fling your hands like so”—she demonstrated with her own hands—“in the direction you want to trap.”
“And how do I get out of this?” Alex said, not enjoying the cold slippery feeling that pulsated around her.
“It’s not impossible to break free, but it does require a real burst of energy and focus. You have to essentially deconstruct the energy holding you prisoner, using your mind to visualize the particles separating and then being pushed apart.” She stopped. “Go ahead, try it.”
Alex took a deep breath and looked down at the glowing blue ropes of energy that crisscrossed her body. She did the visualization as her cousin instructed, and began to feel a loosening of the vise, but lost it when she realized she was doing it.
“Try not to try,” Minka said. “I know, that’s easier said than done. Take several deep breaths and slow your heart down as much as possible. You want to conserve as much energy as possible going to your bodily functions, so you can exert it externally.”
; “When did you learn this?”
“I was fourteen, and I practiced for a year until I got it right.”
“So, what makes you think I’m going to pick it up in a matter of minutes.”
“Because you’re a natural and have the same power your mother had, or so mom says. While I have to try harder and practice to be just as good.”
When Alex had first arrived to town and discovered she was a Magical, her family told her that, as a child, she had used her magic to make the water in the backyard fountain jump into the air in intricate swirls and loops. And Alex couldn’t remember it. None of it. Not practicing magic or ever having knowledge of it—and it bothered her. “Maybe if someone hadn’t wiped my childhood memories, I’d be better at this now because it wouldn’t be brand new.”
Minka bit her lip. “We surmised it had to be your mom or dad, right?”
Alex frowned. “I know. And I guess I can understand why they did it, but it doesn’t make my life easier now. It makes me feel like I can’t trust my memories of them. I mean, they were good people, right?”
“Of course they were. Try again,” Minka suggested, her eyes bright with hope.
“Alright.” Alex tried again, this time taking several deep breaths. She closed her eyes and did the visualization until she felt the coldness slide off her body and her limbs were free. She shook her arms out. “I did it.”
“See. Told you.”
“Okay. And how do I do it to somebody else.”
“Same way you conjure water from anything.” Minka looked around, raised her hand over a flower and watched as the moisture rose from the blossom until the vibrant pink turned brown and the succulent petals dried out, flaked, and fell to the ground. “Sorry, flower,” Minka said to the plant.
“Gather energy from around you—I mean—it’s everywhere and in everything—the water, plants, people … Combine it into ropes and then add the intention to hold tight and voila—you’ve got it. Try on me.”
Alex tried several times with no luck. She stared at her hands, wiggled her fingers, and then looked at her cousin. “You don’t feel anything?”
Minka pretended to inspect her nails. “Nope. Nothing. Nada.” She grinned. “Try again. Remember. Try, don’t try.”
Alex tried several more times before throwing her hands up and huffing in frustration. “I can’t do it. I don’t understand the technique.”
Minka wrapped an arm around her cousin. “At least you know how to break free, right?” Alex nodded. “So, baby steps. Practice energy gathering—just try to create a ball of energy and make it bounce around. Once you master that, we’ll go to the next step.”
Alex rolled her eyes, feeling like a failure. She didn’t enjoy this feeling. Her father had raised her to be good at everything or at least to strive to be good. Shoulders slumped, she followed her cousin into the house.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, Jack stopped by the shop, a tense look on his face.
He stood in front of the counter and handed Alex a to-go cup of coffee. “Spring in Paris. Your favorite.”
Alex opened the cap and breathed in the scents of coffee mixed with lavender syrup and cinnamon, a lovely concoction Celeste had created for her when she worked at Coffee O’Clock. “Thank you. I was just wishing I had a cup of coffee.”
His forehead creased as he looked at Alex. “You weren’t going to tell me you were attacked at the beach?”
Alex took a sip of the coffee before responding. “I suppose Kamila filled you in?”
His nod was terse, his voice gruff. “Are you okay?”
A band of tension spread across her shoulders, and she was reminded of the times when she’d kept things from her father, anything that might upset or stress him out. Working in law enforcement, she knew he constantly worried, and she’d never wanted to add to his problems. Not as a child or a teenager. And she found that she felt that way with Jack. She cleared her throat and smiled at him. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You have enough on your shoulders.”
“I can’t not worry about you, Alex.” He wore a pained expression on his face. “You don’t want to give a statement? Did you get a look at the attacker? Did he or she say anything to you?”
“I told Kamila everything. I believe it was a man, but I didn’t get a good view of him, and he told me to stop investigating the case.”
“And will you listen?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s two people telling you to butt out. Me. And this guy, whoever he is. I don’t appreciate his methods, but we do share the same sentiment.”
Alex sipped her coffee. “I’ll take it under consideration. Have you found another suspect besides Celeste?”
“Not yet. But there are a few pieces of news on that front. Bryce Greenberg came forward to say that he didn’t have an alibi for at least part of the time in question. So, I’ll be giving him a closer look.”
Alex looked up from her coffee cup with interest. “That’s something.”
Jack nodded. “Forensics came back on the weapon. It’s a mineral called ozite. It’s very rare, and only one company in the world mines it.”
Alex knew immediately. “Leviathan Industries?”
“Yes. And I won’t ask how you know that.”
“So now you’re going to talk to Montgomery?”
Jack exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “I don’t want to discuss this with you, Alex.”
“This only confirms my suspicion that Neve and Montgomery had a preexisting relationship too. Maybe he’s the father of her child, maybe—” Alex stopped talking when she realized what she’d said.
Jack’s mouth dropped open. “How do you know about that? We’ve purposely kept that information out of the media.”
Alex grimaced. “Neve came into the shop, and Ciocia Lidia guessed …”
“She guessed, huh? Alex, I can’t speculate with you. You know that.” He leaned forward, both hands on the counter between them. “I hope you’ll keep that information to yourself? It may be useful in finding the murderer.”
“Of course, Jack.” She reached for his hand and patted it. “You can trust me … I actually have information to share with you.” She told him about Neve’s website. “Both Jasper and Montgomery have ties to Neve. That’s got to mean something. When you talk to Montgomery and Jasper, can I sit in?’
“Absolutely not.” His tone was firm, but then he softened his voice. “But I’ll let you know if I learn anything that absolves Celeste, okay?”
“Sure.” Alex said, glad she’d already made plans to talk to Jasper. And then Montgomery would be next on her list.
He glanced at his watch. “I have to go, but if you have any more trouble, I want to be the first person you call. Got it?”
Distracted, Alex nodded, still thinking about what she’d ask Jasper.
He looked up from his watch and stared at her for a moment, his gaze intense. “I don’t think you do.”
“What?” Alex blinked, focused on the way his blue eyes went smoky when he was not angry. But something …
“Don’t call 911,” he continued. “Don’t call your cousin. Call me.”
Surprised by the passion simmering in his eyes, she nodded. “Yes, of course. I promise.”
He leaned over the counter and placed a kiss on her lips. His mouth was warm, his kiss urgent. “Thank you.”
* * *
When Minka came in to relieve Alex for her lunch break, Alex told her she’d made an appointment with Jasper and would be back soon.
Alex walked the few blocks to the museum. It was still early, and there weren’t many people visiting. Alex spoke to the receptionist, who told her Jasper would be out shortly. In the meantime, she was welcome to look at the exhibits. She wandered around the main room, stopping to look at a history of ship building in the town. Captain Bellamy’s business had started off small, exploded with each war when ships were needed, and they’d received several government contracts and then turned to commercial shipping
in the seventies.
Jasper appeared at the end of the staff-only hallway. “Ms. Daniels, if you’ll follow me to my office.”
Alex was looking forward to getting answers from Jasper, but she was hesitant to join him in his office. After all, a murder had occurred there.
Jasper noticed her reluctance, his face grim. “Don’t worry. The office has been thoroughly cleaned. You’d never know a woman died in there.”
He was so unemotional about what happened, Alex mused. She had a hard time imagining him committing a crime of passion.
Once in his office, Jasper settled in a chair behind his desk while Alex sat in a chair across from him. She gazed around the space, wondering if there were any clues to be found. It looked the same as the night of the reception, and she was sure if there had been anything to be discovered, Jack and his team would’ve done so.
“You want to discuss the history of mermaids in Bellamy Bay. It’s a very interesting topic. Historically, many sailors reported seeing mermaids, and those reports were taken at face value. Like Christopher Columbus, Henry Hudson of Hudson River fame, and Captain John Smith of Jamestown. The Columbus and Smith sightings were in the Caribbean.”
Caribbean mermaids. Alex smiled at the thought, thinking of Celeste and her heritage. “That’s all very interesting, but I really wanted to talk to you about your relationship with Neve.”
Jasper sat back in his chair, face drawn with disdain. “I have nothing to hide. What do you want to know?”
“Did you know Neve before she arrived in town?”
“You’ve already asked me that.” He gazed at her for a moment. “Neve and I met in Boston. I traveled in art and history circles there and was invited to an event celebrating her latest work. We met and discovered we had similar interests.”
“Why did you lie about your relationship when I asked you earlier?”
He chuckled. “Because it might implicate me in a murder.”
What does Celeste see in this guy? Alex wondered to herself. She narrowed her eyes, unable to disguise her suspicion. “You stayed in touch?”
