by Esme Addison
“You enjoy your work at Wesley?”
Celeste’s face brightened with interest. “I’m on a team that’s trying to understand the science behind the magic of the weapons we’re finding. It’s exciting work, Alex.”
“Well, there you go. You’ve got your focus. Your direction. I think you’ll be fine,” Alex said. “You’re definitely on the path to success.”
Celeste took a breath, then smiled. “Thanks, that means a lot.” She looked down at her phone screen and read a text. “Uh-oh, the pierogi truck is having an emergency. Duty calls.” She waved over her shoulder as she trotted off.
* * *
For the next thirty minutes, Alex was busy with customers, until all of her soaps and candles were gone. There was a lull in sales, and she allowed herself to relax for a moment, when a shadow was cast over the booth, and Alex looked up. It was Montgomery. Looking summery in a white linen shirt, khaki shorts, and tan sandals. He smiled down at her, dollar bills in hand.
“I’d like a bottle of that Keep Coolade tea I’ve been hearing so much about.”
Alex took his money, and handed him the beverage. He opened it right there and had a swallow. “This is good.”
She frowned. “Thanks.” And waited for him to leave. When he didn’t, she gave him a quizzical look. “You should try the funnel cakes next. They’re also great.” She pointed to a vendor far, far, away from her booth.
He chuckled. “I might just do that. But I wanted to apologize to you first.”
“For?”
“Jasper’s behavior. Toward you and the town, generally. When I sent him here—”
“When you sent him here?” She crossed her arms. “He made it clear that he was the boss, and you took orders from him.”
“And that’s what was told to The Council, yes?” He chuckled again, a low throaty sound. “True to the end, that one. That was sporting of him.”
“You’re saying he’s not—Neve didn’t work for him?”
He held up his hand. “Only the boss wears the ring. I sent him here to do a job, and he went about his task with less finesse than I would’ve liked.” For a moment he looked weary, older. “I told him not to fall in love. It never ends well when they do.”
“You knew that he killed Neve?”
“I liked Neve very much. She was one of my best operatives, and an invaluable part of my organization … until she was not.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “We never discussed her murder, but I had my suspicions. I wasn’t pleased,” he said mildly. “Not in the least.”
Lips pursed, Alex stared at him. Her skin prickled with something … Fear? Apprehension? She recalled the revulsion Neve had expressed when she saw news coverage of the tidal wave in Japan. “You sold the Tide Jewels to China?” His expression blanked, but Alex continued. “Knowing they would use it to cause destruction and act as distraction for their military.”
“The sale was beneficial to me and my organization.”
“Which part? The deaths or the money.”
“All of it.”
She shot him a look of disbelief. “And this is the same organization you want Minka to work for?”
“Your cousin is interested in helping the environment, so that’s what she’d be doing.”
“Over my—”
“Please.” His smile was pleasant. “It’s too beautiful a day for such a weighty topic.”
“You want to change the topic? Okay, I have another question for you.”
“I’m an open book. Shoot.”
“You seem very interested in my family. Why is that?”
“Do I?” He chuckled. “It’s not your family, dear. It’s you.”
“Me?” Alex frowned. “Why me?”
“I heard you looked just like your mother. I wanted to see for myself.”
A lump lodged in Alex’s throat. “You knew my mother? How? When? Where?”
His smile was gentle. “It was a long time ago. I was sad to hear of her passing, and yes, you look just like her. I wonder …”
Alex gritted her teeth. “You wonder what?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Neve’s words came back to her then: “There’s also the responsibility. The Mermaid of Warsaw had a sword and shield for a reason. To help protect the seas and the coast—that’s her domain after all—and any and everything that comes from it.”
Dragons, at least some of them, came from the sea, and they and Montgomery’s organization seemed hell-bent on causing destruction. Were mermaids supposed to protect the world from dragons? For a moment, Alex’s body tingled with fear.
“Why are you really here, Montgomery?”
He looked around the park filled with tourists and festival-goers. “I’m here to enjoy a summer’s day at the beach, just like everyone else. I like this little town. It’s absolutely charming.”
When he said that last word, “charming,” something cold and slippery ran up and down her spine. She looked toward the mural. And she knew without a shadow of a doubt that the serpent sliding in the water underneath the Mermaid of Warsaw was Montgomery. Neve had warned her against him too.
“I have big plans for this town.”
Alex rose from her seat then. “Do you?”
“Yes. But don’t be alarmed. I don’t want to change anything about this place. I just feel like it could be home for me.”
“And your kind?”
His shrug was expansive. “Eh.”
Lidia and Minka joined her then, coming around the table and standing beside her. Minka’s face had been painted as a mermaid in bright shades of pink, purple, and blue. And her brunette curls were streaked with purple and blue.
She looked beautiful, Alex thought. Like a mermaid princess. But the wide grin on her face disappeared when she felt the negative energy hovering around the tent.
“Everything okay, Alex?” Lidia said, a mild look of concern on her face as she handed her a funnel cake covered in powdered sugar and smelling like heaven.
Alex looked up and saw Kamila coming toward them, another kielbasa and roasted potato stick in hand. The feeling of fear and trepidation she’d experienced earlier were gone. Her family was with her, and for some reason, when they were around, she felt fearless. Like she could take on the world.
Or dragons.
She smiled at her aunt. “Yes, I’m fine. Montgomery was just telling me how much he was enjoying the festival.”
“That’s right. And who doesn’t love a mermaid?” Montgomery chuckled, nodding to the women and winking at Minka, who couldn’t help but smile in response. “I guess I’ll be seeing you then. All of you.” He passed Kamila as she arrived at the table.
“What’s going on?” she said, handing the stick to Minka. “Take this. It’s my third of the day, and I just realized I’ve hit the kielbasa wall.” She made a gagging face. “Not another bite.”
Lidia pursed her lips. “There’s no such thing as too much kielbasa, my girl.” And then she laughed. “What’s going on, is that I’ve got my family together. My girls, all of you.” She looked at Alex and grinned. “And it feels good. It feels right, doesn’t it?” She playfully shoved Alex aside. “Now you go and enjoy the day. I’m watching the booth for the rest of the day.”
Minka grabbed Alex’s arm. “This one is getting her face painted.”
“No,” Alex mock-groaned. “Help me, Kamila.”
But Minka wouldn’t take no for an answer. “It’s one of the few times of the year that we can really be our true selves. Come on— I want to see Alex with a pink and purple glittery mermaid face! Don’t you?”
Kamila cocked her head, evaluating Alex’s face, and then smiled. “I guess she’d make a good mermaid. What do you say, Alex?”
Laughing, Alex relented. “Let’s do it. I’m ready to embrace my inner mermaid.” And with a jolt of surprise, Alex realized she really was okay with being a mermaid—whatever that meant and all that it entailed.
With Minka in the middle, she linked arms, Alex a
nd Kamila on either side of her. And Alex smiled. It felt like old times, when both her parents had been alive and she’d stayed in Bellamy Bay for the summers. For just a few moments, they were little girls off for an adventure.
And Alex couldn’t have felt happier.
Also by Esme Addison
Enchanted Bay Mysteries
A Spell for Trouble
Author Biography
Ever since Esme discovered Nancy Drew, she's wanted to solve mysteries. As a mystery author, she's finally found a way to make that dream come true. Esme lives in Raleigh, NC with her family. When she's not writing or dreaming up new mysteries for her sleuths to stumble upon, you can find her dancing her calories away in Zumba, patronizing her local bookstores or visiting the beach, the mountains and all historical sites in between.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 by Holloway LLC
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-586-8
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-64385-587-5
Cover illustration by Teresa Fasolino
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Crooked Lane Books
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New York, NY 10001
First Edition: July 2021
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