A Bottle Full of Djinn

by Paula Lester

  Slowly, Zoey accepted her boyfriend’s hand and stood. The crowd cheered and clapped, bolstering her, and she followed Doug to the steps at the side of the stage. When she got up there, she knew why Chris was sweating so much. The spotlight bored into her like the sun at noon in the middle of a California summer. She could hardly see the people in the audience because of its glare. She adjusted the microphone Chris had put back on the stand for her because she was taller than the emcee.

  “Um. I’m Zoey Rivers, and I work as Head of Staff at the Sunnyside Retired Witches Community,” she said slowly. More clapping followed her statement.

  From the wing of the stage, Chris whispered, “A little louder!”

  She cleared her throat and moved closer to the microphone. “Some days at my job are crazier than others,” she said in a stronger tone of voice. “Yesterday might have been the most bizarre day of all.” She was starting to adjust to the bright light and could see some faces in the crowd. Still, the spotlight was enough to make her eyes want to water, so she grabbed the microphone off the stand and began to walk around the stage as she spoke.

  She talked about the cake explosion in the kitchen, the farm animals in the common room, and the ghost with cymbals in the middle of the night. She was careful not to mention any residents by name, but she gave enough zany details to give the stories flavor. She was shocked the first time the crowd laughed, and as she went on, was rewarded with more guffaws. She loosened up and got into it, and the place was erupting by the time she was finished. Giving a little bow, she handed the microphone to Chris, who beamed at her and clapped her on the shoulder. “You’re welcome back any time,” he told her. “If I see you in the crowd, I’m bringing you on stage. You’re hilarious!”

  When she got back to her seat, she expected Doug to be smiling, but he actually appeared to be deep in thought, a small frown on his lips. There wasn’t much time to wonder what was bothering him because a forty-something mother of four had gotten on stage and was talking about the wackiness of raising magical kids who sometimes made their diapers float around the house or turned their vegetables into candy.

  When they got into the car after the night was over, Doug still looked thoughtful.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked him.

  He glanced at her. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was just thinking about your stories and wondering what could have been behind all that mayhem at the retirement home.”

  Zoey leaned back on the headrest. “Yeah, I haven’t figured that out yet. Some strange stuff happened today too, but it wasn’t quite as bad. I guess one of the residents is either trying to create some amusement for him or herself or is accidentally causing things to go awry and possibly forgetting about it afterward.”

  The little frown appeared on his face again. She admired his profile as he drove. His Asian features had drawn her to him the first time she saw him, and his soft-spoken, kind nature had kept her there. He had a strong jawline and jet-black hair that he kept trimmed just right. “I guess,” he said noncommittally. “It almost seems like it could be more than that, though.”

  “Really? What are you thinking?” She sat straighter in the seat. If something serious was going on at the complex, she wanted to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible. There was no way she’d stand for her residents being at risk.

  Doug didn’t answer right away but she thought he was chewing the inside of his cheek. Then he glanced at her and relaxed, his face suddenly looking more normal. “It’s probably nothing.” He pulled up to the curb in front of the retirement center and got out, moving around the car to open the door for her. He walked her into the building and gave her a goodnight kiss. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  As Zoey watched him leave, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was right. Was something more serious than a little bit of retired witch mischief going on at the retirement home?

  Chapter 7

  In the morning, Zoey headed straight to the kitchen for coffee again. As she got to the main common area near the front door, she noticed Doug’s BMW through the glass and a moment later, her boyfriend entered the building and smiled at her.

  “Hey!” She hugged him and smiled up into his face. “To what do I owe this early Saturday morning visit from my hunky boyfriend?”

  Doug shrugged. “I just wanted to spend some extra time with you. And I thought maybe you could show me around more. I’ve only really seen this room, the backyard, and your office. I was hoping to see more and meet some of the people who get to spend their days with you.”

  “Wow, that’s so nice!” She gave him a kiss. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  As they parted, Zoey caught sight of Kelli and Steve entering the room from the hallway leading to the kitchen wing. They each carried a mug. Steve said, “Yeah, it was a terrible date.”

  “Why?” Kelli looked intently at her co-worker.

  “She was Fae. We went dancing, but she kept disappearing into thin air. I guess her queen needed her repeatedly or something.”

  “Ooh, how mysterious.” Kelli’s eyes were wide.

  “I found it more embarrassing than mysterious. Every time she disappeared, I was left dancing with myself. Now I think I have a reputation as some kind of weirdo at the dance club. Oh, hey, boss.”

  Zoey’s employees stopped in front of her, and she introduced them to Doug. Almost immediately, Kelli asked if she could talk to her about something in for a moment. As soon as the door to Kelli’s office shut behind them, the receptionist grabbed Zoey’s hands and squealed. “Your boyfriend is so hot!”

  “I know,” Zoey said, a dreamy note to her voice. “Isn’t it cool that he showed up here today just to see where I work and meet people?” She sighed, and Kelli mirrored the action.

  “Where’d you find him?” the receptionist asked.

  “I was over at the park a few months ago, and he was jogging through. I tripped over my own feet and landed directly in his path. Then he tripped over me, and there we were—a pile of arms and legs in the middle of the path.”

  “Wow,” Kelli breathed. “That’s really romantic.”

  Zoey snorted. “It wasn’t. But then we talked for a few minutes and he asked me out.”

  Kelli bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. “He must be such a great kisser. He’s a great kisser, isn’t he?” She leaned forward and studied Zoey’s face, clearly not wanting to miss the answer.

  But Zoey just grinned and left the office. Doug was gone, and Steve sat on the arm of a chair sipping his coffee. “He went to the bathroom,” he said in response to Zoey’s questioning look. “So, that’s the guy you’ve been seeing, huh, boss? He’s kind of—masculine—isn’t he?”

  Zoey choked on a laugh. “I guess so,” she said. “He is a man.”

  “Yeah, but that guy’s, like, extra masculine. He oozes male charm.”

  “I hadn’t noticed.” Zoey crossed her arms and cocked her head, grinning. “Does his extra masculine masculinity bother you?”

  Steve scoffed and stood up, puffing out his chest. “Nah,” he said. “It doesn’t make any difference to me. I just didn’t peg him as the kind of guy you’d go out with, that’s all.”

  Zoey’s mouth dropped open, and she couldn’t think of anything to say for a second. When she was able to speak again, she sputtered, “What kind of guy did you think I’d be drawn to?”

  Doug’s voice kept Steve from answering, “Hey, Zo, could I get a cup of coffee?”

  She gave Steve one last pointed look and then turned to smile at her boyfriend. “Sure. I’ll introduce you to our new chef. Come on.”

  Before they made it to the kitchen, they ran into Howie in the hallway. When he saw Doug, he flexed his muscles and gave Zoey’s boyfriend a wide grin.

  “Doug, this is Howie Nurl.”

  Howie stuck a hand out for Doug to shake. “Nice to meet you. Do you work out?”

  “I try to stay fit. I mostly jog and lift weights. You?”

  Howie nodded vigoro
usly, his yellow and red sweatband falling into his eyes. He pushed it back up. “Mostly aerobics. Push-ups, jogging, that sort of thing. I run classes for the other residents and staff here, and everybody has a great time. I just wish . . .”

  Zoey’s eyes narrowed. “What do you wish?”

  “That I could get more people interested in my classes. Jerry’s always there because he’s my best friend, but he doesn’t participate. He just sits there and glares at me. Maria comes sometimes, and when Ester’s around, she joins in, but she doesn’t remember to come on her own.” Howie frowned and started down the hallway again. “I’m going to figure out how I can get more people interested in their physical health. Maybe more obstacle courses.”

  “Be careful!” Zoey called after him. Then she exchanged a helpless look with Doug and continued leading him toward the kitchen. When they arrived, Ashley was busy adding ingredients to an industrial-size automatic mixing machine. She greeted them with a smile and Zoey introduced the other two.

  “What are you making?” Doug peered into the mixing bowl.

  “Scottish biscuits. I heard they were some of Ester’s favorites, so I thought I’d make a batch for her.”

  Zoey felt a surge of joy at the words. Ashley was turning out to be just the kind of employee she wanted—someone good at her job who also cared about the residents.

  Zoey pulled two mugs out of a cupboard and poured coffee for herself and Doug. Then she leaned against the counter. “Did you have breakfast yet?”

  Doug shrugged. “I had a banana and some granola. That should tide me over until lunch.”

  “A banana sounds good. Maybe that’s what I’ll have.” She looked around, wondering if there were any bananas, and Ashley held one out to her. Zoey laughed, accepting the fruit and peeling it. Around a bite, she asked Doug, “Are you ready to keep going?”

  Ashley gave Doug a curious look. “Are you touring the complex?”

  He nodded. “I have kind of a . . . knack . . . for feeling disturbances in magical forces. I’m hoping to help Zoey narrow down the cause of the crazy stuff that’s been going on at the complex.”

  Zoey felt a flash of surprise. She’d had no idea Doug was there to investigate the strange goings-on they’d had. Or that he was talented at feeling out magical disturbances.

  “Oh, that’s nice of you.” Ashley turned the mixer off, reached into a cupboard, and pulled out a platter. “You know, Shawna seemed kind of sad last night. I think I’ll take her some breakfast.” She began loading the platter with food.

  “That’s really thoughtful. Shawna will love it. See you later.” Zoey munched on the banana while leading Doug out of the kitchen and back toward the common room. “Let’s see. How about I show you the two residency wings?”

  “Sure, I’d love to see them.”

  She tossed the banana peel into a garbage can. He grabbed her hand with his free one, giving it a light squeeze before sipping some coffee out of the mug in his other hand.

  In the first resident’s hallway, they found Jerry, hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall. Zoey introduced him to Doug and then asked, “What’s up with you today?”

  Jerry shrugged. “I don’t have any plans. I suppose Howie will want me to do some high-stepping or Zumba or something. I’ll need to stand there and look irritated then, but other than that, my time is my own.”

  Zoey chuckled. “Howie is hoping to find more people to attend his fitness classes.”

  Jerry nodded. “He and the new Social Director have been at odds to a degree lately.”

  Doug lifted his gaze and pinned Jerry with a sharp look. “Really? What’s been going on?”

  “They had an argument yesterday because she had a group of people talked into doing a scrapbooking craft and he swept in and wanted them to go for a powerwalk outside instead. She was pretty irritated with him.”

  “Huh. Interesting. Who won the argument?”

  “Ester stayed to do scrapbooking, but everyone else went with Howie. Of course, once they got outside, they all wandered off within a few minutes. He powerwalked by himself for half an hour and then huffed off to his room.” Jerry pushed himself off the wall and began to walk away. “I’m hungry. I’m going to go check the kitchen for cake.”

  “Have a nice breakfast,” Zoey called brightly.

  After Jerry was out of earshot, Doug raised an eyebrow. “Cake?”

  “Jerry has kind of an unnatural love affair with cake. That and the dark arts. It seems like he’s constantly thinking about one or the other of those two things.”

  Doug chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully.

  Zoey pointed at a closed door. “That’s Ester’s room, and the one at the very end is Shawna’s.”

  Doug nodded and moved in the direction Zoey indicated. A noise drew their attention, and Ashley entered the hallway carrying the tray she’d been preparing, a thin towel draped over the contents to keep everything warm. She smiled at them and knocked on Shawna’s door. It opened a crack and then wider, and Ashley disappeared inside.

  “I really like her,” Zoey said.

  Doug nodded, but a line had appeared between his eyebrows. He seemed to be concentrating on something. Then Ester’s door opened, and the elderly lady emerged into the hallway, carrying a bag on her arm. “Oh, good morning, dears,” she said brightly. “It’s a lovely day.”

  “Yes, it is! What do you have planned for today?”

  Ester lifted the arm that held the bag. “Oh, I have a knitting project I need to finish. I’ve been so interrupted the past couple days that I’ve gotten quite behind. I don’t want to be scrambling to get things done for Christmas this year.” She started down the hallway but said over her shoulder. “I do hope things will be more settled here today. There’s been no order to the place this week.”

  Zoey felt a stab of irritation. For everything that had been going haywire over the past couple of days, she thought the staff had been doing a great job of keeping things as normal as possible.

  “I’m sorry you’ve been having trouble.” Doug’s voice was warm. “What kinds of things have been going on?”

  Zoey glanced sharply at her boyfriend. He’d heard all the stories—why was he asking the lady to repeat them?

  “Well, it’s just been madness. There was almost no lunch one day. Though I do recall we had some tasty cookies. And a flock of birds went tearing through this very hallway once. They left droppings everywhere, and I almost slid right onto my behind. That’s not even mentioning the evil tree that grabbed me. I mean, I do sometimes wish I could climb trees again, but that wasn’t anything like how I remember the experience as a child.”

  Zoey pursed her lips. For someone who almost never remembered anything, Ester sure was pulling a lot of detail out of her memory in that moment. And what was she talking about with a flock of birds? If that had happened, Zoey hadn’t known anything about it. She glanced at the carpet under her feet, but there was no sign of any leftover bird droppings. She peeked at Doug, trying to gauge his expression. Ester’s stories were making her feel a tiny bit embarrassed and defensive. The sweet retiree was making it sound like the place wasn’t run very well.

  “Oh,” Ester continued, “and when we played Scrabble the other night, the tiles kept rearranging themselves so Travis would win and the rest of us would lose.” Ester started down the hallway again, muttering to herself. “It’s a shame when you can’t even get a fair game of Scrabble going.”

  Once Ester was out of earshot, Zoey told Doug about the poor woman’s memory problems. He nodded and looked around again.

  “Would you like to see the other residency wing? It’s right through that doorway.”

  “Sure!” Doug finished his coffee and followed her toward the next hallway.

  “Howie, Snores, and Travis live over here. There are a couple of empty rooms too.” Zoey told him a little about Snores Pickett and Travis Hurley, including what they had done during the craziness a couple days before.

 
As they wandered down the hallway, one of the doors opened and Snores emerged from his room. “Oh! Good morning,” he rumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

  “Good morning. Did you do better on getting your sleep last night?” Zoey asked.

  “Howie was quiet last night,” Snores affirmed. “I had a lot of strange dreams, though, all about my time as a detective. I spent the night chasing supernatural bad guys and sifting out clues at crime sites.” He yawned again. “I even dreamt about that one time all the ducks at the farm out on Spencer Street escaped and my guys and I had to chase them around town for two days. You know, sometimes I do miss the good old days and wish I could go back, but doing it my dreams makes for a fitful night’s sleep. I’ll probably need a short nap today.”

  Zoey stifled a laugh. Snores was like their resident cat, Sophia—he usually slept at least eighteen hours a day. The day he took a short nap would be one for the record books.

  Snores shuffled off and Doug and Zoey followed him toward the common room. At the junction between the two residency wings, they met Ashley, returning with the tray.

  “Did Shawna enjoy her breakfast delivery?” Zoey asked.

  “Yes, I think so. It seemed to cheer her up some.” A small smile appeared on her lips, and she patted the dishcloth on the tray a bit absent-mindedly. “I couldn’t get her to come out, though. She said she was going to take a shower and might spend some time in the backyard later.”

  “That’s good. I’ll check on her after a while,” Zoey promised.

  Ashley hurried off, and Zoey showed Doug the two smaller common rooms and library on the main floor. Then they went upstairs, and she gave him a short tour of her suite and showed him where Steve, Kelli, and the chef’s rooms were. He took it all in, mostly staying quiet except to compliment a picture on her wall that she’d done herself at a local wine and painting night out with Kelli.

  When they got back downstairs to the main common room, Shawna was there, sitting in a chair next to the fireplace reading a book. Zoey introduced her to Doug, and she nodded to him before going back to her reading.