Magic & Maladies

by Annabel Chase

  “So, Marley keeps asking me all these questions about Ivy,” I said.

  “Ivy Cotton-Birch?” Aster asked, scrunching her nose. “What could she possibly want to know about her?”

  “No, our ancestor,” I replied. “Now that Marley has her wand and grimoire, she’s fascinated by the history, only no one seems to know very much.” I kept the discovery of the Book of Shadows to myself.

  “That’s what happens when there’s a scandal,” Aster said. “Suddenly everyone is ignorant or forgetful.”

  “That’s certainly what happened with Wyatt,” Linnea said. “Nobody wanted to know me once his antics became public knowledge. It was as though I’d been tainted by his behavior.”

  “Does it bother either of you that your mom gave the wand and grimoire to Marley instead of you or one of your kids?” I asked. Uh oh. It seemed that booze had greased the hinges for Operation Big Mouth.

  Aster and Linnea exchanged glances. “Not me,” Linnea said. “And it’s certainly not a surprise that she didn’t pass them to Bryn or Hudson. Not much my little werewolves could do with them.”

  “I don’t even think I remembered that she had them,” Aster said. “I don’t know what she intended to do with them all these years, though. Let them collect dust in one of her cabinets?”

  “That’s true,” I said. “It’s not like she knew Marley and I would show up one day.” She didn’t even know that Marley existed until she appeared in Starry Hollow.

  “She always hoped that you would,” Linnea said. “She hated knowing that she had family out there with no way of finding you.”

  “Because she has control issues,” I said. I swilled the rest of my margarita. “I think that bothered her more than anything. That someone was out from under her thumb.”

  “You’re too hard on Mother,” Aster said. “She only has our best interests at heart.”

  “So you don’t know any details about Ivy?” I pressed.

  “Mother was always somewhat tightlipped about her,” Linnea said. “I remember doing a school project one year and asking for information on our ancestors. I thought it would be a simple request. You know how Mother is about the Rose family being so prominent.”

  I whistled. “I’m in touch with that particular obsession of hers.”

  Linnea smiled. “Yes, I guess you’ve gotten the blunt end of the Rose stick.”

  “According to your mother, I didn’t get hit enough times with the Rose stick.”

  “Ember, don’t be ridiculous,” Aster said. “You’re so pretty. Not everyone needs our signature hair color.”

  “Or your perfect features and unbelievable bodies.” I downed another drink. “I mean, who needs all that when you can have stretch marks and dimples?”

  Aster burped and then gasped at her own behavior.

  “What’s wrong with dimples?” Linnea asked. “Cheek dimples are adorable.”

  “Sure,” I said. “The ones on your face, not the ones on your butt.”

  Linnea and Aster burst into uncontrollable laughter.

  “Well, I can see who the lightweights are in this bunch,” a familiar voice said. Wyatt Nash emerged from the shadows, followed by Bryn, Hudson, and…

  “Granger?” His name escaped my lips before I could stop it.

  “Evening, ladies,” Wyatt said. “If I’d known there would be shenanigans happening here this evening, I would’ve hung around.”

  Linnea shot to her feet. “Wyatt Nash, what are you doing here at this hour with the children? They’re supposed to be staying overnight with you.” She shot her kids a guilty look. “No offense, you know I love you.”

  “That was the plan,” Wyatt said lazily, “but it turns out that our presence has been requested at the Whitethorn tonight. I asked the kids whether they’d rather stay at my place on their own or come home and they chose to come home. What was I supposed to do about it?”

  Linnea’s cheeks flamed. “You are supposed to not go out tonight when you’re in charge of our children.”

  “It’s okay, Mom,” Bryn said. “Even if he’d left us there, we probably would’ve made our way home anyway.”

  Linnea’s eyes bulged. “That’s not better! Wyatt, you can’t just abandon your responsibilities whenever the wind blows in a different direction. You made an arrangement to have custody of your kids tonight. That means no Whitethorn. I don’t care how busty the blonde was who invited you out. Her boobs will still be there tomorrow night.”

  “I’m not sure that they will,” Wyatt said, completely serious. “Ariel is only in town tonight. She’s on her way to Georgia for a conference. And she’s got a friend for Granger.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to meet the sheriff’s gaze. I felt too awkward knowing that he was still on the prowl and that the Council of Elders were ready to oust him. I only hoped that he got his act together sooner rather than later before the repercussions were irreversible.

  “I’m disappointed in you, Granger,” Linnea said. “I expect this of Wyatt, but you’re supposed to be the voice of reason here. How could you let this happen?”

  “I’m not my brother’s keeper,” Granger replied evenly.

  Linnea snorted. “Since when? You’re always trying to get him to do the right thing. Now look at you. If you can’t beat him, join him? Is that your new motto?”

  “Ember, talk some sense into him,” Aster urged, jostling my elbow.

  Wyatt laughed loudly. “She’s got no influence over him anymore, not since she ditched him for that walking corpse. Granger’s shaken off her shackles and not a moment too soon. You break his heart, you don’t get to be his moral compass. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “No,” I said, “but it doesn’t mean he has to lose his way either. The Sheriff Nash I know doesn’t need anyone to make him a better man. He already is one.” This time I dared to look into Granger’s deep brown eyes. For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw them soften, but they reverted back to two cold stones so quickly that I couldn’t be certain.

  “I’m tired,” Hudson complained.

  Linnea ruffled his hair. “You go on to bed, sweetheart. You, too, Bryn.”

  The teenagers disappeared into the house without another word.

  “Sorry about crashing your party,” Wyatt said.

  “No, you’re not,” Linnea said, hands on hips. “As long as you get your way, you’re happy.”

  Wyatt and Granger bumped fists.

  “Enjoy the rest of your night, ladies,” Wyatt said. “If any pillow fights erupt later, be sure to call me. I’d love to record it for posterity.”

  Linnea tossed the remnants of her glass at him but missed. He chuckled and swaggered away with Granger beside him.

  “You look beautiful, Linnea,” Wyatt called over his shoulder. “If I hadn’t already been married to you, I’d be very interested.”

  “Thank the gods for men like Rick,” Linnea mumbled. “They restore my faith in the male gender.” She blew out a breath. “I used to say that about Granger, too. I have no idea what’s gotten into him.”

  I stayed quiet on that subject, recognizing that I was drunk enough to spill the beans about the Council of Elders. I didn’t want to betray Granger. The fewer residents that knew, the better.

  “He certainly didn’t seem like himself,” Aster agreed. “Then again, my judgment is skewed. I’m so drunk now, I think I’d be willing to make out with that tree.” She motioned to a fixture in the yard.

  “That’s not a tree,” Linnea said. “That’s a birdhouse.”

  We collapsed in peals of laughter.

  Chapter Ten

  Deputy Bolan and I stood outside the entrance to Quicksilver. “Why don’t you let me handle this one?” I asked.

  The leprechaun looked at me askance. “You think because they sell broomsticks that I won’t know how to conduct an interrogation? Do you know how law enforcement operates?”

  “Sometimes?” Back in New Jersey, my closest interaction with law enforcement had been
a parking ticket, so my frequent interactions with the sheriff's office in Starry Hollow was still a relatively new experience for me.

  The deputy angled his head toward the door. “We’re working this case together, remember? This isn’t about proving ourselves. This is about solving the case so that the sheriff doesn’t lose his job.”

  “I know,” I said, sounding just a smidge like a teenager who was just told that she couldn’t claim the child discount at the movie theater.

  Deputy Bolan opened the door. “Civilians first.”

  I entered Quicksilver and was immediately set upon by a sales clerk.

  “Stars and stones, if it isn’t Ember Rose.”

  “You know me?” I didn’t recognize him.

  “How could I not?” He clapped merrily. “I would never want to disappoint a member of your family. You’re far too important to our community.”

  “Thank you, Mr…” He was so intent on impressing me that I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I wasn’t here to make a purchase.

  “Apple-White,” he said. “Brock Apple-White.”

  “Well, Mr. Apple-White, I can assure you that my family is no more important than anyone else’s,” I said.

  The wizard waved a hand. “Oh, please. Your family is full of influencers in this town. I follow Aster and Florian on social media. I love living vicariously through them.”

  Aster and Florian were active on social media? Why wasn’t I in the loop?

  “I hate to break it to you,” Deputy Bolan said, “but Ms. Rose and I are here on official business.”

  His eyes widened. “Is this about that faulty broomstick that Evan Wormwood bought last week? Because I told him it was a manufacturing issue and that I would take care of it.”

  “No,” I said. “This is about Shayna Masters.”

  The wizard’s expression clouded over. “The tragedy. Shayna was far too vibrant to be taken from us so soon.”

  “You don’t have to pretend with us,” I said. “Obviously, the deputy here knows all about the police report you filed a couple weeks ago.”

  The wizard’s shoulders sagged. “It wasn’t personal,” he insisted. “It was just that she could have killed someone, not to mention the fact that she caused damage to my shop that she refused to compensate me for.” He pointed to the top of the shared wall between their shops. “You can see the spackle where I had to make the repair.”

  “Why don’t you tell us exactly what happened?” I asked.

  The wizard turned to the deputy. “It’s all in my report that I gave to the sheriff.”

  “The report is very brief,” the deputy said. “It would be helpful to hear the story in your own words.”

  “It was around noon that Tuesday,” he said. “I remember it distinctly because I always eat my lunch at twelve and I’d just sat down at the counter and opened my tuna fish sandwich.”

  I cringed. “Tell me you have a fridge in the back room.”

  “Why would I need that?” he asked. “I bring a bottle of water and a sandwich every day.”

  “I know, but you bring tuna. First of all, fish always smells. Second of all, don’t you put mayo on that sandwich? Then you leave it out for hours before you eat it?” Gross.

  He gave me an innocent look. “What? I’ve never been sick from it.”

  “Consider yourself lucky,” I replied.

  “Can we stop criticizing his life choices and get back to the subject at hand?” Deputy Bolan asked in an impatient tone.

  “I don’t know that I was judging him as much as I was trying to be a helper,” I said.

  “Zip it, Rose,” the leprechaun said.

  “Anyway, I’d just taken my first bite of the sandwich when I heard a strange popping sound coming from next door. Next thing I knew, a small object burst through the wall where I showed you and landed in aisle three. I went over to investigate and discovered a bullet embedded in one of my most expensive broomsticks. I’d never even seen a bullet before, but I knew it looked dangerous. Turns out it was silver. If I’d had a werewolf in here, it could have been disastrous.”

  “If anyone had been hit by that bullet, it would have been disastrous,” the deputy said. “It’s just that normal bullets wouldn’t kill a werewolf, but any bullet could kill us.”

  I cocked my head at the leprechaun. “Are you sure about that? Maybe we should test it out. Could be that you’re more resilient than you think.” I fluttered my eyelashes at him and he scowled.

  “So you went to confront Shayna?” the deputy asked.

  “You bet your sweet bippy I did,” the wizard said heatedly. “I was ready to whip out my wand. I carried the damaged broomstick over with the bullet still in it. When I entered the shop, Shayna was standing there with a pistol in each hand. One of them was still smoking.”

  “What did she say when you told her what happened?” I asked.

  “She was excited,” he replied. “Can you believe that? I was so upset that I was shaking and I told her that I could have been killed and that there was damage. All she could talk about was the fact that the pistols worked, which meant she could sell them for a higher price.”

  “Did you ask for compensation?” I asked.

  “Of course,” he said. “I even took her to show her the damage. I also showed her the cost of the damaged broomstick.” He shook his head. “She said it was an accident and that my insurance would cover it. I told her I was going to go to the sheriff and she blew it off like it was no big deal.”

  “Couldn’t the sheriff have charged her with illegal possession of a firearm or something?” I asked, directing the question to Deputy Bolan.

  “We don’t actually have a law on the books regarding guns,” the deputy said. “They’re not really a paranormal object. That’s why they were probably so valuable to Shayna. You don’t see pistols of any kind in Starry Hollow, let alone ones with silver bullets.”

  “She said they were antique and reportedly used to kill some famous werewolf back in the 1800s,” the wizard said. “She gave me the whole story because she was so excited. She didn’t care at all about me or my shop. I think she might have been issued a fine by Sheriff Nash, but she made so much money that it wasn’t any kind of punishment to her.”

  The deputy nodded. “She did pay a fine in connection with a reckless endangerment charge. Did you consider a lawsuit?”

  The wizard grimaced. “Believe me, I thought about it, but it seems like it would serve only the lawyers and neither of us. It would’ve been better if she’d made things right from the start.”

  “What has your relationship been with her since then?” I asked. “Were you on speaking terms?”

  “If I saw her, I turned away,” he said. “It was only two weeks ago. The whole thing still feels too raw and the fact that she never showed any remorse…” He dropped his gaze. “I mean, it’s horrible that she’s dead, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.”

  “Mr. Apple-White, where were you from late afternoon to evening on Saturday?” Deputy Bolan asked.

  The wizard appeared thoughtful. “I was still here. We close at six on Saturdays and then I stay another hour to do admin.”

  “Can anyone confirm your whereabouts?” the deputy asked.

  The wizard blinked. “You don’t really think I had anything to do with her death, do you?”

  “We have to cover all our bases,” the deputy said. “If you have an alibi, that just makes our job easier.”

  The wizard frowned. “Why is it your job anyway? A murder case is a pretty big deal. Shouldn’t Sheriff Nash be handling this?”

  “Oh, he is,” I said quickly. “We’re just investigating the second-tier suspects, of which you are one.”

  The wizard seemed heartened by this. “Well, that’s a relief. I would lose sleep at night if I thought people suspected me of murder. That’s horrible.” He went behind the counter and opened a drawer. “I have a log of receipts with customer names from Saturday. You’re more than welcom
e to contact the ones time-stamped Saturday and confirm that I was here.” He produced a folder and handed it to Deputy Bolan. “You can also check my social media accounts. I was pretty active that evening. I posted a few photos of new inventory. I use Quicksilver as a handle and a hashtag.”

  “Thank you very much for this,” the leprechaun said. “I’ll make copies for our file and get these back to you.”

  “No need,” the wizard said. “These are actually my backup copies. I keep the main set on the computer.”

  “Perfect,” the deputy said, and tucked the file under his arm.

  The wizard shifted his attention to me. “Are you sure I can’t interest you in a new broomstick for you or your daughter? I’d love to post a photo of you riding one of our deluxe broomsticks. I can offer you a discount.”

  “No, but thank you,” I said. “I have a relatively new broomstick that my boyfriend bought for me and my daughter really doesn’t like to fly.” Marley’s anxiety kicked into high gear when it came to heights.

  “How about that?” the wizard said. “Must be inherited from another side of the family. Was her father a wizard?”

  I didn’t really want to discuss Marley’s human father with the random wizard in Quicksilver. “Thank you for your time,” I said, ignoring his question. “Be sure not to leave town until we’ve cleared you. Standard procedure.”

  “No problem there,” he said. “My schedule doesn’t allow for another vacation until at least seven months from now. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy social media so much. I get to see all the fun everyone else is having.” He heaved a regretful sigh.

  “All that glitters isn’t gold, Mr. Apple-White,” I said. “Half of them are secretly miserable and the other half are probably using digital manipulation.”

  The wizard appeared stricken. “Really?”

  The leprechaun shook his head at me. “Congratulations, Rose, you’ve given him a new tagline for the shop’s social media accounts,” the deputy said. “Quicksilver—where dreams come to die.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Can we have all my lessons in your warehouse?” I asked. “That place is far more interesting than a clearing in the woods.”