by Amy Boyles
“Thank goodness it’s only you, Pepper.” She dropped the butt of the weapon to the floor. “I thought the Magnolia Cove murderer had come for me.”
I froze. “You’re not mad at me?”
“For what?” The look of confusion on Betty’s face was priceless.
“For…” What? Was I going to reveal all the intimate details of my life to Betty Craple?
No, I was not going to do that, thank you very much.
“You’re not mad at me for staying out so late after what happened to Cookie?” I thought it was a brilliant recovery.
“Nah, I knew you were with Axel. He’d protect you from whoever got her—even if it was his own mother.”
I dropped my purse on the floor. “Karen didn’t kill Cookie.”
Betty pulled her corncob pipe from a pocket and slid it between her teeth. She pressed a nostril shut with one finger. Magic unfurled from the open one. It zipped into the bowl of the pipe. The tobacco ignited, and Betty settled back, inhaling a deep lungful of smoke.
“Now how do you know Karen didn’t kill Cookie?” Betty said.
I opened my mouth and shut it again. “Well, I guess I don’t. But I mean, this is Axel’s mom we’re talking about. She’s a hippie. We did a couples massage together. She and I. I think I’m a pretty good judge of character.”
I scoffed. I wasn’t a good judge of character. I was great at it. I could peg a person from a mile away. Karen was one heck of a lady. In fact, she was someone I wanted to get to know better. A lot better. I wanted to know her best, you might say. So the fact that Betty was questioning Karen made me want to laugh at my grandmother in her face.
Of course if I did that, Betty would probably kill me, so I decided it would be best not to do anything even remotely close.
“In fact, Miss Pepper, you might be a great judge of folks at other times, but you’re not so hot about Karen.”
“What’re you talking about? We bonded. She and I. I know her.”
Betty blew a smoke ring shaped like a wreath. It floated to the ceiling before dispersing. “If you know Karen so well, then you’ll know this isn’t the first time she’s been suspected of murder.”
My chest tightened. I gulped. “It’s not?” I whispered.
Betty shook her head. “No, ma’am. It is not. You might want to ask your best friend Karen about it.” She sneered. “Since you’re such a good judge of character and all.”
Ugh. I was eating those words, and boy, did they taste terrible.
SEVEN
“What are you talking about? Karen was accused of murder before?”
“Just what I said. Listen, kid, you don’t know everything.”
Betty and I stared at each other. It became a contest—at least it was on my side. I wanted her to blink first.
I had opened my lids so wide they were drying out.
“You know you want to blink,” she said.
“What about Karen?”
“Don’t try to change the subject.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not.”
She pointed at me and laughed. “I’m not! Ha-ha! You blinked first.”
“Way to be mature.”
Betty rocked back in her chair. “From what I understand, Karen once went for a walk with another witch. That witch lost her footing and fell off a cliff. Karen tried to save her, but her powers weren’t as strong. Both women were young.”
“Is that it?”
Betty nodded.
“Sheesh, you made me think Axel’s mom went around stabbing people. All they did was go for a walk and one witch fell and died? I mean, that’s horrible, but it could’ve been worse.”
Betty glared at me. She leaned forward. “They were witches. One should’ve been able to save the other.”
“Bad things happen. Just like with Cookie. Something bad happened.” I yawned. “Listen, I’m going to bed. Are there any other rumors you’d like to fill my head with before I rest?”
“No, and you can thank me tomorrow.” She smiled smugly.
“Thank you for what?” Was I the only person confused?
“For telling you. It’s always good to know who’s a murderer and who isn’t. That’s how I’ve stayed alive so long.”
“Okay, so it’s not the witchcraft and healing potions that’ve kept you alive?”
Betty tapped her temple. “Nope. It’s what’s in the old brain. I’m smarter than most.” She pivoted her face to the fire.
“Smarter than the average bear, huh?”
She glanced over. “What?”
“Never mind. Good night.”
“Good night.”
I climbed the stairs and fell face-first onto my bed. It was so late I didn’t bother peeling off my clothes. I could do that in the morning, when I was rested.
Yes, that sounded perfect. Change my clothes when I had the energy for it.
When I awoke, the sun was winking through the blinds. I was still on my stomach, in the exact same position I’d fallen asleep in. At first I thought the rays of light were what had awoken me. But then I heard a jingling in my room like small bits of metal were clanking together.
Then I heard a low growl.
I flipped over and faced the wall. Hugo, my pet dragon that was no longer anywhere near baby-sized, pounced on a blur of white and brown fur.
“Arsenal.” I bolted up. “Hugo! Don’t hurt him!”
I must’ve really screamed it because Hugo flared his wings and rose to the ceiling. I sighed. “Sorry, Hugo.”
The dragon shot me a remorseful look. Sorry, Mama. Puppy play.
Hugo could communicate with me, but not anyone else. Actually, I’m not one hundred percent sure that’s totally true. He could probably speak with another witch with the same ability to talk to animals as me. It’s just there wasn’t anyone else in Magnolia Cove like that.
I was the only one.
Arsenal yipped and bounced. The dog looked like he wanted to pull Hugo back to earth.
The beagle noticed me, stopped barking and bounded over. He rested two paws on my bed and licked my nose.
“Ew. Gross.” I palmed the saliva from my face and sat up. “What’s going on in here?”
Hugo floated to the ground, and Arsenal growled playfully. The dragon growled back, and within seconds the two were wrestling. Arsenal tugged at Hugo’s ears. Hugo gnawed on the dog’s shoulder. It looked like good old-fashioned fun.
Amelia entered. “So that’s where you got off to. Come on, Arsenal. You need to go out.”
“Why didn’t you give him to Ellis Mobley?”
“Oh, I took Arsenal inside, but when I turned to leave, the dog had followed me. So I walked him back in, told him to stay, but he still came after me.”
“What about Ellis?” I yawned.
“Did you sleep in those clothes?”
I rubbed my face in embarrassment. I picked at a clump of mascara under my lashes. Ugh. I’d left on my makeup. My skin felt like an oil slick. “Yes, I slept in them.”
“I can tell.”
I cocked a brow. “You’re not answering the question about Ellis.”
“I’m getting to that. Anyway, I couldn’t find Ellis. The police had him off in another room for questioning. It’s not like I could just barge in.”
I rose and stretched my stiff joints. “You could’ve given him to one of the officers.”
She shrugged. “Arsenal followed me around so much I didn’t want to. Anyway, before you shoot me any more dirty looks, I’m returning the dog today. Okay?”
I nodded. “Okay. We have enough animals in this house as it is.”
“None of them are mine,” Amelia chimed with superiority. “Come on, Arsenal. Out for your walk.”
“Can you take Hugo, too?”
Amelia patted the dragon’s head. “Come on, you two. Let’s get some exercise.”
Once Amelia left, I showered and dressed. Then I had breakfast with my grandmother and cousins. Mattie the Cat had slept downstairs. She bl
inked open one eye and greeted me.
“Mornin’, sugar bear.”
I scratched behind her ears and clipped Hugo’s leash to him.
“Come on, let’s go to work.”
Hugo followed me down the street toward Familiar Place. The morning air chilled me. I tucked my chin into my scarf and rubbed my arms. Hugo, bless his heart, didn’t seem to notice. Or if he did, didn’t care. The dragon whipped skyward, gliding as we made our way down the street.
“Your wings are getting strong.” I watched with pride as the dragon drifted on the currents. Once we reached the store, he settled to the ground.
The kittens and puppies yawned to life after I flicked on the lights. I freshened their water, gave them new food and changed their bedding. Within minutes Familiar Place was open and ready for business.
Amelia was my first customer. “Brrr. I think it’s going to snow.”
“That would be a Christmas miracle.” I pointed to a chair. “What’re you doing here?”
She pulled Arsenal behind her. “I called Ellis, but he didn’t answer. Can you keep Arsenal for a while? I’ll pick him up after work.”
Amelia worked at the Vault, which was a place that was actually a vault. It was filled with rare and dangerous magical objects. In order to work there, Amelia had a certain amount of security clearance. It basically meant that my cousin was pretty cool.
“Sure, I’ll keep Arsenal. I mean, why not? I’m already overloaded with animals.”
Amelia grinned. “Thanks! I’ll call you at lunch.”
With the holiday season’s arrival in Magnolia Cove, all the shops were busy. Familiar Place was no exception. School was out, and parents were bringing their kids in by the handfuls to pick familiars.
“And where do you go to school?” I asked a particularly bright-eyed girl that morning. Her dark, curly hair had been pulled into two unruly pigtails. She was an absolute darling.
Her face beamed with pride. “To the Southern School of Magic.”
Her mother, a tall woman with dark cocoa-colored skin, smiled widely. “She’s the best witch in her class. They’re learning basic spell casting and we told her that if she got straight marks, Tiffany could have her first familiar.”
I leaned over and smiled at Tiffany. “That’s wonderful. Well, let’s help you find the best familiar, shall we?”
“We shall,” she said enthusiastically.
As I helped Tiffany and her mother, several people walked in. Normally I handled stress well, but for the first time since I’d arrived in Magnolia Cove, I felt like I was drowning in weeds.
Right then the door opened and Axel strode in. I shot him a look that hopefully said, Help me!
It worked. He immediately started talking to people, guiding them toward animals, helping them and keeping folks busy until I could give each and every one the individual attention they needed. Matching familiars with their witches wasn’t like popping cookies from a cutter. Every witch was an individual, so each animal was matched one on one.
After about an hour I got everyone paired. Tiffany left with a small hamster—perfect for her first familiar.
When it was over, I sank into a chair. “Whew. That was some rush. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
Axel sauntered over. “I’m sure you would’ve been just fine.” He extended his hands. I took them.
“I’m lucky Uncle Donovan trained you so well.”
He barked a laugh. “You sure are. What would you do if I couldn’t point to the goldfish and puppies? You’d be so lost.”
It was my turn to laugh. “I would be.” Silence drifted down as we locked gazes. I cleared my throat. I did not need things to get too heavy between us. Not in the middle of the day. “How’s your mom?”
He released my hands and backed up. “As okay as she can be. Thinks she’s going to be blamed for a murder, so she’s a wreck. I’m sure she’d love a visit from you, though.”
“I’ll come by.” His face darkened. “What is it?”
He shrugged. “Nothing.”
“No secrets. You’ve kept enough in your life, don’t you think?”
He smirked. “You could say that.” Axel raked his fingers through his dark hair. “I don’t want to get you involved.”
“I hope you’re joking. I’m already involved. I found your mom standing over Cookie Mobley with a knife in her hand.” He opened his mouth to talk. I shut it down. “Don’t get defensive.”
“I wasn’t about to, even though if I had said that to you, you would’ve gotten defensive.”
I crossed my arms defensively. “I would not.”
“Case and point.”
I sighed. “Look, I’m not saying she’s guilty. I like your mom. I want to help her. Tell me how.”
Axel looked at the ceiling in defeat. “Garrick won’t give me a list of names as to who was there last night.”
“Oh. I can give you that. Amelia had a list. She would’ve given it to Garrick, but I’m sure between the three of us cousins we can piece it together for you.”
“That would be awesome. It’s not that I don’t believe Garrick will do a great job, it’s just…”
“It’s your mom. I get it.” I folded my arms around his waist and inhaled. Axel held me as tight as wrapping paper covering a present. Well, if you were good at wrapping, that was. Some folks—and I’ll raise my hand to Jesus on this one—are not so hot when it comes to taping and wrangling paper to cover a gift. That would be me. Not so hot.
Luckily I now owned magic that would do the trick. Or so I hoped. We’d find out once I wrapped some gifts.
“I’ll talk to Amelia and Cordelia tonight, see if we can draw up a list for you.”
“That would be fantastic.” Axel kissed my forehead. “What did I ever do without you?”
“I’m sure you suffered through life, same as the rest of us.”
He laughed. “I would definitely call it suffering.”
The front door slammed open, hitting the wall and rattling the cages.
“What the…?” I pulled from Axel and whirled around.
Ellis Mobley stood like a hulking slab of anger in the doorway. “You stole my dog!”
“No, no we didn’t.” I rushed to Arsenal. As much as I didn’t like the mangy beast, I scooped him in my arms and held him toward Ellis. “Last night he was outside. My cousin tried to find you to give him back, but she couldn’t. He followed her home.”
Or he followed Amelia enough that she gave up trying to return him—same thing.
Anger blazed in Ellis’s eyes. He yanked the dog from me. Arsenal yipped in fright.
“Calm down,” I said.
“I will not remain calm. My wife has been murdered and her dog stolen.” His gaze narrowed and his lips tightened. He shook a finger at me. “I’m reporting your theft to the police.”
With that, Ellis left the store. I glanced at Axel. “Looks like I’ll be hearing from Garrick Young about this.”
Turned out, I was right.
EIGHT
“You stole Ellis Mobley’s dog?”
Garrick Young sat on a chair in Familiar Place. He patted Hugo’s head while he fought back a grin. He knew the complaint was hogwash. I knew it was hogwash. But what was he supposed to do? Ignore it?
Hugo’s eyes rolled back, and his tongue lolled to one side. For a teenage dragon this was heaven.
“No, I didn’t steal the dog. It latched on to Amelia and wouldn’t let go. I had no idea Arsenal was even at the house until he ran into my room and played with Hugo. That was this morning. Amelia tried to return the beagle, but Ellis wasn’t home. She was going to try again tonight.”
Garrick tipped up his wide-brimmed fedora. I assumed so he could get a better look at me. “So what you’re saying is the dog ran away?”
I laughed. “Great way to put it.”
He gave Hugo one last scratch and rose. Garrick was tall and slim. He was also Cordelia’s beau. They got along like sugar and water
—a perfect blend.
“I’ll tell Ellis that it was a one-time deal and to keep a tighter rein on his dog. Speaking of Reigns, Axel’s back?”
I crossed one ankle over the other and leaned against the counter. “You noticed.”
“Couldn’t help but to when his mom was discovered holding a murder weapon.”
My heart froze. “Garrick, you don’t think she did it, do you?”
His expression darkened. “I’m not discussing this with you.”
“Because there’s no way she did it.”
Garrick strode to the door. His cowboy boots struck the wood floors hard. He gripped the knob and paused, his shoulders tense. When the sheriff turned around, the look of anger on his face almost made my heart jump from my chest.
“Stay out of it, Pepper. I’m not kidding. I know Axel’s going to stick his nose in it. It’s his mama. Can’t be helped. But you”—he pointed a finger at me—“just stay out. She’s not your mother. Let me deal with this.”
“Okay,” I murmured as he opened the door.
“I mean it,” he warned.
“Got it, Garrick. I’m staying out of it. Sheesh. I already said I would.”
He left but scowled at me through the window until he was out of sight. I smiled. If Garrick Young thought a little scare-tactic-ing would stop me from putting together a list of suspects, he was so wrong.
I shivered. The wind that had entered when Garrick left was cold. I shot Hugo a look.
“Temps dropping, Hugo. Almost time to lock up.”
The sun was setting early. The winter solstice had arrived and left, and Christmas was almost here. By the time I reached the house, it was dark. Hugo growled at the bushes.
“What is it, boy?” I snapped on the penlight I’d attached to my key ring. A small body bounded from the hedge, right on to Hugo.
The dragon playfully snarled and quickly tangled with—Arsenal?
“Oh crap. I’m in deep trouble.”
I got both animals up the steps. “Hi, Jennie,” I said to the guard-vine that wound around the top of the porch. I threw open the door. The dragon and beagle tumbled into the living room.
“Arsenal!” Amelia rushed over and pulled the beagle into her arms. “What’s he doing here?” She shot me an accusatory look. “I thought Ellis took him back.”
