Ghoulish Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Book 5)

by Constance Barker

Thea nodded politely. “I understand, Francis. I’m not going to pry into this matter any further, but I need to ask you one more thing.”

  Albeit reluctant, Francis accepted.

  “Do you know of anyone who might have wanted to hurt her? Anyone at all?” Thea asked, hoping that this would ring a bell within his mind. “Did she have any enemies? People who didn’t like her?”

  Francis stared at his shoes as he thought about her question. After a few moments, he shifted his weight from one leg to another and shrugged.

  “To be real with you, I don’t know for sure. She didn’t mention having any beef with anyone while she was with me,” he said. Sticking his hands in his pockets, Francis sighed. “She cheated on me, you know.”

  Thea’s eyes widened. Gauging her reaction, Francis let out a dry laugh.

  “Yeah. What a bummer,” he admitted. “But if you want to continue talking around about this whole thing, I suggest going to Dean. He was the guy Maisie left me for, so he probably knows more than I do about her personal business.”

  Thea frowned. “I’m sorry, Francis.”

  “It’s whatever,” Francis said, waving it off. “Dean was building at the haunted house recently, so I’m pretty sure somebody knows him and can tell you where he’s at.”

  “Thank you for all your help. I really appreciate this,” Thea responded earnestly, sending him an appreciative nod. “If I have any time soon, I’ll stop by and order some food next time.”

  “I hope so. As you can tell, any and all business is welcomed here. We need it,” he quipped. “See you around, Thea.”

  Without another word, she departed from his office and made her way towards the exit. There was a lot on her mind, and by the looks of it, there was something troubling him as well.

  However, she left him to his own devices. She didn’t pry, just as she promised.

  Chapter 7

  Gage. I know that this is kind of weird and out of left field but I need to ask you a question about something.

  Thea sent the text and was pleased to see that Gage was fast with a reply.

  Of course, Thea. What’s up?

  Do you know of a guy named Dean? He worked on the haunted house recently.

  She tapped on her phone impatiently as she watched Gage’s text bubble appear in their chat. Hoping that he could come through with the information, Thea let out a small sigh of relief as she read his reply.

  Oh, I remember that guy! I talked with him a little bit. He works at the local hardware store. You know, the one near the middle of the town? I don’t know when his shift is, but if you need to talk to him, you should stop by and see if you can catch him.

  Perfect. Thank you, Gage! I owe you one.

  Once her text conversation with him ended, Thea hopped into her car and raced over to the hardware store. Whoever this Dean guy was, she anticipated that he would know more about what happened to Maisie than anyone else. They were romantically involved, after all. If anybody was going to know about her whereabouts and personal issues, it would be him.

  Thea almost left her car parked in the middle of the road with the rush she was in. Fortunate enough to find an empty space near the front of the store, she exited her car and sped walked towards the entrance.

  Just as she was reaching forward to pull the handle, the door opened abruptly and nearly knocked her off her feet. She caught herself, clutching on the wall tightly. Scowling, she looked up at the person who was close to slamming the door into her face.

  Noticing the light brown uniform and a nametag that read Dean, Thea’s eyes widened as she realized that this was the guy she was looking for. In hindsight, she should have expected the guy to seem arrogant. He eyed her briefly, not even apologizing for the slight mishap that could have toppled her to the floor.

  “Do we know each other from somewhere?” he asked her eventually, uncomfortable with the tense silence. He glanced back at the door behind him. “Sorry about that, by the way. Didn’t see you there.”

  Thea shook her head. “Whatever.”

  Without warning, another woman approached Dean and leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek. She wrapped an arm around him, greeting him quietly. He responded with a flirtatious smile. The woman’s eyebrow raised upwards, noticing Thea’s presence.

  “Who’s this?” she asked, mainly directed towards Dean.

  Thea interjected. She didn’t want him to speak on her behalf. “My name is Thea Beal, nice to meet you.”

  Although she made an effort to keep her distance from the couple, it was clear that they didn’t mind. Their gazes were curious, but also tinted with a bit of cockiness.

  “My name is Demi,” she replied, before motioning towards the man next to her. “And this is Dean Greer. My boyfriend, if you couldn’t already tell.”

  Thea forced a smile. “Really? I would have never have guessed.”

  Dean chuckled under his breath, receiving a sharp jab in the chest from Demi as a result. Thea disregarded their antics and skipped straight to the point. She didn’t have time to beat around the bush.

  “I wanted to talk to Dean about his previous relationship with Maisie Connelly. I heard that the two of you dated at one point–”

  “Woah, wait a second,” he cut in, holding a hand up. “I never dated that girl. I don’t know who told you that, but they’ve got their facts wrong.”

  “Okay... so what did you have with Maisie?”

  Dean shrugged. “It was just a fling. We went out a couple times here and there. It was nothing official, though. I didn’t want to get that far with her, anyway.”

  “I see,” Thea replied.

  She noticed that Demi didn’t seem to care about their conversation about Maisie. If Thea were in her shoes, she would be a bit peeved at the mention of her partner’s ex-flame. However, the woman was expressionless. Demi continued to admire her recently-done manicure, patiently waiting for the moment she could have Dean all to herself.

  Thea narrowed her eyes at her indifference, but said nothing all the same. It would be unwise to start pointing fingers this early into the investigation. However, she still wanted to keep watch on these two.

  “So you didn’t have anything serious going on with Maisie before the time of her death?” Thea pressed.

  He scoffed, shrugging away Demi’s grip on his shoulder. “No, she was in a relationship with some other dude. That Francis guy who works at the restaurant. He was her boyfriend, not me.”

  “And did you know anything about them?”

  “Well, I know that they got into it a couple days ago. A big fight or whatever, I don’t know the details. I think she told me a little bit about what happened but I didn’t pay attention,” he said.

  Thea suppressed the desire to roll her eyes. This guy was a tool. “You’re not even concerned about finding out who killed her? Her murderer is still roaming free. Doesn’t that worry you?”

  “Hey, this isn’t my business,” he responded, running a hand through his slightly gelled hair. “What’s done is done. And besides, I didn’t have anything to do with that. Seriously.”

  “Alright, Dean, thank you–”

  “Maisie had a bunch of weird friends in that activist group she was a part of. Why don’t you go and interrogate them instead? I bet they can give you better answers than I can.”

  “I’m sure they will,” Thea replied curtly.

  Hearing the venom in her voice, Dean laughed. He wrapped his arm around Demi and walked towards the opposite direction, already moving on from the situation. Not surprising.

  As Thea watched them leave, she felt a bitter taste left in her mouth. It was enough to make her grimace.

  Chapter 8

  It was still early in the afternoon, but Thea felt exhausted. Her conversation with Francis followed by the unfortunate encounter with Dean and Demi drained her of most of her energy, unfortunately.

  However, she was met with a welcoming sight once she returned to A Stitch in Time. Jesse and Pippa were there, talking q
uietly amongst themselves and laughing underneath their hands. When Thea pushed her way through the entrance, she was surprised by Sybil’s sudden display of affection towards her. The familiar was grateful that she had arrived.

  “Finally!” Sybil exclaimed, circling Thea’s leg with her tiny body. “It took you long enough. I can’t believe you left me alone with them.”

  “What’s wrong with them?” Thea asked, leaning down to give the kitten a quick pet.

  “All that lovey-dovey relationship talk was driving me up the wall, Thea, I almost lost it. First, you make me socialize with that horrible cat, Captain, over at A Novel Idea. Then, you make me go through this?” Sybil shook her head. “It’s despicable. I have no words.”

  “Oh, whatever,” Thea said with a short laugh. “You’re being overdramatic. Again.”

  “Hey, Thea!” Pippa called out, beckoning her over. “So how was your trip to the Maline Cuisine? Did you find anything interesting?”

  “A couple things, actually,” she admitted, setting her bag on top of the counter. “When I talked to Francis, he seemed a little off. Something was obviously bugging him, but he didn’t want to talk much about it, so I just left it at that.”

  “Uh-huh...” Pippa nodded, tapping her finger along her jawline in thought. “Somewhat suspicious. A little weird. What else did you learn?”

  “Well, according to Francis, Maisie cheated on him.”

  Pippa gasped loudly. Jesse placed a hand on her shoulder, a subtle way that told her to calm down.

  “He gave me the name of the guy and I went to his job so I could talk to him. His name is Dean and from the moment I saw him, I knew that this guy was bad news. He didn’t care about Maisie’s death at all. He’s already with some other girl named Demi so he clearly skipped over the mourning phase entirely.”

  “The dude sounds grimy,” Jesse said, curling his lip in disgust. “And Francis... well, I don’t know what to think about him just yet. He could be acting weird, but maybe it’s his way of coping with the situation.”

  “It’s still suspicious,” Pippa replied, narrowing her eyes. “Was he acting nervous and scared? Frightened, maybe?”

  Thea sent her a half-hearted shrug. “A little bit, yeah. I didn’t think much of it since he was busy and the restaurant was packed with customers.”

  Pippa hummed. “I don’t know. He could be hiding something.”

  “Settle down, Sherlock. Francis could be innocent,” Jesse reminded her. He turned his attention back towards Thea. “What else did you figure out? Was that it?”

  “Dean mentioned something about Maisie being friends with people in an activist group. I’m guessing that these are the people that have been protesting in downtown Ardensville recently,” Thea reasoned. She scratched at her neck in thought. “Do you think I should talk to them?”

  “Why not? I think it’s a good idea,” Pippa said.

  Running a hand across her cheek, Thea let out an exhale through her nostrils. “But... I don’t know. I want to go talk to them to learn more about Maisie, but I don’t want to get Blaine in trouble in any way. He’s been the one dealing with everything happening in the city.”

  Pippa frowned. “That shouldn’t stop you from being able to talk to them. So what? It’s not like you’re doing anything bad or illegal. You’re just trying to help out with the investigation, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, but I’m still not sure. I don’t want this to cause issues or anything,” Thea countered.

  “Issues? Thea, this is a free country! We are able to talk to anyone we want without repercussions from the law, just as our Founding Fathers intended.”

  “That’s any interesting way of looking at things,” Jesse admitted, startled by the way Pippa suddenly slammed her fist into the counter.

  “If you need some extra help and a boost of confidence, I can come with you if you’d like,” Pippa offered. “I don’t have much to do and I like it when you take me along for these investigations. They’re a lot of fun.”

  “Make sure you two stay safe, yeah?” Jesse reminded them, taking a long look towards Pippa especially. “Don’t get into any unnecessary trouble. Things can get complicated quickly.”

  Pippa glanced at him. “Jesse, we know that. And if push comes to shove, Thea can use her magic and get us out of a jam. She’s been improving a lot lately.”

  “Yeah, you’ve got a point,” he conceded, looking at Thea. “So when are you guys going to talk with those activists?”

  “Today, hopefully,” Pippa said.

  Jesse rolled his eyes. “Leaving me alone in the store again? Typical.”

  “Actually, I don’t think we’ll be able to do that today,” Thea replied, amused by the pout on Pippa’s face. “I have magic training with my Aunt Tiegen later and I don’t think I’ll be able to head to downtown Ardensville and make it back on time.”

  “You can’t even be a little bit late to your lessons...?” Pippa asked in an attempt to sway Thea’s decision. However, she held firm.

  “I can’t. We can talk to the activists tomorrow over our lunch break. It’ll give us a lot of time to ask around and see what everyone knows about Maisie.”

  “That sounds reasonable enough,” Pippa agreed. “Tomorrow, then?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  Pippa clasped her hands together in excitement. Meanwhile, Jesse gave her a playful nudge on the shoulder.

  “Remember what I said about staying out of trouble,” he told her.

  “I’m never in trouble so I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied.

  Thea laughed under her breath, making her way around the counter to resume her shift. “Don’t worry about it, Jesse. She won’t be causing too much havoc while I babysit her. And if she does, I’ll just leave her behind in downtown Ardensville to teach her a lesson.”

  Jesse laughed. “That’s a great plan, Thea.”

  Chapter 9

  Her hand wavered as she reached for the doorknob, hearing her aunt vehemently talk with someone on the other side of the office door. Thea paused, wondering if she could make out any words being said. She didn’t want to interrupt something important, that was for sure.

  Glancing at one of the clocks on the wall, she realized it was time for her magic lesson to start and she already knew how her aunt acted whenever she was late. She sucked in a deep breath before knocking three times on the door.

  “Come in!” Tiegen yelled in a terse tone, which made Thea even more nervous to enter.

  She made her way in as quietly as she could. Gently, she closed the door and swallowed thickly as she took the seat opposite from her aunt.

  Since her aunt was busy, Thea decided to take the spare time to practice her magical meditation. Although it was a simple task, she took pride in the fact that it was becoming easier for her. She needed less time to complete the technique, a testament to her growing efficiency. What once took her a few minutes was now only taking her a few seconds.

  Meanwhile, her aunt let out a deep sigh but for a different reason. With her head in her hand, Tiegen gnawed at her bottom lip as the person on the other line kept talking. Eventually, she slammed her palm upon her desk. Thea was startled upright.

  “I don’t care what you have to do to sort this mess out,” Tiegen said, coldly interjecting the person she was speaking with. “Just figure it out. Soon.”

  Tiegen all but flung the phone back down into its hold, which clattered most of the items on her desk. She shut her eyes, taking a moment to settle herself and brush out the wrinkles in her clothing. When she was calmer, she sent her niece a smile.

  The lack of movement around her eyes made it clear to Thea that it was forced.

  “My apologies for the delay, Thea,” Tiegen said, folding her hands together. “The duties of a mayor are never easy.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve never seen them make you react like that,” Thea remarked, directing her focus on the knocked over picture frame and pencil holder near her aunt’s computer. “
What’s going on?”

  “Let’s just say a certain... historical society is making my life a bit more difficult than it has to be,” she replied, a bitter emphasis to her words. “My position is difficult, as you can probably see. Not everyone is suited for this job, you know. To run a town, it takes a firm hand.”

  “I mean, that’s to be expected,” Thea conceded, averting her gaze for the slightest moment. “I don’t think anyone has ever thought that being mayor would be easy–”

  In her peripheral, Thea caught the moment when her aunt suddenly threw a small stone in her direction. Without hesitating, she created a shield that made the pebble ricochet off the screen and fall to the floor with a soft thud.

  “What was that for?” Thea asked, frowning.

  Tiegen raised a brow, impressed by her speed. “Testing your reflexes.”

  “Is that what the lesson plan is for today?”

  Her aunt didn’t answer. Instead, she tossed another stone at Thea. Once again, she succeeded at creating a shield that blocked the small object from hitting her. The improvements to her agility came even as a shock to her. She knew that she was improving, but she wasn’t quite sure to what extent.

  Tiegen grabbed the last stone available to her, staring at it intensely and twirling it in her fingers. Eventually, she flung it at Thea.

  Although she was able to deflect the stone, she let out a small gasp as she felt a sharp static shock course through her hands. Flinching, she almost fell out of her seat in surprise.

  “You didn’t expect that one, did you?” Tiegen asked, rising out of her seat to gather the scattered pebbles on her floor. Once in her palm, she deposited them back into her miniature desk fountain. “That last stone was charged with a spell. I tried not to make it too powerful.”

  “That was kind of you,” Thea mumbled, rubbing at her hands in quiet indignation. That shock hurt.

  “Your shields are impressive, Thea. They’re able to block physical attacks, but as I just demonstrated, you’re still not able to shield yourself against magical attacks,” she explained. Tiegen made a beckoning motion with her hand. “Show me the progress you’ve made with your binding spell. You’ve been practicing, right?”