Portion Disaster

by Zoe Arden

  "He had to," I told her for the twentieth time. "Warden Banks wanted his guards to take us all to Swords and Bones. Colt and Sheriff Knoxx had to convince him to put us all in here for now. If Colt hadn't called Dean Lampton, that's where we'd probably be."

  "At least they let the familiars go," Trixie said, patting Eleanor's hand. Eleanor's mouth tightened. I didn't think that knowing Rocky was safe and sound at home made her feel better about her own husband throwing her in jail.

  I knew how Eleanor felt. I hadn't exactly been thrilled with Colt for taking me to jail either but I knew it was better than the alternative. At least, that's what I kept telling myself. It was the only way I could stop the anger that was trying to form a thick, black cloud across my brain.

  "They'll have us out of here soon enough," my father tried to reassure everyone.

  "I'd rather stay in here," said Polly.

  "Me, too," said Calista.

  Lucy clucked her tongue, annoyed. "You know, I understand that Swords and Bones and Witch Hill are prisons," Calista opened her mouth to speak, "more or less," Lucy said, cutting Calista off before she could point out that Witch Hill was more of a reform school. "And I'm sorry if those places are tough but you two deserved to be there. You both committed terrible crimes. Can you really deny that?"

  Calista and Polly exchanged a look.

  "No," Polly said. Calista nodded her agreement.

  "It's not that I don't think I deserve to be there," Calista said slowly, carefully choosing her words. "It's that things at Witch Hill... weren't always right."

  "What do you mean?" I asked, scrunching my brow.

  "Like those guards, Lizzie Rambler and Sean Usher. They both started out at Witch Hill. And they were both mean. It didn't matter if you were doing exactly what you were supposed to be doing, they'd find a way to get to you." She shuddered and I was suddenly reminded of how young she really was. What had I been doing when I was fourteen? What mistakes had I made?

  "Our warden, schoolmaster, whatever you want to call him, wasn't as bad as Warden Banks, I don't think, but he liked to throw you in solitary. Or make you clean the bathrooms, even if they were already clean. One time, I accidentally spilled some water during lunch, and Lizzie made me clean the entire dining hall with a toothbrush. It took all day."

  "That's not very fair," Lucy said, "but still—"

  "Then she made me use that toothbrush to brush my teeth with the next morning."

  No one said anything. The disgusted looks on our faces said it all. If Calista was telling the truth, then she was right. The guards at Witch Hill were going too far. It was still just a reform school, and even in prison, no one should be made to brush their teeth with something like that.

  "At Swords and Bones," Polly said, wetting her lips, "Lizzie terrorized me."

  "How? Why?" I asked, almost afraid to hear her answer.

  "Everyone knew that Warden Banks had it out for me. He kept me in solitary as often as he could, which was pretty often. When I was out, Lizzie would find a way to get me back in. One time, she found a piece of lint on my cot. She said I wasn't keeping my cell clean. I got another week of solitary for that." She blinked and bit her lip. "She used me to get into the warden's good graces."

  Eleanor and Trixie looked at each other. "Why would she care about getting in the warden's good graces?" asked Eleanor.

  "Because she likes him. She likes him the same way that Sean likes her. Sean would do anything to win Lizzie's affection, and she would do anything to win the warden's."

  No one said anything. We had no way to prove that what Calista and Polly said was true but it had the ring of authenticity to it. Especially the looks on their faces. I felt myself feeling bad for Polly again and my irritation grew.

  "Maybe we should talk about what happened tonight," my father said.

  "Oh, I've had enough cake talk for one night," Eleanor said. "We're all to blame for being here now. It's no one person's fault." There was still frosting in her hair, even though Sheriff Knoxx and Colt had done a quick clean-up spell so that we weren't sitting in sugar and butter all night.

  "I meant maybe we should talk about Trevor," my dad said.

  "Oh," Eleanor replied. "I suppose."

  "I've got a question," I said. Everyone turned to look at me. "What happened to the knife?"

  Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.

  "The killer probably took it with them," Lucy said.

  "That makes sense," said Blossom.

  "Yeah, it does," I agreed. "But that's kind of my point. We were all searched. The bakery was searched. The only knife missing was the one for my birthday cake."

  "I ordered a special cake knife for it," Eleanor said, licking her lips. "The cake was just so large I was afraid the other ones wouldn't cut through."

  "Why didn't you tell the warden that?" Edith asked, her voice heated.

  Eleanor sighed. "He was accusing everyone of everything. I was afraid he'd point his finger at me next. Besides, I was going to tell Zane about it later."

  "Okay," I said, "so if it's that big then it's not an easy knife to hide. If one of us had it, it would've been found. That means—"

  "That means," said Calista, her eyes lighting up, "that none of us here could have been the killer."

  "Precisely," I agreed. "Because none of us had time to hide something like that. The lights weren't out long enough."

  We sat in silence for a moment, thinking. My gaze drifted to Polly, who was looking down at the floor. When her eyes lifted again, they were black. I blinked and they were blue again.

  "What about the macaroons?" I asked, wondering how long the effects of those delicious little poisoned cookies would last. It was unsettling seeing Polly's eyes turn black like that. Why had I eaten so many, anyhow? The answer to that was obvious though; it was my birthday. The one day you could overindulge and not be judged for it.

  "Did anyone see someone who looked like they might've been messing with the macaroons?" I asked. Everyone shook their heads. I turned to Trixie and Eleanor. "You're the only two who ate them and didn't see anything weird."

  "Blossom and Edith didn't see anything," Eleanor retorted.

  "But they didn't eat the macaroons, did you?" I asked, turning to look at them. They both shook their heads. I could have sworn I saw a flicker of hesitation pass over Blossom's face.

  "You're sure you didn't see anything, right?" I asked them again.

  "No," Edith said. "We already told you."

  Blossom kept quiet.

  "I didn't see anything either," Wilma said.

  I didn't know what it was but Blossom's cheeks were turning red. She cast her eyes downward, away from mine.

  "Then I guess it was just me and Eleanor," Trixie said.

  "And me," I reminded them. "I didn't see anything." I still hadn't told them about Polly's eyes changing color. I didn't know what the big deal was; maybe it was because Polly was sitting right there in front of me. I refocused my attention back on my aunts. "When did you eat them?" I asked.

  "Earlier today," Eleanor replied. "When we were making them." She smiled sheepishly. "We had to taste test, after all."

  "And I had a couple while we were setting things up," Trixie said.

  "Did either of you eat any after the party started?" I asked. I caught the look in Polly's eyes. She leaned forward, anxious for their answer.

  "No," Eleanor said.

  "Me either," said Trixie.

  "So, the macaroons must have been tampered with after the party started. After the guests arrived," I concluded. "That means whoever killed Trevor was there for the party but got out after Trevor was killed."

  The lights in the cell suddenly flickered off.

  "Do you smell that?" Calista asked.

  "Smells like sulfur," my dad said, wrinkling his nose.

  The lights flickered back on and Sheriff Knoxx was standing outside the cell with Colt. We all jumped. None of us had seen them walk up.

  "All right,"
Colt said. "I've talked to Dean and worked it all out. For now."

  "What does that mean?" Calista asked nervously.

  "That means you're all being released."

  "All of us?" Polly asked nervously.

  "All of you."

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  FOURTEEN

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  Colt tried to kiss me as I exited the cell. I turned my head at the last minute, a part of me still irritated with him even though I knew I shouldn't be. I would have much rather been at the sheriff's station than Swords and Bones. Still, I hated knowing that my boyfriend could literally lock me up any time he wanted to. It just didn't seem fair. The most I could do was refuse to bake him my chocolate fudge brownies, though I thought that would be a pretty good punishment. Colt loved those things.

  "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I tried to get you out of here sooner." His fingers brushed against my hand. I looked into his gray eyes and my irritation softened. He was looking at me like I was better than chocolate chip cookies. I could never stay mad at him when he looked at me like that.

  "I know," I told him and took his hand in mine. He squeezed it back tightly.

  Sheriff Knoxx tried to take hold of Eleanor's hand but she yanked it away. Apparently, she would not be forgiving the sheriff as easily as I had decided to forgive Colt. The sheriff's face froze. Rather than look angry, he looked hurt. It flickered in his eyes for a second before disappearing. I hoped she wouldn't be too hard on him.

  "Oh, jeez," Polly said, stopping just ahead of us, out of my direct sight. Her voice was laced with tired exasperation. "I thought you guys were gone."

  I let go of Colt's hand and hurried to catch up to her. I wanted to see what had gotten her all riled up now. The last thing we needed was a repeat of what had happened at the bakery. Warden Banks stood in the main room with Lizzie and Sean on either side of him.

  "No such luck," Sean said, grinning.

  "You can't get rid of us that easily," Lizzie said, grinning almost as wide. They had both changed clothes, and though they looked as tired as I felt, there was a gleam in their eyes that spoke of alertness.

  Dean Lampton came out of a side room and walked toward them. I wasn't sure whether his presence here was a good thing or a bad one. He'd made sure we hadn't all gone to Swords and Bones but I knew Dean well enough to know that he always had his own agenda. You could never take anything he said at face value.

  "Polly," Dean said warmly. "Calista." He shook both their hands as if they were old friends.

  "Um, hi," Calista said, looking confusedly at him.

  "Are you here to bring me back to Swords and Bones?" Polly asked. I could tell she was trying to keep her voice steady, more for Wilma's sake than her own, I guessed.

  "Yes," Warden Banks said.

  Dean's brow drew together. The smile left his face and he turned angrily upon the warden. They locked eyes with each other, both refusing to back down. When Dean looked back at us, he was smiling again.

  "No," he said, addressing Polly. "No one here is going to Swords and Bones."

  "Yet," the warden said.

  Dean sighed and continued, "I've spoken with President Ashby." He shot the warden a look, as if daring him to say something now. "Todd is in Europe on business right now but he's in full agreement with me on this." This time, the warden's eyebrows lifted at the casual use of President Ashby's first name. "No one is under arrest. Any charges from tonight have been dropped."

  "Why?" Calista asked.

  We all looked at him. It was a good question. Why was Dean going to such trouble to help us?

  "Because COMHA's tax incentive won't go through if Polly and Calista go back to jail," Sean muttered. Dean's face reddened but Lizzie looked at Sean as if she were seeing him for the first time. She smiled at Sean and his face immediately brightened.

  Dean cleared his throat. "That's neither here nor there," he said, though his voice had lost some of the pomposity from a few minutes ago.

  "So, why is the warden here then?" Wilma demanded. She had strategically placed herself between Warden Banks and Polly. I had to admire her guts. Even after everything that had happened tonight, she was still trying to protect her niece. Her belief in Polly had never wavered, even for a second.

  "I'm here because I don't trust Sheriff Knoxx," Warden Banks said. "After all, he's still a possible suspect for the murder tonight as far as I'm concerned. Miss Woodruff herself named him as the killer."

  "But that was before I knew we'd all been hexed." Calista shot the sheriff an apologetic look.

  "He's not the only one here I don't trust," Warden Banks said, turning from the sheriff to Colt. "Some of us have girlfriends we may feel the need to protect."

  Colt's face glowed a dark pink. "I protect anyone who needs protecting."

  Warden Banks waved him off as if he were a gnat. "Sean and Lizzie are here to supervise."

  "Supervise who?" Colt asked.

  "You and the sheriff, obviously."

  Colt looked at Dean, his mouth open. Dean shrugged. "It's the best I could do," he said. "Besides, Sheriff Knoxx was named as a suspect. The warden's right about that." He turned to the sheriff. "Do you have anything you want to tell us about what happened tonight? How much goblin is in you, anyway?"

  "One-eighth," Sheriff Knoxx responded promptly, though his face had darkened.

  "An eighth?" Dean said. "That's quite a bit."

  "Oh, please," Eleanor roared, her anger at Sheriff Knoxx clearly forgotten as she came to his defense. "He's more warlock than you'll ever be. If anyone should be questioned about tonight, it should be you."

  "Me?" Dean asked, surprised.

  "That's right," Eleanor yelled. "You were invited to the party but I never saw you there. Where were you?" I wanted to warn her to be careful, Dean was a powerful man but I didn't think her temper would care about that right now. He'd insulted her husband, and she meant to make him squirm for it.

  Dean looked around the room, his face pink. "I hardly think that my absence at the party qualifies as suspicion."

  "You could have gone to the party, snuck in, hexed the macaroons, and left. No one the wiser." Eleanor raised an eyebrow, daring him to contradict her.

  "Why would I do that?" Dean demanded.

  Eleanor shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you were hoping something would happen to make the warden look bad so he'd lose his job. It's obvious you two don't get along."

  Dean's eyes bugged out of his head. A bead of sweat ran down his temple and continued down his cheek.

  "That's preposterous," he said, though there was something in the way he stammered that made me wonder if there wasn't a kernel of truth to what Eleanor was saying.

  "So, where were you then?" I asked him. "Why don't you tell us?"

  "Because it's none of your business," he snapped. "I don't have to answer to you or anyone in this room." He wiped his brow. "I really don't understand this. I'm helping you, don't you see that?"

  "Helping us?" I asked. "Or helping yourself to whatever tax incentive you've been promised?"

  Dean's eyes narrowed. "I don't have to listen to this. Maybe next time I'll just let Warden Banks throw you all into Swords and Bones like he wanted to."

  Warden Banks looked hopefully in Dean's direction. "Not tonight," Dean snapped at him. He looked around once more, then stomped from the room without another word.

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  FIFTEEN

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  I woke up feeling exhausted. Downstairs, Trixie and my dad had left me a note taped to the fridge door. They'd gone to work this morning without me and told me to stay home and rest. Eleanor would be there, too, they said, so I shouldn't worry. I was glad they hadn't woken me. It would leave less explaining for me to do.

  I ope
ned a can of the long-awaited tuna for Snowball, who gobbled it down happily, then moved to the garage. Most people who lived on Heavenly Haven didn't drive. It was a small island, and the towns were so small they were easier to traverse by foot. That didn't stop the tourists from driving everywhere but the locals knew better. The only exception to that was Colt, who constantly drove his car around. He wasn't exactly a local though, he was a transplant, like me.

  Sheriff Knoxx also had a car he used regularly but that was part of his job. The locals kept cars but only used them for emergencies or when driving across the island from Sweetland to Mistmoor or vice versa. When Eleanor had married Sheriff Knoxx and moved in with him, she'd left her car here. She didn't need it, she said, and if she did, Sheriff Knoxx could drive her wherever she wanted to go. It was a good thing for me because it was the only car we had.

  I slid into the seat and started it up. The car purred to life. It was nothing fancy, a simple station wagon, but the type of car was irrelevant as long as it got me to Mistmoor and back.

  The whole night, I'd been thinking about Blossom. Calista's mother had gotten a strange look on her face when I'd asked her if she'd seen anything at the party. It made me wonder. Maybe there was something she'd held back last night. Something she didn't want to say in front of the sheriff or warden or any of the others. It might have been nothing, just an eyelash in her eye or a bit of dust that had given her a glassy stare. But it wouldn't hurt to ask, I'd decided. Even if it did, I was going to ask anyway.

  I tapped the car's steering wheel and uttered a speed charm so I could make it to Mistmoor in half the time. Half an hour later, I was sailing past Whisper Crossing, the midpoint between Mistmoor and Sweetland. It was the only spot on the island that was considered neutral territory and neither side tried to claim for themselves. There were just too many magical plants and herbs growing there that could only be found in this one location.