Toil & Trouble

by Emery Belle

  She fished a hunk of unicorn jerky out of her purse and tossed it to Midnight as he flapped his wings in excitement, knocking Hunter over in the process. “Oops. Sorry about that.” She winced and helped him to his feet, and though she continued listing Monty’s many faults, I was no longer listening. For there, standing at the end of the academy’s front lawn, his huge minotaur biceps straining at his uniform, was Kellen, the Magic Island police chief. And he was beckoning to me.

  Chapter 5

  “Wren.” Kellen nodded as I approached, his blood-red eyes gleaming in the sunlight. I could tell that he was trying to smile, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to form the expression. The police chief and I had a fraught relationship, to say the least, but the minotaur was beginning to soften toward me. He had no choice; I’d helped him solve four murder mysteries since arriving on the island. So he owed me, big time.

  “What can I do for you?” I said to Kellen as I waved goodbye to Hunter and Garnet and tucked my spellbook under my arm. I glanced down to make sure Kellen wasn’t holding any handcuffs. It wouldn’t be the first time—and probably not the last—that he tried to arrest me. But other than his trusty baton, his hands were empty.

  The minotaur motioned me toward a bench overlooking a small pond on the academy’s side lawn, and we sat down, our eyes lingering for a few moments on the surface of the water. A frog hopped from lily pad to lily pad, sticking out his tongue every so often to snatch a bug from mid-air. Midnight, Garnet’s nightswallow, stopped to dip his beak into the pond for a cool drink before taking flight, his leathery red wings a stark contrast against the deep blue sky.

  Kellen stretched out his legs, his sleek black boots inches from the water, and cupped his hands behind his head. “I always wanted to attend the academy when I was a kid.” He chuckled. “But I have about as much magic in me as that blade of grass.”

  “At least you knew your identity,” I said, tipping my face back and letting the sun play across my skin. “I had no idea the island existed until I was thirty. Try uprooting your whole life, finding out everything you thought you knew about yourself was wrong.”

  He eyed me. “Seems like you’re fitting in okay here, though.” I shrugged, but laughed when he added, “You certainly seem to have made yourself at home in my job.” His voice held a trace of a smile, and I could feel the tension bleeding out of my body. It didn’t look like I was in trouble—not yet, anyway.

  After a few more beats of silence, Kellen got down to business. “You work in the housekeeping department at the hospital, correct?” I nodded. “And you were working a shift last night?” Another nod. “Did you happen to see Gerald while you were there?”

  My heart dropped. “Did something happen to him?”

  “Did you see him?” Kellen prompted, without answering my question.

  “I did. He was there when I arrived, and when I left… well, he wasn’t there when I left, but it was already almost noon today.”

  The minotaur squinted at me. “You were working overnight?”

  “No, I fell asleep, because… long story, and probably not relevant. But yes, Gerald was there.”

  Kellen jotted something down on a pad of paper he’d pulled from his pocket. “And did you speak with him about anything?”

  I screwed up my mouth, trying to remember. After seeing Cole’s lifeless body being flown in on the stretcher, everything else about that day had turned into a blur of colors, sounds, and fear.

  “I think… yes, we talked for a few minutes about some of his new inventions, and then he sent me up to the third floor for my shift. We didn’t speak again after that.” I craned my neck, trying to read Kellen’s notes. “What’s this about, anyway?”

  Kellen sighed and tucked the pad of paper into the front pocket of his shirt. “There was a murder last night.”

  I reared back in my seat, my eyes automatically welling up with tears. Gerald may have been annoying, sort of like a fly you just couldn’t seem to swat away, but he was a sweet, soft-spoken gnome who always had a smile and an upbeat attitude. The idea of someone wanting to hurt him in any way was unspeakable.

  I dabbed at my eyes with my sleeve, barely registering what Kellen was saying. Poor, lovely Gerald. When had it happened? I’d just seen him last night, sleeping so peacefully in the breakroom, completely unaware that his next sleep would be the more permanent kind…

  “…and so since he’s been arrested and charged with Auggie’s murder, we’re trying to retrace his steps yesterday…”

  Something about Kellen’s words caught my attention, and I swung my head toward him. “What did you say?”

  Kellen scratched idly at the stubble on his cheek. “I said we’re trying to retrace his steps.”

  I stared at him, uncomprehending. “Whose steps?”

  Kellen gave me a perplexed look. “Gerald’s.”

  “Because someone killed him?”

  Now it was Kellen’s turn to stare. “Are you okay, Wren?” His voice held a touch of concern. “I feel like you haven’t heard anything I’ve been saying.” When he spoke next, his words were slow and measured, as if he were speaking to an ogre who’d had his brains addled from eating too many fungus-infested slugs. “We’ve arrested Gerald for the murder of Auggie Atwater and are holding him in a cell downtown while he awaits trial. Right now, I’m interviewing everyone who saw or spoke to either Gerald or Auggie yesterday.”

  When I finally caught on to what he was saying, I laughed. “That’s absurd. Have you met Gerald? He’s like a puppy… only more eager. And dopier. And—”

  Kellen held up his massive hand. “You, Wren, should know more than anyone that murderers don’t always come in convenient packages. Sometimes it’s the people we least suspect.”

  I gazed out at the water, mulling over his words, knowing they were true. “When did it happen?”

  The minotaur flipped through his notes. “We got the call at eight-thirty last night. Auggie was still alive when we got there—his roommate was the one who heard the commotion and came running, but by that time, Gerald had escaped out a back window and—”

  “Wait,” I interrupted. “Did you say eight-thirty?” I shook my head. “There’s no way Gerald could have killed Auggie then, because that’s the same time I was in the housekeeping department’s breakroom at the end of my shift, and I saw him sleeping there. I’m positive about that,” I added adamantly.

  Kellen gave a snort of annoyance, and a spiral of steam escaped his nostrils. “You’re obviously confused, Wren. Gerald’s our guy. Before he died, Auggie himself told me that Gerald was the one who stabbed him.” He pretended to dust off his hands. “Case open and closed.”

  I could feel my anger building. How many times had I heard some version of those same words coming from the minotaur’s mouth? How many times would the police chief point his big fat finger at the wrong suspect without conducting a proper investigation?

  “He was at work,” I repeated, gritting my teeth. “I was there. I saw him. I don’t know what Auggie said, or what you heard, but someone is making an enormous mistake.” I almost added that in all likelihood, that someone was him, then thought better of it. Angering Kellen might cause him to transform into the full-fledged minotaur version of himself, and seeing that once was enough to last me a lifetime.

  The volume of steam pouring out of Kellen’s nostrils increased. “What possible reason could Auggie have for pointing the finger at an innocent man? None, that’s what,” he all but shouted before I could come up with a response. He stood, towering over me, his finger pointed squarely at my nose. “When you’ve earned your police badge, your opinion might hold some weight. Until then, you’re just another amateur sleuth with too much time on her hands and a few lucky guesses.”

  “It’s not luck, it’s talent,” I shot back, standing up so I could meet him nose to nose. His days of intimidating me were over, and it was time he knew that. “You’d recognize what it looked like if you had any of it yourself.”

/>   I gave him a sugary smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me, you might have the time to stand around chatting all day, but I don’t. Auggie’s murder isn’t going to solve itself.”

  “I have to say, I’m a little surprised that you’re going out with Sebastian tonight, given everything you’ve learned about him.” Garnet watched me from her bed as I slipped my feet into a pair of sandals and reached for the hairbrush. “Not to mention all the times I’ve warned you to stay away from him.” She gave me a stern look. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”

  “It counts for everything,” I said, examining my reflection in the mirror as I added a dab of color to my lips. “But doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance?”

  Garnet snorted. “I think Sebastian’s had about two hundred second chances, Wren.”

  “If I may interject with a nobleman’s perspective.” Monty waggled on the end of his chain, his bulging, veiny eyes locked on my bare legs. I tugged my dress down to hide them, which only drove his eyes upward to my neckline, so I strode forward and flicked his eyeball, causing him to howl in pain. Pierre soon joined in, their voices mingling in an ear-grating symphony, and before long my head was aching as if someone had driven a sledgehammer through my skull.

  “As I was saying before your womanly hysteria took over.” Monty shot me a filthy look when his howls had subsided. “If you would like to hear the insights of a gentleman and a scholar, I would be happy to oblige.”

  “Sure,” I said brightly. “But can you tell me where I could find either of those men?”

  Garnet dissolved into giggles, and Monty, looking hurt, swung his chain around so that he was facing away from us, offering me an appealing rear view of his wispy-haired, knobbly head. I heard him sniffling theatrically, but, ignoring him, I grabbed my purse from the wardrobe and slung it over my shoulder.

  “See you later,” I said to Garnet, who stopped laughing and gave me a disapproving frown.

  “But not too much later,” she called after me as I waved and slipped out the door.

  Since we were going to be dining at the hot new underwater restaurant, Sebastian met me at the docks, looking as handsome as ever with his wind-tousled hair, brown eyes sparkling in the waning sunlight, and easy smile.

  “Hi,” he said, pulling me in for a hug. He leaned back and eyed my dress appreciatively. “You look beautiful.” He slid out his wand, performed a twirling motion, and passed me the bouquet of sunflowers—my favorite—that had appeared in his hand.

  “Nice touch,” I said, giving him a peck on the cheek. I had decided to approach this evening with cautious optimism, so I didn’t pull away when he took my hand in his and led me down the weathered wooden docks. “Are we taking the ferry?” I asked, watching as the massive boat slowly emerged from the ocean’s depths to drop off its latest batch of passengers on the island.

  “You’ll see.” He grinned at me as he tugged me toward the very edge of the docks, where a beautiful mermaid with iridescent fins and waist-length golden hair was perched on a thick wooden post, flapping her tail idly as she stared out over the rippling water. As we approached, she turned and gave us an appraising look before batting her eyelashes at Sebastian. He slid a glance at me before pulling me closer to him, and the mermaid’s coy smile turned sulky.

  “How many?” she asked in a bored tone, reaching for a wicker basket at her tail.

  When Sebastian indicated the two of us, she produced a pair of menus and passed them to him, and I noticed her intentionally brush his arm with her fingers as she did so. I narrowed my eyes at her, but she continued to ignore my existence; instead, she cupped her dainty hands over her mouth and called out, to no one in particular, “Table for two, ready on dock four.”

  She turned back to us just as Sebastian was removing his jacket and draping it over my shoulders to ward off the chilly ocean air; at the sight of his bare arms, she began flapping her tail flirtatiously in his direction. He cleared his throat awkwardly and gazed up at the sky while I continued glaring at the mermaid, though my silent warning was entirely forgotten when the surface of the ocean began swirling, faster and faster in ever-expanding ripples. A nearby seagull that had been diving among the waves to forage for dinner let out a squawk and took flight, its gray-tipped wings soaring above our heads, just as an enormous seahorse the color of an electric sun emerged from the water and glided toward us.

  I took a hasty step back, clutching Sebastian’s arm as the water beast stopped at the edge of the docks and began bobbing up and down at our feet. “Table for two, right this way,” the mermaid said, sweeping her arm toward the seahorse.

  I stared at the seahorse, and then at Sebastian. “I don’t get it,” I whispered, trying not to let the mermaid hear me. “What are we supposed to do?”

  But the answer soon became obvious as the seahorse rotated in the water so that his back was to us. He unfurled his long tail, and the mermaid hopped down from her post, grabbed a pair of cushions from a pile I hadn’t noticed earlier, and strapped them to the seahorse’s back.

  “Go on,” she said, moving aside to allow us room to pass. “He’s all ready for you.” At the sight of Sebastian’s dubious expression, she let out a light, tinkling laugh. “Don’t worry, his tail is stronger than it looks.”

  “Let me go first to test it out,” Sebastian whispered to me, ever the gentleman.

  I let go of his arm and he stepped forward, placing a tentative foot on the seahorse’s tail; it bowed slightly but then immediately straightened out. He took a few more steps, bouncing up and down to test the weight, before returning to the docks and reaching out his hand. I took it, and together we boarded the seahorse, settling onto the surprisingly comfortable cushions. I arranged my dress around me and looked at the shimmering water surrounding us.

  “Now what?” I called back to Sebastian. “Do you think we need the protective bubbles around our heads? I think we’re going to—”

  But before I could finish my sentence, the seahorse reared back and, with a whinny, plunged beneath the waves. I swallowed a scream as the water roared around me, and I was just beginning to panic when a golden haze surrounded the seahorse, creating a warm, dry barrier between us and the sea. The seahorse glided through the ocean’s calm depths, weaving among forests of kelp and around a giant squid that followed us for a while before waving goodbye with two tentacles and disappearing amidst a school of clownfish.

  After a time, I saw a strange glittering up ahead, and as we approached it, I realized that it was coming from an all-glass building anchored to the ocean floor. Two mermen floated out front, their tridents crossed in front of an elegant glass and silver door cut into the building, and they parted as we swam up. The seahorse deposited us in front of the door, unfurling his tail so we could climb down, and then bowed to us before swimming away, trailing a stream of bubbles in his wake.

  One of the mermen opened the door, his long black hair flowing behind his shoulders in the gentle movement of the water, and Sebastian took my arm and escorted me inside. The restaurant’s interior was warm, dry, filled with couples enjoying an intimate dinner, and—thank goodness—had plenty of oxygen to spare.

  A trio of muscled mermen sat in the middle of the restaurant on chairs built from green sea glass, playing harp-like music on tridents threaded with taut strings. One of them was singing an entrancing melody in a soft baritone; though I couldn’t understand the language, his song reminded me of sand dunes and secluded beaches and warm, sunlit days that melted into starry nights with a hint of firewood in the air.

  I closed my eyes briefly, imagining someone lying beside me, tracing the constellations with his fingers and holding me close in arms that never wanted to let me go, then opened my eyes again and focused on Sebastian. I was here without really being here—despite the beauty surrounding me, my thoughts were drawn back to the hospital, to the dim room, to the man with the coal-black eyes lying there, alone.

  I felt a tug of sadness in my stomach that must have shown on my fa
ce, for Sebastian asked, “Are you okay?” with a look of concern. I nodded, keeping my lips pressed together, not trusting myself to speak, reminding myself that it would never—could never—be. The man with the silver eyes, Cole’s second hand, had told me so, and who would know better? I had to accept that.

  The hostess led us to a table by the windows and we ordered drinks—a saltwater taffy martini for me, a kelp-infused scotch for Sebastian—and I distracted myself for a while watching a pair of sharks playing in the water a few feet from the glass. “Isn’t this place amazing?” Sebastian asked, taking a sip of his drink and setting it back down with a satisfied smile. “I had to pull a few strings to get us in so close to opening night, but anything for you.”

  He stretched out his hand across the table to give mine a squeeze, and after that, we sat in silence for a time, enjoying the trident music and watching the seaweed swaying gently in the water outside our window. Our plates of coconut shrimp had just arrived when a woman in a cleavage-baring dress sashayed up to our table and gave Sebastian a winning smile.

  “Imagine seeing you here!” she said in a voice that carried across the restaurant. Then she lowered it and added, “I had a wonderful time last week. Thank you for showing me around the island.” Her turquoise eyes slid my way, and she flipped her long, wavy black hair over her shoulder. “We’ll get together again soon, okay?” After blowing Sebastian a kiss, she walked away, clearly enjoying the attention as the heads of half the men in the room whipped her way.

  Sebastian was frowning after her, and I picked at my shrimp as my stomach settled somewhere near my feet. I didn’t know what to say. Finally, I settled on, “She’s awfully pretty.”

  To his credit, Sebastian shrugged. “Do you think so? She’s not really my type.” He darted a smile in my direction. “Especially since she’s my cousin. There are rules against that, you know. She’s in town for a couple of weeks from Star Island, and I promised I’d spend some time showing her all the island hot spots.”