“I don’t know which would be worse,” Dakota commented.
“People can be silly about these sorts of things, Celestial said. “Do they really think that magic will solve everything wrong with their lives? There’s always a balance.”
“It just seems like a simple solution to them. They think magic means things change with no consequences.”
“It’s like anything,” Celestial said. “When something changes from magic, the whole world changes. It’s a manifestation of what you want to put into the universe. Selfishness and greed and rage will not yield you kind results.”
“Exactly,” Dakota said. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“Well, I suppose I’m glad that I’ve been getting the same customers that I always have. There’s still some people out there who want spells for clarity and cleansing, I guess. Luckily my shop doesn’t seem to attract any want for less desirable products.”
“Yeah,” Dakota said. “I think most people know that you deal only with white magic. They want to get the good stuff from you.”
“And I suppose tourists don’t make up that big of my customer base.”
“People feel like they can do anything on vacation and it won’t matter. Isn’t that funny?”
“It’s strange, yeah. It’s just a different setting. It’s not a different life. It’s just a chance to rejuvenate.”
“Maybe you should go down and preach that to Victoria’s customers,” Dakota joked.
“Oh, I’m sure she’d love that,” Celestial said. “What more could the leader of the dark witches want than the leader of the white witches lecturing her customers on the benefits of white magic.”
Dakota laughed thinking about it. “It might drive her customers away at least. It probably won’t be worth it to them to deal with any hassle on their vacation just to get a magic bag that can get them a promotion or something.”
“Let’s hope that it’s only promotions that they’re hoping for.”
“People have always looked for a quick fix. It’s why love spells are so popular.”
“That is true,” Celestial said. “But in this case, the consequences can be dire.”
“Think you’ll ever switch over to the tourism industry?” Dakota asked with a smile. “It might be profitable.”
She laughed. “I prefer to tend to my plants rather than keep up with trends. Victoria can have her customers. I’m happy with my clientele.”
“And I’m happy to hear that. How are your new herbs doing?”
“They’re just flourishing. Thank you for asking. I even managed to save a few of the ones that you smashed.”
“I’m not surprised. With you tending to them, I’m sure they could handle an elephant falling on them.”
“I try my best,” she said. “They just need a little love and care. That’s all.”
“No one could ever accuse you of not being thorough. That includes everything else as well as planting.”
“That’s sweet of you to say,” she said. “Compliments feel few and far between some days.”
“Well, then I’ll be here to make sure you get your fill,” he joked. “You’re smart and kind and a good leader too.”
“Oh, stop,” she said with a laugh. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But more people need to be going out of their way to make you laugh. You know it’s bad when Victoria is the one coming in to tell you she believes your innocence.”
She laughed. “I suppose that’s true. What a funny world. Who would have thought we would have ended up here?”
Chapter 19
After Dakota left, Celestial thought about what he had said about Victoria’s shop.
She didn’t have many clues to go off of. To her, it seemed like seeking out gris-gris bags was as good of a lead as any. If Victoria sold them at her shop, she may have insight into who else had them.
Celestial thought to herself that any witch could make a gris-gris bag, but they had already used Celestial’s teacup. Who’s to say they wouldn’t buy a gris-gris bag from Victoria as well?
If Victoria kept any sorts of records on these things, then they might be one step closer to the killer. Celestial needed to know if Victoria knew anything else about the mysterious clue found where her cousin was killed.
She decided to head down to Victoria’s shop. She made sure to have some things for cleansing ready for when she returned to her own shop. Until then, she was going to have to deal with being in the domain of the leader of the dark witches. She kept one of her favorite stones in her pocket to center herself and give her strength.
WHEN SHE ENTERED VICTORIA’S shop, she was overwhelmed with how many people were there. Victoria couldn’t have known how hot of a commodity her gris-gris bags would become, but she seemed prepared for the sudden influx of customers.
She recognized some customers, but not others. She assumed they must be tourists. Their energies were mixing with the energy of the shop to make a complex mixture of neutral and dark energy.
Celestial wanted to find Victoria as soon as possible. Luckily she was just behind the counter.
Victoria was selling one of her bags to a customer. When the customer walked away, she turned to Celestial and smiled. “Why, Celestial Meadow. I didn’t expect to see you here so soon after our last visit.”
“Hello, Victoria.”
“Are you here to give me that business advice?” she asked. “As you can see, I have quite a few customers now, but I’m always willing to share the latest tips and tricks with another witch business owner.”
“I’m not here to give advice,” she said. “I actually had some questions for you.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow. “Questions for me? Do you want my gris-gris bag recipe? I’m afraid that that’s a trade secret.”
“It was about the gris-gris bags, but I don’t need your recipes or rituals,” she said. “Besides, they wouldn’t be compatible with the magic I practice.”
“I suppose not,” she said.
Celestial was about to ask about who had purchased gris-gris bags when Opal walked up to the counter. She looked surprised.
“Cousin Celestial,” she said. “I certainly didn’t expect to find you here.”
“Oh, I just stopped by for a moment,” Celestial said. “There’s a few things I wanted to discuss with Victoria.”
“Would I be able to talk to her first, if you don’t mind,” Opal asked. “I’m afraid I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
“Of course,” Celestial said. “Be my guest.”
Celestial didn’t enjoy being in the shop any longer than she had to, but she knew it was the prime opportunity to overhear something critical between Opal and Victoria. Perhaps Opal was the one who had ordered the gris-gris bag.
“Victoria, I had some questions about your gris-gris bags,” Opal said. Celestial pretended to browse a nearby display and tried not to react.
“Of course,” Victoria said. “What can I help you with? Were you interested in purchasing one?”
“I am actually,” Opal said. “Would you be able to show a few to me?”
Victoria led Opal over to the gris-gris bags, explaining some details about them to her along the way.
Celestial was shocked. Opal hadn’t bought the gris-gris bags. She wondered what that could mean.
As a competent witch, Opal could easily make her own bags. It was still possible it’s one of hers that was planted at the scene. However, if she was that adept at making them, why come all the way out to Victoria’s shop to purchase one?
Celestial felt like she had landed right back at the beginning. With Opal now searching for gris-gris bags, she was back to square one.
She waited for Opal and Victoria to be done. After a few minutes, Opal made her purchase and left. Celestial walked back over to Victoria.
“Congratulations on the sale. Selling to tourists is one thing, but selling to another witch is quite the accomplishment.”
“That’s a high compliment coming from you, Celestial,” Victoria commented. “I’m happy that I could impress you. Maybe I’ll be able to do it again someday.”
“Have you sold any other bags to the witches in town?”
“That was the first. As you know, witches can make their own quite easily. But, I’m hoping that Opal will recognize the quality of work that I put into the bag and recommend them to the other witches. Who knows? Maybe my clientele will become tourists and local witches.”
“That would be something.”
“What was it that you wanted to ask earlier?”
“Ah, just about the gris-gris bags. I overheard your conversation with Opal and my curiosity is satisfied.”
“Can I interest you in a purchase as well?”
“Not right now, unfortunately, Celestial said. “I’m afraid I have to get going.”
“Please do come back soon,” Victoria said with a wave.
Celestial left the shop and started to head back to her shop.
She was happy that Opal seemed to be innocent, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed that all of her leads turned out to be duds so far.
She needed to go back to the beginning of the investigation. There had to be something she missed. Any of the witches could have made a gris-gris bag. She was missing a motivation and alibi.
Celestial had to go over everything once again. The walls were closing in on her, and she needed to catch the killer. If she didn’t, she would have to face the consequences for a crime she didn’t commit.
Chapter 20
When Celestial arrived back at her shop, Nikoli was there waiting for her.
“Oh, hello, Nikoli,” she said. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“I have a few things I wanted to talk to you about. Maybe we should go inside.”
Her heart began to race. “Is something wrong?”
“Let’s just go inside,” he said.
Her hands were practically shaking as she got her keys out to unlock her door. She felt lightheaded and overwhelmed. She knew he had bad news, and, after her setback, she was terrified for what any bad news might mean for her.
They went inside and Nikoli sat down on a chair. Celestial sat down next to him.
“So what is it?” She asked.
“Well, some testing came back on the evidence.”
“And?”
“Your fingerprints are all over the teacup that Isabella used before she died. Still though, that’s not surprising. After all, it is your teacup.”
“Were there any other fingerprints?”
“Just Isabella’s unfortunately. I think that the testing came back overall inconclusive. It was your fingerprints, but that only tells us that it was your cup and not a duplicate.”
“And that I’m not ruled out as a suspect.”
“You’re not any higher on the list than you were before.”
“It’s impossible to be higher than the prime suspect.”
Nikoli sighed. “I’m doing the best I can here. We can’t draw any major conclusions yet. Your fingerprints being on your own teacup isn’t surprising.”
“But that teacup being the murder weapon is certainly suspicious,” she said.
Nikoli pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you really arguing for me to arrest you.”
“Of course not. I just know how it looks to other people.”
“I do too. That’s why I’m trying to keep you abreast of the situation. Maybe something will spark a memory. Anything to lead us to the true killer.”
“Alright,” she said. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes. The berries at the bottom of the cup were belladonna. That’s what killed Isabella.”
Celestial thought again about Joyce’s belladonna.
“I don’t have any belladonna,” she said.
“I know you don’t. But, you have to admit, if a witch wanted belladonna, it wouldn’t be hard to get.”
“But what if someone grew belladonna already and had easy access to it? Would they be a suspect as well?”
Nikoli raised an eyebrow. “I would certainly look into it if this person had motivation.”
“I see,” she said.
“This sounds too specific to be made up. Who did you have in mind?”
“Well, I want to be clear that I really don’t have overwhelming amounts of evidence. In fact, sometimes it feels like I haven’t gotten anywhere in the investigation.”
“You’re not a detective,” he said. “I know better than anyone that this job is hard, especially if you don’t have training and the access to tests that we have down at the department. But, it seems like you managed to find something out anyway.”
“Well, you see... Joyce grows belladonna.”
“Okay. I’ll admit that piques my interest. Does she have a motive?”
“Yes. She’s been celebrating her death. Apparently, they were both interested in Sergio. And, well, you know how much of a flirt Isabella could be.”
“Yeah, I remember. That does give her motivation, but the evidence is pretty circumstantial. If they were outdoor plants, the killer could have had easy access to them. It’s like your teacup.”
“Yes, but I wasn’t celebrating her death.”
“That’s true, but she did publicly challenge you right before her death.”
“You know I didn’t do it. I would never do that.”
“I know,” he said. “I’m just trying to show how easily these things can be spun. That’s why we require a lot more evidence before we go to trial.”
Celestial sighed. “People have been convicted for a lot more evidence than the evidence that’s on me. I feel like my days are numbered.”
Nikoli took her hand in his. His touch felt warm and electric. Celestial felt a blush creep across her cheeks.
“Don’t say that,” he said. “We’ll find out who did this before you know it. Then we can put this all behind us. I’ll look into Joyce.”
“We have to find it soon,” she said. “People are already demanding the killer’s identity. Half of the city is convinced it’s me anyway. The longer this goes on, the more guilty I seem.”
“Once we find out the real killer, they’ll realize how silly they were all being,” he promised. “I’m not about to let anyone arrest you without solid evidence. And we won’t get solid evidence because you didn’t do it.”
“But it seems like someone is trying to frame me,” she said. “Think about the tea cup. My argument with Isabella.”
“If someone is trying to frame you, they’re not doing a very good job of it,” he said. “They haven’t convinced me, and I’m the one person they need to convince before this goes any further.”
“I trust you,” she said. “It’s the killer and the court of public opinion that I don’t trust.”
He smiled at her. “We’ll sway both. Just you wait.”
She gave him a small smile back. His protectiveness of her felt reassuring. As much as she was still worried, she was happy that he had her back.
“Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Only that we found the murder weapon. Some berries that can’t be traced back to anyone in particular. I’ll investigate Joyce soon.”
“Okay,” she said.
“And I wanted to check up on you,” he said. “I know how hard this must be for you. I wanted to make sure you’re alright.”
“Oh, really?” she asked. She knew that they were close friends, but the gesture surprised her. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”
“I know you’re tough, but everyone needs someone in their corner,” he said. “I want to be in yours.”
She smiled at him. “I want you to be in mine too.”
“We’ll solve this murder together,” he said. “I promise.”
Chapter 21
Silence pressed around Celestial as she crept into Joyce’s house. Creeping and spying did no
t come naturally to her, but she needed to find something, anything, that might clear her name.
Perhaps, it was not smart to add breaking and entering to the list. She moved swiftly, using her extra senses to scan ahead of herself as she moved through the kitchen. She didn’t sense any familiars or spirits that might be disturbed by her.
They could easily alert Joyce to her presence or tell her exactly who had been snooping in her house. That was why witches gathered such entities, after all.
It was very quiet. No ghost whispered near. No familiar came from the shadows to accuse her. By taking this extreme measure Celestial was admitting she truly knew nothing about the people around her. She had to be ready for anything.
The silence in the house felt heavy and Celestial moved her feet softly, as if the quiet was something that could take offense to her presence.
The large kitchen table had a collection of gris gris bags laid across it. Celestial’s heart rate rose a little as she took in how many of them there were. Belladonna had obviously been used in them. Her eyebrows rose and she reached out, wanting to fully discern their purpose before making any judgements.
The sound of a lock cracking was like ice water shocking her spine. As the hinges gave a loud squeak she turned and bolted up the stairs. Heart hammering, she ran into Joyce’s bedroom, sweat beginning to prickle all over her.
She was going to be discovered. There was no avoiding it. She pried open the window and looked down, wondering if she could jump. She didn’t want to apparate as it would alert Joyce immediately. Even the most skilled witch could not hide the smell of sulfur that followed.
Downstairs, Joyce turned her eyes up the staircase. She didn’t need witch senses to know that someone was knocking around in her house. She followed the sound, wondering who she was going to find.
She slowed a little, hoping there wasn’t any danger. She pressed on though, pushing away any fear. It was her house. She would not be afraid of an intruder.
Even if it was the killer.
As she came to her room, she saw the window open, just as she had expected. Only one window in the house squeaked like that. She leaned across the sill and caught the sharp edge of sulfur in the air.
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