The Association

by A. K. Caggiano

  “Well, it sort of is. Rufus only drank coffee, and only that extra dark roast sludge.” Safiya took the phone and swiped through the photos. “He said tea was only for old ladies and the British. I can’t imagine him actually making a cup of—hey, I’ve never seen this appointment book before.”

  “That was on his desk, had some weird symbols in it. Do you know what this means?” She enlarged the photo to point out the upside down triangle.

  The witch shook her head. “A fang maybe? This page looks like an exact copy of his normal calendar from his office except for that, actually. He didn’t keep much private from me, but everyone has their secrets.”

  “A fang.” Ivy shuddered at the thought. Lycans certainly had fangs. “Well, it looks like he was trying to reschedule it for the day he died, see? That same symbol was marked out and replaced with VJ the day before.”

  “Victoria Jiang,” Safiya said quickly. “But that late at night? For what?”

  Ivy leaned back against the kitchen cabinets and wiggled her eyebrows. “You think they were, uh, you know?”

  Safiya immediately stuck her tongue out.

  Relaxing a bit with a laugh, Ivy shrugged. “I guess there’s only one way to find out: I’ll just ask her.”

  “You will?” Safiya pulled the kettle off the burner before it could whistle.

  Ivy set two mugs on the counter, slipping the bags Safiya had found inside them. She looked up to the witch. “I feel sort of committed now.”

  “Even more than when you agreed to break into a dead man’s house?”

  “I didn’t—” Ivy stopped herself, smiling back at Safiya as a grin appeared on her face. “I can’t believe you got me to do that.”

  The witch poured hot water into the mugs. “I can’t believe you agreed.”

  Ivy breathed in the warm, fall spices of the chamomile, the flood of adrenaline and panic from the night finally seeping out, leaving her limbs heavy and her mind listless. She held up the cup. “To old ladies?”

  “And the British.” Safiya clinked the mugs together and took a sip, unbothered by the heat. “I really appreciate your help, Ivy. I know I sort of forced you into this, but I couldn’t do it alone, and I just don’t have anyone else to trust.”

  Ivy took a sip, her throat and then belly heating up. “I know.” She looked out into the rest of the house, illuminated dimly by the yellow light over the stove. The feeling was finally coming back into her fingers against the heat of the mug, and she hadn’t even realized they’d gone so cold. Crickets chirped out back, their high calls to one another piercing through the closed window over the sink. For a moment, it were as if she’d never been out there in the night, sneaking around, breaking laws, witnessing magic. Sipping tea with Safiya was nice, almost like standing in the kitchen with a friend chatting about a wretched workday or a date gone poorly.

  “Hey, who’s this?” Safiya handed the phone back, a photo of her with Travis pulled up, the two looking sloppy in the bar where she used to work.

  “Oh, god.” She stuffed the phone back into her pocket with a forceful shove. “An ex.”

  “That bad?”

  “Aren’t they all?”

  Safiya chuckled and took a sip. “Does a centaur shit in the woods?”

  Ivy squinted down into her tea. “I don’t actually know.”

  ***

  The early fall day was unexpectedly warm, and were there not ulterior motives, Ivy would have been pleased to head down to the Avalon Estates pool. She looked the part of a casual sunbather, a beach dress over her swimsuit and a book and towel tucked under her arm, but her insides prickled with nerves, relaxation completely unattainable. The cloaked figure was still fresh in her mind though featureless, and she hoped she had been as enigmatic to them.

  A car horn broke Ivy of her thoughts as she took the sidewalk to the clubhouse. Hunter was waving to her as he passed by, and she turned to wave feverishly after him. Then she pulled her hand close in and spun back around. “What the hell was that, Ivy?” she whispered, cheeks flushing and not from the late-morning heat.

  The pool was set off behind the clubhouse’s vast community garden. She followed the stepping stones between raised beds filled with some newly planted fall vegetables and deep-colored flowers. Oakley was probably out somewhere amongst them, but when she thought she saw movement from behind one of the larger plants, she quickly scurried off: she told him she was working today, and if he’d been astute enough he might ask how lying beside the pool constituted work.

  He, of course, had no idea.

  The concrete pad was surrounded by a high fence and a dense hedge, blocking off most of the pool from outside observers. The gate was metal, announcing her entrance with a squeak. Two girls in their late teens or very early twenties who she recognized but couldn’t place were already lounging in the water, and they turned to look at her. They’d been speaking but abruptly stopped, eyes falling on Ivy like she’d walked into the lunchroom with headgear and acne on her first day. They stared at one another a minute, and then the girls resumed their conversation in a low whisper.

  Ivy found her way around the long side of the kidney-shaped pool and picked out a lounge chair underneath an umbrella. From her spot, she could observe the entirety of the pool deck, and though she settled in with her book, her eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, were set on the gate.

  Victoria Jiang showed up half an hour later just as Safiya had predicted. She floated in, donning a gauzy cover-up in teal and salmon, and behind her was Calla Bicchieri wearing a wide-brimmed, floppy hat and over-sized sunglasses, the two cackling about who knows what, but loud enough for everyone to know something hilarious had been said. The women took seats at the opposite end of the pool, and Ivy was surprised to see Calla, a confirmed vampire, throw her black silk robe off of her legs as she extended them into the sun.

  Ivy watched them from behind her sunglasses, carefully turning the page to her book even though she didn’t happen to read the last couple paragraphs. They chatted, their voices carrying across the water, Mrs. Jiang’s mesmerizing voice especially pleasant. The woman pulled a thermos from her bag and handed it off to the vampire. “For you,” she said. “Mae helped me out. A special blend, for the heart, you know.”

  Calla chuckled lowly. “You know I don’t have one of those.”

  She went to take a drink, but Mrs. Jiang stopped her. “Before bed is best.”

  After what she deemed an acceptable amount of time, Ivy put down her book, screwed up her courage, and made her way around the pool. Mrs. Jiang was a siren, and Ivy had been relieved to hear that—sirens seemed significantly less dangerous than lycans and vampires, but Safiya doused that thought right away.

  Safiya had briefly related that, yes, sirens were like mythical mermaids, but no, actually, not really at all. She’d made some thoughtful noises that translated to “they’re spiritually connected to the water” which was exactly as helpful as not very, and she tried to explain how they were born of people who had drowned under very specific circumstances which made Ivy want to block her ears. They didn’t have tails, though, she knew that for sure.

  Ivy put on her brightest smile and gave the women a wave as she approached.

  “Well, well.” Calla slipped her sunglasses down her nose. “If it isn’t our newest resident.”

  “How are you?” She sat on the edge of a lounge chair next to Mrs. Jiang.

  The older woman turned her head away, her hair sliding down like a silk curtain between them. “Just fine. And yourself?”

  “Wonderful.” Ivy injected a bit more bounce than was believable into her voice. “Everyone’s been so nice, it’s so peaceful and quiet here, and the weather’s great!”

  “We’re certainly glad you’re enjoying yourself.” Mrs. Jiang pursed her lips.

  Calla cocked her head. “And that brother of yours, how is he doing?”

  Ivy swallowed, not liking the look in the vampire’s eyes. “Oh, he’s really loving his work apparently,”
—she thought for a minute—“I would say I’m surprised, but it’s like he was meant to do this or something.”

  “Well, he was, wasn’t he?” Mrs. Jiang looked at her sharply, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepening.

  “Oh, right!” She sighed and forced out a little laugh. “It’s always a shock to see your little brother growing up, that’s all!”

  The gate to the pool let out its distinct squeal then, and a trio of young men entered. They stopped at the chairs closest to the gate and immediately began pulling their shirts off, throwing them down wherever they fell. They stood on the deck only a short moment together, then two jumped in just beside the lounging girls making them shriek.

  The third walked a bit more slowly to the edge. In the sun, his skin was bronzed, and his auburn hair caught the light, and when he raised his arms over his head and stretched from one side to the other, it was obvious he knew exactly what he was doing, but that didn’t stop Ivy from staring. Then Evan Vlcek dove in.

  “Oh, here we go.” Victoria Jiang’s voice called Ivy’s attention back as she grumbled, snapping her magazine open. On the cover was a grainy photo of two particularly attractive people and the words “pregnant” and “cross-breeding” highlighted in the headline.

  Calla was smirking. “Well, Ivy seems to be enjoying their presence.”

  “Oh!” She blushed, wiping at her face. “No, I just thought I recognized…is that Evan Vlcek?”

  “Indeed.” Mrs. Jiang sniffed. “He’s the new leader of the pack, I suppose. As if they weren’t bad enough before.” The boys splashed one another, and the girls joined in.

  “Oh, let them have fun,” Calla chuckled. “We’re only young once.”

  “Are we?” Mrs. Jiang clicked her tongue.

  Ivy cleared her throat to remind the women she was there. “Mrs. Jiang, I have to admit, I came over here with a hidden agenda.”

  “Oh, I know dear. Spill it.”

  Ivy wasn’t sure what to do with her hands and fidgeted in the seat for a moment. “Well, Safiya wanted me to ask about your meeting. The one with Rufus. Before he died.”

  Victoria slowly tipped her head up from the magazine, but before she did Ivy could see her eyes went wide behind her sunglasses. “What meeting?”

  “He had it marked in his date book.” Safiya was sure to get the book from the Vlceks that morning along with the other community paperwork as she dropped off the hen Ivy had been gifted by Tharman. Having his planner in hand meant everything seemed above board, and of course one less chicken pecking around the clubhouse was nice too. “It’s just that he didn’t leave any notes or anything on it, and we want to make sure all of your needs are taken care of.”

  “My needs?” Mrs. Jiang sighed. “Well, this would be the first time the president of Avalon Estates is concerned with my needs.”

  Calla looked up a moment, then put her head back down.

  “You know Safiya.” Ivy shrugged and smiled. “She’s really thorough and wants everything taken care of so it can be a clean hand-off to whoever gets elected.”

  “Awfully thoughtful of her.” Mrs. Jiang licked a finger and flipped the page in her magazine to reveal a list of robes for winter, ranked, and a small piece about whether hats were back in or still out. “It was nothing, though. Just a social call.”

  “Oh, really? Hmm.” Ivy scratched her chin and tilted her head upward.

  “Why?”

  “Oh, nothing, it’s just that he canceled another appointment for it, so I figured it was something important, especially so late at night when you’d definitely see him the next morning anyway.” Mrs. Jiang cocked an eyebrow at her, and she took the sharpness out of her voice. “But if you say it was nothing, then for sure, for sure.” She waved her hands, mustering an innocent smile, knowing full well the connotation in her words. Calla was staring at her now, hard.

  A great splash came from the pool as one of the girls was chucked in the water. Mrs. Jiang sighed. “We exchanged words earlier in the week,” she told her, unamused. “I went over to apologize.”

  Ivy pursed her lips. This was not what she was expecting.

  “I didn’t like the bad blood, as it were, and I phoned him and told him it was important we meet in person. I’m old-fashioned like that. I didn’t realize he would write it down.”

  “Oh.”

  “You sound disappointed,” Mrs. Jiang said flatly.

  “No, no.” Ivy cleared her throat. “It’s just Safiya, you know she’s pretty sad about everything, and I was hoping there was something…something left undone so she could feel like she was…finishing his legacy?” The siren and the vampire were looking at her like she had two heads as she struggled for an excuse. She dipped her face down and tried to look small as she mumbled sadly, “You were the last person to see him alive, that’s all.”

  Mrs. Jiang sat up a little. “Surely not the last person to have talked to him though. Surely Ms. Hakim spoke with him that morning.”

  “She did,” Ivy said watching her look back to her magazine.

  “Well.” She flipped the page and tucked into an article on weight-loss spells. “Then she shouldn’t despair. And Calla here spoke with Mr. Vlcek that evening as well.”

  Calla’s face twitched. “I received a few texts from him that evening after he met with Vicky. Nothing important, really, just a reminder about, well, you actually.”

  “He sent that to all of us,” Mrs. Jiang added.

  Ivy nodded, then feeling the coolness off both of the women, thanked them for their time before going to gather her things from the far side of the pool. Victoria had been right: she was disappointed, but she wasn’t sure why.

  As she bent over to fold up her towel, Ivy heard the drippy, wet footsteps of someone crossing the deck and glanced back to see one of the young men had stopped just behind her.

  When she stood and turned, Evan Vlcek was inches away, brushing wet hair out of his face and grinning down at her. He placed his hands firmly on wet hips and gave her a quick look up and down. He was, in a word, glistening. “Not getting in? This could be your last chance.” As if on cue, a cool breeze blew between the two and made Ivy shiver. “It’s Ivy Sylvan, right?”

  “Yes. And Evan Vlcek?” She squinted, pretending to pull the name from the back of her mind despite that it practically flashed neon red at the top of her killer list.

  “Correct. Should I be concerned?”

  Ivy’s eyes went wide. “Concerned?”

  He shook his head a little, water droplets splaying off of him. “That Safiya’s already told you all about me?”

  “Oh.” She scrunched up her face. “No. I just remember your speech at the memorial. So sorry about your…your uncle, right?” She was getting a bit better at lying.

  Evan looked past her then, placing a wet hand over his bare, perfectly smooth chest. Alpha Grooming was at least producing good products; the man didn’t have a single hair on him from nose to—she took a quick peek southward—well, at least a few inches below his belly button. “Rufus Vlcek,” he said, the name dense as a star. “A good man, an even better uncle.”

  She waited for him to snap out of the long look, but he seemed stuck there. “Yes, I remember you saying. Well, it’s nice to meet you—”

  “It’s quite opportune, actually.” He came back to himself again, all smiles with brilliantly white teeth as if he might actually be a vampire. “I sent off my application for presidency last night, and Safiya replied, saying I needed to speak with her assistant.”

  “Right.” Ivy wasn’t ready for this line of questioning, not yet, not here. “I don’t have my laptop on me though, and—”

  “No, no, of course not now.” He cut her off again, waving the suggestion away. “Tonight though? Over dinner? I have a lot of ideas for my campaign.”

  “Oh, well, you know, I just need a little blurb, not—”

  “Sure, sure, I’ll give you exactly what you need.” His lip curled further up over a canine. “But you�
��re new to the neighborhood, and you’ve got a vote too. I know a very nice little place guaranteed to earn that vote.”

  “Earn it?” She squeezed her towel to her chest.

  “Or buy it.” He laughed, louder than she expected, and looked her up and down again. “If that’s what it takes.”

  Chapter 16

  Nestled into the quaint downtown of Ogden Bluffs, Enrico’s was an upscale, moody place with cloth napkins and high-backed booths. The restaurant was too intimate for something as chaste as an interview for an HOA presidency, and Ivy regretted accepting Evan Vlcek’s invitation as the hostess walked them to their table.

  Safiya’s reaction to the news had been odd, stilted, like she wasn’t sure what to make of it. If Safiya did suspect Evan it made sense that she didn’t want Ivy hopping into a car with him, but ultimately the witch had nodded and said a date was a good guise to get him to talk. Because that’s what it was—a cover, right? Not really a date? Ivy had assured her of her intentions, but second guessed the vibes she was putting out as she slid in across from Evan in a secluded corner over candlelight while wearing a skirt that was shorter than she remembered.

  Oakley had commented specifically about that skirt, looking disappointed when she told him she absolutely wasn’t planning on staying out all night. He frowned and told her to try and be quiet when she came back, aloof about why. She tugged at the skirt under the table then pulled a notebook from her purse as Evan thanked the hostess by name for seating them. “So, Mr. Vlcek, what’s your plan for the presidency?”

  “Ivy.” He cocked his head and grinned at her. “Getting down to business so quickly?”

  Well, he was no Tharman. She placed her pen back on the table and eyed Evan. He was unforgivably handsome, tall, tan, but his eyes, a mesmerizing grey-blue, said something to her that she didn’t particularly like. She picked up the menu instead. “What do you suggest?”

  “That’s more like it.” His pleasure in her submission made her want to throw the menu in his face, but she took a breath and gave him a smile instead. Flies, honey, all that. “The carbonara is magnificent, and anything with lemon mascarpone is a good choice too. And of course there’s always the aglio et olio. That was Uncle Rufus’s favorite.”