by Blythe Baker
“Oh, sure,” I said, trying hard to force a smile. “What’s up?”
“Are you alright?” Abe asked. “You sound down.”
“Oh…” I said. I heard the hitch in my voice, and the tightness in my chest hadn’t really subsided yet. “I – ”
“Did something happen?” Abe asked.
The concern in his voice seemed so fatherly, so sincere that it was enough to bring back the tears I’d been trying so hard to repress.
“I…I’m alright,” I said. “At least I think I am.”
“You think you are?” Abe asked.
“I…well, I got some hard news. Family stuff,” I said.
“I’m so sorry…” he said. “Did someone pass away?”
“No, it’s not that…” I said. “It’s just something that’s going to take some time to accept is all.”
“Well, if you need to talk about it, I’m here for you,” Abe said.
“Thank you, Mr. Cromwell…” I said.
“Of course, sweetheart.”
“So…what did you need?” I asked.
“Oh, right,” he said. “Don’t worry about it. I was going to ask you to come in a little early tomorrow to help me find a particular set of candlesticks that Cain Blackburn was looking for.”
“Oh, Mr. Cromwell,” I said. “Before I forget, there’s something that I probably should have told you earlier…”
I proceeded to tell him about Ruth Cunningham’s visit that day and about how she’d made off with the music box. As always, I made sure to leave out any mention of anything magical.
“So I’m really sorry. I just…I don’t know what came over me. I guess not sleeping much last night just caught up with me, and in those few minutes where I’d nodded off, she managed to make off with the music box…” I said.
“Oh, sweetheart, that’s alright,” Abe said. “That Ruth Cunningham…she’s something else sometimes.”
“I was thinking that I should go and talk to her about it, and ask for it back,” I said.
“You know, normally I’d suggest you call Sheriff Garland to ask for it back, but that woman is a bit difficult sometimes. Not to mention that she’s engaged to one of the town’s most prominent people. She’s given a lot of other shop owners trouble in the past, too. This isn’t the first time that I’ve heard she’s hoodwinked someone,” he said.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it if I were you,” he said. “And what did this box look like, if you can remember?”
“It was wooden, and had a small ballerina dancing inside it. On top of it, there was a seven pointed star,” I said.
“Oh, I think I remember it…” he said. “Nothing all that eye-catching. And if I remember, it wasn’t really worth anything. I just thought someone might like it for jewelry or something.”
“How did that little box happen to end up in the antique shop?” I asked, Cain’s face passing across my mind, his frustration clear in his gaze.
“To be honest, I can’t even remember,” Abe said. “It was such a long time ago, and it sat on that same shelf for years now.”
“Oh…” I said.
“Why do you ask?” Abe asked.
“I was just curious,” I said. “I guess I was wondering why she’d want that box in particular.”
“No idea,” he said. “Frankly, I thought it was rather simple. And the music didn’t even work inside it the last time I tested it, even though that was when it first came into the shop.”
The music didn’t work? That was interesting.
“Well, I won’t keep you, dear. Try to get some rest tonight. I’m sorry you got some bad news,” Abe said.
“Thanks, Mr. Cromwell,” I said. “And don’t worry, I can come in early tomorrow. The distraction will probably help me.”
“Well…if you say so,” he said. “But if you need the time, just call me and we can look for those candlesticks later. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
“Have a good night, dear,” he said.
“Thanks, Mr. Cromwell. You too. Bye.”
“Goodbye,” he said.
As I hung up the phone, I sighed heavily. Then I shut off the engine, grabbing my purse off the passenger seat.
You’re home late, came a soft voice in my mind.
The voice was enough to make me feel more at ease, and some of the tension in my shoulders lifted.
Sorry, I said in my mind, trying as hard as I could to focus the word in her direction. It was something we’d been practicing since I’d briefly taken on the ability to shift into a fox. I was still really poor at thought-speak, but it was better than before.
I walked up the steps and unlocked the door.
The blankets on my bed, which I’d left unmade, were almost all on the floor, and lying directly in the middle of my memory foam mattress was a copper fox with dark, piercing eyes.
The look on your face tells me you got bad news, she said, her tail swishing. What happened?
She stretched luxuriously as I closed the door behind myself, tossing my keys in the basket on the counter. “You better settle in for a long story, because it’s gonna take me some time to catch you up on everything that’s happened.”
Athena blinked at me, and lay down on the end of the bed again, resuming the place she’d been lying before. Make sure you get something to eat first, she said in a motherly tone.
“Later,” I said. “I’m not in the mood for eating anything.”
I sat down beside her and told her all about the day I’d had; Ruth Cunningham’s visit and our conversation, her stealing the music box, my visit with Cain, and the phone call from Sheriff Garland.
Wow…Athena said, looking up at me. I choose to stay home for one day, and you end up having all this happen.
I sighed, falling back on the bed, grabbing my pillow to stuff under my head. “And to top it all off, I’m exhausted from not sleeping last night. That little nap the music box gave me didn’t help me at all.”
I don’t imagine it would, Athena said. Magic isn’t always the most helpful thing…
I rubbed my tired eyes, knowing that it was going to take forever for my mind to calm down enough for me to be able to sleep that night. “It was just a rollercoaster of a day today. I can’t remember the last time that my whole day was filled to the brim with anxiety like today was.”
So what next? Athena asked. It seems this mystery about your parentage becomes more and more tangled every time we look at it.
“I know,” I said.
And more than anything, it makes me wonder about what sort of horrible end your mother met in that forest…Athena said.
My stomach clenched. “I was thinking the same thing on my way home…”
I sat up, knotting my hand in my blanket in frustration.
“Ugh, I can’t stand this. I was so close, and I was so sure that I was going to have what I needed to find out who my mother was today. But that Ruth woman…she’s hiding something from me. She evaded my questions both today and the time I went to her house. And with her ability to use those song spells, I don’t know if I can even rely on my own feelings about wanting to trust her. I mean, is it possible that she could’ve sung a spell before walking in and somehow manipulated my emotions?” I asked.
I wouldn’t be surprised, Athena said. And you heard from a few different people today, independent of one another, that she was manipulative, right?
I groaned, rubbing my temples. “Why did I let myself be taken advantage of like that?”
You couldn’t fight it, Athena said. If she’s using magic to influence people, that’s totally out of your control.
I looked down at Athena, whose eyes were sharp as they stared up at me.
“I don’t have a choice,” I said, getting back up to my feet. “I have to go talk to her. I need to get answers, and I need to get that box back from her. I am not having another Silvia Griffin on my hands.”
Are you sure
that’s wise? Athena asked, her tail flicking in frustration. How do you know this is going to go any differently?
“I have new reasons this time, mainly that Ruth is known for using her magic to influence people,” I said, my brow furrowing.
And what if she uses her magic to influence you again? Athena asked.
“I don’t care!” I said, grabbing my hair in frustration. “I just…I can’t stand sitting here knowing that she is the only one standing between me and the truth. I need this information. I have no other ties, not only to who my family really was, but also about being a faery. It’s like the key to the last lock on an unbreakable door.”
Well…Athena said, standing to her feet and jumping gracefully down onto the floor. I’m coming with you. That sort of magic probably won’t affect me, especially if she doesn’t know I’m there.
My heart skipped. “Are you sure?”
She turned her face up toward me, and not for the first time, I was overcome with deep affection for the fox. If she could have smiled, I thought she would have in that moment. You’re acting as if it’s strange that I want to come with you.
I smiled, and a great deal of the tension left my shoulders. “Alright. Let’s go, then. We’ll get that box and our answers. I am not going to take no for an answer.”
6
Ruth Cunningham’s house was just as I remembered it. A mansion tucked away from the road, nestled beside a bubbling creek. It looked even more magnificent at night, if that was possible. The lamps that lined the driveway were aglow, and the gazebo in the side yard was strung with hanging bulbs like an outdoor bistro.
Warm light filtered out of a few windows of the home, including from the large bay window at the front where I’d first seen Ruth singing.
“You know…I wanted to like her,” I said to Athena as I pulled my SUV in beside what I assumed was Ruth’s car. “The woman who took her place at city hall said that Ruth was hard to please and liked things just so. Ruth didn’t seem to like it when I mentioned her. Why was I so willing to believe Ruth and not the receptionist?”
Because Ruth is one of those people who seems to exude likeability, Athena said. She’s pretty, isn’t she?
“Yeah, really pretty,” I said. “And she has a gorgeous singing voice. She smiles a lot, and was very kind to me when I explained why I had come to visit her…but today when she came to the store, she was not the same woman I remembered meeting. Granted, I’d left that less than pleasant voicemail…”
Don’t blame yourself, Athena said. If she’s been lying and hiding information when you asked kindly for it, then the blame lies on her, not you.
“I guess you’re right,” I said. I glanced up at the front door. She was probably inside, having a nice dinner and here I was, coming to cause even more trouble for her.
My eyes narrowed.
“But why should I feel bad when she was the one who stole from poor Mr. Cromwell?” I asked. “Come on, Athena. Let’s go.”
I opened the door and hopped out into the night.
It’s getting colder, Athena said, hopping down after me, Autumn is coming.
“Going to have to dig out my coats soon, huh?” I asked.
My shoes scraped against the gravel as we walked toward the front door. “Listen, Ruth, we don’t have to get the police involved with this if you agree to give me the information I want as well as the box. It doesn’t even belong to Abe. It belongs to the Blackburns…” I muttered under my breath.
Rehearsing? Athena asked.
“Just want to make sure I get the point across…” I said, my chest growing tight. “Although it sounds a lot like blackmail, doesn’t it?”
My heart was in my throat as I raised my hand to press the doorbell.
Athena ducked behind one of the white pillars on the steps. I’ll stay out of sight. Beware of music.
I nodded, but noticed it was very quiet. The last time I’d been here, Ruth had been singing. I guessed it made sense that she took a break once in a while, right?
I stood back and listened. I didn’t hear footsteps, or a voice calling out to let me know someone was coming to the door.
I glanced back toward Athena. “Maybe she’s not home?”
Try again, I guess, she said.
I rang the bell again.
Still no one came to the door.
“Strange,” I said. “I guess she’s not home.”
I don’t know…Athena said. Something feels…wrong. Let me go take a look around the house.
With nothing more than a whisper from her tail, she took off into the yard and ran around back.
I stood there in the cool night air, looking around, my heart hammering inside my chest. What was going on? Did Ruth know I was here and was she just blatantly ignoring me?
I peered inside the front bay window into the lavish living space. There was a large stone fireplace, sleek sofas, and golden edged tables scattered around the room. A chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling overhead.
There were two easels in the middle of the room, too. Both were holding canvases. One was finished, a painting of an open field with mountains in the background. It was decent, but it wasn’t anything mind blowing. The other canvas had hardly been touched. There was nothing more than a few streaks of dark blue and grey across it. I wondered what she was trying to paint. A river? The night sky?
Marianne!
Athena’s voice rang inside my head. I wheeled around, but she wasn’t there.
We have to get inside – I can see Ruth through a window, and she’s been injured!
“What?” I asked, my mind going numb. “She’s – ”
I looked back at the door. My skin crawled.
I grabbed hold of the handle and twisted, and to my surprise, the door opened without any hesitation.
“It’s unlocked – ” I said. “Athena, I’m going in!”
I charged inside, my footsteps echoing off the marble floor of the foyer.
“Ruth!” I called, looking around. “Ruth, where are you?”
She’s at the back of the house, in the kitchen!
I looked at the rooms on either side. There was a short hall that led into the living room that I could see from the bay window, and off to the other side, there was a formal dining room that could probably seat fifteen comfortably.
I moved through the dining room and through another doorway into a kitchen that looked straight out of a magazine. But my eyes weren’t on the gleaming stainless steel appliances or the long marble slab on the kitchen island.
My eyes were on the slumped form of Ruth Cunningham.
“Oh my gosh,” I said, hurrying over to her, kneeling down. She was up against the kitchen counter, her head lolling against her chest. “Ruth? Are you – ”
I reached out and touched her hand, and I immediately withdrew it.
Her skin was cold.
Athena managed to jump up to a partially open window and pulled herself through the narrow gap. She hurried to me and looked over at Ruth.
“Athena, I think – ” I said, leaning away. “I think she’s – ”
Athena’s head lowered, and she sniffed at the air around her. I think you’re right…she said. There’s a wound on her head…
I scurried to my feet, feeling sick.
Another dead body. Why did I keep finding them like this?
“I need to get out of here,” I said shakily, turning and walking back toward the dining room, trying hard to keep my balance.
But we can’t just leave her here like this, Athena said. Shouldn’t we call the sheriff?
I froze, and closed my eyes. “Yes…but he’s not going to believe that I just happened to find her like this.”
But that’s the truth, Athena said.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “I keep calling him to let him know I’ve found these people who have mysteriously died. Every time there’s been a culprit, but it must look awfully fishy for this to keep happening to me…”
The roo
m started to spin, and I had to grab onto the back of one of the dining room chairs for support.
Why does this keep happening?
Once was a nightmare, twice was a fluke…the third body I saw hadn’t been discovered by me, but I still managed to stumble across the crime scene.
But a fourth body?
This was moving quickly from bizarre to downright terrifying.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket with shaking hands, and for a brief moment, I considered calling Cain to tell him what happened first, to ask him what I should do. But wouldn’t it seem suspicious to him, too, for me to happen to show up at Ruth’s house tonight after the discussion we’d had that afternoon, only to find her dead?
He’d probably be the only one who would really understand…I thought to myself.
But I decided against it. Sheriff Garland needed to know first.
I found his name, my heart beating so fast I worried I might pass out, and pressed dial.
I pulled out one of the dining room chairs and sat down to wait for him to answer.
“Sheriff Garland,” was what I heard after the third ring.
“Um, hi, Sheriff?” I asked. “It’s me, Marianne Huffler.”
“Good evening, Miss Huffler,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
“Well…” I said. “You’re not going to like what I’m calling about.”
“That’s not a good way to start a conversation,” he said in a lower tone. “What happened?”
“Well, I swung by Ruth Cunningham’s house this evening to speak with her. I’d seen her this morning at Mr. Cromwell’s antique store, and I wanted to talk to her about one of the things she’d picked up,” I said, choosing my words very carefully. “And when I got here, I found her door unlocked and…Sheriff, someone broke into her house here and they – ”
“They what, girl, spit it out,” he said.
“She’s dead, Sheriff,” I said, hearing the hollowness in my words. “She was long dead when I got here.”
Sheriff Garland was quiet for a few moments on the other end of the phone.
“I know what you’re thinking,” I said, a chill running down my spine, goosebumps appearing on my arms. “Why do I keep calling you like this with reports of dead bodies? Why does it keep happening to me? Well, Sheriff, I don’t know, but I really, really wish that it would stop. If I had it my way, I’d never have to speak with you ever again.”