by Coralie Moss
A whisper of anticipation zipped through my limbs. We were getting somewhere.
“I think we should speak with at least one other client in order to verify what Rémy said.” Kostya leaned against the table. “Still, I’m adding robbery to the list of possible motives for murder.”
Robbery. Murder. Mom and Dad hadn’t raised my sisters and me in an extravagant lifestyle. If anything, I would have labeled them both as frugal but not stingy.
They sold the house we grew up in during my senior year of college. They’d been open about telling us they used the proceeds of the sale to pay off the mortgage on the three-story, downtown building. I guess I hadn’t paid enough attention to my mother, or Needles and Sins, to see beyond the storefront being a gathering spot for humans and Magicals who made things with their hands, drank tea, and gossiped. If my mom had a source of income anything like what Rémy suggested, where did all that money go?
One quick ballpark calculation had me shaking my head. I hefted myself onto the big table. “That’s a lot of money to trace, and this is a lot to process.”
Kostya opened his arms. I accepted the invitation for a hug. “What did you want to show me?” he asked.
I slid the opened box toward him. “Have a look in here. And you’ll need this to read the card.” I held out the handle of the reverse-viewer.
The demon examined the paper, mouthed his brother’s name before setting down the viewer, and lifted the flap on the accompanying envelope. He extracted a lock of wavy, white hair shot through with metallic silver highlights. “Sure looks like Laz’s,” he said. “But there’s nothing else in here.” He looked up when Beryl set the ledger and file folder between us.
“I think we’ll need the reverse-viewer to decipher what’s in here too,” I said, after fanning through the pages. Kostya brought the special mirror to the ledger and scanned the loops and whorls of my mother’s writing.
“The last date is late June, seven years ago, and it’s my mother’s,” Kostya said. “There are three deposits noted.”
“That was five weeks after my graduation,” I said. “Can you find Rémy’s entry?”
Kostya scanned the lines above, quickly locating the water mage’s name on the next page back. “It doesn’t look like your mother took on more than one or two clients per month. And she gave my mother a group rate.”
Beryl and I laughed a little at the thought of Kostya and his demon brothers being matched up at the request of their mother—and possibly without their knowledge.
“Even at one a month, that’s four hundred thousand dollars a year if she charged everyone the same deposit she asked for from Rémy.”
“Where would she have stashed that kind of cash?” Beryl asked. “And what could she have been spending it on?”
“That’s it. Heriberto’s got to step up and answer our questions.” Kostya took out his phone and took a photo of the page with his brother’s entry. “I wish I’d known about this when I spoke with him.”
Beryl and I agreed. I slid my butt off the table and pointed to the shelf underneath. “While we wait for Rosey and Alabastair to get back, we can finish looking through all of these. Mom set up a box for each client. I found the one that has Laz’s hair and the start of his…I don’t know, what should we call it, his order fulfillment?”
That elicited a chuckle from my sister. “Yeah, I guess we could say our mother took orders and fulfilled them.”
“Kostya, can you lay the boxes out on the table? The empty ones and the finished ones can go back on the shelf. Just label which they are. We’ll catalogue the ones that have notes and other stuff inside.”
When we finished, we had six boxes, their lids opened and contents on display, arrayed across the table. Three boxes were assigned to Kostya and his two brothers, one box was Rémy’s, and two others were unfinished.
“I think I can persuade my mother to forget about making these matches,” Kostya said, “and forego asking for a refund. Not only are there extenuating circumstances, but as her favorite son, I rarely ask for anything.”
“That leaves us with Rémy and two others.”
“I think we should reach out to those other two clients and let them know the situation.”
“Kostya, what do you think?”
He scratched at the scruff shadowing his jawline. “I agree. We’ve got to be proactive.” His eyes fired up as he spoke. “I don’t want to lose any of you to Rémy, or any other disgruntled client. And I can promise my brothers’ support if you need it or want it.”
“Thank you.” His nearby warmth offered a moment of respite. I wrapped my arms around his rock-hard waist. Beryl’s arms circled him from the other side. “I wish Alderose was here.”
Kostya held us close. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
“I was just thinking about how wiped out I am,” Beryl said. “I don’t think I want to spend the night here.”
“Let’s set aside the demon brothers’ boxes, grab the other three and the ledger and the receipts for safekeeping, and check in to the hotel. We’ll get some sleep and then hit this hard in the morning.”
Beryl and I released our hold on Kostya. “I want to cover up that window before we go,” he said, pointing to the broken pane.
“Cover your face,” I said. “We have no idea if those are the bird droppings that made Serena sick.”
Kostya busied himself with moving the ladder used to access the higher shelves. Beryl and I closed the lids on the oak boxes and tied them securely with lengths of grosgrain ribbon from one of the large spools I nabbed from the hat-making supplies. “I can’t believe Mom never brought us up here. Why do you think she kept her work hidden?”
Beryl shook her head. “I have no idea. Dad totally owes us an explanation, because we can’t ask Mom and we can’t ask Serena. And I swear if we find out if something has happened to Dad, I’ll kill him.”
“Me too. I guess we’re back to the anger stage of grieving.”
“You said it. And I think this stage is going to last a lot longer this time around.”
I found a satchel large enough to accommodate the boxes and the other things we wanted to take to the hotel. Kostya managed to close off the entire narrow window with a length of sturdy canvas. He returned the ladder and brushed his hands on his jeans.
“Should we turn off the light and close the door?” I asked as we readied to leave. There was no handle to grab, only the metal plate with the hole for the emerald ring. “And we should probably leave a note.”
“Before we close up, let’s go look for—”
Kostya was interrupted by a long, loud scream echoing up from the bottom of the stairwell. The sound bounced off the landings as it was repeated in quick succession. Beryl shoved the heavy satchel at Kostya, grabbed the railings, and slid down the first flight of stairs.
Demon Boy sent me ahead with a quick, “Go! I’ll prop the door and be right behind you.” I followed Beryl’s lead, stumbled at the first corner, and made it to the first-floor landing without another mishap. A door I hadn’t seen before was open, the steps below it spilling into a pool of inky blackness.
Beryl pressed her hands to either side of the narrow doorway. “Alderose?” she asked, her voice rising to a squeak. “Alabastair?”
“We’re here, we’re here.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, we’re okay.”
Beryl sagged against the wall. “Then why the fuck did you have to scream like that, Alderose Brodeur? You gave us all heart attacks and Clemmie almost broke her leg.”
Light flared at the bottom of a narrow stairwell lined with blocks of rough-hewn granite. Alabastair’s bald head shone like a moonstone. He glanced up at us, then motioned for Alderose to precede him.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said, breathing hard. “Alabastair was finally able to activate the portal and it sucked us in then spit us back out and I was just surprised is all.” She paused to lean against the wall before making it up the
last few steps. “Did you make any progress?”
“We did. After Rémy iced us over. And we decided we’re going to the hotel to sleep and start fresh in the morning.”
“What do you mean, Rémy iced you over?”
The thought of recounting what the mage had done triggered a round of trembling in my legs. I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. “Right after you left, Rémy froze the door to the workroom shut, then sprayed this instant-ice stuff on Kostya, which made Kostya unable to move, and then he grabbed me by the throat”—I brought both hands to my neck—“like this and told me that we had forty-eight hours to find his beloved and that if we didn’t someone would die.”
Alabastair’s face drained of color, except for two bright splotches of pink at his cheeks. “I am furious with myself for leaving you vulnerable,” he said, planting his palm against the granite wall. “Your aunt—”
“It’s okay, Alabastair. And just so you know, we don’t do guilt in this family.”
“We’re also really tired,” Beryl reminded me. “Kostya, Clementine, and I are heading to the hotel.”
“I want to come with you.” Alderose paused on the step below the landing. “Did you lock up the workroom?”
“No,” Kostya said. “I left the door propped open.”
Rosey grabbed my wrist and dragged me back up the stairs. My thigh muscles complained loudly. Below, Beryl and Kostya launched into giving Alabastair a more detailed recounting of what happened with the mage. Their voices disappeared when my sister and I rounded the second corner and debated the third set of steps.
“Where’d the portal take you?” I asked. Between the champagne, the emotional roller coaster, and Rémy’s threat, my legs were on the verge of giving out. I paused, waiting for my sister’s response and for the shaking to stop.
“That’s the thing, Clemmie. Alabastair doesn’t know, and he’s a frikkin’ Portal Keeper.”
We resumed our climb. At the top, Alderose moved the heavy antique iron Kostya had set near the door. She nestled the ring into the keyhole. “Just testing,” she said. The door opened and we sighed in unison. “Okay, now to not lose the ring.”
“But what was it like, the place you landed in?” I asked. I had a slim hope there was a connection between the mystery destination and the problem in front of us.
I could feel Alderose studying me in the unlit stairwell. When she didn’t say anything, I turned to lead the way down and urged her to hold on to me and the railing. “I don’t know,” she said finally. A distant worry put a wobble in her voice. “But it was underground, and we both smelled water nearby. Freshwater, like a pond.”
“Why the screaming?”
“You know me and tight spaces. The whole experience was creepy, and the return trip happened so fast I was caught off guard.”
Alabastair was still looking pensive and guilty when we met them back in the storefront. The rain was coming down, though not nearly as heavily as when Rémy had been manipulating the element. “I was just telling Beryl and Kostya that I will not be using the portal in the cellar to retrieve your aunt until I’ve had a chance to look into the history of this area of New England.” The necromancer fastened the front of his elegant rainwear. “My plan now is to drive to Boston, return my rental car, and take the super-portal to Toronto, where I shall rendezvous with your aunt.” He flicked the hood over his head and tugged at the ends of his sleeves. “I can fill her in on what happened here and return with her tomorrow. I shall also debrief your uncle.”
“We’ll be at the Hotel Northampton overnight,” Beryl said matter-of-factly, “and maybe for the next few days, as well. Rémy’s given us until Sunday night and we’re going to need every minute between now and then.”
“Then I shall return, hopefully with news and reinforcements.” Alabastair waved and let himself out.
5
Once Alabastair left, my sisters and I had a short back-and-forth about whether to head to the hotel or stay in our parents’ apartment and continue to look for clues to our mother’s professional life.
The lure of the hotel, coupled with exhaustion and the need to be coddled, won. Lucky for us, there was a suite available. Kostya took the room with the single bed and hugged each of us before closing his door. In our larger room, Alderose claimed the double bed closest to the hall door. Beryl and I agreed to share the bed near the windows rather than draw straws for the couch. Too agitated to close my eyes, I went to the heavily draped window and lost myself in the sheets of rain. Pedestrians battled against the wind-driven gusts, while headlights from the few cars cut long, blue-white beams across the stormy cityscape.
Beryl clicked off the table lamp and circled the end of the bed to stand next to me. “It’s beautiful out there,” she whispered. “I forgot how much I love a good storm.”
“Especially when we have a warm and dry place to stay,” I said, agreeing with her. Thunder and lightning were a rare occurrence over my new home on the west coast.
“What’s your spidey-sense telling you, Clemmie?” My sister slipped an arm around my waist and tugged me closer.
“That there was a whole lot more to our mother than any of us ever knew.” I freed my arm and wrapped it around Beryl’s shoulders. “I thought I was done grieving. Everything I saw—and that we’ve learned today—is making the loss feel so fresh. And it hurts.” Muscles in my upper chest constricted as if in agreement.
“I hear you. I’m angry too. With Mom, with Dad, and it makes me wonder how much Tía Mari and Uncle Malvyn knew.”
“About Mom’s death?” I asked.
“About Mom’s life and about her livelihood.”
“We should have the answer to that question when Tía gets here tomorrow. If we start digging around in Mom’s business—beyond completing Rémy’s contract—it could put us all in danger.”
“If we don’t start digging, those other clients might come after us too. We need to be proactive—to find them first,” Beryl countered. “Besides, think of the hopeful souls out there who’ll never find their true love without our help.” My sister snuggled closer. I pressed my nose to her head and inhaled the scent of her hair. She’d changed shampoos. This one smelled more sophisticated than the peach-scented brand she used for years.
“You know that if we really agree to stay involved beyond completing Rémy’s contract, this means there’s no going back,” I said. “There’s no more spending most of our time with humans, pretending we aren’t what we are. There’s no more muting our magic.” I darted a glance behind me. Alderose had her back to us and a pillow over her head. I lowered my voice to a whisper. “All three of us have to agree, and we have to do it together or this won’t work.”
“You two going to fill me in?” Alderose asked, her voice muffled by the bedding.
Beryl and I separated and grinned at each other. “Before we talk to Rosey, what’s going on with you and Demon Boy?”
My sister picked at my sweater and pressed her pointer finger between two ribs until I flinched. “He loves all of us, you know.”
“I do know that. I love him too. But if we’re going to work with him, one of us has to call first dibs,” I said, “and that means you and I have to choose, because I think Rosey’s got her hands full.”
When Beryl asked for bedding rights if Kostya wanted them, I didn’t hesitate. I nodded and gave her another hug. Kostya was a catch as far as lovers went, but I knew in my bones he wasn’t my beloved. Plus, he and Beryl had more history together.
My current quest, to harness and work with the powers that filled and frightened me, was all-consuming, leaving no room for thoughts of sexual dalliances. Well, thinking about sex would be okay. Dalliances would be okay too. But a commitment?
I had my dog. I was absolutely committed to her. I wanted to bring her on this trip, but she needed heavy sedation for portal travel and I needed heavy sedation at the thought of loading her into the cargo hold of an airplane.
Beryl kissed my cheek and
let me go with a soft, “Thanks, Sissy. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Alderose groaned and flung off her covers. “What has you two acting sappy tonight, beyond the obvious? And c’mere, I’m cold. I need some sister snuggles.”
Beryl and I obliged. Once we’d maneuvered all three of our bodies onto a mattress made for two, we tucked the blankets under our chins and got to the heart of the issue facing us.
“Mom had secrets,” Alderose said. “And those secrets might have gotten her killed.”
“Those secrets might get us killed,” I added. “Rémy Ruisseau is the most powerful Magical I’ve ever met, and I don’t want to get iced by him again.”
“Amen to that.” Beryl shivered next to me. “I was not prepared for him to turn on us like that, and I’m sorry you had to deal with him on your own, Sissy.”
“I wasn’t totally alone, but the way he incapacitated Kostya in seconds was freaky.”
“Kostya feels awful. Better be prepared for him to be doubly protective tomorrow.”
“I’m regretting I didn’t think to at least pack my daggers,” Alderose said. “Meetings with lawyers don’t usually require knives, so—”
“That meeting required massive amounts of patience.” My sisters murmured their agreement, then fell silent. Exhaustion was settling into my muscles. I had one more thought to detangle before giving in to the lure of sleep. “Have either of you kept up with your knitting or crocheting?”
The heads to either side of mine shook in tandem.
“What about macramé?” I asked. “Tatting? Plaiting? Rug-hooking? Embroidery?” By the time I’d listed every type of needle- and fiber-work I could remember Mom trying to teach us, we were in stitches. And when I pointed out how ill-prepared we were to assume the mantle of her work, we laughed harder.
“Oh my Goddess, we’re hopeless. We’re going to have to rename the shop.”
“I like Bitches in Stitches,” Alderose said, ducking Beryl’s pillow assault.