by J. A. Areces
Chapter 5
Yolanda Roundbottom
Jesse attempted to get up, but he was still glued to his seat. “Let me go!” He wiggled in his seat. “Let me go, I need to get to the store and check him out.” The wizard ever so slightly waved his staff and Jesse was free. He jumped to his feet, free and confused.
“How do you know him?” The wizard asked.
“He’s one of my best customers.” Jesse reached down and grabbed his motorcycle helmet. ”He sends us items and he orders stuff all the time. He’s been a steady customer until the last couple of weeks.”
Beifar stood, reached into his dark striped pants pocket and withdrew some money. He threw a few dollars on the table and faced Jesse. “Who else, Jesse? Who else orders regularly from the store?”
Jesse felt edgy. The entire conversation rushed through his head. His life was really in danger. He could feel sweat dripping down his sideburns. He didn’t want to, but the thought of a madman, let alone a mad wizard, was just too much to fathom. Beifar took hold of Jesse’s shoulder with his free hand and gave it a slight squeeze. “Get a grip, Jesse. I’m here to help you, but you have to trust me.”
Jesse felt a soothing sensation flow through him as if he just drank a cup of warm milk before going to bed.
“Yolanda something and Mily something. I don’t remember their last names right now. I’m a little tense, alright? I need to get back to the store and check the orders.” Jesse turned and started walking away. The wizard did not move. He watched Jesse leave.
It wasn’t till Jesse made it to the front door of Alivan’s Wizards and Witches Corner Store that he noticed that Beifar remained behind. He searched down the sidewalk and found the wizard standing where he left him back at the café. Jesse waved for him to follow. No response. He rolled his eyes and ran back to Beifar. “Will you please come into Alivan’s Wizard and Witch’s Corner?” he asked frustrated.
“Are you inviting me?” asked the wizard very patiently.
“Yes!”
Once inside, Jesse did not turn on the store lights, or bother with the blinds. He didn’t even turn over the OPEN/CLOSED sign.
“BEEP”
The familiar sound of a new order was heard as soon as the computer booted up.
“BEEP”
“BEEP”
An order appeared from Yolanda Roundbottom.
“That’s her... that’s one of them.”
“What did she order?” asked Beifar.
Jesse hit the keys on the keyboard, and slid his mouse this way and that. “A set of wands on sale, overnight delivery, and one novice broom.”
“What address?”
“It’s a PO Box,” Jesse wrote it down quickly and gave it to the wizard, “somewhere in Boston.”
Beifar took the slip of paper and read the mailing address. “That post office is near Harvard University. I know where it is. Good.” He turned towards the door. “I need to go there now.”
“But, what about me? Should I go home? Get out of town?”
“No, if you do that, it might alarm Mr. Claw. You stay here and do what you always do. Keep your eyes and ears open for anything unusual. Whatever you do, don’t let anyone know about me. Got it?”
Jesse nodded anxiously. It was a mix between yes and no. “You know what? That’s what Mr. Claw always tells me too.”
“I wonder why?”
“Excuse me, sir. It appears that your wife would like to speak to you, sir.” A strange voice with a strong English accent came from the wizard’s pocket. “She is a lovely creature, sir, a true gem. I do hope that someday I would be so lucky to marry a woman like her, sir. Would you like for me to answer it, sir? I would love to say hello.”
Beifar reached into his pant pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “I will speak to her, Jeeves, thank you.”
Jesse watched how Beifar changed his tone of voice, removed his hat, leaned his staff against the counter and even changed his expression. Jesse would have never guessed that he was a wizard if it weren’t for his cloak. Beifar appeared just as much a Folk as he did. Jesse pretended he was working as he listened to Beifar speak to his wife. He spoke to her about his job as a pharmaceutical sales rep and how the meetings he was supposedly attending were going. Beifar kept the conversation short and direct. When it was finally over, he turned to Jesse looking very guilty.
“She doesn’t know I’m an undercover agent. She doesn’t like all this magic stuff.” Beifar shrugged his shoulder.
“Then why do you do it?”
“Because there are guys out there like Claw that need to be stopped, and I’m one of those guys that can do it. If I don’t, then who will?”
Jesse struggled with the comment. Should he disapprove because Beifar wasn’t being honest with his wife, or was he just surprised that there really was a bad guy out there, or, was he grateful that, if true, a real wizard was ready to help? Jesse quickly decided that his self-preservation was the priority right now.
“Let me have your cell number,” said Jesse. “If anything comes up, I can call you.”
“You’ll be all right.” Beifar wrote his number down. “But remember, if you need me in the store, you have to invite me in. I’m going to go pay Yolanda a little visit.” He tucked the phone back in his pant pocket, placed his hat back on his head and grabbed his staff. Jesse nodded and watched the wizard leave the store. The door closed behind him, the bell rung, and Beifar disappeared as Jesse heard a tap on the outside porch floor.