“You wouldn’t happen to know who that was, would you?”
His lips thinned out. He knew all right, but he wasn’t going to tell me.
“We’re done here.” And he turned around and went back inside. This time, I heard the lock click into place.
Fine by me. I had other places to be, anyway.
THE WAY HOME TOOK ME right back through town. As I started past the library, I decided to stop by and see how Mabel was holding up. All of this had to be killing her. Plus, to be honest, I wanted to make sure that Tommy Hill wasn’t hanging around. I knew he wanted to be there for her through this, but being seen together just wasn’t the smartest of ideas.
At least I’d been worried about that for nothing. Mabel was alone at the front desk, and other than a couple of people reading in the big easy chairs, the place seemed empty.
“If you’re looking for Clarence, he isn’t here,” Mabel whispered. “This is the day he takes the book van over to Shady Meadows Retirement Home. He won’t be back until after we close.”
“You okay here by yourself?”
She nodded. “It’s better, actually. No one asking me questions about... everything, you know? I mean, the patrons want to, I can tell, but so far, they haven’t. I appreciate that.”
Yeah, Wind’s Crossing might be small, but we had a lot of good folks. Most of the ones that frequented the library were the good ones.
Her words made me feel a bit guilty though. After all, I was there to do just that. Ask her questions.
She must have known that because she gave me a sad smile. “It’s okay. Really. I can’t ask you to help me with all this and then not tell you anything you might need to know.”
“Thanks.” I looked over my shoulder to make sure the readers were still in their chairs. “I just came from Marco. Do you have any idea where the money Ralph took might be?”
She shook her head. “Truthfully, I wish I did. Ralph didn’t leave me in the best of spots financially speaking. The man had a gambling problem and being around it day after day....” She sucked in a breath and looked at me.
“It’s okay. I kind of figured the rumors going around town were true. It isn’t news to me.”
Mabel nodded. “I think everyone in town knows what really goes on there, but so far the sheriff hasn’t made a move on them. Probably choosing his battles.”
“But the insurance money will help you, won’t it?”
She laughed, but there wasn’t a bit of humor in it. “We barely had enough life insurance to cover his burial. There won’t be enough left to catch up even the house payment.” Her eyes grew watery. “I’m going to lose the house, Amie. There’s just no way I can keep that from happening now. It’s awful of me, but at first, I thought maybe Ralph had taken that money for us. To catch up on things. That didn’t happen. I never saw a penny of it.”
Marco might not have been so far off after all. It sounded like Ralph was gathering up resources to do a runner. And it didn’t sound like Mabel was part of his plan.
“I wasn’t talking about life insurance, though. I was talking about the business buy out policy the men had taken out.”
Mabel tilted her head at me. “The what?”
I told her about the policy that Marco had informed me about. Her reaction surprised me.
She started laughing. And crying. Mabel leaned hard on the counter in front of her with her face in her hands. When she could finally catch her breath, she looked up at me. “Oh, Amie. You don’t know how much that will help! I thought... I thought I was worse than bankrupt. To think that I can keep the house... maybe even pay it all off?” She sank onto the office chair behind the desk, shaking her head. “I just can’t believe it. My prayers have been answered.”
If she was acting, she was much better at it than I was.
She hadn’t known about the policy, and she hadn’t been part of the theft from the business either. My heart felt a lot lighter. I didn’t like having suspicions about my friends.
But there was one more thing I had to ask her.
“Do you have any idea at all who Ralph’s... lady friend was?”
“That’s a nice way to put it, but no. I don’t know who she was.” She hesitated. “I’m pretty sure it was one of the two girls working the back rooms at the club, though. Ralph talked about them, but he would never give me their names.”
There wasn’t anything else I could think of to ask, so I left. Mabel was even smiling as she waved goodbye from the library’s door. At least I’d taken one worry off of her.
Now to find out who really killed Ralph and why.
But first, I had a Goddess cat to feed.
And no chicken.
Chapter 14
NO CHICKEN MEANT A stop by the market before going home. I hadn’t been prepared at all when Lily had dropped off Destiny.
As I wandered through the pet food aisle at the store, I came across some tiny cans of cat food that had cute little pictures of cats eating out of fancy dishes. Shoot, Fancy was even part of the name. How could I go wrong with that? Plus, as expensive as they were, they had to be good, right?
I loaded up a dozen cans into my cart and checked out. Full of the knowledge that I had done right by my cat. Goddess piece or no, she was a cat first after all.
The ride home was a little hotter and stickier than I liked. Having a car for those precious few weeks had really spoiled me. Now, I had a car but didn’t want to ride in it because I’d reek for hours afterward. I had to figure something out there. And fast. Summer was coming early this year for sure.
As I put my bike in the little lean-to under the stairs, I heard someone talking in the backyard. The odd thing was that it was a single voice, not two or three.
Curious, I walked to the corner of the house and peeked around. It astonished me at how the gazebo was already taking shape. It had only been a few hours. How on earth had he gotten so much done in so little time?
Then I noticed the lump on his shoulder. A cute little furry calico lump.
Had I left a window open? Not latched the door? I couldn’t believe that Ruby or Opal had just let her out to wander. I mean, there really were hawks and other kitten eaters out here. It wasn’t safe for a kitten.
Of course, a kitten sitting on the shoulder of a muscular handyman should be okay. But that wasn’t my point at all.
Taking a deep breath, I walked over to them. When you dread a confrontation with your familiar, it’s a bad sign, by the way.
“Hey, Billy. How long have you had an assistant? I could have sworn I left her inside when I left.”
He grinned over at me. “Don’t know how she got out, but she did.” He reached up to touch Destiny’s nose. “Kind of glad she did, actually. I was going to go about this all the wrong way.”
Shaking his head, he motioned to the rapidly growing wooden structure. “I’ve never been this productive in my life.” Then he blushed and looked over at me. “Don’t suppose you’d want to give her away or anything? I could sure use her.”
“Sorry, Billy. She’s kind of special to me.” Then I thought. There was a third kitten that hadn’t found a home yet. At least I didn’t think it had. I’d have to make a call. “She might have a sister that still needs a home, though. Would you be able to keep a cat at your house?”
He nodded. “Mom always said I could have a pet if I wanted one.” He smiled over at Destiny. “It took this little gal to convince me I did.” He rubbed noses with the kitten. “Where you been all my life, gorgeous?”
I swear the kitten fluffed up for him. It would appear that the infatuation went both ways. I could have trouble on my hands.
Not that I was jealous or anything.
Well, maybe I was. Just a little.
Billy ducked his head and bent to pick up a piece of wood. “So, have you seen Mabel lately? I was wondering how she was doing in all this. I went by her place last night to check on her, but she wasn’t home. I’m kinda worried about her.”
“Mabe
l’s fine, Billy. Or she will be. She’s staying with me for a few days.”
“Is she really okay?”
I thought for a minute. I’m pretty known for telling people like it is, and I really didn’t see any reason not to do that now. “She will be, Billy. It’s just that Ralph’s death left her in a pretty tight spot with money and debt and everything. I just found out that she had been afraid she might lose her home. It’s put a lot of stress on her. That, coupled with the murder... well, she’s having a rough time right now.”
He looked crestfallen. “You mean that Ralph’s death might have hurt her even worse than he did?”
“Financially, maybe. But then again, she wouldn’t have been in that tight of a spot if Ralph had been a decent guy who believed in taking care of his family.” Billy still looked worried. “And we just found out that the cigar club had a type of business insurance. We are hoping it’s enough to pay off her house so she won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
A shadow of doubt passed his eyes and then was gone. “I guess as long as it all works out in the end, that’s okay. Right?”
He really seemed to need confirmation from me.
“I’d say so, Billy. She’s just going to have a rough time for a little while. Probably until they find whoever killed Ralph. It isn’t easy being under suspicion of your husband’s murder on top of everything else.”
Billy’s mouth popped open. “No one could think she done it! Not Mabel.”
I shrugged. “Sometimes nice people do bad things, Billy. It happens. Not this time, but it does happen.”
He thought for a minute and nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Amie. I got some thinking to do now.” He reached up and lifted Destiny from his shoulder. After giving her a final nose rub, he handed her to me. “I think she might be hungry. You’d better feed her.”
“Meow.”
I was starting to miss having Arc as my familiar. He hadn’t been nearly so needy.
I had a bad feeling Destiny was trouble with a capital T.
Destiny, of course, demanded to be carried up the stairs. With the bag from the market, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. I’m a hold the handrail kind of gal. Finally, she gave another of her sighs and climbed up on my shoulder. Maybe my cat had a part of a parrot too. But it made the stairs easier.
Once inside our personal little space, the first thing I did was check around for a place where she could have gotten out. The door had been shut and locked, and all my windows were down and latched.
I found myself staring at the little self-satisfied and smug-looking kitten. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me how you got out?”
Her tail started wagging. Well, no had been the answer I’d been expecting.
“Fine. But just be careful, okay? There really are dangerous things out there. I’m not just making it up.”
She just sat there looking at me. For some reason, I felt like I needed more than that. “Promise?”
There was a brief moment of silence as she obviously thought about it. “Meow.”
I just hoped a kitten took a promise as seriously as a witch did.
I put the few things I’d bought away but kept out a can of the fancy cat food. I’d even gotten a cute little fancy glass dish for presentation. Feeling pleased with myself, I popped the top of the can and dumped the food into the bowl. Then I set it down beside her and waited.
Nothing.
Well, not exactly nothing. She looked at it and then looked at me. If looks could talk, this one would be saying ‘oh, heck no’.
“You realize that you’re a cat, right?”
Her chin lifted and her little eyes narrowed at me. I swallowed. There was a lot of Goddess in that look.
“I-I’m just saying that you are currently in cat form, or whatever this is, and that a cat’s form would require the proper nutrients for a... well, a cat, right?”
The stare continued.
I took a deep breath. “You aren’t going to eat that, are you?”
The tail swished, and she turned her back to me. I couldn’t get a much clearer answer than that. I switched tactics. What choice did I have?
“Look, I don’t have much time before I have to go down for Opal’s daily lesson, and I can’t just ditch that to run into town and get you more people-type food. So, you will have to settle for something I have in the fridge or cupboard. Deal?”
She looked at me over her shoulder. This time I waited her out. Her move.
Finally, she stood and walked over to the fridge. I took the hint.
“I should warn you, I run a very lean kitchen. There isn’t going to be much to choose from.”
With that warning, I opened the door and started listing off the ingredients inside. “There’s a few slices of bacon I could nuke for you, a couple of eggs that I’m pretty sure are still good, and a little shredded cheese leftover from taco night. That’s it. Those are your choices.” I paused. “When Arc was a cat, I’m pretty sure he went with bacon and a side of cheese. Would that work for now?”
“Meow.”
Good. I’d hate to starve my poor little Goddess-ridden kitty cat. I talked as the microwave worked its magic. “Are you staying up here or coming with me down to Opal’s for the lesson?”
She just looked at me. I waited. It was a legitimate question. Then I realized that while it was a legitimate question, it wasn’t one that could be answered yes or no.
“Do you want to go with me?”
“Meow.”
This would take so much getting used to.
Chapter 15
I TOTALLY BLAME DESTINY for us being late.
After she ate, she needed to use the litter box. My gentle encouragement to hurry the heck up wasn’t taken well. I would have left without her, but I feared the repercussions from such a heinous act.
As it was, it was three minutes past three when we reached the bottom of the stairs. Opal was standing in her doorway with one eyebrow raised. Then she looked down at Destiny and raised the other one.
“You do know it isn’t necessary to bring your familiar with you, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “Since I haven’t had her up to now, yeah, I kind of figured it wasn’t necessary.” Then I pointed down to the furry little creature. “Try telling her that, though.”
Was that a smile? If so, she hid it quickly.
“So, what’s on the docket for today’s lesson?”
She opened her mouth to answer but before she got it out, we heard a car coming down the driveway. At speed.
I followed Opal out onto the porch and was a bit shocked, not to mention worried, when I recognized the vehicle as Patricia Bluespring’s car. Other than my aunt Opal, council members scared the heck out of me.
Okay, scratch that. All council members scared the heck out of me. But at least I knew Opal was on my side.
When she climbed out and then reached back in to bring out a small cat carrier, a little of my tension eased off. Maybe this wasn’t about the Light Witch thing after all.
In fact, Patricia seemed quite distressed. She nodded at Opal and then turned to me.
“I’d appreciate having a little chat with you if you could spare the time.”
Yup, her voice definitely held a great deal of tension. She looked like she was about to drop the carrier, get back in her car, and drive away. I was starting to think I had a handle on the why of her visit.
I looked over at Opal. “Would you mind if we started the spell lesson a bit later?”
She gave a grunt. “Already late as it is.” But she had to have noticed Patricia’s discomfort too. “Why don’t you come inside, and I’ll get us some drinks.”
“Do you have anything with alcohol? Vodka sounds really nice right about now.”
Opal raised an eyebrow and nodded. “I think I can handle that.”
Once Opal had gone in the front door, Patricia turned back to me, her eyes more than a bit wild. “Can we talk in front of Opal?” Her voice was barely a whispe
r. Not that it would matter. Opal had the ears of a... well, whatever animal could hear really, really well.
“This is about your new familiar, isn’t it?”
Patricia swallowed. “Yeah, I’m thinking they aren’t just ordinary cats.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“You could have something there.” I thought for a minute. I didn’t really feel right hiding the whole Goddess in my cat thing from my family. I figured the kitten would have to leave the bag sometime. Might as well be today. “With us living right here under the same roof, I don’t think I should really hide it from her, do you?”
“You’ve got a point.”
“A very good point,” Opal said from behind me. “What the heck are the two of you going on about?” Then she looked at Patricia. “The vodka’s in here by the way.”
We went in and settled in Opal’s sitting room. She had the front curtains drawn back, and the sun lit up the room with its bright rays. And heat. Opal must have seen my expression because she walked over and turned on her big floor fan.
“Better?”
I nodded. “Thanks.” I chose a seat in the fan's breeze, and Opal poured out two glasses of Vodka. One for her and one for Patricia. She knew me well enough to know that wasn’t my drink of choice. Especially not the straight stuff she kept on hand. I was more into fruity drinks. And soda. I loved my soda.
“So, did you come here to tell us that big secret of yours that the Goddess warned us about?”
I swear to the Goddess, if it had been anyone but Opal, I would have thumped them on the back of the head. This was so not about that.
Patricia almost strangled on the sip of vodka she’d just taken. “What... the Goddess... what?”
I wasn’t all that sure which part of Opal’s question Patricia was having the most trouble with. The secret part or the Goddess warning part. It would appear Patricia wasn’t so sure either.
“This is about something totally different, Opal.” I gave her a rather scaled-down version of the Ravenswind look. “This is about our new familiars. They’re kind of special.”
Un-Familiar Magic (Accidental Familiar Book 3) Page 9