Spooky Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Book 4)

by Constance Barker

  “I just wanted to ask if you knew anything about Kim Clark and Shawn Morgan.”

  Pippa hummed. “I don’t know much about Kim, but I do know that Shawn is a regular around here. Do you want his number?” she asked, already searching through the cabinet files. “He usually comes by to check out textbooks or science fiction novels.”

  Thea nodded, accepting the small slip of paper with Shawn’s contact information scribbled onto it. A few seconds later, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Seeing Blaine’s name pop up on her screen made her smile.

  “Blaine?” she asked, the moment she placed the phone against her ear.

  “You’re not going to believe the stuff I just found out, Thea,” Blaine replied briskly, jumping into the conversation without warning. “Did you know there was a fight at Kappa Xi sorority house a week ago? Says here that an officer was dispatched because of a noise complaint. The girls were smashing things and shouting at each other.”

  Thea raised a brow. “Which girls?”

  “Rhianna and some other girl named Nichole Hewitt. They were both reprimanded by the college for fighting and they were given warnings,” he explained, letting out a low whistle at the end of his sentence. “This is an interesting find, considering what happened to Rhianna since then.”

  “I’ll say.”

  “Do you think you can find some more information on Nichole? She must have some sort of prominent role in all of this,” Blaine said.

  “Yeah, of course,” she replied, quietly exchanging a look with Pippa. “I’ll see what I can dig up.”

  “Great, thank you,” he replied almost breathlessly. “By the way... I’ll definitely make it to our date tonight. I might be working a little bit on the side, but I’ll be there. No doubt about it.”

  Thea laughed under her breath. “Don’t worry about it, Blaine. I’ll see you then.”

  Once the call ended and she stuck her phone in one of her pockets, Thea turned to Pippa. The girl seemed eager to hear whatever information she got from Blaine, a small grin already tugging the ends of her lips upwards.

  “Do you know anything about a girl named Nichole Hewitt?” Thea asked. “Do you know her from your gossip circle or something?”

  The smile was wiped clean off Pippa’s face. It was soon replaced with a grimace, as if she had tasted a sour lemon.

  “Oh no,” Pippa said. “Don’t tell me she’s involved in all of this. She basically is the gossip circle. Every rumor, every scandal, every fight that comes out of Kappa Xi somehow involves Nichole.” An exasperated sigh escaped her as she placed her hand over her forehead. “Ugh, I should have known she would have something to do with this. From what I know, she didn’t really like Rhianna.”

  “Do you think it was out of jealousy over her looks or something? Jesse told me that he thought Rhianna was very pretty when he met her at one of his art classes,” Thea said.

  Pippa stiffened. “Oh... he said that?”

  Thea nodded. The blonde pressed her lips into a thin line, clutching onto the edge of the counter until her knuckles turned a pale white.

  “T-That’s, uh... that’s interesting,” Pippa eventually managed out.

  Raising a brow at her reaction, Thea realized that she shouldn’t have mentioned that piece of information in the first place. She decided to change the conversation, for the both of their sakes. Besides, her lunch break was almost over anyway. Clearing her throat, she glanced around the shop in search of her familiar.

  “Thank you for telling me everything, Pippa,” she said, beckoning Sybil over with a hand.

  The familiar, exhausted by her earlier antics with Captain, hopped into Thea’s arms without hesitation. Meanwhile, the ginger cat jumped onto the counter of the shop to sit near Pippa.

  “Duh. I’m always gonna help you out with anything you need,” Pippa replied with a smile, waving at her departing friend.

  Just as Thea was heading out the door, Pippa scooped up Captain in her arms and started to snuggle him, pressing her face into his fur. Greatly displeased, the tomcat let out yowls to express his unhappiness with the unexpected bout of attention. However, Pippa didn’t really care. She held onto him and didn’t plan to let go.

  Sybil let out a victorious hum, watching the amusing display. “Serves him right. Did you see the way he was chasing me around? He has no morals.”

  “Is that his punishment, then?” Thea asked.

  “Of course it is,” the familiar replied. Thea snorted. “Pippa should always do that when he’s being annoying. It would teach him a lesson.”

  Chapter 7

  Kappa Xi.

  The impressive plaque was displayed proudly before the gateway that led straight into the property. As Thea walked by, she noticed several luxury cars parked in front of the sorority house. She swallowed thickly. By being surrounded by so much wealth, she felt like a fish out of water. The sorority house even had its own marble fountain that was centered in the middle of the front courtyard.

  “I wonder who paid for all of this,” Thea mumbled to herself as she gradually ascended up the steps that led to the towering mahogany front doors.

  Straightening out her clothes and wiping her clammy palms on her jeans, she knocked a few times on the door and waited for someone to answer. After a few seconds of waiting, she heard noises coming from the inside. Before she knew it, the door was opened wide to reveal a girl with curl rollers in her dark hair.

  “Hi there.” she greeted, leaning on the door. “Looking for someone?”

  “Yeah, actually. I’m looking for Nichole Hewitt. Is she here–”

  “Nichole.” the girl yelled loudly into the house. “Someone’s out here looking for you. Come answer.”

  “She’s been getting ready in the bathroom for the last fifteen minutes,” another girl commented, carrying an empty pizza box as she passed by. “Good luck getting her out.”

  The girl who answered the door rolled her eyes. She turned back towards Thea with an apologetic smile on her face.

  “Sorry about that. If you want, you can come inside and wait until she comes out.”

  “It’s fine,” Thea replied, shaking her head slightly. “I’ll just wait outside for her, don’t worry.”

  Fortunately, she wasn’t going to wait too long. Descending from the grand staircase of the house, Nichole seemed indifferent as she scrolled through her social media. Tapping away at the screen, she ignored Thea as she slipped by the front door and headed towards the white convertible parked near the end of the driveway.

  “Nichole,” Thea called out, following after her. “Nichole, can we talk for a minute?”

  “Do I know you?” she asked in a monotone voice, gaze never rising from her phone. She continued to walk to her car without pausing.

  “No, but that doesn’t really matter in this case,” Thea countered. “I wanted to ask you about what happened between you and Rhianna Stewart a week ago–”

  “Not interested,” Nichole replied, unlocking the door to her car and getting in.

  Before Thea was able to say anything else, the girl had already ignited her engine and zoomed out of the sorority house property. Thea stared after her, noticing the jewel-encrusted vanity plate at the back of her car. Exhaling deeply from her nose, Thea was unnerved by how easily Nichole just blew her off.

  “Don’t worry, she does that to most everyone,” someone called out from the front steps of the house.

  Turning around, Thea realized that it was Kim speaking to her. After dealing with someone as icy as Nichole, Kim’s presence brought along some warmth that was desperately needed. Thea smiled as she neared closer.

  “I don’t know how you guys deal with her then,” Thea responded.

  Kim sighed, raising a brow as she stared at the parking spot where Nichole’s car once was. “I try to ignore her. It prevents a lot of problems from starting in the first place. Fights happen regardless, but that’s expected considering how Nichole acts.”

  “Fights, huh?” Thea repe
ated, crossing her arms over her chest. “I heard that Nichole had a fight with Rhianna recently. It was before... you know.”

  “Yeah,” Kim said, nodding. “It was about Gage. He was still talking to Rhianna here and there, which was something Nichole obviously didn’t like. They got into a huge fight over it. Nichole was convinced that they weren’t ‘just friends’ because Rhianna wasn’t ‘just friends’ with anyone.”

  Kim motioned towards the house; exasperation evident by the frown etched on her face. Dark circles were prominent, as well.

  “They managed to mess up some furniture and punch some holes into the wall. Security and the police were called. It was a disaster that day.”

  Thea winced. She couldn’t imagine being caught in the middle of a situation like that. Realizing that she was going to have to keep a close eye on Nichole from there on out, she figured that she would ask about the other potential suspect that kept lingering in her thoughts.

  “And what about that other guy? I think his name was Shawn,” Thea mentioned innocuously, tilting her head. “What was his deal with Rhianna?”

  Kim clenched her jaw, somewhat irritated by the mere mention of his name. “That kid is a pain in the neck. He had some sort of vendetta against Rhianna, I swear.”

  “Really?”

  “He thinks that she cheated at everything, it was ridiculous. Cheated throughout high school, cheated to be Homecoming queen. Hell, he even thought she was cheating her way through college,” Kim explained, shaking her head angrily. “If obsession had a picture in the dictionary, his face would be the one right next to it.”

  “Sheesh,” Thea mumbled out. “I can understand why you didn’t want him around the memorial they were making for Rhianna then.”

  “It was bold of him to even show up after all the trouble he caused her,” she responded. “He made some serious accusations against her, but thankfully, nobody really believed him so nothing came of it. I don’t know...” Kim rubbed at her arm absentmindedly as she thought about Shawn. “It was as if every time he couldn’t get Rhianna in trouble, it made him angrier.”

  Thea frowned. “Do you think he’s dangerous? Do you think he...”

  “I hope not. I really hope he didn’t have anything to do with what happened to her,” Kim said with a solemn expression. “Personally, I don’t think the kid is dangerous, but I don’t know for sure. I know that he knows martial arts. Or at least, he says that he knows, but I’ve never been able to confirm or deny that.”

  “Is it possible that he has a greater role to play in all of this than we think?” Thea offered, hoping that she’d be able to figure everything out soon.

  At that, Kim shrugged. She didn’t know what to say. All she knew was that her best friend was dead, and her killer was walking freely amongst them. Thinking about that for too long made her nauseous.

  Chapter 8

  Thea went back to the shop after visiting the Kappa Xi house. As soon as she walked in to relieve Jesse from his shift, she was immediately put to work. The store was packed with local college students ready to decorate for the Homecoming game that night. Even Sybil managed to help by knocking over just the item customers were looking for to catch their attention.

  Thea felt relieved that she had the foresight to carry extra streamers and paint in the school colors. She nearly ran out of each color, but in the end, she managed to end the work day with a few to spare.

  After the last customers walked out the door, she let out a big yawn and stretched behind the counter. She felt a heaviness weighing on her eyelids, but she knew that she still had more to do.

  She locked up and walked out to her car with Sybil following close on her heels.

  When she got home, Granny was already waiting for her. She was wearing a fashionable shawl in the school colors wrapped around the rest of her outfit.

  “It’s about time you got back,” she said, mildly scolding Thea. “The homecoming game is tonight and if I know you, and I do, you still haven’t picked out what to wear.”

  Sybil ran over to Granny and sat next to her, facing Thea, clearly on Granny’s side of the lighthearted argument that was quickly forming. Thea raised an eyebrow at her betraying feline friend.

  “I knew I would have plenty of time to do that before Blaine came to pick me up.”

  Granny checked her watch. “Not without help you’re not. Oh, do you still have that sweater Tiegen got you for Christmas? I bet it would go just lovely with some slacks.”

  Thea let Granny and Sybil inside after locking the door. Immediately, Granny and Sybil rushed to the bedroom, ready to raid Thea’s closet. Thea rolled her eyes.

  “Just make sure you get something in the right colors,” she called after them, knowing her suggestions would be in vain. “Blaine knows what I look like. I don’t know why you’re all so worked up.”

  When she got to her bedroom, Granny had already laid three potential outfits out on her bed.

  “Just go freshen up in the bathroom,” Granny said, shooing Thea away from her own bedroom. “Sybil and I will take care of the rest.”

  Thea groaned, but went to the bathroom to wash her face and do as Granny said. She knew that the next hour would be a long one.

  THEA TURNED AROUND, admiring herself in the full-length wooden mirror. She had to admit, Granny and Sybil did a great job.

  She was wearing a long brown coat that she knew would keep her cozy in the chilly fall night. They had also picked out dark jeans, comfortable boots, and a nice red blouse. To complete the outfit, she had a matching set of gloves, a scarf, and a hat all in the school colors—something Granny had purchased from the school spirit shop before stopping by.

  Granny was doing a happy dance next to her. “Am I good or am I good?” she exclaimed happily.

  “I do have to admit, you are good,” Thea said.

  There was a knock at the door. Everyone turned in that direction.

  “I bet I know who that is,” Granny said in a sing-song voice.

  “Oh, Granny, cut it out,” Thea said playfully. “Behave yourself.”

  Thea, Granny, and Sybil went to answer the door. Thea opened it and saw Blaine standing there in blue jeans and a jacket with a school pin on it.

  “Oh don’t you look handsome,” Granny said.

  “Granny, please,” Thea sighed.

  “Hi there Mrs. Denver,” Blaine said.

  “Hi Blaine,” Granny said, smiling sweetly. “Are you going to the game for business or pleasure?” She added a wink on the last word.

  “Business, but in plainclothes. We’re making sure nothing funny happens. There’ll be plenty of other officers around too. We didn’t want everyone to go in uniform. That may cause a scene.”

  “Oh, how clever,” Granny said. “Why you two have fun. Hopefully nothing strange happens.”

  Granny reached out her hand and Blaine took it and kissed it. Granny fanned herself.

  “Why, if only I was thirty years younger. I’m sorry, Thea, you know I love you like my next breath, but you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  “Okay, good night, Granny. Love you,” Thea said as she pulled Blaine away from the door and out into the cold autumn night. She could hear Granny’s laughter as she shut the door after her.

  THEA AND BLAINE WALKED into the football game, shyly arm and arm. Blaine held a blanket under his other arm. Immediately they were assaulted with familiar activation of their senses.

  From the concessions stand, they could smell the savory aroma of popcorn and pepperoni rolls. The brassy, upbeat tunes from the marching band wafted over from the stands. The cold air wrapped around them and brought the breath from their lungs out in little white clouds in front of them.

  “Let’s go find a seat. I think I see some up in those bleachers,” Blaine said, leading Thea up into the stands.

  He led her over to an open part of the bench. Thea sat down, immediately feeling a bit colder now that they weren’t moving. However, this was quickly remedied by Blaine putting the
blanket over their legs.

  “Thanks. Bringing the blanket was smart.” Thea said.

  “Yeah. I can’t get through games without one. Can I get you something from the concessions stand? Maybe a hot chocolate?”

  “No, that’s okay,” Thea said. “I’m okay right now.”

  “Okay.” Blaine said. The home team scored and everyone jumped up around them to cheer. Blaine scooched closer to Thea. She wasn’t sure if it was to make room for the others nearby or to get closer to her. She hoped it was the latter.

  “Man, it feels like we’re in school again, doesn’t it?” Blaine said as the crowd settled back down.

  “Yeah, it almost does, huh?” Thea smiled as she reminisced.

  “I think school me would have been jealous of me right now though.”

  “Really? Why is that?”

  “Well... I’m sitting here with you, sharing a blanket. Young me may have had a bit of a crush on you.” He gave Thea a shy smile. She bit her lip, trying to stop the dopey grin she felt coming across her face.

  Even in the almost bitter air, Thea felt very warm.

  Chapter 9

  “Are you excited, Mira?” Pippa asked, turning around in the passenger seat to look at her sister. “This is going to be your future university.”

  Mira was already flipping through the brochures sent to her by Ardensville college, which included a map of the campus and a list of majors she could consider. She was most drawn to the engineering department, which was her first choice by a long shot.

  “Do you think I’ll be able to talk to one of the professors while I’m there? I want to make a good first impression,” Mira replied, not looking up from the brochure.

  Pippa and Thea shared impressed looks with one another. It was clear that the younger Paulson sibling was serious about her future and her pursuit of higher education. The smile on Pippa’s face made it clear that she felt nothing but pride for her kid sister.