Couture and Curses

by Danielle Garrett

  My mouth dropped open but she was gone before I could come up with something to say.

  Stars above, it really was a Monday from Hades.

  In the end, Caleb stayed on the couch and Harmony took over more than her fair share of my bed. Peaches tucked herself in between us. Before going to sleep, Caleb came in to say goodnight. Harmony pressed her hands over her eyes and put on a melodramatic falsetto. “Oh, good sir! You simply can’t be in the maiden’s bedchamber after dark! It isn’t done in polite society, you cad!”

  I thwacked her on the arm and gave her a shove for good measure. “Knock it off, your grace.”

  She giggled and rolled away, dragging the peach-colored ball of fur with her.

  Caleb smiled and sat beside me on the bed. “How’s the headache?”

  “The potion seems to be doing the trick,” I replied but then gently touched the tender spot under my eye. “This, on the other hand …”

  He grimaced.

  I knew how bad it looked. I’d nearly screamed at my own reflection. It likely comes as no surprise, but I wasn’t exactly a tomboy. I’ve never climbed a tree, caught a fish, or played any sort of game that involved tackling. Or dirt, for that matter.

  And, likely not by coincidence, I’d made it thirty years without having a black eye.

  But, there it was, all bloomed out and grotesque around my left eye. And apparently, there wasn’t a magic cure—besides oodles of concealer—to fade it. I’d have to let it run its course.

  “I’d offer to get you a slab of meat for it, but I think I can imagine the response I’d get.”

  I pulled a face, sticking out my tongue, and he chuckled. “Yeah, that’s about what I had pictured in my head.”

  “I think I’ll skip the carcass facial and stick with copious amounts of makeup for the next week,” I told him. “Besides—and this may shock you—I think you’d be hard pressed to find so much as a package of crackers in my kitchen.”

  He laughed a little louder. “Looks like I’ll add a grocery run to my to-do list for tomorrow. Tell you what, I’ll cook. You stay put, take a bubble bath, read a book. Whatever you want. I’ll do the rest.”

  I frowned and held up a finger. “Two problems with that. Number one, I’m not going to be here on some kind of bedrest tomorrow. And two,” I raised another finger before he could object, “you’ve cooked for me before and if I recall correctly, you set off the sprinkler system and we ended up at a greasy taco joint, playing dwarf’s roulette with a nasty case of food poisoning.”

  Caleb’s stern look cracked, a grin teasing one corner of his mouth. “Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad.”

  I arched a brow and he broke into a good-natured laugh, holding both palms out in surrender. “All right, all right. It was.”

  I smiled. “Tell you what, I’ll let you have your pick of the takeout menus and I’ll even let you talk me into eating on the couch, but that’s only after I get back from work.”

  Caleb dropped his hands. “Ana …”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re not sweet talking me out of this one. I’m going into the office.”

  Harmony rolled over, her delicate face pinched as she propped herself up on her elbows. “You’re joking, right?”

  Caleb scoffed.

  I held out a finger toward each of them. “I’m not letting you two gang up on me again.”

  Caleb cocked his head and Harmony sagged back against her pillows with a frustrated exhale.

  I’d told Caleb about the shadow and the attack back at the hospital. Neither he nor his partner knew what to make of it. In the supernatural world, there were all kinds of apparitions, specters, and ghosts. Boogeymen and shadow creatures weren’t a reality on my radar, but that wasn’t all that surprising. However, when even two long-term SPA agents were stumped, my alarm bells rang a little louder. But still, I couldn’t let that stop me from doing my job. I wasn’t going to let a month’s worth of sweat and tears go to waste over what—for all we knew—could have been a robbery gone bad or a random act of violence.

  “Babe, you know I’m only trying to protect you here. You’ve gone through a lot tonight. A day off to rest and process everything is pretty standard procedure,” Caleb insisted gently.

  “You going to come and tell that to every frantic bride who calls tomorrow after Aurelia’s attack is splashed all over the Haven Herald? Every single client I have is booked with Aurelia. Some of them have weddings in the next few weekends. Who is going to tell them that their priceless gowns are now part of a crime scene?”

  His eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s what you’re worried about right now? Dresses?”

  My nostrils flared.

  Harmony coughed on a dry laugh. “Dude, you’re so screwed …”

  His eyes shot to her and then back to me. “What?”

  “These aren’t just dresses, Caleb,” I replied, sliding him a sideways glare. “The dress is the wedding. It’s the whole hexin’ thing!”

  Caleb rubbed his temples. “All right, even still, there are other employees at the firm. They can deal with panicked brides and dress orders.”

  “If you’re worried about me, you’re more than welcome to stop by and bring me coffee and lunch and chocolates, but I’m going to work in the morning. End of story.”

  Caleb’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t push it. After a momentary stare-down, he folded and leaned in to give me a kiss. When he pulled away, he stroked my hair and smiled. “You were serious about the chocolates part, huh?”

  I shrugged one shoulder. “It wouldn’t hurt. I had a rough night.”

  He chuckled and kissed me again before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. I turned off the bedside lamp. When I laid back, Harmony laughed into the dark. “Nicely played, sis.”

  I smiled to myself and then closed my eyes. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll convince him I need a foot rub to settle my nerves.”

  Harmony snorted and turned off her own lamp. “Night, sis.”

  The shadow man was the last thing on my mind the next day when I arrived at the office. As expected, the Haven Herald ran the story of Aurelia’s attack, complete with photographs of the blown out windows and front doors. Also, as I’d predicted, ninety percent of my brides were in a panic, wondering about their existing gowns or about their upcoming consultations and fittings. I did my best to squash full-blown pandemonium but still felt like I’d been flattened by a Shimmer Bus by the end of the day.

  CeeCee poked her head in at five o’clock, already wrapped up in her lavender raincoat. “You’re still here.”

  It wasn’t so much a question as a deflated realization.

  “Caleb’s called my desk three times, you know,” she continued, giving me a pointed look. “He said he’d texted and called but no answer. I’m surprised he didn’t send over a contingent of agents to bust down your door and carry you back to your condo.”

  I smiled even as I propped my elbows on the edge of my desk and dropped my face into my hands, careful to avoid bumping the tender bruise under my eye. “That makes two of us.”

  “Are you avoiding him?”

  “No!” I said, a little too forcefully. “I’ve been on the phone all day making arrangements for clients to line up alternative designers and seamstresses. I saw Caleb’s calls and texts, but honestly, I’ve been too busy to reply. He’ll be fine. He’s coming over tonight for dinner.”

  CeeCee shuffled into the office and hitched her purse a little higher on her shoulder. The strap slid right back down again, unable to grip the shiny material of her waterproof coat. The Seattle Haven enjoyed the same weather climate as the human side, which meant the late fall months were nice and soggy.

  “You want to walk with me to the bus?” she asked. “I don’t mind waiting a little bit. All I’ve got waiting for me at home is a bowl of leftover soup and whatever episode of The Wednesday Witch they’re replaying on the soaps channel.”

  I smiled at her. “Don’t downplay it. We both kn
ow if you wanted company, you could go to that bar down the street from your place and get any guy you wanted to buy you a drink or a round of pool.”

  CeeCee was a willowy blonde with an easy smile and long, glossy hair. If she wanted a boyfriend, she could have anyone she wanted. Singlehood was her choice, much as it had been mine up until Caleb showed up.

  She returned my smile, adding a hint of mischief. “I think I’ll keep my date with Hunter Hughes instead,” she teased, winking at the reference to the soap opera’s hunky lead actor.

  I laughed. “Can’t argue with that.”

  “Come on,” she said, beckoning me. “Call it a night. You have your own Hunter Hughes waiting at home for you.”

  With a final look over the scattered mess of notes and paperwork on my desk, I surrendered. “All right,” I told her, nodding. “Give me two minutes.”

  “Meet you up front,” she said.

  I stacked the notes, scribbled a few reminders to myself for the following day, and chucked my day planner into my oversized purse. I locked my office door and went up to the reception desk where CeeCee was waiting for me. We fell into step and went down to the lobby and out onto the street. I’d returned the company car to Delphine that morning and was back to taking the bus.

  “So, how are you doing with everything?” CeeCee asked as we waited for the next Shimmer Bus to arrive at the covered stop outside the office building we’d just exited. “I saw the pictures in the paper this morning. I can’t believe you were there when the explosion happened. It’s like something out of a movie come to life.”

  “Yeah,” I scoffed, “a horror movie.”

  The streets were packed with after-work commuters, some set to leave the haven while others were battling the fleet of buses to get to wherever they were going—dinner reservations, happy hour, or home to the residential sections of the haven. It was all so normal, and for a moment, I felt somewhat outside it all, as if having some kind of out of body experience.

  “It’s lucky you weren’t seriously hurt,” CeeCee said, giving me a worried look.

  I bobbed my chin and then tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. The wind wasn’t too bad but it was drizzling out and I knew I’d want to run a comb through my thick chestnut waves before Caleb arrived. “I wish Aurelia had been as fortunate.”

  CeeCee’s gaze fell to the sidewalk. “Do you think she’s going to be okay?”

  I shrugged one shoulder and then adjusted my purse strap. “Caleb said the healers are trying, but it was a nasty curse.”

  “I just don’t get it,” CeeCee huffed, suddenly agitated. “Who would want to hurt Aurelia? She’s one of the nicest people in this entire town.”

  I scoffed. “I can think of one—”

  The remark startled both of us and I buttoned my lips.

  “What did you mean by that?” CeeCee asked.

  “Nothing,” I said, trying to wave it off.

  CeeCee cocked her head and pursed her lips.

  I sighed. “Well, there was that dust-up between her and Kara Kirk at the wedding show this weekend. When I was at her shop last night, I saw that she had her showpiece gown in the front window. If Kara saw that …”

  I trailed off and shrugged again.

  “Hmm. Maybe, but you know how the gossip reporters are,” CeeCee replied. “They always spin things and make it sound ten times worse than it actually was. For all we know, the whole thing was just a heated exchange.”

  I chewed the corner of my lip. “Well, actually, in this case, they got it right.”

  CeeCee’s eyes widened.

  “I was there when it happened,” I told her.

  She batted at my arm. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t think about it,” I said. Which, okay, was a tiny lie. As much as I adored CeeCee, her desk was smack dab in the middle of all the other assistants and support staff. A place where gossip and speculation were traded like currency and everyone lived for a juicy story.

  “Besides,” I added, “the Herald actually got most of it right this time, so I didn’t really have anything to add.”

  CeeCee was pensive for a moment, perking when our bus rounded the corner. “Do you really think Kara was angry enough to attack Aurelia?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, they threw some spells around at the convention center, right in front of a whole crowd of people, so if they were alone and things went off the rails …” I didn’t finish the sentence and quickly shook my head. “It’s just a silly theory. I think I’ll let Caleb handle the detective work. I just hope whoever is responsible is found soon.”

  The Shimmer Bus pulled up alongside the curb and with a hum, expanded out to reveal the doors at the front and middle of the bullet-shaped vehicle. CeeCee ushered me forward and I stepped onto the bus and found a pair of seats. We didn’t speak any further about the attack, but when I got off at my stop and rode the elevator to my condo, the fight scene between the two witches replayed through my head and I wondered if maybe my out-of-nowhere theory had some weight to it after all.

  Aurelia’s designs were often called to die for, but was it possible they were also to kill for, as well?

  Chapter 5

  “Did you get any deliveries at work today?”

  I smiled at Caleb from my place at the dining room table as he busied himself plating the food from the takeout cartons he’d brought over. “I might have gotten a little something.”

  He returned my grin and then poured the wine. “Good.”

  “Sorry I couldn’t call or answer your texts,” I said. “It was a hectic day. Believe me, the chocolate roses were much-needed fuel.”

  “That’s all right,” he replied, bringing me a glass of wine and a plate stacked with food. As a part-shifter, he had the metabolism of a hummingbird and had no concept of portion control. If I ate the portions he routinely served me, I’d be in search of a new wardrobe within a month.

  “Thank you,” I said as he placed the meal before me, already mentally dividing the mountain of peanut noodles into four servings.

  “I had a busy day myself,” he said, returning to the kitchen to grab his own plate and wine glass. He joined me and we dug into the food. “The boss tried to pull me off the case because of my personal connection,” he said, gesturing at me with his chopsticks. “Surprisingly, Bloom stood up for me. Apparently, he and the sergeant are golf buddies.”

  From the niggling crease between his brow, I could tell this annoyed him, even though it had helped him under the current circumstances.

  “We spent most of the day combing through the dress shop. We even had some specially-trained fairies come in to try and reveal any lingering magic to get a clue as to what might have attacked both you and Aurelia, but they couldn’t find any trace of a curse or hex. It’s like it just … vanished.”

  I frowned into my entree and twirled my chopsticks through the noodles. “And Aurelia is still in a coma?”

  Caleb’s mouth tightened as he nodded.

  I took a bite, though the normally satisfying meal tasted bland as I thought of Aurelia in her hospital bed. They’d let me see her for a few minutes before I was discharged. Aurelia was a petite witch and looked even smaller in the stark white coverlet of her hospital bed. She’d been breathing on her own, but her normally glowing complexion was ashen and grey and her dark hair had gone pure white, the effect like a cloud of spiderwebs hovering around her sunken face.

  “The whole department is on the case, Ana,” Caleb said, concern etched on his face. “We’ll figure out who did this.”

  I tried to smile at his assurance, but it didn’t quite shine through the darkness hanging overhead.

  We ate in silence for a while, and I was tempted to offer to move the meal into the living room—even though I hated the idea of eating on my pricey sofa—simply to have the distraction of the TV. CeeCee’s theory came back to me and I paused, my chopsticks hovering over the lukewarm dinner. “Are you looking at Kara Kirk?” I asked.

/>   Caleb looked up, his expression blank. “Who?”

  “The designer Aurelia fought with at the wedding convention,” I replied. “CeeCee and I were talking about it tonight, and I’ll admit it seems far-fetched, but then again, they seemed pretty angry and ready to throw down on Saturday. The whole thing made the paper on Sunday morning.”

  “Hmm.” Caleb mulled it over for a moment, as he took a few more bites. Unlike me, he’d finish the entire portion he’d served up, and likely had some kind of dessert stashed away when he was done.

  “I don’t know if you noticed, but the dress in Aurelia’s shop window was the one that walked the runway on Saturday, the one that seemed to start the fight between her and Kara.”

  Caleb smiled. “I wasn’t paying that close of attention to the fashion show, baby.”

  I laughed softly. “And here I expected a five-page report.”

  He chuckled but then fell pensive again. “I’ll pay Ms. Kirk a visit tomorrow, first thing.”

  “Can’t hurt,” I replied. I sipped my wine, washing down my final bite, and then pushed my plate away. Caleb looked at the leftover food but didn’t say anything. “I still just can’t see why anyone would want to hurt Aurelia. I mean, even with Kara, I can’t help thinking some argument over a dress design isn’t worth hurting, or even killing someone, is it?”

  Caleb shrugged. “You’d be surprised. I’ve covered my share of murders and the motives can often seem petty. A lot of times, it’s a domino effect. Things stack up and stack up, and when one domino finally falls, things can get messy in a hurry.”

  “I’ve never heard any other rumors about Aurelia having issues with designers,” I said. “She’s well respected in the industry.”

  “Yes,” Caleb agreed, “but that level of success can often bring out a handful of green-eyed monsters, and some of those monsters have nasty claws.”

  “I suppose that’s true.”

  “At this point, it doesn’t look to be a robbery gone wrong,” Caleb said, reaching for his wine glass. “The cash register was busted open in the blast, but all the money was still inside. Aurelia’s office had a wall safe and the wards weren’t tampered with. If someone had tried to get past them, there would be signs in the magic, but they were fully intact. She also had quite pricey materials in her studio—precious gemstones, crystals, diamond-encrusted tiaras—all of which our dwarf jewel consultant deemed authentic. If someone targeted her for monetary purposes, they would have cleaned all that out. So, from an investigative standpoint, we’re pegging this as personal.”