“I’m a reporter, remember? You’re the one who decided it would be a respectable career for me.”
“I don’t mind, Hyacinth,” Lionel said. “Any press is good press as far as I’m concerned.” The vampire speared a potato and popped it into his mouth. “My name in the paper means free publicity for Simply Sparkles.”
I wondered if he’d feel that way if he were arrested for murder. Probably not the kind of publicity he had in mind.
Lionel sipped from his goblet. “Hyacinth, I just want to say that this meal is everything I expected from Thornhold and then some. The wine is spectacular.”
My aunt beamed as though she’d stomped on the grapes herself. “Why, thank you, Lionel. It’s from a vineyard in Shimmering Hills. One of my personal favorites.”
“I’m not at all surprised. I visited there myself a few years ago. Now that I’m tasting this, I think I should book another trip.”
“What about you, Mother?” Florian asked. “A trip like that might do you good.”
She looked down her nose at the wizard. “Do me good? Do I seem in need?”
He shrank back. “No, of course not. I only mean that you enjoy wine and you haven’t taken a trip in ages. You and Craig could go together.”
Aunt Hyacinth looked at Lionel. “Can you believe this? My own son is trying to get rid of me, probably so he can throw a party in my house.”
Florian groaned and sucked down his third glass of ale. “I was only thinking of you.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Linnea said. “You deserve a getaway.”
“A discussion for another time,” my aunt said.
“Yes,” I said, a little too forcefully. I needed to steer the conversation back to Winston York so I could get Lionel to answer my questions. With a couple glasses of wine in his system, I might have a shot at loosening his tongue. “So did you see Winston York this week, Mr. Lattimer?” Oh well. Subtlety was never my strong suit.
Lionel chuckled. “Like a dog with a bone. An excellent quality in a reporter.”
“Forgive her lack of tact, darling,” my aunt said. “Some wild beasts cannot be tamed.”
“She’s from New Jersey,” Hudson added.
“Ah, I see.” Lionel sliced through his roast beef. “As it happens, I did see Winston and I’m glad of it, given that it was the last chance I’d ever have. Despite our differences, I admired him greatly.”
“Where did you see him?” I pressed.
“Balefire Beach the evening before he died,” Lionel said.
“What made you decide to go to the beach?” I asked.
“Same reason as Winston. Because that was the best place to begin the search. According to eyewitnesses, the tepen came ashore there so I wanted to look for clues to its current location to pass along to my assistant.”
“Did you find any?” Bryn asked.
“Nothing that panned out.” Lionel tipped the gravy boat and smothered his remaining beef. “No magic tonight, Hyacinth? I’ve been waiting on myself, it seems.”
“As a vampire, I thought you’d be more comfortable without enhancements,” my aunt said.
Wow. Aunt Hyacinth was letting him criticize her hostessing? She must really like his cosmetics.
“What did you and York talk about?” I asked.
“We exchanged the usual pleasantries,” Lionel said. “He asked if I intended to disrupt his pursuit of the tepen. I told him that I had no intention of doing so, but that it could very well be a byproduct of pursuing my own interests.”
I swallowed a mouthful of potatoes. I was a sucker for buttered carbs. And salted carbs. And sugared carbs. Basically carbs.
“And how did he respond?” I asked.
“As expected. He asked me to leave the area and not to go after the tepen or the egg. It was the same conversation we’ve had many times before, just swap the last creature we squabbled over for the word ‘tepen.’”
“Which creature was that?” Bryn asked.
Aunt Hyacinth looked at her sharply. “Does it matter, dear?”
“I was just curious who won that round,” Bryn said.
I had to admit, it was a nice surprise to watch my young cousin blossom before my very eyes. It seemed that rare and endangered supernatural creatures was a button we didn’t know we could press.
“If you must know, Winston won that round,” Lionel replied. “He always had a knack for ferreting out these monsters. It was his gift. If I could’ve hired him, I would have.”
“Did you try?” I asked.
“Naturally. Several times over the years. He wasn’t motivated by money though.” Lionel sounded bemused. “In the end, I couldn’t find a carrot he was willing to bite. He didn’t need anything from me.”
“I understand how frustrating that must’ve been for you,” Aunt Hyacinth said. “It’s challenging to get the result you want when the usual methods don’t apply.”
I briefly wondered whether she was referring to my father. When he’d fled Starry Hollow with me after my mother died, it had been to keep me away from the family. To let me grow up outside of the magical world and out from under my aunt’s thumb. Sometimes I wondered what my father would think of this—of Marley and I living in Rose Cottage and having weekly dinners at Thornhold. I didn’t want to disappoint him. At the same time, I truly felt that coming here had been the positive change we didn’t know we needed in our lives. I was a repo agent in a crappy apartment with no sign of improvement. Starry Hollow changed all that for the better. If my aunt’s thumb was the price I had to pay for this, then so be it.
“You must have access to all sorts of toxins in your line of work,” I said.
“Absolutely. They’re an integral part of my business.”
“Anything that acts similar to the tepen’s poison?” I asked.
He frowned. “Why do you ask?”
“I was just thinking that maybe you don’t need the tepen. Maybe you already have a substance that acts similarly enough to the one you’re after.”
Lionel’s polite facade was beginning to show signs of wear and tear. “If you must know, my team already has a product in mind based on the properties we believe the tepen possesses. The fact that my main competitor is in town tells me I’m not the only one to think this. Everyone with brains in this business recognizes the value of the tepen.”
“Which competitor?” Aunt Hyacinth asked.
“Amanda M’Leigh from You Glow Girl Cosmetics.”
“You’ve seen her?” I asked.
“Hard to miss the stubborn witch. She travels with an entourage of feline companions.”
“Awesome,” Hudson said. “When I’m older, I want to travel with an entourage of dogs.”
“You will,” Aunt Hyacinth sniffed. “They’re called your father’s family.”
Lattimer gave a rueful shake of his head. “Ms. M’Leigh is under the misguided impression that she can get to the tepen before I can.”
“And why do you think she can’t?” I asked. If he made a sexist comment, he was going to find the ends of his mustache dipped in cyanide.
“Because she lacks my experience. I’m a vampire, my dear. I’ve been pursuing rare ingredients for my products before that banshee was even in diapers.”
Not that I wanted anyone to seize the tepen for financial reasons, but I fully supported this Amanda M’Leigh in her efforts to kick his smug vampire butt—unless, of course, she was responsible for the murder of Winston York.
“You must’ve been angry when a mere mortal like York seemed poised to outmaneuver you yet again,” I said.
“I’m competitive, Ms. Rose, but never angry. My assistant and I simply carried on with our own search and left him recording.”
I latched on to the mention of an assistant. “You were with someone at the beach?”
“Yes, Farley travels everywhere with me. He’s small and spry, able to fit in places where I can’t. He used to be a petty thief until I convinced him to join my team and earn an h
onest living.”
Hey, the vampire has his own Raoul, the raccoon said.
And yet there’s no sign of Farley under the table with you. How did I get so lucky?
“With Winston York out of the way, we have an excellent shot at finding the tepen before anyone else. May the best paranormal win-that’s my motto.”
“In my experience, the best paranormal usually does,” my aunt added.
Two smug elitists. How delightful. Lionel raised the goblet to his lips, his air of superiority fully intact.
“An international icon is dead,” I said. “Even if you manage to capture the tepen, trust me, I don’t think anybody’s coming out a winner this time around.”
Chapter Ten
The next morning, I awoke to a text from Sheriff Nash asking me to meet him at his office for an update on the investigation. I rolled over and dropped the phone beside me on the bed. I wasn’t quite ready to face the day yet. At the base of the bed, PP3 whimpered.
You have a magic lesson this morning, don’t forget. You’ll need to figure out how to fit in the sheriff without screwing up your other responsibilities, an annoyingly bossy voice said. Knowing your limitations is part of setting yourself up for a successful day.
I groaned and wrapped the pillow around my ears. “The only bossy voice I should be hearing in my bedroom at this hour is my own.”
Raoul climbed onto the bed, prompting a growl from the territorial Yorkshire terrier.
Marley flung open the bedroom door. “Mom, I can’t find my purple cloak and it’s spirit day.”
“Great, now it’s a party.” I released the pillow and sat up. “Did you check the pile of clothes on your dresser that you haven’t put away?”
Marley’s eyes narrowed. “I think you mean the pile of clothes on your dresser that you haven’t given to me to put away?”
I followed her gaze to the top of my dresser where, sure enough, clothes were draped across the top after a half-hearted attempt at folding them. “Oops.”
Marley crossed the room and tugged the purple cloak from where it was nestled between multiple articles of clothing. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”
Boy, her threshold is pretty low.
I flipped back the covers far enough that they settled on the raccoon’s head. PP3 leaped from the corner of the bed and followed me to the bathroom. I started to close the door between us so he couldn’t follow.
“I don’t need an audience, thanks.”
Do you want me to respond to the sheriff for you? Raoul asked.
There were far too many ways that could go wrong. Do not touch my phone, I warned.
When you say don’t touch it, that’s the same as permission, right?
Sweet baby Elvis. I bolted from the bathroom and swiped the phone from the raccoon’s paws. “Can you even type in English?”
Don’t worry. I sent one of those funny pictures.
I scanned the sent text to see whether there was a cause for concern. My eyes popped when I saw what he’d sent. “Raoul, that’s not a funny picture. How did you even find that?” The image was a nearly naked woman writhing on the beach. Her back was arched suggestively and she displayed an ample amount of side boob. “He’s going to think I’m sexting him!” I closed my eyes and prayed for mercy.
Can’t you delete it?
“Not if he’s already read it.” Which, according to the bottom of the text message, he had. I quickly typed an apology and told him that Raoul had been playing on my phone. I hoped he believed it or it would be one awkward meeting in his office later.
Now that you’re texting him, you might as well give him a time.
I gave the trash panda the stink eye as I typed a response. “Happy now?”
I’ll let you know at the end of the day when we can fully evaluate.
I returned to the bathroom to shower and change and, this time, the phone came with me. I had just enough time to wolf down breakfast and kiss Marley goodbye before Calla appeared on the doorstep. Although this wasn’t a Hyacinth-sanctioned lesson, the crone and former High Priestess had taken pity on me and agreed to help me with Marley’s herb garden so that I didn’t destroy it. I wanted to show Marley that I cared about the things that were important to her.
“Good morning, Ember.” The elderly witch entered the cottage and removed her cloak. She dropped it straight onto Raoul. The raccoon simply took it in stride and dragged the cloak to the coat rack in the corner.
“Thanks for coming,” I said. “I appreciate your willingness to help.”
“I may no longer be the High Priestess, but I’m happy to serve the coven in any way I can.” A shiny barrette in the shape of a flower pinned back her thinning white hair.
“I also appreciate your discretion.” I didn’t want anyone to know I was getting remedial help with a garden. It was bad enough that I still had a parade of tutors and everyone believed my magic would be eclipsed by my adolescent daughter any day now.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, you know. It isn’t your fault that you didn’t grow up in your own skin.”
You should offer her a drink.
Are you my accountability coach or my etiquette coach?
I’m holding your manners accountable.
“Would you like a drink, Calla?”
“No, I’d like to get out to this herb garden of yours. Nothing makes me happier than spending time in nature.”
“You and Jarek would get along well.”
The wrinkles of her brow deepened. “Who’s this Jarek? It doesn’t sound like a wizard name.”
“He’s a tree nymph. He’s here to protect the tepen from interference.”
Calla narrowed her eyes at the mention of the tepen. “Yes, I’ve heard all about the sighting.” She produced a wand and extended it the length of a walking stick. Handy.
I opened the door and gestured for her to go first. “You don’t seem impressed,” I said.
She blew a raspberry. “A lot of fuss over nothing special, I say. It’s the circle of life. I don’t see why the tepen needs to be so dramatic about it. Marching into the sea to its doom like its fate is so different from the rest of us. Get a grip.”
I laughed at the idea of the tepen as a drama queen.
“You have rare plants right here in this garden that are more interesting than that creature,” Calla continued. “Take that one, for example. It has flowers that bloom one day a year. One single day.”
“Exactly. Marley works so hard on cultivating these plants. I don’t want to be responsible for messing them up and ruining things like that.”
“Then perhaps not touching them is the way to go.” She sniffed the air. “I can tell you one thing for certain, these herbs don’t need to be watered with dog pee.”
Ooh. Fair enough. “I’ll make an effort to keep PP3 away from this area.”
Calla’s attention shifted back to me, her expression unreadable.
“What’s wrong? Do I smell like dog pee too?” That was a distinct possibility.
The elderly witch scrutinized me. “I sense a change in you.”
My hands flew to rest on my hips. “Did Hazel put you up to this? I told that crazed clown that I am too young for menopause.”
The white-haired witch continued to examine me. “What have you done?”
“Done?” My mind immediately began sorting through all the things I felt guilty about. I didn’t answer the phone last week when Aster called because I didn’t feel like listening to ten stories about the twins and their accomplishments. I let the cashier at the grocery store charge me two coins less for the fruit I bought and didn’t correct her.
Calla’s gaze shifted to the cottage and back to me. She proceeded to walk through the herb garden, hunched over so that she could see each plant.
“Um, are you looking for something in particular?” I asked.
She continued moving from plant to plant. “I want to see if you’ve accidentally planted something you shouldn’t have. Something potent
.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Have you smoked this one?” She aimed her wand at a thriving green plant with purple spikes.
“I can smoke it?” That was news to me.
She waved her wand back and forth. “No, you shouldn’t smoke any of these.” She paused and pointed at another plant. “Except maybe that one if you’re in the mood to feel groovy.”
I made a mental note.
“Is there anything I should get rid of? Anything that’s too advanced?” I didn’t want Marley to inadvertently hurt herself with any of the herbs. She was still young and learning.
“No, no. All good choices.” She looked at me. “Though even the most harmless herb can be dangerous if used the right way.”
“You mean incorrectly,” I said.
Her cracked lips curved into a gentle smile. “I guess that depends on your intention, doesn’t it?”
“I bet you wreaked some havoc when you were younger,” I said. Calla had a naughty streak; I just knew it.
“It’s the havoc you might wreak that concerns me now.” Her mischievous smile faded as she cocked her head, studying me. “Your energy is…different.”
A lump formed in my throat. Would she be able to sense Ivy’s magic? Maybe it was because we were close to the cottage where my ancestor’s possessions were hidden.
Calla tore her gaze away and tapped her walking wand on the ground. Then she walked forward a few paces ad stopped in front of the patch of earth where I’d recovered Ivy’s Book of Shadows.
“Nothing grows here,” she said. “Yet something was buried.” She shoved the end of her stick into the dirt and began to chant.
“Whoa, what are you doing?”
She peered at me. “Helping you with the garden. You don’t want to waste this valuable real estate, do you?” She closed her eyes and concentrated.
“Yes, but what are you doing to it?” I asked, trying to tamp down on my nerves. I couldn’t let Calla figure out what had been buried here. There was no way she’d keep information like that to herself. As a former High Priestess, she would have a sense of obligation to the coven.
She opened one eye and trained it on me. “There’s a spell that can help me determine the issue. Once I know, I can use magic to repair the earth.” She closed the eye and started again. “I think the energy I sense is coming from this spot, not from you.”
Magic & Monsters (Starry Hollow Witches Book 12) Page 10