The Swedish Days Swindle

by J. B. Michaels

  “Any priors?”

  “Not as far as I know, but the brother I shot did.”

  “Okay hopefully there will be some family resemblance then and I can distribute a pic to my team.”

  “Yes, they do look alike. Vince keep me updated.”

  “Sure thing. Bye.”

  Mac shook his head and mulled the possibility of the Bucs having some sort of magical power or at least found someone who did and was using he or she like they used Vic and Millie. Mac opened the blinds and looked out to the blue sky. A beautiful summer morning. He sighed and wished he could just read a book and relax. He still didn’t feel right from the hex.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Millie walked out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her. Mac tried not to gawk at her but it was difficult given her overall attractive look. He looked at the carpet in Millie’s room. Things were happening to his body and he needed to maintain his focus.

  “I know who did this to you. I think we have been targeted by a group of thieves that I almost caught. They are following the same pattern they did six years ago. The body we found was pure luck, but its connected to who abducted me and forced you to rob the bank. I’m pretty sure of it.”

  “Pretty sure?”

  “I think they may be forcing a magic-user to help them. They put the hex on me. Maybe they are magic users themselves, I don’t know…”

  “Well, it makes sense they are framing me and took you out of the equation for revenge purposes, I guess? Or, maybe they just don’t want you interfering? What they don’t know is that you are no longer cursed—so at least there’s that.”

  “Yes, but what good am I if I’m stuck at 272? I’m not sure Halloran, the Bucs supposed leader, is driven by revenge or vengeance. In my experience, he is only focused on one thing: money and the acquisition of it.”

  “You don’t think he targeted you for revenge? He allegedly had someone put a dangerous hex on you and framed me. You think we are being targeted, well, I say we have already been shot down. They must have watched us, stalked us, for a while. Maybe that is how the Coven got wind of me buying up so much essence of hummingbird in the first place. Listen, there is a ton to figure out, but I still have to catch that damn leprechaun. Have Mom and Dad look into the magic situation while you stay here and lay low, Mac. I already had Mom looking into things before the situation got way worse. I am not kidding, Mac, you need to chill here.” Millie meant business.

  “I’ll lay low, I promise. We should probably get breakfast.” Mac could feel Millie’s intensity. She’d been through a lot and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Mac resigned himself to laying low.

  “I will be right down.” Millie shut the door to her bedroom as Mac walked out.

  He leaned on his cane until he reached the steps then used the railing for balance. It smelled like bacon and freshly brewed coffee. He looked forward to breakfast and would figure out some way to be part of the action. There had to be a way without alerting anyone to his presence or lack of a hexed state.

  He reached the bottom of the stairs and took a U-turn towards the kitchen. The smell of bacon grew even stronger as he walked toward the kitchen.

  “Wow. Hank did you slaughter an entire pig?”

  “We had the bacon and thought I would just cook up the whole package. It’s fine, we don’t do it often.” Hank laid bacon strips onto a sheet of tin foil, next to many, many more bacon strips.

  “Now Mac, I hope you like your coffee strong. Super strong. It should be ready by now.” Becca chimed in from the kitchen island. She prepped plates and silverware.

  “I take it strong. Love it strong. Besides I could use the jolt. I’m still not feeling great.” Mac grabbed a plate then moved toward the bacon strips.

  “Eggs are in that pan with the lid on it, Mac.” Hank said.

  “Thanks, so much, you two. This is wonderful.” Mac bit into some bacon.

  “Good morning Mom and Dad.” Millie entered the kitchen dressed and ready for the day: a softball jersey and shorts. Mac loved the look.

  “Millie, you found your old jersey I see. You sure you don’t want to borrow one of my shirts?” Becca judged.

  “Mom, its’ fine. Also, you never told me if you found out who may have been monitoring our purchases at the Morris shop?” Millie grabbed a plate.

  “I called Mary, the head of the Coven chapter here in Geneva, and she was very weird on the phone. Like, really strange. I assured her you were using the essence of hummingbird responsibly and she just dismissed what I said, then told me she couldn’t talk right now. Isn’t that rude?” Becca poured some coffee then sat at the kitchen table.

  “When was this strange phone conversation, Mom?” Millie and Mac made eye contact.

  “I know, it is odd. Isn’t it? Um, I called her last night after we got off the phone.”

  “Mom, can you and Dad go over to her house today and just check on her and her family? Mac and I have reason to believe they may be in some sort of danger.”

  “What kind of danger? You think they did this to Mac? I don’t think so—”

  Millie cut her off. “Mom, listen. We think that someone or some group forced them to do this to Mac and me. They may be in grave danger from a gang of thieves that already killed a man and are planning to rob Swedish Days. Mary’s husband, Jeff, is the head wizard of the Coven, right?”

  “Yes, they run the chapter and monitor everything.” Becca answered.

  “Eat breakfast quick. I need to go downtown and take care of something. You and Dad head to Mary and Jeff’s.”

  “Wait, before you go, in the glove compartment of my car is an earpiece, I want you to wear so I can talk to you when you are out today, Millie.” Mac chimed in then slurped some coffee.

  “Mac it won’t be like you are there. You need to promise me you will stay here if I put in the earbud or whatever it is. If it dies, you have to stay put. Promise?” Millie opened her eyes wide.

  “Yes, yes. I promise.” Mac smiled.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Becca and Hank walked down the street their ultimate destination not far. Mary and Jeff lived in the same subdivision as them, Witchhazel Meadows. Not everyone who lived there were magic users. It just so happened that the subdivision’s name was rather fitting of a few neighbor’s roles, mainly Becca, Mary, and Jeff.

  “Now Bec, we shouldn’t just march up to the door. Let’s look around first.” Hank noted.

  Becca carried a cookie tin. “I know, Hank, don’t tell me what to do. That’s why I brought the cookie tin: to make it look like we have a reason to go to the house, idiot.”

  “Are there even cookies in it?”

  “Yes, but only two since you ate the rest of them. We need to go on more walks, Hank. I am serious—your belly is getting huge. I don’t want to have to wheel you around places.”

  “They were really good! Beck—stop. Do you recognize that car?” Hank stopped at the street corner where Mary and Jeff lived. They had a two story house with gray siding and white trim. Nothing fancy. In the driveway was a black muscle car…a Charger, from the look of it.

  “No. They don’t drive anything like that. Unless they got a new car recently.”

  “Well, that’s our first clue that something may not be right. Let’s keep going.” Hank walked ahead of Becca.

  Millie’s parents walked closer to the house. The drapes were drawn over all the windows. The blinds too, leaving no way to look inside.

  “You don’t think they are still asleep, are they?” Hank asked.

  “It’s Sunday, they could still be asleep. Let’s go knock on the door.” Becca drew closer to the front door. Hank followed.

  She cleared her throat, then rang the doorbell.

  “Thought you said you were gonna knock, Becca.”

  “Oh, shut up Hank. It’s not even noon and I’m ready to kill you.” Becca pressed the doorbell again.

  They could hear the faint, audible tone in the house through the door.r />
  A few ticks of the clock. Nothing.

  “Try actually knocking this time,” Hank said.

  Becca knocked on the storm door.

  Again, there was no answer, no footsteps creaking the floor toward the door.

  “Hank, l think we should just go, but I also have an idea. We should call Nick.”

  “How exactly will Nick help in this situation, Bec?”

  Becca turned away from the door and started the walk back to 272. She handed Hank the cookie tin and pulled out her cellphone.

  “Hey Nick. I have a favor to ask you. If you are busy, don’t even worry about it.”

  Hank rolled his eyes, worried about what Becca had in mind.

  “Could you come over to the house? I’ll fill you in when you here. Thanks so much—did you have breakfast yet? We have plenty, so come hungry.” Becca continued her walk. “We will see you soon!”

  Hank couldn’t figure out how Nick could possibly help in this situation. Still, he followed Becca. Hopefully, her plan to figure out what was going on in Mary and Jeff’s house would work. However crazy it may be.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Millie didn’t like the way the earpiece jammed into her ear. She had small ears and even the small size ear bud didn’t fit in a comfortable way. Still, she did it for Mac: to keep him part of the action as he sequestered himself in 272.

  “Millie, can you hear me?” Mac’s voice burst from static to clarity in seconds.

  “Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me?” Millie asked.

  “Loud and clear. Any sign of the leprechaun?”

  “I just got here, Mac.” Millie exited her parent’s silver sedan she borrowed since she’d left her car at the bank and for, obvious reasons, couldn’t take Mac’s car.

  “Okay, well, let me know when you find him. Are vendors starting to set up there?”

  “I am not on Third Street yet, but it is Sunday. It may be another hour before they start setting up? Why?”

  “Vince said there would be lots of plainclothes policemen around the vendors since they are expecting Swedish Days to be hit today. Just wondering. Remember, just push your ear if you want to get a hold of me.”

  “Will do and I will keep you updated. Don’t worry. Are Mom and Dad back yet?” Millie paced the sidewalk in front of Geneva Salem Bank. She looked around. A woman in activewear walked her dog across the street; otherwise, the streets were empty. A sleepy Sunday morning.

  “I see them walking back to the house now. I’ll keep you updated.”

  “All right. Talk to you later.” Millie put a finger up to her right ear. She felt foolish as if play-acting a secret service agent or something. The witch mulled whether or not to use magic to find the leprechaun. Leprechauns, by nature, knew how to use magic effectively and evade magic effectively. Elusive, unpredictable, and mischievous yet driven by one thing: the acquisition of money and the protection of said monetary valuations.

  Millie tried to think of where he might have gone the night before. The concert tent in front of the courthouse? The rides and attractions in the back parking lot of the large courthouse? Millie decided to take a walk down to Third Street and just check things out.

  The All Cocoa Kitchen vendor had started to set up their tent, bringing in fuel cans to melt the chocolate fountain displayed to entice customers.

  “Good morning. That looks fantastic.” Millie smiled.

  “Well, that’s the idea. Good morning! We’re just getting set up here. Come back in a few minutes and we will take care of you,” a man in a chef’s hat and a white beard said.

  “Thanks, will do.” Millie scanned the tent for Dermot the leprechaun, but also noticed something key to the investigation. The man set down a metal case that held cash, one would assume, and he also set down a cash bag next to it. The bags were not unlike the bags the bank used, except this one was labeled rather crudely with masking tape labeled, ‘For Chamber.’ Millie quickly turned and walked away from the tent.

  The cash bags she was forced to steal had been revealed. This group of thieves really did their homework. The Geneva Chamber of Commerce must have given each vendor a cash bag to include their portion of the daily earnings. Event income was a big revenue stream. Mille’s fiscal knowledge came in handy yet again. They must be planning to steal from the Chamber of Commerce by switching the cash bags!

  She walked further down Third Street, south toward the train tracks. Millie observed another vendor, The Geneva Wine Cellar, setting up with another cash bag similar to the one at the All Cocoa Kitchen. Her theory so far held some weight.

  The further Millie walked, the more her brain activated. The more she reflected on the events of last night, the more she realized there may be some connection between all of it. Maybe Mac was right. The Bucs, the magic users, the coercion, the aggression. The calculated moves to take out both her and Mac, proven sleuths with considerable grit.

  Who would buy up more essence of hummingbird in her name and totally block her from accessing the Morris shop? How much essence did they buy and how much did it cost?

  Time to call Marie.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Millie turned around and made her way back to the bank. The temperature rose steadily, but the humidity didn’t feel quite as thick as last night. The weather was pleasant and Millie suffered no headache.

  She pulled her phone from her jean shorts pocket.

  Static burst in her right ear.

  Mac.

  “Your Mom called in your brother Nick to help watch Mary and Jeff’s house. They went up to the door. No one answered, but a car they didn’t recognize was in the driveway. So, yeah, there’s that.”

  “What the hell is Nick going to do help?” Millie threw her hands up.

  “Not sure, but that is the current plan. We don’t know if they are controlling Mary and Jeff quite yet. Nick will watch the house until something happens and keep us informed.”

  “Why can’t they just do it?” Millie asked, annoyed.

  “They think they would be noticed too easily. I asked if Nick had magical spying powers and your Mom nodded her head. Do you know what that means? She didn’t go into specifics because she got distracted.”

  “I have no idea what she is talking about. I’ll tackle that situation later. I have a theory on why they had me steal the cash bags. The vendors share profits and submit a portion of their daily earnings to the Geneva Chamber of Commerce.”

  “Ah, so they use the cash bags to give to the Chamber. Every night? At the end of each day?”

  “Not sure about that. But the Bucs could switch the bags and fill them with something else. Or, who knows how they do it—there could be others involved.”

  “Still just seems like a lot of effort for not that big of a score, you know what I mean? Of course, I don’t know. How much revenue does Swedish Days generate, Mills?”

  “Over the five day run of the festival, it’s a pretty hefty amount of cash. Nothing to sneeze at.” Millie made it back to the front of the bank. She looked around for Dermot again. The little magical creature was nowhere to be found.

  “Still, it’s something to go on. Good work Mills. I’ll call Vince and tip him off on the cash bag situation. Tell him you know because you work with the Chamber of Commerce at the bank. Won’t hurt.” Mac said.

  “Great. I will talk to you later.” Millie immediately dialed Marie’s number.

  “Hello Millie, how’s Mac doing?” Marie asked.

  “He is on the mend. Doing well, thanks for asking. I have a question for you… the last transaction that was supposedly mine—which it wasn’t. How much was it for?”

  “It was a large transaction. I almost couldn’t believe it, in fact, I still can’t: ten grand. All cash.”

  “Whoa. You had ten thousand dollars worth of hummingbird essence at the store?” Millie couldn’t believe it: that was the exact amount the sinister voice had her steal from the bank.

  “I did after you kept ordering it.
My supplier doesn’t charge me so I just stockpiled it.”

  “The order was processed online? How did you receive the order?

  “You texted me from Mac’s phone. And the text said to send the order to Mac’s place. I sent it out immediately with a courier and gave him a few bucks to rush the order. Whoever bought it sent the cash via magic transfer. It appeared on the counter as soon as the courier dropped it off at Mac’s address.”

  “Wow. I think I know where that money came from. Sit tight. I am coming to the store now, Marie. Is the money still there?”

  “Yes, in the goblin vault. I’ll meet you there in a bit, just let me get dressed first. Why are you coming, again?” Marie asked. Her voice sounded annoyed and tinged with a sense of confusion.

  “I think you may get an unwanted visit from a leprechaun who thinks that money is his pot of gold.”

  “Why would a leprechaun think that? Who summons those little pains in the ass?”

  “I summoned him and he opened the bank vault. It was the only way to get Mac back. I was supposed to meet him last night and totally forgot in all the excitement.”

  “Why did he let you take the money in the first place?”

  “At the time he said he just wanted the night to himself. One thing we know about leprechauns is that they will seek out what they think is theirs. I’m just guessing, honestly, but if I am right, he will be following the money that he thinks is his—from the vault that he opened. Want to help me catch a leprechaun?”

  “You aren’t making sense, Millie. Don’t lie to me. He didn’t just want the night to himself. He wanted his money back, too. Didn’t he?”

  “Shit. Yes, he wanted the money back too.”

  “Well, you ditched and crossed a leprechaun and flagged the Coven. You are on a roll, Millie.” Marie’s voice provided no comfort.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine