Cloaks and Daggers

by Annabel Chase

  “Don’t worry,” the nymph with the camera said.

  I forced a smile. “What makes you think I’m worried?”

  “You have that look,” she said. “I see it a lot, so I recognize it. It’s sort of like a possum in the headlights.”

  “Don’t you mean a deer in the headlights?”

  The nymph shook her head. “No, I mean a possum with her babies. If a car comes by, she’ll get those bright eyes like a deer, but also kind of a vicious look because she’s got her babies with her.” She zigzagged a finger in front of my face. “That’s what you have going on right now.” She patted my shoulder. “Completely understandable. You’re a new mother. You’re reacting the way any good mother would.”

  “It’s unnerving to have all these strangers in a house with my baby,” I admitted. “I’m not even used to being in a house with her yet.”

  The nymph laughed. “I have a son, so I totally get it. My name’s Jackie, by the way.” She stuck out her hand and I shook it.

  “Emma. It’s nice to meet you.” I motioned to the large camera with her. “You’re part of the crew?”

  Jackie nodded. “Yep. I’ve been doing this for three seasons now. I used to work on a different reality show—Amish Vampires—but I like this gig much better. We get to travel to cool places like this. Spellbound was on my bucket list and now here I am.”

  “It would have been on mine too, if I’d known it existed,” I said.

  Jackie gave me a funny look. She obviously didn’t know my story.

  Andrea rushed toward us, snapping her fingers. “We’re losing the good light, everyone. Let’s stick to the program.” She disappeared into the dining room, probably to rearrange the furniture and toss out my favorite candlesticks.

  “She’s quite the taskmaster, isn’t she?” I whispered.

  Jackie laughed. “She kind of has to be. Adam would have a meltdown if anything was out of place.”

  “Who’s Adam?” I asked.

  “He’s the producer of the show,” Jackie said. “He’s around. He’s probably going through the checklist with the other couple now. We’re running behind schedule with paperwork for this episode because of a last minute change.”

  “Wait,” I said. “There’s another couple? I don’t understand.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Jackie said. “Didn’t Andrea explain that to you?”

  I frowned. “I watched an episode, but I only saw one couple.”

  “That’s because you only see the couple that we choose,” Jackie said. “We always film two couples looking at the same houses. Then we go with whichever one pops on the screen.”

  That didn’t seem very authentic, but what did I know about television production?

  “So we’ll have two couples staying overnight here?” I began to worry that we wouldn’t have enough space.

  “It’s fine,” Jackie said. “We do this all the time and your house is a great size for us. Nobody ever really sleeps anyway. The schedule is tight and Natalya always brings dance music and booze to tempt us.”

  Dance music? Booze? Here I’d been worried about the baby disturbing everyone else when really I should have been concerned with everyone else disturbing the baby.

  “Jackie, are you frightening the homeowner?” a mellow voice asked.

  “Hey, Jim,” Jackie said. “Emma, this is Jim Morton. He’s one half of one of our couples.”

  I blinked. “Are you married to Andrea?”

  Jim laughed. “Gods no. That would be seriously weird because she’s my twin sister.”

  Of course. Despite the gender difference, their appearances were incredibly similar. Jim had the same shade of blond hair and same slender build. Even his brilliant smile matched hers.

  “Is this why you’re filming the show?” I asked.

  “My wife and I are looking for a new house. Paige is obsessed with living somewhere off the beaten track. Spellbound sounds like the perfect place for us.”

  “Where is Paige?” Andrea demanded, hands on hips. “She should be in here.”

  “She’s wrangling butterflies outside,” Jim said. “Chill. She’ll be here in a minute.”

  “I told her not to bring them,” Andrea snapped. “They’re nothing but a nuisance.”

  “Adam wanted them on camera,” Jim said. “She only brought a selection.”

  Andrea flicked a finger at Jackie. “Go film the butterflies for five minutes and then drag that fairy in here by the wing so we can start. We’ve got to get through the first couple quickly or we’ll never finish on schedule and I don’t need Adam’s look of disapproval.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

  “Where’s the ghost?” Andrea asked. She surveyed the area. “Can we talk to him…It’s a him, right? Talk to him about interacting with the couples?”

  “No one else can hear or see him,” I said.

  She leaned closer to me. “Maybe have him freak Paige out a little? She could use a scare. Sisters-in-law, amirite?” Andrea held up her hand for a supportive high-five.

  “I don’t have a sister-in-law,” I said.

  Andrea dropped her hand back to her side. “Let’s set up in the dining room for the bios.”

  Ten minutes later, Jim and Paige sat next to each other at the dining room table as Jackie filmed their fresh-faced introductions.

  “I’m Jim Morton.”

  “And I’m Paige Pettigrew,” the fairy said with a sweet smile. “We’ve been married for three and a half years.”

  “I’m a glassblower,” Jim said.

  “And I collect monochromatic butterflies,” Paige said. “We’re looking for our forever home and our budget is two million coins.”

  A cough erupted as I tried to mask my shock. There had to be family money in there somewhere. No one could possibly have a budget like that based on glassblowing and butterflies.

  Andrea silenced me with a look. The couple finished their introduction and the next couple took their places at the table. The husband was a pleasant-looking satyr with brown hair and a medium build.

  “My name is Ryan Hill,” the satyr said. “I’m a slave to my muse.”

  “I’m Ashini Lizzo,” his wife said. Her black wings were nearly as large as Daniel’s white ones. She tapped her sharp talons on the table and I worried that she’d dent the wood. “I’m part gryphon and part siren. I work as a leggings model and ride unicorns in my spare time.”

  “Our budget is one and a half million coins,” Ryan added. “It used to be two million, but Ashini’s a little too fond of clothes and heels.” He nudged his wife affectionately and she gave him a sharp look in return.

  “Can someone light those candlesticks on the mantel?” Andrea asked. “Ashini looks better bathed in candlelight.”

  Ashini straightened her silk blouse. “Plus it’s in my contract.”

  “Your leggings contract doesn’t extend to Home Invaders,” Andrea pointed out. “Different company.”

  “Soft lighting is part of my brand,” Ashini insisted.

  I wasn’t sure why she was so insistent. Her skin had a natural glow that the stars themselves would have envied.

  A woman I hadn’t noticed hustled to light the candlesticks, her pixie wings fluttering madly. Her brown hair was streaked with blond and tied back in a ponytail. She wore the kind of black glasses that reminded me of a librarian ready to let her hair down.

  “Bethany, that light has to be brighter,” Andrea barked.

  The pixie turned to her wearing a disgruntled expression. “Last I checked, I don’t control fire.”

  Andrea spun to face. “Do you?”

  I was so stunned by the question that I began to stammer. “You want me to make the flame brighter?”

  “You’re a sorceress,” Andrea said. “Can’t you handle that?”

  Wow. Taskmaster indeed. “Um, I can try.”

  At that moment, Magpie leaped onto the mantel and hissed in our general direction. Andrea’s eyelids blinked in rapid-
fire succession at the sight of the hellbeast.

  “Nobody mentioned a cat,” Andrea said. “I’m allergic.”

  Ryan huddled against his wife. “That’s not a cat. Someone must’ve summoned a demon.”

  “That’s Magpie,” I said. “He lives here.”

  Ashini shook him off. “You’re creasing my blouse.” She turned to Jackie. “Can we film, please? My lip gloss will only stay shiny for another thirty minutes.”

  Andrea pursed her lips. “You do realize we only choose one couple to showcase, right?”

  “And it just so happens our competition is your twin brother,” Ashini said. “No pressure.” She rolled her dark eyes with such force that I was tempted to cup my hands under her chin to catch them.

  “Where are we on the schedule?” A minotaur stepped into the dining room, causing Bethany to nearly knock over the burning candle.

  “Everything’s fine, Adam,” Andrea said. “You don’t need to check up on us.”

  The minotaur offered his hand to me. “Adam Newman, producer.”

  “Emma Hart, homeowner.”

  “I bet this is all very new for you.” Adam’s gaze swept the dining room. “Unlike this decor.”

  “I updated the house when I moved in,” I said. “It’s not that old.”

  Adam glanced at Jackie. “Where’s Natalya?”

  “Upstairs,” Jackie replied. “Waiting for everyone to change location.”

  “Jim and Paige are up there too,” Andrea said. “Jim wanted to change into pajamas, but I told him to wait. He’s like an old man.”

  “I wear leggings to bed,” Ashini said. “It’s in my contract.”

  I left the dining room and went upstairs to check on Diana. Gareth was in the nursery, hovering over the crib. I glanced up to see Sedgwick perched on the mobile, slowly rotating in a circle.

  “You don’t have to stalk her,” I said. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  “There are strangers everywhere,” Gareth said, appalled.

  “A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet,” I said.

  The vampire ghost leveled me with a look. “If I weren’t already dead undead, I’d open your veins for that moronic statement.”

  I observed the slumbering baby and smiled. “Daniel and I will sleep in here tonight. Diana will be well taken care of.”

  “In that case, I’ll go to the cemetery to socialize,” Gareth said.

  And I’m going to the woods to hunt, Sedgwick added.

  “Suit yourselves,” I said. “It’s probably best to stay out of the way. The producers seem to run a tight ship.”

  Daniel and I managed to stay tucked away in Diana’s room, only slipping in and out to use the bathroom and grab our pajamas. We snuggled on the pullout sofa and fell asleep to the sound of Diana’s soft babbles. Luck was on our side—I only woke once in the night to feed the baby and heard the faint sound of 80’s music emanating from the basement. Apparently the Home Invaders were still up and running. I fed Diana, my eyelids heavy, and returned her to the crib before I drifted back to sleep.

  Unfortunately, we’d forgotten to close the blackout curtains in the nursery because the moment the morning sunlight peeped into the room, Diana stirred. I watched her quietly for a moment, resisting the urge to scoop her up. There was a chance she’d settle again. Then again, there was a chance she’d unleash her powerful lungs and rouse everyone in the house. When she began to suck her fingers, I knew we were in the clear, except now I was wide awake. I glanced at Daniel, who was still snoring gently.

  “Guess I’ll go make a cup of burstberry tea,” I mumbled. Although the crew said they’d be up early, it was unlikely they meant the crack of dawn.

  I stumbled downstairs, still bleary-eyed, and tried to recall the blissful pre-baby days of a full night’s rest. As I passed the dining room, I noticed wet patches on the floor. If that assistant producer repainted my dining room in the middle of the night, she’d be facing the shiny end of my wand.

  I crept into the dining room to investigate and spotted a lumpy silhouette on the floor. Who leaves camera equipment in the middle of the floor where someone could trip on it? Talk about a liability. I moved closer, ready to give the offending item a glare, and my heart skipped a beat.

  It wasn’t camera equipment.

  I recognized the straight blond hair, now sticky with blood. “Andrea?” I said quietly. I scrambled to the other side of the elf to see whether she was breathing and dipped my knees in a pool of blood. Her blue eyes stared back at me, unblinking.

  Spell’s bells.

  The good news was that Andrea didn’t repaint my dining room.

  The bad news was that Andrea was dead.

  Chapter Four

  “Well, she’s definitely dead.” Sheriff Astrid took a step back from the body.

  “Thank you, Sheriff Obvious,” Gareth said. “I can see they give out stars to every imbecile these days.”

  I silenced him with a glare, although it served no purpose because no one else could hear him anyway.

  “Based on the wounds in her side and the pool of blood, I’m going to say she was stabbed,” Sheriff Astrid continued. “We’ll know better after the body’s been examined, but Britta and I will sweep the house for the murder weapon.”

  I shivered at the thought of someone stabbing Andrea to death under my roof while everyone else slept upstairs or partied in the basement. How could this happen? Poor Andrea. She didn’t deserve an ending like this.

  “This is just marvelous.” Gareth shot back and forth across the room in an agitated frenzy.

  “What’s the problem?” I asked. “It’s not like her death inconveniences you in any way. I’d say it’s more of an inconvenience for her.”

  “The house is full of suspects,” Gareth said. “No one will be able to leave!”

  Ooh. I hadn’t thought of that.

  “Deputy Britta,” the sheriff called. She scanned the area. “Where did my sister go?”

  I craned my neck to see Britta in the foyer talking animatedly with Jackie about the camera equipment. “I think she’s made a new friend.”

  Sheriff Astrid pressed her lips together. “Now is not the time to make friends. This is an active crime scene.”

  “You might want to tell her that,” I said, while Britta posed in front of the camera and asked Jackie to film her.

  “I’ve never seen myself in action,” Britta was saying.

  When the Valkyrie picked up three of my breakables, I intervened. “Can we not juggle those, please?”

  Britta caught one in midair and set them down. “I was questioning a witness. Juggling helps me focus.”

  “Yes, I can totally see that,” the sheriff said. “Would you mind securing the area?”

  “This has got to suck for you,” Britta said. “You have a new baby and now you have this bad juju in your house. I don’t think there’s enough sage in Spellbound to get rid of the energy in this place.”

  I hesitated. “Do you think I need to do something?” I didn’t want Diana to grow up in a tainted house. Never mind the vampire ghost.

  “Whatever you do, wait until we’ve finished looking for evidence,” Sheriff Astrid said.

  “What kind of evidence?” Jackie asked.

  “Anything with blood would be good,” Britta said.

  Jackie cringed. “Got it.”

  “But don’t touch anything,” the sheriff said. “In fact, don’t search either. That’s our job.”

  “Got it,” Jackie said. “I’ll just stand here awkwardly.”

  “We’re going to need to speak to the overnight guests,” Sheriff Astrid said. “Is everyone still here?”

  I did a mental tally of the group. “Yes, I think so.”

  “I can’t believe she’s dead.” Jim paced the length of the foyer, occasionally running his hand through his blond hair, making it stick straight up in the front. “This has to be a bad dream.”

  “Are you wearing clothes?” Paige asked
.

  Jim glanced down at his plaid pajamas. “I seem to be.”

  “Then it’s not a bad dream,” his wife said. “You’re always naked in those.”

  “Good point.” The elf’s features rippled with pain as the realization hit him. “Shouldn’t I have experienced some kind of twin psychic link? I was asleep when she died. Why didn’t I wake up in a cold sweat or scream her name?”

  Paige’s cheeks were streaked with tears. “You couldn’t have known, Jim.”

  “It was obviously a violent death,” Ashini said. She sat on the bottom step with her black wings folded behind her. “I’m surprised he didn’t feel at least a twinge. Maybe a prick.”

  “Doesn’t a violent death mean she’ll become a ghost?” Paige asked.

  “What are you worried about?” Natalya asked. “You’re the last one she would haunt. Then she’d have to watch her brother all the time instead of a hot guy.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Jim said.

  Gareth’s hands flew to his hips. “I am telling you right now—she’d better not show up as a ghost in this house. There is absolutely no room at the inn. Not an inch of space, incorporeal or otherwise.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” I said under my breath. “You’re a special case, remember?” Gareth had a special connection to the house and to me, so here he remained for as long as he chose. It wasn’t exactly normal, but nothing about my life was normal, so what did it matter?

  Gareth jutted out his chin in a stubborn gesture. “If I see an elf floating about willy nilly, I’m booting her into the next dimension.”

  We had bigger problems than Gareth’s territorial nature, like figuring out what happened to Andrea. The murderer was likely right in this room, in the same house as my child. This was not acceptable.