I heard my friend pick up the pace behind me then.
“Hattie, wait,” The chief panted.
“Oh, you’re back to the world of the living now, are you?” I couldn’t keep the acid tone out of my voice. I tried, but I couldn’t pull it off. I felt Midnight’s paw on my foot, kneading me into a calmer frame of mind.
“I’m sorry, Hat,” David offered. “I’ve been distracted, I know. It’s just …" He shook his head. "I think I might be coming down with something, I guess. Not feeling quite myself, you know?”
I searched my friend’s eyes, and I could see the weary truth glittering on the surface of his baby-blues.
“It’s okay,” I confessed. “I know you and your department is under a lot of strain these days. With all these murders. It’s hard not to feel the pressure from the island’s inhabitants when you know that inside they’re screaming ‘keep us safe.’” I reached and squeezed David’s arm, immediately sorry for my childish outburst earlier. Goddess, I could get so wrapped up in myself sometimes. I smiled at my friend and cast my eyes to the carnival.
“The Annual Mabon End of Summer Fair, Sir!” I bowed and swept my arm to the glory of the bright lights and the bustle of bodies below. David laughed, and this time his mirth reached his eyes. I relaxed a little. If, even as friends, we were going to have a good time. We were going to take our minds off murder for once.
We wandered closer to the throng of the carnival. A cherished yearly event for both tourists and residents alike, the Mabon Fair was the wrapping-up of summer. The fiesta’s origins were in religious worship, however. The fair had started its life as a celebration to the Goddess. Prayer tents, private worship stalls, and big-top churches competed for space among the food stalls and games of the day. It was kind of a festival of magical merrymaking. Apart from a few token prayer tents that harked back to the days of old, and the opening and closing ceremonies, the fair was now a mainly commercial outfit. Still, I loved Mabon. Probably more than Yule, even. I loved the way it marked the transition into a more introspective time. Fall. The time to harvest and gather, and spend time indoors, canning, pickling, preserving, knitting. All the industrious activities that helped you prepare for the colder, more isolated months.
Midnight trotted up alongside David.
“So, now you’re in a better mood, chief, What’s this I hear about Hagatha Jinx languishing in the Serenity Clinic on Pandora?” Midnight raised his whisker-eyebrows at David in question. “I heard it from some mudglumpers in case you were wondering,” he continued.
As only a weary cop could, my friend sighed and admitted, “Afraid it’s true, Midnight.”
“And how exactly did that malignant dwarf earn a stay at the recycling center?” Gloom all but spat. True, Hagatha was an incredibly short lady, but 'malignant dwarf?' Every one of her brothers, even Fraidy, gave a disapproving growl of their own.
Everyone's getting a case of bad juju.
“Funny how the right amount of money and connections can buy an insanity plea,” David said, becoming more animated than I’d seen him during the entire walk here. This bothered him. He was the Chief of the Para Police and having a known attempted murderer wind up in the plush services of the Serenity Clinic, (whose credo, by the way, was ‘The only crime here is suffering alone,’) must have made his blood boil. David had fully expected Aurel Nugget’s wife’s failed attempt at murdering her late husband would earn her a cell in Steeltrap Penitentiary on Talisman. But, no.
“Due to the recommendations of Dr. Skinsplit, and Morag Devlin's fierce defense, Hagatha was ruled to be suffering from PTSD from contact with the Fae.” He ran his hand through his hair, catching the edge of the white streak his hair had recently acquired. “Yep, PTSD from allegedly being coerced and bullied by the Unseelie’s. Hagatha Jinx was apparently so severely traumatized by her interaction with the faerie’s that she was deemed not of ‘sound mind’ when it came to plotting Aurel’s murder.” David concluded, his voice strained.
“What?” I asked in disbelief. The kitty chorus of disapproval showed my friend he had an incredulous audience. Seeing that Hagatha had deliberately sought out the Fae to put a contract on her husband; to end Aurel Nugget’s life, it didn’t seem possible that the tiny witch would get a ‘stay’ at Serenity. Oh, and that’s what they called your incarceration there; a ‘stay.’ The word 'sentence' was never uttered in its spa-like halls and Nordic relaxation areas. I felt for my friend. This was a hard one to swallow.
“Yes, it’s ridiculous. But the judge thought it sounded plausible enough to go for rehabilitation instead of incarceration. So, Hagatha has a one year ‘stay’ at Serenity, complete with a room overlooking the Crystal Sea to help her with her so-called recovery.”
David’s earlier bad mood made perfect sense to me now.
Midnight grabbed hold of the chief’s pant leg, forcing the chief to stop in his tracks.
“But, do you happen to know who Hagatha’s attorney was?” Midnight’s face broke into a crafty smile. The chief sighed and shook his head in warning at Midnight. “Don’t say it.”
“That’s right. Morag Devlin.” We all gasped. Midnight strutted, grinning proudly at the slick delivery of his intel.
“Wait,” I said, holding up a finger. “THE Morag Devlin who is currently defending Norris Copperhead, the REAL murderer of Hagatha’s husband?”
“The very one.”
Wow. Odd.
So, our last murder investigation, as I said, was that of Aurel Nugget’s. Aurel had been dispatched by his supposed life-long friend, Norris Copperhead. But at the SAME time, and entirely independently, Aurel’s vicious wife, Hagatha, had plotted with the Fae to have her husband killed. Poor Aurel. And, the thing is? He was a really nice man. I’d known him only briefly, but his altruism and kindness lived on in the memory of those still alive. Such a loss.
I scratched my chin, and we walked the last hundred feet or so to the fair slowly.
“Wouldn’t that be like a conflict of interest or something? I mean, the same target by two different killers, sure, but—“
“Two separate killers who acted independently of each other,” Onyx countered. “As such, there is no conflict of interest, despite the obvious connection of their mutual target; Nugget. Shame to lose a good man to such venomous hatred. "
“You ain’t lying, brother,” Shade piped up. “I mean, Copperhead was just pure evil behind that cheesy grin. And, Hagatha? You ask me; I’d say she was a worse bloodsucker than poor old Nugget’s vampire mistress.”
I had to stifle a smirk at Shade's quip. In the last few years of his life, Aurel had taken up with Carpathia Alecto, a Bavarian ex-priestess-turned-vampire. Weirdly enough, she also happened to be one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was enough of a romantic to wonder briefly if there might have ever been a chance for Aurel and Carpathia. Another sad aspect of the case. The two were clearly and deeply in love. One good thing that DID come of Norris Copperhead being arrested was that Carpathia Alecto, in a surprise victory, won the Golden Chair at the Coven Isles Alchemical Society. Her alchemy entrance exam and her alluring persona made her a shoo-in. I smiled again. The first and only female member of the society, Carpathia was currently having a ball bossing all those learned men around. She was in her element, for sure. I knew inside she was sad at Aurel’s passing, but Carpathia knew how to put on a bold front, and make the best of things. So, I think we can all agree that holding the Golden Chair title is certainly making the best of things.
We joined the throng of people now, as we moved our way into the carnival’s heart.
“Come on guys!” I blurted. “We’re here to have fun, not talk of murders and murderers. We’re at the fair, and there are no dead bodies here.” Everyone agreed, and with a new found pep to our step, we embraced the array of fairground attractions.
Until a dead body showed up, that is.
Chapter 2
“Come on; it’s over here somewhere!” Shade excl
aimed in excitement, encouraging his siblings to also tug on the leash. The cat’s heads bobbed up and down, trying to search out their brother’s target. Eclipse put his nose to the ground, and pulled up quickly, his eyes wide and sparkly. He smiled. “Follow your noses, bro’s!” My memory-erasing cat had found the scent and had now whipped up a kind of frothy excitement in the other kitties. I kept a firm hold of the leash, urging them to keep in line and not go cat-ship crazy on me. I wondered what on earth they were so excited about.
Someone doddered out of one of the private worship service tents to the left of us. A quick look at her face told me that she couldn’t have been much older than forty. In spite of that, her face was haggard and cut through with deep-grooved wrinkles. Immediately I could tell the woman was in pain. She was walking with a birch cane in one hand and a portable oxygen tank on wheels in the other. Her thin frame looked like she could barely hold either item. Her frizzy, mousy brown hair looked like it hadn’t seen a decent conditioner in quite some time. I touched my curls almost subconsciously. The lady’s eyes had a basset hound droop to them. Something about her looked familiar, though. Those angular features. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I nudged David in the ribs and nodded towards the woman. “Who’s that?”
“Infirma Devlin. Morag’s sister,” he said discreetly. “Morag’s only living relative. Both spinsters, they live on a rambling estate just outside Chalice.
“Hmm, I didn’t know Morag was a Cathedralite. I thought she was from here.” I remarked.
“She used to live here, I think. They both did; her and Infirma. When they were kids, from what I understand,” David peered across at Morag Devlin's sickly sister.
“And her dear sis just leaves her in the middle of this crowd all by herself?” Gloom asked, evidently displeased.
“Why, Sister Gloom,” Eclipse said. “That’s the first charitable sentiment I’ve heard you utter all day.”
Gloom turned her rear to her brother. Midnight piped up, “Actually, by all accounts I’ve heard through my various contacts of the night,” Carbon rolled his eyes, while Midnight made sure he had everyone’s attention. My gossipy cat had his self-important strut down to a tee. “Morag is extremely devoted to her sister’s care. That estate CPI Trew just mentioned is falling to the ground because most of Morag’s ‘law-ing’ fees go toward Infirma’s medical bills.”
I felt a little of my dislike for Morag melt at Midnight’s words. Whatever I had to say about her choice of clients, it sounded like Hagatha and Norris’ attorney understood the importance of family. I know my own granny would have approved.
My cat o’ seven tails suddenly pulled me towards the right.
“Alright!” Shade yelled. “Knew it was here somewhere.”
The rest of my kitties started meowing in enthusiasm as they joined in Shade’s relentless tugging. It only took a second to see what was getting them all so excited. If there was one thing that my kitties loved about the festival, it was the “10 fish for 100 sols” game.
Okay, it was technically a game designed for beings with hands. The operator gave you a bamboo pole with a tiny net attached. The idea was to catch ten fish from the plastic pool the fish were swimming in. If you could scoop ten of the one hundred fish in there, then you got to keep the fish, and you’d also walk away with a prize. Sounds easy enough, right? Ah, but the pool was filled with lightspeed minnows. A tiny, magically charmed fish, that moved so fast, it was really something if your eyes could keep up with their motion. You’d be highly skilled and outrageously lucky if you caught even two. I looked at the operator as my cats bounced and pounced around the pool.
“Ugh, these tasteless little fish again,” Gloom groaned, her head peering over the rim of the shallow tank. “Can you ask him if he’s got any salmon?” She asked looking up at me, her face all earnest.
“No, the man doesn’t have salmon, Gloom.” I responded. Although it wasn’t the same operator as last year, (I’d remember him, he had had a Celtic cross tattooed on his face,) I knew he was from the supernatural community. I spotted his wand, poking from the poorly sewn hem of the scruffy jacket he was wearing. If he heard the cat’s talking though, he didn’t let on. It happened sometimes. Some Awakened just didn’t hear the Infiniti speak. They merely heard a series of meows and chirrups the same way any Unawakened being would.
The man beamed at me, and I could have sworn he was tallying-up the Sol's as his eyes rested on the row of seven cats gathered around his impossible game. I almost felt sorry for him. He truly didn’t have a clue what was coming.
“Howdy, folks,” he said with an amused grin. “Looks like you have a few kitties who smelled what’s in the pond here.”
“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” Shade demanded, putting two front paws on the edge of the tank.
Given the fact that the rest of the clutch was following his example, I had to hand off the leash to David to give my arm a rest.
“Care to try and make at least some of your kitties happy?” the operator asked, his smile getting ever wider and more vulpine.
“I go first,” Eclipse demanded, walking over to the guy and staring up in his face pleadingly.
“Seeing as your man there has—“
“We’re not a couple,” I blurted feeling my cheeks flood with heat.
The operator held up his hands. “Sorry, sorry…I just assumed, and I shouldn’t have.”
“W-wonder if he understands us,” Fraidy mused.
“One way to find out,” Gloom said with a genuinely evil grin on her face. “So how many people do you cheat on a daily basis, hayseed?”
“Anyways,” the operator said with a shrug. “10 lunes could net you 100 Sols if you’ve got what it takes.” He said, bending down to stroke Eclipse. “And, seeing as this little fluffer has the cajones to come and see me, I’d say he can go first, eh?” The operator chortled and urged Eclipse toward the pool.
"Yes, we already established I'm first, numb-nuts," Eclipsed responded wearily.
“No fishing rods needed for this,” the man joked. “Just plain old cat skills.” Again, I felt sorry for the guy. He was so confident in his speed-of-light fish gimmick that it actually made me feel like I was the one doing the swindling.
“Definitely Unawakened,” Onyx said with a nod.
“Except for his fishing paw, kitty’s got to stay outta the pool,” the man finally declared, pointing at me.
“Child’s play,” Eclipse whispered through his happy purring.
“You’re on,” I said, reaching into my purse for the money.
“I’ve got this, Hat,” David declared, handing the man his money.
I unhooked Eclipse from the harness and let him suss out his tactics poolside. The one hundred minnows inside were darting around like bubbles in a boiling solution, almost too fast for the eye to see.
“Got a minute and a half to get the ten,” the man said, holding up a stopwatch. “And…go!”
“Up to you now, Clipsy,” I said, giving his back a rub before stepping back.
"Go, Bro!" Shade and Midnight whooped in unison.
My furry fisherman's face turned stony studying the movements of the minnows with his black darting eyes. Fifteen seconds ticked by, and still, he did not move. Only tracked the speedy fish’s movements. The operator tittered and rubbed his hands together. I suspect he thought he had a line of cat-customers to go through before the night was out. Thirty seconds passed now, and still, Eclipse just watched. His siblings were holding their breath, all crouched and ready for action. The operator didn’t think there was going to be any action though, as he remarked with a smile:
“Twenty seconds remaining.”
Eclipse yawned and licked his lips.
“Ten seconds. Ten seconds remain--”
Without warning, Eclipse dipped his paw into the water and swooped out a fish, sending it high into the air over Midnight’s head. Midnight pounced, opened his mouth and downed the fish in an effortless gulp. In a blur of splashy motio
n, Eclipse had emptied the pool and had sent every last fish flying into the mouths of his siblings. He saved the last three wrigglers for himself. The final one popping between his lips, until only the tip of the tail could be seen. The bemused attendant barked “Time!”
He peered into the pool in disbelief. Empty. He looked at the cats. All of them purring bundles of coal black fur, each of them licking their lips.
“Ogre Doll! Ogre Doll!” Exclaimed Shade, springing up and down on his four paws and grinning like a cat possessed.
I turned to the operator. “Err, for the prize, instead of the lunes, can we take two of the Ogre Dolls?” I asked sheepishly. I knew, even as dazed as he was at my cat’s performance, he wouldn’t turn down such a great offer. The stuffed toys cost way less than ten lunes, so he’d be happy to part with two. The cat’s had no value of money. But, they had been squawking about these Ogre Dolls for about a week now. I’m not sure what got them so excited about them. They only ever slept on the damned things. Of course, the cheap toys fell apart in no time, so they were always excited to get back to the fair to win new ones.
The man didn’t say anything. He tried to mouth something as he handed over the overly-large rag-doll plushie’s, but he couldn’t find his voice.
“Thanks very much,” I smiled at him as David and I took one Ogre Doll each. Even when I was out on a supposed night of leisure, I always somehow ended up being the kitty servant in some regard. Humping this doll around was a testament to this fact.
We left the fishing pool behind and walked deeper into the carnival grounds, the giant plushie’s toppling over into mine and David’s faces, making it hard to see where we were going. The cat’s bobbed ahead happily. Even with the doll in his face, David was scanning the crowd. I had to smile. He was such a cop. He was supposed to be enjoying a night out, and here he was looking for any suspicious activity. I watched his face between the giant nose and the stuffed purple lip of the Ogre Doll I was carrying. The chief saw something that made him smirk. I looked at him, and he nodded in the direction of a fortune-telling stand a bit further down the midway. The couple standing there stood out in this crowd, the man wearing a black three-piece suit while the woman was wearing an elegant evening dress with material that made me think of the night sky, complete with diamante stars. Their clothes were better suited to a museum opening than a homegrown fair like this.
Moggies, Magic and Murder Page 20