Once Upon Stilettos

by Shanna Swendson

  “I think I’ve finally found someone who’s more of a goody-goody than I am,” I said with a laugh. Not that I was too much of a goody-goody, considering how much I seemed to be lying lately. “And I don’t think you needed me all that much, after all.”

  “I wouldn’t have found the brooch without you, and a book was your idea. Now, dinner? There’s a restaurant I know a couple of blocks from here. It’s run by magical people, although I doubt most of their customers have figured that out. We won’t have to be so careful about our conversation there.”

  That left me with quite the dilemma—I wanted to spend more time with him, but there was no way I could keep my secret at a magical restaurant. In fact, the more time I spent around him, the harder it was to keep my secret.

  I must have hesitated longer than I realized, for he frowned at me and asked, “Katie? Is something wrong?”

  “To be honest, I’m not sure I’m up for dinner right now,” I said, and it wasn’t a lie at all. My stomach had tied itself in knots and I felt queasy. “Do you mind if I call it a night?”

  If he was disappointed, he hid it well. “Not at all. I’ll make it up to you some other time.”

  “I think I’m the one who would have to make it up to you,” I said as we resumed walking up Broadway.

  “You were the one doing me a favor,” he argued.

  “I made a couple of gift suggestions. That’s not worth a dinner.”

  He didn’t say anything after that, and I feared I’d pushed back too hard. While I didn’t want him to know how big a crush I had on him, I also didn’t want him to think I didn’t like him at all. Though really, the crush had faded somewhat with time, which was what I’d hoped would happen. He was less of an ideal and more of a real person, even if his smiles did make my legs turn to jelly.

  He walked me to my front door, then said, “Thanks again for the help.”

  “No problem. You’ll have to tell me what they think.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah.” I looked over my shoulder after unlocking the door, and he’d already disappeared.

  Owen was uncharacteristically quiet the next morning. Not that he was usually all that talkative, but there was a subdued quality to his quiet that was new. I hoped I hadn’t hurt his feelings. Maybe he was just lost in thought.

  The quiet commute was a sharp contrast to the building lobby when we got to work. It seemed like almost the entire MSI workforce was gathered there, and judging from the bits of muttered conversations I overheard, I got the impression that no one else had any more of a clue about what was going on than I did. Owen edged closer to me. He looked distinctly uncomfortable in the crowd.

  Hughes, the lobby doorman, approached us, ticked something off the clipboard he carried, then murmured a few words under his breath. Two baseball caps with the MSI logo on them appeared in his hand. “Here you are, sir, Miss Chandler,” he said, handing one to each of us. “You’ll find an envelope inside your cap. Please keep it sealed until you’re instructed to open it.” Before we had a chance to ask questions, he moved on to greet the latest arrivals.

  Owen studied his ball cap like he thought it was going to bite him. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  I spotted Rod moving through the lobby toward us. He looked more energized and excited than I’d ever seen him, and I wished I could see what that lively expression would have done to his true face. He’d probably be almost as irresistible as he was with all his spells. Speaking of spells, I felt his magnetism hit when he got within about five feet of me. While I was still moderately in control of myself, I took a step backward and sighed in relief when that eased the urge to throw myself into his arms.

  “Great! You two are here,” Rod said.

  “For what?” Owen asked.

  Rod grinned and took a step forward. I shifted sideways and back half a step. “It was one of Katie’s ideas. We’re boosting morale and teamwork. Don’t worry, this’ll be fun.” He turned to me. “Can I take your coat and your other things? I can get them up to your office.” In order to hand him my coat and bag, I had to step within his sphere of influence. I could feel the waves of desire wash over me, and I forced myself to keep my eyes on Owen. Surely his very real charms—his strong jaw, sculpted cheekbones, and blue eyes full of intelligence, kindness, and a hint of sadness—would be enough to counteract any other man’s attraction spell.

  It must have worked, for I was startled when Rod said, “Oh, gotta run. I need to brief the boss. Katie, your things will be in your office.” Only then did I notice that he no longer held my coat, purse, or tote bag.

  Once he was gone, Owen turned to me with a look that almost made me feel like I’d stabbed him in the back. “This wasn’t my idea,” I insisted. “I may have suggested that boosting morale and teamwork might counteract the effects of the mole, but I didn’t suggest anything like this. I’m afraid I may have created a monster.”

  “And what, exactly, do you think this is?”

  I looked around at the ball caps and at the posters I now saw hanging from the balcony railing above. “I suspect we’re in for a company pep rally and a team-building exercise. There will probably be sharing and hugging, that kind of thing.”

  “Oh.” He looked like he’d rather be wrestling a dragon, or maybe having dinner with Idris. I turned to watch Rod with Merlin. Merlin looked utterly fascinated by the goings-on. He was even wearing his ball cap proudly.

  I turned back to reassure Owen that I’d try to do what I could to get him out of stuff like this, but he was gone. I had a feeling that if my magical immunity had been in place, I would have been able to see him sneaking around the periphery of the lobby and then up the stairs to the relative safety of his lab. It was no fair. Why couldn’t I veil myself with invisibility?

  A trumpet sounded a flourish, and the whole crowd turned to face the stairs. The playerless trumpet that hung over the stairs near Merlin disappeared. “Thank you all for being here this morning,” Merlin said, his voice ringing through the room. Not that we had much choice, given that they’d ambushed us at the front door. “I know we’ve had some challenges in the past weeks, but it’s important that we remember who we are and what we do. We need to accept—even embrace—the fact that our world has changed and move forward proudly. To that effect, I would like to present a challenge. If we reach our productivity goals for the year before the holidays, everyone will receive a bonus.”

  The crowd cheered, and I had to give the old guy credit. He knew exactly how to motivate people: money. I wasn’t sure where the hats and posters fit in, though. It seemed to me that he could have delivered the same message via e-mail.

  “Now Mr. Gwaltney will take over,” Merlin said, then stepped aside for Rod.

  “Thank you, Mr. Mervyn,” Rod said. His voice appeared to have been magically amplified, but it didn’t have the same ringing quality to it that Merlin’s had. “We’re going to be working hard in the next couple of weeks, but we can also have some fun. We’ll be conducting the first-ever company-wide treasure hunt. If you’ll open your envelopes, you’ll find out what team you’re on, and you’ll have a list of clues. The clues won’t make sense until you match them up with the clues the rest of your team has. Then you can find all the items for the hunt, which are hidden around the building. The prize for best team will be given at the holiday party. Good luck, everyone!”

  His last sentence was nearly drowned out by the sound of ripping paper as everyone tore open their envelopes. I watched to see how the group would react to the idea of having to work that closely with each other, and I was surprised by how many actually seemed okay with it. There were smiles and laughter—things I hadn’t seen in weeks. I opened my own envelope to find that I was on the Unicorn team. The list of clues made no sense to me. They were like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. I had to admit, Rod had come up with something clever that might actually work.

  “Unicorns, over here!” I heard Isabel bellow. I joined the group gathered aroun
d her, where we made plans to meet for lunch to go over our clues. Then I made my escape up the stairs to my office.

  Rod caught me at the top of the stairs. “What do you think?” he asked.

  “Good idea, both the productivity bonus and the treasure hunt. They seem to be having fun, and it looks like we might even get through this without anyone killing each other. The hats might be overkill, though.”

  He grinned, and I swayed and had to catch myself on the banister. “The hats are enchanted,” he said.

  “They’re what?”

  “A subtle spell that gives a sense of well-being to the wearer. We thought about doing something to the building in general, but this is more direct and efficient.”

  I went up one step so I could move myself out of his sphere of influence and think more clearly. “So you put the whammy on the company?”

  He gave a casual shrug that made my heart skip a beat. I moved up one more step. “It was Mr. Mervyn’s idea, but I came up with the idea of doing ball caps. I notice you’re not wearing yours.”

  “Hat hair avoidance,” I explained.

  “Not that the spell would affect you. Good luck on the hunt. You should have a good team.”

  I was glad I’d more or less ruled him out as a suspect, because his mention of my immunity made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up. But unless he was veiling his real expression along with his real face, I didn’t think he meant anything by it.

  I got upstairs to find a grinning Merlin, still wearing his ball cap, waiting for me. “This plan of Mr. Gwaltney’s should be quite entertaining,” he said. “We always found that a good tournament helped keep the knights from killing each other between battles. This appears to work on the same principle.”

  “It is one of the better team-building activities I’ve seen. It might even be fun.”

  He gestured me toward his office, then once we were seated, he asked, “Now, how is your investigation progressing?”

  “I’ve made absolutely no progress on finding the spy. I’m right where I started, and I feel like I’m going in circles.”

  “Someone must have thought you were close to have bothered attacking you the other night,” he said mildly, raising one eyebrow.

  “If I am close, I don’t know it. I have no real suspects. I have no evidence. I’m at the point of hoping they do something else that will give me more clues. I’ve even resorted to wondering if maybe the attacks were personal, but I couldn’t think of anything I have or anything I’ve done that would set someone off like that. Idris seems to want to make me quit, but I can’t see where that would do him much good.”

  He remained unruffled, even as I was close to tears. “Let’s consider the evidence you’ve gathered.”

  “That’s just it, there is no evidence. Everyone in the company suspects everyone else, and nearly everyone could have had motive and opportunity if you look hard enough for it.”

  “Then let’s see who had the most opportunity. Most of the damage was focused on the R and D department, right?”

  “Yes. But that doesn’t narrow it down much. It’s the biggest department in the company.”

  “True. Did you say anything to anyone Friday that might have given them an impression you knew more than you really did?”

  “I was in R and D, but for an entirely different reason,” I said, hoping I didn’t blush.

  “I know you’ve been assigned as Santa for Mr. Palmer,” he said gently. “That was at my suggestion. I felt he’d be more comfortable with someone he knew, and it would give you broader access for investigation.”

  “Well, while I was down there I talked to Ari and Jake, but a lot of others saw me and thought I was investigating. Or else they thought I was the spy.”

  “I propose you focus on that department. You have an excuse to be there.” He smiled. “I believe Mr. Palmer is going to find himself awash in holiday treats in the days to come.”

  He was a sneaky old man, but as comfortable as I felt with him, I didn’t dare say so to his face. I shouldn’t have been surprised, though. He’d put kings on thrones. This was small potatoes to him.

  “So, hanging out in R and D, then,” I said, feeling a little better. If only I could deal with my magic problem the same way.

  He took a flat crystal from his desk. “This should get you past security there. The spell is on the crystal, so you don’t have to worry about a lack of magical ability.” No, I just had to worry about wards I could no longer get through, but I didn’t have a pressing need to get into Owen’s office. “And I can keep Mr. Palmer busy so you’ll be able to snoop without giving away your Santa identity.”

  I had the distinct feeling I was being manipulated, but I wasn’t sure where he was going with it. I took the card-like crystal from him and put it in my pocket. “Thank you.”

  “I’d like a report at the end of the week, if you don’t mind.”

  “No problem.” In the meantime, it looked like I’d be doing more baking. Then there was the treasure hunt, which was the least of my worries. I handed my clues over to my team and made a couple of suggestions about deciphering them, but otherwise I let the people who were truly enjoying themselves play. I had bigger puzzles to solve.

  That evening, as I baked another favorite family recipe, I reflected that I might actually be in better shape than the last time we’d had a crisis, despite what felt like a lack of progress. Before, we’d relied on my dating ability to save the world, and I was a much better cook than I was a potential girlfriend.

  This batch of cookies I put in a plastic bag tied with ribbon, which I was able to hide easily in my tote bag. I waited until Owen arrived at Merlin’s office for a meeting, then I headed down to R&D with the cookies and the crystal card. Along the way, I passed at least two teams of treasure hunters, all wearing their company caps. Everyone was laughing and smiling, which was a nice change of pace from the previous week, even if it was mostly because of magical company caps. One team had on matching outfits. The other stopped in the middle of the hallway to give their team cheer, which had something to do with how dominant the Dragons were. My team was going to lose. We hadn’t even reached the point of looking for items. We definitely didn’t have a cheer, a mission statement, or a team uniform.

  As Merlin promised, the card got me easily through the front door at R&D. Ari was in her lab not too far from the entrance, her feet propped up on a table while she read a book. She wasn’t wearing the company cap, which didn’t surprise me. I suspected she was doing even less for her team than I was for mine. “Hi!” I said.

  She looked up from her book. “Oh good, you’re not one of those treasure hunt nutcases. I’ve had three people so far thinking something was hidden in my lab.” She glanced at the bag I carried. “Let me guess, another Santa mission.”

  I tried my best to look vague. “Maybe.”

  “You’re carrying a bag of cookies.”

  “That doesn’t mean they’re for my secret Santa.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t even try to lie. You totally suck at it. Coffee?”

  “Yes, please.” As usual, the cup popped into my hand. I was proud of how nonchalantly I handled it. “What are you reading?”

  She held up the antique-looking book. “Love-spell book I swiped from Owen’s lab. Somehow, I doubt he’ll be using it anytime soon. He only has it because it’s by some old wizard he’s been studying. There’s a spell in here for getting the attention of human men. I may have to give it a try—at the next full moon, I can take a canary feather and sprinkle it with rose essence, then wave it in the path of my target.”

  “Or you could say, ‘Hi, come here often?’ Even I manage to make that work sometimes.”

  “It also has spells to make people fall in love with each other. Want me to hook you up with anyone?”

  That was the last thing I needed, magical interference in my shambles of a love life. “No thanks. Besides, remember, I’m immune.” Well, I was once, and I hoped I would b
e again.

  “Oh yeah. I keep forgetting that. But that doesn’t mean the spell wouldn’t work on him. What do you think? Wouldn’t you like a real date with a certain dark-haired, blue-eyed someone who otherwise will never get around to asking anyone out?”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “Let me know if you change your mind.”

  I finished my coffee, put the cup down, and said, “Guess I’d better get back to my mission. Thanks for the coffee.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  As Merlin had no doubt arranged, the coast was clear in Owen’s office and lab, so it was easy enough to drop off the cookies. But it looked like I wasn’t the only person who’d taken advantage of Owen’s absence. The place was a mess—not the comfortable clutter that was usually there, but a real mess. Someone had apparently been looking for something, or else had been causing destruction for its own sake. I left my cookies on a table, then ran back down the hall to report it.

  I shot past Ari’s lab on my way to the exit, then turned back. “Can I use your phone?” I asked.

  “What is it?”

  “I’ll explain later.” I dialed Trix’s desk and said, “Tell the boss that he needs to get down here now.” She promised to pass the word, and I hung up.

  “Ah, so it was Owen’s lab you were heading to,” Ari said.

  “What?” Only then did I remember the reason I’d supposedly come down in the first place. “Oh, that. No, I accomplished my mission and thought I’d stop by to say hi to Owen.”

  “He’s in a meeting.”

  “Really?” Then I remembered what she’d said about swiping a book from him. “You mentioned that you got that book from his office. Did you notice anything when you were in there?”

  “I took this months ago. Sorry I can’t help. What happened?”

  “Our spy has been busy again.”

  “Hmm. Funny no one noticed. Owen hasn’t even been gone that long. I saw him go past not ten minutes before you got here.”

  Owen and Merlin then went by. I caught up with them in the hallway. “Someone’s been in your lab,” I said to Owen, “and I’m not talking about your secret Santa. Well, your secret Santa seems to have been there, too, because it looks like something’s been left, but someone else has been there.”