by Jamie Davis
“Don’t lose her. Get another officer to meet you so there are two of you on this assignment at all times. It is extremely important that we know where she is and with whom she’s meeting at all times.”
“Got it, Constable. I’m to continue tailing the girl, do not apprehend, and keep myself and another officer following her at all times so you can follow her when you get back.”
Victor listened and nodded in satisfaction. He could feel his chest swell with pride at the thought of becoming an Inspector — youngest on the force. He would immediately be one of the nation’s most powerful Red Legs.
“Excellent. I’m on my way.” He closed the connection and started towards the parking garage. He climbed inside his official vehicle and drove toward the exit.
Victor left the garage, flipped on his emergency lights, and drove back downtown to meet his destiny.
CHAPTER 14
Mrs. Adams arrived a few minutes before noon that day. Winnie had only had a brief chance to run home, shower, change, and come back before her first repair customer arrived at Charmed. She was thrilled to see the clock working again. Winnie showed her its hand movement with a wave. The clock’s hands teased 5:45, then quickly returned to the present time of 11:55.
“I love it!” Mrs. Adams crooned. “It used to predict his return time, after he’d left work. This is much better!”
“I managed to upgrade the charm. It should be more efficient than before. It was the least I could do for my first customer in the new business.”
“Well it’s perfect. I can’t wait to tell my friends. Especially Alsene, she’ll be green with envy! I hope you don’t mind me telling them about your work.”
“Not at all. Just please be discreet in mentioning any enhancements to the existing enchantment. Technically, that’s not allowed. But I felt obligated to give you my best.”
“My lips are sealed, my dear. Now how much do I owe you?”
Winnie had assumed that Mrs. Adams payment was taken care of already, thanks to the license framed on the wall behind her. She hadn’t given much thought to the cost of what she did, or what reasonable pricing would be for such a repair.
“How does twenty dollars sound?”
Mrs. Adams laughed. “My dear, you’re never going to turn a profit if you charge so little for your services. I’ll give you fifty, and confess that I’d have paid ten times that to get my clock working again. Remember that when my friends show up. They can afford it.” She picked up her box and waved. “Ta ta, dear.”
Winnie watched the woman exit her shop and walk down the street clutching her prized clock. Then she looked at the fifty-dollar bill in her hand. Mrs. Adams had said she would have paid ten times that for her clock. Really? Five-hundred dollars? Sure, the rich and influential people of the city lived in a different world, but could they really afford to spend so much on something so trivial as a mantle clock?
Funny thing about the effects of Resolution 84 on those who owned or wanted magic. Passage of the law changed the availability of charms, and that lack of availability caused the price of even the simplest spell to skyrocket. People still wanted and needed magic, and people like her neighboring shopkeeper, the florist Mrs. Paulson, were willing to pay handsomely for the service.
She’d already decided to help Mrs. Paulson. The woman used to babysit her. If she needed help, who was Winnie to deny it? But the realization that others needed help as well, and were willing to pay, well … that gave her plenty to think about.
Winnie spent her afternoon conjuring a special charm for Mrs. Paulson. The craft was new to her. Winnie didn’t dabble in magic that affected a person directly, but it didn’t keep her from figuring out a simple way to make the spell work. Again, she felt that thrill deep inside her that warmed her whole body and made her feel great when she was finished.
In the end, she decided to use a temporary marking spell. She’d have to cast it directly on the cash drawer. Anyone who saw her would know what she was doing, so she’d have to cast the charm either before or after the flower shop closed.
Winnie checked her watch and saw that it was later than she’d thought. She needed to do something else this evening, something she was dreading. Joey had told her that Zach Corfield was a high-ranking leader in Merrilyn’s Sable Trading organization. That meant she would have to appeal to Merrilyn directly to get the man off her back. She hoped she would be able to convince him by sharing her flow inversion trick.
She took the card Artos had left her from her pocket and dialed the number on it. After a moment, a slightly accented voice answered on the other side.
“Mr. Merrilyn’s line. Who, may I ask, is calling?”
“Mr. Gunderson?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Winnie Durham. I wanted to take Mr. Merrilyn up on something he offered the other day and come by to speak with him. Is he available this evening?”
“He has a brief window of time early this evening. Are you able to come right over?”
“Uh, yes. I don’t know the address, though.”
“I’ll text it to you. He’s in the Menders’ Hall downtown.”
The Menders’ Hall was a magnificent granite structure near the main government buildings and financial centers in the middle of Baltimore. She knew where it was and didn’t need the address. She already felt self-conscious about going there.
“I know where that is, Mr. Gunderson. I will be there inside of an hour.”
“I shall tell him of your pending arrival, Ms. Durham. Good day.”
Winnie gathered her bag to leave, flipped the sign from Open to Closed, and locked the door behind her.
On the way by her neighbor’s store, she poked her head into the Fanny’s Flowers. Mrs. Paulson was busy helping a prospective bride and her mother select flowers for her wedding, so Winnie decided to leave a message.
There were two saleswomen behind the counter — a middling girl about her age, and a chanter closer to her mother’s. Seeing Mrs. Paulson was busy, she walked up to the two at the counter.
“I wanted to leave a message for Mrs. Paulson,” Winnie said, approaching the counter.
“Sure thing,” said the chanter woman, picking up a pen. She held it over a slip of paper and looked at Winnie expectantly. “Go ahead.”
“Just tell her I’ll be around early tomorrow before the shop opens. Around eight. I’ll have that thing she wanted.”
“Got it. I’ll see she gets this.”
“Great.” Winnie waved farewell, then left the shop.
She’d be getting a test of her new inverted weave on this one. If Winnie cast something new on the cash drawer and the chanter employee saw it, she’d recognize the aura immediately. She probably wouldn’t be able to figure out what it meant or did, but she’d know it was freshly cast. It wouldn’t take too much of a mental leap to put two and two together.
She’d have to be careful.
Winnie worried anew about doing the spell for Mrs. Paulson while juggling concerns about her upcoming meeting with Artos while walking to the bus stop. She had two connections to reach the financial district down near the harbor, and hoped she could make it in time.
The bus dropped her off at the stop down the street from the Menders’ Hall housing Merrilyn’s offices at exactly one hour from when she left. She had to run and would still be late for her appointment with the man.
Sure enough, Winnie was out of breath when she finally arrived on the fifth floor and found the offices for First Mender Services, LLC. The door’s gold lettering belied an upscale business, and had her wondering if her casual clothing of blue jeans, tee, and leather jacket was horribly inappropriate.
Winnie entered the office and found a typical reception area with a chest-high wall surrounding a long desk. She approached the desk, trying to slow her almost out of control breathing and hoping she wasn’t sweating as much as it felt like she was. A bored secretary looked up from her tablet, barely meeting Winnie’s eyes.
“Welcom
e to First Mender Services? How may I help you?”
“I’m here to see Mr. Merrilyn. I have an appointment, arranged with Mr. Gunderson.”
“Please have a seat. I’ll let Mr. Gunderson know you’re here.”
Winnie turned and sat in a comfortable armchair, eyeing the stack of magazines on the coffee table before deciding to flip through unopened emails on her phone.
She read three before a door in the far wall opened and Mr. Gunderson emerged.
“Miss Durham, it is good to see you. If you’ll please come with me?”
Winnie stood then followed the gray-haired man down a long hallway into a suite of offices.
“Mr. Merrilyn is running late and asked me to find out if you had plans for dinner.”
“I usually eat at home with my mother. I had nothing special planned tonight.”
“Good, Mr. Merrilyn would like the pleasure of your company. The two of you can discuss your plans over dinner this evening.”
Again, she looked down at her outfit: blue jeans, a tight-fitting tee, and a short-waisted leather jacket. She wasn’t dressed for dinner with a man like Artos Merrilyn.
Mr. Gunderson noticed her hesitation. “Oh, you’ll not be going out to dinner. Mr. Merrilyn takes his dinners here in the offices most evenings, finishing his business before he retires for the night. Your attire will not be a problem, I assure you.”
Winnie still felt self-conscious and underdressed, clutching her backpack to her chest as they continued down the hallway toward a set of wood-paneled double doors.
Mr. Gunderson knocked twice. She heard a muffled voice from the other side. It must have indicated for them to enter because the gray-haired assistant opened the right-hand door and gestured Winnie in ahead.
The high-ceilinged office looked like it could belong to the governor. Dark wood paneling lined the walls with crown molding edged against the ceiling, and a matching dark-stained chair rail fixed to the walls. One entire wall was covered by a floor to ceiling bookcase with a brass track and ladder arrangement to access the upper shelves. Artos Merrilyn sat behind a large wooden desk fronted with two leather-upholstered wingback chairs. Mr. Gunderson led Winnie to the chairs and gestured for her to sit. Artos was on his desk phone, mid-conversation. She took a seat and waited. The assistant left, pulling the double doors closed as he did.
Winnie looked around the room, noticing an antique suit of armor on a stand in one corner and a large globe set in a metal floor stand in the other. There was a table and another two chairs set up near the bookshelves, with two table-settings already set. She tried not to eavesdrop on the call while absorbing the room’s many sights, but failed.
“ … I’ll tell you again. I can no longer guarantee delivery. I may have a solution, but you must wait until after dinner. Now is the time for caution.”
Winnie couldn’t hear what the voice on the other end was saying, but she could hear its angry tone well enough. Artos rolled his eyes, listening to the tirade. He covered the mouthpiece of the phone with one hand.
“I’ll be with you in one moment, my dear.”
He returned to his call. After a moment, Artos interrupted.
“Jackson, I will provide you what was promised, but you must be patient while delivery is arranged. I will contact you again later this evening. I should have the details you require then. Is that satisfactory? Excellent. Until then.”
Artos hung up the phone then turned to look Winnie over. She tried not to fidget under his stern stare. Finally, he spoke.
“I’m pleased you agreed to meet with me, Winnie. You show great promise, especially in the face of this brave new world we seem to have found ourselves in.”
Artos smiled, but Winnie was unsure of her response.
He stood from his tall leather chair and gestured for her to follow. “I hope you don’t mind, but I arranged to meet with you over an early dinner. I have another engagement later this evening and find it tiresome to meet with certain individuals on an empty stomach.”
She followed Artos over to the table. He pulled out a chair and waited for her to sit before he sat down on the opposite side. Winnie felt out of her element in such upscale surroundings. She hoped it didn’t show and kept her eyes on Artos for any clues as to what she should do next.
He tugged the white linen napkin from its silver ring then settled it into his lap. Winnie did the same. Artos reached out and lifted a small silver bell on a carved wooden handle. The bell rang then the double doors opened. Two waiters entered and set large trays down on folding stands: covered plates, wine and water glasses, a pitcher of water, and a bottle of wine. There were also crystal salt and pepper shakers, set on the table between them next to the candles.
One waiter pulled out a lighter and lit the two candles. The other set the covered plates in front of Winnie and Artos. When all was prepared, the waiters nodded to each other then removed the covers, revealing thick slices of meat in a brown gravy, roasted potatoes, and the longest spears of asparagus she’d ever seen. The meat was probably beef, but she wasn’t sure, since she’d only tasted it a few times before.
The waiters stood by as Artos eyed the plates. He smiled then dismissed them with a wave. Then they left, taking their silver trays and folding stands with them. Winnie waited for Artos to pick up his utensils before following suit, trying to imitate the way he handled his silverware. She cut a piece from one of the thick slices of beef and put it in her mouth.
The sensation was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. The seasoning was perfect, not too salty, and the meat was so tender it practically melted in her mouth before she’d chewed the first bite.
Without even meaning to, Winnie breathed a seemingly bottomless, satisfied sigh.
Artos laughed aloud and pointed to her plate with his knife. “It’s good, isn’t it? I take it you’ve never had roast prime rib.”
She swallowed before answering. “I had heard of it, but never had it myself. It is quite good. Um … thank you for sharing your meal with me.”
“Think nothing of it. Really. I eat alone too often. Food is meant to be eaten in the company of others. It is one of the things that makes us human.” He took another bite and continued talking. “So, what do you have to show me? Have you perfected that technique to … what did you say it was … invert the flows?”
“Um-hm,” Winnie said, trying to talk around the food in her mouth. “The technique is time-consuming because you have to kind of work with your eyes closed. So you can’t see exactly what you’re doing. I guess you’d say it’s mostly done by feel.”
“Show me.”
Winnie looked around then selected the crystal salt shaker, using one of the common charms she used to sell in the shop. The charm would make it so that when you shook the salt shaker, food would be perfectly seasoned for the person holding it. She focused, turning the shaker in one hand while using the other to manipulate the flows.
Once the basic spell was in place, the difficult part started as she turned the spell inside-out. Artos watched her work. It took about five minutes, but once was finished, only the slightest shimmer betrayed that there was a charm on the setting at all. It was probably invisible to anyone else. Artos reached out his hand, and Winnie handed him the shaker.
Artos peered at the shaker, holding it up to the light, looking at the refraction through the crystal. He stared for a few minutes, turning it in his hand, then set it back on the table and gave Winnie a broad grin.
“My dear, you have come up with quite a trick. I couldn’t see how you did it, even after you explained the theory. I’m not sure there are many chanters who can duplicate it, even with you there to teach them.”
“Thank you, sir. That means a lot coming from someone as accomplished as yourself.”
“The trick is to see if it can fool those who are actually looking for it. How confident are you in this new weave?”
“I think it speaks for itself, Mr. Merrilyn. I have to wonder how much it’s worth to you?�
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“It is worth nothing until proven effective at avoiding all detection.” He picked up the shaker. “Can you do this with any charm you cast? Can you affect a spell cast by someone else, without altering the original spell?”
Winnie nodded. “I used the technique on Mrs. Adams’s clock. Anyone who examines it now will assume it’s mundane even though its abilities are intact.”
“Excellent. That is exactly what I wanted to hear.” Artos leaned forward and rang the small bell again. This time, Mr. Gunderson entered, carrying a small wooden box, about six inches long by three inches wide and three inches tall. He handed the box to Artos, then stood by his side as his boss set the box down and opened it.
Winnie craned her neck to see inside. The box was lined with red velvet and contained a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. She murmured a viewing spell and saw that the glasses were magically enhanced in some way, though she didn’t recognize the spell.
“These glasses were purchased by a very rich man here in the city. He requires them in order to tell whether those with whom he speaks are lying. That was the gentleman I was conversing with when you arrived. My question, Miss Durham: can you invert the spell on these glasses?”
Winnie held out a hand and Artos handed the glasses to her. She inspected them, turning the lenses in her hands. It was the most complex casting she’d ever seen, easily four times more complicated than the clock. But she didn’t have to do any repairs, merely invert the flows so the spell was invisible to detection.
Winnie looked up at her host and nodded. “I think so. I’m not familiar with the spell work here, but that’s irrelevant to the twisting required to invert it.”
“How long will it take you?”
“You want me to do it now?”
“Yes. My client is insistent that he have his glasses delivered tonight. I’ll ask you again: How long will it take you?”
Winnie looked at the glasses again, appraising the spell’s many knots. “I can do it in an hour, I think. I’m getting better every time. It just depends on whether or not I run into any unseen blocks in the flows.”