by Erin Johnson
Some old friend of hers got wind that I was sick and we were going through tough times and recruited her into her downline for that scam Potent Potions.
I nodded. Sounded about right. From what I knew of these pyramid schemes, the higher ups encouraged their downlines to prey on the lonely, struggling, and poor—anyone going through a tough time that’d make them desperate for a better life.
I shook my head thinking of Ralph Litt’s opulent hotel suite. They milked these people dry—forcing them to exploit their closest relationships and invest money they likely didn’t have, all with false promises of success—then lived the high life while these people suffered. It was deplorable, and the lawyer in me itched to dig into the business and get justice for people like Maria. Even the “friend” who’d signed her up was likely a victim herself—forced to recruit more suckers as the only way of recovering some of her own investment.
The lizard, John, huffed and sneezed, snapping me back to the present.
They filled her head with all these ridiculous promises about what their little vials of potions could do and how it’d cure me of my illness. Ha! It started with just patches of skin turning all scaly, then one day I woke up and poof—I’m a lizard!
I shook my head. That’s awful. And it was… so why was I still having to fight not to laugh? So the potions turned you into a lizard—I’ve never heard of anything like that.
Yeah, well, I’d suspect she’d done it on purpose if I didn’t know she was too stupid to pull that off.
Wow. What a charmer.
The lizard coughed and hissed. My wife talked to a lawyer, they confronted Potent Potions, and they paid her off a huge settlement to keep her quiet. It’s why she can’t discuss the details with you.
I nodded. I’d guessed as much from my brief glimpse of the document Avery Ann had pulled out earlier. I opened my mouth to ask him about a cure, but he went on.
That, plus the extra money the other guy gave us for the remaining vials allowed us to move to this swanky joint. Eh, can’t complain, I guess. I mean, I am a lizard now, but I’d probably have been dead of my human illness by now so, what’re you gonna do?
I frowned. I had no idea what to say to that. But what did he mean by extra money? Did someone from Potent Potions pay you for the rest of the vials that turned you into this?
Peter cleared his throat, and I looked up. “What’s he saying?”
I held up a finger and turned back to John the lizard. I needed to get all this before Maria got back.
The lizard shook his head, the loose skin at his neck swaying. No, I don’t think the guy was from Potent Potions. They just wanted to throw money our way and shut us up. This other guy was a lot more intense, seemed very interested in the potion itself. He asked my wife a lot of questions about how it’d worked—course, she couldn’t tell him much. Neither of us had any idea how this happened—and as a lizard, frankly I couldn’t tell him anything.
The lizard blinked. That was a joke.
Oh! Ha! I slapped my thigh. Good one.
Don’t patronize me.
I sobered up. Do you remember the guy’s name?
The lizard narrowed its eyes. Hm—he was some lawyer, wouldn’t say who he was representing. Ronster… Rondtent? Mr. Ronstadt, that was it.
I frowned. Why did that name seem so familiar? Was he a lawyer I’d known during my career?
“Jolene!” Peter hissed and jerked his head toward the empty spot on the couch beside him.
I shot my head up and heard the clink of dishes.
“Sorry it took me so long, I had to grind the beans and—”
I leapt to my feet and had barely thrown myself down next to Peter when Maria shuffled in, a bamboo tray in her hands. Peter rose to take it from her, and she handed it over with a grateful smile. He set it on the coffee table, and I eagerly threw a few lumps of sugar in my cup with a splash of creamer, then wrapped my chilled fingers around the white mug and inhaled the earthy, rich aroma.
“Thank you.”
Maria beamed and nodded. “Of course.” She lightly patted her lizard husband. My mind still boggled that that had actually happened. It raised so many questions—how? How was Potent Potions still in business? And who was this other lawyer who’d bought the remaining vials of the potion from the Wus?
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help earlier.” She splayed her palms.
“I understand.” Peter gently stirred his cup of coffee, then set the spoon on the saucer and lifted the mug to his lips. After he took a swig, he turned the cup in his big hands. “Can you tell us where you were two nights ago during the Potent Potions summit when Pearl Litt was murdered?”
Maria paled, and her eyes grew wide. She licked her lips and her chest heaved. “Uh—sure. I was, um, I was out.”
Daisy wagged her tail. True.
Peter raised his brows. “Where?”
Her throat bobbed and she looked absolutely terrified. I studied her—that was interesting. She seemed so meek and unassuming—could she have sought revenge for her husband? From the way she’d described him and my own interactions with him, that seemed unlikely. I had no doubt she found him more pleasant to be around in lizard form.
“I was out shopping.”
Daisy growled. Lie.
Peter paused and leveled her a hard look. “My partner, Daisy, is enchanted to smell lies. She just indicated that that might not be the whole truth. Do you want to try again?”
Maria’s eyes darted to the German shepherd, but she shook her head. “That’s where I was.”
Daisy growled again. More lies. Her eyes slid to me. Who is she? You?
I rolled my eyes. Good one.
“We will be checking on your alibi. You understand?”
Her chest heaved, but she nodded.
Peter shook his head and set down his coffee mug. His quill and scroll appeared, magically hovering beside his head. “Fine. Do you remember any of the stores you stopped in at?”
She sucked on her lips and looked like she was about to cry but rattled off a few shop names. Why was she even bothering going through the motions if we all knew she was lying?
Peter rose after she finished, and I, despite the mild burning to my mouth and throat, chugged the rest of my coffee. It was a calculated move—I needed the caffeine more than I needed the taste buds. I stood and tugged up my jeans.
“We’ll be in touch, Mrs. Wu.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry—I just can’t tell you more.”
Daisy wagged her tail. True.
She showed us out, and with one last glance at John, the lizard, I followed Peter and Daisy out into the tidy street. We regrouped on the cobblestones, the gray dawn of light brightening the sky. I filled Peter in on my conversation with the lizard.
He dragged a hand down his face. “I can’t believe it. So her husband really was turned into a lizard by the potions?”
I shrugged. “That’s what he said.” I glanced at Daisy. “And this one didn’t cry foul.”
Peter nodded. “I didn’t know potions were capable of such things.”
I shook my head. “Me, neither.” Though I guess it shouldn’t have been such a shock. If a curse in the form of a potion had stripped me of the ability to shift into an owl, maybe it wasn’t such a stretch that one could have turned a man into a lizard.
Peter licked his lips and glanced at the sky. “I know it’s getting late, but I’d like to pay Pearl’s sister, Opal Whitaker, a visit. She’s the one who came up with these formulas—I want to hear what she has to say about this and what their potions are actually capable of.”
I nodded. “Avery Ann said she was working from home lately.”
He glanced toward Maria’s door. “Then I’ll call up to the station and get Opal’s home address. And I’ll have somebody look into Mrs. Wu’s alibi for the night of the murder.” He sighed. “Though I don’t know what the point is—we already know she was lying.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, but why?
I don’t get the murderer vibe from her.”
Peter shook his head. “Me, neither.” His voice came out heavy. “But people have surprised me in unpleasant ways lately.”
23
Family
Peter double-checked the address he’d jotted down on a bit of scroll after his conversation with Edna. “Looks like this is the place.”
Daisy led the way, bounding up several stairs to a small landing and Opal Whitaker’s front door. Peter and I followed. Just as he lifted his arm to rap on the door, I noticed a movement in the window.
The semisheer curtains rustled, and I gently placed a hand on Peter’s arm. He gave me a startled look, and I tipped my head toward the swaying curtains in the window to my right.
“I think she already knows we’re here.”
A moment later, locks clicked, and the door opened just a crack. Opal stood in the doorway, peeking out at us.
She plastered a huge smile on her face, but her tight, worried eyes shifted quickly between Peter and I. “Oh, Officer, and… you,” she finished lamely.
I gave her a bright smile. “Yep. You’s my name, don’t wear it out.”
Peter shot me a look but dipped his head. “Ms. Whitaker. We hoped we might have a few more words with you. Is this an all right time?” Peter leaned to the side and tried to peer past Opal, but she kept the door barely open, blocking most of it with her body.
Yeah, she wasn’t hiding anything.
My face split into a huge smile. “Someone seems chipper, considering their sister just died.”
Opal’s eyes grew tighter, and her mouth collapsed into a pinched knot. She let out a heavy exhale. She stood aside and waved us in. “Come in, come in, of course. I don’t mean to seem flippant or heartless, but—” Her eyes widened as Daisy trotted inside. She cleared her throat and seemed to rearrange her words. “—but I’ve got family staying with me.” She shrugged. “The death and all, and I’ve had to put on a brave face.”
Erg. Now I felt like a real sea slug. I shot her an apologetic smile as I slunk inside behind Peter. “Sorry about that.”
“Not at all, not at all.” She closed the door behind us, then breezed past us into the open floorplan townhome. Her place was modern, luxurious and, unlike my place, clean.
She ushered us toward a tidy arrangement of sofas around a beautiful oriental rug that constituted the living space. Peter and I settled on the leather sofa, and Opal sat across from us on a sparkling, translucent chair. She adjusted her glasses and clasped her hands together on her knee.
“So… what can I help you with?”
Behind her, candlelight glinted off the white marble counters of her kitchen. An open bottle of wine sat beside two glasses. I glanced toward the stairs that led up to the second story, my curiosity piqued—what family did she have staying with her?
“Can I offer you some coffee or tea?” She brightened. “Or perhaps some potions?”
Tempting, except after speaking to the lizard man, I wasn’t going anywhere near those. I slumped into the sofa and stretched my legs out. “No thanks, I’d rather not turn into a reptile tonight.”
Her eyes widened. “Why would you say that?
Peter shot me a look, then turned back to Opal. “We’re actually here to ask you about Maria Wu and her husband, John. Are you familiar with them?”
Opal’s face darkened, and her neck flushed red. “How did you find out about that?” She shook a finger. “They’re not supposed to be speaking about that.”
I smirked. “Well, John being a lizard and all makes it pretty tough for him to speak about much of anything.”
Her nostrils flared as she shot me a withering look. “That’s per court order; that case has been settled. It’s over.”
Crash!
Opal pressed a hand with neatly painted nails to her chest. Peter and I snapped our gazes toward the stairs and the noise that had sounded from upstairs.
A line creased the space between Peter’s brows. “Do you need to go check on that or—”
Opal cut him off. “Oh. Just my guest. No need.” Her eyes darted to Daisy who sat, tail wrapped around her paws, beside Peter. “What happened to that man was an unfortunate tragedy, but it was the fault of our manufacturer. My formulation was fine—they messed up the production of it. But like I said, that case is closed, ancient history. So why in the seas did you want to know about it?”
Peter leaned forward, elbows on his thighs. “Why would Maria Wu have thought Potent Potions could cure her husband’s disease?”
Opal scoffed and airily waved a hand. “Why would any delusional person think anything?”
Daisy bared her teeth, and the woman sobered. She pinched the bridge of her nose, heaved a dramatic sigh, then splayed her palms. “Look, we’re a huge company. We’ve grown so quickly, and it’s impossible to make sure that every single one of our independent consultants is properly trained.” She pressed her bright red lips together and looked from Peter to me.
I frowned. “So you’re saying Maria was misled by one of your consultants?”
“So you’re saying you don’t claim that your potions can cure diseases?” Peter flipped a broad palm.
Opal scoffed. “Please. Have I mentioned I was trained by one of the best potion masters in the kingdoms?”
Daisy’s tail wagged just a little bit. Truth.
My eyelids fluttered as I tried not to roll them. Maybe once or twice.
“Well, our formulations are top-notch, but we have never claimed that they could cure diseases or illnesses or ailments or curses.” Opal scoffed again, a “how ridiculous” expression on her face. “We simply advertise that our Potent Potions promote a general sense of health and well-being.”
Wow. So vague.
She rolled her wrist. “If some of our consultants decide to embellish and make outlandish claims, that’s on them. They’ve not been trained or pressured to do so.” She looked smug, but her eyes darted to Daisy and stayed there until the dog wagged her tail. Partial truth.
Sure, but I’d bet it was just technically true. I had no doubt that the company let their consultants make all kinds of claims about what Potent Potions could do. Why wouldn’t they? As long as they got more sales, who cared what lies their consultants were spreading? Besides, if an errant potion turned somebody into a lizard, they could just bury it with a payout and a court order not to talk about it.
My shoulders hiked into my ears as the lawyer in me wanted to take this scam of a company down.
Peter leaned to one side and stared Opal down. “So you’re saying you’re not a powerful enough potion maker to concoct the kind of potion that could cure real diseases and curses?”
Opal leveled him a flat look. “Nice try. I think everyone knows that would be incredibly unrealistic to expect from our highly affordable potions.” She scoffed. “I mean, something with that kind of power would require a highly skilled potions master and would be extremely expensive.”
I perked up. Curses, you say? I scooted forward to the edge of the couch. “Wait a minute, you’re saying certain potions could actually cure curses?” I caught Peter staring and swallowed. “Just hypothetically speaking… how would someone go about doing that?” I stroked my chin super nonchalantly.
Opal took a deep breath through her nose and let out a heavy sigh. “Listen, if you’re trying to trap me, you’re out of luck. That court case closed ages ago, and besides, it was determined that we hadn’t made any false claims at the corporate level.” She crossed her arms and huffed. “I know my limits as a potion maker.” She rolled her eyes. “In fact, that was the whole premise behind Potent Potions. Really, it was Pearl’s genius to take such a boutique industry that requires tons of money and one-on-one knowledge, and instead make it highly accessible to the masses in a much more affordable way. It’s true the potions certainly aren’t as powerful in certain cases, but for most common wants and needs, they work wonders.”
I slumped back in my seat, arms folded. So it was pos
sible for a potion master, if highly skilled, to cure a curse. I thought of Ludolf’s promise to have his hex makers look into a cure for me. Could he have been serious?
Then again, I doubted that offer still stood, even if it had been made in earnest, given the way I’d recently busted a shifter working one of his illegal money lending joints. I frowned—just how many of those did he have? And why hadn’t I heard anything from him in over a month? I shrugged. It made me uneasy.
I bit my lip as I thought of finding my own potion master to work on my curse. Not that I had tons of money or knew any potion masters, but hey, it was something. If there was a chance I could get my magic back and break this curse, I’d do just about anything. My gaze slid to Opal, and I frowned.
Now I knew how Maria Wu would’ve probably felt, along with tons of other people who’d been suckered into the Potent Potions scam. They preyed on vulnerable, suffering, down on their luck people, willing to believe just about anything and follow any lead no matter how desperate if it promised a chance at better health or a better life for them and their families.
I looked around at her luxurious townhome and scowled at the woman. This had all been bought on the backs of those less fortunate.
Opal prattled on. “Besides, it’d be foolish and completely ill-advised to try and cure a curse, or any illness really, without truly understanding how it came to be in the first place. It’s easy to do more harm than good if you don’t approach it correctly—could even result in death.”
I raised my brows. “More harm? Like turning someone into a lizard?”
She shot me a flat look. “No comment.”
I smirked. Yeah—I’d bet she was thinking a few choice ones, though.
“Could you tell us a little more about your relationship with Pearl?” Peter shifted tactics, and I watched Opal closely. I still hadn’t ruled out the motive of sibling rivalry in my own head.
She glanced toward the stairs, no doubt not wanting to be overheard throwing sand at her deceased sister, then lowered her voice. “Pearl and I were sisters.” She splayed her palms. “We didn’t always see eye to eye, and yes—” She pressed her eyes shut. “I often felt my talents were being exploited, but… we were still sisters.”