I took a deep breath and descended the stairs. A board creaked, and I paused to listen to anything that might have responded. Nothing yet.
I continued forward, letting out a tight breath as I got to the last one. I turned the corner to find a living room area, empty except for a fire burning. One with a new log on it.
Someone was here to put a fresh log on the fire. Was it Salazar? Was it someone else? Maybe it was magic. That wasn’t really out of the realm of possibilities right now. I quickly crossed the room to a hallway, hoping it led to a door. Luckily it did, but then Salazar walked in and smiled at me.
“Hello, Lacey.”
I couldn’t catch my breath. “Hi,” I squeaked out. He was between me and my only real exit out of the house. I could run further into the house and hope he didn’t catch up, but chances were, he knew his house pretty well, and I couldn’t hide in it. I could try to rush him, shove him out of the way, and head for the door, but that also meant that he could grab me.
“I see you found the door I used in your store.”
“By complete accident, I assure you.” I started to take a few steps back.
He chuckled. “I have no doubt about that because your magic is useless. Completely.” He matched my couple of steps.
Well, you know, when someone accidentally takes you out with rabbits, it’s hard to imagine them taking your magic seriously. I turned and ran back up the stairs. I had all intentions of throwing myself out the window, but Salazar came behind me and shoved me into the study. “Where do you think you’re going to go?”
“Well, I’d really like to go home.”
A wicked smile crossed his face. “I can arrange for that.”
“Alive?” Once again, my voice cracked.
Maybe I could go back through the wall and end up back in the shop. Did it work like that? I turned and sprinted toward the wall, focusing on where I wanted to be. My phone buzzed, and I tried not to think about it, but the words, ‘not now mom’ ran through my mind just as I reached the wall. I put all the magic I could into it and slammed my palm against the brick. Salazar caught my wrist right as I went through.
I stumbled through the wall and caught myself before I hit the ground. Salazar still had a firm grip on my wrist.
I turned to see where we ended up. I was on a stage with Salazar holding my wrist, and we were looking over a small audience who looked back at us with wide eyes. One of the people in the crowd being my mother.
I was at the magic show, and I wasn’t exactly sure how much worse this could get.
By the look on Salazar’s face, I didn’t think he did either.
My mother climbed up on the stage. “What a grand entrance! Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce Sal the Magnificent and my own daughter, Lacey Willows.
I looked at him. “Times rough Sal?” I asked with a low voice. “That you had to take a side gig?”
He started to say something as the audience applauded us. I ignored the fact that Salazar still had my wrist. I wondered for a moment if he was thinking about dragging me through the wall again. I hoped not, because right now, we had witnesses, and I really needed him to try something in front of them.
He waved a hand, and a saw box appeared. “For my first trick, I will saw Lacey in half without harming her.”
Like hell I was going to get into that box. I touched the box, and it burst into a dozen decks of playing cards. The cards all fell to the ground, and the audience let out a cheer.
That hadn’t been my intention, but my magic at least neutralized the threat. I was tired from going through walls twice, so I knew part of it was my lack of control. This could end very poorly.
Salazar waved a hand at me as the audience cheered. I tried to catch my breath. I hoped that Trace realized I should be out of the house and called by now. I had no way of telling him where I was.
I glanced at the audience. They watched us with anticipation. My mom stepped away from the crowd to answer her phone. Salazar grabbed my wrist again and spun me away from the audience.
To them, it looked like a show. To me, I knew it was a threat. He was going to try something, and I needed to make sure he didn’t get the chance. Behind him was a table with a hat and some rings. Two things that I did not get along with, but I could let my magic go wild with. I used my weight to force him back a couple steps so that we were near the table.
I made a wide circle with my arms to break his hold on me, and I grabbed the rings and the hat. I spun back towards the audience, showing them the items.
I put the hat on my head and clicked the rings. Luckily for me, they connected and multiplied like they were supposed to. Salazar went to take them from me, and the rings turned into handcuffs, locking themselves around his wrists. He glared at me, and I stepped out of his reach and held my hands out as if to say ‘ta-da, I meant to do that.’
The audience clapped again. Salazar took a step toward me, and I took the hat off my head. I reached in to pretend like I was going to pull something out of it, and he stopped.
Maybe I had traumatized him with the rabbit incident after all. I could hear calls in the audience, and Salazar glared at me and then attempted to run back toward the wall. I pulled my hand out of the hat and threw whatever I had at him.
Cake.
So much cake. It was like I’d thrown a giant bucket of cake-like slime at him. It’d hit him in the back, and his feet slipped on what landed below him. Salazar fell and turned to glare at me. “You little —”
“Salazar, you are under arrest for the murder of Rose Becker.” Brig’s voice came over the crowd.
He looked at me and then to Salazar. “You can explain this later.”
I held up my hands and looked to see Trace pushing through the audience. He came up the steps of the stage and hugged me.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”
“Where is Jackson?” My voice shook. “I’m going to kill him.”
Trace shook his head. “Moses scared him off. I don’t think we’ll be seeing him again.” He helped me down the steps of the stage, and I sat down in a chair that one of the audience members had abandoned.
“How did you get here so fast?”
“I was on my way to the neighborhood to talk to your parents. I wanted to let them know what was going on. I called your mom, and she said that you were here on stage. I didn’t expect to find you with Salazar, but I called Office Brigs just in case. He was also in the neighborhood to talk to Gwen.”
I chuckled. “Everything aligned just right.”
“So it seems.” Office Brigs stepped up to me. “Would you like to explain how you and Salazar just happened to appear here at the right time?”
“Well, you seem Officer Brigs, I walked through a couple walls and I got myself in trouble.”
He snorted. “You walked through walls?”
I nodded. “Go ahead, check the stage, there will be no secret tunnels, no tricks. Just pure magic. That’s how Salazar got into my shop to drop the body off. That’s how I accidentally ended up at his house and then here.”
I stood. “Now, while you investigate that, I’m going to go enjoy the cake tasting contest and then go home and take a nap.”
Brigs raised a brow but nodded. “I know where to find you if I need you.”
I’m sure he did. I headed toward the area where the tables with the cakes were laid out. My mom stepped up next to me. “Thank you for showing up. That was a crazy show, did you know Sal before?”
“Mom, Salazar is the guy who Trace and I found on our first case together.”
Her mouth made a little o in surprise.
I smiled at her. “It’s okay. He’ll be behind bars again. Now, let’s eat some cake.”
She nodded and hugged me from the side before she wandered off. Trace looked at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just tired. All that walking takes it out of you, ya know?”
He laughed. “I’m sure it does.”
CH
APTER ELEVEN
Christmas Eve morning, I sat in the shop with Moses drinking coffee. He’d cleared out the back room, and Kaz was back there doing her thing to make sure no one would be able to walk through my walls again.
“No luck at the Humane Society?” I asked Moses.
He shook his head. “No sign of my dog. I’m sure Duo still has her. I’d like her back, but that might be too much to ask at this point. No job, no house, no dog. It’s looking a bit bleak.”
“I still owe you for the work you’ve done here. And if I ever get my shop back together, I’m happy to offer you a job. It won’t be much, but a place to start?”
He looked at me like I’d sprouted a second head. “You hardly know me.”
“This is true, but I also know that you’re a hard worker, and you want to better yourself. You can’t do that unless someone gives you a chance.” I shrugged. “So, here’s your chance.”
He smiled. “I’ll think about it. First, let’s finish cleaning the shop up and see what you can do about Duo.”
“He hasn’t messaged me back yet, so I doubt I’ll be doing anything about him.”
“Message him again. It’s morning. Maybe he’s a bit more receptive right now.”
I pulled out my phone and sent Duo another message. “I have your magical hat, bring the dogs to my shop? No cops, no cameras.”
I waited for a moment, watching with bated breath for the little word ‘read’ to show up.
After a couple minutes, it did.
And then the three little dots at the bottom appeared showing he was writing back.
Then they stopped.
Nothing popped up, and disappointment hit me hard. Reasoning with Duo wasn’t going to work. Bribing him wasn’t going to work. What was?
I took a deep breath. “I have a hundred in cash with your name on it, the hat, and I’ll meet you somewhere.”
The dots started moving again, and I waited. Maybe it would be enough. Maybe he didn’t want to give the dogs up because he wanted companions.
“I have three dogs. I want two hundred.”
I glanced at Moses. “All three dogs for two hundred and the hat,” I responded.
Moses raised a brow at me. “Why are you staring at me?”
“I might be able to get your dog back. I’m not sure if it’s yours or not, but Duo has three.”
A little bit of hope sparked in his eyes.
My phone dinged, and I looked back at it.
“Deal. Gas station three blocks west of your shop. Ten minutes.”
The good news was he was close by, the downfall was that I was going to have to wrangle three dogs. “I’ll be back in a bit.” I jumped up. “I’m going to go meet him and get the dogs.”
“Alone?”
“I’m worried if anyone else comes, it’ll scare him off.”
Moses hesitated a little bit. “Okay, I’ll wait here for you.”
“Thank you.” I walked out to the car. If I could pull this off, we could get the dogs back in time for Christmas.
What a great present for the kids to have their dogs back. I smiled the entire walk to the car and the drive to the gas station.
I pulled up and saw no sign of Duo or the dogs. I got out and zipped my jacket to wait for him.
The snow fell around me as I waited. Finally, I saw a bicycle coming up the sidewalk with a trailer attached to it.
Duo came into view and stopped near me. “The hat and cash?”
“Dogs first, please. I’m not going to screw you, but I want to make sure we have the right dogs.”
He went to the trailer and unzipped it. Three dogs came bounding out. A Wheaton Terrier, a mini Aussie, and a German Shepherd. How he got all three dogs to fit in the little trailer, I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t going to complain.
He held the leashes out for me. I handed him the hat and then the cash before I took the dogs’ leashes. “You know.” He shoved the cash in his pocket. “I can pull whatever I want out of hats.” He put his hand in. “Which means I can bring these dogs back to me at any time.”
I looked at him and crossed my arms. “Maybe you should start using your magic for good. Like pulling out food, a blanket, and then getting back on your feet. I don’t know what happened in your life, but I know that Salazar was involved.”
He hissed at the name. “What do you know of him?”
“Simple, I know he’s in jail for murder right now and that he taught you the walk through the wall with magic.”
“It was perfect, and then he had to go ruin my life by using the magic against me and stealing everything,” he yelled. “He ruined everything I worked for. He’d promise to make me huge, and then he betrayed me.”
I pressed my lips together. “Then maybe it’s time to move on.” I motioned to the hat. “That’s the hat you had at the flower shop. Use it wisely.”
Turning away, I pulled the dogs back to the car. I didn’t look back at Duo, though part of me was expecting him to attack me.
“Hold on,” he called.
There it was. I would turn around, and he’ll have pulled something out of the hat.
I turned, and I saw him pointing a gun at me. I sighed. “Duo, you don’t want to do this.”
“Give me your wallet and the dogs back now.” His hand shook, but I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or the cold.
“I don’t have my wallet on me. I brought just the cash, and I know a lovely family who want their beloved pets back, and a good man who just wants his companion back.” I held my free hand up. “Put the gun down.”
He growled. “You have no idea what I can do. I will shoot you. I can sell the dogs for a couple hundred each, at least.” He shook his hand with the gun at me. “Now, give them back.”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the pounding in my heart. I met his gaze. “No.”
The hat shook in his other hand, and snakes started climbing out of the hat onto his hand up to his arm. He looked down and screamed as they slithered down his legs. “What is this?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. That’s not what I was going for.” I had been hoping for handcuffs again but got snakes.
Maybe it was because I was thinking he was a snake.
Duo kicked at them and dropped the gun to pull them off. I simply walked away with the dogs.
I urged them to get in the car and then drove back to the shop. I texted Trace. “Got them.”
I walked into the shop with the dogs. The German Shepherd yanked his way out of my hand and ran to Moses. He jumped on the grinning man, and Moses hugged him. The reunion was beautiful.
Moses held the dog so tight, and tears gathered at the corner of his eyes. He scratched the dog’s ears and asked him repeatedly if he was a good boy and if he missed Moses.
Trace walked in a few minutes later as I was loving on the other two dogs while Moses was still loving his.
Trace smirked. “These two are filthy.”
“Yeah, well, you spend a couple weeks in the wild and see if you stay clean.” I stood. “Now what?”
“Now I call in a favor, get the dogs cleaned up, and get them home. Moses, that goes for your pup too. I’m sure he could use a good bath as well.”
He nodded. “I’ll come with you. I don’t want to leave him alone.”
I guess when you lose the only companion you have, you don’t want to let them out of your sight. Trace seemed to understand. “Okay, let’s get this done so we can make Christmas for this family.”
After a few hours of good scrubbing and a good meal, the dogs looked much cleaner and happier. Trace and I left Moses at the shop with his dog and took Nana and Patches back to their home.
Trace knocked while I held the dogs on the leash. “I told the parents, but they haven’t told the kids yet.”
The woman I met in the office opened the door. “I can’t believe you found them.” She smiled and opened the door wider. “The kids will be so thrilled.”
We walked in and followed her into the li
ving room, where the six children were all playing. They looked up at us and then to the dogs. Smiles spread over their faces as they rushed the dogs, showering them with ear scratches and belly rubs.
Words of happiness filled the air, questions about where they’d been, and how happy they were to be home. The dogs never seemed to stop smiling at all the love they got.
Mandy pulled Trace and me aside. “Thank you so much for your help and taking my case. Not many people would take a case about lost dogs.”
“You can’t be without your childhood pets on the holidays.” Trace shook her hand. “I’m glad Lacey was able to find them and help us.”
She turned to me, and I tried not to blush. “How did you manage it? Magic?”
“Well, yes and no.” I smiled. “Let’s just call it a Christmas miracle for now. Everything fell into place just right.”
She gave me a big hug and then went back to the kids. Her husband came out and nearly screamed. “Nana and Patches are back!” He threw his arms up in the air and quickly joined the kids.
I watched them enjoy the dogs being back, the fireplace, and Christmas tree in the background, and smiled.
“It’s almost perfect, isn’t it?” Trace asked.
I nodded. “I’m glad we got them back. I’ve never seen such pure joy.”
He put a hand on my back and led me out of the house. “Let them enjoy this time. Besides, you and I have dinner at your parents. Your mom said something about her winning the cake contest and her wanting to celebrate.
I chuckled. “I think I could handle that. But I want to go pick Moses up first.”
“Moses is, ah, working on something else tonight, and I swore I’d keep you away from the shop.”
I glared at him. “What are you two up to?”
“Don’t worry about it and come on. Let’s have dinner.”
“Okay, it’s Christmas, it’s cold, and you’re dragging me to work?” I muttered at Trace as we walked from the parking lot to the front of the building.
He nodded. “Yeah, sorry, this couldn’t wait until later. I wanted to show it to you now.”
Walking Through Walls Page 10