“The clouds are really coming in now,” Willow said. “I vote we get back to Mt. Rheanier and then go inside before the heavens open up on us. Look at the speed they’re coming in from. We won’t have more than an hour before they reach us at home.”
“Right,” I agreed. “How about you, Vinnie? What’s your opinion about rain?”
“I hate being wet,” he replied succinctly, and I nodded in agreement.
“Good. Well, at least now that you’ve got a witch to hang out with, I can cast a protection spell over you if we’re outside when it rains.”
“Oh, that is a nice bonus,” he replied. “Although, frankly, I’d have simply preferred being given a witch who lived in Hawaii.”
“Wouldn’t we all,” I muttered. Suddenly, I stopped short, grabbing Willow by the arm.
“What? What is it?” Vinnie asked, realizing we’d stopped.
“Hide,” I whispered, looking around. We were on the main street, and there was a small alley between two of the shops. I ran toward it, with Willow and Vinnie following me.
“What’s going on?” Willow asked quietly when we were safely in the alley.
“Jack and Andy are out there,” I replied. Jack was a local enforcer and my former best friend. Andy was also an enforcer in Mt. Rheanier, a new transplant from Australia who was looking to find himself by traveling around the world.
“You cannot seriously still be running away from Jack every time you see him,” Willow said.
“No, I’m happy to tell him exactly what I think of him,” I replied. “But I don’t want them to know that we’re here, investigating.”
A shadow passed over the alley and I closed my eyes and winced.
“Well, fancy meeting the two of you here,” Jack said, a small smile on his face. “And what exactly brings you to the fine alleyways of Pacific Cove?”
“Oh, you know, I just lost something and thought I’d check behind the shops we were shopping in,” I replied casually with a wave of my hand.
“Really?” Jack replied, raising an eyebrow and looking at the shops on either side of the alley. “You were in a shop dedicated to men’s beard care or a yoga studio?”
“You don’t know me anymore. Maybe I do yoga now,” I said, crossing my arms in front of me.
“I will bet you ten million abras that you were not in that yoga studio,” Jack said with a laugh.
“Well, maybe I have a boyfriend that you don’t know about.” A part of me didn’t want Andy to think I was taken, but after Sean had broken my heart by cheating on me with Jack, I had sworn off men forever. They were just too much trouble. And besides, I was now committed to this lie.
“Right.”
“Seeing as you stole my last boyfriend, you don’t get to know about my love life anymore.”
“Fair enough. But you weren’t in the beard shop. Now, do you want to tell me what you were actually doing here in Pacific Cove?”
“No.”
Andy laughed from behind him. “Don’t worry, Ali. You’re not in trouble or anything. We’re just curious as to why you’re here. Have you got friends here or something?”
Goodness, that Australian drawl was something.
“We’re not doing anything wrong,” Willow said quickly, stepping forward. Of course, Willow was always most concerned with not getting into any trouble. “Leda gave Ali some chocolates that come from a company here. Phoenix Chocolates. They’re not for sale anywhere in town, so we came here to see if we could find more of them. They’re amazing, and the two of you should get some while you’re here.”
This was why I loved Willow. Her lie was completely plausible, there was no way to prove it wrong, and we had just spent a couple of hours at the home of Megan, the company’s owner. I knew I had brought her along for a reason. I had to get as good at lying as she was.
Jack looked over at me, and I nodded.
“Why not just tell me that in the first place?” Jack asked, exasperated. A small smile flittered on Andy’s lips next to him; he was obviously amused by the situation. “Did you seriously think pretending that you do yoga was more believable than the fact that you came here looking for chocolate?”
“Oh, please, like you would have believed me if I told you. You were just going to accuse me of being here looking into Danielle Dashwood’s death for some reason. Admit it, that’s what you thought when you saw me.”
“Why would you be looking into her death here?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but you’re both enforcers, so you’re obviously here on official business, and it’s not like the mystery of who spray-painted male genitalia on the side of the grocery store is a high-importance crime compared to an actual murder. So that means Danielle has some sort of connection here. I figured when you saw us here you assumed we’d be investigating.”
“Right. So your instinct was to lie, because that’s always your instinct.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you keep thinking the worst of me.”
“I definitely would have believed ‘came here looking for chocolate.’ ‘Came here to do yoga’ is much more obviously a lie, coming from you.”
Alright, that was fair enough.
“Alright, children,” Andy said, shooting me a quick wink. “Why don’t we just move on? Jack and I can continue our investigation, and the two of you can go back to getting chocolates. Although I am curious—if you’re heading back toward the portal now, why don’t you have any chocolate to take with you?”
Ack. I spoke too soon about Willow’s perfect lie.
“We ate them already,” Willow replied with a shrug. “They’re seriously that good. We decided if we bought more we’d just dig in like greedy pigs again. I’m not joking; they really are amazing.”
“Well, if they’re that good, maybe we’ll just have to try some,” Andy said with a smile. “Alright, witches. You have a great rest of the day.”
“And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to stay out of trouble,” Jack said.
“Who, me? Of course not. Try not to sleep with anyone’s boyfriends while you’re here,” I said, giving him a finger-wave and moving past the two enforcers and back into the street, with Willow following.
“I could head-butt them if you want,” Vinnie offered. “I’m very good at it. It seems like you didn’t like those wizards very much.”
“I don’t like the annoying one,” I replied. “The other one is fine.”
“Nice goat, by the way,” Jack called after me.
“Thanks! He just offered to head-butt you for me.”
“Truly the perfect familiar for you, then.”
“Just keep walking while they’re not going to arrest us,” Willow hissed at me, and we continued making our way down the street. When we got about two blocks away and could see the piece of driftwood, we stopped.
“I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” Willow said. “They knew why we were there! They didn’t believe your lie at all.”
“They believed yours, though,” I said with a grin. “Good job, that was perfect.”
Willow gaped at me. “Are you joking? I was horrified. I was just trying to stay out of jail. What if they knew what we were really doing? Why aren’t you as worried about this as I was?”
I shrugged. “How could they ever prove anything? So, yeah, we were hiding from them in an alley. There’s a long road between that and being able to prove we were doing anything wrong.”
“Is this what your life is?” Willow asked. “Like, is your heart legitimately not pounding in your chest? Do you just get used to being in trouble all the time?”
I grinned at her. “I guess so. Or I just don’t sweat the small stuff. Now, if we’d actually done anything wrong, I might be a bit more nervous. But you are definitely not made out for this investigation stuff if you panicked that much at accidentally running into a couple enforcers.”
“You’re absolutely right there. I am not.”
“So I’m guessing if I were to suggest that
we follow them to see where they’re going and what they’re doing, you would say…”
I trailed off, and I didn’t need an answer. The look on Willow’s face was enough.
“Fine,” I said. “We’ll just go home.”
“I can’t believe you sound disappointed that I’m not about to go around secretly spying on enforcers with you,” Willow replied. “This is obviously the right call.”
“For someone who’s not serious about solving this murder, maybe.”
“Oh, Rhea. Forget murdered. You’re going to get yourself arrested. I can’t believe I’m thinking of you getting arrested as the best possible scenario.”
“It’s not the best scenario; the best scenario is me finding the killer, bringing them to justice, and being a hero in town instead of a pariah.”
“You watch way too many movies. For goodness sake, give this up and go work for Megan or something.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who’s a pariah. Besides, I thought you were ok with me doing this.”
“That was before I almost had a heart attack just talking to the enforcers. Come on, let’s get back home before we get the added bonus of having rain pour down on us.”
I couldn’t argue with that. Vinnie, Willow, and I took the portal back to Mt. Rheanier. The first drops of rain tickled my skin just as soon as I stepped on the piece of driftwood. It was good timing, indeed.
Chapter 18
As soon as we got back to Mt. Rheanier, Willow and I looked west, in the direction of Pacific Cove. The clouds that had moved on the town were definitely coming toward us.
“Well, that was enough excitement for one day. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go back home and huddle under the covers, pretending I didn’t come this close to getting arrested.”
“I already told you, they weren’t going to arrest us,” I said with a laugh. “Anyway, thanks for spending your day off with me. Chat to you later?”
“Sure,” Willow said with a smile. “Keep me up to date. And let me know if you need bail money.”
I laughed and waved goodbye as Vinnie and I continued down the street.
“So where do you live, anyway?” Vinnie asked. “I will have you know, I’ve become accustomed to a certain level of luxury.”
“Well, then you’ve definitely come down in life,” I replied. “I live in a converted shed at the back of Mom’s place. It’s not that bad. Mom and Grandma Rosie are definitely characters, though.”
“You still live with your mother?” Vinnie asked, and I sighed. Even goats were judging my living situation now.
“I don’t live with her, I live on the same property but in a separate building.”
“Sorry, as far as I’m concerned, that’s still living with your mother. Wow. They really didn’t give me the sharpest tool in the shed to be my witch. I’m sorry, is that offensive because you live in a shed?”
Great. My goat was as snarky and annoying as I was. Was this my punishment for not being able to stop my mouth from speaking before thinking? It had to be.
“If you’re not careful, you won’t be living in the shed at all,” I said, wagging my finger at Vinnie. “You should learn to appreciate what’s given to you. What do goats eat, anyway? I’m guessing you’re going to need some food at some point.”
“As long as your mother’s property has some grass, I’m happy. Although I certainly won’t say no to a few carrots, and I love peaches.”
“Well, that’s one thing we have in common.” Peaches were one of my favorite foods, and there was nothing better on a warm summer afternoon than eating a fresh, local peach and having the juice drip down your chin while sitting in the sun. I made a mental note to get some peaches brought in fresh from the tropics next time I went to the grocery store. After all, treats were a great way to get me and Vinnie off on the right foot, I thought.
“So, now, this is possibly going to sound insulting, but do you live indoors, or outside?”
Vinnie sniffed. “What am I, a horse? I live indoors. I’m a domesticated goat, I’m toilet trained, and I’m accustomed to having a comfortable bed to lie on.”
“Alright,” I said. “Out of curiosity, where did you grow up? Like, where did you live before finding me?”
“I can’t tell you that. Familiars are raised in secret until their witch or wizard is found, and we’re not allowed to disclose any of that information.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “Well, I don’t have a bed for you yet, but I can go to the pet store and get you one. Until then, there is a comfortable couch.”
“That will do,” Vinnie said, and I had to smile. For a farm animal, Vinnie was surprisingly precious about being comfortable.
A few minutes later, we reached home, and I peered over at mom’s cottage.
“What are you looking for?”
“My mom. I’m trying to avoid her.” Sure enough, looking through the window, I spotted her. She was sitting at the kitchen table, just drinking a little bit of tea and doing a crossword puzzle. Perfect. Mom got completely absorbed when she did her crosswords; she wouldn’t look up at all.
I darted across the lawn with Vinnie following after me, trying to make it to the shed. My hand had just reached the handle when I heard her voice.
“Althea! What is this?”
I sighed and turned toward my mother. “What’s what?” I asked with a smile.
“Why do you have a goat? Do I even want to know?”
“This is Vincent Van Goat, but you can call him Vinnie,” I said. “He’s my familiar.”
Mom’s mouth opened slightly. “Your…your familiar?”
“Yup! Turns out the universe has finally decided to give me a familiar.”
“And you got…a goat.”
“That’s right. He’s one of those fainting goats, so try not to give him too much of a scare. And he’s a big fan of peaches.”
“Of course you would end up with a goat as your familiar. Everyone else gets a cat, or a dog, or an owl. You get a goat.”
“Hey!” Vinnie said. “I’m way better than any cat, dog, or owl.”
I suddenly found myself feeling especially protective of Vinnie, even though I’d had those exact same thoughts less than an hour ago. “Goats are cool these days, Mom, get with the program,” I replied. “Don’t you know how popular goat yoga is?” It was true that these days, going to a farm and doing yoga with a whole bunch of little baby goats was a huge thing, at least here in the Pacific Northwest.
Mom crossed her arms in front of her. “That sounds like the sort of thing your grandmother would do.”
Right on cue, my grandmother appeared behind my mother. “Oh, look, a goat! Isn’t he just wonderful?”
Mom threw up her hands. “Fine. But he had better not eat the vegetables in my garden in the summer.”
“What does she think I am, some kind of animal?” Vinnie asked, obviously insulted. Grandma Rosie immediately walked over toward him and gave him a pat.
“Is this your familiar, then?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Yes, and you’re not allowed to use him for any of your nefarious plans.”
Grandma Rosie looked shocked. “Me? Nefarious plans?”
“Yes, you. Have you already forgotten about your squirrels?”
“No, of course I haven’t. They’ve been giving me the juiciest tidbits, too. For example, did you know that Rachel, that friend of Danielle Dashwood, is failing all of her classes? She was crying in the woods the other day because she’s worried her parents are going to kick her out of the house over it. Also, Jon Gress saw Danielle in the hospital the day before she died. Apparently, they had words, and Jon told her if he ever saw her again, he’d kill her. And did you know how Gloria Moorland broke her arm? Well, it turns out she didn’t just fall down the stairs the way she told everyone. She was in the middle of doing the dirty with Brian Rosenthal on the kitchen counter, and she slipped off and broke it.”
“Ew, why would you tell me that?” I asked, cover
ing my ears with my hands.
“Because that’s the kind of gossip that’s going to make me the queen bee of this town.”
“Fine, but go buzz somewhere else,” I replied. “Gloria Moorland is, like, sixty-five.”
“Oh, and just because she’s in her sixties she can’t have a good time anymore? I’ll let you know that just the other day—”
“La la la la,” I said loudly, covering my ears. “Conversation over. I don’t want to hear about your love life, Grandma.”
“Prude,” my grandmother shot at me.
“Prune,” I shot back, and she grabbed at her shirt.
“Oh, you want to see how nice Father Time has been to me?”
“I don’t,” I replied hurriedly. “I really don’t.”
“Well, then, don’t call me a prune,” Grandma Rosie replied.
“Sorry,” I replied in the most insincere tone I could manage. She had called me a prude first.
Grandma Rosie shot me a look. “You don’t deserve a cool animal like a goat as your familiar.”
“Yeah, well, deserve him or not, Vinnie is with me,” I replied, leaning down and stroking his soft fur. I had to admit, he was growing on me.
“I can’t wait to tell everyone you’ve got a goat,” Grandma Rosie said. “You know some covens consider them to be evil omens.”
“Those covens are idiots,” I replied. “How on earth could anyone so adorable be evil?”
“Darn straight,” Vinnie replied. “I’m freaking loveable.”
I gave him a small smile as Grandma Rosie went back to the house and the two of us made our way inside. I was about to show my familiar his new home. Vinnie and I were going to be good friends, I just knew it.
Chapter 19
By the next morning, the worst of the storm had passed, but a light drizzle still fell from the sky. I woke up to find four little paws standing on my chest and stomach and a wet nose about half an inch from my face.
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