Rhinestone Way

by Addison Creek

  “Is he all right?” I asked.

  “I have no idea,” said Kelly. Her face was pale and it looked like she was holding back tears. “Can you get a blanket?”

  I turned and looked around the treehouse. Several boxes stood in various corners, and there was a couch with an old pillow tucked in at one end of it. Underneath a dangerously tilting table was an old blanket.

  I hurried to grab the pillow and blanket and carried them over to the prone Kyle. Just as Kelly and I were tucking him in, Lowe reappeared in the treehouse doorway.

  “I called the sheriff’s department. Help is on the way,” she said.

  I blanched. Quinn had to be called, I knew that, but I also knew that he was going to be furious. I wasn’t looking forward to facing him yet again in a situation he wouldn’t be happy to find us in.

  “I wish I had my cauldron. I’d make him a potion,” said Kelly, staring down at her brother as he continued to lie there unconscious.

  “Is there anything else we can do?” I asked. We had just become witches. We knew spellcasting and crystal ball reading. Surely there was something we knew that would help.

  Kelly shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s too risky. We might make whatever has happened to him worse.”

  I rocked back on my heals. I hadn’t thought of that, but now that she said it, the danger was obvious. The idea that being a witch was not the same as being all-powerful would take some getting used to.

  “How long until the sheriff is here?” I asked Lowe, who was still standing near the doorway.

  “I don’t think long. From the amount of swearing he was doing in such a short period of time, I think he’ll get here pretty quickly,” she said.

  “Can you come sit with Kelly? I want to look around before he arrives,” I said.

  Lowe came over and mutely sat down with Kelly. The two of them continued to try and make Kyle comfortable, while I put my snooping hat on and got to work.

  The boxes were my first stop. Since no one lived here, the treehouse was just the place for storage and the odd hangout. The boxes were all taped shut, but I managed to pry the lid off of one of them. I was expecting to see something epic, like a pile of rare feathers or thousands of pearls. Instead I found old comic books. I took a couple out and leafed through them, but saw nothing of note. I tried a couple more boxes and got the same result.

  “Anything?” Lowe called over to me.

  I shook my head. “Nothing related to the black market, unless old comic books are also good for potion ingredients.”

  “Definitely not,” said Kelly, sounding slightly amused for the first time.

  I kept looking around. I took the cushions off the couch and looked underneath it. There was nothing anywhere.

  “Lowe?” a man’s voice cried out. “Are you up there?”

  Quinn had arrived.

  My cousin scrambled to her feet and rushed to the door, while I stood still with my heart pounding in my ears. Quinn’s voice gave me chills, but it also reminded me that we out of time for finding something on our own.

  I scurried around the room looking for anything else that might be a hiding place, while Lowe called down, “He’s up here!”

  Kelly was now looking at the doorway expectantly. She couldn’t wait for help to arrive and get her brother to the hospital. Of course I too wanted Kyle to get well, so Kelly could stop worrying and he could explain everything we needed to know. But I also desperately wanted to solve this mystery before the sheriff’s office did.

  There! The windowsill! I rushed over as I heard Quinn and Lowe’s muffled voices, with my cousin guiding the sheriff up the ladder.

  The windowsill looked slightly strange, so I ran my fingers along it desperately. I was no detective, but yes, one of the boards was loose. I slid my fingers underneath it, hoping not to get a splinter.

  The board came up to reveal a secret compartment. Inside the compartment were . . . more pearls, just like the ones that had been at the root of Jonathan’s murder and probably of the same high quality.

  My breath caught.

  Kyle was indeed trading on the black market, maybe even trading in multiple products. I glanced at the doorway again.

  They were close!

  I pulled the pearls out of their hiding place and stuffed them in my hoodie, then replaced the board.

  An instant later, Quinn rushed through the doorway. His eyes skated over me and I could almost see the sigh escaping his lips. But instead of wasting time saying anything, he rushed over to help Kelly and Kyle.

  Lowe came through the door next, closely followed by Joy and a couple of ogres wearing white overcoats, whose job was to assist in getting Kyle to the hospital in a timely manner.

  Given how burly they were, I’d say they were the perfect choice for the job.

  When Quinn was sure Kyle was stable, he glanced over at me in annoyance.

  The weight of the pearls was heavy in my pocket.

  Quinn allowed us to follow the sheriffs to the hospital, where we arrived late in the afternoon just as Kyle was being whisked away. Kelly’s parents must have been called, because they were waiting for their son and daughter to arrive. Kelly’s mom was already sobbing, and as soon as Kelly walked in she went over to comfort them.

  I wasn’t sure what our presence there meant until I saw Bethel, who had been standing behind Kelly’s parents. After the family cleared out to go and wait for a verdict on Kyle’s health, and to get the story of his discovery from Kelly, my grandmother came over to Lowe and me and sat down next to us.

  “You two okay?” she asked, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

  We both nodded.

  “Feel good about yourselves? Going off snooping alone? With Vixens out there no less?” She was trying to contain her anger and not doing a very good job of it. She was afraid for us.

  “We found Kyle and he should be okay now. That’s important,” said Lowe. “We didn’t think we were in any danger.”

  “Going into the forest by yourself felt like a safe thing to do?” Bethel demanded.

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” said Lowe defensively.

  Bethel shook her head.

  “How did you end up here, anyway?” I asked.

  Bethel said, “The sheriff called me. He said he’d heard from Lowe and that I might want to meet you all at the hospital. He assured me that the reason wasn’t because of you two, but someone else. He thought you might have found Kyle. Needless to say I told him I’d get to the hospital right after I finished brewing a potion that stuck feet to the ground for all eternity. Then I came here.”

  “You didn’t actually brew that potion, did you?” I asked meekly.

  “You’ll never know . . . unless you defy me again,” said Bethel ominously.

  Lowe and I exchanged worried looks.

  “Sorry to have scared you. We were fine, honest,” said Lowe.

  “I don’t see how you can promise that when you haven’t even made your debutant debut,” Bethel grumbled, suddenly softening. “You’re so young. I refuse to lose any more family to trouble. Ethel is already in hiding, and we don’t even know if we’ll ever get to see her again.”

  “That’s all the more reason to try and catch the Vixens,” I urged, scooting forward in my chair. “They’re the ones keeping her away. If we could just find out who they are, maybe she could come home again.”

  Bethel glared at me. “The Coven Council is working on it. I’ve already spoken to all three queens. They know that more needs to be done to control the Vixen threat. It isn’t as if powerful witches aren’t working on it. There isn’t anything you lot can add,” she said.

  “I don’t see how you know that. We’ve already added something. We found Kyle when no one else could,” I argued.

  The pearls were still in my pocket. I considered telling my grandmother about them but thought better of it. She’d probably just make me turn them over to Quinn. No way did I want to do that just yet.

&n
bsp; “How long do you think we’ll be waiting here?” I asked.

  Bethel sighed and stood up. “Not long at all. Quinn instructed me to take you home after we finished talking. He told me you had plans tonight, Jade, so it was best that you go get ready to meet him. Under no circumstances am I to allow you to leave the property until he gets there.”

  “We’re under house arrest?” I asked incredulously.

  “If that’s what you want to call spending an afternoon at home, so be it,” sniffed Bethel. “Let’s go.”

  As we walked out of the hospital I glanced over my shoulder, but there was no sign of Kelly. Given how much she and her family were dealing with, that was no surprise. But I wished we could have had one more word with her before we left.

  Once we were on the gold and turquoise trolley Bethel said, “I didn’t realize you and Quinn were going to spend time together. I thought you were mad at him.”

  I glanced at her sideways. I knew she was being sly, but I didn’t know what her endgame was.

  “I agreed to hear him out when he asked to see me. I didn’t see the harm,” I said.

  “No harm at all. It’s always best to forgive. How do you think I’m still speaking to both of my granddaughters?” said Bethel.

  She sounded entirely serious, but Lowe still laughed. She stopped abruptly when Bethel caught her eye.

  “We won’t get into any more trouble,” I assured her.

  Bethel gave a wry smile, which on a woman her age looked downright bemused. “We both know you’re lying. You just arrived in Twinkleford. This is only the beginning of the trouble. That much I’m sure of.”

  When we got home Bethel said, “I don’t have to get the cats to watch you two, do I?”

  “No!” Lowe sputtered. “We aren’t children.”

  Bethel gave her a look that said she was questioning that statement, but she didn’t say anything more.

  As we made our way inside, Spunk and Tiger appeared. Despite the fact that Bethel had said she wouldn’t sic the cats on us, the animals had other ideas. Tiger followed me to my room, while Spunk shadowed a protesting Lowe. I went to shower and get ready for dinner with Quinn.

  I still wasn’t sure if I could call it a date, so in order to establish a middle ground I examined the clothes in my closet. Bethel had let me choose some of my mom’s clothes that she’d left behind, but unfortunately a lot of it wasn’t my style. Still, there was a green sweater I liked, and I decided on that and paired it with jeans. Surely we were going somewhere casual. Nights in Twinkleford were getting cold already, and I knew that by the time we were on our way home from dinner I’d be grateful for the warm sweater.

  Once I was ready I made my way downstairs. Tiger had waited for me outside my door, and now he trotted down the stairs with me. He started out behind me, then wound his way through my legs. If I hadn’t been ready for it I would have tripped.

  Such a cat thing to do.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  That night I waited nervously, not sure how Quinn would take the events of the day. We hadn’t heard anything else about Kyle. That would be another issue.

  My grandmother finally got tired of my pacing and sent me out to the porch so she could “clean the kitchen in peace.” Lowe had told me early on that that was Bethel’s code for wanting to eat chocolate ice cream and not share it with anyone.

  I went to the porch as she asked, and there I sat and continued my waiting. The fairies and pixies had apparently given up their epic battle of survival for the night and mostly retreated to their respective plants. Even the cats were feeling lazy. There was just one angry fairy who kept darting around the pixies and challenging for duels, but for the most part he was ignored. The night was beautiful and the sky was a brilliant cream and purple mix. I knew the colors would change quickly as the sun set. I enjoyed watching the sky.

  Given that my waiting perch was now outside, I saw Quinn coming from afar. He had showered and changed since I’d seen him at the hospital a few hours ago. Now he was wearing jeans and a white button-down shirt tucked in. His hair was tousled but in that guy sort of way that meant it still looked good.

  Because he appeared to be looking at the road, lost in thought, I had a few moments to observe him as he walked. He was carrying a small gift in his hand, and that gave me a thrill. When he looked up, the thrill sharpened. My face went hot, and it took every ounce of self-control I could muster to keep my hands gripping the chair instead of reaching up to feel my burning cheeks. I didn’t want to acknowledge how embarrassed I was. Quinn had caught me staring.

  His face split into a smile. Apparently he wasn’t that angry with me. His limp was less pronounced, and I had seen enough of him by this time to know that meant he was relaxed. I was relieved about how pleased he appeared. I would hate to think that our Friday night dinner date was stressing him out.

  “Evening,” I said when he got close enough to hear me.

  “Hello there. Were you kicked out of the house?” he asked.

  “Bethel thought I could use some fresh air,” I said.

  “Couldn’t we all,” he said. “Are you ready for dinner?”

  My stomach growled in response, but he ignored it and handed me the small package. “You can leave it inside and open it later. I hate having gifts opened in front of me. It’s always so embarrassing.”

  I turned the gift over in my hands and then looked up at him. “I’m sure it’s lovely. Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

  There was just one problem with taking the gift inside: Tiger and Spunk and several other cats could get out if I opened the front door. And indeed they did. They made a mad dash for freedom, and by the time I returned to Quinn he was surrounded by small furry bodies and reaching down to pet Tiger on the head.

  “Shall we?” he asked, straightening up.

  “Yes, let’s get going,” I nodded. “You had time to go home from the hospital?”

  He gave me a sharp look and said, “Actually, I went for a swim. I usually go twice a day. It’s the only way I feel at all normal.”

  We strolled down Misdirect Lane with the cats following us to the edge of the road, where they stopped and watched us go on alone. There was no way I was going to turn around and wave to them. It was already embarrassing enough to have ten little chaperones. At least our neighbors hadn’t come out to watch us as well.

  A funny thing happened as I walked through the trailer park with the sheriff. Everybody who had been outside enjoying the evening disappeared. They took one look at Quinn Merchant and subtly tried to go inside or melt into tree bark. None of them wanted to be around when the sheriff was there.

  “I see how popular you are around here,” I said in amusement.

  “That happens a lot. I don’t know why they think I’m looking for a crime right now. Maybe I should come back and see what they’re hiding,” he said.

  “Who has the time to make so many arrests?” I joked.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “That’s true. There’s a murder investigation at the moment that I’m kind of focused on. Still, I’m not really kidding. I’m with you at the moment and I’m focused on that. We men like to focus on one thing at a time. I’m not looking for crimes. Somebody would have to come out and dump a bunch of stolen owl feathers at my feet for me to arrest them. Even then I would do it reluctantly,” he said.

  “I can see that you’ve thought about this dilemma,” I said.

  For the first time this evening he looked a little embarrassed himself. “Anyway, I assume you want an update on the Kyle situation.”

  “Will you give me one?” I asked him in surprise.

  “I’ve made some decisions about that. We can discuss them later, but yes, I’ll give you an update. Kyle is still unconscious and his family is still with him. We don’t know anything just yet. Of course there are tests for spells, but the results haven’t come back. We probably won’t know anything until tomorrow,” he said.

  “Is Joy with him?” I asked. She
was really the only other sheriff I trusted to take care of Kyle. After what had happened to Henry, I couldn’t imagine they were taking any risks.

  “She is. She plans on staying there all night. As do several other sheriffs. The hospital itself is on high alert. They have their own spells that they can use. No one was expecting the Vixen attack last time, but now we are. I think Kyle will be quite safe,” he said.

  “That’s good,” I said.

  Instead of heading for the trolley stop, Quinn kept walking down the dusty lane. “The place where we’re going to eat dinner isn’t far,” he explained.

  I was perfectly happy to walk. The night was still beautiful and the sky hadn’t finished going through its rainbow of perfection. Now there was a deep blue and yellow hue overhead.

  We kept walking down the lane in a direction where I had never gone before. But Quinn was right. We were not far away from dinner. Down what appeared to be a dirt road there turned out to be an inn.

  “The Twinkleford Inn on Misdirect River” was the name printed on the wooden sign.

  I heard the rushing sound of water and glanced around.

  “There’s a river here,” said Quinn. “As a half mermaid, I tend to like being close to water. The innkeepers are very nice. Gargoyles come to life by a witch’s spell cast long ago. Don’t let the clomping fool you; they’re very graceful. The inn also has a back deck that overlooks the river. Probably the most beautiful spot in town.”

  I followed him into the inn, which had an old world feel. A fancy chandelier glittered over our heads as we walked along the thick red carpet. A wooden desk to my left greeted guests. I nearly gasped when I saw the gargoyle. Indeed, Quinn had not been lying.

  “Good evening,” said the gargoyle, who was wearing pants and a vest with a long coat. “Your table is ready.”

  With slow, practiced movements he led us through several rooms until we found ourselves on the back deck, where ten or so tables were set above the rushing water. The sound was soothing, and we had a perfect view of the river and the sunset. Surrounded by trees, this place was more peaceful than anywhere else I’d been in Twinkleford. The other tables, each lit by a candle, were empty. The gargoyle led us to what looked like the best table there.