Rhinestone Way

by Addison Creek

  Even so, none of this felt complicated.

  For the first time in my life, all guy-related topics felt remarkably simple.

  I opened the small gift. Inside was a trinket, the kind that would go on a bracelet. The trinket was a tiny wave.

  I fell asleep remembering us dancing across the water.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The next morning my nosy family wanted to know everything that had happened during my dinner with Quinn. Instead of trying to pick and choose what to tell them, I told them everything. The grand finale of the story was the picture of Quinn and me dancing across the river. Bethel and Lowe thought that was a nice touch.

  “Are you going to see him again?” Lowe asked.

  “I think I am,” I said.

  Bethel looked at me sharply. She had heard a note in my voice. “Did he make a plan for another date?”

  “Not exactly, no,” I said.

  “Don’t keep us in suspense. Tell me what’s going on,” Lowe encouraged me.

  “He doesn’t trust us to stop snooping into the Kyle case. He decided that if I leave the property I have to be with him. Like a chaperone or something,” I said bitterly.

  My cousin nearly choked on her porridge. Her bright eyes lit up and her whole body started shaking with laughter. “That’s the lamest excuse to be around you I’ve ever heard in my life. He just likes spending time with you. Like we need chaperones,” she scoffed.

  “I’m pretty sure I would rest easier if you had some,” said Bethel dryly. “Don’t make his work any harder than you’re already making it. When you go out today, be sure to go to the hospital. Do you have another Young Witches meeting?”

  I shook my head. “That isn’t happening for a couple more days. Hannah doesn’t want to do too much at once. She thinks we need time to ourselves. Really, she just wants to give us some time to calm down. She knew perfectly well that there were killer monsters in that swamp, and that sending us out there to deal with them didn’t make any sense.”

  “Didn’t she say there was toxic muck? There always has been toxic muck. It’s a swamp. Maybe where she comes from that’s unclear, but it’s certainly well known in this neck of the woods,” said Bethel.

  Hannah’s idea of a joke had almost gotten us squashed by a giant slug. I felt certain that the only thing she would see as disappointing was that we hadn’t actually been flattened.

  “Ready to go? We should get to the hospital,” said Lowe. I resolved that if Quinn wasn’t waiting when I stepped outside, we would go without him.

  I told her I was. We packed the results of the packets we had used for cauldron brewing into a bag, assuming that the results of the experiments would be interesting to the professor when we went to see her later. At least I hoped they would be. Lowe’s notes were exceptional.

  On the way to the trolley I found myself practicing the spellcasting wrist motion. It was difficult enough to get it right even in practice, but worse under pressure. How I had once performed perfectly I really couldn’t tell.

  “If there’s another Vixen attack, we have to be ready,” said Lowe.

  I stared down at my finger tips. “That’s what I’m trying to do, to get ready.”

  Lowe was greeted by several animals along the way. None of them could speak to me, but they could all speak to her, and she smiled with delight when they did. Because I wasn’t going on a date with a handsome man, the cats hadn’t escorted us to the edge of the property. I rolled my eyes at their silliness.

  “I’m so glad you’ve had a chance to talk to Quinn and he could explain himself. I’m also glad he actually did divorce her,” said Lowe.

  “Yeah, that much is a relief,” I agreed. I had been afraid he might still be married to the woman. Come to find out they hadn’t had a relationship in a very long time. Even more, it was clear that she was not to be trusted.

  When we arrived at the hospital we weren’t even allowed to go inside until Kelly came to get us.

  “Thank you for coming,” she said.

  “How is Kyle? Is there any news?” I asked.

  My friend looked exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept all night. She shook her head. “No, there isn’t any news. He’s still unconscious. The doctors think it’s a spell. They just don’t know if it’s one he performed himself or one that was performed on him.”

  “Why would he spell himself to sleep?” Lowe asked as we made our way toward the third floor.

  “Maybe he had a secret that he didn’t want anyone else to know,” said Kelly. “If he was awake, he might have to tell it. If he spelled himself to sleep, someone trying to find out the secret would have to make a choice, either to kill him and never learn the secret or wait until he woke up. Waking up might be the most dangerous thing of all.”

  “Is anyone else staying on your floor?” I asked her.

  She shook her head again. “This is the only hospital in town, so it couldn’t just close down. But they did manage to clear the third floor. No nonessential personnel are allowed up there, and patients have been moved to other floors. My mother was relieved when that decision was made. She didn’t want anything else to go wrong.”

  We entered the stairwell. The last time I had been there it was to defend myself against vixens. I shivered.

  “How are your parents holding up?” I asked.

  Kelly rubbed her face. “They’re being philosophical about it. The farm doesn’t run itself, so my dad went home. Several friends offered to come over and help, which is good, because even if my dad is working I don’t think he’s at a hundred percent. But he couldn’t just sit here, that only made it worse. I think he’s angry. I hope he doesn’t yell at my brother when he wakes up. I’m sure he won’t. It’s just hard,” said Kelly, working her way through all her worries one at a time.

  “I’m sure it is,” I said.

  When we reached the third floor, Kelly took us into an empty lounge. She glanced at the doorway before she lowered her voice and said, “Do you have any information on the trade, or on Henry or Kyle? You are still snooping, aren’t you?”

  “Our plan for this afternoon is to go back and see Professor Burger. We’re going to take the result of our experiments with us, and Lowe took really great notes so we’re taking those too. Bethel said she’d help us with the crystal ball tonight, so maybe we’ll see something that way. We might also learn something new if Kyle wakes up,” I said.

  Kelly’s hair was frizzy, and as she paced back and forth she kept trying to run her fingers through it. That only made it worse.

  “What about Michael?” Kelly asked, turning back toward us. As the most prominent feather seller in Twinkleford, Michael would be a good man to talk to again. Plus, we had done an experiment with one of his feathers, and not only had it come out the best of any of the potions, it was the right color to match the traces found at the crime scene.

  Not that I was going to tell Michael any of that.

  “We do need to talk to him,” I said, “but I don’t think he’s involved in this. Michael is too powerful to go around dealing with people like your brother, to be honest.”

  Michael had been entirely devoted to owls for years, and I didn’t see where there was any benefit for him in this black market business. It also seemed unlikely that he’d bother working with the Vixens. If he didn’t even like visitors to his shop, he wasn’t going to get partners in crime.

  As if reading my thoughts, Lowe said, “I get the impression he likes to commit crimes by himself, if he commits any at all. Which I doubt. Please don’t tell him I said anything.” Her face had suddenly gone a stark white at the prospect of being confronted by Michael.

  Kelly chuckled. “He’d probably like to have a reputation as a dangerous individual. I’m fine with that as long as he leaves my brother alone.”

  “Is Joy still watching Kyle?” I asked.

  Kelly nodded. “The sheriff came back and spelled her throughout the night. She slept here, but at least she slept. Now it’s her tu
rn again. She’s taking it very seriously, which my family appreciates. Come on.”

  We left the lounge and made our way down the hallway. It was strange to see the place so deserted. But then, sure enough, we found Joy stationed outside one room. Through the window we could see Kyle and his mother, who looked upset. Kyle himself looked like he was sleeping peacefully. Joy eyed Lowe and me. “I suppose I know you two. What are you doing here, anyway?”

  “They’re friends of mine. They thought they’d come by and see how we were doing,” said Kelly.

  “Mighty nice of them. Surely it isn’t so that they could sniff around on their own,” said Joy, raising an eyebrow. I felt a blush coming on. Even she knew I was snooping around.

  “There you are. I was wondering when you’d get here,” said a voice from behind me.

  When I turned and saw Quinn strolling down the hall, my chest tightened. He looked good in his uniform. He had also looked good dancing with me the night before.

  “We got here right after breakfast,” said Lowe loudly. “How is he doing?”

  Quinn stopped in front of us and crossed his arms. “There isn’t any news or any change. The doctors don’t know what to do. They said any experiments they try will have to be carefully conducted, because the spell Kyle is under could be any of a countless list of things. Our best bet is a spell cast performed by one of his family, but none of them are up for doing that today.”

  Kelly’s shoulders drooped. “I want to help. Honest. I just need a good night’s sleep first. I know Kyle wouldn’t want me to get something wrong.”

  “Nobody is blaming you,” said Joy. “We completely understand. He’s probably safest in that state anyway, at least until we can figure out what’s going on.”

  “Can you take care of this for now?” Quinn asked his deputy.

  She nodded. “Of course I can. Don’t ever doubt me.”

  He smiled. “I never have.”

  He turned to me. “Where are you headed next? I’ll come along. I need some fresh air.”

  I glanced at my cousin. I had already said that we were not going to see Michael just yet, and now I was more determined than ever not to see him until I could figure out how to do it without Quinn’s involvement. If nothing else, the fact that Quinn was the sheriff was bound to scare him off.

  “We were headed for the university to see professor Burger,” I said. “We had some things to discuss with her. You can come if you insist, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be boring.”

  “I don’t think anything is boring when you’re around,” he said.

  As I walked away Kelly grabbed my arm. “That man could make marble swoon.”

  I raise my eyebrows, then giggled. Quinn wasn’t conventionally attractive, but maybe that made him all the more enticing. He had broad shoulders and a limp. His expression was hard to read and he tended to be serious. All of these characteristics drew me toward him.

  I felt good about checking on Kyle before we continued our snooping. After promising Kelly we’d come back, hopefully with news, I hurried after Quinn. He was already striding down the hall with Lowe, who was talking to him about some cauldron. She had also loved the swamp and wanted to discuss that. Luckily for all of us, Quinn was only too happy to talk with her about topics that grossed me out.

  We caught the special trolley to the university, but we didn’t speak much on the way. There were other riders, so I wasn’t about to ask about the case. I wondered vaguely how Quinn felt about returning to the university where he’d met Cynthia, but if he was apprehensive at all he didn’t give any sign.

  I also wondered what Hannah was going to say at our next Young Witches meeting. She was determined to be successful. She was also determined to get me and my friends maimed, but she was going to be disappointed on that front. Still, I wouldn’t be able to ignore the problem of the Coven Council forever. I was a member, and they were hostile to Rhinestones. If I wasn’t careful, we might just become extinct.

  This time when we arrived on campus we knew where we were going. We headed straight to the professor’s lab.

  Lowe shrugged. “As a matter of fact we have. We did feel the need to visit. Now we’re coming back to report on our findings.”

  “Professor Burger doesn’t see just anyone. I’m impressed that you got her to talk to you,” he said.

  “Why wouldn’t she talk to us?” I asked.

  “Probably because you have trouble written all over your forehead in large letters,” he said dryly.

  I rolled my eyes, but Lowe was laughing. “Just because we like to snoop doesn’t mean we’re trouble.”

  “Correct. The fact that you’re trouble means that you’re trouble,” said Quinn.

  I groaned. “We already have a cauldron mystery. Don’t play word games with me today.” But I secretly liked his words. Quinn was funny and smart, and it was always nice to have someone around who could turn a phrase. Given that Quinn had promised to follow me everywhere I went, I expected to be getting a lot of that in the near future.

  We went up to the receptionist’s desk, where we found the same young man with the same bored expression as last time. Even the sight of Quinn in his uniform didn’t impress this guy.

  “Yes?” he said.

  I told him why we were there. He sighed gustily as if we had made a terrible choice.

  “She said you could return without an appointment?” he asked.

  “In essence, yes,” I told him. I just hoped Quinn wouldn’t step in. This was a murder investigation, after all, so he might think he was justified in exercising his authority with the receptionist.

  “Fine. I’ll go see what she has available. Lunch hour is over, though,” he said warningly.

  He got out of his chair and disappeared into the lab. Looking through the glass wall, I couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot fewer students working on experiments today than we had seen last time.

  One of the few individuals I did see while we waited was Professor Burger’s assistant, Gael, who looked up once and met my eyes. A spark of recognition flashed, then her eyes slid to Quinn. Her pupils dilated slightly, then she quickly looked away.

  We waited and waited. Gael disappeared from view, her tall and official-looking form disappearing through a set of double doors.

  “She’ll see you now,” said the receptionist, sticking his head back through the door. “Follow me.”

  Without any ceremony, he shoved the door out of our way and waited for us to come through it. As we trailed after him like a line of ducks, I snuck a quick glance at Quinn. The expression on his face surprised me greatly. He looked thoughtful and determined, as if he’d just come up with a new idea and was considering it carefully.

  The receptionist didn’t take us to the second floor this time. Instead he led us around the stairs, where we found a single door propped ajar. Leading us through it, he said, “Come on. This place is so big it takes forever to get anywhere.”

  “Where are all the other students today?” I asked. He pretended he hadn’t even heard me.

  Through the door the four of us went. Beyond it was a hallway, one wall of which was lined with metal shelves stacked with supplies. The hallway was dimly lit, but at the end of it we came to a sunnier space, at which point the receptionist pointed straight ahead.

  “Go there,” he said. “When you’re done, don’t touch anything. Just come back.” With that he turned on his heel again and was gone.

  Lowe rolled her eyes. Without wasting a moment, she headed down the hall, Quinn and I following at a slower place. I wished I could have been last in a line, so I could keep an eye on what Quinn was doing. Since he was last, I didn’t dare sneak any looks back. Then I realized how funny it was that I wanted to keep an eye on the sheriff. I had a feeling he wouldn’t find my curiosity as amusing as I did.

  Lowe reached the door at the end of the hall and knocked.

  A familiar voice called for us to come in.

  “Hello,” said Profes
sor Burger. She was sitting at a desk underneath a window with sunlight streaming in. I had never seen a desk so covered in paper in my life.

  “Wouldn’t a spell fix that?” I blurted out.

  Lowe looked at me, horrified.

  Bara Burger just threw her head back and laughed. “I don’t think even a spell would save me now,” she said with a smile. “But maybe I’ll try it sometime. One of my assistants got so sick of the mess that she used a crystal ball to see the desk’s future. She quit the next day.”

  Then she glanced at Quinn and said, “I see you brought someone new.” She gave Quinn a scholarly look, which must have been a nice change for him. Mostly he got looks of hot desire or terror.

  He stepped forward and extended his hand. After introductions were made, Professor Burger said, “I didn’t realize that the sheriff was involved. Is this to do with that murder at the hospital?” She didn’t sound irritated, just curious.

  “It very well might,” said Quinn. “I don’t know what these two told you.”

  “They told me that the black market might be involved. Of course I said I wasn’t surprised. There’s a huge demand for the right potion ingredients,” she said.

  “The Vixens are driving up the price, aren’t they?” asked Lowe.

  “What are you talking about?” I said to her.

  She shrugged. “The Vixens want ingredients. That’s what’s causing this whole mess. They’re new on the scene. More players but not more stuff to buy.”

  “You might be right,” said Quinn.

  Professor Burger was nodding. “I have to confess I don’t know a whole lot about the black market. Even when I was a young thing and more daring than I am now, I never went in that direction. That was always asking for trouble. Besides, I always had everything I needed right here at the university. I suppose if I had decided to create more dangerous potions, I might have been tempted.”

  She was lost in thought for a bit, remembering her days as a student. Then she came back to the present and got down to business.