by Vella Day
The server grinned. “More gossip?”
I laughed. “You understand, I see.”
Dolly came over in less than a minute with my tea in hand and slid in across from me. “What do you have for me?”
As briefly as I could, I described Gertrude’s visit and my viewing of the pink aura. I even told her about my request to Jaxson to find out about Josh Randall. Lastly, I mentioned my visit to Jack Hanson. “And here I am.”
“I had heard about the aura, but it’s been so busy in here that I haven’t had a chance to talk to anyone else.” As if the gossip gods were listening, her cell rang. As she checked it, a broad smile appeared. “It’s Pearl.”
“Answer it.” This could be big.
“Pearl, hon, I’m a bit busy. Uh-huh. What? When?”
I watched Dolly’s face intently. Something had happened, but I couldn’t tell how bad it was. She finally hung up. “Well, I’ll be.”
“What?”
“You know that dog with the pink aura around him?”
Of course, I did. I just told her about him. “Yes?”
“He’s gone missing.”
Chapter Five
The last thing I expected to learn from my visit to Dolly’s diner was that Mittens was missing. “Was it a runaway kind of missing or a kidnapped kind of missing?”
“I don’t know. Pearl just said that a distraught owner came into the station to report his missing dog. Mittens is scheduled to compete tomorrow, and the owner is frantic.”
“That would be Josh Randall. I can only imagine the fuss he made. I doubt he would have been polite about his demands to Steve either, asking that the sheriff drop everything and find his precious dog. Though if someone took Iggy, I’d be irrational too.”
“I get it.”
Darn. This meant I needed to copy the list of names and return it to Steve so he could investigate the other competitors—not that he couldn’t call Eleanor again for the list, but why should he have to?
When my cell buzzed, I could guess who it was. I checked the screen. Yup, maybe I am a bit psychic. “Hi, Steve. I will return the list in a second. I’m just finishing lunch.”
“How did you know why I was calling?” he asked, suspicion coloring his tone.
I chuckled. “You don’t know by now that half the town is aware of the missing dog? The owner has probably accused the other dog owners of being jealous, which is why one of them took Mittens. He’ll tell you his dog is the best and was going to win.”
Silence followed. “Wow. I’ve underestimated you.”
I had to smile. “I know. Be over in a bit.”
“Okay, thank you.”
I disconnected. Dolly was shaking her head. “When will the law in this town realize we are a great source of help?”
“You are so right. Speaking of which, do you have a piece of paper I could have? It could even be a sheet out of an order pad.”
“Sure thing.” She pulled her pad from her pocket, tore off a piece and handed it to me.
“I need to get something to Steve ASAP, so could I have the grilled cheese to go?”
Dolly smiled. “Coming right up.”
After I copied the list of names for myself, grabbed my To-Go bag and paid, I darted across the street to the sheriff’s office. When I entered, I was a bit surprised to find both Steve and Nash there. One, if not both, should have been out looking for the missing dog—or was that the job of the dog catcher? Clearly, I wasn’t well-versed in law enforcement protocol.
I waved Steve’s original list at Pearl as I came in. “Steve lent something to me that I need to return. He just called.”
“By all means.” She motioned for me to enter the inner sanctum.
I wasn’t sure why the office seemed different. It might have been because of the increased level of testosterone. The place exuded a vibe that said all nosy waitresses needed to stay clear—but that didn’t mean I would.
Steve was talking with Nash when I approached. He stopped, looked up, and nodded to the paper in my hand. “Thanks for returning it. Learn anything?” he asked.
I gave him his original list. “As a matter of fact, I have. Kind of. Not who took the dog though.”
He pulled two seats in front of his old desk—a desk that now belonged to Nash and sat down, motioning for me to do the same. “Tell us.”
Oh, boy. It had been hard enough convincing Steve that I had some powers. Now I’d have to explain myself to the Montana cowboy here—or should I say to the highly decorated Montanan.
I turned to Steve. “I don’t know if you saw it or not, but several of us witches spotted a pink aura around Mittens as he was practicing the agility course.”
“That was what the two women I spoke to told me,” Steve said. “I saw the dog but no pink aura of any kind.”
Nash leaned forward. “Hold on a second. You actually saw the pink aura?” he asked.
“I did, but since I’m a witch, and the others who saw the aura were also witches, I’m guessing it was something only we could see.”
“How about describing this aura for us? I want to see if it matches what those ladies told me,” Steve said.
What was there to describe? Saying it was pink would be too obvious. “The dog had about a six-inch ring of light around his body. It stayed with the dog wherever it went.”
“Do you know how it got there?” Steve asked.
“I wish I did, but it wasn’t from lack of trying to learn about such auras.” I explained about my trip to Jack Hanson’s office. “He wasn’t able to point any fingers either, mostly because he didn’t know if the spell was a good one or not. With the dog’s disappearance, I’m guessing a not-so-nice witch was paid to do this.”
“Any guesses as to who?” Steve asked.
“Nope. I’m not exactly an active member of our coven. From what I’ve been told, the ones who do evil spells aren’t the real social type, if you get my drift.”
“I see,” Steve said.
“And before you ask, even if I met all of the other contestants, I couldn’t tell if a person is a witch or not—evil or otherwise.”
“Good to know. Is your inability to spot another witch specific to you or to all witches?” Nash asked.
“I believe it’s to all witches, though I haven’t spoken to every single one of them. There is no ‘visible-only-to-witches’ stamp on our forehead that indicates who is and who isn’t a witch. To be honest, if they don’t work at the Psychics Corner and have a sign on their door indicating their talent, we don’t really talk much about what we can and can’t do.”
Nash kept his gaze on me. It was almost as if he believed that if he looked hard enough, he could read my mind.
“Are you saying that trying to locate this spell person would be a waste of time then?” Nash asked.
I appreciated that he didn’t dismiss me as a kook right off. “Probably. The woman who told me about the aura is rather old, but at one time, she was the most powerful witch in town. If she didn’t know who created it, I doubt anyone does.”
Steve stretched out his legs as he shifted in his chair. The man was too big for sitting. “Your grapevine ladies didn’t say who might have taken the pooch?”
“No, but you should ask Pearl.”
Steve smiled. “I believe you called her one of the five gossip queens?”
“I did. I call it like I see it.” I glanced between the men. “Is there anything you think I can do to help? I’m not really a dog person, because I have Iggy.”
“Iggy?” Nash asked.
“My pink iguana. He’s a big hit with the ladies.” If either knew I could talk with him, they’d kick me out or lock me up.
“Just do what you do best,” Steve said.
Why did people always say that? “You mean ask questions?”
“Yes. People see our uniforms and clam up. You seem to have a golden touch when it comes to finding out stuff.”
My pulse rocketed at those kind words. I had a golden touch.
How about that? “I can do that. If you want me to know something—”
“I know,” Steve said. “I’ll call.”
“That wasn’t what I was going to say. I meant, tell Pearl.”
This time he laughed.
On my way out, I chatted with her for a minute and then went back to my place. I had a grilled cheese sandwich to eat and a curious iguana to fill in on what happened—assuming he hadn’t learned about it already.
Once home, I scarfed down my sandwich. In between bites, I told Iggy everything.
“Gertrude proves to be the real deal once more,” Iggy said.
“You can say that again. I am highly impressed with her talents. You’ve never had any kind of aura placed around you, have you?” I asked.
“Not that I know of. I think I’m pink enough,” he said. This time his tone held no bitterness.
I laughed. “Yes, you are. And I love that you are. It shows you are secure in your skin.”
He looked at me a bit funny. “Like I have a choice? I know what you are trying to do.”
I knew too. I wanted him to feel good about himself. “That’s because you are smart. I have a job for you and maybe for Aimee too.”
He lifted up. “What’s that?”
“Someone must know what’s going on. I’d like you to do your detective thing and snoop around. Too often people are so absorbed in what they are doing that they don’t notice a small, pink iguana running around.”
“Cool. I can do that.”
“But don’t go to the park. Not only is it really far away, there are so many people there that you might get trampled,” I said.
“You’re no fun.”
“There are a ton of people downstairs. Listen in on their conversations, but try not to scare them. The tourists might freak out if they notice you.”
I’d purposefully put a pink rhinestone collar on him to prevent people from thinking he was some wild animal.
“Fine.” Iggy didn’t sound fine, but it couldn’t be helped.
I dumped my plate in the sink and grabbed my gear once more. No rest for the weary. “I think I’ll have a little chat with Hazel to see if anyone purchased ingredients that could be used for a pink aura spell.”
“Do you trust her? I mean, look what happened to us?”
“I’m out of options, but it’ll be fine. I’m not there for a spell.” While there, I’d like to find that spell, in part because the books might indicate its intended use.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take me with you?” Iggy asked.
“It won’t be fun for you. After I speak with Hazel, I need to ask Jaxson for some help.”
Instead of responding, he waddled over to his stool and hopped on top. I hoped he wouldn’t sulk for long. I needed some intel from the customers downstairs.
At the Hex and Bones Apothecary, I was delighted to find that Bertha Murdoch, the owner, had returned from visiting with her sick sister.
Considering the big event going on, it shouldn’t have surprised me that the store was quite crowded. I was happy for her. I hope Bertha made a ton of money during this three-day dog show. She must have expected the rush because Hazel was there too. While her presence was a bit unexpected given her last goof, I was fine with it.
In the end, the pink potion fiasco turned out okay. Iggy seemed to have come to terms with always being pink. Looking back on it, I think he just wanted me to try to get the potion to show him that I cared.
Since both women were busy, I stopped over at the table with the spell books. Most visitors would assume they were there for show, but I knew better. The only negative to physical books was the poor table of contents. If these books had been online, it would have been easy to search for a pink aura spell.
I pulled out a chair, ready to investigate. One of my issues was that I have a bit of attention deficit disorder. Even though I’d come with the express purpose of finding a particular spell, the variety of items in this book was too exciting not to look at them. I had to read a few. Okay, a lot more than a few.
“Glinda?”
I spun around and breathed a sigh of relief. It was Bertha. I pushed back my chair, stood, and hugged her. “I’m glad you are back. How is your sister?”
“She’s slowly improving.”
When she didn’t elaborate, I figured it would be better not to ask. “I suppose you’ve heard about the missing dog?”
“Of course. It’s such a shame. I have a schnauzer at home. If anyone took him, I’d be a basket case.”
“I could say the same if anyone took Iggy. Did you hear about the pink aura around the dog shortly before he disappeared?”
“I did.”
I had hoped she’d offer her opinion, but she didn’t. “Do you know of any spells in these books that could create such an aura?” What I really wanted to ask was if she knew who might have been responsible for it.
“I imagine there are, but no one has come in and asked about it. That being said, they could have spoken with Hazel, or they might have bought the ingredients without mentioning what they were going to be used for.”
That was what I was afraid of. “You don’t recall seeing such a spell?”
“My dear, I might have spent most of my life studying them, but even I don’t know every spell. You should ask Gertrude Poole. Now there is a woman who would know.”
“She’s the one who told me about it, but she wasn’t sure of its purpose,” I said.
“I see.”
“If you hear anything, will you let me know?” I’d let her deal with Hazel and ask her.
“I definitely will. As soon as I have time, I will do some research. If we know its purpose, it might give us a clue why someone needed it.”
“I totally agree,” I said. “However, we have no way of knowing if the pink aura is related to the missing dog or not.”
“That is true. Let’s just hope the dog comes back soon so we don’t have to worry about it.”
“It’s what we all want. And thanks.”
My next stop was to tell Jaxson and Drake about the missing dog. With the amount of traffic he’d probably have today, I wanted them to keep their ears open.
Chapter Six
“Glinda, I’m sorry,” Jaxson said the moment I stepped into the back room. “I haven’t had the chance to research many of the names on your list of contestants.”
“That’s okay. It’s not exactly why I’m here. In case you haven’t heard, the dog with the pink aura around it went missing.”
Drake followed me in right after the doorbell chimed, which indicated his customers had left. “What’s this about a missing dog?”
“Mittens is missing.”
“Really? That’s a shame, but finding lost pups is not your usual fare,” Drake said.
I’d been involved in two whole cases, even though I wasn’t some private eye or anything. “I will admit that the last two times I was obsessed with helping someone, it involved a murder. Unless you know of some hidden dead body, I’m going to look into the missing dog,” I said.
That got a smile out of him. “I’ve owned one or two dogs in my life, and trust me, both of mine would go off and explore all the time,” Drake said. “Butch went missing for two days once before he came back happy as a clam.”
“I’m glad, but these dogs are well-trained. I don’t think they’d just wander off. If one of them did become distracted or something, he’d return when the owner called him.” Or so I believed. “The missing dog was the one who had a pink aura around him.”
“Oh. That changes things. You don’t find it coincidental that it was a pink aura?” Drake asked.
“It’s not what you think. I didn’t imagine it. A bunch of other witches saw it too.” I explained that Steve was even investigating it. “I just came from speaking with him since I had to return the list of contestants I’d borrowed. I saw him make a report on their sighting. When I asked him about it, Steve claimed he saw the dog but not the aura.”
&nb
sp; “It’s a witch thing then?” Jaxson asked.
“Apparently.”
“What does this aura have to do with the missing dog?” Drake asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe nothing. All I know is that one minute the dog had this aura around it, and the next he’s gone. Coincidence? Or even correlated? I don’t know.”
“Let’s ignore the aura for now,” Jaxson said. “Let’s assume that someone kidnapped the dog. Are you thinking another competitor took the dog so their animal would have a better chance of winning?”
“It’s a thought,” I said. “But there are seven dogs in the show, all different breeds. While I am no expert, no one could mistake one for the other,” I said. “No aura should be needed.”
Jaxson pulled something out of his pocket. “I printed a picture of each breed of dog as well as the pictures of each of their owners.” He placed them flat on the table.
Drake studied the dog photo. “You have a point. It would be hard to nab the wrong one, but I repeat. This is assuming someone took the dog. Dogs do run away.”
“I realize that,” I said, “but why would someone put a spell on a dog? If any contestant was involved, there’d be no need. They would have nabbed the correct dog. Or am I overthinking this?”
“I think you’re right,” Jaxson said. “The aura would have to be used as a signal for someone else.”
“Which means the dognapper—assuming that was what happened—had to have been a witch or a warlock. Otherwise, he or she couldn’t have seen the aura,” Drake said.
“I agree,” I said. “Here’s a thought. It is possible, the aura wasn’t to identify the dog, but rather to subdue the dog.”
“What do you mean?” Drake asked.
“While I have never heard of a spell like this, maybe it’s some kind of hypnotic spell that makes it so that the dog will follow anyone with a certain scent or who gives a certain command.”
Jaxson and Drake looked at each other, probably trying to decide if I truly was crazy. “Can you find out if such a spell exists?”