by Vella Day
I laughed. “I didn’t picture you as a sprinkles kind of guy.”
He smiled. “There is a lot you don’t know about me.”
That sounded intriguing, but I didn’t think it would be wise to delve into that. “It’s late. I believe the ice cream shop is closed.”
“It is, but Drake not only has a wine cooler, there is a refrigerator in his office. Naturally, we store ice cream in there.”
I smiled. “You guys are full of surprises.” I didn’t want to spoil the surprise by saying Drake and I had indulged in many ice cream parties in the past.
All he had to do was pull the car across the street and park. Instead of entering through the front, we cut through the back alley to the beachside entrance. To my surprise, Drake was still in his office doing paperwork.
Drake looked up. “Hey, what are you two doing here?”
“It’s a long story. I promised Glinda an ice cream extravaganza to celebrate the taking down of our two notorious dog thieves.”
Drake’s eyes widened. “You found the dogs?”
“We did,” I said. “One of the dogs, who is a familiar, told us where the rest of the dogs were being held. But first, I’m making a very decadent bowl of ice cream. Then we will regale you with our tale of heroics.” I smiled.
Drake laughed as he closed his laptop. “I can’t wait.”
Jaxson pulled the ice cream out of the freezer while Drake located the toppings. I retrieved the dishes from one of the cabinets. In no time, we had three ice cream masterpieces done.
Drake cleaned off a portion of his desk and we chose our spot. “Tell me everything,” Drake said.
I began with Iggy and Aimee showing up at Maude’s party, and then Steve, Jaxson, and I returning to the Tiki Hut to ask Snookums what happened.
“I’m sorry I missed that. What did Steve think of your ability to communicate with animals? Or doesn’t he believe you?” Drake asked.
“I got this,” Jaxson said. He detailed Iggy’s pick a number trick. “It worked like a charm. Steve was onboard after that.”
“I’m happy for you, Glinda. It will make interacting with him in the future a lot easier.”
“I hope so.”
Drake stirred his ice cream, making swirls of chocolate in a now soupy mess. “This familiar was able to direct you where he had been held? I’m surprised he knew the roads.”
“He didn’t know anything other than he remembered the faded Spellbound Diner sign painted on the side of the barn.”
Drake pointed a finger at Jaxson. “I know that place. If I recall, you got busted for drinking at that farm.”
Jaxson laughed. “Yeah, but that was the old me.”
I didn’t want to talk about his bad boy days—at least not now. “Regardless of his history with the place, Jaxson and I were in charge of watching Snookums while Steve and Nash did the whole rescue thing. The man who was breeding these animals was in cahoots with the trainer.”
“It didn’t end well for her though,” Jaxson said. “Phil killed her, or so we believe.” He explained how Snookums saw Phil digging a grave.
“Ouch,” Drake shot back. “Sounds like a slam dunk case to me.”
I then explained how Diana had hired a witch to put a spell on the dogs. “This hypnotic spell was what created the pink aura.”
“Do you know who this witch is?” Drake asked.
“Her name is Daphne. No last name. I figure if she created something that strong, she must be really powerful.”
“But…you hate loose ends,” Jaxson said.
I understood what he was getting at. “Are you asking if I plan to pursue her?” I did appreciate his protective side.
“That is exactly what I’m asking.” I swear his eyes darkened or else the overhead lights had dimmed.
“What if I said yes?” I wouldn’t. Even if it did, I could never prove anything anyway. Regardless of whether I was satisfied, no court would convict her.
On the other hand, if at some point, I happened to run into Gertrude or maybe Jack Hanson, I might ask them if they knew of a witch named Daphne.
“I’d try to talk you out of it. This witch is dangerous.”
“I know, but that won’t stop me from asking around.” I was only teasing, curious how he’d react.
“Glinda.” Jaxson was losing patience. “I have a better idea.”
“What? Let you try to find her?” I was enjoying this.
“No.” He faced his brother. “I love working with you, bro, but I need more in my life.”
Whoa. Where had that come from? He wasn’t leaving town because I might ask about a fellow witch, was he?
“I know,” Drake said. “What’s your plan, assuming you have one?”
My gaze bounced between the brothers until Jaxson’s gaze locked onto mine. “It depends on Glinda.”
“Me?” What was he talking about? My mind couldn’t even fathom what I had to do with anything.
“I think Glinda should open an investigation firm with me as her partner.”
My mouth dropped open. “Say what?”
He chuckled. “Is your surprise due to the idea of opening your own firm, or having me as your partner? Remember, I’m the muscle.”
He was more than just the muscle. “I have a full-time job.”
Drake reached out and clasped my hand. “You do, but that hasn’t ever stopped you from snooping. You did find out who killed Cliff Duncan, who shot Morgan Oliver, and who had stolen two—or in this case more—dogs.”
“What are you suggesting?” My heart was beating so fast, I could barely form any words. In my dreams, I imagined myself being this crime fighting superhero. I never pursued it because I had no intention of dealing with any kind of violence. My reality was taking food orders and talking to people.
“For starters, cut down on your hours,” Drake suggested.
“I suppose I could do that. Aunt Fern did say that if I ever wanted to pursue another career that she’d let me go.”
Both Jaxson and Drake smiled. “There you go,” Jaxson said.
“There’s one major problem.”
“What’s that?” Jaxson asked.
“I’m not a private investigator.” I had actually done some research to see what it would take. The first step involved taking courses at a school that was several hours away. “It would take at least a minimum of a year to get my license, assuming Steve would sign off on the hours I’ve spent helping him out.”
“Who said anything about being a private investigator?” Jaxson asked.
He wasn’t making much sense. “I can’t hang out a shingle without one.”
“Sure, you can. You can be an amateur sleuth, just like you are now. You’ll have to turn over all dangerous information to Steve and Nash, but that is what you already do.”
I scraped my spoon along the sides of the bowl to gather the remains of chocolate sauce, hoping it would calm me. I looked up at Jaxson. “I never pictured you as a dreamer. We’d be lucky to get one case a month. I couldn’t afford to pay for groceries or gas—or you—assuming anyone would pay.”
“With your track record and connections? They’d be foolish not to. If the case is small, I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve or Nash refers you,” Jaxson said. “Besides, I’ve saved up quite a chunk of change from when I worked at the tech company. I’d work for free in the beginning. If we don’t have a heavy load, I’ll pick up hours with Drake.”
“Wow. That is generous of you.”
“Don’t forget you have Iggy,” Drake added. “He can talk to other familiars, which will bring more value to the table.”
I laughed. “You guys are serious, aren’t you?”
Jaxson scooped out more ice cream. “Deadly serious. All I ask is that you think about it. We could have our office hours three days a week, and then work our other jobs the other three or four days. You get off work at three. That gives people time to find you.”
He was making it sound so appealing. It would give
my never-ending curiosity a good reason to stick my nose into other people’s business. “I’ll think about it.”
Aunt Fern would be supportive. My mother and father would say I was a little crazy, but they’d understand. Eventually. As for the law enforcement in town? I had a feeling Steve would think I’d interfere too much and that I might hurt his chances of finding a real criminal. If I promised not to have anything to do with the big cases, unless he asked me to, then he might be okay with it.
I yawned. “I think I need to talk this over with Iggy and Aunt Fern. I appreciate both of your support.”
Jaxson leaned back in his chair. “What should we call our firm? Goodall and Harrison?”
I laughed, thankful my name came first in the alphabet. “You do realize that Iggy will want to be named too.”
“By all means.”
While I truly didn’t think this would work, I wanted to clear up one more thing. “I’d need an office, and office space in this town is expensive!”
Drake pointed a finger at me. “I have that covered. Howl At the Moon is two stories. I mostly keep baskets, old wine crates, and other stuff upstairs that I tell myself I’ll repurpose someday to make bookcases or coffee tables out of. I could move the junk off to the side, and you could set up a small office there,” Drake said.
“There’s an outside staircase too,” Jaxson added.
I couldn’t help but wonder if the stars were all aligning. I pushed back my chair. “I can’t tell you how much I adore the both of you. Thank you.”
“No thanks needed,” Drake said. “All of your crazy theories bring lightness to our lives.”
That made me laugh. I stood. “Thanks for your help, Jaxson.”
“Anytime.”
Chapter Nineteen
The next day at work, I gave Penny a brief rundown about what happened with the dogs.
“What about the other animals?” she asked. “The ones that Phil stole before?”
“I don’t know yet, but Steve asked for help from Animal Services and said they would all be checked out by a vet. Steve and Nash would do what they could to find their owners.”
Penny smiled and then hugged me. “You are an amazing person, Glinda Goodall.”
“Aw shucks, though if it hadn’t been for Iggy and Aimee finding Snookums, those dogs might never have been found.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Well, thanks.” I never considered myself as a real sleuth—just someone who was nosy enough to learn stuff.
I expected Penny to return to her station, but she seemed to freeze. “Don’t. Turn. Around. There is the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen about to sit in your section.”
Penny had just dumped Sam, and yet here she was looking for another to take his place. I glanced over my shoulder and stilled. “That’s my father’s friend, Hunter Ashwell. He was at my dad’s birthday party on Monday.”
“You know him? Can you introduce me?”
Was she kidding? “I barely said two words to him. It’s my table, but he doesn’t know that. Go wait on him.”
“Thank you!” Penny rushed off.
Penny, Penny, Penny. She was a work in progress, but I loved her. She, too, made my life a lot more interesting.
At that thought, my stomach soured. If I cut down on my hours, I wouldn’t see Penny as often. Or else, when I did work, I could make sure it was on the days Penny was here.
I looked over at her. She was taking Hunter’s order and grinning. I hoped the two of them hit it off. Hunter was good looking, had a steady job, and my dad liked him. If they dated, I could ask Hunter about my father and his new strange need to hunt.
Or was it strange? My mom talked to the dead, named her dog Toto, and had a long, yellow runner from the front entrance of their funeral home that led straight to the chapel. She lived her life as if she would always follow the yellow brick road.
My dad was actually the more normal of the two. Though of late, I wasn’t so sure.
After Penny finished taking Hunter’s order, she just sighed as she rushed past me toward the kitchen. I had another table to attend to, so I hurried off.
I couldn’t help but entertain the idea of what it would be like to cut down on my hours and spend my time solving crimes. If money weren’t an issue, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, by the time my shift was over, I was no closer to an answer. Since I hadn’t arrived home until close to midnight, it had been too late to talk to Iggy about it—though I could guess what he’d say. He’d give me a resounding yes. If I agreed to start the firm, Iggy would be rather insistent that his name be given top billing. Unless, the person was native to Witch’s Cove, they’d write me off as a kook. Too bad. Pink Iguana Sleuths had a nice ring to it.
When I finally went upstairs to my apartment, I was rather tired. Needless to say, I hadn’t slept well since my mind had refused to shut off last night.
As soon as I pushed open the door, Iggy jumped down off his stool. “You didn’t wake me when you came in last night. What happened with the dogs?”
I probably should have told him. “Let me get a tea, and I will tell you everything.”
Once I was settled on the couch, I regaled him with how great Snookums had been in helping us locate the animals.
“I love a happily ever after, but I hope you never plan on doing any kind of animal competition with me. If I ever competed in climbing, jumping, swimming, and racing, I’d be such a star that everyone would try to kidnap me.”
I laughed hard. I then patted the sofa seat next to me. “Come here. I have something I need to ask you.”
Iggy obliged by climbing up. At some point, I’d have to buy new furniture since his claws were ruining the fabric.
“What is it?” he asked.
I detailed Jaxson’s plan about starting my own firm. “What do you think?”
“Are you kidding me? That would be my dream come true, though I have a list of demands.”
I smiled. “I’m sure you do, but I haven’t decided to do it yet.”
“Have you spoken with Aunt Fern?”
“That is what I want to do as soon as she finishes work.”
“Wait here,” Iggy said, sounding more excited than he ever had—unless I counted his joy when he learned Cliff Duncan had died. That might have been Iggy’s happiest day. Sad, right?
Before I could tell him to stop, he was through the cat door. No doubt, he was racing downstairs to tell Aunt Fern to haul herself up the stairs and talk to me. I’m sure he understood she’d need to find someone to man the checkout counter. Most likely he figured she’d do what she needed to.
My iguana was too darn impetuous. Hmm. I wonder where he got that trait?
Ten minutes later, a happy looking iguana jumped back through the cat door, followed by my aunt—not through the cat door but rather through the people door.
“What’s this about starting your own detective agency?” Thankfully, my aunt sounded excited.
“I think Iggy might have exaggerated.”
“I did not,” he shot back.
“Whatever. Did you get someone to cover the front for you?” I asked.
“Yes.” Aunt Fern sat down. “Tell me what spurred this on.”
I briefly filled her in about finding the dogs. “Afterward, we went over to Drake’s store where the three of us had some wonderful ice cream sundaes. Did you know that Jaxson likes more sprinkles on his dessert than I do?”
She clapped. “I am so happy for you.”
“About the opportunity to help others or that there is someone out there who likes more sprinkles than me?”
“All of the above, but I’m even more excited that Jaxson is your boyfriend.”
“Whoa.” I held up my hands to forestall that rumor. I wouldn’t be surprised if Iggy made up something to tell her. “We are just friends.”
“Uh-huh.”
I didn’t want to get into this. If I did, Aunt Fern would ask about Steve Rocker, who
I admit, held a small place in my heart.
“I need your opinion about opening a business. Drake said I could clean up the second floor above his store and use it as my office.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful.”
“I know, but if I’m not working here, I may not learn the gossip.”
My aunt patted my hand. “You can always ask me.”
“I know, but at some point, I’ll need to develop my own contacts.” I realize that my aunt had many more years left in her, but what about Pearl? Or the Daniel sisters? I wasn’t convinced that Maude would last another twenty years. As for Dolly? That was a no brainer. She was too stubborn to go down lightly.
“Do what I did when I became of age,” she said.
“Which was?”
“I joined a women’s entrepreneur group.”
Both the Daniel sisters still owned their own business, as did my aunt and Dolly. “Pearl was a business owner?”
“Are you kidding? She owned a bookstore first and then a nursery—for plants not kids. Once her own children were born, she sold it. Made a real nice chunk of change, I might add.”
“I never knew.”
My aunt smiled. “Our women-in-business group no longer exists, but you can join another group—one that gets together all the time.”
I liked the idea, but I couldn’t figure out what. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“What about joining a knitting group? From what I’ve heard, the women meet once a week at Sarah Lipton’s store and knit up a storm—and of course, gossip.”
“That sounds promising, but I don’t knit.”
“You could learn,” she said.
“I suppose if we lived in an area where scarves, sweaters, and hats were needed, I might consider it.”
“Okay. We’ll keep it on the table for now.” She grinned. “I just heard from Eileen Gibson that her bridge group lost one of their members. You used to play when you were little.”
I did love playing cards. “I’m a little rusty. Even if they agreed to let me play, and even if I read up on the rules again, talking during the game is frowned upon.”