For now I headed to the library. The morning with Edmund had given me new topics to research, specifically Edmund himself. I wanted to look him up in Cookie’s notes, and I was glad she didn’t seem to mind.
“How was breakfast? Was the cheese dreamy?” Rose asked, joining me in the library as soon as I got there.
“Delicious. Several kinds of cheese, all dreamy,” I said.
“I’m so jealous. Cheese is the best,” she said. “What are you doing now?”
“Now we’re researching Edmund. I’d also like to look at Mr. Nutcracker’s information again,” I said.
“I’ll keep a lookout,” said Rose.
“For whom?” I asked.
“Mice,” she said. I nodded.
What could possibly have made me think she was keeping a lookout for my benefit?
Once I pulled out Cookie’s notebooks, finding information about Edmund was easy. His name was everywhere; he was well known in academic circles.
There wasn’t much out of the ordinary about him. He had never married or run for political office, and he’d retired from active work a long time ago. He got along well with supernaturals and liked to keep to himself.
He had been a tireless supporter of the haunted house. He was also very good friends with Uncle Taft.
I wondered if that explained why he seemed to have a thing for Cookie. I thought it was too bad that Cookie liked a warlock less if he had a thing for her.
I was about to close the books and head upstairs when I decided to look up one other person: Sharon. Her interest and involvement in the disappearance of Jefferson Judge struck me as a little too good to be true. It was a hard to believe that all she wanted was to help restore Down Below to its former illegal glory.
It turned out that Sharon was a vampire and had once run a gambling ring. She died at the age of fifty. When she came to the haunted house a year ago, she went straight Down Below. She didn’t even try to make it on the up and up.
I closed the book and put it back. That information was interesting but not particularly helpful. A lot of ghosts and skeletons came here to go straight Down Below. Usually we never saw them again, so having Sharon arrive and go right to work under the Fudge wasn’t that odd.
I was just turning around to leave the library when another explosion shook the mansion.
Rose hissed. I was knocked flat.
Once I got back on my feet, I ran for the door. Just as I started to pull it open, another blast flung me sideways. This time I kept myself from falling by clinging frantically to the door.
The whole mansion was shaking. I could hear yells, and I knew the supernaturals must be afraid. Hoping that the rest of my family was okay, I made for Cookie. If Haunted Bluff was under attack, she needed to be protected.
I had just reached the front door and flung it open when there was a third explosion. This time I was almost expecting it, and I managed to keep my balance and stagger outside.
Cookie was still stirring her cauldron. There was no sign of Lizzie.
“Are you all right?” I yelled.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Cookie called back without looking up. Her giant nose was pointed downward as she gazed into whatever concoction she was working on.
Another massive tremor made me stumble as I yelled, “Because we’re having an earthquake!”
“I doubt that. It doesn’t look like it’s going to stop,” said Cookie.
Then she did something that she had done a couple of times before. She didn’t walk, she floated, so though the earth shook, she didn’t stumble. She landed on the stoop, which wasn’t shaking.
Nice little trick, I thought.
If explosions were going to happen often, I needed to learn that trick myself.
Audrey appeared at that point and said, “Actual problem with the boiler this time. All is well.”
I put my hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath.
After all the excitement, I figured we’d have a quiet afternoon. I got out of the shower prepared to spend the next couple of hours in the attic, reading quietly. Plus, I had a lot to ponder. I was thinking more and more that the two cases we were faced with had to be connected; it was too much of a coincidence otherwise. Had Blu stolen the crown? Where was Jefferson Judge? Why would the killer leave the crown on the property?
I was just settling in when Rose trotted through the door, which I had left open a sliver. She announced that my mom wanted to see me.
Wondering what I could possibly have done now, I got out of my snug pile of blankets and headed for Mom’s office.
She had never summoned me to the office before, so the venue was a surprise.
When I got there she was sitting behind a desk that was covered in mounds of papers. A small window overlooked the ocean and let in a little welcome daylight. Mom was sorting mail when I walked in.
“Have a seat,” she said, without looking up.
I sat down slowly. “Am I in trouble?” I asked.
“Should you be in trouble?” she asked, looking up at me.
“No,” I said.
“Then you aren’t. No, this is about your future here,” she explained.
My heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”
“You were born a witch. You tried it in the outside world, then you came home. The family business is the haunted house, as you obviously know. Ever since you moved back you’ve been helpful with the running of it, but there’s something missing. Everyone else here has a job. Pep runs the gift shop. Audrey is in charge of the kitchen. Kip is in charge of the haunt hunters. And so on.”
She held up a hand to stop me before I could utter a word. “I do not want to argue with you about haunt hunting. I’ve said no and that’s final. I’m not going to change my mind.”
“Then what do you want to talk about?” I asked through gritted teeth, fuming inwardly.
“You need a job,” she said.
I raised my eyebrows. “I’m investigating,” I said. Why couldn’t she support that!
Mom blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m not going to argue with you about that, either. Not today. I have something in mind for you that would give you an official title around here, and I want to know what you think.”
Her saying that she wasn’t going to argue with me about investigating almost felt like a victory in and of itself; it implied that she knew I wasn’t going to stop. Instead of putting us both in a position where I didn’t listen to her, she just dismissed the subject entirely.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Liaison between the supernaturals Down Below and the haunted house board. You would have to start attending meetings,” she said.
Her expression was grim. My mouth fell open and I sat forward a little in my chair. When she looked irritated by my shock, I tried to get it together and relaxed backward again.
“Are you joking me?” I asked.
“Do I ever joke?” she said.
No, she didn’t.
“Why would you want me to do that?” I asked.
“So you don’t want the gig?” Her voice sounded slightly disappointed.
This must have been what Edmund had been talking to her about.
“The board doesn’t have any real power,” I pointed out.
There had been regulations a long time ago about supernaturals co-existing with witches. The haunted house was a special case, because with so many supernaturals around, there was a lot more potential for problems and miscommunication than at most other places.
The board was supposed to help with that somehow, but it actually had no oversight power over the haunted house. The Garbo family had always insisted on maintaining complete control.
“I thought you didn’t want me to have anything to do with Down Below,” I said, letting some of my surprise show again.
My mom sighed and sat back in her chair. “I certainly don’t, but someone has to do it, that much is clear. Antics like the little stunt they pulled to get you and Cook
ie down there can’t continue. We used to have a liaison. That stopped when you were little, and we’ve been flying blind ever since. It would be best if that could change.”
“Why did it stop?” I said.
My mom’s mouth tightened. “That’s none of your concern.”
“It sure is my concern! If you want me to take the job, you have to tell me what happened. Leave out no detail please,” I added.
Mom made a face. Then she sat very still for a while. Finally she realized she had to concede the point.
“Okay, you’re right. Very well. I don’t like it, but I’ll do it.” After that promising beginning, she didn’t say anything for so long, I thought she might have changed her mind.
But she hadn’t. She had a long story to tell.
“The last intermediary between Down Below and the witches and warlocks was your father. He held the job for many years, and he was very good at it. He had an excellent relationship with Fudgy, as a matter of fact. When your father died, I was very upset. Naturally. His whole squad had been ambushed. Nothing like that had ever happened before, and we never found out who did it. At first I just wanted to blame someone. Like I said, I was very angry.”
I had stopped breathing. My mom never mentioned my dad. I had made it through all these years without having any idea that he had worked as a liaison with the supernaturals. I heard a rushing in my ears and tried to concentrate.
My mom saw what a hard time I was having and paused. “I’m sorry if this is upsetting. You deserve to know.”
I nodded, feeling numb.
“I blamed Down Below. I thought they must have had something to do with the ambush. It made sense. If you look at it objectively, it still makes sense.
“They are the criminal underworld. Fudgy is a criminal mastermind. To wipe out an entire squad of warlocks is criminal. Even so, I may have gone too far in my accusations. I certainly went too far with my threats.
“After that, locks were put on the doors.
“Our relationship with Down Below disintegrated. Now it’s non-existent.”
“That’s what ruined the relationship with Down Below? You mean it wasn’t always like this?” I gasped. “Wow! You older generation of the family sure do keep a lot of secrets!” I shook my head. “Secret alliances. Secret passageways. Secret fights. My mind is blown.”
I felt like ranting, so I did, a bit. It was my own mom who had ruined relations with Down Below, and now here we were, needing to re-establish them. And now, after years of telling me nothing, she had turned to me to help repair the breach?
My urge to rant came into conflict with the fact that I was speechless. So I said nothing more for the moment.
My mother took a deep breath, re-arranged some more papers, finally made eye contact with me. I tried to give her a look that warned her away from stalling, but she wasn’t going to anyhow.
“The Fudge has asked us to re-establish the position. Edmund has been asking as well. It seems that the recent problems at Haunted Bluff have encouraged some action. You were the first person I thought of to take on the job.”
Chapter Twenty-One
I said yes. Immediately. What point would there have been in pretending it wasn’t a huge responsibility, and therefore a huge honor to be asked to undertake it? And a worthy challenge for any witch or warlock.
Down Below was a big part of Haunted Bluff. I had snuck down there a few times, so I had at least a beginner’s familiarity with the layout and workings of the basement. I didn’t bother to point that out; I figured my mom already had a pretty good idea.
She didn’t actually look thrilled that I’d agreed, and I knew she was probably worried sick, but she hadn’t had much choice about whom to ask. Now that she’d asked, she didn’t have the option of backtracking.
“Is that what Edmund wanted to speak with you about as we left the manor?” I said.
“It was. He’s very concerned that if relations with Down Below don’t improve, we’ll all suffer. At the moment they mostly confine their activities in such a way that they don’t cause problems for witches and warlocks. Should that change, I’m not sure what could happen.”
“When do I start?” I asked.
“As soon as possible. The Fudge wants to meet you. It is my understanding that you are already familiar with a skeleton by the name of Peter. He is to look after you. Cookie is also supposed to make herself available should you require assistance,” said Mom.
She didn’t go so far as to say it was in case the Fudge took me hostage, but I knew that’s what she was thinking.
I stood up. I felt lighter than I had in weeks. “Thanks, Mom. I won’t let you down.”
My mom stood up as well. “This is an important job. I hope you’ll treat it as such. Given that you’re going to be here for a long time, it’s only fitting that your responsibilities should be serious. Your dad would be happy to know you’re stepping into his shoes.” She gave me a tight smile.
“You really think Dad would be happy?” I whispered.
“He’d be thrilled. About both you and Cam,” she said. “Now, I have a lot of paperwork to get through. You need to do some library research before your meeting with the Fudge. The more knowledge you have, the less he’ll be able to trip you up. And make no mistake, he will try to trip you up.”
With that I was dismissed. I was pretty sure there was a tear in my mom’s eye as I left.
Feeling euphoric, I hurried to find Lark and Pep. I couldn’t wait to tell them my news.
Rose would also be excited. She’d think it was an excuse for her to go down to the basement to catch mice.
Lark was in the ice cream parlor. I asked her to join me in the gift shop with Pep.
“What did your mom want?” Pep asked. They’d been waiting eagerly to find out what was going on.
I told them that at long last I too would have a profession at Haunted Bluff. Instead of just helping out at random, I was going to have a defined role. And it felt awesome.
“Wow, that’s a lot of responsibility. I can’t believe you get to go Down Below with permission now,” said Lark.
“The Fudge asked for it. I guess the board of trustees has been asking for it too. Mom didn’t want to do it, but she’s right that it makes sense,” I said.
“I had no idea that your mom was that angry for that long about the ambush. I wonder what our mom was like,” said Pep.
“I bet there was yelling. Lots of yelling,” said Lark, her eyes wide.
I smiled a genuine smile. For the first time I could remember, my mom had said that my dad would be proud of me. Cookie said it from time to time, but it was clear that for my mom, the memory of my dad was almost too painful to talk about, even now.
“What’s your plan for the rest of the evening?” Lark asked.
“I really don’t have one, other than to go upstairs and talk to Rose, then get reading. I have a lot to find out about Down Below if I’m going to be the liaison with them,” I said.
Pep and Lark exchanged a look. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I found out in a hurry.
“Actually, would you mind going over to Grant’s? We have some information for him that we think is important to the case. We thought he should have it as soon as possible.”
I looked at the two suspiciously. “Why don’t you go then?”
“Because you’re the one he kissed. If he’s going to live on the property, you two might as well get to enjoy it,” said Lark.
I agreed with her there. It was just that he had sat me down and told me how serious he was about me, and I hadn’t heard a word from him since. He had asked me out on a date, or to dinner. I kept waiting for him to offer to cook for me, or something like that, but it looked like I might be waiting for a while.
I sighed. I was all excited to start doing research into my new role, but I supposed it could wait a few extra minutes. I hadn’t seen Grant in a while, and I wanted to.
I had half-expected him to show up at breakfast that mo
rning, and when he hadn’t, I’d been disappointed. The breakfast was lovely, and seeing Edmund was fascinating, but I would have enjoyed it even more if Grant had been there. Basically, I thought every situation could be improved with a little Grant.
“What information should I take?” I asked.
“We found out that they were probably right to think Blu was killed and then the doorbell was rung by the killer. We talked to the gargoyles, who said they didn’t see anyone coming or going. That means the killer probably escaped through the woods. Unless they went Down Below,” said Pep. “We thought you’d want to know, and so would Grant.”
I nodded. It didn’t really tell us much. If the killer had gone up or down the driveway, someone would probably have noticed, and no one had. Still, it was Grant’s investigation and he should in fact know.
I decided to go up and do a quick change so I looked more presentable. Then I’d head out to his cottage and see if he was at home.
Rose wasn’t in the attic, so I was saved from having to take the time to tell her about my new job. I was suddenly excited to see Grant, and I didn’t want anything to get in the way. Darkness was falling and the temperature would drop quickly, so I wanted to hurry.
I put on a white sweater that looked cute with my dark jeans and stepped my feet into black ankle boots. Then I made myself a ponytail, because my hair required at least ten minutes to look presentable otherwise, and I didn’t want to take the time.
Once I was dressed, I grabbed a jacket and headed outside.
For once I didn’t meet anyone on my way out of the mansion. Most of the supernaturals were in for the night. Mr. Blacksmith was in the foyer, and he bowed slightly as I passed. I waved in return.
“Have an excellent evening,” he intoned.
“I should be back in a minute,” I said.
I made my way quickly to Grant’s place, feeling like I was floating. I was so happy about my new job I felt like spinning.
Passing Evangeline’s and then Jacob’s on the way, I noticed that the lights were on in both cottages and Evangeline’s curtains were drawn. I remembered what Jezebel had said about a light flashing on and off and wondered if that was still going on. I also wondered if Evangeline was having so much trouble sleeping that she was up all night. I thought about stopping to ask her, but I wanted to get to Grant’s. He was probably busy with the investigation, and I told myself it was more likely than not that he wasn’t even home.
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