by Zoe Arden
"Why not?" I asked. "If you're so sure that it wasn't one of them, why not tell us who they are?"
"I don't remember who's bought these recently," she said. "Sorry I couldn't be of more help."
I suddenly remembered what Lucy had said about a mark being on the palm of someone's hand when they were inhabited by a dark spirit. What if the spirit was in Edith right now? Would I know? Would it be obvious even without the mark?
I tried to get a look at Edith and Blossom's palms but they were both holding their hands at their sides and I couldn't see a thing.
The door chimed that awful screechy music and Nightshade came walking in. His dark fur contrasted against the white tiles in the bakery, and the white pawprint-shaped mark on his ear was easy to spot. It was the only bit of white on him. He was actually a pretty cute little cat but I knew that was just a ruse. He was as dark as Edith.
He paused when he saw me and Lucy, then made his way to the counter and jumped up. Edith reached up to lift him into her arms and I got a good view of her palms. There were no marks anywhere on them. I pressed my lips together and shot another look to Blossom. She'd stuffed her hands into the pockets of her apron and was glaring at us.
"Why were you in Sweetland the other day, Nightshade?" I asked.
Nightshade looked at me, then returned his gaze to Edith, who stroked him softly. "Nightshade does not know what Ava Fortune speaks of," he said, clearly lying. His whiskers twitched.
"I think you do," I told him.
"Why are you bothering us?" Blossom suddenly demanded. "Just get out of here before I call Sheriff Maxwell and have you forced out."
"Come on," I said to Lucy, "we'd better go."
We headed out of the bakery. I suddenly stopped and turned around. "Thanks for your time," I said, holding out my hand to Blossom. She looked confused for a minute, then shook it. Shoot! There were no marks on her palm. I grabbed her other hand and shook that, too. Again, no marks. Blossom was looking at me like I was crazy.
"Have a nice day," I said, then grabbed Lucy and left.
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CHAPTER
ELEVEN
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Eleanor and Trixie weren't thrilled when I came back with no new information. Eleanor hadn't been able to find anything out either. She'd gone by Sadie's with another round of soup and some herbal tea, and returned saying she still seemed okay. If there were any spirits stuck inside, they were very good at keeping themselves hidden.
Colt came in a few minutes after we'd opened. "Surprise," he said and handed me my favorite latte. He passed out coffees to my dad and Eleanor, too. He handed Trixie Coffee Cove's specialty drink, something they'd created just for her—a Brass Monkey. It was essentially a gigantic iced vanilla latte but with a little extra of everything.
"Thanks!" Trixie said, her eyes lighting up. If she could've drunk Brass Monkeys all day long, she would have.
I sipped my latte and Colt gave me a kiss on the cheek. "What's the special occasion?" I asked.
"No occasion," he said. "We never got to finish our lunch the other day and I just wanted to see you. Think you can sneak away for a few minutes? I thought we could have a late breakfast."
I looked at Eleanor and Trixie, who indicated I should go ahead.
"Sure," I told him.
His phone rang just then. He looked at it and his smile disappeared. "It's Dean," he said. "I better take this. We're... pretty busy right now. Mind if I step into the back?"
"No, go ahead."
He answered his phone just as he pushed through the door to the back room. "Hello?" he said, then his voice faded away.
Customers began to trickle in. Mornings were usually busy at Mystic. People liked to stop off for treats on their way to work and maybe pick up a little something for lunch later. Several minutes went by and we were only getting busier. Colt hadn't resurfaced from the back yet and I began to wonder what he was talking about with Dean. I'd assumed it was the tourist murder case, since I knew that was Colt's top priority right now. He'd told me as much in the texts we'd shared.
A man stood near the front of the line that was now forming, waiting impatiently. When his turn came, he asked for all the snickerdoodles we had in our display window.
"Office party later today," he said with a tight smile. "Do you have any more?"
"I think so," Eleanor told him and turned to me. "Ava, can you get some more snickerdoodles from the back?"
"Sure," I said. I stepped into the back room and heard Colt's voice, hushed but furious, still talking to Dean.
"No, I haven't told her." There was a pause. "I already told you that I won't say anything. Ava has no idea what's going on and I'll make sure it stays that way, now stop asking me." He hung up, and I quickly went back out front before he could turn around and see me.
"Find any?" Eleanor asked.
"Huh?"
"The snickerdoodles."
"Oh... no. I didn't. Sorry."
The man waiting made a sour expression until Eleanor offered a dozen free chocolate chip cookies. Then his smile returned, bigger than ever, and he left the bakery with a bounce in his step.
Colt came back out front." Sorry about that," he said to me.
"No problem. Everything all right?"
I was hoping that I'd misunderstood what I'd heard just now. That he'd tell me that it was all a joke, that he'd known I was listening the whole time. Something. Anything. I hated the idea that he was keeping something from me. Whatever it was, it must have to do with the case. After all, what else could it be?
"Yeah, everything's fine," he said. "I just have to go."
"You do? Now?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry. Raincheck on breakfast?"
"Sure."
He kissed me goodbye and hurried off. The rest of the morning went by quickly. The late morning lull set in. Soon the lunch rush would start. We took a breather, getting in our breaks while we could. My dad left for a quick run to check on Sadie, who just couldn't seem to shake this cold she had.
About twenty till noon, a man stepped into the store wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts.
Tourist, I immediately thought.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"No, thank you. I'm just looking."
He slowly circled his way around the bakery, looking closely at every stack of cookie tins, every box of peanut butter bars, and every display case. It was almost like he was examining them, looking for hidden treasure or a secret code.
He began to give me the creeps. Eleanor and Trixie and I looked at each other, wondering if there was something wrong with him. Living on an island of paranormals sometimes brought in strange people. Some of them looked human, just like witches and wizards did, but that didn't mean they were. They could be harboring deep magical powers. Fairies were like that, I'd learned. They could look human when they wanted but when they showed their true form, it wasn't even close.
Still, this guy looked S.H. all the way—strictly human. Then again... the closer I looked at him, the more I wondered if he was just playing dumb. The Hawaiian shirt and khakis were the epitome of the human tourists we got here. If he wanted to pass himself off as one of them, this was the best way to do it.
"Can we interest you in a sample?" Trixie asked, taking a plate and coming around the counter with it.
"What are they?" he asked suspiciously.
"Chocolate brownies with peppy powder," she responded immediately.
"Peppy powder?" he asked.
"It's basically caffeine," she said. "It's designed to give you a jolt."
He looked at the tray closely before removing a piece and holding it under his nose, sniffing it. "Smells... good," he finally said and popped it into his mouth. His eyes lit up. "It is good." He grabbed another one and swallowed it in one bite.
"Would you like some to take back to the mainland with you?" Trixie asked.
&nb
sp; His eyes narrowed. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "How'd you know I'm from the mainland?" he asked, more like demanded.
Trixie tilted her head to the side. "This is a small island. We know just about everybody who lives on it."
He nodded. "I suppose it would be hard not to."
He stood scratching his chin, pulling at an invisible beard. "I heard you three ladies were there the day that tourist died."
Trixie backed away from him with the tray now. Something about the way he'd asked the question made it seem as though he weren't just asking for the sake of gossip.
"Who told you that?" I asked.
"People," he said.
"Well, that's not exactly a secret," Eleanor said, looking at us. "Everyone on the island knows that. Small towns, you know?"
He nodded again. I realized suddenly how straight he was standing. Most tourists carried themselves with a sort of relaxed attitude. It was in their walk as much as the way they spoke. Languid. Lazy. Like they were half drunk or had taken too many sleeping pills. This man walked like he had purpose. He kept his spine straight and his shoulders rounded.
"Did you see anything good?" he asked, a smile creeping up on one side of his mouth.
"Good?" Trixie cried. "A man was murdered. I don't know what would be good about it."
"I just meant did you see anything interesting? Maybe something you kept back from the police?"
"No," Eleanor, Trixie, and I said at the same time.
He looked us over and his smile broke into a frown. No, not a frown. But it wasn't a smile, either. It was just straight, thin lips that hid his emotion more than displayed them.
"Who are you?" I finally asked. "You're no tourist."
He broke into a wide grin. It looked genuine enough but for some reason it creeped me out even more.
"You caught me," he said, reaching into his pant pocket and removing a black leather wallet. He flipped it open to reveal a police badge.
The air in the room thickened. "What branch are you with?" Eleanor asked. "Because I know you're not one of our own. I'm married to the sheriff of Sweetland Cove."
"I know," he said. "Eleanor Rose." His eyes shifted to the right. "Trixie Rose." They shifted to me. "Ava Rose Fortune."
We all took a step back. Who was this man?
"I'm sorry. I've lost my manners." He paused and gave a slight bow. "Detective Mike Bison. Miami P.D."
"Miami?" Eleanor said, her eyes widening. "Why is Miami P.D. asking questions about a murder committed in Sweetland Cove."
"The tourist who died—Dave Harley—was a resident of Miami."
"So?" asked Eleanor. "That doesn't give you jurisdiction."
"He was also a friend of mine."
I could almost hear Eleanor say "aah" as lightbulbs went off over all our heads. Not a tourist, just a human. And a cop. This could quickly turn bad if we weren't careful.
"I don't want you to be worried," he said. "You're right, I have no official jurisdiction here. But that doesn't mean I can't ask a few questions."
"That's true," Eleanor said. "But that also means we don't have to answer them."
"Also true," Detective Bison said. "I was hoping you might, though. As a personal favor to me. The man who died was my friend. I'm not leaving without answers."
Eleanor and I exchanged a look.
"What do you want to know?" Eleanor asked.
"Just what you saw."
She looked at me and I shrugged. "All right," Eleanor said. "I can't think of a reason not to tell you. You want justice for your friend, that's all. That's what those of us in Sweetland Cove want, too."
"Good, then just tell me what you know and maybe we can both get what we want."
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CHAPTER
TWELVE
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Colt wasn't too happy when I texted him later and told him about Mike Bison. I was pretty sure Sheriff Knoxx would be equally unhappy when Eleanor told him what had happened. We'd given the detective the truth and told him what we'd seen at the shop, which had pretty much been nothing. We left out the part about the cupcake wrapper and the storm clouds, which had eased up considerably since the tourist's death. I hoped that meant things were on the decline. Maybe the dark spirit had gone back to wherever it had come from. Or maybe there had never been a dark spirit to begin with.
My phone beeped as another text came in.
Meet me tomorrow at Coffee Cove?
I texted Colt back.
What time?
Okay. See you then. Night.
Love you.
Love you too.
I awoke the next morning feeling all warm and fuzzy. I said good morning to Snowball, who was purring loudly on the pillow beside mine, and quickly dressed.
Maybe it was just that I'd gotten a good night's sleep but a new idea hit me.
"Snowy?" I asked.
She looked sleepily up at me.
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Will Snowy get tuna?" she asked.
"Yes, lots of tuna."
"Okay."
"That black cat you saw the other day... his name is Nightshade. He belongs to the woman who works at Creams, Cakes, and Creations in Mistmoor Point."
Snowball's ears perked up. She sat up and began wagging her tail.
"Can you go and keep an eye on him for me? Just follow him for the afternoon and tell me if he does anything unusual?"
"Yes, Mama," Snowball said. "Shall Snowy leave now?"
"You can have some tuna first," I told her, and her eyes widened.
"Tuna first?" she said, incredulous. "Thank you, Mama!" She ran down the stairs ahead of me.
I went to the bakery with my aunts and dad, and let them know that I would be joining Colt for coffee a little later. Trixie asked me to bring her back a Brass Monkey.
At the bakery, my dad went quietly to work. He began preheating the ovens and ran from Trixie to Eleanor to me asking if we needed anything. Except he didn't really ask, he just kind of looked at us and cocked his head to the side. He wasn't exactly a morning person but he was normally more chipper than this. Something was off with him.
"Everything okay?" I asked him when he hadn't said anything for a half hour.
He nodded and mixed up some chocolate frosting that Trixie had asked him to help her with. He never even looked up.
"Are you feeling okay? Sadie didn't get you sick, did she?"
He shook his head and continued in silence. Now Eleanor and Trixie were looking at him, too.
"Eli..." Eleanor said. "If something's wrong, you should tell us. Is Sadie... has she been acting weird?" She gave me a look and I knew what she was thinking—was Sadie starting to show symptoms?
"Weird?" he asked. "If by weird you mean is she blowing her nose and coughing up a lung, then yes, she is." His voice cracked. "I just don't understand why she can't shake this bug she's got. I-I'm worried."
"Isn't she any better at all?" Trixie asked.
He shook his head.
I suddenly understood why he'd been so quiet this morning. He'd already lost one woman he'd loved—my mom. Now he was worried about losing another.
I put down the bottle of extract I'd been working on and gave him a hug. "She's gonna be fine," I told him. "Make her go back to the doctor if she refuses." His hand trembled slightly as he hugged me back and I felt him nod. When I pulled away, I caught Eleanor's expression. She looked almost as worried as my dad.
She pulled me aside out front of the bakery just as I was leaving to go meet Colt. "Oh, Ava," she called, waving her hand in the air. "Hold on a minute, I need to ask you about your nuggermelon extract!" When she'd gotten out of earshot, she said in a low voice, "Maybe I was wrong about Sadie. If she's still sick, chances are high that there's something more going on with her than a cold."
"What should we do?" I asked her.
"I think I'd better get s
tarted on something that could banish the spirit from her, just in case."
"You mean like a spell?" I asked.
"More like chocolate. I might be able to add something to her favorite pastry that can expel the spirit from her body if it's infesting her. Do you know what her favorite dessert is?"
I shook my head.
"No matter, I'll ask your father. Just don't say anything to him, or to Colt. I don't need anyone trying to interfere. I still haven't told Zane. If he found out that Sadie was infected with a dark spirit, I don't know what he'd do. The goblin in him is so hot-tempered he might just try to take her head off."
I blinked. "You don't mean literally, do you?"
She pursed her lips. "Better not to think of it," she said and disappeared back into the shop.
Inside Coffee Cove, I searched the tables for Colt and found him sitting at the one farthest in the back. He waved to me and I hurried to join him after saying a quick hello to Lucy.
"Sorry I'm late," I said.
"Just a few minutes. No big deal." He pulled out a chair for me and I took a seat.
"Thanks."
Lucy brought me a vanilla latte—my usual—and refilled Colt's mug. She shot me a wink when he wasn't looking and disappeared back to the counter. Red, a boy in his late teens who'd been working at Coffee Cove for a few months, beamed at Lucy as she came by. I was pretty sure he had a little crush on her and made a mental note to mention it to Lucy later. She was in her early twenties, the same as me, so Red was definitely not someone she'd be interested in but you never knew what might happen a few years from now.
"So," Colt said, "we're finally alone."
I smiled and gave him a kiss. His eyes were wide, and he was looking at me like he hadn't seen me in years.
"I'm not sure we can call this alone," I told him, looking around at all the people sitting at tables or standing in line to place their order.
"Close enough," he said. "At least no one can hear what we're saying." Every table in Coffee Cove had a silencing charm around it so that no one could overhear each other's conversations. You could talk for as long as you wanted without the risk of being overheard. The result was that the entire coffee shop had an intimate, cozy feeling to it. It was a good place to come and do your work if you were a student or a businessman. It was also a good place for a first date... or any date.