by Lily Webb
“I’m not sure, but I think I have everything I need. I’ll let you have some quiet time to yourself, Holly. I’m sorry for your loss,” I said and pushed myself up out of the chair to straighten my robes.
She shot me a dubious look, like she knew I wasn’t telling her everything, but eventually smiled and nodded. “Thank you. Please, find out what happened to her. For my sake.”
That was exactly what I intended to do.
Chapter Six
Mueller stood waiting outside the room for me like a lost puppy dog. He scanned my face. “Well? Get anything?”
“Nothing she didn’t already tell you,” I lied. By this point, it was reflexive with Mueller, and he glared at me like he knew the song and dance too.
“Okay, how about anything she didn’t say?”
“Nothing there, either. I couldn’t get into her thoughts.”
He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest like he didn’t believe me, but this time I was telling the truth.
“I don’t know what was wrong, but when I tried to get in, I felt queasy.”
“Do you think she was trying to hide something? Maybe with a thought-protecting spell?”
It wasn’t impossible, but given that Holly allegedly couldn’t use magic, I didn’t see how she might’ve pulled that off. Mueller might not have known that about her though; Holly telegraphed that few people did, which made it seem odd that she’d tell me — a witch she didn’t know from Lilith — but I decided not to share it with him, anyway.
“Hard to say. But getting information out of people was definitely easier when everyone in Moon Grove didn’t know I could read their minds.”
Mueller chuckled. “Yeah, you probably should’ve tried to keep that under wraps.”
“Oh well. Anyway, is Heath still around?”
“He’s waiting for you by the front door.”
“Oh, good. Thanks for letting me talk to her, Mueller. I appreciate it, even though not much came of it. Regardless, she seems less worked up now, so maybe she’ll tell you more soon. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Sure,” he grunted and stepped into the room to try Holly again himself. The poor woman, but there wasn’t anything I could do to help her now, so I headed for the entrance. Heath’s face lifted as I approached.
“How did it go?”
“Not here,” I whispered and glanced over my shoulder to make sure Mueller wasn’t lurking to listen. “How did your impromptu press conference work out?”
Heath shrugged. “As well as it could, I suppose. It at least sent the reporters away, though I don’t know if they believed anything I said.”
“That’s the nature of a press conference,” I laughed and opened the door. Gorloz and Umrea darted to our sides as soon as they saw us, and the gargoyles hired to protect the building parted like a wave of concrete to allow us passage.
We walked in silence under the cover of night through the gloomy cobblestone streets all the way back to the Town Hall, but it wasn’t until we stood safely within the four walls of Heath’s office that I opened up. “I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty yet, but I’m reasonably confident Holly didn’t kill Rowena.”
Heath smiled as he sat behind his desk. “That’s no surprise, given their history.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you knew about that?”
“Of course. It’s our job to know these things, especially about those who move here from other communities.”
“Oh,” I said, dumbfounded. I wanted to ask if Moon Grove vetted people before allowing them to live here, but I had bigger brooms to fly. “Anyway, the thing that stuck out to me the most was that Madame Astra predicted Rowena’s death to me — and to Rowena herself.”
Heath sat back in his chair and rested his hands on his stomach. “Interesting.”
“Do you think she really could’ve known? I mean, she was right about my parents, as far as we can tell, so why not this?”
“Good question. Like I said, I have no reason to question Madame Astra. She has a long, storied career in Divination, one I doubt she would’ve gotten if she’d made a habit of lying. I guess you’ll have to speak to her.”
I sighed. “I know, and that’s what I was afraid of.”
“Given what happened the last time you met, I’d be more than happy to talk to her on your behalf.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I can handle it. That said, I don’t think I have it in me to do tonight.”
Heath nodded. “I understand. Regardless, my offer stands if you change your mind.”
“Thanks. Anyway, if you don’t object, I think I’m gonna call it a night and head home.”
“Not at all. Get some rest. I have a feeling we’re both going to need it.”
“Probably. Good night, Heath.”
“Good night, Zoe,” he said, and I left his office for mine to grab my things before I headed home. Umrea waited for me at the door.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yup, I just need to get my stuff first.”
“I’ll escort you.”
“As always,” I said and entered my office to snatch my phone and keys out of the desk drawer, my broom from the closet, and my favorite messenger bag from the coat hook installed beside its door.
“Ready when you are,” I told Umrea as I exited, and we walked together to the exit. Outside, I slung my bag around my shoulders, stuffed my phone and keys into the pockets of my robes, and kicked a leg over my broom.
Umrea took off before me in a great gusting of her leathery, pointed wings and I followed her up into the air, the cool night breeze easing some of my anxiety. Rowena Norwood’s case wasn’t the first I’d had to help solve, but it was far and away the strangest. How did someone literally drop dead with no obvious indications about how or why?
I shook my head and took deep gulps of the cool air as we soared over Moon Grove toward the house I’d inherited from my parents — yet another painful reminder of what I’d learned about them from Madame Astra. To my surprise, the lights were all on inside, which meant Beau must’ve gotten home before me, and judging from the delicious smells wafting up he was probably trying to cook me a surprise dinner before I arrived.
Umrea and I descended, and she stood outside the door to wait until I was safely inside before leaving. Though I’d objected to the new security protocols when they were first presented to the Council for approval, I’d grown to appreciate having Umrea around.
“Thanks. See you in the morning,” I told her, and she grunted as I stepped inside. Her heavy feet stomped down the porch and the roar of her wings beating the air told me she’d gone.
“Beau? You here?” I called, and a few moments later he appeared in the doorframe between the living room and the kitchen.
“Hey, welcome home! I didn’t think you’d be here this early.”
“Neither did I, honestly, but I’m glad. It’s been one spell of a day,” I groaned as I tossed my bag and broom on the couch, too exasperated to put them in their proper place. A high-pitched yelp came from underneath them.
“Hey, watch where you’re throwing stuff!” Luna squealed as she crawled out from under my bag, wincing against the light.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you!” I shouted after her as she darted off into our bedroom, annoyed.
Beau swooped into action and put my things away for me. “Ignore her, she’s been cranky since I got home. Anyway, I take it your day was as long and stressful as mine thanks to the Norwood thing?” he asked as he followed me into the kitchen. I lifted the lid off a pot simmering on the stove and though the concoction inside looked delicious, the smell of it made my stomach clench.
“It’s vegetable soup, and there’s fresh bread warming in the oven. Should be finished soon,” Beau said, but eating was the last thing I could think about doing. “What have you heard?”
“I spoke to Holly Craft, Rowena’s personal assistant. Turns out she found Rowena, but they have a much more complicated history tha
n I would’ve guessed,” I said and sat down at the table to rub my stomach, which seemed to grow more unhappy every second.
Beau went to the stove to stir the soup and check the bread. “What do you mean?”
“Holly had her wand snapped by the Starfall Valley Council, and they exiled her after they found out she’d used magic to steal money from some high roller in the tech world who she worked for. Rowena gave her a second chance.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
“Yeah, I don’t think most people do. Holly said it’s not something she likes to talk about, and I can’t blame her for that.”
“So you don’t think it was her?”
“I highly doubt it. Mueller said it looked like Rowena could’ve died from natural causes because there weren’t any signs at all of foul play or magic, but I doubt that too.”
Beau turned from the stove and nodded. “So do I. How does a rich, relatively young witch like Rowena Norwood just keel over without help from someone or something else?”
“Exactly. But things turned stranger the more we talked. Holly told me that Rowena had gotten a personal reading from Madame Astra—”
“Oh, that psychic that everyone’s been talking about? The one with the app?” Beau interrupted as he pulled bowls and silverware from the cupboard and drawer.
“Yup, that’s her. Anyway, I guess during Rowena’s reading, Astra predicted Rowena’s death — but Astra didn’t know how or why, or so Holly claimed.”
Beau filled a bowl with steaming soup and set it on the table in front of me, but I didn’t have even a whiff of an appetite.
“That is an odd turn.” His eyes searched mine and his brows furrowed. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little under the weather.”
“I’m fine, really. I think it’s just stress.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me. You’ve been working hard lately. Maybe you should think about slowing down or taking a break soon. I don’t want you wearing yourself out.” He planted a kiss on the top of my head and went back to the stove to fill his bowl and pull the bread out of the oven. He sliced two pieces and brought everything back to the table.
“There’s no rest for the weary,” I sighed and picked up my spoon to swirl the contents of the soup, willing myself to be hungry.
Beau sat down across from me and picked up his spoon but didn’t start eating. “Is something else on your mind?”
I hesitated, unsure how much I wanted to tell Beau. I’d have to fill him in on everything Madame Astra had told me at some point, but given how tired and unwell I felt, the timing didn’t seem right.
“Zoe? It’s not like you to be so quiet.”
I sighed. “Sorry. The thing is, I got a reading from Madame Astra myself today, and it was, um, a blockbuster.”
Beau set his spoon down on the table. “Oh? I didn’t think you believed in that.”
I shrugged. “Until today, I was sure I didn’t.”
“Huh. What did she have to say?”
“Look, there’s really no delicate way to say this so I’ll just get it over with: she told me my parents are dead.”
Beau’s expression fell and he rushed from his seat to wrap his arms around me. “Oh, Zoe, I’m so sorry.”
I tried not to cry while he held me, but I’d been holding it back all day and I just couldn’t do it anymore. Besides, if I couldn’t cry on Beau’s shoulder, then whose could I do it on?
“Do you really think she’s right?”
“As much as I don’t want to, yes,” I sobbed into the space between his neck and shoulder. He squeezed me tighter and rubbed my back while he rocked me, and I didn’t fight him. I lost track of how long we stayed that way, but after what seemed like an hour, he held me at arm’s length and looked directly into my eyes.
“I’m here for you, no matter what. You know that, right? You’ll always have me and the rest of your family here in Moon Grove,” he said and I laughed through the last of my sobs. “What?”
“Nothing. That’s almost exactly what Heath said when I told him.”
Beau beamed. “Great minds think alike. I’m glad you had him to talk to about it. I wouldn’t want you to carry that around by yourself all day. Anyway, it looks like you aren’t all that hungry so why don’t you just go to bed? I’ll put all this away for later.”
“Thanks, Beau. I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Hopefully, we’ll never have to find out. Now come on, let’s get you to bed,” he said and lifted me out of the chair to carry me to the bedroom. I laughed the whole way down the hall.
“I’m just tired and maybe sick, you didn’t have to carry me.”
“I know I didn’t, but I wanted to anyway.”
Luna had moved to the center of the bed, and she didn’t look happy to see either of us.
“You mind scooching over, Luna?” I asked.
“You gonna throw another bag on me if I don’t?” she shot back, but she moved to Beau’s side of the bed, anyway.
“If you don’t lose the attitude, I might.”
“All right, all right. Let’s put the claws away, ladies,” Beau said and lowered me down onto the bed. I was too tired to even bother taking off my robes, so I climbed under the covers and fell back on my pillow.
Beau sat down on the edge of the bed beside me and brushed my hair out of my eyes. “How long should I let you sleep?”
“Not too long. Maybe an hour or two, otherwise, I’ll be up all night.”
“I’ll see you in an hour or two then,” he said and bent over to kiss my forehead. “Love you, Zo.”
“Zo? That’s new.”
He laughed, his breath whispering across my skin. “You don’t like it?”
“It’s cute. Zo and Beau has a nice ring to it. It rhymes, actually.”
“See? It’s destiny. We were made for each other. Now get some rest,” he said and stood to close the bedroom door softly, leaving me with Luna.
As I drifted off listening to the sound of him doing the dishes in the kitchen, I couldn’t help thinking he was right.
Chapter Seven
I woke the next morning just after dawn to the sun’s eye-watering rays and a dry, scratchy mouth. I must’ve been snoring. I tried to roll over, but my robes had gotten so tangled up in the sheets overnight that I couldn’t.
After a few more failed attempts, I finally unwound myself and tumbled to the floor beside the bed.
Luna jolted awake in the center of the mattress. “Dear Lilith, what are you doing?!” she shouted while I sat up on my knees.
“Sorry, fell outta bed.”
“You’re a mess,” she grumbled and turned her back on me to curl up.
“I take it that means you woke up on the wrong side of the bed again today.”
Luna yawned, her big ears retreating from her face while her pink tongue stuck out between her fangs. “Only time will tell, but if you keep talking and don’t let me get back to sleep, we might have a problem.”
“Grouch,” I mumbled as I pushed myself to my feet and straightened my robes. Still, as moody and sassy as she could be, I was glad to have her around. Since Grandma Elle entered the Witches’ Protection Program and left town for her safety a few months ago, Luna really was the only thing I had left from my life prior to learning about magic and Moon Grove — the only bridge between those two very different periods of my life.
“You know, as much as you test my patience sometimes, I’m glad I have you, Luna.”
She lifted her head to stare at me testily through her barely open eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Save the mushy stuff for your other favorite fleabag and let me sleep.”
That made me realize Beau wasn’t in his usual place on her opposite side. It looked like he hadn’t been there for quite a while either, which meant he’d already left for work or he was in the bathroom getting ready.
For half a second, annoyance swirled in my chest. I couldn’t believe he’d let me sleep through the night, but judging from the stupor I�
�d woken up in, I realized he was probably right to — which dissipated my annoyance. Though I knew she’d probably claw my hand to shreds for it, I petted Luna’s head as I passed and headed for the kitchen.
All the lights were off, and the bathroom door was open, so Beau must’ve left already. A shame, since I wanted to tell him how much I appreciated him letting me rest and how much he meant to me.
In the kitchen, I found a plastic-wrapped plate of scrambled eggs and bacon sitting in the center of the table. A lime-green sticky note stuck to the top read:
“Sorry for letting you sleep so long, but you looked like you needed it. Hope you’re feeling better. Had to go to the office early today to deal with more of the Norwood stuff. Make sure you eat before you leave! Call me on your lunch if you can. See you tonight. Love you. -Beau”
Just when I thought he couldn’t be any better of a boyfriend. He never stopped surprising me, which made me feel guilty I hadn’t been returning the favor since my election to Head Witch. Then again, my responsibilities had more than doubled since taking office, so maybe I was being a little too hard on myself.
Regardless, I was starving since I’d skipped dinner the night before, so I tore off the plastic wrap and popped the plate into the microwave above the stove. It would’ve been faster — and probably healthier, honestly — to reheat the food with magic, but old habits die hard.
The smell of the food in the microwave intensified my hunger and made my stomach gurgle and growl. By the time it was ready I couldn’t wait for it to cool off before I dug in. Despite the burning of my tongue, I devoured it quickly like a starved, feral animal — and when I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror afterward, the metaphor felt even more appropriate.
My hair, which was always wild even on its best day, looked like I’d spent a week wandering lost through the woods. I barely recognized myself, so I peeled off my robes and climbed into the shower to press the reset button.