She jotted down notes and nodded along. “I think so.”
“Do you know what is happening?”
She tapped her pen on the notebook. “Not really, but I have some ideas. I’ve worked with a few mages that had the same gift as you, though they didn’t give me many details. Mages tend to be pretty discreet about their abilities unless you have a close working relationship with them. Even then…” She shrugged. “How much do you know about your abilities?”
It was my turn to shrug. “Not much other than what I pick up over time.”
“Why don’t you tell me about another murder you helped solve? Bear said there were several different incidents.”
I went into my story about the cheese convention and the man I had found flattened under a large block of cheese. That was a bit more straightforward investigation and more dangerous. But I had grown a lot in my abilities, which I mentioned.
“At one point, Vanessa gave me a potion, and we did a spectral rat spell. We were able to squeeze through this crack in the wall because our bodies were all made with this iridescent light. And I could smell or taste the different magic around. It wasn’t really a smell, but that seems to be how my brain wants to understand it.”
Her writing in the notebook sped up. When I didn’t continue, she looked up. “Keep going.”
I wanted to quiz her about what she knew, but I decided to be patient and ask her at the end. Patagonia hopped into my lap to lick at the cream on my half-eaten cannoli. “We were almost caught by Victor and his ratty old orange familiar. But at the last second, Patagonia appeared. This is the crazy part. She grabbed both Vanessa and me in our rat forms, and poof, we were suddenly back in my loft. Right here.”
She nodded but didn’t look up as she wrote.
I had expected her to be shocked, so I continued to the part that Vanessa and Auntie Ann still couldn’t believe. “And right before we poofed, I heard her voice in my head.”
Colleen’s head jerked up. “What did she say?”
“‘Mine.’”
She smiled. “Smart familiar.”
“So you believe me? Have you heard your familiar talk?”
As if on cue, an enormous calico cat the size of a leopard rounded the couch. My mouth fell open at its size, but with each step, the cat shrank until it was the size of a small housecat. It leaped onto Colleen’s lap to delicately drink from her coffee cup.
“Whoa! How did she—”
“I know you have a lot of questions, but they really do need to wait.” She lifted the cat off her lap and placed her on the couch.
Bear cleared his throat and made significant eye contact with Colleen. After a few moments, Colleen sighed.
“I want to get as much info about your situation as I can because I am meeting with an old friend this afternoon. I want to discuss the situation and get their advice. I want you to know that I might not be able to help you.”
I gasped, but before I could say anything, she held up a hand.
“This isn’t even about whether I want to or not. I want to help, but there are many other responsibilities, too many people that are in desperate need. But that is only one factor. You are already incredibly lucky to have three people to train under. Ann Russo can work with almost anyone, and she is very talented. There is a reason that royalty all over the world pay her top dollar. It is rare that someone can work with so many different students.”
I had known that she travelled a lot to train others but hadn’t realized that it was tied up with her gifts or how lucky I was.
“Plus, you have Bear and Badger. They gave your father their word that they would help. There is magic in a bond like that. It prepared them to help you, but that may only last so long. At some point, you may need to train alone.”
“And you?” I was hesitant to even ask. I had so desperately wanted her to be able to help me. To answer all the questions I had.
“There are many… factors that would influence if I could help you or not. I don’t know yet. But I can tell you a bit about familiars.”
I settled in to listen.
“When you train with a familiar, you are pulling magic through them, and they help you to focus that energy. That is why mages are usually bonded with their familiar in puberty. That is when a mage’s magic starts to mature and present itself. And that is likely why you were matched with Patagonia when you were—when you were starting to use your magic.”
I thought back and interrupted. “Actually, she bonded with me before I knew what I was. I don’t think I was really using my magic until after that. I mean, I guess there was some stuff I was always doing, but that had been going on for years.”
“Interesting.” She looked at Patagonia, who had been giving her familiar sly looks, and now Patagonia slinked across the couch. “Perhaps she knew what was about to happen. A familiar is never late or early, despite what mages believe. Go on, Coronam.” She directed the last statement to her familiar.
The familiar rose and hopped down onto the ground. Looking behind her, she waited for Patagonia to follow, then the pair of them trotted behind the couch.
I leaned over to look, but they were gone.
“As I was saying, familiars grow as we grow. Our training affects them, all the magic. I can’t say for sure, but their size seems to increase as mages get more powerful. Not every mage can see a familiar’s real size, and humans never can, but enough mages can see their size that it is worth hiding. There are many times that you don’t want anyone to know how powerful you are. That is part of the reason that many mages keep their familiars at home. Distance is just a concept to them, nothing that actually affects their ability to help you. But another option is to train them to adjust their size. Normally Coronam keeps her size small. She probably did that to show off to Patagonia. Is that helpful?”
I nodded. I was still reeling from her revelation that I might not even be able to train with her, even if I could convince her it was a good idea. I was trying not to think about it too much because I could feel the tears itching at the back of my eyes.
“Yes. Thank you.”
She studied my face, probably sensing my tears. She became a little more gentle. “Tell me about announcing yourself as a Monza. That was during this cheese investigation?”
I dove into the story. I had practiced it many times in preparation for meeting her. Hopefully the comfort of repetition would drive away the tears. “My dad never told me I was a mage, and he told everyone else that he had a son that lived across the country. We’re not sure why he did that, but I found a letter from him that implied it was for my protection.”
“Bear told me that. It seems like he was hiding you for some reason.”
“Exactly. I had been using my middle name as my last name, and I tried to keep a low profile, but that didn’t last forever. Vanessa and I sorta made a mess right in front of the marshal, and he demanded to know who I was. That’s when I declared myself a Monza.”
“And that was the first time you said anything? What made you decide to be a Monza?” She leaned in slightly.
I hesitated. This was one area that I wasn’t sure how honest to be. A seer had told me what to say, but at the time, I hadn’t even realized what it meant. I wasn’t supposed to repeat a prophecy from a seer, but that was only part of it. Would she even want to try to work with me if she knew that I fell into Monzahood by accident?
“It seemed like the right thing to do.” I picked up another éclair, not wanting to look into her eyes because I might not be able to hide my nerves. I heard once that liars gave themselves away by providing too many fake details. I would keep it short and breezy. Totally natural. Did I breathe this fast normally? And I was sure my heart was racing. Nothing felt natural, and I was waiting for her to point a finger at me and scream that I was clearly lying. I waited, but she said nothing. I looked up finally, but her face was totally blank.
“Then you investigated for Bear at the Magia?”
I let out a breath I d
idn’t know I had been holding. She had accepted the explanation. “Yes, that was the first time I worked for Bear. There were several overdoses at a festival that Bear thought were suspicious. It was a drug called Legacy. We are still looking into the drug, but progress is slow. Two samples of the drug are with a local doctor who is trying to work out what it does. We tried to investigate all the local dealers, but it looks like the whole operation is shut down at the moment.”
I explained the entire investigation to her. I found myself skimming over the details involving Thomas. I mentioned him but only as he related to the investigation. I really didn’t need to say more, but it felt weird to refer to him as “an employee at the casino” when he meant so much more to me. I couldn’t help but frown in frustration as I found my complicated feelings rising to the surface at the most inopportune time.
She had continued her note-taking sporadically. I couldn’t really figure out what details would cause her to frantically start scratching notes, but it had to be a good sign that she was interested.
“Bear told me that you were looking into a murder when I arrived last night?”
“Oh yeah, but it was probably either an accident or just a robbery. I told him that I would look into it later—”
The doorbell rang, and I spun around in surprise. I wasn’t expecting anyone. I debated ignoring it.
“Do you have a bathroom?” Colleen asked.
“Of course.” I gestured down the hallway as the doorbell buzzed in multiple succession until it was held down in one increasingly annoying request for immediate attention. The insistence gave me the uneasy feeling that I knew who it was.
I threw open the door, but before I could even greet Tiffany, she shoved past me into the loft.
“Ugh, this place is so small. And in such a bad part of town.” She didn’t bother to greet Bear but did grab a cannoli from the table. “You didn’t answer my text.”
I started to close the door, but a grunt stopped me. Vanessa pushed past me, her hair at all wild angles, and behind her was an enormous roller bag that she let fall onto the floor. She moved like a recently reanimated zombie as she shuffled to the couch. She mumbled, “Hi,” or something similar, to Bear before collapsing facedown on the couch. I thought she had fallen asleep until a hand snaked out to grab an éclair. Perhaps she was sleep eating.
“I was having a private meeting, but sure, come on in. Make yourselves at home.”
Tiffany ignored my sarcasm. “From now on, I expect you to respond to my text messages within ten minutes. No, five minutes. Got it?”
“Excuse me?”
She pulled a stack of papers from her expensive leather purse. “Here’s your schedule. We have a full day, and then tomorrow we start at six a.m. You’ll anoint my body in special oil then massage me. I will lie nude as the sun rises, and you’ll lift me up so the first rays will hit me. It’s going to be tough with just the two of you but doable. I am going to need both of you to wax your entire bodies today to prepare.”
I held up my hands. “Oh, you have got to be kidding.”
Tiffany smirked. “It’s your duty. And that is just one thing. You have to do everything on this list.”
Anger flared up in my chest, and words built up, ready to explode.
Colleen’s calm voice cut off my rant before it could begin. “Do you believe that is what duty means?” It carried an edge to it, like a test question with a trick answer.
Tiffany could sense the trap in the question and didn’t immediately answer.
In the silence that stretched out, Patagonia jumped onto Vanessa’s back. Vanessa bolted straight up. Her arms pressed her up while her back arched. She looked around, with most of her hair obscuring her face. “What? Who? Where am I?”
She rolled over and pressed her hair out of her face. She looked around until her eyes landed on Tiffany. Rolling her eyes, she finished the half an éclair that was still clutched in her hand.
She smeared chocolate all around her lips and shoved too much in her mouth. “That psycho busted into my apartment at the crack of dawn. All of her freeloading friends are going to stay at my place. She made me pack up a bag and leave.” She chewed as she talked. The half-masticated food in her mouth made Tiffany turn a little green.
I chuckled. I had seen Vanessa’s apartment at the Golden Pyramid Casino. If it were hit by a tornado, it would be an improvement. Tiffany’s friends would be staying in a biohazard zone. “Does that mean you are crashing with me for the week?”
Vanessa nodded and grabbed a cannoli off the table. As she bit into it, the cream squished out and landed with a plop on her décolletage. Patagonia took the chance to lick the creamy filling off Vanessa’s shirt.
Tiffany gasped. “You’re so gross. That’s it. I’m seeing if I can’t get you in for etiquette lessons.” She pulled out her phone and started tapping at the screen.
“No,” I said. “We are not at your beck and call every moment of the day. I have other obligations.”
“Obligations? Not you losers—I mean…” She trailed off after a quick glance at Colleen, who she must have forgotten was still there watching her.
Colleen turned to me. “Don’t forget your other responsibilities this week.”
Tiffany narrowed her eyes. “Like what?”
“She is working on a case with my great-great-nephew. And like I said, duty is very important, and Ella would never neglect it.” She coasted over to Tiffany and pushed her toward my front door.
Tiffany tried to protest. “But my list!”
“Ella will be too busy. This investigation of hers is too important to too many people.”
Tiffany spun around. “What investigation?”
In a gentle voice, Colleen said, “It’s private.”
“Then Vanessa can still do this.” She waved her stack of papers.
Vanessa sat up with a start. “What? I always help Ella with her investigations. She promised after last time.”
Colleen led Tiffany to the entryway and opened the door. “You will just have to pick one thing a day for them to assist you on. Now you’ll have to excuse us. We have to get to work.”
She firmly shut the door behind Tiffany, and the hint of a smile teased at her lips. “Why doesn’t someone wake up Vanessa, and we can put together a plan for your investigation?”
CHAPTER SIX
I carefully eased into my car, every muscle protesting after my altercation the previous night. I had woken up stiff but figured I would feel better once I was moving. That had been true… briefly.
Vanessa oozed into the passenger seat and groaned loudly. She sounded the way I felt. “Can we grab breakfast on the way?”
I rolled my eyes as I drove down the driveway that twisted around my building from my third-story loft to the ground floor. I honked twice as I passed Badger’s car shop and pulled into the street.
“You just ate twenty dollars’ worth of pastries.”
“I’m still hungry. Catch me up on the plan.”
Patagonia meowed from the back seat as she slid from one side of the car to the other when I pulled onto the street. I headed toward the mini mall where the murder had taken place.
Vanessa had taken a shower and gotten ready while Colleen, Bear, and I had discussed the investigation. Colleen would follow my progress, and maybe, if I solved it quickly enough, it would convince her that I was a good match for her to train.
“Since I was already seen with Bear last night and most of the tenants know who he is, there’s no point in trying to go deep undercover. I’m going to say that I am here to deal with the tenants and paperwork until they hire a new property manager, which is technically true.” I pulled into a drive-through place that made the cheesiest, spiciest breakfast burritos in town.
“Get me a double with sausage and bacon, please. What am I supposed to be?”
“You’re my loyal secretary.” I placed the order into the crackly speaker then pulled forward to pay and pick up our order.
&nbs
p; Vanessa grabbed the bag out of my lap and tore into her burrito. Bits of cheese fell across her lap. Cheetahs in nature shows had better manners than Vanessa. “Next time, I get to be in charge.”
“Next time, you pay for your own food.”
As I pulled back onto the street, I saw Patagonia stalking up from the back seat. Her ears were swiveled back, and she was low as she snuck between the seats. It was her pre-pounce position, and as I pulled up to a red light, I turned to watch.
Vanessa was focused on her burrito, making happy little grunting noises as she ate. She leaned forward to look in the bag for something when Patagonia made her move. A swift paw smacked the burrito. Bits of cheese, egg, bacon, and sausage went flying.
Vanessa yelped and jerked her hand, but Patagonia was in full attack mode. With both paws, she grabbed the burrito. There was shrieking, howling, and fierce snarls from the both of them, but in the end, Patagonia was in the back seat with the burrito, and Vanessa was picking egg out of her hair.
Someone honked behind me, and I realized the light was green.
Vanessa grabbed my burrito from the bag and unwrapped it as she glared over her shoulder. “She scratched me.”
“My car’s a mess,” I countered. I had gotten used to Patagonia’s forceful ways, but she could be a bit too rough. “It isn’t too bad a scratch, is it?”
“I’ll survive.”
“I’m sorry. If I had known, I would have ordered her a burrito of her own. I really should take that away from her so she knows she was wrong.” I peeked in the rearview mirror. Patagonia glared at me in the mirror, her eyes narrowed so all I could see were her black pupils. Her low growl rumbled even over the car engine. “On the other hand….”
Vanessa swept a large hunk of sausage off her lap. “So are we just going to talk to all the store owners and hope to gather some clues?” Before her shower, I had caught her up on the location and what we knew had happened so she had the basics of the situation.
Nice Day for a Mage Wedding: Casino Witch Mysteries 4 Page 5