Nice Day for a Mage Wedding: Casino Witch Mysteries 4

by Nikki Haverstock

  My mouth fell open, and I dug frantically in my purse. I had scooped everything from the counter into my purse and hadn’t thought of it since. “I was so upset that I didn’t even—here it is.” I pulled the small vial from the bottom of my purse. “I totally forgot.”

  “Well… take it.”

  I threw back the potion and took a few cleansing breaths. If it didn’t work, I was going to have a killer headache after viewing the vision. “I’m going in.”

  Slowly, the vision filled my mind. I had tried to view it many times since I had first passed out in Edward Santini’s office. Immediately, I could feel that something was different. It was a bit crisper and cleaner. Though the vision was the same, my head did not begin to ache. The vision was the same until the last instant.

  Edward was flipping through the papers on his desk when the door opened. He looked up at a person I couldn’t see.

  “What are you—” This was where the vision had previously ended for me, but this time it rolled on.

  He stopped, clutching his forehead, then realization dawned across his face. “You’re behind Legacy,” he accused.

  There was a low chuckle from the unseen assailant. “And much more.”

  Edward gasped for breath and slid down his chair onto the floor, then as he struggled with his last breath, magic from the perpetrator filled the air. It was probably what had obscured my ability to read the vision all this time. Even in the dream, I could feel my nose tickling.

  I opened my eyes and sneezed four times in quick succession. The sensation faded quickly, probably because the aura had only been in my head. “I know who killed Edward Santini and why.” I chewed on my lower lip. But how was my dad involved?

  “Don’t leave me hanging. Tell me.”

  “Hold on. I need to check something.” I should have done this sooner, but it didn’t occur to me until I had reacted to the magic in the vision.

  I ran through Ned’s death vision, carefully listening to the exchange between Edward and the killer.

  I opened my eyes and rubbed my temples. My head was spinning. “He did it because Edward was close to unraveling the Legacy operation.” The pieces were coming together faster than I could process them.

  “And who is that?”

  “Whoever created the main spell for Legacy also killed Ned and Edward. It was the same person. I still don’t know exactly who, but—oh crap, is that the time?” But I knew it was correct. I gathered my purse and headed toward the door. “I’ll explain it all tomorrow when I meet with Bear. We are putting together a plan to catch the person.”

  My head was spinning with possibilities as I trotted toward the door.

  “Ella?”

  I turned around to face her.

  “The things we just talked about stay between us.”

  “Yes, of course. I understand.” Though there was so much I didn’t understand at all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “So just like that Colleen changed her mind? What is to stop her from changing it again? I can’t believe you are just giving up the whole new-you thing.” Vanessa slammed her shoes down on the small table inside our changing room at the casino.

  Our hair was done along with our makeup. We just needed to slip on our new dresses, concealed in zippered bags, and wait about ten minutes for the ceremony to start. I hadn’t told Vanessa about my conversation—she had fallen asleep in the car—until a few minutes earlier, and she hadn’t taken it well.

  “She is not going to change her mind, and I never said I was going to give up on the new me. I mean, look at this hair.” I ran my hand through the short hair on the top of my head. “Does this hair say quitter?”

  She grunted and grabbed a glass of champagne to down.

  “Vanessa. Come on. I’ll get some extra training, but I’m not going to just give up on the rest of it. I’ll get it all figured out. I promise.”

  Emotions flew across her face. Anger. Sadness. Frustration. Finally, resignation. “Like promise, promise?”

  “Like promise, promise, promise. Okay? This is going to be a long day without us fighting. I didn’t cure your hangover just to start fighting again.”

  Vanessa got up and threw her arms around my neck.

  Tiffany slammed the door open and groaned loudly. “Are you two making out? I figured you were more than friends.”

  I blew out a sigh. “It’s not too late for us to walk out on you.”

  “I was just kidding,” she snarled then pointed at two small vials sitting on the vanity in front of the mirror. “Have you taken your potions yet?”

  I looked at them blankly. “What are those for?”

  “Just take them.”

  “I’m not taking crap until I know what it is. You might drink whatever is put in front of you, but I won’t.”

  She groaned. “Fine. My mom made it first thing this morning, and it’s been in my dressing room since then. It’s part of a standard wedding binding potion.”

  Vanessa looked up sharply. “Binding potion? Isn’t that a bit… old fashioned?”

  Tiffany’s eyes narrowed. “It’s my wedding, and if I want it, I get it. Take the dang potion, and be ready!” She stormed from the room, slamming the door behind her with enough force to make my ears ring.

  “What is her problem?” I grabbed the vial with my name written on the side in curly gold script.

  “Just a few more hours and we’ll be free. It’s so weird that she wants to do this binding spell. I don’t think anyone has done this in a hundred years, but it makes sense now why she had to have us. The spell is made for two female witnesses.”

  “What does it do?”

  “A married couple should have a special bond between them. Like a magic bond. True love creates a bond, so they don’t need the potion. But this potion was useful back when arranged marriages between strangers was common.”

  I opened my vial and took a sniff. There was a twitching in my nose, and I sneezed hard enough that the flowers set into my braid at the salon flew onto the floor. I struggled to put the lid back on the vial as I sneezed in rapid succession.

  Once the vial was tightly capped, I sneezed another half-dozen times until it started to fade.

  Vanessa watched me with wide eyes until I seemed to have it under control enough to hear her. “So does that mean Mixie is the killer?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I heard a man in the vision.”

  “When?”

  I caught her up on Edward’s and Ned’s death visions and what I had seen. “But don’t tell Olivia just yet. She is a bit unhinged about the whole thing.” I understood her feelings about her dad’s murder, but it wasn’t going to solve anything if she started attacking everyone and accusing them.

  But maybe Mixie was working with the killer? “Can you pass me your vial? I just want to double-check. If Mixie made both of them and she’s the killer, then I should react to them.”

  She handed me the vial and held her breath as I uncorked it and inhaled the cloying fragrance of the potion inside. The seconds ticked on, but nary a nose twitch or twinkle occurred. We both let out a sigh.

  “Yours is clean. Which is great for you, but…” I spotted a potted plant in the corner and dumped the contents of mine in then backed away quickly, hoping that I wouldn’t react. As we watched, the leaves on the plant turned darker and darker until they curled up then disintegrated into black dust.

  “Jumping jack-o’-lantern! What if you had drank that?”

  “I think I would be littering the floor in little specks now.”

  “That’s like the second time you’ve almost died within a week. First the car explosion, now this near poisoning.”

  A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. “And the ice sculpture nearly collapsing on top of me. I bet it was all the same person.”

  “I thought the car explosion was meant for that lady.”

  “I thought so too, but I based that on the fact that it was Linda’s car and she thought she w
as the target. But we don’t know for sure.” I rolled the incident over in my mind.

  I had been assuming it was like the car bombs I knew from human mob movies, where it was set to Linda’s car, and when the key was turned, it was initiated, but that was a big guess with no proof. “Do you know anything about the car bomb? Was it magical?”

  “Of course it was. That’s why your little bracelet worked so well… oh my gosh, I see what you mean. It wouldn’t have gone off for the wrong person if it was magical. I mean, maybe it was meant for Linda, but if it went off with you in the car, that was on purpose. Maybe they decided to take you out when they had the chance?”

  I hadn’t noticed anyone looking shady right before the big boom. Then I remembered the sensation of being watched and the black town car rolling by. I hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. Blacked-out town cars were more common than taxis in Rambler. Casinos loaned them out to shuttle around rich guests. But they were also the vehicle of choice for rich, powerful mages who wanted to stay anonymous. And clearly the killer was trying to stay anonymous. My head felt like it was going to explode as thoughts pinged around my skull faster than I could understand them. “So maybe someone was staking out the parking lot, waiting for us, or…” I thought of the timing of all three events: the ice-sculpture collapse, the explosion, and now the poisoning. I groaned and smacked a hand to my forehead. “Or they are someone wrapped up in the wedding who followed me.”

  Vanessa unzipped the bag and stared at the dress inside. “Please tell me that it’s Tiffany so I have an excuse to kill her.”

  I snorted. “I wish it were Tiffany, but it just doesn’t add up. I’m sure it was a man, plus if she wanted to get rid of me, there must have been a hundred more convenient times. But maybe she is working with the person? Maybe the mystery man in the bathroom? Do you have a theory?”

  I noticed that she wasn’t really listening to any of my brilliant hypotheses but still staring at her dress. I unzipped my matching bag and pulled out my dress. It was an unflattering shade of orange, with lots of white lace accents, and fluffy, puffy layers that stuck straight out from the dress like a tutu. The bodice was tight with capped sleeves. It was like the dresses I had seen on little girls, toddlers perhaps. If I put my hair into pigtails and carried a large lollipop, I would be all set to star in an all-adult version of The Little Rascals.

  We were going to look ridiculous, but frankly, I had too much else to worry about at the moment, so I started to change into the childish smock. “Get dressed and help me come up with a plan. You realize that the killer is already here, and when the wedding starts, they’re going to realize that their latest attempt to kill me didn’t work. They’ll probably try again at the reception.”

  I pulled on the dress and groaned. It was worse than I imagined. I was flat chested, and the tutu skirt gave me chicken legs with knobby knees. I pulled out black patent Mary Jane shoes and knee socks. “I look like I’m cosplaying an animated character.”

  Vanessa’s bottom lip was trembling, and her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “I can’t go out like this. She did this deliberately!”

  “Pull yourself together. Whoever killed Edward and Ned is trying to kill me and almost succeeded. Focus.” I grabbed the antidote and, using safety pins, figured out a way to attach it under my skirt just in case.

  She groaned and slowly got dressed. “Maybe dying would have been preferable,” she muttered.

  Pulling on the shoes and seeing the final look, I was tempted to agree, but I instead grabbed my phone and called Bear. When he picked up, I rushed into an explanation.

  “The killer tried to poison my potion. He’s here, at the wedding.”

  “Colleen changed her flight. I’ll grab her, and we’ll head over as quickly as possible.” He clicked off without saying goodbye.

  He had been invited to the wedding but begged off, saying that family obligations came first and he was sending Badger in his stead. Now he would need to reverse the decision.

  Assuming I was right about everything, the suspects for the killer were narrowed down to a few men, and at the top of the list were the people I was already suspicious of: Marshal Felix Ricci, Victor Bruno, or Ben Ricci. Or maybe all three working together. Some master plan between them to take me out.

  Pounding on the door interrupted my thoughts. Tiffany threw open the door shouted at us. “Get out here. It’s my big moment. Vanessa, drink that potion. Now!”

  Vanessa threw back the potion then gave herself one last look in the mirror as she fought back tears.

  “Don’t worry.” I grabbed her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “This will be over before you know it, then we’ll find the killer and burn these dresses in a bonfire.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The ceremony had only barely begun, but already it felt like it had lasted an eternity, and not just because my life was at stake. The man conducting the service was some local businessman who seemed to draw every word out twice as long as necessary.

  Vanessa stood next to Tiffany, holding both her own and Tiffany’s bouquet. Tiffany’s dress was a monstrosity of cleavage, fluffy white tulle, and satin. Much like her wedding cake, there were layers upon layers, and it was bigger than really necessary.

  Vanessa held the bouquet between herself and the church, hoping to block everyone’s view of her dress. There had been whispers and even a few shocked gasps when we entered, but I had ignored them to scan the rows of chairs for two of the three prime suspects and found them directly behind Tiffany’s parents.

  The marshal had walked Tiffany down the aisle then sat next to Ben and Victor as the ceremony dragged on.

  I tried to keep an eye on them from my peripheral vision, not wanting to give away the fact that I suspected at least one of them, if not all three.

  I fidgeted and tried to look natural as I took a quick glance around at my surroundings just in case. There was a large wrought-iron arch festooned with tons of orange and white flowers that not only soared over the bride and groom but also Vanessa and me. It was black and heavy, the kind of thing that could crush us beneath it, but based on the huge bolts holding it together, it was the least of my worries beyond being in the way should I need to back up quickly.

  My mind raced as I formulated a plan. With Bear and Colleen present, perhaps we could set up a trap of some kind at the reception. Colleen could use her role as a respected Monza to request something of the marshal, something that required magic. Or something that he might pawn off on Victor. Maybe there was a wedding tradition that needed a spell that could force them to reveal if their signature set off my detection spell.

  Ben would be harder, but if we eliminated the marshal and Victor, then we could focus on him. It had to be one of them unless there was something I missed. I fidgeted at the idea.

  The girl at the microphone finished reading a custom poem she had written for Tiffany. The subject of the poem was how beautiful and special Tiffany was, completely neglecting to even mention Vin, the groom. In fact, so far the ceremony had been one hundred percent focused on Tiffany.

  Vin’s normally serious face was hard and fixed, though my gut told me that he was not happy. But I couldn’t confirm since he shielded his emotions. He looked like he would have preferred a one-way trip to jail rather than be present.

  A tall blond girl, with more than her share of front teeth, moved to the microphone. She introduced herself as Tiffany’s second cousin and said she was going to sing a song she had written.

  Maybe my ears deceived me, but I was pretty sure that the crowd let out a little groan. She started to sing in a high warbly voice, and as she held a note longer than her skill really allowed for, I let out a sneeze.

  My nose twitched and tickled, and it wasn’t the birds of paradise flowers I had suspected before. In fact, could I have been wrong the previous night? I was becoming all too familiar with the signal for the detection spell as I let out two more sneezes, louder and wetter than the previous one.

/>   Tiffany slapped a hand on the back of her neck and turned to face me. “Stop it!” she hissed.

  I pinched my nose shut and scanned the row where the marshal, Victor, and Ben sat, each watching me with various degrees of interest.

  In between a bout of a half dozen sneezes, I was able to see that Ben was smirking at me. Marshal Felix seemed perplexed. But Victor’s face was slightly tense. He hid his face behind a handkerchief, but I could see him mouthing words under the thin fabric.

  The singer tried valiantly to continue, but she seemed behind then ahead of the music as I sneezed again. I reached up under my skirt with a hand and grabbed the antidote from where I had pinned it to the underskirt. My bra would have been easier, but I didn’t want it rubbing up against my channel key. I was not as devil-may-care as Vanessa about the repercussions of magical items touching.

  I downed the antidote just as a large boom went off, and two hands pushed me down the stairs. I broke the fall with my face and sat up dazed and confused. Tiffany screamed, and Vin rushed across the stage, but I focused on the spot where Victor had been. It was difficult to spot him as people ran from the ceremony. Utter pandemonium reigned.

  He was no longer hiding his magic, his face distorted in rage with his eyes locked on mine. I had no idea what he was planning other than it was hate filled and most likely fatal.

  I quickly worked up the only spell that came to my mind that would work, one that would be safe in the crowded room and protect me from whatever he was doing. It was like a racquet that could lob the spell back to the sender, but unlike a physical object, it couldn’t accidentally hit someone else. It could only be returned to the sender. I had to work quickly, building a parabolic shield in front of me, then brace for the impact.

  When the spell hit me, it physically moved me back several feet from the force. Tendrils of dark, ugly magic curled over the edges, burning my arms, which kept the shield in front of me. Once the full weight of the spell was pressed against the shield, it shot in the direction it had come.