by Amy Boyles
“Oh.” Amelia plucked a red urn from the counter and brought it over. “Look at this. It’s so pretty. I’ve never noticed it before.”
Cordelia shook her head. “Don’t ever place anything shiny in front of Amelia unless you want her to be distracted for at least an hour.”
“Now I know what to get her for Christmas.”
Cordelia chuckled. She shot me a grin. “We can go in together.”
“Sounds great.”
Amelia lifted the top of the urn and gasped.
I edged closer. “What is it?”
She tipped it so we could see. “Look.” Her eyes glistened with tears.
I immediately understood why. Inside the urn were clots of sticky cobwebs.
I gritted my teeth. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would Carmen have these? The person who framed her would’ve used the cobwebs, not Carmen.”
Betty hung her head. That reaction wasn’t good. At all.
My shoulders sank. “Betty? What is it?”
No one spoke. Finally Mattie the Cat jumped on the counter. “No one’s talking because cobwebs can place fingerprints but they can also erase fingerprints.”
I grimaced. “You mean that Carmen might have these because she was planning on getting rid of the ones on the scissors?”
Betty nodded. “That’s how it looks, kid.”
We were silent. It was Cordelia who spoke first. “We need to hide them.”
“But that would be destroying evidence,” Amelia said.
Cordelia threw eye darts at our cousin. “Not if we don’t destroy it. We’ll only be hiding it.” She kicked her toe into the floor. “Do you think our cousin is guilty?”
It was a few seconds before I finally spoke. “No.” A wave of confidence buoyed inside me. The next time I said it, the words came out forcefully. “No. Absolutely not. I don’t think Carmen is guilty. I think the cobwebs are a bad coincidence.”
Amelia nibbled her lip. Finally she spat it out. “No. I don’t think Carmen is guilty, either.”
“Betty?” Cordelia said.
Our grandmother studied each of us. “If I thought Carmen was guilty, we wouldn’t be standing here to begin with.”
Cordelia puffed up her chest. “So it’s decided. I’ll take the urn and hide it somewhere it won’t ever be found.”
She gently took it from Amelia and cradled it in her arms.
The door opened. We turned to see Farinas Harrell standing there, a sheet of paper in her hands.
“Freeze everyone. I have a warrant for those cobwebs. Hand them over.”
TWENTY
We had no choice but to leave the urn with Farinas. That woman seriously had a knack for ruining things. Like, really. I was beginning to think she wasn’t so much Carmen’s lawyer as she was Carmen’s nemesis.
Seriously. Her presence annoyed me.
We made it back to the house. I climbed the stairs to my room and nearly fell face-first onto my bed. I didn’t bother peeling off my clothes, though I did kick off my shoes before I plunged into sleep.
I awoke stiff with a fissure of pain shooting up the back of my neck. I groaned.
It was Saturday, which meant it was back to work. It was a weekend full of deals, though most of the stores had been closed on Friday because witches liked to shop at the mall on Black Friday. Of course, given that three-quarters of the town had been sick, it wouldn’t have surprised me if most of the town hadn’t been able to do any shopping.
Which meant having a sale on familiars was a great idea. Specifically, a sale on puppies was even better.
So that’s what was going on. I showered, dressed, and ate breakfast, being sure to drag Collinsworth along.
The rabbit didn’t want to go. “Becky Ray will be looking for me. She wants to kill me.”
“I don’t see why. Garrick isn’t investigating her.”
“You know why,” Collinsworth snapped. “I told you.”
“You look pretty alive to me.”
The rabbit grudgingly followed me to Familiar Place. The sun shone like a star. I swear the entire town looked new and wonderful, as if a dark curse had been lifted.
We arrived at the shop. I pulled out my golden key and unlocked the door. When we entered, the kittens and puppies, birds and mice all yawned to life.
Collinsworth sniffed. “I see you have my kin.”
I barked a laugh when he pointed to the bin of rabbits. “Don’t worry, they don’t talk as much as you do. Besides, they don’t use fake British accents, either.”
“I beg your pardon?”
I stifled a giggle. “Come on, Collinsworth, you can’t fool me. That accent is fake. F-A-K-E.”
He hopped onto a stool and twirled around. “It is not.”
“Whatever you say.” I hooked my jacket on a peg. “Come on. Don’t sit down. Help me feed them.”
The rabbit blinked. “You want me to lower myself? Lower my standards and shovel kibble?”
“Yes,” I said flatly. “I sure do.”
Twenty minutes later we had the animals fed and I was ready for the big sale. I cracked my knuckles, made sure my purse was full of jelly beans and waited.
Turned out, I didn’t have to wait long. The bell above the door tinkled and in walked the last person I wanted to see—Farinas Harrell.
“Oh no.” I crisscrossed my arms as if warding off a vampire. When you think about it, she wasn’t far from it. “You’re not allowed in here. You can’t issue a warrant for my store. No way.”
Her heels clicked as she crossed the linoleum. “I’m not here to do that. I’m here to shop.”
Now Farinas Harrell wore designer suits, Manolo Blahnik heels, carried a Louis Vuitton purse and had a three-hundred-dollar haircut. What the heck was she doing in my store? In my shop?
“Listen, Ms. Harrell, I know you’re trying to help my cousin, but all you’ve really managed to do is screw things up.”
I mean, I was never going to see this woman again. I didn’t care what she thought about me. In my opinion she was horrible.
“Really? And who’s the attorney in this room?”
I scoffed. “Well you are.”
Her gaze washed from my feet to my crown and then back down to my feet. I suddenly remembered I hadn’t polished my boots in ages. And boy, there wasn’t anything that ticked me off more than someone giving me the once-over. It was so rude. I wanted to throw something at her—like a jelly bean. Too bad they were in my purse.
“Did you ever stop to think that maybe I took those cookies because I want the police to see my client is innocent?”
“The town needed them,” I snapped.
She took an intimidating step forward. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe I followed you last night because I knew you’d find something that could help Carmen?”
“Wait. What?”
Her voice rose. “And did you ever stop to think that I won’t turn the cobwebs in? That maybe they’re completely coincidental?”
“No, I didn’t stop to think that at all.” I frowned. “Wait. Isn’t that withholding evidence?”
“I call it being a good attorney.”
“Can’t that get you disbarred?”
She waved her hand dramatically. “The police will get what they need.”
I cringed. Maybe I should talk to my cousin about hiring a new lawyer. Like maybe I should do it sooner rather than later.
I clapped my hands and put on my most professional smile. “So. What can I do for you? What brings you to Familiar Place?”
“I’d like a familiar.”
I choked on a gob of saliva. “I’m sorry, we don’t sell…” Worms, bats, snakes, evil otherworldly creatures?
But of course I didn’t say any of that. Instead I mustered up. “I’m not sure we have what you’re looking for.”
Her heels click click clicked as she walk walk walked. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
I closed my eyes. This was what I did. I matched witches w
ith their familiars. I wasn’t supposed to be judgmental about it. I was supposed to do my job. After an inhale so deep I’m pretty sure I sent oxygen straight to my toes, I smiled.
“Okay. Let’s pair you. Tell me what you’re looking for.”
Farinas raked her fingers through her hair. “Okay. I’m looking for a companion that will make me a better person.”
I had to work so hard to hold in my laugh I almost couldn’t speak. “We’re not fixing you up on a date.”
“That’s not what I mean,” she snapped. “If you’re not going to take this seriously, I will take my business somewhere else.”
“No. Wait.” I grabbed her hand. A jolt of energy zipped down my spine. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Her magic was strong; so were her instincts and weaknesses.
Farinas had a chip on her shoulder. Probably had to work hard to prove she could beat a man in court.
My lids fluttered open. “Walk around and look at the animals.”
Farinas took her time. She stopped at the puppies and pulled out an adorable Labradoodle. She pressed her face into its fur.
“So sweet.”
“She’s funny,” the puppy said. Farinas couldn’t understand the dog, but I did.
The puppy licked her face, but there was something missing—the spark.
You see, when a witch and her familiar meet, the world ignites. Gravity shifts, bones pop, it is a cosmic event. So when the puppy replied simply about Farinas, I knew it wasn’t a match.
“Keep looking,” I said.
Next Farinas patted the kittens. She scratched under their chins and smiled at them.
“I want to scratch her,” one said.
“Keep going.” I pushed Farinas gently along.
She came to the birds. “Oh. I hate them.”
“Nice. Well then clearly a bird won’t be your familiar. Looks like we can skip them.”
She circled the entire store without finding one animal she connected to. I was willing to bet that had more to do with Farinas secretly being part lizard than anything else, but I kept that golden nugget to myself.
Her eyes lit on Collinsworth.
A spark flared in her. She didn’t see it, but I could feel it. I grabbed her wrist.
“Collinsworth, come here.”
“Why? So you can humiliate me more than you already have?”
I gritted my teeth. “If I humiliated you by suggesting your accent is fake, I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. Now come here.”
The rabbit hopped over. I picked him up. “Presenting, Collinsworth the Magical Rabbit. Collinsworth, meet Farinas.”
Farinas pulled away. “But I’m allergic to bunnies. I could never wear their coats.”
“I’m deeply sorry for you.” Not at all. “Hold him.”
Farinas looked like she’d rather run a marathon in Antarctica than hold the bunny, but there wasn’t a choice. I opened her palms and dumped Collinsworth in.
He scrambled, trying to plant his feet so he could jump. Farinas looked like she wanted to drop him.
“Stop it, you two,” I yelled. “Look at each other.”
“But I don’t like rabbits,” she protested.
“I hate attorneys,” Collinsworth stormed.
I hooked a hand behind Farninas’s neck while I grabbed Collinsworth by the ears.
That stopped them both. They slowly made eye contact.
Then I swear it was like a chorus of angels broke into song right there in the middle of Familiar Place.
Collinsworth and Farinas glowed. Glowed, y’all. I’m not even kidding. They were each frozen by the other. Golden light bounced off both of them, nearly blinding me.
This was the connection. Usually the light only happened when the witch worked magic, but these two had something seriously powerful connecting them—something I’d never seen before.
Maybe Farinas’s Southern accent was fake the way Collinsworth’s was.
Nah. It was simply the link between witch and familiar that created this sort of power.
I felt it in my bones. My body hummed with light and wonder. I couldn’t help but smile at the two beings who’d annoyed me the most in the past few days.
No, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. They’d annoyed me. Both of them. In fact, there were times when it had seemed like those two had done just about everything in their power to sabotage all the good I was doing.
At least that’s how it felt.
So the fact that these two were now looking at each other with hearts in their eyes was nothing short of earth-shattering and totally ironic.
I dropped my hands from them and smiled. “So what do you think?”
Farinas grinned awkwardly. “I’ve never felt that.”
“That’s called matching with your familiar.” I clicked my tongue for emphasis and basically because I liked the sound it made.
“I never…” Collinsworth stared at the floor. “I’ve never felt anything like that. Not even with Lori Lou.”
Farinas grimaced. “You knew the murder victim?”
“Yes.”
She lurched back as if burned. “We can’t. You can’t be my familiar. It’s a conflict of interest.”
The bubble of wonderful burst. The joy in the room deflated.
Collinsworth crumpled. Oh no. This little rabbit whose neck I wanted to strangle oh so many times looked like he’d lost a best friend he’d never had—which is pretty much exactly what had transpired.
“I’m sorry,” Farinas said. She backed away, nearly twisting an ankle on her stilettos. She clicked her way across the linoleum and out the door before either of us could say a word.
Collinsworth pressed his paws to his eyes. My heart broke for him. I felt so bad, like I’d been hollowed out myself. I guess that’s what watching two beings break apart was like—beings who so desperately wanted to be together but for whatever reason, couldn’t.
Yep. I was breaking from Axel all over again. My heart was being squeezed to a mound of clay. It was horrible, and for the first time I experienced real sympathy for the rabbit.
“I’m so sorry,” was all I managed.
Then I held his little shaking body as he cried.
TWENTY-ONE
I called Betty and asked her to pick up Collinsworth. She appeared ten minutes later wearing what looked like a motorcycle outfit—leather and waist chains.
“Why’re you wearing that?”
“I rode my skillet over.”
“It’s not that cold.”
She sniffed. “Speak for yourself, kid.”
I pulled her to the side. “The rabbit’s upset. Do you mind taking him home for a little while?”
Her gaze washed over the store. “What happened?”
I glanced over my shoulder. Collinsworth sat on a stool hugging his legs. “I’ll explain later.”
Her bottom lip stiffened. “You can count on me.” She paused. “I saw your cousin today.”
“Is she doing okay?” Betty’s statement put me on high alert. I hoped Carmen was doing great. I wasn’t convinced her attorney was working in her best interest, but that was neither here nor there.
Part of me thought Farinas was as crazy as a left-handed clock. The other part of me thought the same thing.
So I guess all of me thought she was loony.
Betty crossed to Collinsworth. “Ever ridden a cast-iron skillet?”
“I can’t say that I have.” Collinsworth blew his nose.
“Come on. You’ll love it.” Betty hooked an arm under the rabbit and pressed him to her waist.
I waved goodbye. “See y’all back at the house.”
They left and it didn’t take long for the next customer to enter.
“Hi…Pepper, isn’t it?”
Dicky Downy made his way across the floor, inspecting the animals as he walked.
“Yes. Dicky, right?” Like I didn’t know his name. I blew a strand of bangs from my face in agitation. But if Dicky was going to pretend to remember my name,
then I would do the same thing to him.
“That’s right.” He punched his fists into his pockets.
“So what brings you here?” Such a stupid question. I almost slapped my forehead.
“A Christmas present for my niece.”
I crossed my arms. Something occurred to me. “You bought a pecan pie with a chocolate bat in it from Lori Lou, didn’t you?”
He eyed a black kitten in the cage. “I did. It was for my parent’s holiday dinner.”
“Did they eat any of it?”
He scratched the scruff on his jaw. “The whole thing.”
My jaw nearly collided with the floor. “Did anyone get sick? You know the entire town’s been full of folks trying to give things away.”
He slowly nodded. “They did. I think they managed to get some of the cookies you were handing out the other day.”
“I don’t remember seeing you there.”
“How much for this cat?”
Good evading, Dicky.
“It’s better if you bring your niece in,” I said gently. “I match witches with their familiars when the witch is present. I’m not saying you can’t buy it, all I’m saying is it’s better if I can see the two interact. It makes a better familiar.”
So funny. A couple of months ago I would’ve thought this whole conversation was hogwash, but now I knew every bit of it was true. Every single bit.
“Then maybe I’ll bring her in.”
I drummed my fingers on the counter. “It was nice of you to sit with Amelia when our grandmother was sick.”
“Oh?” He hitched a brow. “She told you that?”
“She mentioned it.”
“Shh.” He brought his finger to his lips. “Don’t tell anyone. It might give the town an aneurysm.”
I stifled a chuckle. “Why?”
“Well, you know… Oh, you don’t know because you weren’t here.”
Please, tell me everything. I didn’t say it, but I almost did. So close. So very close.
“What don’t I know?” I said innocently.
“I used to have a reputation around here.”
“No one’s perfect.” I grinned, trying to be as encouraging as possible.
Dicky ruffled the back of his hair. “In high school I used to sell things I shouldn’t have. My parents eventually got wind of it. Because of that, they curbed my activities. I almost got sent to military school.”