by Lily Webb
“Any death on your property is suspicious.”
“I don’t know what you’re implying, Ms. Clarke, but let me be as clear as the morning light: I had nothing to do with Ms. Hallewell’s death, nor did any of my staff. We’re cooperating fully with the local authorities. I can’t say anything more than that, and I think this ‘interview’ is over,” Blackwood said, practically spitting it as he bolted up from his chair. He glared contemptuously down at Zoe. “I should’ve known better than to think a hack from the Messenger would actually be interested in fair coverage of me. See them out, please,” Blackwood snapped at the guards who’d escorted us in.
The two of them descended on Zoe, lifting her out of her chair from under her arms. “Hey, watch where you’re putting your paws, pals,” Zoe said as she shrugged free of their grip. “We’re grown women, we know how to walk. Come on, Julia,” she said and shoved past the guards toward the stairs. I hurried after her, but froze when Blackwood’s icy voice boomed across the sparse room.
“Ms. Clarke,” he snapped. With one foot on the stairs, Zoe spun around, looking past me at Blackwood. “If it’s a salacious story you’re after, you’d better speak with Ms. Hallewell’s twin, Ryder,” he continued, and Zoe’s eyes widened. “He owns Hallewell’s Heels in town.”
Without a word, she nodded and continued down the stairs with me and the guards hot on her trail. We hurried past the fireplace, out the front doors, and through the gate. The guards didn’t stop following us until we were several dozen feet away from the building.
When I was sure they wouldn’t overhear, I stopped Zoe. “What just happened?” I asked, finding my voice for the first time since we’d gone inside. “What’s so salacious about Rory’s brother?”
“As far as I knew, she didn’t have one — much less a twin.”
Chapter 5
As Zoe and I walked back into town from Blackwood Manor, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the case she’d come to investigate had just gotten much more complicated. Why would Rory hide the fact that she had a twin brother? It probably wasn’t relevant to anyone hiring her as an investigator, but it still seemed weird. Was she ashamed of the connection or something?
“What are we going to do now?” I asked, breaking the silence that’d fallen between us for the first time. Though I didn’t think Zoe was avoiding chatting, I sensed from her intense concentration that her mind was on overdrive, so I’d left her alone.
Zoe shrugged. “I guess the only thing we can do: pay Rory’s brother a visit.”
“Unannounced? Is that a good idea?”
“It’s worked wonders for me previously,” Zoe said, and I laughed. I could only imagine the things people let slip mentally when Zoe Clarke, of all people, showed up on their doorsteps without warning. “How are you holding up?”
“As well as I can after getting thrown out of a mansion,” I said, and Zoe tossed her head back in a cackle.
“If you hang around with me much longer, it probably won’t be your last time. Anyway, have you ever heard of a place called Hallewell’s Heels?”
I shook my head. “No, but I’m not super familiar with Starfall Valley.”
Zoe stopped to raise an eyebrow at me. “You aren’t? But you live here.”
“I do, but I don’t get out of Kindred Spirits very often.”
“Ah, a fellow workaholic. I should’ve known.”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“I know you didn’t get much of a chance before Blackwood kicked us out with a very polished boot, but did you take any useful pictures?”
I held up the camera and frowned at it. “Only one, and I’m not even sure it turned out well. I tried to snap a picture of Blackwood’s face, but he looked really annoyed with me, so I gave up.”
“Doesn’t surprise me, but it doesn’t make him any more trustworthy, especially since I couldn’t get into his thoughts.”
“Really? Why not?”
Zoe shrugged. “It happens sometimes. Like I said, if people know about me, they often use magic to block my powers. But this guy is running for the leadership of your town, and a witch just turned up dead on his property, so why would he want to guard his thoughts? What’s he hiding?”
“No idea, but I definitely think there’s more to this story.”
“Does that mean you’re coming with me to Ryder’s shoe shop?” Zoe asked with an eager look on her face.
I threw my hands in the air. “I mean, I’m in this up to my wand now, so why stop here?”
Zoe clapped a hand on my shoulder and beamed. “You’re my kinda girl! I’m sure between the two of us, we can get someone to tell us where this store is.”
“Well, the good news is that you can’t really get lost in Starfall, so even if we wander in circles, we’re bound to find the place eventually,” I said and continued walking, still unable to believe what I was doing and the company I had for it.
Plenty of strange things had come my way since moving to Starfall, but if someone had told me I’d one day be stomping the streets with a previous leader of another magical town to track down a murderer, I never would’ve believed them.
Despite Zoe’s age, after the way I’d just watched her handle Leo Blackwood, it didn’t surprise me in the slightest that she’d become the Head Witch of Moon Grove. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but Zoe had confidence I could only dream of, and I wondered if one day I might replicate it.
“I’d argue you already have,” Zoe said, tearing me out of my thoughts, and I blushed as I realized I’d been broadcasting them to her like a bright neon billboard.
I laughed and clapped a hand against my forehead. “Dang it, I keep forgetting you can hear literally everything I’m thinking.”
“Does it bother you? I mean, I’d understand if it did.”
“Not really, no. It’s just another strange thing to get used to. When did it start for you?”
“I didn’t hear a peep until the first time I set foot in Moon Grove. Before that, I didn’t know magic existed, much less that I could hear everyone’s deepest thoughts.”
“Really? That’s so funny. I knew nothing about magic until I got to Starfall. Well, more accurately, not until Aunt Blair drove her car off a cliff on our way here and nearly gave me a heart attack before the car started flying.”
Zoe laughed. “Wow, now that’s an introduction to magic!”
“Yeah, and then I started getting visions I couldn’t explain. Ever since then, my powers have developed in some weird ways.”
“That sounds a lot like my story. It’s funny how similar ours are, actually. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear we’re related or something.”
I snorted. “Wouldn’t that be wild? I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time in the last year I’d learned about a new member of my extended family,” I said, thinking back to when Aunt Blair had shown up in the crappy café I used to work at and insisted she was my aunt when, as far as I knew, I didn’t have one. As long ago as that was, my old life in Denver felt more foreign to me than any of the wildest magical stuff I’d seen since coming to Starfall.
“Hey, check that guy out. He looks interesting,” Zoe said, pointing ahead of us at an eccentric, bald warlock standing behind what looked like an open suitcase propped up on a rickety old ironing board. Thanks to our conversation and the thoughts it inspired, I’d failed to notice we’d already walked back to the edge of the town square.
As we drew closer, the warlock’s bizarre clothing grew clearer. He wore a trench coat littered with holes, many of which he’d patched over with random squares of fabric, making the coat look more like a hand-me-down blanket he’d draped over himself than a proper piece of clothing. He also sported a quirky brown mustache, the ends of which curled up into perfect circles, which he seemed unable to stop himself from fiddling with.
“Witches and warlocks! Vampires and vixens! Step right up and take your pick of Marcus’ magical fixings!” the warlock called to no one in particular as he swept o
ne arm dramatically over the open suitcase in front of him. Figuring the day couldn’t get any stranger, I gestured toward the warlock.
“Wanna check it out?” I asked Zoe, who nodded enthusiastically.
“You bet your wand I do,” she said and hurried toward the warlock before anyone else beat us to the punch — not that we had any competition. There weren’t many other people on the street, and those who were avoided the warlock at all costs; I didn’t blame them.
When I stepped up to the suitcase beside Zoe, I had no idea what I was looking at. Random knick knacks littered the bottom in an indecipherable jumble. Aside from what I guessed was a broken imitation pearl necklace and an old bottle opener, nothing stuck out to me from the mess.
“Whatcha got here?” Zoe asked, and the warlock beamed.
“Nothing but the finest supernatural selections from across the known magical world! From the swamps of Fort Fang to the deserts of Arcane Springs, you’ll find a trinket that tickles.”
Looks like nothing but a bunch of junk to me, I thought, taking advantage of the fact that Zoe was the only one who’d hear it. Though she snorted, she mostly kept herself collected. “Oh, I’m tickled, all right. Wait, is that a tongue?” Zoe asked as she reached for a shriveled item that looked like a long, forked strip of dried fruit.
Marcus snatched it away before she grabbed it. “Oh, goodness, how did that get in there? Sorry, that’s not for sale,” he said and tucked the wrinkled thing into a pocket in his robes.
Zoe cleared her throat and looked the warlock in the face. “Uh, okay. So anyway, you’re Marcus, huh?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m the one and only Marcus Drach! Love your purchase or your money back!” Marcus said and threw his arms wide. Based on the theatrical performances I’d seen from him so far, he was clearly in the wrong business. This guy either belonged on a stage doing magic tricks or performing Shakespeare.
“I’m sure this stuff is all great, Marcus, but I’m actually looking for someone, and you seem like the kind of guy who knows his way around this town. Do you think you could point me toward Hallewell’s Heels?” Zoe asked, and Marcus’ brows knitted together.
“Wouldn’t you rather take home a fascinating find than a silly pair of shoes?” he asked Zoe.
“I’m not really in the market for either,” Zoe said, but I reached into the suitcase and grabbed what looked like a fancy fountain pen.
“Actually, I think I like this pen. How much?” I asked, hoping the offer of business might soften Marcus to our cause.
“Ah, a connoisseur’s choice!” Marcus shouted, startling me and nearly making me drop the pen. “This piece, young lady, comes to you from the distinguished desk of Angus Moon, one of the founding fathers of the magical world.”
Assuming that was true — which was a big one to make — it wasn’t anything that interested me, but something told me Thorn might like it. “Amazing! So, how much is it?”
Marcus took the pen from my hand and twisted the left end of his ample mustache with his free hand while he contemplated. “For you? Free.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, really! Take it. I know you’ll return for more of my magical mysteries,” Marcus said and pushed the pen into my hand.
“So, what’s your story, Marcus? You just travel the world in search of trinkets to sell?” Zoe asked.
Marcus scowled at her like she’d just insulted his mother. “These aren’t trinkets, young lady. They’re treasures. Perhaps you would be better suited by a pair of shoes after all. Hallewell’s Heels is that way. Go,” Marcus said and thrust a finger out down the street.
“Thanks for the pen, Marcus,” I said as we left his makeshift store, but instead of answering, he slammed his suitcase shut, threw something on the ground, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke that came out of nowhere. By the time the smoke cleared, Marcus was nowhere to be found, and if it hadn’t been for the strange interaction we’d just had with him, there wouldn’t have been any evidence he’d been there at all.
“That was… Weird,” Zoe said as she started down the narrow, unmarked street in the direction Marcus had pointed. “Does stuff like that happen here often?”
I shrugged. “Beats me. I mean, I’ve definitely met some quirky people, but Marcus takes the broom.”
“What are you gonna do with that pen? Does it even work?” Zoe asked. “Smooth thinking back there, by the way.”
“Thanks, and who cares if it does or not? I only picked it up to get him to talk.”
“Well, it worked. Although, I’m not so sure we needed his help. I don’t think we could’ve missed this place,” Zoe said, and pointed at a boutique store in the far corner opposite us. A bright red heel the size of a compact car hung on the storefront above matching red text that read: “Hallewell’s Heels.”
“If it was a vampire, it would’ve bitten us,” I laughed and kept pace with Zoe as she hurried down the street toward the store. Thankfully, a thigh-high high boot of all things propped the front door open, which meant someone was probably there. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how the twin brother of a paranormal investigator ended up an owner of a store that sold high heels, but stranger things had happened.
As we walked into the store together, I realized why Ryder had propped the door open — he didn’t have air conditioning, and the interior was sweltering. Even with the several fans hanging from the ceiling turning at full tilt, I felt like I’d walked into a sauna.
“Hello? Ryder? Are you here?” Zoe called over the rows of shoeboxes neatly arranged on shelves, undeterred by the heat. A beat later, a sweaty head of dark hair popped up from behind a shelf toward the back of the store to scowl at us.
“Can I help you?” the man I assumed was Ryder barked without stopping whatever he was doing.
“I sure hope so,” Zoe said, and gestured for me to follow her toward him. We crossed the small store in a matter of seconds, and Zoe stuck out her hand at Ryder, a short, grumpy looking man who seemed to sport a permanent frown. He stood next to a dolly stacked with shoeboxes that I assumed he was stocking from a hidden storeroom. “I’m Zoe Clarke with the Moon Grove Messenger. This is Julia Feron, my photographer. We’re here writing a story about Mr. Blackwood’s run for mayor, and we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about what you think of him?”
Ryder froze in the middle of putting a shoebox on the shelf in front of him to glare at Zoe’s extended hand. “Why do you care what I think?”
“Well, you’re a local business owner, and that’s a perspective we want to make sure we include in our story.”
“Nice try. You’re here about my sister, just like the rest of them,” Ryder snapped, and returned to stocking the shelves with shoes. “And I’ll tell you what I’ve told every other insect who’s crawled in here since she died: get lost before I use a pair of these shoes to stomp you.”
Zoe and I exchanged surprised looks. She opened her mouth to say something, but I put a hand on her wrist to stop her. Zoe had a gift for dealing with tough people, but based on the way Ryder had already reacted to us, I knew we needed to take a softer approach.
“Mr. Hallewell, I’m so sorry about your sister. We don’t mean any disrespect; we’re just trying to help figure out what happened to her,” I said.
“And what makes you think I have a clue?” he asked without meeting my eyes as he continued to move boxes from the dolly to the shelf. “Clearly, you two aren’t very good at research. If you were, you’d know my sister and I haven’t been on speaking terms for years. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I saw her. Not that I’m complaining.”
Zoe stared at me with wide eyes, and I shrugged. “I’m sorry to hear that too, Mr. Hallewell. May I ask why—”
“Rory always thought she was too good to run a shoe store,” Ryder interrupted me before scoffing. “She didn’t give a vampire’s fang about how successful the business was, or how long it’s been in our family. No, all she ever cared about was ma
king a name for herself and getting the spell out of Starfall Valley, and she did, but she should’ve stayed away.”
As Ryder angrily reached for another shoebox, I rested my hand on his forearm without thinking. Though he shot me a look that made it clear the touch wasn’t welcome, as an all too familiar whooshing sound washed over me like a wave, I didn’t dare take my hand away — because I knew what was coming.
I blinked, and when my eyes reopened, I was still standing in Hallewell’s Heels, but the store was closed and the moon’s soft light illuminated the curtains drawn over the front windows. Ryder had moved from right in front of me to behind the counter, where he stood across from the spitting image of a female version of himself that could only be his twin, Rory.
“Ryder, I swear to Lilith, you’d better be telling me the truth! You know I’ll find out about it if you aren’t,” Rory said, and slammed a fist against the counter, making the cash register sitting on it ding like an attraction at the county fair.
Ryder rolled his eyes at his sister and crossed his arms over his chest. “And I swear to Lilith that I’m being honest! I don’t know who you heard this nonsense from, but you can search the place yourself if you don’t believe me! You won’t find anything but shoes, shoes, and more shoes, just like it’s always been. Not that you’d know.”
Rory’s furious brown eyes bored into her brother’s. “Now isn’t the time for this, Ryder. I hope for your sake I don’t have to come back here.”
“That makes two of us. Now are we done? I’ve got things to do.”
Without a word, Rory stomped toward the front door and flung it open, sending it crashing into the wall and knocking the blind on its back astray. She disappeared into the night, but across the street, I noticed a familiar face: Officer Eva Dunham stood watching the whole interaction. When Ryder spotted her, she locked her eyes on him long enough to let him know what she’d seen, then walked away.
As soon as she vanished, I popped out of the vision and back into the present, where Ryder had just yanked his arm away from me. “What’s wrong with you, lady?” he snapped. “Don’t you go passing out in my store. I don’t need more drama.”