Library Cat Magical Mysteries Box Set (Books 1-3), page 43
“I daresay we should have a look, don’t you?” Kong said.
“For my lawyer, you’re definitely advising some risky behavior,” I said.
“You’ve got the Costume-o-Matic, or whatever the Jibbleson sisters called it,” Kong said. He was right. The Presto-Chango-Disguise-o-Tron 14. It was as small as a tube of lipstick and created enchantments to change the user’s appearance for a brief period of time. I could use it, and Lady Hildegarde would be none the wiser.
I dug up the little device from inside my purse and pointed at myself. “Here goes nothing,” I muttered as I pressed the button.
“First try, success!” Kong said. “Let’s go.” He dashed up the stairs, those little claws clicking on the floor.
I looked at myself in the reflection of my office window. I was a Supernatural Parcel Service delivery man, complete with receding hairline, knee brace and cardboard box under my left arm.
I followed Kong upstairs, listening for Lady Hildegarde. Their voices were coming from the west corner, so I carefully made my way toward them.
“That’s it,” Sebastian said. “I can’t believe it’s been here all this time.”
“Watch out,” Lady Hildegarde said. “Something might crawl out.”
“Anything crawls out, they’ll have to reckon with the likes of Sebastian Von Lavendula,” the vampire said.
I was still several shelves of books away and didn’t dare come any closer. I trusted the Jibbleson sisters’ ingenuity, but I also trusted Lady Hildegarde’s cleverness. Plus, Sebastian could probably detect pheromones in the air and might sense I wasn’t a delivery man.
“I need to undo the spell,” Lady Hildegarde said. “Now that I’ve seen it, I can study the curse and hopefully reverse it.”
Had she said curse? Were they looking at one of Hortensia and Alastair’s cursed books?
“Let me take it,” Sebastian said. “It belongs with the vampires.”
“Leave it,” Lady Hildegarde roared. I wished I could have seen the look on Sebastian’s face. “It’s been safe here for this long; let’s leave well enough alone. For now, the two of us are the only people who know it’s here.”
“I’m going on the record,” Sebastian said, “that I don’t like this one bit.”
“And I’m going on the same non-existent record,” Lady Hildegarde retorted, “that I don’t give a fiddler’s fancy what you like or don’t like. It stays here for now. It’s far too dangerous to tamper with.”
“It’s far too dangerous to leave unprotected like this,” he said. I still didn’t know exactly what section they were in. They could have been anywhere from the Liturgical Dance section to the Familiar Psychology section.
“Look at these books,” Lady Hildegarde said. “The layers of dust. No one’s been up here in ages. It’s safe. Let’s go before Francie has a conniption fit.”
I scrambled backwards and bashed into a bookshelf. Thankfully, it didn’t tip over, but the noise was still loud in the quiet Archives.
“What was that?” Lady Hildegarde said. Just then, I heard the frantic scraping of claws against the wood floor—but it wasn’t Kong. These were heavier, clumsier somehow.
“Easy there, pooch,” I said in my SPS delivery man's voice.
Lady Hildegarde’s hyperactive chihuahua familiar was barking its head off. It was in position, hair on the back of its shoulder blades standing straight up, head and front paws bowed low, ready to give my ankles a biting they wouldn’t soon forget.
“Oh, it’s just a delivery,” Sebastian said.
“What are you doing up here?” Lady Hildegarde said, not so easily put at ease as Sebastian.
“Delivery,” I said. “Needs a signature.”
“Have the librarian sign for it. Wasn’t she downstairs?”
“Nope,” I said. “Didn’t see her. Can you sign? I’m double-parked out on the street.”
Lady Hildegarde sighed and stepped forward. I reached into my pocket and realized I didn’t have the little electronic tablet that the delivery men use to collect signatures. The only thing in my pocket was a pencil and a stick of gum.
“Whoops,” I said. “I forgot my tablet in the truck. One moment, please.” I rushed downstairs so fast I thought I was going to crack my skull open, but I made it. I got out of their sight right as the enchantment wore off.
Out of breath, I took up my seat behind the circulation desk again and pretended to skim through a magazine.
“I didn’t know you read Portuguese,” Lady Hildegarde said as she finally came down. I looked at the magazine and saw it was the latest issue of Cat Weekly.
“I don’t read it very well,” I said. “But it helps with my Latin studies.”
“Ah yes,” Sebastian said. “One of the romance languages, the beauty, the passion—”
“Put a cork in it, Romeo,” Lady Hildegarde said. “Did you get your package?”
“Yup!” I said.
“The delivery man said you weren’t here,” Lady Hildegarde said, locking eyes with me. I wanted nothing more than to look away, but held her gaze.
“I had to go to the bathroom,” I said and shrugged.
“What was so urgent a shipment?” Lady Hildegarde asked.
“The latest volume of the Baron Von Alastair comic,” I said. “It’s actually quite well-drawn. And the vocabulary is sophisticated. It reads like early Tolkien. You should really try it. Want me to get you a copy?”
I really, really hoped she didn’t call my bluff, because there was no such delivery.
“Sure,” she said. “I’m always looking for ways to connect with my daughter.”
Blast. “No problem,” I said. “Hold on.”
I slipped off the stool and turned to my office. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of this, but I’d have to think of something.
But just then, I heard her dog growl. “Fi-Fi!” Lady Hildegarde shouted. The dog darted out the door, and the High Adept ran after it.
“If you want to show me a book,” Sebastian said, “I’d prefer something with a little more adult content. I have several volumes of medieval erotic poetry at my house. Would you care for a personal serenade?”
“Sorry,” I said. “I gotta lock up.” I pushed past him and went outside. Lady Hildegarde was halfway down the block, chasing after her dog. “I wonder what got into Fi-Fi.”
“You know how those canines are,” Sebastian said. “It probably got the scent of a cat.”
Cat.
Alright, Kong. Just this once, you earned your bluefin tuna belly.
Chapter 5
When I got to the Werewolf Law Enforcement Brigade Headquarters, Kong was lounging on a bench, licking his belly.
“It’s called grooming,” he said.
“Quit reading my mind,” I said.
“Don’t worry,” he said, slowly stretching and hopping down from the bench. “It’s all covered under attorney-client confidentiality.”
I wished I wasn’t so familiar with law enforcement headquarters, but there’d been a few murders in town lately, and I’d gotten involved in the investigations. I was clueless, however, about how to bail someone out of jail.
I asked the civilian witch at the reception desk, and she told me to wait while she looked up Lizzie’s case number.
I paced the lobby until I felt self-conscious enough to sit down. Kong jumped on my lap and I immediately buried my fingers in his shaggy black and white fur. Having the warm little lump on my lap went a long way toward calming me down, so it was worth every single white hair that was going to be stuck to my Academy robe.
When the door popped open, I shot up in my seat. It was Rend Redclaw. He was on duty, wearing (or not wearing) the uniform of the Werewolf Law Enforcement Brigade—fatigue-style cargo pants, shiny black jackboots, no shirt. The werewolves performed their law enforcement duties with their keen animal senses. Much like a magical fingerprint, they could sniff out magical energy used by the suspects and match them to a perpetrator, hence their preference of working shirtless and unfettered.
“Where’s Lizzie?” I demanded.
“Calm down, Francie,” he said.
“No,” I said. “Sometimes being upset is perfectly acceptable, and this is one of them.”
“Her husband bailed her out about half an hour ago,” Rend said. Relief flooded my veins. She was back at home with her family where she belonged.
“This is ridiculous and you know it,” I said. He rubbed the back of his bald head with his palm.
“We have to investigate every possibility, Francie,” Rend said. “Someone was killed. This is a big deal.”
“I know that,” I snapped. I’d known Konrad for years. His death was a shock, of course, but I hadn’t had time to process it since Lizzie’d been arrested. “Which is why you should look for the actual killer, not Lizzie.”
“There were several reliable eyewitnesses—”
“Who could have been watching an enchantment or spell,” I said.
“We’re taking that under consideration,” Rend said calmly. “And doing everything in our power to weed out magical malfeasance.”
“We?” I asked. “Who’s that? Bertulf? He’s got it out for me and you know it.”
“Remember what I said about being calm?” Rend said.
“Remember what you said about not being a jerk?” I said.
I know. Not my proudest moment.
“As your legal counsel, I strongly advise we leave the premises,” Kong said.
“For once, I agree with the cat,” Rend said.
“Now you’re kicking me out?” I said. My hands were trembling, and I was seriously close to losing it. Or maybe I’d already lost it. It was hard to tell. Konrad’s death. Lizzie’s obvious false arrest. And now Rend’s betrayal. I knew in the rational part of my brain somewhere that he was just doing his job and he would work hard to clear Lizzie’s name… but right now, it was hard to listen to that part through the thick fog of rage.
He walked me to the door, opening it into the night sky. A warm wind blew, doing nothing to cool the angry beads of sweat that had erupted on my lip and forehead.
“Listen,” he said. “I agree with you. Lizzie’s involvement in this seems too crazy to be true. But—”
“No buts,” I say. “You know as well as I do.”
“The problem is, there was a crowd. A big one. They all saw her do it. What would you have me do? Is that the sort of law enforcement you want in town? Someone who has a suspect and a hundred witnesses, but I let them walk because I have a feeling they didn’t do it?”
“If the accused is my sister, then yes,” I said, but I saw his point.
“She’s at home with her family,” Rend said. “She can stay there while we continue the investigation.”
“You are going to investigate, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” Rend said. “The werewolves will get to the bottom of it.”
“It had to be a spell,” I said. “I’m going to talk to Lizzie right now. I’m sure she has an alibi. Plus, Konrad was acting strange. I had lunch with him today. He was going on about how they were trying to get him. If I can find out who he was meeting with, then—”
“Francie,” Rend said. Gone was his placatory tone, the gentlewolf who was trying to talk me down from the ledge. Steel was in his voice—and his eyes. “I don’t want you nosing around. You’re personally involved in this case. Especially if you’re right and Lizzie is innocent.”
“Of course I’m right,” I said. “You said it yourself.”
“I didn’t say she was innocent.” Rend held up a hand. “I said it seems unlikely that she was the murderer. There’s a difference. Anyway, if you’re right and someone used magic to frame her, then they might have a grudge against your family. You might be the next one behind bars.”
“Ha, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I said.
“What’s that even supposed to mean?” Rend said. “I’m trying to be fair to Lizzie, the town and most importantly to Konrad LaRue.”
I exhaled and turned away from Rend. “I know,” I said, feeling the last dregs of my rage melt away. “I’m just so worried.”
“Of course you are,” he said. He put a friendly, casual hand on my shoulder and gave it a brief squeeze. No passionate embrace, like when we were at Saguaro Estates catching Irenia and Walter Crabtree’s killer. “Trust that we’ll get to the bottom of everything.”
“I thought I was your confidential informant,” I said.
“Not on this case,” he said. “I’m serious.”
“Fine,” I grumbled.
“I mean it,” he said.
“Okay,” I said, feeling very much like a petulant teenager. If he thought I was going to sit on my hands while Lizzie awaited a murder charge, he had another thing coming.
“Good,” he said. “I’ll pretend that I don’t smell your deception.”
“Great,” I said. “I’m going to Lizzie’s house right now.”
“And Francie,” Rend said. The steel was gone from his eyes, and he just looked tired. “About our date this weekend…”
I should have seen this coming. “Let me guess, you’re canceling?”
“There’s a pretty big conflict of interest, wouldn’t you say?” he said.
“And you’ll be busy,” I said. “I wouldn’t want you to take precious time off the case.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll be doing overtime this weekend, for sure.”
“Francescza,” Kong said. “We really must be leaving. The fish counter closes in a half hour.”
“You’re right,” I told the cat. “Let’s go.”
At the grocery store, we got a few whole tilapia for Kong and some cream for my coffee.
While we were in line, Fintan strode into the store. He gave me an easy smile and a little wave. I waved back, but I was exhausted and really didn’t feel like talking to anyone, let alone Fintan. We’d recently been on a few dates, and I really liked him. Problem was, I’d had a long-time crush on Rend Redclaw, who’d recently decided that he’d try a relationship with a non-werewolf.
Unless her sister was being investigated for murder.
Then apparently it was back to his no-witch dating policy.
But no such luck that Fintan would just keep going and pick up his bread or eggs or whatever had brought him to the grocery store tonight. “Francie,” he said, waiting near the exit for me to pay. “I heard about Lizzie. What happened?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “There’s a bunch of witnesses saying she killed someone. But that’s crazy.”
“I know,” he said. “The only way she’d kill someone is if she skipped lunch and then did back-to-back aerobics classes.”
“Kong said the same thing,” I said. “It must have been a spell. There’s no way. But the werewolves will find the real killer.”
“Sure,” Fintan said. “That’s their job.” But his easy smile was gone, replaced with prickly shoulders and macho jealousy.
Despite his annoyance when I mentioned Rend, talking to him was actually making me feel better—not worse, like my conversation with Rend. “You want to come over for dinner?” I asked, holding up the bag of fish. “I can tell you what I know about the case.”
“Not tonight,” Fintan said. “I’ve got to get the story out for tomorrow’s paper.”
I tried my best to hide my disappointment. “No problem,” I said.
“Tomorrow, though,” he said. “As long as you promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“That you’re not asking me over to make Rend jealous.”
I had to think for a beat. Was I? I didn’t think so. I did like Fintan. And I also liked Rend. That wasn’t a crime, was it?
“No,” I said, pretty sure it was the truth.
“Alright,” he said. “Because I want to get serious with you, Francie. But not if you’re hung up on some other guy. I’m not so desperate that I’d settle for that.”
“I know,” I said. “That’s not fair for anyone.”
“As long as we agree on that,” he said. “See you tomorrow night.”
I checked my phone to see what time it was, and saw that it was still on silent mode and I had a missed call from Hortensia. She’d picked the worst time to call me back.
As we walked to Lizzie’s, I dialed Hortensia’s number, but it went to voicemail. Of course it did. I needed to talk to her about the amulet. For all I knew, it was going to explode and destroy all of creation.
Kong ranged out ahead, catting around and enjoying the sights and smells of the night. We reached the end of Canal Street and were about to turn into the neighborhood. Lizzie’s house was only a few minutes’ walk from there.
Out of the corner of my eye, however, I saw a flash of long blond hair and coordinating turquoise and yellow athleisure wear. Lizzie?
But when I turned to get a second look, she was gone.
Chapter 6
I ran down the side street, trying to catch up. Was that really Lizzie? It had sure looked like her. But what was she doing slinking around the streets after dark? If she got busted breaking her house arrest conditions, she’d have to go back to jail.
“It’s me,” I whispered as loud as I could. “Stop running.”
But Lizzie—if it was Lizzie—did cardio six days a week. Her footfalls got quieter and quieter as she widened the gap between us.
My phone rang, and I almost jumped out of my shoes. I looked at the screen. Hortensia.
“Hello?” I answered.
“My, you’re out of breath,” she said. “Hope I didn’t interrupt a romantic interlude.”
“Give me a break,” I said. My middle-age love triangle came with a lot of stress but no physical benefits.
“What’s so important you keep harassing me day and night?” Hortensia asked.
“It’s about the amulet,” I said.
“Sucks to the amulet,” she said. “You talk as if the bloody thing wears you around its neck and not the other way around.”
