Mr. Bixby paced restlessly on the floor, bigger problems on his mind than mere money. “So, we’re going to ignore Mr. Crossword, right?” he asked.
“If you mean staying out of the investigation, of course,” I said. “Minerva trumps all. If she’s worried about Ruthann’s safety, we need to get involved.”
“You’d get involved anyway,” Ren said. “Because of the ghost dog.”
“True, but I’d put the dog first.”
“You’ll still put the dog first,” Mr. Bixby said. “You can’t help yourself. I can only hope she’s not as annoying as Tiffin, who’s even more annoying than the poodle and Harold. The setter is too stupid to care about.”
“You’re just mad Tiffin beat you to the bite,” Bijou said. “He’s busy-busy-busy.”
Ren pushed the plate of pastries toward me. “So, it all starts with Skye?”
I selected a pecan square that would fuel me through the next steps, although I didn’t know what those were. “I guess so. Saving ghost dogs is my calling above all callings, at least in my mind.”
Sinda swallowed a mouthful of chocolate mousse cake. “One I notice you didn’t share in class.”
I smiled. “Just like you didn’t share your healing power. I followed your lead.”
“I hate to be harsh, but I didn’t take to Marli,” she said. “Her pestering was disrespectful of Norris. It’s not like he wanted to be there. He got voluntold.”
“Just like us,” Ren said. “Still, I admit I was hoping for something more than a crossword puzzle to help me up my magic game.”
I shrugged. “Remember, Norris played a word game with me before and the result was a spell that saved my life. And likely Brianna’s. I bet that’s what comes out of this. We solve the clues and end up with a spell.”
“Sounds like a time-waster.” Bixby was scornful. “Like Crossword said, your brains are atrophying. Why not just tell you how to get things done?”
I paced around the store, too, leaving a trail of pastry crumbs that Bixby licked up. “I don’t know a lot about magic, obviously, but it seems like it’s less about reeling off spells than thinking creatively. Some of my best results have been accidental. Using the wrong spell with the right results, for example. Maybe that’s what he’s trying to teach us.”
“That would explain why he wants us to work alone,” Sinda said. “So that we don’t rely on others to do that creative work.”
Turning at the door, I paced back. “I say we ditch that idea. Living the lone wolf life got old for me years ago.”
Sinda heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I do not feel ready for tests like this.”
“But Norris said he’d know,” Ren said.
I shrugged again. “Too bad. These days, I believe in collaboration over competition. Working together is what’s giving us strength. Without you guys—dogs included—I’d be dead from poison, and so would my mom.”
Ren dropped her protests. “Poor Norris would probably be in a retirement home before I finished my assignment without help. We’re the perfect team.”
Mr. Bixby let his paws slide across the hardwood until he collapsed. “This is no fun at all. I wanted to wipe the floor with all of you. Magic was never a team sport, ladies.”
“We can still beat everyone else,” Ren said. “No way am I teaming up with Marli Seagrave.”
“It’s not a fair fight, though,” I said. “They’re even greener than we are.”
“But there’s four of them,” Bixby pointed out. “And they also have two dogs.”
Sinda laughed. “You can’t count the puppy. All he wants to do is chew.”
My dog rolled onto his back, pretty much where he had been this morning, minus the sunbeam. Dusk came so early now. “I saw what that rugrat can do. If Blaine or Cassie are in danger, Tiffin will do his shark thing.”
I started putting away the jewelry displays I’d taken out when I thought today would be normal. “How about we regroup at the manor later and take a look at the crossword puzzles? Then we can devise a strategy to solve them.”
“Sounds good,” Ren said. “It’s a plan to plan.”
Sinda agreed and headed downstairs to her studio, but Ren sat down on the window seat. She looked exhausted.
It made me happy they both considered the Brighton manor home now, especially when I didn’t. My preference would be to stay at Whimsy round the clock. There were too many bad memories at the manor, although our growing friendship was shoving them into the background.
“Like pushy sunflowers,” my dog said, reading my thoughts. “Good friendships are probably like that. I wouldn’t know, having never had one.”
I smiled down at him as I passed. “You have me. And I presume you had someone before me. I try not to be nosy.”
“Try harder.” The dog flipped on his side and moved into a horizontal position. That’s when I realized he was repeating this morning’s maneuver and becoming a dachshund obstruction. Ren was up again and heading his way.
“Do you really want to get stepped on, Bixby? Because I will forgive Ren if she squishes you on the way out.”
“I have a plan,” he said, as Ren deliberately skirted around him to reach the door.
Bijou followed, with every intention to hit him, but before the first paw connected, Bixby became invisible. Undeterred, the poodle sniffed around until she found him and bounced off my dog with her front paws.
“Hey!” Bixby reappeared, bristling with indignation.
“Take that, wiener boy. And FYI, I can smell you, visible or not. Joke’s on you.”
Ren had turned back in time to see the prank. We shook our heads. Sometimes it was like having kids, only kids who’d move heaven and earth to protect us, and might even outthink us.
