CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
At Whimsy, Ren and Sinda hadn’t so much as touched the lemon tarts that sat on the counter. The cheery yellow filling promised to deliver a tangy bite after my story was done. By then, I might feel okay to indulge. My stomach hadn’t been happy about the coffee, although that hadn’t stopped me from drinking it. I had to do something to counteract a sleepless night.
I dove into the sorry tale without delay. The store would open in half an hour and I expected good sales today.
Sinda’s hand went to her heart when I got to the part about the flying books, and Ren touched her pendant of Bijou shortly thereafter. They were so shocked, they didn’t ask a single question until it was all out. For once, even Bixby let the saga unfold without extolling his contributions.
“I wish I had a bigger role,” he said, with unexpected humility. “Gildena was more witch than I expected.”
I nodded. “So much more. And we only have our learner’s permit with a spell book to match.”
“You’ve done some amazing things with that book already,” Sinda said. “I’d like to find mine.”
Ren nodded. “Me, too. The book I borrowed from the library won’t even open. I guess my key didn’t fit the lock after all.”
“It does, I’m sure of it,” I said. “We’ll tackle it together. Not today, but soon.”
Bijou came over and leaned against my shins. “Sorry I wasn’t there to help, Witchy. And sorry you got stunk up.”
I bent over to pat her. “It’s okay, Beej. I had Bixby and Skye. I sense she’s going to be a strong addition to our pack.”
“But Marli?” Ren made a face. “I hoped she’d get voted off the island.”
“She knows a few things we don’t and I bet Blaine and Cassie do, too. If class continues, we can learn from each other.”
“If it continues?” Sinda asked. “It must. This has proven how vulnerable we are.”
When Bijou went back to Ren I started pacing. “And what a hazard I am. Honestly, I had no clue what to do. Bixby said I did but I didn’t.”
“I was correct, as usual,” he said. “You knew the only thing that would work in that moment. What’s more, you even calibrated on the fly. Gildena could easily have ended up like the husband she dispatched so explosively.”
“There’s some comfort in believing she’ll pay for that crime,” I admitted.
“If you didn’t addle her permanently,” he said. “I don’t put it past the police to refuse her treatment.”
Sinda shook her head. “A crazed witch is more dangerous than a sane one. They’ll sort her out. My worry is that they’ll release her, as they did Angus.”
An arctic chill shot from my midriff through my entire body, giving me a brief headache. “What if she comes after me?”
Sinda touched my arm and I gratefully accepted a shot of her joy juice. “I would imagine that’s on the agenda for the meeting at City Hall today. Hopefully Liberty will have simmered down by the time she gets to you.”
I sighed. “Doubtful. Mom’s called about a hundred times. I put the phone on mute.”
Ren pushed the serving platter toward me gingerly. “If it helps, your aura is almost back to normal. Colors like those should never be covered in mud.”
My stomach settled quickly with Sinda’s infusion. “I didn’t expect coming home to be a breeze but I honestly thought I was above mud.”
Mr. Bixby stretched out in his favorite sunbeam right in front of the door. It wasn’t worth fighting about because the angle of the sun would shift soon enough. “Good perspective,” he said. “Everything will change again. We can’t go back to last night or anticipate tomorrow. The only peace to be found is in the moment.” He lifted his head. “I see some peace on that plate and some pastry for me.”
Finally, I picked up a lemon tart and bit into it. “Wow, zingy! That’s waking me up.”
“Good timing.” The dog spread out even more. “Hot cop on the horizon.”
The door was still locked so I walked over to let Drew in. Despite the fact he was in uniform today, the bell overhead gave what could best be described as a sultry tinkle.
The expression on the handsome man’s face, however, could best be described as sour. So sour that the bit of tart I was swallowing lodged in my throat. I turned to cough and the dog actually got out of Drew’s way to snatch at the crumbs.
“Please try a tart, Drew,” Ren said, before exiting swiftly with Bijou through the back door.
Sinda was close behind her, footsteps thumping rapidly on the way downstairs.
“Was it something I said?” Drew asked, after they left.
“Something they suspected you might say. You look disgruntled.”
He followed me over to the counter, dodging a canine obstacle course rather gracefully. “Does that dog have a death wish? I’m wearing steel-toed boots.”
“Nope,” Bixby said. “I have a life wish. A few kicks can’t stop me from enjoying my second time around.”
“Just ignore him.” I pushed the plate toward Drew and he puckered. Not in a romantic way.
“No, thanks. I’ve had a tough morning and it’s only ten thirty.”
“Oh? What happened?” I nudged the rest of my tart with one finger. It had lost its appeal.
“Someone vandalized the library. Or several someones. I don’t see how one person could have caused such chaos. The stacks were moved—some tipped against each other—and the books are completely misfiled. We had to call paramedics for the librarian after she fainted.”
“How strange. Was that it? Nothing stolen?”
