“He was a little intense, but I didn’t think he was that bad.”

Jade gave one of her kitty eye rolls and began licking her paw.

He thinks he can get the town back into his clutches. He doesn’t care about what really sets the Blacks apart from everyone else. It’s all about prestige for him.

I didn’t answer immediately since I was busy arranging candles by scent, but I gave a quick nod. “It certainly seemed that way. Do you think we’re related?”

She leapt down from the counter, then rubbed up against some of the display shelves.

It seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? His last name is Black and his family came from Woods Crossing.

My expression grew thoughtful as I looked down at her.

“Jade, do you know much about this feud? Who hated the Black family?”

She looked up at me, a soft hiss sounding.

I wasn’t around for the beginning of the feud as I’d just been turned into a cat, but it had something to do with your grandmother’s friend, Chandra. There was a big fight years ago, and they parted ways.

I sighed. It looked like there might not be anyone who could tell me what was going on in this town.

“Did your turning into a cat have something to do with that fight?”

She watched me steadily for several minutes. Not even her tail moved.

Indirectly.

My lips twisted into a scowl.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re being awfully cryptic.”

I could have sworn she sighed. Leaping up onto the counter once more she turned, settled on her haunches, and looked at me. Her head was level with mine.

I crossed my arms, staring her down. “Why did they turn you into a cat, Jade? And what did that have to do with this fight?”

Jade began to lick her paw again. I wondered vaguely if it was some sort of nervous tic of hers as she did it a lot.

They turned me into a cat because I killed a man.

Her tone sounded nonchalant, as if all she’d done was forget to flush the toilet. I dropped the tall, tapered candle I was holding. It snapped in half as it hit the floor.

“You what?”

She got up and sauntered along the countertop, looking almost indignant.

“But…but what does that have to do with this Chandra person?” I spluttered.

She thought they handled my punishment wrong, apparently. Like I said, I ran off for a while after my transformation. I don’t know all the details afterward. There was more than that. Trifling witch drama that got me into trouble caring about in the first place.

My jaw dropped open as I watched her pace the counter. “How can you be so…callous about it?”

My heart pounded at the thought of being in the same house as a murderer. I’d fed her, let her hang out, I’d even contemplated letting her live there! Was she going to murder me in my sleep?

Once my rational mind reasserted itself, my breathing slowed. Jade had said she was cursed, so she probably couldn’t turn back into a human and murder me. I’d never come across any stories of murder by cat, either, but I couldn’t help wondering who the man had been and the story behind the murder.

One look at Jade, however, made it clear that prying would be a bad idea.

I was just trying to protect your grandmother and her sisters. Looks like I got rid of the wrong threat, though.

I’d opened my mouth to start telling Jade off again, but her comment stopped me. “What do you mean, sisters? I thought Grandma only had one sister.”

She had two. Willa and Faith.

For a moment, I stood there, completely dumbfounded. Grandma had two sisters? Jade hadn’t mentioned that before. Neither had my father.

Shaking myself, I focused on the more pressing issue. “What do you mean you got the wrong threat?”

Jade leapt down to the floor once more.

When your grandma took me in, I promised to help them in any way I could. The man I killed was a threat, but I should have realized that Chandra was the bigger problem. But I suppose nobody knew. Not then.

She trotted over to the door and began pawing it softly.

“Where are you going?”

Out. Don’t wait up.

I let out a chuckle as I opened the door. Jade had to be several years older than me, but she acted a lot like a teenager. Maybe she had been a cat far too long.

The moment the door was open, she streaked out and headed for the woods behind the shop.

Jade’s revelations made little sense to me. I had no idea who this Chandra person was, but she sounded like a terrible person. What family did she belong to? It had to be one of the families that hated the Blacks, obviously, but which one was it? Did all the other magical families hate us?

As I walked slowly back into the shop, I felt more frustrated than ever with my ignorance. Nobody had any useful information except Jade, but she kept running off. The only person who had tried to help me had disappeared, and could possibly be…

I pushed the thought firmly away. Theresa was a witch. She must have some way to defend herself.

Sheriff Dane wasn’t interested in solving the case. Jo the P.I. had more of a head on his shoulders than Sheriff Dane did, but he seemed too angry at me to actually get anywhere.

I was the main suspect, having been the last person in Theresa’s company before she disappeared, and it looked like I was the only one who could advocate for myself. I had to find her, both to help her and to clear my name.

But where to start?

Chapter Seven

For the moment, I had to put off searching for Theresa in order to get the shop running the next day. My shipment had come in, and it felt like Christmas as I opened all the products and arranged them on the shelves.

As I was setting up the essential oils display, the door opened. I turned to see Maria coming through, wearing a warm smile. “Hi!” She greeted me with a hug, then stood back and looked around. “Sage, this looks incredible! I’m so excited for you!”