Chapter 7
7
I spend breakfast with Leif and Holly in the cafeteria, the pair side by side at the table with the coffees and cakes I bought them. The place is half-empty; most students are now in class, but as usual, the quiet burr of conversation stopped when I entered the room.
"You want to find Marvin?" asks Leif through his mouthful of carrot cake.
"The missing mole manikin," I say firmly.
"Yes. Marvin ," says Holly with a snicker. "Why? You had no interest in solving that crime."
"Reprobates from the high school took the mole. I want the item."
"It's too late for you to create a familiar out of the mole," says Holly and sucks her lips together, fighting a laugh. "And didn't you prefer birds and rabbits surrounding you, Princess Violet?"
"Droll, Holly. And as an aside, necromancer's creations are constructs not familiars. Familiars have free will. That's why I no longer have one."
Holly's jaw slackens. "You had a familiar? I've never met a witch who does."
"Because familiars have free will," I repeat. "If they've had enough of living with the witch, they leave."
"What was yours?"
"A fire serpent. And don't ask me where he went, the creature never sent me a forwarding address although there was a minor increase in local arson crime for a few months. Now back to the mole."
"Marvin." Leif gives me a mock stern look as if I'm insulting the object by not using the moniker that the idiotic teens gave it.
"Who has the mole?" I continue.
"How would we know?" Holly frowns.
"Both of you are accepted by your human peers, and Holly in particular operates at the epicenter of student society. It's unlikely an academy student took the mole, but they may know who did." I sip from my tall cup of black coffee. "Uncovering rumors is your forte, Holly."
Leif pulls out and studies his phone, curls falling across his face. "You could look through Marvin's Instagram profile for clues?"
"Or Holly could discover his... its whereabouts via subtle questioning." I look at her expectantly.
"Here's the last thing Marvin posted." Leif holds up the phone, and I take it from him. An image dated a couple of days ago shows the mole wearing sunglasses too large for its head positioned on a bridge with the London Eye behind.
I return the phone. "Good. Holly can discover which individuals visited London recently."
Groaning, she drops back against her seat. "Really? This is stupid— I'll sound stupid asking to see the mole."
"You need to help. I plan to contact the curator and offer to find his mole."
Leif's throaty laughter draws attention from the table of girls beside us. "Offer to find his mole? In return for what? Lifetime free museum entry? Unlimited stationary supply?"
"My, you're both in humorous moods today," I say.
"Violet Blackwood is considering wasting her skills on locating a stuffed animal for a man who doesn't like her. That's humorous," he replies.
I sip the coffee again. "There's a possible connection between the mole, the watch, and the magical rubies. If I find the mole, I may find answers. I would like to find the watch too, but we've less chance of that since we've no idea what the watch looks like or who has the item. One of the local teens has the mole. Track them down. You can find who, Holly."
Holly's eyes bug. "Excuse me but I'm still pissed that you excluded me from the last investigation. Why expect my help now?"
"Because you're my friend?" I suggest. "And you're skilled in social niceties. People like you."
She crosses her arms. "So?"
"If you do, I'll complete all your tasks for the group project and you can take the time as free periods," I inform her. "You'll be able to spend the time in town indulging in an activity you'd prefer."
Holly sighs. "Fine."
I stand. "And Holly, if you discover a lead, I'll fund any activities that involve investigating the mole's whereabouts."
"Hey," protests Leif. "You don't pay me or the other guys."
"Is spending time in my company not payment enough?" I keep my face straight while Leif frowns as he tries to figure out if I'm serious. Admittedly, once over, I would've believed my comment. "We're a team, Leif," I add. “And I understand my company may not always be the easiest.”
"I was teasing." He pauses. "But feel free to throw some cash my way too."
"There's a party. You could—" begins Holly.
"Stop. Name one social occasion I've involved myself in that didn't end badly." She wrinkles her nose. "Precisely. If you do go to any social gatherings, please keep an eye out for Marvin."
"Yeah, I bet Marvin would enjoy a good party." Leif chuckles.
Holly isn't aware of everything we've discovered, including our museum heist, and I intend to keep things that way. Holly's our human on the ground and a bloodhound for rumor. However, if anything dangerously supernatural becomes apparent, we must steer Holly clear.