Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
I pedaled hard to Rise and Grind, also known as the best coffee shop on the island. I wasn’t fussy, though. If the coffee was freshly brewed and I didn’t have to make it myself, I considered it liquid gold.
I slid the front tire of my bike into the rack. Now that I’d exhausted the standard methods to no avail, it was time to widen the circle to a magical one.
The book club known as the Bookstabbers met at Rise and Grind once a week to discuss their current read.
There was one rule, though—whether fiction or nonfiction, the book had to involve either a ghost or a serial killer.
I had no interest in either one, so I opted out of this particular activity—until tonight.
“Evening, everyone,” I greeted the group—Meemaw, Margie, Joan, Catherine, and Louise. I noticed the sole male member of the group was missing. “What happened to Martin?
“He accidentally got high off butt cream,” Meemaw said. “He’ll be back next week.”
Despite the plethora of follow-up questions that crowded my tongue, I chose to stay focused on the task at hand. “May I sit?”
“Of course,” Margie said. “We’re ranking serial killer calling cards from best to worst.”
I sat in Martin’s empty seat. “How do you define best and worst?”
“We apply points to a set of criteria,” Meemaw said. “Ingenuity. Audacity. Gore.”
“Sounds delightful. Would you mind if we switched topics for a few minutes? I could use your help.”
Meemaw glanced sidelong at her daughter. “Are my ears working properly? Did Maya August just request our assistance?”
“She did.” Margie gave me her full attention. “I, for one, would love to switch topics because whatever Maya wants to discuss, I have a feeling it’s far more interesting than lipstick pentagrams.”
“I don’t know,” Joan said. “Those are hard to beat.”
Meemaw lowered her voice. “This is about Belinda, isn’t it?”
The hungry look in her eye persuaded me to hit pause on Judd and start with Belinda. “Partially, yes. I spoke to Buck and a few of his poker buddies?—”
“Did Buck admit to knocking boots with Belinda?” Meemaw asked.
“He did, as a matter of fact.”
The other ladies gasped. “Buck and Belinda?” Louise said in awe. “Talk about an odd couple.”
Margie swatted her mother’s arm. “How could you know and not tell me?”
“Didn’t seem worth repeating at the time. I could tell he was stringing her along, and I guess I felt sorry for her.”
“Why would she confide in you?” Joan asked.
Meemaw stroked the corner of her book with her thumb. “She asked me for a spell.”
Catherine’s mouth dropped open. “A love spell for Buck?”
“Not quite.” Meemaw’s gaze settled on me. “Do you think Buck was involved in her death?”
I didn’t want to tell them about the fate-thread. “Let’s just say, at this point, I need all the information I can get.”
Catherine rubbed her hands together. “This is so exciting. Nothing interesting ever happens on Evermore.”
“Maybe you should put in a request for more murders with the HOA,” Meemaw said in a dry tone.
Catherine sipped her coffee. “Doesn’t need to be murder. Could be a missing persons case that doesn’t involve a Neighbor with dementia.”
Thank you, Catherine, for the ideal opening. “As it happens, we have one of those too.”
Catherine’s eyes bugged out of her head. “Who needs Bookstabbers when we have actual true crime?”
Louise shimmied her chair closer to mine. “Let us help you, Maya. We’re experts.” She thumped the James Patterson book on the table in front of her.
“We’re armchair experts,” Margie pointed out. “There’s a big difference.”
“It isn’t like Maya is a real detective,” Catherine shot back. “She works security. That’s like claiming to be FBI when you’re a mall cop.”
“Ouch. Not gonna lie. That one stings a little.”
“Judd’s still missing, I take it,” Meemaw said.
My stomach clenched. “He is. None of the usual methods have located him. I don’t even know if he’s on the island.” Or alive, but I didn’t want to think about that right now .
“And you’d like me to do a locator spell,” Meemaw said.
“If you wouldn’t mind.”
“Are you telling me your mage father never taught you how to do a basic locator spell?”
“I was young when I lost him.” In truth, my skills were rusty, and I didn’t want to waste valuable time. Meemaw was my best bet.
“I assume you brought an object that belongs to him?”
I pulled the blue-and-green-striped tie from my purse and placed it on the table.
Meemaw picked up the tie. “We’ll need a few items from behind the counter.” She scraped back her chair and motioned for me to follow her.
Given the hour, we were the only two customers at the counter. The manager, Delilah, approached us with a ready smile. “Is it time to switch to decaf?” she asked.
Meemaw typed in the Notes app on her phone. “I’d like the following items.” She passed the phone to Delilah, who studied the list.
“Is this for a drink?” she asked, nose scrunched in judgment. “Because I’m not sure these things go together.”
“A spell, not a drink,” Meemaw said.
Delilah sighed. “You know the rules, Meemaw. No magic is permitted in Rise and Grind.”
“What if it’s part of an investigation?” Meemaw asked.
Delilah’s eyes widened. “What kind of investigation?”
I stepped on Meemaw’s foot to silence her.
“Oh, please,” Meemaw said. “This is a local coffee shop. You think Delilah hasn’t heard about Belinda’s murder?”
Delilah leaned across the counter, eager. “So it was murder!”
“This spell isn’t about Belinda,” I said, determined to remain closemouthed .
Delilah’s gaze swept the room. “You know what? There’s basically nobody here. If the assistant security director says it’s okay, then go ahead.” She dropped her voice. “Just don’t tell anyone.”
I pretended to lock my lips and throw away the key.
Meemaw regarded me. “You and Judd are like night and day. It’s amazing you’ve managed to work together so long.”
“When we find him, let’s agree not to tell him about my rule bending. He won’t like it.”
“Men like Judd were made to wear a uniform,” Meemaw said. “You were made to wear an orange jumpsuit.”
I laughed. If only she knew how wrong she was.
Delilah returned to the counter carrying a large bowl with the requested items. “We don’t have any goji berries to crush, so I substituted dried cranberries, if that’s okay.”
“That should work,” Meemaw said. She slid the bowl to the far end of the counter, away from the group.
“I need quiet. Casting isn’t as easy for me as it used to be.
” She blew a breath. “Who am I kidding? Nothing is as easy for me as it used to be. I can’t even walk up steps without noticing a new ache. ”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I gestured to the bowl, so it was clear I was referring to the spell and not her medical issues.
“Close your eyes and focus on Judd. Your energy will amplify the spell.”
Easy enough. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Judd, conjuring up a recent interaction.
He’d ranted about the number of golf carts parked in disabled spots and wanted to cross-check the license plate of each one he saw with Neighborhood records.
He was convinced someone was selling fake stickers to unsuspecting Neighbors.
I’d rolled my eyes and gone back to reviewing the week’s nonurgent security concerns to make sure we’d addressed them all.
Justine expected a report every Monday with a prioritized list of issues and what had been done to handle them.
Later I’d spilled coffee on Judd’s boot.
In true Judd fashion, he’d simply grabbed a paper towel and wiped the boot dry.
I’d ruined his favorite footwear, and he didn’t say a word about it.
He was always patient with me, even in the early years, when I deliberately pushed his buttons to test him.
I hadn’t been accustomed to patience, and it initially made me uncomfortable.
Prior to Evermore, the people in my life had been demanding, to say the least.
“I can’t find him.” Meemaw’s gravelly voice cut through my deep thoughts.
I opened my eyes. “Nothing?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Maya. There’s only a black hole where Judd should be.”
“You checked the whole island?”
“Every nook and cranny.”
Disappointment gathered like a fist in the pit of my stomach. “Thank you for trying.”
“Are you two finished over there?” Margie yelled. “We don’t want to be left out of any gossip.”
Meemaw slid the bowl across the counter and called to Delilah. “Thanks, D. Put this on my tab, would you?”
“No,” I said. “Bill the HOA.”
“But then Justine will know you cast a spell,” Delilah countered. “We’ll all get in trouble.”
“I’ll run interference,” I said. “It won’t be a problem.”
Delilah collected the bowl. “Okay, then. If you say so. ”
Justine would understand. She wanted this situation resolved as much as I did.
I tried not to let my disappointment show as Meemaw and I rejoined the Bookstabbers.
Louise took one look at me and said, “Guess you didn’t find him.”
So much for a poker face. “Tell me about the spell Belinda requested,” I said to Meemaw. If I couldn’t find Judd, at least I could gather more information on Belinda.
“It was a compulsion spell,” Meemaw said. “I warned her it couldn’t be used for love, and she swore up and down that wasn’t her intention.”
“Did she say what was her intention?” I had an inkling, but it would be nice to have confirmation.
“She wanted him to ask her to move in,” Meemaw replied. “Silly old fool couldn’t accept that he wasn’t serious about her.”
“Did you do the spell?” Catherine asked.
Meemaw stared down her nose at the blonde witch. “Did they move in together?”
“No,” Catherine said quietly. “So I guess you refused.”
“Of course I refused. Just because you have the power to do something doesn’t make it acceptable to actually do it.”
“Relationships aren’t worth the hassle,” Joan said. “Glad I gave them up years ago. Friendships are healthier for the heart.”
“I think it’s fine if both parties are on the same page,” I said.