Chapter 29
My parents and aunt came over early so that my mom could help me fix dinner, my dad could keep us company, and my aunt could get some JJ time. She was in the nursery with him now, having taken over story time, but I heard the faint sounds of singing, too.
My dad was sitting at the counter, enjoying a beer, while my mom and I did some meal prep. It was so nice to have them around that I was once again thinking about what life was going to be like when they left.
I was really going to miss them. I needed to talk to Jayne about the possibility of getting a place in Las Vegas so we could keep them as much a part of JJ’s life as possible.
My mom and I were discussing the idea of doing a salad when Jayne returned from her visit to the event planner. I knew she was home before I saw her, because Spider rocketed past, no doubt looking for Sugar so he could tell her all about his adventures.
“Hello, Crowes.” Jayne walked into the kitchen, grinning at us, but came over to me and planted a kiss on my mouth. As she broke contact, she sighed and looked unsettled. “How are things?”
“Things are fine. What’s going on with you? Something go wrong at the event planner’s?”
She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. I thought I’d figured something out, and as it turned out, I didn’t.”
“What?”
She pulled the guest list file from under her arm.
“This. The redacted name. Or at least the magic used to redact it. I thought because of who it referenced that only other women could see the magic used to redact it. Any man who looked at it saw the name Holiday. You know how fickle magic can be sometimes.”
I nodded. “Sure. Makes sense.”
“Except that’s not the case. I stopped in to my dad’s office, and he saw the jumbled letters.”
“Show it to my dad.”
“That’s a good idea.” She opened the folder and went around to put it in front of my dad. “What name do you see here?”
“Holiday.” He looked at me. “Did I get that right?”
I snorted softly. “I don’t think there is a wrong answer.”
Jayne puffed out a breath. “What does that mean then? Why can some people see the magic and others can’t? Makes no sense.” She took a seat beside my dad and closed the file. “How long before dinner?”
“An hour?” I looked at my mom, who nodded, then back at Jayne. “You need a snack?”
“Um, yes.”
“I’d like a piece of that action.” My dad grinned. “What kind of snack?”
My mother shot him a look. “You do not have Jayne’s metabolism, dear.”
“Hey, I’m on vacation. Calories don’t count.”
Jayne leaned closer to him and whispered conspiratorially, “There’s cake.”
I pressed my hip into the counter for support. “There’s always cake. But we also still have some of that peanut butter pie left, too. We’re never short on sugar.”
My dad sighed wistfully. “Must be nice.”
“It’s fantastic,” Jayne said. “I think I’ll have a piece of that pie.”
“Me, too,” my dad said.
“Anson.” Just the tone of my mother’s voice made my dad shoot me a pleading look.
“I’ll just give him a small one, Mom.”
She shook her head but let it go and went back to cooking the bacon that was going into the pasta dish we were making.
“Oh! I just remembered,” Jayne said. She slipped off the stool, reached into the pocket of her cardigan and pulled out a card.
I tilted my head, trying to read it sideways. “What is that?”
“Official entry for tomorrow night to see the North Pole Orchestra perform at the planetarium in the Luminara show. In the royal box, I might add. It’s the best way to see the aurora borealis.”
“That sounds fantastic,” my mom said.
I wasn’t so sure yet. “I see a five on there. If that’s for all of us, who’s going to watch JJ?”
“My aunt Martha has already agreed. Can’t do better for a babysitter than Mrs. Claus.”
“She’s right about that,” my dad said.
“Now then,” Jayne said. “I’m going to change into something more comfortable while you fix me and your dad some pie. I’ll take a Dr Pepper, too.”
“So bossy,” I whispered loudly enough that she’d hear me, unable to contain my smile.
She stuck her tongue out at me before walking to the bedroom. She came back in leggings and a sweatshirt. I’d just put a plate at her place with a generous slice of peanut butter pie. My dad’s was a quarter of the size, and he’d looked at me like I was a traitor for siding with my mom.
The two of them were so funny. I felt for my dad, but my mom was right. He didn’t have Jayne’s metabolism. While he might burn thousands of calories every time he did a show, he was currently on hiatus.
“Hey, Dad, you want to go to the gym with me tomorrow? Or we could swim laps.” I glanced at my mom. “You can all come, if you want.”
“Aunt Z and I are supposed to head back to that yarn shop,” my mom said. “But you boys have fun.”
“Where is the gym?” my dad asked.
“Right here in the palace. Same as the pool.”
“Count me in.” My dad leaned to one side. “Hear that, Lila? I’m going to the gym.”
She laughed. “Yes, I heard.”
I hobbled back a step and braced myself on the counter closer to where Jayne was sitting. “So how did the meeting go?”
She forked up a bite of pie. “Good. I pretty much told her to do her thing.” She nudged my dad. “I’ve asked for five to ten minutes for you to perform some kind of illusion. Do you have anything in mind?”
“Hmm.” My dad licked his fork, a vain attempt at one final taste of pie. “I could do fireworks. Magical ones. In fact …” His eyes narrowed, and I knew his creative juices were flowing. “What about something fire-themed? Might be a nice change of pace from the ice and snow.”
“Go on,” Jayne said.
“I could start with fireballs exploding in the sky, then transition into a pair of fire-breathing dragons that transform into a giant fiery crown that dissolves into the words, ‘Prince Jack.’ Or something like that. How’s that sound?”
Jayne’s mouth was open. “Like something people would talk about nonstop. You can really do all that? I mean, I know you can, but wow, that seems fantastical.”
“If it meets your approval, I’ll get to work on it.” He looked at me again. “The pool area would be a great place to do a test run. The fire might be magical, but it’s still got to be real enough to put off heat. Kind of ruins the illusion if there’s no heat.”
“That’ll be the plan, then.” But Jayne suddenly didn’t look happy. I touched her hand. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. I just wish we were making more progress on Delton’s murder.”
“Me, too.”
She finished her pie and pushed the plate toward me. “You know what? I’m going to call Constable Larsen and get an update. Maybe she has news for us.”
“Anything’s possible.” I took her plate and fork and limped them over to the dishwasher.
“I’ll be right back.” She pulled her phone out and dialed as she walked into the bedroom.
My dad looked concerned. “I know your mom and I aren’t exactly the super sleuths that you and Jayne are, but is there anything we can do to help?”
With a sigh, I shook my head. “Nothing I can think of, but I appreciate the offer.” I took a breath, knowing my parents weren’t about to like what I was about to say next. “I’m starting to think I should use my abilities to see what Delton has to say.”
“Sin,” my mother said, turning from the frying pan. “You have a son to think of.”
“That’s what Jayne said.”
“Your wife and your mother are right on this one,” my dad said. “This will be solved eventually, I’m sure of it. Just because it’s taking longer than you think it should—”
Jayne walked out, and we all went quiet. I did my best to look positive. Her face gave no clues as to what she’d learned. I caught her eye. “What did Constable Larsen have to say?”
“They’ve made some progress.” She took her seat next to my dad again and drank her Dr Pepper before continuing. “The names from the archives logbook were all dead ends. She’s had each one run down and interviewed. Solid alibis for all of them.”
That was progress but not the kind I’d been hoping for. “Anything else?”
“There’s still no answer on that phone number you got off the notepad, but she’s found the name of the woman behind True North. It’s Serja Vintorf.”
Something clicked in my brain. “SV,” I whispered.
Jayne frowned. “What did you say?”
“SV.” My pulse quickened. “Those were the initials Delton had in his planner on the day before he died.”