Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
Ange dropped me off soon after. We’d decided to split tasks. Ange was in charge of keeping up with the police news, via her husband. Reina and Harper had promised to pick up any little bit of gossip that came their way through the bar. I intended to make full use of the library.
Cosmo waited on my bed. “You’re in a good mood,” he said.
I’d have given him full marks for observation if not for the fact that I’d danced into the room. “I think I’m making progress.”
“That’s great.”
“Isn’t it?” I started counting in my head. How many seconds until he’d ask me to explain a little more?
As it turned out, he was more patient than I.
When the pause had lasted long enough for me to get changed in my pajamas (in the bathroom, behind closed doors), and for Cosmo to crunch on a few teeth-friendly treats, I capitulated.
“We have a list of suspects. And I think Reina might be a witch. Plus, there’s one more thing. ”
His whiskers twitched.
“I might have fiddled with gravity. Only, how’s that possible if we must solve the murder to unblock my abilities?”
“You did what?” He froze.
I repeated myself, word for word. I’d practiced my little speech while I was putting on my pjs.
“Bex, this is really important. You need to tell me every last detail. Leave out nothing.”
He hadn’t sounded this serious since he broke cover to out himself to me.
“Can’t that wait?”
His glare made me flinch. “In that case I’ll need caffeine.”
For once, Cosmo listened without interruption. I’d decided to play it safe and copied our list.
He scratched his ear when I finished. “It’s a start, but you left out the important bits.”
I stared at my notes. “I didn’t. They’re all here. Kyle Hansen, his dad, Doc Hansen, Hank, Billy-Bob …”
“When did you slow down the notepad?”
“At the end?”
“Which means, somewhere during your meeting with your girlfriends, you made progress. Or you wouldn’t have been able to pull that off. We’ll need to practice your new talent.”
“Not tonight!” I protested.
“Of course not. I need my rest. But why didn’t you finish the list before you came home?”
“I did. That’s all we came up with so far.”
“And what about the heirs? Or the human who skulked around in Jake’s house a few days before his death?”
“I forgot about the heirs,” I admitted. “As for a human, I didn’t hear a peep about them, until now.
Shouldn’t you have told me, instead of chewing me out for not completely mastering the art of finding a killer 101 at my first go?
” I crossed my arms. So far, Cosmo had made it very clear who was the master and who was the underling.
It was unlike him to omit a crucial fact.
Unless something affected his memory. Could it be that the same source that blocked my energy also took its toll on him?
He seemed to think along similar lines. “I should have,” he admitted. “Only I’d simply caught a glimpse from my window one night.”
“Was it a man or a woman?” I asked.
“I can’t say.”
“Fair enough. But can you describe the person?”
He shook his head.
“I thought cats have superior vision in the dark?”
“We do. Except this human was masked, like a mummy for Halloween. Do you know that my ancestress, the Egyptian goddess Bastet, was honored in ancient Egypt with mummies too? And sculptures, of course.”
“That’s creepy.”
“Different times. Although I do prefer the statues. And paintings. I sat for Manet once, back in Paris.”
“Fascinating.”
“Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?”
“Only of exhaustion, and nerves. I’d love to hear all about your exploits during your charmed lives but not while you expect me to juggle all this mess.” I waved my hand around.
“We’ll talk in the morning.” He graciously allowed me to slide under the duvet. “Good night and sweet dreams.”
“Good night, Cosmo.”
When I opened my eyes, a watery sun graced the sky. Birds fluttered around the feeder.
I angled for my slippers. “You didn’t wake me.”
“I figured you deserved a break. Also, you’ll have more energy now you’ve started on the path to real breakthroughs.”
He rubbed himself against my legs as I sat down on my bed and grabbed a few small sheets of paper from a stationery box.
“What are you writing?” he asked.
“None of your beeswax.” I stroked him between the ears to show I didn’t mean it. On the other hand, he was already full of himself, so he didn’t need to hear that I was catching up with the notes for my gratitude jar, and that he was the first thing I was grateful for.
Aunt Violet had given me two jars during my last visit.
The other one was a swear jar. For each instance, I cussed at something or a certain someone, I had to put in a dollar.
I was proud of the fact that I’d be lucky to spring for a pizza evening with my friends, with the money.
It had also changed my vocabulary to a standard much more suited to running a library, frequented by impressionable children.
With the two pieces of paper folded up – yes, I was also saying thank you for my friends – I prepared myself mentally for the day.
First though, came breakfast. Cosmo wolfed down his chicken so fast that I worried he might choke. He didn’t. Instead, he joined me at the table and watched me eat toast.
His tail flicked and my paper napkin sailed to the floor.
“Oops.” I bent to pick it up and deposit it in the trash can.
“You didn’t catch it,” he said.
“Obviously.”
“Why?”
“It’s only a paper napkin.”
“So, you didn’t try?”
“No.”
He grumbled. “She’ll be a major pain to lick into shape.”
“She can hear you. She also prefers a little bit of a heads-up. A timetable, maybe, saying 9 to 10, witchcraft 101. 10 to 11, levitation for beginners.” I fluttered my lashes at him.
“Fine.”
He allowed me to clear the table and load the dishwasher.
Only the “special” equipment, as he called it, needed to be cleaned by my own hands.
It appeared, being a witch included self-reliance and taking care of one’s household with only minimal technical support.
Since I didn’t foresee the money or a cleaner or a gardener in my near future, I didn’t mind.
“What now?” I asked.
“Catch.” In quick succession, he swiped an apple, a magazine, and a fork off the worktop.
I did my best to stop them. The magazine eluded me, but I caught the apple and the fork. Too bad it was because I’d slipped and landed on my bottom, so the two objects landed in my lap.
Cosmo preened himself. “Interesting.”
I pushed myself off the floor. “Thank you for your concern.”
“You can’t be hurt. Otherwise, we have a tube with witch hazel in Violet’s bathroom cabinet.”
His paw twitched as he stared at a tissue box.
“Stop,” I said. “Unless you want me to be too sore to reopen the lending library this afternoon.”
“We need to get folks through the door.”
“We do.” Aided by the bespelled cookies, I hoped to listen to a decent amount of gossip.
I was right. Only it was not what Cosmo and I wanted to hear.