Chapter 24
Chapter twenty-four
"That was excellent," Cosmo said.
"It was exhausting."
"I told you, you need to pace yourself for a while until you get used to all this. It might take some time, even after the block’s gone completely.”
“It isn’t? I thought …”
He shook his head. “It’s possible it’s linked to an arrest, or a confession, or a trial.”
“You can’t tell?”
“In all my lives I’ve never been in this position before. What we do know is that you’ve made great progress in solving the case or you wouldn’t have been able to open the bookcase, let alone read a spell.”
I picked up the ball and stuffed it in my pocket. Then I turned the page. It was blank. So was the page after.
"Close the book."
"Only one spell?" Disappointment reared its ugly head.
"Oh, Bex, Bex. Haven't you learned anything yet?"
"Apart from the baking spell?" I asked sweetly.
"You will make progress once you are ready. It's like a giant staircase. It will lead you up to the top of the tower, from where you shall glance out over your new—"
"Fiefdom?" I asked.
"Responsibility," he said. "But to reach the top, you need to master every single step first. Only then will they all reveal themselves."
"There are more spells?"
"A lifetime isn't enough to learn everything.
Your aunt had come far, yet she was still discovering new things," he said.
"You’ve had a glimpse of what's to come.
It will start with the things that you have an aptitude for.
Not everyone can master everything. So don't be disheartened if something is just way above—"
"My pay grade?"
"Humans," he muttered. Yet, I thought I detected a hint of a smile in his tone.
He'd soon get used to my sense of humor. Goodness knew I had to get used to his sarcasm. Occasional sarcasm, to be fair, but still. I didn't get divorced to be bossed around by another male, in whatever form.
I had 30 minutes left before I needed to open the doors to the lending library. I spent those minutes with a damp flannel over my forehead and a cup of steaming tea.
Witchcraft really did take it out of a woman.
"How long until I can do all these lovely things without breaking a sweat?" I asked.
"Literally or figuratively?"
"Both."
"The hot flashes will stay on as a warning sign. You'll soon get used to it."
"No, I won't," I said. "I haven't enjoyed it a bit so far."
"That's the menopausal part of the flashes."
"Oh, thank you, Doctor Cosmo." I finished my tea. My thoughts were all over the place, and so were my emotions. I was angry and sad and disturbed that my aunt had been the victim of a murderer.
And Jake as well.
But I was also exhilarated. To see that there was more to me and my life than just restoring furniture and matching it to people. That I could actually do something. Be someone. Help people —and most of all, make sure that the scumbag who cut short Aunt Violet's life would not get away with it.
As sad as her death was, she'd given me a new lease on life. A purpose.
She brought me home where I belonged—with my friends, where I felt home.
It was weird. I hadn’t experienced a sense of belonging for a long, long time. But here, in the rooms where I grew up after my mother's passing, it was like all the years since I’d left had only been a stepping stone.
"Home is where the charm is," I said, chuckling slightly at my wit.
"It is," Cosmo said. "Especially if you get your backside out of the chair and do your job."
I gave him a mock salute. He rolled his eyes.
Then I arranged my cookie jars and waited for customers.
Jimmy was the first to arrive. His cane tapped loudly on the floor. Cosmo had arranged himself on the counter again, pretending to be nothing but an ordinary cat.
I hastened to pull out a chair for Jimmy. "What can I do for you?" I asked.
"I only wanted to see how you are." His eyelids were reddened.
I gave him a so-so shrug, not sure what I was supposed to tell him. I hadn't been officially informed about the autopsy results, and Nick had only told us in private.
"You told me you never had no real garden of your own," he said.
"That's right. I assume a bit of lawn and a couple of flowerpots don't count, do they?" I faked a tiny laugh.
"I can arrange something to tide you over until we get you up to speed," he said. "Violet, bless her soul, wouldn’t want her beautiful yard to go to seed."
"That's very kind," I said.
"Nah. It's selfish," he said. "I spent so many happy hours with your aunt just planting and planting and puttering around." He wiped his rheumy eyes with a handkerchief.
"I wouldn't want you to exert yourself too much," I said.
"Oh, that's sweet of you, Bex. But believe you me, it's good for us old folks to feel useful. And for the heavy stuff, I can still rope in my son. I told you he’s back, didn't I?"
"You mentioned him," I said, wondering what that was all about. Had Jimmy been in league with Pamela? Was he trying to get into my aunt’s garden to ensure there were no traces of her sneaking in and borrowing the spare key from the shed?
Ridiculous, I told myself. I was seeing duplicity and ghosts everywhere. What reason should Jimmy, of all people, have to harm my aunt? He'd adored her. And what? What did he stand to gain? Unless… was there any chance to get a proper look at Jake's last testament and will?
Nope, there was no reason, I reminded myself. The police would take charge, prove Pamela’s guilt, and I could return to taking lessons from Cosmo. Yay, me.
I gave Jimmy a cookie from the non-magical jar and left him browsing through an old book about gardens in Italy.
Next came Mimi, also wondering how I was holding up. She was followed by some of her garden club friends, who made a beeline for Jimmy and his reading material.
I left them to their own devices, wondering if there'd be any real customers coming in today. My aunt hadn't made a fortune with the lending library, but it had brought in enough for her to live on without any worries.
Of course, that was before there were any nefarious doings in Willowmere.
I tapped my foot on the floorboards. A small squeak emanated from under my foot.
Note to self: check everything and maybe nail down a plank or two, I thought. That would give me something to do.
I wondered how much longer it would take until I heard something about the case. Or until the detective would appear again to break the shocking news to me.
Why wasn't he already here? Why did he lie to me? What did they all want?
I had another idea—or rather, a memory that came to me as I checked out three books for Mimi and her friends.
As soon as the opening hours were over and everybody had left, I locked the doors and ran upstairs.
My aunt had used a pill dispenser for years. Every Sunday, she put all her medication for the week in tiny compartments labeled with the contents, hours of the day, and days of the week so she wouldn't forget a single pill.
There were still capsules and tablets left for the rest of the week that she hadn't lived to take.
I grabbed a Kleenex to pick the dispenser up and put it in a Ziploc bag.
I was heading for the door when the detective turned up on my doorstep.