Chapter 10
Chapter ten
Isank back in my chair.
“You’re looking all washed out,” Adriana said in a concerned tone.
“We should go.” Genie offered me her hand. “We’ll take you to your lodgings.”
“Not so fast,” I said. “We haven’t achieved our earlier goals yet.”
“We sure do. Because I’m all hotsy-totsy. The goons are still in town,” Adriana said.
Genie took my arm to steady me as we left the café table and strolled past the auction house. I was one part relieved that she offered me her unasked support, but also to some part peeved that I needed it. I wasn’t even 50 yet, and a little witchcraft shouldn’t leave me as limp as a wet cloth.
I slowed my pace to a crawl outside the two neighboring stores.
Thanks to the proximity, Cosmo and I had picked them as the most likely places (apart from the auction house itself) to have been used for keeping up the cloaking spell.
One was a nail salon, the other was yet another New Age store.
Of the two, I clocked the latter as the likelier option.
I almost face-palmed. I had no idea what backed onto this block. Cosmo and I had to check that out.
I shot a quick glance at Genie. Her great-great-aunt might be floating on air – in her case, literally, behind my back.
The mortal Darling was in less good shape.
Maybe she’d taken my arm as much to steady herself as to aid the older generation.
I hadn’t considered that using her mundane energy to fuel my magic had to affect her.
“Change of plans,” I announced. “We’ll drop you off.”
There was no longer a crowd outside the auction house.
Cosmo sneezed.
I let go off Genie’s arm, handed her my cat, and picked up a bit of rosemary off the ground.
“Don’t throw it away.” Adriana’s voice rose in excitement.
I had no idea why she wanted to keep the rosemary, but I put the herb in my pocket and took back my familiar while we continued our walk to the Crystal Springs Fontainebleau.
Genie’s room started to feel like a temporary headquarters. She and Adriana weren’t as in sync with me as my crazy coven, but they came a close second.
Adriana asked me for the rosemary. I took it out of my pocket and laid it on the bedside table.
She sniffed it. Cosmo stayed at a safe distance. I made a mental note to check with our vet if cats could be allergic to the smell or the essential oils in the plant. I’d have thought kitchen herbs should be fine, yet this was the second time he’d sneezed when coming in close contact with rosemary.
Adriana said to Genie. “Tell me where you’ve smelled it.”
Genie grimaced. “You’re the one with the gift.” To me and Cosmo, she said, “Adriana is a genius when it comes to identifying the tiniest trace of scent.”
“Great, because I haven’t got a clue about the answer to her question,” I admitted.
“Inside the auction house, and to be precise, in the corner where my stuff was. You must have noticed the incense?” Adriana sighed, in a manner that reminded me only too well of Cosmo when I didn’t meet his high bars straight out of the gate.
“I noticed a heavy mix of perfumes and after shave and furniture polish,” I said.
“Incense isn’t exactly a surprise either.
It’s often used to repel moths and sachets with cedarwood or lavender, or tea tree oils are useful to prevent woodworms. It’s one of the first things you learn when it comes to furniture restoration. ”
“There were incense sticks in the room and reed diffusers in the room with the large items,” Cosmo said.
“It makes sense that Shawn uses them,” I said. “Speaking of Shawn, I haven’t checked if he’s messaged me about the auction.” Genie and I both took out our phones. None of us had received an update. The website itself also held no new information.
“Have you wondered how the burglar could get away without being caught on CCTV?” If only we were back home in Willowmere, where I had enough credibility with the police to ask a few questions.
“I’d have taken the back door, and used my powers to snuff the cameras,” Adriana suggested.
“So would I, if I could be sure it works. Unless of course that’s not necessary.” A warm tingle followed on my new train of thought. “What if the burglar didn’t need all these precautions?”
“I don’t understand,” Genie said.
“Who had the best opportunity to cast a spell inside the auction house and keep it going because he was there in person the whole time? And who stands to lose everything if he can’t change the mayor’s mind?
That would explain why he was only a beginner when it comes to doing bad things, and why the ghost of the crow could resist.”
“And of course he’d either switch off the cameras or hide the stolen lots inside the auction house.” Cosmo kneaded a pillow with his paws.
“Don’t.” Genie snatched the pillow.
He gave her a hurt look.
“Take this.” I handed Cosmo a knitted ball. “It helps him think, although he’d never cause any damage to his surroundings.”
He batted the ball around. It passed through Adriana’s 1920s dance shoe which looked so out of place next to Genie’s white sneakers that I chuckled. The last time I’d seen such a strange fashion combo was when I first saw the mayor, with his suit and cowboy boots.
My chuckle stopped. “I know what’s going on. The spell-book most likely contains some powerful magic that allows Shawn to undo the mayor’s decision and get the emporium project back on track. I’m certain it’s not been the first attempt.”
Genie and Adriana gaped at me in admiration.
Cosmo cocked his head. “Go on.”
“When I collected our pizza from the reception last night, another guest and his dog returned from a walk, with what I think was a voodoo doll made of rags. Its clothes resembled the mayor, and the dog found it outside the town hall.”
Genie raised her hand. “But why steal the lots? Why not buy them outright or just not display them?”
“I think when Shawn accepted the items for the auction, he had no clue what they were. I only received word about my mission the day before the viewing. It’s like there’s a timer that starts ticking when the magic wants to be discovered.” This was the best explanation I’d worked out in my head.
“But it would still have made more sense to simply hide them out of sight,” Genie insisted.
“Unless the owners checked to see how many offers there were. I was able to place pre-bids online, so he’d have to come up with a lot of money to beat all the competition, even if he wanted to purchase the lots himself secretly.
Stealing them was the easiest way out, and the insurance wouldn’t cause too much fuss with a claim for only those three lots. ”
Adriana sniffed the rosemary again. “I’m sure I’ve smelled this again, on a person. It wasn’t part of the stuff he used in the other room.”
“Sure?” Genie asked.
“Has this nose ever been wrong?” Adriana quick-stepped around the room, in spirits high enough to make it hard to believe she wasn’t as real and alive as her great-great-niece. “I can’t exactly say who it was, but I smelled it.”
“Maybe the rosemary has nothing to do with the case,” Genie suggested.
“That’s possible.” I collected Cosmo’s ball, which had landed in a corner, and cradled him to my chest. “I suggest we call it a day. Cosmo needs a nap, and I’m sure you both can do with some quiet time too. Shall we meet again for dinner?”
We agreed that Cosmo and I would return in the evening and bring food.
“If you hear from Shawn, text me,” I said.
“Unlikely that he’ll be in touch.” Genie gave me a wry smile.
“It depends on the police. It’s much more plausible that he’ll try to keep up his reputation as an honest businessman. There’s no reason for him not to auction off the remaining lots.” With that astute deduction Cosmo and I left.
We only had a few more detective tasks to take care of on our own. Allies were all good and useful, but tough decisions needed to be tackled by only a witch and her cat.