Chapter 11
Chapter eleven
“You’re in a suspicious hurry,” Cosmo whispered while we were again taking the hotel staircase to go down. “Normally I’d have resented your talking about me needing a nap, as if I were a grey-whiskered dodderer. I’m in my prime.”
“It was the first pretext I could think of,” I said, omitting the fact that both were true. I had used Cosmo as an excuse, and he also needed his rest.
“Why? I thought we’d agreed that those ladies are trustworthy.”
“They are, but they’re also defenseless, or at least Genie is. We can’t drag her into what we have to do now.” I paused on the second to last step. The heavy fire doors ensured us privacy, and I wanted to discuss our action plan with Cosmo before we proceeded.
“Enlighten me.”
“It only dawned on me when I realized that the mayor is the target for a magical attack. We have no idea what shape it’ll take. What if it’s not intended to change his mind but to make him ill instead?”
“You want to protect him.”
“Can you think of anything better?”
Cosmo smoothed his whiskers. “It’s going to be difficult if we allow him to roam freely.”
“But it’s doable?”
“If we act fast. First, we’ll need a spell that keeps Shawn busy and in place. Then we’ll have to locate the mayor.”
Outside the hotel, I put my familiar on the ground.
He sauntered ahead on his leash, with all the insouciance of a sleek black cat taking his human for a walk.
I doubted that anyone spotting us would think of a witch and her familiar instead of simply dismissing us as a middle-aged cat-lady doting on her fur baby.
There might be other gifted people around, but Cosmo would have told me if Crystal Springs was teeming with his kind.
Although Shawn’s office was the likeliest place for him to have started the spell, due diligence demanded a thorough reconnaissance.
The auction house backed onto a service alley with a reserved space for a delivery truck and dumpsters. The nail salon and the New Age store both had apartments tacked onto them. In the first one, a woman my age was visible through the window, using an espresso maker.
The apartment at the back of the New Age store appeared empty, although the window stood slightly open.
. Cosmo tugged at his leash and jumped onto the lid of a dumpster that allowed him an unhindered view.
He craned his neck and then thumped his tail on the metal.
I took that as an invitation to lift him off the dumpster.
While I did that, he whispered into my ear, “There are fans everywhere. It looks as if there was a burst water pipe inside. The place is empty. From what I saw, it won’t be fit to be inhabited for a day or two, until it’s all dry again.”
I knew better than to question his observations. They also fit it with the encounter at the hotel. Leila had mentioned plumbers. For now, though, all that mattered was that the apartment was deserted, which lessened the risk of me being spotted.
“Can you hide me from Shawn?” I asked him.
“If you’re fast.” His chest swelled and his fur bristled.
I sent out a probing thought, using the mental image of the baseball cap and trenchcoat to follow Shawn’s trail. It led me inside the auction house, where I got an impression of him working at his desktop.
Cosmo emitted a purr that triggered every happy neuron in my subconscious and probably those of everyone within a 100-yard radius.
I moved my hands to weave an invisible net blocking both the exit and the entrance, like a cat’s cradle.
I didn’t dare use stronger magic, in case it alerted Shawn to the fact that there was a witch at work.
I also didn’t want to risk depleting both my and Cosmo’s energy before we’d put up our protection for Pete Grayson.
The nets were only a deterrent, meant to make Shawn feel as if he’d forgotten something important inside when he came too close to the doors. If he was remotely like me, he’d go back and forth half a dozen times trying to figure out what he’d planned to do.
Cosmo’s body slackened. “You may carry me,” he rasped. “Don’t worry, I’ll rally in a few minutes.”
He was still limp in my arms when we reached Bloom’s B&B. Posy was busy outside, deadheading any wilted flowers.
She gazed at Cosmo. “What’s wrong with the poor sweetie?”
Cosmo’s heart beat reassuringly steady against my chest and his breath had grown stronger with every step I took.
“He’s exhausted from all the running around in the fresh air, that’s all,” I assured her, racking my brain for how to bring up Pete Grayson and his whereabouts.
“It’s so nice to be in a town where most people walk instead of taking the car.
I think I spotted your mayor a couple of times. ”
“He swears on exercise. He says it improves the blood flow to the brain.” She grimaced. “Not that that has worked for him lately.”
“He’s changed? He sure is the right age for a midlife crisis.”
“You can say that again. One day, he’s fine with jeans and boots and fitting right in with our artistic crowd, and suddenly, it’s all tailored suits and talking big business. The only thing unchanged is that he’s keen on walking.”
“I’d have thought the trail to the springs would be perfect for that.” I stroked Cosmo who’d recovered enough to purr under my touch. That explained the remarkable flow of chatter from Posy.
“It’s too far. He lives right next door to the town hall and he’s a busy man.” She snipped off a final dead flowerhead. “I hope you haven’t gotten the wrong impression of Crystal Springs, with the break-in at the auction house and all. It’s usually very peaceful here.”
“I’m certain the police will solve the case.” I treated her to a warm smile. “Actually, I’ve decided to stay a few more nights, so I can explore a bit. The springs sound very attractive. I hope my room will be available for longer?”
“They are. We have the cutest traditions going on. If you’re still here for the summer solstice, you’re welcome to join us for our annual procession with dance and recitals. Your room is free for another two nights. Shall I extend your booking?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Posy glanced up to the second story, consisting of the owner’s private rooms. “I forgot to water my plants.”
She rushed inside.
I lingered on the doorstep with Cosmo, trying to come up with a way to use my magic on the mayor. Having to deal with a man prone to gallivanting around wasn’t going to make my life easier.
Posy’s head popped up through her open window. She held a one-gallon watering can.
“Ouch.” Peaceful, considerate Cosmo had pricked me with his claw. I glared at him, until I saw what my cat had spotted first. Pete Grayson was coming along our way.
My familiar’s gaze swiveled from Pete to me.
“Gotcha.” I spread my feet to steady myself as I focused all my attention first on the watering can and then on the mayor.
Two more steps – one more step – stumble!
He stopped in confusion as his boot caught on the pavement. Simultaneously, Posy’s hand slipped, and all the liquid poured down on the mayor.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” she called down to him. “Please wait, I’m coming down.”
The mayor gritted his teeth. “Accidents happen.”
Cosmo and I went inside, past a mortified looking Posy.
I relaxed. The water that had drenched the mayor held as much protective magic as I could muster. If my spell worked as intended, it should be good for a few days. I’d used the same tried and true magic I relied upon in the library to guard the secret lair.
Behind the reception desk, I glimpsed the doll. Posy hadn’t passed it on to anyone yet.
On impulse, I snatched it and retreated with it and Cosmo to our room.
“Food and water,” he gasped as soon as I’d closed the door behind us.
I filled his bowls. He lapped greedily, in what must be one of the most pleasant sounds in the natural world.
Calmness washed over me. We’d accomplished the most urgent tasks on our list. Now all we had to do was expose Shawn to the police, recover the stolen items, secure the artifact, and go home.