Chapter 7
After a quick goodbye to Jaxon, Riley and I made our way to the Tea and Tarot. My thoughts whirled with questions about Eve. Was she the mystery girl Graham might’ve cheated on me with, and could she have killed him?
“That was a cool trick with finding Graham’s planner earlier.” Riley gave me a once-over that brought heat to my cheeks. “I didn’t know you could use your magic like that.”
“I didn’t either,” I muttered, looking away.
I’d always thought my magic was sort of lame, something to help me stay balanced, physically and maybe emotionally—at least if you compared me to Lydia who was always overemotional about something—but was there more to it like Riley had suggested?
There had to be because helping me stay balanced had nothing to do with helping me find that book, unless the mystery of Graham’s death was throwing me off so my magic was trying to help me get answers to restore balance.
The more I learned about my balancing magic and the more I learned to trust it, the more convinced I was that I was right about Graham cheating.
If my magic couldn’t fix the balance in our relationship because of what he’d done, that would explain why things had felt so off.
I had a hard time figuring out my magic, but maybe Riley was right and it was time to stop underestimating it.
“I wonder what sort of things your magic might have tried to point out to you before,” he mused.
His words brought back a memory from a few years ago when my magic had flared up around the time the king and queen passed away in a car crash. I’d written it off, but maybe there was more to it than I’d assumed. Not that I knew how to get answers about it now.
“Either way,” he continued, interrupting my train of thought, “I knew you’d be good at this. For someone who claims they don’t know what they’re doing, you’re doing well.”
“Glad I’m good at snooping around in other people’s business.”
He chuckled and pulled his phone from his pocket, catching a pen cap as it fell out too. “Maybe I should recruit you to help me full-time.”
“I think I’ll leave that to the professionals.” I eyed him. What was his deal with hoarding pen caps?
“So you think I’m a pro, huh?”
“You’re ridiculous. I was obviously talking about Lizzy,” I said even though I hadn’t been thinking about my sister at all. When Riley was around I had a hard time thinking of anything else, and the flutter in my stomach confirmed it.
Riley’s mouth lifted in that slow, knowing smile that made me feel like he saw me better than I saw myself. “You can pretend you aren’t interested all you want, but I know better.”
“Yes, because getting tangled up in a murder investigation is my go-to flirting technique.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So you admit you were flirting?”
“I admit nothing.”
“That’s all right.” He winked. “I always did like a challenge.”
Unsure of the correct response to his potion-induced flirting, I pulled my coat tighter to counter the chilly autumn air and squinted up into the late afternoon sunlight filtering through the canopy of gold and crimson branches overhead.
Less than twenty minutes later, we made it to Tea and Tarot. Riley opened the door, and I eagerly stepped into the warmth the shop offered. He put his hand on the small of my back as he followed me inside, and tingles spread through me at the simple gesture.
I rubbed my hands up and down my arms and admired the candles floating in the air, trying not to think about my reaction to him. The Halloween decorations were a fun added touch since my last visit, and they filled the air with the scent of cider.
Madam Rosa hurried over, her long, skirt and knit shawl flowing behind her. The loose clothes didn’t hide her tall, willowy frame that was typical of dryads. She winked at me, then turned to Riley. “Welcome to the Tea and Tarot, where we brew magic one cup at a time.”
“Thank you,” Riley said.
“Hello, Madam Rosa.” I waved at her.
“It’s good to see you again, Kitty.” She ushered us to a table draped in a rust-colored tablecloth. “Have a seat and I’ll have your tea right out. Do you want the usual?”
I scanned the menu where the chalk glowed faintly on the blackboard. My magic stirred inside me, urging me to pay attention to the moonlight maple chai this time? No, I didn’t want any chai teas.
“The usual is great,” I told her.
She smiled and turned to Riley. “And what about you, young man?”
Riley’s gaze also flicked to the menu, which didn’t hold a single coffee option. “I’ll have whatever she’s having.”
“Splendid, splendid.” Madam Rosa bustled off.
“It’s hot in here.” Riley tugged at his shirt collar and eyed the floating candles, which hung interspersed around the tables.
“I know. Isn’t it wonderful?” I unwrapped my scarf and put it and my jacket on the back of my chair.
Riley shook his head and looked around, taking in the wall lined with bookshelves and the fortune telling booth in one corner with crystal balls.
That was something else Madam Rosa had added since the last time I’d come.
She was always updating the shop to get the edge over her competitor, The Enchanted Teapot.
“So what did we order?” Riley asked as we settled into our seats’ soft cushions.
“A pumpkin spice hibiscus tea.”
Riley grimaced. “I see drinking tea runs in the family.”
He must’ve learned about our caffeine intolerance from Lizzy.
Most herbal teas were okay, but coffee and alcohol were a no-go since it made my magic fuzzy and hard to control, like I was a fizzing soda bottle about to burst. Maybe it had something to do with our being half-witch, half-fae. “I take it you aren’t a tea drinker?”
“Not when I can help it,” he said. “I usually have a thermos of coffee on me, but I rushed out without it this morning.”
“Shame,” I said. “So, how do we do this?”
“First, we need to ask her if she saw the victim yesterday, and with a little luck, she’ll remember him and who he was with.”
I pressed my lips together and traced the grain of wood on the table. Luck wasn’t usually on my side.
“She’ll probably recognize him anyway from the news, but it wouldn’t hurt if you had a picture of you and Graham to show her. Sometimes that jogs people’s memory more effectively,” Riley said.
I pulled out my phone and flipped through my recent photos until I found one of Graham and I together. It was from a hike we’d done about six months ago. Graham looked so happy and normal in the photo… so alive.
Madam Rosa returned, two steaming cups of tea floating behind her. “Here you go, dears. This will warm you right up.”
I took a sip, savoring the deep hibiscus flavor of the tea mixed with the creamy pumpkin, topped with a swirl of vanilla. I smiled at Madam Rosa. “As usual, it’s delicious. Tastes like autumn in a cup.”
“Splendid,” she said.
“Oh, Madam Rosa.” I stopped her before she could glide off to another table and held out my phone. “Do you know if this man came in yesterday?”
“Why yes, he did. He was in here before closing, I believe.” She pursed her lips. “Poor dear. I heard what happened to him on the news.”
“Was he alone?” Riley asked.
“No, he was with a young woman.”
“Did you know her?” I leaned forward so fast I almost spilled my drink.
Madam Rosa scrunched her forehead. “No, I don’t think she’d been into the shop before.”
“Can you tell us anything else?” Riley asked.
“He ordered the dark forest oolong, and she got the toasted hazelnut comfort.”
Leave it to Madam Rosa to remember only their order. I forced a smile for her even though it was the opposite of how I felt. “Do you remember anything about what the girl looked like?”
“I’m sorry. I’m terrible with faces, but I believe she had red hair. It was quite beautiful, and I’m pretty sure she was a shifter. Us dryads have a sense for these things, you know.”
A red-headed shifter girl. That narrowed things down at least a little. “Thanks for your help.”
“My pleasure.” She bustled off, leaving Riley and me stewing in silence.
“So what now?” I asked after a few more sips.
“Now we test this out.” He pulled out a small vial filled with shimmering purple liquid from his bag.
My mouth fell open. “Is that poison?” I hissed.
“Yes.” He opened his phone and showed me a webpage for Tea and Tarot that listed the menu and their hours from 8:00 in the morning to 6:00 at night.
“Where did you even get that?” I gestured to the poison.
“I pulled a few strings.”
“You pulled a few strings and somehow got poison?” I repeated incredulously.
“Well, it’s not enough to kill someone, so they were a bit more flexible,” he said. “According to the website, the dishes here are enchanted with an anti-malady charm to negate any negative substances in the food or drinks and protect customers.”
“And if the website is wrong?”
He pulled another vial, this time filled with a white substance. “Then I’ve come prepared. If it looks like things are going south, I need you to give this to me within thirty seconds or I’ll have a long, uncomfortable night.”
“What if you’re unconscious? How am I supposed to give it to you?”
“Mouth-to-mouth is preferable, but I’ll leave it up to you.” He winked and poured the poison into his cup.
I shook my head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“I’ve been told that before,” he said, stirring it with a dainty silver spoon, “but most people add the word ‘charming’ on the end.”
I rolled my eyes but watched intently as he took a sip.
His phone buzzed on the table, and he picked it up and read a message.
“Who is it?” I didn’t take my gaze off him.
“Tessa, a friend on the force.” Riley lowered his voice. “Apparently, they identified the poison used on Graham.”
“What poison was it?” I asked, curious if it was one I’d know from either my chemistry major or from my potion-making even though that wasn’t the same as studying poisons.
“She didn’t send the name, but she said it had an effective window of six hours.”