Chapter 17 #3
Hailey carried on without interruption. “I knew there was something special about him, and I told him so. He laughed it off then, but yesterday he told me he was ready to join a coven and hone his skills.”
“That’s wonderful,” Arthur said, though his heart sank. The timing suggested Brody was indeed investigating the coven on his own.
“Isn’t it?” Hailey practically bounced out of her chair.
“This means I’m going to be platinum level!
Brody has so much potential. Apparently, his mom was a pretty powerful witch, too, so he gets to skip sage level.
If you’d told me this morning I’d recruit a lavender-level witch, I wouldn’t have believed you! ”
“Lavender level…that’s—”
“Huge for me! It means Brody counts as two recruits. I’d be willing to bet he levels up to mugwort or valerian by festival’s end, though.”
“Oh? Is he that promising?” Arthur asked.
He’d entirely lost track of the game, which was just fine, as it seemed Sal and the Winslows had left the rules behind entirely.
Sal had collected all the tokens and was performing some kind of narrative saga with them.
The Winslows looked engaged enough, so Arthur didn’t bother to redirect them.
As long as they were entertained and Hailey was talking, he didn’t care what they were doing.
“You have no idea,” Hailey said, lowering her voice as if imparting a secret. “Ambrosia Celestine herself said she wants to train him. She’s going to evaluate his power tomorrow and start personalized lessons.”
That was lucky for Brody. It would probably afford him the chance to snoop around.
Arthur hoped he managed to do it in a stealthier manner than he himself had—though he still blamed Other Arthur Miller for getting caught, even if his ire was tempered somewhat by the fact that Other Arthur remained a model guest—he’d even complimented Arthur’s cooking after the last group meal.
Perhaps Brody would see something they’d missed.
Or maybe he’d get caught, too. Maybe he’d get killed.
Seeing Brody lying in a pool of his own blood behind the Big Bad Brew two months ago had been rather enough for him.
He didn’t think he could stomach Brody falling into even more danger.
If Arthur had simply done his job faster, Brody wouldn’t be in this situation at all.
It suddenly struck him as irresponsible to be playing games at a time like this, and he stood abruptly.
“Arthur?” Sal murmured, concern in his gaze.
The others all looked at him as well.
Arthur remembered himself suddenly. Brody was not his only responsibility. He had a business to run and guests to entertain. “Refill, anyone?” he asked, pointing to the Winslows’ empty wineglasses.
“I think that’s enough for me,” Mr. Winslow said. “I’m fading fast, anyway.”
Mrs. Winslow agreed and the two got up to turn in, much to Sal’s disappointment. The game had long gone off the rails, but he was loath to lose an audience of any size. He recovered quickly, though, turning dancing eyes on Hailey as Arthur moved to clean up.
“So, platinum level. I bet you’ve got a line on all the scandalous happenings in the coven now!” Sal leaned in, full gossip mode.
Hailey laughed. “Oh, there’s nothing too dramatic. A few messy breakups, and some rivalries, but that’s it.”
“How messy are we talking?” Sal asked, before Arthur cleared his throat loudly. “I mean, did any involve Ambrosia herself?”
“No, she doesn’t date within the coven, and she’d never have a rival. She’s all about power through unity.” Hailey let out a wistful little sigh. “She’s such an inspiration.”
“You know,” Sal began, lowering his voice, “I heard she’s from Trident Falls.”
Hailey’s jaw actually dropped. “No way!”
“I’ve got proof!” Sal pulled out his phone and held it out.
Hailey leaned over the screen, eyes wide. “Wow. Teenage Ambrosia! Where’d you get this?”
“I have my sources,” Sal said mysteriously, and not at all like someone who’d simply visited the local library. “Do you recognize anyone else in the photo?”
Arthur hid his smile by making sure the board game pieces were extra tidy in their box.
Hailey had been part of the coven for years.
She might’ve known Wilhelmina and have insight into her sudden disappearance.
It was quick thinking on Sal’s part. He really was getting the hang of this detective business.
“Oh, I do!” Hailey clapped her hands. “Wow. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her around the festival this week. I guess Ambrosia really is from here, huh?”
Arthur stopped pretending to be busy and stared at her. “You’ve seen her? Recently?”
“Yeah.” Some of Hailey’s enthusiasm waned. “She’s older now, with graying hair, but I’m great with faces.” She touched Sal’s phone, making part of the photograph larger. “I don’t know her name, but I recognize her.”
Sal gaped at the screen, then turned it to Arthur. The girl Hailey had focused on wasn’t Wilhelmina at all. It was the third person in the picture, a teen with a mousy bob.
She still wore her hair in much the same style today, and Arthur wasn’t sure how he’d missed it, except that she was very easy to miss.
The third girl was Trident Falls’ resident accountant, Martha.