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“So...” Prim drawled as she wiggled her fingers at a fern. The delicate branches grew at a visible rate, reaching for the magic the fairy offered. “Who do you think cursed you?”
Wynona had to give her friend credit. She was definitely doing everything she could to keep Wynona from going stir crazy or from thinking about the mess that was her current life.
Because it’s better to think of the mess that was your past life?
Wynona shot Violet a look, who wasn’t the least bit repentant about her sassy behavior. She looked back at Prim, who was waiting expectantly. “I have no idea,” Wynona said with a sigh. She plopped herself onto a stool. “Anyone who hated my parents could have done it, though how anyone got close enough is a mystery.”
Prim pursed her pink lips and focused on spritzing a hollyhock. “How close would someone have to have been in order to curse you?”
Wynona paused. She hadn’t really thought about it. “You know, I’m not quite sure.” She put her clasped hands on the work table. “They couldn’t have been across town. That’s too far for even my mother.” Her red nails tapped the dirty surface. “But with the protection wards in place, I would think the creature had to be in the castle.”
“So...someone snuck in?”
Wynona shook her head. “That or...” She trailed off as another thought occurred to her. She felt the blood drain from her head and swayed slightly before catching herself on the edge of the table.
“Nona!” Prim shouted, rushing over. “What in the world happened? You’re as white as a moonflower.”
Wynona sputtered and came out of her shock when Prim began to spray the water in her face. “Holy hexes, enough!” Wynona put her hands up to stop any more moisture from hitting her.
“Sorry,” Prim said, real concern in her tone. “I was trying to pull you out of your trance.”
Wynona raised her eyebrows and wiped at her face. “Thanks, I think.” She gave a wry grin. “It worked, after all.”
Prim’s smile was anything but easy. “But what caused it in the first place? Were you having another vision?” She looked around. “I don’t see a teacup.”
Wynona wiped her now wet hands on her skirt. “No, no vision. Just a realization.” She hadn’t realized just how frightening her tea reading must have been if this is how Prim reacted. Yes, Wynona knew she blocked out the outside world when the magic took over, but dousing someone in plant water seemed a bit extreme.
“And?” Prim pressed, leaning in.
“I think it must have been someone who was already there.” Wynona’s voice was low and hoarse. If her thoughts were correct, that brought them down to two types of suspects.
“So a servant...or...” Prim said carefully, also having caught wind of the idea.
“Or a family member.” Wynona swallowed hard. Betrayal cut through her chest like a knife. Her family members were supposed to be the ones who loved her and took care of her. Why in the world would one of them curse her?
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Prim said, shaking her head hard. “Your parents were furious that you didn’t have powers. They might not be a loving couple, but I can’t see them doing anything to hinder your possibilities.”
The pain eased a little as Wynona realized her friend was right. It didn’t make sense for her parents to bind her powers. And since she was the oldest of the Le Doux children, none of her siblings could have done it either. “So that leaves us with a servant,” she mused.
“Or an employee,” Prim pointed out. “Your family employs all sorts of people who wouldn’t be considered servants. Cooks, bakers, accountants...the list is endless.”
Another long breath eased the tightness in her chest even more and Wynona began to relax. “You’re right. The only problem is, that leaves the list endless as well.”
“True.” Prim began to walk again, spraying water as she went. “And why would they risk hurting the presidential child?” She spun on her dainty toes. “What was in it for them?”
“The chance to take down the Le Douxs?” Wynona offered.
“No...because they didn’t curse Celia. And with their magic, Mama Le Doux and dear old Daddy will live for hundreds of years.” She bounced on her toes, a position that would have led to taking flight if she had wings. “If someone wanted to stage a coup, they would have gone for the parents, not the useless baby.”
Wynona groaned and threw back her head. “This is why I try not to think on it. It’s just a big mess and nothing makes sense.”
“I sure wish your grandma was alive,” Prim said. “She’d probably have some insight for us.”
“True.” Wynona felt the usual depression coming on as she thought about her grandmother. The woman was the only maternal influence she’d had. Without powers, Wynona had been nothing but dead weight to her parents. Since she couldn’t help them gain or retain their power, they basically threw her away, letting her know in no uncertain terms how useless she was.
Ha! If only they could see you now, Violet said smugly.
“We don’t want them to see me now,” Wynona reminded her familiar. “If they catch wind of my powers, they’ll drag me home in the middle of the night.”
“Not if you get strong enough before they know what’s going on,” Prim pointed out. “But you won’t be able to keep something like this a secret forever, you know.”
“I know, but right now things are too out of control,” Wynona argued. “I need them to stay ignorant just a bit longer. When I have a better handle on things, then I think I can give them a run for their money if they try anything.”
“Fine, fine,” Prim whined. “Let’s talk about something else.”
You do realize that Grandma might have shared things with Lusgu or Mrs. Reyna?
Wynona stiffened and slowly turned to Violet, her mind spinning. She barely remembered that Mrs. Reyna, Rascal’s wolf shifter neighbor, had made comments about Granny Saffron. The two had obviously known each other, but Wynona had been too busy with a case at the time of their last visit to press the issue. “Lusgu won’t tell me anything,” Wynona whispered.
Violet shrugged. True. But it’s worth a shot.
“Hello? Earth to Nona?”
Wynona jerked her head to look at the impatient fairy. “Right. Sorry. New topic.”
“Tell me about this murder.”
Violet snickered.
Prim spread her hands to the side. “What? I’m curious.”
Wynona nodded. She couldn’t blame Prim for wanting to know more. Everyone did. It was why Wynona couldn’t go to work...or home. “I don’t know much,” she admitted. “Alavara was killed. As far as I know, it was a knife through her back.” A shudder ran up her spine. Despite helping out the police several times, Wynona never enjoyed seeing a crime scene.
“What kind of knife was it?”
Wynona frowned and shook her head. “I have no idea. A big one.”
Prim smirked. “Good observation.”
Wynona rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t there to study the crime scene.”
Prim bounced over to the table and jumped onto a stool, setting the spray bottle aside. “Are you really telling me that the great Wynona Le Doux, murderer catcher extradordinare, didn’t see anything suspicious when presented with a murder the police thought she might have committed?”
Wyanona made a face at her friend, who only laughed. “Yeah, okay. I noticed something, but...”
“But?”
“But it disappeared.”
Prim frowned. “How could it disappear?”
Wynona leaned her elbows onto the table. “When they removed her body, I was looking around—”
“I knew it!” Prim cried triumphantly. She pointed one tiny, manicured finger across the table. “You’re curious.”
“Of course, I’m curious,” Wynona said with a laugh. “Who wouldn’t be?”
Prim shrugged. “Lots of creatures, I’m sure.”
Wynona waved the idea off. “Do you want to hear what I saw, or not?”
Prim made the motion of zipping her lips, then sat very still.
“When the body was gone, I noticed there was a lump in the blood.”
“Ewww...”
Wynona gave Prim another look and the fairy quieted down again. “Once I realized it wasn’t just a clot or something, I grabbed a pencil from the desk and poked at it.”
Prim snickered. “You sound like a boy in the woods, poking at dead animals.”
“Oh, for heaven's sake.” Wynona threw up her arms. “Seriously?”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” Prim was laughing too hard for her apology to be taken seriously. “The way you said it was kind of funny.”
Wynona couldn’t help but smile. Prim was right, it was a little humorous. “Anyway, I turned over the blob and discovered it was a button.”
Prim’s eyes widened. “The killer’s?”
Wynona lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. I tried to move the blood with the eraser of the pencil, but it was too saturated to tell for sure what it even looked like in order to know who it belonged to. I think it was gold, but I can’t be sure.”
“And you said it disappeared?” Prim cocked her head. “How did that happen?”
Wynona told the story of leaving the room and coming back to nothing. “So you see, there’s really nothing to go on. Other than the button, the murder scene was clean, according to Rascal. They’re interviewing people, but no one is standing out as having any reason to hurt her.”
“She obviously had no trouble breaking the law,” Prim said with a sniff. “I’ll bet one of the people she conned before came back and settled the score.”
“I’ve thought of that,” Wynona murmured. “And I know the police have as well. If there’s a possible connection that way, I’m sure they’ll find it, though I find death a little strong for a copycat.”
“Sure...” Prim said slowly. “They’ll find the connection, but in the meantime, you’re out of house and business.” Her sarcastic look fell into one of concern. “What’re you going to do?”
Wynona slumped. “I’m not sure. My patrons can’t even get into the shop with the crowds that were there yesterday, and Rascal said it was worse this morning. Plus, you know they found my house.” She blew a piece of hair out of her face. “I’m not sure how to get them to leave me alone. Stating that our shops had nothing to do with each other has made no difference. Everyone just overrides me.”
“Idiots,” Prim muttered, grabbing her bottle again. She thrust it toward Wynona. “Well, might as well make yourself useful. I have to make some arrangements for the Weeping Widow.”
“Since when did the pizza parlor need flowers?”
“Since Widow Wraithsong is trying to redecorate.” Prim pointed to a corner of the greenhouse. It was filled with plants that looked like they’d rather eat a body than sit beautifully in a vase. “She’s definitely going for a darker vibe than you are.”
“Huh.” Wynona shook her head. “Good for her, I guess.” Shifting off her stool, she walked around and sprayed the flowers that looked like they hadn’t been watered yet. The motion was monotonous, but calming. What was it about plants that had the ability to make a person feel better?
At the thought, Wynona’s eyes darted to the plants Prim was currently working with. A shiver ran up her spine. “Most plants anyway,” she whispered to herself.
Ten minutes of peace passed and Wynona was just getting ready to refill her bottle when Prim spoke up.
“Have you made up your mind yet?”
“Made up my mind? About what?” Wynona asked.
“About helping the police,” Prim said as if the answer was obvious.
Wynona unscrewed the top and placed the empty bottle under the faucet flow. “I have to admit I considered it, but I’m not a detective. I really should just stay out of it.”
“You’re better than any detective I know,” Prim offered.
“Oh? And how many are you acquainted with?” Wynona asked with a smile.
Prim put her nose in the air. “More than you know.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Wynona retorted, then laughed. “But thanks. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
“But I’m serious. You can’t just not work and not go home. The only way the media are ever going to leave you alone is if you get this thing solved.” Prim paused in her work and turned to face Wynona. “You said yourself the police don’t have a lot to go on. You could help.”
“I’m sure the police are plenty capable,” Wynona said with a raised eyebrow. “Rascal knows what he’s doing.”
“He does, but somehow it’s been you who’s figured out the last several murderers,” Prim sang.
Before Wynona could retort, her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket, hoping it was an update from Rascal. The number was unknown. Frowning, she answered the call. “Hello?”
“Ms. Le Doux? We’d like to schedule an interview with you about the recent killing of your partner, Ms. Alavara Theramin.”
Wynona jerked away from the device, then immediately put it back to her ear. “How did you get this number?”
“Are you available in the next thirty minutes?” the woman asked, completely ignoring Wynona’s question.
“No.” Wynona pressed the end button and then turned off the sound when it buzzed at her again.
Prim tsked her tongue. “They’re not going to give up.”
“Why? Why won’t they give up? I didn’t have anything to do with this!” Wynona felt her eyes begin to sting and purple sparkles dripped from her fingertips. She was becoming overwrought and if she didn’t get back under control quickly, she might damage Prim’s greenhouse.
She pressed her fists into her eyes. “Violet,” she whispered.
The scuffling of feet hurried across the floor and Wynona felt the mouse climb her leg, until she settled on her shoulder and nuzzled her neck. It still took a few moments, but slowly, Wynona felt her magic begin to calm. “Thank you,” she said softly, petting the creature behind the ears.
Prim’s right. We need this case done and gone.
Wynona sighed and nodded, looking over to Prim, who was frowning in concern. “You’re right,” she said. “I need to get this over with. I can’t concentrate, I can’t practice my magic, I can’t even work until it’s all out of my hair.” A weak smile pulled at her lips. “One more set of eyes on the case can’t be a bad thing, right?”
Prim nodded, though she looked reluctant, as if she understood what this was costing Wynona. “You’re amazing,” Prim said. “You’ll have it figured out in no time.”
“Let’s hope so,” Wynona muttered. “Or my magic just might kill me before I ever get around to mastering it.”