Gabriel stood by the back door of the Charm Police headquarters, taking in large gulps of air in an attempt to steady his rolling stomach. The poison was making him feel wretched. But it was more than that; he couldn’t shake the worry over how close Bryony had been to being blown up. Why would someone send a poisoned rose to the store? It had to be for Ivy, she only had to look at a person and they became her enemy. But he hated to think that Bryony was at risk.
“What do you want to do with Josie?” Theo held up a small plastic container, all that was left of Josie after the surprise explosion outside the Love Cauldron.
“Take her to the laboratory,” said Gabriel. “Not sure we’ll get anything useful out of what we scraped from the cobblestones, but we’ll get the usual tests run. Let's see if we can get any traces of the magic used on Josie.”
Eddie jumped out of the van and tossed the keys into the air. “Who’s on the suspect list for these poisonings?”
Gabriel struggled to gather his scattered thoughts. “Let’s start by running a background check on Josie, see if she’s in the system for anything. Then we can start with family and friends.”
Theo opened the back door of the station. “Josie doesn’t have any family in Old Sarum. Her parents are dead. But I don’t know about any siblings.”
“I’ll deal with that,” said Gabriel, feeling a sense of relief that he wouldn’t have to break the sad news of Josie’s death to her parents.
“The first thing you should do is lie down,” said Eddie. “You’re not looking so hot, boss.”
“No time for a lie down,” said Gabriel. “And I feel fine.”
“You may feel fine,” said Eddie, “but you look like death warmed up. Take a break. Get something to eat.”
“I don’t care what I look like,” growled Gabriel. “We need to find this poisoner.”
“And we’re working on that,” said Eddie. “We’ve already got the boys in the lab running a host of tests. And now we’ve got what’s left of Josie, we should be able to extract something useful from that. We’ll be working on an antidote by the end of the day.”
“Which means I don’t need to worry about resting,” said Gabriel. “If you find me a cure then that’s all I need. I have to find out you tried to poison Bryony.”
“Or Ivy,” said Eddie. “The rose could have been for either of them. And given Ivy’s reputation, she is the most likely target. Your Bryony is such a sweet thing, no one would ever want to do her harm.”
“Bryony Thornheart is an angel,” said Theo. He blushed a deep scarlet and turned towards the door.
“Somebody’s got a crush.” Eddie grinned and slapped Theo on the back. “Come on, confess. Do you also have a thing for Bryony?”
“I think she’s lovely,” said Theo. “But I know she’d never go out with me.”
“Why not?” asked Eddie. “You’re a good-looking guy. Your outfit could do with an overhaul, but I hear girls love the geek chic look.”
Theo cast a guilty look in Gabriel’s direction. “She’d never be interested in me. She’s turned Gabriel down dozens of times. I don’t stand a chance.”
Gabriel grimaced. “You don’t have to remind me how many times I’ve been rejected by Bryony. If it were anyone else, I’d think she took pleasure in rejecting me.”
“You see,” said Theo. “Gabriel is an angel, and Bryony is not interested in him. A water nymph elf won’t get her attention.”
“Bryony is cute,” said Eddie. “But something’s off with her. When I look at her, everything goes fuzzy around the edges, as if I can’t quite see straight.”
“She does the same to me,” said Theo with a sigh.
“Ivy is more the sort of witch I’m into. She’s got an edge about her. And her power. You can sense it leaking out of her if she stands too close to you. That girl has some serious skills,” said Eddie.
“It’s a shame she’s so terrifying,” said Theo. “She only has to glance in my direction and I start feeling nervous.”
“Say that again,” said Gabriel.
Theo blinked a few times. “What? About Ivy making me nervous?”
Gabriel shook his head. “No, Eddie, what do you mean that everything goes fuzzy when you look at Bryony?”
“Just that,” said Eddie. “It could be her own magical abilities that make me see everything through a diffused light. It’s as if a filter has been pulled over my vision, and everything seems brighter and happier when I look at Bryony. Why do you ask?”
“I thought it was just me,” said Gabriel. “That’s exactly what happens every time I’m around her. It’s like her presence draws you in and you want to be there all the time.”
“Well, you do spend a lot of time in the Love Cauldron,” said Eddie with a grin. “I’m not blaming you; being around the Thornheart women is a fun thing to experience. But maybe you want to lay off of your visits? Especially if you’re getting that strange vibe off Bryony as well. It’s not a natural magic vibe. And no girl should get that much attention.”
Gabriel ran a hand down his face. “You’re right. But the strange thing is, that’s the last thing I want to do.” He trusted Eddie and Theo enough to confide in them. They’d worked together for years. “Have you both heard about the Thornheart curse?”
Eddie scratched his chin. “Something about them not being able to marry? All of the women are single.”
“That’s right. The female line in the Thornheart family are cursed,” said Gabriel. “And if any of them ever fall in love, there will be a death in the family.”
“That makes sense,” said Theo. “I never see any of them out on dates. I can understand why if that’s what the curse does. You wouldn’t take the risk of getting involved with anyone in case you trigger the curse.”
“You think this curse also effects Bryony and Ivy?” asked Eddie.
“It must do if it runs down the whole female line,” said Gabriel. “But I think there’s more to it than that. Maybe the curse makes me behave the way I do when I’m around Bryony. That whole weird fuzzy sensation. And I have trouble saying no to her.”
“You’re not the only one,” said Eddie. “There’s one guy in the village who spends nearly all his money on gifts for her. He sends them to the store on a weekly basis. He confessed to me when I was in Bubbling Brews one night that he wants to marry her, and she has almost said yes to him several times.”
“The guy sounds delusional,” said Gabriel. “If this curse is true, then neither of them can ever marry.”
“And you’re not feeling good about that,” said Eddie.
Gabriel groaned. “This is ridiculous. I’ve been poisoned, we have evidence that needs testing, and I’m out here with you two, talking about a woman I can’t get to go on a single date with me. It has to be this curse.” He looked at Eddie. “You’re right, I need to stay away from the Love Cauldron, and Bryony, until I’ve got my head together.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” said Eddie. “Chances are the poison is also effecting your judgement. It’s nasty stuff, it has to be if it kills so quickly. Combine poison with an ancient love curse, and you don’t stand a chance.”
“A quick break would do me good,” said Gabriel. “Theo, get the evidence to the lab for testing. I’ll grab something to eat, and after that, we can get out and start talking to people.”
“Good plan, boss,” said Eddie. “You coming in?”
“In a minute. Just want to get some more air.” He watched as they both went into the building. Everything Theo and Eddie said made sense to him. But then an image of Bryony popped into his head and wiped away his good intentions. He knew about the curse, and he knew there was something strange going on every time he encountered Bryony. It was as if she was addictive, and if he didn’t get a hit from her, he couldn’t focus.
He gave another sigh and yanked open the door to the station. Whenever it came to Bryony Thornheart, Gabriel knew he was in big trouble.