Chapter Twelve

Apolinary's seamstress shop, previously a smart, two-story building with a thatched roof and large front windows, had been reduced to a heap of splintered wood and dust. The moon cast decent light on the wreckage, but it would probably look even worse in the morning. As with Alice's barn, it didn't seem there had been a fire, but rather something large had blown down the entire shop. Or destroyed it from the inside, perhaps.

The grannies had come with Bev and shook their heads wearily.

"Well, my goodness, this is a mess," Rita said.

"Best get to work." Janet picked up pieces of wood nearby.

"Why don't you go check on those poor dears, Bev?" Gladys said, nodding to the group standing near the wreckage. "Make sure no one was hurt."

Bev hurried over, a relieved sigh leaving her chest as she spotted Vicky, her brother, and Apolinary, the former looking quite dusty, but no worse for the wear.

"Are you three all right?" Bev asked. "Goodness, Vicky, you look a mess."

"Just grateful a little dust is the worst of her problem," Apolinary said, plucking a piece of wood from Vicky's hair. "It's a miracle you walked away at all."

"I'm all right," Vicky said, a little shakily.

"What happened?" Bev asked. "We heard this ghastly roar, and… Did that come from here?"

Vicky nodded, her gaze turning to the wreckage of her former place of work. "I'm not entirely sure what happened."

"Start at the beginning," Bev said. "Whatever you remember."

"Well, Apolinary had just left," Vicky said. "I was waiting for my brother to come home, so I stayed downstairs to finish up some pieces for the mayor. The next thing I know…" She gestured to the wreckage. "Grant's pulling me out and looking like I about died."

"You weren't home?" Bev asked the boy.

He shook his head but didn't offer specifics.

"Apolinary?" Bev asked.

"I was at home. Across the street," the seamstress said, nodding to the roof just beyond the fence line. "Heard that noise, then the place collapsing, and I came running. I was absolutely terrified until I saw she was all right." She squeezed Vicky's shoulder again. "Can't imagine what I'd do if something happened to you, Vicky."

"You'd just have a lot more work to do," Vicky replied with a weak smile.

"Psh, work can wait." Apolinary shook her head as she gazed at her former business. "And wait it will. It's gonna take ages to clean this up—let alone find all our fabric. Assuming it's still intact."

"Did you happen to see what caused the collapse?" Bev asked. "Or anything strange?"

"No, my curtains were closed," Apolinary said. "Already in bed. We've been working so hard. I had a headache, so I turned in early."

"Grant?" Bev asked, looking at the younger man. "Did you see anything?"

"Why are you so interested?" he snapped.

"Be nice," Vicky said, glaring at him. "Bev's trying to figure out what's going on. Now why don't you tell her what you heard?"

"Nothing," he said. "I mean, I heard it. But then the house fell. So that was the only thing I was concerned about."

By now, a larger group had begun to gather, some helping the grannies gather the pieces of the shop. Others came to check on Vicky and offer condolences to Apolinary, whose focus had shifted to her destroyed shop now that it was clear her apprentice wasn't hurt.

"We were already so behind," she said, putting her hand to her head. "Oh, Rosie Kelooke is going to be so mad. She had so many dresses she'd been asking us to finish."

"I'm sure she'll understand," Bev said. "You can't help your shop was destroyed."

"No, but…" She shook her head. "It's a busy season for us. All that fabric…"

"This fabric?" Rita said, walking up with a dust-covered bolt of bright red cloth. "Found a smattering of it."

"That's Rosie's!" Vicky said, standing up and wincing as she grabbed her head. "One of them, at least."

"We'll see about locating the rest," Rita said, inspecting it. "Seems to be a bit dirty, but no worse for the wear."

"W-who are you?" Apolinary asked.

"Rita," she said, nodding to the others, who were picking through the rubble as if they were at the farmers' market. "And that's my sister Janet and our cousin Gladys. We're in town for a bit."

"Suppose it was a good thing we got all that wood for Earl," Janet called.

"Yes, good thing," Bev said. "You might want to grab him so—"

"Already here." Earl walked up to the mess, rolling up his sleeves. "Well, I suppose I was getting a little lazy over the winter without having anything to do. This might take a bit longer than the barn and workshop, you know."

"We're always up for the challenge," Janet said.

"Probably should get an idea of what we need," Gladys said.

Rita nodded. "Make a plan and start first thing."

The four of them huddled among the wreckage as Earl described the seamstress shop as it had been.

"So they're just in town to…fix things?" Apolinary asked, rubbing the back of her head. "Seems oddly convenient for all the things that need fixing lately."

"Indeed," Bev said, turning back to Vicky and Apolinary. "Why don't we let them take over for the moment? I've got extra rooms at the inn. You're welcome to stay until they've got all this sorted. Your brother, too, Vicky."

"My house is fine," Apolinary said. "But Vicky… She lives in the apartment above the shop. Well, lived there." She squeezed her assistant's shoulder. "What do you think? Few nights at the inn? I'm sure I can wrestle up a cup of tea to calm the nerves."

"Got anything stronger?" Vicky asked with a grimace.

"I'm sure I can find you something." Bev helped her stand. "Come on. Let's get you two settled for the night."

~

"Room four is available," Bev said, reaching behind the counter to find the key. "You two make yourselves at home. I may have a spare set of pajamas lying around."

"Go on up, Grant," Vicky said. "I want to see about that drink."

Grant hesitated, watching his sister warily, but eventually marched up the stairs with the key and shut the door.

"Poor thing, I think I frightened him," Vicky said. "It's not right, you know."

"What?" Bev asked, walking to the cask of beer and pouring an ale.

"The two of us having to look after one another like this. We should be fighting like cats and dogs, not…well, not trying to parent each other." She wearily settled at one of the tables and gratefully took the ale. "Thank you. I—Oh. Goodness. Hello there, Biscuit."

The laelaps had been roused from his sleep and put his two paws onto Vicky's thighs before resting his head. She scratched behind his ears absentmindedly.

"Come to check on me, eh?" she said softly.

Bev couldn't help but notice how Biscuit's nose twitched, like he'd scented magic on her.

"What a night," Vicky said, taking a long sip of the beer.

"So you don't remember anything at all?" Bev asked.

She shook her head. "I remember sitting at my desk working. Rosie had dropped off a load of fabrics to be made into dresses, and she wanted them back quickly. We already had a large backlog, what with everyone getting into their spring clothes and finding them full of holes from last year."

"Is that normal?"

Vicky nodded. "So I told Apolinary I'd stay behind and get some work done. Next thing I know, Grant's standing over me, pulling me out of the rubble and looking like I'd almost died." She shuddered, clasping the tankard with both hands. "Based on the wreckage, I think I almost did."

"Was there anything funny happening before? Did you see anyone?" Bev asked. "What about Grant? Where was he?" She hesitated. "He sounded a little…guilty?"

"Probably because he was doing something he wasn't supposed to," Vicky said. "I told him he wasn't allowed to hang out with the Climber and Norris kids anymore, but he doesn't listen to me, so he was probably with them." She licked her lips. "I know you probably suspect him, but—"

"I don't think he'd hurt his own sister," Bev said. "Whatever's going on… It's something beyond the normal in Pigsend."

"The normal seems to be chaos, though," Vicky replied. "Especially the last few days. Nobody's house is safe."

"Suppose not." She rose. "You drink that up and have more if you like. Whatever you need to calm your nerves. I'm sure you know this, but Allen brings pastries by in the morning, so—"

At the mention of Allen, her cheeks turned pink.

"What is it?" Bev asked.

"Oh, he's just… Well, he's been cagey again," she said. "Keeping secrets. Honestly, I thought we'd be spending the evening together, but he told me he was busy. Shouldn't have even been in the shop when it collapsed." She sniffed, taking another sip. "You think he's heard that I'm here? I'm sure the commotion woke him up. Surprised he hasn't come bursting through the door yet." She looked toward the entrance with an expectant look, as if saying the words would summon him.

"He's a heavy sleeper, perhaps," Bev said, hoping that was true. "He's been nothing but complimentary about you, Vicky. He cares very much about you."

"Does he?" She sniffed. "He always says I'm making a big deal out of nothing. But I don't know. I keep getting this feeling like…" She sighed. "I don't know if he's leading me on. If he is, I'd just like him to come out and tell me so I can move on."

"Allen's a good boy. Man. Whatever," Bev said. "But if you want, I can have a word with him about it. I'm sure there's a good explanation for whatever's going on with him. There always is."

"Maybe." Vicky finished the rest of her ale. "I should get some rest. Not as if I've got work to do in the morning. But…" She sighed. "Rosie's going to be furious. She wanted those dresses by the end of the week."

"I'm sure she'll understand," Bev said, though knowing the other woman, she might have a few choice words to say about it. "Get some rest. We'll see what things look like in the morning."

~

Things didn't look that much better in the light of day. Allen had dropped off pastries and left before Bev could even tell him Vicky was staying there. Not that it mattered, because Grant came downstairs to tell Bev his sister wasn't feeling up to leaving her bed today.

"Is she all right?" Bev asked. "Should I fetch the doctor?"

"No, I think it's less her head and more something else." He glanced at the pastries and scoffed, not taking one. "She'll be fine."

"Allen didn't come up to see you guys, did he?" Bev asked, a little hopefully.

"That chump?" He scowled. "No. He didn't. And I'll thank you not to remind my sister of that. She's already upset enough as it is."

"What about you?" Bev tilted her head. "Are you all right?"

"Just a house," he said with a sniff. "I gotta get to school."

"Where are you going today?" Bev asked. "I assume Bardoff has another riveting lesson planned?"

Grant didn't answer, just walking out the door and slamming it behind him.

"Well, dear boy, if you're trying to allay suspicion, you're going about it the wrong way," Bev said, looking down at the interested Biscuit. "What do you think, Biscuit?"

He sniffed loudly.

After finishing her chores, Bev decided to bring the laelaps to the seamstress's shop. So far, he'd been able to scent out something magical at each of the wreckages. She was hoping he might pick up a trail they could follow or uncover something that could shed light on these mysterious happenings.

Apolinary was already there, as were the grannies, who'd left bright and early to get started. The seamstress was describing the way the shop had been set up before to Rita, who was nodding. Her cousin and sister had nearly finished gathering all the large pieces onto Earl's wagon, an astonishing feat, considering the amount that was there the night before. On a smaller cart were piles of dusty fabrics that seemed to catch Biscuit's attention.

"Morning, Bev," Apolinary said as Rita walked away. "How's Vicky?"

"Fine, I guess. She didn't come down this morning." To the seamstress's concerned expression, Bev added, "I did see her brother, who promised me she seemed fine. Just tired. Wanted a day to recuperate."

"We've certainly been burning the candle at both ends," Apolinary said. "To be honest, I wish I was back in bed, too. But if we don't find Rosie's fabric under all this, I'm afraid she's going to have my head."

Bev nodded to the wagon. "Surely, that's the lot of it, right?"

"Missing one or two bolts," she said. "But I'm sure they're around here somewhere. Planning on dropping these off with Vicky later after I give them a good scrubbing—if she's up for it." Apolinary rubbed the back of her head. "I wouldn't press, of course. Happy to let her take the time if she needs it. But between Rosie and Bathilda—"

"Bathilda?" Bev said, quirking a brow. "What's she got you doing?"

"Oh, the usual. Spring's come and people need new clothing. We've had twenty orders for new tunics in the last two weeks alone."

Biscuit was on his hind legs, sniffing the fabrics with his tail wagging.

"What kind of fabric did she give you?" Bev asked. "Was it purple?"

"Purple? No, can't say it was. Vibrant black color. Bit fancy for a farmer, but maybe she's got somewhere nice to be. And—"

It happened in a flash. Biscuit found something delicious and latched onto it with his teeth, pulling the whole bolt of fabric down off the wagon. Apolinary yelped in concern, and she and Bev ran to the laelaps.

"Biscuit, drop it!" Bev cried. "Drop it right this instant!"

The dog opened his mouth and released the black fabric. He took a step backward, his tongue running across the top of his mouth as if he'd tasted something bad. Bev knelt to pick up the fabric he'd taken and was relieved to see it hadn't torn.

"Thank goodness," Apolinary said. "What's gotten into your dog, Bev?"

Magic. "Is that Bathilda's?" Bev asked.

"Yes," Apolinary said, inspecting it closer. "Looks to be all right, though." She put the fabric back on the cart, and Bev helped her reload the rest. "I've got to take all these down to the creek to wash the dust off them anyway."

"Why don't I help?" Bev asked, eager to spend more time with this fabric Biscuit was so keen on—and perhaps find out more about what Apolinary was making for Bathilda. "But instead of going to the creek, why don't we head back to the inn? I've got a setup for washing sheets. We'll have this cleaned up in no time."

"I don't know…" Apolinary said, eyeing Biscuit.

"Biscuit will leave them alone," Bev said with a warning tone to the laelaps. "Or he won't get any beef stew for dinner tonight."

His head wilted.

"He sure does listen well," Apolinary said.

"When he wants to." Bev brightened. "You can check on Vicky, too. I'm sure she'd like to see a friendly face."

"Maybe I could coax her out of bed," Apolinary said with a wistful smile. "We do have an awful lot of work to do."