The package looked completely normal. U.S. Priority Mail medium-sized box, just like my mom used whenever mailing us gifts. Just like I’d seen six hundred times today already. Always at two-fifty-seven. My least favorite time.
Okay, I could do this. Deep breaths.
Element one was hydrogen. Element two was helium. Element three was lithium.
At least now I had a purpose. Grab the keys, get in the car, go to Tony’s house. Call Amira, tell her to shut off the breakers in the magic store and call an electrician. Also to cancel her showing, because it wasn’t happening. My friend didn’t need to worry about finding or becoming a dead body. Text Tiffaneigh to have her brakes checked. Tell Todd the building inspector had found mold and the showings all needed to be rescheduled. Call Sam. Check, check, check, check.
Now what? Over the past several hours, I’d turned to almost everyone I knew for help finding out who killed Tony. Then Thelma told me Tony was alive. Maybe all I needed to do was convince Sheriff Matthews? Today hadn’t exactly been going my way, but it might help to have a lawyer on my side.
Kevin couldn’t do anything, obviously, and he was the only practicing attorney in Shady Grove. There was, however, a former lawyer. One who happened to be dating my brother. This time, after I got in my car and started the engine, I told my phone to call Julie.
The display showed a pretty blue-eyed blonde laughing up at me. Her arms were thrown around my brother, who was bending her over backward in an exaggerated dip. It was one of my favorite pictures of them, taken shortly after their team won some bowling competition. Kevin had been so closed down ever since Katrina died. I loved seeing him find his old sense of fun now that he and Julie were together.
She answered on the third ring. “On What Grounds?. This is Julie. How can I help you?”
I heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you answered. I need help.”
Concern filled her voice. I could almost see her brow furrowing as she registered my words. “Aly?”
“Yeah. Listen, it’s hard to explain, but I need a lawyer.”
“Hold on a sec. I need to move to the back room.” The line went silent but not dead. On What Grounds? didn’t have hold music.
An eternity passed before she picked up again. I’d started to think Julie was going to leave me hanging. But she was a good person. She loved Kevin and adored Kyle. We’d been becoming friends even before she started dating my brother. Now, I considered her family. With any luck, one day, she would be.
“You know I’m not a lawyer anymore, right?”
“I know you don’t practice. But… I also may or may not know that there is still an active law license under the name of Julie Capaldi.”
She swore under her breath. “I’m going to kill Rusty.”
“It’s not his fault. He can’t resist showing off his PI skills.”
“Some skills,” she grumbled. “What did he do, type my name into the state bar’s website?”
“Yes, in fact, he did, but that’s not the point. Listen. I need help.” Still driving in circles, I explained my situation while keeping an eye out for police cars. This wasn’t exactly safe, but being in motion made me feel better than sitting still. “Tony’s not dead. I need someone to go to the police station with me and tell them.”
“You know you didn’t kill Tony,” she said. “The police seem pretty sure he’s dead. Have you confirmed whether he is alive?”
“No, but Thelma said—”
“Thelma will say absolutely anything to get attention,” Julie reminded me. “And she can’t even confirm telling you that because, if I understand you correctly, it didn’t happen in this reality, right?”
“No, it didn’t. Oh! Did you tell her I said she can’t act?”
“Aly! Is that really important at the moment?”
“Considering she used it as a reason to sell me out to the police, I’m going with yes.”
“I never said a word. I don’t even remember you saying that,” Julie said. “But remember, we were watching As the Hospital Guides Our Lives at the coffee shop with Amber last week?”
Since Rusty left the coffee shop to pursue a full-time job as a private investigator, a parade of baristas had been in and out. Amber was one of the newer ones, a high school student who seemed great but could only work nights and weekends. “No? I mean, we watch that a lot.”
“I’d just made a fresh batch of blueberry peach muffins.”
“Oh! Of course!” Names and faces may elude me, but I never forgot a truly excellent baked good. “I never said Thelma couldn’t act. I was complaining that everyone on the show spoke like they were chewing—oh. How does Amber even know Thelma?”
“A, Thelma knows everyone. B, Amber is one of Ellie’s granddaughters. Do you want me to tell Amber you didn’t mean it?”
I thought for a minute. “It’s too late now. If I have another time loop, she won’t remember. I’ll apologize to Thelma next time I see her. In any reality I should find myself in.”
“You just need proof Tony is alive, right?”
“I think so.”
“Great. I can help with that. I’ll meet you, and we’ll get proof together. Are you someplace safe?”
I glanced out my car’s window, into the depths of the Nature Preserve bordering Maloney College. It seemed like as good a place to go as any when the police were looking for you. Except, if I tried to lose myself in the trees, the fresh snow would out me. “Yeah, I guess. Why?”
“Sheriff Matthews and Doug are at Missing Pieces now, talking to Olive. I can go over there and intervene on your behalf. They can’t make me tell them where you are.”
“You don’t know where I am.”
“Exactly. Let me feel them out and then call you back. When I do, I’m going to use a code word so you know they’re not listening. Okay?”
“Sure,” I said. “Can it be Kelvin?”
My brother’s legal name would never stop being a source of amusement to me. Mostly I only needled him when he was around to hear about it, but Julie would surely pass that tidbit on when she talked to him.
She chuckled. “Speaking of your brother, what does he have to say about all this?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Mary blocked me from calling him after the time loop started.”
“Sit tight. Let’s see if I can call him.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I owe you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Julie replied. “We’re practically sisters.”
Time ticked by at an agonizingly slow speed while I waited for her to call me back. I didn’t think for a second that she’d get Kevin on the phone, but maybe she could talk to Sheriff Matthews. She’d meet me at the police station, we would clear my name, Tony would appear and serve us all cake, this day would finally end, and tomorrow we could do the spell to find Mary and make sure she never, ever pulled a stunt like this again.
A beautiful plan.
Alas, not meant to be.
The display on my phone lit up with Julie’s face a second time. Not that I was looking at it instead of the road. Immediately, I answered. “How did it go?”
“On a scale of one to ten, I’d say about a nine for me. More like a three for Julie,” a deep voice responded. “How are you, Ms. Reynolds? We’ve been looking for you.”
My mouth went paper dry. “Sheriff Matthews? What’s going on?”
“Oh, nothing. I thought you’d like to know that your friend Ms. Capaldi has been arrested for aiding and abetting a fleeing felon. You know what the sentence on that is?”
Nearly twenty seconds passed before I found my voice. “She wasn’t helping me. Julie’s a lawyer.”
“That’s not how the jury will see it,” he replied. “Ten years. She’s looking at ten years, if I have anything to say about it. And when we find you, it’ll be three times that.”
“But I didn’t do anything. Neither, by the way, did she.”
“I’m sure you’re both saints. By the way, we’re tracing this call. Looks like I finally got a bead on you. See you in a minute, Ms. Reynolds.”
My mind insisted he was bluffing. Stabbing the “end call” button on my console, I slammed the car into reverse and pushed on the accelerator. My car leapt back in a circle.
As I shifted into drive, flashing blue and red lights appeared on the road. I held my breath, praying they would continue past me. No such luck. Reaching out to Julie for help wasn’t the way to clear my name and find Tony, after all.
Hello, mist. I embraced it.