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“So what’s the plan now?” Prim asked, settling back in her seat. Since she was among friends, she was in her fairy form and her head barely reached the top of the table, but Wynona didn’t need to see her friend’s face to hear the concern in her voice.
A loud grunt came from behind them and Wynona looked back to see Lusgu directing a duster along the top of the bookshelves. She couldn’t tell if his grunt had to do with their conversation or his work. “Lusgu,” she began, “would you like to come have a cup of tea?”
The brownie’s shoulders hunched and he glared over his shoulder.
“I’m so grateful for how hard you work,” Wynona said, trying to ease his obvious tension. “Perhaps you could take a break?”
“Take a break?” He snorted again and went back to directing the duster. “How can a body take a break when everything’s so dirty?”
Wynona sighed and turned back to the table. “I tried,” she said softly, shrugging.
Roderick was chuckling. “I think I can understand why the agency had a bit of trouble placing him.”
Wynona couldn’t help but crack a smile as well. “I suppose so, but everyone deserves a chance, don’t they? Even if they’re a little different than the norm.” Those words were second only to her vow to be the opposite of her family’s reputation.
Prim stood up and placed her elbows on the table, then cradled her chin in her hands. “Other than Mr. Handsome over here,” she tilted her head to Roderick, “we’re all sore thumbs.” Her pink eyes gleamed. “I suppose that’s why we all stick together so well.”
Wynona laughed softly. “I suppose so,” she responded. Her eyes darted to Roderick, who was studiously drinking tea and ignoring the fact that Prim had called him attractive.
“But that doesn’t help us in this case,” Prim continued, standing up straight. She whacked a child-sized fist on the table. “What are we going to do?”
Wynona pinched her lips together and shook her head. “I’m not sure. I feel like I need a new...plan of attack, as it were. I’ve run around asking questions and have only come out with more questions.”
Roderick set down his teacup. “It’s a possibility that we should let the police handle it,” he said gently. His brows were slightly furrowed as if he worried about how Wynona would react to his words.
Despite his concerns, she wasn’t upset at the suggestion. It had run through her own mind so many times it was ridiculous. She really had no idea what she was doing and part of her worried that if she kept going, she was going to get hurt or ruin something in the investigation.
But during those dark moments, she’d walk through her greenhouse or her shop and look at everything she had accomplished. Granny got her started, but it was Wynona who had grown all the plants at her little cottage home. It was Wynona who had stored dozens upon dozens of tea mixtures for her customers. It was Wynona who had renovated this shop into a cozy, welcoming place where acquaintances could become friends and friends could become family.
The thought of letting that all fall to the side, possibly to never rise again, made her ill. No...she’d come too far and fought too hard. This had to happen. Saffron’s Tea House was going to be a hit, Wynona just knew it. She just needed to be able to open her doors in three days.
She gave Roderick an understanding smile. “I’m grateful for your concern,” she said, “but I need to do this. I need this shop to open. Even though we’ve had some cancellations, I still have a lot of people counting on me to provide a unique experience they can’t find anywhere else.” She straightened in her seat. “I don’t have any magic powers, but I do have good old fashioned ingenuity and a determination to succeed.” She playfully stuck her chin in the air. “That’ll have to be enough.”
Prim buffed her fingernails on her sundress. “Plus, you have friends.”
Wynona smiled. “Yes. I also have good friends. No one makes it far without that.”
Preening, Prim drained her cup, then poofed into her human form. Dusting off the glitter that always accompanied her change, she stepped over to give Wynona a kiss on the cheek. “I can hear the daffodils crying for me,” she said. “But don’t forget to call if you need help.”
Wynona waved her off. “I’ll be fine. I just need to find that little detail I’m missing. I know it’s there somewhere, lost in all the useless information I’ve gathered over the last couple of days.”
Prim nodded, sent a wink to Roderick, then flounced out of the shop.
Both Wynona and Roderick watched her go, not moving until the door slammed shut behind her.
“Well...” Roderick slapped his knees and stood, adjusting his cufflinks. “I suppose that’s my cue to go as well.” He followed Prim’s example and left a light kiss on Wynona’s cheek.
A severe chattering came from where Violet was hiding under Wynona’s chair. She spun, grateful for the chance to hide her blush. “I wonder what’s wrong with Violet,” she mused.
“Likely wanted to offer her support as well,” Roderick said easily. He sauntered to the door. “Remember, I’m just a call away,” he said, then pinned her with a hard look. “And please...be careful.”
“I will,” Wynona reassured him.
With a final nod, he too disappeared, leaving Wynona to her own thoughts. Violet had quieted down again, so she didn’t bother to call out the creature. If there was trouble, Violet would let Wynona know.
Now that her friends had left, Wynona began to clean up from lunch. Her heart was still pounding from Roderick’s kiss and declaration of his admiration, and she wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. This had never been an issue when she lived with her family.
His interest was flattering, but the timing was terrible. “Why couldn’t he have shown up when I wasn’t being accused of murder?” Wynona grumbled. She carefully set the teacups in the sink, then headed back into the other room.
Violet stood on the edge of the table, her nose twitching rapidly.
Wynona smiled. “Feeling better?” She put her hand out and let the rodent climb on. Carefully, Wynona walked over to the bookcase and set Violet down on the ground. “Now that we’re both full, I think we should take a nap, don’t you?”
Violet stood on her hind legs and squeaked.
Wynona nodded as if she understood. “Yes...I don’t have time for one either.” She stood up and brushed off her pants. “I’ll see you soon,” she offered as the purple mouse disappeared under the shelves.
Back at the table, Wynona began to gather the tablecloth. It would need to be laundered before opening day. She paused. “If there is an opening day.”
Despite Roderick’s encouragement, Wynona still found herself feeling depressed. It felt as if her whole life had been on hold until Granny helped her escape, and now that she was away from her family, Wynona felt like a failure.
She plopped down in a seat, the tablecloth squished in her lap. “Three months is all it took, Granny,” Wynona said to the empty room. “Three months for me to ruin everything.”
She sighed in despair, her stomach feeling sick as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Her ponytail just didn’t seem capable of holding her thick head of hair, and right now it was driving her crazy. Everything was driving her crazy. Even the small sounds trickling in from the street were setting her nerves on edge. Self pity was settling on her like a blanket and it was smothering.
Where was the determination she had pulled on when Roderick suggested she leave things be? She should be feeling gung-ho right about now, with her friends all supporting her and wishing her well. Instead, Wynona found the voice of worry in the back of her head growing louder. Three days just wasn’t much time. How in the world was she supposed to clear her name and open a business in a mere seventy-two hours?
“This isn’t the way it was supposed to be,” Wynona murmured to herself. How she wished she could talk to her granny. Granny would know exactly what to do in a situation like this. In fact, with as sharp as the older woman was, Wynona had no doubt that Saffron Le Doux would have had this case solved already.
The bell above her door tinkled and Wynona jerked upright. She wasn’t expecting anyone and she wasn’t open yet, so who in the world would be coming in? “Hello?” She set the tablecloth down in a wadded up ball and moved to the front entryway. “Hello....oh! Ms. Caseis.”
The secretary stood in the doorway, her eyes darting around and her hands wringing against each other so hard Wynona could practically hear the woman’s knuckles creaking.
“Can I help you?” Wynona asked, stepping a little closer.
“I...” Delila bit her lip. “I just thought...” She held out a hand. “I mean, you were so kind to me the other day and believed me when I said that I wasn’t involved with Chef Droxon...”
Wynona frowned. “What is it, Ms. Caseis? What’s wrong?”
The siren shook her head. “Delila, please.”
“Alright,” Wynona said carefully. “Delila. But that still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
Every time Wynona saw her, Delila looked ethereally beautiful. Her hair was pulled back in a low bun, but the hairdo only brought attention to her perfect features, letting her pouty lips take center stage, along with those large brown eyes. Eyes which were filled with tears at the moment.
Wynona tried very hard not to be jealous. She bet Delila never had to deal with unwanted blushes or having her face turn bright red in front of a handsome gentleman. The woman’s tears, however, proved to be just the thing to help Wynona move past her own insecurities and jump into action.
“Why don’t you have a seat,” Wynona said, waving a hand at Delila, beckoning her into the dining room.
Delila nodded her thanks and followed Wynona to a table.
“Relax a moment and I’ll grab you something to drink.”
“You don’t have to go to the trouble,” Delila argued.
Wynona smiled kindly and put her hand on Delila’s shoulder. “It’s no trouble,” she said softly. “This is what I do.” Taking just a moment, Wynona studied the woman, letting the energies and emotions spill over her. Once she had settled on just the right mix of herbs, Wynona gave Delila one final pat, then headed to her cupboard. Luckily, she had everything she needed.
Tossing in three different herbs, Wynona quickly and efficiently filled an infuser with ginseng, sage and thyme. Her percolator whistled that it was ready and Wynona filled a cup, dunking the star-shaped infuser inside. “There now,” she said, setting the cup and saucer down on the table in front of her guest. “Let that have three minutes and then it’ll be ready.”
Delila leaned down and took a long inhale. “Mmm...what is it?”
“Ginseng for clarity, sage for wisdom and thyme for courage,” Wynona explained.
Delila’s perfectly shaped eyebrows rose. “What made you pick those herbs?”
Wynona shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just a knack I have.”
“Is that part of your magical heritage?” The siren pulled the cup up closer for another sniff.
Wynona shook her head. “No, actually I...” She hesitated, but just as before, decided that in the end, it really didn’t matter. “I don’t have any magical powers.”
The cup rattled on the saucer. “But I thought you were a Le Doux?”
If Wynona had a dime for every time someone said that... “I am,” Wynona said patiently. “But I was cursed at birth.”
“Oh my goodness, how awful,” Delila gushed. “Do you know why? Or who did it? Don’t you miss having magic?”
Wynona shrugged. “They never found the culprit, no one knows why, and you can’t really miss something you’ve never had.” Lament, yes. Miss, no. “But we’re not here to talk about me.” She smiled. “What brought you to my shop this afternoon?”
Delila stared at the cup for several long seconds. “I didn’t know where else to turn.” She looked up from under her lashes.
The look had probably brought many men to their knees at Delila’s mercy. “For what?” Wynona pressed.
“I...” Delila paused yet again, to Wynona’s frustration. “The police believe I killed Chef Droxon.”
That’s funny, Wynona wanted to say. That makes two of us. “How do you know they suspect you?” Wynona tilted her head, pushing that errant strand back yet again.
“Chief Ligurio is convinced that Chef Droxon and I were a...thing,” Delila said, her eyes back on her lap. “How can I prove to him it’s not true?”
Wynona made a face. She just couldn’t keep up with the chief. His thought process was completely different from hers. “What do you gain by his death?” Wynona asked. “What do the police think your motive was?”
“They think I was after his recipes,” Delila said with a delicate sniff.
“And why would they think that?” Wynona pressed. “Surely something had to give them the idea?”
Delila blinked rapidly, a few tears spilling down her cheeks. Her large, hazel eyes pinned Wynona in place. “Chef Droxon and I didn’t always get along very well.”
Wynona handed the woman a napkin, but otherwise waited.
“You see...even though we weren’t a thing, it doesn’t mean he didn’t try.”
“Ah.” Wynona nodded. “Your work environment must have been a little difficult.”
Delila nodded and dabbed at the corner of her eyes. “Oh, it was. He was very forceful sometimes, but the pay and benefits made it all worth it.” Her eyes skittered away, like they had when Wynona had first met her, sending an immediate red flag up in Wynona’s mind...again.
“Are you sure that’s all it was?” Wynona asked, leaning back in what she hoped was a casual manner. “That’s all the police have on you?”
Delila shook her head. “No. The real reason they’re looking for me is because I lied.”