Twenty-Two

Things Stolen

Fin stumbled through the crowded banquet room, then dashed down the hallway and out into the parking lot. Anger and apprehension swirled within her. She had to get to Teafin, she had to get that windmill back before River figured out who had taken it, and she had to—

There. She caught a glimpse of a slim figure moving through the parked cars.

Fin gritted her teeth, clenched her fingers around the matchbox, and tried to move as quietly as she could. Teafin didn’t know she was being followed. She didn’t look back, didn’t so much as glance in Fin’s direction. The windmill remained under one arm, wires trailing behind her. Teafin looked like a piece of the night made real, slipping through shadow and darkness with ease. She was heading back into town, past the coffee shop and toward Mrs. Brackenbury’s home. Fin frowned, unsure of what Teafin meant to do with the science fair project. Maybe she’d put it somewhere and frame Fin for the theft. That seemed like her.

Teafin darted between two houses and vanished from sight. Fin drew in a breath and leaped over a low fence, trying to keep her in view. If she could just get Teafin away from the houses, she might deal with her without anyone seeing.

After all, setting a tea monster on fire in public would probably draw attention.

Fin jogged around Mrs. Brackenbury’s home and realized where Teafin had been heading.

Ben’s house.

No—not the house. The shed.

Teafin had returned to the scene of the crime.

Fin kept low, trying to make herself small as Teafin walked into the shed and vanished from sight. The door had been left unlocked.

She swallowed hard and straightened. She could go in there after Teafin, deal with her alone, and then return to the science fair with River’s project. That was the right thing to do. The brave thing. She could do this. She had to do this.

Tiptoeing closer, Fin glanced around the edge of the shed’s open door. Teafin stood there, the windmill piece on the floor. Teafin had her arms crossed, and she appeared to be waiting for something.

Fin drew the matchbox free and stepped into view. It was time to end this.

“Good,” said Teafin, smiling. “You kept up.”

Fin drew a breath, steadying herself. She tore a match free and pressed its tip to the edge of the box. She’d never lit a match before, but she’d seen it plenty of times on TV. It couldn’t be that hard. She drew the stick across.

Nothing happened.

She did it again.

Nothing.

Fin bit her lip, wondering how people on TV made this look easy. She gazed at the red tip of the match, wondering if it was broken somehow.

“Are you done yet?” said Teafin, sounding bored. “We need to talk. That’s why I took this.”

Fin gazed at her doppelgänger in disbelief. “You took part of River’s science fair project to lure me here? Why?”

“Because you need to see,” said Teafin. “And I wasn’t sure if you’d follow me—you didn’t the other day in the inn parking lot. River’s a jerk, anyways.” She knelt. The inside of the shed looked normal—there were shelves built into the walls and spare gardening equipment scattered in the corner. Teafin ducked and dragged something out from beneath the shelves. It was a singed and dirty tote bag.

“What is that?” said Fin, distrusting.

“This,” said Teafin, “is Mrs. Brackenbury’s shopping bag.”

Fin frowned, and the hand holding the matchbox fell to her side. None of this made sense. Why would Mrs. Brackenbury’s shopping bag be in Ben’s shed? Why had Teafin lured her out here? Why—

Teafin looked up and her mouth opened, as if to shout.

A hand pressed between Fin’s shoulder blades and gave a hard shove. She fell into the shed, and when she looked back, she saw Ben standing in the doorway. He held a heavy padlock in one hand. “So there really are two of you,” he said wonderingly, his gaze darting between them.

Fin opened her mouth to explain. “Ben, I—”

But before she could say another word, Ben slammed the door shut and Fin heard the click of a lock.

Fin was plunged into darkness, the smell of burned ash all around her.