Chapter 4

Our next stop was Janet’sGarden, a flower shop owned by a paranormal. It was several blocks away according to my phone, so I used the walk there to send Brimstone and Destruction a text.

Anynew witches in town?

Hisanswer was swift.

Don’tworry. Not changing suppliers.

Loyalcustomers, enough to make one choke up.

“Are you okay?” Key asked.

Fluffywhined by my side.

Iwaved their worries away. “Yes, yes, just got a little sentimental.”

Thank you, I texted Brimstone. If you learn of anyone new in town, please let me know.

Bythe time we arrived at Janet’sGarden, it was midmorning. A tall woman in her late thirties dressed in jeans and a fleece jacket was waiting impatiently by the front of the shop, a tiny dog with bulging eyes in her arms. I recognized her from some of the PBOA meetings. From what I remembered she had a penchant for charming, polite young men. Hopefully, she liked charming, polite young women too.

“Hello, Janet,” I said warmly.

Thetiny dog began barking like some sort of possessed demon alien pet, fighting against Janet’s hold to jump at me and latch onto my face.

Itook an involuntary step back, unwilling to host alien eggs. By my side, Fluffy jumped half a foot in the air, then barked in confusion. Rufus let out a low growl of warning, and the tiny dog bared its teeth at him. Points for pluck.

“Silent, Angel,” Janet ordered.

Angelgrowled and made biting motions.

Fluffymoved forward and barked again, ready to defend me.

“Fluffy, no.” I gathered her in my arms, and the demon dog’s growls immediately lessened now that Fluffy was at the same level.

Yeah, thought so.

“Sonia sent us,” I said. “About the pentagram.”

“About time,” Janet grumbled. “Give me a second.”

Shewent inside the store and put the demon dog down, then closed the door on it. The dog jumped, trying to peer over the high metal bottom of the door. A few more barks escaped through the glass.

GivingFluffy a fast squeeze of gratitude for being the best, I set her back on the sidewalk.

“This way.” Janet led us around the corner into a narrow side street.

Thefoot traffic was lighter than on the main street, but still too much for my comfort. The less attention the pentagrams attracted, the better.

Thepentagram itself looked exactly like the one at Bosko’s, but the runes and symbols had changed. They were less consistent and more hurried. Depending on how the other two pentagrams looked, it was possible Bosko’s had been the first one, then the culprit had gotten sloppy as they ran out of time. The difference in the symbols also made it more likely that they were gibberish meant to waste the time of whoever was investigating.

Itook photos of the whole thing, along with some cool, smaller graffiti on the side. The wall had been obviously repainted not long ago, so I imagined it was a common spot for tagging.

“When did you find it?” I asked as I put my hand on one of the pentagram points.

Detect.

Atiny spark of magic coursed up my arm and into my hand, and a familiar response echoed back. Magic had been used here too.

“I didn’t find it,” Janet said.

“Who did?”

“Jonas. He runs the pie shop.”

Hmm, pie. I’d definitely need to ask him some questions. “He called you?”

“Yeah. He’s human, so he thinks it’s just a prank. I thought the same at first, but the more I looked at it, the more bothered I got, so I called OfficerBrooks.”

“You did the right thing,” I assured her. I went through the same questions I’d asked Lydia and got about the same responses: too many weirdos around Halloween to notice anyone special, no repeat customers of notice, and how dare I ask for an alibi.

“No security cameras?” I asked.

“What are they going to secure? The dahlias?”

“You can never be too careful. What if someone runs off without paying?”

Speakingfrom experience.

“ThenI’ll set Angel on them.”

Excellentpoint. The demon dog would probably chase someone to the depths of hell and make them sorry they’d ever been born.

“And you’re sure nobody that gave you a weird feeling has been around? Nobody who might have it in for you?”

“No—wait, yes!” Janet’s eyes grew wide with recollection. “Crane walked by right before Jonas came into the shop.” Her expression darkened. “Asshole probably saw the pentagram and didn’t even think of telling me.”

DesmondCrane, Olmeda’s one and only paranormal business accountant. Jerk by actions and jerk by reputation. Not only did he hold an unshakable grip on everyone’s returns, but he also liked to dabble in the illegal magic market as an information broker.

Couldhe be the one who had drawn the pentagrams? An image of him in his usual tailored suit popped into mind. I couldn’t see him getting his hands dirty with a can of paint and a brush in people’s alleyways.

Thatdidn’t mean he hadn’t been involved, or that he hadn’t seen anything of importance.

Janetcouldn’t tell me much more, so I told her she could go back to the shop and arrange for the pentagram to be cleaned whenever she wanted. I wouldn’t fault her if she decided to keep it around for a few days for the sake of drawing attention, though, and I almost recommended she tape an advert for the shop on top of it.

AsGrandma liked to say, free advertising opportunities don’t come by every day.

Paraphrasing.

OnceJanet was out of sight, I called Crane’s office and got an automated reply, so I left a voice message letting him know it was urgent I speak to him.

Nowthat we were alone, Key took her own pictures of the pentagram. “Where next?”

“The pie guy.”

Thepie guy’s shop was small and cozy, painted in light oranges and beiges, with barely enough space for a glass counter and two tiny round tables with matching chairs, which meant Key had to wait outside with the dogs. A paper taped to the glass door announced they delivered, of which I heartily approved. I had only just started my own potion delivery business myself, but the results were already showing.

Jonaswas a happy, rotund man with a curling French mustache and apple cheeks. Talk about committing to the bit! Very impressive. He shuddered when I introduced myself as Janet’s friend and asked about the pentagram.

“So creepy, if you don’t mind me saying. All that red?” He shuddered again. “We have a bit of a problem with graffiti on that wall, but this felt malicious, if you know what I mean.”

“I do.” I agreed, nodding vigorously. “How did you discover it?”

“I was out taking in some fresh air after I’d put some tartes in the oven when I noticed the…the penta-thing.”

“Pentagram,” I supplied helpfully.

“Yes, that thing. I knew Janet wouldn’t like it, so I went immediately to tell her.”

“What time was this?”

“About eight?”

“And you didn’t see anyone running away?”

“There were some people walking around but nobody running.”

“Anyone suspicious around lately that gave you a bad vibe?”

Hethought about this for a few moments. “Non. Most of my clients are regulars, but I get a lot of tourist traffic too. They can’t wait to taste Jonas’s famous tartes!”

“Nobody stood out in the last couple of days?”

“Non.”

“What about the people who leave the graffiti? Have they ever been caught?”

“Kids. The police sometimes catch them and let them off with a warning.”

I’dhave to ask around if any paranormal teens had gotten in trouble over tagging shops. Maybe some of the young shifters?

“One more thing,” I said and pointed at the display. “CouldI have two apple pie slices?”

Twominutes later, Key and I sat at a small table outside the shop. It was cold, but the pie was still warm and absolutely delicious. We needed the shot of sugar to replenish our energy, as I explained to Key.

“You think Crane is involved?” she asked.

“I think he might’ve seen something.” I forked off a big bite of pie and shoved it into my mouth. By my side, Fluffy whined. “I’m sorry, Fluffy,” I told her after swallowing. “Google says apple pie will make you sick.”

Keygiggled.

“I can’t see Crane getting his hands dirty,” I continued. “But he could have hired someone. I just don’t see why he’d bother.”

“That’s true,” Key said. “What about Janet herself?”

“Not likely.” ButI owed it to my everyone is a suspect motto to put her on the list, so I opened the to-do list application on my phone and added her name at the bottom.

“Do you talk to the shifter teens any?” I asked.

Sheshook her head. “Not really. There’s a couple who come talk to Shane and Alex sometimes, but that’s about it.”

Shifterstended to hang around with other shifters, not mages.

“Are you lonely?” I asked, suddenly worried.

Shelaughed. “I’m too busy to be lonely.”

ButIan keeping her busy only lasted until working hours ended. What about when she went back to her room? Perhaps it was time to schedule extra witch-earth-mage movie nights.

Myworries must’ve been obvious because she rolled her eyes. “I’m good, Hope. Seriously.”

Icouldn’t help pout a little before changing the topic. “Can you think of anyone who could’ve done the pentagrams? One of your uncle’s friends?”

“Not really. I mean, maybe? It’s hard to tell.”

Thedownside of your uncle being part of the illegal magic underground—anyone could be looking for mischief.

Wegathered our paper plates and forks, and I returned them inside.

“Where next?” Key asked, full of excitement.

Ichecked Sonia’s list. “TheModernCabinet of Curiosities.”

“What’s that?”

“One of Olmeda’s best-kept secrets.”