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“Gem saw something out the window during the night, so I was right on that account. The figure was humanoid, and they went toward the shop. Gem verified that she noticed I was awake, so that would put the sighting at around two AM.”
“Well, that may come in handy. Did she see anybody else? Or just the one person?” Daisy was jotting down details in her notebook.
“Just the one. However, she jumped down and ran off to her food dish right after that, so we can’t rule out there being more. They might have come in later or earlier. Gem only spent a moment on top of the sofa, from what I remember.” Fancypants frowned. “I wish now that I’d gone over to see what she was looking at. I could have warned you.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” I said. “If wishes were dollars, we’d all be rich.” I turned back to Daisy. “So, what should I do about the mess? I mean, are you going to take anything in for evidence?”
“I’ll let you know when we’ve gathered up what we need.” As Daisy stood, she added, “I’d suggest you enlist a friend to help you clean up, or you might end up having a meltdown. I also suggest you talk to the alarm company and ask if there’s an option to bury the line so that nobody can cut it again. Or use wireless technology. I’m surprised they didn’t do that in the first place.” Daisy stood, folding her notebook and sliding it into the pocket of her uniform. She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry this happened. I wish I could just go out and arrest whoever did this, but…”
“But we don’t know who it is. I understand. Thank you for coming out. I’ll call the security company today?—”
The doorbell rang. Bree was standing there, looking worried. The moment she saw me, she pulled me into a hug. “Are you all right? Are you okay?”
I gently extricated myself from her embrace. “Yeah, thanks. I’m all right, but I can’t say the same for my shop, I’m afraid. It’s bad, Bree. Just…bad.”
“Excuse me,” Daisy said, slipping between us. “I’ll gather my men. We’re probably done, but I’ll make sure they got everything we need for evidence. We pulled as many fingerprints as we could, so we’ll run all of those through the database. For now, remember my warning. This wasn’t some teenager pulling a prank. Whoever did this was out to do damage. Otherwise, they would have just stolen all the expensive items and taken your money. I think this was a warning directed at you in particular, Elphyra. And the next time…”
“It might be my house, or Fancypants, or the cats. Heard, loud and clear. Thanks for coming.” I waved as she headed toward her car, then turned and led Bree back inside.
“I need coffee,” I said, feeling numb.
“Is it that bad?” Bree asked, leading me into the kitchen.
“Bad enough,” Fancypants said, joining us. He landed on the counter next to me. “I’m so sorry, Elphyra.”
“Everything will be okay,” I said, more to convince myself than them. But I knew it wouldn’t be. Nothing felt like it would ever be okay again. Faron was in a coma, my shop had been trashed, Owen was dead. It wasn’t the worst period in my life, but it was definitely up there in the top five. “Who the hell would want to do this to me? Who have I pissed off so badly they want to destroy my shop?”
“I’ll help you clean up,” she said. “I closed early. I’m all yours.”
“Thanks. Grams is arriving at two to help me reinforce my wards.”
Bree started my espresso machine. “What would you like?”
“Triple shot vanilla latte, please.” I rested my elbows on the table. “I don’t know what the hell to think. I want to take photos before we start in on the shop. I need to keep a record, though the cops probably already did.”
After she fixed me a triple latte and then one for herself, we saw that Daisy and her men had taken off. I swallowed the lump of anxiety lodging itself in my throat and motioned for Bree to follow me. There were plenty of cleaning supplies in the shop, so I grabbed my mug and phone, and we headed across the driveway. The sheriff had closed up but I knew what was waiting for us behind the door. I stood there, palming the handle, until I finally gathered the courage to enter.
I flipped on the light switch and, behind me, Bree gasped and froze.
“Oh, Elphyra…I…I had no idea it was this bad,” she said. “This is horrible.”
I tried to keep my tears back. Somehow, in the aftermath of Daisy and her men arriving, the damage and destruction seemed worse. The stench of urine filled the air, along with the mixture of herbs, spices, and powders. What would happen with all that magical powder spread out in the open? I had no idea, but the air was crackling with energy—swirling in a chaotic knot.
“I don’t know where to begin,” I finally said. “I’m…just…”
Bree walked over to the back room and came out with a couple brooms, a large wastebasket, and a dustpan. “You start sorting through piles for anything you want to keep. I’m going to start sweeping up the broken bags of salt and powder.”
I nodded, silently obeying. Fancypants began to sort out things on the counter. As the three of us worked, in unison and silence, I tried to turn my mind off and just make it through the process.
CHAPTER FIVE
By noon, we had cleaned up the worst of it. I had gathered two boxes of broken crystals and bent jewelry, scratched blades and roughed up wands. The decks and books that had been scattered on the floor were destroyed. I wasn’t sure what was water damage, or what had been soaked with other bodily fluids, but I wasn’t going to sell any paper goods that looked even remotely like they had been peed on.
“I think we’re about ready to mop. You should call a window repairman,” Bree said. “I count four cracked windows. They’re spiderwebbing, which tells me that they didn’t get in through them, just threw rocks.”
“That’s what Daisy said. They cut the security alarm lines, then broke through the window to unlock the door. I ordered highly tempered glass, but it wasn’t strong enough to resist whatever they used to bust through.” I sighed, leaning on my broom. “I can’t reopen till I clear up all the damage. And even then, what if they come back?”
“What if they come after you next time?” Bree said, pouring the last dustpan full of debris into the garbage basket. “Did you ask Daisy if she thinks it’s…”
