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“Fine. It certainly came in handy there. Why did you bring the herbs?”
She laughed. “I needed to do something while I recruited you, and I didn’t know what to bring, so I just chose those at random.”
“And the flask?”
“Yes, the flask.” We weren’t home yet, but Lucy pulled off the road and into a superstore parking lot. “Get that out.”
I did and held it out to her.
She put it to her mouth and drank, then held it out to me.
I took it and sniffed. “I can only smell the alcohol. What’s in it?”
Lucy smiled. “Courage.”
I sipped and coughed, wiping my mouth. It was strong, but at least the herbs in it didn’t leave that terrible aftertaste. “What kind of potion can you brew that gives courage?”
“Courage and a reward for dealing with Enforcement. It’s straight vodka. Cheers.”
Chapter Six
We’d just finished our shopping and were heading back to our truck when three black SUVs pulled up and parked us in. The Enforcement boss rolled down his window but stayed in his vehicle. I glared at the SUV that was blocking us in.
“Keep it together,” Lucy said, noticing my tension.
“I’ve got it. I just thought we got away.”
Before Lucy could answer, Officer Smith got out of the lead SUV and struggled to close the door. Teddy leapt out and she shook her head, slamming the door shut after him. I braced myself as Teddy made a beeline for me and greeted him, ignoring Officer Smith for a moment. Then I stood and met her eyes. She passed me a sheaf of paper.
“What’s this?”
“We have another incident with mushrooms that we need your help with,” she said. “Several, actually. Your Grove has approved the request. We’ll pay a generous daily fee plus expenses and give you a contact there.”
I hadn’t even seen the details, but I already didn’t like this. “Why me?”
“Ms. Skidimon came clean. We know you are the mycologist and she’s an apprentice. She told us about the bet.”
I closed my eyes and flattened my mouth to keep back the laugh and the frustration. A bet? Why was Lucy ridiculous even now? “Fine. Why me and not a Green on your payroll?”
“We haven’t seen anyone capable of handling this kind of situation in this area. It’s just a few hours away, and you’re here.”
“I didn’t even handle it here, and I have other things on my schedule.” I glanced at the paper and rolled my eyes. “The Come On Inn? Really?”
“That’s where we’ve had some mushroom related incidents. See the details on the paperwork. And you did exactly what you needed to here.”
“Do I have a choice?”
Officer Smith’s voice turned serious. “Enforcement can pull you from any work if it’s deemed national security. If you have the skills—”
“Yeah, yeah, if I have the skills, I have to comply.” I had the skills, all right, but I didn’t want to make them public.
“Good. We’ll need you on this today. And Teddy’s people didn’t make it, so it’s you or the pound.” Officer Smith turned and walked to her vehicle without waiting for an answer. I couldn’t give her anything but a yes to either statement, anyway. Teddy’s tail wagged frantically as he ran to the truck and jumped in the cab. The Enforcement boss tugged his cap at me, and all three black SUVs pulled out of the lot.
Shaking my head, I climbed into the truck and dodged Teddy’s kisses as I got buckled in.
“Here,” Lucy said, tossing me the flask and the other jar of charged spaghetti water. “You’re going to need this.”
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