Sometimes, I allowed myself to imagine different outcomes. Funny, how every fictional outcome had us leaving together.Damn it!There was that word again. Two sneaky letters that wouldn’t leave me alone. Was there such a thing as a selective lobotomy? Is so, sign me up.
I glanced at the time. I’d stalled long enough. My fingers trailed over the small vials of powder I’d attached to my belt. Sure, a witch’s weapons were her spells, but just in case, I’d tucked a small sheathed blade into my boot. A pinch of powder and a dose of steel made for one prepared witch.
Vivian’s hypnotic voice echoed down the hallway. I paused outside her séance room. Inside, she clung to an older woman’s hand, eyes closed, channeling a spirit. Incense burned and candles flickered, though the room was as chilly as an icebox. One of her eyes popped open when I stepped on a loose floorboard, the creak ruining my stealthy getaway.
“Keep your eyes shut, Mrs. Baldwin. The spirit is getting stronger, I just need to light another candle.” Vivian slipped out of her chair and pointed a finger. “Don’t move.” She said the words to me, but Mrs. Baldwin nodded.
Vivian followed me into the waiting room, assuming her scowl of disdain. “Where are you going dressed as a thief in the night?”
“This is your cloak, Viv.”
“Yeah, well, I usually wear that one when I’m about to do something stupid. So, good choice.”
“I have errands. Don’t wait up.”
“Errands, huh? Okay, let’s pretend I believe that.”
“Go back to your client. I know what I’m doing. I’ll be back later.” I opened the door and hurried down the steps, the night air freezing my breath and creating an icy sheen on the cobblestones.
Vivian stood in the doorway. “Hey, Tess, before you go, want to know the funny thing about you and ghosts?”
I paused on the bottom step and sighed. Apparently, she needed the last word too.
“What’s that, Viv?”
She took a breath and waited until I’d turned to face her. “You act the same. They wander around completely invisible, watching other people live their lives. Most of them don’t even understand why. They’re stuck. Then, one day, if they’re lucky, they meet someone who can see them, and suddenly, they’re not alone anymore. I think it might be like that in life too. When you find someone who sees you differently than anyone else, Tess, someone who opens your eyes to new possibilities and helps you deal with the baggage in your past, it changes things. What a shame that you’re willing to give it all up.” She gave me a weak smile. “But, hey, what do I know? I talk to dead people.” The door closed as she went back inside.
My hand trembled on the iron railing. A full minute passed before I took a wobbly step into the street. The wind stung my eyes, making them well up. Yes, it was the wind and not an emotional response to Vivian’s lecture.
The ghosts were messing with her head. I wasn’t invisible. Not literally, but wasn’t there a part of me that had always felt unseen, the witch who wished she was better? All my life, I’d lived in my mother’s shadow. A shadow that only got bigger after her death.
That didn’t make me a ghost.
I kept walking, letting my conviction carry me down the road until even that felt thin and useless. My mind churned. Derrick had set aside his prejudice. He saw my intentions, welcomed my ideas, and treated me like an equal. His accusations in the holding cell had hurt. It made me think he didn’t know me as well as I’d thought. Except I didn’t believe that. I’d shaken his confidence and let my misconceptions about my worth spoil everything I’d accomplished. It was ironic how I’d insisted I wanted a partner, then didn’t treat him like one. I hadn’t trusted him even after he’d asked me to, and it had been my lies, not my failed spells or poor life choices that had driven him away.
Maybe it wasn’t too late?
If I wanted to set things right, I’d have to be completely honest.Ew.Okay, honest about the big stuff. A white lie here and there never hurt a witch. But that also meant being honest with myself.Double ew.
The truth was, I wasn’t ready to give up. Not the shop, not the case, and especially not Derrick. Shouldn’t I at least try to win him back? What better way to lure a detective than with the clue we’d been searching for?Damn.Vivian had the last word and an, “I told you so,” coming her way.
A carriage rumbled past. I raised my hand, picking up my pace to chase after it. The driver pulled over, and I climbed inside.
“Where to, Miss?”
“Take me to the Royal Agency. Fast as you can.”
Twenty minutes later, I was standing at Derrick’s office door. If he threw me out again, I didn’t know what I would do, especially since I’d decided I wanted to finish the case together. My knuckles connected with the wood, and I heard his clipped voice call out from behind.
“Enter.”
Derrick’s head was lowered, his attention buried in a stack of paperwork. He didn’t react when I walked into his office.
“Did you bring me the case file?” His heavy sigh made the candle flame waver. “Put it on my desk and head home. It’s late.”
“Do you always talk to your secretary that way, Detective?”
His hand stilled, a splash of ink welling where the pen stalled. He lifted his head, and the intensity in his gaze made me falter.
