“Goddess, please take pity on the spirit of Chad and help him pass over to the other side. If for the good of all, so mote it be.”
She waited a moment and then glanced around the apartment. “Chad?” She smiled. “Not very creative, but itmighthave worked.”
Hmm. Should I mess with her head by leaving her apartment without saying a word?He chuckled to himself.Hell, yes!
***
Roz heard a knock on her door and hurried over to it.It must be Konrad.They had to talk. For one thing, she didn’t want him fighting to protect her. Filing the complaint was the least aggressive way to go, and he didn’t want anything to do with it. Even before that, he had reacted badly before they’d exhausted diplomacy. What was going on with him?
She threw open the door and was surprised to see Morgaine standing there.
“Morgaine! What’s up?”
“Well, not me. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure. Come in.” Roz stood aside and let a hunched Morgaine amble over to the couch and flop onto it. “What’s the matter? Did something happen?”
“Yeah. Chad happened. I usually ignore his little digs, but I think he’s right this time.”
Roz sat beside her. “Oh? What did he say?”
“He said I’m stuck in the ’90s, and I need a makeover. I’ve noticed you have a good sense of style. I was wondering if you’d give me some ideas.”
Roz bolted upright. “Did you say a makeover? What fun! Sure, I’d love to help! When can we start?”
Morgaine chuckled. “I didn’t realize it was an emergency.”
Roz patted Morgaine’s hand. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just excited about the idea of a little girl time. Merry’s been in Florida, and I’ve missed doing the things we used to do together, like shopping.”
“In that case, we can go anytime you’re free. My schedule is flexible.”
“Are you getting anywhere with the art museum case?”
Morgaine shrugged one shoulder. “I have a feeling there’s more Reginald wants to tell me, but he would rather talk to me alone. The only problem with that is not having a witness. And I’m not sure he trusts me completely yet. Now that Chad said something, I think my clothes and makeup might have intimidated him.”
“It’s possible.”
Morgaine hesitated. It seemed as if she wanted to tell her something else, so Roz gave her the time to put her thoughts into words.
“Yeah. It’s more than that. I…I have a mild case of agoraphobia. I hate to leave the building alone. At least if someone I trust is with me and I have a panic attack, I’m sure they’ll help.”
“Of course I’ll help! I had no idea.”
“No, I’m pretty sure nobody does, except Gwyneth, of course. She does all our errands. If we need something she can’t find locally, I order it online.”
“That must be inconvenient at times. I have a car. If you ever need a ride somewhere…”
Morgaine gave her a grateful smile. “That’s sweet of you. I have to really, really need something badly to accept a ride anywhere. My grandmother died last year and my uncle had to come all the way up from Maryland to drive me to the funeral.”
“I understand.” She didn’t really know much about agoraphobia, but she’d look it up on Wikipedia later. Roz took a deep breath and smelled something earthy and sweet. “What’s that scent you’re wearing?”
“Patchouli.”
“What is that? Some kind of Italian designer perfume?
Morgaine laughed. “No. It’s an essential oil. Witches wear it to attract money, and I need some. Our phone-sex business is drying up, since Dottie put the kibosh on loud noises. Some of the guys like us to sound like we’re, um, enjoying ourselves too.”
“Then you need to solve the art museum case.”
