“Not about the murder. Everyone’s talking about Trent and his houseguests. I’ve been trying to explain that they are family friends and need a place to stay because the baby might have measles.” He grinned. “Once you bring up a communicable disease, no one wants to gossip any more. At first, the rumors were about Trent having Sonja and Sarah living with him, and his new unconventional lifestyle, especially because Sarah is the police chief’s wife. Now, everyone wants to know if the test results came back yet. I’ve been explaining that the CDC is running behind.”
“What’s crazy is that a measles outbreak might be true in today’s reality. Trent is trending out there, orwas, until you gave them all measles. Good work,” Mia said as Thomas held up his hand for a high five.
Abigail pushed down her husband’s arm. “On that subject, I haven’t been able to find out who set up this whole at-home training schedule. I talked to Trent and he said that at first he was told that Cerby would have to do on-site training, even if it meant bringing his dragon. I don’t think they thought that one through. Buddy would protect Cerby at all costs.”
“So someone put the bug in Sonja’s ear to do the home class, then Sarah came in and ruined her little romantic fantasy,” Christina recapped.
“Nothing kills romance like a baby, a third wheel, and a couple of hellhounds,” Levi added. He looked at Mia. “Not that Trent was looking for a side piece.”
“Oh, don’t let Sonja hear you call her that.” Thomas shook his head. “I heard stories about her breakups. They’re brutal, for the male, at least.”
Abigail stood and wrote down something on the whiteboard. “Whoever set up the Trent distraction is still up for grabs. Innocent, poor planning, or intentional scheming? What else did we find out?”
“Christina found a property that has been in Suzanne Parker’s name forever and indications that she’s over three hundred years old,” Mia said.
“Shut the front door, really?” Finn was sitting cross-legged on the couch, watching everything. “That woman in the picture? That was her house, right?”
Mia smiled but ignored the question. “Why did Suzanne Parker have a house in Magic Springs? Brandon revealed she was a local coven member in his eulogy. And that she’d taught here.”
A book dropped from the ceiling and onto the coffee table. Finn jolted and moved her feet under her, staring at the table. Mia picked up the book. “Thank you, library. This looks like a yearbook. Who wants to bet that our favorite witch is in here?”
“I wonder if any of her friends are now in high places, like Brandon.” Christina held out her hand for the book. “I speak high school. Let me see what I can find.”
“You’re scary sometimes.” Levi pulled her and the yearbook back down on the couch they were sharing.
Finn sneaked another glance at Christina. Mia had noticed Finn doing that all evening. “Why do you keep looking at Christina like that?”
“I’m not looking at Christina. Well, I am, but it’s not from a bad place. I promise,” Finn stuttered, then stood, picking up the cookie platter. “Well, this is empty. I should fill it up.” She hurried to the kitchen.
“What’s with her?” Christina looked at Mia. “Doesn’t she like me?”
“I think she likes you fine. She’s probably just overwhelmed. Look, she’ll be okay. Let me tell everyone about my day at work.”
Mia explained about Blake’s spell causing her to lose an hour and how Christina had noticed her necklace going off and had gently removed her from the Lodge.
“That’s not done. We have a strict no-attack policy between witches. If someone found out, that witch would lose her powers, with no chance of parole.” Levi stood and paced. “Someone’s breaking all the lawsaround this death. It makes it hard to figure out who to trust.”
“Which I think is the point,” Mia pointed out. “The witch behind this is strong and getting stronger. We have to assume what we’re seeing isn’t real now when we go out into the world. Be careful out there. We don’t know who the bad guys are.”
After the meeting was over, Mia went and knocked on Finn’s bedroom door. “Can we talk for a minute?”
The door opened and Finn waved her in. The room had a small sitting area with a table and a set of chairs. On the table was a pile of books and a can of soda.
“Sit down,” Finn said. “Can I get you a soda? I’ve got a mini fridge over there in the corner.”
Mia hadn’t been in Finn’s room since she’d told the girl she could move in. It looked like a college dorm room, but on the larger side. A rolltop desk was up against the wall. “Sure, a Coke if you have it, or root beer.”
“I have Coke. I keep them for my migraine days. Caffeine and sugar work almost as well as the meds that are crazy expensive.” Finn grabbed the soda, then sat down. “I guess you want to see how I’m handling the new world information you threw at me this afternoon.”
Mia couldn’t hold back her smile. “Basically.”
“It was okay finding out I had some magical talent. Cool, even. But now, with all the stuff they’re doing to you, I’m not sure I want it. It’s like being in the mean girl’s club at school. You see the new girls get hazed and wonder why didn’t I, or when will they do that to me.” Finn sipped her soda. “You guys—Abigail, you,even Christina—are normal. Well, she’s not totally normal. She reminds me of the cheerleaders in high school. All upbeat, all happy, twenty-four seven, like a KHOP radio host. And now, well, she’s going to have a lot on her plate.”
“You should have met her at your age. She was all Goth. Black nail polish, the works. And those Doc Martens boots. Her mother hated it.” Mia leaned back. “How do you know she has a lot on her plate? I suspect you’re not talking about her wedding or the move.”
“No, it’s the babies. Can’t you hear them chattering all the time? Sometimes they’re worse than she is with the positivity. Every time I see her, I think of the happy baby yoga pose. The babies never stop giggling. It’s weird I can hear them, right? I’m weird.” She curled up in her chair.
“You’re not weird, but this is a talent I haven’t ever heard about. We should talk to Grans about it. You can’t tell Christina yet. I don’t think she knows she’s pregnant.”
