“We don’t have the bull’s-eye on our backs like you do.” Grans paused a minute, thinking about her words. “I wonder why that is. Abigail is certain that whoever is behind this is trying to isolate you. Maybe we should just stay home.”
“As long as I stay on the property, I should be fine. I’ll put a lead on Muffy before I let him out so he can’t be tempted to wander.” Mia saw the concern growing on her grandmother’s face. “And I’ll text you every time I open the door.”
“And when you’re back in the apartment?”
Mia rolled her eyes. “I promise. Go have fun. I’ll be fine here.”
She didn’t add “alone” because, as she’d told Christina, she wasn’t alone. She had Mr. Darcy, who had a connection with Damien. She had the academy ghosts, who could tell anyone anything. And she had a newProject Runwayseason that she hadn’t even watched the first episode of yet. Add in a supreme with extra veggies and a beer out of the fridge and she’d be just fine for the two or three hours she’d be alone in the academy.
When neither Grans nor Christina moved, she picked up the remote. “I promise, I won’t take off for any reason. Even with Cleo’s intervention last night, I still feel like the world around me is staged. I know what I see might not be reality. I’ll call someone first before jumping into deep waters.” She held up her hand in a Girl Scout symbol. “So help me Goddess.”
“You’re not funny. But I think you are clear enough to not fall for a vision. At least I hope so.” Grans called out to the kitchen. “Gloria? If something goes down, will you reach out to me?”
An old James Taylor song wafted through the room: “You’ve Got a Friend.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Be careful and I’ll see you no later than nine.” Grans kissed Mia on the cheek, rubbing off the lipstick as she stood up. “And you, Christina. Go change into something pretty. Levi’s almost here.”
Mia smiled as she curled up on the couch. She had people who worried about her and people she worriedabout. She had family. No matter if they were blood-related or not, they were united. She watched the security monitor as Levi’s Jeep came into the parking lot and Damien’s car left. Then Christina blew through the living room in a maxi dress and boots and rushed out the door.
Mia paused the show, then got up to get a soda and threw the dead bolt on the apartment door. Stupid, she knew, but it made her feel better. No one would get in the front door without a key, and she wasn’t going to open the door for anyone.
She resumed the episode and got busy trying to figure out who was her favorite in the new cast of designers. So many were cast as the love-to-hate reality stars this season. Nailing down a favorite to go all the way was going to be hard.
She ordered pizza and breadsticks after the first episode was over. When she saw the pizza delivery guy pull into the parking lot on the security monitor, she also saw Mark Baldwin’s truck pull in afterward. She picked up her phone as she went out of the apartment and called Sarah.
“Do me a favor, call Mark and ask him where he is right now?” Mia asked as soon as Sarah answered the call. “Wait, ask Trent to call him.”
To her credit, Sarah didn’t even ask why. Mia waited to open the door until Sarah returned to the phone. “Mark says he parked in front of your school. Is there a problem?”
“No, just tell him to say, ‘Tempest is a hellhound’ when he reaches the front door.” Mia snapped onMuffy’s lead before she opened the door and gathered the pizza. She set it on the foyer table and waited for Mark to come up to the door. He nodded to the pizza delivery kid, who gave him room on the sidewalk.
When Mark got to the door, he looked back to see if the kid was in his car, then dropped his voice. “Tempest is a hellhound. What is this all about?”
Mia called Muffy in and he greeted Mark as well. She shut the door, then tapped a finger on the top of the pizza box. “Want some dinner?”
“Sure.” Mark followed her into the living room.
She set down the pizza on a table and grabbed paper plates and napkins from the bar. “I have cola or lemon lime down here. Or root beer.”
“Root beer, please.” As he sat down and took off his jacket, he laid it on the couch. “Are you going to tell me why I had to have a password from my wife to talk to you?”
“I told you I was having some visions and unsure what was real.” Mia set two cans on the table and opened one to take a drink. “I’m alone, so I didn’t want to be surprised if you turned out to be someone else.”
“I didn’t think this place was ever empty. You collect strays like you run a dog pound.” He opened the pizza box and took a deep sniff. “This smells amazing. I don’t know why I didn’t think to order pizza one night while Sarah’s been gone.”
“She probably has a compelling spell on the house to try to get you to eat healthy.” Mia took a slice, watching Mark’s reaction. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him that.
Instead of getting upset, he shrugged and grabbed a slice. “I wouldn’t put it past her. Anyway, I thought you dealt with the visions.”
“I think I have, but a girl can’t be too careful. Why are you here, besides the fact that it’s dinnertime and you thought you’d get invited to eat?” The pizza was just hot enough and had a thick crust, which made it taste so much better than if it had a crunchy, thin crust.
“One, yes, I thought dinner might be around this time. And two, I wanted to update you on what I found out about Suzanne Parker. She did own a house in town. Funny, the county records show it as vacant land. She has a will, but her attorney is out of town until late next week. So is her boss, who sent her here from Boston on assignment. Only he can tell me what her assignment was or who she was meeting. Being human, I can play dumb well. After talking to his assistant, I got a call from the large attorney firm, which told me not to contact their clients directly but filter all questions through them. So, I sent them a full page of them. No response yet, but the boss is on vacation, according to the lawyer. Who was this woman besides your tester? Is that job enough to get this kind of celebrity cover-up? I haven’t seen this kind of back peddling since we had that murder of a low-level actress in Sun Valley.”
“She was a powerful witch, I know that much. She lived a long time here in Magic Springs, and she loved being part of a new witch’s education. Except for mine, I guess. She was upset that I’d tested so high on my first test and thought I pulled one over on the first examination guide. He was lovely, by the way. Thensomeone asked for a retest. Parker came and gave it. Then I tested higher. I don’t know why that or her death happened, but I believe someone wants me to step away from my magic.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Mark set down his pizza. “You think this is about the magic? You usually can tell me if my victim was killed by magic or not. This seems like a bad rewrite ofThe Wizard of Oz.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s because of this guy or girl messing with my memories,” Mia circled around her head with an outstretched finger, “or because of my level from the test. Or maybe it had nothing to do with Suzanne Parker’s professional life and she was just here when the killing happened. She’d lived here for many years, so I’m sure she must have made some friends and enemies. I just can’t find either.”
