Page 7 of Hexes and Hiccups (Mystery In A Bottle #3)
D aisy
Mourning doves and robins littered the ground in front of Daisy’s house early the next morning.
The robins ran around speedily, stopping to poke their heads into the soil before continuing on their wild journey.
The doves remained together as much as they possibly could, following blindly where the others went.
Daisy watched them mingle and forage from her front porch, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.
She was dressed for movement, wearing her work boots after the marching she had done through the tall grass the day before.
Tessa had called a few minutes prior to say that she was walking over from her house, ready to start their investigation once more.
Daisy allowed her mind to settle as she watched the birds.
For the first time in a little while, she felt at ease.
There was no frightening need to look over her shoulder or glance down the street with paranoia.
Though she wasn’t entirely sure where that feeling had come from, Daisy had no doubt that the feeling was related to the case at hand.
Perhaps it was the need to repair her loved one’s reputations that were on the verge of being selfishly tarnished, or the growing worry that another townsperson might be rendered to stone sometime soon.
She stepped inside to slip her coffee cup back on the counter, her roaming thoughts making the drink swirl unpleasantly in her stomach.
She snatched the pouch that had the beads from her tracking potion, along with the few strips of torn paper they had already found.
Tucking them carefully within her pocket, Daisy stepped back outside to see Tessa curving up her driveway, the flock of birds taking refuge on the power lines above their heads.
Tessa had a look of determination on her face, her lips pressed together in a hard line.
“You alright?” Daisy called out to her as she locked the door behind her.
Tessa sighed. “Steve heard about the rumor.”
“How?”
“Beats me,” she murmured. “You know how people are: gossipers through and through.”
Daisy walked slowly up to her friend, standing beside her quietly. She grabbed onto her hand, giving her a tight, reassuring squeeze. “I know Steve couldn’t be upset with you from a rumor, right?”
“Of course not.” Tessa sighed again, the despair radiating off of her in magical waves. “But…he thinks I need to be careful. ‘Sit this one out.’ Those were his exact words.”
Daisy felt her shoulders sag. Though Tessa was in no way saying that she was planning on leaving the investigation, Daisy wondered what it would be like to continue through with it on her own.
Perhaps she could do it either way, but there was something undeniably sorrowful about it.
Not having a shoulder to lean on, or even just another brain to pick, made it all seem five times harder than it already was.
Daisy was desperate to prove her partner’s innocence, for her sake just as much as Tessa’s.
They needed each other, and there was no way Daisy was going to let those rumors swirl through Willowbrook any longer.
“What did you say?” Daisy finally asked.
Tessa eyed her. “Well, I told him to focus on his work, not mine, obviously.”
Daisy let out a heavy exhale, not realizing how much she’d needed to hear that. “What a relief,” she murmured. “For a minute there, I thought you were about to tell me something else entirely.”
“It would take a lot more than my husband’s concern to stop me,” Tessa replied, her lip tugging into a smile, though she didn’t seem all that happy.
“It’s only concerning, is all. I can’t help but wonder how many people know, or who knows, for that matter.
Could my proctor and mentors already know? Could they –”
“Tess,” Daisy interjected in a gentle voice, “you know you can’t think like that. The moment that starts to take over you, you’ll be too frightened to leave the house.”
She sighed. “Don’t ask how long it took me to get out of bed,” she murmured.
“We’re going to figure this out.” Daisy pulled the pouch forward, dropping a bead into Tessa’s palm.
“I wouldn’t be doing all of this if I thought it to be hopeless.
Whoever is spreading those rumors is out there, somewhere, and they’re just out of our reach.
But I’m not going to stop looking. Are you? ”
Tessa stared down at the bead with an unreadable expression, her eyes growing more narrow the longer she watched.
Eventually, when she raised her head again, the Tessa that Daisy knew and cherished returned to the surface.
Though the despair still lingered somewhere within, Tessa looked ready to get started, to figure things out.
That, Daisy realized, was all she needed.
“I’m ready if you are, Flowers,” Tessa said.
Daisy grabbed ahold of her own bead before pocketing the pouch, making sure to give Tessa a few of the torn pages as well.
Moving in time with each other, they popped the beads into their mouths, letting them dissolve on their tongues as they thought about the Book of Gossip and its golden-edged pages.
Instantly, the magic shot down to their feet, and the pair were zooming out of the quiet neighborhood.
There wasn’t a soul out on the streets that early in the morning, besides the lingering car or two.
Without having anyone in their way, the magic took them forward faster than before, and hope began to burrow in Daisy’s chest. Perhaps there was too much interference the first time they had used the beads, and it tampered with the potion, somehow.
Though it didn’t make much sense and wasn’t entirely credible, Daisy tried to hold onto that belief.
Perhaps, at the end of the road, they would come across the Book of Gossip, and the problems Tessa carried upon her shoulders would be rendered into a mere bump in the road.
The potion dragged them through the quiet main street, their feet sliding by the unopened Fields’ Herbals .
Daisy managed to catch a glimpse through the darkened windows as they went by, her heart calling out for a time when she didn’t have to worry about petrified townspeople and the merciless spread of relentless gossip.
Things were easy within the shop, and though she wouldn’t change her decision to become a Coven Inquisitor, she believed it was still alright to hope for an easier time.
Sweeping through town center’s long plaza, the spell began to slow down as they neared the local mechanic’s shop.
The parking lot was rather quiet and empty at that time, only the supermarket’s lights flashing into the early morning haze.
The mechanics shop was closed and empty, only a large truck parked in front of it.
The spell came to a halt at the back of the truck, only a quiet parking lot and closed shop in front of them.
Tessa placed her hands on her hips. “Well, isn’t this a load of baloney.” She eyed Daisy over her shoulder as she began to curve around the truck. “I think you might be getting rusty, Fields.”
“Hey, now,” Daisy snapped, though her lip curved into a smirk. “There’s gotta be something here if the magic pulled us all this way. Look around the truck.”
They began to walk around the side of the tall truck, the morning light illuminating red words painted along it. Daisy’s eyes went wide as she focused on the writing, her lips moving as she read the words to herself.
Rebecca Mitchell is secretly drowning in debt.
“Well, I’ll be,” Daisy breathed. “You’re seeing this, right?”
“You bet I am.”
When Daisy turned towards her friend, Tessa had a look of gratification on her face. “Why do you look so happy?” Daisy shrugged. “I’m not seeing a golden book around here, are you?”
“Who cares about the book,” Tessa drawled, pointing towards the words, “When you’ve got a prize like this in front of you?” She shook her head as she laughed. “You think this one is true?”
Daisy sighed as she eyed the words again.
Everything going on made her never want to gossip again, but the writing was far too tempting.
She had a special place for Rebecca Mitchell in her heart, one that drove a fiery wedge of irritation through her.
Rebecca had always been the school bully, the beautiful girl with a bountiful family that was always bragging about their money.
Whether it was through her luxurious clothes or expensive vehicles, Rebecca enjoyed rubbing her wealth in others' faces, even if she didn’t realize it was what she was doing in the first place.
Back in high school, Rebecca had poured punch down Daisy’s dress when she’d arrived with Gary.
At the time, Gary had been beloved by many, and was naturally the center of attention for many crushing girls.
Not only was he a handsome man, but he had a charismatic heart of gold, one that won over many people.
When Gary asked Daisy to the prom, she was as happy as any girl would’ve been, especially when it led to them going steady in their relationship.
It wasn’t until Rebecca’s spiteful and vengeful actions happened that Daisy realized how selfish people could be, determined to have their way, as if the world revolved around them.
And the last time they came upon her, Rebecca had decided to flaunt around her Chanel outfit, one that many small business owners within Willowbrook could never think of affording.
But, to her, she had every right to do whatever she wanted with her money.
Not just buy what she wanted, but throw her wealth in everyone's faces.
Daisy narrowed her eyes at the writing, feeling that same sort of gratification that was obviously expressed on Tessa’s face. “It’s too good to be true,” Daisy finally said. “There’s no way the Mitchell family is in debt, or even bankrupt. There’s just no way.”