Page 36 of Seven Secret Spellcasters (Kitchen Witch Mysteries #7)

“Y ou can’t think my brother killed Howard? That’s ludicrous.” Trent’s eyes flared, and Mia felt the energy surge from Cerby, trying to figure out if Trent was safe.

“You need to calm down and let Cerby know you’re okay.” Mia pointed out. The last thing they needed was a dragon and a hellhound bursting into the Lodge, looking for their master.

He stared at her for a long minute, then took a deep breath. His heart rate dropped, and Mia could see that he was telepathically chatting with his dog. Then he squeezed her hand. “Sorry, that came out of nowhere.”

Mia wondered if that was true. If Steve shared the same talents as the other two brothers, it would be reasonable to guess that he might also have a trigger set in his brother’s mind, just in case Steve’s loyalty or actions were questioned. “Do you know when Steve arrived?”

Mia’s phone rang.

Frowning, she checked the incoming number. “I don’t know the number. It must be spam.”

She went to set it down when Trent said, “Answer it. Steve is calling you. And yes, I need to talk to my brother.”

Mia didn’t want to be a fly on the wall during that discussion. She accepted the call. “Hi, Steve. So, when did you arrive in Magic Springs, and did you know about Howard before you got here?”

“Of course I knew about Howard. That’s why I flew in.

To save my family. I know that Trent didn’t kill the guy, but sometimes innocence isn’t enough to keep you out of jail.

” He paused. “I’m not happy you disclosed my attachment to Trent.

It was an easy way to keep track of the family without the long plane ride.

You know, the folks are going to ream me for this.

And especially for not disclosing our connection.

Mom asked a few years ago, and I lied. I’m going to pay for that now. ”

“You shouldn’t lie to your mom.” Mia didn’t feel sorry for Steve.

He’d set himself up for this years ago when he handed Trent his powers.

He should have mentioned it then. Abigail had been aware of Trent’s non-limitations for years now.

Which was probably when she asked Steve and took his word.

“Please answer my questions. Your brother and I are trying to enjoy a lovely meal together, but other things keep getting in the way.”

“Oh, yeah? Like what? Trent has his wards up, so I can’t hear anything.”

“None of your business.” Mia rolled her eyes, and Trent laughed. “The questions?”

“I got here on Tuesday. I knew Howard was coming because I have a friend in the national office. Apparently, they’ve been watching Magic Springs for a while. Things are happening here that should happen. Like the witch and werewolf wedding you were a part of last year.”

“And Cerby’s arrival.” Mia felt the chill going through her. Brandon and Sabrina were still here, but most of the coven had left. “So the national office is involved in this?”

“Someone from the local coven is feeding them the information. I don’t think the rest of the coven is even aware that there’s a divide.

The National Board has been split on this subject for years.

It’s kind of a Hogwarts pureblood debate.

Most witches know we’re growing and that the strict, one-magic-user-per-generation policy is stupid.

Of course, we’re considered the rebels out to destroy the old guard. ”

Trent must have let his wards down because he was hearing all of this at the same time.

His eyes were worried, but she could tell he was holding it together mostly to keep Cerby calm.

She mouthed the name Levi , and he nodded.

So, both brothers and probably the entire Majors family was hearing Steve’s confession of sorts.

“This has to be the conflict that Grans has been seeing in her dreams. Why she wants Trent and me together before it happens.”

Mia heard a sigh from Steve. “Probably. There have been signs that the Goddess is involved, trying to stop the war, but anyway, that’s a discussion for another day.

I want to be clear here. I had lunch with Howard on Thursday, trying to figure out what his game plan was.

Which side he was on, so to speak. He seemed to be sympathetic to our side when I talked with him.

And then he visited you and Trent that same day.

I was shocked he was continuing the investigation. ”

“Maybe he needed to,” Mia said, thinking about that day. “If he’d turned down the assignment, the national office would have sent someone else. Howard might have been the rebels’ best chance for a peaceful settlement of the argument.”

“Whatever. I’m not sure there is a peaceful outcome, but I didn’t kill anyone, including Alfred Howard. Tell Trent he owes me breakfast tomorrow if he wants to meet that early. We’ll go to the Sunrise Village in Sun Valley. Less chance of being overheard.”

And with that, Steve hung up on her.

She put the phone away and waited for a long minute before picking up her utensils. “Even if he didn’t kill Howard, I need to tell Mark about the lunch meeting, and he can clear Steve since he was with your dad that night, right?”

“Just tell Mark. Let the chips fall where they may. I’m done covering for Steve.” Trent tossed his fork onto his plate. His older brother had used him as a listening device without telling him. He threw his napkin on the table. “We can leave whenever you’re ready. I’m not hungry anymore.”

* * *

Sunday morning, Mia was still alone in the apartment.

Trent had gone home to be with Cerby and Buddy.

She had Mr. Darcy and Gloria, but for some reason, the apartment didn’t feel like home right now.

Mia poured herself a coffee. “I guess I’ve gotten used to living with a lot of other people around. ”

Mr. Darcy lifted his head, seeming to agree.

“And I bet it’s been hard on you with losing Dorian.” She sat next to him on the window seat. “Do you miss your buddy?”

He rubbed his head against her hand.

“Well, I wanted to ask you and Gloria what you thought about moving in with Trent. It will be a little busy since Cerby now has Buddy, but I think it’s the right time.

” She looked around her little kitchen. She’d been on her own since she’d left Isaac.

The school had been her refuge when she’d bought it.

Way too big for her, but she’d managed not only to fill it with Mia’s Morsels, but also to make it a home.

A home where her newfound family, plus Grans, could gather and protect each other.

It might be needed for that again, but for now, Mia thought she’d start spending more time at Trent’s house and see how it felt. “Of course, you’ll need to come with me,” she said as she kissed Mr. Darcy on the head.

He jumped down and ran to the apartment’s front door, meowing. Someone was outside.

Mia followed, wondering who had come inside the building. She opened the door and found Finn coming up the stairs, books in her arms.

She looked surprised to see Mia. As Mr. Darcy wound around her feet once she was on the landing, she reached down to rub his head. “I hope I didn’t wake you up. I thought maybe the building was empty. I came in late last night.”

“You didn’t wake me.” Mia looked at the books. “Are you already done with those?”

“I don’t do much lately but read, sleep, and work.” Finn made an L with her thumb and forefinger and put it on her forehead. She laughed and said, “Nerd alert on the third floor.”

“You’re not a nerd, and sometimes life goes that way,” Mia answered as she grabbed the key to the library. It was probably already open since the house knew she was coming. But just in case. “Besides, you spend time with your cousin, right? That must be fun.”

Finn’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “Oh, yes. I should have said that too.”

Something was off about her response. Mia tried the library door, and as she’d suspected, it was already open.

“Well, you don’t need me here. Why don’t you come up for lunch and we can talk?

I’d like to hear how you’re settling in.

Remember, if you need a reference for admission to the culinary program, I’m more than willing to write one. ”

Finn set her books on the first table. Mr. Darcy hissed at a corner, then left the room. Mia saw Peaches return the not-so-friendly greeting.

“I wonder what he saw?” Finn asked, looking in the corner too.

Mia wondered why she’d focused on the exact corner that held the orange ghost cat, but maybe it was a coincidence.

Or more likely, Finn’s heritage was starting to wake up now that she was in the academy.

Mia would have to ask Grans about that. If it was true, they might have to gently ease Finn into her new worldview so she didn’t go screaming out into the night if a ghost decided to talk to her.

Mia ignored the question. “I’ll see you at lunch, then. Soup and sandwiches okay?”

“Sounds great. My cousin is coming to get me at three. We’ll be done by then, right?” She looked up at Mia, hope shining on her face.

“Of course.” Mia nodded to the shelves. “Good luck finding your next read. Sometimes the library can be a little shy on bestsellers.”

“Not even close. I’ve found several fantasy series that I’ve been meaning to read. I need to get as much reading done as possible before January, just in case I get into school.” She beamed as she started reshelving the books she’d brought up.

As Mia left, she thought about how comfortable Finn was in the academy. She’d fit in since Abigail hired her.

That couldn’t be just luck. The last perfect hire had wound up to be a plant for a bad guy. Mia needed to find out more about Finn’s cousin. Maybe she’d go down and meet him at three.

When she got back into the apartment, her phone was ringing. She hurried to answer it. “Hello?”