Page 37 of Seven Secret Spellcasters (Kitchen Witch Mysteries #7)

“I knew you were in the library. I could sense it off your tracker necklace, but why was it so calm in there? I thought maybe something had happened.” Grans didn’t bother to say hello most of the time. Or goodbye. She just ended the call when she was done talking.

“It’s playing nice with Finn.” Mia glanced toward the joint wall that separated her apartment from the library. “She almost saw Peaches.”

“The cat?” Grans was silent for a while. “We need to talk to her if she’s staying around. She needs to be aware of what might occur.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Maybe next weekend?”

“My engagement party is next Sunday—or did you forget?”

Mia groaned. She had forgotten. “And Christina’s are Wednesday and Friday.

So I guess we’ll be worn out and busy cooking on Saturday.

I hope Abigail has shared the catering schedule with Finn.

We’re going to need her. And maybe I should invite her to ride with Trent and me to Boise for Friday’s event. ”

“Have Abigail take her. You and Trent need time to talk logistics if you’re moving in together soon.”

Mia stared at Gloria. “And where exactly did you hear that bit of gossip?”

“I didn’t hear it, I can feel it. Besides, I had a dream last night that you were living in Trent’s house and helping to raise Buddy. However, I wouldn’t wish that chore on anyone. Make sure you ask the library for dragon-raising books.”

“As soon as Finn goes downstairs, that will be the first thing I do.” Mia was teasing, but Grans did have a point. Reading about hellhounds had helped her understand Cerby’s unique talents. Maybe reading about dragons would do the same.

She heard a book drop in the living room. Walking in from the kitchen, she realized the library had been listening. Or the ghosts of the library. Whatever, it was confusing. She picked up the book: Dragons in the Modern Era . “Well, scratch that. The library has provided already.”

Grans chuckled. “You need to start trusting in your new world.”

“Oh, did you get my text about the foxglove?”

Her grandmother tsk ed. “I dumped that bottle. It’s against coven law to have it in an open potions lab without specific permission from the coven.

Abigail should have known better. Don’t worry, I went back through everything you have and made sure there wasn’t any other contraband in the supplies.

Sometimes that woman doesn’t realize rules are there for a reason. That stuff can kill a person.”

* * *

Mia grabbed some frozen soup and put it in a pot to warm it, then sat down with the book.

She’d make sandwiches before lunchtime. Now she had some light reading to do.

The book must have weighed five pounds, which told Mia all she needed to know.

Dragons were real and hanging around in the world today.

Maybe they could find Buddy a group to live with?

Cerby flashed into her head. The dog would be heartbroken if they sent his friend away, even if it was better for the dragon. She guessed the mountains of Idaho wasn’t such a bad place to raise creatures. The werewolves had been here for centuries.

Mark called after she finished the long, first chapter. Someone loved the sound of their voice. She closed her eyes to refocus, then answered. “Hey, thanks for the break.”

“You’re welcome? But I thought you’d be chilling after Friday night. Or are you still cleaning up?”

“Nope, the academy is all back in order. The coven doesn’t leave a trace. I don’t know if it’s habit or paranoia. I’m reading some industry stuff.” She set the book on the table. It was true, she hadn’t said what industry. “What can I help you with?”

“I wanted to thank you for convincing Steve to come in and give a statement. He appears to have an alibi, but I’ll need to verify it.

I suspect you know that he was Howard’s lunch companion on Thursday.

” He paused. “Steve says that Howard wasn’t going to turn Trent in to the national office for his unregistered magic. ”

“Yeah, Steve told me that too. This brings up the question of who would have wanted Trent turned in. Is that our motive? To get another investigator here? Killing Howard doesn’t stop the investigation. It might delay the inquiry, but it puts someone else in charge.”

“All good questions, and ones that I’ll need your help with. Is there any way you can get into the local coven building and their records? Sarah says the request for an investigation will be filed in the library. She said Cleo would know where.”

“I’ll try to get over there on Monday.” Mia stood and found her planner on a shelf in the kitchen. Having Sarah and Mark talking was working out well. “I have a few meetings, including one for Christina’s engagement party. Are you and Sarah coming?”

“Yes. She’s so excited. We have a babysitter, and she says it’s dress-up time. I’m afraid I’ll be in a suit.”

Mia laughed at his discomfort. “Well, you won’t be the only one. Be happy you’re not going to the Boise event. It’s black tie.”

“I’m not wearing another tuxedo until the baby gets married, if the gods are with me.” He signed off, leaving Mia alone with the book.

Instead of continuing her reading, she went into the kitchen to make cookies before lunch. The apartment would smell like sugar and soup for the rest of the day—and she’d probably be snacking all afternoon. But baking helped her think.

She played with Mark’s timeline in her head. Howard had arrived on Wednesday. He’d had lunch with Steve on Thursday, and then he came over to the apartment that night. Somewhere in there, he’d talked to Blake.

She turned the mixer on to cream the sugar with the butter.

Why did he talk to Blake? Did he immediately sense her special talent?

Something Mia hadn’t seen after months of working with her since Frank had left.

She turned off the mixer and went to the living room.

She pulled the magical-creatures book off her small bookcase and flipped to the section on leprechauns.

Yep, one of their known talents was seeing magical creatures, even when they were in another form. So Blake’s secret hadn’t been a secret to Howard. She closed the book.

Who else was hiding in Magic Springs? Steve and Trent, but Steve had to have known that Howard would see through him—especially since he was focusing on Trent’s transfer of magic to Levi.

Blake’s question about her ex made Mia pause a moment.

If Blake had been upfront with Mia about hiding from her ex, maybe she’d told Howard the same thing.

She wouldn’t want him telling the national office where she was if she was in hiding.

But she had to know that if Howard could see her, he should be able to help her make sure her ex wasn’t here.

And if he was, maybe that was who had killed Howard?

Maybes, ifs, and more magical reasons. Mia stood and put the book back on the shelf along with the one on dragons.

She had company coming for lunch. No time to research magical creatures and their characteristics.

Especially when the company was showing signs of being part of Mia’s secret world herself.

Mia had a plan for at least the next hour. Bake cookies, make sandwiches, and then lightly grill her newest employee to find out if she’d ever displayed any magical abilities. Should be a walk in the park.

Except nothing worthwhile ever came easy.

She hated motivational sayings. Especially when they meant she was going to have to work for what she needed to know.