Spooky Skeleton Read online

  Just as I was getting worried that we wouldn’t be able to put the fire out, the door to the library burst open.

  My family had arrived to help.

  Kip was in the lead, looking as determined as usual. He was followed closely by Cam and Corey, then Lizzie and Lark and Pep. They all knew water enchantment spells that they used on the blaze, which Grant and I had managed to contain but not extinguish.

  Once the reinforcements arrived, the fire didn’t stand a chance. The guys were efficient and determined. Even Lizzie got to work. With the fire taken care of, part of me wanted to run outside and see what had become of the three attackers. The only thing that stopped me was that I knew they were long gone.

  I didn’t know how long we battled the blaze, but soon after we got it under control Cookie appeared. She took one look at what was going on and yelled for all of us to “Git!”

  My brother turned to argue with her, then he caught sight of her face.

  Cookie was furious. “Why are there so many fires around here? Why do I have to do everything!” she demanded as she hobbled around.

  “Because you’re a micromanager who won’t let the rest of us help?” Lark suggested.

  “That doesn’t explain why so many supernaturals feel the need to set our STONE mansion alight,” she scoffed.

  “Very true,” said Lark solemnly. “I’ll think harder about it.”

  We were standing in puddles by now. Kip, Corey, and Cam had picked up brooms to help mop up. Cookie had used an enchantment that appeared to dump half the ocean on the fire in the haunted library. Many of Meg’s decorations were ruined, but when she arrived she didn’t look upset about it.

  She was, however, upset about something else, and I wondered what it was. She was wearing a beautiful dress and had more makeup on than I had ever seen her wear before. She had clearly spent a long time on it. Concluding that she must have been out on a date, I was relieved that I hadn’t run into her while I was out with Grant. Then again, since she’d been on a date with a human, I supposed that was unlikely. Grant had taken me to a spot frequented only by witches and warlocks.

  Once the library was no longer in danger, my grandmother went over to Grant to get an explanation of exactly what had happened. He was standing next to the cloak on the floor, but unfortunately there wasn’t much left of it. The fire had burned a lot of it, and it seemed unlikely that it would be identifiable as belonging to anyone in particular.

  Everyone else edged over to hear Grant’s response to Cookie. An excellent storyteller, he explained what had happened in an efficient, clipped tone. When my grandmother heard that individuals had broken in through the haunted house, her jaw set and her lips pursed into a thin line.

  “Do you have any idea who would want to break into the mansion at this particular time?” Grant asked.

  “We’ve been trying to figure that out for a while,” said Lizzie.

  We all turned to glare at her. It was definitely not her turn to share information.

  “The mansion is obviously filled with treasures. It doesn’t surprise me that someone would want them. What surprises me is that since all of the thieves live Down Below, I would have thought we wouldn’t have a problem. Clearly there’s at least one thief who lives elsewhere.” Lizzie shrugged.

  Grant was nodding, but he looked lost in thought. “Do you think it has anything to do with the Root of All Evil?” he asked at last.

  “It could always have something to do with the Root of All Evil. I do believe they’re the cause of most of the problems around here,” said Cookie.

  “Do you think they knew there was a werewolf living in Shimmerfield?” Grant asked.

  “They certainly could have. Especially once they left the grounds of the mansion, anything was possible. They would have been closer to Elton, and they could have gotten sick and tired of his monthly howling. Bashing someone’s head in when they’re making too much noise isn’t a solution, but I wouldn’t say the Root is into reasonable solutions. Still, there might have been something else going on that we have no way to know about,” Cookie said.

  If anything Cookie had just said fazed Grant, he didn’t show it. As for me, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

  “Jane, it’s a good thing you came to help Grant. But next time you should probably stay out of his way. He knows what he’s doing,” said Kip, his voice clipped.

  I glare at him. He was so busy examining the remains of a charred book that he didn’t notice my scowl.

  “It’s always best not to fight monsters alone, I’ve found,” said Grant.

  A flashed him a smile of gratitude for standing up for me. Kip probably didn’t even take in what Grant had said, but I sure did, and so did Cookie.

  “Exactly right,” she said. “If you fight them with somebody else you can always hope the monsters kill your companion first. Then maybe they won’t be hungry by the time they get to you.”

  “Maybe don’t say that out in public,” said Pep.

  “I don’t go out in public much,” Cookie shot back.

  “That’s a good thing for the whole family,” I said.

  “Where were you, anyway?” Lark asked Meg.

  Her mother tossed her hair. “If you must know, I was out on a date. I had a lovely time and I plan on doing it again. I’m just sorry I wasn’t here for all the fun. I don’t like the idea that the mansion is vulnerable. I thought it wasn’t.” She looked at Cookie when she said that last bit.

  My grandmother shrugged. “I don’t think it’s as vulnerable as it appears. I’m going to look into it, but only time will tell.”

  “Very well. I trust that you have everything in hand. With that in mind, I’m going to bed. Is there any chance any of these intruders are still inside the mansion?” said Meg.

  “They went out the window. I don’t think there was any other way for them to get in,” I said.

  “Let’s not leave the windows open anymore, then. Good night,” said Meg.

  Once she was gone, everyone else started to leave as well. Pep had been yawning for a long time, and the others looked tired too. Cookie was the only one who still looked spry and awake. She was hobbling around and around the library, her brow furrowed that made her appear to be lost in thought.

  Grant and I exchanged glances. Between the intruders, the fire, and my family arriving like the cavalry, we hadn’t had a moment to ourselves. I hadn’t even been asked him if he was all right.

  As if pulled together by an invisible string, we walked toward each other, careful to avoid the charred floor. I had a feeling that Cookie would have an enchantment for that when she got around to it, but I also thought she might want to leave it that way for the moment.

  “Are you all right?” I asked Grant. “There was a moment there when you were fighting all three of them at once.”

  Grant nodded. “I’m fine. What about you? I didn’t like leaving you up there alone with one of them.”

  “I’m fine. He didn’t actually want to fight me any more than I wanted to fight him. He kept trying to get away. I don’t know what they thought they were doing.”

  “You can say that again. Uncle Taft has an old rule that anyone who breaks into the mansion doesn’t get to live,” said Cookie from across the room.

  I was deflated at the reminder that Grant and I still weren’t alone.

  “If they aren’t going to survive, I guess we’ll just have to catch them,” said Grant.

  I was relieved that my mother was gone for the night. If she had been there, she would have been terribly upset that the mansion had been attacked. On top of that, she might have figured out that Grant and I had gone on a date, and I preferred to tell her in my own way and in my own good time.

  “I should be getting home,” said Grant. “I’m sorry this evening didn’t end the way I hoped it would.” He smiled at me ruefully.

  Kissing. He was definitely talking about kissing me. At least, I hoped he was, given that all I was thinking about was kissing
him. Hopefully he couldn’t actually see that on my face, because if he could, what if Cookie could too?

  “I agree. I can show you out,” I said. Mostly I wanted to get him away from Cookie, even though for once she wasn’t causing any trouble. She was still staring at the spot on the floor where the carpet had burned.

  “Cookie? Are you going to be all right here?” I asked her.

  “Of course I am. When are you going to realize that I don’t need any help? Go enjoy the rest of your date. Just don’t stay up too late. We have an awful lot to do tomorrow,” she said.

  Grant and I made our way out of the haunted house. Even with everything closed down, it was creepy, but nowhere near as creepy as it was when the hunted house was open and the supernaturals were around.

  “Do you believe it was the Root of All Evil?” I asked Grant as we walked.

  He gave me a side glance and raised one eyebrow.

  “I don’t know. I like to follow the facts, and they’re in short supply in this case. All we know is that the Root would be one organization that would want to break into the mansion. At the moment that is very relevant. We don’t know of another organization that wants to do the same. Given that you have an agreement with the Fudge not to cause trouble, I would think the problem isn’t coming from Down Below,” he said.

  I agreed with him, and didn’t have anything to add to his summary of the state of the case.

  We had made our way to the foyer, and suddenly I felt very shy. Coming back on the boat earlier in the evening, I’d been lulled into a sense of calm. The evening had gone so well, and it had been so nice to spend time with just Grant.

  Now that it was over, it felt like a bit of that magic spell had broken. I was looking at Grant again as a fellow investigator and His Majesty of Magic. I was having a hard time looking him directly in the eye.

  As I stared down at his boots, a hand came into view. He entwined his fingers with mine, and with his other hand he tilted my chin up to meet his eyes. Now he was smiling, and I didn’t think it had anything to do with investigating.

  “I just want you to know that I had the most wonderful time tonight. Thank you for coming with me. I feel so easy when I’m with you. Nothing else seems to matter,” he said. He spoke slowly, as if he wanted to be sure that he said every word properly, and that I understood him.

  With my toes tingling with warmth, I shuffled a little closer to him, feeling shyer than ever. Those words were real, and he had just said them to me.

  Something bubbled up in my chest. I tried to push it back, but I couldn’t. A yawn just burst out of me, uncontrolled and uncontrollable.

  Grant’s smile only deepened. “Yes, it’s much later than I had planned,” he said. “If we’re going on a fourth date, it’s time for us to discuss formalities, but maybe not tonight. It’s late, and something tells me you’re tired.” He brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

  I sighed inwardly, having just yawned in his face. Smooth as a pebbled beach, that was me with a guy.

  Before I could think any more self-disparaging thoughts, Grant kissed me.

  The night was over, and sooner or later it had ended exactly as I had hoped.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  In the morning I stretched luxuriously, trying to decide whether to get up. Birds were singing, the sun was shining, and my bed was cozy and warm. Rose was lying next to my side, still fast asleep.

  Part of that rosy scenario was true, and part of it was fantasy. There were no actual birds to be heard at the moment, maybe because it was pouring rain. But my bed was warm, the warmest spot being the side Rose had cuddled up against. That was good, because the attic was freezing.

  I dipped my chin under the blanket and contemplated how I could levitate to the kitchen without my feet touching the icy floor.

  “Good night?” Rose asked, opening one eye a slit.

  I told her about the date, then about the three figures climbing the wall. Lark and Pep didn’t even know how the date had gone yet. We had been too busy saving the mansion from whatever we were saving the mansion from.

  “You’ll have to have a talk. A witch and a warlock pairing is a big deal. Mom will want to know, and the government, too.” Rose trailed off as I scoffed.

  “We don’t have to tell the government just yet. Nothing has been worked out. It’s only been three dates, and he’s gone half the time investigating supernatural murders all over the country,” I muttered.

  There was a knock at the door. When I called a welcome, Lark and Pep came in holding mugs of tea. I sat up and took an offered mug gratefully. Instead of pulling the blankets with me, I grabbed another sweater.

  “It’s freezing up here. I’ll get a space heater,” said Pep.

  She left the door open, disappeared into the other attic, and returned with a small space heater.

  “Mom won’t like it,” I said.

  “What she doesn’t know . . . We won’t run it for very long,” Pep added.

  They settled on the couch and looked expectantly at me.

  “We’re ready to hear all the details,” said Pep.

  “She already told me. Sounds fun, except for the dating part,” Rose added.

  “So just the chasing evil part?” I asked.

  “Right,” said Rose.

  I filled my cousins in on what had happened on our date. They were both impressed that Grant had taken me to such an exclusive restaurant. When I tried to say that it was because he was friends with the chef, they were having none of it.

  “It would be like if the tomcat took me to an alleyway with European mice to dine on,” said Rose.

  All three of us just stared at her. “What?” she asked defensively.

  “I guess how the evening ended kind of ruined everything, didn’t it?” Lark said.

  “Well, it didn’t help. I had been thinking we were going to talk about what our third date meant, but we didn’t get the chance,” I said.

  “At least he seems to think you have to talk. Some guys don’t even think you have to do that. They just look at each other, shrug, and think everything will work itself out without them doing anything other than eating,” said Lark.

  “It sounds like you have personal experience with this,” said Pep.

  “Don’t we all?” Lark asked.

  “I don’t think Grant is that kind of guy,” I said.

  “Grant is clearly a special case. He wants to talk, and he wants to treat you well. He’s even a bit worried about doing this whole dating thing wrong,” said Pep.

  I was relieved that my cousins wanted the best for me and thought I deserved the world, or at least a cute guy with sparkling eyes. Really, I thought we all deserved that. But the fact that the guy I thought was so cute happened to be His Majesty of Magic was incredible. Even more so was the fact that his eyes sparkled when he looked at me.

  “Jane has definitely disappeared into a tunnel of thinking about Grant, wouldn’t you say?” Lark asked her sister.

  Pep giggled. “Yes, I think that’s exactly what’s happening. See that silly smile on her face? She can’t stop thinking about him.”

  “He was just so easy to be around last night,” I said. “I kept thinking that, and then he said the same thing about me when the night was over. I’m just worried about everything that goes along with it. I mean, we aren’t exactly adversaries, but we aren’t working together, either. I’m the investigator who’s always being told to stay out of investigations.” I bit my lip as I thought about it.

  “He doesn’t seem to think you should stay out of investigations. He’s just a rule follower who wants to make sure things are done by the book. You can’t help those. They’re a blessing—and a curse. When it comes to dating and Grant following those rules, I’m all for it,” said Pep.

  “Yeah, except that now we have to talk to my mother,” I said.

  That was the part I was dreading. A witch and a warlock were not free to just casually date. It went back to olden times and some rule
s that were very patriarchal, but still observed. My mother would intend to follow them and would expect the rest of us to do so as well. We had all received many talking-tos about it growing up. But one of the big problems with it was that it forced young couples to define their relationships before they were ready.

  At first I had been telling myself that I wasn’t ready to define anything with Grant. After he came back from Arizona, my feelings on that topic had started to shift. I was now realizing that in fact I was more than ready to define my feelings in relation to Grant.

  Now I just had to find out if he felt the same way.

  Actually, that wasn’t true. I had to find out if Grant felt the same way, then we both had to speak with my mother.

  “Let’s talk about something else. Like the fact that Cookie doesn’t want us investigating this werewolf business,” I said.

  “I think we have to go back to Elton’s house and talk to Paul,” said Pep. “We might even be able to convince him to come and live here. We need more supernaturals anyway. If we bring home a good one, that can only be a plus with our mothers.”

  I brightened at that idea. “I don’t know if we can find our way back there on foot, though.”

  “I’ve already spoken with the owls,” said Lark. “They’re prepared to take us, so we shouldn’t have any problems. I think we can get there and get back in a couple of hours. We just have to hope that Cookie is busy and doesn’t catch wind of it.”

  “She’s definitely busy. She’s with Mom in the haunted house, trying to clean up the mess the fire left last night,” said Pep.

  “I thought they wanted to leave it for decoration’s sake,” I said.

  “They want to leave some for decoration. The rest they’re cleaning up, because they want to make sure there’s no structural damage,” Pep explained.

  “I’ll be ready to go in half an hour,” I said, taking one last sip of my tea.

  Without waiting for a response, I threw off the covers and started to get ready. Rose grumbled when a blanket landed on her, then she realized that it was to her benefit in keeping her warm against the chilly morning. It also would make it easier for her to hide. If any unfortunate mice happened to wander into my attic, they would have even less of a chance of spotting her and getting away in time.