Spooky Spindle Page 9

  She was wearing a long shimmering black dress. It looked more like she was heading for a cocktail party than a quiet night in with her family.

  “Some of us are happy. Some of us are losing,” said my mom, smirking at Cookie.

  “Just you wait. This game is far from over. Not to mention the night. Even bad card players have to win one of ten,” said Cookie with a wink.

  We left them to it.

  I was incredibly annoyed. “The nerve of her. We’re adults. We were simply in town for a while longer than she’d expected us to be. What if it was because we were talking to cute boys!”

  “You’re already talking to a cute guy and he doesn’t hang out in downtown Shimmerfield. I could be angry about that, though. I might have actually missed an opportunity to flirt with a cute guy,” said Lark thoughtfully.

  “Don’t you wish the deputy had been there?” Pep teased.

  “I would never date one of the supernatural investigators. Now, some of the assistants that came with the Vice Chancellor a while ago is another matter,” said Lark with a crooked grin.

  “We can only hope they never come back,” said Pep.

  “I have a feeling they will,” I said.

  “Or that vampire today. He was awfully cute. He looked like trouble and I like it,” said Lark with relish.

  Pep and I exchanged glances and rolled our eyes. Pep definitely didn’t approve of her sister’s penchant for bad boys.

  I wasn’t about to argue with Lark that Doyle was cute. He certainly was. Nor, however, was I going to say murder suspects were datable. We would have to clear his name first. And in order to do that I had to speak with Jefferson Judge.

  Darkness had fully fallen by the time we got back outside and the owls were circling over the trees. After what had happened with Lizzie, they were probably hoping we wouldn’t want to fly tonight.

  Luckily for them, we didn’t, but the sight of them did remind me that I needed to check on Lizzie before I went to bed.

  This day was never going to end.

  With everything that had happened tonight, I still hadn’t had time to gather the love potion ingredients and hide them from my love-struck cousin. That needed to happen soon too; Lizzie wasn’t going to be bedridden for that long. Finally, I was curious to see if whatever concoction Cookie had given Lizzie had worn off, and how she felt once she truly had to put up with a broken arm.

  I went over and tapped on the storm door, while Pep and Lark sat down to wait at the picnic table.

  After I knocked to let Jefferson know we were out there, I went to join my cousins. A few minutes later the storm door opened.

  “Hi, Jefferson,” I said as he walked over to us.

  Jefferson Judge was a le-haunt. That is, when he was living he’d been a warlock. Dressed in an old but expensive suit and an old tie to match, he looked all business tonight. He had a pleasant enough face, but I suspected his expression could change in a hurry if circumstances demanded it.

  We had met when a vampire named Sharon, who also lived Down Below, had tried to kill him. She had failed, but Jefferson Judge had gone over the nearby cliff in the fight. The vampire had wanted to kill him mainly because he was one of the good guys.

  Luckily, le-haunts are hard to kill, since they’re already dead. Jefferson had survived his ordeal and we had become . . . if not friends, then as close as any relationship with Down Below could be to that description. Let’s call it mutual respect.

  Jefferson was Edmund’s brother, and he had asked me to keep an eye on the warlock down the road when I could. I wasn’t looking forward to the news I had for him tonight.

  “You needed to speak with me?” he asked.

  “About a couple of matters, actually,” I explained.

  “Is my brother okay?” he asked, sliding onto the picnic bench.

  “That’s one of the things I needed to speak with you about,” I said.

  “Is the other that spindle?” he said.

  “No, actually, it’s Old Leslie,” I said.

  The le-haunt raised his eyebrows. Clearly he hadn’t expected me to ask about that.

  We started there.

  Jefferson Judge had no idea where the Spooky was getting its information. Bless him, he just assumed it was all fabricated nonsense. I tried hard to avoid telling him the parts that weren’t.

  “I can ask around, but I doubt Old Leslie will reveal his sources,” said Jefferson Judge. “You’d need to threaten him with something, and there isn’t much he takes as a threat these days.”

  I sighed and looked off into the distance. Jefferson Judge gave me a sympathetic look, but he wouldn’t budge on that point.

  “You were hoping I’d just tell you who it is, weren’t you? I would, at least within reason, except that I don’t actually know,” he explained.

  I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “You don’t know?”

  “Nope. Never asked and he’s never been brought before me in a dispute. Once I went to his office, but there was a note on the door saying to go away. I went back a year later and the same note was still there. It was only then that I realized how yellow and old the paper was,” he said.

  Old Leslie didn’t see visitors or use his office. Another ruse.

  “It had been there for a while,” I confirmed.

  Jefferson Judge nodded. I bit my lip. This was feeling an awful lot like square one.

  “So how’s is my brother?” Judge asked again.

  I told him everything I knew about the vampire murder at Edmund’s place. Since I didn’t know much, that portion of the conversation was relatively short. Jefferson Judge was not as concerned as I thought he’d be.

  “My brother is a tough old warlock. He was never the best at anything and yet he made himself indispensable. He’s survived a lot in his time, including putting up with an annoying sibling. I have no doubt that whatever is going on at his place, he’ll survive that too. Besides, he has you on the case.” Jefferson Judge gave me a smile.

  Inwardly, I cringed. I wasn’t used to someone having that much confidence in little old me.

  We didn’t stay much longer, mostly because Grant had come around the corner of the mansion while we were talking. He was wearing his black cape and hat and a serious expression.

  Jefferson Judge said goodnight and disappeared back through the trap door. Lark and Pep excused themselves to go shower. I went to speak with Grant.

  “It’s freezing out here. Shall we go inside?” he asked. I nodded and we headed for our favorite spot in the library.

  Advice from a witch: hang on to a man who’s willing to hang out with you at a library.

  Our library had a big row of windows overlooking the ocean, making the room an even better refuge than it might have been with just the books.

  The bright lights of the foyer faded into the silence of the library as we entered. I loved how the library was always quiet, because I needed some soothing right then.

  You’d think I’d feel relaxed and calm after a long day.

  Not so with Grant around.

  Even if he hadn’t been His Majesty of Magic, he would have been the finest man I had ever seen.

  A little rough around the edges, but I liked that.

  We had been slowly getting to know each other, and I had never felt like I was soaring so high in my life as I did when I started to date him. His warmth when he looked at me made me tingle with happiness. The way he always made sure to let me walk first or second or however I wanted was another thing I loved.

  Bottom line, he was paying attention to me. Above all else he wanted to take care of me, but with enough distance that I didn’t feel suffocated. I smiled at him as he followed me into the room of books.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Grant smiled as we sat down. We had so much to talk about that I wasn’t sure where to begin. After hearing about the murder at Edmund’s, I was confident that I knew where Grant had been for most of the day. The only trouble was, I had been there too, but afte
r the official investigators. We were trying to do the same job, albeit quite differently.

  But none of that mattered at the moment. Grant looked so incredibly dashing in his cape that I found myself smiling and forgetting all about work.

  There would come a time and a place where I would want to tell him about my day—complain about the stressful bits, maybe recount the excitement of the moment when we’d stared across the field at the hidden stronghold of the Root of All Evil.

  Right now, I just wanted to hear what Grant had to say. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to wait long.

  “It’s great to see you. I’ve been thinking about this all day. Really, for the last few days,” he said.

  “Was there a lot of pressure?” I asked him, laughing.

  He turned slightly to face me. “Of course. This is the early part of dating. I want to do everything properly. I want you to feel good. I want you to know that I want to see you again. All of that sort of thing. It’s just that it’s all terribly complicated. I’m not the best at dating. Still, I’ve come up with something I want to run by you.” He frowned, suddenly looking a bit unsure.

  He had a lot of wants.

  I tried not to laugh. He was sounding terribly serious, but the most important thing was that he was thinking of me. It felt good to know that he wanted me to be happy. It felt good to know he didn’t want me to worry.

  Despite all the stuff he that gone on in his life, he was still concerned that I be comfortable. That was the sign of a good guy. He had already seemed like a good guy; I couldn’t really imagine His Majesty of Magic as anything else. But he proved it to me day in and day out.

  Lizzie had been angry and jealous when she found out that we were dating. She had basically told me she didn’t believe it. Annoyed, Lark had gotten right in her face about it. Why Lizzie didn’t think anyone would want to date me was beyond what my friends could imagine. I appreciated that, while also trying to ignore Lizzie.

  “Of course you can run something by me. You don’t have to get my permission,” I told him.

  “Of course not,” he said, clearing his throat.

  He stared out the window for a few moments, then gave a rueful smile. “I have gone over what I’m supposed to say several times. You’d think I’d just be able to say it at this point. But thinking about it and actually having to see you and say it are two different things. Anyway, here goes.”

  He turned further toward me and I turned to him. My pulse quickened. I tried to look reassuring, but it was difficult. I was incredibly nervous and excited all at the same time.

  “I had a really great time on our first date,” he began. “You looked amazing. It was so much fun to be around you. I’ve never felt so relaxed and happy with somebody before. I don’t even know what it is, but it’s true. I was hoping you’d be interested in going on a second date with me. Before you agree, though, I want to tell you exactly what I want us to do. Then you can properly assess the situation before you commit.”

  He took a deep breath, then went on, as though this were an important matter of international diplomacy. “There’s a chocolate shop on the beach. Right next door is an art gallery. I thought it would be nice if we went to both of those places. It’s too cold for a picnic on the beach, but there’s a coffee shop along the way where I thought we could stop. They have sandwiches and such. We stopped there once on an investigation. I’d like to do that with you tomorrow afternoon if you’re free.” He stopped, took another deep breath, and waited for a reply.

  My jaw fell open. I knew the coffee shop he was referring to. I also knew that no one would think His Majesty of Magic could possibly be so nervous about asking a girl out.

  The coffee shop was in fact a place I had hoped to visit for a long time, I’d just never had the chance. Now here was Grant, offering to take me there on our second date, and adding chocolate and his beautiful blue eyes to sweeten the deal.

  How could I possibly say no?

  I usually only drank coffee in the morning, but in a pinch I could be convinced to have tea and a scone. Maybe more than one scone if I was feeling adventurous.

  He also proposed the perfect time. The next day.

  Several days had already gone by since our first date. I had been missing him so much that my nerves had started to get the best of me. What if he changed his mind? If only he could see me, I felt certain he’d want to date me again. I had told myself to stop being silly, but sometimes fear won out.

  I supposed that meant that there was something for me to lose.

  Just Grant, and according to my grandmother Cookie, a happy marriage.

  He had also proposed an excellent time of day. I needed to do some investigating for Edmund in the morning, but I could take a break in the afternoon.

  Man, I sure was swooning for this guy. And I sure didn’t mind.

  All these thoughts raced through my mind in an instant. Unfortunately, they didn’t come out of my mouth; apparently I was as awkward about dating as His Majesty of Magic.

  On the one hand, that was a good thing. If I’d uttered that stream of consciousness out loud I’d sound like a crazy person. On the other hand, it had the unfortunate effect of confusing Grant terribly.

  I had done this to him once before.

  In short, he made me go speechless.

  He searched my face, his blue eyes growing brighter with concern. He tried not to fidget, but I could see that it was difficult for him.

  “I can give you some time to think about it if you want. You can let me know in the morning if that’s better for you,” he said.

  “I can let you know now,” I told him.

  His eyebrows raised. I was keeping him in suspense, and he wanted me to get it over with.

  “Sorry. I would love to go on a second date with you tomorrow. I love that it’s a coffee shop. I love that you’re asking me at all,” I told him.

  Okay, maybe that was over the top.

  His face broke into a wide grin. “Of course I would ask you again. Are you kidding me? I’ve never been so happy. Anyway, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll see you tomorrow?” he said.

  “Of course,” I blushed.

  Grant was very serious and very methodical. He had a fun streak, but it wasn’t immediately obvious. I liked that I could rely on him. I liked that he said and did what he meant. I liked how solid he was.

  All of that was on display now, which was probably why I was swooning over him so madly.

  “I’ve had a long day. I should be getting to bed,” I said.

  “I’m going to do a bit of research, then I’m going to join you,” Grant said.

  My eyes went wide and my mouth fell open. He noticed and went bright red. Like, redder than I had ever seen him go before.

  “I meant I’m going to bed. Not with you. I mean, I’m going to go to my own bed.”

  Grant was far too controlled to cover his face with his hands, which is what I or any of my friends would have done in the present situation. So all he could manage to do was to keep gazing at me.

  Seeing how utterly mortified he was, I couldn’t help it. I started to giggle. The laughing burst out of me in a great gulp, and then I was laughing hysterically. After a few seconds Grant’s face broke into a grin as well, and he started to chuckle.

  Then we both calmed down, and I said goodnight and left the library.

  I didn’t want to wake up from this amazing dream. I felt happy and warm all over for the first time that day. I might be investigating a murder, my family might be under attack from the Spooky Times, but I had something wonderful to look forward to tomorrow.

  I was going on a date with Grant Hastings.

  I reached my attic room and got at by Lady Oakley before I remembered that I had intended to check on Lizzie. I debated about whether I actually wanted to do that now, and risk ruining my mood. I thought about not bothering, but then I felt guilty.

  “Just go away,” said Lady Oakley.

  “I’m leaving, but I�
�ll be back in a few minutes,” I warned her.

  My attic ghost stood by the window and rolled her eyes. I wondered why she couldn’t find another place to hang out in such a large mansion, but I didn’t stick around to ponder the question. Instead I made my way to the fourth floor and Lizzie’s room.

  I knocked gently on the door but got no answer. I tapped again. This time I heard someone invite me in.

  I opened the door carefully.

  Just like last night, the room was filled with a soft glow. Also just like last night, my cousin was propped up on a number of pillows.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t look any more with it than she had the night before.

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” I asked.

  Her head lolled and there was a droopy smile on her face.

  “Hey. I’m feeling better. I’m going to be up and about tomorrow,” she assured me.

  “That’s good to hear. How’s your arm doing,” I asked.

  “Definitely broken. It’s going to be in this cast for a while. I asked your mom if I could use an enchantment to make it heal faster. Unfortunately, she was not a fan of that idea,” said Lizzie.

  “It’s probably better that you rest,” I said.

  I tried to stay for a few minutes, but Lizzie was yawning; she had clearly been asleep when I knocked. For the few minutes I stayed, all she wanted to talk about was Kip. She was excited to report that he had come to visit her earlier in the day. She couldn’t wait to get out of bed and make the love potion. They could finally be together forever, or at least until it wore off. She knew that after she did that everything would be better.

  I didn’t know what to say, so I just listened to her nonsense. I was having a worse and worse feeling about Lizzie’s intention of concocting a love potion.

  I said goodnight as soon as I could and went back to my room. Lady Oakley was not happy to see me again, but I didn’t care, it was my room too.