“Well, that certainly isn’t good. Take her to the conference room,” the voice instructed in that same overly polished manner. “I’ll summon the others.”
Parker placed a hand at the small of my back, and I wriggled away from him.“Don’t touch me,” I snapped.
“Sorry,” he said, seeming genuinely apologetic. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “Follow me. Um, please.”
My legs snapped into action, despite my mind screaming for them to stop, turn around, and run as fast as I could out the door.
I was a lifeless marionette in his hands, little Pinocchio before the fairy godmother brought him to life.
We walked down one hall, turned, and then walked to the end of another that opened into a large meeting room with a glass ceiling. I’d have been impressed if I weren’t already equal parts agitated and terrified.
“What do you want with me?” I demanded, searching Parker’s eyes, hoping that with the right expression I could convince him to let me go before any serious damage was done.
“Have a seat,” he said with what seemed like a sad shake of his head. I wasn’t buying that. If he was so sad about this, then he wouldn’t have kidnapped me in the first place.
My hands moved to grip the nearest chair and pull it back.
“You don’t have to,” Parker said suddenly, and my hands fell limply to my sides. “Unless you want to.”
“I’d rather stand,” I managed through gritted teeth. “Actually I’d rather go.”
I started toward the door.
“No!” he cried, and I froze in place. “I’m sorry. I know you must have a million questions, and you’ll get answers for all of them. Well, most at least. We just have to wait for—”
The door flew open and four people marched in, glancing briefly in my direction as they assembled themselves around the table. Most were much older than me or Parker. At least one of them looked like he was mere days away from celebrating his one-hundredth birthday. A long white beard hung limply against his chest, making him look a bit like Merlin in a business suit. Why would a one-hundred-year-old man need a business suit, and why would he be wearing it now? These were but a few of the many questions flying through my mind as I studied the new arrivals.
I had just peeked under the table to check out the footwear of a particularly well-dressed woman who appeared to be in her late fifties or early sixties when a black cat trotted through the doorway and leaped up onto the table in one graceful, confident pounce.
“Now that we’re all here,” the voice I’d heard in the outer room began.
Of course, I didn’t hear what he said next, because an internal scream took over my brain as I realized that same smooth voice was coming from the cat.The cat!
And it’s not just that the cat was talking—he seemed to be in charge, too.
He placed one paw directly in front of the other and sauntered across the table, his glowing yellow eyes fixed right on me.“Well?”
“Well, wh-what?” I stuttered. I also struggled and strained, but nothing I tried released my legs back into my control.
“Are you the one who killed her?” The words danced out from the cat’s mouth, and I realized now why it sounded so strange. He didn’t need his tongue to form the sounds. That removed a lot of the wet breathiness out of speech.
“No answer,” he said thoughtfully. “Does that mean you plead guilty?”
“No!” I shouted. “Now let me go!”
The cat turned to Parker and waited.
The once-confident police officer appeared frazzled in the company of the demanding feline.“She was there when I arrived. I thought we could—”
“Make use of her until we find out who really did it. Provided it’s not actually she who committed the deed, of course. Brilliant idea, Barnes.” The black cat strolled back to the head of the table, and the people seated on either side murmured their agreement.
I still had no idea what was going on, but at least now I knew they didn’t plan to kill me. “Excuse me,” I piped up. “Make use of me how?”
“Oh, you’ll see soon enough,” the cat promised with a rather unfriendly chuckle.
With that, Parker rose from his seat and strode toward me with one hand extended as he shot me an uneasy smile.
The others rose from their chairs, too, and formed a line behind him, waiting for their turn to greet me themselves, apparently.
When I hesitantly returned Parker’s handshake, he said, “Welcome to the Paranormal Temp Agency. You’re hired!”
What? How could I be hired when I hadn’t even applied for a job?
Also, there was the small fact that I was most definitely not a paranormal person. I was normal with a capitalN, and I didn’t like what was happening here one bit.
5
I’d just discovered a murder, been kidnapped, and then offered a job by a talking cat. How much weirder could this day get?
I shook my head vehemently.“Sorry, I already have a job.”
“It’s not up for debate,” the cat hissed back at me. “Get her up to speed and fast, Barnes. My patience here is wearing thin.”
“Okay. Okay. Where to begin?” Officer Parker Barnes wondered aloud while I was left to wonder if he really was a police officer or if it had all been a ruse from the start.
“This time, you probably want to be sitting down,” he said, pulling out a chair for me.
I crossed my arms over my chest and stood firm.“I managed to survive the talking cat without passing out. I think I can handle whatever you’re going to say next.”
“Suit yourself.” He chuckled, but I thought I saw a flicker of respect cross his face. “Lila Haberdash was Beech Grove’s Town Witch, and now that she’s dead the position is open. In the meanwhile, it’s yours.”
“Uh-huh, uh-huh.” I nodded my head adamantly. “There’s just one problem with that.”
“You’re not a witch?” Parker asked with one eyebrow quirked.
“I’m not a witch!” I shouted in confirmation, wringing my hands as I did. “So, thanks but no thanks. I’ll just be on my way.”
“Enough with this game already,” the cat snapped. “If you can’t handle her, I’ll just have to take over. Come here!”
I raced to his side against my own volition. I was really getting sick of all this mind control stuff.
The cat lifted his nose high in the air, leaving me with a perfect view of the small white patch at the top of his chest. Normally, I liked cats. Not enough to own one, mind you, but I liked them well enough when they were other people’s pets. This one, however, had recently risen to the top of my list of people—um, creatures—I didn’t much care for.
“You’ve been hired on to the Paranormal Temp Agency,” he told me with a twitch of his nose and a flick of his tail. “It’s not a job you’re allowed to turn down.”
“I think I know what I’m allow—”
“Stop arguing and listen. Youwill fill Lila’s old post as Town Witch until we’re able to uncover her actual killer to take on the role permanently. None of this is up for debate.”
“Why does finding the killer matter? Can’t you just put up a job advertisement on Spooks R Us or something?”
“Cute,” he said with a scowl. “You’re filling in for Lila, whether you like it or not. Help us find the murderer, and you’ll be off the hook sooner. End of story.”
Parker cleared his throat, then explained the part that still confused me most.“Magic passes to the nearest host when its original owner passes. So whoever killed Lila likely absorbed her magic—a magic which is grounded in Beech Grove and is meant for its designated witch.”
I stood still, considering this. Parker’s explanation made sense, but it also begged so many new questions. Mainly, what would have happened if no one else had been around? What if Mrs. Haberdash had died of natural causes and then her magic had found its way over to me, the sole resident of the guest house on the edge of her property?