spies and spells 02 - betting off dead (11 page)

“I wonder what Mick’s special after-dinner drink is?” I couldn’t deny the evidence any longer. I was happier than a tornado in a trailer park to get to spend some time alone with Mick. Even if it was discussing business.

“Hmmm.” Lines creased on Auntie’s forehead as her brows dipped. “I wonder,” she said in a sarcastic tone that made my insides cringe.

Chapter Ten

Before I left the diner, I wanted to make sure that I’d eased Auntie Meme’s uneasiness about Mick and by doing that I got her all riled up about Mrs. Hubbard. She still insisted that Mrs. Hubbard had lied and that she took the special vase Auntie had ordered online.

Vinnie didn’t bother pulling back down the alley behind the house after we got home from the diner. Since I was going to have to make a quick getaway to meet up with Mick later, he parked on the curb on St. James Street on the side of Belgravia Court, which he hardly ever did.

Actually, Belgravia Court ran perpendicular to St. James Street, Sixth Street, and Fourth Street, with St. James in the middle. Most tourists came down to St. James Street because there was a beautiful clay angel fountain that had two levels of flowing water. St. James also dead-ended into Central Park, a very happening place for tourists as well. There was always something going on like Shakespeare in the Park, St. James Art Festival, walking tours, and many more.

The entrance to Belgravia Court off of St. James was spectacular. The garden committee really did keep up the tiled entrance with the large potted ferns flanking each side and kept the wrought iron fencing in perfect shape.

Vinnie wasn’t fond of sitting on St. James due to the tourists who sometimes couldn’t keep their hands off of him. Vinnie kept himself in mint condition. Even though he’d been in the pouring rain and in a gravel lot next to some stinky barns, you’d never know it. He kept himself spit shined and cleaned.

Our house was the first one on the right as soon as you entered the court off of St. James. And Mrs. Hubbard’s was right across the green. The trees lined St. James Street and I noticed Miss Kitty perched on a branch in the tallest tree on the side of Mrs. Hubbard’s house.

“Miss Kitty,” I whistled into the air. “What are you doing?”

She fixed her gaze on me, batting her long lashes and went back to staring at Mrs. Hubbard’s house as if she were looking down into it.

I meandered over to her house and stood there as if I were admiring her plastic flower garden and trying to decide if I should knock or not. Before I could even make up my mind, the door flew open and King burst out the door, yipping his little Yorkie head off.

“Oh, King.” My finger pointed to him in a fluid motion, sending him back to his mom, whimpering and with his tail tucked. “You are a silly dog.” I shook a finger at him, sending a spell for him to instantly like me. “It’s only me. Your friend Maggie.”

“Don’t you listen to her,” Mrs. Hubbard spat and bent down to try to pick him up right before he darted back down the steps and jumped straight into my arms. She ran her fingers along her pearl necklace. “See, I told you that Maggie is the good one.”

“I am.” I spoke in my best baby voice to win over Mrs. Hubbard. When I made kissy lips and smacking noises, I held King up in front of me with Mrs. Hubbard in the background and blew kisses his way, only the air from my lips blew an inviting spell past King and right into Mrs. Hubbard’s heart.

“You know,” Mrs. Hubbard looked a little caught off guard by what she was about to say, “Why don’t you come in and join us for a late afternoon tea.” She walked down the steps and took King from me. “It’s his supper time and with the meeting being at my supper time, I made some late afternoon tea and cakes.” She scooted up the steps and looked back at me. “Well? What are you waiting for? A written invitation?”

I snickered under my breath and proceeded to follow her before the spell wore off and she changed her mind. I was careful about doing anything other than small spells on anyone in Belgravia Court. These spells wore off in minutes and generally got me what I needed in a fast response. If the spells were a little bigger, it could change the fate of everyone involved and that was not going to be on my hands.

Mrs. Hubbard’s home had the white gingerbread lattice around all the steps and gutters. Her windows were rounded at the top and had different masonry work to go along with the curves. The details in all the homes on Belgravia Court were vastly different and elegant. I’d say Mrs. Hubbard’s home was probably the biggest.

Just like our house only bigger, Mrs. Hubbard’s front door opened up into a foyer that was big enough to be its own room. To the right she had a family room bigger than ours and to the left she had a sitting room where a fresh pot of tea steamed from a serving tray on a small table between two chairs. There was a turret room off to the side and the rounded walls were so charming with the windows in a curve. The only thing she had in there was a small orange vase with a white plastic daisy. Other than that, the room was practically empty for its size and I wondered why. It wouldn’t have been for lack of money because it was rumored that Mrs. Hubbard was the wealthiest woman on Belgravia Court. If I considered the source, then maybe the idle gossip was wrong. Regardless, I didn’t see anything that would have been considered something from our coven that would’ve been delivered. Maybe Mrs. Hubbard didn’t take the package and Shay didn’t necessarily see what she thought she saw. Especially since she wore those tiny purple cat-eye glasses that always seemed to be smudged up.

“In here, Maggie.” Her voice trickled out of a room off the hallway. King yipped from the doorway. When I sauntered into the kitchen, Mrs. Hubbard was bent over the stove taking single cakes off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack.

The kitchen was larger than ours and I could only see Auntie in here creating so many new daily specials for The Brew. She was always complaining to Mom how much she needed a bigger experimental space. Mom told her to do it at the diner, but Auntie Meme was terrified that someone was going to see the magic, exactly why she didn’t let me flip my wrist to get everything done quicker.

Mrs. Hubbard’s white cabinets curled around the white tiled walls. There was a huge center island with a black top.

“Your kitchen is beautiful.” I ran my hand along the top and kept my eyes peeled out for anything that might resemble a witchy vase that Auntie had ordered. “Auntie Meme would kill for this kitchen.”

“Interesting you’d say kill and Meme in the same breath.” She whisked together some powdered sugar and a few other ingredients before she cut in a couple of eggs. “As sure as shinola, she’s lost her mind.”

She spread the concoction over the small cakes and plated two: one for me, one for her. I followed her back into the room where the tea had steeped long enough and was ready.

I eased down into one of the chairs and looked out the window that had a perfect view of the front of our house.

“You sit in here a lot?” I asked and picked up the cup of tea, but not without noticing a pair of binoculars underneath her chair. King sat down in front of me. His little round black eyes stared.

“This is our favorite room, right King.” King jumped to his little feet and wagged his tail. He sat down at my feet and kept his eyes on me. “We sit here all day long. In fact, you are in King’s chair.”

I’m telling you that I’m going to get my vase back one way or another,
Auntie Meme’s voice twirled in my head.

“Are you sure you didn’t see the mailman drop off a package?” I asked and took a bite of the small cake. My mouth watered and I craved another bite. It was the most delicious and moist cake I’d ever tasted. “Mmm.” I pointed to it. “Carrot?”

Out of the corner of my eye and out the turret window, I saw Miss Kitty land on top of Vinnie as a group of tourists were walking around him. Miss Kitty flapped her wings. The tourists were taking photos of Vinnie and Miss Kitty. I ran my hand over the pendant. Vinnie revved his engine and peeled out of the parking space on the curb and I sent him a message to go park in our garage in the alley behind our house and take Miss Kitty with him.

“I didn’t see any person deliver anything to your house. And I’m taken aback a bit that you’d come in my home and accuse me of it.” Her eyes narrowed. “Is that why you came in here being all nice? You might be the most normal of that family, but you certainly aren’t normal like the rest of us and I am going to prove it.”

She flung her hand up to the side and pointed toward the door. King jumped to his feet and began his yipping and snipping at my feet. The spells had obviously worn off.

“I mean, you do have the perfect view of our porch if you sit here all day.” I got up since my welcome was no longer. “So, did you see anyone who might’ve taken it?”

Suddenly she became wide awake.

“You know, I might’ve seen someone, but I’m not sure.” She thought about it for a second. “Let me think on it and I’ll get back to you.”

I could sense she was lying and trying to come up with something good, but her old mind wasn’t letting her.

“Like someone off the street?” I asked, baiting her.

“Yeah, yeah. You know there are always tourists around here snooping.” She fingered her pearls. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Thanks for the tea,” I waved. “Even though you didn’t let me finish it,” I mumbled on my way out of the door.

I didn’t look back as I made it across the green to my house because I was sure she was looking out that window. Auntie Meme was right. Mrs. Hubbard watched everything we did. No wonder she saw Sherry levitating in the family room last night. Not only did we have to watch our magic at The Brew, now I knew we had to watch it in the privacy of our own home.

“You traitor!” Auntie Meme flung a finger toward me. I ducked just in time as a glass of magic water flew past me and spilled all over the door.

“I did no such thing.” I ducked again when she tried to fling more water on me. “Stop it! I went over there to see if I could find your package.” My face nearly missed the flying, slimy frog she pulled out of the air.

“You did?” She curled her arms around her body as the cape flung out from behind her. “And?”  She turned to go back down the hall and into the kitchen where she was coming up with the next day’s specials for The Brew.

“Nothing.” I sat down at the kitchen table and drummed my fingers. “It was the strangest thing. She has nothing in her house. I mean no pictures, not much furniture, but she has the best kitchen. You’d love it.”

“I don’t think so,” Auntie Meme grabbed the bottle of Cassie off of the forbidden herb shelf that no one was allowed to use but her. She took the lid off and didn’t use the usual dash; she used a couple tablespoons. My mind reeled with what on Earth she could possibly be making for tomorrow’s special since Cassie was mainly used in the sexuality department.

Thank goodness I wasn’t going to be there to find out since I had to go shopping for the perfect cocktail dress, which reminded me to ask Lilith as she walked in.

“What’s going on?” she asked. Gilbert flew in and landed on her shoulder. Lilith brushed back her bangs and kissed Gilbert’s little beak.

“We were just talking about that thief across the way.” Auntie Meme stirred the pot and turned on the oven. She was making some sort of special dessert.

This usually took place every night while they watched the evening news, but tonight was special so she must’ve been doing it early. She and Mom made potions for their “special” which covered the entire Louisville metro area. Their potions made people happier, worry less, take more time with their family because they said the news was filled with terrible things.

Once people came to eat at The Brew, they got a good fix of happy in some awesome homemade food and left feeling good and wanting to do good in the community. Auntie Meme was determined to make the world a happy place one stomach at a time.

Most of our customers were repeats and brought people with them. The Brew was getting to be well known around town and our wait line was also getting longer. Auntie Meme felt like her movement was working. Who was I to question what she put in her cakes?

“Maggie decided to go over and make friends with her.” I silently fumed as Auntie Meme kept talking. If she could only understand that it was for her. “Maggie claims that old, rich Mrs. Hubbard lives a pretty frugal life and didn’t see my package.”

Lilith looked at me with a wry grin on her face. I rolled my eyes.

“But she did invite me in and made the most delicious little cakes I’ve ever tasted.” I completely lost my marbles and let my mouth take over, forgetting I was talking about good food and Mrs. Hubbard in the same sentence, both things Auntie Meme took seriously.

The pot on the stove exploded and the contents smacked the ceiling and dripped down over me. Gilbert flapped his wings and flew off. Riule barely lifted his head from his big pillow next to the door—his usual spot where he waited patiently for Mom to get home from wherever it was she had gone.

Lilith cocked her body sideways in the chair, giggling. Her eyes had a glint telling me that I’d screwed up now.

“Thanks.” I shook my head, letting whatever it was shake off me like a dog after a bath.

Auntie Meme cursed the air, cleaning up the entire room and myself in a single curse word.

“I’m sorry.” I jumped up and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and decided to leave her alone while I was still alive. “Listen,” I turned my attention to Lilith, “I have to go to this fancy cocktail party tomorrow night and I was wondering if you could go with me in the morning to find a dress?”

“Why not,” she snapped her hand in the air and changed her clothes into a cute little red dress with a Peter Pan collar. She ran her lean hand over the collar. “These are very popular now.”

“I’d like something that I can get at a store so when someone asks, I can say the store name, not
I made it
.” Which was my general response to all the cute outfits I snapped on myself.

“Sure.” Lilith shrugged. “Can you come by the office around ten and get me? I have a meeting with Tessa first thing in the morning.”