upload

It seemed I’d made this vow too late, because a police cruiser pulled out after me and turned on its siren.

No, no, no!

Yes, I’d been caught and deserved to be punished for it. I’d find some way to pay the ticket. Right now, I was more worried about the delay in joining Merlin at the police station. Hopefully this routine traffic stop wouldn’t add too much time to my trip. And, yeah, maybe Merlin would be mad about having to wait a few extra minutes, but it wasn’t like running from the police was a viable option here, especially since I was heading straight toward their HQ, anyway.

I groaned and pulled over to the side of the road. The cruiser pulled over behind me, and I watched through my rearview mirror as a uniformed officer climbed out and slammed the car door shut.

Officer Dash, herself.

Double crud.

She motioned for me to roll down my window, and I instantly complied.

“Well, well, well,” she said with a dry chuckle. “You just can’t stay out of trouble. Can you, Springs?”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, hating this—hating it so very much.

“License, registration, and proof of insurance, please,” she barked, all business.

I slowly reached into the glove department and grabbed the needed documents, then took my license from my purse and handed that over, too.

“I’ll be right back,” Officer Dash told me.

I stared straight ahead as I waited for her to run my information and issue my ticket. Time passed much more quickly than I would have imagined, because it seemed like only moments later, Officer Dash returned to the driver’s side of my car.

“Out of the vehicle,” she ordered with a cold, assessing gaze.

“What? Why?” I squeaked.

“Don’t ask questions. Just do what I say!” she shouted.

Her sudden fit of rage frightened me so much that I stumbled out of my car as told. And though she frightened me, I hoped she’d be less frightening if I complied with orders.

“Hands against the vehicle,” Officer Dash spat.

“What? No. I didn’t do anything wrong!” I shouted.

Dash pushed me into the side of my car. Hard.

Pain shot through my shoulder, burning even worse as she grabbed my wrists and slapped a pair of handcuffs on them.

“I didn’t do anything,” I sobbed. “Please let me go.”

“Stop whining and turn to face me!”

When I turned, a giant Cheshire smile filled the policewoman’s face. She was loving every moment of this.

“I don’t understand,” I mumbled. “Did you find new evidence?”

Instead of answering, Officer Dash place a hand on my shoulder and forced me to meet her gaze. I watched in silent horror as her eyes changed color and shape, shifting from unassuming gray to a bright and robust green.

She blinked once… Twice…

21

I crashed into the earth, unable to catch myself, thanks to my wrists being cuffed behind my back. I kicked out with my legs and twisted my torso, struggling to bring myself into a sitting position. At last I rammed into a thick tree trunk and was able to wiggle myself upward.

Once I had a moment to take in my surroundings, I recognized the small garden cottage almost instantly. We’d come to Luna’s, and I was pressed against the same Magnolia tree I’d clutched onto after my very first teleportation.

The front door of the quaint brick house flew open, and Virginia ran outside in bare feet. Her toenails were painted in a shiny lavender I wouldn’t have expected from her.

“Oh, goody!” she cried, racing into the yard. “Is it time at last?”

“It is.” Officer Dash spoke from behind me. I twisted in an effort to see her, but the thick magnolia tree blocked her from view.

“What do you want with me?” I shouted to whoever was willing to answer.

“I’ve got this one,” Virginia announced, sauntering forward with a soft expression that belied the vitriol of her words. “You should’ve been in jail by now, but your bond to that stupid cat formed too fast, which means Plan B became necessary.”

“I didn’t kill Harold,” I told her as I struggled to slip my wrists from the handcuffs. The task seemed impossible, but that didn’t mean I’d stop trying. Especially since this seemed to be shaping into a try-or-die type of situation.

“Of course you didn’t,” Virginia said with an almost-pleasant smile. “I did.”

“You?” I asked, my voice now shaking with fear. I hadn’t even considered her. Luna, yes. But her powerless familiar? Never.

Virginia simpered at me.“Don’t you remember asking me to leave the coffeehouse that day? I was sitting right there. I thought for sure you’d put it together when you showed up at my house yesterday, but no. Turns out you’re not that smart, after all.”

“You were the customer!” I shouted as the final pieces clicked into place. No wonder Virginia had seemed so familiar. She’d been sitting in plain sight that day. Amateur sleuth or not, how had I missed something so major in my investigation?

Virginia’s smile widened. I had the sudden urge to slap it right off her face, in part for Harold and in part for me. “See, Dash. She does catch on eventually.”