Page 16 of Fresh Old Bounties

No, Bagley would keep her money in an actual bank account nobody knew about.

It couldn’t be a business account connected to the shop because if her dark magic side business were discovered and the Council took over, they could theoretically gain access to it, so why would she put her money there?

That didn’t mean the Council hadn’t discovered something related to it after Bagley’s death without finding it suspicious. Her death had been unexpected; she wouldn’t have had the time to hide her paperwork.

“Well?” the old demon witch asked sweetly. “What’s your next move?”

“Glad you asked.”

I abandoned my position behind the counter and retreated into the back with my phone. The archway to the back marked the end of Bagley’s current reign of terror, so I stayed close, watching the shop through the bead curtain in case anyone came in.

As a rule, I liked to avoid reminding the Council of my existence while I was on probation, but things had gone smoothly for the last couple of weeks, and even my supervisor at the local Council branch had been pleased with my progress the last time we’d talked. I figured a short call wouldn’t upend the balance.

At this point, you may wonder why I didn’t simply drag the stool into the back and enjoy a few evil-witch-free hours of blessed solitude, but this way I knew exactly where she was. I had to be smart about my power of temporary exorcism over Bagley. If I took the stool out and Bagley remained silent upon her return, I had no way of knowing which object she had latched to.

That would make it hard if I did need her out of the way.

Besides, her being sat on constantly was a sweet payback.

The Council’s automated system picked up, and I gave it my Witch ID number. After going through a series of menus, I was passed on to a real person.

“Montel’s Council offices,” a chirpy male voice answered. “How can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m the owner of the Tea Cauldron in Olmeda. I took over Theodora Bagley’s shop in August this year.”

“What can I do for you, Ms. Avery?”

I rubbed one of the naked bricks by the archway, as if the action would make me appear any more innocent through the video-less call. “I’ve come across some discrepancies related to the business accounts, and I was wondering if perhaps the Council found some extra documents pertaining the old shop’s accounts while they cleaned up the place.”

Since Ms. Bagley had died without heirs, the shop had returned to the Council. They had been the ones to clean up the building and get it ready for the next witch—me.

“What kind of documents?”

“Bank statements and the like.”

“We’re not allowed to reveal personal information.”

“Of course not,” I said demurely. “But you know how it is with old banks—it’s hard to tell what’s personal and what belongs to the business. I think some stuff might’ve gotten miscategorized.”

“Noted,” the man said in an understanding tone. “Anything else?”

“Not at the moment, thank you.”

“I’ll get back to you.”

He ended the call, and I paced the hallway, relieved the conversation had gone as well as it could possibly go. Chances were they wouldn’t discover anything, but treasure was often found in the crevices you didn’t check.

And while the Council checked Bagley’s stuff, I would continue my investigation down other venues. If I wanted to get the money for Dru before her ex got the Corner Rose, I couldn’t just sit around and wait for people to call me back.

SIX

While the Council investigated whether they had found any extra bank statements, I’d focus on the banks themselves.

What kind of bank would Bagley trust with her hidden savings?

It had to be a bank with a local branch. Bagley had gotten the shop before internet banking was a thing, so she’d have had to open any account in person. Not a branch popular with the local paranormal community, though—she wouldn’t want to cross paths with an acquaintance and risk them getting curious or overhearing something. She would keep the dark magic business totally separate from her front as the Council’s helpful witch, pillar of the community, and widely beloved cookie-provider.

A bank in another town?

---