Page 46 of Fresh Old Bounties

“What?” he snapped, all warmth gone. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes, we’re good.” I glanced down at the man, still unconscious. “We got the robber all tied up. What should we do with him?”

Dru mouthed backyard.

I covered the phone and whispered, “We’re not burying him in my backyard.” This murder house had enough ghosts as it was.

“Hold on,” Ian said.

I heard him walk down a hallway and Fluffy’s excited barks. Ah, I’d caught him home. A few moments later, the door of a car slammed shut, and a motor started.

“I’m on my way. Tell me exactly what happened.”

“A man using a dark magic glamour came into the shop and tried to take Grandma’s spellbook at gunpoint.”

“At gunpoint?” He didn’t sound shocked so much as wanting to make sure he had the facts straight.

“Yes. He made me tie Dru up and go get my spellbook.”

“Go on.” Loud honking sounded in the background. Rufus gave one of his rare, deep barks.

“Drive carefully,” I said fretfully. Which was weird because I never fretted. I stared at problems right in the eye and refused to let them overtake me. A strangled giggle made it out of my chest. “I’m sorry. Adrenaline crash.”

“Concentrate on the facts. The man made you get your spellbook. What happened next?”

Facts. Yes. That’s right. I inhaled deeply. “I brought him Grandma’s spellbook, and he said it was the wrong spellbook.” The reminder of the scene made me snatch the spellbook up and hug it tightly to my chest.

I’d been so close to losing it. To losing Grandma.

So close.

Now I wanted to weep instead of giggle.

“How did he know it was the wrong spellbook?” Ian asked.

“Someone must’ve given him a description. He flipped through some of the pages and told me to get the real spellbook.”

“And then what happened? Did you use your magic on him?”

“Oh, that’s right! When I went up to get Grandma’s spellbook, I grabbed my freezing potion,” I said proudly.

Dru snorted. “And then you missed.”

“He ducked! It wasn’t my fault.”

“I see,” Ian said. “So that didn’t work. Did you use your magic then? Or did Dru get free? Is that how you overpowered him? Do I need to tell Shane and Alex to bring the cleaning supplies?”

“No, no. The man threatened to shoot Dru if I didn’t give him the correct spellbook, then a tentacle shot out of the faucet and smacked him against the wall.”

A long silence ensued. Dru rolled her eyes and shook her head but took a step away from the sink.

“A tentacle shot out of the faucet and smacked the man against the wall?” Ian repeated, as if he wanted to get the facts straight but was afraid he’d heard correctly the first time.

“Remember my goldfish ghost? Turns out it’s a kraken.”

“A kraken,” Ian repeated flatly.

“It’s an octopus,” Dru snapped. “You have an octopus haunting your pipes.”

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