Page 62 of Fresh Old Bounties

“Yes.”

“Can I see the photo?”

Ian held up his phone.

I angled his hand to get a better look and jolted. The photograph was a still taken from a security camera showing Ian’s front door and porch. “You have a camera on your porch?”

“Yes.”

“No wonder you made the hotel man suspicious.” Nobody searching for a friend would have this kind of photo. Although… I brightened. “Can we use face-recognition software on this?”

“This is not the movies.”

It had been worth a try.

“So, it’s a dead end.” Disappointment flooded me. How were we supposed to find who was behind believing Grandma had a dark magic spellbook? The robber had failed, but Mystery Man might send another. If we didn’t nip this in the bud, the information might spread and Grandma’s reputation would be torn to shreds. All her lifelong efforts to be good and help her community would be wiped away because someone made a simple mistake.

Ian squeezed my arm. “We’ll figure it out.”

I nodded sharply. “Yes, we will.”

We returned to the shop to find Mark and the robber gone and Alex standing in their place, a bag of chips in his hands. Fluffy and Rufus were out in the backyard.

“Bouncer dude said he and his friend will ‘help’ him out of town,” Alex said.

“Did you find the bastard?” Dru asked.

“I’m not sure your ex is involved in this,” I said. A few calls to rattle me was one thing, but hiring someone to go after the spellbook went well beyond pranks. Someone had serious interest in this supposed alchemist’s spellbook, and that person being her ex was a bit too coincidental, even for me.

Dru pressed her lips in a way that said my ex is totally involved.

“Why did your grandma have an alchemy spellbook?” Alex asked.

“She didn't,” I said firmly.

He lifted his hand and the bag in a peace gesture. “Sorry, boss. Just wondering.”

“Why would anyone think your grandma had an alchemy spellbook?” Dru asked.

That was the golden question, wasn’t it?

“Is there any chance that your grandmother’s family is more powerful than you think?” she asked. “What do you know about your ancestry?”

“Nothing much,” I admitted.

“You could be secretly a super witch,” Alex said eagerly. “A lost heir of a powerful family or something.”

Shane, back to sitting on the counter, kicked his leg.

“What?” Alex demanded. “It could happen.”

Ian ignored them and asked, “Is there anyone you can ask on that side of your family?”

“No. It’s always been just Grandma and me. I’m sure all her relatives aside from me and dad are dead.”

“What about your father? Maybe he’ll know something?”

“He left when I was a baby and we never heard back from him.”

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