Page 68 of Bright Dark Curses

“What did she ask?”

“Nothing direct. She was wondering about the local witch shop and if they were trustworthy.”

“And you said…?”

Veva chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll be fine. Probably.”

I swallowed hard. “Probably?”

Her answering smile was nothing but serene.

“Oh, you’re evil,” I muttered, wiping my sweaty palms on my jacket.

She laughed. “I’m sorry, I’m just teasing. I can’t think of anyone who’ll have a bad thing to say about you.”

“Except for Dorsey, Bosko, and who knows who else?”

“They’re more bark than bite. They like you in their own way.”

Hmph. I glanced at the shelves of merchandise. Veva’s Cards & Destiny had an excellent reputation in Olmeda and beyond, which gave me an idea.

“You know about the movie being made in Olmeda?”

“Of course.”

“Has any of the crew come in?” You couldn’t come to Olmeda without buying spooky souvenirs, after all.

“Some came for shopping, some for tarot readings,” Veva confirmed.

Excellent. “Did you get any bad feelings from any of them during the readings?”

Veva pursed her lips with disapproval. “I’m not going to tell you that, Hope. Readings are private.”

Shame flushed my cheeks. “You’re right. I overstepped. What about rumors? Is there any gossip about any of the actors or the director floating around?”

“What’s the interest?”

“I’m curious. I heard there’s a curse on anyone who makes a movie in Olmeda.”

She waved that aside. “Curses don’t exist. Not like that, anyway.”

The front door opened and Dru popped her head in. “Hello, Veva.” Her attention switched to me. “Are you done yet? Hurry up.”

I lifted an imperious finger. “One moment.” Smiling eagerly at Veva, I said, “Let’s talk witchgiving celebrations.”

“No,” Dru snapped, walking in and grabbing my elbow. “You only get one pass, and you’ve already used it.”

I allowed myself to be dragged outside while mouthing later. Veva laughed and waved goodbye.

TWENTY

After detouring to introduce myself to Tanya and secure her tentative approval for Dru’s shop, I hurried back to the Tea Cauldron. Luckily, the Council witch hadn’t come in while I was out—if Brimstone was to be trusted, which I kind of had to—so it was with some relief that I texted Key about our visit to Dorsey’s bed and breakfast and Lydia Lee’s jump into number-one suspect position.

Still, we couldn’t put all our muffins in one basket. Was there a way to interrogate our other suspects without them realizing? Maybe lure them into complacency with a delivery of tea and cookies?

First, though, we needed to wait to see what Key and Shane found in our other suspects’ rooms later.

The thought of Key putting herself in danger like that unsettled me on some deep level. What if she got caught? Key was smart and more than capable, but I’d caught her breaking into Bagley’s cabinet of horrors, hadn’t I? The next person who caught her nosing where she shouldn’t might not be as understanding as I’d been.

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