Page 9 of Once Upon a Curse for True Love
“The murder charges have been dropped.That’s why they let me in.We can go.”
“What?Just like that?”Andromeda’s knees buckled with relief.“But Detective Douche seemed so convinced—”
“Turns out, your stupid little prank email didn’t kill Arcanet.”Sarah Michelle half perched on the table.“The tech department analyzed the code and confirmed your curse was the prank you described.”
“Told him,” Andromeda huffed.
“Yeah, once Malatesta realized you were innocent, he moved pretty fast to get you released.”
“How gracious of him,” Andromeda rolled her eyes, but something warm flickered in her chest.“So I’m off the hook?”
Sarah Michelle’s expression turned apologetic.“No.You sent a cursed email, Andy.It’s a misdemeanor, but still against the law.”
“So now what?”Andromeda groaned.
“You’ll get a summons at the Department of Magical Justice in the next few days.”Sarah Michelle squeezed her shoulder.“But it’ll be okay, a fine or community service.Nothing serious.”
“Great.Just what I needed.”Andromeda stood, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.“Can we go now?Or do I need to sign something?Leave a blood sample?Promise my firstborn to the Department?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”Sarah Michelle led her toward the door.“I’ll borrow a cruiser and drive us.”
As they stepped out of the station.Andromeda inhaled deeply, the night air tasted like freedom.She filled her lungs with the salty-sweet scent of Salem past midnight, so different from the sterile tang of the interrogation room.
“Better keep your coding above board from now on.This was too close, Andy,” Sarah Michelle said as they climbed into a nondescript black sedan.
Andromeda buckled her seatbelt and shot her friend a look.“Didn’t hear you complain when my coding cracked Lorcan’s best friend’s murder last year.”
Sarah Michelle started the car.“That was different.”
“How?Because it helped your boyfriend?”
“Because you were acting in an official role as a consultant for SMPD and had a layer of protection!”Sarah Michelle snapped, then softened her tone.“This is going on your record.”
Shelly was right, but Andromeda wasn’t about to admit it.“Fine.I’ll be more careful,” she conceded.“But I’m not giving up what I do.”
“No need, but from now on, don’t bend the rules in ways that land you in an interrogation room, okay?”Sarah Michelle navigated the empty streets of Salem.“I had a heart attack when I saw Malatesta dragging you in.”
“Speaking of which…” Andromeda tried to sound casual.“What’s his deal anyway?Last year, you didn’t tell me he was so…”
Sarah Michelle shot her a sideways glance.“So?”
“You know.”Andromeda waved a hand.“Tall, dark, and scowling.With the muscles.And the voice.”
A slow smile spread across Sarah Michelle’s face.“Are you hot for the detective who arrested you?”
“What?No!”Andromeda sank lower in her seat.“I was just saying he’s fit.For a jinxweasel.”
“Uh-huh.”Sarah Michelle’s smile widened.“Well, for what it’s worth, he’s single.And he asked a lot of questions about you after the tech report came in.”
“About my coding skills, I’m sure.”
“Among other things.”
Andromeda didn’t take the bait to ask what else.She turned to stare out the window at the familiar streets sliding by.Despite her exhaustion, a strange energy hummed under her skin—part relief, part lingering fear, and part something else she wasn’t ready to examine.
By the time they pulled up to their house, Andromeda was swaying with fatigue.Inside, the house was as they’d left it—movie paused on the TV, empty ice cream carton on the coffee table, pillows scattered.A few extra debris, perhaps, but the normality of it was so comforting that Andromeda could have cried.
“Andromeda!”Quill squeaked from the windowsill where he’d been keeping watch.The hedgehog scurried across the room as fast as his short legs could carry him.“Thank the ancient ones!Those barbarians didn’t mistreat you, did they?I was prepared to mount a legal defense of unprecedented scope!”
