Death and Relaxation (Ordinary Magic #1)(98)

“Nope. What’s right. I need you to get me to Bertie. Fast.”

Myra had the car in gear and the lights on before I even had my seatbelt buckled.

And for the first time in a week, I thought we might actually be one step ahead of this disaster.

~~~

WE CAUGHT up with Bertie in front of her house just as she was walking out to her car. Having a sister who always showed up at the right time really came in handy.

Bertie hadn’t wanted to take any time out of her very tight schedule to deal with us, but we promised we would let her get back to the final wind-down of the Rhubarb Rally, which seemed to involve an awful lot of costume judging, dancing, and something with eggs I didn’t quite catch.

“And the breakdown will last until at least nine tonight…” Bertie said.

“All I need is a basic schedule of some of deits and creats,” I said.

She paused in her rambling list of complaints. “What did you just call us, Delaney Reed?”

“It’s just cop talk… Look. I know you’re busy. But if I don’t find Cooper very soon, there will be no town left for the next Rhubarb Rally.”

She frowned. “Is the power giving you that much trouble? Your father always seemed to handle his duties without interrupting the festivals.”

“He had a little more experience. I’m sure there were a few times, maybe when he was new to this, that things went less than smoothly.”

She stared at me with those hawk eyes, like I’d just said the last wrong thing.

“Did he speak to you of those things?”

The way she said it, so measured and calm, was more frightening than if she’d yelled at me.

“No. I was just guessing.”

She shook her head, and some of the stiffness melted out of her body. “Let’s not waste time. Come inside. I can draw up the information you need.”

She strode up her carefully tended walkway, the rolling stone river garden on either side flickering with shiny glass orbs, clever little stone structures, and just the right amount of herbs and tough succulents mimicking waterside plants and flowers.

“Shut the door,” Bertie said when we’d entered the foyer. “Come back to my office.”

We did as we were told and were standing next to her tidy wooden desk in her tidy, but thoroughly modern, office.

“What do you need to know?” she asked.

“The schedules of anyone who would be willing to help me hunt down Cooper. I’m thinking some of the Rossis, the Wolfes, maybe Crow or Odin, or someone who has some kind of tracking skill.”

“With or without their power?” she asked.

“Easiest without. That’s where the vamps and weres come in. But if I can talk a god into taking on their power for a limited time, and talk Crow into releasing it for them, that would work too.”

“And you expect me to know each of these individuals’ current schedules and predilections?” she asked archly.

“Don’t you?” Myra drawled.

She sniffed. “Yes,” she said. “I do.”

Her golden-tipped fingers flew across the keyboard, and she’d plucked information out of a variety of folders, compiled it all into one document, and pressed “print” in less than a minute.

“Now, ladies,” she said, as she stood and smoothed her hand down her tailored suit jacket. “I wish you both good fortune in finding your prey.” She held the single sheet of paper out to me. It was a list of over two dozen people in Ordinary, ranked from most willing and able to assist to the least. “If you still haven’t found Cooper by this evening, do come see me again.”

She gestured to the doorway, and Myra and I startled back into motion and made our way to the front door.

“Thank you for this,” I said, pausing on the porch while she locked the door. “It will really help.”

“I know it will, dear,” she said, patting my arm. “Everything is going to be just fine.”

She brushed past us, and was in her car and headed off to the rally before we’d even made it down her front path.

“Remind me never to let her run for political office,” I said.

Myra chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know. She’d clean up the town in a week and be ruling the world in a month flat. Now that you have the list, what’s the plan?”

“We go to the station, get Jean in on this, and raise ourselves a posse.”





Chapter 31


“YOU WANT us to hunt down your ex-boyfriend,” Odin said matter-of-factly. “And kill him.”

“No!” I said for the third time. “Not kill him. Yes, find him.”

We had gathered at the station. Roy was here to hold down the fort, and Ryder had been given the day off. Until further notice. I was surprised Myra had been that gentle on him.

We’d gone down the list, crossed out a few people we knew weren’t really “team players,” and had settled on calling in an even ten.

Out of those ten, eight people had showed up: Ben Rossi and Jame Wolfe, who both still looked like firefighters even though they were in jeans and T-shirts, the twins Senta and Page Rossi, and the gods Odin, Thorne, Crow, and Herri.

The fact that the gods were there meant a lot to me. What I was asking of them—to pick up their god powers and help me—didn’t come at a small price.