Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(72)

I nodded. “Didn’t his parents come in today?”

“Yeah, I was supposed to meet them at the airport but sent Alex instead—I wasn’t about to leave you alone after what happened at Essie’s.”

That made me feel awful. “Oh, no—”

“Not a problem. His parents are a handful, anyway. They liked me so much, but when Bart came out to them, they blamed me for it. At least at first. His father was convinced I must have done something horrible to drive Bart into the arms of a man. It took a couple years of Bart working on him before Sal decided that it wasn’t my fault and that I had been…well…collateral damage. Then Sal started taking my side in every argument. He even apologized to me once for Bart’s ‘behavior.’ It’s complicated.” She handed me a slice of cheese.

I sandwiched the cheese between two crackers and ate it. “I’m glad Aegis has no mother for me to deal with, to be honest. Have you met Max’s parents yet?”

“Oh, hell no. You’ll be the first to know when I do. Now, what the hell are we going to do about Honey?”

I grinned. “I want you to keep Ralph’s attention while I sneak around and find Honey’s room. She was carrying a pot of dirt. That has to be her grounding root. Once I find it, I’m going to salt it heavily and that should send her home. I’ll ask Delia to have a little talk with Ralph about how, if Honey should appear in Bedlam again, she just might not be entirely welcomed. Maybe I can’t prove that she did it, but I know she and Ralph are behind this whole mess. And Thornton lost his life because of it. We can throw in the threat of starting a murder investigation and that should make Ralph back off big time.”

“All right. Now, what can I do to get Ralph’s attention? And what if he’s not working the desk?”

I pointed to her phone. “Call and see who answers.”

Sandy held up one finger. “Got something better. My name would come up on Caller ID.” She whistled. “Lihi! I need you!” A moment later, Lihi appeared. The size of a Barbie doll, Lihi was a homunculus. Cute as a button, she looked like a tiny woman with bat wings and ears, but she had a rat-like tail. Today, she was wearing a pair of denim cutoffs and a green halter top, and her hair was pulled back in a long ponytail. She was bound to Sandy by a seven-year contract. They were four years in and both enjoying the perks that their agreement brought them.

“Lihi, pop over to the Greyhoofs’ inn and find out who’s manning the desk. Don’t let them see you. Also, while you’re at it, do a little snooping. There’s a woman named Honey there. She’s a Dirt Witch, so be careful. Find out which room she’s staying in, if you would.”

Lihi nodded. “On it, boss.” She blinked out the next moment.

“The more I’m around that girl, the better I like her.” Sandy laughed. “We talked about it last week and agreed to extend the contract, even though we’re only a little more than halfway through it. Lihi says this is a better gig than any of her friends have, and she didn’t want to take the chance on losing it to another homunculus.” After a pause, she asked, “Have you ever thought of engaging one?”

I shook my head. “I’ve got a Bubba. I don’t think I could handle a homunculus as well.”

“Point taken.”

We were just finished the last of the crackers and cheese when Lihi returned. She sat down on the edge of the butter dish.

“Ralph’s on duty. His brothers are locked up again. Both of them. I heard him arguing with one of them on the phone. I guess George and William managed to get drunk a few nights ago and they went careening around a parking lot on Lars’s back. They ended up damaging a few cars, so the sheriff locked them up.” Lihi shook her head. “Ralph was really mad that he was left to do all the work.”

“Poor baby. I’m sure he’ll manage to return the favor when they get out. Idiots. And who is Lars?” I asked.

Sandy snorted. “Didn’t you know? The dryads up at Durholm Hall invited a group of centaurs to join them there. So we now have several hunky centaurs running around, along with at least two gorgeous topless females. They’re high spirited, but I didn’t think they’d get involved with the likes of Ralph and his brothers.”

I rolled my eyes. “Wonderful. Just what we need. Okay, then. So Ralph’s the only brother at home right now. That’s helpful. What about Honey? Did you find her room?”

“Yes, she’s staying on the second floor in the third room right off the stairs. I don’t know where she is right now. I looked around to see if I could find her, but she wasn’t in sight. I didn’t look all the way through the inn, though. I figured it would be better to just get the info back to you.” Lihi let out a long breath. “Need me for anything else?”

Sandy held out her hand and Lihi sat on it, swinging her feet over the side. “I might, so don’t go far and keep an ear out.”

Lihi nodded, then vanished.

“Well, we know where to go, and what to look for.” I crossed to one of the cupboards and brought out a box of sea salt. “This should be enough to do the trick. Are you ready to go catch ourselves a Dirt Witch?”

Sandy snorted. “Hey, at least we don’t have to stake her.” And with that cheery thought, we gathered our things and headed to the Heart’s Desire Inn.