Page 8 of Seven Secret Spellcasters
Mia let that thought roll over her as the rest discussed Cerby and Buddy. By the time they’d finished an early dinner and left to retire for the night, Mia was glad to have everyone gone. Trent and Levi had left around five with Cerby and Buddy. They wanted to get the dragon settled before nightfall. Abigail and Thomas had left, and Grans had retired to her room. She was probably talking to Robert. Christina brought Mia a glass of wine, and they sat in the living room.
“Even with you leaving town, my life is fuller than I’d ever expected.” Mia smiled at her young protégé. Her almost-sister-in-law.
“That’s a good thing. You need people. When you lived with Isaac, he kept you working too hard to even think about having friends or a life. Now you have a whole house full of people most days. People you like.” Christina sipped her wine. “I almost feel jealous for leaving. If it wasn’t for the crazy amount of money they offered, I’d stay here.”
“Rub it in.” Mia laughed as her phone rang. Trent was calling, probably to check in. She took the call. “Hey, so have you got them settled? I bet Buddy loves the backyard.”
Trent’s house was on the river, and he owned the wooded acres behind the house. It was a perfect place to raise a dragon, although Mia had never thought of it that way before. “Mia, Levi and I were out sitting on the back deck talking when Cerby came running back from the woods barking. I followed him into the woods and found him. Alfred Howard’s dead.”
Mia set the wineglass down, glad she hadn’t taken a drink yet. “I’ll be right there. Did you call Mark?”
CHAPTER4
When Mia arrived at Trent’s house, the driveway was filled with police cars and one lone ambulance without its lights on. A black BMW was parked on the street. Mia made her way to the front door, then as she stood there, she watched as four men pushed a gurney with a body bag on top of it into the ambulance. The body inside appeared to be much shorter than the bag or the gurney. Alfred Howard. An evidence bag held a box of Lodge cookies. It looked empty.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing here?” Mark Baldwin asked from the doorway. Mia hadn’t heard the door open while she was watching the scene.
“Trent called. I wanted to make sure he was all right.” Mia stared into the foyer. A flurry of white flew at her, and she picked Cerby up as she talked. The dog was shaking. “Hey there, big guy, are you okay?”
“That remains to be seen.” Mark glanced around, then pulled her inside. “I have a feeling this event is more in your realm than mine. Do you mind helping?”
“Of course. Whatever you need,” Mia said as she followed the police chief into Trent’s living room. Trent wasn’t alone. Abigail, Thomas, Levi, and a man Mia didn’t know were gathered around the couch. She could see Buddy watching them from outside the window. Cerby barked at his friend, and Buddy stepped back into the shadows. Rubbing the little dog’s head, she glanced at Mark. “What’s going on?”
“Chief Baldwin has been asking some very pointed questions,” the man dressed in a black suit said, waving Trent down when he tried to stand and greet Mia. “He seems to think that Trent had something to do with that poor man’s death. As he’s clearly stated, he went out to find his dog and discovered the body. Nothing else to say.”
Mark blew out an exasperated breath. “Look, Steve, I’m not saying Trent had anything to do with it. I find it odd that the man who’s obviously part of your world from his appearance would wind up dead by the river. Mia, tell them I’m not trying to jump to conclusions here. I need a rational explanation. Even though I know it might not be possible.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘our world.’ You live in Magic Springs as well. I haven’t been home except for holidays for years.” The man, Steve, glanced at Abigail.
“Steve, Mark is aware of the coven and our special circumstances,” Abigail explained.
“Mother, I’m the attorney here. You paid a lot of money for my law degree. Maybe you should stay quiet like I asked.” Steve softened the words with his tone, but Mia could see Abigail bristling just the same.
“You’re a Majors?” Mia glanced at Trent, who nodded.
“Mia, meet my oldest brother, Steve Majors. He’s my attorney and almost the five-million-dollar man since he charges so much for his services.” Trent smiled as Cerby wiggled in her arms. “Let him down. He wants to be with me.”
“And as your attorney, I told you to stop speaking.” Steve frowned as he watched Mia let Cerby down. “I think it would be better for you to leave, Miss Malone.”
“Trent asked me to come, and he’ll tell me to leave.” Mia stood straighter. Steve might be part of Trent’s family, but he wasn’t in charge of her. “What happened to Alfred Howard? That was him in the body bag, correct?”
“Yes, the victim is Alfred Howard, according to his passport. As far as what happened, that’s what I’m trying to find out.” Mark Baldwin groaned as his phone rang. He stepped away and answered the call.
Mia took the interruption as the time to rush over to Trent. She hugged him. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I went out to get Cerby. Levi had let him out without a leash.” Trent glared at his brother.
“I thought you’d already set up a perimeter for him, dude. Don’t blame me.” Levi smiled at Mia. “I’m glad to see you. Is Christina still at the apartment?”
“Yes, she went to bed. I didn’t want her involved since Baldwin freaks her out.” Mia turned back to Trent. “You found Cerby near the body? Buddy didn’t . . .”
Trent shook his head. “There were no marks. Besides, dragons don’t tend to leave bodies around. They eat the evidence.”
“Gross.” Mia blew out a breath. That was one good thing, anyway.
“No one listens in this family,” Steve grumbled. “Just because Baldwin’s in the other room doesn’t mean he can’t hear you talking.”
“Mark’s a good guy. He’s not looking for an easy solution. He’ll find out who actually killed Howard.” Mia was beginning to not like Steve Majors at all. “We work together to solve these situations.”
