"Oh, no, you don't. I may be a terrible singer, but a stupid box doesn't get to dump on me." I handed Evie the forms to sign and put the box in the drawer under the counter, ignoring the sounds of Gwen Stefani singing to me about "The Great Escape."
"Well, that's going to get old."
Evie gave me a smile filled with such relief that I felt both better and more worried about the whole thing.
"You have no idea." She tried to only take one twenty, but I made her take the entire hundred, privately reserving the right to get more money to her via Molly if the box turned out to be some hugely rare, valuable item that sold for a bundle.
Being a successful business owner was great, but being a good human being was better. I had to look at myself in the mirror at night, so I made it a rule never to cheat anybody.
"Okay—"
She interrupted me again. "I know. You want to get to your lunch. I'll go. Please tell Molly I'll see her at the show. And ask your other friend in the back room about the car accident. It's important."
My mouth fell open, but before I could respond, she raced over to the door and said something to Jack that made him laugh. When he came back from locking up, it was my turn to raise an eyebrow.
"She told me if it plays the Meow Mix jingle, I should feel free to smash it to pieces." He grinned at me and then surprised me by leaning over the counter and kissing me. It was a quick kiss, but it held promise, and I could feel my cheeks heat up.
I didn't usually kiss people at work, after all.
"You've got an enormous heart, Tess Callahan."
"Right back atcha."
We stood there smiling at each other for a few moments, and then reality hit. I squared my shoulders and took a deep breath. "Time to find out what Eleanor knows. And what do you think that thing Evie said about the car accident was about?"
"Who knows? She was kind of flaky."
"Still. Wouldn't hurt to ask. She's part Fae, after all. You never know with the Fae."
When we walked into the back room, Eleanor's eyes were red but dry.
Molly was toying with a slice of pizza, a somber expression on her face. "We need to help Lorraine."
"I agree. Hey, is Evie psychic or something? She must have at least a bit of Fae in her, considering the ancestor who built the music box." I snagged a slice of pizza and took a bite.
"I think she might be, considering some things she's said in the hundred times she's found me backstage at an event," Molly said wearily. "Why?"
My mouth was full, so I nodded at Jack, who turned to Eleanor. "Why does a part Fae psychic want us to ask you about a car accident?"
Eleanor shot up off the stool she'd been sitting on. "No! No, I can't—it couldn't—it's all my fault!"
Then she grabbed her purse and ran out the door, leaving the three of us staring after her in shock. I heard the chimes over the front door before I took my first step, and by the time Jack and I made it to the porch, her car was peeling out of the driveway.
I turned to Jack, feeling like the world had turned upside down. "What the heck is going on?"
His face was grim. "I think it's past time we find out."
Molly put a hand on my shoulder. "I'll do whatever I can do to help, but right now I need to get to the park for a sound check. We're playing center stage at the festival tomorrow, remember?"
I tried to smile, but my mind was on Eleanor, and Aunt Ruby, Uncle Mike, and, most of all, Lorraine. "I'll be there if I can, but I have to find out what is happening now and, maybe even more important, what happened fifty years ago. And I think my family knows more about that than they're willing to admit."
"And we need to talk to Beau again," Jack said, his expression fierce. "He has some explaining to do."
The music box, which was no longer in the drawer but sitting on the counter again, started playing The All-American Rejects loudly:
"Dirty Little Secret."
Jack looked at it and said one word: "Hammer."
