When they saw us, Ollie waved. Cletus … didn't.
"He's not happy," I said slowly. "I'm not sure I want to do this after all. He doesn't need me to be here, anyway. He can talk to Ollie about this without me."
"He could," Jack said, pulling to a stop. "But Ollie may not talk tohimwithout you. Ollie doesn't know this guy and doesn't trust what he's heard about him."
I turned to look at him, confused. "How do you know that? Is that some secret tiger mind-reading ability you haven't told me about before?"
"No. Ollie texted me he doesn't know this guy and doesn't trust what he's heard about him."
"Ah."
When we climbed out of the truck, we stepped into air fragrant with an explosion of floral scents. Nobody could raise plants like goblins, and the Gardners were absolute wonders as, well, gardeners.
"Do you think that's their real name?" Jack asked, almost as if he'd heard my thoughts.
"It's Dead End, Jack. Nobody asks about real names."
"Got it."
The front door of the greenhouse opened, and Prism danced across the lawn toward us. If I hadn't known differently, I would have sworn she was Fae. She was a few inches shorter than me and so delicate she looked fragile with her long, pale blond hair, lovely warm coppery skin, and sparkling hazel eyes. She was also madly in love with Ollie, and he obviously returned that affection.
"It's nice to see her when she's not seeing death and abandonment in a crystal ball," I murmured.
Jack just laughed and took my hand, and we walked forward to talk to the trio.
Thirty minutes later, we knew all we could ever want to know about how to deactivate a magical tracking crystal, after Cletus finally told us exactly what his stalker ex was using to find him again and again.
As usual, it mostly came down to salt.
There was a chant, and smashing it would help, but then Cletus needed to pour salt on the shards and bury or burn the whole mess, because a crystal that somebody had attuned to you would stay attuned in every shard. Every molecule.
It was creepy, really.
Cletus, who'd stayed as far away from me as he could manage the entire time, hurriedly thanked Ollie and Prism, jumped in his car, and sped away.
Ollie only raised his eyebrows, but Prism shuddered.
"I don't get a good feeling from that man," she said. "I said nothing, because everyone has the right not to be stalked, but I don't want to talk to him again."
Ollie put his arm around her and gave us a somber look. "She's not alone. I did this for you, Tess, but I'd be wary of that guy. His vibes are … off."
Jack, who was as far from a hippie as I'd ever met, unlike the plant-whispering, folk-singing Gardners, nodded.
"Those vibes are way off."
Ollie suddenly turned to me and grinned. "Hey, Tess. We're splicing a new strain of zucchini. Any interest?"
"You are a bold man, Ollie Gardner. A foolish but bold man," I said through clenched teeth, remembering his magically mutated plant that had lifted me up and smacked me around my shop. "If you eventhinkabout giving me another vegetable?—"
He couldn't hold in the laughter any longer and almost doubled over, cracking up.
"Hilarious," I muttered.
Jack grinned at me and slung an arm around my shoulders. "Come on, my fierce vegetable-defying warrior. Let's go have a pool party with a scary twelve-year-old."
By the time six o'clock rolled around, we were in better moods and more than ready to host Shelley, Eleanor, Bill, and the potentially awful Oscar at our house for a barbecue and pool party. Zane was spending the night at his house with his dad and friends, so he didn't come along. Uncle Mike and Aunt Ruby had begged off, saying they wanted a quiet evening at home. I reassured them I was fine and sent Jack overto pick up Shelley while I put together some side dishes for the burgers and hot dogs he was planning to grill.
We hadn't spent a lot of time with Bill since his and Eleanor's wedding. He was a delightful man who'd fallen hard for Eleanor, but he'd been so shy he'd made excuses to pawn items nobody needed or wanted, over and over, just to spend time with her. I'd finally encouraged her to go out with him just so I didn't have to write up the pawn for his jackalope ever again.
