“Maybe it’s just a slow day,” I suggested.
“I don’t know,” Cassian said, eyes darting around the room again. “Do you think Ezzila might have done something in retaliation?” He looked at me with his big blue eyes, and I almost forgot the question.
“You tell me. Does magic work at long distances like that?” I asked, pulling myself together for the sake of the case.
“Not usually with Faian magic, but…” His eyes widened, and he twisted around to look at the office door, then back at me. “What if messing with the rune stone amplified the effects of the curse?”
I considered it. “That was two days ago. Why would it only change the curse on the day we left?”
Cassian’s fingers slid into his hair until he was gripping the roots, looking terrified at the inn’s closed entryway across from the counter. “This isn’t good, Sterling.”
“Cassian, look at me.”
Cassian fixed his wide eyes on me, still scared.
“Everything’s going to be okay. Even if what you’re saying is true, we’ll fix it, okay?”
Cassian’s shoulders slumped, and he let his hands fall, leaving his hair sticking up all over. “I know. I just…” He sighed. “Things were going so well.”
“It could still just be a slow day. We don’t know yet,” I said.
Cassian shook his head, frowning at the countertop. “Maybe.”
“In the meantime, do you keep a copy of your grandfather’s will here? I’d like to take a look at it,” I said.
“No. His will is at his legaler’s office in Ladiall,” Cassian said.
A legaler’s office? If a legaler was handling his will, there was no way Olive hadn’t been informed. “Why did you say it was your responsibility to tell Olive about her payout if a legaler is handling his will?”
Cassian froze. “Oh shit, Sterling… They told her, didn’t they?”
“They should have. She seemed to know, but she wouldn’t admit she did when I asked if she was in the will.”
Cassian paled. “Are you serious?”
“I’m afraid so.”
He shook his head slowly. “What does this mean?”
“I don’t know yet, but I have to be honest… It’s not looking great for Olive,” I said.
Cassian stood up, holding himself up on the counter while looking me in the eyes. “It wasn’t her,” he said.
“Cassian—”
“I know it looks bad, but it wasn’t her. She has worked here for years. My grandfather loved her, and she would never do anything to hurt the inn. There has to be another explanation,” he said.
I pressed my lips together. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to get him involved. He never took these speculations well.
“Let’s talk to her,” he said, darting away from his chair to get out from behind the counter.
“Cassian, wait—” I said, chasing after him, but he was already halfway across the lobby. “Wait, stop!” I couldn’t catch him before he burst into the kitchen, followed closely by me.
Olive jumped and turned around, splashing soapy water on the floor. “Cassian!” she said, eyes darting from him to me. “Is everything all right, sweetheart?”
“You’re in the will, Olive,” Cassian said.
Olive’s eyebrows shot up. “W-what?”
