I thought about what Cosmo had told me. If that girl had siren blood in her as well, she’d also be destined to end up as a local celebrity, instead of wowing the world.
At 10:30 p.m., Ange gave me a lift home. Our youthful days, when midnight was the lower limit, were long past. In addition to that, I needed to give her instructions for her husband while we were still both awake enough to remember them in the morning.
Chapter thirty-seven
Cosmo snored as I got in.
I let him. We had a big day ahead.
The next morning, I was still lining up the items my aunt had left her friends in her will when Cosmo interrupted me. "Take another peek," he said.
"At what?"
He shook his head at me. "There are moments when I despair."
I retorted, "There are also moments when I have to remind you that I am neither used to all this, nor am just doing one thing. I’ve been literally multitasking every single moment since you opened your mouth to talk to me."
"Which should have given you enough practice understanding what the priorities are."
"Solving the murders."
"Good girl. And how do we check our progress?" Was he now patronizing me?
I went over to the door, to the bookcase that hid the secret lair. I opened it.
He tapped his paw on the book of spells that still sat on the table. I picked it up and opened it.
The first spell stood out, bright and clear.
The next page started the way I'd left it.
And then, all of a sudden, drawings appeared. Words formed and glowed.
I read them. First, under my breath. Then out loud.
"So mote it be. So mote it be, so mote it be," I ended.
"You did it!" Cosmo shouted.
"The block’s gone?"
“Almost. Can’t you feel it?” He tugged at my sleeve and practically dragged me to the door, giving me barely enough time to close it behind me.
In the library, he took me over to the window. On the sill stood a potted plant.
"What do you see?" he asked.
"Same as always."
"Try again."
I leaned closer.
"There's one bud. It's tiny," I said.
"Do you remember the spell?"
I recited it.
