She turned, spotted us, and immediately ended the call. “You four!” she hissed.
“Nice to see you too, Susan,” Deva replied, folding her arms. “Are you running from us or just from your own mess?”
Susan blinked, caught off guard. “What? I—why would I run from you?”
“You tell us,” I said. “You disappeared the minute things got weird.”
She glanced between the three of us, eyes darting, calculating. Her hair had lost its composure; the bun had wilted and left her with a stringy halo. Glitter clung to her face in accidental constellations.
“I thought your focus was finding Alice,” Susan said, defensive.
“It is,” Deva replied. “But do you mind explaining the mutant hot dog situation?”
Susan’s mouth worked, but no sound came out for a moment. “It’s a defense spell,” she said. “Sort of a last-ditch alarm system. Nobody was supposed to trigger it.”
Carol peered at her. “You mean, if someone breaks into the spell pantry, it releases the dogs?”
“It’s not supposed to be literal,” Susan protested. “Just a deterrent. A warning.”
“Looks like your spell is more literal than you thought,” I said.
“Now, what did you do to Alice?” Beth questioned, looking angry.
Susan pressed her lips tight. She looked exhausted, and for the first time I saw real fear in her eyes
“I didn’t do anything to Alice,” Susan said, quieter. “If you’re trying to pin this on me, you’re wasting your time.”
Deva shrugged. “You were the last to see her.”
“That’s not even true!” Susan snapped. “She was in the store, but she left. I checked her out myself.” She shivered at the memory. “She didn’t say anything, just left.”
“Then why did you run?” I asked.
Susan looked at the ground, unwilling to meet my eyes. “Because I knew what was about to happen. The containment spell on the staff lockers is old, okay? It’s not mine. When I heard the crack, I panicked. I didn’t want to get slimed, so I ran.”
Carol snorted. “Coward.”
“I called the owner!” Susan barked back. “He’s on his way. I did what I could. And anyway, you’re the ones who kept poking around and made it worse.”
I chewed my tongue, trying to gauge if Susan was lying. There was a desperation to her now, not the smug superiority of earlier. If she was faking it, she deserved an Oscar.
“So you didn’t see Alice leave with anyone?” Carol asked.
“No,” Susan replied, shaking her head. The corners of her mouth pulled down, making her look suddenly much older. “I hope nothing happened to her. I really do.”
Deva relaxed a fraction, then offered, “If you remember anything, you’ll let us know?”
Susan hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Sure.”
Carol straightened up, dusted imaginary dirt from her skirt, and declared, “Okay, then. We’re good here.”
Susan glared but said nothing more before walking back toward the ruined store.
Deva put a hand on my shoulder, gentle but steady. “Let’s go home,” she said.
We sloshed across the parking lot, passing shell-shocked shoppers and the occasional feral hot dog hiding behind a trash can.
Beth stopped short. “Hold it,” she yelled. “Nobody gets in my car covered in whatever the hell this stuff is.”
