“I should also mention that Miss Merriweather is the kindestof ladies, and...” Velma’s voice faded straightaway as her gaze drifted to muscles Flick was now in the process of flexing again, the flexing apparently a result of Pippin standing up on Annaliese’s shoulder, her chirps now sounding downright menacing.
“Your Miss Merriweather doesn’t look very kind to me, what with that scowling she’s doing,” Flick said. “I also don’t think ladies who are the soul of kindness keep vicious-looking wild animals wrapped around their necks.”
“Miss Merriweather saves animals from the fur traders, which you must know is a kind action if there ever was one,” Velma began. “And even though she does seem to be doing a rather lot of scowling right now, one can hardly blame her as I’m sure she’s only doing that because she’s been frustrated by my and Norma Jean’s misbehavior today. There’s no need to worry, though, that she’s going to take that frustration out on us. I mean, not only is she one of the owners of our academy, she’s going to become our temporary headmistress in two days.”
Flick shot another glance at Annaliese. “You don’t say.”
“Oh, but Idosay,” Velma chirped back. “Her older sister, you see, was Miss Drusilla Merriweather until she married Rhenick Whittenbecker recently, which makes her Mrs. Whittenbecker now. She’s turning over that headmistress role to the lady scowling at you because of a planned wedding holiday. That means Miss Annaliese Merriweather really wouldn’t be mean to us because she’s worried about losing her position as I’m pretty sure a headmistress isn’t going to fire herself.”
Seth’s lips twitched when Flick’s eyes glazed over ever so slightly, something he’d witnessed often over the years whenever Norma Jean and her friends got to telling a story or trying to explain a situation like Velma was in the midst of doing.
After rubbing his temple, probably because his head had taken to aching, Flick frowned. “If you ask me, this Mrs. Whittenbeckeryou mentioned might want to rethink taking a wedding holiday after learning her sister misplaced you and your friend today.”
Velma’s smile dimmed ever so slightly before she hitched it straight back into place. “We weren’t misplaced since we knew exactly where we were.”
It wasn’t surprising when Flick began looking bewildered, that state obviously brought about due to the reasoning of barely teenage girls.
Annaliese took a single step toward the strongman, a trace of amusement now lingering in her eyes. “To spare you additional details regarding exactly why Velma believes they weren’t misplaced,” she began, “now might be the perfect time for you to step aside and allow me to collect my students as that will spare you a conversation I can guarantee will leave you looking more perplexed than you do now.”
“I am finding it difficult to follow what she’s saying,” Flick admitted. “However, you’re not going to be able to collect your students just yet.”
It wasn’t surprising when Annaliese’s brows slammed together. “Why not?”
“Because Marvel—he’s the magician, although his name isn’t really Marvel, he just thinks Marvel the Magician has a nice ring to it—lost the keys to the boxes. That’s why I’m here, standing guard until Marvel returns with some help.”
“They’restuckin those boxes?” Annaliese asked.
“’Fraid so.” Flick lifted his arm and flexed a muscle, which left the girls sighing in unison. He considered his muscled arm for a second, then returned his attention to Annaliese. “I should probably also mention that I’m standing guard not just because it didn’t sit well with me to leave two helpless girls alone, but because they might be in danger.”
“Danger?” Annaliese pressed.
“Yep.” Flick nodded to Velma. “She and her friend made themistake of paying Marvel to let them try out the sawing-in-half trick. It’s not wise to tempt Marvel with the sight of unspent funds, which he knows the girls have since he was watching them stuff some bills into those fancy bags they were carrying after they paid him his fee. Knowing Marvel, he’s off to seek assistance from men he owes money to, and once those men discover the girls have funds at the ready, there’s going to be trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Flick took a second to crack his knuckles. “The kind that comes in the form of men who think nothing about keeping young girls locked in magic boxes until they promise to hand over every cent they have on them—men like Boris the Bear Wrangler, who doesn’t have a bear to wrangle right now since his ran off three towns ago. Worse than Boris, though, is Alfred the Monkey Man, who has an ale in hand before breakfast and makes a point of sending his trained monkey through the crowds to relieve them of their valuables after she’s done with her act.”
Annaliese’s nose wrinkled. “His monkey’s a thief?”
“She is, and she’s a much better thief than she is a bicycle rider. But if Marvel comes back with Alfred—and here’s hoping he doesn’t come back with Thurman, because Thurman’s worse than Alfred, or Paulie, who even frightens me—you’re going to find yourself in an uncomfortable situation.”
Four
Silence settled over the interior of the tent directly after Flick’s concerning proclamation, until Annaliese quirked a brow Seth’s way.
“Dare I hope you brought one of your inventions today that could possibly assist us with discouraging anyone who might try their hand at extortion?”
Seth frowned. “I don’t recall packing anything specifically designed for evasive extortion situations, but one never knows what I might find on me.” He stuck his hand into a pocket and fished out a small object he’d been tinkering with for his hard-of-hearing aunt.
“And that would be?” Annaliese asked.
“Artificial eardrum. You stick this small tube into the ear, anchor it with the wire that wraps around the outer ear, and hopefully hear better.”
A small crease appeared on her forehead. “We might need something a little more lethal.”
“I still have a few pockets left to check.”
Before Seth had an opportunity to empty another pocket, though, a muffled clearing of a throat drew his attention to the box Norma Jean was squished into.
