Page 24 of A Seer and Present Danger

“Now we’re talking!” she said. “Tell us more.”

“Who would burn down an empty storage unit?” I asked. “Is someone mad at Joanie?”

“No one’s mad at Joanie,” Fawn said. “There isn’t anyone in town who doesn’t like her.”

Sage popped another grape in her mouth. “Whoever did it used gasoline. I saw Ben dig an empty can of gas out of the bushes.”

“Yes!” Xtelle leaned forward. “This is the kind of news I need to survive the boredom of this tedious town. I mean it’s not revenge, but arson is interesting.”

“Arson is not interesting.” Delta, who was a dryad and part of the Salem roller derby team, seemed aghast. “If they’ve already escalated to burning a storage unit, they might burn trees next.”

Xtelle clapped her little hooves together, clouds of rainbow sparkles lifting in puffs. “Yay! More fire!”

“Or maybe,” Herman said, “it was an accident, and wasn’t arson at all.”

Sage shrugged. “It’s possible. That gas can could have been garbage someone threw out.”

“Boo!” Xtelle leaned back and crossed her horsey arms over her chest.

“Who rented the storage unit before it was empty?” Ottilie asked.

Everyone looked at Jules.

She laughed. “What? I don’t have my nose in everyone’s business.”

“Boo!” Xtelle repeated, louder.

“Pandora,” Fawn said.

“The goddess?” Dusi asked.

Fawn nodded.

“Hold on, hold on.” Jules patted the air in front of her. “Crow put on that disastrous garage sale and sold off all of Pandora’s stuff months and months ago.”

“Yeah, he did,” Fawn agreed, “but trust me, the unit was Pandora’s. It’s been sitting empty ever since.”

“Is she in town?” Dusi asked.

Took the question right out of my mouth.

“Not for years now,” Jules said.

“And are we sure it was empty? That Crow got rid of everything?” I asked.

“Joanie said it was empty and I believe her,” Fawn said.

I wasn’t the kind of person who suspected people of lying. Just like Fawn said, Joanie was nice. I liked her. I couldn’t think of any reason she would want to burn down Pandora’s old storage room.

“Well, then,” Xtelle went on gleefully, “now that the storage unit, a large, square, container that is a big box, if you think about it, a box that once belonged to Pandora—Pandora’s box, if you will—just burned to the ground. I am sure it won’t have terrible, terrible consequences for this town and everyone in it.

“Or maybe it will!” She pulled her horsey lips back in a rabid grin. “Ten out of ten we’re about to be cursed!”

“Perhaps,” Than said, as he placed his tea carefully on the coaster next to him, “the authorities will see to the investigation and the further safety of the storage units.”

“I don’t know, Than,” Lochlan said. “The police have a lot on their plate. The fire…”

“Arson!” Xtelle inserted.