"Where have you two been?" Neema asked, finishing with a customer.

"Evelina dragged me over to see Saree," Mahogany said, grabbing a caramel from the bowl and popping it into her mouth.

"Evelina!" Neema gasped. "Saree just lost her husband."

Mahogany smirked at Evelina. "I told you."

"But we found a clue." Evelina pulled the handkerchief from her purse. "It was under Saree's bed."

"You were in her bedroom? What did she have to say about that?" Neema said, her tone admonishing, but she took the hanky and examined it.

"She doesn't know. I kept her busy in the kitchen while Evelina turned cat burglar." Mahogany extracted another caramel and savored its salty sweetness.

"Oh, Evelina," Neema said, her mouth pulling down in a disapproving frown. "Wait, this is RW's handkerchief." Her eyes grew wide. "This was under Saree's bed?" Neema's disapproval was shoved out of the way by curiosity. "Mahogany, those candies are for customers."

Mahogany rolled her eyes and dropped the third caramel back into the bowl.

Evelina nodded with enthusiasm. "And she was getting rid of Matt's clock collection. She said she had to because he hadn't left a life insurance policy, and there were bills to pay."

The light dimmed in Neema's eyes. "Maybe he came by to pay his respects and gave it to her to dry her eyes. It might not mean what we think it means."

"I said the same thing." Mahogany took the hanky from Neema and gave it another once over. "Is there a way to check for tears?"

"Oh, that's a good idea," Evelina nodded.

Neema's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure I have anything on that topic. Check in the kitchen. If not, take a walk over to Poisoned Pens. I bet they have something."

"Oh, the bookstore!" Evelina clapped like a child who had just been gifted a pony.

Mahogany rolled her eyes again and headed into the kitchen to look for books on detecting bodily fluids.

****

"I'm so glad Neema didn't have what we were looking for," Evelina said, her eyes as big as dinner plates. Before them stood row upon row of rich wooden shelving stacked two deep with books running the shop's length.

"Here again so soon," Cam Herrah greeted them from behind the tiny counter. A large, antique cash register took up most of the counter's real estate. The wall behind the counter was littered with photos from customers, family members, and bookstore events. "How did game night go?"

"Hey, Cam. Rabbit Rabbit was a hit. Thanks for the recommendation," Mahogany said, going up to the counter. Atop her head, Bazgul chattered at Cam.

"Hey, there, little fella." Cam reached into a jar on the counter and retrieved a small dog bone, and Bazgul snatched it with relish. "What can I get you today?"

"Do you happen to have any books on detecting tears," Mahogany asked, one eyebrow cocked high.

"That's very specific," Cam said, his eyes squinted in thought. "But I think I have just the thing."

He stepped around the counter and led Mahogany and Evelina down a narrow aisle. They snaked through stacks of books too large to fit on the shelves and armchairs, inviting customers to sit and browse.

Cam stopped before a shelf labeled Detections S-Z. His gaze ran over the spines until it landed on one. "This ought to do the trick." He held the book to Mahogany as if it were a fine wine.

Mahogany smiled at his panache and took the book. "Check Your Perception: Seventeen Spells to Add to Your Detection Collection?" She glanced at Cam. "Seventeen is an odd number."

"Both literally and figuratively," Cam said, tapping the side of his nose. "This should have a chapter on tears and other bodily fluids." Cam cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable. "What's the spell for, may I ask."

"Neema," Mahogany said. "Something for a customer." She shrugged.

"It's too bad about Matt," Cam said, sorrow touching his eyes. "Ace worked closely with him."

Mahogany and Evelina exchange a pregnant look. "They did? I knew they were good friends, but I didn't know they worked together," Mahogany said.

Cam nodded. "Ace was the treasure of the Clock Tower Committee."

"That's interesting," Evelina said. "I'd heard Ace found Matt's body, but I never considered why he was at the clock tower."

Cam gave a slow nod. "I'm not sure he'll ever be the same. It was all very shocking."

Mahogany held up the book. "We should buy this. Neema's waiting."

"Right," Cam said, firing finger guns at Mahogany. "A customer needs information." He winked and led them back to the register.

"Here you go." Cam handed Mahogany her change when the bell over the door jangled, announcing the entrance of the fair-haired Lilac Delldini. She swished into the bookshop, and her lacy blue blouse flounced as she walked. Lilac removed her cat-eyed rhinestone sunglasses with a wrist flick and gazed at Cam.

"Oh, good, you're here. I need your help finding something." Lilac smoothed her styled bob with a gloved hand.

"Sure thing, Ms. Delldini," Cam said, dropping Mahogany's change into her waiting palm. A few of the coins missed their mark, bouncing onto the counter.

Mahogany scrambled to stop the hopping coins and pocket the rest of her change as Cam scuttled around the counter and led Lilac into the stacks.

"Well, that was weird and informational," Evelina said once they were outside and heading back to the Haughty Hemlock.

Mahogany didn't respond. Her thoughts were on Ace Hatcher and his involvement with the Clock Tower Committee. "If anyone knows about Matt's life at the clock tower, it's Ace. We need to talk to him."

A broad smile lifted Evelina's bow-shaped mouth. She stopped and did a silent happy dance before skipping after Mahogany. "Where should we look?"

"Right there," Mahogany said, nodding across the street.

Across the street, Ace Hitcher stood outside Clover Toes. He gazed through the window at Brian O'Malley's display while sipping an iced beverage from Hot Brews.

"Wow, that's lucky," Evelina said as Mahogany started across the street.

"Hey, Ace," she said, waving her arm. Ace looked over and waved back, his eyebrows pulling together.

"Hi," he said, trepidation in his voice.

Mahogany stepped onto the curb, and her loose boot heel caught the lip and gave up the ghost. Slipping its nails, it clattered into the gutter. Mahogany tripped and righted herself on a street sign at the intersection.

"Are you all right?" Ace moved forward to help her.

She peered over her shoulder, and Evelina handed her the severed boot heel. "I'm fine. I've needed to get this fixed for a while now."

"Well, you're in luck." Ace pointed to the Clovered Toes with its shamrock green façade.

"That can wait," Mahogany said. "We wanted to pay our condolences. We heard that you found Matt in the clock tower?"

Ace's eye's misted over, and he looked at the ground. "Yes, I did." He cleared his throat.

"That must have been awful," Evelina said, moving to stand next to Mahogany.

"It was less than great," Ace said, turning his gaze back to them, his voice thick with emotion.

"I heard that the doors and windows were locked from the inside," Mahogany said. "Any idea how the murderer got out?"

Ace shook his head. "I've repeatedly run it through my head and can't figure it out."

"Could they have magicked their way out of the tower after latching the chain on the door?" Evelina said, frowning.

"I wondered that myself, but I checked for signs of magical residue that sort of spell would have left, and there isn't any." Ace sighed. "It's a mystery."

"Indeed," Mahogany said, glancing at Evelina. "You're the treasurer of the Clock Tower Preservation Committee." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yes," Ace said, his gaze moving between the two young women.

"Did Matt usually work late at night?" Evelina asked.

Ace ran a hand over his face. "He was worried about money. We were planning a fundraiser for the tower, which is always stressful. I was supposed to meet him there, but I went on a run first and lost track of time." Guilt pinched Ace's handsome features. "By the time I remembered, it was so late. I went home to bed instead."

"You were supposed to meet Matt the night he died?" Mahogany said. Her mind swirled. Could Ace be the murderer? But what was his motive? His grief seemed genuine.

A sheepish grin lifted the corners of Ace's lips. "I can be pretty flaky if I'd only been there. Maybe Matt would still be alive."

"Or you'd both be dead," Evelina said.

Ace's chin lifted as if he'd been slapped. "That never occurred to me."

"Why do you think someone would want to hurt him?" Mahogany asked, her expression concerned yet cautious.

"Well, you could start with his wife," Ace said, his sadness diminishing into a mask of anger. "And there's RW."

Mahogany nodded. "RW and Matt got into an argument the day before he died."

Ace shook his head. "It's hard to imagine those two used to be best friends," Ace's face darkened further, "until RW stole Lilac. Matt never was the same." Ace sighed. "Well, thank you for taking the time to remember Matt." He raised his half-finished plastic cup dripping with condensation and headed to the Poisoned Pen across the street.

"Do you think he was jogging when the murder occurred?" Evelina said as she watched Ace disappear into the bookstore. "And what about Saree? Is she capable of murder? Not to grief shame or anything, but she wasn't what I pictured when I think of a grieving wife, and then there's the handkerchief."

"She was jilted. Married to a man that was in love with someone else." Mahogany sighed and looked at the amputated boot heel in her hand. "I guess the Fates are telling me I can't put off fixing my boots any longer." She turned and limped into Clovered Toes.

At the sound of the bell above the door, a dark-haired woman at the counter turned. Mahogany found herself face to face with Blair once again.

"Why, hello there, Mallory," Blair said, tossing her raven-colored hair over her shoulder, cascading down her back like a black river.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Evelina said, rolling her eyes at Blair.

"Mahogany."

"Pardon?" Blair said. Her eyes flickered from Evelina to Mahogany.

"My name is Mahogany."

"Don't be ridiculous," Blair said with the tone of someone soothing a child with an overactive imagination. She turned back to the counter. "Thank you so much, Brian. You are a magician."

Blair admired a pair of stiletto heels. Bright red souls gleamed in the cobbler's fluorescent overhead light. Glossy black leather ended with a sharp point reminding Mahogany of a wicked witch.

Behind her, Evelina gasped.

"I know, right," Blair said, eying Evelina with appreciation. "At least one of you has taste." Her gaze drifted to rest on Mahogany's beloved boots, her lip raising in a slight sneer.

From his nest in Mahogany's faded pink curls, Bazgul raised on his hind legs, hissing. Blair recoiled, her golden skin dropping a few shades in the process. She squeezed past Evelina and swooped out of the shop, heading toward Tony's house.

"I don't know who murdered Matt, but I'd bet that Blair had something to do with it. She's just so mean." Evelina stomped her foot. "How dare she talk to you like that. Don't get me wrong. Those heels are spectacular. You do the best work, Brian. But I think I hate her."

Mahogany shrugged, giving Bazgul a loving pat. "She's jealous, or she wouldn't be so ready to put me in my place, and that whole "at least one of you has taste" was a dig at herself. I liked Tony, and now she has him. Which should mean that I have taste."

"That's an excellent point," Evelina said, patting Mahogany's shoulder. "Oh, I don't like her."

Brian nodded towards the door. "Did that lass take your fella?" Despite having lived in Oregon for nearly twenty years, his Irish accent was as thick as when he first arrived in Pandemonium.

Mahogany's shoulders sagged. "No, Brian. The fella was never mine." She placed the boot heel on the counter. "Can you fix this?"

He stared at the chunk of wood. "Do you have the shoe to go with it, or do you want me to build one around just the heel?"

"Right." Mahogany pulled off her boot and handed it to Brian.

He turned the boot over in his hands with an appreciative smile. "This is a very nice piece of footwear. Where did you get it?"

"Happy discovery in the attic," Mahogany said. "Is it fixable?"

"Quite. This is all hand-crafted. I'd say about thirty years old. They are in remarkable condition." Brian sat the boot on the counter. "But I can't fix just the one. You're set will be off."

"Can't you just cobble the heel back on?" Mahogany hadn't thought of being without her boots. She'd thought she'd just come in, get the heel nailed back on, and go about her day.

The cobbler shook his head. "The whole soul needs replacing."

"Fine," Mahogany sighed, pulling off her other boot. "When do you think they'll be ready?"

"Five days or so."

"Five days?" Mahogany felt her throat tighten. Was she about to cry over a pair of shoes? Yes, yes, she was.

Brian leaned across the counter and placed a hand on Mahogany's shoulder. "Don't worry, lass. They are in the best of hands."

Mahogany nodded once and headed back outside in her stocking feet.

"You know what they say about Leprechauns and shoes?" Evelina said in an attempt to cheer her friend.

"What's that?" Mahogany said as she padded across the street, her socks picking up loose asphalt and bits of trash as she went.

"They're golden."

"Oofta. That's bad."

"I thought it was pretty good for an on-the-fly joke," Evelina said, her face falling.

"Well, thanks for trying."

"What happened to your boots?" Neema said as Mahogany's entrance wasn't accompanied by her usual rhythmic clomping.

"Being repaired." Mahogany grumped.

"About time. Now you can wear those sandals I bought you last summer."

"Hurray," Mahogany said and dug into the caramel jar, grabbing a handful before heading into the house.

_________

AN: What do you think of the Poisoned Pen's owners, Cam and Ace? Do they seem like upstanding guys, or do you think they might have something to hide?

If you could have a book of spells, what would the title be, and what sorts of spells would it hold?