"Willow's Missing Tail" 4

Martha brought a plate of fresh baked brownies to the table and Perfidia breathed in the chocolate laced aroma.

“I love brownies; and these are amazing Martha.”

“I can give you the recipe.”

 “I don’t think they’d taste this good if I baked them.”

“It’s an easy recipe but there is a secret…you have to use the vanilla beans from the climbing orchid in my meadow.” Martha said as she poured tea into their cups.

Perfidia frowned. “Then there’s not a chance I can reproduce these.”

“Of course you can; you’re welcome to use any of the plants in the meadow Perfidia.”

“I can? Good to know.” Perfidia grinned and picked up the warm brownie intent on enjoying its sweet tooth delight but her eyes strayed to the empty corner of the kitchen.

Her indulgent moment faded. Willow should have been sitting there with her gleaming cat eyes and teasing cat smirk challenging her, but she wasn’t.

“I can’t believe Willow hasn’t found a way to escape her captor.” 

Martha looked across the kitchen with concerned eyes but at that moment, the empty cat bed disappeared.

Perfidia’s eye’s widened in surprise but she smiled. “I think Willow is asserting her powers and also demanding her creature comforts.”   

Martha’s eyes softened. “I believe she is.”

"Now we know she's not defeated and we can plan our attack,” Perfidia said.

“I think we need to build our arsenal of knowledge before we do. Let's look at those pictures you took of your store again."

Perfidia took out her cell phone but before she could open the camera’s gallery, a call came through.

“It’s Jon,” Perfidia said and answered it with a, sotto voce, hello.

Martha was about to leave the kitchen to give her privacy when she heard Perfidia’s voice raised in a concerned tone.

“No, I haven’t but I’ll look out for him…I’m sure he’s fine…okay, I’ll talk to you later.” Perfidia ended the call and sent Martha a baffled look.

“What’s wrong?”

“Jon’s cat, Mannix, is missing since last night and he hoped he’d found his way to my house, but I haven’t seen him.”

“You’re thinking it’s not a coincidence?”

Perfidia frowned.  “What if Mannix is with Max and Willow?”

“It’s possible he is.”

“Then we need to head over to my store and see if there are any clues we can use to find them.”

Martha agreed. "Let's go now."

*

They walked into the hidden meadow and followed the path towards Martha’s village home.

Perfidia admired the ability to travel in minutes, to what would have taken several hours by car, and wished she'd had a meadow of her own.

“It’s brilliant how you've connected both your homes.”

“I did nothing; Willow was the architect.”

Perfidia thought of the advantages she could have with such a talented familiar.

“Is it possible to connect this meadow to other places?”

Martha gave her a curious look. “Where would you like it to go?”

“Oh I don't know...London, Paris, Florence; I'm truly not fussy.”

Martha chuckled. “I don’t think the meadow would allow that kind of expansion.”

Perfidia shrugged. “I suppose not, but wouldn’t it be nice if it would? And by the way, it was your meadow that made me think of a camouflage potion in the first place.”

“The meadow wasn’t created by a potion Perfidia.”

“I know that, but I don’t happen to have a familiar, so I had to improvise. I don't know why Avery thinks his girlfriend is attempting my potion but I'm sure he's wrong…how would she even know what I was doing?"

"I don't know how, but she did breech your store’s protection for a reason."

"And I'd like to know that reason...and I'd like to know how she got in," Perfidia grumbled with frustration

“I’d like those answers too Perfidia,” Martha commiserated as they stepped from the passage way and into her village garden and continued on through the side gate and around to the front lawn. There Martha noticed Perfidia’s car parked in the driveway.

Perfidia walked over to her sleek, sports car and opened the driver's door. “It will be quicker if we take my car."

Martha slid into the soft, leather seat and admired the car’s interior but she couldn’t resist making a comparison to her VW.

“And you think my car is small?”

Perfidia sent her a withering look.

“My car isn’t small, it’s compact and you'll notice there's enough room to stretch our legs.” Perfidia championed her car's attributes with a smug smile then pressed the gas pedal and pulled out of the driveway in one smooth push of speed.

A few minutes later, she maneuvered the car into a space in front of her store.

Perfidia unlocked the front door, flipped on the light switch and again stood in utter shock at the chaos. “Martha, we have to figure out how they managed to get inside.” Perfidia seethed.

Martha’s intuition told her it had been the familiars who’d disengaged Perfidia’s protections.

“To make your store impenetrable, we’d need a familiar to protect it,” she told Perfidia.

“That’s just wonderful; since a familiar would have to pick me, and until one does…I'll have no resistance.”

“You have resistance; it’s just not familiar-proof.”

Perfidia gave her a sour look.

“Then we should go to the Pet Rescue and find a feline that’s not so discriminating in choosing a human.”

“We can do that,” Martha assured her, “I’m sure we can coax one of them to help us.”

“You don’t sound convincing Martha.”

Martha didn’t respond because she’d noticed several paw prints on the floor and she pointed those out to Perfidia instead.

“So it was a cat,” Perfidia concluded as she walked over to the markings.

“Yes,” Martha confirmed but then hesitated as she picked up on another clue. She turned in a slow circle concentrating on it.

“What are you doing?” 

“There’s something in the air;”

“Cat dander?’ Perfidia quipped.

“No…bergamot…jasmine…narcissus…vanilla…and a tease of patchouli,” Martha identified each scent.

Perfidia gave her a puzzled look. “Except for the Jasmine, I don’t have any of those plants in my shop but you use some of those in your tea blends; could they be from your garden?”

Martha shook her head. “No, these aren’t ingredients for a tea; these are distilled oils combined to produce a fragrance, a perfume.”

Perfidia sniffed the air and she did detect the delicate notes of a perfume.

“I think you’re right…but what fragrance is that?”

“I’m not sure it’s a marketed brand; it could be one that was created by the wearer.”

“You know something else Martha, it’s been hours since they were here and…the scent lingers,” Perfidia concluded with a smile.

Martha smiled too and voiced what Perfidia implied.

“Creating a way to track them.”

“That makes me happy.” Perfidia beamed, “Now let’s see what she’s taken from me and figure out what she’s up to, because it’s not a camouflage potion.”

“Then identify the disturbed potions and I’ll identify the plant cuttings.” Martha instructed.

They'd just begun to do that when the store’s front door opened and Odessa walk in.

Perfidia and Martha both turned to the door in surprise.

“Odessa,” Perfidia tried to stop her advance into the store, “I’m not opening the store today.”

She  thought Odessa would understand and leave, but she didn’t.

Odessa closed the door and walked with determination over to Perfidia.

“I need your help but I’m glad to see Martha’s here too.”

“Why do you need help?” Martha asked.

“Someone went into my garden last night and destroyed the precious flowers I’d been carefully growing for Roger and Gloria’s wedding next month. I was hoping Perfidia would have something I could replace them with, even though they’re irreplaceable.”

“What flowers were you growing for the wedding?” Martha asked, sharing a concerned look with Perfidia.

“Ghost Orchids; they were growing in abundance on my pop ash tree. Now half of them have been ripped from the vines and, because those vines were torn in so many places, I’m not sure what’s left will survive.”

“Ghost Orchids,” Martha repeated in a thoughtful undertone, “it does sound like a good ingredient.”

“It’s not an ingredient in my formula,” Perfidia insisted, but in honest consideration, it was an interesting addition to the potion.

“What’s this about a formula?” Odessa asked looking from Perfidia to Martha but noticed the store's unusual disorder. “What’s happened in here?”

“I’ll tell you but, since you’re here, would you help identify these plant cuttings?” Martha asked.

“Of course I can help.” Odessa bent down to pick up a cutting near her foot then held it up to study it. “This is from a Holy Ghost Ipomopsis plant,” she informed Martha, “And I have to say it’s a beautiful specimen.”  She turned to Perfidia with admiration. "I’m impressed you were able to grow it here. Do you know it’s on the wildlife endangered list?”

“Yes, I know that and thank you,” Perfidia mumbled.

Martha bent down to pick up a different cutting and her shrew eyes widened when she realized what she held. “This was cut from a Blackspore Quillwort, also know as Merlin’s grass, and I’m sure you already know…it too is on the endangered list.”

Perfidia’s brows furrowed.

“You're thinking it’s a pattern?”

“It could be.” Martha nodded.

Perfidia looked down at a cutting lying on the counter and picked it up. She knew in an instant what it was and her heart slammed in her chest with fierce annoyance.

“What is it?” Martha asked.

“It’s Dragon’s Mouth,” Perfidia replied with resignation.

“Also endangered,” Odessa stated the unnecessary fact earning an annoyed look from Perfidia.

“Yes, all of these plant cuttings were taken from plants growing in my protected garden;” Perfidia acknowledge, “I’ve been cultivating many endangered plants in order to save them.”

“They’re disappearing from nature and that's why they were enticing to the thief,” Martha deduced.

“But how did they know I even had them?” Perfidia asked, bewildered by the concept of someone watching her, but someone had to have been watching her.

 “What do you think is going on?” Odessa asked Martha.

“I think the same person who took your Ghost Orchids took Perfidia’s protected plants and potions.”

“What would be their motive?”

“That we don’t know for sure,” Martha admitted, “so we need to gather all the clippings and make a note of all the disturbed potion bottles. Will you help?”

“Yes, I’ll help; I only hope we can get my Orchids back before I have to tell Gloria I don’t have her wedding flowers. I can’t even offer her a comparable substitution, nothing compares to that plant’s ethereal beauty.”

“We’ll do all we can to get your Orchids back but…you know Gloria would understand,” Martha said with confidence.

“Maybe she would but I don’t think she should have to compromise on her wedding flowers and besides that…no one disturbs my garden without consequence,” Odessa said the last with righteous irritation.

“Or enters my store,” Perfidia agreed with her.

Martha thought about Willow and allowed an uncharacteristic glint of retribution to shine in her eyes on her feline’s behalf.

"I agree and we'll let them know how we feel...when we find them."

They gathered everything into a box and deposited it in Perfidia’s car and before they drove off,

Martha promised Odessa they would keep her informed.

Perfidia pulled out of the parking spot and headed towards Martha’s house.

“I think we should go to the pet rescue; we need to find a familiar willing to help us.” Martha said as Perfidia turned down the street towards Martha’s house.

Perfidia glanced her way.

"You mean right now?"

"Yes," Martha nodded.

“You’d better hold on tight then, because I’m going to get us there in record time,” Perfidia warned as she corrected her direction and gunned the engine for speed.

*

The entire top floor of an old brick, industrial building on the outskirts of town had been renovated into loft apartments the year before and it had recently been rented by a remarkably beautiful woman with long auburn hair and a tall lithe figure.

The landlord had given her a ridiculously low rent because he gave into his attraction to her and hoped, after she’d signed the generous lease, she might not be opposed to going out with him. He soon learned the folly of his hope for she had a personality as prickly as a cactus, and a cutting wit that left that stung.

Daphne leaned back in the soft leather chair and filed her long, crimson colored nails as she listened, with little empathy, to her familiar squawk on and on about the cats.

“I refuse. Squawk! I’m not going in there again, those cats are a menace. Squawk!”

“Sahara, they can’t harm you. They’re trapped in the enclosure.”

“Squawk! Trapped? That Willow cat singed my tail feathers.”

The colorful little bird danced around and showed off a definite black singe on the tiniest end on her tail.

“It’s not that bad,” Daphne said with an indifferent shrug.

“Not bad! Squawk! Not bad?” The parrot’s cerulean blue and flamingo pink feathers stood up like spikes on its little head.  

“Maybe you’d gotten too close to their cage: you know their magic can only reach a short distance, otherwise, they’re magic is contained.”

“Contained my claws,” the parrot mumbled.

“Never mind, what I want to know is what you’ve heard from the flocks. Where has Avery moved his enterprise to?”

“Squawk! They’re not speaking to me. They’ve heard you have feline familiars and they don’t trust me. Squawk!”

“Then they’re on notice to my powers and should understand I don’t play around…but if they won’t tell you anything then use your family flock.  Ask the parrots what they know of Avery’s whereabouts and plans,” she said with an unsympathetic glint.

“My family isn’t talking to me either. Squawk, thank you very much. Squawk!”

“Sahara, you have to make them talk; we don’t need friends or family; we need information. We’re committed to ruining Avery.”

“You are,” the parrot mumbled, earning an evil eye from her human and quickly retracted her words. “I’m committed. Squawk!”  The parrot mimicked the sound of loyalty and dipped her head to pacify her human.

“That’s better,” Daphne nodded tossing the parrot a bird seed cracker.

Sahara caught it with a claw and began to nibble with delight on the treat.

Daphne stood up.

“I’m going to the lab and try to get that potion right; can I trust you to keep an eye on those cats?”

“I’m committed, Squawk,” the parrot repeated with little conviction; her singed tail feathers shook in dismay.

Once her human left the room, Sahara dropped the pretense. She didn’t care what her human wanted, she did not want anything to do with those trouble making cats and she wasn’t going anywhere near them.