Uncle Jake winked at the little girl, then led everyone into the shop. It was wall-to-wall with people: chatting, working on laptop computers, and sipping from tall, frothy cups of coffee. There were several little tables scattered about and a bright glass case in the front filled with pastries. There was also a long line of impatient, agitated people.
Sabrina spotted Briar Rose behind the counter. Even with her hair pulled back and an apron tied around her waist, she was a knockout. She worked the cash register, ringing up orders and keeping the line moving as quickly as possible, which wasn't easy. Most of the customers wanted coffees with ridiculously long names and detailed preparation instructions.
"I want a large decaf nonfat soy iced latte with sugar-free hazelnut."
"Give me a triple red-eye espresso, over lactose-free milk with cane sugar."
"One extra-large chai tea swirl with a dash of fresh cinnamon."
The family got into the line and slowly worked their way to the counter.
"Jacob," Ms. Rose said sweetly when it was their turn.
"Briar," he replied. "You look amazing." The princess blushed. "You always say that."
"It's always true."
"Don't distract her," said a little old woman at the end of the line. "I need my caffeine and I need it now!"
"Sorry, Mrs. Finnegan," the princess said. "It'll only take a second."
"C'mon, pal," a man shouted from the middle of the line. "We've been here a long time."
Sabrina cringed. "They're going to kill us all right here in the store."
"Briar, what is the holdup?" Mallobarb asked as she approached from behind the counter, Buzzflower by her side. When the fairy godmothers spotted Uncle Jake, they scowled.
"Only paying customers," Buzzflower said angrily.
"Hello, ladies, we're happy to buy something," Uncle Jake said. "In fact, we haven't had lunch yet. I suppose we'll take four of those blueberry muffins, and I'll have a coffee."
"What kind of coffee?" Mallobarb snapped.
"What kind? Coffee coffee," he replied.
The line let out a collective groan, and Mrs. Finnegan could be heard muttering, "Amateurs."
"Get him the African blend," Briar said to her fairy godmothers.
They gave her a suspicious look, but rushed to fill the order. This gave the two adults a rare moment together without the watchful eyes of the rotund fairy chaperones.
"Any chance you could take a break?" Uncle Jake said.
"NO!" Everyone in the line shouted.
"We're in the middle of our lunch time rush," Briar explained.
"Just a second," Uncle Jake pleaded, flashing a handsome grin at the princess.
Briar Rose laughed and then took off her apron. "Ladies, I'll be right back," she said as she tossed her apron on the counter.
The line turned on the Grimms. There was rage in their faces.
"People, try some decaf," Uncle Jake said. He opened the door wide, ushered the children out, and then bowed deeply as Briar Rose passed.
"Sorry about that," Briar said once they were outside. "Coffee is addictive, and people get angry when they need their fix."
"I've gotten warmer receptions from banshees," Uncle Jake said with a grin.
"At least Mallobarb and Buzzflower didn't try to turn you into a dung beetle this time," Briar replied.
"I told you I'd win them over."
Briar laughed. "I had a nice time last night."
"I'm still embarrassed about the meatball," Jake said, blushing. "I had no idea they were so aerodynamic," Ms. Rose said with a giggle.
"I have to admit, I'm a bit of a klutz. If you keep seeing me, I'm going to ruin your entire wardrobe."
"Well, then you're lucky I like to shop," the princess said.
"Could someone kill me?" Puck begged. "If I have to hear one more word of this mushy love story, I'm going to throw myself off a bridge."
"Uh, I hate to admit it, but he's right. Aren't we supposed to be solving a mystery?" Sabrina said.
"Well, hello!" a voice said from behind them. The group turned around to find Tom Baxter crossing the street. He was with three young men, all wearing glasses and sweaters. Each wore a button pinned to his clothes that read I
CALLED THE DR. CINDY SHOW
. "Nice to see you again," the old man said with a smile.
"Nice to see you, too," Daphne said. "Where's Dr. Cindy?"
Tom pointed across the street to a tall building with a huge metal tower on its roof. Granny had once told Sabrina that it was the offices of Ferryport Landing's radio station, WFPR.
"She's busy preparing for tonight's show," Tom said. "It takes a lot of work and an awful lot of planning. But I'm being rude. Folks, these are some of my colleagues. Malcolm is our show's producer, Alexander is our sound engineer, and Bradford fields phone calls. They also help me cross the street from time to time."
Everyone introduced themselves and shook hands. "I never miss a show," Puck said.
Sabrina turned, half expecting to find the boy laughing, but he was deadly serious.
"What?" Puck said defensively. "You should hear the people that call Dr. Cindy. All of them are sad, depressed, and lonely. It's one of the funniest shows on the radio."
Malcolm frowned. "Well, we better get our coffee and get back."
"He's right," Tom said. "Cindy can be a real bear when she doesn't get her latte."