For the past three years running, that cover girl had been Titania, a beautiful black ragamuffin cat with owl-like amber eyes, who belonged to Natasha Norcliffe.
And for the past two years, Natasha’s top competitors had suffered an unfortunate accident or illness that had required them to withdraw their pet from the event at the last minute. The mishaps had begun the year before last when Marigold Coe, whose cat, Khan, had been rumored to be a favorite to win the grand prize, had tumbled down a crowded set of steps and broken an arm and ankle, and had needed immediate surgery to repair both.
During last year’s event, villager Baz Lucas had come down with food poisoning hours before the winners were to be announced, and he and his wife, Vivienne, had to withdraw their dog, Audrey Pupburn, a black-and-white Morkie (a hybrid breed of Maltese and Yorkshire terrier), from judging so he could seek treatment at a local hospital.
After the latter, Ivy had started to become a little suspicious that these incidents had not been accidents.
Which was where I had come in.
Ivy had hired As You Wish to sniff out a possible cheater.
Missy, my miniature Schnoodle, and I were going undercover.
And I was nervous about it.
Nervous enough that I found myself secretly hoping that Ivy would simply wish for what she wanted. Though my father had been a mortal, on my mother’s side I hailed from a long line of Wishcrafters, witches who had the ability to grant wishes using a spell. The ability came in handy, especially in my line of work—and it was from where the name of our business, As You Wish, derived.
The wishes of mortals were granted immediately if they abided by Wishcraft laws and regulations. However, because of previous egregious abuses of our powers, wishes from other Crafters now had to first go through the Elder, the Craft’s governess, in some sort of magical judicial system. In an instant, she decided if a wish was pure of heart and could be granted immediately, or if the wishee had to be summoned before her to plead his or her case.
As far as I knew, Ivy was a mortal, but she certainly wasn’t taking any cues from the name of the business, and it was against Wishcraft Law to solicit a wish, so I paid close attention to everything she was telling me.
“The pen,” Ivy said loudly, wincing as the hammering outside continued, “is a spy pen. It has a camera in it so you can document any wrongdoing you may witness by Natasha.”
The hammering came from two doors down, where my new home was being renovated. The house, which was zoned as a home-based business, had been bought as a new location for the As You Wish office by Aunt Ve, who’d been acting as a trustee on my behalf. The funds for the purchase had come from my mother’s estate, an inheritance I’d known nothing about until Aunt Ve had handed me the keys to the house . . . and the news that I was now in charge of the company.
I said, “Do you really believe Natasha is cheating to win? And harming people in the process?”
Thirtysomething Natasha, who managed the local playhouse, was an actress who loved the sound of her own voice. She had a snobbish air about her, but she was also a philanthropist and an animal lover.
I set the paperwork on the coffee table. “I can maybe see her cheating to win, for the attention factor alone, but not hurting anyone. She doesn’t seem the malicious type.”
Self-centered, yes. Malicious, no.
“Competition changes people. Trust me,” Ivy said somberly. “It brings out their worst. I’ve witnessed it many times. As I mentioned to you the last time we met up, I’m not one hundred percent positive that Natasha was responsible for the accidents, but she was on the steps at the time Marigold fell and she’d been seen loitering near Baz and Vivienne’s booth at lunchtime. It seems too coincidental.”
It did at that.
Ivy’s hands curled into fists once again. “Missy is entered in the same category as Titania, Easy on the Eyes, so Natasha will certainly be watching you, no pun intended. Missy has lovely eyes so she’ll definitely be viewed as a threat by the competition.”
I couldn’t help but feel a puff of pride. Missy did have nice eyes, a rich brown color full of emotion and personality. She would definitely give Titania a run for her money. Of course, working undercover would disqualify Missy from winning, but her competition wouldn’t know that, only the judges.
“Your booth will be directly across the aisle from Natasha’s, affording you an unfettered view of her movements,” Ivy said. “I don’t want her getting suspicious that she’s being watched, but do not let her out of your sight.”
“At all?” I asked.
“At all. If she uses the restroom, you use the restroom. If she takes a lunch break, you take a lunch break . . .”