#anne august

[scribeghost-blog]

The Case of the Broken Magic (EPILOGUE)

Epilogue

The college campus was buzzing with busy students the next afternoon. News of Johanna's crimes quickly came to light, and everyone was eager to meet up and gossip about it. The police followed her for a quarter of an hour before losing her trail in the city. Some hours later, her car turned up on the other side of town, in a parking garage, totally abandoned. The machine was recovered from the trunk, but there were no signs of where Johanna went from there.

Anne, Luna, and Franky sat together on a sparkling metal bench under the shade of a large oak tree and people-watched together. Ember and Essie were both secured to the bench, and enjoying playing with and burning up the nearby leaves.

“So are you really going to keep it?” Anne asked. She was looking at Franky, who for the first time since the accident, had taken off his beanie and was running his fingers through his neon pink hair.

“You know what, it's sorta grown on me,” he admitted. “I could turn it back anytime I wanted now, but... I dunno... it's a new look, right? All I'd have to do is paint my guitar to match.”

“I think it's nice,” Anne smiled. “What do you think, Luna?”

Luna was far off in thought. She blinked and looked at Anne, then at Franky. “Oh! Yes. It is very bright, that's for sure.”

“You doin' okay?” Franky asked, pointing down. Luna looked down at her arm, which was wrapped in a sling that went around her shoulder.

“Oh, yes, I keep forgetting about that. It's not a big deal. I was just thinking about this morning.”

“You had a meeting with the chief of police, didn't you?” Anne asked. “You haven't told us how it went, you just keep drifting off.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. It's just I was very nervous, and I'm worried I acted too... flustered around her.”

“Well, what did she tell you?”

Luna tapped her fingers on her knee. “Well, I confessed to stealing that bicycle, and breaking into the car, and working while suspended. I was hoping to be reprimanded.”

“Hoping to be punished?” Franky asked.

“It would only be fair. But instead she gave me a promotion.”

“What? That's great news!” Anne said. “Why don't you seem happy?”

“I don't feel like I earned it,” Luna frowned. “I'm glad that I was able to reach you all before you were hurt. But I broke protocol, and the law, and Johanna still got away.”

“That's not your fault, Luna. She obviously had contingency plans for everything. She must have had some escape route out of the city.”

“If I had just known she had a wand, I could have attempted to disarm her completely before she used it. Then we would have had her.”

“You just got shot! You can't blame yourself. We were all in a flustered state of mind.”

Luna sighed. Anne patted her on the back and pointed at the students walking by.

“Just think of what we did do,” she said. “With Minnie in custody, she can tell us where all the machines she helped hide are. This city will be back in proper magic working order in no time. Everyone will be safe again.”

“I suppose you're right about that. I was told she was talking as soon as she got to the department. She doesn't seem to want to hide anything anymore.”

Anne and Luna paused and looked at Franky. He looked pained.

“Sorry, Franky, I didn't mean to bring her up again,” Anne said.

“Nah... I've got to face it, right? Barry's having a harder time with it than anyone, anyhow... I shouldn't act like I'm the only one who she hurt.”

“It is possible she will get a good deal,” Luna said. “With how much she is cooperating, I truly think she'll get reduced jail time. The main issue is how much she'll be willing to share about the smuggling ring. I don't know if she's opened up about that at present.”

“Whatever she gets, she brought on herself,” Franky frowned. “If she could lie about something so big for so long, how can I trust anything she ever told me? Maybe she was never really my friend.”

“I don't know about that,” Anne said. “I think it's more likely that she just got involved with things that were way too big for her to handle. It's no excuse, but... if she never actually cared for you, she wouldn't have hesitated to blow up your place when Johanna asked her to.”

Franky sighed. “Guess that's true...”

Anne looked down and kicked her feet against the stone sidewalk. They were all quiet until Luna remembered something and faced Anne.

“I should tell you, the results for the blood analysis in Dr. Wilkins's hotel room came back. Her own blood was found, but also as you suspected, so was someone else's.”

Anne scratched her chin. “That seems like a moot point now, but I guess it's good to know.”

“Well, traces of Johanna's blood were left in her vehicle. They're comparing it now. I know it seems a minor detail, but we will be able to prove with solid evidence that she was behind the assault. Every truth that comes to light is important.”

Anne smiled. “You're right. We could use all the answers anyone has for us in this case. There's still so much I don't understand.”

“The connection to Singh Labs,” Luna nodded. “I have been wondering about that, too.”

“Whoever hired Johanna must be connected to them. Don't you think? Or, used to be connected to them, before they cleaned up their act.”

“And I am still wondering what the purpose of Torres's convention was. There doesn't seem to be any indication that she was working with Johanna.”

Anne sighed. “That too. Could that have been totally unrelated to the case here? Is that possible?”

“All these questions're making my head hurt,” Franky said. Anne leaned back on the bench and rubbed her eyes.

“Mine, too. Maybe these are questions for another day, after a good night's sleep.”

“I know I got a lot of sleep to do,” Franky said. “And I gotta make sure to keep Barry's spirits up. I oughta invite him to a show.”

“Luna, please tell me you'll be resting up for at least a day or two,” Anne said. “That paperwork can wait until your arm feels better.”

Luna smiled weakly. “I'm not thinking about paperwork right now,” she said. “I don't think I'll be getting much sleep until Johanna is brought to justice.”

“That's not just your job, though. You know that, right?”

She didn't answer, and only played with the strap of her sling.

“She'll be caught,” Anne said. “She can't run forever, and no matter how much she tries, she can't get rid of every loose end she leaves.”

“You're right, Anne,” Luna said. “The truth always comes to light. I didn't become a police officer to give up so easily.”

“I can't fathom any reality where you would give up, Luna.”

Franky put his arms up and brought the two in closer, giving them a big smile. “None of us will, right? No matter what my professor did to this city, we still got through it. What's stopping us from getting through whatever else she does?”

“Nothing!” Anne smiled. “We have the advantage of being able to study the machines she left behind. No matter what she and her employer were planning to do with them, we have the upper hand now.”

“I truly hope that's the case,” Luna said. “It's difficult to say we're ahead of the game, when we don't even know what the game is.”

Anne tapped her foot on the ground. “I suppose all we can do, then, is wait and see what the next move is.”

“Oh, did you guys hear?” Franky asked. “They're already planning on rebuilding the fountain. As soon as the rubble and funds are cleared. That's another thing to look forward to, right?”

“That is good news,” Luna said. “It was a symbol of unity for everyone here. It would be a shame not to rebuild it.”

“Oh, no,” Anne said. “I just remembered something.”

Franky and Luna looked to her anxiously. She had a grave look on her face.

“I totally forgot to go back and clean up the cafe after I trashed the pantry. I even left a note.”

Franky laughed. Luna gasped.

“You did what? We should go now!”

Anne slapped her forehead. “I'm sorry! Getting held at gunpoint kinda adjusts your priorities. I'm sure they've already cleaned it up by now, I'll just apologize later.”

Luna bounced to her feet. “That's not acceptable,” she said. “If you said you would clean up the mess, you need to do it.”

“Aw, Luna. I want a break. My feet hurt.”

“If both Franky and I help you, it'll go three times as fast.”

Franky smiled. “Yeah, I'm in to help. I owe you for a lot of things.”

Anne sighed and got to her feet. “All right,” she said. “But afterward we should all do something special. Like... a hair dyeing party.”

“Whoa! Yeah!” Franky said. “I'm itching to do my spells again!”

“I have been curious about trying a new color,” Anne grinned. “And I think purple would look great on Luna to match her uniform.”

“M-Me?” Luna said. “That's against dress code.”

“Fine, then Essie can have a purple tail.”

“T-That's probably against police dog dress code!”

“Now you're just inventing rules to follow, Luna.”

Luna and Anne untied Essie and Ember from the bench and walked along with Franky toward the cafe. The sidewalks of Tellus sparkled under their feet in the daylight, and for at least a few moments, they were able to put the last couple days out of their minds.

[Previous Chapter]

[scribeghost-blog]

The Case of the Broken Magic (CH13)

Chapter Thirteen

The traces of calmness left Johanna's face all at once and she pointed for them to move away. She set the bomb case down and held her gun up as she approached the door. The knocking came again, more frantically. Johanna put her ear to the door for a moment, and then pulled away.

“You couldn't have called anyone,” she said, quietly, staring at each one of them in turn. She looked back at the door and pointed the gun as she slowly opened it. The light from the factory spilled out into the abandoned parking lot. No one was there.

Johanna gripped her gun tighter and peered out. All Anne and the others saw was a long piece of plywood suddenly appearing and striking her in the stomach. Johanna shouted and buckled to her knees. Luna rounded the corner and pushed her to the ground, reaching to grab at the gun in her hand.

“Luna!” Anne cried. Luna and Johanna wrestled until Johanna elbowed Luna in the throat and pushed her off. Johanna still had a firm grip on her gun, and she wheezed as she scrambled back to the door to slam it shut. Her hand trembled as she locked it. She pulled herself to her feet and pointed her gun at Luna.

“How did the police find me?!” she yelled, looking angrier than Anne had ever seen. Luna held her neck and coughed as she pushed herself up to her feet. “Hands up!”

“T-They didn't,” Luna said, holding her hands up where she could see them. “I found you on my own. I'm still suspended, the... the police aren't involved.”

The panic dropped from Johanna's face and she lowered her gun. She leveled out her breathing and stood up straight. Anne crossed over slowly and touched Luna's arm.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Then she leaned closer. “Did you seriously come alone...?”

Johanna motioned with for Anne to step away, and she obliged. Johanna moved closer.

“How did you find us?” she asked.

Luna looked down at herself, at her wrinkled and dirtied uniform. “I began to grow worried,” she said. She glanced at Anne while she spoke. “I left you at such a critical time because I was overwhelmed by what happened, I'm sorry. I felt bad, so I went looking for you.”

“Cut to how you found where we are,” Johanna said.

Luna looked back at her, meeting her eyes with determination. “I couldn't find her. Against my better judgment, I looked deeper... I visited someone who said Anne was off looking for you. So I walked around the city with Essie. Essie is very good at finding people, I've been training her. I got her to catch Anne's scent from the scarf she left at my home.”

“I don't care about your dog, how did you find this place?”

“Essie led me to that nightclub,” Luna continued. “She kept barking at something, and that's where I found Anne's backpack. When I found that, I knew she was in serious trouble. I didn't think she would just leave that unattended. From there, I walked down a few blocks. I went the wrong way a few times... but Essie knew when we were on the right track. I found your apartment, Johanna.”

“My apartment? You were there?”

“I was just outside. I could hear voices inside, though not very well because of all the noise... but I was confident that I heard Anne at one point. So I waited until you left, and I saw you force everyone into your car. Then I followed you here.”

“You followed me? I didn't see a car trailing me.”

“I... I, um... I... commandeered... a bicycle that was nearby. It had a basket just perfect for Essie to ride in.”

“Wait a minute... you stole a bike?” Anne asked. “You actually stole a bike?”

Luna looked utterly ashamed. “I left a note,” she said, weakly. “I was planning on turning myself in as soon as everyone was safe.”

“There won't be any need for that,” Johanna said. “I shouldn't have let this oversight happen. I thought for certain you were no longer a risk. I underestimated you.”

“But Luna, where's Essie?” Anne asked. “You said you brought her here with you?”

“I tied her up outside so she would be safe,” Luna said. She looked back at Anne, Franky, and Minnie, who were watching with apprehension as Johanna calculated her next move. “Don't worry,” she said.

“Taking everyone in the car is too troublesome now,” Johanna decided. “At least alive. Once the bomb goes off, cause of death won't be discernible, anyway.”

Luna stood in front of the three and drew a wand from her belt. “I will not allow you to bring harm to anyone,” she said. “Even if I am suspended, it's still my duty to protect the citizens of this city.”

“Luna, no!” Anne said. “There's a machine in her car, magic won't work here!”

“I have to try,” Luna insisted.

“This whole town's police force will fall if they're as arrogant about their magic strength as you are,” Johanna said, amused at the sight of the pointed wand. “You shouldn't have listened to a teenager. If not for her, you wouldn't be here right now. None of you would.”

“She was right about most of her suspicions, and right about you,” Luna said, resolutely. “If you are going to fire at us, I must warn you now that I will be using offensive magic to disarm you.”

Johanna righted her gun and fired. As she pulled the trigger, Luna let loose the pre-charged spell on her wand with a flick of the wrist, and a shot of electricity struck Johanna and surged through her body. She crumbled to the floor and her gun tumbled to the concrete. Franky caught it under his sneaker and kicked it farther away, watching it skid under a work bench, out of reach. Luna dropped her wand and her hands shook as blood ran down her sleeve.

“She hit you!” Anne gasped, looking at the wound in her shoulder. Luna smiled through grit teeth.

“It... It's nothing serious,” she said. “No vitals. I'm okay, Anne. Is everyone else okay?”

“How did you do that?” Franky asked, looking down at Johanna, who was still writhing and groaning through the pain.

“I thought there was a machine running!” Anne said.

“I went to Barry's apartment,” Luna said. “He had a machine there, he told me you found it, Anne. He said he broke his promise and couldn't resist tinkering with it. He figured out the proper sequence to disabling it, and he told me, and I wrote it down.”

“Oh, Barry... I'm so glad he didn't listen to me,” Anne said.

“When I arrived on the scene here, I investigated Johanna's car before coming in,” Luna continued. “I'll have to report this, but... I... well, I broke into it. I found a machine secured in the trunk, so I followed Barry's instructions and disabled it. I took the chance afterward to charge my wand in case I needed it quickly.”

Anne lit up with joy. “This means... we have both a functional machine at Barry's place, and functional machine in Johanna's own car to compare it to. That's the evidence the police are looking for! Luna, you're amazing!”

“H-Ho-How did you get a machine?!” Johanna sputtered. Her whole body had tremors as she sat up, and she looked at Minnie with rage in her eyes.

“I found it in the cafe,” Anne said, knowing that Minnie wouldn't answer. “It was meant to keep me in there, I think, but it wasn't much use when the door itself wasn't even locked.”

“Minnie... you just... left a machine there... unsupervised...?”

Minnie looked like she could faint. She held her arms close and started to sweat.

“I thought I was doin' good,” she muttered.

Johanna struggled to her feet, and Luna moved in with handcuffs. Johanna reached into her coat and pulled something out: her own wand. She pointed it in their direction and started backing up toward the door.

“If you come near me,” she grunted, “I will incinerate all of you.”

Anne took a step, but Luna shook her head and blocked her from getting any closer. Johanna shakily unlocked the door, and as soon as she did, the red and blue lights and siren wails flooded the factory.

“I'm sorry for lying about that,” Luna said. “I did tell the police what I was doing. As soon as I got here I radioed in to tell them to send reinforcements.”

“They listened to you!” Anne cheered.

“I told them that Johanna had hostages,” Luna said. “No matter what problems I caused, they wouldn't turn their backs on people in need.”

The police were at the door, and Johanna backed up a step into the factory. Luna winced to pick up her own wand again and pointed it at her. Johanna looked back and forth between them as she backed several more steps in. In one gesture, she picked up the bomb case that was sat near the door and pointed her wand at it.

“Any closer,” she announced. “Any closer and I explode the bomb.”

“A bomb?” Luna gaped. “Is there really a bomb in there?”

“It's true!” Franky said. “We saw her put the bomb in the case ourselves!”

The police at the door hesitated and backed off as she demanded them to. She slipped by them and started pacing carefully to her car. There were four police cars parked all around it, and all of the officers had wands trained on her. She felt the scrutiny of their gazes and suddenly turned her wand on the nearest group. There was a pandemonium of screaming and shouting as the officers were caught in the blazes from her wand and as they shot their own spells at her.

She dropped the bomb case, and everyone held their breath, but it tumbled and rolled quietly away. She scrambled to her car and fell into the driver's seat, but not before being hit by several well-aimed spells.

Even from the factory door Anne and the others could see the pain and panic on her face as she slammed her foot on the gas pedal. She skimmed against a police car and rammed through the road block they had set up. The wheels of her car and the chasing police car screeched as they sped down the dark road.

The four stood there silently until the remaining officers on the scene joined them in the factory. The detective Anne recognized from before ran to Luna's aide when he saw that she was wounded.

“I-It's not serious, sir,” Luna stuttered. “Thank you for coming so quickly, even though technically I've been working while suspended. I know it's bad form. Even now I should be in street clothes, but...”

The detective rubbed his eyes as another officer started treating her wound with their first aid kit.

“Luna... your technicalities really get on my nerves,” he said, gently. “We have a lot to talk about. A lot of things to apologize for.”

“I know, sir, I acted completely inappropriately this evening.”

“That's not what I meant.”

“Detective, there's something else we need to address,” Anne said. Minnie was still standing there, pale, and avoiding eye-contact with everyone. Anne pointed at her. “Johanna is fleeing, but we have her accomplice right here, and I'm sorry to say, she should be arrested. You might also want to talk to her about the local smuggling ring.”

The detective looked to Luna for approval. Luna looked to Anne. Anne nodded, and in turn Luna motioned for him to continue. Minnie didn't try to run as he approached her with cuffs in his hands.

[Previous Chapter] [Epilogue]

[scribeghost-blog]

The Case of the Broken Magic (CH12)

Chapter Twelve

Johanna's apartment was nestled on the bottom floor, in between two loud nightclubs. She led the three in one by one and locked the door behind them. Inside, it was anything but homey. The living room was devoid of furniture, and the walls were bare. Instead of a couch, there was one large foldout table set up in the center of the room, with a box as a chair. All that was around the kitchen were stacks of disposable supplies like plates and utensils, and canned foods. It looked more like someone was camping here than living here.

“You two,” Johanna motioned to Franky and Anne, “in the corner, away from the door. If I see you move anywhere near the door, I'll shoot you.”

The way she spoke made it seem less like she was threatening them, and more as if it were a simple fact. The two of them did as she said and sat against the wall in the corner of the room. The noise of the two clubs made the walls shake, and they could feel the sound reverberate through their bodies when they touched the wall. If a gun was fired in here, Anne thought, no one would hear it.

Johanna moved to the kitchen, and pulled the cordless phone off the wall to dial a number. Minnie was following behind her at every step, pleading to let them go, but it was clear she wasn't hearing a word she said. Johanna sat across from Anne and Franky with the gun pointed at them as she waited for the other line to answer.

“Hello,” she said, and she gave Minnie a look that made her shut her mouth. “Yes, there's an issue. With Anne.”

Anne strained to try to hear the other line, but the noise from the clubs made it impossible.

“I'm looking at her right now,” Johanna said, frowning. “Yes, it was necessary. I told you from the beginning it would end up like this if we did it your way.”

Johanna tapped her boot on the floor as the other line spoke. She looked more impatient every second.

“No, sir, I don't see how she could be useful in the future.”

Anne and Franky exchanged glances. Johanna looked Anne in the eye when she looked back.

“I know. It's your money. All right, then. I'll do what's best.”

Johanna hung up, and dropped the phone onto the fold-out table. She stared longer at Anne and pointed at her.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked, looking at her arm.

Anne looked down, and realized she still had Ember's inactive collar around her wrist. She had almost forgotten about it.

“What do you think it is?” she said.

“I want to see it. Show me your magic creature.”

“Sorry, but I left my backpack in that stinky alley. I can't activate him without my tools.”

“Is that so? Let me see it anyway.”

Anne gripped the collar and held it close. Johanna shook her gun a few times, and Anne sluggishly handed her the collar, her fingers still holding onto it as Johanna ripped it from her grasp. Johanna turned it around in her hand, and looked impressed.

“I'll look into this more later,” she said, sliding the collar onto the table. “As for right now, we have some business to attend to. I bet the two of you must have questions.”

“Jo! Please!” Minnie pleaded again. “Franky didn't do nothin'! Even the kid's just a kid!”

“I just wanna go home,” Franky whined. Minnie could hardly stand even looking at him.

“Minnie, don't worry,” Johanna said. “I'm going to do what's best for us, and for the whole situation.”

“And what is best?” Anne frowned. “Who was the 'sir' you were talking to just now? It sounded like he knew about me.”

“Oh, he is familiar with you, but he's not your concern now. I'm the one in the room with you.”

“But who is he? Is he behind this whole thing? The machines, the bombing? Did he hire you to destroy magic?”

“That would be an oversimplification. I was hired to find a solution.”

“A solution to what?”

“Merely a solution for defense against magic.”

“Why would you want that? You're a magician too!”

Johanna tapped her gun against the table. “Nothing should be able to go unchecked. We have bullet-proof vests for guns, why don't we have precautions to protect against dangerous spells?”

“Magic ain't a weapon!” Franky cried. “It's supposed to help people, to be an outlet! It's a good thing!”

“That's idealistic,” Johanna said. “I have even told you before in class, that any power can be a weapon if it's exploited, and there are always people who will exploit things. Just look at the police department here. Magic is their only weapon.”

“But they're responsible,” Anne said. “Look at what you're doing! Are you telling me that blowing up things and holding people hostage makes you the better person here?”

“I never argued that I was being the better person.”

“So... so you know this is all wrong!”

Johanna paused. “Yes, it's wrong, and it's necessary.”

“Minnie, how could you be doin' all this?” Franky asked, but Minnie still couldn't look at him. “Were you doing this all this time? Behind my back?”

Johanna waited to see if Minnie would respond, but she could only bite her lip and look at the floor. Johanna rolled her eyes.

“Yes, she was,” she answered for her. “I contacted Minnie several months ago when I got wind of a successful smuggler operating in town. Had I known that she was an idiot, I would've found someone else.”

“A smuggler?” Anne said. “Luna mentioned that there was a smuggling ring here.”

“How long were you doing that?!” Franky asked, his voice fluctuating the more desperate he grew. “How could you do all this! I thought we were friends!”

“Franks, I'm sorry! I didn't mean for all this to get outta hand!” Minnie finally spoke. “It was all all right until the fountain! I didn't know she was gonna blow it all up!”

“What did you know?” Anne asked. “What did you think was going on?”

Minnie pulled her hair. “I don't know! It all started so simple, just get the parts and bring 'em back. Easy money! Then it was like... put those weird machines around... turn them on and off when she told me to, but no one was getting hurt, right?”

“This whole time you knew why magic was flipping out?” Franky asked.

“I... I didn't think she'd be doing it for too long, I swear. I thought you'd be back to doing your spells right in no time. Just thought this was some kinda science experiment, no one was supposed to get hurt.”

“Minnie, you're the one who used a machine near the fountain before the explosion, weren't you?” Anne asked.

Minnie looked at Johanna, and Johanna shrugged in approval for her to continue.

“Y... Yeah. Things got real weird once you got here, kid.”

“That's right,” Johanna said. “Had you not shown up, I would have finished my studies in a few months time, and no one would have been any wiser. But you complicated matters. I thought I should have gotten rid of you as soon as Minnie told me you were here, but my employer insisted on this cat-and-mouse run around to keep you busy. It was needlessly complex.”

“You faked that hotel note,” Anne said. “You drew us there to frame Dr. Wilkins because you knew I had a past with her.”

“It secured me some time.”

“But why did you try to kill her, then?”

Johanna rubbed the still-healing wound on her forehead. “That was a mistake on my part. She wasn't supposed to return to her room so quickly. I was making sure she would be found as a suspect in your investigation.”

“Planting more evidence, like you planted those parts in her briefcase.”

“It got messy. I should have been more precise with my weapon, or even drawn my gun. But getting struck in the head does make you too dazed to think clearly.”

“Lucky for Dr. Wilkins...”

Johanna checked her wristwatch. She gestured for them to stand.

“It's time to go,” she said. “My car is just outside. We're going to get in, and drive for a while.”

Franky scooted closer to the wall instead of standing, and shook his head. Anne stood slowly and looked at Ember's collar anxiously.

“Where are you going to take us?” she asked.

“Just somewhere,” Johanna said. “You're going to get into my car, whether you walk yourself, or whether I have to carry you. It's your choice.”

They looked at Minnie, who looked helplessly back at them. Reluctantly Franky stood and stuck close to Anne as Johanna led them out of her apartment. Her black car was parked practically in front of her door, and she unlocked it while holding the gun close. She made Franky get in the passenger seat, and ushered Anne and Minnie into the back. Anne noticed Johanna hesitate on the sidewalk. She stared down the road and paused for a moment before getting in and starting the car.

Johanna drove with one hand, and kept the other low, gun pointed at Franky. Anne stared at the gun as she slowly drew the second wand she had taken from her sleeve. She held it flat against her lap, half-covering it with her arm, and did a spell with as little movement as possible. Nothing happened. She looked frantically between the wand and the gun and tried again, and again, but it was useless. She realized that Johanna was watching her through the rear-view mirror, and swallowed.

“You won't have any success with that,” Johanna said. “I've made sure of it.”

“But how?” Anne said. Without trying to hide it, she waved her wand around and tried desperately to conjure a spell. She looked around the car, at the dark interior, and looked out the back window. “Do you have a machine running in the trunk?”

Anne saw Johanna look at her in the mirror, but she didn't answer.

“Give me your wand,” she said. Anne exhaled and slid it toward the front of the car. Johanna took her gun off Franky just long enough to tuck the wand away in her coat. Anne held her head in her hands. Minnie shuffled uncomfortably next to her, and started biting her thumbs.

Anne watched through the window as they drove, trying to keep an idea of where they were. She noted down street signs in her mind, but before long, they had gone so far that there weren't any signs. The lights and colors of the city started fading away gradually. They were on the dark outskirts of town, and when they finally stopped, Anne had no idea where they were.

They were facing a large factory that looked like it hadn't been used in decades, and there were no other buildings in sight. The old streetlamps were half burned out, so the four walked in near-darkness as Johanna ushered them to the door. Once they entered, she slammed it shut behind them, and locked it.

She turned a switch and the lights sputtered on, revealing dusty conveyor belts and rusted machines. The only thing that looked like it had any recent use were the workbenches lined up against the walls. They were covered in metal parts, fuses, and tools, and Anne recognized several empty metal casings that looked similar, though not exact, to the casings she'd seen on the machines.

“I... I think they used to use these places... like... when I was a kid for production stuff, ” Franky said, looking at the broken tools all around.

“You make your machines here?” Anne asked. “It's so... dreary.”

“I am not so particular about where I work, as long as the job gets done.”

Anne frowned. “Here I thought you made the machines in the lab at the college...”

“You figured out that much? You were right.”

“Then what's this all for?”

Johanna passed by them and unlocked the cabinet below one of the workbenches. With the pistol slipped into her belt, but readily accessible, she carefully lifted the rectangular box out and set it down. She glanced at Minnie, who looked like she was about to burst into tears.

“What? What is that?” Anne asked.

“It's a bomb,” Johanna said. She took out a large case from the cabinet as well, and began storing the bomb in it for transportation. Anne and Franky looked at each other.

“So you did blow up the fountain, for real,” Franky whined. “Why? We all loved that place!”

“The fountain was a necessity to draw focus away from me. After the mess that Dr. Wilkins caused, I was in a difficult spot.”

“But why do you got another bomb? What're you blowing up now?”

“Minnie could tell you.”

Minnie wailed. “I couldn't do it!” she said. “I put the first bomb there, but I told her I couldn't do the second one!”

“You planted the bomb at the fountain yourself?” Anne asked. “Minnie, how could you?”

“I... I mean I waited until no one was close to blow it up. I tried real hard not to hurt anyone! She didn't tell me it'd make the whole fountain blow up!”

“Where did you want Minnie to plant the second bomb?” Anne asked. Johanna was busy locking the case, with one hand on her gun.

“Franky's place!” Minnie said. “She told me to put some of those machine parts in his apartment, 'cus I go by there all the time. Then she told me to put the bomb there and wait until no one was home and blow it up! But I couldn't do it, man! That's too far!”

“Is that what you were arguing about?”

“Yeah! I never signed up for all of this!”

Anne watched Johanna as she picked up the case with one hand. “You plant the parts, blow up part of his place to get the police's attention, and he gets framed as both the suspect for the fountain bombing and the machine building?”

“More or less,” Johanna said.

“Who could believe that a magic student could do all of that by himself? Unless... did you plan on framing Barry as his accomplice? The engineer behind it all?”

“That used to be the general idea.”

“Used to...?”

Johanna stepped closer with the heavy case weighing her arm down. “Had Minnie done what I said, that is. I told her, very clearly, that Franky would not be arrested for the crime. He would only be a suspect. There is no hard evidence that he or Minnie's cousin ever had a hand in any of this. It would only be a valuable distraction.”

“But that's not the case anymore,” Anne said, looking at Franky.

“No, thanks to Minnie.”

“I-I couldn't just blow up his place!” Minnie cried.

“You were too cowardly to destroy a handful of things. To blow up an empty apartment. Now, it's not going to be empty.”

“What's that mean?” Franky asked.

“This is what I'm thinking,” Johanna said. “Anne went to Franky's place after the show, because she figured out that he was involved with the magic issue, and the explosion. She confronts him. Then, one way or another, something goes wrong. Making bombs is highly dangerous. You never know when one might just... go off. The police look around, find parts of the bomb, and the machine, and make the connection. Barry will likely still be questioned. But you don't have to worry, Minnie, he won't be in trouble. It will just give me enough time to wrap things up and leave.”

The three looked at each other with fear.

“You can't just kill us,” Anne said. “You can't just get away with murder and leave.”

“Murder? It's an accident. The bomb wasn't intended to go off, didn't you understand? Franky should have been more careful when he helped make it.”

“But... your employer said I was useful! I heard you repeat that!”

“My employer holds too tightly to anything that may, one day, in some far off possibility, be useful to him, no matter how troublesome it is at present. I am not him. I don't like loose ends.”

Anne looked at Minnie, who was shaking and holding her head, and didn't feel the need to voice her thoughts that Minnie would soon be another loose end once they were taken care of. Johanna motioned for them to walk, but they found it hard to move. She drew her gun and was ready to threaten them.

But all of them froze when a loud, steady knock rattled from the front door.

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The Case of the Broken Magic (CH11)

Chapter Eleven

The college looked abandoned at this time of night. In the parking lot nestled on the side of the building, Anne only saw two large vans parked, which were labeled as belonging to a cleaning company. She approached the driver's side of one of them and caught the driver off guard.

“I didn't mean to startle you!” she said. “I'm just looking for a friend, I was wondering if they were staying late studying here again.”

The driver looked down at her and scratched her head.

“I can't say I saw anyone,” she said. “I don't think anyone's run into any students tonight, sorry.”

“Are there any classrooms, or rooms at all, still in use at the moment?”

“Uh... I guess there's that lab. Someone's always in there when we come around, it's annoying 'cus we have to wait until they leave to clean it, so we end up driving home late.”

Anne looked at the building with anticipation. “That's inconsiderate of them,” she said.

“No kidding. Uh... what's your friend's name? I could go ask around next time I go in, if you want.”

She shook her head. “That won't be necessary, thanks for your help. I just remembered somewhere else they might be.”

“Suit yourself.”

Anne smiled at the driver and walked away several paces before looping back toward the front of the building. She sat herself behind a thick array of bushes where she had a clear view of the entrance. She dangled Ember's warm, quiet collar around her wrist—it was easier to put him in travel mode to avoid being seen from a mile away. She got comfortable, settling in for a long stake-out.

Less than an hour passed. She was spending the time making notes in the dim light of the streetlamp nearby. She was so focused on her notebook that she almost missed seeing a figure emerge from the doors of the college. She put her things away and looked closer.

It was Johanna, wrapped in a knee-length, rust-colored coat. She walked swiftly, tucking her arms to her sides and stuffing her hands in her pockets. Anne waited until she was a good distance down the sidewalk before she picked up her feet and went after her.

Anne followed as quietly as she could, ducking into alleys every so often when she grew afraid that Johanna was going to look back. But Johanna seemed intently focused on where she was going, so much so that she was nearly running. Anne's legs were tired by the time they walked down two blocks and took a few corners. Anne waited at the last corner and watched Johanna.

In the dark of the night, the neon sign for the nightclub Sidra glowed so bright that it hurt her eyes to look at it. The letters rotated through rainbow colors, and flashed every few seconds. Even from down the block, she could hear muffled music pulsating from within. The club was simply impossible to miss. The music cut through the air clearly for a second as Johanna pushed open the door and went inside.

Anne stood at the door and waited a moment before pushing it open a crack. The music hit her and she tried to ignore it as she looked around. She couldn't make anything out between the oscillating lights and the waves of people moving in front of her view. What she did see was a large figure standing near the door, with their arms crossed, and she quickly drew herself back and frowned. Then, she pulled herself up, as tall as she could seem, and entered the club confidently.

The music was so loud it reverberated in her chest, and she almost didn't hear the bouncer when she put her arm out and spoke.

“Sorry, I need some I.D.”

Anne tried to look as surprised.

“That's a first,” she said, nearly yelling to be heard. “I come here all the time, no one's ever stopped me before.”

“Really? I've never seen you around.”

Anne crossed her arms and made a point to look offended. She tried to get a glance around the club as she threw her head back. All she could see from here was people dancing rapidly, and a sea of glowsticks, all crowded near the stage. She realized that Franky and his band were playing, but saw no more as the bouncer stepped in front of her view.

“All right, fine!” Anne said. She pulled her backpack around, and started digging in the main pocket. “Let me just find my identification... let's see... you know what, I think I left it at home.”

“You're gonna have to go back and get it, then.”

“But I live far away! Can't you let me in this once? My friend is playing, I promised I'd be here to support him.”

“Sorry.”

Anne sighed. “You know, I'm friends with the owner of this club. If they find out you turned me away, you could get into some big trouble.”

“My mom owns this club.”

The bouncer pointed at the door, and Anne conceded and left. Without the music in her ears, everything felt muted outside. She kicked a stray, fizzled out glowstick that was on the sidewalk, and started walking around the building. She looked for windows to peek through, but there weren't any. The club was designed to keep out as much outdoor light and noise as possible. She rounded to the sides of the building to investigate.

On the right side were several rows of apartments fit snugly in between each other. On the left side, there was an alleyway. Anne crossed into the dim alley and smiled at the sight of the fire escape. She climbed the rickety metal ladder and pulled herself up onto the balcony. There was a narrow door in the wall.

She inched the door open slowly and found that it led to the second floor of the club. The second floor, it turned out, was hardly a whole floor at all. There was a spiral staircase that led down, and a handful of chairs pushed against the walls, but the rest of the area was not floor space, but walkways, laid out above the bottom floor and tilted in ways so that one could see the stage from the second floor if they wanted to.

There were a few people leaning over the glowing rails on the walkways, but most everyone was on the dance floor below. Most importantly, to Anne's relief, there weren't any bouncers up here guarding the fire escape.

Anne crossed to the railing and looked down at the stage. She only recognized Franky, who was on the far end of the stage, playing a luminescent green bass guitar. Two women, the red-haired guitarist/singer, and the purple-tipped drummer, were railing away with their instruments as passionately as Franky was. Anne rubbed her ears and was aware the club scene wasn't her most favorite activity.

She looked over the other side of the rail, at the dance floor, but she couldn't pick anyone out of the crowd. They were moving around too much. She looked toward the bar, and saw rows of tired-out students, a few of which she recognized from Franky's introductions the day before.

Then, she saw, tucked into the corner of the club, Johanna. She sat by herself in a booth, with a glowing white drink in front of her that looked untouched. Her hand was to her mouth and her elbow was on the table, and she looked too rigid to be enjoying a show, though Anne was sure she was looking very intently toward the stage. Anne knelt down low and watched her through a gap in the railing, hoping she wouldn't, for whatever reason, look up.

The music kicked up even louder as the band played their last song. The drums and the guitars revved up and everyone in the club was cheering except for Anne and Johanna. Finally the singer grabbed the mic as the music came to a slow, and announced that they were done for the night. Anne glanced at the stage and saw Franky leave in a different direction than his band-mates.

When she looked back, she saw Johanna getting out of her seat. She had to put her head through the rails and strain to see her. She took long steps and walked quickly out of the club, leaving before a wave of people came rushing by toward the bar. Anne jumped up and moved to go downstairs after her, but she saw another bouncer hovering around the crowd. She leaned back and forth on her feet a little before deciding to turn around and go back out the fire escape. She went out and began to climb the ladder, but the sound of footsteps below made her stop.

Johanna walked briskly into the alley, pulling the collar of her coat up so her face couldn't be seen from the sidewalk. She stood at the farthest corner, in the dimmest spot, and stayed there. Anne stayed on the balcony of the fire escape and watched her. It was a tight spot, so she had to take her backpack off and lean it beside her to be able to sit comfortably.

New music began pumping out of the club while they waited. Johanna tapped her foot, and though Anne couldn't see her face, it was clear that she was becoming irritated.

Someone ran into the alley just then, and Johanna was immediately upon them.

“Where were you?” she asked, nearly shouting. Anne didn't dare lean forward, for fear the wiry balcony would creak and give her away. From the angle she was in, all she could see was Johanna standing with someone at the entrance of the alleyway.

“I'm sorry, I got caught up in the show!” the other person said. Anne knew the voice. She held her breath as Johanna pulled Minnie farther into the alley by her arm.

“I told you to be ready before the show was over. I saw you there, partying, as if you'd completely forgotten.”

“Ow! I said I was sorry! Man, I told you I had to support Franky, that show meant a lot to him.”

Johanna threw her arm down and exhaled deeply. Minnie rubbed her wrist and glanced around their surroundings.

“Did you do what I told you to?” Johanna asked.

“'Course I did, what do you take me for?”

“Did you do everything I asked?”

Minnie hesitated. Johanna stared at her.

“Minnie, did you do everything?” she asked again.

“Look,” Minnie began, and Johanna groaned. “No, see, hear me out! I was gonna, but... but it doesn't make sense to me.”

Johanna took a forceful step forward, and Minnie flinched and stepped back.

“It doesn't have to make sense to you,” Johanna said. She put her hands on Minnie's shoulders and spoke carefully. “This whole thing does not work, unless all of the pieces are in place. Do you understand?”

“I get it,” Minnie said. She fidgeted and rubbed her hands together. “But why's it gotta be him? Can't it be someone else?”

“Minnie, it doesn't make sense unless it's him. You told me you could do it.”

“Yeah! But that was before things got all complicated! You didn't tell me that the whole freakin' fountain would blow up!”

Johanna covered Minnie's mouth with one hand and took a sharp breath. She pulled her back into the alley further and let go of her. When she spoke again, her voice was calm.

“It's easy. All you have to do is leave it there. Just walk in, set it down, and walk out. Are you telling me that you can't do that?”

“Look, man... this just isn't worth it anymore. I thought this would be some easy money, but... it's too heavy.”

“It doesn't matter what it's worth to you. You're in this as deep as I am now.”

“What's goin' on here?”

Anne had been so enthralled by the conversation that she hadn't heard the new set of footsteps. Neither had Johanna or Minnie. Franky walked into the alley with a bottle of water in his hand and a look of confusion on his face.

“Minnie, I came to find you 'cus you disappeared. What are you doing back here?”

“Franky! I'll meet you in the club, just give me five,” Minnie said, her smile looking more frantic than happy.

He tentatively stepped closer. “Professor? Minnie, what're you and my teacher doing here? Didn't Anne say she's bad news?”

“Ah, Franks...”

“You tryin'a get a confession out of her? Professor... is it true you've been into some bad stuff?”

Minnie ran to cut him off before he got close to Johanna. She pushed him back a few steps and smiled again at him.

“Come on, I just ran into her, it's not anything,” she said. “Don't you have to get back in and pack up your guitar?”

Franky kept looking at Johanna. “I don't get it. What're you doing here?”

“I said it was nothing! Let's just go back to Barry's place and celebrate your show, all right?”

“Minnie,” Johanna spoke. Anne saw her adjust her posture and slip her hand into her coat. “Are you going to do what we discussed?”

“What's she talkin' about?” Franky asked.

“Uh... I don't... I got no clue, man,” Minnie stuttered. “She's all, like, talkin' nonsense.”

“We should get the cops,” Franky said. “This doesn't feel right. I'm gonna use the phone inside.”

“I'm only going to ask one more time,” Johanna said, sternly. “Will you do what I said?”

Minnie held onto Franky's arm and looked back toward the sidewalk. “Yeah, I mean... huh? I don't know what she's talking about.”

“All right, I believe I understand. You won't do it,” Johanna said. When she drew her hand out of her coat, she pulled out a pistol, and pointed it at the two of them. They both screamed, though the pulsating music of the club masked them. Franky dropped the bottle he was holding and it rolled out into the street.

“Whoa, stop!” Minnie shouted. “I'll do it, okay! I'll do it!”

“D-Do what?” Franky asked. “Professor, why do you have that?”

Johanna stepped forward. “It's too late for that now. Now we're going for a walk.”

“No way!” Franky said. “No way am I goin' with you!”

“We're walking,” Johanna asserted, and though she was keeping a calm voice, Anne could see the anger building on her face. She looked like she could shoot them down at any second. Anne looked around the balcony. All that was around her was her backpack, the door, and the ladder down. She reached inside her backpack, feeling around the sticky supplies. She drew two wands and slipped them into her sleeves.

She stood up, and as she feared, the metal creaked under her weight. Johanna's eyes snapped to her, and Anne screamed as she ducked back down and just avoided the bullet she fired. She crawled to the ladder and more-so fell down the distance than climbed down. She stumbled against the trashcans nearby, and kicked a trash lid at Johanna with as much strength as she could muster. It rammed into her legs, but she met it with a stronger kick and knocked it into the wall of the club. Anne had drawn a wand in those precious few seconds, but Johanna pointed her gun squarely at Franky's head.

“Don't move,” she asserted. “I guarantee I can shoot faster than you can cast a spell.”

Anne's arm fell slowly. She looked apologetically at Franky.

“You just told me you took care of her,” Johanna said.

“I did! I swear!” Minnie croaked. “I don't know how she got out!”

“For one, you didn't lock the door,” Anne frowned. “I should have known it was you. Have you been doing Johanna's dirty work this whole time?”

Franky looked, wide-eyed, at Minnie, and she couldn't speak. Johanna pushed her off of his arm and put the gun in his back.

“We're walking,” she said. “All of you, now. We're taking a short walk to my apartment. It's not far.”

“You can't make us go with you,” Anne said. “You wouldn't just shoot someone right here, you'd be heard!”

“No one came rushing to help after the shot I fired just now,” Johanna said. “You surprised me, I didn't mean to shoot at you. You're very lucky I missed.”

Anne felt a cold sweat building on her brow as she looked up at the balcony, and knew that Johanna was right. Johanna held out her free hand and gestured for Anne to give up her wand, and she obliged. At her word, they all walked solemnly down the sidewalk.

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The Case of the Broken Magic (CH10)

Chapter Ten

“Hey, I'm in here!” Anne yelled. “I know it's past closing time, but I still have some more work to do.”

She waited for a response. None came.

“Hey! Who locked me in?” she yelled, louder. “Ms. Manager? Minnie only let me in because I asked! Kind of! I'm not up to anything bad in here.”

She was met with silence again. She frowned and dropped down to her knees, to peek through the gap under the door. All she could see was darkness. The lights in the kitchen had been turned off, and she suspected, in the whole restaurant. She banged her fists on the door until they got too sore for her to continue. Then she slumped her back against it and kicked her feet on the floor.

“I can't believe this,” she said. She looked around the large room, and felt unease at the silence. She leaned forward to pull her backpack around, and drew Ember's collar from it. She lit him as normal, though instead of sparking into soft warm hues, he flickered into being and fluctuated between greens and blues before settling on his normal tones. Anne looked at him with some mild horror.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “I hadn't even—I didn't even think what this whole broken magic business would do to you! I thought magic was okay here!”

Ember blinked his burning white eyes and circled until he was near her feet. She exhaled and held her head.

“I'm glad you seem fine. I don't want another repeat of what happened in the desert... and I don't want it to be my fault again. I guess she really did reinforce your collar much better this time.”

Ember crackled as he burned up a fallen sugar packet Anne had missed when she was cleaning them up. She smiled at him.

“At least I'm not alone,” she said.

She stood up, and took a wand from her bag. She paused and ushered Ember away several steps before holding it close to the handle. She carefully and slowly did her own crafted lockpick spell, and covered her eyes as she tapped the wand to the handle.

The result was worse than she expected. The wand broke apart from where she was gripping it, to the tip, and crumbled in her hand. She grimaced as the fractured pieces of wood fell to the concrete floor and scattered.

“At this rate, I'm going to run out of wands entirely,” she said. She kicked the remains across the room and fell down against the door again. She rubbed a small bit of the crumbled wand between her fingers and looked around the room.

“There's definitely a machine here,” she said. “There was no room in the kitchen to hide anything, as far as I could tell. And someone would notice one in the dining area, right? This is the best place to hide it.”

Ember traveled closer and started burning up the wand pieces. Anne scooted and started searching through the shelves again. She pulled out boxes and slid them away, not bothering to put them back in order.

“The manager said magic was working all week, why did it stop working right when I got here? Could the machines have some way of turning themselves on and off? It would account for magic skewing right before the explosion... Johanna or Ms. Torres wouldn't have needed to be there...”

She looked up at the higher shelves. The tallest shelf was way beyond her reach, and everything up there was far from eyesight on the ground. She stood and grabbed onto the third shelf to pull herself up. She knocked over several cans and bottles while trying to get footing, but the sturdy concrete shelves held her.

She climbed until she reached the top shelf. The dust was thicker up here, and she wondered how fresh the boxes of food were. It looked like nothing up here had been touched in some months. She squinted at the labels and shook boxes to see if they were empty as she moved across the shelves, knocking a few more things down as she went.

She was almost at the opposite end of the room when something caught her eye. A heavy-looking crate hugged the very back of the shelf against the wall. The label painted onto the wood said it was a milk crate, and Anne could feel her stomach turning at the thought of milk being stored here for this long. She pulled herself closer and saw that there was a trail cut through the dust, as if it had been pushed back recently.

While holding on for support with one hand, she pressed against the shelf as close as she could and grabbed at the crate with her other hand. She could feel her muscles straining as her fingers just brushed against the wood. Finally, she caught an edge, and wiggled it closer a couple of inches. Despite the size, it moved easily. When it was at the edge of the shelf she grabbed it from the open top and found it easy, though awkward, to lift with one hand. The crate bowed to one side, and the weight inside felt uneven.

She pulled it down and set it on the shelf below her to get a look at what was inside. She frowned when she saw the stacks of square napkins.

“Napkins!” she shouted, and Ember sparked a few times at her sudden noise. “I didn't climb up here for napkins. But it felt heavier than just paper...”

She ran her fingers on top of the stacks and tried to look through them. All in all there were four large, loose piles of napkins, and one sat just taller than the others. She brushed the top of that stack away and her fingers hit hard metal. She grabbed the other stacks around it and yanked them out of the crate. As she ripped them out, she started seeing dim lights, and before long, the whole machine revealed itself. She was so excited she almost fell backwards.

She climbed down the shelves while moving the box down shelf-by-shelf. Once she reached the bottom, she exhaled and shook her arms out. She almost slipped on the fallen piles of napkins as she knelt and carefully lifted the machine out of the box.

It was the same size as the first one they'd found, and as far as she could tell, was constructed the same way. She held it to her ear and could hear it whirring softly. She grinned at Ember as he came over to inspect the dozens of scattered napkins.

“We found it,” she said. She gently set it down and stared at it. She looked at the door, at the crumbled dust of her wand, and back at the machine. She rubbed her chin. “We need to get it out of here in one piece,” she said. “But I can't use any lock-picking spells with it on.”

She picked it up and turned it around in her hands. She felt the surface for buttons, or switches. When she pressed on the top too hard, the whirring turned into screeching and she let go. She set it back down and sighed.

She walked to the door and tried the handle again. She bent down and peered through the gap again. The light from the pantry shined into the dark kitchen, casting streams of light on the tile floor. But Anne saw something she hadn't noticed before. Two wood posts, standing at opposite ends in front of the door. She pushed her face to the ground and squinted to make out what they were. She could just see two more posts farther away, not touching the ground, and she realized it was a chair, likely wedged under the doorknob on the other side.

She reached her fingers under as far as they could go, but she couldn't reach the chair. She retrieved one of her few wands left from her backpack and tried to tap the chair legs with it, but it didn't budge. She groaned in frustration and sat back up.

“I thought I got locked in by mistake, Ember,” she frowned. “But someone obviously wanted me to stay trapped in here. If Luna was with us, she could just radio in for help... ugh.”

Ember came closer to her, and she had to smile when she saw he was burning brightly from using the napkins she had littered as kindle.

“But Luna's not here,” she said. “And we can get out of here on our own. Let's see, we just need to think of a way to get that chair out of the way. After that, we'll find a way to unlock the door. No matter what, we need to keep this awful machine in tact.”

Anne watched Ember as he looked closely at the door, leaning down to peek at the gap. His collar bumped against the wood, and it gave Anne an idea. With her gloved hand, she measured the height of his collar, and then held her fingers to the gap. It would be a close fit, but she was almost certain it would work.

“Ember, I have an idea. If I can get you to the other side, you can bump against the chair and knock it out of the way.”

Ember looked up at her and blinked his burning eyes.

“Come on, it'll be easy. You just need to dim yourself to a small flame first, I slide your collar under, and you get bigger again on the other side. It won't take a minute.”

Ember did as she said, and dimmed so much he only stood four inches tall, though Anne was sure she somehow saw doubt on his expressionless face. She pushed him down by the collar until it touched the ground and his flames were flat and licking up at the air in odd places.

She nudged him under the door until the collar got stuck midway. She pushed on it and winced as she heard scraping sounds. Finally he reached the other side and popped out from under the door. Anne watched him through the gap as he regained composure and grew brighter and larger again.

“Great job!” she shouted. “Now try to push the chair away. Run into it!”

Ember nudged into the leg of the chair, brushing it with his flames and only making physical contact with it when his collar bumped into it. The chair didn't move.

“I know you can do better than that,” she said.

He tried again, rearing back farther, and bumping harder into the chair. It pushed forward half an inch, but was still well stuck. Anne started getting concerned when she smelled smoke, and saw that Ember was burning away at the leg of the chair. She tried to give a thumbs up, but it couldn't be seen through the gap.

“Oh, good idea, keep doing that! Or maybe you just wanted to burn something... either way.”

After a few minutes, the weakened chair buckled from the damage. Anne jumped up to her feet and pulled her backpack around, thinking of what she could use to unlock the door.

“It might just be easier for you to burn the door down too,” she said. “But I don't want to accidentally burn the place down.”

She retrieved a thin letter opener, and knelt down at the door. She had only practiced lockpicking a couple of times with tools instead of magic, so she wasn't confident in her ability. Still, she felt she had to try. When she stuck the end into the lock, she paused. The handle jiggled to her touch, and when she tried it, the door opened. She sat there, staring at Ember on the other side.

“I guess it wasn't even locked,” she said. “I just assumed... well... all for the better then.”

She crossed to the back of the room and picked the machine up with both hands. She looked around briefly at the large mess she had made of the shelves, and thought about cleaning it up. But the whirring machine in her arms made her anxious. She set it down again and pulled out her notepad, scribbling a quick note saying that she would be back to help clean things up later. She taped it to the pantry door on her way out, and, guided by Ember, made her way out of the dark cafe.

* * *

Anne and Ember stood in Barry's apartment, with the machine set in front of them on the kitchen counter. Barry was looking it over without touching it.

“I thought about going to Luna,” Anne said, sitting down on a stool. She had only arrived a few minutes ago, and Barry was trying to make sense of the situation.

“Why didn't you?” he asked, listening to the machine whir contently.

“I didn't want to get her in more trouble than she's already in. Besides... I'm not sure if the police would cooperate, or try taking it apart themselves and destroy it like we did the first time.”

“That's a fair point,” he said. “I think I know what I did wrong that time. If I tried again, I believe I could successfully disarm it.”

Anne shook her head. “I'm sorry, it's too valuable. I just need somewhere to keep it where it'll be safe until I can figure what to do... and you're the only one here I can trust with it.”

He stared at the machine for a moment longer and then faced her. “Who do you think trapped you in that room, anyway?” he asked.

“I don't know. I guess it could've been anyone in the restaurant at the time, the manager, or... I have no idea. I think I need to see what Johanna is up to, though. She obviously managed to sneak a machine into the place, maybe she snuck in once everyone else had left and trapped me.”

“Could she have done that?”

Anne sighed. “I don't really know. But I still need to see what her next move is. You don't threaten a police officer's career unless you have something to hide, right? Unless she's just that petty...”

“No, I think you're on to something,” Barry agreed. “I'm going to be home all night studying, I'll keep an eye on this for you.”

“Thanks a lot,” she smiled. “I have an idea of where Johanna might be.”

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The Case of the Broken Magic (CH9)

Chapter Nine

“First my hair, now the fountain, everything's goin' so fast,” Franky said. He was sitting on the floor against the back of the sofa in Barry's place, because Minnie was once again taking up the whole of it by herself. Anne was pacing around the studio apartment in thought, and Barry watched them all without knowing what to say.

“We've got to do something,” Anne said, resolutely, though she hadn't thought of what it was they should do.

“I liked that fountain,” Minnie lamented. “I'd stick my feet in there all the time and fish out coins.”

“At least no one was killed,” Barry added. “Especially since you were there yourself when it happened, Franky.”

Anne turned around and started pacing another circle around the room. “No one except Luna's career... Are you sure you didn't see anything important, Franky? Anything at all, before the explosion?”

Franky scratched his head under his beanie. “Can't say. But it's like I said before, me and some classmates were hanging around and doing magic when it just stopped working right. Never seen it just mess up right in the middle of using it before.”

“It's just like the police said... so a machine must have been turned on somewhere,” Anne said. “Did you see anyone suspicious?”

He shrugged. “I wasn't lookin',” he said. “Sorry, it all happened so quickly. When the magic started goin' wild we started to leave for the club again because we got frustrated. Then the explosion happened and everyone panicked.”

“There must have been someone there with one of those stupid machines,” Anne said. She flopped down onto the futon mattress in the corner of the room that was Barry's bed and kicked her feet.

“If we could get our hands on another machine, I think we could get some answers,” Barry said. “I'd be much more careful with it. Maybe we could find out, concretely, who built it.”

“I know who built it! Or at least... helped build it,” Anne frowned. “Johanna is so guilty and she's not even trying to hide it.”

Franky whistled. “To think my teacher was doin' all this nasty stuff this whole time... I should drop her class. I should, right? It's just all kinds of weird now.”

“We need to arrest her, not drop her class,” Anne said. “Barry, Minnie, do you two know anything about Franky's teacher?”

“I never met her, myself,” Barry said. “I go to a different school. I have heard of her strict reputation, though. I remember we held a vigil for Franky when we found out he was in her class.”

Minnie sat up straight on the couch. “I already said I don't go to any school,” she said.

“There's got to be a way we can dig up some dirt on her,” Anne said. “We should go look around some of the places magic has been acting up. Franky, do you know of any spots where magic has been messed up, that Johanna also frequents?”

“Actually, Aurora is one of 'em. I used to go there all the time, which is why I saw her so much. But then all the magic flavors and colors kept going wrong and I stopped going so much.”

“The cafe seemed busy enough when I went earlier.”

“Yeah, it's a real poppin' place, so long as the magic is workin' right. I just gave up guessing when that is.”

“We should head there and look around, then,” Anne said. She hopped up from the bed with new motivation. “Franky, Minnie, will you two come with me? I like having at least one assistant around.”

“Anything I can do to help!” Franky said.

“I got nothing better to do,” Minnie shrugged.

“Great!” Anne said. “Barry, you're welcome to join us, too, if you'd like.”

Barry shook his head with a tender smile. “That's all right. I think too much time around both Franky and Minnie would wear me out, and I have studying to do.”

“Never any fun, I told you,” Minnie said, making a face at her cousin.

Anne was already half-way through the door. “We have to find something,” she said. “For the town's sake, and for Luna's sake.”

* * *

The cafe Aurora was much less busy at this time of night, and because of the fountain's destruction. Only a few people remained seated outside, taking in the sparkling string lights that were rung between all of the umbrellas. In the day time, Anne hadn't noticed them, but now they were lit up in vibrant waves, providing almost a ceiling of colors outside. The three of them cut through the seating and went inside the small main building.

There were only four tables set up inside, and stools pulled up to a long table that had a cash register at the end. The colors inside were just as wonderful as they were outside, with everything painted in eye-catching tones that made the older furniture of the place feel at home in the increasingly modern city.

Anne walked straight to the counter and waited for the woman in the sleek black and blue uniform to notice her.

“We're closing,” the woman said, in an apologetic tone. She looked exhausted from the day, and was wiping the counter with no enthusiasm. She wore no name tag, but the stitching on her shirt said she was the manager of the place.

“We're not here to eat anything,” Anne said. “My name is Anne August, and this is Franky, and Minnie. We're here on police business.”

The manager stared at the three of them with a blank expression that slowly turned to anger. Anne was ready to defend herself when she quickly crossed to the other side of the counter and got in Minnie's face.

“Where were you?!” she shouted. “We needed extra hands! Tons of people came in here for refuge after the explosion!”

Minnie gave her a toothy, nervous grin back, as she scratched her messy hair. “Was I supposed to come in today?”

“You have to come in sometime! You haven't been in all week!”

Anne looked at Franky. “Minnie works here?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Franky said. “I forgot about that. I thought she was working at the place down the street. She jumps around a lot...”

Minnie raised her hands defensively. “Look, I'm sorry! I got all upset and traumatized and stuff about the explosion. I couldn't think straight.”

“You were supposed to come in way before that happened, Minnie,” the manager said, her anger not wavering in the slightest. “Do you want to keep this job?”

“Whoa, hey, hey, I need this job. Look, how about I do extra shifts or something to make up for it?”

“How can I count on you to actually do that?”

Minnie raised one hand and put the other behind her back. “You got my word,” she said. “I'll be here at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I'll clean the toilets. I'll wash the dishes. Maybe not in that order, but you get my point.”

The manager stared down at her and let out a long sigh. “This is your last warning,” she said. “Help clean up so we can lock up tonight. Then you'd better be here before the doors are even open tomorrow.”

“You totally got it! That's fair!”

She put a washcloth in Minnie's hands, and looked back at Anne and Franky. Anne made a point to smile and speak in a calm voice.

“We're just here to look around, we're investigating the issue of magic not working right.”

“You are? That's ruining our business, but we can't prove it,” the manager said, her angry eyes already softening. “Everyone just thinks our spells are slacking.”

“Franky here brought it to my attention,” Anne said. “I know we don't look like... well, we aren't officially police, but, I'm confident that we can help.”

“I don't care what you are, as long as someone's finally doing something about it,” the manager said. “Go ahead and look around if you think it'll be useful. At least until we close.”

“That sounds fair enough,” Anne said. “Have you been experiencing the issue today?”

“Not lately, no... today was going well, actually, aside from the fountain exploding. But as far as I could tell we've been fine today. Been fine all week, actually. But that happens. Fine one day, rubbery cookies that taste like soap the next.”

The manager opened the kitchen door for them, and then left them to their own devices. Anne could see there wasn't much reason to distrust a stranger here: the kitchen was small, and full of cooking tools, pots and pans, and not much else. There wasn't anything of value in sight. Anne and Franky spent a few minutes opening and shutting metal cabinet doors and peeking through drawers.

“Do you see anything?” Anne asked.

“Some wicked grease,” Franky said, looking inside of an oven.

Anne knelt down and looked under the half inch gaps between the appliances and the floor. All she could see were some crumbs and darkness.

“I don't think you could hide a machine anywhere in here,” she said. “This kitchen is pretty open.”

“What about there?” Franky asked, and Anne had to stand up to see where he was pointing. At the farthest end of the room, nestled between a large sink and the wall, was a door. The wood door was nondescript, and when Anne tried it, she found it locked.

“I wonder what's in there,” she said.

“It's the pantry,” Minnie said, and both Anne and Franky jumped at her sudden appearance.

“Aren't you supposed to be cleaning?” Anne asked, looking at the rag still in her hand.

“I can do it in a minute,” Minnie shrugged. “I thought you'd need some help. I know this place, I've been back here at least a couple times.”

“Can you get us into the pantry?”

Minnie produced a ring of keys from her pocket and smiled. “Also why I came to help. These are supposed to be for locking up, but this is important, right?”

“You sure you won't get in trouble?” Franky asked.

Minnie stepped forward to unlock the door. “Eh, I'm already in trouble.”

She pushed the door open and flicked on the light, and Anne and Franky were surprised by the sheer size of what Minnie had called a pantry. The room was bigger than the kitchen, with concrete shelves built into the walls. Rows of supplies like spices, teas, coffee, crackers, flour, sugar, everything a cafe could possibly need, were lined up. With how small the whole building was, this had to take up half the size of it. Anne stepped in and started peeking through crates as she took it all in.

“There's so much food,” Franky said. “This is makin' me miss when this place didn't have weird flavors.”

“We're going to fix that,” Anne said. “And everything else. How about I start looking at this side of the room, and the two of you start at the other end? Jeez, I bet if Luna were here she'd have a more efficient method of searching, like, alphabetized by food group, or color...”

“I dunno, I better get back before Boss Lady starts breathing down my neck,” Minnie said. “But you two let me know when you're done and I'll lock up, okay?”

“Thanks for getting us in, Minnie,” Anne said.

Minnie threw her thumbs up as she grinned at them and went back into the dining area. Anne and Franky began working on their own. They opened box lids and sifted through bags of dry ingredients. Anne accidentally knocked over a box of sugar packets and had to pick them all up. Franky was elbow deep in a box of tea bags when his watch started beeping at him. He checked the time, and groaned loudly.

“Aw man,” he said. “Aww, maan.”

“What is it?” Anne asked.

“I forgot about our show tonight. I'm supposed to go set up for rehearsal right now.”

“Are you serious? We're in the middle of an investigation.”

“I'm real sorry, I can't just not show up. We're dedicating it now to the victims of the explosion, and we're puttin' everything we were paid for the show toward their fees. Like, hospital fees, and stuff.”

Anne sighed and sat against a shelf. “Why did you have to make it sound so noble?”

“Aw, man... Anne... I'm a terrible assistant, aren't I?”

“No... you've helped a lot already. Go ahead and go to your show, I'll let you know if I find anything here.”

Franky looked torn. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Anne smiled. “Go on, don't leave your band waiting. I'll just work extra fast here so I can catch some of your show later.”

“Okay... well... okay. Look, after my show, I'm all yours for whatever assistanting you need, right? No matter what, you got it? Even if it's like, super late! I'll skip class!”

“I got it. Go! I'll see you around, Franky.”

Anne watched Franky run through the kitchen and shut the door behind him with a slam. She sighed again. She turned around and leaned on her knees, getting in view with the second-lowest and lowest shelves.

She ran her fingers along the edges of the row of boxes on the bottom shelf. She stopped when she reached a gap. The whole bottom row was stacked with boxes of various sizes, except for one slot. She squinted at the floor, and in the absent slot saw a dust ring formed around a square shape. She measured the square with her fingers and tried to remember just how big the machine was. She was in the middle of gently sliding out a box when the sound of a door slamming hard made her heart jump.

Anne looked up from the bottom shelf, and saw that the pantry door was shut. She got to her feet and turned the handle, but it didn't move.

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The Case of the Broken Magic (CH8)

Chapter Eight

They were at the college at sunset. Luna took Essie home, and called her superiors. It was tentatively agreed on that an officer would watch Torres, who was only scheduled to be in town for the rest of the night. Now they stood at the door to the laboratory, and Anne was all too eager to go in. Luna unlocked the door with the keys she'd asked for and Anne ran in.

Inside, it looked more like a storage room than a lab. There were dozens of long metal tables, and all but one were covered with boxes and crates. The one table still in use was tidied up nicely. Two metal cases were stacked on top of each other. A box was cut open on the table, and inside were large bundles of wires of all different colors. Anne poked through everything while Ember explored the corners and sizzled away dust bunnies.

“This looks like the wire Barry found in the machine,” Anne said. “You can see the name of the college printed in strips on it.”

“This is incriminating,” Luna agreed. “But I was told to bring Johanna in if we found any actual evidence that ties her to the assault. I'm not sure if that counts.”

“Are you kidding me? Of course it counts. We told them about the machine and showed them the parts that were left over.”

“They don't really... see the two events as being related,” Luna said. “They don't even believe the machine did what we said it did.”

“But this proves that Johanna acquired the materials to build it, or at least some of them. No one has used this place but her.”

“According to Franky.”

“Yeah, but why would he lie?”

“I agree with you that this is important, but I just don't think it's enough.”

Anne tapped her foot against the tile. “Do they at least believe she was the one who assaulted Dr. Wilkins?”

“I told them about her injury, and the lie we exposed. However...”

“Evidence,” Anne frowned.

“Yes, exactly.”

“Hold on, there was blood found at the scene. Why don't we test it? We could tell if it's Johanna's. That would be the conclusive evidence they're looking for!”

“They are in the process of testing it. Though even if it doesn't belong to Dr. Wilkins, it's not as if we have a sample of Johanna's on hand to compare it to.”

“So we get one, duh.”

Luna looked mildly startled. “I hope you don't mean forcefully.”

“Well, we won't start out that way.”

“I hope you're kidding.”

“I am, don't take things so seriously.”

Anne played with the latches on the metal cases stacked on the table. She managed to pop one open when the heavy metal door opened with a loud clang and scared the both of them. She dropped the case and spilled out the contents of the tool set all over the floor and table. Anne and Luna looked just as surprised as Johanna when their eyes met.

“Are you stalking me?” Johanna asked, breaking the silence. She shut the door behind her and took off her jacket. She draped it over a box and stared at them.

“We're investigating you,” Anne said. She looked down at the tools, and picked up a pair of wire-cutters. “What's all this?”

“They're tools.”

“I know that.”

“Then why did you ask?”

“I meant, what are you doing with all of this? It looks like you're the only one who uses this pathetic excuse for a lab.”

“It used to be much busier and nicer, up until a year or so ago.”

“Before this place stopped getting money from Singh Labs, you mean.”

“Is that what happened?”

Johanna was crossing the room slowly as they spoke. Anne kept her head high and held her gaze the whole time.

“We know you lied about your alibi,” Anne said. “You've been lying about everything, haven't you?”

Johanna stopped at the other side of the table and looked across, and down, at Anne. She placed her hands on the cool metal table. “I don't know what you mean,” she said.

Anne pointed at the bandage on her forehead. “We asked Franky, and he said you never taught class this morning.”

“Was it only Franky who told you that?”

“Yeah, and I believe him!”

“Just Franky. That's good to know.”

Anne tried not to sweat under her stare. “Don't you have anything to say? We know you weren't here this morning.”

“I must have slept through my alarm and missed class.”

“You must have? You aren't saying you did?”

Johanna massaged her forehead. “I don't know, I suppose I bumped my head and forgot all of the small details.”

“Luna, you can see through her just as well as I can, can't you?” Anne asked.

Johanna's gaze shifted to Luna, and she nodded. “Y-Your story does sound quite unlikely. You told us you sustained that injury in class. How can you say now that you missed class?”

“She can say it because she's lying!” Anne said.

Johanna shrugged. “I said I was confused because of my injury. Is being confused a crime now?”

“You're perfectly fine! You don't seem hurt at all, it just looks sore!”

Luna touched Anne's arm. “What story you tell us doesn't matter. There are some serious accusations against you, including the illegal manipulation of magic, endangering the public, and physical assault. Perhaps even attempted murder.”

“And lying,” Anne added.

“That does sound serious,” Johanna said. “Am I being arrested for these crimes?”

“Of course you are!” Anne said.

Luna jumped. “Anne, no! We don't have the evidence!”

“We have enough! There's plenty to at least bring her in to question her!”

“Anne, we talked about this.”

“We need to get her down to the station, where she can't just lie to our faces about everything.”

Luna rubbed the back of her neck. “I don't know about this. I was told only to bring her in if—,”

“I know the ifs, ands, or buts,” Anne groaned. “You told me that you wanted to be taken seriously as a police officer. How seriously will you be taken if you let a criminal get away just because you were afraid to arrest her?”

“I never said I was afraid to arrest her.”

“So arrest her!”

Luna looked up from Anne, at Johanna, who had been watching their conversation unblinkingly. She ran her fingers over the cold handcuffs attached to her belt, and felt conflicted.

“Johanna Paige, I'm sorry, but, I'm afraid I have to arrest you,” she decided. Johanna stood up straight and made no move as Luna crossed around the long table and approached her with the cuffs in her hands. Johanna, being several inches taller than her, stared down to meet her eyes.

“All right Luna!” Anne cheered. “Finally, some cooperation!”

“Please turn around and put your hands behind your back,” Luna said.

Johanna did as she was told. Luna locked the cuffs around her wrists and held her by the arm.

“Now, um, I didn't bring the car,” Luna said. “So we're going to have to walk to the police department.”

“That undercuts the drama of this situation some,” Anne said.

“Do you think I should call the station and have them send a car instead?”

“I don't know, I've never arrested someone before. I mean, I've seen it, but... not in a situation like this.”

“I've never arrested anyone either, Anne.”

Johanna shifted impatiently. Luna was about to suggest something else, when the radio on her belt made an urgent noise. She put it to her face and answered that she was here and listening. The static interference was thick, but Luna listened carefully with it by her ear. All Anne could grab were broken bits of sentences.

She didn't really need to hear what was going on, though, because Luna's face showed that it wasn't good. She looked more and more flushed and unsettled as she listened.

“There's a major emergency downtown,” she said. “An explosion.”

“An explosion?!” Anne shouted. “Where?”

“At the fountain. The whole statue has been destroyed. No word on casualties yet. All officers are requested to assist immediately.”

“But we're in the middle of an arrest! Let's go drop her off before we head over there!”

Luna put the radio away. “That's not all,” she said. “Minutes before the explosion happened, people were making a scene about magic not working properly.”

Anne looked at Johanna, who was looking away from them for the first time, at Ember, in the corner of the room. Anne looked back at Luna.

“Johanna planted another machine there,” Anne said.

“Magic was fine up until moments before the explosion,” Luna said. “That's the official word.”

“Ms. Torres, did she get to the fountain to activate a machine?”

“We have her under watch, Anne.”

“Someone had to have done it!”

“I need to go,” Luna said. “I... I can't make this arrest. She couldn't have been involved with this. Maybe it was someone else who got the parts from here.”

“I'm sure she just found a way, come on! What about Dr. Wilkins? Don't ignore all of the lies she told us!” Anne said, frowning as Luna unlocked the cuffs.

Johanna rubbed her wrists. Luna looked up at her and tried to form an apology, but Johanna spoke before she could get a single word out.

“I will be sure to report this unwarranted harassment,” she said. “Arresting a professor with only circumstantial evidence at best, and even suggesting the idea of public humiliation before my innocence or guilt was proven?”

“Excuse me, what?” Anne said.

“You planned to have me walk several blocks to the police department, in handcuffs, for all of the town, and my students, to see? Did you not consider what irreparable damage that would do to my career?”

Luna wiped the sweat off her brow. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Johanna didn't let her.

“Your career is over,” she said, simply. She looked at Anne, and then again at Ember. “And perhaps I should report your creature, before anyone gets hurt by it.”

Johanna stood and waited for a response, but she wouldn't get one. Anne gathered Ember up by his collar, and didn't look back as she followed Luna out of the laboratory.

* * *

The center of town was swarmed with people. The rubble of the fountain was roped off and police were thick on the edges making sure people didn't get in. Anne stood with the pedestrians and gazed in at the ruins. It was clear even from a distance that nothing was left of the statue of Marjan. Stone rubble laid in the fountain, and the sparkling water was leaking everywhere.

Even though the presence of the curious crowd and the shouting from the police couldn't be heavier, Anne felt alone and isolated. She had put Ember away after leaving the laboratory, too uncertain of Johanna's threat to risk taking him, and Luna had disappeared after they arrived at the fountain. She was growing restless.

When there was a break in the police perimeter, she dove under the rope, and stayed low as she practically crawled along the edge. She nearly tripped over a piece of rubble that she realized was part of Marjan's wand, and got sadder. It took her several minutes before she found a face in the police assignment that she recognized.

She approached the detective who she had seen at the department several times before. He had bossed Luna around, but he was the only one she was at least somewhat familiar with. She hoped to get in some questions before he could object.

“Excuse me, Detective?” she asked. He turned around and made a face at her.

“You? How did you get in here?” he asked in return. “Get back behind the ropes, for your own safety.”

“All right, fine, but I have a question or two before I go.”

The detective gave her a shove. She frowned as she stumbled. “Wait!” she shouted. “Did anyone get hurt here?”

“A few people,” he frowned.

“Any deaths?”

“I can't say.”

Anne groaned as he gave her a final push back under the ropes. She grabbed his arm before he could step away.

“Hold on! Officer Luna came with me here to help with the clean up and stuff, but I haven't seen her anywhere.”

“She's not here,” he said, shaking his arm free. “She was called back to the... it's not my business to say. Whatever she did, it wasn't good. Now stay behind the line or you'll be in serious trouble.”

Anne crossed her arms close to her chest as he dismissed her and walked away. “I've met nicer detectives,” she said.

She watched the police sort through and poke around the rubble for several more moments before deciding she could do nothing here. Her thoughts were too clouded with the words of Johanna's threats, and her heart was heavy with worry for Luna. She pushed her way through the crowd of onlookers and walked down the block to the police department.

The department was nearly deserted. It was so quiet that Anne's footsteps seemed to echo throughout the whole building as she walked up to the clerk and asked where Officer Luna was. The clerk could only shrug, and say that he hadn't seen her since she arrived and went to the back office. He wouldn't allow Anne through, so she sat in the waiting room.

Anne waited for nearly an hour, and found herself growing more anxious as time passed. She was thinking about returning to the rubble when the back door slowly opened. Anne hopped out of her seat at the sight of Luna, but she almost fell back into it when she realized she was in a t-shirt and khakis, no longer wearing her uniform. She had a bag slung over her shoulder, and she couldn't meet Anne's eyes.

“What happened?” Anne asked. “You were in there for so long!”

Luna was having trouble thinking of what to say. She stared at the floor and fidgeted with a string on her bag.

“I've been suspended,” she said. “Indefinitely.”

“What? Why?”

“Johanna wasn't bluffing,” she said. Anne caught a glimpse of her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling, and saw they were red and puffy. “She called the chief, and she told her everything that I did.”

“You didn't do anything wrong!” Anne cried. “How did she get you suspended so quickly? All you did was handcuff her for about five seconds.”

“I tried to explain it, but... with the emergency going on right now, there isn't anyone to investigate the situation. Normally they might take my word over hers, but... apparently Johanna name-dropped a notorious lawyer... and the department doesn't want to deal with it right now. They've suspended me to be safe.”

Anne threw her hands up. “That's ridiculous! That's wrong!”

“No, Anne, I did something wrong. I acted and arrested her even though I felt it wasn't right.”

“But... but I convinced you to. If anyone should be in trouble for this... I should.”

Luna leaned in closer and shook her head. “Oh, no, it's not your fault! Anne... I don't mean any disrespect toward you, but... you're not an adult. I was the adult in the situation, and I let things escalate. You were only saying what you thought was right. I should've... used better judgment.”

“Luna... I'm sorry this happened. But even if you are suspended, we can still make the most of this.”

Luna shook her head. “Make the most of... ?”

“You and I, we can go investigate on our own, forget the police! They didn't believe us, anyway. I still think Johanna is involved somehow, if we work hard enough, I know we can figure out the whole truth.”

Anne was practicing her biggest smile, but Luna only stared at her with vacant eyes.

“I'm sorry, Anne,” she said. “I can't work on this anymore, not after being suspended. I would be fired, for sure, and I would just make things worse.”

“You can't give up on this now,” Anne said. “What about the fountain? People were hurt today. Do you think that's really unrelated to everything that's been happening here lately?”

“I don't know. I don't... I don't care.”

“What do you mean, you don't care? You don't care what happens to the people here?”

Luna gripped her bag string tightly. “I can't help them,” she said. “Anne, I'm really... I'm very sorry. I'm going home.”

Anne tried to think of something to say, but no words came. She watched as Luna walked through the doors onto the sidewalk without so much as a second glance back at her. She gripped her own backpack straps and stood there a moment, wondering what her next course of action should be.

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The Case of the Broken Magic (CH7)

Chapter Seven

Wilkins was sent home after being interviewed by the police. The police determined that the incident was a robbery gone wrong, something that Anne loudly protested to, which resulted in her and Luna being kicked out of the hotel. They didn't find Wilkins's shaky testimony about suspecting Professor Paige entirely convincing. Anne thought differently, and had already gotten a hold of Franky to ask him if she had anywhere she frequented in the city.

Anne and Luna were walking through town now, with Ember and Essie in tow. Franky mentioned a cafe that he always saw her at after classes ended, so that's where they were headed. Luna retrieved Essie while Anne was contacting him, as she often brought Essie along with her on her days off.

“I would have liked if Dr. Wilkins could've stayed in town,” Anne said, breaking the silence. They had been much quieter since discovering her assault.

“It was only a request from the two of us... the police never formally asked her to stay in the first place,” Luna said. “After the stress she endured, it's best that she go home and recover.”

“I don't disagree, but... she was really rattled, it's likely she forgot some details. If she was still around, she could've told us anything she remembered.”

“Quite a lot of things could be more ideal about this investigation,” Luna said, and Anne agreed.

“I am not entirely sure what to make of Professor Paige being a suspect, honestly,” Anne said. “She's a magician. Franky said it himself. Singh Labs didn't have too many of those in their employ, from what I understood. Why send her out here? Why did she stay?”

“More pressingly,” Luna began, “if she is a magician, why would she be involved with a device that disables magic?”

“That's an even more puzzling question. Maybe Ms. Torres has something to do with that.”

They arrived at the cafe Aurora, after some delay because of Essie stopping to sniff every interesting smell along the way. The establishment was tiny on the outside, with the majority of the grounds dedicated to its large outdoor seating arrangements. Sparkling umbrellas of all different colors and patterns shaded every white metal table. Comfy chairs were pulled up around them, and on the tables themselves were intricate stone carvings of various historical and fictional characters. Anne noted they were all of famed magicians.

The seats were nearly all full. The two walked around the outside of the thin gate and searched the crowd of students. Every table had two or more people seated at it, and they were all talking energetically as they caffeinated themselves with bright, flavorful drinks.

Only one table was quiet; the closest one to the building, with a black and white striped umbrella. One woman sat there, with her legs crossed at the knee. She was wearing a floppy hat and sunglasses, and reading a thick book with one hand while her other held a clear glass mug of something red. But even with her face hidden behind accessories and her book, Anne recognized her as the speaker from yesterday.

Anne hopped over the short fence and moved closer. Luna had to go the long way around to bring Essie through the gate.

“Professor?” Anne asked. The woman didn't react to her, and only took a sip from her mug. “Professor Paige, it is you, isn't it?”

“Are you one of my students?” she asked, not breaking eye contact with her book.

“Uh, no.”

“Then you don't have to call me 'professor.'”

“Uh, all right then. Ms. Paige...”

“Johanna is fine.”

“Johanna,” Anne said. “My name is Anne August. Can we speak with you for a moment?”

She didn't respond. Luna finally got to their side, holding Essie in her arms so that she didn't get tempted by the tables that had food. Before she could speak, Johanna did.

“You shouldn't have dogs in here,” she said, though Anne was certain she hadn't looked up at any time to see her.

“I'm sorry, we won't be long. And we are still technically outside...”

“It's unsanitary. Pets aren't...”

Johanna trailed off, and her head tilted down. She set her book and drink down, and flicked her sunglasses up. Her sharp eyes were locked on Ember.

“What is this?” she asked.

“He's my friend,” Anne said, tugging him back a step with the leash he had. “I thought you had something against pets.”

“That is no pet,” Johanna said. Finally, she met Anne's eyes for the first time in their conversation. She stared at her unflinchingly for several long seconds before examining Luna with a critical eye.

“You are a police officer, aren't you?” she asked her.

“Yes, I am Officer—,”

“Has life magic become legal?” Johanna interrupted.

“I'm... I'm sorry?”

Johanna pointed a hand at Ember. “Don't you know life magic when you see it? This creature is highly illegal. Shouldn't you do something about it?”

“Oh! Oh, don't worry, I have already talked to Anne about it, and she wasn't the one who made Ember, so really, she isn't the one who broke any laws.”

Luna was pleased with the answer she gave, but Johanna didn't look convinced in the slightest.

“Who did make it?” she asked.

“Ember isn't what I wanted to talk to you about,” Anne said. “Johanna, we are conducting an official investigation. I need to ask you a few questions about your whereabouts today.”

“My whereabouts? At what time?”

“About ten in the morning.”

“Ah, that's easy. I was at the college.”

“Were you? Do you have anyone who can verify that?” Anne asked.

Johanna shrugged. “Only the thirty students who I was teaching at the time,” she said.

“You were teaching class then?”

“I believe I just said that.”

Anne exchanged a glance with Luna. “How long was your class?”

“An hour and a half.”

“So you didn't get out until the afternoon...”

“Yes, that is how time works.”

“I think we've made a mistake,” Luna said.

Anne frowned. Johanna watched them both closely.

“What investigation is this?” she asked. “Has something serious happened?”

“You might be familiar with this problem as a magician yourself,” Luna said. “Anne here has come to help look into the issue of magic not working properly around town.”

“Ah, yes, I am familiar with that.”

“So you've experienced it too?” Anne asked.

“Of course.”

“You don't sound very concerned.”

“I'm not. Magic has never been an exact science. That's why it isn't a science. It ebbs and flows. I assumed this was only a natural phenomenon that would right itself in time. Goodness, who called in the big guns over this?”

Anne was sure that Johanna had almost smiled at the words “big guns” as she looked over them. She crossed her arms. “In fact, it was Franky.”

“Oh, of course. That makes sense.”

“In what way?”

“It's just that Franky is definitely my most... imaginative student,” Johanna said, sipping from her drink. “It doesn't surprise me that he would make something out of nothing. It's rather shocking he would go so far as to involve the police.”

“Um, the police aren't... totally involved...” Luna said. “My superiors aren't taking the magic issue very seriously. But don't worry, I am.”

“Ah. That does assuage my worries. I'm relieved to know you are singular in your thoughts of what makes an issue important enough to involve the authorities.”

Luna looked away from Johanna, and only pet Essie quietly. Anne could feel the tension building, though Johanna looked as calm as she did when they first approached her. It was only Luna and herself who were feeling it.

Anne glanced around them, at the chairs and umbrellas, and something occurred to her.

“Johanna, I have another question,” she said.

“What is that?”

“Why are you wearing a sunhat in the shade?”

Johanna looked up, at the fringe of her hat, and at the umbrella. “I walked here. I simply forgot to take it off. I didn't plan to stay long.”

“You looked like you were settled in to read your book.”

“You know my plans better than I do, I suppose.”

Anne took one step closer. “As part of our investigation, I need to ask you to remove it.”

“And how would that help your little excursion?”

“That's classified.”

Johanna looked to Luna. “Is this an official police request?” she asked.

Anne urged Luna on with a nod. Luna looked at her feet. “No. Actually, I'm not even on duty today.”

“Luna!” Anne groaned. “Stop sabotaging our own investigation!”

“But it's the truth!” Luna said. “I can't lie just to get things done the way you want them, Anne.”

Anne threw her hands up. “What if I just took the hat off your head myself?” she proposed.

“That'd be rather rude.”

Anne stared at her, but didn't move closer to actually do it. Johanna seemed so unfazed by the whole thing that she felt uncertain.

“Don't look so uncomfortable,” Johanna said. “If it satisfies you, I really don't mind removing my hat. I was only wondering what the reason was.”

Johanna removed her floppy hat and set it on the table. She ran a hand through her black hair to smooth it, and then looked expectantly at the two of them. The bandage on her forehead was immediately apparent, and their eyes were stuck to it.

“Where did you get that injury?” Luna asked.

“I had a magic accident this morning in class. I'd actually forgotten about it until now, it wasn't serious.”

“You're lying!” Anne said, pointing a finger. “I know exactly where you got that!”

“You do, because I just told you.”

“No way, you got that this morning at the hotel. You must have!”

“How was I able to sustain an injury at a hotel when I was teaching a class at the same time?”

Anne's pointed finger fell. She hesitated. “I don't know,” she admitted.

“Is there anything else? My tea is getting cold.”

Anne was too flustered to think of anything. Luna shared her expression. Anne sighed and scratched her head. “Do you... I mean... what about your connection to Singh Labs?” she asked.

“Excuse me?”

“You used to work for that western corporation, didn't you?”

“Not exactly. I worked for other people who worked for them.”

“Same difference. What kind of work did you do for them? Magic? Or do you also dabble in more technical ventures?”

“What business is it of yours?”

“Singh Labs is tied to this case, somehow. I have a feeling that you might know why.”

“No, I can't say I do. I haven't been involved with them in years.”

“But the conference!” Anne said. “What about Maria Torres?”

“The conference director? I only met her three days ago.”

“Is that so? Is that really the truth?”

“Yes, it is.”

Luna touched Anne on the arm.

“Maybe we should go,” she said, quietly. “I don't think we're going to get anywhere.”

Anne rubbed her eyes. “But something doesn't feel right here.”

“Don't worry. There's always a next step,” Luna said. “We should go verify her alibi.”

“I guess you're right,” she nodded. When she looked back to say goodbye to Johanna, she noticed that her eyes were once again fixed on Ember, watching his every move. Without a word she tugged Ember along and they left the cafe.

* * *

Anne and Luna sat at the bar in the club Sidra. It was late in the afternoon, and the place was starting to become crowded. The bartender told Anne she would have to leave if it got too packed, but since Luna was with her, it was all right for now. Anne wasn't paying that much mind. She was kicking her shoes against the bar and tapping her fingers.

“Are you sure Essie will be okay out there?” she asked Luna.

“She'll be perfectly fine. She and Ember are together, and she's tied securely to the bicycle rack. We won't be in here long, we're just here to talk to a few students.”

“Yeah... but... she's just so little.”

Franky greeted the two of them as he fell onto a bar stool. He was still wearing the same lime-green beanie he had on yesterday. He tugged it down so it wouldn't slip off his forehead. Anne was expecting Minnie to follow, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

“Where's your partner in crime?” she asked.

“Minnie? She's upstairs. She's been really going hard today, I've barely seen her. I'm just here to clear my mind, right? And we got a show here tonight, so I'm getting in the zone.”

“Your band is playing tonight?” Anne asked. “I'll have to come, if I'm not too busy.”

Franky grinned wide. “Both you should! Though maybe not in uniform. You're kinda killin' the vibe.”

Luna looked down at her uniform and sat up straighter. “Oh, you have a point,” she said. “Maybe that's why everyone's been looking at me funny in here.”

“So what's the deal? Barry told me about the girl you found hurt, did you figure out who did it?”

“We have a suspect,” Anne said. She tapped her fingers on the bar again. “Sort of.”

“That's awesome news then,” he said. “One step closer, right?”

“Right... we just wanted to ask you a question about Professor Paige.”

“Her again? What's she got to do with any of this?”

“We have reason to believe she was the one who assaulted Dr. Wilkins.”

Franky's face fell. “No way,” he said. “Professor Paige couldn't do that. She's a teacher.”

“Teachers can commit crimes, too,” Luna reminded him. “Everybody can. That's what makes crime so scary.”

“Do you really think she's that bad?” he asked.

“I don't know for certain. That's why we came here to clear something up.”

Franky sat up and nodded. “You got it. I'm all in this investigation thing a hundred percent. I didn't ask you here to question your, like, detectivey methods.”

“Thank you for that,” Anne said. “Franky, did your professor sustain an injury today?”

Franky blinked. “Wait, huh?”

“Did she hurt her head, I mean.”

“What're you talking about?”

“Did Professor Paige hurt herself in class earlier this morning?” Luna asked.

“Uhh... she wasn't in class this morning.”

Anne and Luna were wide-eyed.

“Did she show at all today?” Anne asked.

“Nope. We waited 'round in class for like, half an hour, then got bored and left. Figured she wasn't coming.”

“Is it common for her to miss class like that?”

“No way. You even show up a minute late and you get scolded by her. She's a real pain in the... uh, she's real dedicated to her work.”

“Are you sure she wasn't on campus?” Luna asked. “Could she have been anywhere else?”

Franky thought about it. “Maybe the lab, but she usually doesn't go there till after night when things're quiet.”

“I'm sorry, the lab?” Anne asked. “There's a laboratory at your magic school?”

“Yeah, I dunno what it's for. I don't think anyone I know's ever used it.”

“What does she do in the lab?”

“Who knows? We all sorta think it's just a quiet place to work on spells. What else would you use it for here?”

Anne and Luna shared a look, as if they were thinking the same thing.

“I can think of one reason why this particular magic school would have a science lab,” Anne said.

“I agree,” Luna nodded. “Most pressingly, though, this is serious. Johanna has lied to our faces. She has no alibi. The police will certainly not be able to ignore that, in light of the assault.”

“Do you think they'll take it seriously enough to do us a favor?” Anne asked.

“What do you have in mind?”

“I think someone should keep an eye on Ms. Torres. It's a likely possibility that she and Johanna are working together.”

“All right. That's a good idea.”

Anne hopped down from the stool and smiled at Franky. “Thank you for your help, you may have helped us crack this whole case open.”

“I still kinda can't believe it,” he said, looking solemn. “I mean. I believe it, if you believe it. But I can't believe it. Minnie's not gonna believe it.”

Anne nodded. “While you two work on believing it, we have our own work to do. I want to check out this lab.”

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