Shadow Legend (Shelving Magic #8)

Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

“ W hat the hell was that?” Paige whispered.

Dewey winced, jabbing a claw at the door. “Uh-oh.”

Paige twisted to find Cleo hovering in a slit in the door, her mouth hanging open. “It’s a dragon! Dragon! There’s a dragon in the house! Help! Help! Somebody! Somebody do something!”

“Crap,” Paige said with a wrinkled nose before she turned her voice sickly sweet. “Hey, Kitty. Come in here. Here, Kitty. Come in here.”

“No way, uh-huh. You aren’t going to pull that ‘Here, Kitty’ stuff on me. I’m smart. I’m not falling for this.”

“Okay,” Paige said, her hands held in the air as she stared at the cat. Could she grab the cat before it scurried away? “Got it. Well, if you’re smart, then you should know there’s nothing to be afraid of. Dewey is a nice dragon.”

“No such thing as a nice dragon. Do you breathe fire?”

“Yes,” Dewey snapped. “And I am a nice dragon. I’m a pretty nice guy. I’ve got a lot of friends. ”

“Sure, you do, dragon,” Cleo answered. “You fire-breathing bas– “

“Where’s a dragon?” Lola asked before Cleo could finish the insult.

“There, look!” Cleo shouted, thrusting a claw in Dewey’s direction.

“Whoa,” Lola answered as she pushed the door further open. “I’ve never seen a dragon before.”

“No kidding. Dragons aren’t supposed to exist.”

“Then how did you know what it was?” Lola asked.

“I read and watch television. Didn’t you watch Lord of the Rings? It has a dragon. Way bigger than him, though. He’s a shrimp.”

“Hey,” Dewey cried, his paws on his hips. “I’m a teacup, not a shrimp.”

“Whatever, dragon,” Cleo answered. “I know what you are. That dragon in Lord of the Rings destroyed cities, and nearly killed Bilbo.”

“I’m not responsible for the crimes Smaug has committed. That’s like holding you responsible for lion attacks.”

“If the shoe fits,” Cleo answered.

Dewey wrinkled his nose. “Are you saying you want to be held responsible for lion attacks?”

“Maybe I am responsible. Cats are excellent hunters. I could kill you in your sleep and rip you scale from scale.”

“Whoa,” Paige said, tugging her chin back to her chest. “That’s a little harsh.”

Cleo set her green eyes on Paige. “Yep.”

“You’re mean,” Dewey shouted at the cat. “You mean old cat. Don’t they feed you enough?”

“Not nearly,” Cleo answered, “and I had Salmon Dinner tonight.”

“So?” Dewey asked .

“I had Salmon Dinner last night. And I hate Salmon Dinner. I prefer Sea Captain’s choice.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Paige answered. “But listen, you can’t say anything about this to anyone. No one can know that Dewey is a dragon.”

Cleo narrowed her eyes at Paige. “And what are you going to give me to keep me quiet?”

“Uhhh…” Paige winced, her brow furrowing as she slid her gaze sideways, her mind desperately searching for an offer. “Treats?”

“Yeah!” Lola said, her tail wagging furiously.

“What kind and how many?” Cleo asked.

“What’s your favorite kind of treat?” Paige asked.

“Vanilla milkshake, extra whipped cream,” Cleo answered.

Lola’s tail wagged more, shaking her entire rear end. “Burger.”

“What?” Paige cried. “No. I’m not…I’m not getting you a burger and a shake. That’s crazy.”

Cleo twisted her head to the side. “Hey, Ellie!”

“Stop, stop stop,” Paige said.

“Okay, wait, how do we even know you can actually tell Ellie anything,” Dewey chimed in. “Because all the humans in the room seemed not to be able to hear you.”

“Ellie can hear us,” Lola said. “Ellie talks to us all the time. No one else can hear us. Well, until you.”

“Sure, she can. Maybe that’s your scam. You say Ellie can hear you, but she really can’t. You shake us down for a milkshake and a burger when, in reality, there’s no way you can possibly tell a single living soul about me.” Dewey crossed his arms.

Cleo narrowed her eyes at him. “You wanna test it, dragon?”

“We don’t,” Paige said with a shake of her head. “We really don’t. Look, fine. I’ll get you the dang burger and shake. ”

“Extra whipped cream.”

“Right, right, fine. Extra whipped cream. Where I’m going to get this, I don’t know.” Paige pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Cookin’ with Gas,” Cleo said. “Go toward town, hang a left at the first street.”

“Are you…” Paige pressed her lips together, shaking her head. “Never mind. Okay. I’ll grab it as soon as I can.”

“You’ll grab it when you go to dinner. Ellie said she’s taking you there tonight. Get a to-go.” Cleo shook her head. “I can’t believe I have to explain this to you.”

“Oh, shut up,” Paige said with a shake of her head. “Just…go…take a nap or something. I’ll get it.”

“Fine. But if you don’t– “

“Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” Paige shot back before the cat could finish.

“Fine. Come on, Lola, let’s go take our pre-dinner nap.”

“And don’t say anything!” Dewey shouted after her.

Paige raced across the room and pushed the door closed, leaning against it.

“Nice going, Paige. Next time make sure the door is closed .”

Paige glared at him. “I didn’t know the door wasn’t fully latched, okay? You’re the one who took off the stupid ring.”

“I can’t help it. I have a headache. I just wanted a minute to breathe.”

“Breathe later,” Paige said through clenched teeth.

“Oh, come on, it didn’t turn out that bad at least. All we have to do is grab a milkshake and a burger.”

“How am I going to explain that takeout order?”

“Tell them you often crave midnight snacks,” Dewey said.

“You tell them that,” Paige answered. “You do it.”

Dewey heaved a sigh. “Fine. I’ll handle it all.”

“Well, it’s your fault.” She stalked across the room, her hands on her head. “I can’t believe we got shaken down by a cat.”

“I don’t know…that cat seems pretty savvy. I’ll bet she’s shaken down a lot of people in the past to be honest. She didn’t bat an eyelash.”

Paige collapsed on the edge of the bed. “Just put that ring back on so we don’t get caught again. I wonder when they plan on searching for the key?”

Dewey floated to the bed and landed, plopping down next to Paige. “I don’t know. Let’s hope we find it soon. That stupid cat will have us bringing her all sorts of treats before long.”

“I know. Once you cave to the pressure, there’s no stopping it. The blackmail is just going to continue.”

“Right. Until we leave.”

Paige curled her fingers into a fist. “We have to find that key quickly.”

“Agree. Well, maybe we’ll do some poking around tonight when everyone is asleep.”

“Okay,” Paige said with a nod as a knock sounded at her door.

“Put that ring on,” she hissed as she rose.

Dewey wrinkled his nose as he slid it onto his finger, turning back into his human form. Paige pulled open the door, finding Lily on the other side.

“All settled in?” Lily asked with a grin.

“Yep, we are. We were just talking about searching for this key.”

“Well, first, I’m sure you’re both hungry. We were going to head to the diner to grab some dinner, and we can discuss a search strategy there.”

“Okay, that sounds good. Oh, uh…I was wondering if I could trouble you for another twenty dollars. I wanted to gr ab some takeout for Dewey later…sometimes he gets hungry overnight.”

“Sure…just put your to-go on our tab.”

“Thanks, and sorry. I…feel really bad about this. You’re paying for us to eat and sleep and…”

“Honey, it’s okay,” Lily said, wrapping an arm around her. “You need it. And we’re happy to help.”

Paige wrinkled her brow, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m really glad we ran into the two nicest people in the world.”

“I doubt that we’re the two nicest people in the world,” Lily said with a chuckle, “but I’m glad we can help. Now, let’s go get some good grub.”

Paige sniffled and blinked away her tears. “Okay. So, is this diner pretty good, then? Everyone seems to be raving about it.”

“Everyone?” Lily asked as they stepped into the hall.

Paige winced, realizing she’d heard it from the cat. “Oh, uh, online. I checked out the reviews online. And they are all good.”

“Oh, right. Well, it’s a cute little place. 50s themed, good old-fashioned diner food, and really good shakes.”

“I’ll have to try one.”

“We’ll all be getting them,” Lily said as they descended the stairs, finding the rest of the group at the bottom.

Ellie grinned at them. “So, we can either drive or walk…it’s not far and it’s a nice night.”

“Well, we’ve been in the car all day, so why not walk?” Paige suggested.

“Good idea. These old legs could use the exercise,” Lily added.

“Old legs?” Ellie swung her purse over her shoulder as she pulled open the front door. “Lily, you’re not that old.”

“Older than you. But living in Hideaway Bay has been good for my health. ”

“All that sea air?” Ellie asked as they descended the stairs and headed down the driveway.

“More like all the walking. It’s nice to live somewhere where I can walk to things.”

“I don’t agree,” Dewey whispered to Paige. “Why did you choose walking?”

Paige shook her head at him. “It’s not that bad. You need to get exercise.”

“I don’t like walking. It’s inconvenient and takes too much work.”

“The way you eat, you need it. I feel so bad adding the stuff for pets on Lily’s tab.”

Dewey shrugged as their feet slapped the pavement. “There’s not much choice here. That danged cat will ruin everything if she opens her big mouth to Ellie.”

“I wonder if Dickens can talk.”

“Probably. I mean, if he lived here, I bet he could.”

“That could be useful,” Paige murmured.

“Seems like a pain to me. Dickens tried to kill us once,” Dewey reminded her.

Paige bobbed her head with a wrinkled nose. “Yeah. Well, I’m pretty certain if Cleo was bigger, she’d try to kill us, too.”

They turned onto another street, spotting the old-fashioned diner ahead.

“Mmm, wow, that food smells good. Oh, I’m going to eat one of everything,” Dewey said, rubbing his stomach.

Within a few minutes, they were inside the restaurant and seated at a long table. They placed their orders and sat back to wait for their food.

Paige shifted on the shiny red seat. “So, uh, not to feel like I’m rushing you, but…any ideas on where this key may be?”

“Well, I haven’t seen anything like it around the B&B, but there are some pretty elaborate hiding spots. I’m thinking we could start with the attic and work our way down,” Ellie suggested. “I haven’t spent a lot of time up there, so it’s entirely possible it’s just sitting around somewhere collecting dust.”

Paige’s heart leapt with hope. “Oh, wow, sure.”

“I hope it is,” Cassie answered, “although, the first two were hidden.”

Lily nodded. “She’s right. One under the floorboards of Whispering Manor, and the other under the stairs at Pearl Pond estate.”

Ellie rubbed her chin. “Hmm. Sounds like floors are a real theme here. I wonder if there’s a hidden compartment in the staircase?”

“We could always check it out,” Cassie said. “Mom and I are getting really good at finding hidden things in staircases.”

They shared a laugh over their amateur sleuthing skills as their meal was delivered.

“Oh,” Dewey groaned after biting into his burger. “This burger is so good.”

“Yeah, really good,” Paige agreed, popping a fry into her mouth.

The waitress buzzed back over with a grin. “Glad you like it. We pride ourselves on the food.” She twisted toward Ellie. “Hey, I got your notes on the speakeasy, and I’m planning to get you some numbers next week.”

“Great. I think it’s a great idea.”

Lily grinned as she sipped her milkshake. “Oh, you’re going through with it?”

“Think so,” the waitress answered. “It think it’ll be fun.”

“You’re opening a speakeasy?” Paige asked.

“Sort of. It’ll be a nightclub slash bar. But there used to be one under the diner a hundred years ago,” the woman answered.

“No kidding,” Paige said with a grin. “Wow, I’d love to see that. ”

“We’ll show you before you leave.”

Paige bobbed her head. “Awesome. I can’t wait to see it.”

They polished off their meal and placed the to-go order. Paige held back rolling her eyes as she ordered extra whipped cream on the milkshake for the cat.

“Come on back,” the waitress, who had been introduced as Val, as with a wave. “We’ll show you the space.”

“I’ll pass and eat the order of onion rings I got,” Dewey said. “You go ahead.”

“I want to take a second look, too,” Ellie said as she rose.

They followed the pink-uniformed diner owner back toward the bathrooms. She stepped sideways toward a tiny coat closet. With a smack of her fist against the panel in the back, it popped open.

Val pushed it back, widening the space and motioning for them to follow her. They ducked into the dark passage. A bare bulb bloomed to life, illuminating stairs leading down.

“Wow,” Paige said with a grin as they descended them and spilled into the old-fashioned bar. “This is really neat.”

“Yep,” Val said with a grin. “We’re going to keep it old-fashioned like this. Just like it was in the twenties.”

“I can’t wait to get started in here.”

“It’ll really add to the town, Val,” Ellie said with a grin.

“Well, I’ll let you look around for a bit. I’d better run back up there and check on my orders.”

“Thanks,” Paige said as she shuffled toward the bar, swiping a hand over it.

“I wonder what it would have been like back in the twenties?” Her nose wrinkled as she recalled her brief time in the twenties when she time traveled. Maybe it wouldn’t go great.

“Oh, I’ll bet this place was hopping,” Ellie said. “All those guys and dolls.”

Paige offered a nervous chuckle, recalling her own experience with the mob. “Yeah. I’ll bet. ”

She wrapped her knuckles on the bar. “Will be really nice this time around without the criminals.”

Ellie offered her a chuckle. “Yeah. The legal part is important. Though, I’d bet this place has some tales to tell.”

“I wonder if there’s anything still hidden down here?”

“Like what?” Paige asked.

“I don’t know. Al Capone’s gun or something?” Ellie shoved her hands into her pockets and shrugged.

Paige glanced around the dusty space. “Where?”

“What about in the kegs?” Ellie poked a finger toward the large stand holding several of the round barrels.

Paige lifted a shoulder as she studied them. “Do they still have booze in them?”

“I’m not sure.” Ellie approached them and knocked. “Want to forget it?”

Paige shuffled closer. “No, I’m game if you are.”

Ellie reached around the rim of the barrel, tugging at the metal ring. “Hmm, we’re going to need a tool to get this off.”

“I doubt there’s anything around here, but I’ll take a look.” Paige toggled on her phone’s flashlight and shined the light around the space. She ducked behind the bar, stooping to search for anything that could be used to open the keg. “Not seeing much.”

Ellie crouched to study the underside of the barrel before she rose and crossed to a door. “Maybe in here.”

She twisted the knob and pushed on the door, but it wouldn’t budge. After ramming it with her shoulder, it creaked open. “Storage closet.”

“Maybe there will be something in there,” Paige said as she rose, swatting at a cobweb that tickled her forehead.

“Got something!” Ellie exclaimed as she appeared in the room with grin and a hammer and chisel. “Let’s see what’s in this keg.”

Paige aimed the light at the barrel as Ellie set the chisel in place. “I hope your friend doesn’t get mad about this. Especially if there’s beer or wine in there.”

“Ah, this place needs a good cleaning anyway, it won’t hurt anything.” Ellie tapped on the chisel, shifting its location a few times until it loosened. “Here we go. It’s coming loose.”

“Yeah, it’s–“A loud crack interrupted Paige’s statement before the wooden barrel shifted and collapsed, bits of rotted wood splintering everywhere.

“Whoa,” Ellie said with a wince as she darted back a few steps. A dribble of red wine trickled from within across the floor. “That was unexpected.”

“Yep. And it looks like it wasn’t filled very much, so maybe it’s just an old, empty keg.”

Ellie stepped forward, pulling a few of the intact pieces of the barrel. “No gun, but there is something in here.”

“What?” Paige asked, craning her neck to peer over Ellie’s shoulder.

“I don’t know. It’s something wrapped up.”

Paige’s heart skipped a beat. Could they have stumbled onto something big?