Free Witchy Sour (The Magic & Mixology Mystery Series Book 2) by Gina LaManna Page B

screech. “Find a book stolen by a professional thief? Find an ingredient that Gus and I have never once seen? All in one week?”
    “Yes.” Poppy’s voice was firm as she nodded. “I have faith in you.”
    “How? I haven’t done anything yet.”
    “You’ve done plenty,” Poppy said. “You don’t think Gus brags about you when you’re not looking? I’ve heard the stories. Plus, I know all about why you had to close up shop today. Creating and serving The Elixir is serious business.”
    “How do you know about The Elixir? That just happened this morning.”
    “I work dispatch with all of the Rangers, and when things out of the ordinary are happening, it’s their job to know about it. If you think they’d miss something like a request for The Elixir...” Poppy blew out a breath. “Let’s put it this way. They knew the second that man walked into your bungalow.”
    “But how?”
    “There’s a lot you don’t know about Rangers, and it’s going to have to stay that way. They don’t share their secrets and techniques for a reason, and I really shouldn’t be talking about it. Especially here.” Poppy’s gaze shifted around the room as if she thought we were being watched. “Let’s go find Hettie.”
    “Poppy...” I reached for her hand. She stopped abruptly at my touch, and I gave her fingers a squeeze, offering her an olive branch of a smile. “I’m going to find the missing ingredient. Between Gus and me, we’ve got the situation under control. Don’t worry.”
    Poppy gave a serene smile. “I’m not worried.”
     

Chapter 8
     
    After weaving our way through a few more glass hallways, the scenery changed from clean and modern into old and regal in an instant. We passed through tall, stone arches with columns rising high on either side of a path covered by plush red carpet. Purple tapestries dangled from the doorways, hushing the hallway. Statues in all forms of undress posed around us, and for a moment, I might’ve believed I was standing on Mount Olympus itself.
    “This place is beautiful,” I said with a note of reverence. “What is it called?”
    “The Hall of Fame.” She, too, spoke in a hushed voice. “It’s where we honor the greatest of supernatural beings.”
    “And this is where we’ll find Hettie?”
    Poppy gave me a sideways glance. “You’ll understand in a minute.”
    “Let me guess, Hettie considers herself one of the Greats?”
    “She calls herself a goddess,” Poppy trilled as she attempted to stifle a laugh. “It’s not nearly as funny as when she was caught trying to steal a set of fake grapes from an Aphrodite statue. She said they’d look better on her dining room table than in this dusty old hall!”
    I covered my mouth to contain my own laughter as we toured deeper and deeper into the regal space.
    “That woman, I tell you...” Poppy and I turned a corner, stopping short at the sight before us. “Just like I said.”
    Hettie and Zin stood before a wall of trophies. The room was full of them, floor to ceiling. Silver and gold statues, plaques, and other memorabilia.
    “I’m just pointing out the statue of myself,” Hettie said without turning around. “Zin doesn’t believe I worked with the Rangers. She was trying to tell me I was in no position to train her. Well, I give you...this. Am I a goddess or what?”
    Joining Hettie on her other side, I looked to where she was pointing. The tiniest of all the statues sat at the end of her fingertip. The figurine reminded me of a little army man with a parachute attached to his back, the kind found in the bottom of cereal boxes. Except this statue was of a woman wearing a tiara with a smirk that distinctly matched my grandmother’s. Below the figurine was a tiny plaque that read: Most Valuable....
    “What does that say?” I squinted. “The last word is all smudged out.”
    “I can’t read it either,” Zin said. “It sort of looks like pinhead?”
    “It does not say pinhead!” Hettie flounced