Bewitching Boots (10 page)

Gallantly, Bill got down on one knee with a boot in his hand. Cameras clicked and flashes illuminated the museum as visitors took plenty of pictures. I wished I could take a picture too, but the Royal Photographer was gone already, and residents weren’t allowed to have such devices. I could only hope Bill had put on a good show while the photographer was still there.

He tickled the girl’s foot. “What do you want to do in these boots?”

She smiled and hid behind a pretty green fan. “I’d like to walk quickly and comfortably everywhere I go.”

Bill lowered his head as though he were whispering to the boots while he laced them on her narrow feet. “There you are. Try them out—but beware. Others have been taken over by the magic I put into them. I wouldn’t want that to happen to you.”

The young woman in green and gold got to her feet with his help. Suddenly, one of her feet started jumping around as though she’d lost control of it. “Oh! What’s happening?”

“You’d better sit down,” Bill said. “That may have been too much magic.”

But before she could do as he said, she began jumping and running around the museum. She cried out that her feet were running away with her. She didn’t appear able to stop. People moved out of her way as she leapt between them, kicking and sprinting like an athlete.

“Please, please help me stop. I’m scared. Take the magic back.”

The curious crowd moved in even closer when they heard her cry out. The bulk of the crowd separated Bill from the woman. I tried to reach her, not sure what was going on. I couldn’t get through the visitors packed tightly around me, watching in awe.

“Hold on!” Bill yelled. “I’ll help you.”

The woman kept hopping, skipping toward the front door. There was no way to close it with so many people in the way. She was jumping down the stairs toward the cobblestones when I ran after her. I grabbed the end of her gown and tackled her. We rolled from the bottom stairs toward the green grass that separated the Art and Craft Museum from the Antique Weapons Museum next door.

“Thank you. Thank you.” She hugged me to her.

“That’s okay. Let’s get these boots off your feet.” I noticed that her feet were still moving even though she wasn’t walking anymore. It was crazy—and maybe elf magic.

Was this what Bill was suggesting had happened to Isabelle?

Chapter Eight

The event swelled the crowds of visitors even more as word spread quickly around the Village.

I was completely amazed that the green and gold lady bought the boots she’d been wearing as well as two more pairs. A rush on Bill’s boots soon found his entire stock sold out. He stayed on at the museum working, even though his stall had to be shut down.

Despite the numbers of people who wanted to see the shoemaker with elf magic, I still shut the exhibit for an hour to give Bill a break. He looked pale, and his hands were trembling. I knew he needed some time to recuperate.

Merlin had some words for me when he learned that I’d shut the museum. He found me, Manny, and Bill sitting at an outdoor table near the Good Luck fountain.

“You don’t just walk away from a feature attraction.” Merlin paced through the grass. “We’re getting calls. People want to see the shoemaker.”

I finished chewing my pretzel and shot back, “We all needed a break. We’ll open again soon.”

“Not soon enough,” the wizard ranted. “Bad management sinks ships. Keep that in mind, young woman. Get that museum open again.”

He stalked away, his starred robe flying out around him. I heard one older lady cry out as he passed her.

“The man can’t help but flash what he has.” I smiled at Manny.

My assistant didn’t return my smile. “Merlin sounded serious, Lady Jessie. Perhaps we should return to the museum.”

“We’ll go back when Bill is ready.”

Bill didn’t look ready for witty banter with visitors just yet. He’d eaten a little of his turkey leg and sipped some ale. “I’m going to run to the privies first, if you don’t mind. That elf magic can take a lot out of you.”

We waited until Bill had disappeared behind the Romeo and Juliet stage.

“I wish you’d been there when that woman started running around like a crazy person,” I said to Manny. “Even after I’d tackled her, her legs kept moving. I don’t know what to think.”

Manny grinned. “Elf magic?”

“I guess so. It didn’t seem normal to me. And look what it did to my shoemaker.”

“He seems upset by it. Perhaps using elf magic is hard on a person.”

Chase joined us in time to hear Manny’s remark. “I’ve heard about the magic boots. It’s all over the Village. What happened?”

I went through the basic event for him. “Unless that woman was some kind of plant from Adventureland, she was really affected by the boots. Bill didn’t look surprised, only concerned. Maybe he really
did
put the slippers on Isabelle and she hopped right off the terrace.”

“Maybe.” Chase took a piece of my pretzel as he sat in the grass. “One thing I can tell you is that none of Bill’s clothes or boots matched the green material or the strip of leather Detective Almond found in the garden. It doesn’t clear Bill, but it didn’t add any ammunition against him. Right now, all the police have is Bill’s confession to putting too much magic into Isabelle’s slippers, and that he was at the castle.”

“Being at the castle hardly seems significant,” Manny returned. “There are hundreds of people at the castle every day.”

“He’s right.” I gave Chase the rest of my pretzel and ale. It was probably all he’d had to eat and drink. “What about the hidden passages in the castle? Is the king going to let you brief Detective Almond?”

“He already sent word that I should take the police through the passages.” Chase shrugged. “I can’t say finding out there was a secret way in and out of Isabelle’s suite made Detective Almond happy. That meant there could be
hundreds
of suspects that weren’t seen by Isabelle’s retinue. He stopped for lunch at Bawdy Betty’s. I think he couldn’t tackle the idea on an empty stomach.”

“But what if Bill really has elf magic and accidentally caused Princess Isabelle to fall?” Manny asked. “We must consider that possibility as well.”

Chase shook his head. “I’m not considering elf magic as the means of her death unless there’s nothing else possible. I know the police won’t buy it.”

“Why is that? People have seen remarkable things happen here. When I told my parents about your wedding, they summoned a witch to make sure I wasn’t cursed.” Manny nodded behind me as he finished speaking. “Bill is returning.”

“Hi Chase,” Bill said. “I’m feeling better now, Jessie. Maybe we should head back to the museum before Merlin has a hissy fit.”

Chase got to his feet. “I need you to tell me the truth. Did you hire that woman today to sell more boots? No one would blame you. Does it tie into what happened to Isabelle?”

Bill laid a hand on his heart. “As God is my witness, I didn’t hire that woman. I think my elf magic may be affected by magic in the Village, making it stronger. I can feel it all around me. It might be out of control.”

“Why didn’t you mention your magic when we first met?” I asked.

“You learn to keep your mouth closed about such things.” He scuffed one of his beautiful boots in the grass. “Back home, people don’t believe in magic. I didn’t mention it until we got here and I realized that this was the right place for me—in more than one way. I’m sorry about Isabelle—and that woman at the museum today. I’ll go lighter on the magic.”

“About Isabelle,” Chase said. “Did you actually
see
her dance off the terrace?”

“No. She didn’t want me to put the slippers on her. I left them with her. It didn’t work out the way I’d planned. You were right about her, Jessie. Even my elf magic wasn’t enough.”

Chase didn’t mention the items they’d looked for in Bill’s room. He had to leave quickly to work with the new knights and jousters between events at the Field of Honor. He kissed me and whispered in my ear. “We’re good with this, right?”

“We’re good.” I smiled. “Go do your job.”

Manny was grinning as Chase left. “I’m so glad you two aren’t breaking up.”

“You and Chase are breaking up?” Bill asked.

I rolled my eyes. “Let’s get back to the museum. Everything else will be fine.”

We followed the cobblestones to Squire’s Lane. The three, large red brick houses near the Main Gate had sat empty for years before I’d proposed putting the Art and Craft Museum into one of them. The Antique Weapons Museum had come next. I hadn’t heard what was going into the third house. Maybe it would be a museum about magic since that seemed to be so popular.

Hundreds of residents, including Hephaestus who owned the Peasant’s Pub on the other side of the King’s Highway, passed us. I also said hello to Lady Cathy from the crochet shop. A large group of pirates was swaggering through the area for show, as they did several times a day. Rafe, the pirate king, was at the lead. His long black hair, gold teeth, and massive mustache made him quite a sight for the visitors.

There were so many people trying out for parts. A woman who looked like a pink poodle waved and smiled at me. Her hair was piled so high on her head that it reminded me of the woman Chase had been talking about yesterday.

Another man was clearly imitating Harry Houdini. He wore a plastic box filled with water over most of his body. I wouldn’t recommend him for a permanent role. Manny shuddered when he saw him.

Two people were dressed like large, sparkly fish. I thought they might do well at the Mermaid Lagoon near the entrance.

“Do any of these actors
actually
end up working here?” Manny asked.

“Sure. It’s how we fill the ranks after the end of summer turn over. They might not all keep their costumes. A few of them will be hired to replace characters we already had.”

We’d reached the museum. There was still a long line of visitors waiting to get inside.

“I guess we’ll be busy this afternoon,” Bill muttered as we started up the stairs.

“Just go a little lighter on the magic, huh?” I asked him. “That woman could’ve fallen down the stairs and been seriously injured today.”

Maybe he had elf magic. Maybe he didn’t. Whatever worked for him was good for the museum and the Village as long as no one got hurt.

“You don’t have to tell me!” Bill took his place at the table where he worked. He had orders he was already filling. He smoothed out a large piece of supple tan leather and then put the pattern that he used to cut a boot to size on top of the leather. People moved closer as he began cutting.

Everyone was talking about the excitement of that morning. I was surprised at how many visitors wanted their boots to run away with them. Maybe that was part of the magic.

Manny and I stood near the door making sure that people who were leaving went out on the right side so there was room for people to come in on the left side. The afternoon was too hot for the ceiling fans to make much difference. I could feel the hot, humid air pushing at me even though I was used to it.

I saw Detective Almond approaching before he saw me. I was worried that he’d come to take Bill away again for more questioning. I was ready to offer excuses as to why he should wait.

But he wasn’t there for Bill. He wiped his brow and panted as he reached the top of the stairs. “I know you worked in the castle for a while, Jessie. You must know about the secret passages. How about taking me on the grand tour?”

Chapter Nine

“Me? Why me?”

“Because my Bailiff seems to want to help my suspect.”

“I do too. I’d be just as likely to lead you down the wrong passage—maybe
more
likely.” I couldn’t believe he wanted me to take him through the castle.

His eyes narrowed. “Yeah. But you’re not prepared, are you? Let’s go.”

What could I say? I told Manny I was leaving for a while. Detective Almond and I walked out of the museum accompanied by two uniformed officers.

“So what about this elf magic thing?” he asked as we started toward the castle.

I knew then why he’d wanted me to show him the passages. He wanted to talk to me about Bill, probably hoping I’d say something to give him away that Chase hadn’t said. As I’d observed before, Detective Almond seemed slow and wasn’t exactly a snappy dresser, but he was sneaky when it came to solving his cases.

“I’m not sure. Bill didn’t mention his magic when we met him in Tennessee. Once we got here, everything was fine, until yesterday when Isabelle came for a pair of slippers. That’s when he first told me about the magic.”

We were passing the Mermaid Lagoon as the pirate ship Queen’s Revenge was sailing across Mirror Lake. Her billowing white sails were beautiful against the clear blue sky. I could hear the pirates shouting at each other across the water.

Detective Almond was only interested in the scantily clad mermaids who waved and blew kisses to him. “Hi there. You ladies have it made on a day like this, don’t you? The water is the place to be. And taking a few clothes off is a good idea.”

The girls flapped their shiny tails at him, and one of them started singing a suggestive song as she combed her long blond hair. It was only a wig and a fake tail, but it really attracted the male part of our visitor population in the summer.

He chuckled as he finally tore himself away from the mermaids. “What were you saying, Jessie?”

“Maybe I should put on a bikini top and a tail so you can hear me.”

“So I’m having a little fun in an otherwise boring place. Shoot me.”

“
Boring
?” We were far enough up the hill toward the castle to look down on the beautiful Village. “I don’t know how you can say that. This place is more full of life than anywhere I’ve ever been. You must be jaded from working here when the Village first opened.”

The tall policeman on my right snickered. “You used to work here, Detective? I thought you hated this place.”

“Mind your own business, Barkley,” Detective Almond snapped back. He lowered his tone as he grabbed my arm. “I’d rather not tell
everyone
that I was the first Bailiff here, if you don’t mind. I’d lose some respect with the way everyone feels about it.”