Wicked Brew Read Online Free PDF Page B

had worked out well so far. We were one of the most popular – and most frequent – stops for tourists when they came to town.
    Annie’s eyes were bright as she glanced around.
    “Go ahead,” I said. “You can’t break anything here. You can look around.”
    Annie still seemed unsure. “We just have some inventory to do,” I explained. “We have to put things out on the shelves, and Bay is coming by for lunch. Do you remember Bay?”
    Annie nodded.
    “She’s going to bring some sandwiches and potato chips,” I said.
    Annie seemed comfortable with the situation, and she promptly shuffled over to the tarot table in the corner and started flipping through the cards. Technically, reading tarot cards is a pre-cognitive gift. While we have hints of it in our family, no one is great at it. That doesn’t stop Clove from doing readings. Most people just want to hear good things about their future, and that’s a service Clove is always eager to deliver. She’s a people pleaser at heart.
    Clove arrived a few minutes later with a bag of cookies in her hand. “I figured you might want a treat later,” she said, smiling at Annie. She studied the girl for a second. “Do you want me to show you how to use those?”
    Annie glanced at me for permission.
    “Go ahead,” I said. “I’m going to be in the back for a few minutes, but I’ll still be here. Clove is fun.”
    Clove beamed.
    “And, if she’s not fun, just kick her in the shins until she starts entertaining you,” I added.
    Annie giggled.
    “You get more and more like Aunt Tillie every day,” Clove grumbled.
    “I’m taking that as a compliment,” I said.
    I left Annie with Clove, smiling to myself as she absorbed every quaint magical tidbit Clove bestowed upon her, and got to work. Two hours later, the backroom was organized and our new inventory was spread out on the shelves. Annie had taken to organizing like a pro, and we left her to her own devices. She seemed to have a gift for it, and when she was done, the shelves were all beautifully arranged.
    Bay arrived with lunch at noon on the dot, and we all settled on the couch and chairs at the center of the store for a break.
    “How are you doing?” Bay asked Annie.
    Annie smiled brightly in reply.
    “Did you have fun here with Clove and Thistle today?”
    Annie nodded.
    Annie took her sandwich and chips and returned to the tarot table, sitting in one of the chairs and thumbing through the book Clove had given her to explain how the cards worked as she munched on her sandwich. I didn’t think she could read – at least not at a level that the book required – but she seemed to be having fun pretending all the same.
    “What did you find out?” I asked Bay, keeping my voice low.
    “There’s not a lot so far,” Bay said. “I know that Belinda Martin got pregnant with Annie when she was eighteen. She was still in high school, but she graduated before Annie was born.
    “As far as I can tell, Belinda was a good mother,” Bay continued. “Annie was enrolled in school and she attended regularly. In fact, she rarely missed a day. She tested into special classes for reading and science, and never had any behavioral problems.”
    “How did you find that out?” Clove asked.
    “I called the school she was enrolled in,” Bay replied.
    “And they just told you that?”
    “I explained the situation here,” Bay said. “They seemed eager to help. They even got Annie’s teacher on the telephone. She said that Annie was bright and engaging. Everyone was surprised when Belinda yanked her out of school a few weeks ago. She didn’t give an explanation.”
    “And she can talk, right?” I asked.
    “Yes.” Bay glanced over her shoulder to make sure Annie wasn’t listening. “The teacher said Belinda dropped Annie off every morning and picked her up like clockwork every afternoon. While they didn’t have a lot of money, Annie was always dressed in decent clothes and she was always clean. Belinda also