The Girl with the Uninvited Ghost: Pandemonium Cozy Mystery #1

Chapter 16

The front of Tony's cozy bungalow led to an open floor plan that joined the kitchen to the living room. A tile counter wrapped around the kitchen, separating it from the living room. The vaulted ceiling met with a set of French doors that opened out onto the lush back garden. A hallway off the living room led to the rest of the house. Copious occult artifacts decorated the walls and bookshelves.

Mahogany gazed around the home. "This is your house"?

"It's my family's home. My father's side. My uncle passed away about a year ago, and I asked to be the caretaker." Tony walked to the kitchen. "Can I get you anything?"

Mahogany moved to a bookshelf near the front door and picked up a carved owl statue. The small figure, filled with magic, vibrated in her hand. How had she not been called to this house when Tony's uncle had died? Tony was a human, after all, and magical objects were supposed to be collected by the Guild after Folk crossed to the other side.

Tony reemerged from the kitchen with a bowl of chips and a glass container of guacamole. He motioned to the owl statue in Mahogany's hand. "That's Oleander. My uncle's familiar."

Mahogany turned the statue over in her hands. "I don't understand. How do you know about all of this? You're human. Aren't you?"

"I am, but I was raised in a semi-magical family. Mostly seers. My great-grandmother on my father's side traveled with a circus doing tarot readings." Tony headed into the living room and set the chips and guac on the coffee table.

"Bob, here kitty, kitty," Evelina sing-songed. She took a bag of treats from her purse and shook them. A large tabby cat trotted out from wherever he'd been napping and mowed loudly.

Evelina shook a few of the treats into her palm and offered them to Bob. The cat sniffed them for a long minute before daintily gobbling them up.

"I was born in San Francisco, and my uncle lived here. When he died, none of the other cousins wanted to relocate, so I offered," Tony said.

"So you know Evelina's a Fae, and I have a ghost?" Mahogany said, placing Oleander back on the bookshelf.

"Well, I didn't know for sure about her being a Fae, but thanks for solving that mystery." Tony's easy smile lifted his cheeks into the almond-shaped hazel eyes. "Wait, you have a ghost? That's so cool!" His eyes lit up.

"A cute, nerdy ghost," added Evelina with a wink only she could pull off. She stood and brushed her palms on her leggings, removing flecks of cat spit and treats.

Mahogany wished having a personal ghost was cool. "Who also happens to be one of the murder victims." She glared at the section of the wall Guy had disappeared through into what Mahogany guessed was a bedroom. "But I wouldn't call him cute or cool unless you like being followed around by someone who has no concept of privacy."

Realization donned on Tony's face. "So he's your insider tip. That's how you knew so much about the crime."

"Your father's side?" Evelina said, flopping onto the couch and helping herself to chips.

"My family helped settle Pandemonium. Then my great-great-grandfather fell in love with a human, and the family disowned him." Tony flopped onto the couch, scooped up a handful of chips, and started munching.

Mahogany was pleased that Tony had placed several feet between himself and Evelina. "It must be nice knowing so much about your family," Mahogany said. She wandered over to the mantel, which overflowed with framed family photos.

"It has its twists and turns. To know my ancestors hated their kid enough, they disowned him for loving someone. So that stinks. But it's not uncommon with magical Folk, or humans for that matter. The circumstances are just different. They don't want to see their family powers diminished." Tony shrugged. "At least I get to live in an incredible house, filled with magical objects, in a stunning and unbelievable town, and meet fantastic people." He smiled at Evelina and Mahogany, his gaze lingering on Mahogany long enough that heat flooded her cheeks.