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“How did you get those?” Magnolia hissed, clutching her soda so tightly to her chest condensation dribbled onto her dress.  “They were in the book?”

“But it’s not a used bookstore.”  Cici scratched her wild curls before glancing at Magnolia for confirmation.  “Right?”

“Of course!”  The drops across her dress had bloomed.  “The only way was if someone bought it and returned it…but we always check those.  My aunt is seriously obsessed with checking, because once she found a $100 bill in a Nora Roberts.”

“I wish I could find a $100 bill in a Nora Roberts book,” Cici grumbled, propping her elbows on the counter.  “That would pay for three pairs of shoes and my sanity.”

Bridget shrugged.  “I don’t know or care how the keys got in the book,” she announced, swinging the keys on one finger.  “All I know is that it’s a sign.”

“A sign of what?”  Magnolia picked up her sandwich, contemplating taking a bite.  All this mystery had ruined her appetite.  Some things, like magic, shouldn’t be discussed.  They should only be whispered in dark corners or at night right before bed at a slumber party.

“A sign that we’re supposed to investigate her!” Bridget exclaimed.  “So how about it?  Will you meet me at the shop tonight?”

Magnolia looked at Cici, who shrugged.  “I can get the neighbor to come over and sit with the kids.  It’s not like I sleep anyway.”

“And you’re in college, so I know you don’t go to bed at 10 p.m.,” Bridget interrupted before Magnolia could speak.

“I might,” Magnolia muttered, shoving her untouched sandwich back in her bag.  “Besides, I don’t like the idea of spying on her.”

“We’re not spying, we’re investigating,” Bridget reminded her.  “And it’s her fault for not telling us what the shop is or even what her name is.  She should know I’m a curious person.  And curious people who are ignored do crazy things to find out what they want to know.”  The keys twirled around her pinkie.  “And finding this little gem is all the proof I need that we’re supposed to go there.  Meant to go there.”  She beamed.  “10 p.m.?”

“Sure.”  Cici sniffed the air.  “Do you smell burning?  Oh God!”  She rushed back through the kitchen doors, an anguished cry escaping through the crack in the door.

“Fine.”  Magnolia sighed, tossing her untouched lunch in the trash.  “I’ve got to get back to work.”

Bridget grinned, the cheshire cat of curiosity.  “I’ll be waiting.”

***

And true to her word, she was.  Bouncing about the floral shop, she rushed toward Magnolia and Cici as they crept in.  “Good!  You’re here!”

“We said we would be,” Magnolia muttered, crossing her arms.

“Oh, don’t be worried.”  Bridget’s eyes glittered in the shadows as she handed them flashlights.  “This is going to be fun.”

“For you.”  Magnolia sighed and shoved the light in the belt of her dress, letting it dangle against her hip.  “Let’s get this over with.”

“I’m ready when you are.”  With the book tucked under her arm, Bridget’s auburn hair glowed under the streetlights as she scurried onto the sidewalk, barely pausing to lock up her shop.  “We’re going to be just like Nancy Drew.”

“Are we George and Bess?”  Cici grinned tolerantly, her flashlight bobbing around the dark street.

“I don’t want to be Bess.  She was the plump one,” Magnolia whined, smoothing her dress over her ample hips.

“No, she wasn’t.  Now shut up.  What we’re going to do is sneak across the street and go in through the construction entrance in the back.  They never lock it.  I’ve watched.”

“Of course you have,” Magnolia muttered, wincing as Cici’s elbow dug into her side.  Ignoring them, Bridget bolted across the street, vanishing in the shadows.  The other two leisurely strolled, carefully stepping around various boards and bricks littering the grounds.

“These construction types aren’t very neat,” Cici whispered, nearly tripping over a discarded panel of drywall.  “Remind me about that if I ever remodel.”

A door swung open, a glowing golden face leering at them.  “Come on, you two!  Hurry up!”

“Nancy Drew was never this impatient,” Cici chided as she gingerly stepped up the construction steps, her shoes clanking against the bare pine wood.

“Nancy Drew didn’t have the city council to worry about,” Bridget whispered back.  “Come on!”

Biting back a second sigh, Magnolia followed her friends through the door.  With every step, the knot in her stomach grew tighter and tighter.  “Guys, let’s just go.  There’s no reason…”

“LOOK!”  Bridget bounded forward, her shout echoing across the empty building.  She shone her light on a piece of paper, smug in the shadows.  “We’ve already got a clue, ladies–her name.”

“Which is…”  Cici nearly tumbled over a table saw, muttering curse words under her breath.

Magnolia squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the childish impulse to cover her ears. If the woman had a name like Jennifer or Jessica, it would be ruined.  It would all be ruined.

“Amarilla Siria.”  Bridget wrinkled her nose.  “A weird name.”

“A magical name.”  Magnolia smiled.

Bridget picked up her flashlight, swinging it around the room.  “Now if we could only find some papers or something to say what this permit is for…”

“I’ll check the office,” Cici offered.

“I’m staying here,” Magnolia said flatly.

“And I’ll check the other rooms,” Bridget replied.  “Between us, we should find something.”

“You should,” a lyrical voice mummured, rising and falling like a flute’s song in the quiet shadows.  “But why not just ask me instead?”

With a gasp, Bridget swung back, swinging her light up.  “You–you–”

The woman smiled, resplendent in a long jade gown fluttering around her thin frame like silk wings.  “Amarilla Siria.  But you already knew that.”  She cocked her head, her eyes sparkling in the yellowed glow of the flashlight.  “What do you want to know?”

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  We have an Easter re-cap tomorrow and more fun on the way!

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