exactly the behavior of someone who was trustworthy. But I'd gotten used to coming and going as I pleased. Mom had trusted me. Why couldn't Dad?
He was waiting at the door. He shook hands with the chief and then ushered me inside. There was no sign of my mom or Rose or Poppy.
"Where is everyone else?" I asked.
"Your mother is in bed," he replied. "And your sisters are out."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Your mother doesn't know you were gone," my dad said. "I didn't want to worry her."
I didn't want to break it to him that I'd been out much later, and in far more dangerous circumstances. Somehow, I didn't think he'd take any comfort in that fact.
Instead of talking to him like a mature high school senior, I gave him the silent treatment and retreated to my bedroom. I punched my pillow as I tried to figure out how to get through to my father, but the pillow wouldn't talk and I was out of ideas.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
My alarm went off way too early the next morning. I rolled over and groaned. Early shift at Slim's and I was going to be late if I didn't move it. I grabbed a quick shower and dressed in some relatively clean work clothes before I dashed out the door.
When I got there, however, it was absolute chaos, so nobody even noticed I was a little late.
Flo had her hands full of frozen steaks, and although my boss wasn't exactly visible, I could see the freezer door opening and closing. There were pools of water everywhere.
"What happened?" I said.
"Freezer died," she said. She set down the steaks. "Slim's having a fire sale."
"Huh?"
She shrugged. "We were barely keeping our heads above water before this. Commercial freezers are really expensive. Slim's ready to close."
"He can't do that!" I protested.
The freezer door slammed. "I don't have any choice, Daisy," Slim said. He didn't sound like himself.
"Slim, maybe it can be fixed—"
"Daisy, someone broke in and did this deliberately," he said.
I noticed something else. "Where's the jukebox?" I said.
"What?"
"Where is the jukebox?" I said, panicked. "You didn't sell her, did you?"
"Of course not," he replied.
Flo said, "I put Lil in the office after closing last night."
"Why would you do that?"
"After Circe Silvertongue came by the other day, I started locking Lil in the office after closing."
"A lock isn't going to stop a sorceress," Slim said.
I gaped at him. "She's a sorceress? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"I thought you knew," he said. "I've heard people talking about her at the restaurant. She's pretty powerful. I'm not sure what we can do to stop her."
"A lock warded by a witch should do the trick," Flo said triumphantly. "I knew she was up to no good, so I had Natalie put a ward on the office."
Slim surveyed the freezer ruefully. "I wish you'd had her ward the entire place," he said.
"I will now," Flo promised.
"Do you think Circe used magic to ruin your freezer?" I asked.
"Probably," Flo said.
"Then could Natalie use magic to reverse the damage?"
Slim picked up the phone and started dialing. "Daisy, you're a genius."
An hour later, the freezer was running again and Slim had calmed down enough to decide that he wasn't going to close Slim's, at least not yet.
I wanted to blame it all on Circe, but part of me wondered if there was anyone else in town who had something against Slim.
After the freezer was up and running, Natalie warded the entire building. I watched her do it and marveled at how quickly her power had grown since she was out from under her grandmother's thumb.
Afterward, I helped Flo move the jukebox into her usual spot. Flo hadn't even plugged the machine in before Lil let forth a stream of songs.
I recognized "Blackmail" by the Runaways, "Help, I'm Alive" by Metric, and "Blackhearted Love" by PJ Harvey.
"What's wrong with her?" Flo said.
The jukebox was definitely agitated. The last song cut off and there was silence. Then she repeated the sequence one more time before finally going mum.
"She's trying to tell us something," I
He was waiting at the door. He shook hands with the chief and then ushered me inside. There was no sign of my mom or Rose or Poppy.
"Where is everyone else?" I asked.
"Your mother is in bed," he replied. "And your sisters are out."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Your mother doesn't know you were gone," my dad said. "I didn't want to worry her."
I didn't want to break it to him that I'd been out much later, and in far more dangerous circumstances. Somehow, I didn't think he'd take any comfort in that fact.
Instead of talking to him like a mature high school senior, I gave him the silent treatment and retreated to my bedroom. I punched my pillow as I tried to figure out how to get through to my father, but the pillow wouldn't talk and I was out of ideas.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
My alarm went off way too early the next morning. I rolled over and groaned. Early shift at Slim's and I was going to be late if I didn't move it. I grabbed a quick shower and dressed in some relatively clean work clothes before I dashed out the door.
When I got there, however, it was absolute chaos, so nobody even noticed I was a little late.
Flo had her hands full of frozen steaks, and although my boss wasn't exactly visible, I could see the freezer door opening and closing. There were pools of water everywhere.
"What happened?" I said.
"Freezer died," she said. She set down the steaks. "Slim's having a fire sale."
"Huh?"
She shrugged. "We were barely keeping our heads above water before this. Commercial freezers are really expensive. Slim's ready to close."
"He can't do that!" I protested.
The freezer door slammed. "I don't have any choice, Daisy," Slim said. He didn't sound like himself.
"Slim, maybe it can be fixed—"
"Daisy, someone broke in and did this deliberately," he said.
I noticed something else. "Where's the jukebox?" I said.
"What?"
"Where is the jukebox?" I said, panicked. "You didn't sell her, did you?"
"Of course not," he replied.
Flo said, "I put Lil in the office after closing last night."
"Why would you do that?"
"After Circe Silvertongue came by the other day, I started locking Lil in the office after closing."
"A lock isn't going to stop a sorceress," Slim said.
I gaped at him. "She's a sorceress? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"I thought you knew," he said. "I've heard people talking about her at the restaurant. She's pretty powerful. I'm not sure what we can do to stop her."
"A lock warded by a witch should do the trick," Flo said triumphantly. "I knew she was up to no good, so I had Natalie put a ward on the office."
Slim surveyed the freezer ruefully. "I wish you'd had her ward the entire place," he said.
"I will now," Flo promised.
"Do you think Circe used magic to ruin your freezer?" I asked.
"Probably," Flo said.
"Then could Natalie use magic to reverse the damage?"
Slim picked up the phone and started dialing. "Daisy, you're a genius."
An hour later, the freezer was running again and Slim had calmed down enough to decide that he wasn't going to close Slim's, at least not yet.
I wanted to blame it all on Circe, but part of me wondered if there was anyone else in town who had something against Slim.
After the freezer was up and running, Natalie warded the entire building. I watched her do it and marveled at how quickly her power had grown since she was out from under her grandmother's thumb.
Afterward, I helped Flo move the jukebox into her usual spot. Flo hadn't even plugged the machine in before Lil let forth a stream of songs.
I recognized "Blackmail" by the Runaways, "Help, I'm Alive" by Metric, and "Blackhearted Love" by PJ Harvey.
"What's wrong with her?" Flo said.
The jukebox was definitely agitated. The last song cut off and there was silence. Then she repeated the sequence one more time before finally going mum.
"She's trying to tell us something," I
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