"I'm confused," Mimi said.

Was this about the conversation I'd overheard between her and the Elder the other day? The conversation I believed to be about me? Ve's somber tone was the same. My heart started to race.

"Come with me," Ve said, herding us along.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"You'll see soon enough," she said evasively.

Mimi was staring at me. I shrugged.

Now that Ve had apparently made up her mind to get whatever this was over with, she walked like a woman on a mission.

We followed her like two ducklings behind their mama across the green. It was a beautiful night. Sunset wasn't for another half hour or so, and the sky was the most beautiful mix of blue and pink. I heard the call of the mourning dove mixed in with the chick-chicks of the cardinals and the shriek of the blue jays. We crossed the street near As You Wish, marched past Terry's, and up the pathway to the Tavistock house.

A breeze rustled the leaves of the big oak tree and the soffits groaned. "Why are we here?" I asked.

Ve pulled a set of keys from her pocket. "Because, Darcy, darling, it's time for you to have a home of your own. It's what your mom would have wanted. For you to be settled."

Tears suddenly filled my eyes as she placed the keys into the palm of my hand and curled my fingers around them. "I don't understand. Why? How? I'm settled."

Mimi looked between us, blinking owlishly.

Ve's voice was strained as she said, "Once upon a time, your mother started a business right here in the village. It became very successful, and she was very happy here until she met the most wonderful man, a man who swept her off her feet. She followed her heart, taking her away from the only home she ever knew, and she left the care of her precious company in my charge. When she died, as per the wishes in her will, As You Wish was placed into a trust to be held until its trustee deemed it time to turn it over to its rightful owner. The time has come to turn it over to you. Where it belongs. Where it's always belonged."

Admittedly, I had wanted information about my mother's past but this all felt . . . too much. I wasn't sure I was ready to hear all Ve had to say.

Tears spilled down my cheeks. "As You Wish is mine? What about Harper?"

Ve said, "Your mother died before she could change her will to include Harper, but I know you'll do what's right by her. You always have. This," she said, sweeping a hand toward the Tavistock house, "will be the new location for As You Wish. As your trustee, I signed papers Saturday morning. It's yours."

Mimi grabbed my hand, squeezed it tight.

Suddenly, Andreus not being worried about the new owner looking for the diamonds made perfect sense. Calliope had told him Ve bought the house. He'd probably done a happy dance.

And, oh! It also explained why Ve hadn't been worried about Dorothy suing her and taking As You Wish-it hadn't been Ve's to give.

"What about you?" I asked, feeling oddly panicked instead of happy. "You're As You Wish. Not me. I just work there. I can't do this alone."

She cupped my face. "Such lies. For the past year, your heart has been in that company more than mine. As it should be. It was always your mother's company. I was just its keeper until you were ready."

Looking at the house through my tears, I could hardly believe what was happening.

It was mine.

Home.

Ve smiled at me with such love that I nearly crumpled. "I was As You Wish. You are As You Wish."

I swiped tears from my face.

"Besides, we both know that I won't have the time to put into the business now that I've been elected. I've been half-assing my duties since I announced I was running." She glanced at Mimi. "Pardon my language. You've done an amazing job on your own, Darcy."

"I'm just . . ." I couldn't find the words.

"I know it's a lot to take in at once," Ve said. "And of course, it's going to take some time to get this place whipped into shape, so I don't mind if you want to stay with me for however long that takes. A month. Six months. Five years."

I let go of Mimi's hand and threw my arms around Ve, hugging her for all I was worth, squeezing my eyes shut and thanking my lucky stars for the family I had.

For my mom.

"Now, now, my dear," she said. "You're going to make my mascara run."

When I opened my eyes again, what I saw in front of me turned my joy into terror. I stiffened and pulled back, not sure what to do, not sure what to say.

"Can we go in?" Mimi asked.

"Absolutely!" Ve said, then looked at me. "Darcy? What's wrong?"

I motioned with my chin.

Ve turned and gasped.

Mimi cried, "Glinda!"

She lurched forward, and I grabbed her arm to stop her.

Finn Reardon stood in the shadows of the oak tree, holding a gun to Glinda's temple.

Something wicked.

He looked like living on the lam hadn't been easy. His clothes were torn, his skin scratched, and he was covered in a layer of dirt. His hair was matted and flat.

"Yes, let's go inside," he said. "I have some searching to do and you all can help. I can't collect a reward now, but the diamonds will be easy enough to sell on the black market."

"Let her go!" Mimi shouted.

"Pipe down! And not a chance," he said. "I found her snooping around here fair and square. Followed you three right on over."

I tried not to look at Glinda. I wanted to lecture her about karma, but would save it for later.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the rock and mineral fair was winding down for the night but was still fairly crowded. Lots of people were walking right past this pathway. Unfortunately, no one seemed to notice us at all.

But that might have been because Finn and his gun were hidden behind the tree. No one knew the danger we were in.

Mimi started crying, and Ve wrapped her arms around her.

Her tears nearly did me in, and I didn't know what to do.

Then I looked up and saw a splotch of red.

Archie's tail.

And a swish of white-Terry's curtain.

I prayed he wasn't so mad at Ve that he wouldn't call the police.

I had to stall.

I could stall.

I could stall like no one's business.

"Come on, come on!" he said. "I don't have all day. The cops are crawling all over this place."

Hopefully literally.

"There's no point in going in," I said. Under my breath, I whispered to Ve, "Pretend to have a heart attack."

"Why not?" Finn demanded.

I shrugged. "The diamonds aren't in there."

"How do you know that?" he demanded.

"Andreus found them already." I shrugged. "Two days ago."

Ve moaned, grabbed her left arm, and sank dramatically to the ground. "Can't . . . breathe."

Archie would be so very proud of her.

I dropped to my knees next to her. "Ve!"

Mimi started crying louder-this time fake wails.

Finn stepped forward, dragging Glinda with him. "Make her get up!"

"Uhhhhhn!" Ve groaned, writhing.

"Bravo," I said under my breath. I looked at Finn. "I can't! I think she's having a heart attack."

"Dammit!" Finn hit Glinda in the back of the head with the gun, and she slumped to the ground.

Mimi let out a gasp and once again started toward her. I grabbed her hand, making her stay put. "She'll be okay."

Finn slowly came forward, keeping his gun trained on me. "Where did Andreus find them?" he asked, clearly having his doubts about my story.

If Finn could get close enough, I could use a little blammo on him. I could definitely knock him off balance. Maybe break his nose, too. It was a big enough target. I silently urged him to keep on coming.

"The mantelpiece was hollow," I lied, thinking fast. "It's been all over the news," I added, hoping he hadn't been near a TV while on the run.

"The mantel?" he said, shaking his head. "The mantel. Damn."

"Stay down," I whispered to Ve and Mimi as I stood up. I wiped my damp palms on my jeans and tried to calm down a bit. My pulse throbbed in my ears. Just a little closer . . . "There's nothing left for you here, Finn. If you leave now, you can be out of state in an hour."

Storminess clouded his eyes and I could practically see the war being waged.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," he said, his voice breaking. "Calliope . . . Tell her I'm sorry." He raised the gun to his temple.

"No!" I cried.

"'Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents,'" Archie intoned, his deep voice booming as he dive-bombed out of the sky, knocking the gun out of Finn's hand.

Startled, Finn flapped his hands to keep Archie away from his face, which was why he didn't see Vince's car coming.

I barely had time to shout "Look out!" before it jumped the curb, plowed over the fence, and ran right over Finn.

Chapter Thirty-one.

Three days later, it was a cloudy Saturday afternoon as I stood in my yard, taking pictures of the damage left behind by the crash. Owning a house meant dealing with insurance adjusters.

My yard.

It had a nice ring to it, but I didn't know yet if I was going to live here or just use it as a place of business. The decision didn't have to be made right away. Renovations would take months.

Those months would offer plenty of time for Nick and me to decide if we were ready to take the next step. . . .

Looking around, I surveyed the yard and thought about how much had happened in the past few days.

Raina had been buried yesterday morning, her funeral attended by many, and gossip quickly circulated that Noelle Quinlan had dumped Kent. She was partnering with Calliope instead, whom the village had rallied around in the wake of Finn's arrest for the murder of Raina Gallagher.

Finn had a broken leg, ruptured spleen, and a concussion. Currently in the hospital, he'd be transferred to jail as soon as he was well enough. I imagined he'd be placed on suicide watch.

I'd seen Calliope only once since Finn had been run over, when I bumped into her at the hospital while visiting Glinda.

She'd had that hollow look in her eyes, and it made my heart ache for her.

Nosy Terry had seen the whole incident happen from his window, called the police, and sent Archie out to help. I owed him.

Looking at his upstairs window, I caught a flash of a face as a curtain swished closed. I smiled.