The Fairy-Tale Matchmaker (12 page)

She wasn't looking forward to talking to the goblin officer again, but she didn't see how the FLEA could ignore the continued vandalism. While waiting for him to show up, she changed her clothes and collected a bucket, soap, and a sponge. When she went back outside, Johnny Blue was trudging up the walk, wearing the same dark green uniform that Officer Deeds had worn.

“Cory, are you all right? You sent a message about vandalism,” said Johnny.

Cory nodded. “It's right here,” she said, pointing at the door. “I didn't know you were an officer for the Fey Law Enforcement Agency.”

“Officer-in-training,” said Johnny Blue. “I'll finish my training in six months. I hope to become a CI—Culprit Interrogator—next year. In the meantime, they send me out on the jobs that they think aren't worth their time. Sorry, I didn't mean that this—”

“No, I'm sure you're right,” Cory said. “Officer Deeds made it plain enough that he felt that way when he was here.”

Johnny nodded. “He can be a little gruff. So, why don't you tell me what happened.”

“This time or last time?” asked Cory.

“Both,” Johnny said.

“Last time, someone threw a tooth through the window. It was a plaster tooth. I can show it to you if you want. I kept it in case Officer Deeds wanted to see it again. Then today I came home and found the door splattered with mud and, well, you can see for yourself,” Cory said, gesturing to the door. “Whoever did it got the mud from there.” She pointed at the muddy holes where the roses had been.

Johnny nodded and bent down to examine the holes. He wrote something on a leaf, then stood and climbed the steps, stopping to study the paw prints on the way. When he reached the top, he noted the mud on the door and wrote on the leaf for a while.

“You mentioned a threatening note?” he said when he'd finished.

Cory handed him the leaf and watched his face as he read it. He looked grim and far more interested than Officer Deeds had looked.

“May I see that tooth now?” asked Johnny.

Cory led him inside and left him in the main room while she retrieved the tooth from the cupboard. When she handed the tooth to Johnny, he turned it over to study the writing on the back.

“I'm no expert, but I have had a few classes in analyzing handwriting. It looks to me as if the writing on the tooth and the writing on the leaf were done by the same person. He mentions tooth fairies and the guild. Any idea why?”

“I quit the Tooth Fairy Guild a few days ago. They've been trying to make me rejoin, but I've refused. I'm surprised Walker didn't tell you about it,” she said, unable to keep a trace of bitterness from her voice.

“I haven't spoken with Walker since the night I saw you on your tooth-fairy run,” said Johnny.

“I quit that morning after I got home. I hated the job and I'm never going back. The TFG doesn't seem to understand that.”

“And they've been trying to force you back by vandalizing your home?”

“Among other things. I helped a woman named Suzy inventory her merchandise in her store at the beach. Two of the days I worked there, something happened. Yesterday crabs swarmed her house. Today it was seagulls. Suzy said that she'd never seen anything like it. I didn't mention it to her, but I think it was the TFG. Why else would they show up when I did?”

“And Suzy can verify the crabs and gulls?”

Cory nodded. “She filled a tub with crabs. She told me about all the different ways she was going to cook them.”

Johnny jotted something else on his leaf. “You're traveling quite a way if you're working for someone at the beach. Why did you go there?”

“A job is a job. Since I left the TFG, I've been trying to find what I really want to do, so I go where the jobs take me.”

“And what is it you really want to do?” asked Johnny.

“Help people,” she said. “The jobs I take might not be much, but I am helping people.”

“That's very admirable, but you should be careful not to put yourself at risk. Flying to the beach and back is
a long and potentially dangerous trip, especially when someone is out to harass you.”

“I was fine,” said Cory.

“This time,” said Johnny. “But harassment like this tends to only get worse. Please stay closer to home, Cory. It's the only way the FLEA can help you if you need us.”

“The FLEA hasn't done much to help me so far,” Cory told him.

“I wasn't on the case before,” said Johnny. “If anything else happens, contact me directly.”

He took a fresh leaf from his pocket and wrote his name and number on it, handing it to Cory. The look he gave her was still grim, but somehow it made Cory feel better.

After Johnny Blue left, Cory took Noodles with her when she went back outside. The woodchuck followed her around while she replanted the roses and used the garden hose to rinse the mud off the door, the porch, and the walkway.

“Why would someone bring their dog with them to do something like this?” she asked him as she watched the muddy paw prints dissolve. “I would never take you with me if I was slinging mud around.” When she glanced at her pet, his fur was caked with mud. There were flat places in the mud under the rose bushes where he had
rolled. “Noodles! Sometimes I really do wonder why I keep you!”

Cory grumbled at Noodles the whole time she was giving him a bath and drying him off with an old towel. She had just taken him back inside when she heard the
ping!
of an arriving message.

“As soon as I can is right now,” Cory said, tucking the message in her pocket.

Taking a leaf from the stack on the table, Cory wrote a note to her uncle saying that she was back from house-sitting, and had gone to meet Jack Horner at Perfect Pastry. Noodles refused to go into Cory's room, so she dragged him in and slammed the door before he could escape. “I'll probably have to pay for that later,” she muttered as she stepped onto the porch and locked the door behind her.

Cory knew where Cozy Comfort Lane was, but she wasn't sure about Last Call Alley. She found the café
easily enough, though, because of the picture of a giant basket of pastries above the front door. perfect pastry was written below in plump gold letters. It looked like a nice little restaurant, but the smell of baked goods wafting from the building alone would have been enough to draw her in.

A young man wearing a white shirt with a halo-crowned éclair embroidered on the pocket approached her as soon as she crossed the threshold. Cory noticed that he was wearing a name tag that bore JOSEF in big, bold letters. “Good afternoon, miss. How many in your party today?” he asked.

“Actually, I'm looking for Jack Horner,” said Cory.

“Ah,” the young man said. “He's seated at the last table.”

Cory glanced toward the back of the room. Most of the tables had two or three people seated at them, but a single man was writing something in a notebook at the last table. After thanking Josef, Cory headed to the back of the room. When she looked around, she noticed the pastry displays behind the counter, the pastries listed on the wall menu, and paintings of pastries decorating the walls.

“May I help you?” Jack Horner asked when Cory paused near his table.

“I'm Cory Feathering. You sent me a message today.”

“You were quick!” Jack said, his eyes lighting up. “I'm glad. Please sit down. Would you like something to eat or drink?”

Cory pulled out the chair across from him. “No, thank you,” she said. “You mentioned my band in your note.”

“I did,” Jack said, nodding. “I've heard only good things about Zephyr. You were quite a hit the other night at Sprats'.”

“We were lucky enough to play songs that the audience liked,” said Cory.

Jack smiled and leaned back in his chair. Steepling his fingers together, he gazed over his fingertips at Cory. “An audience that included a group of ogres. Not an easy audience to please.”

“As I said, we were lucky.”

“An old friend of mine said that it was more than that. He said that you are very talented, but just don't know it yet.”

“You mean my band is very talented, right?” asked Cory.

“Yes, I'm sure that's what he meant.”

“If you're really interested in booking us, you'll have to contact Olot. He handles all of that.”

“I will,” said Jack.

“Your restaurant isn't very big,” said Cory. “Where would the band set up?”

“Oh, you wouldn't be playing here. I have another restaurant—the Shady Nook. It has more than enough room for your band.”

Cory had heard of the Shady Nook. It was popular among human and fairy kind, but was supposed to be hard to get into, regardless of whether you were a customer wanting to eat or a band wanting to play. Whoever had recommended Zephyr to Jack Horner had done them a real favor. She was about to ask for the name of Jack Horner's friend when the young man who had greeted her at the door came to the back of the room and murmured something to Jack.

“You'll have to excuse me,” he said as he got to his feet. “I'm needed in the kitchen. We're having a small pastry emergency.”

As Jack slipped through a door into the kitchen, Cory turned to Josef. “I'd like to buy some pastries to go. How are your cream puffs?”

Cory was pleased. Not only was her band doing well and about to get a very desirable engagement, but she had a bag of her uncle's favorite pastries. True, carrying the pastries meant that she couldn't fly, but she could take the pedal-bus and be home almost as soon.

Cory was looking forward to rehearsal that night, when she would tell everyone about her meeting with
Jack Horner. She was thinking about what fun it would be to give them such good news, when suddenly her vision grew fuzzy. She could
see
a woman who might be her friend Marjorie with a slightly taller man with light-colored hair. The vision was too blurry to see features, but Cory thought it might be Jack Horner. It lasted just a moment before the image blurred even more and faded away. Cory could get them together and see if she was right, although maybe she wouldn't mention the vision.

When Cory walked into her uncle's house and handed him the cream puffs, he was delighted. He was even more delighted when she told him about her meeting with Jack Horner.

“It sounds as if your band is finally getting noticed. First Sprats', now the Shady Nook. Who knows, maybe someday you'll be invited to the palace.”

“Maybe, but which one? Some kingdoms are better than others.”

While her uncle nibbled a cream puff, Cory went to her room to change her clothes. Everything looked fine at first, but then she glanced at the floor under the window and groaned. Noodles had chewed up three pairs of shoes. Now her only wearable shoes were the ones on her feet.

“Oh, Noodles, what am I going to do with you?” she asked as she picked up the pieces.

A soft groan came from under the bed and two misery-filled eyes peered out at her.

“You don't feel well, do you?” she said, hauling him out. He was a large woodchuck and heavy to move, especially when he was limp.

Cory scratched Noodles behind his ears. “I guess I'm not taking you with me tonight. I'll ask Uncle Micah to keep an eye on you. I don't think he'll mind too much. For some reason, he actually seems to like you.”

By the time she got Noodles settled on his bed with some peppermint to soothe his stomach and his favorite toy to snuggle, she didn't have much time left to talk to her uncle and grab a bite to eat. After Micah reassured her that he would keep an eye on Noodles, Cory headed for Olot's cave. She was flying over the neighbors' house when movement in their garden made her look down. A large dog was hiding in their shrubs, looking toward her uncle's house. Cory wondered if she should go back to tell her uncle, but then the dog turned and ran off, disappearing into the woods down the street.

That's odd
, she thought as she resumed her flight to Olot's cave, but forgot all about it when a passing fairy asked her for directions.

When Cory arrived at the cave, Chancy was laughing as she opened the door. “What's up?” Cory asked,
peering down the hall where she could hear more laughter.

“We have a guest who wants to try out for our band,” said Chancy. “He's been telling us the funniest stories.”

“I didn't know we were looking for a new band member,” said Cory.

“We weren't, but Olot says we should listen to him. If he's any good we can include one more.”

As they walked down the hall, Cory tried to see the newcomer, but her friends were clustered around him, blocking her view. “What's his name?” Cory asked. The group shifted and she saw him, recognizing him right away. It was the elf who used to work for Santa. Her friends were looking at him as if he was some sort of celebrity.

“His name is Perky,” said Chancy. “Come meet him. I think you'll like him, too.”

Perky was talking as they entered the room. “Mrs. Claus gave him a very nice set of revised road maps, and he gave her ice-fishing gear. And guess what she gave him for Christmas the next year? A secondhand, never-used set of ice-fishing gear!”

Everyone laughed. When they had quieted down, Cheeble said, “Does Santa hate reporters? I've seen a lot of pictures of him looking angry at them lately.”

“He was fine with them until a few years ago when
one asked what his favorite dessert was and he said chocolate mousse,” Perky replied. “The reporter misspelled it, calling it chocolate moose. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Forest Creatures got mad at Santa and he got mad at the reporter. That was the last interview he gave. Now he tries to avoid reporters, and the elves try to help him.”