Read Online Spells A La Carte (Mystic Cafe Series Book 3) by Rose Pressey - Free Book Online Page B

know what else to say other than I know that he was not involved. Why would he be friends with someone who acted that way?” I stared at Tom.
    Finally, he looked at me. “I guess he wouldn’t be. What did that man say? Why was he acting that way?”
    “He came in to eat at the last minute, but he was rude from the start.”
    “I thought maybe you’d encountered him before,” Tom said.
    I shook my head. “I’ve never seen him before.”
    “Just keep your eye out for him again.”
    “I’ll be watching over my shoulder everywhere now,” I said. 
    Tom held the door open for me. “Let’s go back inside.”
    The darkness was a little unsettling even though there were street lights around. After the encounter with the man, it just felt as if someone was watching us. We stepped back inside the café. Grandma Imelda had been by the window watching, but she was now picking up pieces of broken chair.
    “Grandma, don’t do that. I’ll clean it up.”
    She picked up a leg of a chair. “It gives me something to do, dear. You know I’ve never been one to just sit around.”
    I glanced at Tom. “What have you found out about Reagan?”
    He shook his head. “I’m working on it.”
    I stared at him. “Why do I feel you’re keeping secrets from me?”
    He leaned against the back of the booth. “I don’t know. Why would I keep secrets?”
    “Maybe there is more going on around here than you want me to know about,” I said.
    “Because I am trying to protect you?” he asked.
    I pointed at him. “Exactly. Is that what it is? You need to be honest with me.”
    Tom stared at the wall for a moment and I knew that I was on to something.
    “You know that I’m going to find out anyway. So you might as well go ahead and tell me now,” I said.
    He didn’t answer for a moment and then he finally looked at me. “The Organization has no record of her.”
    “What do you mean? There’s no record of Reagan?” I asked.
    He nodded. “That’s what I’m saying. She’s not part of the Organization.”
    “Then why was she here to give me an award?” I asked.
    “That’s what I’m trying to find out,” he said.
    Now I knew why he hadn’t told me sooner. This was unsettling. I was completely confused.
    I was suspicious of Meredith too. Especially after seeing the books and then having her act as if she had no idea what I was talking about. “What about Meredith?” I asked.
    Tom sighed and then said, “There are no records of her either.”
    I pulled out a chair and sat down. “I can’t believe this was happening. What are they trying to do?” I asked.
    Tom sat on the chair beside me. He wrapped his hands around mine and looked me right in the eyes. “We don’t know that they are connected. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
    “What are the odds that two women who are connected in some way to magic, yet the Organization doesn’t know them, aren’t involved in this together? What game are they trying to play?”
    My thoughts were going a million miles an hour. I suddenly had an idea. I looked at Tom.
    “I don’t like the look in your eyes,” he said.
    Maybe this was a crazy idea. Okay, I knew that it was crazy and there was probably no way Tom would agree to it, but I had to ask anyway. I took in a deep breath and released it.
    “Let’s sneak in Meredith’s shop. I’ll show you that the books are really there,” I said.
    Tom chuckled. Obviously he didn’t think I was being serious.
    When I didn’t laugh back he said, “We can’t do that.”
    “Why not?” I asked.
    “That is against the code of the Organization that I vowed to uphold when I became an investigator.”
    Hmm. “Well, I’m not an investigator, so that doesn’t mean that I can’t do it.”
    “I can’t let you do that,” he said.
    Why did Tom have to be so by the book? It wasn’t like I wanted to take anything.
    I sighed and leaned back in the chair. Tom was still holding my hands, by the way. Not that I was complaining.
    “Okay,