I nodded.
He cursed under his breath. “There’s only so much I can do to protect you. You’re already a suspect as it is—you know how bad this looks, right?”
“I know. But Brent, please believe me when I tell you that I had nothing to do with her murder. She confessed she’d been buying Possess, first from Mr. Kaufman, and then from someone else. She was speaking to the dealer on the phone when I entered the tent, and she made plans to meet him tonight in her tent. It must have been him who killed her. We have to find who sold her the drugs.”
“We? Olive, don’t you understand? There’s no we anymore. Officer Gardener is on his way here now to arrest you.”
“Now?”
“Yes!”
“What can I do?”
“First—and listen to me very carefully—tell them nothing. You are under no obligation to say anything. Admit to nothing, and ask for a lawyer as soon as you get the chance. That should buy you some time, at least.”
My heart thudded in my chest. I’d never been arrested in my life. I wasn’t prepared for this. Worse, once they arrested me, I could be of no help finding the missing starstone—and the real murderer would continue to walk around, free to do as he pleased. This really wasn’t going how I wanted.
“Isn’t there anything else I can do?” I asked. “If I explained what happened… ”
“No! You’re not listening to me. Don’t try to explain anything right now. You’ll only make it worse.”
I rested my head in my hands. Was this what the killer had intended all along? Had he purposely been trying to frame me so I would go to jail? If so, for what reason? Why did he need me in jail? Why didn’t he just kill me if that’s what he wanted?
Nothing made sense, and now I felt hopeless to find any answers. If only I could contact someone to help me.
“What about Kull?” I asked. “What will they do with him?”
“Detain him for questioning, most likely.”
Great. I could just imagine someone trying to detain him. Like fighting an angry elephant with squirt guns. I hoped he would be smart and not fight, but with his vacillating temper, I couldn’t be sure what he would do. If he fought, it would only make us both look guilty.
“I can’t believe this is happening. We were so close to finding who was responsible. This ruins everything. Isn’t there any way to stall them?”
“I’ve done everything I can.”
Red and blue lights flashed outside the window. A moment later, someone pounded on the door. Before I answered, I turned to Brent, knowing I only had a few seconds of freedom left.
“Brent,” I said, “the killer wants me—for what reason, I’m not sure. I know you’ve never believed in Faythander, but if you don’t believe me, you’ll never be able to stop the murderer. Years ago, he stole a magical stone from the unicorns in Faythander. Now, he’s trying to do the same thing with the fairy stone, except this time, he got trapped in our world. He’s using it to create a portal back to a place called the undiscovered land.”
“Olive—”
“Brent, listen to me!” I cut him off as the pounding on the door started again. “He has to be stopped. The stone absorbs negative energy. That may be why he has been committing the murders—he needs dark energy to power the stone to create a portal. He may have also engineered Possess as another way of creating dark energy. You have to find the source. Find who is making the drug, and you’ll find the killer.
“Also, please take care of my cat while I’m gone. That’s it. I’m finished.”
I reached for the doorknob, but he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
Brent leaned close, whispering, “It’s not true that I’ve never believed in Fairy World. I’m more aware of it than you think. Jail may be the safest place for you right now.”
I stared at him, confused, when he unbolted the door and it was flung open from the outside. Officer Gardener stomped into the trailer without being invited. I was pretty sure he was breaking protocol by doing such a thing, but I kept my mouth shut.
“Has Officer Sanchez informed you of the reason we’re here?”
“Yes,” I answered.
He nodded, then instructed me to put my hands behind my back, cuffed me, read me my rights, and led me outside and into the backseat of his car. Brent looked on helplessly as Officer Gardener sat in the driver’s seat and drove away.
My throat constricted as we left the fairgrounds. Not that I’d ever been safe in my trailer, but it had felt like a place where I could take refuge. Now, would I really be safer in jail as Brent had suggested?
Brent must have known more than what he was telling me. For him to admit his belief in Fairy World meant he must’ve seen something he couldn’t explain. But what?
Officer Gardener didn’t speak as he drove me to the county jail. The whir of the tires on the asphalt road was occasionally broken up by a beep and then the sound of a female dispatcher’s voice over the radio.
“You like music?” he finally asked me.
“Music?” I asked, confused.
“Sure.” He switched on the radio to a country and western station.
Ugh. This was going to be a very long night.
Fidgeting, I realized I still wore Princess Esmelda’s ring, so I whispered a quiet spell to hide it. Thankfully, my magic decided to work without a hitch. The ring disappeared, blending into my skin until it was no longer visible. It was a simple masking spell, but as long as my magic held, the ring would stay hidden.
“I’m glad you came willingly,” Officer Gardener said. “Sometimes folks like you want to talk their way out of getting arrested—almost thought you’d be one of them when you wouldn’t open your door.”
“I’m a law-abiding citizen, so it
