She tossed her hair again. “Whatever, I’ve got all this inventory now that I’ve got to sell to make my money back. The company better go on, or I’ll lose everything.” Her chest heaved. “It’s fine, though.”
Will and I exchanged looks. Was it?
She nodded, and I couldn’t tell if she was trying to convince us more, or herself. “Soon, I’ll make all that back and then some, and I won’t even need my night job anymore.”
Will lifted a brow.
“Well—after a little while. My upline said the thing to do for the first few months is to keep reinvesting everything I make in more merchandise.”
I heaved a weary sigh. “Of course they did.” Poor girl. She didn’t get it yet, but she was not only an employee of Potent Potions, but their best customer. I suspected that no one bought more tiny vials of potions than their own consultants—the definition of a pyramid scheme. But she’d already put her life savings into it, and I hoped, for her sake, that she’d be one of the few to walk away having at least broken even. Unfortunately, broke as I was, I couldn’t really help her with that.
Heidi spun to face me. “Sorry. Enough about me. Tell us what happened with Peter?”
Will nodded. “And the case. Have you figured out who offed Mama Pearl?” He smirked. “Was it the pig?”
I smirked back. “Nah. I think the pig’s clean.” I filled them in on Papa Ralph seeming like a slimy dude, one of the top sellers having a motive due to the recent policy change, and the slightly too-innocent-looking assistant.
I shrugged. “Add to that a sister who might have been tired of living in Pearl’s shadow, angry protestors, and literally thousands of employees who might all have been scammed by the company, and our problem is actually having too many suspects.”
Heidi dragged herself over and slumped into the chair next to me. “They changed the bonus structure? My upline didn’t tell me about that.”
I threw an arm around her. “Sorry, girl.”
She leaned her head against my shoulder. Looked like it’d been a tough night for all of us.
“You know…” Heidi sat back up and spun to face me. “I overheard some of the other consultants talking about the leader of that protest. I think a lot of them knew her—it sounded like she was a pretty active seller here in the Darkmoon for a while.”
I quirked my lips to the side. “You know her name?”
Heidi shook her head. “No… but my upline does.” Her dark eyes widened. “You didn’t hear that from me, though, I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“Pff. Upline—these terms are so corny.” Will shook his head, perusing a magazine.
I frowned as I looked closer. “Is that the Potent Potions catalog?”
He shrugged nonchalantly, though his cheeks flushed red like I’d caught him at something. “I’ve already read all the other magazines we have.”
“Mm-hm.” Oh, snakes, was he buying in, too? I turned back to Heidi. “Can you get me in touch with your upline?”
She dropped her eyes, lost in thought for a moment, then brightened. “She’s having a Potent Potions party tomorrow night at her house.”
“Ugh.” Heaviness settled on me, and I suddenly felt exhausted. “I have to go to another one of these things?”
“Oh, come on.” Heidi leaned her head back on my shoulder. “It’s a party—it’ll be fun.”
Will didn’t look up from the catalog. “Famous last words.”
15
POTENT POTIONS PARTY
“Hey, hon! Ee! So glad you made it!” Heidi’s upline, a woman named Sue, pulled my friend in first, pelted her cheeks with air kisses, then stretched her arms out to me. The whites showed all around her eyes as she gasped. “And you brought friends!”
Sue pulled me into a tight hug, my arms pinned to my sides, and gave me the air kiss treatment, then rose on her toes to attempt the same with Will. I grinned back at my friend, who had to stoop to get through the door.
“Welcome, welcome!” She squeezed through the entry, past me and Heidi, and led the way into her living room. “Make yourselves at home. The party will start soon.”
She spread her arms wide, gesturing to bowls of chips and platters of finger foods spread out on a clear glass coffee table. Women, old and young, perched on the edge of two white sofas, nibbling snacks and sipping from glasses of wine.
One of them adjusted her seat, and the couch squeaked and groaned under her. I tried to hold back a smirk and didn’t dare chance a look at Will—I’d lose it for sure. It was the telltale sound of a spill protection spell, which made the couch impervious to ruin, but also noisy and incredibly stiff and uncomfortable.
Sue bustled back through the doorway to the kitchen, where a dozen women crowded together around the dining room table and counters. Her home was a typical Darkmoon place—cramped, but cozy, with nice but outdated furniture. I glanced back at Will.
“Still glad you came?”
My friend heaved a heavy sigh and zeroed in on a bottle of red on the coffee table. “Wine. Now.”
I grinned. He’d claimed he was just coming along for laughs, but I had a sneaking suspicion Will had drunk a little of the potion the night before and was at least a bit intrigued. He bustled forward, casting simpering smiles at the ladies on the couch, then poured himself an enormous glass of wine. I hoped I was wrong.
Heidi got pulled into the kitchen to help cut cucumbers, so I drifted over to Will and poured the rest of the wine—which turned out to be a thimbleful—into a clean glass. I shot him a flat look. “Thanks for leaving some for the rest of us.”
He took a swig from his glass and made a face. “Once you taste it, you’ll thank me.”
A lady with short curled hair and a big smile finger waved us over. “You two
