Will raised his brows at me, and I cleared my throat.
“I’d like to ask you some questions about Letty Jones—was she a customer of yours?”
The old man gave me a long, hard look, then his lips split in a devious grin, revealing several rotten teeth. “Doctor-patient confidentiality, missy.” He winked. “Good try, though.”
The old man turned around and hobbled to a tall bookshelf behind him and ran a finger with a broken nail over the dusty bottles. I flashed my eyes at Will, and he rubbed his fingers together—the universal sign for cash.
Ah—duh. I needed to bribe the guy.
I dug around in my pockets and fingered the several gold coins there. Luckily, I’d been paid for my last case with Peter a few days ago and still had some money left after paying back rent to my landlady, “the dragon,” as she was so lovingly known around the Darkmoon.
I licked my lips as I scanned the shelves of glowing, bubbling potions. “Do you, uh, have anything for allergies?”
Alabaster glanced over his shoulder at me, eyes narrowed. “I might.”
I nodded. “Yeah, with the wind kicking up pollen.” I grimaced. “It’s been rough.” I sucked on my lips as I pulled out the coins and placed them on the counter, the metal tinkling together. The old man’s eyes zeroed in on them. “I was hoping to find out about the potion you made for Letty’s strawberry allergy. I hear she had bad allergies, too.”
A little crease appeared between his bushy white brows. “Had?”
He hobbled closer and scooped up the coins, shoving them into the pocket of his apron.
I nodded, watching his expression carefully for his reaction. “She was found dead earlier this evening, at her wedding.”
A cloud passed over the old man’s expression, and his shoulders drooped. “You don’t say.” He patted behind him till he found the tall wooden stool, then slid onto it, shaking his head. “That’s… that’s a real shame. She was a sweet girl.”
He twisted the gold band around his gnarled ring finger, seemingly lost in thought.
Heidi leaned on the counter, her lips pulled to the side. “Are you married?”
“Hm?” He looked up, startled, as though he’d forgotten we were there. “Oh. I was.” He looked down and realized what he’d been doing, then shoved his hands into the pockets of his ratty trousers. “My wife passed away some time ago.”
Heidi’s brows pulled together. “I’m so sorry.” She sighed and laced her fingers together under her chin. “I hope I get married someday.”
The old man’s gaze softened as he watched her. He let out a quiet chuckle. “Best thing that ever happened to me. She looked a little like you.”
Heidi brightened.
“’Cept prettier.”
She frowned.
He rose and shook his head. “Some things a potion can’t cure.” He pulled a flask from his apron pocket and took a swig. “Broken heart is one of them. Though it won’t keep me from tryin’.” He took another swig, then choked.
My eyes slid to Will, who watched the old man with his lip curled. Yeah—the old kook had taken my gold, and as much as I felt for him for losing his wife, I wanted some answers about Letty.
I raised my brows at the old guy, who roughly wiped his mouth with the back of his hairy arm. “So Letty was a customer?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Like you said, I made anti-allergy potions for her. She had a nasty strawberry allergy.”
“How bad?”
“Heh.” He shook his head and slid off the stool, then hobbled over to a chest of tiny drawers. He slid one out, revealing a crunched mess of tightly filed notecards and slips of parchment. He rifled through them. “Pretty strong. Anaphylactic.”
I raised a brow.
Will leaned in. “It affected her breathing—her throat and windpipe would have closed up if she was triggered.”
“Aha. Here we go.” The old man withdrew a scrap of parchment with scribbles in black ink all over it—a recipe. He hobbled back to us at the counter and set it down. “See? It’s why I made her the potion in a vial form, if she could drink it.” He flipped the card over and tapped the ink on the other side. “But I also gave it to her in shot form, in case her throat closed up and she couldn’t swallow.”
I frowned down at the card. “Peter didn’t mention finding a vial or a shot of that potion.” I bit my lip—had someone stolen it from her, or had she possibly run out? “When was the last time Letty filled a prescription for this?”
“Ha!” The old man barked out a laugh. “I’m working out of an alley in the Darkmoon—you think I go off prescriptions?”
Fair point.
“But let’s see…” He looked over the card, dates scribbled down the right-hand side of it. “I remember seeing her recently. Yes, here we go—about ten days ago.”
I shook my head. She definitely hadn’t run out if she’d just stocked up on it. So where were the vial and the shot then?
I patted the counter. “Thanks.” I was about to suggest to Will and Heidi that we go, but another thought occurred to me. “One more question.”
The old guy narrowed his pale eyes.
“Let’s say someone had been cursed”—I scratched the back of my neck—“several years ago and she didn’t know exactly what curse had been used, but she’d lost her powers and—”
The old guy interrupted me. “Girl, listen good to me.” He leaned forward. “It’s dangerous to even try curing something like that.”
I sucked on my lips. “How dangerous? I know someone who wants to try.”
He paled and looked between Will, Heidi, and me. “You lot shifters?”
Will and I nodded.
He backed up, shaking his head. “Ludolf’s testing on you?”
I frowned. “How’d you know?”
He held up his palms. “I don’t want any part of this.” He dipped his chin, muttering to himself. “That man’s obsessed with finding a cure.”
I darted a quick glance at Will, who looked as confused as I was, then snapped my gaze back to Alabaster.
