Pet Psychic Mysteries Boxset Books 5-8 (Magic Market Mysteries Book 2) by Erin Johnson (reading diary .TXT) 📗

the fluorescently bright waiting room. She turned back to face Will, who slumped in one of the hard chairs lined up along the wall.

“Even if it is a pyramid scheme—which it’s not—I’m already in. I’ve got to make this work—I need more money.”

Will tipped his head back and barked out a laugh. He crossed his arms tight, his white lab coat billowing out onto the seats beside him. “You and me both, sister. For the twentieth time, I can’t give you a raise.”

She threw her hands up, her nails brightly colored. “Then don’t come at me for trying to better myself. If you can’t give me a raise, I have to be my own boss.” She tossed her head, and her side pony flew over her shoulder.

I raised my brows. “Hi, guys.” I gave an exaggerated circle wave. “Great to see you, too.”

They both spared me cursory glances and mumbled their hellos. I rolled my eyes and threw myself into a chair on the other side of the L shape from Will, a table strewn with outdated magazines and editions of The Conch between us.

“Alright, what are you fighting about?”

“I’m not fighting about anything.” Will’s bushy brows were raised nearly to his hairline. “I’m just trying to talk some sense into our young friend here.”

Heidi rolled her eyes. “I’m not a child.” She clicked her tongue and turned to face me. “Besides—if you two want me to act like an adult, then why are you throwing water over my deck? My friend Alayah wants me to get a place with her, and I am dying to move out of my parents’ house, but how am I supposed to do that without any merkles?” She threw her hands up again.

Will crossed his legs and frantically bounced his foot. “Can’t help you, sister. Between what I’m paying Ludolf for rent and ‘protection’”—he made air quotes with his long fingers—“and what I pay you, I can barely afford to live myself.”

I sighed. “I feel your pain, guys. With Peter ghosting me, everything I’ve made from consulting has just about dried up. I don’t know what I’m going to do when this job is over.”

Heidi’s expression softened, and she turned to me, lip curled. “He’s not over it, huh?”

I sank lower in my chair and shook my head.

“Sorry.” She grimaced. “Maybe he’ll come around?”

Will snorted. “Not in my experience.” He shot me a side-eye look. “Sorry,” he added.

I nodded, then shot Heidi a half smile. “Not everyone’s as open-minded and sweet as you are.”

Her cheeks flushed pink, and she waved it off. “I honestly don’t get the whole antishifter thing.” She shrugged.

I gave her a small grin. “You’re one of the good ones, Heidi.”

She straightened and threw her shoulders back. “Thank you. And you know, my success is in my own two hands. With Potent Potions, I can make my own schedule and I decide how much money I make—I just have to work tirelessly and not be afraid of sacrificing some hard work, time, and relationships.” A little crease appeared between her brows as if even she wasn’t sure of her words.

Will cocked his head. “Did they tell you that?”

“Well…” Heidi shifted on her feet. “Yeah.” She scrunched up her face. “Listen, what happened tonight, with Mama Pearl dead? It’s got me shaken, too. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I’m starting to think using my entire savings to buy in might not have been a good idea.”

Will sucked in a mock gasp and pressed an enormous hand to his chest, eyes wide. “No!”

Heidi answered him with a flat look.

I cleared my throat. “So… the company’s still going on, huh?”

“Even though they cut off the head of the gorgon?” Will chimed in.

Heidi nodded. “Mama Pearl would’ve wanted us to continue on with her legacy.”

“They told you to say that, too?”

She rolled her eyes but gave a grudging nod to Will, who chuckled. “Oh, this just gets better and better.”

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