The Mayhem Sisters Read Online Free Page B

help her, she would be dead soon. She told Pepper everything she could remember about the vision, the images and senses pouring out of her, and a huge weight lifted from her shoulders when she was done.
    “What are you going to do now?” Pepper asked.
    “The only thing I can. Pay a visit to Sheriff Gardener. I’m going to report what I saw and get help for that witch.”
    Before leaving the shop, Vivi dug around on the shelves in the back room and found a small blank notebook with a smooth felt cover she had bought for jotting down potion recipes, and she transcribed the details from her vision, leaving nothing out. No image or sense was too small, no matter how uncertain she was about the way they all connected, and then she was ready.
    The village of Willow Realm held onto many traditional magical practices and was a special place to live. The town was the perfect size, not too big or too small. It had one police station and one sheriff with a slew of deputies to keep the witches and wizards of the realm safe. Walking into the police station was one of the hardest things she had done in her entire life. Vivi steeled her nerves and pushed open the front door. The vestibule hummed with the energy of protective magical wards that were both intimidating and reassuring.
    Her mouth was dry as dust when she approached the receptionist’s desk. Honey Hardburn had worked for the sheriff for about three hundred years, give or take, and since witches lived for over five hundred years, she was still spry. A pair of cat’s eye glasses sat perched on her sharp nose. Her jet-black hair was piled on top of her head in the largest beehive hairstyle Vivi had ever seen.
    “Sign in,” Honey said, pushing a thick ledger across the desk. “What do you want?” She wasn’t one for small talk.
    “I need to speak with the sheriff,” Vivi said, dipping a quill into a bottle of ink and scratching her name across the creamy parchment.
    “About what?” Honey tapped her pointy enameled fingernails on the desk. She must sharpen those talons nightly , Vivi thought.
    Vivi lowered her voice. “It’s business.”
    “Something happen at your shop?” Honey pried. “Someone steal one of those pretty potions? You put them in such nice little bottles. I wouldn’t be surprised.”
    “No, nothing like that.” Vivi unzipped her handbag.
    “If I were going to steal a potion from your shop, it would be something good like that potion that makes your hair sparkle.” She patted the side of her towering do. “I think I would look good with a hint of magenta. Don’t you think?” Her eyes gleamed hopefully.
    “Yes, pink does suit your complexion, but lapis lazuli is all the rage.” Vivi pulled a glittery blue bottle out of her handbag and set it on the desk. She knew that Honey loved any and all potions that altered her appearance, especially her pride and joy hair. The receptionist was very experimental, and Vivi had come prepared.
    Honey’s eyes widened and she slipped the tiny bottle into her desk drawer. “You really are my favorite Mayhem sister. Not bossy like the flyer or aloof like the other one. I’ll send a finch back to his office right away to let Sheriff Gardener know he has an appointment.”
    A giant gilded cage, filled with the tiny chirping birds, sat next to her desk. Honey flicked open the gate with one of her long nails and released a fluttering finch into the room. It hovered for a moment as the receptionist whispered instructions, and then flew off, expertly navigating the many hallways.
    Vivi paced for a few minutes before sitting on a hard wooden bench, waiting for her chance to speak with the sheriff. Persuasions came in all types. Some were service-oriented, like law enforcement, and were considered trade persuasions . As the sheriff, Lance Gardener’s name suited him perfectly. He was a straight arrow, honest to a fault, and he tended to Willow Realm with the heart and soul of a gardener nurturing his precious