Garnets & Gargoyles

By Sara Tiger Ryan

Cousin JayJay has bad news for Sazzy Jinn Private Spy: Sazzy's only remaining best friend was last seen wearing a necklace known to have killed several people.
Of course Sazzy rushes to tell Merriweather to take the necklace off quick ...only to discover that the killer necklace is a ringfasting gift from Merri's new and wonderful beau and her friend is crazy in love.
What kind of beau gives a killer necklace as a ringfasting gift?
Sazzy is determined to find out--or, if the beau didn't give it knowingly, how to get the necklace unhexed so Merri can keep it.
Piece by piece, Sazzy closes in on the answers and Merri's beau. Yes, the necklace has killed several people, but first it drove them insane. Sazzy feels relieved that all her notes say it takes a year or more for the hex to work...until Merriweather starts to show the effects in only a few weeks.
Now it is a race against time.
Then add in a hoarder who wants the necklace...maybe even enough to send a giant golem bird after Merri, maybe enough to do worse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sara Tiger Ryan
• Release date: Feb 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311888457

Sara Tiger Ryan

Sara Tiger Ryan was born in New Hampshire. She now lives in Florida with her 2 cats. Make that minus one charming boy cat, add in a Mama cat who brought me 5 kittens--all of them adorable! Sara started writing novels in 1973 in high school study hall and hasn't stopped (for long) yet. She started out writing fantasy and added mystery. She also writes metaphysical non-fiction. Ryan was active in the small press in the mid 90's, and had her own 'zine, Star Triad.

Book preview

Garnets & Gargoyles

Miss Kitty Mystery 5

All characters herein are fictional.

The Fates in this story bear no relation to the Norse Fates

or any other, they, also are entirely fictional.

Author’s Note:

Copyright Sara Tiger Ryan, Tiger Moon Press. Smashwords Ebook Edition, November 21, 2015.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book, and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting this author’s work.

Table Of Contents

1, Bad News

2, The Fairhand Assembly

3, What To Do?

4, Maps

5, Out Of Time

6, Merri Unexpected

7, Khaiyan's Magic

8, Change Rose Friends

9, A New Client

10, Sazzy’s Bad Day

11, Charil’s Answer

12, A Hoarder’s Hoard

13, Dragon Work

14, Friends

Appendices

Map of Conyor Ness

Map of Vantage

First Chapter of Book 6, Music & Mayhem

About Sara

Other Books by Sara

All My Miss Kitty Mysteries So Far

Conyor Ness

Spale year of: 1897

Chapter 1: Bad News

Spale Year of: 1897

Changing Fates, 1

Changing Fates Entire, 1

KnifeKissingday

Dark Moon of Joyous Delight

Cousin JayJay dropped into Sazzy’s client chair, slid down until she could rest her feet on the edge of Sazzy’s desk, and said a tired, Omph.

Was there anything worth anything in the mess? Sazzy asked, hoping to hear the Merry Cousin Imports wanted to haul away everything the Prince and his blade dancing crew had cleared out of their back room, just to have the furniture and whatnots out of their hallways.

JayJay waggled her fingers. First, write down that you have another trip scheduled to hunt more Yellow Rose of Mylea dishes with my twin next week. JayJay waited until Sazzy had before continuing, Second: regarding the furniture: I’ll send you a list tomorrow. And someone by to pick up things in a few days.

Sazzy barely kept herself from complaining as she wrote that on her calendar. Chomp, the office’s gray and white cat, grabbed for her wizardwriter, trying to bite the feathered end. Sazzy set the no-longer-a-kitten on the floor and it raced into the hallway with a calling meow. Meep, their exotic Hyllyn Tailless kitten, leftover from her Catnapping Case, answered from somewhere down the hall. Their four cats, at least, liked the confusion of furniture and oddments in the hallway.

I know you want your hall clear, but someone brought in a shipment from the Desert of Ayr and we’re busy sorting and pricing that right now. JayJay leaned slightly forward. Now for my most important or dire--take your pick-news, oh magnificent private spy-

Several slams of the outside door followed by little racing feet crossing the foyer and clattering up the west staircase toward Miss Hillmarker’s School of Tasteful Dance interrupted. JayJay waited until the noise subsided to continue, Your friend Merriweather Nyyle was last seen wearing an antique garnet and gold necklace that we had hoped never to see again. According to our notes, it is known for killing its wearers. The last time we sold it was to a collector that promised never to wear it and to keep the warning with it.

A wave of ice tidal-waved through Sazzy. She didn’t have any friends to spare after losing Vivalda to her Petrified Bodies case, and Delicia to the aftermath of that case. Not that she blamed Viv for breaking away, after all she had brought Vivalda’s favorite grandmother, the Untouchable Molly Lyy, to the Queen’s reluctant justice. Of her three best friends, only Merriweather had remained mostly friendly since then.

Sazzy sprang up.

JayJay waved her back down. You need more information before you go.

Instead, Sazzy started for the front door. No, I need to get the necklace away from Merri first.

Sazz! JayJay sounded exasperated.

Sazzy let the waiting room door slam behind her, sprinted through the foyer and headed for Dark Fates Lane, the shortest route to the Nyyle Whimsy, as fast as she could walk.

She already knew the Nyyle butler didn’t like her and Lady Nyyle would rather she stayed away. Merriweather had still been friendly before going to the country to recover from the effects of the hair arranger using mirage in Merri’s hair style. She hadn’t realized Merriweather had returned.

Sazzy hurried up the long, winding drive to the Nyyle Whimsy, reached three-quarters of the way, and Merriweather leaned out her bedroom window and waved. Come hear my news!

Sazzy waved back--and refrained from shouting out her news.

When she knocked, the butler opened the door partially and started to speak.

Merri saw me coming up the path, Sazzy warned.

Sazzy! Sazzy! Merriweather sang out from the upstairs landing. Guess what! I’m ringfasted to the most wonderful man in the entire world!

The butler lifted his chin slightly, but stepped aside.

Sazzy hurried by him and up the stairs. Merriweather met her in a hug, giving Sazzy a nose to gold view of the killer necklace.

She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but a clunky gold collar in the shape of a badly executed gargoyle clutching garnets the size of a man’s thumbnail was not it. The gargoyle’s tail rested between Merriweather’s breasts and held another garnet, this one tear-shaped. Instead of all her rehearsed warnings, she said, It’s ugly. It’s clunky. It isn’t you.

Merriweather laughed lightly. It was the best Beau could find on short notice. Neither one of us were expecting to meet anyone interesting while rusticating at Hilrun’s lame excuse for a country dance. Merriweather drew Sazzy into her suite.

Take--Let me see it.

Merriweather laughed again, whirled around and around, and said, Silly, I can’t take it off, it’s my ringfasting band. Merriweather sat with a little bounce and patted the sofa seat next to her. Come let me tell you about my pretty, sweet Beau.

Sazzy sat, then twisted around so she could study the necklace--while Merriweather enthused about her new beau and her wonderful time in the country. The necklace looked like old gold: bright and heavy. The garnets had a depth to them that proclaimed them of the finest quality--even if they hadn’t been cut evenly. The teardrop-shaped one on the tail looked especially lopsided. The workmanship of the necklace-- Did Beau make it himself?

Merriweather laughed. No, silly; it’s one of those family heirlooms that you hide in the attic until you need it. I’m surprised it hadn’t already been sold off; his family is pretty poor. Merriweather sighed. The Careburns are old family, but they never made it past Lower Select.

Sazzy wrinkled her brow. Aren’t the Careburns the ones who used to go after dragons with dragon-hexed swords?

Merriweather giggled. No, silly, that’s the Claybournes. The Careburns are indirectly related to the Wonderliss. Mama rushed to look it all up first thing after I told her--not that I’d give Beau up, even if he was a nobody at all. Merriweather enthused some more about Beau, related in detail how romantic Beau had been while proposing and giving her the necklace, then raved some more about Beau’s wonderful qualities, beautiful kasha-brown eyes, wavy golden-brown curls, and perfect features.

Sazzy took a breath and held it. All right, she would sound like a fool, probably alienate Merriweather forever this time, but at least her conscience would be clear--as if that would make up for losing Merriweather to a killer necklace. Maybe JayJay was wrong. Merriweather definitely looked alive right now--more alive than her friend had looked in years. Still... Sazzy took another breath, ready to break in on Merriweather’s telling her how, when Beau settled his fortunes, at the end of the ringfasting year and day, they would be handfasted either at his home or here in the city, I’m trying to coax him to come for the rest of Season, but he isn’t sure he can afford it.

Sazzy finally just spoke over her friend, JayJay just told me that the necklace you’re wearing has killed several people.

Saz-zy. Merriweather laughed.

Sazzy looked away. I’m serious. But JayJay hadn’t said the necklace killed a person instantly, so maybe she had time to convince Merriweather . . . with a few facts . . .which she would get from the Cousin Imports . . . and which were probably what JayJay had wanted her to stay and listen to. Sazzy sprang up. That sounds like the bell to lunch. I’m ever so glad you found someone special. She only hoped he didn’t turn out to have given Merriweather a killer necklace knowingly.

Sazzy hugged Merriweather farewell, got another close look at the ugly, killer necklace, then let Merriweather escort her downstairs...with Merriweather still raving about Beau Careburn...which name gave Sazzy a place to research -the royal census and, as Lady Nyyle had, the country’s lineage records.

Sazzy went from the Nyyle Whimsy north to the Cousin Imports.

Cousin Ean, who stood behind the counter today, waved her hand towards JayJay’s office. JayJay figured you’d be by once you had time to think.

I saw Merri; it’s a ringfasting gift from her wonderful, magical, perfect new beau.

Ean wrinkled her nose. Good luck, then. JayJay’s been researching our records off and on since Cousin T reported seeing the necklace around your friend’s neck.

Is he in town? Sazzy asked, as she headed toward the back of the shop and JayJay’s office. He hadn’t come in for a brass kissing lesson in weeks.

He was in, he’s out again.

Cousin JayJay greeted her with, In 1767, we sold the necklace to a hoarder who never wore her finds. She framed it and hung it on her foyer wall. I don’t know how it came to your friend--?

Sazzy related what Merriweather had told her.

It doesn’t match; the hoarder’s name was Hichlin--no other name. You might check the lineage records--

I was headed there next.

I’ll follow up on the note by my predecessor that names it a killer necklace and let you know what I find. If I can find out when we bought it, I expect there’ll be a more extensive note about it. Last century’s archives are in the back stacks in the cellar, though, so expect it to take me a few days.

You’re sure--?

My predecessor wouldn’t have made the note about it killing people unless she had positive proof. We are in business to sell stuff, not get stuck with it moldering in our warding safe forever and a timewalked day.

After a round of farewells, Sazzy left for the town hall and records offices.

In the Vantage census, she found a Miss Taffeta Hichlin, who had been born in 1701 and had died in 1778 with, the record reported, no immediate relatives, no spouse, no children, and no other information on her.

Armed with the dates, even assuming, with no immediate relatives, that no one would have posted an obituary in the Crier, Sazzy went to research the 1778 Crier archives.

She found only a notice that a council of lawyers were looking for any relatives of Miss Taffeta Hichlin in order to settle the lady’s extensive estate.

That thought gave her another place to search. Sazzy returned to the town hall and went through the 1775 maps looking for a house owned by Taffeta Hichlin. She found three. She would pass the one on Fezzle Street on her way back to Five Whippet Street West.

Taffeta Hichlin’s old house on Fezzle Street rose three stories. The bottom floor now held a rug shop. A ’For Rent’ sign fluttered at the bottom right corner of the store window. Curious, Sazzy entered the shop and asked to see the apartment. The woman running the shop eyed her several minutes before heaving to her feet and leading the way up to a third floor apartment barely as big as the office's paper closet. The floor boards creaked, the single window didn’t look as if it had been cleaned in the last decade. The trip hadn’t gained her anything.

Sazzy thanked the woman and left, wondering if Taffeta Hichlin’s other two houses were as large--or possibly, two of the houses had been rentals. She could look that up in the town hall business archives tomorrow. Feeling desperate and more disorganized than usual, she closed her eyes briefly. She hadn’t learned anything that would save Merri’s life yet.

Hey! Watch it!

Sazzy snatched her eyes open just in time to avoid a grey-haired man with a trundle cart selling fresh fruit. She bought four fruits: one for her, one for Dusty her private spy partner, one for Riss her disk-reading errand boy, and one for Edgy Yallow, who made their dinners. The latter fruit gave her an excuse to stop at Edgy’s and see if their meal might be ready yet...considering she hadn’t eaten lunch and her breakfast seemed far, far away.

Riss was at Edgy’s reading the old woman’s fortune. Sazzy tweaked his ear in greeting.

Edgy said of the meal she was making for Miss Kitty’s Private Spy Agency, It’s got another half wizardmark to go. I’ll send Riss by with it--if your guard friend doesn’t come calling with his nose twitching like usual first.

Sazzy left laughing. Ever since their guard friend had realized she and Dusty enjoyed real home-cooked meals at their private spy agency, Paff had shown up nearly every night to partake. They ought to charge him--but neither she nor Dusty wanted to and, with the Prince paying half of the cost of dinner since moving his brass kissing school in their back rooms, they hadn’t needed to.

Once inside Five Whippet Street West, instead of going to her office, Sazzy peered into Dusty’s.

Dusty had his hand clutched in his maple-colored waves and his head bent over a pile of papers. He didn’t look up. She backtracked to her office and stopped at the edge of her desk, staring down at the three folders, three cases, sitting there: one new as of yesterday, one started last week, one nearly finished.

She absolutely had to follow up on the killer necklace.

Where were you? Dusty grumped from the adjoining doorway between their offices. You were supposed to Seek from Pretty Boy’s scarf for me. The case is dragging on far too long; I’m getting afraid of what I’ll find.

She told him in a rush.

At the end, he echoed doubtfully, A killer necklace?

She just stared back at him.

He looked away, silent a few seconds, then said, Give me the files on your current cases.

Sazzy closed her eyes on relief that he wasn’t going to argue and that he understood, and handed him the three files. I Sought Lady Wonderliss’ ring. All I need is someone to go into the Lower Fish District with me.

We need to add a fund for hiring a city guard for things like that to our budget.

Maybe Paff will go with me on his day off.

If you write a note to him, I’ll take it by the guard station when I run messages for Das this afternoon. Dusty left for his office, came back without the files, and said, If Miss Taffeta Hichlin was a hoarder like my Great Uncle Favor, her estate would have not been extensive, as much as a nightmare of things stashed in every nook and cranny of whatever house she owned.

She owned three houses.

Meaning the lady must have been a really serious hoarder. Great Uncle Favor only owned one house--as large and sprawling as that house was. It took my three cousins several months to clear the place out. He headed toward his office. Remember, we have the Players Guild Benefit to go to tonight.

She didn’t feel like partying, and she especially didn’t feel like being a part of Dusty’s cruising for business while partying.

And we have the Fairhand’s Ball tomorrow night, he continued. I didn’t see it on your calendar. He ducked into his office, then peered back into hers. Maybe Merri will be there and we can both work on her to have sense.

Merriweather hadn’t sounded as if she would see sense for anything under a year and a day--or until Beau became a staple in her life. Sazzy sighed, made a new folder and wrote ‘mean, ugly killer necklace’ on the tab.

SkittersDelightday

Guard Summer Rose Hatch arrived the next morning just after breakfast. Paff said you needed an escort into the Fish District. Detective Gillfeather has him on a new case, the lucky boy.

Or unlucky, considering what she knew of Detective Gillfeather. Sazzy dressed down and went Seeking Lady Wonderliss’ ostentatious diamond ring in the nastiest part of the Fish District with Guard Rose Hatch keeping her from walking into any pedestrians, lamp posts, or buildings.

The ring wasn’t at Rat’s Barber Shop/Hot Pawn Shop. Her Seeking magic led her to the back of a faded, three-story building that Guard Rose Hatch made an odd noise to end up in front of.

Sazzy inspected the place, noted the red petticoat hanging out the upper story window, the barely-dressed young man lounging suggestively on the porch, and made a similar noise.

A half wizardmark later, they had retrieved the diamond ring from a crack behind an upstairs baseboard. Guard Summer Rose waited until they reached Sidewise Market to smirk.

Ha! Sazzy answered. I’m the one who has to answer to the lady about where we found it.

Discretion is the watchword of Miss Kitty’s Private Spy Agency, Guard Rose intoned, then grinned, But everyone knows the city guards have no such niceties in them.

I’m the one who’ll get blamed.

Buy me an ale at that booth over there and I’ll be good.

Sazzy laughed, and she and the guard enjoyed a short ale and bag of fried moonjots while they gossiped about Paff and his many lady friends and Sazzy worried silently about how to get the killer necklace off her friend’s neck.

You seem preoccupied, Guard Rose said finally.

I’m headed into another impossible case.

Guard Summer Rose sat back. I hope it’s nothing like your Miss Molly Lyy case.

Me, too. She might lose her last best friend, but no threads seemed to lead to any pillar of society.

Sazzy walked with Guard Rose to the Sidewise District precinct building, then continued north to the town hall and business archives office to check on Taffeta Hichlin’s other two houses. The house on Fezzle Street and a house on Booker Lane had been rentals. The lady had lived in a house on Old Wall Winding--which had been a much better neighborhood back in the 1770’s.

Sazzy shut the record book and tucked her chin in her palm. What else? Maybe knowing who owned the houses now would give her a clue. She looked up two of the houses before deciding what she really needed to know was: who had inherited them from Lady Hichlin. The city only redrew the maps every five years. Sazzy compared the maps from 1770 to the maps from 1780 and found all three of Lady Hichlin’s house had changed hands, sold to three different people, none of them named Careburn. This wasn’t getting her anywhere.

Walking back to Five Whippet West, Sazzy tried to organize her thoughts but they kept spinning in panicked circles and leaping every which way. At Sidewise Market, she remembered she had recovered Lady Wonderliss’ diamond ring, turned around and headed for the Wonderliss town house on Wild Cat Road-across from the Witshard’s Manor. While she was in the neighborhood, she ought to stop by and say hello to Yalarra Witshard, the client of her last big case and now a sort-of friend.

Halfway to Wild Cat Road, Sazzy turned around again and headed to Five Whippet Street West to make out an invoice for the lady so they would be sure to be paid.

Sitting at her desk with the ring and Dusty’s fee chart in front of her, she still couldn’t think what to charge.

Dusty came to lean in their adjoining, slanted doorway. How’d it go?

I found out who owns the hoarder’s houses now--but I can’t remember why I looked. I can’t think what to do. I wish JayJay would hurry up and hunt her archives--

I mean regarding recovering Lady Wonderliss’ ring.

She held that up.

Dusty came to inspect it. Nice rock. He dropped into her client chair with the ring in hand. What are we getting for its recovery? We have rent due next week.

I don’t know. I can’t think. She thrust the fee chart and invoice paper at him. Here, you do it. She turned the file on the killer necklace face down. I almost just returned it, but I was afraid she would never pay, then.

Good job, you’re learning.

She leaned her chin in her palm, and noted her calendar had ten days blocked out in red. I only have a week.

For what?

I have to go searching for some more stupid soup bowls with Cousin Jay. She covered her face with her hands. Hunting for the Yellow Rose of Mylea tureen set pieces would lose her ten entire critical days of investigating the killer necklace.

Sazz.

What!

Dusty blinked at her, handed her the invoice for Lady Wonderliss, sat back, and regarded her a few minutes. She lifted her chin. He stood, saying, Remember: we have the Fairhand’s dance to go to tonight.

She definitely didn’t feel like partying-which reminded her, You didn’t come get me for the benefit last night.

Dusty shrugged one shoulder. You didn’t sound like you wanted to go. But tonight we’re scheduled to try to convince Merri to at least take the necklace off long enough to have it checked for hexes.

Thanks.

Did you get your gown from Jibba Foster yet?

She sprang up. No. Sazzy glanced at the invoice, then out the window to check the time of day. Yes, it was early enough to bring the invoice to Lady Wonderliss and get paid. Maybe walking would help her think of what she needed to do next to keep Merriweather alive.

If Merriweather died, it would be worse than having to leave Chiary’s time and her wonderful private spy assistant job there, worse than her mentor Molly Lyy turning out to be a twenty-person killer, worse than anything. Worse than Nanny dying suddenly and leaving her bereft at age seven.

How sure are you that the necklace is a killer? Dusty asked.

JayJay said so. She is supposed to look up her predecessor’s notes on it.

What does your foresight say?

Her foresight grabbed her around the heart and throat and squeezed. Sazzy braced herself on her bookcase, and only a broken little breath came out.

All right, Dusty said, but to solve this, you’re going to have to stop and think clearly.

How! she wailed--and their ginger and cream striped kitten, Intrepid, came running, skidded to a halt in the doorway and checked the room, then came to twine around her ankles. Sazzy blinked back tears and stroked the cat’s head.

Let me think on it and get back to you, Dusty said. Do you want me to deliver the ring and invoice to Lady Wonderliss?

No, I want to walk and think.

Get an extra copy of the Crier while you’re out. Our favorite Prince stole ours.

I haven’t seen him lately.

"He’s off in KnifeKissing looking at buildings