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was too high. My mother had told my father; Nick’s former wife, Melina, had told him. But so far Starla wasn’t willing to make that sacrifice, but she was growing more and more weary of keeping the secret.
    Neither Hank nor Starla noticed me as I approached.
    â€œHi there,” I said tentatively, giving both a quizzical glance as I placed the box on the ground. “Everything okay here?”
    â€œEverything’s great, Darcy,” Hank said. “I just stopped by to finish up the punch list.”
    Hank was a witch, with Manicrafting being his primary ability. As a Mani, he could work magic with his hands, and he put his talent to good use with his construction company.
    â€œAnd I,” Starla added, “was on my way over to Ve’s when I saw Hank. I made a quick detour so I could attempt to sweet-talk him into joining your scenery crew. He’d be a natural at building the sets for the play.” She smiled at him, a thousand watts of enchanting charm. “But he hasn’t given me an answer yet. What do you say, Hank?”
    So it
had
been a favor she’d been asking. He hadn’t stood a chance, poor guy. I was pretty sure there wasn’t a man alive who could say no to Starla’s smile.
    Hank didn’t prove me wrong.
    He tipped his head back and laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll do it. Tomorrow afternoon?”
    â€œTwo o’clock at the playhouse,” she said, her face alight with happiness. “You’ve already missed the initial meeting of who’s who and what’s what, but that’s the boring part anyway.”
    â€œHey!” I protested.
    She said, “You know I’m right.” Then to Hank, she added, “Don’t forget to bring your tools.”
    â€œActually, we have tools,” I explained to him. “We have all the supplies you’ll need.”
    Starla smiled that enchanting smile again. “But I bet Hank’s tools are better. He’s probably more comfortable with them.”
    I slid her a look. She didn’t notice because she was still grinning at Hank.
    Maybe she’d been asking a favor
and
flirting.
    If so, it was going to make the gathering tomorrow a bit awkward, as Vince was going to be there as well.
    â€œI’ll be there.” Hank smiled back at her, a long, lingering look, then turned to me. “What’s going on at Ve’s?”
    Starla said, “Someone told me an ancient burial ground was found in Ve’s backyard, the bones of old witches that had been burned at the stake.” She shuddered dramatically. Archie would have been proud.
    This village and its gossip were impressive at times. “It was the garage. Bones yes, witches no.” I explained to them about finding the skeleton.
    â€œWho is it?” Starla asked.
    â€œWe don’t know for certain, but we think it’s Ve’s second husband, Miles Babbage. He disappeared shortly after they eloped thirty years ago.”
    â€œPoor Ve,” Hank said.
    I nodded, because I didn’t want to get into the dynamics of the relationship.
    â€œWhat happened to the guy?” Hank asked. “I mean, why was he in her garage?”
    â€œMillion-dollar question,” I said.
    â€œDid you say Babbage?” Starla asked.
    â€œYeah, why? Do you know a Babbage?” Starla would have been a baby when Miles disappeared, and the surname was unfamiliar to me. There wasn’t another Babbage in the village that I knew of.
    She said, “No, I don’t think I do. I just feel like I know that name somehow. I can’t place it, though.”
    â€œWell, if it comes back to you, let me know. I’ve been asked by the Elder to investigate the matter.”
    Frowning, she nodded.
    All the Crafters in the village knew I worked for the Elder, but not many knew the Elder was my mother. Starla did, but Hank did not. The order of secrecy was in place to protect the Elder’s powers from being