The Alchemist of Monsters and Mayhem by Gigi Pandian

Author:Gigi Pandian [Pandian, Gigi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781938213298
Publisher: Gargoyle Girl Productions

Chapter 25

I walked to Max’s house with a basket of extra breakfast treats, my silver raincoat swaying behind me in the crisp, early morning breeze.

“Hey, darlin’.” Max’s mom opened his front door and gave me a hug. Her cowboy boots rested next to the front door, and she wore jeans and yellow socks that matched a white blouse dotted with a faint pattern of yellow daisies. “Perfect timing. Max is making tea in the kitchen.”

I closed the door behind me and followed Mary through the living room to the kitchen, where a bouquet of purple irises in a simple glass vase adorned the countertop. The delicate petals looked like butterflies about to take flight. Iris flowers don’t have a strong fragrance, so the aroma dominating the kitchen was the earthy scent of tea Max was preparing.

“Were you able to see him?” I asked as I set the muffin basket on the counter.

Max looked up from his cast iron teapot. “We were.”

“But that man is as stubborn as a mule,” said Mary. “He wouldn’t tell us anything helpful.”

“Do you think he’s protecting someone?” I asked.

“I can’t imagine who it would be.” Mary shook her head. “He’d want to protect me and the kids, of course, but that doesn’t make any sense. We don’t need protecting. None of us hurt Max’s shop or killed that poor man.”

Max poured two cups of tea, but he hesitated before pouring a third. “I should go back and try him again. Alone this time. Just in case that makes a difference.”

“Max.” His mom took the teapot, poured the third cup, and handed it to Max. “You can’t make that man do anything he doesn’t want to do. When he’s ready to talk with you, he’ll get word to you.”

“But we only have two more days—if that—until they decide whether they’ll charge him with murder.”

“Maximilian,” Mary snapped. “You know that’ll do more harm than good. Zoe, maybe you can talk some sense into him.”

“I don’t know that there’s any sense in this situation.” I closed my eyes and thought back to two days ago, when I’d first seen Max’s dad looking in the window of The Alchemy of Tea. Andrew Liu didn’t want Max to open the shop, but he was trying to use reason rather than force. I breathed in a woody scent, and when I opened my eyes, Mary was holding a cup of tea for me.

“I can make an herbal tea for you,” said Max.

I took a sip. “This is perfect. I have a feeling I’ll need the caffeine of this green tea to get through the day. Do you remember exactly what your father said to you when he asked you not to open your shop?”

“He said I was ruining my life. I’m an adult in my forties, I talk to the man twice a year, and he thinks he can talk to me like that?” Max’s cheeks flushed.

“It’s my fault,” said Mary. “I talk with him regularly and keep him caught up on the kids.

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