Just a Little Magic Ch. 16

Sammy nodded. "I could see us doing that."

"We could call it the 'Batman and Robin Detective Agency'." I said.

"Wouldn't you want your name first?" asked Sammy. "Because that would make it the 'Robin and Batman Detective Agency'."

I had to laugh. Sammy used his finger to chalk up an imaginary point for himself, on an imaginary scoreboard.

"It wouldn't all be fun and games." warned Aunt Anna.

"I know that it's not glamourous." I said. "I'm not expecting adventure and excitement."

"Well, that's good." said Sophie. "Because we've had more than enough of that."

"I just remembered that Anna was especially good at finding things that people had lost. I thought that I could do something like she does."

Anna frowned. "Did you just call me un-glamourous, unadventurous, and unexciting - all in one breath?"

"What? No -"

Sammy howled. Sophie laughed, too. Even Anna couldn't let me hang for long - she cracked a smile.

"You might actually be good at that." she said. "I could probably send some of my clients your way, when they have issues I can't solve."

"Does that happen?"

"Sometimes, yes. And then..." Aunt Anna looked confused for a moment. She seemed to be staring off into the distance - either that, or she was seeing something that the rest of us couldn't.

"Auntie?" said Sophie.

Anna snapped out of it. "I can't believe that I didn't think of this before." she said. "Pete - you could be very helpful to Eileen and Rodney."

"I could?" I couldn't imagine how. "Didn't you say that I was a table lamp, with the dimmer switch set to low?"

"I know. I did say that."

"And I couldn't read Janine - or Lillian. I'm not sure I could read anyone with talent."

"They set you up, Pete - specifically so that you couldn't use your skills on them." said Anna. "But you do have potential. I told you: mind reading is rare. They put restrictions on you - but those have been removed. With some training, you could be among the best. And that would make you a valuable commodity."

"Not sure that I want to be a commodity." I said.

"You know what I mean. You'd be in demand..."

"Really, Auntie?" said Sophie.

She nodded. "Actually, the detective idea isn't bad. But if Rodney could make use of his skills..."

Aunt Anna scowled, and then looked me in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Pete. I should have thought of this myself - much sooner. You have a lot of potential... once you've been trained a bit more."

"Can you help him?' asked Sophie.

"I can train you both." she said. "But I may need Eileen and Rodney to help Pete maximize his strengths."

That was a lot to think to about. By unspoken agreement, we switched to other topics when our food arrived.

I was worried about Sammy: where would it leave him if I became some sort of Investigator for the Magic Police?

Aunt Anna was worried about Sophie: how would it affect her if I was affiliated with Eileen and Rodney?

Sammy was wondering how Trish would take it if he told her that magic was real.

And Sophie was worried about me.

All of that I gleaned just by looking around the table; I didn't even have to read their minds.

The Stones have a song: 'You Can't Always Get What You Want'. Sometimes... you get what you need.

And sometimes, you get more than you deserve.

* * * * *

So I'm a magician. I perform 3-4 times a month in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Twice a year, I go on short tours with my manager (Sammy) and our partners. This winter, we're planning a couple of shows in Costa Rica and Panama. We sent free tickets to Mirella.

I'm also a private detective. I help people locate lost items. And when they ask me to, I question their spouses. People are suspicious - sometimes with good reason. It's no pleasure for me to discover that someone is cheating on their partner.

And I'm an Inquirer. It sounds better than Inquisitor (a term many magically-talented families remember all too well). I usually just sit quietly, while Eileen and Rodney ask questions. But I read minds.

Case #1: "The money is in the Cayman Islands." I said, after the first questioning session. "The password for his account is Perth140482." Honestly - some people use their place and date of birth as their password.

Case #2 "She sold it. The money is gone, though - she gave it to a guy named Dwayne."

"Her lover?" said Eileen.

"No. Her dealer."

Case #3 "She's telling the truth."

I wish that that last answer was more common. Unfortunately, too many people think that they can get away with dishonest, treacherous behaviour.

It's so much easier to be a magician. Private detective isn't all that hard, either. Sammy handles my scheduling for both of those careers. He also manages both websites.

* * * * *

A little over a year after Sophie moved to Toronto, we went to the Winter Garden (an old-fashioned theatre) to see a singer she really liked. It was a great show. Afterwards, Sophie suggested stopping in for a drink at cozy little pub.

I got a pint of Guinness, while Sophie finally settled for a Spanish coffee. She was still stirring sugar into it when she frowned.

"Something wrong?" I said.

"No. Just... someone you know. Across the room. Don't swing around all at once - but... eight o'clock, from your perspective."

I waited a moment, and then casually turned my head a little to my left.

And there she was.

Eva. Janine's poker-playing friend, the former waitress at the Magnet - and the third woman I'd ever had sex with.

She'd aged a bit, and her hair was a bit darker than I remembered. But it was definitely Eva. I didn't have any bad memories of my time with her. She was a good card player, and quite clever (she'd somehow talked me into two one-night stands - not that I had any regrets about that).

Eva saw me. She'd obviously been looking our way. She smiled, and raised her hand in a little wave. Without thinking, I waved back.

It was only at that moment that I realized something.

As far as I knew, Sophie had never met Eva.

That was when Eva gestured again. It wasn't a wave. She was pointing - at someone sitting across the table from her. I turned my head just a little more.

Janine.

My teacher, my tormentor, my first. She was still exceedingly pretty. Maybe it was the fact that the spell had been removed, but I felt like I was seeing her clearly for the first time.

Like Eva, she looked a little older. Unlike Eva, she was wearing a little too much makeup (for my taste, anyway). Her hair looked great, and she was showing quite a bit of cleavage.

Janine still had access to magic. She might have been stripped of her arcane abilities, but as long as her looks lasted, she would be able to cast a spell over men. Janine would never have to open a door, or carry her own luggage - not if a susceptible male was nearby.

Even as that thought crossed my mind, the waiter came by Eva and Janine's table, to drop off two drinks - and then point to the bar, to indicate the two guys who'd sent the drinks over (two overfed suits in their forties). Eva smiled and raised her glass in their direction.

Janine caught my eye for the merest second - and then she looked away.

I wasn't under her spell. She had absolutely no hold over me. The temptation was there, to go over and give her a piece of mind . But what would that achieve?

Janine was beaten, and she knew it. She'd lost - and deservedly so. She was part of my past. I hadn't even thought of her for... was it weeks? No, I hadn't forgotten her, or Lillian. I never would. But they no longer held sway over my life. They were simply a reminder of my own fallibility, my tremendous gullibility.

"You okay?" asked Sophie.

I smiled, and reached for her hand.

"I am. Thank you. Did I ever tell you about Eva?"

"Eva?"

"The woman sitting across from Janine."

Sophie took a good long look.

"There's a story involved?" she said. When I nodded, she grinned.

"Alright, let's hear it."

* * * * *

Aunt Anna was true to her word. She spent a great deal of time teaching us. Some of the time, she worked with both of us together; yes, Sophie was a total noob, but Anna wanted to take me back to the very beginning, to find out where Lillian and Janine had deliberately skewed my progress, in order to make certain that I could never challenge them.

We also had solo sessions. Anna must have invested hundreds of hours into our training.

"We should be paying you." I said.

"Don't be silly." she said. "I'm leaving everything to Sophie anyway - anything you give me would only come back to her in the long run."

"I didn't... I didn't know that."

"I have no children, Pete. You know that. Does it come as a surprise to you that I don't care much for most of my relatives?"

"Given what you've told me of your family history... no."

"She's one of the few people in the world that I do care about. So you can forget about paying me back - and concentrate on making Sophie happy."

"I'm trying." I said.

"I know you are." said Aunt Anna. That was the closest I'd ever felt to Sophie's Aunt - the warmest she'd ever been with me. It lasted all of three seconds.

"Now get your head out of your ass, and concentrate on what I asked you to do!"

Despite her abruptness, and her occasional harsh criticism, Anna was actually a talented and patient teacher. She unlocked my skills to an incredible degree. It was like someone finally putting air into your tires, so that when you climbed back onto your bike, the difference was... enormous - and immediate.

Sophie enjoyed her lessons, too. She wasn't trying to catch up to me in a matter of months. Instead, she was only interested in improving herself - of measuring her own performance by the standard she'd set in her last session.

After six months' work with her Aunt, Sophie wanted to show me what she'd learned. She sat me down at our kitchen table, and spread out a deck of cards between us.

"Touch a card." she said. I did.

"Now watch it. Closely."

Again, I did as she asked. Sophie was working - I could feel the surge of magical energy (one of the benefits of my training with her Aunt).

I watched, in utter amazement, as the playing card in question slid almost a full inch to the left.

"I don't believe it. Sophie - that's incredible!"

"Pretty good, right?"

"Better than that - amazing!"

""Really?"

"You know it! This calls for a celebration -"

"Shawarmas?" said Sophie, with a grin.

"Sure. I'll go get them." I said. "And afterwards, I think you deserve a massage."

"Oh? I have a feeling that I know where that will lead..."

Sophie is rapidly becoming an accomplished magician. She can read my mind like you wouldn't believe.

* * * * *

The End

Note: From the (many) comments, I realize that some readers found the story too long, or became frustrated with Pete for being so slow to catch on. The story could have been shorter, but I was having fun writing it (No, I don't think it's a masterpiece, but I enjoyed the process). My intention all along was to turn a mind control story upside down, by having the main character be the one controlled - some of you figured it out early. I was also intrigued by the possibilities in the dates of full moons.

Apologies if certain aspects didn't appeal to you. I hope that you found something entertaining in it. Thank you for commenting - I appreciate the feedback and the support.