Perilous Paws (Kitten Witch Cozy Mystery Book 8)

by Corrine Winters

  Lake Petit was the county seat, which led to a small profusion of modern structures in the downtown area. Mostly lawyer’s offices, banks, and restaurants, as well as the charmingly baroque, if small, courthouse. Not surprisingly, a majority of the cases weren’t even heard in the old courthouse but took place in the Municipal building across the street.

  Ember pursed her lips as they hit the downtown area. “It’s grown a lot since the last time I was through here.”

  “When was that?” Cedric slowed to a stop at a red light and glanced over at her.

  “Years now. Back when I needed to apply for the liquor license for the Pub, I think. It’s been quite a while.”

  They parked in the circle drive in front of the Municipal building. Ron Olberman rented space on the fifteenth floor, as high as he could go. Ember glanced up at the top floor, wondering if he were watching them right then.

  “Take a look at this propaganda,” Cedric said, pointing at a mural depicting Ron Olberman holding a child on his knee with a billowing American flag behind them. Saving today by protecting tomorrow was writ large across the stylized flag.

  “Somebody likes the look of his own face quite a bit,” Ember said, nodding her head. “Classic narcissist.”

  “Narcissists aren’t always killers, or even violent,” Cedric said. “But when they do turn that way, they usually go all out. Jim Jones. Senator McCarthy.”

  Ember took his arm. “Come on, we want to catch him while he’s still in his office.”

  Cedric came along with her, a bit stiffly. She glanced up at him. “What’s wrong?”

  “Um, nothing,” Cedric said. Ember looked down and saw she was holding his hand. She sheepishly released it.

  “I’m sorry. Force of habit.”

  “Well, it, um…it wasn’t unpleasant or anything,” Cedric said.

  “Oh?” Ember arched a brow as they entered the building. A bailiff moved over to greet them, offering a hand for a shake.

  “Sheriff Jamison,” the bailiff said. “It’s been a stretch.”

  “It has indeed, Jonas.”

  “You here to testify in a case or something?”

  Cedric shook his head. “No, I’m here to speak with Ron Olberman.”

  Jonas’ face contorted into an ebon grimace. “Oh, you mean Satan?”

  Cedric laughed while Ember gasped, but Jonas shook his head. “You laugh but I’m not wrong. He bought out the power company here in town and fired half the linemen. You know, to save money. Now, when there’s a storm and the power goes out it takes a week to come back on, instead of a day or two --at most-- like in the old days.”

  Ember pursed her lips. “If he keeps doing things like that, why do people do business with him at all?”

  “Money talks, and everyone always thinks they’re the ones who aren’t going to get screwed. Anyway, Mr. Big Shot is on the top floor. Good luck.”

  Cedric and Ember took the elevator to the fifteenth floor. Ron Olberman’s office suite was relatively small, less than a dozen employees in cubicles. A receptionist buzzed them into the only real door in the suite, the one which led to Olberman’s personal office.

  “Really, Sheriff,” Olberman said with a chuckle. “Yes, both of those people signed the guest log for the HOA meeting, and yes, I spoke there, but that doesn’t mean I had anything to do with their sad, unfortunate deaths.”

  “Neither of them wanted to sell their land to you,” Cedric said. “Kevin Whitman even used your pamphlet for target practice. Seems like motivation to me.”

  Olberman laughed. “Does it? Trust me, Sheriff. I don’t have to do anything but wait. Sooner or later the economy will tank again, the housing market will fall through, and those people will be begging me to buy their properties at a reduced cost.”

  Ember didn’t like the slick-talking, middle-aged man, but she couldn’t detect anything magical in his nature. How would he even know about Faerie’s Death’s Head caps?

  “Mr. Olberman,” Ember said suddenly, “you often cater the HOA meetings you attend, is that right?”

  “So what if I do?” Olberman shrugged. “You might think it’s bribery, but I like to eat, too.”

  “Do you remember the name of the catering company you used?”

  Olberman frowned. “What difference does that make?”

  “Just answer the question, sir,” Cedric said, letting menace creep into his voice.

  “Sounds like something below my pay grade. Go ask my secretary. That’s her department.”

  “We will. We’ll be in touch, Mr. Olberman.”

  Olberman smiled, though his eyes seemed filled with annoyance to Ember’s mind. But were they the eyes of a killer?

  She hoped they would soon find out.

  Thirteen

  Ember and Cedric spoke with Olberman’s secretary, a very put upon woman who tore through dozens of files and clicked on at least that many databases trying to find the data in question.

  It seemed Olberman was a very busy man, who had many meetings and seminars similar to the one he’d conducted at the HOA gathering. She scrawled the name and address of the catering company across the back of a business card at last and slid it over to Cedric.

  “I hope this helps, Sheriff. Honestly, I’m not used to this network of small towns. A lot of the local businesses don’t even have websites, if you can believe that.”

  “Some folks are just living in a backward age,” Cedric said with a smile. “Thank you much, ma’am.”

  On their way back out to the car, Ember cocked an eyebrow at Cedric. “You ever hear of that catering place?”

  “I think so?”

  Ember sighed. “It was one of the ones we looked at for our wedding, but we wound up going with a different choice. I was hoping maybe…never mind.”

  Cedric frowned. “You were hoping it would jog my memory somehow?”

  Ember nodded. “A long shot, to be sure. Sorry I put you through that.”

  Cedric shook his head. “No, let’s try everything. The longshots and the sure shots, anything to get my memory back. I’ve got the feeling I’m missing out on something real special.”

  His warm eyes looked at her with yearning. Ember swallowed hard, not having seen that look in Cedric’s eyes in some time.

  “I guarantee you’re missing out on a lot,” Ember whispered. Cedric leaned in close enough she could feel his breath across her skin. She inclined her chin as his lips grew nearer—

  “Sheriff! Sheriff! Wanted to catch you before you made it out the door.” Jonas jogged up to their side as Ember ground her teeth in frustration. “You wanted me to check up on that thing for you? Well, my nephew is all into those viral video things—”

  Ember ran a hand down her face. The only problem with small town Louisiana was everyone had to spin a simple story into a yarn.

  “I’m aware of the phenomenon,” Cedric said. “Like the piano playing cat?”

  Jonas frowned. “That’s so two thousand and ten! No, you may have been living under a rock, but street racing is all the rage.”

  Jonas showed his phone screen to them. A frozen image of a red and yellow sports car with custom trim and paint appeared. Jonas tapped the screen and it resolved itself into a video of a car race—a poorly shot, badly lit, nausea inducing car race.

  “This group, they call themselves the Sons of the Wheel,” Jonas blathered on “that medallion you got? Well, the number at the bottom corresponds to a code you can decipher online. It’s coordinates, and a date.”

  “Coordinates and a date for what?” Cedric asked.

  “Coordinates and a date for the next races,” Jonas said, his eyes going wide. “And I’d check up on it no matter how full of malarkey you think I am at the moment.”

  “Why is that?” Cedric asked, cocking an eyebrow.

  “Because the next race is taking place in your jurisdiction, Sheriff. At the old salt mines.”

  “I see.” Cedric’s brow furrowed with thought. Ember thought of the area around t
he mines, with their long, straight roads but little traffic, and thought perhaps it would be a good place for a race.

  With the many dips, hills, and sudden curves in some areas of the depleted mines, however, it could also be quite dangerous.

  Jonas shared the video URL to Cedric, and they departed the Municipal building. The oppressive heat and humidity hit them like a wall.

  “Whew,” Cedric said. “Sure would be nice to have a breeze.”

  Ember fanned herself. “What do you think Ash could be doing, mixed up with street racers?”

  Cedric cleared his throat. Ember knew he was about to say something he didn’t think she wanted to hear.

  “Well, to be honest, it’s not that out of character for Ash.”

  “Cedric!”

  “Come on, I’m not disparaging her, but she gravitates toward what my grand dad used to call ‘dangerous fun.’ She hangs out with Dark spellcasters, for one thing. Street racing hooligans don’t seem like much of a stretch to me.”

  Ember rubbed her eyes and groaned. “I wish I could argue with you, but…Ash and I have had a long, hard road to being sisters again. I wish you’d be a little more sensitive to that.”

  Cedric frowned. “I'm sorry. I don’t re—”

  “You don’t remember, of course,” Ember sighed. “All right. Let’s assume they have something to do with Ash. We need to crash their little party, and, thanks to the medallion, we know when and where it will be, right?”

  Cedric laughed incredulously. “Ember, are you kidding me? Some of these people are just hot-rodding teens straight out of a James Deen flick, but some of them…drug dealers, gang bangers. It’s no place for, um…”

  “A woman?” Ember glared at him. “Is that what you were about to say?”

  “A civilian,” Cedric finished. “It’s bound to be dangerous.”

  “Fighting a hundred-foot house on chicken legs was dangerous. I can handle this. Besides, it sounds like fun. You know I used to go to the stock car races every Friday until they shut down.”

  Cedric glanced her way, his lips a thin, tight line. “I don’t like it, but I agree I need some magical backup. I just wish it didn’t have to be you, Ember. I—I’m kind of fond of you, you know, even if I can’t remember the last couple years.”

  Ember smiled, her heart warming. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear.”

  Cedric shrugged. “If we got together once, it’s bound to be at least in part because we were compatible. It’s not out of reason for it to happen twice.”

  Ember actually felt a blush come to her cheeks. “No, it’s not. Let’s get back to Caucherie. We should be able to catch the caterers before they close up shop for the night.”

  Cedric nodded. “Agreed. If they’ve served deadly mushrooms, knowingly or unknowingly, then we need to talk to them.”

  Ember settled back in her seat, trying to reign in a mind in turmoil. She needed to get her focus back in case she needed to use magic.

  An unsettling feeling told her there might be trouble at the catering office.

  Fourteen

  They rolled into Caucherie’s town square just after five in the afternoon. Cedric glared at the shaded windows of the Cuisine King catering service. “I think we’re too late.”

  “Their website says the office is open until seven PM every day but Sunday.” Ember grunted. “Apparently they specialize in providing lunch to daycare centers.”

  “The origin of the pea carrot mash confirmed,” Cedric said with a chuckle. “I really don’t think they’re still open, though.”

  Ember stared intently at the shuttered windows, searching for some sign of movement within. “I think you’re right about that. Maybe they closed early, or their closing time is listed on the website wrong.”

  “Yeah, but I think they’ve been closed for a while now,” Cedric opened the door and exited the squad car, but left the engine running. He bent low and retrieved a piece of colored paper from the sidewalk in front of the catering company’s entrance.

  Cedric returned, handing her the slip of paper. “Think you can check that address?”

  “Oh, they’ve moved,” Ember said. “Wait a minute…”

  “Where are you going?” Cedric asked as she opened her door.

  Ember exited the car and stepped backward, peering at the realty sign at the end of the lot. Olberman. It just figured.

  “They sold their old location, and guess who bought it?”

  “Olberman. For someone who’s waiting for the next recession, he sure is in a hurry to buy up as much of town as he can.”

  Ember rubbed her temples, the oppressive heat wearing on her. “Let’s just find their new location, and hopefully get some answers.”

  They followed the map on her phone back into town. The Cuisine King had moved into a former auto repair garage. The location was a definite step down from their previous building, except Ember figured it was closer to their main clientele. Caucherie had one post office, one grocery store, and more than a dozen churches, and each of them had a daycare program.

  “Looks like we’re in luck.” Cedric gestured at the door, which stood propped open by a chair. They moved past the unconventional doorstop and approached the counter.

  The woman sitting behind it looked up at them in misery. She fanned herself with a folded up brochure, sweat glistening on her face.

  “Awful hot in here,” Cedric said, tugging at his collar. “AC broken?”

  “What AC?” The receptionist asked in misery. “How can I help you? Are you looking to cater the policeman’s ball?”

  Cedric chuckled softly. “No ma’am, I’m afraid not. I’m here to see whoever was responsible for catering this event.”

  He handed her the receipt from the HOA event where Rob Olberman attempted to coerce the denizens of Caucherie to sell their properties. The woman stared at it, then shook her head.

  “None of those names match our boys. It can’t be us.”

  “That’s your company name right there. Unless you’ve had a complete staff overhaul in the last couple of days it has to be by your team.”

  She glared harder. Her lips curled up in a sneer. “Oh, I think I know what happened. We probably outsourced that one because we were overbooked as it was.”

  “Outsourced catering?” Cedric frowned thoughtfully.

  “Yeah, we thought we were going to have to turn that one down, but just that day a guy stopped by and gave our manager his business card. Just in the nick of time, and they only took a thirty percent commission.”

  Ember arched her brow. “Sounds too good to be true.”

  “I know, right?”

  “What was the name of this business?”

  The woman held up her finger. “Just a moment. I think I still have the business card around here somewhere. Ah, here we go. Manpower Etsy.”

  “Manpower Etc,” Cedric said, taking the card. “Thank you Ma’am. Have a great day.”

  “If I don’t melt first,” the woman said, fanning herself off.

  Ember shook her head as they made their way back to the squad car. “I don’t get it. Why sell your perfectly suitable building to move into a dump without air conditioning?”

  “It’s hard to turn down a fistful of cash, especially in times like these.” Cedric glanced over at her with an inscrutable light in his eyes. “Don’t be so quick to judge.”

  “Hey, I’m a small business owner, too,” Ember said hotly. “I have a stake in this matter as well. I can’t compete with a Buffalo Wild Wings or a Hooters.”

  Cedric frowned. “The good townsfolk would never tolerate a Hooters.”

  “The good townsfolk tolerate a coven of dark witches and mysterious deaths, Cedric. I think some busty coeds with booty shorts aren’t as much of a stretch as you might think.”

  Cedric laughed. “Does that mean you’ll start doing a whole Coyote Ugly thing? Dancing on your bar?”

  “The only people dancing on my bar are ghosts, and they usually prefer to keep their s
pectral knickers on.” Ember’s smile faded as they came upon the address. “Look, there in the old bread store.”

  Cedric pulled into the parking lot, gravel crunching under the tires. The oil stains in the parking spots around the small, squarish building seemed old and faded. Cedric peered in the window and shook his head.

  “Place is locked up tight. I can see some desks, and what might be a filing cabinet, but it looks deserted.”

  “Well, we should go inside and poke around,” Ember gestured at the door.

  “We can’t do that, it’s against the law.”

  “Yes, but my sister is missing, and she could be in imminent danger,” Ember said. “The clue to her location might be inside of the old bread shop. Aren’t you obligated to check it out?”

  Cedric’s brow furrowed as he leaped through the mental hoops she’d laid out.

  “Besides,” Ember said with a grin, casting a quick spell. “The door was wide open when we got here.”

  The door swung open and Cedric laughed.

  “After you,” he said, gesturing inside the dark, abandoned building.

  Fifteen

  Ember crept inside the darkened environs of the old bread store. Her hand reached out for the light switch, fumbling until she felt it under her fingertips. She grunted in frustration as her repeated flips failed to yield results.

  “Looks like the power’s out,” she said.

  Cedric entered; a flashlight gripped over his shoulder spearing through the darkness. “It looks pretty cleared out, unfortunately.”

  “Manpower, Etc,” Ember said, putting her hands on her hips and pursing her lips. “What are the odds they turned in their business card on exactly the day Olberman’s order came in?”

  Cedric nodded. “A local would have known better than to lean on Cuisine King this time of year, but Olberman’s people probably didn’t. Seems like a setup. Someone went through a lot of trouble to serve food at that HOA meeting.”

  Ember cast a minor spell, causing a candle-sized light to appear in the air near her shoulder. It illuminated as brightly as Cedric’s flashlight, and diffused its light more evenly. The interior revealed itself to be largely empty. A recycling bin turned over on its side, detritus strewn across the floor between two empty desks was the sole feature which stood out.