“And?” I say.
“Silas wants to tear it down—the schoolhouse.”
“Hmm...” I say. “I can imagine that’s going to upset some people.”
“Yes. The Hillcrest Historical Society got wind of his plans, when he filed for permission with the Town Council.”
“Uh-oh,” I say.
“The Historical Society hired Hiroku to stop Silas from moving forward. They asked her to make sure that Silas couldn’t get permission to tear down that schoolhouse.”
“How did Silas take that?”
Cora bites her lip again. “He wasn’t happy about it.”
“I bet,” I say.
“He already bought the land with the intention of building on it,” Cora says, defensively. “He says that the only area on the entire lot that can be purchased that’s worthy of building on is right where the school is. He says that if the Historical Society wanted that schoolhouse to be preserved, they should have told him before he went through with the purchase.”
“Makes sense,” I say. “I think he should have known before he bought the land. No one indicated that the schoolhouse was protected?”
“Nope,” Cora says.
“Okay. So he probably wasn’t happy to learn that a lawyer as brilliant as Hiroku Itsu was trying to stop him from building his dream house.”
We sink into silence again. I’m thinking over the implications of what Cora just told me. I have a feeling she’s downplaying the degree of Silas’s upset.
I know how excited Silas is to build his home. I know that he envisions his whole pack moving to the area. His dream house is just the beginning of the wonderful environment he hopes to create on the outskirts of Hillcrest. His dreams are massive. How far would he go, to protect his vision?
Would he kill for it?
As if she’s reading my mind, Cora says, “Silas was upset that Hiroku was working for the Historical Society. But that doesn’t mean that he would kill her! He wouldn’t.”
“Do you know that for sure?” I ask. “With one hundred percent certainty?”
“Penny—I’m going to marry this man! I’m having his child! Of course, I know!” She places her hand on her belly.
I put down my coffee cup and hold up my hand. “Okay, okay!” I say. “I’m just trying to be objective here. It won’t serve us to let our emotions blind us to the facts. I’m not saying that Silas killed Hiroku for sure. I’m just saying that it’s a possibility we have to consider.”
In my mind, I’m being rational, tactful, and gentle.
Apparently, though, my mind deceives me.
‘Stop it!” Cora says.
Is she glaring at me? Yep. She’s glaring at me.
She places a hand on her hip. “I don’t want to hear another word about this. This is my fiancé we’re talking about. The man I love.”
“Right,” I say.
It’s too late for Cora. She can’t see this case objectively. It’s going to be up to me to try to think clearly for the both of us. If Silas is a killer, I want to know about it, so that I can protect Cora.
My sense of urgency increases. I need to start making progress on this case, fast.
I pick my bag up off of the floor. “I’m sorry, Cora,” I say, as I loop my bag over my shoulder. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I know how much you care about Silas, and I know that this is a really hard thing you’re going through. I should head out now, but just call me if you need to talk. Do you think you’ll be up for knitting circle tonight?”
Cora nods warily. “Yes,” she says. “I think it will be good to get out of the house. Silas is up at the property all day. He has a meeting with the Town Council at 11. They’re going to issue his building permits. I’m sure he’ll be tied up with it all afternoon and I don’t want to be home alone all day. Are you going to make it?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I say. I walk towards her, and give her a quick hug. “Everything’s going to be okay,” I promise, as I pat her back.
I head for the door, and Cora sees me out. As I step onto the front step, I think of one more thing I’d like to ask her. I know it’s a sensitive subject, so I try to ask it tactfully.
“Cora, you said that you didn’t work late because you and Silas had dinner plans. Do you happen to remember what time your dinner plans started? And what time he left?”
Cora glares at me. “You’re trying to see if he has an alibi, aren’t you?” She says.
Whoops. She saw right through that one.
“Um... maybe?” I say.
Cora sighs. “Well, I wish I could tell you I was with him all night. I really do. But I can’t lie to you, Penny. He cancelled our plans. He said something came up, and he couldn’t meet me. I ended up having my superfood salad on my own, and watching Dancing with the Stars until about ten. Then I went to bed.”
“Did he tell you what came up?” I ask.
“No,” Cora says. “I asked him, but he said that he couldn't tell me. He said that it was important, and that it would make our future better. That’s all he would say.”
“I see,” I say.
“Everyone has secrets now and then, you know,” Cora says. “He could have been doing anything.”
I reach for my bike.
“I know,” I say. “See you at five!” I hop on my bike and ride away before Cora can justify Silas’s strange behavior any further.
I want to like Silas. I really want to think that he’s an amazing guy, and that my friend is going to live happily ever after with him.
But I can’t let my personal feelings influence my investigation. I have to be objective.
As a professionally trained personal investigator, I have to look at the facts. And right now, the facts have placed the werewolf, Silas Switchback, at the top of my list of suspects.
Chapter Six
By the time I’m riding down Main Street, it’s nine a.m.. I do some quick calculations as I pedal.
Beaver Pond is out on Hillcrest College Road, a few miles past the college itself. It’s going to be a long bike ride—at least forty-five minutes. I know that Silas will be there at eleven. But if I go straight there, I might end up waiting an hour before he even arrives.
So, instead of heading straight out to Silas’s property to question him, I decide to make a quick stop first. Silas may be at the top of my suspect list, but the list doesn’t stop there. I have other people to question.
Seeing as I’ll be heading out Hillcrest College Road anyways, I decide to stop in at the college.
I’ll use this time to question Max.
Not that I want to see him or anything... his office just happens to be on my way, and I happen to need to talk to him. I want to establish whether or not he has an alibi. I need to figure out if he had any motive for killing Hiroku. This is a work visit, and that’s all.
It’s not related at all to the fact that I get butterflies in my stomach every time I see him, or that I’ve spent long hours drawing sketches of the two of us kissing, in my Book of Shadows.
Oops... did I just admit to that?
I know, I know, it probably sounds weird. But fantasizing about Max is one of my favorite pastimes, and I doodle when I’m bored. Sometimes I draw pictures of Turkey, looking all cute and cuddly. Sometimes I draw pictures of trees, or flowers, or stars.
And sometimes —as much as it makes me blush to admit it—I draw pictures of Max and me, locked in a steamy embrace.
In real life, I’ve never kissed him.
But in my overactive imagination, we’ve kissed many times.
Many, many times.
And, as I ride out towards the college, I add a few more to the list. First, I imagine we’re on a beach in Hawaii. Max’s tanned skin is glistening in the sun, complemented by a white linen top that matches his glistening white fangs. We’re standing in the surf. Waves crash around us as Max lifts me up, kissing me passionately.
Next, I place us in Venice. We’re on a gondola—one of those cool
wooden boats that floats along the canals. In my daydream, Max sits next to me. We sip red wine as the gondolier paddles. Max leans over to point to a building. Then, naturally, he turns and kisses me. Our lips linger. He tastes like Chianti.
I’m halfway through my third fantasy, in which Max and I book a room at a horse ranch in Texas, when I pedal up to the college.
I’ll have to put that one on hold for later.
Because right now, I need to get into work-mode.
I hop off my bike, and do my best to get my head straight as I march up to the sprawling one-story building that is Hillcrest College.
I must think like a professional private investigator. I must be objective. I can’t let my feelings get it the way. I have to be calm, cool, and collected.
Bucky Montgomery, a guy I went to high school with, is sitting behind the front desk. Well, his real name is William Montgomery—or Billy, for short—but due to his protruding front teeth, he became known as Bucky. The nickname haunted Bucky through elementary school and when he reached high school, he embraced it. He even had ‘Bucky’ printed on his basketball jersey, if I remember correctly. Bucky was one of those kids who sat on the bench a lot, during games—unlike Chris, who was a star player.
The college is set up so that everyone passes this front desk on their way to the classrooms and offices in the rest of the building. In front of the desk, there’s an open lounge area, with outdated chairs and couches placed in little clusters throughout. A few students are sitting in the chairs, reading or talking. I walk past them, and up to Bucky.
“Can you point me in the direction of Doctor Max Shire’s office?” I ask.
“Sure thing, Penny,” Bucky says. “He’s in the biology wing. Head down the hallway and take your first right. His office is always down there... I think it’s the fifth or sixth door. He should be in there, or in the bio lab, which is at the end of that hallway.”
“Got it,” I say.
Is it bad that my palms are sweating, as I follow Bucky’s direction?
Those darn butterflies are starting up, too.
I smooth my hair as I turn down the hallway. I start counting the doors as they pass. One... two...
I reach into my messenger bag, and pull out some lip gloss. My lips are chapped, that’s all! I roll the strawberry, sparkly gloss over my lips and then smack them together as I pass the third and fourth doorways. I pause in front of the fifth door. It doesn’t look right. Nope, it isn’t. I spot a plaque that says, “Professor Jane Tardy.”
I continue on to the sixth door.
This is it. The plaque next to this door reads “Professor Maxwell Shire, PhD.” My heart is really thumping in my chest. Just the thought of seeing Max is turning me into a hot mess.
Keep it together, I tell myself, as I reach my hand up to knock on his closed office door.
Uninvited, a flashing image of kissing Max in the Hawaiian surf comes to mind.
Drat! I should not have indulged in those daydreams on my way over here.
Instead of knocking, I turn my fist into a flat palm, and give my cheek a little slap. I need to knock this persistent daydream right out of my head!
“Get yourself together,” I whisper aloud.
My cheeks are burning, from my daydream and the slap both, as I finally make my hand into a fist and knock three times on Max’s office door.
I try to take a deep breath while I wait for him to answer, but I’m far too nervous to do it properly. Instead, I sip at the air in jagged little inhales, and then blow it out through pursed lips. Right into the face of Max Shire, as he opens the door.
“Mmm... strawberries,” he says with a smile.
He’s wearing a button up shirt, and khakis. He places one arm against the doorframe and leans on it, looking out at me with an amused smile.
“Uh... Hi Max,” I say.
Graceful. Smooth. Suave.
These words do not describe me in this moment.
I’m flustered and nervous. I may or may not be sweating so much that my cotton shirt, beneath my sweater, is wet in the armpits.
What can I say? This guy gets to me... in a good way. I think.
He’s smiling down at me as I squirm. He’s not going to make this easy on me.
When I speak next, it’s with a quivering voice. I wish I was feeling like a badass confident private investigator right now, but I’m not. I feel like a love-struck school girl.
“So... this is your office?” I say, peering past him into the little room.
He doesn’t move from the doorway. Instead, he just nods.
“Are you going to invite me in?” I ask.
“Do you want to come in?” He asks.
“I... well, yeah. I do. That’s why I’m here. I wondered if I could ask you a few questions.”
“This doesn’t have to do with Ms. Itsu’s death, does it, Penny?” Max asks.
“You know about that?” I ask.
Max grins. “Of course, I do. My running route takes me right past her law offices. I ran by this morning before work, and saw the crime scene tape. An officer told me the facts.”
“Which were...?”
“That Mrs. Itsu was found dead in her office last night, at eight p.m.—by you.”
“Correct,” I say.
A group of students are heading down the hall, towards us. I can hear the chatters and giggles of a few of the girls as they pass by the two of us. Glancing over at them, I spot one of the girls eying Max. I’m sure more than a few of his students have developed crushes of their own on this handsome professor.
A door down the hallway opens up, and more students start to pour through the hallway.
“I really think we should discuss this inside your office,” I say. As nervous as I am about being in a small, enclosed space with Max, it will be better than talking about this out where anyone could overhear us.
Max steps aside. “As you wish,” he says, motioning into the office.
I attempt another deep breath. It goes about as well as the first did, which means not well at all. I’m feeling kind of dizzy as I step into the office, and Max closes the door behind us.
For a brief, split second, an unwelcome image comes to mind. I visualize Max walking towards me, sweeping me up in his arms, and kissing me until I can’t think straight.
Not that I’m thinking straight as it is, but—
If I wasn’t afraid of looking weird, I would slap my other cheek.
“Everything alright, Penny?” Max asks me. His office is fairly small. I back up towards the center of the room, between two chairs that face his desk. I reach for one of the chairs to steady myself, because I really do feel woozy.
“I—I’m fine,” I say, as I nearly trip over the chair behind me.
Max steps closer to me. He’s looking down at me, and for some reason, I feel like he’s looking right through me. Sometimes, I swear, it’s like Max has x-ray vision. His eyes travel down my body, and then back up. It’s all so quick, but it sends a flash of heat through me as though he’s just lit a burner under those poor little butterflies. “You seem... flustered,” he says, as his eyes meet mine again.
I’m struggling to breathe. “Me? No... not flustered at all!” I manage.
Max laughs. “Good,” he says, flashing his killer smile. “Then please, let’s continue. You’re here because a part of you wonders whether I murdered Hiroku Itsu. You want to know my whereabouts for last night. You want to know... let’s see...” He taps a finger against his lip as he studies me. “You want to know if I might have anything against her.”
“How—how did you know that?” I ask. I narrow my eyes. “Are you doing some kind of Vampire Voodoo where you read my mind?”
“Vampire Voodoo!” Max tilts his chin up and gives a hearty laugh. “Ha! Penny, that’s a good one. You are such a character. An imaginative, naive, stunningly beautiful character, that is.”
He gives me another one of those quick once overs. I feel the burner that’s been ignite
d inside of me kick up to high.
This is not going well. I need to get this conversation back under control.
But how?
“If you’re not reading my mind, how do you know that I suspect you of murder?” I ask.
“Because, Penny. You’re so new to magic. It’s bound to frighten you. That’s normal. You’re suspicious of magic—and that includes magical beings. Because I’m magical, a part of you remains suspicious of me.”
I can’t argue there. He’s totally right.
Max continues. “It’s the human part of you... by the way. That’s the part of you that’s suspicious of me.” He winks at me. “The witch in you... she knows I’m trustworthy. In fact, I dare say, the witchy side of you is fairly attracted to me.”
Fairly! Now that’s the understatement of the year!
I clear my throat. “Regardless of how I feel about you—witchy parts and all—I’d like to know where you were last night.”
“Ah. Okay. You’re going to ignore your witch instincts, I see. Well then, I’ll tell you. I was here, in the office, catching up on some work. My students mean very well, but they’ve undergone years of brainwashing that I’m doing my best to unravel. I don’t just grade papers. No! I respond to papers.”
“And that takes time, I’m assuming?”
“Hours,” Max says. “I was here well past nine.”
“Okay,” I say. Now that I’ve established his alibi, I need to see if he had any motive to kill Hiroku.
“Did you know Hiroku Itsu?” I ask.
“I knew of her,” Max says. “But I didn’t know her personally, no. Sometimes when I was out on trail runs, I’d see her out in the woods, with her dog.”
“Blueberry Muffin,” I say.
“Oh. What a dreadful name. Yes, well, so be it. Blueberry Muffin. I would say hello to the two of them in passing, and that was about it.”
“But nothing else?” I ask.
“No, I’m afraid not,” Max says.
“No skeletons in your closet?” I ask, watching him closely for signs that he’s hiding something from me. “Hiroku used to live on the East Coast. You didn’t spend time with her there... have some kind of affair or something with her that ended badly?”
A Hillcrest Witch Mystery Collection Page 41
