I need to see what they’re doing in there. I need to hear what they’re saying. Plus, if I’m going to break this news to Cora, I’d better have some hard evidence.
I mean, I definitely heard Silas call Azure ‘Baby.’ I saw them embracing. But I know Cora. She’s going to want to look on the bright side of things. ‘Oh, you’re mistaken, Penny,’ I can almost hear her say. ‘Silas would never do something like that. He’s a good guy.’
‘Oh—are you so sure about that?’ I respond in my head.
“Ha!” I mutter aloud. Then, I step out of the alcove and begin shimmying, my back pressed against the wall, towards Azure’s apartment.
The only way to stay out of the line of sight of the windows is to stay flushed to the wall. The corrugated tin is cold against my back. My sweater makes a soft shushing sound as I side-step closer and closer to the first of Azure’s windows.
I’ve passed by her apartment many times. I know that one of her windows looks into her living room, and the other one, the one I’m closest to now, looks into her kitchen.
Usually, she has curtains drawn. But the curtains are white and gauzy, almost see through. Hopefully, since it’s dark out but light inside her place, I’ll be able to see right through the filmy curtains.
I’m sandwiched against the wall, right next to her kitchen window.
Are they in there?
Maybe they’re standing in there, kissing passionately, right at this very moment!
They won’t see me if I just take a little peek in. I’ll be very careful.
I poke my head around the window frame, and press my nose to the glass. Through the filmy curtain, I can see an empty kitchen.
I pull my head back, like a turtle retreating into her shell.
Nope. They’re not in the kitchen. I hurry past the first window, and then halt as I reach the edge of the second window—the one that looks into the living room.
This time, I crouch down and shimmy over until I’m right below the sill.
Then, slowly and carefully, I raise my head until I can look over the sill.
There they are! Standing in the living room! They’re talking. What are they talking about?
I see Silas laugh. He says something, while making a gesture like he’s hitting something, with his hands. Then Azure laughs.
In my head, I’m making up their dialogue.
‘Oh, yeah—then I smacked her over the head with a paperweight,’ is what Silas said.
‘Oh, Silas. You’re so sexy when you talk about murder!’ Azure must have responded.
‘I’d do anything to turn you on, Baby,’ Silas responds.
Giggle giggle, goes Azure.
Seriously. This is making me nauseous.
I watch the two converse. Now Azure is making hand gestures. She’s making a pulling motion with her hands.
‘Then I snatched the book right out of Annie’s house,’ I imagine her saying.
‘Good work, Baby,’ Silas likely responds.
‘Those stupid, clueless witches,’ Azure is probably saying. ‘It was almost too easy. Now that we have their books, they’re weak. Without the Terra Coven in the picture, I’ll control two portals—Earth and Air—and I’ll be the most powerful witch in the magical universe! ’
She waves her hand, motioning for Silas to follow her down a hallway that leads away from the living room.
Uh-oh. Unit B is a one-bedroom apartment. There are only four rooms in the place. The two are not heading for the kitchen. That leaves only the bathroom, and the bedroom.
I’m pretty sure they’re not going to go use the lavatory together.
That only leaves one option: The bedroom.
They’re heading for the bedroom!
I reach my hands up to the window sill, and try to push it up. Luckily, it is not locked. It’s a bit stiff, but after some pushing and prodding, I manage to open up a two-foot gap. Then I stand on my tiptoes, hoist myself up, and stick my head and shoulders through the opening.
It’s hard to lift my own weight up off of the ground, but thanks to my zumba strengthened arms, I manage the acrobatic move.
My palms are planted on the sill, holding me half in, half out of the window. My feet are totally off of the ground. I kick my legs back and forth a little bit, trying to get some momentum so that I can hoist myself further through the window. Suddenly, I’m pivoting. My head is moving towards the floor. Oh, man.
I release my hold on the sill, and instead move my hands to the floor. Luckily, my hands reach the wood floor first, instead of my head. I walk my hands forward, dragging myself farther in. My purse slides from my shoulder to my wrist, and hits the floor with a thud. Being inverted like this makes my cocktail dress slide up around my belly. Yikes! But I can’t fix it now. Somehow, my feet make it to the ground. It’s not the softest landing, but it’s also not the loudest, which is really saying something since I’m wearing cowboy boots.
I freeze for a minute, totally sprawled across the living room floor with my dress up around my waist in a very unladylike fashion. I hold my breath, waiting to see if Azure and Silas are going to come running back to the living room to see what the noise was all about.
Thankfully, they do not. I think I’m in the clear. I work my way up to standing slowly and carefully, and smooth the skirt of my dress. I reposition my purse so it’s high on my shoulder and tucked neatly under my arm. Then, moving on my tiptoes, I make my way towards the hallway that Azure and Silas disappeared down, only minutes before.
As I move down the hallway, I start to hear a thumping sound.
Goodness gracious, these two move fast. Are they rocking the bed already? I feel a blush creep to my cheeks at the thought of it. I mean, I had a case once where I had to investigate a cheating spouse, but I’ve never actually caught two people in the act of cheating.
I mean, right in the middle of a very active cheating session. Very active.
Thump, thump, thump.
I can hear the bedframe slamming against the wall.
Well, I didn’t go to school to be a librarian. I became a private investigator, knowing full well that my career would involve pulling back the curtain and peeking into people’s private lives.
Well, here I am, getting a glimpse behind the scenes.
I asked for this. I wanted to know what Azure and Silas were up to. Cora has to know about this. I’m here, so I’d better get some proof.
I approach the doorway.
My phone is in my purse. I pull it out and hold it ready in my hand. I’m going to take a picture. Cora can’t deny a picture.
The thumping sound stops.
“Did you get it?” I hear Azure say. She sounds kind of matter-of-fact about it. That’s weird. Well, everyone has their own style of love-making. Maybe these two take a practical approach.
“Not quite,” I hear Silas respond.
“Try again,” Azure says.
Yes, they sure are business-like!
The thumping sound starts up again. Thump, thump, thump.
Okay, now’s the time. The door is not quite all the way closed. There’s an inch-wide crack in it. I’ll just push it open a little bit further and then stick my phone inside and snap a quick picture. That’s it. I’ll have my proof. I can get out of here before they even have a clue what hit them.
‘You’ve been hit by—you’ve been struck by—a smooth investigator,’ I sing in my mind as I ready my phone.
There. I’ve got my phone’s camera pulled up.
The sound of the bed hitting the wall continues. They’re really going for it this time.
I poke the end of my phone through the crack in the door. Farther... farther...
That’s it! The phone is now all the way inside the bedroom.
But will I get the whole scene? I better get it in a little bit farther, just for good measure. There we go. Now my right hand is all the way in the bedroom, up to my wrist.
I press my index finger down in the spot where I know the camera button
is. Then, for good measure, I quickly press it down two more times. Three pictures—that should do it.
The thumping stops. I freeze.
I don’t want to draw attention to the doorway by pulling my phone away. The movement might catch their attention.
“That’s really close,” Azure says, matter-of-factly. “A few more solid hits and we’ll have it.”
Hunh. That’s definitely not the kind of bedroom talk I’m used to, but like I said, to each’s own!
Silas speaks. “Just hold this up for a minute. There. You have it? I need you to hold still so that I can aim correctly.”
They must be doing some very advanced stuff in there. Is it safe to move my hand yet?
“Okay,” Azure says. “Oh my goodness... this is heavy. How can I—Oh, no! Oh—Silas, I’m losing it!”
“Hold on!” Silas yells
I have to admit, I’m kind of curious about what’s happening.
“I’m losing my grip!” Azure shouts. “No!”
Suddenly, I feel the bedroom door slam against my wrist. Blinding pain shoots up my arm. “Son of a—” I shout out, just as—
BAM! The sound of wood hitting wood covers over the sound of my voice.
But it’s too late. I know that they heard me yell. Not only that, but I dropped my phone inside the bedroom. Not only that, but my wrist is still pinned in the doorway, held painfully in place by the door and the frame.
Now the door is moving. There’s a sliding sound, like wood scraping against wood. Then, some of the pressure from the door against my wrist is relieved, like a weight on the other side of the door was removed.
The door begins to open.
Chapter Twelve
Tears are filling my eyes. The pain I feel is severe. On a scale of one to ten, I’m at about 7,000.
My wrist hurts so much that I don’t even care that I’m about to be busted. I just want the door to open, so that I can free my poor wrist. I want to see my fingers, so that I know that my hand hasn’t been chopped off at the wrist. That’s honestly what it feels like.
“What the—Penny?” Silas is standing in the doorway as he pulls it open. He’s completely dressed. “What are you—”
He turns. “Azure, did you invite Penny over, too?”
“No! Why would I?” Azure approaches the doorway. “Penny?” she says, as she comes up behind Silas. She’s wearing all of her clothes too. But I’m in too much pain to worry about it.
“My wrist!” I wail.
Now that my arm is freed from the doorway, I’m cradling my right hand in my left. The wrist is already swollen. There’s a pale white line across it, followed by a pink line and then a disturbingly purple one, where the pressure of the door was the worst.
I try to wiggle the fingers of my right hand.
One by one, they move.
My hand is still attached, so there’s one victory for the night.
One very minor victory, compared to the massive mess of a failure that the rest of this operation has been.
Silas and Azure are staring at me. I hold my tender, cradled wrist forward, wiggling fingers and all. “My wrist got slammed in the door!” I wail.
I feel hot tears streaming down my cheeks.
“It looks like it’s swelling up,” Silas says. “It might be sprained.”
“Sprained!” I yowl. “It hurts! Why does it hurt so much? How did the door slam on it?”
“The mattress frame fell,” Silas says. “Azure was trying to hold it up, but—”
“I dropped it,” Azure finishes. “It was too heavy. I’m sorry, Penny—wait a minute. Why am I apologizing to you? What are you even doing here?”
I’m still stuck on the mattress frame part. “Why were you holding up the mattress frame?” I wail. “I don’t understand! And why are you dressed? What kind of crazy, kinky—”
“Wait a minute... kinky?” Silas says. “Penny—what are you talking about?”
“I know what you guys are up to!” I say, glaring first at Silas, and then at Azure. “And believe me—Cora is not going to be happy about it!” This part I say directly to Silas.
“You can bet that the wedding is going to be off!” I say. Then I give a huge sniffle. I can feel my pulse, throbbing in my wrist, which is now turning a pale shade of seafoam green. The purple line has become more of a grey-blue. The whole thing is incredibly swollen.
“You need some ice on that,” Silas says.
“I know!” I say, angrily. “But I don’t take assistance from cheaters! I’ll get my own freaking ice!” I really am pissed.
“Cheaters?” Azure says.
“Or murderers!” I say, glaring at Azure now. “Or individuals who steal books!” With that, I turn. I stomp down the hallway. With every dramatic footstep, my wrist jostles up and down and my pain reaches a new level.
“Hang on!” Silas says. “What are you going on about?”
“Just wait until I tell the police! You can’t fool me. You can’t fool Penny Banks!” I shout over my shoulder. Then I inhale another loud sniffle. “I was onto you from the beginning. I knew you were both up to something, and tonight confirms it. You’re—”
“Penny, wait!” Azure calls out. I stop.
Then I hear her ask Silas, “Should we tell her?”
“I guess we have to,” answers Silas.
I turn around. Yes, I’m in a lot of pain. However, I’m still a private investigator. If these two are about to confess, I want to hear it. It’s my job. Plus, I’m more than a little bit curious.
“How did you do it?” I ask. “Why did you do it?”
Azure looks over at Silas. I keep talking. “I mean, Azure, I saw you take down Sherry O’Neil’s number for the yoga teaching job. I know you’re planning on being in town full time. Are you trying to take over the portal? Is that it?”
Azure shakes her head.
“Don’t lie to me!” I say. “I can tell how stressed you’ve been. Quiet... timid... nervous. And tired. I mean, goodness, you look so tired.”
“I do?” asks Azure.
“You have bags under your eyes,” I say.
Azure grimaces as she reaches up and pats the area under her eye with her fingertips. “They’re that noticeable?” she asks.
“To a trained observer,” I say, giving my glasses an adjustment with my left hand.
Azure frowns.
“And you...” I say to Silas. “You’ve been acting suspicious too. First, you refuse to tell your fiancé where you were on the night of Hiroku’s murder.”
I let that statement settle in before continuing on. “Then, you lie to me about knowing Azure. I found her address in your work notebook—I knew you were going to pay her a visit tonight.”
Well, that’s a bit of a stretch. I was about 50-50 on that one, but that wouldn’t sound nearly as impressive.
Azure and Silas are staring at me. If my arm didn’t hurt so badly, I might try to ready myself to perform some kind of self-defense move. I mean, I don’t officially know any self-defense. But I watch a lot of television, and I have an idea about what self-defense is supposed to look like. Sadly, with my wrist in the condition it’s in, I’m not really in the right shape for any of the Jujitsu or Kung-Fu that I know I’m capable of.
“Penny, what do you think I’m doing here?” Silas asks.
I glare at him. “You’re on a secret rendezvous with your forbidden lover, Azure Spincraft. The two of you were laughing about your crime spree in Hillcrest, and then you went into the bedroom. I have no idea what kind of x-rated things you were doing in there.”
Silas shakes his head. “You have it all wrong,” he says.
“I’m rarely wrong,” I say. I would say never, but there have been a few times. “I know what I heard. I heard you call Azure ‘Baby.’ I saw the way you two held each other.”
“Held each other?” Azure says. She looks at Silas. “Oh—you mean the way we hugged, in the doorway?”
“Yes. That,” I say.
S
ilas blows air out through his lips. Then he looks at Azure. “We’re going to have to tell her everything,” he says.
“Darn right, you are!” I say.
Azure is looking at Silas. “I guess we are. But then everyone is going to know.”
“Of course, they are!” I interject. “You two can’t get away with this any longer!”
Silas shakes his head. “There’s no other way,” he says to Azure.
“Are you two just going to ignore me?” I say.
Finally, Silas looks right at me. “Let’s go to the kitchen,” he says. “I think this discussion would be best if we all sat down and had some tea.”
Azure nods.
“You two are seriously weird,” I say. “But tea does sound nice. And I guess if you have some ice, I’ll take it.”
It’s against my morals to take ice from cheaters, murderers, and thieves, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I want to hear this confession, and if I don’t do something soon, my wrist is going to swell to the point of bursting. At least, that’s what it feels like.
I’m more than a little bit nervous as I follow Azure and Silas towards Azure’s kitchen. As we enter, I position myself near the door, so that I can make a run for it if I have to. Who knows what these two could be planning?
I think woefully of my phone, which is still lying on Azure’s bedroom floor. I wish I had it so that I could be ready to call for help if I needed to. I also wish I had my handcuffs or my gun, but both are up in my apartment.
Then again... I wouldn’t be able to do much with them, given the condition my right wrist is in. I’m going to have to rely solely on my brain. Yep. Good old-fashioned intelligence.
“Have a seat,” Azure says, pulling out one of the chairs from her kitchen table.
“No thanks,” I say. “I’ll stay right where I am. Why don’t you two tell me what’s going on?”
It’s best if I show that I’m still in control of the situation.
“Azure, why don’t you start. How long have you known Silas?”
Azure glances at Silas, who is reaching into the freezer. “Known him?” She says, raising her eyebrows. “Well... for my whole life.”
“You two were kids together?” I say. “Well, isn’t that just perfect.”
A Hillcrest Witch Mystery Collection Page 47
