Cold as a Witch's Toffee

by Sara Bourgeois

  “You still think I might have killed him?”

  “No, but I don’t want to believe anyone else in my town did either. I know you’ve been poking around, so why don’t you go ahead and give me your opinion,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Don’t play coy with me, Allegra. Word has already gotten back to me that you and Rowan tag-teamed Laney Roth at the tavern last night. If that wasn’t about her husband’s murder, then what was it about?”

  “You really want my opinion?”

  “Not really, but that’s where I am. I just happened to run into you when I have no idea what to do next, and it seems like maybe the universe might have done that on purpose. If you believe in that sort of thing. So, lay it on me.”

  “Well, of course there’s Laney. Word around town is that Lukas was going to divorce her, and with him dead, she inherited everything before he could do that,” I said.

  “We’re working on a warrant for their house, but it’s not easy. He didn’t die there, we don’t have any evidence she was involved even with a motive, and both Laney and Lukas have family in high places. It seems that no one really wants us investigating this,” Bethany said. “Anyone else? Obviously, we investigate the spouse first, but I don’t want to overlook other possibilities just to go with the easiest answer.”

  “I’ve had interesting encounters with both Roger and Saffron Kent over the last two days. Roger thanked me for killing Lukas because he hit on Saffron. Saffron was in the shop less than an hour ago lamenting that Laney hasn’t put the Roth house up for sale yet. I don’t know if she’d kill for a house, but it struck me as odd.”

  “That was probably just Roger being Roger. I don’t think he would have killed Lukas over that whole thing, but I’ll keep it in mind. As far as Saffron, she’s the mayor. Again, I’ll keep it in mind, but I’m going to need way more to go after someone of her standing.”

  “So, you’re still at Laney, then. At least until you’ve got more evidence against someone else,” I said.

  “While that’s true, I don’t like the tone of your voice. I get the feeling you want to get more evidence, and Allegra, I have to strongly advise you against that. You’re still officially a suspect, if not the main suspect, and it’s going to look really bad if you get caught snooping around.”

  “So, what are you going to do?” I asked with a shrug.

  “I think I need to talk to Laney again. She seems a little unhinged. Maybe if I press her enough, she’ll let something slip.”

  “What if it’s not her?” I asked.

  “Then maybe she’ll remember something that will help,” Bethany said. “I’d take that.”

  “I don’t suppose you’d let me come with you when you talk to her?” I was going out on a limb, but you never knew.

  “My gut reaction is to say no and ask you what’s wrong with you for even asking that, but you do throw her off balance. Maybe it would be a good idea, but you let me talk. You are not there in any official capacity.”

  “I understand,” I said.

  After I loaded Voodoo up in the cruiser, we left the cemetery for Laney’s house. As soon as we were on the road, Bethany asked me about Rowan.

  “So, what’s going on with you and Rowan?” She tried to sound casual, but I knew it was eating her alive.

  “There’s nothing up with Rowan and me,” I said, but even I didn’t know if I believed me. “We’re old friends, and he’s just being there for me while I transition back to living in Knox Hills.”

  “You say that you’re old friends, but you guys haven’t had any contact for over a decade. It just seems strange that suddenly you’re besties.”

  I couldn’t tell her that he’d been chosen to help me transition back into being a witch because I couldn’t even tell her I was a witch. “He’s a good guy, and we were close as kids. We’re family too,” I said.

  “But not blood relatives,” she stated.

  “No, we’re cousins by marriage only. We’re not blood relatives,” I confirmed.

  I knew that’s not what she wanted to hear. If Rowan and I were related, then I wasn’t a threat to whatever she had going on with him. I got the feeling that whatever they had going on was over, though, because Rowan was spending all of his free time with me. I didn’t want to be rivals with Bethany because it seemed like we could be friends. What I couldn’t do was pretend like I didn’t feel something for Rowan.

  “Did you two ever date?” she asked point-blank.

  “No. I stopped coming around Knox Hills at the beginning of high school. I hadn’t dated anyone yet. In fact, I was halfway through high school before I did, so long after I last saw Rowan,” I said. “What about you two? Is there something there?”

  She looked a little shocked that I asked, but she’d brought it up first. It was only fair play that I got to turn the questions around on her, but I could tell Bethany didn’t see it that way. She saw me as the one interloping on her relationship, but I had to know if there really was a relationship. I wasn’t the type to come between people, but I got the distinct feeling that any relationship that had wasn’t mutually equal. Bethany was far more invested in it than Rowan, but did that make it okay for me to be with him?

  “We have dated,” she said. “Well, I should say we’ve been out on dates. At least, I thought they were dates, but I can’t recall if he ever specifically said they were. I’ve been doubting it all since you came to town and he dropped me like a hot potato.”

  “I’m sorry if he’s been rude to you because of me. I should talk to him,” I said.

  “No,” Bethany practically shouted before taking a deep breath and calming herself down. “Sorry, but no. The last thing I want or need is you talking to Rowan about me and Rowan. That would be humiliating and weird.”

  The conversation ended there because we pulled into Laney’s driveway. Bethany got out and let Voodoo out of the back of the cruiser. He trotted behind us as we made our way up the walk to the front door.

  I’d been worried that Laney would be out and about showing off her assets again, but there were two cars in the driveway. An older sedan, which I assumed belonged to the housekeeper, was parked next to a black Range Rover.

  Bethany rang the bell twice, and the second time, a woman I didn’t recognize opened the door. She was dressed in black slacks and a matching polo shirt, so I assumed right away she was the housekeeper.

  “Glenda,” Bethany said. “we’re here to speak with Laney.”

  “Hold on a moment, I’ll get her,” Glenda said and started to close the door.

  “Wait, you’re not going to invite us in?” Bethany seemed taken aback.

  “I’ve been instructed not to let anyone in,” Glenda said with the door open a crack. “Mrs. Roth is having a bad day. Please wait here.”

  She shut the door the rest of the way, and Bethany looked at me. All I could do was shrug. I had no idea what was going on. Well, I did, but I couldn’t say because that would mean admitting I’d broken into the house. What I did know was that Laney didn’t take the divorce filing well, but if she was having a breakdown, that would become apparent soon anyway.

  Laney opened the door a couple of minutes later. She didn’t invite us in, but instead stepped out onto the front porch and closed the door behind herself. I noticed right away that she was wearing a ratty old t-shirt and sweatpants. Her hair was a mess, and she had on no makeup. Still, she wore her diamond earrings, necklace, and bracelet.

  I wondered if she wandered around the house in those all day no matter what she was wearing, or if she’d thrown them on to come to the door. Perhaps she thought they made her look like less of a wreck, but the effect was the opposite. The fancy diamond jewelry just highlighted how disheveled she was.

  “Laney, are you all right?” Bethany asked. It was obvious she’d picked up on what a mess Laney was that particular day.

  “I didn’t sleep well. What is this about?” Laney asked curtly.

  “I wanted to follow up
with you and see if you’d thought of anything else that might help us solve your husband’s murder,” Bethany said.

  “And you brought the prime suspect with you? What’s she doing, selling that crappy ice cream parlor and joining the force?”

  “Hey,” I said. “Don’t talk about Leo’s shop like that.” I didn’t mean to snap at her, but that had been uncalled for.

  “Allegra,” Bethany warned.

  “Sorry.”

  “Anyway, as I asked before, do you have any further information that might help us solve your husband’s murder?” Bethany glossed over answering why I was there.

  “I don’t know anything more, and if I do, I’ll call you,” Laney said and glared at me.

  “It sure would be a help if you’d let me in to look around. There could be evidence that will lead to the arrest of the murderer in there.”

  “My lawyer said you’re not coming in without a warrant. If you have a problem with that, then call him,” Laney snapped.

  She went back inside and slammed the door shut. We hadn’t gotten any new information, but Laney sure hadn’t made herself look innocent. I hoped that Bethany could see that Laney should be the main suspect and not me.

  Although, if Bethany could make it look like it was me, I’d be out of the way for her to pursue Rowan again. I decided right then to be cautious around her. Maybe she hadn’t really wanted my help with Laney, but the whole thing had been a setup.

  “I’m going to go back to the shop,” I said. “I want to check in with Lyn.”

  “I can give you a ride,” Bethany offered, but I could tell she was ready to be rid of me.

  “It’s okay. Voodoo and I could use the walk. Thank you anyway.”

  I got back to the shop, and was thankful I’d decided to go in. Lyn had some paperwork that needed to be signed, and I had the chance to tell her she could reach me at Leo’s old cell phone number.

  When the afternoon girls came in, Lyn offered to show me some of her job in case she ever needed time off. I hadn’t thought about that, and I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about running the shop.

  We sat at the computer and she showed me how to do ordering and scheduling while I took a ton of notes. A couple of hours went by, and I didn’t even notice.

  Eventually, Tarryn came back and told me that I had a visitor. I assumed it was Rowan. “Tell them I’ll be out in just a minute,” I said. “We’re almost done here.”

  Much to my surprise, it wasn’t Rowan waiting for me. It was Alex. “I just closed up the shop, and I was hoping you’d let me buy you dinner,” he said.

  I wasn’t sure what to do. While I was still a little hurt that Alex had asked me to leave his shop, I got the sense he was trying to make it up to me. On the other hand, I also knew that Rowan was probably at my house waiting for me.

  In the end, I decided to say yes. I wanted to have dinner with Alex, so I was going to do just that. It wasn’t a wedding, we were just going to have a meal.

  “I’ve got to take Voodoo home first,” I said.

  “No problem. We can do that on the way.”

  I was right about Rowan being at my house. He was in the kitchen when I took Voodoo in.

  “Hey,” I said suddenly feeling guilty, but I didn’t know why.

  “Your ride isn’t leaving,” Rowan said as he looked out the window to Alex’s car in the driveway.

  “That’s because he’s not my ride. I was just bringing Voodoo home. Alex asked me to dinner,” I said and bit my bottom lip.

  “And you said yes?” His tone was cool, but there was a glint of something less than happy in his eyes.

  It seemed like Rowan was jealous, and that made me happier than I expected. “I did, but if you had plans for us tonight, I can cancel,” I offered.

  “Oh, no. Don’t cancel because of me. You obviously wanted to go, so go,” Rowan said.

  “Okay, that was a little over the top. You’re not being fair, and I don’t appreciate you getting mad at me because I agreed to have dinner with someone. It’s not like you asked me to dinner.”

  “I thought we had an understanding,” Rowan said, but some of the fight had gone out of him.

  “I don’t know why you would think that,” I said. “But maybe you shouldn’t assume I’m just available to you. Maybe you should have asked me to dinner, and if you don’t want me to cancel on your behalf, then I won’t. You’re right. I do want to have dinner with Alex, so I’ll see you later.”

  On my way to the front door, I heard Rowan say, “I meant an understanding that we were working together on your craft until you had it mastered.”

  I felt a stab of guilt because he was right, and I should have assumed that. Instead, I assumed he was taking me for granted, but I was already halfway out the door. I let my pride win and left.

  The first half of dinner with Alex was miserable. I felt guilty for leaving Rowan like that in the middle of a spat, and I couldn’t relax. Alex was picking up that I was uncomfortable, but he had no idea why. I wasn’t going to tell him that I was thinking about Rowan.

  “We can do this another time if you’re not up for it,” Alex said. “I should have given you more time.”

  He assumed I was upset with him. Alex was being so considerate, and I was just being a flake. When I looked up and saw the sincerity in his eyes, I decided to let the stuff with Rowan go and enjoy my time with Alex.

  “I’m all right,” I said. “I’m just on edge because I’m still a suspect in a murder. It’s really not you.”

  “Ah.” Relief washed over Alex when I gave him a reason for my discomfort that wasn’t him. “Is there anything I can do to help you feel better? I really am sorry that I asked you to leave. I thought I was looking out for you, but that was stupid. Obviously, you can take care of yourself.”

  “No, I was just being childish about the whole thing. You’ve been nothing but kind to me since I got here, and I shouldn’t have interpreted your actions as anything else.”

  The rest of the of dinner was far more pleasant. Alex and I made friendly conversation and ate our pizza. He’d taken me to a pizzeria in a town nearby. I got the distinct feeling that I was surrounded by witches while I was there, but I couldn’t say anything to Alex. He didn’t seem to notice at all.

  When I went home, I found Rowan waiting on the front steps. I told Alex goodnight, and hurried over to see what he was up to.

  “Why are you waiting out here instead of inside the house?” I asked as I let us in.

  “I don’t know. I felt weird about going in after earlier. I figured you’d be mad at me,” he said.

  “It was nice of you not to go in when you thought I was mad, but I’m not,” I said. “I’m sorry I left like that. I shouldn’t have tried to punish you when you were just showing your feelings.”

  “That wasn’t me showing my feelings,” Rowan said.

  That stopped me in my tracks. We were in the front entryway, and I turned to face him. I was tired, and I had to know what he was getting at. If Rowan truly had no feelings for me, then I needed to know that. It meant that I could find a way to get past my attraction for him and move on.

  “It wasn’t?” Ugh, I tried to sound casual like I didn’t care, but I did. I hadn’t hidden it well either.

  Rowan grinned. “I’m going to do what I should have done earlier when you said you were going out with another man.”

  “What’s that?”

  His arm snaked around my waist and Rowan pulled me close. I let out a little squeak because he’d shocked me, and that only made him smile more. Before I could say anything, his lips crashed against mine.

  My heart pounded, and even if I had been able to breathe, I wouldn’t have been able to breathe. I sank against his strong chest, and the moment Rowan pulled away, I felt the loss.

  “That was…” I didn’t know how to put the way I felt into words.

  “A long time coming,” Rowan answered.

  “Are you trying to say that you’ve been wai
ting for me all these years?” I couldn’t believe it. “Someone as gorgeous as you should have been able to find a hundred women, why would you be waiting for me?”

  “Because I didn’t want anybody else,” he said. “I know this is sudden to you, but you coming back is what I’ve been hoping and waiting for.”

  The intensity burning in his eyes told me that Rowan was absolutely serious. He wasn’t just using a line on me. Still, I felt like we needed to slow it down.

  “Rowan, I feel… strong things for you as well, but don’t you think we need to slow this down? I just got into town. We barely know each other. I mean, we barely know the grown-up versions. I know you think I am who I was, and you may be right, but I’m still figuring that out.”

  He kissed me again, and I let him. I would have been lying if I’d said I didn’t like it.

  “Okay,” Rowan relented, but only after the kiss. “What do you need from me?”

  I had to think about that. I hadn’t expected to be having the conversation at all. My initial impression of Rowan was that he was a gorgeous playboy who used his looks to get what he wanted, but there he was telling me that he’d been pining for me for years.

  “I need to know what you want. Not just that you want me, but for what? What exactly did you have in mind?”

  “If that’s not obvious from what I’ve said, then I’ll spell it out,” Rowan said. “I want us to be together. I don’t want you going out with other men, and I don’t want to be with anyone else either.”

  “What about Bethany?” I asked.

  “What about her?”

  “She seems to think the two of you had something. She’s not pleased with how much time you and I are spending together. Am I going to end up the same way when someone new comes along?”

  “I can understand why you might think that, but I never had anything serious with Bethany. I tried. I really did. There was a time when I gave up believing that you were ever coming back, and I just wanted to move on with my life. I couldn’t, though,” Rowan said.