Cold as a Witch's Toffee

by Sara Bourgeois

  “I’ll take that one then,” I said.

  “Good choice. I can always tell someone who takes care of their hair. You won’t be disappointed, and it’s only ten minutes under the dryer.”

  “So, what brings you in today?” Kandice asked as she began cutting my hair.

  “I just wanted to keep up with my hair maintenance,” I said, but even I didn’t believe myself.

  “I can tell your hair has been deep conditioned recently,” she said, and I saw her smile in the mirror. “You must have a reason, and I have a sneaking suspicion it has something to do with my dead ex-husband.”

  “I don’t know how to bring this up because I know you’re upset about the whole thing, but…”

  “But nothing,” Kandice interrupted. “My husband decided to come home this week, so I’m fine. My current husband works down south in the Gulf on one of those oil rigs, and last I heard, he wasn’t coming home. Found himself a girl in Baton Rouge, and that was just fine by me. But, he had a change of heart, and I guess I did too. So don’t worry about me. You can bring up Lukas, I’m moving past all that now.”

  “Well, I heard that you caught Lukas and Saffron Kent making out,” I said.

  “You must have been talking to Melanie,” Kandice said and smiled again. “Yeah, I did catch the two of them making out in the park one night when Lukas was supposed to be with me. I still don’t know why, but I let him talk me out of telling anyone. Well, almost anyone. Melanie and I are thick as thieves. I tell her everything. Well, I tell her any gossip that needs to be spread when I don’t want my name attached to it. I’m actually surprised she hung onto that one for so long. Anyway, I should have washed my hands of Lukas right then and there, but I let him sweet talk me. I let him sweet talk me into a lot of things.”

  “So, they were having an affair?”

  “Almost any female who had regular contact with Lukas was having an affair with him. That’s why it was so easy to believe you were too, but I get what happened now,” Kandice said. “Okay, let’s get you over to the sink so I can get you washed and apply the deep conditioner.”

  After I’d walked over to the wash basin and positioned myself properly, Kandice proceeded to give my hair and scalp a thorough scrubbing.

  “Oh, shoot, hang on,” she said after she’d rinsed me. “I have to run in the back and get a new bottle of the conditioner. Might take me a minute because it’s still packed in my recent shipment. Hang tight.”

  While she was gone, the bell over the door jingled, and someone walked inside. I tried to lift my head to see who it was, but I couldn’t see around the corner to where they were standing.

  Apparently, Kandice didn’t see them either because she came out from the back and went right to putting the conditioner on my hair. After that, she toweled me off and took me out to the dryers. The person who had come in still hadn’t said anything, but I didn’t hear them leave either.

  As we walked to the dryers, I finally saw who was waiting for Kandice. He smiled at me, and I offered him a confused smile back. What was he doing in Kandice’s shop? Or had he been following me?

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Hey, Rowan,” Kandice said as I sat down under one of the dryers. “I’ll be right with you.”

  That cleared up whether he’d been following me or not, and Rowan did look a little surprised to see me.

  Kandice walked over to the counter and Rowan passed a package over to her. “Here’s the soaps and oils you ordered,” he said.

  Okay, that additionally cleared up the reason he’d come into Kandice’s shop. It occurred to me that I hadn’t ever been to Rowan’s store, and I thought it was a little weird he hadn’t invited me. Maybe he’d been waiting for me to ask, and I was just a jerk who wasn’t showing enough interest in his life. That was entirely possible. I’d been so absorbed in my own ordeals and with my own new witch status that I hadn’t bothered to try to get to know Rowan better. I would rectify that as soon as I wasn’t stuck under the dryer.

  “Thanks for delivering these,” Kandice said. “I’m sorry I can never make it over to your store before you close. The hours around here are just nuts.”

  I thought that was kind of strange because I was the only one in her shop, but someone had left when I came in. Maybe it was like that for Kandice all day.

  “I don’t mind. The fresh air is good for me. Speaking of your shop, have you given any more thought to letting me put some of my products on your shelves?”

  “I have,” Kandice said. “Let me get the contract I had Anton draw up from my office. You can have a look over it and tell me what you think.”

  “That sounds great,” Rowan said.

  He sat back down in the waiting area, and Kandice disappeared into the back again. She came back out with a folder that was promptly handed over to Rowan before she made her way back over to me.

  “You’re just about done, let’s get you out of there and rinsed again,” she said.

  After being washed, rinsed, and toweled off again, I went back to the chair I’d been sitting in for my trim. Rowan looked up from the contract he’d been reading and gave me a wink.

  “Do you want a blowout, or should I just put your hair up in a bun so you can air dry?”

  “Blowout, please.”

  When all was said and done, I paid Kandice and left her a nice tip. She’d was really good, and I had no problem becoming a regular customer. Even if she had accused me of murder. We appeared to be past that point in our acquaintance.

  “You look so radiant,” Rowan said, and I thought he was talking to me.

  He wasn’t. His eyes were on Kandice, and she elicited a little giggle at his compliment. I guessed he was just working her over for the business deal, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

  “Well, I have a great deal less stress in my life now. I’m getting a lot more sleep in my post-Lukas existence.”

  “Keep it up. You look amazing,” Rowan said. “Hey, and try the new Sweet Pea Soap I included in your order. It’s a new recipe made with almond oil, so it should make your complexion glow.”

  “Thanks,” Kandice said. “I’m always willing to let you make me glow,” she purred flirtatiously.

  I knew I needed to get out of there before I rolled my eyes so hard I ended up with a migraine. “Thanks so much, Kandice. I’ve got to be going.”

  “Let me walk with you,” Rowan turned his attention back to me again.

  Kandice looked a little deflated, but she had just said she was getting back together with her husband. I was starting to get the idea that no matter how gorgeous Rowan was or how devoted to me he claimed to be, I’d never be able to get past the way he talked to other women. Maybe it was petty of me, but there was no way I was going to spend my life being a jealous wreck just to prove I wasn’t petty.

  “Sure,” I said, thinking it might be a good time to tell Rowan that we should scale things back to friend status.

  We were halfway down the block walking in what I guessed was the direction of his shop when Bethany came out of a nearby building. I looked up at the sign on the side of the building and saw that it was the sheriff department.

  “Rowan, Allegra,” she said when she noticed us.

  “Hi, Bethany,” I responded.

  “Do you have a moment?” she asked me, but then immediately turned and scowled at Rowan.

  I could only guess that their talk hadn’t gone over well. She didn’t seem to be angry with me, though. I took that as a good sign.

  Rowan gave me directions to his shop and asked me to head that way when I was done talking to Bethany. Once he was gone, I turned my attention back to her.

  “You didn’t want Rowan around?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”

  I felt stupid even asking. I knew why she didn’t want him around, but some part of me wanted to hear her say it. I don’t know why I had doubts that he’d broken things off with her, but some small part of me, deep down inside, had some doubt. I had to remind myself
that was natural. Although we’d been friends as kids, and he acted like we were soul mates or something, I barely knew him.

  “I don’t. Not right now. It was my own fault for putting more into what we had then I should have, but it still stings,” she said.

  “But you don’t seem upset with me,” I said, and then I realized that he might not have specifically told her he was breaking things off because of me. I just hoped I didn’t set her off.

  “It’s not your fault,” she said with a sigh. “I like you. I think you’ve got more spunk than I anticipated. You seem trustworthy and all that. I don’t want to throw that away because of a man. Besides, I’m not entirely convinced he won’t do the same to you. No offense.”

  “Yeah,” I said, and I wasn’t offended. I got what she was saying. I really did.

  “You agree?”

  “I don’t know him well enough to make that call,” I said. “I’ve seen things that don’t put me at ease, though.”

  “I get that,” Bethany said.

  “I’m sorry if you’re hurt. I never meant for that to happen.”

  “I’m okay. It’s not so much that I’m heartbroken now as that I regret spending so much time chasing him,” she said. “I don’t have time for romantic entanglements right now anyway. I’ve got a murder on my hands. The first one since I’ve been sheriff. Knox Hills isn’t accustomed to violence.”

  “Have you found anything new? Is there anything that could point you in the right direction?” I asked.

  “Well, we’re going to release a statement on some of the coroner’s initial findings. It appears that he did die from strangulation and not the blow to his head. It’s kind of weird because the coroner found some sort of salve around the victim’s neck. He’s not sure if Lukas was using the salve himself or if it came from the killer’s hands. He said it smelled lemony, but he was going to have to have it analyzed by the lab to find out the brand. That could take weeks or months if the State decides to pay for the test. It’s not like knowing the brand of salve will help us solve the murder,” Bethany said.

  “I’ll let you know if I hear anything,” I said. “All I know for sure is that Lukas was involved with a lot of women, and any one of them could have had motive to kill him. It’s all just so much.”

  “You should still probably stay out of it,” Bethany said. “Though, I do understand your drive to get to the bottom of things considering what’s at stake for you.”

  Chapter Twenty

  I walked the rest of the way to Rowan’s shop after Bethany and I said our goodbyes. He was behind the counter flirting with a young woman who was buying a bottle of Witch’s Apple shampoo. On her way out, she rolled her eyes and shrugged. I couldn’t help but smile. Even if he was flirting with her, I liked her attitude about it.

  “Allegra, there you are,” Rowan said.

  He came out from behind the counter and embraced me. I wanted to push him away, but he smelled so good. The scent of salted caramel washed over me, and I relaxed into the hug. He kissed me quickly and then turned away.

  “You like the new oil I’m working on, I take it. It’s something new for my fall lineup,” he said. “I think I’m going to add it to some of my Witch’s Apple stuff too.”

  “That’s going to sell really well. It smells so real.”

  “It’s the magical distillation process,” he said. “Your hair looks amazing.”

  I knew the compliment was him working his magic on me, but it worked. It was so unusual to me for a man to even notice when I’d had my hair done, and I was a sucker for the compliments of a gorgeous hunk. Even if I was a witch, I was still human.

  “I think I want to do a séance to try to contact Lukas’s spirit,” I said as the idea came to me. “I’m hoping maybe he can tell us who killed him. I could probably do it with just Voodoo, but you could help.”

  “Oh, Allegra, I don’t know if you’re ready for summoning the dead,” Rowan said.

  “That’s why I figured you’d help,” I said. “Like I said, it’s okay if you’re not into it. I’ll do it myself.”

  “I like how confident you’ve gotten,” Rowan said. “Sure, we can do that.”

  “Now, I just have to figure out the best place to do it,” I said.

  “Maybe his house?” Rowan offered.

  “What about Laney?” I asked. “Or maybe if we wait until tonight, she’ll be out at the bar.”

  “The funeral is at four,” Rowan said. “After that, I’m sure she will be at the tavern.”

  “Oh, the funeral. I hadn’t even thought of that. You’re not going?”

  “No, I’m not going,” Rowan said, “And I didn’t figure you would either.”

  “No, I won’t be. That would be a bad idea.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll close up the shop early. I need to run home and get a few things if we’re going to do a proper séance. Why don’t you meet me at the house at four?”

  “We should go home and get some stuff too,” Voodoo said.

  Voodoo and I went back to the house and filled a bag with supplies. At his direction, it was mostly stuff for protection. I didn’t really know what to bring myself, so I just followed his instructions and filled the bag with various herbs, candles, and tools.

  “Is that everything?” I asked after about a half hour of searching through Leo’s supplies.

  Down the hall from his office was a room filled with various ingredients and potions. It was a good thing it was in the hidden wing of the house. I could imagine the bad witches that Alex hunted trying to break into the house to steal.

  “I think so,” Voodoo said. “I’m sure Rowan will have whatever else we need.”

  When Voodoo and I got to the house, I didn’t want to wait up front. I was still afraid one of the neighbors would see me and report me to Bethany.

  Fortunately, Rowan whisper-yelled at me as I approached. He was hidden in the shadow of the carport attached to the side of the house. We joined him and skirted around the back of the house to the same door Voodoo and I had gone in before.

  “So, what makes you want to do a séance?” Rowan asked as we went inside.

  “I have a feeling that there is a spirit who wants to guide or direct our investigation. There’s the one that was slamming doors and trying to get Laney’s attention when Voodoo and I broke in here before. Plus, when we broke into Lukas’s office, there was a spirit that tried to drive us out,” I said.

  “You broke into Lukas’s office?” Rowan asked. “Did you find anything?”

  “Nothing that helped us figure out who the killer might have been,” I said. “Just more evidence that a lot of people had reasons to hate Lukas, and that he was a terrible lawyer.”

  I had just begun to pour the salt circle in the middle of the living room floor when a vase flew off a side table and hit Rowan right in the chest. He let out a half cough as all of the air was knocked out of him.

  Somehow, he managed to stay on his feet through the first blow, but he had to throw himself onto the floor on his stomach as a huge silver picture frame flew off the wall and headed right for him.

  “Should I cast the circle for protection?” I asked Voodoo in a panic.

  A dark figure appeared in the hallway closest to us as the smell of sulfur filled the room. My skin broke out in goosebumps as the temperature in the room dropped at least thirty degrees. I could see my breath.

  “We need to get out of here,” Voodoo said.

  As soon as he said it, furniture lifted off the floor and flew over to the other doorway blocking our exit. The shadowy figure began to growl as it floated toward where Rowan was picking himself up off the floor.

  It hit me suddenly that I had something that could protect us all. I fumbled around in my purse until I came up with the little vial of Witching Wall that Mrs. Miller had left on my doorstep.

  “How do I use this Witching Wall?” I asked Voodoo as I popped the cork out of the bottle.

  “Just put a dot of it on your forehead and
mine,” Voodoo said. “I think Rowan’s going to need more than one, though. That thing is going after him because he’s closer.”

  I smeared some of the Witching Wall on my forehead and then Voodoo. The dark entity began to growl louder, and I could have sworn it shook the house a little. It didn’t like the protection potion I was using. Good.

  “Here, use as much as you need,” I’d rushed over to Rowan’s side, and I handed him the vial. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Thanks to the Witching Wall, we were able to make it out of the house safely. When I turned around to look, Rowan was gone.

  “Where is he?” I asked Voodoo.

  “I don’t know. Maybe he ran into the woods? We could go that way and look for him?”

  “What if he just ran down the block and turned the corner?” I asked. “I guess he didn’t realize we weren’t following him?”

  “Or that dark specter followed us out of the house and he’s leading it away from you,” Voodoo said.

  “That makes sense. I hope he’s okay.”

  “You gave him the Witching Wall, and he’s a pretty powerful witch. I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Voodoo said.

  “I guess we should just go home then. He’ll come over when the coast is clear.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  When I got back to my street, Mrs. Miller was out on her front porch. “You okay?” she called out to me.

  “Yes, and I have you to thank for it,” I said.

  I walked up her sidewalk and joined her on the porch. “What do you mean?”

  “The Witching Wall you left on my porch just saved us,” I said. “We were trying to do a séance to figure out who killed Lukas Roth, and some dark spirit showed up and attacked us.”

  “Oh, my,” she said. “I was hoping that the vision I had was just a bad dream, but I’m glad I acted on it.”

  “You saw something bad happen to me?” I asked.