by Willow Mason
“Just wanted to apologise,” I said in a small voice, then thought of something. “Did you find out anything about the ride operator who lives across from the empty section?”
“I’ve followed up on the information.”
“And?”
Lucas closed his eyes and tilted his head to one side. “And when you’re a police officer, I’ll fill you in.”
“But Syd deputised us.”
“Yesterday. Today you’re a free woman. We have all the helping hands we need.”
“Any arrests will be on the public record,” I pointed out. “You’re not breaching his privacy by telling me. It’ll just save me a long search and internet fees.”
He stared at me for a long time, his eyes gradually travelling up to my outrageous hair. What had Rosie told me? A man in uniform can never resist a twist of shocking pink hair. I twirled a strand around my finger, just in case it helped my cause.
“Lucas Bronson, how nice to see you.” Rosie flung an arm around his shoulders and pressed a crimson lipstick stain onto his cheek. “We were just talking about you, weren’t we, sis?”
“Yes, we were. We were saying how helpful you were, keeping the entire community informed about what was going on.”
I ducked my head forward, breaking eye contact before I could burst into laughter. The twins had obviously been eavesdropping on our brief conversation.
“Especially, as regards certain people who live on the same street at the terrible murder occurred.” Rosie beamed a smile and Lucas reacted like a deer in the headlights, freezing in place.
“I was just explaining to PC Bronson that it wasn’t a breach of privacy to tell us things in the public register.”
“Exactly. And what a timesaver to let us know what dirt… uh, I mean pertinent information you’ve found out on the suspects we have to live next door to.”
“Not literally, of course,” Posey added. “We haven’t moved house since the last time you visited, Lucas. And you must come around again soon.”
“It’s been lovely talking to you, ladies, but I really need to mingle with some other folks here.” Lucas inclined his head, then spun on his heel and speed walked away.
“The nerve of the man.” Posey sniffed. “And after I invited him over for supper. Still, Andy Pelona is an elf and they’re known for getting into trouble. If Blake Stone was gunning for him or, even worse, his family, Andy would have no problem protecting them.”
“A statement which goes for everyone here,” Rosie said, taking her sister’s hand. “But self-defence is one thing and murdering someone in their own home another.”
I pursed my lips. “Brody said he’d overheard talk that Old Mr Phillips had some monster hunter potion in his wardrobe. Perhaps both the killings were self-defence.”
“If Mr Phillips had wanted to kill anyone in town, he had eighty years to do it.” Rosie shook her head. “I know what was found and what people are saying, but I don’t believe it for a second.”
We shuffled back near Brody just as the Reverend strode to his place behind the altar. He glanced out, surprised. “This is a fine turnout,” he said. “I guess recent events have been shocking but they’ve also brought us together as a community.”
A short sermon followed, punctuated every ten minutes by a song. None of them was picked from any church songbook I’d heard of. Instead, he used the wise words of various pop stars to illuminate his message.
By the time the service finished, I was feeling a lot happier, and a lot surer I would never be a diva. My throat ached from singing at the top of my lungs, all the better to miss the notes.
We stayed sitting as the church emptied, giving the back pews a chance to make their escape before we queued behind them. Just as Brody stood, ready to file out, Andy Pelona appeared in front of us.
“I heard you’ve been asking the police about me,” he said, aggressively crossing his arms and standing with his feet spread apart. “What is it you want to know?”
Chapter Twelve
For a long moment, I just gaped at the man. My mind filled with guilty thoughts of talking behind someone’s back and the fear we were now facing a killer.
“You’re right,” Rosie said, getting to her feet and standing toe to toe with Andy. “We’re concerned that Blake Stone went missing on a ride you were operating and turned up dead, opposite your house.”
“And?”
I forced my shaking legs upright to stand in support of my friend. “And that’s it. We’re not making any accusations. Just passing information that might be relative over to the police.”
“I’m no killer,” Andy said, his eyes glinting like a serial murderer. “No more than anyone else in this church.”
“Someone’s got to be responsible,” Rosie said in a calm voice. “Those men didn’t stab themselves.”
For a fanciful second, my mind cast a short movie, envisioning exactly that scenario. Ugh. Nope. At the very least, a man would have to be under a fiercely strong spell to carry out something so painful and awkward.
“Andy? Who are you talking to?” Erin walked up to us, carrying Ruby in her arms. The tiny fairy appeared tuckered out from the service. She was sucking her thumb while her eyes took slow, sleepy blinks.
Lucas also joined the group, surveying us with careful consideration, one hand resting on the baton in his belt.
“We were just discussing the dreadful deaths yesterday,” Brody said, shuffling aside to make room for the new arrivals. “It’s a tragedy to happen in such a tightknit community.”
“You should come to morning tea at our house,” Erin offered. “I’ve laid a spread out and invited about a dozen others.” She winked at Posey. “All the better to get the latest gossip.”
“We’d love to come,” Rosie declared before Andy could rescind the offer. “But we’ve got too many chores to get through before we’re back at work tomorrow.”
“Same,” Brody agreed.
“Whereas Elisa and I have nothing on,” Lucas said, linking his arm through mine. “So, we’d be delighted to join you.”
Posey’s face was ridden with dismay as we walked along the aisle and into the bright sunshine. I was so surprised by Lucas’s sudden change in behaviour that I didn’t know where to look.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Lucas whispered. “But it’ll give me a chance to scope out a few people without troubling them with a visit to the station. If you want to get out of the invite, now’s your chance.”
“No, I want to go.”
“Good. Please consider yourself re-deputised for the rest of the morning. If you pick up any information you think is pertinent to the investigation, pass it along.”
“And you’ll do the same?”
He nearly doubled over with laughter, before recovering. “No, I certainly will not. The one thing I’ll say is we’ve had some teenagers come forward to admit to dropping the stakes in the section where Blake Stone died. They had intended to spend the night but were frightened away by, and I quote, ‘horrendous noises that seemed to originate from the depths of hell.’”
“Did the man selling the stakes also turn into a dead end?”
Lucas wouldn’t be drawn. He mimed a zip across his lips then pocketed a key. The actions might have been a tad confused, but it was clear I wasn’t getting another word out of him.
I pocketed a muffin from the array of goodies on the dining room table, then grabbed a glass of water to keep my hands occupied. Although I tried to focus on the other guests, my eyes kept wandering to the empty section across the road where blue and white police tape flapped in the breeze.
“You’re new in town, aren’t you?” Erin asked me as she placed a tray of spreads onto the table. “Someone told me you moved into Esmerelda’s old place.”
“Yes, and took over her pixie-hood,” I said, patting my hair and tugging on a sharpened ear. “Not that I know very much about that.”
“Welcome to the neighbourhood and the supernatural community.” Erin
tugged at Ruby’s collar, so she didn’t careen into a man carrying a plate stacked high with food. “Careful, love. Why don’t you play under the table?”
Ruby gave a gleeful chortle and dived under the tablecloth, peeking out through a gap.
“Goodness knows why but she loves making a cave out of anything,” Erin said with a bemused smile. She glanced over her shoulder, then leaned closer, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Since you’re a pixie, can you run a spell to point out if there are any suspects in the room? It would set my mind at ease to know we don’t have a murderer in the middle of our gossip session.”
“Can I do that?” I rubbed at my hair line and stared at the glittering dust on my fingertips. “Shouldn’t there be a pixie at the police station if this is a real thing?”
“There should be pixies everywhere,” Erin said, nudging me with her elbow. “But since you’re thin on the ground, that’s not going to happen.”
“I’m not good at working my magic yet,” I confessed.
“The confused expression on your face told me that much,” Erin said, tugging me towards the kitchen. “Stand over here so you can see everybody. Picture a suspect in your mind and let your dust do its stuff.”
“A suspect? How am I meant to imagine one of those when it could be anybody?”
Erin laughed. “I don’t know. That part’s meant to come from you.”
I finished my water, checking that Lucas wasn’t in the room. The last thing I wanted was to put the policeman back into a memory-wiping faint. After putting the glass down, I closed my eyes and waiting for inspiration to strike. An old-fashioned line-up popped into my head and I nodded, blowing the dust from my fingers.
Gold smoke drifted from my hand, lazily weaving through the room. With so many supernaturals crowded into the small area, many people followed its progress. It wound through the group until it came to a halt above Andy’s head. My fingers tightened into a fist. Got him!
Then the smoke continued past, making for the window instead. It smothered itself against the pane, dissipating into nothing.
“My magic might not be working,” I said, staring across the road to the crime scene. “I’m new to all of this.”
“It looked good to me.”
“In that case, I guess that gives you the all-clear.” My voice was so dejected that Erin chuckled.
“That’s a good thing. Now I can safely go forth and interrogate people for what they know without fear of retaliation.”
She followed through on her word, drifting from one casual conversation to the next. I introduced myself to a few people but even my extroverted soul quickly tired of the standard routine: you’re new here, where are you from, what do you do.
“Did you find out anything?” Lucas said, reappearing at my side. After I shook my head, he shrugged. “The best I could do was learn Andy has an alibi.” He jerked his head towards the corner where a beefy man was telling a joke to uproarious approval. “That’s the fairground owner. Apparently, he kept Andy on site until late afternoon, helping with odd jobs since he couldn’t do the task he’d paid for.”
“What about when Mr Phillips was killed?”
“At home with his wife and daughter, according to his neighbour.”
I stared across the road again, this time noticing Leo waving at me from his kitchen. The gesture was so emphatic, I guessed he might have some news.
“Do you mind if I pop across the road for a minute? It looks like Leo wants something.”
“I’ll come with you,” Lucas said. “If I go back to the office, Syd will just keep me on desk duty the entire day. I’d rather waste time in the field than on paperwork.”
Considering what had happened the last time Lucas set eyes on Leo, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but the man couldn’t be dissuaded. When I got to an impasse where I couldn’t insist further without explaining why, I gave up and we walked across the road together.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” Leo called out in raptures of excitement. “My favourite pixie and… a man I’ve never seen before.”
He smiled to himself at the small deception while I rolled my eyes. “Did you want to tell me something?”
“Many things, but first, sit down and let me fetch you a cup of tea.”
I opened my mouth to decline politely when Lucas said, “Thanks. I’m parched.”
Leo bustled around in the kitchen, boiling water and whistling under his breath. “This is such a treat,” he gushed, coming back with a full tray. “It’s been a long while since I had as many visitors as there’ve been the past few days.”
“Who’s been visiting?” Lucas asked, glancing casually around the room.
“Well, you and pixie, for starters.”
Lucas cocked an eyebrow. “Is that his nickname for you?”
Leo frowned, and I shook my head at him before he could speak. “Something like that,” I said vaguely, picking up my cup and staring into the bowl. “Oh, it’s a flower.”
“Do you like it?” Leo practically preened as I stared in delight at the tea leaves unfurling from a blossom. “They’re individually crafted so when the hot water is poured in, they open up and show off their bloom.”
Even Lucas cracked a smile as he stared into his cup. “Do you have milk?”
I hid a grin as Leo blanched even whiter than normal. “Yes, I do. Though green tea isn’t meant—”
“Can’t have tea without milk,” Lucas insisted. “Otherwise, it’s just flavoured water.”
“As opposed to flavoured water with milk?”
He grinned at me across the table, flashing his bright blue headlights. “Exactly. Protein and fat make all the difference. Turns it into a hearty meal.”
I blew on my cup and took a sip. To my great disappointment, it didn’t taste any different to any other green tea I’d ever had. My limited palate couldn’t discern between colas, wines, coffees, or teas. I’m sure it meant I missed out on a lot of enjoyment, but it also made me a cheap date.
“Much better,” Lucas said with a hefty dollop of milk in his cup. “Aren’t you having any?”
“I’m full to bursting,” Leo said with a wink to me.
Thinking of what he might be full of put me off drinking anything more, but I took another sip to be polite. As the level in the cup grew lower, the blossom slid against my lips, the texture like warm seaweed. I took a last gulp and set the cup down with a feeling of accomplishment. “Okay. What was it you were frantically waving me over to say?”
“I’ve infiltrated the online groups where the teenagers have been daring each other to stay in my house,” Leo said with a curl of his lip. “Those rascals don’t know who they’re messing with.”
“You didn’t tell them who you were, did you?” Lucas said, draining his cup and reaching for his notepad. “If you get me the URLs, I’ll join myself and see what they’re up to.”
Leo sloped out of the room with a sweep of his cape and I hid a yawn behind my hand. The lack of rest the night before was catching up to me. I could quite happily have laid my head on the table and gone straight to sleep.
“Here you go,” Leo said, handing a phone to Lucas. “One teenager dropped it in their hurry to get out of my house and had the most unoriginal password.”
“This isn’t your phone?” Lucas frowned in concern, then yawned.
I laughed as I caught the urge again, this time fighting a wave of dizziness. “Excuse me,” I said, jumping to my feet. “I think I need some fresh air.”
My feet tangled in each other before I got three steps. Falling onto the hard floor felt like dropping into a feather mattress. My last view before I blacked out completely was Leo crouching next to me, tying a rope around my hands.
Chapter Thirteen
When my groggy brain reluctantly crept back to consciousness, I was sitting on a wooden chair with ropes keeping my body upright. From the discomfort in my posterior, I estimated I’d been in the same position for at least an hour. My arms were tied to e
ach side of the chair back and my ankles were fastened to the legs.
The surrounding room was dim, lit only by a sliver of light coming out from a door at the top of some stairs. Leo’s basement. A bed was to my side, the covers heaped in a pile on the top.
It wasn’t until I heard a groan that my mind came into sharper focus and I realised Lucas was bound up behind me. His head knocked back against mine and he mumbled, “Sorry.”
“Do you have a knife or something?” I whispered, unsure if Leo was somewhere close by, listening. As I twisted my head to scan the room, it felt as though my scalp was on fire.
“I’ve got a taser,” he said in a cautious voice. “But I don’t think I can reach it.”
“And I don’t want you to,” I assured him. “The last thing I need is to be accidentally electrocuted.”
“There’s a pen knife in my hip pocket,” he said after a moment spent wriggling about. “But I don’t know if I can grab it.”
“That sounds a lot more encouraging. Which side?”
“My left-hand pocket.”
Without the ability to look at my hands and make an L shape, it took a good few minutes of furrowing my brow before I worked out what side that should be on. I wriggled my fingers, trying to find purchase.
“The other left-hand side,” Lucas said with a small chuckle.
“You’re laughing at me when we’re in dire straits? How exactly does this count as funny?”
“My mother always said to take your pleasures where you can.”
“Hilarious.” My fingers started spasming from the weird angle. “My mother always said don’t ever take a drink from a strange man.”
“Pity you didn’t listen to her.”
“I can’t reach it.” My shoulders sagged, and I hissed in pain as a nerve twanged in my wrist. “Can you have another go?”
“Just a second. You don’t mind me wriggling against your back?”
“If it gets us closer to freedom, you can strip naked and dance around the room singing for all I care.”
