“Thank you.” He takes off his hat a moment and wipes the sweat from his brow as the crew shuffles the dollies back to their trucks. “So is this a good spot for them?”
“It’s the perfect spot. Just far enough from the gazebo to look like the majestic entry you suggested it would be. Well done. But I’m afraid I can’t accept these for nothing. Please let me pay you.”
He gives a little laugh as he waves his staff off and they pile into their trucks.
“Nope, I won’t take a dime. I’ve had these for a while. A buyer backed out after I made the purchase for him, and I got stuck with them. McKenna and Caleb came by and they fell in love with them, so I thought this would be a good fit for the wedding.”
“I can see why.” Sherlock and Peanut chase one another around the enormous pots while Fish rubs her head against my leg.
Is this the one who’s dating Macy? Has she turned him inside out yet?
A small laugh ripples through me as I pick her up.
“So, Archie, that was some show you put on the other night. I know my sister really enjoyed it.”
He chuckles at the thought. She enjoyed the after show, too. He gives a wistful shake of the head as his mind sets in on white noise.
White noise is usually a clear sign that things just took a turn for the perverse. And, boy, am I ever glad there’s a supernatural shut-off valve when it comes to my inadvertent prying. The last thing I want to see or hear is whatever it is he’s thinking about—especially when it involves my sister. And yet, oddly, I think my sister would very much approve.
“Macy is a wild one,” I say. “Not that it needed pointing out. I haven’t had the chance to grill her yet, but how in the world did you make her float like that? I mean, it looked so real.”
He clucks his tongue as he gives Fish a quick scratch on the back.
“Would you believe me if I told you there’s more magic in that routine than meets the logical mind?”
“I’m afraid I’m too logically minded.” But I shouldn’t be. Not with my supernatural standing anyway. The transmundane community plays a host to many powers; mind reading is just one of them. My friend, Lottie Lemon, can see the dead, and I’ve heard others have visions of the future. I’m sure there are other powers I don’t even know about yet. No, I should be the last person to be so logically minded.
“I get it.” He sighs. “But I’m afraid it goes against a magician’s code to reveal his trade secrets.”
“Now that I understand. How are you coping with Julian’s death? That’s very nice of you to fill in for his shows. I’m sure he would have appreciated it.”
“I know he would have, too. And I’m doing the best I can, all things considering. Julian was a good friend and a mentor. I learned everything I know from him—and I taught him a few tricks myself. Magic was his passion, his life.”
“How about for you? It seems a world away from landscaping.”
“Oh, it is. And that’s why I need the two in my life. Gardening grounds me, no pun intended. Magic frees my spirit—makes me feel as if nothing is impossible. But I guess there is one thing that’s impossible. Poor Julian. There’s not a trick in the world that can bring him back.”
“I know,” I whisper. “I’m sorry about it, too. What do you think went wrong the day of the accident?”
He cocks his head. “Well, according to the sheriff’s department, they haven’t ruled out a homicide, so maybe this wasn’t an accident after all.”
“That’s a frightening possibility. Who do you think could have done this?” A crisp breeze picks up and I pull Fish in close. Her purring vibrates right down to my bones.
Archie takes a breath and his chest expands as he glances out to the water.
“I don’t know. I’m not one to point fingers, but there were only Zeke and I adjusting the platform after Julian went in. And I know I didn’t fiddle with those hinges.”
“Did you see Zeke do it?”
“It was too dark for me to see anything.” He scratches his chin. “Look, it’s no secret Zeke hated the guy for what he did to that girl.” Bernie Keaton has been trouble before. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
“Bernie?” I lean in. “Yes, I heard all about the fact Julian was stringing her along.” I know it takes two to tango, but I can’t help but feel bad for Bernie. “I think McKenna mentioned something about Zeke being interested in Bernie.”
A bark of a laugh escapes him. “Interested is a mild term in this case. Zeke is in love with the girl. Always has been. He hasn’t exactly made it a secret. He wanted Julian dead long before he bit the big one. I’m not saying Zeke killed the guy. I’m just saying if the hinges were loose, and he noticed, I don’t think he’d go out of his way to stop the inevitable from happening. He hated Julian for what he put Bernie through.”
I nod because I believe him. “But maybe the death was accidental after all.”
He purses his lips. “Maybe, but I don’t believe it was.”
Neither do I, but I don’t bother expounding on it.
“Archie, can I ask if you know Michaela, McKenna’s little sister?”
“Oh yeah.” He gives a vigorous nod. In fact, she’s my next stop this afternoon. Here’s hoping she’s up for lunch and dinner—and gifting herself to me as dessert.
My mouth falls open. So much for anything taking off between him and my sister. Not that my sister doesn’t operate in the very same manner.
“What about her?” He tips his chin my way.
“I just wondered how well she knew Julian. She looked so shaken after the accident.”
“Didn’t everyone?” he muses. “But I’m not sure how well Michaela knew him.” She knew him, all right, but that’s not a direction I’d like to send anyone down. Not that I shouldn’t. He’s the one that walked her into that den of perversion. He laid her out on a silver platter and watched as the wolves attacked. Can’t say I’d blame the poor girl for wanting to see him dead.
I give Fish a firm squeeze.
Julian set Michaela out on a platter for wolves?
The Collective comes to mind and I quickly dismiss it. I still refuse to believe Michaela would ever do something like that. I’ll have to talk to her myself and see if I can get to the bottom of it.
No wonder she was furious with him the evening he died. I saw her push him away with my own eyes. He did something to infuriate her. But was she angry enough to kill? And if she did it, am I really going to turn her in?
My heart wrenches at the thought of how much more tragic this could all end up being.
Sherlock and Peanut come our way, barking up a happy storm as Archie takes his hat off and waves at them.
“You’ve got a good crew, Bizzy.” He laughs, giving both dogs a quick pat. “I’d better get back to work. I’ll see you Saturday at the wedding. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for good weather.”
The ever-darkening sky catches my eye.
“I think we’d better cross our toes, too. See you then. And thanks again for the pots. They’re amazing! My ground crew will take good care of them. We’ll make sure they stay plenty watered.”
“You’re welcome!” He turns my way. “And don’t worry about the maintenance on the flowers. I can come by now and again and swap them out for seasonal bouquets.” He clamps his hand over the rim of one of the pots. “It’s a pet project I can’t let go of. These have been with me for so long, I’ve come to call them my garden girls.” He takes off and the dogs run wild as if they’ve never been outdoors before.
Fish nuzzles her face to my neck. What do you think, Bizzy? Did Zeke do it? That would be tragic to have the groom’s brother arrested before the wedding.
“Or the bride’s sister,” I whisper. “But don’t worry. No matter what I find out, I’m sure catching the killer can wait until after McKenna’s big day.”
A hard crackle goes off in the sky just as heavy raindrops begin to splat down over Cider Cove.
Sherlock, Peanut, Fish, and I
run, laughing all the way back to the inn.
But there will be nothing funny if I find out either Zeke or Michaela murdered Julian.
And that makes me wonder if I should pursue this investigation further at all.
Chapter 13
The afternoon drones on and I’ve tried three different times to call McKenna, but she’s not answering—which isn’t like her. Although it’s not necessarily her I want to speak with.
She’s obviously up to her eyeballs with something—most likely her wedding. Something I should be up to my eyeballs in, too. But at the moment I’m sitting in the Cottage Café with Georgie, Juni, Sherlock, and Fish, trying my hardest to figure out how I can speak with Michaela.
Georgie slaps her hand on the table. “She’s not at Minty’s, you already called.”
Juni nods while snapping up a fistful of blondie bars. “Ten bucks says she’s on a date with the hottie gardener. You said yourself he was trying to score big with her.”
Fish mewls. Archie did seem rather determined when he left. And you said he was interested in her. Archie is handsome. Something tells me a man like that gets what he wants.
Sherlock barks. He wanted Macy for about five minutes.
Fish snorts. More like Macy wanted him for five minutes. Macy wears the pants and the panties in her relationships. She’s told me so herself.
I make a face. “That’s true. Maybe she did go out with him. I should speak to Zeke instead.”
Georgie and Juni exchange a look. Their silence is not only rare, it’s deafening.
Georgie pulls her phone off the table, and by the looks of it, she’s texting someone under the table. Her lips move as if she were mouthing each word as she types them out before she bucks and winks over at Juni.
My phone buzzes in my hand, and both Georgie and Juni jump in their seats and clap while giving one another knowing looks.
Sherlock howls. I know that look on Georgie Conner’s face. She’s up to no good.
Fish extends her front paws as she indulges in a slow stretch. A mewl streams from her tiny pink lips. I know that look on Juni’s face. Something fun is about to take place. Last week she had that same gleam in her eye before she took me to Cost Club. She laid me on a shiny new pet pillow and wheeled me around that place while she ate free samples. She said men love hot women with small pets. It shows their nurturing side for all to see. Sure enough, she spoke with three hairy hooligans.
My lips purse. I happen to know the three men Juni spoke with that day were as follows: the checkout clerk, the manager who tracked down Juni in the parking lot after she left her wallet on the counter—who also commended her for leaving an entire big box store with nothing more than a box of saltine crackers—and the sheriff’s deputy who pulled her over for speeding—whom she tried to bribe with a box of saltines. Apparently, it worked. Fish told me the entire story as I threw away the missing posters I had just printed up for her. I had zero clue Juni had taken her anywhere. Juni swore she’d never engage in cat-napping again if I promised to go back to Cost Club and buy that cat bed for her. For Juni, that is. She wants to use it as a pillow. She said it looked comfy. And according to Fish, she’s spot-on.
My phone spins over the table. “It’s a text from McKenna.” I perk up as I pick it up and read it out loud. “Sorry you missed Michaela at Minty’s. If you still want to chat about dresses with her, why don’t you meet us for dinner and drinks tonight? In fact, I’m desperate to have you join us. Michaela can be a little much. I’ll need you there for levity.” I gasp with delight. “How do you like that? It’s as if Michaela is falling right into my hot little hands.” I text right back and let her know it would be my pleasure.
Less than ten seconds later, my phone pings again.
“Perfect,” I read. “Meet us at the Salty Wench out in Edison at seven-thirty.” I grimace at the thought. “The Salty Wench?” I look up at Georgie and Juni as they giggle like schoolgirls. “It does sound funny.”
Fish makes a noise that sounds as if she’s chortling. I highly doubt that’s the reason they’re laughing.
I glide my hand over her back and nod.
I highly doubt it, too.
Georgie tosses Sherlock a strip of bacon from her pocket.
Here’s hoping Michaela will throw me a morsel in just a few hours—one that leads straight to Julian Fletcher’s killer.
Chapter 14
The Salty Wench sits directly in the heart of this salty town, Edison, in a tall, industrial building that holds the scent of rancid fryer oil and cheap booze.
Inside, it’s a spacious environment with loud rock music blaring from the speakers. It’s a bit bright, considering the fact it pretty much emulates a club scene with dinner tables to the left and a dance floor to the right. There are exposed ventilation tubes high up on the twenty-foot ceilings, the floors are made of glossy concrete, and the furniture looks as if it was plucked off of a pirate’s ship with its ship’s wheel theme on the tables and chairs.
And then there are the wenches. Throngs of waitresses are scantily dressed in barely-there white frilly tops with black corsets cinched across their waists. Their skirts are made of tattered purple fabric and there are some men dressed as pirates bussing the tables as well. Otherwise, the place is rife with twenty-somethings, both women and men, laughing like hyenas, so much so, it makes me wonder if they’re pumping laughing gas through the A/C. Speaking of air-conditioning, it’s just as icy inside as it is out.
Georgie juts her head back and forth like a chicken on the prowl.
“Boy, this place is snazzy,” she says, smacking Juni across her bare midriff.
“Told you I know how to pick ’em, Mama. I know my party scene, and this is a hot spot as far as having a devilish good time.”
“What do you mean you ‘know how to pick ’em’? McKenna invited me out, remember?” Not that there was any stopping Georgie and Juni once they heard the name of this place.
But rest assured, both Georgie and Juni dressed appropriately for the venue—Georgie in a low-cut purple kaftan with neon green sequins sewn over it and Juni in a black and white ensemble that assures the masses she’s a wench herself. As for me, I’ve donned a little black dress. Nothing too fancy, nothing too casual. It’s more or less unassuming, but for some reason, in this hot bed of depravity, it seems to be working as a calling card, baiting the attention of every inebriated man in the building.
Georgie and Juni exchange a wide-eyed look of panic.
Don’t you think about anything, kiddo, Georgie reprimands Juni, and now I’m wondering if Georgie has let Juni in on my supernatural secret. Not that I would mind terribly, but it would probably be terrible in general. Juni has less of an ability to keep a secret than Georgie does. The tattletale fruit didn’t fall far from the tattling tree.
Georgie gives a hard nod. “Of course, McKenna invited you out here. Juni doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She’s always taken credit for things she’s not responsible for.” She bites the air between her, and Juni hisses. “You’re going to ruin the surprise!”
“What surprise?” My antennae go up and I’m not at all amused. “Wait a minute. Is McKenna here at all?” I do a quick sweep of the vicinity, suddenly afraid that Georgie somehow garnered the power to hijack my phone and pretend she was McKenna. But before I can pull out my phone to confirm the duplicitous theory, I spot McKenna waving to me from the back. “Oh, thank God.” I sigh. “For a second there, I thought I was going to have to kill you both for throwing me some impromptu bachelorette party.”
A nervous laugh escapes Juni. “Just for kicks, if you were going to kill us, how exactly would you do it?”
“A bullet to the heart?” Georgie tips her ear my way. “Something quick and easy. Bizzy would never want to see me suffer.”
“Nah,” I say as we make our way to the back. “I don’t own a gun, and I’d hate to waste Jasper’s government-issued bullets. I’d probably dissolve the two of you in a vat of acid. I’ve learn
ed a lot from my days as an amateur sleuth. Like for instance, it’s best not to leave any evidence lying around.”
Juni seizes as she grips Georgie by the arm. “Let’s make a run for it before it’s too late.”
“Too late?” I’m about to inquire further when the crowd parts and I see McKenna once again. She rushes at me with a strong embrace and I take in the warm cinnamon scent of her hair as she inadvertently smothers me with it.
“Thank God you showed! For a second, I thought you wouldn’t. This place isn’t exactly your style.” She pulls back. “Here you go, Bizzy.” She holds a hand out to the table behind her, and I’m shocked to see it’s brimming with familiar faces, each of which is holding up a fruity concoction.
Macy, Emmie, Michaela, Mayor Woods—aka McKenzie—my mother, and, horror upon horrors, Jasper’s mother Gwyneth are all here. They all look polished and pampered with dramatic makeup and fun, flirty dresses as if they’re ready and raring to have a good time.
“Surprise!” they all chime in unison and the place lights up with a spontaneous round of applause.
“Oh my God.” I glare over at Juni and Georgie. “You’re going to pay for this.”
Georgie grunts over at her spawn. “It looks as if it’s acid soup for us, kiddo.”
McKenna laughs. “Don’t blame them. It’s really my doing. I asked Macy if they were planning anything for your bachelorette party, and they said you threatened them within an inch of their lives.”
“Not well enough,” I say as I look to my sister and she winks my way before knocking back the rest of her drink. Great. They’re all happily imbibing, which means we’ll need a party bus to haul us back to our respective homes by the end of the night.
Emmie mouths the words I’m sorry my way, and I make a face before giving McKenna the rest of my attention.
“Go on,” I say. “You somehow think this is all your fault?”
She nods while taking a sip of her high octane drink, and I give a few good blinks as the scent of vodka comes in hot.
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