"What do you have there?" he asked and pointed to the laptop.
"I'd like to figure out who killed her,” I said. "I didn't have time to go through the laptop, so I'm taking it with me."
"Now who's the criminal mastermind?" He said. "You realize that's actually stealing, right? It's not the same as taking your stuff back."
"Are you judging me?" I asked.
"Not at all,” he said with a smile. "That's a nice laptop too. I can sell it for you when you're done. You could make a few hundred bucks."
"I was thinking of putting it back when I'm done,” I said. "But we'll see."
"What are you going to do now?" Azriel asked as we left.
He started to walk down the alley in the opposite direction of my house. I kept walking with him, not really making a decision but just drifting in his wake.
"Would you like to come over?" Azriel asked.
"Or you could come over to my place," I suggested.
"The famous Hangman's House. Maybe I will,” he said and took my hand. "I'm sorry."
He started to let go, but I gripped his fingers. "It's all right,” I said.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"On the way,” I said. "I assume since you're coming over that you can give me a ride? I walked."
"Oh, now you might just be pushing things,” he said.
I stopped in my tracks and just stood there for a moment. After staring at him for a moment with my mouth hanging open, Azriel began to laugh.
"Of course I'll take you home,” he said. "My car is right over here."
On the way back to my house, I told Azriel everything about finding Astra's body and then Thorn's subsequent reaction. I didn't share with him the things my mother and father had told me because I hadn't processed it.
"Do you want me to pull my car into the garage?" Azriel asked. "If he comes by, he'll see my car here."
"That's sweet of you to offer,” I said. "But no. If you're in my life, I'm not going to hide it. I won't hide you."
Chapter Five
Once we were inside, I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t have any video games, and we’d already watched a movie.
“You want me to take a crack at that laptop?” Azriel asked as we sat there awkwardly.
Technically, I could use magic to get into it, but I kinda wanted to see what he had in mind. "Sure. What are you going to do? Are you some sort of super hacker or something?"
"I wouldn't say that,” Azriel said as I handed him the laptop. "But it wouldn't take a super hacker to get into someone's laptop anyway."
He sat down on my sofa and opened the laptop up on my coffee table. I joined him, but not too close. Meri, on the other hand, jumped up on the coffee table and practically sat down on Azriel's right hand.
Azriel didn't seem to mind. He cracked his knuckles and let his fingers fly over the keyboard. "There you go,” he said after a minute.
I reached out and turned the laptop toward me. Sure enough, he was in.
"It's just a work laptop,” I said after looking at the sparse icons on the desktop. "There's nothing personal here."
"Could she have used magic to conceal it?" he offered.
"I can check." I closed my eyes and hovered my hands over the keyboard. "There's no magic at work on the computer at all. I think it's just a business laptop."
"I can go,” Azriel said. "It's getting late."
"Or we can watch another movie. There's also that documentary series that everyone is watching on Netflix," I offered.
"The one with the snake guy?" Azriel asked.
"Yeah, that one. It's cheesy, I know. But everyone is talking about it."
"Sure,” Azriel said. "I don't have anything better to do."
"Wow."
He laughed. "You should take it as a compliment that I don't have anything better to do than watch documentaries with you."
I put the show on auto-play on my television, and the next thing I knew, it was morning. I'd fallen asleep on the sofa. Passed out would be more appropriate.
Azriel was gone. He'd covered me up with a blanket, and I'd curled up into a ball. Meri was snoozing at my feet.
Out of nowhere, I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. It sucked the wind out of me. I grabbed my phone and checked for a message from Thorn. The idea of losing him was suddenly and overwhelmingly painful. He hadn't just been my boyfriend. He was my best friend. I didn't know what the universe was trying to tell me about Azriel, but I couldn't just throw Thorn away.
Before I could really think about what I was doing, I called him.
"What is it?" he asked gruffly when he answered, but he answered. I shouldn't have read too far into that. He was the sheriff after all, but I still clung to it like a little seed of hope.
"I'm sorry,” I said. "I've been stupid. I should have trusted you. I should have trusted that I could talk to you."
"I don't think that I have time for this, Kinsley." Thorn let out a sigh. "You realize that you're a suspect in Astra Argent's murder, right? You're the suspect. The only suspect right now."
"Are you going to arrest me?"
"You know that I'm not."
"I don't want you getting in trouble for me,” I said.
"Kinsley, I would lose my job and get run out of this town before I ever did anything to hurt you,” Thorn said. "I know you didn't kill Astra, so I'm not going to arrest you."
"Why did you tell me that you were going to break things off with me if you'd decided not to do it? Didn't you know how much that would upset me?" I had to know why he'd done it.
"Because it was the truth. Because I was hurting,” Thorn said. "Another man kissed you, and you didn't exactly make it sound like you were upset about it. That and whatever this connection you have with him. I don't know what that's about, but I know it hurts. I screwed up, Kinsley. I should have protected you from that hurt, and I didn't. I'm sorry."
I did not expect him to admit he was wrong and apologize. I suddenly wished that I'd just waited and talked to him about the whole thing. I wished I'd been a gawd-dang adult for a couple of hours instead of running to the first port in a storm.
"I broke into Astra's shop last night. Azriel helped me. The good news is that I found my swag bags and decorations. The bad news is that I let Azriel take them back to his clubhouse to protect them for me... and I really don't want you to dump me. I think that I've been foolish, and I don't understand why. But that doesn't matter because I have been."
"Did anything happen between you two?"
"I let him break into Astra's laptop. Which I also stole. I was going to put it back."
"Is that all?"
"He stayed at the house for a while last night. I invited him to watch that new docu series on the snake guy. I fell asleep, though. He was gone this morning when I woke up."
"I thought we were going to watch that." Thorn sounded genuinely hurt.
"I found a dead woman on my porch last night, and you left without speaking to me. I thought it was over,” I said. "But I didn't see any of the show. I crashed. So, if you don't hate me, we can still watch it."
He was silent for a while. "If you're breaking into places and doing necromancy with him, then Kinsley, why are you calling me?"
"Because I woke up this morning and everything felt wrong. It was kind of like being hit with lightning or inspiration. I don't know. Something like that. I felt very clearly that what I wanted was you, and you hadn't texted me. Even to see if I was okay. So, I called."
"I'm sorry. I should have at least checked in on you. I let my anger and jealousy get in the way. I'm better than that, and I need to be better than that for you."
"Are you going to arrest me for breaking into Astra's shop?"
"And have to face off with your mother and Amelda? No thanks,” he said with a chuckle.
That sound unclenched something in my chest. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"What do we do, Thorn? Where do we go from here?"
&n
bsp; "I've got to get started on finding out who killed Astra,” Thorn said. "I'll come by later and see you. You're going into the shop today?"
"I am. Reggie is going to start working with me today. I hired her to assist me in the shop."
"I need to hire a new deputy,” Thorn said. "I've got two interviews this afternoon. Hopefully, one of them will work out. I need to stop working doubles almost every day."
"Well, have a good day. I can't wait to see you later,” I said.
"You too, baby. I love you, Kinsley."
"I love you too,” I said without even having to think about it.
After we hung up, I rushed upstairs to take a shower. While I was getting ready, I noticed that my hair was turning lighter again. My eyes were emerald green as well. A much darker shade than normal but not purple. They weren't black. While my hair and eyes were darker, I looked significantly more like myself.
As I left the house for work, I noticed a calm had come over me as well. There had been a darkness skittering around under my skin for the last couple of days. It was like static, and I didn't really notice it until it was gone.
Something had a hold on me, and it had let go. At the time, I didn't put two and two together because I was just so relieved.
I drove to my shop with the radio on and my window down. It didn't bother me when people stared because I was belting out a power ballad at the top of my lungs. Some people scowled while others smiled and waved.
After I parked my car in front of my shop, I hurried across the square to grab a coffee from Viv's. She had a line, so while I waited, I shot off a text to Reggie to ask her what she wanted.
Caramel macchiato with extra caramel. she texted back. Lots of extra caramel.
It will be waiting for you when you arrive. I answered.
I'm just about to head out the door.
"You look so much better,” Viv said when I stepped up to the counter. "Your usual?"
"That and a large Caramel macchiato with lots of extra caramel. Reggie is going to start working with me today,” I said.
"Oh, that's great news. I'm a little jealous of you two getting to work together. I'll be stuck over here,” Viv said as she started to make the drinks.
"We'll come see you often. I promise."
I was unlocking the door to the shop when Reggie arrived. I handed her the Caramel macchiato and we went inside.
Even with the lights on, it was pretty dim inside. The plastic sheeting kept the majority of the light out, but it was better than it all being wide open.
I was turning on my computer and getting ready for my day when it all got ripped down. Dennis was standing on the other side smiling. Then he saw my coffee and his face fell.
"Dang it. I should have grabbed a coffee before I got started. I knew I was forgetting something."
"I'll run and grab you one," Reggie offered. "Unless you've got something you need me to do right now?"
"No, go ahead,” I said. "I'm not going to open until Dennis is done anyway. I don't want customers tripping over him and getting in his way."
"Thank you kindly," Dennis said. "This is probably going to take me a few hours."
"Right. I guess I wasn't thinking about that,” I said. "Well, if we decide to go do something else, is it all right to leave you here?"
"I can manage. I won't steal anything."
"I didn't think you would,” I said. "There's a bathroom in the back but... the commode is kind of tricky. You might want to just use the one over at the Brew Station. Plus, you can grab more coffee."
I was waiting outside for Reggie when she got back with Dennis's coffee. I felt like I needed to stay busy, and since I couldn't work, I thought I'd stick my nose into Astra's death.
"Everything okay?" Reggie asked.
"Yeah, it's going to be a few hours before the windows are done. Do you want to get involved in some shenanigans?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"Okay, so I broke into Astra's shop last night..."
"You didn't!" Reggie said with a huge smile.
"I did, and I found a letter to her from her neighbor accusing her of stealing her favorite garden gnome."
"You think she was killed over a garden gnome?" Reggie asked.
"The letter was from a woman named Jemma Crane. It became rather... unhinged at the end."
"Oh, yeah. That lady is nuts. She's completely off her rocker."
"So you think it's possible she killed Astra over the stolen gnome?" I asked.
"I think if it's possible that anyone would kill someone over a garden gnome, it would be Jemma."
"Does that mean you're in?" I asked as I finally started the car.
"I even know where we're going. I'll give you directions,” Reggie said.
I backed my car out of the parking spot, and we were on our way.
It was immediately obvious which house was Jemma's. Not only was it painted bright pink with lime green shutters, but there were garden gnomes and little statues everywhere. They were lined up along the porch railing and down both sides of the sidewalk.
In the middle of each side of the yard was a large purple dragon surrounded by white flowers. At the feet of the dragons were even more little gnomes that were in dancing poses. Some of them had their tiny fingers stretched up to the sky, while others appeared to be doing the twist.
I didn't know which side Astra lived on, but an older woman came out of the house on the left and sat down her porch. That meant Astra's house was on the right. Not that it mattered, we were there for Jemma.
At that time, I had no plans on going into Astra’s house. Not because it didn’t need to be searched. I just hadn’t thought of it yet.
Bizarrely enough, it felt like the little gnomes were watching us as we walked up the sidewalk and then the porch steps. I tried to ignore it even though it unnerved me more than I expected. I could easily deal with demons and angry ghosts. I'd used necromancy recently, and I was supposed to be one of the most powerful witches in the world, but something about those little statues creeped me the heck out. There was a very good reason for that, but I wouldn't figure it out until it was too late.
I was reaching for Reggie's arm to stop her so I could tell her something wasn't right, but she'd already knocked by the time I said her name. "Reggie."
"What is it?" she asked as she stepped back from the threshold.
"This place is just weird,” I said and looked around. "Don't all these little gnomes make you feel weird?"
She chuckled. "I never imagined you'd have a garden gnome phobia."
"I'm not really afraid of garden gnomes. It's these garden gnomes,” I said.
"I think it's a little weird that there are so many of them, but I'm not getting a horror movie vibe off this place, if that's what you're asking,” she said. "And if I am missing something creepy, then all the better that we're here. If she is a weirdo psycho killer with a garden gnome fetish, we'll figure it out."
"What if she tries to kill us?" I asked. I had my magic so technically, there was no reason to be afraid. Still, I didn't want to whip it out and use it in front of Reggie for this...
"I'll shoot her,” Reggie said matter-of-factly. "I've got a gun in my purse."
"What?"
"I have my concealed carry permit,” she said. "I finally qualified, so I've been going to the range and practicing. I'm packing heat."
"You never told me about that,” I said.
Reggie shrugged. "Now you know. So, don't worry. I'll protect us if it turns out Jemma is bat-snot insane and tries to axe us to death or something."
"You're entirely too casual about this,” I said, but I had to smile.
The door opened before Reggie could say anything else, and I got my first look at Jemma Crane. She wore a hot pink dress that reminded me of something a 1950’s housewife would wear except the pattern on it was... something I won't repeat. Let's just say that at first, I thought it was some sort of fish or perhaps a reptile. But, nope. It was the outl
ine of male anatomy. There, I said it. I almost choked when I realized what it was. The dress had to have been something she made for herself. Even Reggie's jaw hung open for a split second too long.
"How can I help you ladies?" Jemma asked brightly.
Her bleached blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and little troll earrings with rainbow hair hung from her ears. She also wore rainbow eyeshadow with bright red lipstick. Her wrists were heavy with colorful enamel bracelets in pink, green, and white.
"I wanted to talk to you about your neighbor Astra Argent,” I said.
"Oh, yeah, that chick is dead," Jemma said with a big smile. "Normally, I wouldn't get so excited about someone dying, but she was just awful. Do you want to come in? I lived next door to her, so I probably know more than anyone else about her in this town."
"Sure,” Reggie said. "We'd love to."
When I shot Reggie a look, she just patted her purse and then shot gun fingers at me. "Thank you,” I said to Jemma.
The inside of the house was as colorfully decorated at the outside of the house. It even rivaled Jemma. Fortunately, there weren't any totems to male anatomy. I'd halfway expected that. But there were more garden gnomes. Or just gnomes in general. I wasn't sure that they were garden gnomes when they lived inside the house.
Jemma led us into a parlor furnished with white wicker furniture. Reggie and I sat down on the hot pink cushions adorning the wicker sofa.
"I'm going to get us some tea," Jemma said. "Or would you prefer lemonade?" Her voice lilted in a way that indicated she hoped we wanted the lemonade.
"I'd like some lemonade," I said.
"Oh, me too," Reggie agreed.
"Good," Jemma said in sing-song voice. "I'll be right back then."
"This place is weird," Reggie admitted when Jemma was gone. "I didn't feel it until we were inside."
"Do you want to leave? I dragged you into this. We can bolt while she's getting the lemonade,” I said.
"No. It's okay. I just wanted you to know that I'm feeling it too. I guess it just took me longer to pick up on it."
"All right,” I said. "We'll try to make it quick."
"No, we're here. We might as well get what we came for."
Midnight Magic Page 8
