Yule Be Magical (Familiar Kitten Mysteries Book 8)

by Sara Bourgeois

  Dorian was close enough that he could hear what we were saying, but he’d stationed himself at the window. No doubt he was watching to see if anything happened at the crime scene. He was also jotting down notes and only half paying attention to us.

  “So, I heard them say that her name is Pepper and she worked at the grocery store,” I said. “I think it’s this woman I’ve seen there before. Her name is Pepper Howard. I also saw her ghost, and I’m nearly certain it’s who I’m thinking of.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Reggie said. “Her full name is Peppermint. Kinda ironic that she was found dead in the Santa house.”

  “I’m not sure that’s really ironic,” Dorian said when he briefly glanced up at us before he went back to furiously scribbling notes. Obviously, I’d given him a lead.

  “If you’re onto something, you’d better share,” I said.

  “Not yet, but it is a starting point,” he said. “Did you get anything else?”

  “She was delivering cookies for the kids who visit the Santa house when it opens, and she was suffocated with the grocery bag she’d used to transport the cookies,” I said.

  “I think this is the most Christmas murder I’ve ever heard of,” Reggie said.

  “It’s going to make an eye-catching headline for the paper,” Dorian added. “I bet it will double my sales.”

  “A woman died,” I reminded him.

  “Sorry,” he said sheepishly.

  “It’s okay, we’ve come to expect it from you,” Reggie teased him.

  “Bah humbug,” he returned. “Incoming.”

  Before I could ask him what he meant, the bell over the door jingled. It wasn’t a customer that walked through, though. It was Jeremy.

  “Hey, honey. What’s up?” Reggie asked cheerfully. “Dropping in for a visit?”

  “I need to speak to Kinsley,” he said gravely. “Can we step into your office? Or outside?”

  “Well, Ursula is in my office. I can kick her out, or we can talk in the storage room,” I suggested.

  “Let’s just step outside, then,” he said.

  “What’s this about?” Reggie asked.

  “It’s official business between me and Kinsley,” he said. “Sorry, but I really can’t talk about it.”

  “I’ll fill you in when I get back,” I told Reggie and Dorian.

  “You may not want to,” Jeremy said.

  “All right, let’s take this outside. You’re being all cryptic, and I want to know what this is about before you get me really freaked out.”

  He held the door for me, and then followed me outside. There wasn’t anyone around. Most people were still over in the square gawking, and no customers had returned. Some had started to cross the street to the Brew Station, so I figured it wouldn’t be long before we got some business at the shop.

  “What’s this all about?” I asked Jeremy once we were about a half a block away from my shop.

  “What did you overhear when you were doing your little ninja spy thing earlier?” he asked.

  “Oh, you saw me…”

  “Yeah, Kinsley. I’m not sure that stealth is your strong suit,” he said gently.

  I wanted to tell him that I could outstealth the most accomplished ninja if I used a little magic, but I had to keep that to myself. Instead, I was just thankful he wasn’t angry. Not that he could arrest me for standing behind a Christmas decoration. Murder or not, it was still a free country.

  “Just the victim’s first name and how she died,” I said. “But I put together that it was Pepper Howard who works at the grocery store. Am I right?”

  Jeremy sighed. “You are, but that doesn’t mean you should get involved.”

  “I didn’t say that I was going to,” I said.

  “Yeah, but you were hiding behind a Christmas display trying to get details from the case. I think that means you’re getting involved, Kinsley, and I’m telling you now to stop.”

  “You make a lot of assumptions,” I said.

  “But you’re not denying it,” Jeremy countered.

  “Is that all you wanted to talk about?” I asked. “Because Reggie and Dorian showed up, and I didn’t really hear anything else.”

  “That’s not all,” Jeremy said gloomily. “I need to ask you something.”

  “Well, ask away,” I said and crossed my arms over my chest. The tone of his voice and Jeremy’s posture were sending me all sorts of warning signals. He was genuinely making me nervous.

  “Were you with your father last night?” he asked.

  “No,” I said, not quite sure what to make of his question.

  “What time did he pick you up this morning?”

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “I don’t look at the clock a lot now that I’m not really working. It was late morning. Not too much before we arrived at the Santa house. He came over to find that costume, but he wasn’t at my house long.”

  “So, you can’t vouch for his whereabouts last night or early this morning?” Jeremy asked.

  “No,” I said and then it hit me why he was asking. “Wait, are you trying to get an alibi for my Dad? You think he killed that girl?”

  “I’m not saying that,” Jeremy said and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “But I have to…”

  “No, you do not,” I cut him off. “No, you most certainly do not. You do not have to investigate my Dad. Jeremy, you and I both know he had nothing to do with this. He found that poor woman when he was dropping something off. He didn’t kill her.”

  “Kinsley, please calm down,” Jeremy said.

  “Oh, no. Don’t you ask me to alibi my father and then tell me to calm down. I have every right to be angry,” I said.

  “I’m doing my job,” Jeremy said firmly. “I have to ask. I don’t think he killed the woman, but I have to ask. I have to follow the law and not let my personal feelings about your family get in the way. Thorn has already had to take himself off the case because he’s too close to it. I don’t want to have to do the same thing and leave one of the less experienced deputies in charge.”

  “Thorn’s off the case?” I asked. I felt myself relax at that. I guess it was better than Thorn having to help investigate my father. Not that there would be much of an inquiry when it came to Dad. Of course he had nothing to do with it.

  “I’m going to talk to your mother,” Jeremy said. “I’m going to do that when I accompany your father home. He said he gave you a ride, though. I think it would be better if you didn’t come along. Can you find another way home? Perhaps Thorn could give you a ride?”

  “I can get a ride,” I said.

  “Why don’t you get a ride with Thorn?” he said again.

  “You lose all illusion of objectivity when you start meddling in my personal life,” I said. “One or the other, Jeremy.”

  “Don’t be like that, Kinsley. I saw you two earlier. You have a chance to work this out,” Jeremy said.

  “He’s the one that walked out on our wedding. You know that because you were there begging him not to,” I said. “So why are you pushing me now?”

  “Because you both need to get over yourselves and get it together. You belong together. Everyone but the two of you can see it. So, knock it off and make it work,” he said.

  “What if he’s not who we think he is?” I couldn’t believe I was bringing it up, but I had to know. Knowing for sure was the only way to shut off the worried little voice in my brain.

  “What do you mean?” Jeremy asked.

  “I’m not sure if I should say anything,” I said.

  “Spill it,” Jeremy demanded in that annoying big brother tone he took with me sometimes.

  “Fine,” I said and blew out a breath dramatically. “Azriel told me some things that made me doubt that Thorn had the evidence against him to prove that he tried to have me killed. What if Thorn was involved somehow, or what if he was just setting Azriel up to get him out of my life?”

  Jeremy’s expression morphed into shock. He looked at me as though I had thr
ee heads and all of them were dogs. “You’re kidding, right?” he asked me before letting out an uncomfortable chuckle.

  “No…” I said.

  “Kinsley, of course he has the evidence against Azriel. Why would you think he was lying? That’s insane,” Jeremy said.

  “Because he won’t show it to me and prove it,” I said weakly, but I felt stupid.

  “He can’t show it to you because he’s a good sheriff, but it exists. I’ve seen it, and I can promise you that 100 percent Azriel tried to have you killed. There’s no question. None. They are moving him out of Coventry to the county jail until the FBI figures out what to do with him. He’s going down for federal and state crimes, Kinsley. Azriel is a bad, bad man. He’s a danger to you and the baby too. Which is the only reason that I forgave Thorn for walking out on you. He did what he had to do to protect his family. I should have never let you in there to talk to him, but I figured you were safe at the station. Plus, I thought you’d do something risky if I didn’t just let you see him. I should have known better. I could protect you physically, but I gave him the opportunity to fill your head with lies. I let him manipulate you, and I’m sorry for that.”

  “Oh,” I said and nearly started to cry. “I’ve been stupid.”

  “I won’t agree with that, but… Yeah, I’ll agree with that,” Jeremy said. “But it’s not unsalvageable. Both of you need to knock this crap off and just work it out.”

  I looked for Thorn after Jeremy left to speak with my mom and dad. He was gone already, so I’d have to wait to talk to him.

  Fortunately, Dorian was hanging around taking pictures of the Santa house surrounded by crime scene tape. So, when he was done with that, he gave me a ride home.

  “So, I got served papers,” Dorian said as he drove me home.

  “Oh, no, I’m so sorry,” I said. “You can stay and hang out this afternoon if you want. I don’t mind the company.”

  “Yeah, I’ll definitely stay, but it’s good news,” Dorian said.

  “You want to get divorced now?” I asked.

  “No, not at all. That’s where the good news comes in. So, I got the papers, and I called Isaac, right?”

  “Right?” I responded.

  “And I told him that I wasn’t signing them. I told him I loved him with everything in me, and I would never give up on our marriage. I said I wouldn’t sign the papers and if he wanted to divorce me, he’d have to take me to court and make a judge do it.”

  “What did he say?” I could feel that my eyes were as wide as saucers. I almost couldn’t believe Dorian had handled it that way, but he looked happy.

  “He laughed at me and said I was the most stubborn and ridiculous person he’d ever met,” Dorian said, and I felt myself deflate. “But, he also said he was packing a bag to come visit.”

  “That’s great,” I said. “How long do you think he’ll stay?”

  “A couple of days if it doesn’t go well, and longer if it does. He even asked me if I really thought there were any jobs available in Coventry.”

  “Oh, wow. So he might actually be thinking about staying. I’m so happy for you,” I said.

  I wanted to be happy for him, but tears filled my eyes. I ground them away with my fists, and when I opened my eyes again, we were in my driveway.

  Dorian was staring at me. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Because I told you about me and Isaac?”

  “I just…”

  “I thought it would be okay to tell you. I saw you and Thorn snuggling this morning in the square. I thought you guys had fixed things,” he said and turned pale.

  “Not exactly. I mean there’s a chance, but we haven’t talked yet,” I said and felt fresh tears sting my eyes.

  “I’m so sorry,” Dorian said quickly. He snatched my hands in his and squeezed them. “I’m such a jerk, Kinsley. I thought you and Thorn had worked things out. I never would have told you the news about Isaac and me if I’d known you were still in so much pain.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “At least he did hug me and tell me he loved me. He said we’d talk, so there’s a chance for us.”

  “Do you want me to go?” Dorian asked sheepishly.

  “No, I want you to come inside and hang out if you have time,” I said.

  “Good. You can tell me all about what’s going on with you, Thorn, and that guy that crashed your wedding. When you’re done, we’ll decide if we’re going to the candlelight vigil for the dead woman tonight.”

  “There’s a candlelight vigil?” I asked. “Already?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it,” Dorian said.

  The candlelight vigil started at sundown, which that late in the year was early, early evening. Thorn had to work because of it, of course, so I had no time to talk to him.

  We’d exchanged a couple of text messages, but because of the murder and having to prepare for the vigil, he was busy. Still, I had hopes that I’d see him that night. If the vigil was quiet and peaceful, perhaps he’d have a few minutes to talk. There was always after too. Assuming the event didn’t go on until midnight. Not that I’d turn into a pumpkin at midnight or anything, but I was already getting tired by the time the thing started.

  The whole thing was started by one of Pepper’s coworkers at the grocery store. The idea caught on, and all of the other employees pitched in and helped organize. I thought it meant that she was well liked at work.

  I realized pretty quickly into the evening that I might have been wrong about that. There were an awful lot of people at the vigil holding little white candles in their hands and saying nasty things about Pepper with their mouths.

  Some of the rumors I heard were just things like her dating several guys and not telling any of them about it. I thought that was kind of a silly one because in a small town like Coventry, it would be nearly impossible for someone to do something like that. I wrote it off as cattiness.

  I heard a few people accuse her of being a thief. “You couldn’t leave anything valuable out if she came in your house,” a woman said as I passed by.

  While I really wanted to stop and ask her what she meant, I could tell by the expression on her face when she caught me looking at her that she wouldn’t say a peep about it if asked directly. I moved on through the crowd and heard another tidbit about Pepper having a secret baby when she was in high school. Apparently, she’d gotten “fat” during the school year and had disappeared during the summer. When she started the next school year, she’d been thin again. Pepper and her high school sweetheart were supposed to get married after graduation, but something had happened. He’d dumped her, seemingly out of nowhere, and left town. That story was intriguing, but it hit a little too close to home for me.

  The vigil was held in the square, and it was getting crowded. Too crowded for me, so I moved out to the edges and walked around the outside of the gathering.

  Eventually, I got my wish and nearly ran right into Thorn. I held my breath and waited to see how he’d react to me. When his face softened and he smiled, I let out the air I’d been holding. Relief washed over me, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

  “I was hoping I’d run into you,” I said.

  “I’m glad,” Thorn said. “I’d hoped to see you as well, but it would be nice if we could get a chance to talk when I’m not working.”

  “You could come over when the vigil is over,” I suggested hopefully. “You could come home.”

  Thorn’s breath hitched when I called it home in a way that I’d seen him do a few times. He hadn’t said much, but he didn’t need to for me to pick up on what he was feeling. I could read him like a book, and what I saw was that he’d been waiting for this moment.

  “I’d like that,” he said. “Do you really believe we can get past this? I hate to ask, but my heart can’t take much more of this, Kinsley. I can’t stand the thought of losing you, and it seems like you’re always a moment away from slipping through my fingers.”

  “But I’m not,” I countered. “I’m reall
y not, Thorn. I love you, and I’m committed to us. I’m sorry that I asked you about the evidence against Azriel. It was unfair, and I was wrong.”

  “You weren’t, though,” Thorn said.

  “What?” I asked and took a step back.

  “No, not like that. I don’t mean I set him up. I mean you weren’t wrong to worry. You weren’t wrong to question everything. I get so wrapped up in my pursuit to protect you and the baby that I forget that it’s your job to protect you too. It’s your job, even more than mine, to protect your child. You have every right to worry and want assurances from the man you want to marry. You want a guarantee that I am the right man to spend your life with and raise your… our child. I’m sorry that I haven’t given that to you. That’s my fault.”