Thorn and I were married.
We were really, for real married. The judge had even let me take Meri out of the bag. He sat on the judge’s bench and watched the service. It was a good thing the judge liked cats.
As we were leaving the courthouse hand in hand, I was thinking about dinner, but Thorn had other things on his mind.
“What were you looking for when you came to the square?” he asked.
“Are you thinking about the case?” I asked with a chuckle.
“Would you be offended if I was?” Thorn asked.
“No,” I said and squeezed his hand. “But I would be intrigued.”
“I figured we’d celebrate our nuptials by getting involved,” he said. “I thought you might like that.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “I know you take your job seriously, and you’re off the case.”
“I would like to see what my wife finds so fascinating about all of this,” he said. “Unless you just want to eat.”
“I think you might be trying too hard to prove that you accept me as I am, but I also think I’m going to take you up on it,” I said. “So earlier, I was in Pepper’s apartment. I didn’t break in. Her neighbor thought I was there to help pack up her things, and he let me in. He had a key because he took care of her cat sometimes.”
“Why did he think you were there to help pack her things?” Thorn asked.
“Because he said he’d been waiting for a friend or family member to come do that, and I let him think that was me…” I said and then bit my lip.
Thorn shook his head in disbelief, but he was still smiling. I took that as a good sign. “So, I take it her apartment isn’t where you’d want to go?”
“It’s not,” I confirmed. “I found letters in her closet from her high school sweetheart. Apparently, she had a baby and gave it up for adoption without telling him. By the time he was able to figure out what happened and try to get custody, he couldn’t bear to rip the child away from the only family he ever knew. Understandably, that left him bitter. Really bitter. He wrote her a lot of letters expressing his grief and anger. Christmas seemed to be the worst time for him. He has visitation with his son, but I don’t think that’s ever been enough.”
I took out my phone and brought up the pictures of the letters. I handed it over to Thorn and stood quietly while he studied them.
“So, you want to go talk to him?” Thorn asked.
“You know, that might be a better place to start than breaking into his home,” I said.
“But Jeremy’s probably already talked to him, so he’s not going to say anything to us,” Thorn added. “He might even call Jeremy about us bothering him.”
“So we should break into his home?” I asked.
“I’m not saying we should, but I am saying, if I were you, that would be my next step. His house is going to tell us a great deal more about him than he would.”
“What if he’s home from work?” I asked. “A lot of people are getting off right now and going home.”
“He’s got a second job. Kurt is still paying off the lawyer fees from when he got visitation. Plus he racked up a lot of debt a few years ago when he lost his job for six months,” Thorn said.
“You’re really handy to have around,” I said. “But I get the feeling you haven’t exactly stayed out of this case either.”
“Hey,” Thorn said and put his hands up in front of his chest. “I stayed out of anything having to do with your father and clearing his name. That was the most important aspect for me to avoid involvement, and I did.”
“We can’t take your cruiser to break into Kurt’s house,” I said. “I suppose you know where he lives?”
“I do, and we can. We just need to park a couple of blocks away. No one will even give us a second glance. People tend to put their heads down and shuffle off when I’m around.”
“I like this side of you,” I said.
“I like all sides of you,” Thorn said before pulling me in, caveman style, for a long kiss.
Eventually, we did get to the breaking and entering.
As promised, Thorn parked his cruiser a block away from Kurt’s house and around the corner. We used my usual method of sneaking through the back yard and using the back door to get inside.
I didn’t even have to use magic to get the door open. Though it was locked, he hadn’t pushed the door shut all the way. The door and frame were old, warped, and ill-fitting. So, it just took a hard shove and it popped right open.
“He needs to get that fixed,” Thorn groused as we stepped inside.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll let you tell him.”
“He’s a grown man. He can figure these things out for himself,” Thorn said.
The back door opened into a small vestibule that wasn’t quite big enough to be considered a mud room. To my left was a small bench with cubbies underneath and then the door to the garage. To my right was the doorway into the kitchen, and directly in front of me was the stairs to the basement.
Thorn and I walked into the kitchen. The house was nicer than the warped, broken door would lead one to believe. The kitchen wasn’t fancy, but it was clean. The white cabinets and blue countertops were old but well-maintained. It looked as though the cabinets were regularly stripped and repainted.
Aside from the door, it looked as though Kurt was handy. “What does he do?” I asked, “for his main job.”
“He works at the garage in the new section of town,” Thorn said. “Kurt was a mechanic, and that’s why he lost his job for a few months. When the law passed that outlawed manufacturing new gas cars, the shop nearly went under. He got some training and is working on electric cars now. He’s lucky because they don’t actually need a lot of repairs or maintenance. Jobs in that field are slim. From what I’ve heard, he’s a hard worker and his boss loves him.”
“What’s his part-time gig, then?” I asked.
“He works at the Burger King over by the charging station,” Thorn said.
“Oh, okay. That can’t pay nearly as well as his regular job,” I said.
“Every little bit must help. I’ve heard he does some work on the side too, but that’s just helping out people with their gas cars. It’s folks who can’t afford a new car and can’t afford the shop’s prices for their repairs.”
“His boss doesn’t mind him poaching business like that?” I asked.
“I don’t think he sees it that way. Most of those people were never going to be customers anyway. When I say that Kurt does the work cheap, I mean cheap. Whatever those folks can pay to preserve their pride. I’m sure if not for that, he’d do it for free. I’ve even heard he takes barters sometimes when the person has no money.”
“Maybe he just misses working on the older cars,” I mused. “He could just love it that much.”
“Probably,” Thorn agreed.
“He doesn’t sound like the murdering type,” I said.
“You just never know with people,” Thorn said and gave me a wink. “Since we’re here, why don’t we take a quick look around anyway? See if he’s got a secret stash of bodies.”
“All right,” I said.
I suggested splitting up to make the task of searching the house faster, but Thorn wouldn’t hear of it. We were sticking together, and that was the end of it.
Meri found a perch to look out the house’s front window. “Does the cat always play lookout for you?” Thorn asked as we looked over the living room and small dining area.
“Yeah, pretty much anymore. Seems he doesn’t want me getting caught and going to the slammer,” I said.
Thorn and I checked the house’s two bedrooms, but there wasn’t anything of interest. One was obviously a room for a little boy, but it didn’t look like it was used often. It was sad and heartwarming at the same time. I thought that perhaps the little boy didn’t want to spend the night away from his adoptive parents, and Kurt didn’t force it.
Again, not the type of guy to commit murder.
Kurt’s computer didn’t have much on it other than a few computer games and some folders full of financial papers. It was his records of trying to pay off his debt, but since he didn’t stand to inherit anything from Pepper’s death, it wasn’t a motive for murder.
I went over to the dining room table and found a small stack of papers sticking out from under a placemat. It was a couple of past due bills and one other invoice.
The date on the paid invoice caught my attention.
“Po-po’s coming,” Meri called out from the window.
Thorn rushed over and looked out the curtain without opening it more than a couple of centimeters. Meri quickly dropped out of the window so he wouldn’t be seen.
“It’s Jeremy,” Thorn said. “A neighbor must have called him.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked.
“We’re going to get out of here before he catches us,” Thorn said before peering out the window again. “It looks like he’s going around back. He’s probably seen my cruiser. We’ve got to slip out the front and make a break for it. You ready?”
I hastily grabbed the piece of paper in front of me on the dining table and shoved it into my purse. At the same time, Meri darted over to me and hopped inside.
“Yeah, let’s go,” I said.
Thorn and I moved quickly to the front door. I could hear Jeremy pushing the back door open as we ran out the front. Thorn quietly pushed the front door closed, and I waved my hand over the deadbolt to lock it. Jeremy would never believe that someone had escaped out the front if it was locked from the inside.
Once it was done, Thorn took my hand and we sprinted off in the opposite direction of his cruiser. “We’re going to have to take the long way around,” he said as he pulled me forward.
As soon as we were out of any possible line of sight from the house, we slowed down to a casual stroll. It was better not to draw attention by running like we were doing something wrong.
I swear I didn’t really breathe again, though, until we got back to Thorn’s cruiser and did not find Jeremy waiting for us. “He might not have seen the car after all,” Thorn said with relief.
“Either that or he thinks you’re visiting someone around here and is minding his own business,” I said. “Since he didn’t bust us inside the house.”
“That sounds like him,” Thorn said. “Jeremy’s a good man.”
“He’d arrest us if he caught us,” I said. “And it would all be for nothing. This tow truck receipt is for the early morning hours of the day Pepper died. Kurt couldn’t have killed Pepper because his car was broken down between here and what I presume is the city where his son lives. Maybe not, but either way, I seriously doubt it was him. We risked arrest for no reason.”
“He’d arrest you,” Thorn teased. “I’m not sure what he’d do with me.”
“Probably get you fired after he arrested you,” I said. “Maybe you shouldn’t be enabling my shenanigans.”
“I think you forget sometimes that I was friends with your family long before I met you, Kinsley. I know you witches and your morality are a little different than mere humans. I accept that, and sometimes, I think that I might even agree with it. What I’m saying is that I don’t feel bad and neither should you. Jeremy wanted me off the case for propriety’s sake, but he’s not solving it. I know you must have your reasons for wanting to help, so I’m helping,” Thorn said.
“I love you,” I responded. “I appreciate it. I really do, but what I’d like right now is some dinner. Preferably something that I don’t have to make.”
“I’d offer to take you into the city so that we could dine at a fancy restaurant and then spend the night in a five-star hotel, but I have to be at work in the morning. Unfortunately, I’ve used up most of my vacation time and the department still needs me even if I’m not working on the biggest case,” Thorn said. “We’ll have to figure out a honeymoon soon, though. I want to take you away for a while. Oh, and what about the dog? He slept with me on the sofa the other night, but you’re not home much. How is that working out?”
“The house takes care of Tangerine,” I said with a shrug. “His bowl always has food, his water dish is always filled with clean water, and either the house lets him out into the yard or cleans up after him. I should spend some more time with the little guy, though. He’s just been so quiet. Always napping or chewing on a bone when I’m there. I feel bad because I think I’ve forgotten a couple of times that he’s even there,” I said.
“Well, I’ll help you with him. Maybe he’d like to run with me in the mornings. If his little legs can keep up. Not that I run that fast…” Thorn said and laughed. “Anyway, which of Coventry’s fine dining establishments would you like to choose for your wedding night dinner?”
“Let’s go back to the place where you asked me to be your wife,” I said as we got in the car. “And just hope that nobody tries to die this time.”
Chapter Nine
Bella Vita had been completely remodeled, and in addition to that, it was decorated sumptuously for Christmas. Twinkling Christmas lights hung from the ceiling, and there was fluffy white garland everywhere you could think to hang it. The owner had also removed a couple of tables from the center of the dining area and put a massive Christmas tree in their place.
“Can we sit near the tree?” I asked the hostess.
“Sure,” she said. “Right this way.”
“I thought you didn’t like all this stuff so early,” Thorn said. “I thought for sure when we walked in, you were going to roll your eyes and want to go get a burger.”
“I’m warming up to it all,” I said. “I don’t think I’m quite ready to decorate Hangman’s House this early, but this is beautiful.”
Our waitress came around after a few minutes, and we ordered filet and lobster tails. She pretended not to notice Meri’s head sticking out of my bag under the table. Whether that was because she liked cats or because he used some sort of magic on her, I’ll never know.
Thorn and I chatted about his day, before he helped me break into Kurt’s house, and I filled him in on Ursula’s departure.
“So, you’re going back to work then?” he asked before taking a sip of his beer.
“I am,” I said. “I really hope that’s not going to be a problem, because I missed working at the shop more than admitted even to myself.”
“I want you to be happy, Kinsley. If running your shop is going to make you happy, then I support you. You might need to figure something out for right after the baby is born, though. We don’t need the money, and I can’t see you staying on your feet all day immediately after. Plus, and I know there’s a good chance the baby will be a witch too, there’s still a chance you might have some sleepless nights. I’ll help out as much as I can, though,” he said.
“I get it,” I said softly. “You’re the town sheriff, and I’m going to have to take most of the late-night baby duty.”
“I’ll try to get as much leave as I can, and I am at yours and the little peanut’s disposal on my days off. You have my word on that,” Thorn said and winked at me.
“Well, if it’s between you taking vacation to help me with the baby late at night and taking vacation for us to take an actual vacation, then I’d rather… you know what, I’ll have to get back to you on that one,” I said. “While I’d like to not have to get up every time, I’d also like to see a beach sometime in the near future.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll get an easy baby,” Thorn said.
“I wouldn’t count on it, but perhaps. We’ll also have Meri if she wakes up and just doesn’t want to be alone,” I said and felt a familiar pain in my chest.
“What is it, Kinsley? What’s wrong?” Thorn asked as he reached across the table and took my hand.
“It’s just that when I was born, Meri almost immediately went from being Mom’s familiar to mine. He just sort of abandoned her and was attached to me at the hip until.. until I left. I know it sounds selfish, but… nev
er mind, I don’t want to say it,” I said.
“You want Meri to stay with you, but you don’t want to say anything like that because you’d give our baby the world,” Thorn said. “I get it.”
“I think I’m going to do a spell when the time gets closer. It’s a spell to draw in a familiar. Maybe the right one is out there for her, and maybe Meri will still be the right one for me,” I said and pushed down my anxiety about the matter.
A short time later, our food arrived, and right behind it was trouble. The couple that the hostess brought in and sat near us looked unassuming.
In fact, they appeared to just be a young couple out on a romantic date, but the whispering that started around them as they sat down told a different story. I tried to just enjoy my food, but I could not ignore that people around us were staring and murmuring about the two people sitting at a table so close to us.
Yule Be Magical (Familiar Kitten Mysteries Book 8) Page 8
