by Sofia Belle
“That doesn’t sound like a murderer,” Layla said. “What about the other guy you visited?”
“Mr. Reynolds?” I shrugged. “I don’t see what motivation he had to get rid of Hank. When I showed up this morning, he was surprised to see me, and he was surprised to get the news of Hank’s passing.”
“Humph.” Layla grunted softly. “That is weird.”
“Mr. Reynolds had nothing but nice things to say about Hank. It didn’t seem like there were any hard feelings.”
“So a man who everyone loves is murdered, and nobody knows why?” Layla scratched her head. “Even I’m intrigued.”
“See? Don’t you think I should focus on the murder story instead of this whole Seven Days, Seven Dates story?”
“Nope,” Layla said. “Plus, I already plugged it. I’m running advertising for you, girlfriend.”
My gaze followed her finger to where she was pointing at the front of the shop. Somehow, in my haste to get away from the Chief, I’d missed the huge poster out front. I groaned again, this one a mix between a sick cow and an angry kitty cat. “Whyyyy?”
There, on the door, was a life-size poster of my face with the title of the blog series printed on my forehead. She’d hung a poster on both sides of the door, so I had a good view of myself.
While I blushed at the site of my enlarged face, a familiar sizzle snapped through the air. The door to a dressing room next to me shot open, almost popping straight off its hinges.
I blinked, then I closed my eyes. Unfortunately, Madrina hadn’t only arrived, but she’d arrived in style. She’d unearthed some form of lingerie from Layla’s store, though I don’t know when she’d had time to go poking around. She wore long, silver gloves from her fingers to her elbows, and not a whole lot else. There were some tassels and a couple of strings, but I’m not sure if they all sat in the right places.
“Madrina, what is that?” I gaped, my mouth falling open. “No, no, no!”
“Do you always wear that under your robe?” Even Layla’s eyebrows had shot up high, and nothing surprised Layla. “I never knew. How fun!”
“Can I layer discount for The Witches Britches?” Madrina ignored both of our astounded gazes. “The way I’m looking at things, I should get the friend discount and the senior citizen discount.”
Layla eyed up Madrina, wrinkling her nose as she noticed just how askew some of the strings had gotten. “You know what? It’s on me. Keep it.”
“I knew you were the nice one of the three.” Madrina looked down for a moment, basking in the glow of her over three-hundred-year-old body. Or whatever she was looking at in the mirror. “Anyway, now that we have the important stuff out of the way, I just thought I’d pop in because you two sound stumped.”
“We’re not stumped,” I said. “We’re just talking about all the options.”
“You sound stumped,” Madrina said again. “Completely clueless. Who killed Frank?”
“It’s Hank! And I don’t know.” I crossed my arms, feeling very uncomfortable wearing clothes like this in front of my fairy godmother. “We’re working on it. It hasn’t even been a day yet.”
“You better get a move on,” she said. “I listened to your whole conversation, and if what you’re saying is true, then you need to hurry up and figure it out. Because the second they confirm it was murder, I’ll bet they’re going to arrest Jo, if they haven’t already.”
My back stiffened. “Oh my gosh. Jo. I haven’t talked to her.”
“Me neither,” Layla said. “Should I give the Chief a call?”
I waved my hands. “We’re not involving the Chief. Let’s think. If it’s not one of Hank’s current clients, and it’s not his ex… who else would have cared enough to get rid of Hank?”
“What about the guy who left the bad review?” Layla said, leaning against the register counter. “I mean, that dude seemed pretty pissed.”
“A bad review?” I twirled slowly on my heel to face Layla. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the only review on Yap for Hank’s business. You know Yap? The new review website. Someone left it yesterday.”
“Someone left a bad review on the day Hank was murdered?”
Layla nodded, then moved behind the desk. She turned on her work laptop, gestured for me to join her. “I only figured it out because I wanted to snoop on your date. When you went out to dinner with Hank, I Googled him.”
“You Googled him for me? That’s sort of sweet.”
“She’s doing my job for me,” Madrina said, leaning in, her nose inches from the screen. “Jeesh, it sure is easier to be a fairy godmother in the Internet age. Before Google I’d have to pick up the Yellow Pages or talk to people or something in order to find out who you were dating. Now, I can do my job in my underwear.”
I looked over at Madrina, standing there in a collection of floss and pom-poms. “Please keep your robes.”
“Stop being such a prude.” Madrina waved a hand. “Relax, girlie. I want to see this review.”
I could’ve argued, but I wanted to see the review, too. The three of us fell silent, reading the review in silence. When I finished, I sucked in a breath. “That’s harsh.”
“And it’s his first and only review,” Layla said. “Double harsh. When I Googled his name, it was the only thing that popped up.”
I glanced at the time stamp. “It was left only thirty minutes before we met to go out on our date.”
“That explains why you didn’t see it when you were researching him, but why I saw it when I started my research. You were probably getting ready for your date, or driving across town to meet him when I looked.”
Scanning the review again, a shudder wracked my body involuntarily. The review was from a man who went by the Reviewer Name of CarGuy1968. The review went on, and on, and on; there were over four paragraphs of him ranting about Hank, berating his business, cautioning everyone against using his services.
“Maybe I’m wrong, but this doesn’t make any sense to me,” I said. “Based upon this review, it sounds like CarGuy1989 had trouble with his vehicle and was stranded on the side of the road. Then he says that Hank pulled over and gave him a jump. When that didn’t work, Hank said he was a handyman and offered to help look into the engine of the car.”
“This reviewer sounds like an ungrateful little prick,” Madrina said.
“We don’t know the full story,” I said. “We should talk to him.”
“I don’t know.” Layla tapped her fingernails against the keys. “I agree with Madrina. This guy sounds loco.”
“But if we don’t talk to him, we really are stumped,” I said. “Plus, something tells me this is too big of a coincidence to ignore. Think about it. Thirty minutes before a man—who almost everyone seemed to love and couldn’t say a bad word about—is murdered, he gets his first scathing review from a guy who seems a little bit crazy. Don’t you think it’s worth checking out?”
“I think it’s worth the police checking out,” Madrina said. “Why do you complicate my job so much? Why can’t you just stay inside, warm up a TV dinner, and give me a bit of rest?”
“It’s for Jo,” I said. “And Hank.”
“If you’re going to talk to him, I require you bring backup,” Layla said. “If I tell you not to go, you’ll just ignore me and go anyway. I’d rather have you go and be safe. You can either bring the police, or you can bring me.”
“You’d come with me?” I asked, and then changed my mind. “It’s probably best if I go alone.”
“I’ll go, too,” Madrina said with a sigh. “It’s easier to be there when you get in trouble than to try and catch up after the fact.”
“I’m not planning to get in trouble.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “I just want to see if I can get the full story.”
“You never plan to get in trouble.” Madrina rolled her eyes. “Yet somehow, it always seems to happen to you. It’s like you have a skill. The gift of trouble-making.”
�
��You love it.” I elbowed her. “You say you want me to be boring, but I don’t believe it.”
“Can I ask the Chief to come with us?” Layla asked, reading the review once more. “The more times I read this, the crazier it gets. CarGuy’s vehicle was already broken and Hank helped him. Sounds to me like this guy needs a punch to the nose.”
“Where are people’s manners going these days?” Madrina grumbled. “Sheesh. It’s like all the good ones are taken, and all the leftovers are nuts.”
“No, you cannot call the Chief.” I shook my head. “Absolutely not. We’re leaving him out of this.”
“Leaving me out of what?” A voice rolled through the shop, followed by the light tinkle of the bell above the door to the Witches Britches. “I want to be a part of the fun.”
My spine stiffened. The voice belonged to the Chief.
I turned around, my neck bright red, my cheeks heating. There was no way to recover from the amount of mortification I was feeling. I could die now, and it would be easier than looking the Chief in the eye after this.
“Go away,” I said shrilly. As an afterthought, I added. “Please.”
The Chief took his time speaking, and the fact that his eyes lingered somewhere below my face wasn’t lost on me. His gaze skimmed very quickly over Madrina’s head, glanced towards Layla’s face, and then turned back to me. “I had a few questions regarding the case, and I was told I could find you here.”
“Well, here I am!” I threw my hands up in the air, shooting for a confidence that I didn’t quite feel. “But you’ll have to talk to my face. I’m up here, buddy.”
The Chief’s gaze had slid somewhat downward, his forehead furrowing in alarm as he studied the straps on my legs with a concerned expression. At my words, his gaze shot up to my face, and for the first time that I could remember, he blushed. “Uh, we’ll start simple. What are you doing here?”
“You already asked that question,” I said. “Next.”
“You don’t have to be so rude.” Madrina leaned on the counter, sprawling out with confidence. “Answer the question.”
My face turned shades of pink that only belonged on Valentine’s Day cards. “I’m here visiting Layla. She owns the place, you know that.”
“We don’t always do this. Play dress up, I mean,” Layla said. “But our girl here has a date tonight, so I’m dressing her up in something fancy.”
“You wear that on a date?” The Chief looked incredulous. “Wow.”
“I didn’t say that my date is going to see it,” I said. “It’s a first date. Nothing’s going to happen besides dinner.”
“Then why are you wearing those… strappy things?” The Chief grimaced. “It looks painful.”
I turned to Layla. “Why am I wearing this?”
“It makes you feel good,” she said. “Like you have a sexy secret.”
“I don’t want a sexy secret.”
“It’s not a secret if you flaunt it,” the Chief said. “It’s more of a statement.”
“Oh, you don’t even belong here,” I said, gesturing around the room at the pink and frilly things everywhere. “It’s not really your style. Can we hurry up with the questions?”
“Who is your date with?” he asked, his voice trying for light and disinterested, although I could hear a note of curiosity playing just below the surface.
“You came all the way here to ask me about my love life?” I blinked. Then, I gave Layla a pointed stare. “Who am I going on a date with?”
“You don’t even know?” The Chief’s concerned expression turned into disbelief.
“It’s called a blind date,” Layla said with a not-so-subtle wink in her eye. “It’s not strange at all. In fact, a lot of people find true love through blind dates.”
“Really.”
“Really!” Layla grinned. “Sometimes friends can see things that individuals can’t. For example, maybe two people who know each other, and have known each other for a long time, are perfect together. The two of them might be too short-sighted to see it, but not their friends.”
I cleared my throat and looked down, a new wave of nervousness washing over me. “So, what can I help you with, Chief?”
“I need to talk to you.” He cast a glance at me, then looked pointedly at the two ladies flanking my sides. “Alone, please?”
I waited for a long beat, but I couldn’t find a way out of this one. If I didn’t talk now, he’d keep coming back until he had his answers. Sighing, I shrugged. “Fine. Layla, Madrina, do you mind giving us some privacy?”
The Chief shifted his weight from one foot to the next. “Maybe we could get out of here? I’ll buy you a pretzel.”
“From Pretzels & Potions?” I chewed on my lip, weighing the pros and cons of leaving the safety of my friends.
The Chief nodded.
Eventually, my stomach won out, since I hadn’t eaten for so long that the thought of a hot, salted pretzel dipped in cheese made me drool.
“Give me a second to get my clothes on,” I said, disappearing into one of the fitting rooms. I called over the top of the stall for him to wait outside the store.
Before I’d even finished speaking, I heard the tinkle of the bell signaling he’d disappeared.
Layla laughed. “I’ve never seen someone get out of here so quickly.”
“He should have never been in here,” I said. “Layla, I thought you said you’d hide me away.”
“I did hide you away,” Layla said. “But I never promised to keep anyone else from coming inside. I’ve gotta earn myself a living.”
“You’re lying. You’ve been trying to pair me and the Chief up for years.”
“It’s so cute!” Layla let out a dramatic, swoon-worthy sigh. “Childhood sweethearts.”
“The Chief and I are nothing romantic, got it? I have a date tonight with someone else. Speaking of, you said you’d have more information for me. I’m here! Who is this date?”
“I’m not telling you that,” Layla said. “That would take all of the fun out of the surprise. However, I will tell you to meet him in the Forest of Fairies at nine o’clock tonight.”
“Nine o’clock at the Forest of Fairies? That’s not even a date spot. I thought I’d at least get dinner out of this.”
“Oh, this guy is a keeper.” Layla smiled broadly. “When I contacted him, I told him I was your secretary and that I was setting the two of you up on a date. He offered to plan the whole thing, and he prepared a picnic. Isn’t that sweet?”
I rolled my eyes. Then I stuck a finger in my throat. “Gag-worthy. It’s a first date, not a proposal.”
“First dates are supposed to be romantic!”
“First dates are like business meetings,” I said. “You show up, interview the other person, and then decide if they’re worth your time to go on a second date.”
“You are so crass,” Layla said. “I hope you find your true love tonight and then turn into a little optimist who writes about love and fairy tales and happily ever after.”
“That’ll be the day,” I said. “Nice try.”
“I happen to agree with her,” Madrina said, her eyes twinkling. “You never know when you’ll find love. Sometimes you find it in the strangest places…”
I followed her gaze as it strayed outside and landed on the Chief, who was checking his watch.
“Oh, leave me alone,” I said, throwing some of Layla’s store items on the counter. “Let me pay for these, and I’m getting out of here.”
Layla rang me up. “You better wear these tonight, or I’ll know.”
“Fine.” I looked down at my purchases, which were different, subtler than the ones Layla had thrust at me first.
The fabric for the undergarments I’d chosen was a pastel lavender, quite beautiful. It covered all of the necessary body parts. Edged with black lace and soft as silk to the touch, I had to give Layla credit. She’d given me a lot of crazy, wild garments to try on today, but when the time came to find an outfit I’d actually
wear, she’d pulled through. There was a reason she was so good at her job. Call it magic, call it intuition; Layla knew how to make a woman look and feel her best.
“Go.” Layla packaged everything beautifully into her discreet, black bag with pink tissue paper and a subtle Witches Britches swirled in fancy letters on the outside. “Don’t do any investigating without backup. Have fun getting a pretzel with the Chief, and be nice on your date tonight. Call me after your evening.”
“Did you leave me anything for dinner?” Madrina called as I walked towards the door. “Can I raid your fridge?”
Chapter 13
“They’re an interesting bunch,” the Chief said as I joined him, trying my best to keep the discreet package even more discreet by hiding it behind my back. “How do you live with them?”
“Luckily, Madrina only pops in long enough to steal food for dinner. If she lived in the cottages full time, I’d be insane.”
“You’re not already?” He raised an eyebrow as we started to walk down the street.
I made a little face at him and laughed. Both of us fell into an easy silence as we strolled on the sidewalk toward the pretzel stand. The sun was warm, the afternoon pleasant, and despite the stress of the day’s events, I felt more at ease than I had all morning.
“I’m sorry I walked in on you like that,” the Chief said. “I didn’t know you’d be so—uh…”
“Dressed down?” I laughed again, finding it strange that I’d laughed more in the past five minutes than I had all week. “Don’t worry, accidents happen, although I’m sorry you had to see us like that. It’s enough to scar anyone’s memory.”
The Chief’s eyes crinkled into a smile and he laughed along too, lapsing into silence after the moment passed. I got the sense that both of us were enjoying the fleeing moment of peace before we dived into our true issues.
“Pretzel?” he asked.
I pulled my eyes up from the sidewalk, where I’d been studying the blooming flowers along the boulevard. “That was a fast walk,” I said in surprise. “Sure, I’ll have one. Extra cheese.”
