The Detective Wins The Witch (Nocturne Falls Book 10)

by Kristen Painter

  The new item he was supposed to bid on was coming up in Thursday night’s auction. He’d agreed, because the money was good, and he had no other cases. It was also part of why he’d signed on to be Marigold’s wedding date. He was already going to be here until Thursday now, so what was two more days?

  This time, the item up for auction was bookends. Suzanne claimed they were more family heirlooms, also accidentally sold off by the same family member.

  But after what he’d seen with the parking lot attack on Marigold, he knew there was something more going on. Okay, maybe he didn’t know it, but his gut—and that feeling—were seldom wrong.

  His gut was telling him that those men hadn’t gotten what they’d come for. It wasn’t the candlesticks. He just couldn’t believe that. And if they weren’t satisfied, then Marigold might not be safe.

  So he’d agreed to two things he might not have otherwise. To be her date for the wedding and to help her in the shop.

  He couldn’t leave her unprotected. Being by her side as much as possible was the only way to keep an eye on her without seeming like a creep.

  Didn’t hurt that she was gorgeous and smelled nice, either.

  But flower shop duty? That was a new one. He lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta. He didn’t even have a yard.

  He walked back into the Enchanted Garden. “I’m here.”

  Marigold smiled at him. “Just in time. Here’s what I need you to do.”

  She showed him a couple of things, and he went to work. Despite his reservations, nothing so far was beyond his ability. Unpacking the boxes and putting the flowers into water buckets, then storing them in the big coolers was just grunt work. A trained chimp could have done it. Or in his case, an untrained chimp.

  Leah, Marigold’s employee, was a sweet kid and currently working on wedding centerpieces. She was a little chatty, telling him about her dog, Rollo, and how Rollo was a failed drug-sniffer dog. Apparently, he could detect drugs, but also French fries, candy wrappers, and animal crackers. Pretty much anything that qualified as a carb.

  Mostly, Wyatt just nodded and said, “Huh” or “How about that” a lot. He didn’t mind the conversation at all, but Marigold was far more interesting. She was occupied at the moment with taking a phone order.

  He was finishing up the last of the boxes when a customer came in. He peered through the door to make sure it wasn’t one of their parking lot friends.

  It wasn’t, but he knew the man all the same. Mr. Carnation.

  What was he doing here? But Wyatt knew instantly. That’s who Marigold had gone to the auction for.

  Was she really working with this guy?

  She gave him the thousand-dollar check, confirming she was.

  Frank, the shop cat, was lying on the workbench near Leah. Which was also closer to the front of the shop.

  Wyatt went to scratch him. Leah kept talking, unaffected by his move, but it put him in a good position by the door. Closer to where he could hear the conversation. Especially when he turned so that his deaf ear was to Leah and his good ear was toward the front of the shop.

  Even so, he missed a few words. Leah’s constant chatter spilled over a little. He got the gist of what Mr. Carnation wanted, though.

  Another auction.

  Marigold didn’t want to do it. She had too much to do for the wedding, and her sister’s rehearsal dinner was the night after the auction, meaning Thursday was her last full evening to get ready.

  Mr. Carnation offered her three hundred dollars and assured her the items would come up early in the docket. She’d be in and out in no time.

  Marigold said she’d think about it. Mr. Carnation offered her five hundred. She said again she’d think about it and that she’d call him soon. He left.

  Wyatt smiled at Leah, who was still talking. He interrupted as soon as she took a breath. “Excuse me just a sec.”

  He joined Marigold at the counter. “What did that man want you to buy at the auction?”

  She made a face at him. “Eavesdropping isn’t very polite, you know.”

  “What did he want you to buy?”

  She frowned. “I shouldn’t do it.”

  “Marigold, please. Tell me. Was it bookends?”

  She jerked back slightly. “How did you know?”

  A weird light passed through Wyatt’s eyes, and his gaze shifted to the door.

  Marigold poked him in the arm when he didn’t answer. “How did you know what he wanted me to buy?”

  “Something’s going on.”

  “Yeah, he wants me to go bid on more crap for him. And I could really use the money, but that’s my last full night for wedding prep. I’ll still end up working after the rehearsal dinner on Friday, but by that point I need to be doing final touch ups, not full-on prep.” She sighed. “Five hundred dollars is a lot, though.”

  “It is. But for that kind of money, he can get someone else to do it.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip. Five hundred bucks would cover the down payment on Saffie’s braces. “I’m sure, but I could really use that money.”

  “What if those guys come back?”

  She looked at him. “You really think that’s going to happen? What are the chances that those guys want candlesticks and bookends?” Her brows rose as she gave him an appraising glance. “Are all ex-cops paranoid?”

  “I’m not being paranoid.” But the look in his eyes said he suddenly realized he might be coming off that way. “Just cautious.”

  “I appreciate that.” It was sweet that he was so concerned. “Look, I’ll get there earlier so I can park in the front. And I’ll be quicker getting to my car after I check out.”

  “And I’ll be with you.”

  “You will, huh?”

  He shrugged. Then let out a sigh. “The reason I think something’s going on is because the same client who wanted me to buy the candlesticks also wants me to buy the bookends.”

  Okay, that was strange. Or was it? “So they’re valuable, right? We already know that. And just because more than one person wants an item at an auction doesn’t mean something shady is going on. That’s the whole point of auctions. To get lots of bidders.”

  “True. But my gut says it’s not all on the up-and-up. And my gut is rarely wrong.”

  “More ex-cop stuff, right?”

  He made a stern face at her. “A honed instinct is nothing to ignore.”

  “No, it’s not.” Especially when her witchy ones were telling her that Wyatt might be right. Newt was claiming that his presence would make the price go up, but that had still happened on the candlesticks without him there. Why not just go to the auction himself?

  Wyatt nodded in agreement. “Hey, did you see a picture of the bookends?”

  “No. He said he’d text one to me if I decided to go. Which I guess I basically have.”

  “Then text him and let’s see for sure if they’re the same ones my client wants me to buy.”

  “Okay.” She got her phone out and sent Newt her confirmation.

  He responded quickly and was apparently thrilled, if the six smiley face emojis were anything to judge by. The picture of the bookends came next.

  She stared at them, shaking her head. “Why on earth anyone would want these is beyond me.”

  Wyatt pulled out his phone and brought up a picture. “Want to compare notes?”

  She held her phone next to his. The same dark brown, bird-shaped bookends were in both photos.

  He snorted. “What is that? A pelican?”

  “I was going to say duck. Except the head is…not right.”

  “Yeah, the head is really off. You know, I don’t think it’s a duck or a pelican. It might not be a bird at all.”

  “Maybe it’s a platypus.” She laughed. “Or a beaver.”

  She held the phone in front of Frank. “What do you think, Franko? You’re a bird expert.”

  Frank opened his eyes, glanced at the picture, and hissed.

  Wyatt chuckled. “Your cat
has better taste than our two bidders.”

  Leah came out from the back holding the centerpiece she’d been working on. “Marigold, do you want to have a look at this? See what you think?”

  “Sure.” Marigold studied it. “That’s really close. It needs more, though. It needs to be a little looser. You know what I mean? A little wilder. More natural. More in keeping with the spirit of a backyard wedding.”

  Leah put the centerpiece on the counter, then stepped back from her creation. “I think it’ll be wilder with the roses open more. A couple of days will help. Or you could—”

  Marigold interrupted before Leah could complete the thought. “I’ll work on it later. Just stick it in the cooler and go on to the next one.” She gave Leah a look of warning. Leah must not realize that Wyatt was human. They couldn’t very well go and use magic in front of him.

  Leah frowned, then her eyes widened. “Gotcha.” She scooped up the Mason jar bouquet and returned to the workroom.

  Wyatt watched her go. “I thought it looked nice. But then, what do I know about flowers?”

  “Thanks.” Marigold patted the tall stool behind the register. “You’re on duty as counterman. Think you can handle that?”

  “I’ll do my best. But is that really all you want me to do? Just sit there? I’m capable of a lot more.”

  “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I don’t have the time to train you to do arrangements.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of sweeping. Or dusting. If you dust a floral shop. And I can still answer the phone.”

  Was he serious? He wanted to clean? “Um…sure. This place can always use sweeping. Or dusting. Or the windows washed. Shelves wiped down. Trash taken out. Coolers cleaned. Boxes broken down for recycling. Bathroom scrubbed.”

  He held his hands up. “Whoa now. I draw the line at toilet duty.”

  “Naturally.” She grinned. “Come on, I’ll show you where we keep the cleaning supplies.”

  Once she got him sweeping, and he was busy at the front of the store, she went back to the workroom and filled Leah in. “Wyatt’s human. We can’t use our magic in front of him.”

  “I figured it was something like that.” Leah glanced toward where Wyatt was working. “Too bad. He’s super cute. But I’m not into humans. I suppose you’re not either.”

  Marigold didn’t answer. Just smiled. In theory, no, she wouldn’t choose a human partner on purpose. For any kind of supernatural, a human partner came with all kinds of extra complications. She had enough going on in her life without that. “Give me that arrangement. Let’s see what we can do.”

  Leah’s eyes brightened. “You got it.” She pulled the centerpiece out of the cooler and set it in front of Marigold.

  With a quick check that Wyatt was still up front, Marigold cupped her hands around the flowers and spilled magic into them, envisioning the kind of changes she wanted.

  As her green magic twined around the stems in the arrangement, the blossoms opened, the ivy sent out a few wild tendrils, and leaves grew and curled. Thirty seconds of gentle, persuasive power and the arrangement went from sweet and staid to wild and gorgeous. Marigold pulled her hands away. “There.”

  “That is perfect.”

  It was good. And exactly what she wanted for Pandora’s reception. “Think you can reproduce that?”

  Leah shook her head. “I don’t know. My nymph magic is better on trees than plants.”

  Marigold knew that was true. No one could get pussy willow or forsythia branches to sprout and bloom like Leah.

  “But I can certainly get those centerpieces done, then you can add your touch and we’ll be good to go.”

  “Teamwork makes the dream work.” She winked at Leah.

  “Wow, I see what you mean now. That one looks a lot better than the first one.”

  They both looked up to see Wyatt standing in the workroom door.

  Marigold’s stomach sank. How much had he seen? Couldn’t have been much, right? Not if he thought this was a different arrangement. She swallowed and moved toward him. “Did you finish sweeping the floor already?”

  “No, but there’s a customer here who wants a single red rose.”

  She looked past him to see a young man at the counter. She hadn’t even heard the bell above the door jangle or Wyatt talking to the customer, but then, using her magic often made everything else disappear for a few seconds. “Thanks, I’ll take care of it.”

  Wyatt went back to sweeping while Marigold got the young man his flower. It was nice to have Wyatt’s help, but she couldn’t afford to be the reason a human discovered what was actually going on in Nocturne Falls.

  The coven would kick her out.

  Worse, the Ellinghams would not be happy. And the Ellinghams owned this town. It was because of them that Nocturne Falls even existed. Everything from Marigold’s shop to her home to Saffron’s attending Harmswood depended on this place.

  She finished the transaction, and as the young man left, her gaze went to Wyatt. No matter how much she liked him, he was a normie. And until she was sure he was under the spell of the town’s waters, she had to be very, very careful around him.

  Or maybe she just shouldn’t be around him at all.

  Wyatt went back to his spot near the front of the shop. He’d swept this area twice now, but it gave him a good view of the street. If those guys from the parking lot were going to come back, he’d see them before they saw him. Or got to Marigold.

  It also gave him a perfect place to watch her. From here, he could see the counter and through the door into the workroom. He shifted toward the street again, taking a few moments to think while he swept. He worked the broom with short strokes, not gathering much more into the pile he’d already made.

  He might be partially deaf, but his eyesight was perfect. Even so, he wasn’t sure what he’d just seen going on in that workroom. Had those flowers really been growing under Marigold’s touch? How was that possible?

  It wasn’t. He knew that. Just like the scrapes on her arm and hand that had healed overnight.

  Neither of those things made sense. And neither of them could be explained. Not immediately.

  But being a cop had taught him there was always an explanation.

  So what was it? He worked his way to the back corner of the shop. Maybe the scrapes hadn’t been as bad as he’d thought. Even though he’d seen them up close, blood made things look worse a lot of times. He frowned, not buying his own best reason.

  How did he explain the flowers?

  He couldn’t.

  Something touched his shoulder. He whipped around, instinct putting him on guard.

  It was Marigold. He took a breath, realizing his reaction was a little more than what the situation called for.

  “You okay? I called your name a couple times.”

  “I…must not have heard you.” If she’d been on his deaf side, he definitely hadn’t heard her, but he didn’t want to tell her he couldn’t hear on that side. It was a weakness. His weakness. And he didn’t like to talk about it. “Need something else cleaned?”

  “No, I was just thinking.” She tugged at her apron, even though it was already in place.

  When she didn’t immediately say more, he prompted her. “Are you going to tell me what about?”

  She smiled a little, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. You working here, I mean.”

  That felt like it was out of left field. “Did I do something wrong with that customer?”

  “No, it’s not that.” Again, she hesitated.

  “Then what is it?”

  She frowned, hemmed and hawed a little, then sighed. “You know what? We should go to lunch.”

  That wasn’t at all what he’d expected to hear, but he wasn’t about to turn down a meal with her. “Sure.”

  “Good.” She seemed more sure of herself suddenly. “I know just the place.”

  Howler’s was busy, but since it was a little early for lunch yet, Ma
rigold had no trouble snagging them a booth. That was good. Booths were more private. At least they felt that way to her. And while she needed to get some more local water into Wyatt (she couldn’t count on the coffee from Mummy’s being enough), she didn’t exactly want to put their lunch date, such as it was, on display. So yeah, a booth was good.

  They settled in and got their menus. For once, Bridget Merrow, owner of Howler’s and Charlie’s aunt, wasn’t behind the bar. Maybe she was just in the back.

  “What’s good here?” Wyatt asked.

  “Everything,” Marigold answered. She’d be getting a salad, regardless of the day’s special. She hadn’t planned on eating out at all, but when she’d chickened out on telling Wyatt she didn’t want him in the shop anymore (because she did want him there, actually) making sure he drank some good old Nocturne Falls H2O seemed like the next best thing. And Howler’s made a great salad.

  And great peach cobbler. Which she would not be eating.

  She would, however, be getting some water into him. At least that way, she could keep him around.

  A server came by. The woman’s name tag read Jolie. Marigold didn’t recognize her. “I’m Jolie and I’ll be taking care of you guys today. What can I get you guys to drink?”

  “Water for me.” Marigold responded with enough enthusiasm so that Wyatt would want water too. She hoped.

  “Do you have ginger ale?” Wyatt asked.

  Marigold ground her teeth together in frustration.

  Jolie nodded. “We have a full bar.”

  “Then I’ll have a ginger ale.”

  Jolie gave them a smile. “I’ll be right back with your drinks and to take your order. Oh, and today’s special is pot roast with mashed potatoes and green beans.”

  Wyatt gave her a big smile back. “Thanks.”

  As Jolie left, Marigold stared over her menu at Wyatt. “Don’t believe in hydrating?”

  He moved his menu to the side to see her better. “Hydrating?”

  “Don’t you drink water?”

  He blinked twice. “Sure, I guess so.”

  “I mean, it’s your body after all, but soda is loaded with sugar. Just saying.” She went back to her menu, even though she knew what she was ordering.