“I’m not saying you’re wrong, Holly. Maybe it is perfectly safe and even best in situations like these. I’d just say to be very careful. You’re already in a precarious situation with the council.”
“Don’t I know it.” I sighed. “I can’t tell you how much I miss potion work. I’ve started dreaming about it. The plants in the greenhouse are all starting to go crazy as Spring gets closer and I can’t stop myself from thinking about all the things I want to create and make.”
“I’m sure Teddy will figure something out,” she said cheerfully.
I wasn’t sure.
I told her about Sasha and the tiny bit of information I was able to extract from Adam’s internet search. Then, after hesitating for a moment, I told her about Ben.
“Ben? Why would he be at the SPA headquarters?”
I held up my hands. “I don’t know. They looked familiar with one another. But when I asked him about her, he acted like he had no idea who I was talking about. It was weird.”
Evangeline’s eyebrows lifted. It was well known around town that Ben and Evangeline were flirty with one another. Evangeline had resisted his attempts to ask her out on a date, citing that it would be inappropriate as she was technically his boss, but that hadn’t seemed to slow either one of them down when it came to longing looks, coy smiles, and shared inside jokes. Then again, that was all before Teddy had come back into her daily life. Maybe her feelings toward Ben had changed.
“I don’t really care who he spends time with, obviously,” Evangeline said, her brows still arched. “But the fact that he’s leaving work and taking time off to do it, and then lying about, it is clearly not acceptable.”
I nodded. “Although, I suppose it’s possible that he was at the doctor’s and stopped by to have lunch with a friend afterward.”
“Yes, but he was late getting back,” Evangeline quickly pointed out. “He had a client waiting for him. If he was out having some kind of social call, he should have scheduled it for a time when he wasn’t expected back at work.”
“Agreed.”
“The better question is what he’s doing palling around with someone like her. From what you and Teddy told me, she sounds absolutely awful!”
I frowned. “Understatement.”
“Ben’s such a nice guy. Warm and friendly. He doesn’t even act like a werewolf.” She stopped and shot me a guilty look. “Not that I’m saying—”
“Don’t worry, Evangeline.” I smiled at her flustered expression. “I know what you mean. He’s very social for a were.”
Werewolves were usually the hermit type. Not many of them chose to live within the haven system, and found themselves more at home within the human world where it was easier to blend in.
“None of it makes sense,” Evangeline concluded with a shake of her head. “Do you want me to try and ask him about it? Or about her?”
“No. I don’t think that’s a good idea. Teddy is working the legal channels to find a way to get me a fair hearing. Meanwhile Adam is working with some of his dad’s law enforcement contacts to see what he can find out about Ms. Pringle.”
Evangeline’s almond-shaped eyes gleamed. “Oh! That’s good!”
We rounded the corner onto the main street through the haven. We stopped a few paces down the sidewalk and gawked at the huge crowd clogging the street in front of a shop. We paused and looked at the source of the commotion: a Pepto-Bismol pink building with a huge glittering marque-style sign hanging above it. Every few seconds, the sign shot off pink and white fireworks.
“Praxle’s Potions.” I sneered up at the sign before dropping my gaze to the line of people waiting to get inside for the grand opening doorbusters offered on splashy signs that had been distributed all throughout the haven. “It’s like the council hearing isn’t even happening. Why are they all supporting this … this gangster?”
Lines etched Evangeline’s face as it twisted into a glower. “I have half a mind to go in there and tell them—loudly—just what I think about their nail polish!”
“Not sure your opinion was quite the endorsement deal they were hoping for,” I said with a laugh. “Although if you’re serious, let’s stop at the corner store so I can grab some popcorn beforehand.”
The visual image of Evangeline storming into the store, fists on her hips, and screaming about watered down nail polish made me smile. She was one of the most mild-mannered witches I’d ever met and was extremely humble, regardless of her status as the former star of a very popular paranormal soap opera.
For a moment, I thought she was actually going to lunge forward and burst through the line of people at the door, but after a moment, she scoffed at the shop and the crowd, and then grabbed my elbow and propelled me down the walk. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t want anyone to think I’m here for some kind of signing event.”
We pushed into the SPA building and I made my way to the reception desk. I didn’t have an appointment but told the receptionist that I needed to speak with Agent Bramble. The brassy woman eyed me warily but picked up her phone and dialed Agent Bramble’s extension. The two exchanged a few words and then the receptionist set the phone down and folded her hands politely. “It could be a while. Agent Bramble is very busy. Are you sure you want to wait? I could send up a message if you’d prefer.” Her voice was sticky sweet and made Agent Bramble’s message crystal clear: get rid of her!
I returned the smarmy grin and mirrored her tone as I informed her that I would wait as long as it took. The receptionist pointed me to a group of chairs and then picked up the phone again. She was muttering to Agent Bramble as soon as Evangeline and I turned away.
“I swear, my missing-personality-chip theory gets stronger every time I come here,” I told Evangeline as we sat down.
It was nearly an hour later when Agent Bramble finally realized that I was just stubborn enough to wait all day if that’s what it took, and called me up to her office. Evangeline wished me luck and then headed out to get some shopping done while I was in the meeting. Before she left, we agreed to meet by the fountain in front of the large Haven Bank building one street over from the headquarters building.
“Hello Holly,” Agent Bramble said, barely hiding a cringe when she ushered me into her cramped office. It was just as neat as it was during my last visit. However, this time the shades between her office and Agent Mache’s former office were drawn. I wondered if he’d already taken over Harvey’s elegant office. I hoped that if he had, he’d show it more respect than he had his previous space.
“I do apologize for the wait,” Agent Bramble continued after taking her seat. “Things have been understandably busy around here with all the changes. I don’t mean to be brisk with you, but what is this unscheduled visit in regards to?”
I crossed one leg over the other. “Agent Bramble, I know you don’t know me. But I need you to trust me and listen to what I have to say. Despite what looks like a tumultuous relationship on paper, I respected Harvey, and in the weeks before his death we were finally starting to see eye to eye. It is very important to me that the person who killed him is dealt with.”
Agent Bramble’s expression lightened. “Then you’ll be relieved to hear that we currently have someone in custody with ties to the murder. We’re waiting on some tests to come back, but it looks like we have our man.”
“You’re talking about Dune Kasey?”
Her thin eyebrows shot up. “How do you know his name?” Her hand whipped toward her phone. “Was it in the paper this morning? I haven’t had a chance to look. Those good-for-nothing vultures—”
“No!” I hurried to say. “No, it wasn’t in the papers.”
She kept her hand on the phone. “Then where did you get that name?”
“I reviewed some of Harvey’s old cases. I know that Dune was recently released from prison and that he’s made some … outlandish claims to the papers. But I don’t think he’s the one who killed Harvey.”
Her face fell. “You don’t?”
<
br /> “No.”
Agent Bramble sighed and released her grip on the phone. “And do you have any evidence or proof to back up this theory?”
“It’s simple,” I said. “What reason did he have for killing Harvey? Sure, he might be angry that Harvey was a part of the sting operation that sent him to prison. But how likely is it that less than a month after his release, he would go after Harvey in such an obvious way? He’d have to know the fingers would point his way, especially with the way he’s spouted off to the Herald. I’ve read the articles. He’s clearly not a good person, but I don’t think that’s good enough evidence.”
“Ms. Boldt—”
“It also doesn’t make sense that Harvey would let him into his car. If someone publicly threatened me, I certainly wouldn’t agree to meet with them, alone, and then drink a cup of coffee they purchased for me! It doesn’t make any sense! Harvey was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.”
Agent Bramble looked like she was coming down with a headache. She reached up and adjusted her glasses. “Mr. Kasey was unable to provide a reasonable alibi to the agents who interviewed him. What we know is that he used the portal at the Magic Beans coffee shop to pass from the haven into Seattle proper mere minutes after Harvey did.”
“So what is the working theory? He ordered a coffee after Harvey and dumped some potion into it while he wasn’t looking?”
Agent Bramble didn’t justify my objection with a response. “We’re not in a position to discuss the evidence until the trial is in motion. I’ve already said too much. You’re not in law enforcement, Holly. You don’t have privileges here. You need to step back and trust the SPA to handle this case.”
I uncrossed my legs and dropped my foot to the floor with a louder-than-intended stomp. Agent Bramble bristled. “Maybe I could trust the SPA, but the fact is that it’s currently being run by someone who is probably more concerned with picking out window treatments and furniture for his new office!” The words flew from my mouth faster than I could think to reign them in.
Agent Bramble lifted a hand, her palm facing me in a clear signal. “Stop! Ms. Boldt that is quite enough. You cannot simply waltz in here and question the integrity of the entire SPA!”
“I’m not! Simply the man they’re trying to put at the top of the crime division.”
“What does Agent Mache even have to do with your theory?”
I considered her for a moment, briefly wondering what she might do to me if I said what I really thought. Would she throw me out of her office? Ban me from the SPA building in general? Arrest me?
I shoved aside the risk. “Who benefits the most from Harvey being gone? Seems to me that Agent Mache is pretty close to the top of the list. Now, I’m not a detective, but I have inadvertently stumbled into a few investigations over the past year and I know that when working with a detective or private eye, they start with motive. Who wanted Harvey dead? Could it be a revenge killing? Maybe. But it makes more sense that someone wanted him out of the way because they’d benefit from it.”
“This is outrageous!”
“Ask Mache about his plans for the internet!” I spewed before she could throw me out on my backside.
Her dark, eagle-eyes snapped to me. “What did you say?”
Adam was going to kill me.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Well, how did it go?” Evangeline asked. She was sitting on the edge of the fountain, picking apart a scone while she waited for me.
I plopped down beside her and frowned. “Not great. But hey, I’m still alive and not in jail, so obviously it could have been worse.”
“I’m sorry.”
“She told me that I’m way off base, but is giving me a pass because of everything I’ve been through.”
“It will all come out in the end, Holly. These things usually can’t stay buried for long. Have you considered floating the theory about Mache to a reporter? Teddy knows a few of the Herald writers down in LA. He could probably make some calls and get you in touch with someone.”
I weighed the idea. It wasn’t bad, but it could also trigger some tricky aftereffects. “I’ll think about it. Maybe if they could keep my name unattached from the whole thing. I don’t know if I can afford to make any more enemies. As it is, I want to march upstairs and find Sasha Pringle’s office and demand to know what her problem is!”
Evangeline smiled. “Probably not the best call, but if you need backup, I’m your girl.”
“Thanks.” I motioned toward the bags at Evangeline’s feet. “Looks like your time was better spent.”
She laughed, the sound soft and melodic. “I picked up a few things.”
To Evangeline, a few things was the equivalent of an all-expense-paid shopping spree for most people. I guess she had to do something with all her leftover soap star cash.
“Actually, there was an interesting development, besides the killer sale at Voro’s shoe store. I ran into Bill Praxle on my way here.”
“What? Where?” I looked around, as if expecting him to materialize right in front of me.
“He was sneaking out the back of that new shop we passed on our way to the SPA building.” She finished her last bite and wiped her sticky fingers off on a teal napkin from the bakery around the corner. “I was surprised to see him. I guess I figured the SPA had him in custody.”
I shook my head. “No, he’s a free man till the council hearing is over.”
“Well I wasn’t trying to get his attention, but he spotted me and wanted to chat about the possibility of my endorsement deal.”
I laughed. “Seriously?”
“It was really weird, Holly. It’s like he doesn’t even realize he’s been on trial for the last week and a half. Completely unfazed.”
“What did you tell him?”
She gave a mischievous grin. “That I’d meet him for an early dinner.”
“What?” I hissed.
She laughed and waved an unconcerned hand at my shocked expression. “I have a plan.”
“I sure hope so!”
“I want you to go with me. You can ask him about Harvey and see what he says.”
I scoffed. “He’s not going to tell me anything.” I paused, my mouth still open. “Unless … .”
Without another word I tore into my purse. My fingers clawed through the mess of contents: lipsticks—way too many lipsticks—a compact mirror, a spare pair of stockings, a bag of chocolates, half a Lemon Cloud wrapped in wax paper, and an assortment of potion vials. When I reached the vials, I started pulling them out one by one. When I found the one I was searching for, my lips curved up into a smile that matched Evangeline’s.
I twisted the vial around so she could see the label. “Unless he gets a sip of this.”
“Good ole Loose Lips.”
It was insane, but I was counting on the old adage “crazy enough that it just might work” to get us by. Evangeline and I wandered the shops for a couple of hours to kill time and perfect our plan. Finally, we made our way back to the center of the haven and arrived at Luna, a popular—and very expensive—restaurant that Praxle had chosen for the meeting.
I’d never been inside Luna before and as soon as we stepped inside, I had to stop and gawk at the beautiful restaurant. It seemed impossible that just on the other side of the large wooden doors was a bustling street with noise and traffic and chaos. The atmosphere was clearly a literal interpretation of the restaurant’s name. It was like being wrapped in a blanket made of stars. The walls were dark, an inky midnight blue, but lit with the soft glow of what appeared to be thousands of candles, floating in midair along the walls and ceiling. The dark wood furniture was made even richer with crisp white linens and soft accents of gold and pearl.
It was pure magic within a city teeming with it.
A hostess wearing a sleek black cocktail dress with stars splashed across it guided us up a wrought-iron spiral staircase to a private dining area. There were several tables scattered around the room, most set for two,
but only one was occupied.
“Hello, Mr. Praxle,” Evangeline said, floating across the room to where Bill Praxle was seated. He stood, rebuttoned his suit jacket, and the two greeted with a friendly embrace. “This is Holly Boldt, my friend I told you about.”
“Ah, yes, a potion goddess,” he said, his voice oil-slick.
Fitting. It matched his greased up hair.
“Goddess?” I shot Evangeline a skeptical glance.
She laughed and waved a hand. “All I said was that you’re the best potions witch I’ve ever met, and believe me, in LA they are a dime a dozen, and always trying to peddle something to me!”
Praxle gestured to the two chairs at his table, inviting us to sit. Once we were seated, he took his own place, and promptly ordered a bottle of wine. A very expensive bottle of wine. I nearly choked just catching sight of the prices indicated on the card that sat at my left elbow.
“Something you should know about me is that I want the best of everything,” Praxle started once the wine was poured. “My shops are expanding rapidly in all of the major West Coast havens and I have an eye on the East Coast just as soon as I get past all of this … red tape.”
My eyebrows arched. Red tape? That’s what he called being on trial for a laundry list of charges, a list where assault was actually one of the less serious crimes?
Evangeline didn’t say anything, but I caught a slight smile as she lifted her wine glass to take a sip.
Praxle drank deeply from his own glass and then set it aside. He folded his long, slender fingers together and then leaned forward on the table. “I’m working on something top-secret and I would love to get some kind of contract in place with a truly talented potion master. What do you say, Holly?”
Witch Way Home: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 4) Page 14
