“What made you turn your attention to Cliff?”
“I realized his office is directly above the spot where Miles Connor landed,” Clarissa explained. “I also noticed the windows up there are very large – large enough for a person to fall out. And they don’t have screens.”
“The police figured Miles fell from the roof, didn’t they?” Parker recalled.
“Yes, but that’s an easy mistake to make. The trajectory would have basically been the same. As it turns out, the door leading to the roof is kept locked,” Clarissa told Parker. “So unless you have the key, there’s no way to get up there.”
“Unless you’re a witch,” Matilda murmured under her breath.
“I beg your pardon?” Parker asked politely.
Clarissa shot her aunt a warning look.
“I said I have an itch!” Matilda fibbed. Then she scratched her arm furiously to prove it.
“So Cliff confessed to everything?” Parker was still gazing at Clarissa adoringly.
“He did,” Clarissa confirmed. “Once the cops showed up, he spilled his guts. It was like he wanted to clear his conscience. He told the police he had thought about killing Miles dozens of times. Then when the opportunity presented itself, he took it.”
“Ugh,” Matilda groaned. “I can’t believe I was dating him. I even congratulated him on being promoted to dean of the university! And all along, he had killed Miles Connor to get the job! I was dating a man who was willing to commit murder for a pay raise and a bit of prestige!”
“You had no way of knowing,” Parker tried to comfort her. “Cliff had us all fooled.”
“That’s right,” Clarissa agreed. “I thought Cliff was a nice guy at first. And normally I’m a pretty good judge of character. At least I like to think I am. Appearances can be deceiving sometimes, I guess.”
“I can understand being disillusioned with one’s workplace,” Parker remarked. “But how does hating your job translate to killing the competition so you can be promoted? On what planet does that even make sense? Yikes!”
“Apparently Cliff had been harboring a deep resentment toward Miles,” Clarissa told him. “And by all accounts, Miles Connor was a womanizing, lazy creep who was more interested in flirting with his students than in doing his job. It really bothered Cliff that Miles had such a cushy job. In his view, Miles was undeserving of it.”
“So Cliff’s hatred just festered and then…he snapped?” Parker looked stunned.
“I guess so,” Clarissa shrugged.
“Whoa.”
Suddenly Parker’s cell phone began to vibrate.
He glanced at it and grimaced. “Work is calling,” he said apologetically. “I have to take this.”
As soon as Parker had stepped away from the table, Clarissa turned her attention to her aunt. It had been a long, eventful and exhausting night. They hadn’t really had a chance to talk much until now.
“How are you doing, Matilda?” she asked quietly.
“Oh, as well as can be expected I guess.” Matilda looked tired, but her tone was upbeat.
“I still can’t believe you turned Cliff into a toad!” Clarissa exclaimed in wonder.
“Only temporarily,” Matilda defended herself. “And I wiped it from his memory before I turned him back into a human. He doesn’t remember a thing.”
“Well whatever you did, it was the right move. I don’t know about you, but I thought Cliff seemed pretty intimidating when he came after us. I felt like we were in danger. Thank you for believing me. Your faith in me saved us both.”
“I trust you. But to be fair, Cliff isn’t the worst guy I’ve ever dated.”
“He’s a killer!”
“I know.” Matilda raked her hands through her dark red tresses. “Cliff still isn’t the worst guy I’ve ever dated, though,” she reiterated, sounding very sure of that alarming fact.
“Wow,” Clarissa said, shaking her head in disbelief. She knew her quirky aunt had questionable judgment sometimes. She also knew most of the men Matilda had dated weren’t exactly prizes. But even so, she was stunned. “Who was he?”
“You mean who were they?” Matilda corrected her.
“You dated multiple men who were worse than a cold-blooded killer?” Clarissa gasped.
Matilda shrugged. “What can I say? Stable is boring.”
“Should I even ask?”
“No!”
“You sure know how to pick ‘em,” Clarissa teased.
“Tell me about it. But maybe I brought this on myself. Maybe it was payback.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been a bit reckless with my magic lately,” Matilda admitted. “Like I told you, every action has a cost. The bigger the spell is, the bigger the consequence will be.” She glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve been taking some liberties lately.”
“Like what?”
“I’ve performed some higher-level magic that, strictly speaking, wasn’t necessary. Actually, some of it was sort of self-serving,” Matilda confessed sheepishly.
That captured Clarissa’s interest. “What did you do?”
Matilda made a face. “I may have been speeding a teensy little bit the other day. And a police car might have turned on its lights and come after me. But I was running late for an appointment and I really didn’t have time to stop just so he could write me a ticket!”
“Oh no,” Clarissa moaned, covering her eyes. She was afraid to even imagine what her aunt might have done. But then her curiosity got the best of her. She spread her fingers and peeked out from between them. “How did you get out of it?” she asked.
“I…kind of made a tree fall into the road behind me,” Matilda admitted. “No one got hurt or anything,” she added quickly. “I just wanted to block the police officer’s path so I could get to my appointment on time.”
“You can do that?” That could come in very handy given Clarissa’s poor driving record!
“You shouldn’t,” Matilda cautioned. “I shouldn’t. I also did a few other little things…”
“Oh, are you talking about meddling in my love life?”
“What?” Matilda looked baffled for a moment. Then she laughed and shook her head. “Oh, that. No. Actually, it turns out the love potion didn’t work at all. I missed a crucial ingredient when I was mixing it up.”
“You did?”
“Mmhmm…I think I need new glasses,” Matilda admitted, squinting at the dessert menu.
“Wait…so there was no potion?” Clarissa demanded. “Parker wasn’t ever under a love spell?”
“Nope,” Matilda grinned.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Clarissa asked nervously.
“I saw the way he was gazing at you. He’s so proud of you, and so proud to be seen with you! He hangs on your every word. It’s obvious he’s completely infatuated; he can hardly take his eyes off you.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. He’s a good guy, and he’s crazy about you. Hang onto that one!” Matilda winked.
Clarissa blushed. Then, delighted, she replied, “I think I will.”
Chapter 25
Life just kept getting better and better.
Clarissa beamed as she realized Parker’s sweet, affectionate behavior had been genuine. All her fears had been for nothing. He hadn’t been under some crazy love spell. He just sincerely cared for her. It was all Clarissa could do to not stand up and cheer!
Then she remembered her aunt’s unfortunate situation. That was sobering.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Clarissa asked with concern. “I’m so sorry things ended badly for you. But on the bright side, the next guy you date is bound to be better, right? They can’t all be awful. Don’t let the Cliff debacle discourage you from meeting someone worthwhile.”
“I’m fine on my own,” Matilda insisted.
The answer was intended to be reassuring, but it made Clarissa sad. Maybe it was because she was sl
owly but surely falling head over heels for Parker. All she wanted was for her aunt to find the same happiness she had found.
“You can’t just give up on love,” Clarissa pointed out. “That would be like admitting defeat!”
“Maybe you’re right,” Matilda mused.
“I bet you meet lots of interesting, smart people at work! Colleagues, I mean – not students. Do you know any other cute, single professors?” Clarissa asked hopefully. “I mean, they can’t all be murderers, right?”
“There’s nobody,” Matilda said. “Every male professor I know is either married or old enough to be my father. Well, there’s a physics instructor who’s close to my age,” she recalled. “I don’t think he’s married.”
“That’s great!” Clarissa exclaimed excitedly. “Ask him to get a coffee with you!”
“I also don’t think he wears deodorant or understands basic hygiene,” Matilda said pointedly.
“Oh. Okay, scratch that,” Clarissa replied, the wind taken out of her sails. “Gross.”
Matilda drummed her fingers absentmindedly against the edge of the table. She had a distant look in her eyes. She appeared to be mulling something over. Then she lit up and triumphantly exclaimed, “I’ve got it!”
“What?” Clarissa demanded, leaning forward eagerly.
“I’ll try online dating,” Matilda announced excitedly.
Clarissa gulped. “That’s not what I meant!”
“Online dating might be perfect for me!” Matilda exclaimed, completely ignoring her niece’s protests. “I can sweep or tweet or swipe or…whatever it is the kids are doing these days. Ha, I sound like such an old person right now, don’t I?”
“Are you sure online dating is a good option for you?” Clarissa asked hesitantly.
Her aunt, though quirky, usually seemed quite young and hip. But it appeared she was behind the times when it came to technology. If Matilda couldn’t even wrap her head around the basics of social media, then how would she ever survive on a dating web site?
It would be like sending a newborn lamb into a hungry lion’s den!
“Ooh, yes!” Matilda exclaimed, sounding very sure of herself. “I’m going to set up a dating profile as soon as I get home! This is going to be fabulous, Clarissa, just you wait and see!”
“Oh dear,” Clarissa moaned to herself. “Why do I feel like this isn’t going to end well?”
“Sorry about that,” Parker said as he returned to the table. “What did I miss?”
“I’m going to date the Internet!” Matilda announced.
“Uh…pardon?”
“She wants to try online dating,” Clarissa clarified.
“Ah, I see,” Parker nodded. “Online dating sounds like a great idea, Matilda!” He pulled out his phone. “The light is really good out here. I’ll snap a few pictures of you for your profile, if you like,” he offered.
Clarissa glared at Parker from across the table. The last thing she needed was him encouraging her aunt! If anything, they should be discouraging her from jumping headfirst into yet another one of her zany adventures!
“What?” Parker asked when he noticed Clarissa’s scowl.
“Nothing,” she said, feeling herself soften. How could she be annoyed with Parker when he was smiling at her like he thought she was the most perfect woman on Earth? She would have to be crazy to start a fight with him!
“You want in on the pictures too, huh?” he winked.
She melted. “No…”
“Get in there,” Parker said, motioning for Clarissa to move her chair closer to Matilda’s.
Begrudgingly, Clarissa did as he said.
Parker snapped a photo of Clarissa and Matilda. Then he stood up and ran around the table. He crouched down between the two women and slung an arm around Clarissa’s shoulders. As he held the phone out at arm’s length he cheerfully instructed, “Say cheese!”
At the last second, he leaned over and planted a kiss on Clarissa’s cheek.
She turned bright red as butterflies danced in her belly.
“I’m not sure prospective dates want to see a picture of us on Matilda’s profile,” she teased.
“Oh I know,” Parker replied happily. “That photo was for me. I have an empty frame on my desk at work that needs a picture. And I can’t think of anyone I’d rather look at than you. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No,” Clarissa assured him, smiling from ear to ear. “I don’t mind at all.”
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A Drop of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 3) Page 14
