Bobby Sparks Witch Detective: Pet Shop Puzzle ( A Paranormal Cozy Mystery)

by Stacey Fields

With that, Don turned and walked past Bobby, motioning for her to follow him as he made his way to the back of the town hall.

  “Still think we should tell them more?” he asked under his voice once they were alone.

  “It’s crazy out there,” she said. She peered around the corner of the building, watching as a mass of people marched slowly down the street in the direction of the police department.

  “Like I said, Ms. Sparks. It’s a small town. Things like this don’t happen very often. Everyone is either nervous, scared, concerned, or just plain nosey.”

  “How will we ever be able to go through everyone’s statements?” Bobby asked.

  “We don’t have to. That’s what we have the others on the force for. For now, you and I need to focus on taking one step at a time. We were going to meet with the high school admirer, correct?”

  "Yes," Bobby said, refocusing on the task at hand. "Should we see him now? Or will he be one of the hundred people who is parading down the street to the police station?"

  “I didn’t see him in the crowd,” Don replied. “Him, or his parents.”

  “That’s both interesting and convenient,” Bobby replied with a decisive nod of her head. “Lead the way.”

  Don led her to a part of town she had never been to before. For a small place, Pinecreek seemed to expand out further and further the more she explored it.

  This new section was filled with large homes, pristine green lawns, and white picket fences. Each house was bigger than the last but they all had the same cobblestone walkway leading up to the front door and rows of flowerbeds growing up beneath the multi-paned windows on the ground floor.

  A few individuals were out and about, sitting on their porches watching the day begin, others were hurrying off to work or meeting with friends or wherever it was that they were going. They all stopped and stared as Bobby and Don walked by.

  When they passed one couple—a vampire woman, covered head-to-toe in heavy, thick material, walking hand in hand with a large, burly man that Bobby quickly identified as a shifter—Don stopped to greet them.

  “Carol, Lucas,” he said walking up to them with a smile. “How are you doing?”

  The woman obviously named Carol, glanced suspiciously at Bobby before answering, "fine." She shifted her weight around slightly, grabbing onto the hand of the man Lucas standing next to her before lowering her voice and whispering, "Don, what's going on?"

  “What do you mean, Carol?”

  “With that girl—Holly? I thought it was a heart condition, but I’ve just spoken to one of the neighbors, and they said that you’re collecting information? Questioning people? Is that true? Do you suspect something?”

  “It’s true that we are speaking to people, yes,” Don said in a soothing tone. “But, for the time being, it’s nothing more than that.”

  Bobby felt like elbowing him in the ribs. He shouldn’t be giving these people false information like that. She cleared her throat and stepped forward, extending her hand to the couple.

  “Bobby Sparks,” she said with a smile. “I’m an Investigator with the Witch Council.”

  “The Witch Council?” Carol almost shrieked. “Why are you here?”

  Bobby thought she saw her red eyes, the only part of her face visible under the veil she wore, begin to fill with tears of worry, so she quickly pulled her hand back and dug through her purse for a tissue. Handing it to Carol just seconds before the teardrops began to stream down her cheeks, she shot Don a confused look.

  “Were you close to Holly?” Bobby asked, ignoring the woman’s question.

  “No,” the woman sniffled. “But I did know her husband quite well. The poor thing, he must be just so broken up about this.”

  Noticing that Lucas hadn’t spoken, Bobby turned her attention to him. “What about you, sir? Were you close with her?”

  “No,” Lucas replied firmly. Quite contrary to the woman clinging desperately to his hand, he appeared almost completely unemotional.

  “Do you know her husband?” Bobby pressed.

  “Yes, we’re good friends. I deliver the meat to his father’s butcher shop,” Lucas replied quickly. His tone was almost snappy, and the intensity with which he eyed her could have knocked her over if there were any real force behind it.

  Bobby felt the urge to ask him if he could verify that a shipment of meat was scheduled to be dropped off that morning, and if Barry was, in fact, the person responsible for paying. But, Don spoke before she had the chance to.

  “Have either of you spoken with him recently?” Don asked. He stepped forward as he spoke, causing Lucas to transition his gaze off of her and onto him. Although she was frustrated at not being able to speak, she felt a momentary rush of satisfaction at no longer being subjected to the man’s intense stare.

  “We tried to call,” Carol sobbed, “but he didn’t answer. I imagine that he doesn’t want to speak with anyone at the moment.”

  “Yes, I’m sure that’s it,” Don muttered.

  “Is there anything either of you can think to tell us?” Bobby spoke again, risking the glare of Lucas falling on her once again. “About Holly or Barry or anything really?”

  “They seemed so happy,” Carol replied softly. “They really had to fight to be together, didn’t they Lucas?” she asked, squeezing his hand again.

  “They did,” Lucas replied with a firm nod.

  “And once they were finally united, I didn’t think anything could ever pull them apart,” Carol continued through sniffles.

  “It is very unfortunate,” Don added his agreement.

  “I’m guessing you’re over here in this part of town because you want to speak with Zip?” Lucas said, bluntly.

  “How did you guess?” Bobby asked, holding back the reflex to shrink back when Lucas shot her another aggressive glare.

  “I may not be some fancy Witch Council Investigator,” he said sharply, “but I know that the usual progression of an investigation involves interviewing anyone that the victim had contact with in the days leading up to their death.”

  Bobby’s eyes went wide, as did Carol’s and she even sensed Don stiffen slightly at her side.

  The truth was, the timeline they had leading up to Holly’s death only consisted of a few hours and had only led to a dead end. They knew that she had had dinner with her husband the night before she was found, lifeless, in her pet shop. She then went out with friends for a drink and by the time she returned home, Barry was already asleep in bed. They got up together, and he went to work while she prepared to open the shop.

  “What do you mean? Did Holly visit Zip recently?” Don asked, his tone now harsh and firm.

  “Three days before she died.”

  Chapter 13: Getting More Than They Bargained For

  “There’s no point lying, Zip,” Don said as he sat across from the broad-shouldered, blond haired young warlock. “We know that Holly was here recently.”

  Zip leaned back in the plush white chair and crossed his ankle at his knee. “What of it?” he asked.

  Bobby remained standing this time, wandering around the elegantly decorated parlor, eyeing the numerous, expensive possessions that the Charmson’s had on display. Everything in their home seemed to be trimmed in gold, and there was an almost fake-like perfection hanging in the air.

  “We just want to get some information on what was going on in her life lately,” Don replied.

  Zip let out an exhausted sigh. “Why? Do you think someone killed her or something?”

  “You don’t sound very upset about her death,” Bobby noted, running her finger along the edge of the fireplace mantle, noting that there was not one single speck of dust to be found.

  “I might be more upset if I found out she got killed,” Zip replied with a shrug.

  "Honestly," Bobby said, walking around to stand in front of him. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at him.

  He was only a few years younger than her, but she saw him as nothing more than an ob
stinate teenager that needed to be put in his place. Ever since she and Don arrived at his home, he had an air of pretention draped around him. Perhaps it was the big fancy house he lived in or the fact that he was a very attractive young man with a baby face who was probably used to batting his eyelashes and getting his way.

  She put on her sternest expression as she glowered down at him. “How can you say something like that? No matter how it happened, the girl that you were in love with has died. Show some remorse!”

  Zip let out a low, almost grunt-like laugh as he pushed himself up straight in the chair. “The girl I what?”

  Don moved around in his seat, signaling that he wanted to take over the questioning for a bit. Bobby turned to look at him quickly over her shoulder, only partially able to make out his face between the dark waves of her hair. Why didn’t she pull it back? She should have pulled her hair back.

  She stepped to the side, continuing her investigation of the room as Don continued with the conversation.

  “We’ve been told, Zip,” Don began, “that you had something of a crush on Holly back in high school.”

  “High school was forever ago,” Zip said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

  “What aren’t you telling us, Zip?” Don said firmly.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say,” Zip replied.

  “What was your relationship with Holly?” Don asked.

  “She was cute,” Zip shrugged, “we talked from time to time.”

  “That’s it? She was cute?”

  “Yeah.”

  Bobby couldn’t help but notice the nervous way that Zip’s foot tapped against the carpeted floor, and the way his eyes darted back and forth slightly. It was a subtle shift in gaze, but not so subtle that Bobby didn’t notice it.

  “Look, Zip,” Bobby said stepping back around his chair and eyeing him accusingly. “There’s something you’re not telling us. What is it?”

  “I was never into Holly,” Zip confessed, relatively quickly. Apparently, under his “badass” exterior, he was just a weak, scared little boy.

  “Why did you go over to her house all the time? Why did her parents seem to think that there was something going on between you two?”

  “Because they wanted there to be something going on between us,” Zip confessed.

  “They did say they wanted Holly to be with a warlock, not a shifter,” Bobby noted, once again attempting to peer back at Don through her black, curly locks.

  “Is that why?” Don asked, pushing himself up to his feet and walking over to her side.

  “Yes,” Zip said, nodding his head quickly.

  Bobby and Don looked at each other as if they were both thinking the same thing. Bobby turned quickly back to Zip, asking the question before her partner had the chance.

  “Why did you go along with it?”

  Zip sighed and shifted his weight around again. He looked up at her, his big baby blue eyes fixed on hers. “I’m not supposed to talk about this,” he said, batting his eyelashes in the exact way she imagined he would when he wanted to get out of trouble.

  “Zip,” Don said, leaning in slightly to make his presence over the boy more impactful. “I’m going to let you in on a little piece of classified information here.”

  Zip nodded slowly, waiting.

  “We believe that your not-so-dearly-beloved Holly was murdered.”

  “I knew it,” Zip whispered under his breath.

  “That means, boy,” Don said, leaning in even closer, “that if you don’t tell us whatever it is that you’re hiding, you’re impeding a police investigation. Do you know what that means?”

  Zip shook his head.

  “That’s a serious crime—a serious crime with a serious punishment.”

  Zip looked from Don’s face back at Bobby’s. Remembering the role Don had bestowed on her of “good cop” even though she didn’t technically agree to it, she snapped into action.

  “Look, Zip,” she said, trying to sound motherly and kind. “This doesn’t have to be what it seems to be turning into. This could be easy and painless. All we need from you is the truth. It’s that easy—just tell us the truth.”

  Zip’s eyes darted back and forth between Bobby and Don. It was clear he was contemplating his options—confess whatever it is he’s holding in, or risk being caught up in a full-fledged murder investigation.

  “It’s not really my secret,” he said quietly. “I’m not sure if I should…”

  “Whose secret is it?” Don and Bobby asked in unison.

  “A few people.”

  “Zip, I’m usually a pretty patient man,” Don said, “but you’re about to reach the end of it.”

  "I didn't have anything to do with her death," Zip said quickly. "This whole secret has nothing to do with her death!" His voice changed to that of a pleading child's—high-pitched, whiney, and filled with fear.

  “We’ll be the ones to decide that,” Don said.

  “Tell us what happened when you were in high school. And, tell us why Holly was here three days ago,” Bobby urged.

  This was yet another one of those moments in which Bobby found herself searching for her ability, trying to summon it up to the surface, with no success. She stifled a frustrated grunt as she took a step backward and around the small coffee table to settle in on the couch that Don had vacated.

  “If you remember,” Zip started, directing his comment at Don, although his eyes continually glanced back at Bobby, looking for that “good cop” comfort she was trying to put off, “about eight years ago, my father was running for town mayor.”

  “I remember,” Don said calmly.

  “Well, he needed votes—a lot of votes. The other candidate, Rodger Broadback—the ogre,” he emphasized that one word, “seemed to be gaining in popularity.” Zip tried to settle back and relax in his chair, although he looked the furthest thing from comfortable and relaxed. “The people didn’t think that my father, a warlock coming from ‘old money’, could understand the everyday man. The ogre, on the other hand, was one of them.”

  “What does all of that have to do with Holly?” Bobby asked.

  “Her father also needed something—a warlock for his daughter. Mr. Lightbender, at the time, was moving his way up the chain of command at one of the town’s local factories. He had a voice with the people, and he agreed to sway them to vote for my father.”

  “So, Holly’s father and yours entered into an agreement,” Don began, summarizing the information Zip had just given them, “that if you won over Holly’s heart and kept her away from the shifter that your father would be guaranteed the position as town mayor?”

  “Essentially, yes.”

  “And you just went along with all of this?” Don asked.

  “Well, not exactly.”

  Bobby and Don waited for him to explain himself. In the short span of silence, Bobby let her mind run quickly, trying to piece everything together.

  “I got a new car,” Zip confessed.

  “Did Holly ever know about any of this?” Bobby asked.

  “No way,” Zip replied, throwing his hands up and shaking his head quickly back and forth.

  “It obviously didn’t work,” Don noted. “She still married Barry. But, your father still ended up with the mayorship. How did that happen?”

  “I don’t know,” Zip replied. This time it wasn’t with the disinterested shrug, but with a genuine look of ignorance in his eyes.

  “How long did you keep up the farce?” Bobby asked.

  “About a year, I guess. Even after the election, I continued to go over to her house as often as I could. That’s how I got the Playstation… and then an X-Box.”

  Don let out a long, low grunt. It was almost a sound of disgust mixed with a hint of disbelief. Bobby could sense that the news hit him hard. He had always stood by his town. Yes, he acknowledged its shortcomings—specifically gossips and nosey neighbors—but she very much doubted that he believed anything like that could ever go on in such
a picture perfect place.

  “Why did she come here a few days ago, Zip?” Bobby spoke up, letting Don assimilate the information while she continued to focus on the matter at hand.

  “She needed money,” Zip replied.

  “For what?”

  “She didn’t say.”

  “But she came to you? Did you have any sort of relationship with her after high school?”

  “No,” Zip said firmly. “Honestly, I hadn’t spoken to her in years. I was surprised when she showed up.”

  “How much money did she need?”

  “A lot,” Zip remembered. “Well, a lot for most people, I guess. Just over $3000.”

  “Did you give it to her?”

  “I wasn’t going to at first. But then, she just broke into tears. She was sputtering a bunch of nonsense—something about the shop, and then something about Barry, and something else about her parents. I don’t know, exactly. It was like she was trying to say anything to convince me to give her the money.”

  “But she didn’t give you a straight reason? Just a bunch of nonsense?”

  “Exactly,” Zip said, nodding his head. “Either way, I felt bad for her. So, I gave her the money.”

  “Your parents’ money?” Bobby asked pointedly.

  “I have my own money!” Zip replied sharply. “I’ve been working at my dad’s office since I graduated from college. I’m preparing for a career in politics myself.”

  “So, you gave her the money you made by working for your dad, who got his position because her father agreed to help him get votes if you pretended to seduce her?”

  “You make it sound so dirty and complicated,” Zip said.

  Bobby noted the clear expression of relief on his face. He had said everything, and his conscience was cleared. The cocky smile once again danced across his lips as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “It doesn’t matter, though, I suppose. That’s all I have to say,” he said with a tone of finality.

  “That’s all we came to hear,” Bobby said pushing herself up. She noted the way that Don remained still—as still as a statue—staring at the boy. She reached out and set her hand on his shoulder. “Right, Sheriff? We’re done here?”