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

by Stacey Fields

  “… she ripped me off on my dog food…”

  “… I heard that she was part of an underground drug ring…”

  “… my husband has a lover. Maybe it was her…”

  The little pieces of information Bobby heard as she made her way to the back of the room made her feel sick. Hopefully, the other reports obtained contained more than complaints about her pet shop and what wild accusations.

  "When will Tammy be here?" Bobby asked, slumping down into the chair across from Don.

  "Soon," he said absent-mindedly.

  “I hope so,” Bobby muttered. “We need some solid information. It doesn’t seem like they’re getting much of that around here.”

  When the door to the station opened a few minutes later, the person walking in was not the person Bobby expected to see. It wasn’t a woman in her early twenties; it was Archer.

  Once again, his immaculate beauty washed over her as he walked, confident, with a slight swagger, up to them.

  “You’re back early,” Don said, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up, resting them on his desk.

  “Barry wasn’t home,” Archer said, smiling kindly at Bobby as he passed her to stand at his boss’s side. “But, this is what I got from the parents.”

  He pulled out a notebook, similar to the one Bobby always carried with her and ripped out a few pages. He handed them to Don, scanning them over his shoulder as his boss flipped through them.

  “Did you check at his family’s shop?” Bobby asked, waiting for her turn to get her hands on the papers.

  “I did,” Archer said, lifting his eyes to meet hers.

  Her heart fluttered as she locked gazes with him, his deep blue eyes sparkling. “Oh,” Bobby said, feeling suddenly flustered.

  “I waited around for about ten minutes, then went over to the butcher’s, then I even went to his parents’ house. He wasn’t anywhere to be found.”

  “Interesting,” Don muttered.

  “What?” Bobby asked, not sure if he was commenting on Archer’s words or his notes.

  She directed her gaze to her partner to find that he was staring at her, and not the papers in her hand.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you quite that shade of pink,” he said, tilting his head to the side and smiling.

  With that, her cheeks flushed with heat. She felt her hands clench into fists and her heart stop. She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out.

  Don laughed and turned to Archer. “It is pretty hot in here, and clearly our visitor is suffering from that. Would you mind going to turn up the AC a little?”

  “Sure,” Archer said.

  Bobby was sure that she saw his cheeks blush too as he hurried past her. She turned her focus back to Don, wishing she had the power to shoot lasers out of her eyes. That was ridiculous. No one had that power. But, if someone did, she vowed in that moment to find them and bring them back to Pinecreek with her one day to rip Don apart with the pressure of their glare because, obviously, hers was doing nothing to stop the chuckle that slipped past his lips and the mischievous twinkle in his eye.

  “That was fun,” Don said, lowering his feet off the desk and leaning forward.

  She just glared at him in response.

  “Oh, come on now, Bobby. You have to admit, you’re not extremely subtle when he’s around. I’m surprised you didn’t start flipping your hair back and giggling the moment he walked up.”

  “It’s not like that,” Bobby snapped.

  “I’m not judging,” Don said. “I’ll admit, he’s a handsome man—in the obvious sense.”

  “Because no one likes when someone is ‘obviously’ attractive.”

  "Whatever you say," Don said with a shrug. "He's not right for you anyway."

  “I’m not looking for a relationship, Mr. Silverback,” she said firmly. “And even if I were, I surely wouldn’t come to you for advice about who’s good for me and who’s not.”

  “That’s fair. But, if you ever want my opinion, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Bobby said as she reached across the desk and grabbed Archer’s notes from his hand.

  "They say that if Holly and Barry were having money problems, they didn't know about it. They had noticed that Holly was acting a little off the last few months, though. But, they just assumed it was because initially, they didn't approve of her marriage," Don summarized the notes as Bobby scanned them quickly.

  “That would make sense,” Bobby said, re-reading the notes. “If Holly and Barry were having money problems, she would want to hide that from her parents, being that they didn’t like him to begin with.”

  “What does that have to do with it?”

  “She’s probably embarrassed that they’re struggling.”

  “But, if they really were having money problems, Holly’s family would be more than able to help them out,” Don countered.

  “Again, how humiliating would that be for them? To have to ask the people who were against their marriage to help them?”

  “Her friends said that they got on board before the wedding.”

  “But they said that they felt like there was still tension between them,” Bobby added quickly.

  “I still think we should keep the money problems angle to the side for now, until we get some actual evidence that there were, in fact, money problems,” Don countered.

  Chapter 17: Meetings After Dark

  Just then the door to the station came flying open. It banged back against its springs and let out a loud, smacking sound as it flew against the wall.

  The woman who walked in was completely covered, from head to toe, in black, heavy garments. She nudged down her sunglasses and eyed one of the officers who stood nearest to her. “Close the blinds,” she ordered.

  The man sprang into action as the door slammed shut. The handful of people still in the room stared at the moving black mass as she crossed the room, making a beeline for Don and Bobby.

  Once the blinds were closed tightly, she removed the scarf she wore around her head and slinked out of her heavy, winter coat. Under her bulky layers, she was very skinny—almost like a stick. She had pale, nearly white skin, and eyes that seemed to glow red. Her short, red hair tumbled down in loose curls, resting perfectly on her shoulders.

  “Tammy Harrison,” Don said standing to his feet and extending his hand. “Thank you for coming in to speak with us.”

  She eyed his hand and tossed her curls back over her shoulder. Sitting down in the seat next to Bobby, she shot her an angry, borderline aggressive glance.

  “You have no idea how much trouble this ‘quick little trip’ to the station is for me,” she said. Her voice carried with it an undertone of icy coldness.

  “We really appreciate it,” Bobby replied, trying to make her voice warm to counter the chilling sensation that seemed to hover around Tammy.

  “Who are you?” Tammy asked, still eyeing her suspiciously.

  “I’m Bobby Sparks,” Bobby said, holding out her hand.

  The woman refused her handshake as well, turning to face Don again. “What is she doing here?”

  “I’m sure you’ve heard about the investigation,” Don replied.

  “I’ve heard about the investigation,” Tammy said with a nod, “and I heard about our visitor. That’s not answering my question, Don. What’s she doing here?”

  “The Witch Council—,” Bobby started.

  “The Witch Council has no authority here,” Tammy cut her off harshly.

  As she sat next to the redheaded woman, her mouth hanging open slightly in amazement of her rude, abrupt comments, Bobby felt something work through her that she had only felt a few times since being in Pinecreek.

  She was able to read the woman’s emotions. She was able to see through the thin veil of confidence she was putting on. Under all the sharp words and cold demeanor, she was nervous. She was scared.

  Bobby held in the rush of excitement that she felt at the feelin
g of using her ability again, afraid that even the slightest movement would cause it to run and recede back into her mind again.

  She kept her posture very still as she let Don take over the conversation. There would be no good-cop-bad-cop routine. Besides, it was clear that Tammy didn't appreciate her presence anyway. She definitely wouldn't fall for Bobby's cheery smile and sweet words.

  "Daisy told us that she saw Holly come into the diner a few times, late," Don started.

  “She did,” Tammy replied quickly.

  “Do you remember when that started?” Don asked.

  “Why would I?”

  “Well,” Don said, trying not to lose his patience, “that’s obviously not the usual time a witch would be going to a diner. A vampire, like yourself, sure. Even a shifter during the full moon. But a witch?”

  “I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Tammy said.

  Externally, she still seemed to exude a sense of confidence, but internally, her emotions were running back and forth crazily—from scared to worried to nervous to angry.

  “Now that you have,” Don continued. “Can you remember when Holly started her late night food runs?”

  “A few months ago, I guess.”

  “And how many times did you see her there?”

  “I don’t know,” Tammy said thoughtfully, “four or five, I guess.”

  “Did you speak to her at all?”

  “No,” Tammy said quickly. “At least not as far as I remember.”

  “Did she ever eat with anyone?”

  In that instant, her emotions shifted slightly. She seemed almost excited. Still nervous, but in a sense, she relaxed slightly. “No,” she replied. “She rarely ate, actually.”

  “So, what did she do when she was there?”

  “She ordered a drink and just sat there, fidgeting with her phone.”

  “She never met with anyone?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Tammy said.

  “You said…” Don started.

  “I said she never ate with anyone.”

  Tammy felt very relaxed all of a sudden. She turned and smiled at Bobby, the cocky smile now true to her feelings.

  “You’re not saying much. I thought you were some big fancy Witch Council PPI.”

  "I have faith in Don's ability to lead this interview. Just pretend I'm not even here," Bobby said softly. She kept her shoulders rigid and her eyes fixed on Tammy's. She didn't make the slightest movement, but even the effort of talking made her feel her ability start to slip away.

  “So,” Don said, forcing Tammy to turn her attention back to him, “did Holly ever meet with anyone?”

  "There was once or twice, I remember the occasions very clearly when she got a text message and jumped up as if her pants were on fire. She slammed her money down, always for the exact amount of her drink plus an insultingly small tip, and ran out the door."

  “Did you see if anyone was out there waiting for her?”

  “I did,” Tammy said in a sing-song tone.

  “And?” It was clear by the way that Don spoke through his teeth that he was not in the mood to play this woman’s games.

  “I saw her talking to a man.”

  “Do you know this man?”

  “I don’t know his name, no. But I did recognize him. He hangs out at The Cave from time to time.”

  “Describe him,” Don said, glancing at Bobby, waiting for her to pick up her pen and begin scribbling her notes as she always did.

  She didn’t want to split her focus, but she knew the information Tammy was about to give would be valuable. So, she let out a silent grunt as she turned around completely and reached for her notebook and a pen.

  As she had expected, she immediately lost her ability to read Tammy’s emotions. The last thing she felt was Tammy relaxing with satisfaction as she began describing the man she saw meeting Holly.

  “He’s a tall, burly man—a warlock.”

  “A warlock?” Bobby asked.

  There was no point remaining silent anymore, so she decided to relieve her partner of the torture of dealing with the sharp-tongued vampire and take over the interview.

  “What is so surprising about that?”

  “The same thing that made the fact that Holly was at the diner so late surprising. It’s not the normal time you would expect to see a warlock out and about.”

  “Maybe all magic throwers aren’t as boring as you are, Ms. Sparks,” Tammy said. “Have you considered that? That just because you like to be in bed by 8:00 doesn’t mean that everyone else like you does?”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Bobby said, resisting the urge to give in to Tammy’s insult. “Please, continue.”

  "Well, he has dark black hair and dark brown eyes," Tammy said, staring off into the distance as if she were seeing him standing in front of her now. "He has an earring in his left ear, and a tattoo going down his right wrist."

  “Where does he live?” Bobby asked, writing as quickly as she could.

  “How would I know?” Tammy said sharply.

  “I just figured, it being a small town and all…”

  "Even if he did live here, I wouldn't make it my business to know where" Tammy replied.

  “What do you mean?” Don asked, sitting forward and glaring at the woman.

  “He’s not from Pinecreek,” she said with a chuckle.

  “How is that possible?” Bobby asked, looking over at Don quickly.

  “There are a few portals around the city,” Don informed her. “They’re supposed to be secured and regulated, though. No one has been reported coming or going in the last few months.”

  Tammy laughed, a pleased, haunting laugh that made Bobby feel like she was the one who should be nervous and uncomfortable.

  “Oh, Sheriff, you’re adorable. People have been paying off those portal guards for a long time now,” Tammy said.

  Don’s eyes flashed with anger. Not just anger, but rage. Bobby saw the yellow bursts start to extend out as his fists clenched on his desk and the veins in his neck started to bulge.

  “Do you have anything else you’d like to say, Tammy?” she spoke quickly, worried that her partner would end up losing his temper right there and shift into a wolf, leaping across the desk and digging his steel teeth into the woman’s porcelain skin.

  “Not that I can think of,” she said, pulling on her coat. “Can I go?”

  “Sure,” Bobby said.

  As she stood, the others in the room hushed. Bobby hadn’t even noticed the presence of anyone else all throughout their interview with Tammy, but the sudden absence of their voices caused a quiet eeriness to fill the air.

  Tammy pushed herself to her feet and began making her way for the door. She got about halfway there before she turned and tilted her head to the side, tying her scarf around her face and sliding on her sunglasses.

  “There is one more thing,” she said.

  Bobby got the feeling that the casual “oh, I just remembered” tone she put on was a fake. But, being that she was unable to bring her ability to the surface again, she couldn’t know for certain.

  “What’s that?” she asked, smiling at the woman.

  “Someone was following her.”

  “You just now thought of that?” Bobby asked.

  Tammy shrugged. “I’ve got a lot on my mind these days.”

  “Who was it?” Don asked, his voice loud and demanding.

  “That witch who worked at her shop—something Enchanted, Enchanter, I don’t know,” Tammy said with a flick of her wrist.

  “Laura Enchanting?”

  “Yeah, sure, if you say so. She always came in a few minutes after Holly and left the moment she did. She, too, only ordered a pop.”

  Chapter 18: The Stench of Grief

  “Well, she was very unpleasant,” Bobby said when she was sure Tammy was far enough away that her chilling presence no longer left her feeling intimidated and cold inside.

  Don was still tense, but at least his eyes looked norm
al again. “I don’t know how much I trust her,” he said.

  “Well, she’s definitely hiding something,” Bobby said.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yeah, she was nervous when she first came in.”

  “Seems like someone is getting their power back,” Don said.

  “Not completely,” Bobby replied. “I lost it half way through the interview. But, she was definitely uncomfortable at the start. She relaxed eventually, though.”

  "Well, where should we start, then?" Don asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I’m sure you’re just chomping at the bit to get to the bottom of this whole portal nonsense,” Bobby said, remembering his reaction to Tammy’s announcement regarding the lax security.

  “You couldn’t be more right,” Don said firmly. “But, as you said before, we need to focus on the case first, the rest can come later.”

  “Maybe the portal has something to do with Holly’s death,” Bobby offered. “That man she was meeting with might be related at least.”

  “If he hangs out at The Cave we won’t be finding him anytime soon”

  “Why not?”

  "The Cave is an after-hours club—or a peak hour club, depending on how you look at it."

  “What’s that mean?”

  “It doesn’t open until midnight, and closes whenever the sun comes up.”

  “It’s a vampire hang out?”

  "That was the initial reason for opening the place. But, it has gotten quite a name for its crazy parties and to-die-for ambiance."

  “If that’s a vampire pun, it’s not a very good one.”

  “I wish it were. You’ll understand later when I take you there. For the time being, we need to find something we can do between now and midnight.”

  “Cleary we need to speak with Laura Enchanting again,” Bobby said, reviewing her notes. “And we should try to find Barry to ask him about Holly’s change in mood and the possibility of money problems.”

  She looked up at Don. He was staring at her intently. She tried to pull up her power again, to see what he was feeling in that moment, but it failed her, yet again.

  “Don’t you think it’s kind of weird that he’s gone missing?” she asked, looking back down at her notes.