The Hex With It (A Paranormal P.I. Mystery Book 2)
Page 1
THE HEX WITH IT
By Rose Pressey
“Rose Pressey’s book are fun!”
Janet Evanovich
Praise for Me and My Ghoulfriends by Rose Pressey
“Rose Pressey spins a delightful tale with misfits and romance that makes me cheer loudly.”
Coffee Time Romance
“Her characters are alive and full of quick witted charm and will make you laugh. The plot twists keep you turning the pages non-stop.”
ParaNormalRomance
“I absolutely loved this book! It had me chuckling from the beginning.”
Fallen Angel Review
Cece Cash figures there’s no harm in using a dash of witchcraft to help her private detective work. She might just change her mind though when one of her spells works a little too well.
Cece’s not in this alone. Derek North is her handsome partner. He likes to remind her daily that they’re both partners now. The detective agency is equal. That means the good with the bad.
When a client asks Cece to prove that a suicide was actually murder, Cece must use her witchy skills to keep from being the killer’s next victim. Will her luck run out in Vegas this time?
Rose Pressey’s Complete Bookshelf (click title to preview/buy)
Paranormal P.I. Series
What the Hex?
Chase Charley Series:
Book 1: For Old Crimes Sake
Book 2: Seems Like Old Crimes
Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Series:
These Haunts are Made for Walking
A Walk on the Haunted Side
Haunt the Haunt, Walk the Walk
Walk this Way, Haunt this Way
Take a Haunted Walk With Me
Haunted Vintage Series:
Book 1 – If You’ve Got It, Haunt It
Book 2 – All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt
Book 3 – Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore
Book 4 – Haunted is Always in Fashion
Book 5 – Untitled 2016
Maggie, P.I. Mystery Series:
Book 1 – Crime Wave
Book 2 – Murder is a Beach
The Halloween LaVeau Series:
Book 1 – Forever Charmed
Book 2 – Charmed Again
Book 3 – Third Time’s a Charm
Book 4 – Charmed, I’m Sure
Book 5 – A Charmed Life
Book 6 – Charmed Ever After
The Hadley Wilds Series:
Book 1: Dead Girl’s Guide to Style
The Rylie Cruz Series:
Book 1 – How to Date a Werewolf
Book 2 – How to Date a Vampire
Book 3 – How to Date a Demon
The Larue Donovan Series:
Book 1 – Me and My Ghoulfriends
Book 2 – Ghouls Night Out
Book 3 – The Ghoul Next Door
Book 4—Ghoul of My Dreams
The Mystic Café Series:
Book 1 – No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells
Book 2 – Pies and Potions
Book 3 — Spells a la Carte
The Veronica Mason Series:
Book 1 – Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead
A Trash to Treasure Crafting Mystery:
Book 1 – Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel
Book 2 – Honeysuckle Homicide
The Haunted Renovation Mystery Series:
Book 1 – Flip that Haunted House
Book 2 – The Haunted Fixer Upper
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, places, and brands are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Dedication
This is to you and you know who you are.
Acknowledgements
To my son, who brings me joy every single day and is the love of my life. To my mother, who introduced me to the love of books. To my husband, who encourages me and always has faith in me. A huge thank you to my editor, Eleanor Boyall. And to the readers who make writing fun.
Index
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 1
The blinking lights of Las Vegas coupled with the crowds of people walking down the streets always made things seem much more exciting than they actually were.
I was hurrying down the strip toward my car. I’d been in Vegas for a while now. Although this was currently home for me, I would always be a Savannah girl at heart. I wasn’t sure how long I would stay here before heading back home, but for now things seemed to be going in my favor, all things considered.
I had changed out of my white Marilyn Monroe-style dress and blonde wig for the walk to my car. It had been a long night of appearances. By day, I was a private investigator and by night I transformed into Marilyn Monroe. Maybe I wasn’t the greatest P.I. or the best impersonator, although I was also a witch and I thought I was kind of good at that. I used my paranormal skills to help me solve crime. I liked to cast spells just a little to help me find clues.
As I walked past the casinos, I noticed a huge crowd standing around and then police cars with their lights flashing. I walked up to the crowd to see what had happened. The guy standing next to me looked over.
I smiled and asked, “What happened?”
“Apparently some poor sap took a dive off of the thirtieth floor.”
“Oh, that’s terrible,” I said.
“Yeah, sucks for him,” the guy said.
What was disturbing was the fact that people were standing around like this was some sort of Vegas act. What was even more disturbing was that I was one of them. I had to get out of there.
“Yeah, we saw the guy as he was landing,” the guy said without me asking for further details. “But before that we heard loud bangs. That must’ve been when he came out the window.”
“Bangs?” I asked.
“Yeah, bangs,” he said.
That was strange. I figured it would be more like a shattering noise. I would also think people down here wouldn’t even hear any noise from up there. I guessed maybe it would echo down. I didn’t know, but either way, I needed to get out of there.
“Poor guy,” I said as I walked away toward my car.
I did glance over as I passed and saw the body on the pavement. The man’s face wasn’t completely visible from that angle, which was probably a good thing. The sight was disturbing enough without seeing his face. Just then an officer covered the b
ody with a sheet as the coroner approached. I guessed he would take him away. Had the man decided to kill himself or had it been an accident? I never liked staying on the highest floors of those big buildings.
Chapter 2
The next morning I jumped in my car and headed for the office. I had some work to take care of for a case. I was trying to locate a missing person, but I was pretty sure that this person just didn’t want to be found. I must admit I’d dressed up a little more than I normally would have by wearing a cute blue skirt and white blouse. Was I trying to impress someone? Maybe. I also had my black onyx scrying amulet around my neck. The front featured the image of the moon goddess and the back was black onyx. It helped me with my psychic abilities and to strengthen my spells.
After cruising down the Strip, I finally pulled up to the office parking lot. It was a glass structure with several other businesses inside. Palm trees landscaped the sides of the building. Other than that it was kind of bare. I whipped into a parking space near the door. Of course Derek’s car wasn’t there, but I wasn’t surprised. He never came in early. His idea of early was any time before lunch.
I got out of my car, locked the door, and headed toward the entrance. I was lucky that I’d been able to find such a reasonably priced space for my detective agency. The glass office door now had the words North and Cash Detective Agency. Until recently it had read Cash Detective Agency. A touchy subject for me. Now that I had a partner it almost seemed as if I was a failure. As if I had admitted defeat. My best friend’s brother had helped me out of a tight spot when I needed cash to keep the agency going. There had been a catch though. Derek North had become a partner in my business. I supposed top billing was in order after what he’d done to save me. He owned half the business now. At least it wasn’t forty-nine percent for me and fifty-one for him. No, we were equal partners.
Derek didn’t know the full scope of my witchcraft, in fact none of my clients knew, but I ran my agency with a paranormal twist. A little witchcraft to help me out. Derek had recently found me in an occult store. We’d discussed witchcraft a bit, but ultimately I had declined to tell him the truth about me being a witch.
At the age of fourteen, I’d been introduced to witchcraft by my Aunt Barb. I’d had no idea she’d been a witch for all those years. Surprisingly, I’d taken to it right away. I liked to think of my spells as powerful positive thinking. Sure, I had gotten the reputation of being kooky, just like Aunt Barb, but I tried to ignore that.
When Aunt Barb had left this world, I’d inherited her house in the senior living community. Bingo and movie nights were fun. Of course I was the youngest living there, but I wasn’t the only witch. There was a coven of witches and I was now a part of that.
Aunt Barb hadn’t told me about the coven until I’d arrived in Vegas from Savannah. The biggest surprise was that Aunt Barb had been the head of this coven. She’d hoped that I would take over that position. I supposed I had unofficially taken it on, but I actually didn’t see the need for any leadership. We were a small group without much going on, although the other members wanted to change that. They’d been trying to add other witches to our coven for months. Honestly, I wasn’t the best witch for the position. Agatha or Melanie had many more years of experience. Nevertheless, I’d do whatever I needed to keep the coven running smoothly.
When I walked in the office space, my receptionist George Augustus was already sitting behind his desk. The top of the space was all tidy with papers stacked like neat little towers and he was staring at the phone as if waiting for it to ring.
Okay, so I didn’t have a whole lot going on, but I was sure that it would pick up as the morning progressed. Although George might be waiting for a call from one of the many ladies who had their eyes on him. He was one of the most eligible bachelors at Desert Palms. Because of that status, he had dyed his hair jet black. Today he wore his usual button-down shirt, bow tie, and tan slacks. His collection of bow ties was full of vintage pieces. He never left home without one around his neck.
The lobby area of my office space was where I had made Derek have his desk. I’d put my foot down at giving him my private space. I had an area behind a closed door where I could get away from the guys. His space was over by the window, so he had a nice view. That seemed like a fair trade off.
I’d recently helped Derek out of a sticky situation. He’d been one of the last people to see another man alive. As it turned out, the man had owed a large gambling debt and some dangerous men came to collect. If not for me, Derek might have met the same fate. I wasn’t holding that over Derek’s head though. That alone should be grounds that I got to keep the big office.
“Good morning, George,” I said with a little wave.
“Good morning, Cece. You look lovely as usual.” George winked. “Missed you at movie night last night. We watched Cocoon.”
“Again? Well, I’ll make sure to be there next time. I’ll be in my office if you need me,” I said as I headed across the room.
“Will do,” George replied, then stared at the phone again.
I had just closed the door to my office and sat down behind the desk when I heard someone walk into the other room. I knew what that meant. Derek’s sexy voice echoed through the walls. I studied the file in front of me, trying to ignore Derek’s voice. Then a knock sounded at the door.
“Busy,” I called out.
“This is important,” Derek said.
Nothing was ever as important as Derek claimed.
“Come in,” I said around a sigh.
Derek North stepped into my office. His dimples flashed and his blue eyes sparkled under the morning sunlight. His blond hair was ruffled and he was wearing a tuxedo.
“You didn’t even go home last night, did you?” I asked.
“By the time the party ended, I figured what was the point? So I just came straight here. After stopping for coffee, of course.” He held up his Starbucks cup.
I picked up the file and pretended to read. “Your trip to Starbucks was the important information you had to share?”
Derek plopped down in the chair in front of my desk. “No, what I wanted to tell you is that you missed one hell of a party last night.”
I dumped the file onto my desk. “As a matter fact, I had more important things to do, like work.”
Derek chuckled. “Yeah, I bet you were working—on knitting and watching another episode of Golden Girls at the rec center.”
When I glared, Derek flashed that sexy smile at me again. Sometimes I wondered if he knew what he was doing when he did that, if he knew that my insides danced when he looked at me that way. I would have to ignore his charms. I wouldn’t let him have this effect on me. Okay, that was next to impossible.
“I wanted to ask you about the case,” he said, trying to sound a bit more serious.
“Which case and what about it?” I placed my hands on the desk.
“The one that you just got.”
“I’m working on it.” I picked up the file to prove that I’d actually done something.
“Let me know when you want some help,” he said with laughter in his voice.
“What makes you think I need help?”
“Don’t be defensive. I’m just offering.” He leaned back in the chair.
“I’ll make sure to let you know.” I avoided his stare.
“You know, North is on the door and I am part of this business. You could consult me a bit more.”
I glared at him again. “Oh, you want me to consult you? Then how about you answer my calls when I call you at night and need information about a case?”
“My cell phone wasn’t working.” He took another drink of coffee and watched me over the top of his cup.
“I don’t believe that excuse.”
“Well, if you don’t want to know what I found out, then okay. I’ll see you later.” Derek stood from the chair and headed over to the door.
“Wait,” I said. “What did you find out?”
“No, it�
�s not important,” he said.
I tapped my fingers on my desk. “You know I can find out information on my own.”
He crossed his arms in front of his muscular chest. “Oh, yeah, how’s that? How are you going to find out more information, Cece?”
“I can call the police. I have connections there, you know?”
“Then why haven’t you done it before?” Derek asked.
“I just didn’t think it was necessary yet.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Okay, I’ll call them right now,” I said, picking up the phone.
I placed the call and asked to speak with Detective Mundy. Derek watched intently as I spoke with the detective.
“Right. Okay, all right. Well, thank you,” I said.
I placed the phone down and picked up the file again. Derek’s eyes were focused on me. I felt it.
“Well?” he asked.
Finally, I set the file down and looked straight in his eyes. “Oh, are you still here?”
“What did the detective tell you?” he asked.
“He said he couldn’t give me that information.”
Derek laughed.
“It’s not funny,” I said.
I supposed it was a little funny.
“You could forget all of that and come with me tonight,” he said.
“I don’t even want to know where you possibly want to go tonight,” I said. “Besides, I have a… meeting to attend.” I had almost let it slip and mentioned the coven.
“You have a meeting? What kind of meeting?” Derek asked.
“Um, it’s a community meeting.”
That was kind of the truth.
“Oh, come on, you can miss that once. We have a party to go.”
“What kind of party?” I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“It’s formal, so you’ll have to wear your best. There are some people there and they know something about the insurance fraud case.”
Since he’d told me that I had no choice but to go with him. I’d have some rules for him though if I was going to attend.