Mojitos & Murder

by Sara Bourgeois

  Holden looked as though he was about to protest, but Kane shot him a look that said he needed to back down. That little vein in Holden’s head started to pop out again, but he didn’t say anything else.

  Kane led me to his car and helped me get into the passenger side. “I thought you were going to put me in the back for a second,” I said with a chuckle.

  “Don’t tempt me,” Kane said, completely seriously.

  To my great surprise, Kane didn’t just drop me off at the hospital and leave. He stayed with me and even went back into the exam room. I wondered how many people in the hospital thought I was under arrest and that’s why he’d accompanied me.

  “You don’t have to stay. I know you’re probably busy.”

  “It’s quiet during the day,” Kane grumbled. “I’ll leave if I get a call, but until then, no one should have to sit at the hospital by themselves. If you have anything sensitive you need to discuss with the doctor, I’ll wait in the hall.”

  “Thanks.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was being kind or if Kane just wanted to keep an eye on me. He didn’t ask me anything about Becky’s death while we waited for the doctor.

  The wait was short, and in under a half an hour, I had my cut superglued shut and left the hospital with instructions to stay out of the sand until it healed.

  Kane drove me back to the house. As he was getting ready to pull away, he rolled down the window of the car. “You know, Starla, it seems like trouble follows you around. Try and keep your nose clean. I don’t want to have to come back here for another disturbance call. Once is bad luck. Twice is a problem.”

  “Thank you for taking me to the hospital and for sitting with me,” I said.

  He softened a bit. “You’re welcome. Call me if you ever need me.”

  Chapter Eight

  Two nights later, I was back at work. Annabeth told me to sit on a stool between customers if my foot began to hurt. She also offered to come in and take my shifts, but I didn’t want to do that to her. I knew I could manage. I could have managed a lot better if I’d had my magic, but that was a work in progress.

  I hadn’t heard from Blossom after I left the beach, and I wondered if I’d hurt her feelings by wanting to be alone. I hadn’t gotten her phone number, so calling her had been out, too. I was about to start asking around for her number or address, but I lucked out.

  Blossom walked into the bar as the sun set. “I came in as soon as I heard. I’m so sorry, Starla. If I’d know that you’d been hurt, I would have come right over and helped you out.”

  “I thought you were upset with me. Do you want a drink?”

  “I’ll get it,” Blossom said and came around the bar. Nobody protested, so I let her. It was probably against the rules, but she paid for her drink. It’s not like I’d let her steal. “You said you needed some time alone. I wish I’d insisted on staying with you. I could have helped spare you from the Holden and Ashlyn drama.”

  “You heard about that, too?”

  “Yeah. Word usually travels faster around Clownfish Cay, but I didn’t go out at all yesterday. I kept myself busy cleaning my house from top to bottom and batch cooking some healthy food for the week. It was all an effort to not come bug you, but I really wanted to check on you.”

  I felt bad. I hadn’t meant for Blossom to think she couldn’t come over at all. “You’re always welcome at my place,” I said with a smile. “I just got scared, and I shouldn’t have pushed you away.”

  “Oh good,” she said and dumped the ingredients for a strawberry margarita into the blender. “I thought you were mad at me for taking you into the ocean. I really didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s not your fault. There are sharks in the ocean. I knew that and I went in anyway.”

  “I’m still not sure it was a shark,” Blossom said and pushed the start button on the blender.

  I wasn’t sure that it was a shark either, but probably for different reasons than Blossom. When she was done mixing her drink, Blossom poured it into a margarita glass. She’d covered the rim with red sugar, and once the drink was poured, Blossom jammed a wedge of pineapple on the side of the glass.

  After a few sips, Blossom’s face lit up. “I’ve got gossip,” she whispered conspiratorially. “You don’t mind gossip, do you?” Blossom asked cautiously.

  “No, dish,” I said and leaned in closer. I wasn’t the type to partake in gossip normally, but I was trying to loosen up. I wanted to be friends with Blossom, so I could handle a little bit of tale-telling.

  “Becky had a boyfriend. His name is Dirk, and nobody has seen him since she died,” Blossom whispered.

  Becky’s name made me bristle. Her death had caused me nothing but trouble since I’d arrived on the island. I immediately felt bad for thinking that. I’d had to deal with some hassles, but she’d lost her life.

  “That seems suspicious. I wonder if he left the island.”

  “Nope,” Blossom said. “I’ve checked around, and he didn’t fly off the island and he couldn’t have just stowed away on a cruise ship. I don’t think. Can you stow away on a cruise ship?”

  “I don’t think so. They check your ID when you get back on the ship after a port visit,” I said.

  “So he’s still here, but he’s hiding out. We should go to his trailer,” Blossom said.

  “That sounds like a terrible idea,” I said and Blossom’s face fell. “Fine. I’m in,” I said and she squealed with excitement.

  “Yay! We’re going to be real investigators.”

  I had the distinct feeling that I would be making a huge mistake, but I wanted to investigate, too. If Dirk had killed Becky, and Blossom and I could prove it, that would clear my name. Kane would stop thinking that I was trouble.

  Not that it mattered what Kane thought.

  Blossom showed up the next day before the sun came up. I was exhausted from working at the bar until closing, but dawn was the best time for us to investigate. No one was out and about in the trailer park where Dirk lived, and Sheriff Grumpy was still home in bed.

  “Do we knock or what?” I whispered.

  “I guess we should before we walk in. If he’s in there, we could get shot or something,” she said.

  “I hadn’t thought about getting shot,” I said as I felt the color drain from my face.

  “We’ll knock first,” Blossom said. “But not too loud. We don’t want to wake the neighbors. One call and Orion will be over here all up in our business.”

  It was weird to hear Blossom refer to the sheriff by his first name, but I didn’t think too much of it. She was right, though; if we pounded on the door, then someone would call him.

  I looked around nervously as Blossom rapped lightly on the door. After several attempts and no answer, we decided to look in some of the open windows at the back of the trailer.

  “No one is here,” Blossom said. “We should try the back door. If it’s unlocked, we can go in and investigate. Who knows, we could solve this thing.”

  “Blossom, no. That’s breaking and entering. We can’t just go into his house.”

  “It’s not breaking and entering if the door is unlocked. It’s just a little trespassing.”

  “You’re insane,” I responded.

  “So, does that mean you’re going in with me or are you going to stay out here and be the lookout?”

  “I’m not letting you go in alone,” I said. “It’s too dangerous. He could be a killer, and he might still be in there. He could just be passed out drunk or something.”

  “Now you’ve got me rethinking going in,” Blossom said. “No, wait. I’m not. Let’s go.”

  Part of me was really hoping that the door would be locked. If the island was anything like the small town I’d come from, it wouldn’t be. People in small communities just didn’t lock their doors.

  I held my breath while Blossom twisted the knob. My hopes of going home and forgetting about the entire breaking into Dirk’s house thing were dashed when the handle turned
and the door opened.

  “We’re in,” Blossom said with a touch too much excitement.

  “Let’s just make this quick. A peek around and then we’re out,” I said as I tiptoed into the trailer.

  The first thing I noticed was that there were boxes everywhere. It looked as though he’d disappeared in the middle of moving. That seemed highly suspicious. Did he kill Becky? Was he trying to flee? Perhaps he’d found a way off the island and had to leave without his stuff.

  “I’m going to check the bathroom,” Blossom said.

  “Why the bathroom?”

  “Well, if his toothbrush and deodorant aren’t there, we’ll know he flew the coop.” She went down the trailer’s narrow hallway and through a door on the left. Seconds later, she reemerged. “His toothbrush is still there.”

  “Was it wet?”

  “Eww. I am so not checking that,” Blossom said.

  “This was your idea,” I said.

  Before I could argue with her further, something on the coffee table caught my attention. It was a baby announcement thing with Holden and Ashlyn’s name on it.

  “That’s strange,” I said and picked it up.

  “What’s that?” Blossom asked.

  “This is a baby announcement thing for Holden and Ashlyn’s baby, but she just told him about it. She had announcements made before she even told the father?”

  “Let me see that,” Blossom said and plucked it from my hand. “There’s something written on the back.”

  She handed it back to me and I flipped it over. Sure enough, written on the back of the card in purple ink was a message.

  I told you this wench was crazy. Lilian at the card shop slipped me one of these. Can you believe this nonsense?

  “This looks like feminine handwriting,” I said and set the card back down on the table.

  “I’m going to take a picture. This is totally evidence,” Blossom said and got her phone out of her purse.

  “Evidence of what? I mean, if you read between the lines, maybe. But it doesn’t really say anything too specific,” I said.

  “I don’t care. It’s a clue, Starla. We have to show this to Orion.”

  I tried to convince Blossom that going to the police with our ill-gotten evidence was a bad idea, but she wasn’t hearing it. She was one hundred percent convinced that Kane needed to see what we’d found at Dirk’s trailer.

  “I’m here to see Orion,” Blossom said to the receptionist in the small, tiki hut-like building that served as the sheriff’s station. “Is he in his office?”

  “You’re in luck, Blossom. He just got back in from a call. Should I buzz him and let him know you’re here, or would you rather surprise him?” The receptionist, Karen if her nameplate was to be believed, asked with a conspiratorial smile.

  Whoa. Blossom seemed to be pretty tight with Kane. I didn’t have too much time to wonder what that was all about before she went barging into his office.

  He nearly spilled his coffee when we startled him with our abrupt entry. “Gotcha,” Blossom said with a laugh.

  “What are you two doing here? What is this about?” Kane asked gruffly.

  “Oh, cool your jets, baby brother,” Blossom said.

  Baby brother? Oh dear.

  “Blossom, I am working. What do you need?” Kane asked without getting up.

  She set her phone down on his desk and brought up the picture of the baby announcement we’d found in Dirk’s trailer. “You see that? That’s evidence that Dirk is involved in Becky’s death.”

  “What am I even looking at?”

  “It’s a baby announcement for Holden and Ashlyn,” I said, trying to figure out why Blossom thought that was evidence that Dirk was involved in Becky’s death. “I don’t think it’s evidence that Dirk killed Becky, but the fact that his trailer looked like he was packing up to move sure is.”

  “Baby announcement? This is a white piece of paper with handwriting on it.”

  “It’s the back of the announcement. We thought the message was cryptic. Perhaps Ashlyn is trying to fool Holden.”

  “You guys are crazy,” Kane said. “I should arrest you for breaking and entering. I’m assuming Dirk didn’t let you guys in to snoop around his residence.”

  “We didn’t break in,” Blossom said. “The back door was unlocked. What are you going to do? Arrest your big sister? I’ll so tell Mom.”

  “Get out of my office,” Kane growled. “I will arrest you next time. Not a word about this to anyone. I hope you two didn’t steal anything.”

  “I would never steal,” I said.

  “Remember when we talked about trouble following you around, Ms. Shadowend?” Kane asked. “I think you’re determined to prove me right.”

  I didn’t like the disappointment on his face. It stung way more than I would have expected. There was no point in arguing with him further. I grabbed Blossom and pulled her out of her little brother’s office.

  “You never told me Sheriff Kane was your younger brother,” I said once I had Blossom outside.

  “You never asked.”

  “How much younger is he?”

  “Just a couple of years. Why do you care so much?” she asked me through squinted eyes.

  “I don’t. Just curious is all.”

  Chapter Nine

  Becky’s funeral was the next day. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for me to go, but Blossom insisted.

  “Don’t you think it’s tacky? I mean, some people still think I did it.”

  “The whole island will be there. It’s tackier for you not to go. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you. Orion will be with us, too. No one is going to bother you when you’re sitting with the sheriff.”

  “I’m sure your brother doesn’t want me there either.”

  “What? Of course he does. Look, Orion might be gruff, but he’s a good dude. Trust me, if he really didn’t like you or really believed that you were involved in Becky’s death, he’d be all over your behind like stink on a skunk.”

  The one good thing about attending a funeral was that I got to dress within my formal style sensibilities and no one would bat an eye. None of my old clothes had appeared in my closet yet, but I did find a long black dress suitable for a funeral buried in the back.

  “Now would be a perfect opportunity for us to explore the cave we found,” Presto said as I applied my makeup.

  “Keep it down,” I said. “Blossom’s just in the kitchen. She’ll hear you. I can’t skip out on the funeral, even if it would be a good time to poke around that cave.”

  “I already heard him,” Blossom said as she walked back into the room. “You never told me you had a talking cat.”

  At first, I wasn’t sure what to say. I just sat there, staring at her in the mirror. She knew that Presto could talk, and it didn’t seem as though it bothered her one bit.

  “We’re aliens,” Blossom said and sat down on my bed next to Presto. He started to purr when she scratched him under the chin. “So a talking cat isn’t that shocking.”

  “You and Kane are aliens?”

  “Yep, from another solar system. But Orion doesn’t know, so don’t tell him. Okay? It would probably break his brain.”

  If it weren’t for the fact that I was a witch, I’d have thought she was insane. There wasn’t time to go into it right then because the funeral was starting soon, but I was just glad I didn’t have a hysterical woman on my hands. Most people wouldn’t take discovering a talking cat in stride the way Blossom had.

  When we walked outside, Kane was waiting on my front porch. He looked good in his expertly tailored black suit. It wasn’t the first time I’d noticed how handsome he was, but the navy blue shirt he wore under the suit jacket highlighted his eyes in a way that made me a little dizzy.

  “Are you ladies ready to go?” Kane asked, and I knew I’d been staring. I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment, and for a moment, I wondered if he was using some sort of alien power on me. That was completely ridiculous, right?r />
  The island had one funeral home, and it appeared to be the one building on Clownfish Cay that didn’t follow the breezy, vacation architecture of the rest of the island.

  It was located on the opposite side of the island from the tourist section, between the trailer park and the witch circle. Landon’s Funeral Home was a grand old building that reminded me a little of my old home. I felt the sting of home sickness as soon as Kane pulled into the parking area.

  There were a few cars, but Blossom had been wrong about the entire island showing up for Becky’s funeral. Inside, there were a few people sitting in the pews that occupied the viewing chapel. I recognized some of them from the bar.

  Holden and Ashlyn sat in the first row. She started fixing her hair as soon as I walked in, and I got a great view of the huge diamond ring that graced her finger. That was the first thing I noticed. The second was that Holden and Ashlyn were alone in the family pew. Becky’s parents hadn’t bothered to attend her funeral.

  I felt so bad for Holden, but just as I started to tear up, Ashlyn slid her arm across his shoulder. It reminded me of a snake encircling its prey. I could have sworn that Holden recoiled a bit, but I chastised myself. That was wishful thinking.

  He’d given her an engagement ring, and they were going to be a family. It didn’t matter anyway. I hardly knew him, so any feelings I had for him were just the rush of meeting someone new.

  A couple of minutes after we’d taken our seats, soft music started to play and the funeral director came out. The soft conversations that had been happening up to that point stopped, and the director got ready to begin the service.

  Before he was able to say his first word, the chapel doors flew open and then slammed shut. Several of the sparse visitors gasped.

  “That’s Dirk.” Blossom leaned over and cleared up my confusion as to the identity of the angry-looking man who’d just made his entrance at the funeral.

  “He doesn’t look happy,” I whispered back.

  Blossom and I watched in horror as Dirk strode up the aisle between the pews and turned his attention to Holden. Without a word, he grabbed Holden by the collar and dragged him out of his seat.