“They’re completely your fault. I was fine until you came here.”
“Then you’re delusional, too.”
Letting out a sigh, she said, “Whatever. Look, I’m not in the mood to discuss my life with you. You’re lucky I don’t—” She cut herself off. “Just leave me alone. I already quit my job. The dog likes you better than me. There’s not much left.”
Shock rippled through me at the news. She quit?
“You’ve won, Darcy. You’ve won.”
I handed Clarence back to her. “It was never a game, Glinda. It didn’t have to be this way.”
She cuddled the dog to her chest, gave me one last sour look and limped into her house, slamming the door behind her.
“That went well,” I said sarcastically. I shook my head and headed for Nick’s house at the end of the lane.
Higgins greeted me at the door with lots of slobber. I was going to need another shower. “Seriously,” I said to him. “We need to stop meeting this way.”
Nick tugged him off me, and gave me a kiss.
“I just had quite the conversation with Glinda.” I said.
He put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his chest. “Did she mention she quit?”
“It came up.” I snuggled in, enjoying the warmth of his body heat.
“It’s a bit of a relief,” he said. “Saves the trouble of waiting for the council.”
As I told him bits and pieces about the conversation I’d had, I realized that I felt sad for her. My mind began churning with ways to help her, but I realized what I was doing.
Fixing.
I had to let this go. I had no business trying to fix her issues. If there were ever a situation I needed to steer clear of, this was it. She wasn’t my friend. She never had been.
“What did you have to show me?”
He took my hand and pulled me into the living room. “It’s in here. Sit, sit,” he said as he grabbed the DVD remote.
I settled in on the couch. Higgins came over and put his big head on my lap. I scratched his ears. He missed Mimi fiercely while she was at school.
“Vince came through for me this morning,” Nick said. “He dropped off all the surveillance footage he had for Friday night, including video of Starla’s town house. The front of it at least. He said there had been some sort of electrical malfunction at Starla’s, but he didn’t see how it would have helped her case,” Nick said in a strange tone. “That’s why he says he didn’t turn the footage in before now.”
Sure. It had nothing to do with him filming the whole village. “Electrical malfunction?”
“I don’t know what to think. Here, watch.” He sat next to me. “I’ve queued it up. This is a little after eight.”
I stared at the TV, at the crystal clear image of Starla’s brownstone. A car drove past, a couple walked by with their dog. All was quiet.
Then suddenly, bright glittering light illuminated the windows of Starla’s living room, shooting beams into the darkness. It disappeared as soon as it came.
“What was that?” I asked, staring.
“I was hoping you’d know. It looked . . . magical.”
It did. “Probably some kind of spell.” I took the remote and rewound the video again. “It might be how Kyle’s body got into her house.” It fit the window of his time of death.
“What kind of spell would do that?”
I racked my brain. I’d read so many spells these past couple of days that they jumbled together. “I’m not sure. I know I read one about transference in Melina’s diary.”
“This spell you recall . . . does it involve teleportation?”
Moving a body from one place to another, not just an object. “I just can’t remember. I was so focused on finding an invisibility spell that I kind of skimmed everything else.”
“We need to look at that diary.”
I smiled. “That, I can do.” I murmured the spell, clapped my hands twice, and the diary appeared on my lap.
Higgins let out a loud woof and went running to his doggy bed. He put a paw over his face.
“Aw, poor pup,” I said.
Nick crouched next to Higgins and rubbed his head. “Welcome to my world, buddy.”
“Hey!”
Nick smiled. “I’m getting used to it, and he will too.”
I reached in my pocket and pulled out my new reading glasses. I started flipping through the diary.
Smiling, Nick said, “Cute.”
I glanced at him and had to pull the glasses down my nose to see him clearly. “Too much eyestrain lately. Melina’s handwriting . . .”
“It was always horrible.”
I glanced at him. “It’s kind of strange, isn’t it? How much she’s still a part of our lives?”
“Does it bother you?”
I shook my head and again thought about how much I owed to a woman I’d never met. “I actually feel . . . like she’s a friend. I know that doesn’t make sense.”
“It actually does,” Nick said, sitting next to me. “After all, you’ve gotten to know her through Mimi and this diary.”
We’d never really discussed his divorce from Melina, but I knew it had wounded him deeply. They’d repaired some of the damage after she was diagnosed with cancer and had been friends by the time she died, but I saw some of the scars she’d left on Nick. His trust issues, mostly.
In time, those were scars I hoped I could heal.
I thumbed pages of the diary, skimming, skimming. Nick paced. Higgins snored. A half hour later, I finally found what I was looking for. “Yes! The Special Delivery Spell.”
Nick leaned over my shoulder. “What’s it do?”
“Conveys an object from one location to another.”
“Can that object be a person?”
I eyed down the paragraph. “It doesn’t say it can’t be a person. Hmm.”
“What?”
“It says ‘Use with extreme caution’ but doesn’t say why. But look”—I pointed—“‘Incandescence will occur upon delivery.’”
“The bright flash,” Nick said.
“Right. And,” I said, “incandescence usually comes from heat. It could probably cause a burn.”
“Like the one on Kyle’s calf.”
I nodded.
Nick kissed me loudly on the lips. “I think you just uncovered how Kyle got into Starla’s house.”
“But,” I said, hating to burst his bubble. “We still don’t know who killed him.”
“We’re getting there,” he said. “You solved one major piece of the puzzle, ruled out a major suspect, and uncovered more clues.”
“What suspect, what clues?”
“This spell narrows Kyle’s time of death to the eight o’clock hour and shows that he was probably killed elsewhere and transferred to Starla’s. And though he didn’t know it when he handed it over, the video also absolves Vince,” he said. “That’s the biggest clue of all here.”
“The absolving of Vince? How?” He hadn’t arrived at As You Wish until nine-ish.
“Because he’s mortal.”
I managed a wry smile. “If not for lack of sleep lately, I would have put that together sooner.” It had to have been a Crafter who killed Kyle if a spell was used to move his body.
“That’s why we make a good team.”
I nudged him. “We do, don’t we?”
“The best,” he said softly. “Now we just have to figure out which Crafter is responsible. I’m still leaning toward someone in his family. A mercy killing, like we talked about.”
“What did the prosecutor say about that? Because his family has already planned alibis for each other,” I said, explaining my run-in with the Chadwick men last night.
“I figured they would. The prosecutor said he’d mull it over and get back to me. Because we ruled out Starla with that video of Vince’s, the prosecutor wants to wait until the full autopsy results are in.”
“Which will be when?”
“Any minute now.”
That was good to know. I tapped the diary. “If a Crafter used a spell to move a body he or she just murdered, that has to be breaking Craft Law. The Elder is sure to know something—I’ll make an appointment to see her.” I tried to think if this was a problem I could solve on my own, but there was no way—she was the only one who knew when laws were violated. While I was there, I’d also ask about the warning on the Special Delivery Spell. I had a feeling it was important.
Very important.
Nick’s cell phone rang as I sent the diary back into the ether.
He answered the call and said, “Can you repeat that?” He listened for a sec, his incredulous gaze slowly pivoting to me. “You’re sure? Okay, thanks.”
He hung up and let out a whooshing breath.
“What?” I asked. Something was clearly wrong.
“The fingerprint expert finished his exam of the syringe and was able to ID the smudged prints.”
I couldn’t help but feel anxiety at the tone of his voice. “Whose prints were they? Kyle’s?”
“No, Darcy,” Nick said, his dark eyes troubled. “They were yours.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
I was still reeling as I crossed the green, heading straight for Archie’s cage. I needed to get a message to the Elder.
I couldn’t figure out how my prints had been on that syringe, and could only assume someone had planted them on purpose. But I had to wonder why. Why my prints and not Starla’s? Why implicate me?
I wasn’t sure, but I was beyond grateful that Vince’s video showing the Special Delivery Spell had also given me an alibi as well. I suppose I owed him for saving me a lot of stress about whether the DA would charge me with killing Kyle.
As I passed by the Bewitching Boutique, Godfrey looked up from the dress he was steaming—that gorgeous gown I’d seen in his back room the other day. I wanted to go inside and ask how Pepe was doing and also see that gown up close again, but I had things to do and wasn’t sure I could face Godfrey so soon after learning that he was Ve’s partner for the Swing and Sway.
He quickly spun the dress around, so its back was to me, and gave me a tremulous smile and a cautious wave. Confused at his strange behavior, I smiled, waved back, and hurried along the sidewalk.
Archie was in his cage in Terry’s yard, regaling a small crowd of tourists with an overly dramatic rendition of Bette Midler’s “The Rose.”
I was pretty sure Archie never did anything that wasn’t overdramatic.
The tourists were enraptured by the performance, standing transfixed just beyond Terry’s fence. I waited patiently while he finished belting out the ballad.
As the crowd cleared out, I approached his cage, applauding.
He bowed and fluffed his colorful feathers. “I admit, it’s a favorite.”
“I know,” I deadpanned.
“You have your My Fair Lady, I have my Bette. I won’t judge you if you don’t judge me.”
Smiling, I said, “Deal.”
“What brings you by? I’m sure it wasn’t just to ruffle my feathers.”
I leaned on the fence. “I need to meet with the Elder.”
Archie leaned closer to me. “Oh? Why?”
“Craft lawbreakers.”
His beady eyes flared. “Do tell!”
“I don’t have anything to tell.” I laughed. “That’s why I need to see the Elder.”
“Curses.”
“You’ll send the message right away?”
He flew out his door. “I’ll go now. I’ll be in touch soon.”
After watching him fly off, I then glanced at the house and recalled what Ve had said earlier about Starla.
Vince makes her happy. It’s as simple as that.
It really was as simple as that. I’d do just about anything to see Starla happy again.
So I knew just what I needed to do.
If someone accused me of trying to fix someone else’s problem again, I’d argue that it wasn’t fixing.
It was being a friend.
* * *
While I waited to hear from the Elder, Missy and I, under the guise of going for a walk, headed out on a mission. I had her leash in one hand and Vince’s coat in the other. It was only neighborly of me to return it to him. And if I could talk him into sticking around the village a little bit longer, all the better.
The snow squalls had passed, and the sun had come out and was shining bright, bringing much-needed warmth to a cold, dreary week. Melting snowbanks caused puddles on the pathways and streets. Tree branches and eaves dripped relentlessly, making me wish I’d brought an umbrella.
As I neared Lotions and Potions, I was hit with a sudden wave of sadness. Officially Mrs. P had worked for Vince part-time but she had been the heart and soul of the shop. It was impossible to go inside the store without seeing her in every display, every color choice, every jar and bottle. It hurt knowing that she’d probably never return to the shop.
As I stopped in front of the plate glass window, I was taken aback. Most of the inventory had already been packed away. Cardboard boxes were stacked high and Vince was busy wielding a tape gun like a pro. He’d been busy.
Taking a deep breath, I ignored the CLOSED sign and knocked on the door.
Vince’s head snapped up. When he saw me, resolution flashed across his face. He waved me inside.
The sweet herbal smell of the shop hit me like a punch to the stomach. It reminded me so much of Mrs. P—she often carried the scent of the shop on her clothes, like a perfume—that I had to remind myself that she wasn’t standing next to me.
Vince set down his tape gun. “Are you okay? You just went white.”
“It’s the smell,” I said as Missy went over to sniff his feet. “It makes me think of Mrs. P.”
Bending to pat Missy, he said, “It hit me, too, when I walked in this morning. It was strange at first, like she was in here with me, but the longer I’ve been here the more comforting it’s become.” He smiled. “Like she’s really in here with me.”
As soon as he said it, I felt myself relax a little bit. It was much better to focus on the scent being comforting rather than intensifying my sadness at my friend’s decline. “I like that point of view.”
He grabbed a Sharpie and wrote something on the top of a cardboard box. “It’s helped me. Her illness came as such a shock. I knew she hadn’t been feeling well, but she’s gone downhill so quickly. I spent some time with her this morning, and despite being extremely tired, she was still cracking jokes as usual.” His curls flopped as he shook his head. “It never ceases to amaze me how fast life can change.”
By the tone of his voice I could tell he wasn’t speaking about Mrs. P anymore.
I held up his coat. “You left this at my house.”
He took it and set it on the counter next to the cash register. “Thanks.”
Missy wandered back to me and sat. I tapped the top of a box. “So, you’re moving.”
“Not very far,” he said. “I found a place in Beverly. I have to stick around a while to see if charges are going to be brought against me.”
Beverly was just up the coast a bit. “Why not just stick around until you find out? I’m sure you’ll know soon.” I knew he would, though I wasn’t sure how Nick was going to convince the prosecutor. He couldn’t show him the Special Delivery video, but I had faith he’d think of something.
Vince grabbed another box and started packing it with lip balms and cold creams. “I can’t. It . . . hurts too much. I truly meant her no harm, Darcy.”
“I believe you.”
“But I’d do it all over again,” he said in a rush. “I don’t regret it. Not when it proved her innocence. Honestly, I would have confessed to the crime myself if it would have saved her.”
“Well, luckily, it didn’t come to that.”
Unhappiness clouded his eyes, and the corner of his mouth tipped downward into a frown. “How is she?”
I leaned against a box. “She’s . . . confused. S
ad. Missing you,” I said, gauging his reaction to my words.
Slowly his head came up and his gaze bore into me. “Really?”
“I’m just saying that maybe you should postpone your move. Wait a week or two and see what shakes out.”
Hope bloomed in his eyes, widening them. “You’re serious?”
“I wouldn’t joke about Starla’s happiness.”
In a rush, he came over and hugged me.
“Oof,” I said as he crushed me.
“You’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”
I backed away from him and poked his chest. “Don’t get so excited just yet. All I said is she misses you. Now it’s up to you. Talk to her.”
“Missing me is enough for me to stay. I thought she hated me.”
“And if she decides to forgive you, you’d better not hurt her again. Got it?”
“Got it.”
He tossed his Sharpie in the air, but missed catching it as it came down. “She misses me!”
The phrase “crazy stupid love” flashed through my head as I bent to retrieve the pen that had rolled under the counter.
As I crouched and reached for it, it triggered a fuzzy memory, one that wouldn’t quite come into focus. Odd.
“And no more cameras,” I added as Missy and I headed for the door.
“Consider them gone.” He held the door of the shop open for me. “I’ll sell them right away. After I unpack a few boxes.” He rocked on his heels, a smile stretching his face. “She misses me.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Don’t forget what I said about hurting Starla.”
“I won’t. You have my word.”
“I want your actions to speak louder than your words, Vince. Starla deserves the best.”
He glanced downward, dragged his foot across the floor, then finally looked at me. “I’m not the best, Darcy. Not hardly. Not yet. But every day that I’m with Starla, I become a better person. That has to count for something.”
Emotion wedged in my throat. “It’s not something. It’s everything. I’ll see you later.”
As Missy and I headed home I couldn’t help but feel that everything would work out between Vince and Starla.
It had to.
The Goodbye Witch Page 23
