A Hex for Danger

by Esme Addison

  A bored expression crossed Pepper’s face. “Sounds like Jack is doing everything right. She’s just upset everyone knows she was married to a drug addict. He probably sold his laptop for money. Who knows?” She shook her head. “But this artist murder? There’s going to be a lot of interest.”

  Alex wrinkled her nose. “About that. I was wondering if—”

  A gasp escaped Pepper’s glossy lips. “You want to work together, don’t you?”

  Alex hesitated, recalling how suspicious Pepper had been about her family’s past when she first moved to town, then relented. “Against my better judgement… yes. You’re … tenacious. And you have resources I don’t have, so yeah, let’s work together. I have a feeling Jack is going to try and pin this on another person I care about.

  “No way.” Pepper’s eyes glittered with enthusiasm. She could barely hide her excitement. “When do we get started?”

  “Tomorrow morning. Kamila is going to stop by and tell us what she knows. And you’ll have had time to get background on Neve, right?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Let’s meet at Coffee O’Clock, share notes, and figure out who our suspects are.”

  Chapter Seven

  As promised, Kamila stopped by her mother’s home early in the morning.

  Lidia had prepared a cast-iron pan full of fried potatoes and sautéed onions fresh from her vegetable and herb garden that curled alongside the back of the house. The entrée was paired with softly scrambled eggs seasoned with dill, parsley, and thyme. The enticing scent of roasted coffee beans met Alex as she descended from the stairs. And she gratefully accepted a mug from Minka, who joined her at the table.

  “How did you sleep?” Lidia asked her as she doled out plates of food.

  Alex sipped her coffee before speaking. “Not very well. I couldn’t stop thinking of Neve.” And of Celeste, she wanted to add, but didn’t. She and that girl were going to have a talk, and soon. But first, coffee. She ignored her food and drank the rich brew, allowing it to slowly pull her out of her morning brain fog.

  “It was awful,” she finally said. “Thank goodness, Dylan stopped me from seeing her, so I can remember her as I last saw her—beautiful and full of life.”

  Lidia looked sad, her eyes cast downward. “This is just between you and me, girls. But Neve was pregnant. I sensed it when she came in the shop.”

  Alex thought back to the gift her aunt gave the artist. “The tea?”

  “It was a blend of nettle leaf, red raspberry leaf, milky oat tops, and rose hips. It’s our Magical Mama blend and helps support a healthy pregnancy. She was with child—it was so soon I don’t even know if she knew. But I could sense the beginning of a second aura around her belly. Not every Magical can see that, but I was trained in midwifery many moons ago.”

  Alex picked up her fork, digging into her potatoes. “I wonder who the father was.” And she also wondered if Celeste knew.

  Minka looked queasy and poked at her eggs with her fork. “Whoever he was, maybe he killed her? A lover’s spat?”

  Athena jumped up, barking, and Alex heard the front door open and the light tread of Kamila’s athletic shoes. “I was hoping I wouldn’t miss breakfast,” she said with a grin. “Hey, Mom. Anything for me?”

  “Of course.” Lidia stood and went to the stove to make her oldest daughter a plate.

  Kamila, dressed in her bicycle patrol uniform, joined the table and began eating as soon as the plate was put before her. “Sorry, guys. I’m famished.” She looked at Alex. “I had a kickboxing workout at the gym before my shift and then had a call first thing.”

  “What kind of call,” Minka asked, pouring herself more orange juice.

  “B&E—breaking and entering. The coroner’s office.”

  “That’s strange.” Alex commented. “What’s in there but dead bodies?”

  Kamila laughed. “Not the body storage area—his actual office. You know, where his desk and computer are? It had been rifled through like somebody was looking for something.”

  “Was anything missing?”

  “Not that he could tell. But nothing of importance is kept there. All files are digitized. And anything found on bodies is sent to the police station.”

  Minka looked at the clock on the wall. “I’m meeting Celeste at the lighthouse today. We’re talking to the florist and caterer for the party.” She shot her sister a look. “She’s not in any trouble is she, because she found the body?”

  Finished with eating, Kamila pushed her plate away and stood, empty coffee mug in hand. “This is all in the family, of course.”

  “Of course,” Alex responded immediately, and her aunt and Minka nodded.

  “Detective Frazier is taking a very hard look at Celeste.” Kamila poured more coffee in her cup and returned to the table.

  “What? No.” Minka’s eyebrows shot up. “She’s our friend. And I need her for party planning. Why are they focusing on her?”

  “The coroner thinks Neve died between eight thirty and nine pm, based on witness accounts of when she was last seen, the few security feeds the museum has, and a physical examination.” She shrugged. “And why Celeste? Well, for starters, she can’t account for her time during that period.”

  “Anyone else?” Alex asked, wondering if—no, hoping against hope that there were other suspects.

  “There are a few other people who don’t have alibis. Detective Frazier will be investigating them. But none of them have a motive as compelling as Celeste’s,” Kamila replied.

  Alex sank in her chair.

  “Like who?” Lidia asked, looking at Alex in concern.

  “An out-of-town friend of Dylan’s named Bryce Greenberg, Montgomery Blue—the head of Leviathan Industries, and Jasper Collins. But Jack says the evidence will probably show that Celeste did it.” She grimaced when Minka gasped. “Sorry, I know she’s our distant cousin, but when you find the body, and everyone knows you accused your boyfriend of sleeping with the victim and you slapped him—well, it doesn’t look good.”

  Minka’s face drooped with sadness. “That slap shows she’s prone to violence?”

  “Something like that.” Kamila nodded.

  “This is the Randy Bennett case all over again,” Alex said straightening in her seat. “I know he’s by the book. I know he follows the evidence, but he doesn’t know Celeste like we all do.” She looked around the room, and Lidia nodded. “She didn’t do this. She’s emotional and impetuous, but she’s not a …” Alex couldn’t bring herself to say the word.

  But Kamila could. “Murderer? It may take some time, but Detective Frazier will figure it out.”

  Minka’s hands balled into fists. “I know Jack’s a nice guy and very cute, but how can you say that? How can you trust him? Remember what he did to our mother.”

  “Calm down.” Kamila said. “Have some tea. He’s just doing his job. And if it hadn’t been our mother, I would’ve thought he was doing the right thing too. Mom did look guilty. And now, so does Celeste. It’ll all shake out in the end.”

  But Alex wasn’t so sure. She knew firsthand how stubborn and persistent Jack could be.

  Kamila took one look at the expression on her face. “What is it, Alex?”

  Alex looked around the table, and finally at Kamila. “If he’s not going to look at other suspects, we have to. Will you help?”

  “I’m not doing anything illegal.” Kamila snorted.

  Alex leaned forward. “No one is asking you to.”

  Kamila drained her coffee cup as she stood. “Let’s see what Jack does first, and where the evidence leads. If it seems like he’s going down the wrong path, maybe I’ll help.”

  “This needs to be done quickly, before he arrests Celeste for something she didn’t do,” Alex persisted.

  “Did she tell you she didn’t do it?” Kamila leveled her cop stare at her, and Alex suppressed the urge to flinch.

  She swallowed. “I haven’t asked her.”

  Kamila raised her eyebrow
s as she looked at Alex. “That’s the best I can do.” Then she smiled, cop face gone.

  After Kamila left, Alex checked the clock on the wall. “I need to meet someone.”

  * * *

  As promised, Alex texted Pepper and asked her to meet for coffee. She walked the few blocks from the shop to the café, Athena bounding in front of her. The sun was directly overhead, beaming down clear yellow light; the sky was blue and cloudless; and the scent of the blue and purple hydrangeas planted alongside the sidewalk fragranced her walk.

  When she reached the shop, she patted Athena on her head, attached her leash to the bike rack outside, and told her to be a good girl. Athena stood at attention for a moment, then lay down with her head between her paws.

  Alex pushed open the bright red door and was immediately assailed with the scent of coffee beans. Pale birchwood floors, brick walls painted white, and large framed black and white photos of coffee plantations and their farmers created a warm hipster vibe. The café was filled with morning coffee drinkers. Alex saw Pepper in a back corner, sipping something from a large white mug.

  She waved and headed for the line, where, when her turn came, she requested a golden latte, a frothy milky drink mixed with turmeric, cinnamon, pepper, and ginger. Once she received her drink, she wound her way through the tables and slid into the booth across from Pepper. A yellow legal pad and several ink pens were set before her. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Alex’s drink.

  “Aren’t we being healthy?”

  Alex laughed. “Aunt Lidia says it helps the body process stress and anxiety, among other benefits, so why not.” She took a tentative sip because it was clearly very hot, with steam rising from the mug. “And I like the taste.”

  Pepper gave the beverage a skeptical look. “I’ll stick with my coffee, thanks. What did you find out from your cop cousin?”

  Alex shared what she knew and then looked at Pepper expectantly. “What did you find out?”

  “Using public records and the internet, I discovered that Neve Ryland was an only child. She grew up in Maryland, went to Johns Hopkins and double-majored in art history and mythological studies before completing a master’s degree and a PhD in mythology.”

  Alex leaned forward. “She mentioned she wrote a paper on mythological weapons. I’d love to read it. Was it published anywhere?”

  “Yes,” Pepper said, checking her notes. “In the Journal of Slavic Mythological Studies about ten years ago. I tried to access it online, but apparently you can only find it in the print version.”

  “Make a note that we need to try and get that, please.”

  Pepper nodded as she wrote down her notes.

  “She owned a townhouse in Washington, DC, that she rarely lived in because of her extensive traveling. She was staying at the B&B in town and had been here for the past three weeks working on the mural.”

  “Any boyfriends? Past husbands?”

  “Not that I could find.” She picked up her cell phone, swiped and type for a minute, and shared the screen with Alex. “There’s also a lot of information on her website.” Pepper opened another tab, and an animated header cycled through Neve’s most recent paintings. “I’ve read through it, and nothing jumps out at me.” She clicked on the “Events” tab. “She traveled a lot, worked with a lot of corporations.” She clicked on a “Murals” page that gave more detail about each painting Neve had done, the inspiration behind it, and the companies who’d sponsored the painting.

  “I’ll go through this tonight and see what I can find. Thanks, Pepper—this is all good stuff.”

  Pepper shrugged. “I wish there was more. Nothing screamed ‘murderer,’ at least not yet.”

  “No, it’s good. It’s a start.” Then Alex shared the list of reception attendees who didn’t have an alibi. “We’ll have to speak to each one and find out if they had a relationship with Neve, some history or any reason to want to kill her.”

  Pepper shifted uncomfortably in her seat and played with her coffee cup.

  “What is it? Is there something else?”

  “I saw Celeste arguing with Neve in the park a week back or so. I didn’t think too much about it. I know Celeste works for Wesley now, and they’re sponsoring it, so maybe they were arguing about the direction of the painting or something … but now Celeste is on the no-alibi list.” She grimaced. “Maybe I should tell the police.”

  “No,” Alex said a bit too quickly. “Let me … I’ll talk to her first. And if there’s anything there, I’ll tell Jack.” She finished her drink and stood. “I’m going to check out the B&B, see if Neve left anything in her room that could be useful, maybe talk to the owner and see if he knows anything. And then I’ll start talking with everyone on the list.”

  “And me?”

  “Keep digging into Neve’s past. There has to be something there we can use to break this case. And let’s reconvene later in the week.”

  “Don’t forget about our next festival planning meeting. At my parent’s house this time. We can talk after.”

  On her way back to the shop, Alex called Celeste’s cell phone. She needed to speak with her ASAP. The phone rang and eventually went to voicemail. Alex left a message, letting Celeste know that they needed to talk, that she wanted to make sure she was okay, and was she free for coffee later?

  * * *

  With Minka managing the shop, it was a perfect time for Alex to stop by the B&B, located a few blocks from the shop. Like Manhattan, downtown Bellamy Bay was pedestrian friendly, and she loved that she could walk everywhere she wanted to go, especially when the weather was nice.

  She approached the B&B and hoped the front desk attendant would agree to let her search Neve’s room. Black antique lampposts lined the brick path to a sweeping front porch dotted with black rocking chairs. The house itself was a large, three-story, white Victorian with gray trim, and the spacious front yard, exploding with a riot of blooms in yellow, red, and orange, was surrounded by a low wrought iron fence. A big brass pineapple decorated the door as well as the door mat.

  The owner of the Seaside B&B, a man Alex had seen around town but never spoken to, greeted her from behind a wood counter when she entered the reception area, a space of oak paneling, dark blue carpet, and beach-themed wall decorations. The remnants of a full cooked breakfast scented the air. The foyer was lovely, and she imagined that Neve had probably really enjoyed staying at the house.

  “Hi,” she said in a cheery voice. “My name is Alex Daniels—I’m Lidia Sobieski’s niece?” She’d discovered the best way to introduce herself in town was by referencing her aunt, whom everyone seemed to know and respect.

  “Of course,” the man, tall and lanky, probably in his late sixties, said with an easy grin. Mostly bald, with bushy eyebrows, brown eyes, and a large nose over thin lips, he smiled at her. His name tag read “Carson MacInnes, Proprietor.”

  “Clearly you’re related,” he said. “The hair, the shape of the eyes … I know her from our business association. What can I do for you?”

  Great. This was the response she’d hoped for. “Mr. MacInness—”

  “Please. Call me Mac—everyone does.”

  “Mac … my friend Neve Ryland stayed here—”

  He groaned. “Such a sad story. Who would do such a thing?”

  “I know, right? I was hoping to look around her room and see if she left anything that could help me figure that out.”

  He gave her a speculative look. “Are you a police officer like your cousin?” He grinned. “She’s a feisty one.”

  “No… but I am helping out.”

  “Well, a friend—or family member of Lidia’s is a friend to me. Not sure how much help it will be, but I can show you the artist’s room.” He came around the corner. “Right this way.”

  Alex followed him as he made small talk with her about the weather.

  “You know, that artist was a real nice lady. Last time she was here, it was colder, and I told her she needed to come in the summer to see t
he town at its best. You remember that cold snap we had in May?”

  Alex nodded, remembering the week in the beginning of May when everyone had needed to put light jackets on.

  He chuckled. “I’m glad she took me up on my suggestion and came back—” He stopped, frowned, stumbling over his words. “Not to get killed, but to see the area when it was nice and warm … well, you know what I mean.”

  Alex patted his arm. “I know what you mean, Mac.”

  They went up one flight of stairs, turned right, and stopped at a large room at the end of the hall. The door had been left open, and police tape barred the entrance. Mac held the tape up and gestured for Alex to follow. She stepped inside and looked around. The room was beautiful and spacious, with a king-size platform bed in the center of the room. Four large posts dominated the bed, which was covered in a rich brocade burgundy comforter set and shams with gold tassels. There was an antique desk, an old wardrobe, a tall bureau, and a nightstand holding a brightly colored Tiffany lamp.

  “As you can see, the police have already been here and thoroughly searched. Fortunately, they took care not to break anything. All antiques here. This was my grandmother’s family home, you know.”

  “No, I didn’t know that.” Alex smiled, looking around the room. “It’s lovely.” An old-fashioned phone ring could be heard in the distance, and Mac stepped outside the room.

  “I better take that. Be right back.”

  She waited for him to leave, then pulled a pair of latex gloves from her purse, the ones they used at the shop when working with lye to make soap. She opened drawers, peeked under the bed, opened the wardrobe, and searched the en suite bathroom. The police had been thorough. There was nothing left to be found.

  She peeled off her gloves, placing them back in her purse, and returned to the front desk. Mac was just ending his phone call.