Luck of the Witch (Crypt Witch Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)

by K. E. O'Connor

  I nodded and hurried to sit next to Aurora. “How are you doing? What are you doing in here?”

  “It’s been a horrible misunderstanding.” My sister’s normally perfect cheeks were blotchy and her eyes red. I’d always taken comfort that she was an ugly crier until today. “They think I killed Deacon Feathers.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Why would they think that?”

  “We’re about to find that out,” Dazielle said. She nodded to Sablo, who closed the door behind her.

  “My sister would never kill anybody,” I said. “You know her.”

  “I’ll admit I was as surprised as you. But her intimate relationship with Mr. Feathers is well-known.”

  “So, you jump to a conclusion and assume she killed him because of that?” I glanced at Aurora. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”

  “Of course not.” Aurora dabbed the end of her nose.

  Dazielle tapped a finger on the top of the table. “When was the last time you saw Deacon Feathers?”

  “Two days ago,” Aurora said as she grabbed my hand and held on tight.

  “What did you do when you met?”

  “We had a coffee at Unicorn’s Trough. Brogan can back me up if you need a witness. He served us.”

  “What did you talk about?”

  “Nothing special. I guess you could say we were on a date. We were getting to know each other.”

  “Is your relationship with Mr. Feathers intimate?”

  “That’s none of your business,” I said.

  “It is. Jealousy and unrequited love are good motives for murder.”

  “We weren’t intimate,” Aurora said. “That was our third date. We’d held hands a couple of times, and he’d kissed me on the cheek but nothing more.”

  “Did he want more? Did he try to push you into something you weren’t comfortable with and you snapped?”

  “My sister never snaps,” I said.

  “Somebody did because Deacon’s dead,” Dazielle said.

  Aurora stifled a sob. “I didn’t do it. I didn’t see him yesterday.”

  I glanced at her. She’d just lied. Aurora had told me she was supposed to meet Deacon last night.

  “What were you doing last night if you weren’t with Mr. Feathers?” Dazielle asked.

  “I was stocktaking at Heaven’s Door. I do it every Thursday night.”

  That was another lie. Aurora hated stocktaking. She did it about once a month and only when customers started mentioning certain stock was low.

  “We found a note in Deacon’s calendar to say he was meeting you for dinner at seven thirty. Are you saying that date never happened?”

  Aurora nodded. “We had a change of plans. We were going to meet, but then I couldn’t. I realized I was long overdue getting my records up-to-date and new stock ordered.”

  “I thought you said you did a stock take every week. Things can’t get that far behind in seven days.”

  Aurora blushed. “It might have been two weeks since I did my last stock take. Business has to come first. Deacon understood when I let him know.”

  “So, you did see him yesterday?” Dazielle asked.

  I kicked Aurora under the table. She was making too many mistakes. Even I was suspicious of her.

  “Oh, yes, my mistake. Only for a few minutes. It was after I’d seen Tempest. I dropped by Cloven Hoof to talk to her. Then I went straight to Deacon’s and told him I couldn’t make our date.”

  Dazielle looked at me. “Is that true?”

  I nodded. “Aurora came by after I got back from my job.” The bag with the demon in still sat on my hip.

  “What did you talk about?”

  “Family stuff. Nothing you’d be interested in.”

  Aurora nodded. “After that, I spent the evening at Heaven’s Door. I did my stock take and then went to bed. It was a dull evening.”

  “Not so dull if you snuck out and killed Deacon,” Dazielle said.

  “I’d never hurt him. He was so lovely.”

  “How did he die and when?” I asked Dazielle.

  “We’re still determining the cause of death,” Dazielle said. “He died around midnight. One thing we do know is that your sister was one of the last people to see Deacon alive.”

  “Where did he die?”

  “He was found in his bed at home.”

  “I’m innocent.” Aurora sniffed loudly and wiped her nose.

  Something was off here. I was angry with the angels for arresting my sister, but her story didn’t stack up. She was hiding something. I wasn’t going to dig it out of her under the watchful gaze of Dazielle.

  “If you don’t have concrete proof that Aurora is involved, she’s not staying here any longer,” I said.

  “She can leave,” Dazielle said. “I decided it best if we question her here to speed things up. Deacon Feathers was an important member of the community. He was a potential mayor. We are under pressure to get this solved quickly.”

  “So, you dragged in the first victim you could lay your feathery paws on to try to force a confession?” I shook my head. “That’s not going to happen. Aurora gets out of here, right now.”

  Dazielle’s top lip curled. “Aurora you may leave. But stay in Willow Tree Falls. Don’t go anywhere. I will have more questions for you.”

  “She’s not going to skip town,” I said. “She’s done nothing wrong.”

  “Of course I won’t,” Aurora said. “I want to help in any way I can. I promise you I had nothing to do with Deacon’s death. I liked him. I considered him a friend.”

  “A friend with benefits?” Dazielle asked.

  “Don’t say any more.” I stood and pulled Aurora to her feet. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  Dazielle jumped up and opened the door.

  I unclipped the demon bag from my belt and passed it to her. “You’ll be needing this.”

  Dazielle scowled and held the bag out at arm’s length as a foul sulfur smell drifted from it. Demons always got angry when they were too close to an angel. “You should have taken him to processing as soon as you got back. Can’t you take him to the crypt now?”

  “You wanted one escaped demon collected and brought to you. That’s what you paid me for, and that’s what I’ve done. You can process Abigar and transport him yourself.”

  Dazielle glared at me. “Very well. And if you’re interested, I’ve got another job coming up next week.”

  Although we didn’t consider each other friends, she knew how good I was at chasing down demons. I glanced at Aurora, who hovered in the hallway, clearly anxious to leave. “I might be. Let me have the details another time.” An out-of-town job was what I needed. It would give me distance from my sister. My work here was done. Aurora was out of the cells, which meant I could leave too.

  Dazielle nodded. “I’ll be in touch.”

  I hurried Aurora back to the desk where Sablo stood. Aurora had to fingerprint a couple of documents before she was allowed to leave, but we were finally free.

  “My sweet girl, whatever have they done to you?” Mom fussed around Aurora, running her hands over her hair as if checking for injuries.

  “They just questioned her. It’s nothing,” I said.

  “Somebody killed Deacon,” Aurora whispered, big, unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

  “You had nothing to do with it,” I said. “Did you?”

  “No, as I said in the interview, I was at the store.” Aurora glanced at me before looking away. She knew I was on to her.

  If she wasn’t going to tell me the truth, there was nothing I could do. Aurora was out of harm’s way, and I needed to get out of Willow Tree Falls before I caused her any problems. Problems of the demon kind.

  “We’ll figure out the truth,” Mom said. “Your sister will figure this all out.”

  “I can’t.” I slowed from my sneaky retreat to the doors. “I’m busy with Cloven Hoof. And the angel farts have another job for me.”

  Sablo cleared her throat and glared
at me.

  I shrugged. I never hid my contempt of them. That really would be rude.

  Granny Dottie tutted. “You need to look after your sister.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do,” I growled and tapped a finger against my chest.

  “You can’t abandon her when she needs you most,” Granny Dottie continued, seeming happy to forget about the demon residing inside me who wanted to kill Aurora.

  “She’s got all of you,” I said. “She’s not alone. You can help keep her out of here. The angels know they’ve made a mistake. They’ll find the real killer. They were just looking for an easy target.”

  Sablo huffed before stomping away from the desk.

  “My little girl is nobody’s easy target,” Mom said. “Tempest, you must help your sister. She depends on you, and we’re busy with the cemetery.”

  I looked at Auntie Queenie for support. She simply nodded as she finished what might have been her third pastry. I had no clue where she stored all her pastries, but she was always eating.

  Granny Dottie patted my arm. “It’s the right thing to do, dear. You’ll handle it.”

  I stared at her and shook my head. “It’s better if you help. You’re old. You know a thing or two about the law. The only reason I help these angels is because of you.” Years ago, Granny Dottie had guilted me into helping these pristine princesses when they couldn’t get a handle on a demon who’d escaped their custody. Before she’d married Grandpa Lucius, she’d been involved with the former chief of Angel Force. I still hadn’t quite worked out that relationship, but she was loyal to the angels, even if I wasn’t.

  “I’m grateful for it,” Granny Dottie said. “But just because I’m old doesn’t mean I’m clever.”

  She wasn’t going to be any help to me. “Grandpa Lucius. Please, you help Aurora.”

  He grinned at me. “Your mom is right. You’re in the best position to help her. You know how Angel Force works. You got her out of here with no problem.”

  “Because she’s innocent. You would have been able to do the same thing.” They had no idea how hard I struggled to keep Frank under control. They always assumed I was capable of anything. The role of being a big sister sometimes sucked.

  “Tempest, you’ve always looked out for Aurora. Don’t let her down when she needs you the most.” Mom’s eyes were fixed on me. She had a way of making me feel guilty even though I’d done nothing wrong.

  It looked like I was not winning this fight. I had to decide who was a bigger threat here, the incompetence of the angels and their desire for swift justice or my unwelcome demon friend.

  The angels were useless but persistent. I had to help Aurora if they had her in their blue-eyed sights. “I’ll help but only until we ensure the angels no longer consider Aurora a suspect. Then I’m out of here.”

  Aurora ran forward to hug me. I stepped away and shook my head. “Then you’re on your own again.”

  Aurora grinned at me. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”

  I rubbed my forehead. I might not, but Frank definitely would. I needed to find Deacon’s killer and fast.

  Chapter 4

  Having spent part of the morning calming my family and making sure my not so baby sister was out of immediate danger from the incompetence of the angels, I’d headed back to Cloven Hoof for a long, hot shower and a huge breakfast.

  I felt marginally better after stuffing myself with crumpets and tea and deliberately not thinking about what a mess Aurora had gotten herself into.

  Wiggles had watched every delicious bite before grudgingly accepting he wasn’t getting any and heading to his bowl of dog kibble on the floor.

  “It’s for your own good.” I licked the last of the strawberry preserve from my fingers while sitting in my favorite booth in the bar. “I need a lean, mean fighting machine. Not a dog with a pot belly who inspires laughter. You’re my vicious guard dog, not my pet pooch.” In truth, Wiggles was a delicious mix of both. When he wanted to, he could be the meanest, most evil-eyed dog you’d ever stumble across. He also had a way of winning you over by rolling onto his back and showing you a cute pink and white dotted belly ready for a tickle.

  The door to the bar opened. Merrie strode through. She slowed when she spotted me. “Hey! I heard about Aurora. How’s everything going?”

  “She’s out. It was all a mistake. The angels know nothing. They figured since Deacon had scribbled their date in his calendar, Aurora was the last person to see him alive and therefore she killed him. It wasn’t exactly genius detective work.”

  Merrie walked behind the bar and flicked on the back lights. “Poor Aurora. How’s she doing?”

  “She’s shaken up.” I didn’t mention that she was hiding something. She’d always been an awful liar. Her nose twitched when she lied. It had twitched three times in that interview.

  Merrie shook her head. “Deacon always struck me as the sort of guy who could look after himself. He had decent angel skills.”

  “Clearly not enough. I have no idea how he died, though. Dazielle wasn’t giving much away.”

  “He was smothered,” Merrie said, “at least, that’s what I heard. Someone got in his bedroom and smothered him.”

  “Then it couldn’t have been Aurora,” I said. “She’s not strong enough to hold down Deacon.”

  “Unless she caught him unawares.”

  I glared at Merrie. “Not you as well.”

  Merrie grinned. “Maybe Aurora and Deacon were into kinky stuff. He could have asked her to tie him up and then shove a pillow over his head. Things got out of hand. The next thing you know—”

  “Stop! You can’t think my sister did this.”

  “Absolutely not, but it’s being talked about. If Deacon was asleep and someone crept up on him and smothered him, he might not have been able to fight back.”

  “He could have been drugged,” I said.

  Merrie’s eyes widened. “Aurora sells herbal remedies for insomnia at Heaven’s Door. Some of that stuff is potent. I’ve tried it a few times. It can knock out an elephant.”

  I groaned. “You’re not helping by suggesting my sister not only smothered Deacon in a lurid sex game, but she also drugged him.”

  Merrie laughed. “I’m staying well out of this. But maybe that’s what Angel Force is thinking, which is why they questioned her.”

  “Dazielle muttered something about getting quick results because of Deacon’s high standing.” I shook my head and snorted. “He wasn’t high standing. He was a wannabe mayor. There’s nothing special about that.”

  “There sort of is,” Merrie said. “People look up to the mayor. They respect them. Deacon had a good shot at winning.”

  “So, one of the other candidates killed him.”

  “Anything is possible.”

  The snow globe on the bar vibrated.

  “Can you answer that?” I asked Merrie.

  She shook the globe to activate the message.

  “Don’t forget lunch at Mom’s today.” A tiny version of Aurora stood inside the snow globe. “We’ve got lots to talk about.”

  I hopped up and shook it to end the message. My whole family around a table, digging up reasons Aurora was innocent. That would be interesting.

  The snow globe vibrated again. I groaned and nudged it with a finger. “Don’t forget you’re bringing dessert.”

  “Is there some emergency you need me for?” I asked Merrie.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Nope. Everything is fine here.”

  “You’re sure there’s nothing I need to do that will keep me away from my family?”

  Merrie laughed. “Sorry, you can’t avoid the family lunch because of me.”

  I grabbed the tub of stardust from behind the bar and ate a huge teaspoon.

  Merrie pulled it out of my hand. “That’s not hygienic.”

  “That’s my own personal tub. Label it as so then keep it under the bar,” I said. “I’m going to need all the energy I can get.”

 
“You love your family,” Merrie said as she placed the lid back on the tub. “You wouldn’t have them any other way.”

  I shrugged. They weren’t the problem. I was.

  I spent a couple of hours on boring but necessary paperwork. But finding no more excuses to stay at Cloven Hoof, I headed out with Wiggles to find a dessert. There were so many great places to eat. I was contemplating something with lemon or maybe chocolate when Puddles stepped in front of me and held out her hand.

  “Your rent.” There was no smile on her face.

  “I haven’t forgotten.” I dug the check out of my back pocket and handed it to her.

  She stared at it for a few seconds before nodding. “Make sure you’re not late next month. I’ll have that building back on the market if you’re not careful.”

  I glared at her. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  Wiggles growled and nudged Puddles with his nose.

  Puddles took a step back. “Not everyone loves Cloven Hoof.”

  “I know you do. You buy from us every week.”

  “I have to. I have nerve issues. It doesn’t help when my clients pay late.”

  I bit my tongue. I didn’t mean to be a jerk. Puddles had a job to do just like I did. “It won’t happen again.”

  Puddles nodded. “We’ll forget all about it. Give my best to your sister. I hear she’s still having a tricky time.”

  “Not for long,” I said. “I’m off to sort this mess right now.”

  Puddles eyes widened. “You know who killed Deacon?”

  “Not yet.” I walked away before Puddles questioned me further. The gossip mill was up and running in Willow Tree Falls, and all eyes were focused on Aurora. I needed to grab dessert and head to Mom’s quickly before I faced further quizzing.

  It was a toss-up between three places for dessert. Brogan Costin’s cafe, the Unicorn’s Trough, served decent food. I’d never had a bad meal there. If I wanted something fancy, Tilly Machello’s restaurant, Bite Me, was always an option. Then Tate Rathmore’s Mystic Mushroom take out did a killer chocolate profiterole.

  “Choices, choices,” I muttered under my breath. I settled on the Unicorn’s Trough and headed to the royal blue awning and into the cafe.