“You have an overactive imagination.” I stood from my seat. “If it makes you feel any better, I can ask Dazielle to keep you here another few days. You said yourself, you like life behind bars.”
Aurora pouted. “Not that much. I want out of here as soon as possible.”
“You’ll have to sit tight for a bit longer. As soon as Toby comes good, you can get out.”
“Then I can help you search for whoever did it.”
“We’ll see about that.” I walked to the door. I did not want Aurora involved in a hunt for the killer. Once she was safely away from the incompetent clutches of Angel Force, I would lock her in her store and set a guard on her until Deacon’s killer was revealed.
For now, my next step in finding out who killed Deacon was a trip to see Mannie and get the truth out of him.
Chapter 17
When I arrived at Mannie’s house with Wiggles, the place was quiet. All the windows on the grand white painted building were closed. Despite knocking on the front and back doors, no one came to answer.
“We should come back later,” Wiggles said. “You do realize we missed lunch, which should have been five hours ago.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” My stomach grumbled as if it had most definitely noticed.
“I’m starving,” Wiggles said. “A growing hellhound needs his food.”
“You ate out of Rhett’s trash can.”
“I was tidying up for the guy. A bachelor needs to maintain his standards.”
“You were being disgusting.”
“I’d have shared if you’d asked.”
I stared up at Mannie’s house. “I’m sure he won’t object to us waiting inside.”
“You’re thinking of a little break and enter?”
“There might be a door or window open. That’s not really breaking anything.”
“That sounds like fun. Maybe Mannie has food we can eat.”
“We don’t want to add stealing to our breaking and entering.” I did a quick check of the front door, which was locked. We headed around the side of Mannie’s house. None of the windows budged until I got to a small one by the back door. It was unlatched, and after some gentle shoving, it popped open.
“That looks like a squeeze,” Wiggles said. “I’ll wait out here until you get the door open.”
“You’re such a hero, but I can’t fit through that.” I leaned through the window and fiddled with the latch until it unlocked.
When the door opened, I held my breath for a few seconds, listening for the telltale sounds of anybody inside the house. Silence hit me.
“Take me to the kitchen. I’m in the need for a triple-decker sandwich with mustard and pickles,” Wiggles said.
“No sandwiches,” I said. “We’re having a quick look around to see if there’s anything in here we can use against Mannie.”
“What sort of thing are we looking for?” Wiggles wandered ahead of me along the wide hallway.
“The murder weapon would be nice.” I pushed open a door and walked into the living room.
“We don’t know what that is.”
“A pillow with Deacon’s blood on it? If he was smothered, a pillow would be the perfect weapon.”
“I doubt Mannie would have brought the murder weapon home.” Wiggles raised his nose and sniffed the air. “I’d be happy to test the firmness of any pillows by humping them.”
I turned my head slowly. “You’ll do what?”
“Isn’t that what pillows are for?”
“Humping? No, they’re not.” I was regretting Wiggles ever finding his voice. “Let’s keep everything as it is. We don’t want the place to look turned over.” Without warning, a gross tasting sulfurous belch shot out of my lips.
“Manners,” Wiggles said.
I clamped a hand over my mouth. “It’s not me; it’s Frank. There’s something about this place he doesn’t like.”
“He’s not the only one. It looks like a memorial to Mannie has been set up in here. Have you seen how many pictures there are of the guy?”
I did a slow turn. There were over a dozen framed photographs of Mannie dotted around. There was also an enormous oil painting hanging over the fireplace of him sitting in a throne-like chair with a glass of wine in one hand.
“We should definitely eat while we’re here,” Wiggles said. “Whenever you get hungry, it makes it easier for Frank to control you.”
He was right. I needed to look after myself; otherwise, Frank took advantage. “We’ll take five minutes to eat,” I said. “And nothing out of the trash.”
“That depends what’s in there,” Wiggles said. “People throw away all sorts of tasty treats.”
“No dumpster diving. We’re eating food that hasn’t passed its sell by date.”
We hunted around until we found the kitchen. The units were a sleek black gloss, and the oven looked new. Perhaps Mannie ate out every night and never used it.
I felt another belch brewing and could sense Frank grow increasingly restless. Maybe it was the amount of time I’d spent with Aurora recently. It was always the same; whenever I spent more than half an hour with my sister, Frank sensed her presence and wanted in on the action.
“She’s not here,” I muttered to him as I hastily made a cheese and pickle sandwich for me and Wiggles. “Stop pushing.”
“We can go back and see her,” he whispered in my head.
“That’s not an option. We’re here to find out more about a suspect. Don’t you want to see my sister go free?”
“Having her behind bars makes her easier to get to.”
Wiggles cocked his head as he accepted his sandwich. “Demon problems?”
“Frank is being troublesome.” I looked around the kitchen. “Maybe it’s something Mannie’s done to the place.”
“Does Frank sense a threat?” Wiggles’ hackles rose, but he kept eating.
“He’s not said if he has. I don’t get it; as soon as we got inside, he started acting up. I put it down to seeing Aurora, but maybe it’s more than that.”
“You don’t think Mannie’s got a protection barrier around the house?” Wiggles asked. “I’ve seen them set Frank off before.”
My eyebrows rose. “That might be it, but I didn’t feel any magic when I came through the door.”
“Do you remember that time you broke into Bite Me to steal a tray of caramel meringues?”
I grimaced. “How could I forget? There were spells on all entrances. Once I got in, Frank was enraged by the magic and came out to play. He gorged on everything in the store.”
“And you vomited a dozen meringues all over the floor.”
“I worked off my punishment for three months. Mom was so embarrassed.”
“You and Frank have a sweet tooth. Nobody can blame you for that.”
Another belch shot out of me, and Frank’s power curled up my spine. “We should get out of here.”
“Let me finish my sandwich,” Wiggles said. He eyed my untouched food. “I’ll have yours if you’re not interested in it.”
I pushed the sandwich toward him. “Help yourself. But we need to leave.”
My gaze went to the kitchen door, and my eyes widened. Hanging next to the door was a small oval amulet with an eye painted on it. “You have got to be kidding me.” I stood and inched toward the amulet.
Wiggles followed me, both sandwiches jammed in his mouth. “If looch rike ma bambi let. My of erection.”
The eye glittered as I stared at it. “It’s an eye of protection.”
“That’s what I said.” Wiggles swallowed the last of his sandwich. “Those things are powerful.”
No wonder Frank was unhappy. I clutched my stomach and groaned. It felt like Frank had just punched me from the inside.
Wiggles grabbed hold of my pants leg with his teeth. “Let’s get out of here.”
I nodded as I stumbled through the doorway, heading to the back door.
Frank’s energy crawled up my spine, making me sweat. I grabb
ed the wall for support to stop from falling.
“Stay away,” I warned Frank. “You’re not needed.”
“I want to come and play.”
I sucked in several deep breaths. “Not now. It’s just protection magic triggering you.” Every now and again, I had no choice but to let Frank’s energy come through. It was exhausting keeping him controlled. But I only let him out when there was no risk to Aurora, and I was far away from Willow Tree Falls. Right now, I was in the danger zone. Letting Frank out would mean trouble.
“Tempest, let’s go.” Wiggles stood by the back door, nudging it with his nose. “What I wouldn’t give for opposable thumbs right about now.”
“Go through the window,” I said. “Get out of here.”
Wiggles tilted his head. “Will you be okay?”
“I’ll handle Frank. Get outside and keep a look out for Mannie. I don’t want him coming home and finding me here when Frank is in control.”
“That would be fun,” Frank said.
“Not for Mannie,” I said.
Frank’s hot demon energy crawled up the back of my neck and covered my head. That was when I knew I’d lost control, and he was taking over.
Usually, I could force Frank back, but his power, combined with the magic Mannie had infused through the house, weakened me. I sank to my knees.
“I should stay with you,” Wiggles said.
“You’re better off outside,” I said. “Use the window to get out.” I didn’t think Frank would hurt Wiggles, especially not since he’d helped bring him back to life. I didn’t want to take that risk, though. I didn’t like anybody to be around me when Frank was in command, especially not people I cared about.
Wiggles backed up and jumped at the open window. He made it halfway through before his butt got wedged. He wriggled and kicked but didn’t get any farther.
I staggered to the window and gave him a shove from behind. “I told you not to eat out of trash cans.”
“It’s got nothing to do with my diet. I have wide hips. Keep pushing.”
I shoved his butt with my shoulder, but he was well and truly stuck.
“You’ll have to drag me back in,” Wiggles said.
“You’re wedged. I can’t move you either way.”
“I can’t stay like this!”
“I’ll get some oil and grease you up.”
“Don’t you dare grease me up! A hellhound has to have some dignity.”
“You’ve got your fat ass wedged in a window of the house we’ve broken into. You’ve got no dignity left.”
“I’m warning you. Do not grease me up.”
I staggered backwards and landed on my knees. My body shook as Frank took away my final slivers of control.
When he gained power over me, it was as if I saw the world through somebody else’s eyes. Everything took on a slightly red glow. I could still sense myself and think, but I had little control over my actions and not a chance of shoving a rational belief into Frank’s twisted little demon mind.
I raised my head, and the world gleamed red. “Damn!”
“Damn, indeed,” Frank said. “Or should I say damned. It’s time for us to have fun. You’ve kept me caged for too long. Seeing your sister imprisoned and so pitiful only made me determined to get out and break free of my own shackles.”
“There are worse shackles you could be in,” I said, my voice echoing inside my own head.
“And if you ever figure out how to get me out of your body before I kill your sister, you’re welcome to try to get me into them,” Frank said.
I found myself pushed back to my feet. Frank propelled me over to Wiggles.
“Stay away from him.” We fought for a few seconds, my arms trembling from trying to stop Frank from touching Wiggles.
“I will not harm our hellhound.” Frank grabbed hold of Wiggles and pulled him back through the window.
Wiggles landed on the floor and jumped to his feet. He looked up at me. “How are you doing?”
“We are doing very well, my splendid hellhound.” Frank held out a hand, and Wiggles tentatively sniffed it. “Let’s explore properly. There are all sorts of delights in the fridge that need eating. We deserve a feast.”
“No binging on junk food,” I said to Frank. It always felt so weird to talk to him while I was trapped inside my own mind. Frank could hear me fine, but Wiggles couldn’t.
“I am definitely binging. Cake, ice cream, cookies, wine. And coffee. Lots and lots of strong coffee with sugar in it. I miss those things.”
“No to all of that. That’s not why we’re here.”
“What do you desire, my hellhound?” Frank asked Wiggles. “I expect you get bored with all that dried dog kibble she forces on you.”
Wiggles cocked his head to the side. “I could do with another sandwich.”
“You’re such a traitor,” I hissed, even though Wiggles couldn’t hear me.
Frank chuckled at my comment. “Tempest agrees. More sandwiches all around. Then we move on to the sweet stuff.”
Within a few minutes, the kitchen counter was littered with meats, cheeses, peanut butter, jelly, and a big loaf of fresh bread. With the sandwiches made, Frank and Wiggles sat in a contented silence as they stuffed themselves.
I hated to admit it, but Frank had excellent taste in sandwiches. Peanut butter and jelly was always my favorite, closely followed by banana and honey.
“Grab those cookies, my hellhound.” Frank stood and brushed crumbs off my chest. “Let’s explore upstairs.”
“No exploring,” I said to Frank. “We have no idea how long it will be until Mannie comes back. You’ve stuffed your face. Now let’s get out of here.”
I pushed against his energy in the hope he was now satisfied after eating and would be happy to let me gain control. Frank was having none of it. He was strong, possibly stronger than I’d ever felt him.
It had to be those wall amulets. I needed Wiggles to deal with those, or I’d never get control of my body.
I was forced into action, and Frank propelled me up the stairs.
Wiggles followed along happily enough, a family sized bag of chocolate chip cookies in his mouth.
“Let’s see what we’ve got in here.” Frank opened Mannie’s closet and rifled through it. “Hideous, garish, too boring, too bright. This dwarf has a terrible dress sense.” Frank hauled clothing over his shoulder as he inspected each item and passed a scathing judgment on it.
“Stop that, or Mannie will know we’ve been here.”
“He’ll know someone’s been here,” Frank said. “I have no intention of getting caught, which means you will also be in the clear.”
“Nice thinking, genius. My fingerprints will be all over this place,” I said. “You try explaining that away.”
“Everyone knows you carry an evil demon inside of you. Say it was my fault. I’m your perfect get out of jail free card. The demon took control, and you had to sit back and let him.”
“All that will do is get us in an Angel Force sanctioned security unit being monitored all the time because I have no control over you. That’s not going to be fun for either of us.”
Frank ignored my comment. “Hellhound, what’s happened to those cookies?”
Wiggles’ head poked out from around the side of the bed, his muzzle was covered in crumbs. “I must have left them downstairs.”
“Hand them over,” Frank said. “You don’t get to eat all the cookies. Tempest is right; you’re out of shape.”
Wiggles growled as he stamped over with the remains of the cookies. “I’m in the prime of my life.”
Frank grabbed the cookies and stuffed several in his mouth. Crumbs scattered across the floor as he continued to pull out Mannie’s clothing.
“I’ve always fancied myself as a tailor.” Frank grabbed a pair of scissors from the dressing table and turned toward the heap of clothing.
“No, you don’t,” I said. “Put the scissors down and step away from the clothes.”
/> He laughed. “You don’t like Mannie. This will teach him a lesson. He lied to us both, he’s hiding something, and he’s not helping your sister. This is his punishment.”
I shoved hard against Frank’s energy, trying to get his control to loosen. My gaze went to the doorway, and I saw another one of those wretched amulets.
There was nothing I could do but watch in dismay as Frank set to work with the scissors, hacking through the arms of Mannie’s shirts and tearing up pants legs. He was behaving like some naughty schoolkid, who’d been let out of class early and gone on a massive sugar bender.
Frank dropped the scissors and chuckled. “That was fun. What’s next?”
Since I couldn’t beat him, I decided to play along and try to get him to make a mistake. “How about we get out of here? Mannie is not coming back. We could go and get something at Bite Me. You love to play with Tilly, and she makes the best coffee.”
“Mmmmm, fresh coffee, cakes, and Tilly Machello’s throat clasped between my fingers.”
“No, there won’t be any throats crushed.” Tilly was strong. She could stand her ground with Frank, but only if she was ready for him.
“Just a little choking of the witch.”
“What’s going on?” Wiggles asked. “Who are we planning to choke?”
“Follow me, my hellhound.” Frank stuffed a black fedora on my head, ran down the stairs, pulled open the back door, and walked out.
My stomach flipped over. I never got used to the feeling of Frank being in control of my body. It felt like being on a wonky rollercoaster that was about to fly off its rails.
I had to get Frank back in his cage, but he was having far too much fun even to think about giving up his control over me. We were wasting time, and this was not helping me sort out Aurora’s problems.
“Ah yes, your pretty sister. We should pay her another visit,” Frank said.
I shoved away all thoughts of Aurora. “Let’s concentrate on the food.”
A hot wave of power ran down my spine. “You don’t tell me what to do, witch.”
“I do when it comes to protecting my sister.”
Frank chuckled. “I can wait for somebody so succulent. She’ll be mine one day.”
Wiggles trotted along beside us. “I’m lost. Are we going to choke Tilly or play with Aurora?”
Luck of the Witch (Crypt Witch Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) Page 15
