by Vella Day
“You hungry?” Jaxson asked.
I chuckled. “When am I not?” I hadn’t eaten breakfast, but if I mentioned it, he’d say something about me not taking care of myself.
“How about we head on over to the Tiki Hut? We can eat there and keep an eye on your aunt at the same time.”
“That sounds great. Plus, if Steve learns anything, I imagine Pearl will pass it on to Aunt Fern.”
He tapped his forehead. “That’s good thinking.”
I smiled. After I gathered Iggy, the three of us went down the street and entered the restaurant. When I looked over at the corner where Peter had been murdered, I was thankful, everything had been cleaned up. Regardless, the reminder was still there, so Jaxson and I grabbed a seat far from the crime scene. I didn’t see Penny and had to assume she had the day off.
Aunt Fern rushed over. “This is a nice surprise.”
She sounded cheerful enough, but I could still hear the pain in her voice. “We thought we’d see how things are going and ask if Pearl called with any news.”
“About what?”
I couldn’t tell if she was being coy or not. “I don’t know. Was Steve able to narrow down the partygoer list? I know he doesn’t believe all one hundred people at the party could be guilty of murder.”
“Pearl mentioned that between Steve and Misty, they only identified about half of the people, but that she helped narrow it down by another thirty or so. I think she was going to pass the list to Dolly, Miriam, and Maude. I bet they’ll know most of the rest. She did say that the person at the end of the party who was wearing the Spiderman costume was Craig Compton.”
“I don’t know him.”
“He’s been away at law school for several years. He just returned home to study for the bar. There is no evidence that he was involved.”
“That’s good to know, but why didn’t Pearl ask you to help go through the names? It was your party.”
She leaned closer. “I think they believe it would have been too hard on me—emotionally that is. I swear it wouldn’t have. Did I adore Peter? Yes. Did I think we might have had a future? Possibly, but not right away. There were things he never confided in me.”
That sounded cryptic. “Like what?”
“Like where did he get his money? Did he inherit it or earn it the old-fashioned way? If so, how? And why did he move to Witch’s Cove when he had a very successful business in New York?”
“Maybe he didn’t like the cold or the hectic lifestyle.” It was why many people moved to Florida. I was surprised she hadn’t ever asked him about that.
“Perhaps.” She ran a hand over her rather wild hair. Aunt Fern wasn’t wearing her usual fairy crown that helped tame her mane, a sure sign she wasn’t sleeping well. “The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced Peter might have been the target.”
That came out of nowhere. “Why? Because he was mysterious? Did Pearl tell you something?”
“No. It’s just a hunch.”
Aunt Fern’s hunches were usually spot on. The problem was the death of this new man cast Peter’s death in a different light. Not that we had any proof her boyfriend’s murder was even related to the new man’s death, but it was possible that Nash had been the original target—not Peter. For all we know, some crazy werewolf clan up north might have hired these men to do the job of taking Nash out. It was also possible that some crazed warlock coven wanted revenge against either Rihanna or Levy. With the lack of clues, we might never know the truth.
I needed to tell her about the glove I found. That might perk her up. “Don’t tell anyone, but I found a glove outside our side entrance door that belonged to someone wearing a Spiderman outfit. I’m hoping that leads us to the identity of the killer.” It would be great if they found Peter’s blood on the outside and some DNA on the inside. Just my luck, it belonged to this law student kid and not one of the three man that Iggy had seen.
“Oh, that’s right. Pearl said you brought it in.”
So much for keeping any kind of secret. “I’m assuming Pearl will leak the results to you if the lab comes up with anything.”
“I believe so.”
“When she does, can you let me know? Gertrude might be able to get a reading off of the glove.”
“What kind of reading?”
“She thinks she’ll be able to tell what the man who lost it looks like, or whether he is evil or not.” That last part, I made up.
“I’ll be sure to let you know.” She looked over at the counter where a small line was forming. “I need to check them out.” She waved to one of the servers. “Enjoy your lunch.”
Once she left, I turned to Jaxson. Iggy had crawled out of my purse and had gone somewhere, but I wasn’t worried. The Tiki Hut was his home. “What do you make of it? Is Peter still in the running for being the intended target?”
“At this point, I can’t commit to anything.”
He was a man after my own heart—sometimes indecisive and at other times highly focused.
We ordered and had almost finished when Aunt Fern rushed over with a grin on her face. She handed me a piece of paper. “Pearl came through.”
“What is this?”
“I have the names of the three men from the party that no one knows anything about. Steve was able to get their addresses off of their driver’s licenses.”
That was huge. “Are they from around here?” If so, it might eliminate them from being hired by some werewolf clan in Montana.
“They have Florida driver’s licenses.”
“Thanks.” Darn. That could mean they were local coven members. If they had been from Montana, why get Florida licenses if they only planned to stay a short while? If they only got them to cover their tracks, these men were highly sophisticated and determined.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I’ll let Steve question them.” I smiled sweetly.
While true, I had my own plan brewing, but I wasn’t about to tell my aunt. She’d just tell Pearl who, in turn, would mention it to Steve. At some point, our dear sheriff might decide to lock me up for interfering with an investigation.
Chapter Nine
“I know you, Glinda. Tell me what you’re thinking,” Jaxson said once we were back in the office and out of ear shot of my aunt.
Iggy, who’d had the sense to return just as I was paying, hopped out of my purse. “Spill,” he said.
I laughed. “Fine. You know I want to check out these guys.”
“Of course I know that, but even you have to realize that one of them could be a killer.”
“Yes, and one of them might be dead, implying these men will do anything to get what they want.” What that something was, I didn’t know.
“But that won’t stop you, will it?” he asked.
“No. We have their addresses so maybe we could see where they are living. Why, you might ask? What if they just came down here for the sole purpose of the kill? I would think they’d live near each other and in a rather unassuming place.” I held up a finger. “If Peter was the target, they’d be moving on since he is dead.”
“It’s possible, but don’t forget they have their Florida drivers’ licenses. That doesn’t seem like they plan to leave right away. But that could just be me. On the other hand, if they did arrive recently, Steve would know how long ago from the date on their licenses. I don’t have access to that information, and I doubt he’d share.”
“I agree. Let’s say these guys are renters, since I doubt they would have had time to buy a house. Someone connected around here will know their landlords. Maybe they’ll tell us the start date of their leases and if they are good tenants.”
“Are you assuming a killer would be a bad tenant? I would think they would be model citizens so as not to attract attention.”
Why did Jaxson always poke holes in my theories? “You could be right, but we should at least do a drive by. We don’t need to stop. We’ll just check out the neighborhood.”
&nb
sp; Iggy crawled up Jaxson’s leg. “Let’s do this, boss.”
Boss? What was I? While I wanted to know, I didn’t have the heart to ask.
“Sure. We might as well. We have no other leads.”
I smiled.
I entered the three addresses into my Waze program. “The three houses are fairly close to each other.” I was feeling rather smug that I figured they would be. So what if Witch’s Cove was a small town?
“That proves nothing,” Jaxson said. “If these three men are friends, at least they were smart not to room together—assuming they came here to kill someone.”
Once more, I was struck by how many assumptions we had to make, but four possible targets and three possible killers presented a lot of combinations.
“I wonder if their neighbors know where they work. Their bosses might offer some insight,” I said.
“Glinda.”
I knew that tone. “I wasn’t planning to do anything dangerous. I figured the more information we have the better. Maybe our gossip queens would be willing to help.”
“How?”
“They might be able to subtly ask around without raising suspicion.”
“I like that plan better.”
I figured he would. We went out to Jaxson’s car. “The first stop is 1134 Herman Avenue.” I then gave him the directions.
The area was far from the beach and a bit rundown, but a person could move around unnoticed living there. The first man’s home was small and had a chain link fence around the property. No car was in the driveway, but that was to be expected if he was at work. I pressed the video on my phone and panned the neighborhood. “This is where Travis Knowlton lives,” I announced.
“Do you want to talk to some neighbors?” Jaxson asked once I’d finished.
“Not today. I don’t want any of them to tip off Knowlton, even though I’m sure Nash or Steve have already been here.”
Jaxson chuckled. “You just don’t want any of the neighbors complaining that some blonde was snooping around.”
I twisted toward him. “It’s almost scary how well you know me.”
He merely grinned. The next two places were low-income apartment complexes. The more I learned about these three men, the more I was convinced they knew each other. I had nothing specific to tie them together, but my gut was working overtime.
“Now what?” he asked.
“I could use a coffee.”
“Best idea yet,” Jaxson said. “To the Bubbling Cauldron we go.”
“Iggy, you can stay in my purse, or do you want me to drop you at home? Your choice,” I said.
“I need to hear the scoop.”
“Miriam’s it is.”
Jaxson parked in front of our office, and we walked across the street to the coffee shop. “Are you going to show her the addresses and ask her to investigate?” he asked.
“More or less.” I smiled. “If nothing else she might be able to give us the names of people who are either rental agents or who own rental property in that part of town.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
We went inside and sat near the window since I loved to people watch. A few seconds later, a erver came over and took our order. We’d eaten recently, so I merely ordered a coffee, heavily dosed with cream and sugar, of course. Jaxson went with his usual black sludge. Iggy knew there was nothing here for him, so he didn’t ask.
I spotted Miriam in the kitchen and figured once she saw us, she’d come out. I had no problem telling her about the glove and the dead man, since Pearl had probably already filled her in. As for the identity of the three men, Miriam had been involved in vetting the list.
Moments later, she carried out our drinks. “I’m glad to see you two. How is Fern? And I mean how is she really?”
“I’m not sure I know. She claims she’s fine, but I can tell she is sad at losing Peter. Aunt Fern really seemed to have cared for him.”
“I thought so, too. Did she tell you we were able to narrow the partygoers’ list down to only a few suspects?” Thankfully, she kept her voice low.
“Yes. In fact, that’s why we’re here.”
Her eyes lit up, and she pulled out a chair. “How can I help?”
I showed her the list of addresses. I’d taken a photo of the paper in case I needed to give this one to her. “We were wondering if you could point us in the direction of someone who might know who owns these rental properties.”
She studied the addresses. “I know of a few people who might be able to help. I’ll give them a call right now.”
“You are amazing.”
Miriam actually blushed. “No promises now.”
“Anything will help.”
She left and headed to the back. We took our time sipping our coffees, lost in our own thoughts. Before we had finished our first cup, Miriam rushed out.
“This was easier than I thought.” She handed us a piece of paper with the name Christina Thompson printed on it, along with her cell number.
“Who is she?”
“A realtor. About a month ago, she rented all three places.”
One month? Excitement surged. Did that mean these men came here together? “Did she say anything else?”
“That’s the best part. Turn the paper over.”
I did. On it was the list of three local companies. One was a road crew, another a painting contractor, and the third was our grocery store. “Is this where they work?”
“It is. She had to get references and work status in order to rent them their places.”
Go, Christina. “This is awesome. You rock.”
“Aw, thank you.”
Once she left, Jaxson didn’t look happy. “What’s wrong? This is the break we’ve been looking for.”
“Please tell me you aren’t planning to go to their place of work and confront them? That might put a target on your back.”
He could be such a party pooper sometimes. “I wouldn’t do that.” Or at least I wouldn’t now that he mentioned how unsafe it could be. “You have to admit that the fact all three arrived in Witch’s Cove at the same time is a bit suspicious.”
“It is, which is why we should give the realtor a call to see where the men claimed to be from. If all three are from Montana, then Nash probably was the target—and still might be.”
“That’s logical.”
Was it bad of me to be slightly relieved if that turned out to be the case, and there hadn’t been some vindictive warlock after my cousin? Nash was not only a werewolf, he was a cop who could protect himself. Rihanna was merely a teenager. If she’d been able to make herself disappear at will, I might have felt better.
I snapped my fingers. “I have an idea.”
“It better not be dangerous,” Jaxson said.
“It might be, but only a little.”
He blew out a breath and leaned back. “Tell me.”
Iggy peeked his head out of my purse. “This should be good.”
“While these men are at work, what if we check out the inside of their houses?”
“For the Spiderman costumes?” Iggy asked.
I stroked his head. “You are a true sleuth.”
My iguana couldn’t grin, but when he wiggled his upper body, it meant he was happy. “Thanks.”
“Tell me, Glinda Goodall, when did you develop the skills to pick a lock?” my sassy partner asked.
“Have you forgotten about our talented friend, Levy?”
“Glinda, no,” Jaxson said.
“Why not? He can cloak himself, unlock the door with his mind, and then sit in the car while we go in.”
Jaxson craned his neck, acting as if I were crazy. “What if the owner returns? He’s a freaking werewolf,” he whispered. “We’d be shredded meat in seconds.”
I held up a finger. “I thought of that. We’ll ask Hunter to wait outside. He’ll have our backs if anything happens.”
“What is in your coffee? For starters, he’ll never go for it. He was a cop at one time or clo
se to it.”
“He wants to stop this guy, too. Nash is his friend.”
“Yes, but not by breaking and entering. Even if we found something, it couldn’t be used in court.”
“Spoilsport. What do you propose?” I asked.
“I’m good with doing a stakeout, but only to see if all three are still alive.”
That was better than a hard no. “I’m good with that. If they all show up, it might prove they aren’t our murdering werewolves.”
“Not so fast, pink lady. They still could be. Who’s to say that two of the three men didn’t come across some unsuspecting hiker and kill him? The third friend could still be alive.”
“You keep punching holes in my theories.”
Jaxson grinned. “It’s why we are partners.”
He was my partner for other reasons, but I wasn’t about to mention his strengths right now. “Regardless, it’s worth checking it out. Besides, Rihanna has that telephoto lens on her camera.”
“We aren’t involving her,” Jaxson shot back. “It could turn deadly.”
They wouldn’t recognize her. It was us they’d know. “Fine, but you and I have to go.”
“I’m okay with that, as long as we don’t break in. What are you going to tell Rihanna?”
I looked down at Iggy. “I don’t know. Blabbermouth will tell her everything.”
“I will not,” Iggy said.
“Can she read your mind?” She could read mine, more or less.
“No.”
That was good. “I still don’t trust you.” I wagged a finger at my familiar.
“Come on,” Jaxson said. “Let’s go back to the office and come up with a plan.”
I’d just outlined a good one, but apparently it needed some refinement. Thankfully, we arrived before Rihanna returned home from school. He grabbed a water from the fridge and then motioned I take a seat on the sofa.
“I think we should call Christina to see what she can tell us about these men. She might know where they moved from,” he said.
“Love it. Go for it.” A woman would respond better to Jaxson anyway.
He called, but I could tell she must have had second thoughts about providing personal information about her clients, because Jaxson asked several times if they were from Montana. When he shook his head, I figured she wouldn’t tell him.
