“Beth feeds me,” Marble muttered, still licking herself.
I looked at Beth, who was grinning over the top of her own coffee. We were all a bunch of caffeine and sugar addicts, and I didn’t plan on quitting any time soon. After taking a sip from her mocha she said, “What? I know the way to a cat’s heart.”
“I think I’m going to get a dog,” I replied, knowing it would insult Marble and not caring.
Marble hissed slightly, then stood, turned around so her butt was facing me, tail high so everything was on display, and sat back down.
“So, should we talk about the elephant in the room?” Carol asked, her blue eyes locking onto me.
I blew on my coffee again and tried in vain to calm my racing heart. Maybe coffee hadn’t been such a good idea since my heart already felt like it was trying to break through my ribs. Caffeine wasn’t exactly known for its calming effects.
I sighed as my mind spun, remembering everything that happened. Yeah, we needed to talk about it all. No, I didn’t want to. As much as I enjoyed the supernatural world, I wasn’t exactly excited about the new dangers I was facing. I’d hoped everything would calm down and just be fun after we got Henry back, but it just seemed to be getting crazier. It made my cheating ex seem… less like the worst thing that happened in my life.
Was that a good thing?
I wasn’t sure.
At the very least I could now officially say there was nothing special about him. Was I about to forgive and forget though? Unlikely.
“Do you think there’s a connection between my ex and the notes?” Beth asked, diving right into the mess that was our lives. Her blue eyes sparkled as she took in every miniscule detail and movement I made, analyzing, and trying to figure out what was going on. She was smart as a tack and put puzzle pieces together in a way I never would have even thought about.
I shrugged and opened my mouth to tell her I had no idea, when a hedgehog I hadn’t been introduced to muttered something. Of course, the hedgehog had thoughts on the situation. I was sure the zoo of animals around us, of which there were many, all had thoughts on the current predicament. I just didn’t think anything they had to say would be useful. Or very nice.
But maybe I was still mad at Marble.
“Did you have something to say?” Carol asked, sounding way too chipper given the situation.
Great, now we were asking the animals their opinions? I couldn’t decide if that was super annoying, or if I just needed more sleep. Glancing at my coffee, I sipped the liquid gold. Maybe after the drink was done, I’d feel more forgiving of the animals. Provided I didn’t combust from all the caffeine I’d been consuming. Going back to bed did sound amazing though.
Beth pulled me away from my dream of comforters and dark, cozy spaces as she prodded, “Go on Hedger.” We all looked at the hedgehog, sitting on a table as he scrolled through something on a phone. I mean a hedgehog using a phone was just next level bizarre. Who knew they could even read let alone use electronics? I knew it was just Beth’s magic, but still. If she videoed this and put it on social media, I bet she’d make a killing. Explaining it would be the hard part though.
“This doesn’t look good for Emma,” he said in a nasally voice, his little brown nose bobbing up and down as he spoke.
I closed my eyes and tried to respond without sounding as irritated as I felt. “I don’t know if there’s a connection between your ex and the notes,” I said. Even I recognized my voice was super tight.
Not that it shouldn’t have been. Someone had been murdered on my porch. I tried to swallow past the tightness in my throat to loosen it but couldn’t get it to go away.
Beth’s store phone rang, and she snatched it up before the second ring. “Private Psych, how can I help?” She listened a moment before her eyes widened. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry to hear that. Yes, I’ll take the case.” She turned away, checking her books, and I didn’t hear the remainder of the conversation.
The little hedgehog tutted and muttered again, probably something about how I’d be spending my life in jail. Actually, that was what he said. I didn’t even want to look at whatever news he’d found online about the dead body and me. Because he was right, it probably wasn’t good.
“Sorry,” Beth said as she joined me again. “Someone’s pet was mauled to death. I agreed to take the case. I want to keep busy.” She stared off into the distance. “The news about Roger has thrown me for a loop.”
She had to be so conflicted. She’d never wish someone dead, but then again, he was a real jerk who cheated on her for years before marrying her little sister, who was really more like a daughter to her. “It’s okay to not be sad,” I whispered.
Beth started and looked at me as though she couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t be upset. “I am sad. But, confused about how I feel. He’s gone. Gone. No more stress for me. But then, he was with my sister, and I feel really bad for her. I don’t know if it would be appropriate for me to call her or try to comfort her.” She shook her head and stood. “I don’t know. I’ve got to go investigate that death.”
I reached out my hand and squeezed her arm as she passed. “It’s okay to feel however you feel. Even if it’s relieved.”
“Every emotion is valid,” Carol added as she set her cup down on the table so she could watch Beth more closely. “It doesn’t matter what it is, if you’re feeling it, then it’s okay. There’s nothing to feel guilty about one way or the other. We are all allowed to react to different things in our own way.”
Beth put her hand over mine and patted it and glanced between me and Carol as she said, “Thank you, ladies. You’re good friends.”
She pulled away and went to jot a few more notes down. I just studied her. Beth always had a cheery disposition. No matter what she went through, her blonde hair was always brushed straight and fell around her shoulders in waves. And she always wore light makeup that perfectly emphasized her big blue eyes and round face shape. But today, underneath that makeup, I swore I saw shadows. And her mouth, that always seemed to be ready to smile, looked forced. Almost plastic. There was too much going on inside her head for it not to be displayed on her face as well, at least to those who knew her well.
I sighed. As hard as it had been for me to find a dead body, and possibly to be the prime suspect in a murder, she must feel like her world had been turned upside down. The much younger sister, Tiffany, who Beth had helped raise, who Beth had sacrificed for over and over again, had just lost her partner. A partner who had been with Beth for years and had two kids with her.
After knowing Beth all her life, I knew her instinct would be to be there for her sister. Everyone in the town hated Tiffany for cheating with her own brother-in-law. The only person she had was Roger and now he was gone. But I hoped Beth had enough self-respect to fight her instinct and take care of herself.
Her sister had thrown her love and support away like trash. She certainly didn’t deserve it now. Sometimes family was an obligation that people couldn’t walk away from. Tiffany had walked away without glancing back once, as much as I wished Beth could do the same it also wasn’t her nature.
Beth looked up, her eyes meeting mine. “I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
She nodded, but her eyes shimmered. “Just going to work on this case. And I’ll help clear your name. I promise.”
I smiled at her. “I can always count on you.”
With friends like her at my back, my enemies better be worried. Karma plus a group of witches? We weren’t to be trifled with, and soon the murderer would know that too.
5
Emma
When Beth left, Carol excused herself as well, saying she needed to get back to the shop. So now it was just me. And the menagerie.
I drank my coffee and looked at Buster as he slowly walked into the room. The mangy-looking tabby cat gave the white fluff of fur known as Pickle a dirty look, then stopped in the center of the room, glancing around as if he hadn’t planned to sn
ag the sunlit spot by the window. When his gaze looked back at me, I swore I saw pity in his eyes.
Did all the animals think I’d be in jail this time next week?
“Stop it,” I say, taking another long chug of my coffee, while watching him over the brim of my cup the whole time. “It wasn’t me. And we’ll clear my name.”
He couldn’t answer me now. It was Beth’s magic that helped him talk. When she left the room, none of the animals could verbalize. In some ways I was relieved, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what Marble had to say when Beth wasn’t around. Buster was usually a little more pleasant, but they were both cats, so they both had egos the size of Texas.
The cat simply blinked at me and looked away. His pupils had turned to slits in the bright light, but it made him look like he was even more done with me than usual. No doubt since he couldn’t talk, I wasn’t worth his time. Yeah, well, maybe I didn’t want to sit here and talk to him anyway.
I need to shake out of this mood!
I finished my coffee in a hurry, feeling awkward in the room full of silently judging animals. Even the bird and the turtle looked like they wanted to tell me to just give up. A mouse scrambled up my table, saw me, and ran away, eyes wide. As if she thought I was the killer.
None of these judgey animals were good for me right now. Not one bit.
So, I set Beth’s alarm on her shop and locked the door on my way out. I didn’t have a key, but this lock didn’t need one. Just for unlocking. When I glanced back inside, all the animals were still looking at me. Man, I was not going back to Beth’s shop until this whole thing was settled. Maybe it was the caffeine racing through my blood, or the lack of sleep, but they were making my mood worse.
My car was parked in the alley next to Beth’s shop, but as I turned toward it, Beth’s sister walked up. Shit. She’d been crying. A lot, by the looks of it. But she’d still managed to put on a tight pair of jeans, a low-cut tank top, and styled her long blonde hair in curls. Maybe I was being mean because she’d broken my friend’s heart, but I was having a hard time feeling sorry for her in the least bit.
“Is Beth here?” she asked in a wavering voice.
Okay, don’t scream. Don’t smack her. Forget every moment you watched Beth take care of this jerk. Forget that Beth gave up going to university to care for her little sister. Just, be an adult. Answer her nicely.
I took a deep breath and searched for the tiny kernel of empathy inside of me. “No, she left a few minutes ago. Are you okay?” God what a stupid question. What was I supposed to do in a situation like this? What was I supposed to say that wasn’t going to tear her down even more? The tongue lashing I wanted to give her was of epic proportions. I swallowed the urge once more though and waited for her response.
“Yes. No.” She dabbed at her eyes with a napkin she produced from her pocket. “I don’t know. The police just left my place. They’re ruling Roger’s death due to natural circumstances. There were no signs of foul play at all. They’re doing an autopsy, but don’t think they’ll find anything.”
Oh, thank goodness. It hadn’t been a murder. My heart fluttered in my chest with relief, or maybe it was just the caffeine. I wanted to jump for joy, but not in front of Tiffany. I might think she was a monster for what she did to her sister, but I wouldn’t let her turn me into a monster too. It took everything I had not to let the smile that was in my soul show in my face. “Any idea what he was doing at my house?” I asked.
She frowned. “No, there’s no reason for him to be anywhere near you, or any of Beth’s friends. We were blissfully happy together. He said he didn’t miss a thing about having that old, useless--” She saw the thunderous expression on my face, and quickly switched gears. “The thing is, I think there’s more going on here than just something natural. That’s why I was coming here. I need Beth to help me investigate Roger’s death.”
“Oh,” I whispered. “She should be back soon.”
Tiffany nodded. “Thanks.”
We stared at each other awkwardly, and I tried to think of a graceful way to end the conversation. As relieved as I was that I might not be on the hook for murder, I did not want to help Tiffany. I wanted as far away from this situation as I could get. Not just because of the murder, but because Roger dying didn’t erase what Tiffany had done. Nothing could ever erase that.
She drew herself up taller as though she was mentally dusting herself off. “The thing is, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to ask her… I’ve been standing here for a while trying to figure out what to do. But maybe I don’t have to. I’ve heard around town that you’ve helped Beth with some of her jobs. Do you think you could help me?” Tiffany looked like a con artist who had just found her new target... or maybe I just didn’t like her. “It will be so awkward asking Beth, given her history with Roger.”
That much was true. It would be awkward for Beth. But Beth was my best friend, and I was more like a ride-or-die type of bitch. No way I’d do something behind Beth’s back. “I don’t know, Tiffany. I don’t feel comfortable not including Beth, however awkward it might be. This is her business above everything else.”
“Please,” she got that whimpery voice that used to make Beth cave and give her whatever she wanted.
“I don’t think so,” I said, a little more forcefully.
She pulled her shoulders back. “I know she probably told her side of the story about what happened with Roger. But I just want you to know that he and I found true love with each other. The kind of love that only comes across once in a lifetime. I did Beth a favor by taking him. I mean, would she really want to stay with a guy who wanted to be with me?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at her. “My husband cheated too. What story do you think his new lady tells people? Probably something like the steaming pile of garbage that you just spewed to try to rewrite why you did one of the worst things imaginable to a woman who loved and raised you? Right?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t be mean to me! My husband just died!”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and fold my arms over my chest. “Karma’s a bitch, sometimes.”
She glared back at me and wiped a tear angrily from her cheek, then spun around to march off. But she only made it like two steps, and then her shoulders curved down. Very slowly, she turned back around, and her expression was certainly humbled. Not that I trusted her as far as I could throw her.
“There’s something else. I’m afraid Beth might be in danger,” she whispered.
Now my suspicion was up. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”
Tiffany shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just reeling. I can’t think straight.”
She looked so pitiful I almost reached out to pull her into my arms, but then stopped myself. “I am sorry he died.” Cheaters deserved to be walked through the streets while people pelted them with old, moldy, rotten fruit. They deserved to constantly be able to smell something off in the fridge but never be able to find it, to have an itch they could never scratch, or to never be able to get an ice-cold drink on a hot day. Or even to never be able to taste anything but cabbage for the rest of their life, no matter what they ate. But they didn’t deserve to be murdered. At least not in my world.
“So why do you think Beth might be in danger?”
She moved closer to me, then glanced around the alley as if sincerely afraid. “I think a while ago, possibly, well, Roger might’ve murdered his business partner,” she whispered, the confession rushing out of her mouth. I tried not to react. Wow, this girl knew how to pick them. A cheater and a murderer? “Cliff disappeared, and I think someone found out and killed Roger for it.”
Okay, so maybe Roger did deserve to die. He murdered his old partner? Man, I was just glad Beth got away from him. Still, as I stared at the young woman, my little bit of empathy was starting to wither away. She’d willingly stayed with someone even when she suspected he killed someone?
I hadn’t wanted to get involved in this before. Her words
didn’t convince me any more that there was a reason for me to care the least bit about Roger’s death. And yet… there was still the matter of Beth and how all of this impacted her.
“What does that have to do with Beth?” I said with a sigh.
“She’s still part owner of Roger’s company. So, what if the person comes after Beth next?” She looked around nervously again. “Look, here’s what I’ve got so far.” Pulling a file folder out of the oversized designer bag that hung from her shoulder, she handed it to me and then covered her mouth. “I know you don’t like me. I know you don’t like Roger. But as much as I might have hurt my sister, I don’t want Roger’s actions to get her killed.”
“Can you tell me more about Cliff’s disappearance and why you think Roger had something to do with it?”
She shook her head and stepped backwards. “I already took a huge risk coming here and giving you that. I’m done now. I need to take care of Roger’s funeral. You know now, so it’s your job to protect Beth. I did my part.” Whirling on her heel, Tiffany took off and disappeared down the alley behind my car.
After everything, this was how she acted? I knew I shouldn’t be surprised, I mean, the woman had stolen her sister’s husband and baby daddy and acted like she was in the right the whole time. But to know that your sister’s life might be in danger and claim that it’s taken care of by handing a file folder off to someone? That was cold. My skin broke out in goosebumps as though she’d given me literal chills.
As I stared down at the file folder, I wondered what in the world I’d gotten myself into.
6
Emma
A little while later, I sat in the kitchen of Deva’s diner, where there was a tiny table tucked away for friends and family. It wasn’t that I was starving, more so that I needed Deva’s magical food. I felt like the decision about what to do with Beth and her sister was too much for me to handle. It was as if I’d been handed a bomb, and I had no idea when it was going to go off.
Karma's Shift (Magical Midlife in Mystic Hollow Book 2) Page 3
