Black Magic Kitten

by Sara Bourgeois

  "Good,” I said. "I think the tourists will like that."

  "And the other day, when I was fixing the commode, I saw something," Jerry said, and I noticed he was a little paler than normal.

  "What?"

  "It was gone in less than a second, but when I stood up from fixing the commode, I swear I saw something in the mirror behind me. A woman. She didn't look alive at all. Her skin was very pale, and it was almost gray. I couldn't tell if her eyes were angry or sad. She was there and gone so fast. Gave me the willies, though,” he said and shivered.

  "I think this back room is a bit spooky,” I said. "Not nearly enough light. I'll stay back here with you while you finish."

  "That would be great,” he said. "Not much freaks me out, but I'd never seen anything like that before."

  One thing I knew for sure, I wasn't going to have to worry about Jerry coming around and bothering me at the shop. He looked like he was ready to leave and never come back. I'd have to remember to thank the ghost later.

  When he was done, he shut the bathroom door and hurried back out to the front of the store. I briefly wondered if I should take the chance of being alone with him and ask him about his relationship with Stella. He was in an emotionally vulnerable state because of being scared of the ghost, so I figured it might be a good time to ask. Another part of me knew it was better if I let him leave as soon as possible. Ghost or not, he might start acting like a sleaze again.

  I didn't get a chance to say anything though, because the door opened and Madeline came into the store. "I know you're not open, but I was hoping it would be okay if I stopped in and had a look,” she said. "There's a buzz around town about your store, and I've even heard that some tourists are extending their stay so they can be here when it opens."

  "Really?" I asked. "I wonder how that happened. I haven't done any advertising."

  "Oh, it's Viv over at the Brew Station. She's really been hyping it up to the tourists who come into her shop for coffee."

  "That's really sweet of her. I'll have to go over there and tell her thank you,” I said.

  "Anyway, my curiosity was getting the better of me. I stop into the Brew Station every morning for coffee, and she's been talking about it for the last two days. I know it's probably rude for me to just drop in, so I'm sorry," Madeline said.

  "No, it's fine,” I said. "Jerry was just finishing up some plumbing work, but you can take a look around if you'd like."

  "Thanks," Madeline said. "I think I'll take you up on that."

  "Well, I'm going to go." Jerry said, and I tried not to let my relief show too much.

  "Thanks for coming in and fixing the problem so fast. I do appreciate the work."

  "Just have Castor call me if you need anything, or you can call me directly. I can bill him for you."

  As soon as he was gone, Madeline made her way back up to the front. "I did want to see the store,” she said. "But I also wanted to ask you if you found out anything more about why Merrill was coming in to see me that day. It's been bothering me."

  "I haven't found out anything yet. I guess the sheriff hasn't been able to tell you anything either?" I asked.

  "No. It doesn't help that I have nothing to go on. I just heard that you might have been making some headway in the case. I was hoping you might know something."

  "I don't, but if I do find out something, I'll come to you first,” I said.

  "Thank you," Madeline said. "I appreciate it. The store is great too. I'll come back when you're open."

  We said our goodbyes and I locked up the shop since I was done with the cleaning. On my way out, I ran into Thorn.

  "Looks like I got here right on time,” he said.

  "Well, if you hadn't, I'm just going to get a latte and go home,” I said. "I'm not too hard to find."

  "Let me buy you that latte, then," he offered.

  "I'm not going to turn down free coffee,” I said with a smile.

  We went over to the Brew Station, and Thorn ordered my hazelnut latte and a large dark roast for himself. I thanked Viv profusely for spreading the word about my new store. We probably would have chatted longer, but the lunch rush was starting for her.

  Thorn and I didn't want to take up a table since we weren't eating, so we headed back out to our cars. "I'm not going to be able to stay long anyway,” he said. "I wish I could, but I've got more information on the case. I have to see if I can run down any leads because of it."

  "Is that why you came?" I asked. "Are you going to share the information you got?"

  "I am,” he said and stepped closer to me. "But this is between us. I trust you, and I don't want this going anywhere. Give me at least a fighting chance to do my job, Kinsley."

  "I will. I promise I'll keep it to myself."

  "Okay, so the medical examiner finally did an autopsy. What she found out was that Merrill was actually shot. She said it looked like the knife wound was there to cover the bullet wound. It was like they wanted to throw us off."

  "And it worked,” I said. "But wait, if that's the case, then it was someone who knows about that stuff. Also, the murder couldn't have taken place at the diner. The customers inside would have heard the shot. Unless they used a silencer?"

  "I think it's more likely that the diner was a dump site. It was set up to look like that was where the murder took place, but it was actually committed somewhere else,” Thorn said. "That's what I have to start trying to figure out."

  "I understand,” I said.

  "If you understand, then you know you have to stay out of this. A killer is dangerous enough, but this person knew what they were doing. They're smart."'

  "And I'm not?" I asked.

  "You know what I'm saying. Stay out of it, please. I promise I'll call you later."

  He kissed me quickly on the lips and then went around to get into his cruiser before I could say another word. "Thanks for the coffee," I called out as he shut his door.

  I got a wave back from him from inside the car, but after that, Thorn pulled out of his parking spot and left. I figured I'd at least try to do what he asked and stay out of it, so I headed home.

  Chapter Twenty

  At home, I was climbing up the walls wondering how I was ever going to stay out of the investigation. The new information was eating away at me, so I just kept pacing around my living room. Meri watched me with annoyance and interest from his perch on the edge of the coffee table.

  "What are you doing?" he finally asked. "You're making me nervous, and that's almost impossible to do."

  "I need to figure out where the primary crime scene is located. That's the key to this whole thing. I just know it, but how do I find it?"

  "I don't know... I mean... You're a witch and all. Have you considered scrying for the location?" he snarked.

  "That's it!" I said and jumped about two feet in the air.

  Meri jumped too and scrambled back a bit. "You need to calm down,” he said as his little tail flicked back and forth across the table. "Seriously."

  "No, what I need is a bowl of water, some black food coloring, and a crystal pendant."

  "I don't know where you will come up with all of that,” he said sarcastically.

  "Hush. You're messing with my vibes, and I need to be on point for this,” I said.

  "Yeah, because we all know what happens when you're not."

  I just harrumphed at him and went into the kitchen to fill a bowl with water. There was black food coloring in the pantry, and I didn't know if that's because it's something witches always keep on hand or if the house supported my scrying efforts. Either way, after I grabbed a quartz on a silver chain from my stash of amulets, I was ready to scry.

  I put the bowl on the kitchen table and lit some white candles around it. Meri jumped up on the table and sat nearby my setup while I took a seat in the closest chair and made myself comfortable.

  "Okay,” I said. "I'm going to get started."

  Meri reached out with his little paw and touched the bowl once.
He then proceeded to climb off the table into my lap where he curled up into a little ball.

  I held the crystal over the bowl and let it swing around a few times. After I lowered it and started a ripple across the surface of the black water, I set the pendant off to the side.

  My gaze was directed at the surface of the water. I watched it intently as the ripples began to slow down and clear. When they stopped was when I would see a vision, if I was going to get one at all. I had to stay laser focused or I could miss whatever message came through the water mirror.

  "Something's happening,” I said, and Meri jumped back up on the table so he could look too.

  I did not get the vision I was hoping for. Instead, my heart began to pound nearly out of my chest as I saw a woman's hands pull a gun out and shoot me dead.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The only clue the scrying provided, other than that it was definitely a woman who killed me, was that her nails were painted black with burgundy tips. I thought the nail polish looked familiar, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember from where. I'd seen so many women since I'd arrived in Coventry, and I couldn't remember what their hands looked like.

  Just in case my memory of the nails was a false one and I hadn't actually seen them before, I decided to talk to someone who I hadn't yet. I'd spoken with Katy Shoals' brother, but I hadn't talked directly to her. Perhaps she'd gotten tired of Merrill’s abuse and had taken matters into her own hands.

  Her brother, Kevin, told me she worked as a groomer at Paws and Claws. "We're going to go get your nails trimmed,” I said to Meri.

  "What?"

  "Just go with it. I need to talk to Katy Shoals at Paws and Claws. You're the only pet I have."

  "I'm not a pet, and I'm not going,” he said.

  "She's really good. Her brother told me,” I said.

  "And I'm just supposed to believe him?" Meri scoffed.

  "Come on, Meri. You eat demons for breakfast. You can handle a little nail trim. Don't be a baby."

  "That's not funny,” he said.

  "I didn't mean it literally,” I said and had to stifle a chuckle.

  "I'm glad we've crossed over to the point where my... current state is amusing to you,” he said.

  "Aw, come on. It must feel pretty good to be so young again. Don't you have tons of energy?" I asked.

  "Even if I did, I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of admitting it."

  "Fine,” I said. "But I need to talk to Katy Shoals. So, are you going to help me or not?"

  "Fine. Whatever,” he said. "I'm not riding in your purse, though."

  "Deal."

  We drove over to Paws and Claws and parked in the small lot next to the building. I'd never been inside before and was surprised to find it very much resembled a human hair salon. Instead of salon chairs, there were tables, but it was all very swanky. You could see the groomers working on dogs, but there was a reception desk just inside the door with a small waiting area.

  "Hello. Welcome to Paws and Claws, how can I help you?" a petite woman with jet black hair asked me from behind the desk.

  "I wanted to get my kitten's nails clipped,” I said. "I've heard such good things about Katy Shoals, and I was hoping she was available."

  I held up Meri so the woman could see him. He mostly fit in one hand.

  "Oh my gawd. Aw!!!" she cooed and reached out for him. "I'm Katy Shoals. I'd be more than happy to take care of the little guy. You have excellent timing, I'm between appointments."

  "Thank you," I responded.

  "Would you like to come back with me or wait here in the front?" she asked. "You're welcome to do either."

  "I'll come back with you. He's such a tiny baby, I'd hate for him to be away from his mommy,” I said and watched as Meri glared at me.

  "Oh, I totally understand. Well, right this way. I'll have you in and out in a jiffy."

  I took Meri back to one of the tables and put him down. Katy grabbed a set of tiny pink clippers and started snipping his nails. I was about to bring up her relationship with Merrill when I noticed her fingernails. They were pink and sparkly. While it was possible she changed the color in the last couple of days, I ruled that out when I realized she was wearing acrylics and there was growth near her cuticles. She'd had her nails done that way for at least ten days and possibly two weeks. Katy wasn't the person I'd seen in my vision, so I didn't believe she'd killed him. But, I still wanted to know why she'd dyed her hair black.

  "Your hair color is beautiful,” I said. "Did you get that done at a local salon?"

  "I did,” she said. "But I'm thinking of getting rid of it. I only did it because my boyfriend said that darker hair would make me look less washed out. He said the blonde made me look sick."

  "That's not a very nice thing for him to say."

  "I'm starting to realize that, but he's gone now. It doesn't matter anymore."

  "I'm sorry,” I said. "I hope you'll be okay."

  "I think I will be,” she said and handed Meri back to me. "I would never wish for anyone to die, but now that he's gone, I've gotten a lot of perspective on how bad things were. Now I have another chance at life."

  After that, we walked up to the reception area, and I paid for the nail trim. I left her a tip too because she really had done an excellent job. Even when we got out to the car, Meri said it wasn't as bad as he'd thought.

  As we were leaving, I couldn't help but wonder what had led a beautiful girl like Katy to get involved with a loser like Merrill Killian.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I was rapidly approaching a dead end in the investigation. Katy hadn't been the woman I'd seen in my vision, and after talking to her, I felt it in my heart she wasn't the killer. She was better off with Merrill dead, but she hadn't murdered him.

  My last hope unless something new came up was Stella and Jerry's affair. I did not want to talk to Jerry again, so I drove to Mann's Grocery Store. I thought that maybe if I confronted Stella about the affair, she'd confess. It was a long shot, but I was rapidly running out of ideas.

  Stella was at the customer service desk, and when she saw me come into the store, she immediately came out from behind the counter.

  "Outside,” she said as she breezed past me.

  I turned and followed her out to the area where we'd talked before. She pulled a cigarette out of her pack and lit it with a unicorn lighter.

  "This whole town knows you're looking into my ex-husband's murder. I can't be seen talking to you at my work,” she said and took a deep drag.

  "I don't want to bother you,” I said. "But I know that you and Jerry are in a relationship. I also know that it started before you and Merrill got divorced."

  "So?" she asked.

  "So, Merrill was threatening to go to Jerry's wife. Your boyfriend would have lost everything."

  She let out a huge sigh and took another puff of her cigarette. "Yeah, but I was with Jerry the night Merrill died. We were at Totally Tanked all night,” she said. "From right after I got off work at five until we got kicked out after one."

  "Totally Tanked,” I said.

  "Yeah, it's the old tavern out by the mill. I know you've heard of it before. It's been in Coventry for at least twenty years," Stella said.

  "And neither of you left at any time?” I said feeling myself deflate.

  "Nope. No need too. We got burgers there for dinner and there are plenty of drinks, darts, and pool. All the entertainment we needed."

  "What does Jerry tell his wife when he's out with you half the night?" I asked.

  "Heck if I know. That's not my business," Stella said and took another drag. "I assume he tells her he's working on a job late and then says he got in right after she went to sleep."

  "Well, thanks,” I said.

  "I'm actually sorry I can't help you more," Stella said. "You seem like a real nice woman. I hope you find what you're looking for."

  After that, I left. I sat in my car for a few minutes and debated whether I should go check
her alibi at Totally Tanked. On one hand, I figure I was going to find out she was telling the truth anyway. On the other, I knew I'd always wonder if I didn't at least go ask.

  I found Totally Tanked on Google and got the address and directions. In a few minutes, I was pulling into their nearly empty parking lot.

  The inside was about what you'd expect. It was a dark wood bar with dark tables and booths with green seat cushions. There were two pool tables and several dartboards.

  I made my way up to the bar where there were already two older men nursing beers. I couldn’t be sure if they’d arrived recently or they’d been there all day.

  “Can I help you?” a bartender asked from the opposite end of the bar.

  I walked down to where he was standing so the other bar patrons couldn’t hear our conversation.

  “I’ll take a Coke please,” I said.

  He eyed me suspiciously. “Is that all?”

  I pulled out a ten-dollar bill and slid it across the bar. “Keep the change.”

  “Sure thing,” he said and grabbed a glass for my soda.

  He made my soda from syrup and the carbonated water dispenser behind the bar. I'd never seen one made like that before, but I guessed that was how they used to do it.

  The bartender placed the soda in front of me with a paper wrapped straw and pocketed the ten-dollar bill I'd given him. It was only after watching him do that I realized that sodas were probably free.

  I drank about half my soda before the bartender came back down and stood in front of me. During that time, he'd been getting the other two men a new beer.

  "So, why are you really here?" he asked as I took another sip of my fountain soda. "I do a decent job mixing up a Coke, but I know that's not why you came in."

  I bit my bottom lip and thought it over for a moment. I'd come in to ask him a question, I figured I might as well ask it. "Were you working the night Merrill Killian died?"