by Esme Addison
Alex scoffed. “I don’t control Pepper Bellamy. But if she’s asking questions, I suggest you answer them. She’s relentless.”
Bryn’s crimson lips twisted into a sneer. “She’s bothering my mother, just like you did. I have a low tolerance for that.”
Alex returned her glare. “And I have a low tolerance for your attitude, Bryn. You should leave.”
Bryn raised an eyebrow. “You have no idea who you’re messing with. Or what I’m capable of.” With that, she brushed past Alex and strutted for the door, pausing to point at the ceiling. “You should get that fixed.”
Alex followed her gaze. “Get what fixed?”
There was a sound like a gunshot. Alex shrieked and ducked behind a table. But it wasn’t a gun. Water poured through the ceiling. Minka yelped in surprise, and Alex stared in shock as the water spilled right onto a display of soaps. Bath bombs fizzed on the floor, turning the water into a rainbow-colored stream.
Bryn smiled. “Sounds like a pipe burst.” And with that, she walked out the door.
Chapter Twenty
Minka found a large brown wastebasket in the back room and Alex found a mop.
“Unbelievable,” Minka grumbled as she tossed the melted soaps into the trash. “All of this work is gone.”
She’d been able to stop the water with a flick of her wrist, but that still left a broken pipe and plenty of damage to the shop. They’d called a plumber and posted a sign on the door explaining the unexpected closure.
Poor Jenna had returned with a box of baked goodies only to hear that the shop was closed for the rest of the day. “It’s just a fluke,” Alex had assured her. “We’ll be back in business tomorrow.”
Jenna offered to help clean, but Minka told her to take the rest of the afternoon off.
“I really like her,” Minka confided to Alex as they cleaned. “She picks things up quickly.”
“She loves that lavender-and-lemon balm your mom makes. The one for sweet dreams,” Alex said.
“That’s good to know. I’m going to make her a basket of products to take home and try. I’ll be sure to include that one.” Minka paused. “I feel terrible that Bryn pulled this on her first day.”
“It’s not your fault.” Alex dragged the mop across the floor, but it was like trying to soak up a lake. “And we’re going to get everything done, don’t worry. Even if we have to come in early and leave late. And did I mention that Jack is going to be looking at Stephanie Bennett and Edwin Kenley now? The mayor too. Your mom may be back at the shop sooner than you realize.”
Minka’s eyes brightened. “Oh, that would be so wonderful. I miss having her here. No offense, Alex,” she added.
“None taken at all.”
“Don’t even bother with the mop. We’re water witches, remember?” Minka swept a pile of soaps into the trash and pushed the receptacle aside. “We can command water. Come here. I’ll show you how it’s done.”
Minka went into the back room and came back with a bucket. She set it on its side, away from the edge of the water. “You just have to tell it where to go,” she explained. “If there’s no magic around, water will follow the rules of nature and physics. But if there’s a witch …”
She pointed to the water, and immediately it formed a stream and ran straight into the bucket. When it was full, Minka turned the bucket upright again. “This is going to take forever,” she mused. The water sloshed around her shoes as she walked.
“Why don’t we move the water outside?” Alex suggested. “Cut out the bucket entirely.”
“Excellent idea. You want to try it? Just clear your mind and focus.”
Alex rubbed her hands together. Clearing her mind was easier said than done. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again, she focused her gaze on the water. Pointing to it, she whispered, “Go outside.”
The bright colors on the surface of the water rippled and danced. Then they arched in the direction of the doorway, almost as if they were showing the way out. The water collected and ran in a single, gentle stream under the crack in the shop door. Alex grinned. “It works.”
“Nicely done. You’re a natural.”
With a rush of confidence, the water picked up speed. The current bumped against the door in a pileup as every droplet hurried to obey Alex’s command. The two women stood side by side, watching as the water between the floorboards gathered to join the running stream. Within minutes, the floor was bone-dry.
“Whew. That was hard,” Minka joked, and checked the time on the cell phone in her back pocket. “The plumber isn’t coming until four, right?”
“That’s what they said, yeah.”
Minka fluttered her lips. “We can’t open until that pipe is fixed, but you don’t need to stick around if you don’t want to.”
Alex was torn. She wanted to track down Edwin and ask him about the pending Neptune Investments deal, but she didn’t want to be unfair to Minka. “I don’t want to leave you here all by yourself.”
Minka waved a hand. “Don’t worry about me. I have a romance novel and a dark-chocolate bar. And I know you’re going to run off to interview a suspect, so you don’t need to tell me.”
Alex bit her lower lip. “My thoughts are loud, aren’t they?”
“Deafening.” Minka gave Alex a hug. “Be careful. I mean it when I say that I’m fond of you and I don’t want to lose you again.”
Alex tightened their embrace. “You can read my thoughts. Do they sound mad at you?”
She laughed. “I’ve heard worse.”
* * *
Alex didn’t have a car, so she called a taxi to take her to Edwin Kenley’s office. The drive took so long that she feared he’d entered the wrong address into his GPS. How could they possibly still be in the same town? And when the car stopped in front of a gracious, white colonial, Alex knew there had been a mistake. “This can’t be right,” she said. “It looks like someone lives here.”
“Fifteen Seashell Way?” he asked. “This is the place.”
That’s when she noticed the unobtrusive wooden sign staked beside the driveway that advertised Bay Realty. “Oh, you’re right. It doesn’t look like a business, does it?”
“No miss, it sure doesn’t.”
She closed the door to the cab and stepped out onto the driveway. No wonder it had taken them so long to reach this property. The winding roads had led them to the very top of Bellamy Bay. From here she had a view of the arc of the bay itself, the cluster of homes and businesses comprising downtown, and the mansions on the Peninsula. The land was isolated because it was surrounded by the Captain John Bellamy Homestead Nature Preserve, which made this spot especially peaceful. Alex spotted the Wesley, Inc., headquarters sparkling like a quarter in the sunshine off in the distance. She’d thought the view from that building was breathtaking, but this was even better. This was where one would go to see everything that was happening in town.
The building itself was stately, traditional architecture. Alex took a moment to admire the clean lines and the symmetry of the structure, from the generous windows to the large pillars. The lawn was flawlessly clipped and already a lush green. Bright tulips brought hues of red and yellow to the flower beds. Standing on the front porch, she peeked into a window and saw the receptionist raising a mug of something to her lips as she stared at her screen. The woman looked up, and Alex quickly pressed herself against the side of the building.
She needed to get inside and up the stairs to see Edwin without anyone stopping her. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and visualized the receptionist’s body filling with liquid, so much so that she was about to have an accident if she didn’t go to the bathroom right now. Go to the bathroom. You need to go really bad. Alex peered into the window again. To her delight, the woman stood up, clutching her torso, and ran down the hall.
With the coast clear, Alex confidently entered the office, buoyed by her successful use of magic, and took in her surroundings. She found a direc
tory on the wall indicating that Edwin’s office was upstairs. Alex froze when she saw three employees gathered at the top of the stairs, talking. She glanced down at her jeans and T-shirt, cringing. She definitely didn’t fit in here. Here goes nothing, she thought as she ascended the stairs. As she approached the trio, Alex lifted her chin and focused her thoughts. Ignore my clothes. I look like I belong here. Ask me how you can help me.
A woman smiled. “Can I help you find someone? You look lost.”
“Yes, I’m looking for Mr. Kenley.”
She pointed to the end of the hall. “Down and to the right. He has the big corner office. You can’t miss it.”
Alex thanked her and continued on her way. Yes! She was finally getting the hang of it. If she could’ve jumped into the air and clicked her heels, she would’ve. Instead, she thought about what she would say to Edwin when she found him.
When she approached his office, she discovered the door was conveniently open. He was standing in front of a shelf, book in hand. He whirled around when she knocked on the door, and the pleasant look on his face quickly went ugly. “Who let you in?”
She put on an easy smile and stuck a thumb over her shoulder. “There wasn’t anyone at the front desk. Do you have a couple minutes, Mr. Kenley?”
He was taller than her, but thin and hunched from years of bending over a desk. Physically, Alex didn’t fear him, but she didn’t like the way he looked at her at all. His eyes hardened. “Funny. I was just thinking about you.” He gestured toward his office and waited for her to enter before he closed the door. “Have a seat.”
He walked behind a rather modest L-shaped desk and sat down himself. “Stephanie just called me in a panic. The police showed up at her house, asking questions about Randy’s death. This came after you cornered her in a crowded coffee shop and accused her of poisoning him in front of half the town.”
She fought to retain her composure, but she was secretly elated that Jack had already been to Stephanie’s house. He said he would and he is following through, she thought. Because Jack is a straight shooter who does what he says he will do. “I’m not sure what you’re implying, Mr. Kenley,” she said cautiously. “The police would only investigate Stephanie if they had a reason.” And they’re about to investigate you, she thought with a measure of enjoyment.
“They already arrested Lidia.” His face reddened, and a fat blue vein in his forehead swelled. “What kinds of rumors have you been spreading?”
“No rumors. On the contrary, I’m trying to get the facts of this case straight. For example, I’d like to know who is behind Neptune Investments, and why are you and Stephanie selling this business to them so soon after Randy’s death?”
A shadow crossed his face, and his snarl relaxed. “Neptune Investments? Is that what this is about?”
“The timing is a little suspicious, don’t you think?” Alex might be provoking a cobra, but she continued anyway. “Tacky at best.”
But Edwin appeared relieved that the sale of the company was at the root of her suspicions. “We haven’t signed anything. We’ve only been in discussions. And in fact, Randy and I were speaking with Neptune about the sale before he—” He paused. “Passed away. Stephanie is only agreeing to continue negotiations, nothing more.”
“So there’s no purchase-and-sale agreement?”
He shook his head. “None whatsoever. And if that’s the reason the police are after Stephanie …” Edwin shrugged. “Then we’ll table the whole thing. Six months. A year. Whatever is the appropriate mourning period in this stupid town.” He nearly spat the words. “And then we’re getting married and moving out of here. I can’t wait.” The color in his cheeks had returned to normal and the vein had receded, but his irritation was palpable.
“You don’t like Bellamy Bay?” Alex asked.
He choked out a laugh. “No, I don’t. In fact, I hate it. Everyone needs to know everything about you. It’s not the kind of place where you can blend in and simply be who you are.” He turned his chair to look out the window, keeping his profile to Alex. “Randy and I met years ago. I was working as an architect in a firm in Raleigh, designing office buildings. He had this great piece of land that he said he wanted to build an empire on.”
Edwin chuckled. “Randy had a way of pulling people into his vision. Next thing I knew, we were designing this very office together and I’d become his chief architect. I agreed to hold forty percent of the company. It seemed fair, considering all the money Randy invested. Big mistake.” His face grew serious. “You know what I got for all of my hard work and sacrifice? A stroke. My doctor said that if I don’t change my lifestyle, I will die young. And when I told Randy I wanted out, he wouldn’t agree to sell. He didn’t care about me. He didn’t care about anyone but himself.”
Alex studied him, noting again the vein pulsating in the center of his forehead. Did Edwin have a temper? “Couldn’t you have sold your interest to him?”
“Not for what I could sell it to a company like Neptune for.” Edwin turned back to face her. “They drove up the price beyond my wildest dreams. They said they would beat any offer, and they did, and then some.”
Alex whistled. “Wow. Did they tell you why they wanted this company so badly?”
“They see tremendous growth potential. We’ve established ourselves as the leading name in luxury coastal properties in the Southeast. Neptune wants to expand.”
That kind of ambition sounded like what she’d come to expect from the Bellamys. They had named a town and a prestigious college after themselves, so why wouldn’t they want to spread their influence?
“Randy and I never wanted to move beyond this region,” Edwin continued. “This was what we wanted.”
“What the two of you built is very impressive.”
“I have a team of talented architects and a set of proven design systems. Randy has me to thank for our company’s success,” he said bitterly. “But he wouldn’t sell. The price didn’t matter. My opinion didn’t matter. For Randy, nothing was enough.
She swallowed hard. Betrayal was a great motivation for murder. Was she staring into the eyes of Randy’s murderer? She smiled nervously at him. “Does Stephanie want to sell to Neptune?”
“Yeah, she does.” Then, realizing that he’d just given Stephanie motive to murder her husband, he said, “She wants a fresh start, now that Randy’s gone. Stephanie doesn’t know how to run this business, and she doesn’t care to learn. She’s talked about living in this building once the company is sold, but as much as it looks like a home, it’s really not.” He smiled sadly. “Clever design, don’t you think?”
“I thought you were selling the land with the business?” Pepper had said the land was part of the deal.
“No way. This is the best piece of real estate in Bellamy Bay.” He shook his head. “It’s too late, anyway. We’ve submitted an application to build an apartment building on the northern edge of the lot. Our long-term plans include offices and restaurants. Mix-use. It’s my design,” Edwin added. “It’s going to be spectacular.”
“Assuming the plans are approved,” she noted.
“They will be. I have Mayor Bellamy’s support. The zoning commission will do whatever he tells them to.”
Alex recalled Edwin schmoozing with Bronson Bellamy at the charity auction. She smiled politely. Maybe Bronson and Edwin were in on this together? And Stephanie? Her temples began to pound at the possibilities. “It sounds like you have it all figured out.”
He folded his hands on his desk and leaned forward. “I don’t know you, Alex. I don’t know why you’re fixating on Stephanie for this crime, but she’s innocent.”
It’s not just Stephanie that looks good for this crime. It’s you too.
She wanted to ask him point blank what he’d been doing at Randy Bennett’s house the night he died, but she knew she should wait and let Jack do it. She decided to try another strategy. “Tell me, does Stephanie take any interest in the supernatural?”
“Str
ange question.” Edwin was watching her with interest now. “No, on the contrary, it was Randy who was superstitious.”
Alex narrowed her eyes, trying to assess his manner and gestures. Trying to spot the signs that he was lying. “By superstitious, do you mean he believed in good and bad luck?”
“Why?”
His voice was guarded, but Alex smiled disarmingly. “He came into Botanika to purchase Good Luck tea, that’s all.”
“That’s because he was obsessed with Lidia,” Edwin blurted out. “He had this idea that she was out to get him. Every time something bad happened—someone scratched his car or we lost a client, anything—he’d do something weird to counteract it.”
Sitting back in her chair, Alex felt disappointment seize her. She had the sense that he was telling the truth. “Like what?”
“Ridiculous things, like throwing salt over his shoulder or carrying a rabbit’s foot or crystals. He’d get agitated if a black cat crossed his path, and he was a bundle of nerves on Friday the thirteenth. It was a joke around the office, except he didn’t laugh. One night after a few drinks, he confided that Lidia had magical powers and that she was out to get him. That she practiced witchcraft.” His gaze didn’t stray from hers. “Was Randy right? Does Lidia believe herself to be a witch?”
Edwin didn’t appear to have any inkling of Lidia’s true powers—or of Stephanie’s, for that matter. He considered this to be a matter of paranoia. “Of course Lidia doesn’t have anything to do with black cats or Friday the thirteenth,” Alex said lightly. “But if Stephanie knew about Randy’s so-called obsession with Lidia hurting him, doesn’t it make sense that she’d frame her for his murder?”
Edwin raised an eyebrow. “Lots of people knew about Randy’s fears, myself included. Do you think I poisoned him?”
And there it was. Her opening. “I don’t know what to think, honestly. But I’ve heard you were seen on security footage visiting Randy the night he was killed.” She held her breath, wondering if he was about to reveal himself as the murderer, or try to attack her, or …
