by Zoe Arden
Lucy was standing outside when we arrived, talking to my dad and Sadie. I was momentarily thrown off balance, confused as to what my dad and Sadie were even doing here. Last I'd seen Sadie was earlier today, and she'd still been quite ill.
I hurried over to them. Lucy saw me and gave me a hug. "Are you okay?" I asked her.
"It was awful. One minute, Red was standing there, the next the lights went out and when they came back up he... he..." She burst into tears and I put my arms around her once again, holding onto her for a minute until she was able to calm down. She pulled away, wiping at her face.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Don't be. I'd be upset, too. Red was a nice guy."
"Yeah, he was." She sniffed loudly. Colt had gone to talk to Sheriff Knoxx. They were conferring together in a corner while Deputy Elwin Muster hustled to keep people away from the crime scene.
"Dad? What are you doing here?" I asked him, looking from him to Sadie. I suddenly realized that they were wet. Not soaked but damp. And there were dark splotches on their coats.
"I left your aunts at the bakery to check on Sadie, and she was feeling so much better that I thought it might be nice to get her out the apartment for a bit."
"I've been cooped up in there for days now," she said. Her eyes were glassy, and I suspected she'd been crying, too.
"I thought a nice hot cup of coffee would be just the thing for her," my dad said. "I never dreamed something like this would happen."
"Why are you two wet?" I asked him, holding my breath. I suspected that I already knew the answer.
"It was the strangest thing," Sadie said. "Just as we were leaving, right before Red got... well, you know. We had just stepped outside, and a giant raincloud appeared over the coffee shop. It started raining on us, so we darted back inside the shop just as the lights went out."
I looked at Lucy again, my heart beating fast. "A raincloud?" I asked her.
She nodded her head slowly.
"Yeah. It's like Sadie said. It was clear skies one minute, the next it was raining and thundering and Red was lying on the floor."
Oh, my roses.
I didn't know what to do. I wished Eleanor was here. The cookies must not have worked. The dark spirit was obviously still in Sadie, and poor Red had paid the price for it.
Colt came over just then. "We're gonna need to ask you all some questions before you can go," he said. "Ava, it would be better if—"
"I'm not going anywhere," I said, cutting him off.
He sighed.
"All right. Can I just talk to you for a minute alone please?"
I nodded. We walked to the side, out of earshot. "I know this isn't exactly the right time but before things get too crazy, I just wanted to ask you to think about what we talked over at dinner. Don't give me an answer today or even tomorrow. Just think about it for a few days and let me know what you decide."
"I will," I said, and I meant it. It wouldn't change my mind though. I wasn't ready for marriage. I'd wait a few days and then tell him that.
A black sedan pulled up beside me and Colt just then. Mike Bison jumped out, looking around at everyone as though he thought we were all guilty of murder.
"All right," he shouted. "Someone better start talking."
* * *
CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
.
.
.
* * *
* * *
.
Mike Bison stomped around the crime scene, barking orders and shouting out questions as if he was Sheriff Knoxx's right-hand man. Heck, it was almost as if he thought he was Sheriff Knoxx himself.
The real Sheriff Knoxx did not take too kindly to being ordered around.
"Why isn't there any police tape up here?" Bison shouted. "You! Get some up here now!" He pointed at poor Elwin Muster, who stood looking confusedly from him to Sheriff Knoxx, not sure what he should do.
"And you!" continued Bison, pointing to a second deputy who looked even more like a deer in headlights than Elwin. "Get these people out of here. Why are there so many people just standing around outside a crime scene?"
He looked at me, my dad, Sadie, and Lucy, as though this last comment was directed at us.
It was evening, and the cool air was setting in. A breeze blew past me and whipped my hair around my head in a halo. I brushed it out of my eyes and when I looked again, Mike Bison was standing right in front of me.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Don't tell me you were inside when this murder occurred." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me, and I had to remind myself that this man was human, not a paranormal. It would do no good to hex him or cast a spell to give him a temporary pig nose. Something like that would only get me into trouble with both COMHA and the Witch's Council.
"Now hold on a second," Sheriff Knoxx said, taking a deep breath and puffing out his chest like a rooster. "You have no right to come into my crime scene and start barking orders to my deputies and my witnesses."
"Witnesses?" Bison said, his face both lighting up and souring at the same time. He turned back to me. "So, you were here when the murder occurred. That's awfully convenient, don't you think? Most people don't witness one murder in a week, let alone two."
"What? No," I shouted, looking at the sheriff and then at Colt, who hovered nearby. "I wasn't here. I was at dinner with Colt."
The words came out of my mouth before I had a chance to consider them.
Mike Bison stopped yelling at me and scratched his head. He followed my gaze and turned his dark eyes on Colt. "You two... were at dinner... together?" he said, as if he couldn't quite comprehend what I'd just told him.
"Yes," Colt said. "Ava is my girlfriend. I took her out for the evening."
Bison stood staring from one to the other of us as if he'd never heard anything so ridiculous in his life.
"But... she's a witness. You're an officer of the law. You can't date a witness."
"We were already dating when the first murder occurred," Colt told him.
"Well, stop that," Bison snapped. "You should have immediately ended things once your investigation began. This is highly improper."
"I'm not going to end things with my girlfriend of more than a year just because you think it's against protocol."
"If she were your wife or fiancée, I might understand," Bison said, "but in this case—"
"In this case, you need to butt out and mind your own business," Colt shouted, stepping closer to him. I felt the tension increase as Bison took a step closer to Colt, too. They were almost nose to nose.
A shrill whistle rang out through the air. I turned and saw Sheriff Knoxx with two fingers in his mouth. He looked angry.
"You, Bison," he snapped. "Back off." His eyes shifted to Colt. "Colt, step away. He's not worth it."
Bison didn't seem too offended by the sheriff's words, if he even heard them. He did not back away from Colt; he simply rounded his shoulders back and stood a little straighter. Colt, however, let out a sigh and took one big step backward.
Sheriff Knoxx nodded and turned to Elwin. "Go ahead and get the police tape," he said.
Elwin nodded and did as the sheriff told him. I was sure he would have done that in another moment, anyway, even if Bison hadn't suggested it.
"Now," Sheriff Knoxx said, retaking control of his crime scene, "if you care to join us on our investigation as an observer, then I'll be more than happy to accommodate you, considering the circumstances."
"An observer?" scoffed Bison. "I'm a cop, not an observer."
The sheriff sighed. "I called Miami and checked you out. You have a good reputation as a solid police officer. And since Dave Harley was a friend of yours, I'm willing to cut you a little leeway but you can't go barging into my crime scenes and acting like you're in charge, or I'll ship you back to Miami on the next ferry out. Understood?"
For a minute, I thought Bison was going to argue with him but he surprised me and kept his mouth shut.
&nb
sp; "Now then," Sheriff Knoxx said, "I need to know precisely what everyone saw."
Lucy, my dad, Sadie, and several other customers who'd been inside the coffee shop when it happened, all started talking at once.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sheriff Knoxx said, inhaling a long breath. "I'll talk to each of you on your own. We'll never get anywhere if you're all talking over each other." He looked around the scene. "Sadie, you go with Colt. Eli, you come with me. Lucy, talk to Elwin." Everyone else he split up with his other deputies.
I hung back, watching Bison go from person to person like a dog looking for table scraps. He finally stopped when Sheriff Knoxx told him he'd have to leave if he couldn't stand still. He took up a spot near me.
"So, how long have you two been dating?" he asked, a little too casually.
"Over a year," I told him. "Like Colt said."
He nodded.
"What do you know about this Red fella? Did he have any enemies?"
I laughed. "Red? Enemies? No, I mean, I don't think so. He was eighteen and worked in a coffee shop. I think he just graduated high school not long ago. As far as I know, everyone liked him."
"So, you knew him well, did you?"
"Not really."
"What about the first victim? Dave Harley?"
"What about him?"
"How well did you know him?"
"Not at all."
Bison squinted at me. "He never came into your bakery?"
"Not that I recall."
Bison nodded, silent for a minute. I looked around, hoping that Colt or Sheriff Knoxx were almost through and could save me from Bison's interrogation.
Some of the customers who'd been in Coffee Cove when Red died finished with the deputies and began to leave. A couple of them walked past us. I recognized them as islanders, Pat and Patty Reynolds, an old married couple who'd been together since the beginning of time. At least that was what it seemed like. They were very sweet and often came into Mystic.
"Why is that human yelling at Ava?" Pat asked his wife.
"Ssh!" Patty said and mouthed the word "human."
"Oh, right. Oops," Pat said. They hurried past us, leaving Bison with a confused stare on his face.
"What was that about?" he asked me.
I shrugged. "How should I know?"
He turned and looked at me, only this look went beyond mere scrutiny. "There's something funny about this island. I can't put my finger on it."
"There's nothing funny about it except your attitude," I said, smarting off to him when I should've just kept my mouth shut.
"No, that's not it," he said, ignoring my remark almost entirely. He was thinking now, his eyes moving around the place, taking in everything with his cop's eyes. "Have you heard of the women's group MAPP?"
"No," I lied. I knew exactly where he was going with this and had no desire to participate in the conversation.
"Mothers Against Paranormal Predators," he went on. "They're a joke. Everybody knows that. They think witches and wizards are roaming around the world putting curses on people. But a few months ago... they released some pictures and video they said they got off this island."
"So?" I asked, playing dumb.
"The photos were all Photoshopped. That was obvious. But some of the video..." He shook his head. "People said it was all CGI but a lot of it looked real enough to me."
"What kind of video?" I asked. I'd seen the videos online myself when they were released.
"People making things levitate. Lights coming out of nowhere." He shrugged. "It's probably nothing but now that I'm here on this island, where they said they got everything from... I don't know." He shrugged again. "Like I said, probably nothing."
"Probably," I agreed. "Anyway, MAPP is crazy. Everybody knows that. You said it yourself."
He shot me a look. "I thought you said you'd never heard of them."
I blinked. "I-I haven't. I was just, you know, agreeing with you. Repeating what you said." But he wasn't buying it. For a human, he was surprisingly astute.
"There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?" he said.
"No." I shook my head.
"What is it?" He was inching closer to me, starting to raise his voice. "Tell me!"
Colt was back over to us in two seconds. "Get away from her," he snapped at Bison.
Bison backed off. "I want to know what's going on here. I feel like no one's being truthful with me. Like you're all hiding something."
"You're paranoid," Colt told him.
"Maybe but just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean I'm wrong."
"That's it. I'm calling my boss. Tonight. I'm getting you tossed off this island for good."
Bison lifted an eyebrow. "Who's your boss?"
Colt opened his mouth to say Dean Lampton then must have thought better of it. Bison was a human detective; he would have no idea who Dean Lampton was. If he looked into it, all he'd find out was that Dean was the head of a toilet plunger company, because that was the cover story that had been set in place for him long ago. As for Colt, Bison thought he was just a normal detective with Sweetland Cove.
"My boss isn't your concern. Trust me when I tell you that by tomorrow, you'll be gone."
"We'll see," Bison said. "I don't give up so easily."
"Neither do I."
* * *
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
.
.
.
* * *
* * *
.
Coffee Cove was inundated with tourists and locals alike the next day. Everybody liked a good piece of gossip, and this latest bit was extra juicy. Particularly because Coffee Cove was considered one the favorite "hotspots" in Sweetland Cove. It was extremely popular with people of all ages and paranormal groups. Fairies and vampires frequented it just as much as witches and wizards.
I walked past it the next morning, thinking I'd pop in, grab a coffee, and talk to Lucy—it had been difficult to talk to her the night before with so much happening—and had quickly turned away and gone to Mystic when I saw the line waiting to get in.
"It's packed over there," I announced when I stepped into Mystic. Trixie looked at me expectantly. "Sorry, there was no way I could get in there for a regular cup of coffee let alone a Brass Monkey. The wait must be an hour long."
"Yikes," Eleanor said. "All because some poor soul was murdered in there. It's terrible." She hesitated. "I don't suppose you had a chance to talk some more with Lucy, did you?"
I shook my head. "Not now. Maybe it'll cool off by lunch."
"I doubt it," my dad said. "I walked past there on my way here from Sadie's, and judging by that line, you won't get a word in with Lucy until next week sometime."
I sighed. "I texted her. We'll just have to wait to hear from her, I guess."
"At least that explains why it's so empty in here today," Trixie said. "Everyone's forgoing their pastries in lieu of coffee."
"Well, that's not entirely accurate," Eleanor said. "After all, who supplies Coffee Cove with their pastries to go with their coffee?"
"We do," Trixie said. "But from the way it sounds, they probably sold out of our things a half hour ago." She bit her bottom lip. "Maybe I should call Melbourne. If he's there right now, he might need more, and then Ava can go down there to re-up their supply and have a chance to talk with Lucy."
"I was at the coffee shop last night, too, you know," my dad snapped. "Why is it so important to talk to Lucy? Why don't you just ask me what happened?"
"We have," Eleanor said gently. My dad was on a short fuse today. He'd gone home with Sadie after Sheriff Knoxx had taken their statements last night and hadn't gotten back home to our place until well after midnight. He'd been reluctant to leave Sadie at all but she had finally told him to go home so they could both get some sleep.
"We know what you told us," Eleanor said, "but it might be helpful to hear another perspective. What did Sadie say? Did you two talk about it?"
"No, we didn't," m
y dad said. "I didn't want her to relive the whole thing over again. We both went through enough last night as it was. She needed to rest. She's still sick, you know."
"She looked like she was feeling a lot better though," I said.
"She is but that doesn't mean she's all well now." His face was turning red and his right eye began to twitch. "Why can't everyone just leave us be and stop asking questions?"
Eleanor put a hand on my dad's shoulder. He looked at her and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just tired and I don't like that Mike Bison. He kept trying to get to Sadie last night, so he could question her but Sheriff Knoxx wouldn't let him."
"I know," Eleanor said. "He told me all about it when he got home. It's dead here right now—" She bit her bottom lip and her cheeks reddened. "That was a poor choice of words but you know what I mean. We're not busy and I don't think we're going to get busy. Not today, at least. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"
"Maybe I'll stop by Sadie's and see how she's doing," he said. "I might feel better if I see her, then I'll know she's okay."
Personally, I thought it was sweet how worried my dad was about her but it was probably driving Sadie a little crazy. If it were me, I knew that I'd be going nuts if Colt kept checking in on me every five minutes.
"Sadie's probably still sleeping," I said. "You wouldn't want to disturb her. Why don't you go home and text her? You can always see her later."
"No, I think I'll just stop by."
I sighed. When I saw Sadie again, I'd let her know that I'd tried. He took off his apron and made his way out of the bakery and toward her apartment.
"So, now what do we do?" Trixie asked when he was gone.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Ava, you are so smart but sometimes you're just as silly as they come. What do you think I mean? The dark spirit. It's obviously still here."
I let out a long breath. "Yeah, I guess it must be."
