by Ann Denton
“What kind of things was she mad about?”
“Thought I took the toaster oven. Then her engagement ring. Then just to be mad, I guess.”
“What about her son? Did you two get along?”
“He was a closed off, shifty kid. Don’t blame him with his mom. Hid that girl he was dating. Hid the projects he tinkered with. Kinda just sat there with his TV tray like a lump on a log.”
If Mason’s mom is really such a nag, gets her heart broken, and suddenly all her attention is focused on nitpicking her son … I can see Mason getting ticked enough to want to kill Gor. Maybe.
But I’m really not getting a guilty vibe from Gor. Not an angry at Mason McDonnelly vibe. Or even a ‘I did it and hid it’ vibe. Dang.
If I’m wrong and Gor didn’t kill Mason, who the heck did?
Chapter 20
I ask if I can step outside for a second. Bennett nods.
I head into the parking lot, trying to piece the bits of evidence together. I led us in the wrong direction. Flowers is right. I need to look at the evidence. I stare at the sky, my mind as blank and empty as it is.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out. It’s JR.
"I've lost the ring!" she whisper-yells through the phone. Her voice sounds like one of those crazy people who talk to themselves.
"Ring?"
"Shh! I don't want her to hear. The wedding ring! Dress rehearsal. Remember? It was in my hand. Then Camilla needed help with her dress for the bathroom. I was lifting it up. All five hundred pounds. Now it's gone."
“Wait. She was in her dress for rehearsal?”
“The idiot nymph takes dress rehearsal literally. Plus, she’d use any excuse to get photos of herself. But focus. The ring!”
"Well it's got to be in the bathroom."
"No, I thought it was in the chapel. Duh! Not stupid enough to call you before I searched the bathroom. On my hands and knees. In my dress."
“You’re never touching me again. Hepatitis. Hepatitis.”
“Not helping, Ly-ly.”
“Where’s Danny?”
“I can’t have him come into the women’s restroom!”
I bite my lip. "Well … what about her dress? Does it have lace? Could it have gotten caught?"
There's a long pause on the other side. Then a sigh. "She's gonna freak out."
"Who says you have to tell her? Just say you think you see some specks of dirt on the dress and you want to get them off. Or that some of her bodice jewels look loose. Make something up."
"That will still make her freak out."
"Yeah, but bridezilla will be freaking out about the dressmaker not you. Lesser of two evils." I shrug.
"Ugh. I wish you were here."
"Pretty glad I'm not."
"Witch."
"Nope. Fairy." I can picture her unwilling smile on the other side of the line.
"The ring, Ly-ly. I lost the ring!"
"You'll find it. I believe in you."
All I hear is a sigh. Then a dial tone.
At least I’ve helped someone solve something. The case is another story. I turn back to the pawnshop and stare at it.
The ring. For some reason, that word floats around in my head. The ring. Gor gave one to McDonnelly’s mom. She accused Gor of taking it back. An engagement ring …
“Was that call related to a case?” Bennett’s tone is pure boss-ass. I hate it. Hate the tension between us.
He and Flowers come out of the shadows in front of Gor’s like two creepy crapheads.
“Umm… the case of the missing wedding ring!” I’m fumbling for words, just anything to get his glare to stop. But then somehow, that phrase clicks. The missing wedding ring.
I pull up the footage from the mayor’s Councilor announcement.
“Get closer. Watch,” I order Flowers and Bennett to crowd me and stare down at my phone. Seena rounds the corner and joins our huddle.
Jackie Hanna comes into the frame.
“Look!” I point at her.
The men look at me like I’m some ridiculous contestant on some game show. Not like I’m a freaking genius. I point and speak like a preschool teacher. “This is Jackie Hanna. She is interviewing the candidates before the mayor’s announcement. Notice anything?”
They stare back blankly.
“The hands boys. Look at the hands.”
They squint up at the screen. “She has nail polish?” Flowers—for the first and probably only time in his life—sounds tentative.
I groan. “She’s wearing a ring! A ring with a big emerald. An engagement ring.”
They look at each other. Then back at me.
“She is not wearing a ring later.”
I fast-forward to Bernard’s second collapse. Jackie’s gesturing at the camera, an extra button in her top suddenly undone. I turn to the guys. Their focus is clearly not on her hands. Where it should be.
I clear my throat. “Ahem. See? Ring gone.”
“So?” Flowers raises his brow.
Don’t trust me, Muscles? It’s on.
I march back into the shop and bang on the hidden door to Gor’s office. It slides open. This time I don’t even blink at the ‘eau de horror.’ I have more important things to do.
I hold up the video and hit replay. “Sorry. One last question. See this ring? Is that the engagement ring you gave McDonnelly?” I ask as I hear the guys come up behind me.
Gor peers at the screen. “Yes. Why does that trashy reporter have it?”
“What kind of ring was it?”
“1932 emerald poison ring with a twenty-four-karat band.”
“A poison ring?” That throws me for a loop. Though it fits.
I hear Seena give a little snort behind me. He knows I’m right this time.
“You said Mason had a girlfriend?” I verify with Gor.
“Yes. Saw a woman sneaking out at noon a few times.”
“Jackie interviewed his mother. She deliberately asked if he had a boyfriend. If they worked together, she’d know he had a girlfriend, right? Why would she do that?” I turn to look at Bennett.
That hot, intense stare is back. Yes, Mr. French. I’m on the right track. I know it. You know it.
I continue, “She’d only do that if she were trying to cover her tracks. If she and Mason teamed up for the first murder. If they were together. If Mason stole that ring and gave it to her. If she helped her boyfriend go after the goblin that ruined his life.”
“Speculation,” Flowers retorts.
“Where’d the ring go? How do you lose a ring in an hour? If you’re in a massive wedding dress that’s being held overhead as you cop a squat, sure, a ring can get dropped. Get lost in a sea of ruffles. Snag on a bed of lace. But one on your finger? Uh-uh.”
“Mason mixed the poison. She smuggled it in,” Seena breathed.
Gor sits down in his desk and strokes his chin. “Maybe. Maybe.”
“It would be pretty easy to sneak poison past the cops at the door doing magic checks by flashing her cleavage. Cause those things are eye magnets for boys.”
“Say your theory is true, how’d they get the gun?”
I turn to Flowers. “You did notice her going off with Russo when we had a break, right?”
He shrugs. “So?”
“So, I bet they got nice and cozy during their off-screen time. Jackie seems to use her nymph talents to her advantage. Wouldn’t have been hard to snag that key he keeps in his pocket. Remember how he couldn’t find it right away?”
“Her boyfriend would let her do that?”
Gor tosses out. “He’s a pushover. And, that family doesn’t let go of a grudge. That’s for sure. It’s possible. If she told him it was the only way.”
Seena jumps on my bandwagon again. Guess solving the crime is more important than competing at this point. “Jackie could’ve handed off the key and the ring to McDonnelly, he could’ve planted the gun and camera at the same time, then she smuggles the key back. Remote spell detonator wou
ld have been easy to keep in his pocket.”
“Why the heck would Jackie do all this? Don’t tell me she’s in love with the guy. I’ve never seen such a floozy,” Flowers growls.
Why? Why indeed?
My lips start moving before my brain catches up. “Attention. The murder was on TV. She’s been angling for a promotion ever since. She’s gotten national coverage outta this.”
Flowers gives me a slight nod. Wait. Is that acceptance? Acknowledgement? But then he speaks, “Well, this is nice. In theory. But we don’t have the ring. We don’t have any proof to tie Jackie in.”
"They obviously got rid of the ring." I roll my eyes. "Even a thickhead knows to get rid of the murder weapon. Mason would have tossed it somewhere. It's like murder 101."
Flowers stares me down. With his scary stare. The one that forces me into doing extra push-ups even when I feel like dying. “Prove it. Find the ring.”
It takes a second. But a cheshire grin slowly spreads over my face. “To solve this case, we need to find a lost murder weapon?” I waggle my eyebrows.
“Yes.”
“What’s this?” Bennett looks between us.
“Well, it just so happens that the commander has helped me become proficient at losing things.”
Bennett’s jealousy flares up again. This time, I’m too giddy to do anything but fan it.
“Mr. Flores, we’ll have to see if all those hard early-morning sessions paid off.” I wink.
Flowers groans at the innuendo and holds up a hand to ward off Bennett’s fury. “Not like that.”
I link arms with both men, ignoring the hot rage on one side and the utter discomfort on the other. My eyes light up as I look at Seena declare, "Field trip!"
We pile out of Bennett's government-issued SUV and walk up the steps to Town Hall. Jordan, another recruit, is on guard duty this afternoon. He stands near the spelled salt line cordoning off the first crime scene. He's clearly on high alert, because he's got a half-eaten candy bar in his hand.
I steal the candy bar and take a bite.
“Hey!” Jordan complains.
"Good to see you too. Anybody been by?"
Jordan rolls his eyes. "Only every five minutes. Honeycutt’s people really want us to solve this case so they can start making announcements and holding meetings again."
I nod. "Wish granted."
Jordan looks at Bennett, "You found the guy?"
I pat Jordan's shoulder. "Need to work on the inherent sexism."
Seena rolls his eyes at us. “Come on, Loser. Let’s get this over with.”
I step over the salt line, feeling the electric buzz as the line senses my badge and relaxes.
I pull my phone out of my purse. In a touch of inspiration, I turn the flashlight function on. Who says that thing is useless? Not me. Not today, anyway.
I take a deep breath, ignoring the skeptical looks from Ben and Seena.
I steady my nerves and hold out my phone. I do not think about how this could be a very expensive mistake. One last deep breath. Focus.
“I’ve lost my cellphone in the same location as Jackie Hanna’s emerald poison ring.”
The phone disappears.
I let out a breath. Part one. Okay. Hopefully I gambled right. Hopefully she and Mason didn’t throw that ring into the Pacific. That would suck. I’ve got nine months left on my contract.
Time for part two.
I walk over to Bennett and hold out my hand. “I need your phone.”
“No way. This is government-issued.” He puts a hand protectively over his pocket.
“I’m not gonna lose it. I’m gonna ping my phone.”
He grunts but pulls his phone out.
I take a deep breath and open the Find My Phone app. I pray he hasn’t taken me off the contact list yet. I scroll through the numbers. I see mine. I let out a sigh of relief. I could ping my phone through the internet. But this is way faster. And right now, I’m desperate to see where they ditched that ring. My hands shake slightly as I punch the screen and activate the homing device.
“Alright boys. Let’s spread out and search.”
I knew Mason didn’t have a lot of time out of everyone’s line of sight. What I didn’t expect was to find pinging coming from the men’s restroom.
“Hey guys!” I yell. “Over here.” All three come sprinting over. As if this is the most amazing and outrageous thing. Or as if it’s dinnertime. Looks the same to me, anyway.
I let them do the honors and go into that putrid, urine-infested room first.
“Find it?” I call, once I’ve steeled myself with a final breath of fresh air.
I take a step in only to yelp and leap back. Bennett’s standing in the middle of the floor with an empty trash bag in his hand. Garbage is scattered all over the floor. Along with my phone, pinging like an annoying alarm, flashlight shining like a beacon through what looks like a used condom.
I groan. Quadruple gross. “This is my karma for making fun of JR crawling all over the bathroom.”
Everyone in the room stops what they’re doing and stares.
“Crawling? Why?” Seena asks.
I wave them off. “Never mind.”
“Do you see the ring?” Bennett asks, kicking aside some paper towels.
“No, but don’t touch it if you see it. A touch was all it took for Becca to go under,” Seena warns.
“Found it!” Flowers is in one of the stalls, where the trash tsunami overflowed under the stall door. He kicks it our way. It clatters across the tiles.
Seena freaks. “Don’t touch it!” He jumps up and nearly climbs a sink.
“They’re called boots.” Flowers comes out of the stall and watches the ring settle in the middle of the floor.
The guys all crowd near to look at it. I hang back. My eyes search the bathroom. What are we gonna use to scoop that ring up? I’m not sure the poison won’t leach through paper towels. Or plastic bags.
I hear a clink. And, “Yes!” in Bennett’s growly voice.
Ben holds up his investigator badge. He’s unpinned it and stabbed it through the ring. Now the ring rests on his five-pointed star. Like some kind of metallic pentagram of evil.
I shudder. “Alright. One item down. Now who’s gonna grab my phone?”
Seena shoulders past me to hold the door open for Bennett. “Need to work on the inherent sexism, Loser. You’re gonna have to get it yourself.”
Damn!
Chapter 21
So, obvi, next stop is Jackie’s place. Bennett gets warrant approval on the road and a nice little email doc on his phone complete with the judge’s signature.
We discuss the second murder on the way.
“Maybe Mason got cold feet?” Seena suggests
“Maybe he still wanted to go after Gor and Jackie’d already gotten what she wanted,” Bennett tosses out.
Flowers even contributes, “She was the one to find the body, and statistically—”
“Eighty-five percent of homicides end with the murderer found standing over the body,” Seena and I recite together.
Bennett parks down the street and a hazmat witch shows up to collect the ring and bring it back to the lab.
Bennett and Flowers go first, guns drawn. In case.
Jackie’s not at her place. I mean, what are the odds? Murderer going underground. I know. Totally shocking, right?
We bust in anyway because we have a warrant and we’re gathering evidence. Good thing she lives in a tiny bungalow buried under a ton of palm trees, otherwise neighbors would be staring.
Her house is totally weird. I mean, who puts up that many photos of themselves? With no one else in them? She also has an unhealthy obsession with baby pink. She even has a pink light shining down on a little aquarium where a lizard and a frog are living in semi-harmony.
Which, when we make it to her bedroom, morphs into an unhealthy obsession with Pegasuses. Pegasi? Yeah, I do not know how to say that word. A pegasus is rare. They’re kinda like the tigers
of the horse shifter world. Alpha. Loners. Dangerous. Okay, maybe I can see the appeal. A little.
Anyway, her room is like some teen fangirl monstrosity. Only adulted. She doesn’t have posters. She has full canvas prints of hot, muscled, half-shifted pegasi men showing off their wings and ripping their shirts off.
Seena snorts beside me as he starts shuffling through the perfume and potion bottles on Jackie’s dresser.
“What? Don’t like her taste? She’s into horses.”
“She’s a murderer. And she’s not into horses. She’s into ego. Big egos.”
“Yeah, well I bet another part of them is pretty big too,” I say as I bend to check under the bed. I pull out a box and slide off the lid. It’s a memory box, stuffed full of concert tickets, letters, random photos of Jackie and friends. “Oh crap.” I can just imagine Flowers forcing me to go through this for the next two hours.
I consider shoving the box back under the bed but damn! It’s like he’s reading my mind. Flowers pops up on our side of the room.
“Good. Bring that, Fox. Got anything, Mostafavipour?”
Seena holds up a couple bottles. “She has a collection of low-level illegal potions here, I think. Need lab testing to confirm.”
“Good. Extra charges the D.A. can toss on. I’ll have a witch come by and check the place for spells too.”
Bennett wanders up with a calendar in his hands. “So, I don’t think we need to set too many guys to watch this place. It looks like there’s some kind of music festival thing she’s going to. Unless she suspects we’re onto her.” He holds up the calendar.
I squint to read, “Rainbow Cloud Wishes. Hold up.” I quickly sift through the clutter in the box and grab a few items. Tickets. Brochures with a rainbow and cloud, just like the poster on McDonnelly’s wall. “She’s been to this before. Looks like it’s a thing for her. Even got backstage passes.”
“Ugh,” Seena groans.
We all turn to him.
“Rainbow Cloud Crap is this god-awful band from L.A. They’ve been catching on lately. With idiots. Like Jackie. They think they’re a punk-magic band. To be clear, they’re not. They suck. And all these stupid girls dress up in costume for their concerts.”
