“I’ll go look in the bedroom,” Brody said. “If there is a woman living here, the closet and bathroom will make that completely obvious.”
While he was in the bedroom checking things out, I spied Gregory’s laptop on his dining area table. It was open, and I thought I might have hit the jackpot. I wouldn’t have thought a man like him would leave his computer open like that, but perhaps he’d been called away for a high-priority emergency surgery.
I hit the space bar to bring the machine to life, and I was astonished to find he didn’t have the computer password protected. Then, I realized it was because a man like Gregory Hargrave couldn’t fathom that anyone would dare spy on him. He’d made the consequences for disobedience too harsh.
Not only had he left the computer open and on, but he’d left in the middle of drafting an email. The one he was writing wasn’t of particular interest to me, but I clicked on his inbox and began to peruse his other emails.
What I found from a couple of days prior was of interest. It was of great interest. There in front of me was an email chain between Gregory and his lawyer.
My heart sank as I read the exchange. Gregory hadn’t left in a hurry for emergency surgery, he’d gone into work to appear in front of the hospital board.
I sat down in the chair in front of the computer and read the email exchange again. Then I read it one more time.
“What is it?” Meri asked. “You seem to be concentrating hard.”
“I was wrong,” I said.
“That’s not unusual.” Meri retorted. “But what were you wrong about this time?”
“What is it?” Brody asked as he joined us in the dining area.
“I was wrong about Gregory,” I said. “This is an email exchange between him and his lawyer. He wanted Clarissa put back in his will as a first step toward reconciliation. Gregory was also seeking legal advice about how best to turn his mistake into the hospital board of directors.”
“So what?” Brody asked. “Maybe he just got spooked. He could just be acting out of guilt if he went into a rage and killed Brittany.”
“That’s not it,” I said and stood up. “These emails are from before her murder. He was already planning to make things right with Clarissa and planning to turn himself in before Brittany died. That means he had no motive to kill her.”
“He still might,” Brody said, but he sounded defeated.
“But we have no idea what that might be, and frankly, given what’s here, I don’t think it was him.”
“Where does that leave us?” Brody asked.
“I don’t know, but we should get out of here. We’ll go home and see what we can figure out.”
When we got back to Hangman’s House, Brody went up to the attic library to read. He was afraid he was going to be arrested and wanted a chance to look through some of the books before they took him.
I was at a loss at that point as to how to help him. I’d been so sure it was Brittany’s father, and I didn’t know where to go next with my investigation. If I knew one person who knew where to look next, it would have had to have been Thorn.
Brody wasn’t hungry, so I just made dinner for the two of us. I figured we could discuss ways to help Brody over big plates of spaghetti and meatballs.
The pasta came out perfectly. The sauce and meatballs were seasoned just right, and Thorn arrived as I was plating the food. Everything pointed toward the evening going well.
We sat down to eat, and Thorn filled me in on his day. It had been an uneventful one filled with not much more than a few traffic tickets and breaking up a fight between a couple of high school boys in the park.
I was about to turn that around for him, though. "I need to tell you something,” I said once I'd finished my pile of spaghetti and meatballs. "Would you like a beer?"
"Uh oh,” Thorn said. "It's going to be one of those conversations."
"Yeah,” I said. "It is."
"We seem to have those a lot."
"Really? I didn't think it was that much."
"Well, then you must be living under the world's biggest rock,” Meri said as he sashayed out of the room.
"Whatever, cat," I called after him.
"Brighton, bring it back into focus, please. What is it you want to tell me?"
Thorn's tone held a hint of exasperation. He hadn't had a particularly trying day at work, so I knew it had to be because of me. He was growing weary of my shenanigans, and I instantly regretted bringing it up. Perhaps it would have been better if I didn't tell him. But that wouldn't have been right either. Thorn could accept me for who I was, right?
"Brody saw himself being arrested today. He had a vision of it. I decided we needed to do more to help solve Brittany's murder to keep him out of jail,” I said.
"Brighton, what did you do this time?"
"We went to Gregory Hargrave's condo in the city looking for clues."
"Seriously?" he said and ran his hand through his thick blond hair. "I really thought that at some point you'd stop getting involved in this stuff."
"Brody is my brother. There was no way I was going to stay out if this with him being a suspect. You had to have known that."
"I guess I should have,” Thorn said. "So why don't you just tell me what you found out."
"I really thought he was a psychopath or something. I thought he'd perhaps killed her in a fit of rage. But when we got there, he'd left his laptop open. I found an email exchange between him and his lawyer from before Brittany died. He was putting his other daughter, Clarissa, who he’d disowned, back in his will. Gregory was also appearing in front of his hospital's board of directors today to confess to the medical mistake he made. He may be a control freak, but he's not nearly as bad as I'd assumed,” I said.
"And so you ended up breaking and entering in someone's home for what?" Thorn crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you accomplish today?"
"Well, I ruled out a suspect,” I said indignantly. "I've made progress on the case."
"Brighton, you're not law enforcement in any capacity. It's not your place to be ruling out suspects. All you're really doing is breaking the law and putting me in a bad position. I either arrest my girlfriend, or I keep looking the other way on this stuff."
"I know this isn't what you want me to do, but I have a good reason,” I said.
"You've got to stop this,” he said. "You're endangering yourself personally and me professionally. Promise me you'll stop."
"I don't think I can do that. Brody is my family. I'll do what it takes to protect him."
Thorn was about to say something but his phone rang. He picked it up, stood up, and walked into the other room. When he came back a minute later, he didn't sit back down at the table.
"There's another fight at the tavern. I'm going to go make sure everything is all right."
"You have to leave?"
"I do. I've got to do my job,” he said.
"But are we okay?" I asked, suddenly not liking the idea of him leaving in the middle of our discussion.
"Don't worry,” he said and kissed me on the forehead.
But I did worry. As soon as he was gone, I felt edgy and sad. He'd drawn back from me emotionally, and I was beginning to wonder how long it would take for Thorn to just give up on us. He said that he never would, but he'd seemed so cold once I'd told him about Brody and I going to Gregory's apartment.
I did the dishes and went to bed, but I couldn't sleep. I had this horrible feeling that Thorn and I would always struggle because of who I was.
I was about to send Thorn a text promising that I’d stop looking into Brittany’s murder when my phone rang. It was Remy.
“I had a feeling you might need a friend,” he said when I picked up.
“That’s true,” I said, “But I don’t think you want to talk to me about this. I don’t want to upset you.”
“I’m not worried about you upsetting me, Brighton. If you need a friend, then I’m here for you. I can and will put my feelings aside for
you,” he said.
“I did something stupid today,” I said.
“I doubt that,” Remy countered. “Tell me about it.”
“The girl who died. I thought it might have been her father who killed her, so I went to his condo in the city today looking for evidence. What I found was that the motive I believed he had for the murder was gone, and I just don’t think he did it,” I said.
“And you told Thorn about going into the man’s condo to investigate.”
“Yeah, and he didn’t take it well. I feel like I’m not living up to his expectations when he gets that way.”
“I don’t want to speak ill of him because he is your partner, but Brighton, you have to understand that he shouldn’t be making you feel that way.”
“I don’t think he means to. He’s just not used to me and the way I am.”
“He doesn’t need to get used to you and the way you are, Brighton. Thorn should love you because of who you are.”
“I imagine it’s hard for a human to understand us.”
“It is,” Remy said. “We do things differently. We play by our own rules, but we do it for the greater good. You did what you did to help your brother and solve a murder. That doesn’t make you a bad person.”
“Do you think Thorn will ever see it that way?” I asked in a moment of weakness.
“I don’t think it matters what I think. You need to decide if you believe he’ll ever embrace you as you are, and how you will feel if he doesn’t.”
“You think that’s possible?”
“I think anything is possible,” Remy said. “I also think it would be a sin for you to change who you are to please him.”
“Did you know that I was about to text him and tell him I’d stop investigating the murder?” I asked as gently as I could.
“I did,” Remy whispered. “But I can’t help it. I try to shut it out and ignore it, but I still have visions about you. I let them get to me before and twist me up inside, but I’m not doing that anymore. I did think it was okay to call you and make sure you had a friend to talk to. Was that okay?”
“Yes,” I said. “It was more than okay. I’m glad we’re working this out, Remy.”
“I am too.”
“You said he was going to break my heart. Is…”
“This isn’t that,” Remy said.
“Would you tell me if it was?”
“I shouldn’t have told you that stuff,” Remy said. “It was just a vision, and visions can change. I told myself that I was protecting you, but all I’ve done is make your life more complicated. You spend time you should be happy worrying about whether the man you’ve chosen to love is going to hurt you. I’m so sorry, Brighton.”
“You know that I love you too, Remy. But I can’t love you both the same way. That wouldn’t be fair to anyone.”
“And you have to know that I love you. Any way that you need me to, but you should go to bed.”
“Thank you for being there for me,” I said with a yawn.
“Any time.”
After we hung up, I felt relaxed. Remy was back. I could feel it. And as I drifted off to sleep, a thought that wasn’t completely formed drifted around the edges of my mind. It was something about love, loyalty, and acceptance, but I couldn’t quite grab onto the notion before sleep took me away.
Chapter Thirteen
The next morning I woke up and realized that I had a barbeque to prepare for. I’d only invited my closest friends, but I had a feeling that in a small town, it didn’t work that way. Word would get around, people would show up, and I didn’t want to be short on food.
I went downstairs to check the freezer and the pantry to see what I had and was not surprised to find that it wasn’t much. A trip to Mann’s was in order so I could buy meat, barbecue sauces, and stuff to make side dishes.
Brody wasn’t around, so I figured he was either still sleeping or up in the attic. “Meri,” I called out.
“What?” he asked as he emerged from one of his tunnel openings in the dining room.
“I’m going to the store to get stuff for the barbecue.”
“Good for you.”
“Do you want anything?”
“Salmon,” he said and swished his tail. “No, tuna and salmon.”
“Would you like both?” I asked with a smile.
He narrowed his eyes at me before saying, “Yes,” and then running off. “You don’t suck entirely,” he called from the other room.
“You’re welcome.”
When I got back from Mann’s, I had a car full of food, drinks, and supplies. Grey was getting a tool from his toolbox, and when he saw me, he smiled and waved. I couldn’t wave back because my hands were full of grocery bags. Upon seeing that, Grey jogged over to me.
“Let me help you with those,” he said and slipped half the bags from my hands before grabbing several more from the car.
“Thank you,” I said.
I briefly wondered if he would stop at the door or come inside. Grey had been working at my house for a few days, but he’d never come inside. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but it suddenly seemed like an awkward situation.
Even though he had more bags, Grey opened the front door for me, and after I walked in, he followed right behind. “You want me to put these in the kitchen?”
“Sure,” I said.
“Lead the way.”
So I walked into the kitchen and set my bags down on the counter. Grey did the same, but when I went to get more, he stopped me.
“I’ll get the rest for you,” he said. “That way you can get started on putting this stuff away.”
He didn’t realize that it would have been easier for me to put things away if he wasn’t there. I could just use my magic to float them away, but as it stood, I’d have to actually put them away by hand until he went back outside to work.
When Grey brought the rest of the groceries in, I still assumed he’d set them down and leave. But he didn’t. Instead he began putting things away. I was about to tell him that was okay, and that I’d do it because I knew where everything went, but so did he. It struck me as a little odd, but most people put things in the same places in their kitchen, right? Plus, there were just enough groceries in the fridge, freezer, and pantry to guide him as to how I stored things. So I decided it wasn’t that weird.
But when we were done putting everything away, he still didn’t leave. I was about to offer him coffee because I wasn’t really sure what to do when he spoke.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Grey said.
He didn’t take a step toward me or anything, but I suddenly felt his presence again. I’d almost forgotten the effect he had on me physically when he’d first shown up at my house. I’d been too distracted by everything going on around me, but there in my kitchen with nothing between us, I felt Grey’s magnetism pulling me in again. He was so gorgeous, and it was more than that. The man was alluring. My heart quickened as his eyes surveyed me.
“What’s that?” I managed to squeak out.
“I would like to spend some time alone with you to get to know you better,” he said.
I swallowed hard. “We’re alone right now.”
“No, I mean… I mean like a date. I’d love to take you out, Brighton. Would you go out with me?”
“Grey, you’re a very… I mean… It’s flattering that you’d ask, but I’m in a relationship.”
“I know that, but I think I’m a better fit for you. You’re exactly my type, and I’ve wanted to get to know you better since I first laid eyes on you. You’re everything I want.”
The words dripped off his lips like honey, and I couldn’t help but watch his mouth as he spoke. I felt myself bite my bottom lip, and then cursed myself internally for letting him affect me the way he did.
I was about to tell him no more firmly when the doorbell rang. “I’m going to get that,” I said.
“I need to get back to work on your garage. Perhaps we’ll continue this disc
ussion later,” Grey said and left out the back door before I had the chance to tell him we didn’t need to continue the discussion.
It was Annika at the door. She’d shown up hours too early for the barbeque, but I didn’t care. I was happy to have her over. Even if I did think she was angling to see Brody.
“I figured you could use some help getting ready for the barbeque. You know it won’t just be a few of us,” she said as she stepped into my living room.
“I kind of figured word would get out and more would show up,” I said. “I just got back from the store.”
“Let’s check out what you’ve got,” Annika said as she made a beeline for the kitchen. “Is Brody around?” she tossed over her shoulder way too casually.
“I think he’s either in his room still or up in the attic studying. I haven’t seen him today,” I said. “Let me go check.”
I went up to his room and found a note on his bed.
At the archives with Remy. He’s showing me around. Would have texted you but need to buy new phone charger. Will be back in time to help with barbeque this afternoon.
Annika looked a little bummed when I handed her the note, but she didn’t say anything to that effect. “It looks like you might have enough food.”
“That’s good to know. I suppose the house might bless us with more if we don’t.”
“Before we get started with the cooking, I just have to ask if you’ve heard the latest gossip?”
“I’ve heard a lot of gossip since I moved to Coventry. Which do you mean?”
“Then you haven’t heard,” Annika said. “If you had, you’d have been all over this.”
“So spill it,” I said with a chuckle.
“Okay, so you know those fights at the tavern Thorn has been having to go break up at night?”
“How do you know about that?”
“Duh. Small town.”
“Right.”
“Anyway, those haven’t been between drunk dudes getting into fist fights. Cassidy has been going into the tavern at night and when she gets tipsy, she gets really, really mad at James. A couple of times she’s thrown her glass at him and they start screaming at each other.”
Wicked Witches of Coventry- The Collection Page 33
