The Pit List Murder

by Renee George

I took out two colas from the fridge. “No. And not a ride-on-a-broomstick-wearing-a-pointy-black-hat kind of witch either, though there are a few of them that could give the myth a run for its money in the wicked department.” I walked the five feet to the living room area and handed Parker one of the cans.

  “What about the black cat?”

  “Some witches have cat familiars. My friend Hazel has a talking squirrel.”

  He snorted. “That can’t be true.”

  I crossed my heart. “Goddess strike me if I’m lying. Tizzy is a hoot. She and Hazel are the only part of home I miss.”

  “What made you leave?”

  “I told you about my brother.” Sorta. I hadn’t gotten into the fact that he’d been tortured until he was unrecognizable so that his pain could power a druid spell, but I’m pretty sure I’d covered the dead part. “Our parents died eighteen years ago, so after Danny died, there wasn’t much left for me in Iowa.”

  Parker solemnly nodded then went completely still. “Your parents died eighteen years ago? You said they died your senior year of high school.”

  “Oh, yeah.” I worried my lower lip between my teeth then sighed. “I’m going to turn thirty-seven in August.”

  “That’s impossible. You look younger than me.”

  I shrugged. “I bet up until about two months ago, you would have thought someone turning into a cougar was impossible.”

  “You’d be right about that.” He moved over to the couch and patted the cushion next to him. “Why don’t you sit a spell?”

  I sat down, suddenly nervous. “Do you have any more questions?”

  “A million of them,” Parker said. “But right now, I’d like to hear about Donnie Doyle. Are you okay? I tried to call you, but I guess your fur suit doesn’t have pockets.” He grinned.

  “You’re right about the fur suit, but also, I broke my phone on Doyle’s sidewalk.” Smooshie leaned her body between my knees and against the couch. She put her head on my thigh. I put my hand on her head automatically. “This one yanked me forward when I tried to call Nadine about the smell.”

  “The smell?”

  “Death, decay, etcetera.” I wrinkled my nose. “I could smell it before I’d even made it to the front door.”

  “Yuck.”

  “You said it.”

  “So, you decided to go in and check on things yourself.”

  “Are you lecturing me?”

  “Not at all.” He held up his hands. “Just getting the whole picture.”

  “Doyle’s phone started ringing.”

  “And you went inside to answer it?”

  I narrowed my gaze at Parker. “You are starting to sound a lot like Sheriff Avery.”

  “Ouch. You wound me.” He smiled then shook his head. “Can’t believe we got another body in Moonrise. At least the guy has a good excuse for abandoning his dog. And, at least this death is accidental.”

  I raised a brow at him.

  “Not accidental?”

  “I have my doubts.”

  “Is that why you went over there tonight?”

  I shook my head. “I went over there to run away from you.”

  His brows arched with surprise. “Why would you want to do a thing like that?”

  Because I am petty and jealous. “I wasn’t in the mood to talk.” Not a lie.

  “I can imagine. This is all so fantastic. It’s hard to wrap my brain around it.”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Then what?”

  “Did you sleep with Naomi?”

  His brows rose higher.

  Okay, he didn’t deny it. My nerves got the better of me, and I blurted, “Because I ran into her tonight and she basically said you had.”

  “And you believed her?”

  “No. Not really. But she didn’t act like she was lying.” I met his gaze. I wanted to tell him about the witch magic that made it easy for me to tell if someone was lying, but I figured that was a conversation for another day. “Did you sleep with her on that date?”

  “No.” He gave me a crooked smile and shook his head. “I did not sleep, have sex, or do anything with Naomi the night we went out.” His eyes softened at the corners. “Do you believe me?”

  My lie-o-meter stayed dormant, but it always did with Parker. He was either super honest, or it didn’t work with him. I believe both might be the case. “I do.” The tightness in my chest eased. “But she’s very convincing.”

  “I won’t lie to you, Lily. Ever.”

  “Thanks.” I felt a pinch of guilt for all my secrets. I took a long drink of my cola to calm my nerves and belched loudly. “Wow. Sorry.”

  Parker laughed. “I think you registered a seven on the Richter scale with that one.”

  I shook my head. “I hope I didn’t trigger the New Madrid fault. I’d hate to be responsible for Moonrise falling into the earth.”

  I’ll admit, I enjoyed the relaxed banter with Parker, but it also made me anxious. His calm demeanor made me feel unbalanced. I’d become accustomed to Broody Parker, Distant Parker, and Silent Parker, so Easy Going Parker kind of freaked me out. I braced myself for the inevitable other shoe drop.

  He put his hand on mine. “Are you planning to put yourself in danger again?”

  I tingled under his touch. “That’s never my plan.”

  He leaned closer to me, his face inches from mine. My breath caught in my throat when he said, “I’d really like to kiss you, Lily Mason.”

  If I’d been standing my knees would have buckled. I closed the distance between us, the heat of his lips warming me to the core. He deepened the kiss, and I eased into him, my shoulder pressing against his chest. His five o’clock shadow scratched my chin and cheeks, which only made me want him more. His arms slid around my waist. I turned, not wanting to break that contact with his body, not wanting the kiss to end. It wasn’t enough. I wanted more, my cougar rose to the surface.

  Then I tasted blood. I drew my face back from Parker’s chasing lips. “I…I think I might have bit you.”

  “I don’t care,” he said breathlessly. His eyelids drooped heavy lidded with desire. My robe slid off my shoulder, and Parker caressed my bare skin with his fingers. He gave me a sexy half-smile. “I really don’t.”

  I pressed my swollen lips together and took a deep breath in through my nose to calm the tingles I felt all over. It had been a very long time since I’d kissed anyone except for those two times with Parker, and never in my life had I been kissed the way he’d just kissed me. “Okay.” I smiled shyly and lifted my chin for another.

  The phone rang. No, not my phone. Parker’s. I was beginning to feel like I had a curse on me where the man was concerned.

  “It’ll go to voice mail,” he said.

  “But what if it’s the shelter? Or your dad?” Ugh. I hated myself more than I can say right then.

  Parker sighed, loudly. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell. It was an old-fashioned flip phone, the kind built for construction workers, great reception, durable as hell, and no bells and whistles. What was it with the men of Moonrise? He and my uncle both needed to join the twenty-first century—said the girl whose phone broke the minute it hit the sidewalk.

  He opened it, looked at the caller ID then back to me. “It’s the shelter. Jerry’s there this evening.” He hit the green button. “Parker here,” he said.

  Jerry asked, “Where are you at?” Panic filled the volunteer’s voice.

  Parker raised his brow at me. “I’m out. What’s wrong?”

  I didn’t know Jerry as well as I did the other volunteers, as we rarely worked the same shifts, but as a fireman, I would think he was hard to rattle. I leaned forward, anticipating the worst.

  “Someone tried to break into the building while I was outside with Star. The key safe is busted off the door. They couldn’t get it open, but the ding on the metal makes me think they tried. I heard the front door groaning when I came back inside, and it took me several minutes to get it ope
n. There are pry marks near the deadbolt. Whoever done it, bent the frame, which is why it stuck.”

  “Did you see who?” Parker stood up now and adjusted his jeans.

  “No. They were gone by the time I could look. But I was cussing up a storm, so they had a warning I was coming.”

  “Did you call the police?”

  “I wasn’t sure you’d want me to, not after last fall.”

  Jerry was referring to the time a dead woman was found in Parker’s backyard. Parker had been a suspect in the death. Things had taken an ugly turn when he was arrested and jailed for a couple of days. That was my first encounter with a dead body. I wish it had been my last.

  “I’ll head over now. Let me look around before we bring the sheriff’s department into the mix.”

  “You got it, Parker. I’ll see you in…”

  “Fifteen-twenty minutes.” Parker hung up the phone and look down at me. “You coming?”

  “Sure.” I might be able to catch a scent or clue that someone else would miss. “Give me a minute to get some clothes on.”

  Parker sighed again. Loudly.

  I smiled like the cat who ate the canary.

  Chapter 9

  Other than damage to the key safe and the door, there didn’t seem to be anything else amiss. Jerry was in a high state of agitation. He was a tall, thickly built man with dirty blond hair and a short beard.

  His eyes crinkled at the corners, and his brow furrowed with deep lines. “I swear, if I find out who tried to break in…”

  Parker put his hand on Jerry’s shoulder. “I’m just glad you were here to prevent the person from entering. No telling what would have happened.” Elvis hugged Parker’s legs. He could sense the tension coming from all of us.

  I shook my head. The break-in made absolutely no sense. “Why would someone want to break into the shelter? We have less than two hundred in petty cash.”

  “People want pit bulls for all sorts of reasons, and some of the reasons are pretty bad,” Parker said. “Most likely, they were looking for dogs to fight or to breed.”

  I thought about Star. Her condition when she’d arrived had been nothing short of awful. She’d been overbred by an illegal puppy mill.

  Smooshie’s tail hit my leg, and I reached down to stroke her fur. She had scars on her face from her life before rescue. Had she been used as a fighting dog? The idea made me sick to my stomach. “Don’t those idiots know we spay and neuter every dog that comes to us?” I clenched my fists, my claws cutting into my palms. “There’s a special place in the afterlife for people who use these dogs for anything more than loving companions.” I’d seen a lot of evil in my life, but people who treated animals cruelly were true devils.

  “The key safe did its job. It looks like the burglar took a sledgehammer to it. Knocked it off the wall but didn’t do any real damage to the actual contraption,” Jerry said. His bushy brows furrowed. “I sure wish I could’ve gotten my hands on the guy.”

  “What makes you think it was a man?” I asked.

  Jerry pursed his lips and looked up for a moment. After a few seconds, he said, “I don’t know. I guess it could have been a woman, but I think it takes some strength to wield a sledgehammer high enough and hard enough to knock the key safe down.”

  “They probably wore gloves, but even if they didn’t, the police won’t do much. Not on a thwarted breaking-and-entering case. Nothing was taken, and there isn’t any more damage, so…” Parker shrugged. I knew he didn’t want to have to deal with Sheriff Avery again. His short stint in the county jail had been traumatizing, especially with his PTSD. It made him wary of involving the sheriff’s department in his business.

  “We should probably look into getting some security cameras,” I told him.

  “That’s a good idea,” Parker said.

  Jerry nodded his head, his face serious in thought. “Those security systems can get pricey.”

  Parker half-smiled. “I might know a guy.”

  His wistful expression made me wonder if the guy was an ex-Ranger buddy. Elvis nudged Parker’s hand, and he absently patted his companion, reminding me that my own companion would expect me home soon.

  “I can call Buzz to run me back to my place,” I said. “You have your hands full fixing the door.”

  Jerry piped up. “I’ll take you. I live out past your place.”

  The revelation surprised me. Jerry and I had only talked in passing, and the conversation usually involved casual greetings and dog talk. I gave Jerry an appraising look then smiled. “I appreciate the offer. Thanks.”

  Parker put his hand on my arm and his voice slightly deepened. “I hope we can continue where we left off. Soon.”

  My smile broadened into a grin. Aware Jerry watched us with curiosity, I said, “We have that dinner on Sunday. We can talk more then.”

  Jerry walked me out to his truck, and we headed toward our respective homes. Jerry’s conversational skills ran to casual caveman. He did a lot of grunting either yes or no or short answer to most of my small-talk questions. How long had he been married? Twelve years. Did he have kids? Yes. Did he grow up in Moonrise? No. He wasn’t cold. Just the opposite really. His responses were friendly, even if brief. When we passed Doyle’s road, Jerry said, “I hear you found the kid.”

  Considering it was the most words he’d strung together since our journey home started, his comment took me by surprise. “Yes,” I said, taking a page from his book.

  The side of his mouth quirked up. “I’ve heard some wild stories.”

  “From who?”

  “My wife.” Jerry blinked as if his answer astonished him.

  I hadn’t meant to use my witch magic to compel the truth. I’d acted automatically. Instinct mixed with curiosity. “What has she told you?” I pushed my desire for answers toward him.

  “She said he got around with a lot of the local women. He wasn’t too discriminating either. Young, older, single, or married. He had a taste for it all.” He blinked again.

  I ignored the creeping guilt. My power didn’t have much teeth if the person I used it on didn’t want to talk. Which meant, on some level, Jerry had wanted to spill this information to someone. “Did she mention anyone in particular?”

  “Rachel.” His expression had grown bland.

  I was pushing too hard, but I needed a little more information. Donnie had called the drunk woman from the bar Rachel. I needed a last name, but before I could ask, Jerry said, “That’s your drive up ahead, right?”

  “Yes, that’s it.” I smiled. “Thanks for the lift, Jerry. I appreciate it. Oh, how is your wife doing?” I asked to ease his tension. My magic could push some people to the point of shutting down. “Parker told me she’d been in the hospital recently.”

  “Yes,” he said. “Pneumonia. It came on all of a sudden, but she’s better now.” He squinted at me then focused on his fingers gripping the steering wheel. “I don’t usually talk out of turn, Lily. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

  Guilt turned inside me. “It’s been an exciting night. Adrenaline can make anyone chatty.”

  I got out and waved goodbye. Donnie hadn’t been choosy about his bedmates. No surprise there. Had he been killed by a jealous lover? A jealous husband? Boyfriend?

  Smooshie’s whining inside the trailer distracted me from the questions tumbling through my thoughts. “I’m coming, girl,” I said, smiling as she replied with happy yips.

  I didn’t sleep a wink during the night. Between thoughts of a dead Donnie Doyle, Parker’s visit to my trailer, the break-in at the kennel, and Donnie’s sordid love life, I couldn’t turn my brain off. I was glad I had the day to myself. I wasn’t sure how to be around Parker at the rescue center now that we were taking real steps to date. I mean, would we keep it on the down low or was he okay with the other staff and volunteers knowing?

  I got up at six a.m., showered and dressed, let Smooshie out to potty, before getting us both on the road to town. Nadine, who had the day off, had of
fered to babysit the baby while I took my GED exam. Since the test was so long, asking Nadine to watch my girl all day was a big ask. It might have been easier to drop her off with Parker, but I still wasn’t ready to tell him that I’d dropped out of high school my senior year and never graduated. Our conversation the night before, when I’d told him about my parents and Danny, had given me the perfect segue. Still, I’d left it out. I’d tell him on Sunday over spaghetti.

  I smiled to myself. Smooshie’s tail whacked me on the thigh. I glanced her way. “Quit reading my mind.” She licked my hand when I scratched her cheek. “You ready to terrorize, Auntie Nadine?”

  Smooshie barked a happy bark, her whole body vibrating with visible excitement. Auntie Nadine liked to sneak her treats. I pulled into Buzz and Nadine’s driveway at six forty-five in the morning and parked behind Nadine’s red VW Bug.

  “Hey, Smoosh!” Nadine said from the open front door.

  I reached over and opened the passenger door. Smooshie jumped out and ran to Nadine for cuddles. I loved how my friend loved my pittie.

  “What am I?” I said when I got out of the truck. “Chopped beef?”

  “Hey, Lils,” Nadine smiled. “When do you have to be out at the college?”

  “At eight, but I have to stop by Walmart first to replace my cell phone.”

  “That doesn’t give you much time. You better just get down to the college and forget about Walmart.”

  “I really need a phone.”

  “Well, just don’t dawdle. You don’t want to have to pay to take the test again.”

  I gave her a hug. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. Is this crazy? What if I can’t pass the test?”

  “You’re one of the smartest people I know. You’ll pass that test with flying colors.”

  “I’m glad you have faith.” I’d taken a few practice exams and struggled. It seemed while I held a lot of knowledge in my brain, but when I tried to use it during the quizzes, my mind would go blank.

  I said my goodbyes to Nadine and Smoosh, who managed to wet-willy me with her tongue when I hugged her neck, and then headed out to Walmart.