by Deanna Chase
“Yeah. It’s a last-minute thing. When my agent realized I wasn’t going to leave, she got me booked on another Showtime show for a few episodes.” She shrugged. “It gives my management something to talk about other than the case against my secret girlfriend.” She pursed her lips and lifted one shoulder. “It’s not a secret that I’m gay, but we’ve kept our relationship private enough. My management company isn’t too keen on the fact that Charlie manages a strip club.”
“Are they pissed you and Charlie are in the tabloids now?” I asked, suddenly very curious.
“Yeah, but tabloids always have outrageous stories. As long as they don’t catch me kissing Charlie in public or leaving her house at five a.m., it’ll be fine.”
That sounded really sad to me and pissed me off that they had to hide their relationship. Why did the world have to be so freakin’ judgmental? But I understood. I’d managed that club for years before Charlie took it over. The comments I got from ignorant people had been brutal enough. I could only imagine the shit storm Candy would have to deal with if the press ran with that story. I dug into my front pocket and produced the key to my car. “Here. My VW Bug is out back. Use it if you need to go anywhere.”
Neither of the women took my key.
“Pyper, we can’t do that,” Charlie said. “Candy can hire a car service or something.”
“And run the risk of some hourly employee spilling your location to the press? No way. Jade is coming with me today. She can drive Kane’s car. Take this. Use it however you want. There’s little chance the press will see you back there. The space is hidden from the street.”
Candy and Charlie glanced at each other. Some unspoken communication passed between them and finally Candy turned to me and took the key. “Thank you, Pyper. You’re a godsend. I’m so grateful Charlie has friends like you.”
I reached over and squeezed her hand. “She’s the best. We’d do just about anything for her.” Smiling at Charlie, I said, “Holly opened the café today, but if you’re free, she could use a second pair of hands until Bo and Reagan get back from their classes.”
“I’m on it,” she said, already getting up off the bed. “Let me shower and find a change of clothes, and I’ll be there.”
“You need me to get you something to wear, babe?” Candy asked, holding my car key up.
Charlie smiled at her. “Thanks, but no. I’ll run by my apartment later. For now I have some clothes in my office in the club. I’m sure Sasha won’t mind if I just pop in for a moment.”
“Better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” I said with a wink.
She laughed. “Let me know if I can be of any help.”
“I will,” I said, already walking out the door.
Chapter Twelve
I found Bea in the café, kneeling on the floor. Her brows were furrowed and sweat had popped out on her forehead.
“Hey,” I said softly, dropping one knee to the floor. “Are you all right?”
Her lips pursed into a frown. “No. This magic, it’s…” She shook her head and blew out a frustrated breath. “It’s so familiar and yet I can’t place it.”
“I wish I could help,” I said, knowing I was useless in this area.
She reached over and patted my hand. “I know, Pyper. Given enough time, I’ll figure it out.” Bea reached into her pocket and pulled out a small glass jar. After placing it on the tile in the exact spot where the spell had been cast, she waved both hands over the jar and started to chant something in a language I didn’t understand. She was probably speaking Latin. It was the language witches used when they were serious about whatever spell they were casting.
Gray smoke materialized, and she waved it into the jar. With a snap of her fingers, the lid flew back on, leaving her with a jarful of the smoke.
“What is that? Traces of the magic?” I asked.
She pocketed the jar and nodded. “This way I can live with it for a while.”
Footsteps sounded from the back, and a moment later, Jade appeared. She nodded at Bea while going to work, making her own chai tea latte.
“Morning,” Bea called as she stood. “What’s the plan for today? Do you need me, or should I head back to my store where I can study this?” She patted her pocket.
“We’ve got this,” I said. “We’re going to start questioning the other people who were at Sam’s that night. We’re starting with her best friend who works at a bar down the street.”
“Now?” Jade asked, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Don’t you think it’s a little early?”
“Probably, but the bar is open twenty-four hours a day. I figure we can at least find out when he’s working.”
“All right. I’m game,” Jade said. “If that doesn’t pan out, we can start making calls to the girls who work at Wicked to find out if they know anyone on your list.”
“Good idea.”
A line started to form for the morning rush, and both Jade and I jumped behind the counter to help Holly until Charlie showed up.
The moment she walked in the back door, Jade threw her arms around her. “How are you doing? Okay?”
Charlie hugged her back and nodded. “I think so. It helps having you guys on my side. If anyone can figure this nightmare out, it’s you three.”
Jade patted her shoulder. “I’m sure it helps having your girl here.”
Charlie’s smile softened. “It does. I just wish my life wasn’t such a mess. It’s not good publicity for her to be caught in the middle of this.”
Jade glanced around as if to check to see if we had any customers, and when the coast was clear she let out an irritated huff and said, “Please. If I know Candy, she doesn’t give two flying figs about any of that. All that noise is coming from her management, right?”
I stared at Jade. “You know Candy?”
“Um, yeah,” Jade said. “She was here for a shoot a while back, don’t you… Oh wait. That was while you and Julius were off in the bayou. Kane and I met her then.”
Charlie nodded. “She keeps most of her visits off the radar just so she can avoid the media frenzy.”
“I see.” It was weird that I didn’t know about that. “You were good at it. I didn’t even realize the two of you were an item.”
“I wasn’t intentionally keeping it from you.” Charlie looked worried now, like I might be offended or something.
I waved a hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve had my hands full of my own drama lately,” I said with a dry laugh. “But it is exciting. You two look really happy together.”
“We are,” Charlie confirmed. “Now go. Do your paranormal investigating. Holly and I have this.”
Jade gave her a swift nod, and less than five minutes later, we were down the street, standing in front of Pinky’s. There were rainbow flags out front and a sign on the door that said Welcome to Pinky’s, where everyone is a friend.
Taylor Swift’s new tune, “You Need to Calm Down,” was playing inside and loud enough to be heard on the street. I let out a giggle. “It’s a little on the nose, isn’t it?”
Jade grinned. “Looks like a fun bar.”
“It is,” a handsome man who couldn’t have been older than twenty-five said from right behind us. “You should come in for mimosas, or I could make you Bloody Marys if you prefer.”
“Do you make them virgin?” Jade asked.
“Honey, there is nothing virgin about Pinky’s,” he said with a wink. Then he let out a loud chuckle. “I’m kidding. Of course I can make it virgin. Though it’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of those, if you know what I mean.”
I cackled as we followed him inside. “You’re fun. How long have you worked here?”
“Since the day I turned twenty-one. So four and a half years. It was my uncle’s bar. He left it to me last year.” He slipped behind the bar and raised one eyebrow. “So, what can I get for you ladies?”
“Virgin Bloody Mary please,” Jade said with a sigh. “But man am I going to miss the vodka.”
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“You could always pump and dump so the vodka won’t affect Juliet,” I said before telling the beautiful young man that I’d take a mimosa. I wasn’t really particularly interested in drinking at the moment, but I wanted to build a rapport with him in order to find out information about Adrian.
Our bartender eyed Jade. “Did I hear her right? Did you just have a baby?”
Jade beamed and nodded. “She’s the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen.”
“I bet. With a mama like you, she’s gonna be a heartbreaker.” His gaze slid from me to Jade and back to me. “Are you the second mom?”
I chuckled. “No, but if she hadn’t fallen in love with my best friend, that might’ve been interesting.”
Jade snickered. “I couldn’t help it. He’s hot. I mean, you have seen him, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “I guess. But he’s not my type.”
“Oops! Sorry. Didn’t mean to assume anything,” the cutie behind the bar said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jade assured him. “She’s right. If I hadn’t fallen for Kane, I’d have been lucky to land her. As it is, I just have to settle for being besties.”
“You two are adorable,” he said as he got to work on our drinks.
“So are you,” Jade said, smiling at him.
My good mood from the flirty banter suddenly soured as I thought of Julius. He was my one and only. And I had no flipping clue where he was at the moment. Gritting my teeth, I forced a smile and said, “We’re actually looking for Adrian. Is he working today, or do you know how we can get in touch with him?”
The man’s smile vanished, and his eyes turned troubled. But just as quickly, his expression turned friendly again as he gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. Adrian is taking some time off this week. Are you friends of his?”
I shook my head, deciding that being honest was the best way to go. “No, we’ve never met him. But we did know Sam.”
He froze, and undeniable pain flashed in those dark eyes. “It’s terrible what happened to her,” he choked out, sounding as if he was going to succumb to tears.
“Yes, she worked at my husband’s club,” Jade said, solemnly. “We’re trying to figure out what happened that night. That’s why we’re trying to find Adrian. We understand he saw her that night.”
“We both did.” Tears were streaming down his face now. “Adrian is my boyfriend.” He took a moment to wipe his cheeks and collect himself. Then he held his hand out to Jade. “I’m Tyler.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Tyler. I’m Jade.” She shook his hand, then gave me a pointed look. He was one of the four people on our list. And just like that, our day got a heck of a lot easier. “This is Pyper.”
He turned to me, shaking my hand too. “What did you want to talk to Adrian about? He’s pretty shaken up. They were best friends, you know.”
I nodded. “Yes, that’s why we wanted to talk to him. We’re friends with Charlie, the manager of Wicked.”
He stiffened and pulled back, eyeing us with suspicion.
I frowned. “Listen, I know Charlie was arrested the other day, but we know without a doubt that she’s innocent. You’re free to draw your own conclusions. We’re not here to try to convince you of anything. All we’re doing is going on a fact-finding mission to try to find out what happened.”
“Why should I even be talking to you? Isn’t this a case for the NOPD?” But even as he said the words, the man shuddered slightly. He obviously had some trust issues when it came to our men in blue.
I glanced around the bar, hoping to spot something paranormal-ish. Because I was about to freely offer up my gift as a way of hopefully earning his trust. Unfortunately, nothing popped out at me. Well, there was no sense in not trying. “Because I’m a medium and Sam’s grandmother came to me to let me know that Charlie didn’t do it.”
He blinked at me.
I did everything in my power to maintain eye contact. “I can hear and speak to ghosts.”
“Oh. Em. Gee. You’re kidding!” he squealed. “Tell me my brother Benny is here.” He clapped his palm over his mouth. “Oops. I didn’t mean to say his name. Tell me something only Benny would know.”
Oh, holy hell. My gift didn’t exactly work that way.
“Pyper doesn’t usually just call up ghosts,” Jade explained for me. “Usually she only talks to them when they come to her. They need to have something to say.”
“Oh, sure. That’s convenient,” he said with a roll of his eyes.
Tell him Benny loves the new purple blouse, a voice whispered in my ear. It reminds me of the matching onesies we wore in that hideous portrait still hanging on his wall.
I cleared my throat and relayed the message word for word.
Tyler stared at me with his mouth wide open.
“Benny?” I asked. “You still here?”
Yep. Tell Ty Ty I’m proud of him and that Adrian better know what a catch he has.
“Ty Ty?” I asked with a chuckle. “Was that your nickname?”
Tyler nodded, and fresh tears filled his eyes as he whispered, “Benny. You’re here.”
“He says he’s proud of you and that Adrian better realize what a catch you are.”
“He does,” Tyler said with a sniffle. “He’s a really great guy, Ben. You two would be great friends.”
I know. Love you, Little T.
Oh gods. Now I was the one who was going to cry. It wasn’t often that I got to be the go-between for a ghost and a loved one who wanted to connect. No, I always got the crazy, unsettled ones who needed me to solve murders or free them from curses. Of course, Julius had started out that way too, so why was I complaining?
“He knows and he loves you, Little T,” I said softly, wiping my eyes.
Tyler sucked in a breath and nearly choked on a sob as he forced out, “I love you too, Big B. You’re never forgotten.”
The air around me turned cooler suddenly, and I knew then that Benny was gone. Reaching across the bar, I placed my hand over Tyler’s. “Thank you for letting me be the conduit for such a special moment.”
“You’re thanking me?” he asked, giving me a look that said he thought I must be crazy. Shaking his head, he walked out from behind the bar and threw his arms around me, hugging me tight. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed that.”
“You’re welcome. That was a gift for me too, you know.” I kissed him on the cheek. “You must miss him terribly.”
“I do.” He ran his fingers under his eyes and then placed both hands on his hips. “Okay then. What is it you need from me exactly? To talk to Adrian?”
“If that’s possible,” I said. “We need to know who the other people are who were at Sam’s house and find out if either of you saw anything unusual, what time you were there, what else happened, that kind of thing. Do you think we could maybe meet today sometime?”
“To solve Sam’s murder? Hell yes.” He pulled a phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen. After a few beats went by, he said, “Babe, you need to get down here to the bar. There’re a couple of angels here who need to speak to us about our last night with Sam.”
There was a pause while he listened to Adrian on the other end of the line. Jade and I glanced at each other, both of us anxious. These two guys were our best leads. If Adrian refused, we’d have to—
“No. Charlie didn’t do it. They’re here to not only clear her name but to find out who did, and they need our help. … Yes, I believe them. Trust me. You want to be here. … Okay, see you in a few.” He ended the call and gave us a triumphant nod. “He’ll be right down after he gets dressed.”
I glanced up at the ceiling. “Does he live above the bar?”
“Yep. We both do. The apartment came with the bar. It gets a little loud sometimes, but you can’t beat the free rent and zero commute.”
I laughed. “I can relate. I own the Grind and also live upstairs.”
He curled his hand into a fist and held it out to me for a fist bu
mp. “You two are amazing,” he said, studying us. “I think I’m going to make you my new besties.”
Jade and I both chuckled.
“You’re on,” I said. “But that one”—I pointed to Jade—“comes with a husband, a ghost dog, and a newborn baby girl.”
“I love babies.” He winked at Jade.
“Pyper comes with a fiancé who was born in the 1920s, a crazy ghost who used to work in Storyville, and a teenaged brother who lives with her,” Jade countered.
“And a couple of shih tzus,” I added.
He eyed me. “I can’t wait to hear the story about your fiancé and your ghost. How intriguing. But honestly, the shih tzus sold me. Who doesn’t love those little balls of fluff?” He turned to Jade. “Sorry, ghost dogs don’t sound that cuddly.”
“They aren’t,” she confirmed. “But they do take care of themselves.”
He pursed his lips and nodded. “I see the appeal, but I think I’m still team Pyper. Besides, if her brother is as gorgeous as she is, I want to meet him.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s straight and you have a boyfriend. One that is a great guy according to your brother.”
“Hey, I’m taken, not blind,” he said, puckering his lips with overblown sass. “And you never know. He might be bi.” He said that last part with an exaggerated wink just in time for another gorgeous man to step through the door leading to the back of the bar. He had gorgeous, sun-kissed dirty-blond hair and a build to die for. He had to be a personal trainer or something. No one was that perfect.
He eyed Tyler. “Are you trying to turn people again?”
Tyler shrugged. “It’s good for business.”
“Right.” The gorgeous man glanced over at me and Jade. “Is this who I’m supposed to be talking to?”
I held out my hand. “Pyper Rayne. You must be Adrian.”
“That’s what it says on my driver’s license.” He slipped his hand into mine, his grip strong and firm. But it was his sad, red-tinged eyes that held my attention. There was a deep sadness rolling through him that told me he was devastated.