by Deanna Chase
I had no idea where this investigation was going to lead, but one thing was for sure, Adrian had no part in killing his best friend.
Chapter Thirteen
Adrian gripped Tyler’s hand so hard his knuckles turned white. We were in the bar’s office with the two of them sitting on a couch while Jade took the only chair. I was pacing the small room.
“You’re saying magic was involved?” Adrian asked.
“We think so,” Jade said. “Otherwise, how is it that Charlie is the only one on the security video?” That was the evidence they’d used to arrest her.
“You know, when I heard the cops thought Charlie did it, I was shocked. I know her a little bit, and she’s never been anything put kind and gracious. It was almost as shocking as finding out that Sam is gone.” His voice hitched on the word gone and he turned away, wiping at his wet eyes.
I gave him a moment to get himself together, and when his eyes were dry, I asked, “Do you know who Pamela is?”
He nodded. “That’s her ex. She was there that night, picking up a box of her stuff. She was only there about ten minutes, I think. I remember because Sam was tense the whole time she was there. You know, ex stuff.”
“Sure.” It didn’t sound like Pamela could’ve had anything to do with it, especially since Adrian saw Sam both before and after. “Do you know her last name? We’ll probably go visit her just to see if she saw anything.”
“Pamela Kendrick.”
I scribbled that down and asked relevant questions about where she lived and worked. He didn’t know where she lived, but she worked at a beauty-supply store in uptown. He didn’t know which one.
“Thanks,” I said. “That’s enough.”
“The only other person I saw that night was Kai,” Adrian volunteered. “Besides Tyler, of course, but we were together the whole time.”
“Tell me about Kai,” I said. “Male? Female?”
“Male. He was trying to get Sam to go out on a date with him. But she’s not really into guys. At least not anymore.” He shared a smile with Tyler. “I was her last boyfriend… in high school. Both of us were a little confused.” Adrian let out a chuckle. “Our dating life was very PG.”
Tyler snickered. “And the fact that both of them were totally okay with that should’ve been their first clue.”
“Right?” Adrian said, shaking his head. “We were so naïve.”
As amusing as they were, I was ready for some answers. “Do you know anything about Kai? His last name or where he works, where Sam met him?”
“Not much,” Adrian said with a frown. “He’s a performer. I think she met him at Pink Table. They put on various shows like regional plays, burlesque, magic, pretty much anything you might see on America’s Got Talent. They specialize in the unusual. I think Kai is a regular there or tends the bar—Sam said she saw him pretty much every time she went in, which was often because she was trying to get hired as a dancer for the nightly opening show.”
“Great. Really good information.” I had him run through the events of the night, but they all seemed pretty mundane. The only thing that stood out was that when Adrian and Tyler left, Kai and Charlie were still there. That meant unless someone else arrived after they two took off, then Charlie and Kai were our two main suspects. And in my mind, that meant Kai.
“Thank you so much,” Jade said, gracefully rising from the chair. “You’ve been invaluable.” She walked over and gave Adrian a big hug. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I’ve been in your position before, and all I can say is that while you’ll never stop missing her, the pain will ease. I promise. I know it’s cliché to tell you to try to remember the good times, but it really does help. Stories that make you laugh are the best.”
Adrian held on tight, and after a moment, his body started to tremble. He was crying again. But when he released her, he had a grateful smile on his face. “Thank you. I’ll try.”
Jade hugged Tyler next, and when they were done, I followed suit. “Call me if you think of anything that might be relevant. Even if it’s trivial, okay? You never know when clues start to stack up.”
Adrian promised he would. So did Tyler. And by the time we left, they had both Jade’s and my phone numbers and our promise to keep them up to date on the investigation.
“So…,” I asked Jade as we braced against the December wind, heading back to my place. Bourbon Street was pretty with the holiday decorations wound around the lampposts and gracing the window displays, but it was mostly abandoned. December wasn’t the most popular month to visit the Crescent City. “What did you think? Adrian and Tyler were telling the truth, right?”
Jade nodded. “Definitely. Adrian is heartbroken, and Tyler is both sad and worried. But not worried as in apprehensive or guilty. Worried as in he feels helpless to do anything.”
That made sense. And I had no reason to question Jade’s assessment. With her empath ability, she would have picked up on guilt or, worse, satisfaction if either of them was acting. “So, Kai, right? He’s the one we should focus on.”
“Yep. We’ll want to find Pamela just to be thorough, but that was my take as well.”
“Okay then,” I said. “We’ll have to check out the beauty-supply stores in town for Pamela since it sounds like it might be easier to find her during the day. Then tonight we’ll track down Kai.”
“Onward.” She gave me a sheepish look. “But can we stop by the club so I can cuddle Juliet first?”
I chuckled. “Of course.”
When we got back to the café, Jade made a beeline into the neighboring building to find both Kane and her baby girl. I waved at Holly and went into the back, where I found Charlie sitting at the desk, the phone to her ear as she rested her forehead in one hand.
“That’s not possible,” Charlie said, sounding exasperated. “Other people were definitely there. I watched them come and go. If the recording doesn’t show them, it’s been altered.”
I sat next to Charlie and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“Did you get a witch to look at it?” Charlie asked testily. “Video experts aren’t going to be able to tell if a witch altered it.”
“Mind if I talk to her?” I whispered, knowing the only person Charlie would be having the conversation with was Sasha, her lawyer.
“Pyper has something to tell you,” Charlie said, and then without waiting, she handed me the phone.
“Sasha?” I said into the receiver.
“Ms. Rayne. Did you learn anything from your ghosts?”
“I did. I also talked to a couple of the people who were there. They back up Charlie’s insistence that there were more people at the house. I can give you their names for possible witnesses.”
“That would be most excellent,” she said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And if you need someone to analyze the digital footage to see if it’s been altered, I have the perfect witch for you. She’s really good with subtle magic.”
“And who would that be?” she asked, sounding skeptical.
“Beatrice Kelton. She used to be the New Orleans coven leader. She’s retired now but is a friend of ours and would be more than willing to help. If anyone can find magical traces on the digital file, it’s her.”
Sasha grew quiet as she seemed to contemplate the idea. And just when I thought she was going to tell me mind my own business, she said, “Yeah. Okay. Especially since you found witnesses. If the file was doctored, I can use that as grounds for dismissal. Thanks, Pyper. I’ll call her now.”
I rattled off Bea’s number but told Sasha to let me call first. Bea wasn’t likely to pick up a random phone call.
“Fine. But I don’t want to sleep on this. The longer we take, the more opportunities the other side has for gathering damning evidence that is invariably used out of context.”
“Right,” I said, frowning because I wasn’t exactly following what she was trying to say. But I was glad to have her permission to bring in Bea. The woman understood magic
at its core. And it didn’t hurt that she was the most powerful witch I’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. If there were traces of magic tampering, she’d find them. “Can you drop the file off at the Herbal Connection? That’s her store.”
“I’ll take it there, but the file isn’t leaving my sight. It’s protocol,” she said, gulping as if she were gasping for air.
“If you say so,” I said. “Meet us there in twenty minutes.”
I hurried back over to Wicked, where I found Jade and baby dozing in a chair in Kane’s office. He pressed a finger to his lips and followed me out into the hallway.
“How long did it take for her to pass out?” I asked.
“Just a few minutes. But before she went under, she said something about needing to go back out with you to track someone down.”
I patted his chest. “Don’t worry about that. I’m headed to Bea’s for a while. When she wakes up, send her home to rest and tell her I’ll meet her there later.”
He nodded. Then he eyed me. “Are you okay? Really okay?”
I shook my head. “Not one hundred percent, but as long as I’m busy, I’m all right. Don’t wake Jade. She doesn’t need to be there for this. I’ll fill her in later, okay?”
“Sure.” But before he let me go, he pulled me into a hug and whispered, “We’re not going to lose him. None of us are going to let that happen.”
I hugged him tight and prayed he was right.
Chapter Fourteen
The spicy scent of a familiar cologne washed over me as I walked into the Herbal Connection. I instantly searched the new age store for my green-eyed fiancé, only to be disappointed when I realized he was nowhere to be found.
Of course he wasn’t. I’d forgotten all about the spell that washed over everyone who walked into Bea’s store. The magic made each person experience the scent that made them happiest. Mine was Julius’s cologne. I gritted my teeth and tried not to be annoyed. I just missed him so much.
“Pyper. There you are,” Bea said, rushing over to me and clasping my hand. “Sasha is already here. Come join us in the back and I’ll take a look at the files.”
I nodded and followed the older witch through her quaint shop. Normally I got a kick out of the potions, funny candles, and gag spells, but today I was all business.
With her long dark hair piled into an elegant bun on top of her head, Sasha sat at Bea’s stainless-steel work area, suspiciously eyeing a computer that looked like it was from the late eighties. She turned her attention to Bea. “This is what you’re going to use to analyze the USB drive?”
“Absolutely,” Bea said with a cheeky grin. She held her hand out to Sasha for the drive.
The lawyer reluctantly handed it over. I tried not to chuckle. Bea was the best at what she did. Sasha would find that out soon enough.
Bea didn’t disappoint. After the ancient monitor finally flickered to life, Bea inserted the USB drive into a modified port, clicked a few keys, and we all watched a sped-up version of the recording where the only person who entered or exited the shotgun house all night was Charlie.
“Sloppy,” Sasha said, shaking her head. “How can the lead investigator be so stupid? There are witnesses who saw Charlie walk Sam home, and yet this recording shows only Charlie entering the building. Not only that, but take a closer look at when she gets there. Someone off-screen clearly hands her the key to open the door.”
“The police only see what they want to see,” I said. “It’s easier to solve a case and pin it on someone if there’s only one suspect.”
She let out a snort. “I know all too well.”
“Hold tight, ladies. Once I’m done here, the council will be in charge of this one. That will help get Charlie out of hot water.” Bea placed her fingertips on her keyboard and chanted something in Latin until magic burst out. The spark of light shot straight into the keys and sizzled down the cord into the USB connection. The monitor lit up with zigzags of crackling light, causing the video to blink off and on a few times, and then just as I was sure the spell hadn’t worked, the video started to play.
The scene opened with Charlie and Sam laughing as they climbed the porch. Sam dug into her pocket and produced a key, then handed it to Charlie. A second later, the pair disappeared into the house. Bea hit a key, speeding the video up until a slender blonde appeared and walked right into the house without knocking. Not long after, a gorgeous, fit young man with an angular jaw and dark curly hair appeared. He was knocking on the door when Adrian and Tyler bounded up the stairs. They chatted for a few moments and eventually made their way into the house.
“Well, that’s proof enough right there that Charlie wasn’t the only one there,” I said, stating the obvious.
Bea nodded. “Let’s see what else we find.”
Sasha’s pen flew across a legal pad as she jotted down what looked like a dissertation on the file results. What could she possibly be writing that would take so many words?
Bea sped through the file, and eventually the contents turned to fuzzy snow. “Damn,” she muttered. “That’s not going to do us any good.”
Sasha let out a huff of annoyance. “It wasn’t like that when I watched it the first time. I think your magic fried that section.”
Bea arched one eyebrow and stared over a pair of spectacles at the attorney. “Is that so? Considering someone already tampered with this file, what makes you think that section hadn’t been wiped altogether?”
“Because when I viewed it earlier, it was hours of endless footage of the front of the house with no activity,” Sasha said and continued to scribble on her pad.
As serious as the situation was, I couldn’t help the small bark of laughter that escaped my lips.
Both women turned to stare at me.
I shrugged one shoulder. “Sorry. It’s rare for anyone to question Bea’s abilities like that.” Glancing at Sasha, I added, “You have balls of steel, which is perfect for defending Charlie, but I have never known Bea to be wrong about this sort of thing. And you should probably know that if she did make a mistake, such as accidentally erasing evidence, she’d be the first one to say so. Since she’s not saying that, I’m inclined to believe that the footage was tampered with as opposed to the spell ruining it. Why would the first half be fine and the last be ruined?”
Sasha blinked at me, staring me down. “You trust her that much?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “I trust her with my life.” I almost added that my declaration wasn’t hypothetical. Bea had saved all of us on more than one occasion over the years.
Sasha let out a long breath. “All right. I’ll file a petition with the Witches’ Council based on the new evidence. Hopefully the charges will be dropped by this afternoon.” Nodding to the computer, she asked Bea, “Can I get a copy of everything you just did?”
“Of course,” the witch said.
Five minutes later, Sasha was on her way, and I was no closer to solving who had murdered Sam.
Tears of frustration stung my eyes, but I blinked them back, refusing to let my emotions get the better of me. Julius was counting on me. Hell, I was counting on me. There was no time to fall apart. “Bea?”
“Yes, dear?” she asked, her voice soft and full of compassion.
She could tell I was nearing an emotional breakdown, and I gave myself a stern scolding. What the hell, Pyper? You’re stronger than this. Get it together! I sucked in a fortifying breath and asked, “Can you help me summon Julius?”
She tilted her head to the side, studying me. “Have you or your guides tried calling him?”
“Um, no,” I said with a grimace. What was wrong with me? Of course she was right. Since Bea had pulled him back from that nasty spell, he was living half in the human world and half in the spirit world instead of purgatory or wherever he was. “Damn, I should’ve thought of that.”
Bea placed a gentle hand on my arm. “It’s a stressful time, hon. But try not to worry too much. Just focus on moving forward and solving this
case so we can have one hell of a party this New Year’s Eve.”
My eyes got hot. “Oh hell,” I whispered. “Now you’ve done it.”
“We’ve been in tough spots before,” she said. “We’ll get through this too.”
I nodded, praying Julius’s hard-earned second chance on this earth hadn’t just ended.
It hasn’t. His voice echoed in my ear.
I spun around and found him floating right beside me, his lips curved into a small smile. “Julius,” I whispered, my fingers itching to reach out and touch him.
He extended his hand to mine as if he’d read my thoughts, but of course since he was a ghost, connecting was impossible. Meet me at home, love.
I stared at his image as he slowly faded away into the ether.
A beat went by as Bea and I both stood there, silent. Then she placed a light hand on my shoulder and said, “You don’t want to keep him waiting.”
It wasn’t a surprise that she’d heard him. While she wasn’t a medium, Bea often heard the dead, especially when she was in her own spaces.
Dead. The word ricocheted around in my head, torturing me. “Yeah,” I gasped out. “I’ll call you after we hear from Sasha.” Without another word, I rushed out of the shop and down Bourbon Street.
Chapter Fifteen
Two shih tzus ran out of Bo’s room the moment I stepped into my apartment. A flash of gold and white sprinted around me in circles while the brindled one stopped right at my feet and glanced longingly at the door. I sighed and hooked them both to their leashes.
Once the pups were walked and given their treats, I hurried into my bedroom, looking for Julius. But all I found was an empty, unmade bed.
“In here,” Julius called from deep within the en suite bathroom. My heart nearly burst right out of my chest as I ran to the door. My beautiful fiancé stood next to the shower, naked with only a towel wrapped around his hips. With one hand, he turned the water on while gesturing with the other for me to join him.