by K E O'Connor
“Oh, you’re with Angel Force.” Rhett sounded cautious.
“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “Where’s Serath?”
“In the woods. By an old gnarled oak tree that looks like it has an owl carved in the trunk. Close to the swamp.”
“I know where you mean,” I said. “We’ll be there soon. Don’t let Serath go anywhere.”
“I don’t need to worry about that. Tempest, he’s dead.”
Chapter 5
Dazielle flew ahead of me as I ran along the streets with Wiggles by my side, back to the forest.
“I knew something bad had happened to that guy,” Wiggles said. “All that blood and mess on the ground, you don’t get that playing hide ‘n’ seek.”
“Serath was a jerk, but he didn’t deserve to die,” I said.
“He must have carried on his argument with his buddies, and it went too far.”
“Maybe.” I entered the forest and sped along the path. I soon spotted the white flare of Dazielle’s wings as I pushed past a bush.
She stood at the edge of a shallow pit next to Rhett, who shifted from foot to foot and kept glancing at Dazielle as if expecting her to arrest him at any second.
I joined them and gulped as I looked down. In a grave lay Serath. His eyes were open as was his mouth, a look of terror forever pinned to his face.
“He did not go quietly,” I muttered.
“That guy died screaming.” Wiggles sniffed around the edge of the shallow grave. “And whatever magic was used on him stinks.”
I nodded. It was unmistakable. Someone had killed Serath using dark magic. A bitter, sour smell drifted off his body.
Dazielle turned her attention to Rhett. “How did you know he was here?”
Rhett shrugged as he backed away, his hand shoved in his jeans pockets. “I know the place well.”
“Well enough to know when someone has buried a body?” Dazielle stalked after him, her wings fluttering.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Sure. It’s easy when you know how to follow the clues.”
I hid a smile behind my hand. Angel Force was not known for following the right logic nor the correct clues when solving mysteries. It was how I often found myself dragged into their more difficult cases.
“What’s your relationship with the victim?” Dazielle asked Rhett.
“No relationship. I have nothing to do with this guy.” Rhett looked at me, the plea for help clear in his eyes. “I need to get out of here.”
“Are you late for the office?” I asked with a grin.
A small smile crossed his face. “Something like that.”
“Where were you last night?” Dazielle persisted.
Rhett raised a hand. “With the guys. They’ll all vouch for me.”
Dazielle scowled at him. “I will be in touch with more questions if I think you’re involved in this death.”
“I’m not. I’m trying to help. I didn’t need to tell you I found Serath. Don’t drag me into this investigation.” Rhett scowled at Dazielle.
“I won’t drag you anywhere if you have nothing to do with Serath’s death.” Dazielle’s wings fully extended, a signal she wanted Rhett to know who was in charge.
He glanced at her wings and shook his head. “Whatever you say. You know where I am.” Rhett turned on his heel and strode away.
Dazielle stared after him before returning her attention to Serath. “What do you think about Rhett?”
I watched him leave, trying hard not to leer at how well his jeans fit him. “You know what he’s like. His gang runs on the dark side, but he keeps them in line. I don’t think they had anything to do with this murder.”
Dazielle snorted. “You need to take off those rose-tinted glasses. Rhett is not such a sweetheart.”
I shrugged. I knew that.
“And curses?” Dazielle asked. “Something dark was used on Serath. Would the gang stoop to using a curse on someone who upset them?”
“It’s possible, but anyone good at magic can conjure a curse. If you’re looking for suspects based on that, you’ll have to interrogate half of Willow Tree Falls.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Two angels descended from the sky, curling their wings behind them as they landed elegantly and strode over.
“Secure this scene,” Dazielle said. “And have Serath taken away. We might find something on him that points to his killer.”
The angels nodded and got to work.
Dazielle turned to me. “You can help with this.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How do you want me to help?”
“You know Puddles.”
I grimaced. “Because she’s my landlady. I wouldn’t call her a friend.”
“Even so, you know more about her than I do. She will open up to you.”
“About what?” I scratched my head. “You don’t think Puddles is involved, do you?”
“You heard her when she found Dewey in the forest helping with our inquiries. She’s protective of him.”
“Sure, but we’re talking about Puddles Lavern. Her worst habit is dying her hair every shade under the rainbow.”
“Even so, we need to talk to her. Dewey, Bart, and Serath are staying at her house. Maybe she knows something about Serath or could have overheard them arguing when they were in their rooms.”
“I won’t be any help,” I said. “You’ve got this in hand. Serath’s been discovered, and your angels can figure out the rest.”
“You’re sitting in on the interview with Puddles,” Dazielle said. “We need to get her talking.”
I sighed but nodded. “Fine, the sooner we get this cleared up, the better. I don’t want Cloven Hoof associated with dead bodies and curses.”
“Exactly, and Puddles might tell us everything we need, and we can wrap this up by the end of the day.”
I highly doubted it. I waited half an hour, throwing a stick for Wiggles while Dazielle did her official Angel Force thing, which mainly involved barking orders and stomping around fluttering her wings. Surely, those feathers must contaminate a crime scene.
Once she was done, we headed to Angel Force’s headquarters, and Dazielle summoned Puddles to the station.
I was waiting in the reception area when she bustled through the door, dressed in a pale lemon suit.
“I came as quickly as I could,” she said to me. “Dazielle said you have news about Serath.”
I opened my mouth to tell her what was going on when Dazielle stuck her head into the reception area. “Best we do this in private.”
Puddles turned her large eyes to me. “What’s going on?”
“It’s not great news,” I said. “We’d better do what Dazielle says.” I did not want to break the bad news alone to Puddles in case she got emotional.
Once we were settled in the interview room, Dazielle told Puddles about the discovery of Serath’s body.
Puddles’ hand flew to her mouth. “That’s terrible news. That poor boy.”
“Although we’ve yet to do a thorough investigation, we’re certain dark magic was used on him,” Dazielle said.
Puddles shook her head. “Who would want to harm such a charming boy?”
“That’s what we need to find out. I’m curious. What would you do to protect Dewey?” Dazielle rested her hands on the table and fixed her gaze on Puddles.
“Dewey! Well, I’d do anything. He’s my nephew. I love him.”
“Do you love him enough to remove someone from his life that you consider a bad influence?”
“Oh! I see where you’re going with this.” Puddles’ hands fluttered in the air as if she didn’t know what to do with them. “You think I had something to do with what happened to Serath?”
“It’s possible,” Dazielle said. “You clearly feel the need to protect your nephew.”
“Of course, but that’s only natural. I didn’t harm Serath.” Puddles looked down at her lap. “Although, I did think he was a bad apple.”
I leaned forward in my seat. “Why’s that?”
Puddles sighed. “I didn’t mean to pry, but I was tidying the boys’ rooms after they went out last night and discovered something.”
“You mean you were snooping around their stuff?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I like to keep a tidy house, and those boys are dreadful at keeping things neat. Anyway, I was looking around and discovered, well, let’s say some items that make me think Serath was not such a nice boy.”
“Was it pornographic?” I asked.
“No! I will not have filth in my home.”
“What was it?”
Puddles’ expression grew serious. “Serath was using dark magic.”
My mouth opened in surprise. I had not expected that.
“What did you find?” Dazielle asked.
“A book of spells, a pot of what might be graveyard dust, and some human hair.”
I sat up straight. “This guy isn’t playing around.”
“I would never have allowed him in my home if I’d known he was into such horrors. He must have fallen in with a bad crowd. Perhaps my Dewey felt sorry for him and was trying to get him on the right path.”
“Or maybe your Dewey is also using dark magic?” I said. “He could have used some on Serath last night.”
“Absolutely not! Dewey is high-spirited, but there’s nothing wrong with that. He would never do anything to harm a friend. He’s a good boy.”
From what I’d seen of Dewey and his friends, they were definitely not good.
“Do you know of anybody who has a grudge against Serath?” Dazielle asked. “Anybody who would not be happy to see him in Willow Tree Falls?”
Puddles tapped her fingers on the top of the table. “You need to speak to that barmaid of yours,” she said to me.
My head jerked back. “Which one?”
“Izzie. Serath has been involved with her.” Her top lip curled as if she smelled something bad. “Maybe Serath upset her, and when she saw him back in Willow Tree Falls, she decided to do something about it.”
I shook my head. I had no clue about this alleged relationship. “No way. Izzie isn’t a killer.”
“How well do you know Izzie?” Dazielle asked me.
“I know her well. Do not drag Izzie into this. Puddles is deflecting to get the heat off Dewey.”
Puddles smoothed her hands over her hair. “As if I’d do such a thing.”
I glared at Dazielle. “Izzie is reliable and a hard worker. I do not want you chasing away a good member of my team.” I knew what Angel Force was like when they got the sniff of a suspect. They wouldn’t let it drop, no matter how ridiculous it was.
“She wasn’t there today when we spoke with Merrie,” Dazielle said. “I need to talk to Izzie, especially if she knows the victim.”
“If they did date, which I don’t believe, I doubt Izzie even remembers Serath,” I said. “His buddies said he’s lousy with women. In fact, if they did date, I bet she only dated him because she felt sorry for him. Izzie is kind like that.”
Dazielle shook her head. “I will talk to her. Unless you’d rather I bring her in and make it more official.”
I groaned. “No, don’t do that. Drop by the bar tonight. She’ll be working.” And I would definitely be there. I was not having Dazielle and her feathered crew annoying my staff.
“Izzie could have argued with Serath and things got out of hand,” Puddles said smugly.
“Stop talking. You’re making this worse,” I said.
“Not for Dewey.” Puddles’ smile was on the wrong side of sly.
“Izzie would never curse a person,” I said.
Puddles shook her head. “Whoever did this, it’s a bad business. Even though Serath may have lost his way with his magic, I was fond of him. Deep down, he was a good boy. I hope you find whoever killed him quickly.”
“Since you were so fond of him, you won’t mind me asking where you were last night?” I asked.
Puddles puffed out a breath. “Of course not. I stuck to my usual routine. I had my dinner, listened to a little music while I did some lacemaking, and then went to bed. I had to be up early this morning to show a new rental to a couple.”
“Did you share your bed with anybody?”
Puddles’ cheeks flushed. “You know I’m not married.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t share your bed with someone.” I grinned at her.
She pulled herself upright. “No, I shared my bed with nobody.”
“Which means nobody can confirm what you did last night.” I jabbed a finger at Puddles. “She’s as much of a suspect as Izzie. More so, because she has no alibi.”
“Tempest, that’s enough. For now, we accept Puddles’ alibi,” Dazielle said.
“Quite right,” Puddles said. “Because that’s what I did.”
“What music did you listen to?” I asked, not willing to let her off so easily.
She blinked at me. “Gilbert and Sullivan.”
I let out a disgusted sigh. Of course, that would be her favorite type of music. You’d never catch Puddles Lavern rocking out to some amazing guitar riff.
“I believe you, Puddles,” Dazielle said. “You’ve always been a model citizen. I’ve no reason to think you’re lying.”
I snorted and crossed my arms over my chest. I had reasons to think she might not be completely honest, but with Dazielle in the room, there was no point in pursuing more questions. Puddles’ pastel-tinted reputation had saved her.
“That’s all we need for now,” Dazielle said. “Sorry to take up your time.”
“That’s quite all right. I’m happy to help any way I can.”
I remained in my seat as Dazielle showed Puddles out. As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t imagine Puddles killing a fly, let alone a person. But I wasn’t going to forget about her, especially if Dazielle was interested in grilling Izzie and trying to get her to take the blame.
Dazielle walked back into the interview room. “So much for your help.”
I shrugged. “Puddles was being smug. I prodded her to see if she had a temper.”
“We need to return to Cloven Hoof and see what Izzie knows.”
“Don’t pin your hopes on Izzie being your killer. I agree Puddles is the most unlikely murder suspect in the village, but she has a connection to Serath.”
“As does Izzie, by the sounds of it,” Dazielle said. “Will she be at the bar by now?”
I checked the time. “Not until later. Drop by after eight, and we’ll all be there. You can question her before the place gets too busy.”
“Okay, but don’t go talking to her until then.”
“What do you think I’m going to say?”
“You might warn her that I’m coming so she gets her story straight.”
I glowered at Dazielle as I shoved back my chair and stood. “Her story is already straight. She has nothing to do with this.”
As I left Angel Force and walked away with Wiggles, I knew I’d have to stay involved in this case. I always hated it when Dazielle got that gleam in her eye when she thought she’d found the perfect suspect. She had that look now, every time she talked about Izzie.
She thought Izzie was guilty, but I knew she was wrong. I would not let an innocent person go down for this. I was hanging onto this case until we found out who the murderer really was.
Chapter 6
“Tempest! It seems like an age since I’ve seen you.” Mom engulfed me in an enormous hug before I’d even stepped foot through the doorway of the house.
“I saw you two days ago.” I returned her hug.
“That’s too long. Come through. Dinner’s almost ready. Hello, handsome.” She tickled Wiggles under the chin, and his tongue rolled out with pleasure.
Everyone was already at the table when I arrived. The only person missing was Auntie Queenie, who must have the shift at the cemetery.
“We want to hear all about the murder.” Granny Dottie patted the empty seat ne
xt to her. “I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time with the angels.”
I shook my head as I settled in the seat. “Out of necessity, not choice. Dazielle’s got it in her head that someone at Cloven Hoof is involved.”
“Oh dear, that’s not good news.” Mom placed a plate of spaghetti bolognese in front of me before passing around everyone else’s food.
“It’s no one there,” I said. “I trust my staff.”
“The gossip is that you had Puddles in for questioning,” Granny Dottie said. “What’s that naughty thing done this time?”
“Your gossip is good.” I swirled spaghetti around my fork. “She’s crazy protective over Dewey, and I wondered how far she’d go to keep him safe. The problem is, she’s squeaky clean. I couldn’t muster up the belief she’d kill anyone.”
Granny Dottie chuckled. “Puddles wasn’t always such a good girl.”
I raised my eyebrows. “She wasn’t?”
“Absolutely not. She dabbled in the dark stuff when she was a teenager. It got her in a lot of trouble.” Granny Dottie slurped a long string of spaghetti and smacked her lips together.
“Wow! You’d have no idea to look at her,” I said.
“She doesn’t touch the stuff now,” Granny Dottie said. “At least, I didn’t think she did. But maybe she cursed this boy. She’d know how to evoke a curse like that.”
“Don’t go spreading those rumors.” Mom settled at the table. “You don’t want Puddles coming after you with her voodoo dolls and pins.”
Granny Dottie grinned. “I could take care of her if she caused me trouble. Anyway, her mom sent her away for rehabilitation. Puddles came back a reformed witch. She’s no longer interested in dark magic. In fact, she became sickeningly good. She lost her spark.”
I bit into a piece of warm homemade garlic bread as I considered this news about Puddles. Perhaps she still had a dark side and hid it under her pastel colors and bright hair. But she was such a goody two shoes, nobody could keep up such a good act.
“You must make sure this murder is tidied up quickly,” Mom said. “Your cousins are coming to Willow Tree Falls in a couple of months. We don’t want them to be too scared to visit.”
I grinned. My cousins, Raine and Azura, were great fun, and I hadn’t seen them for almost a year. “Don’t worry. It’ll be figured out soon enough. Serath’s friends have to be involved. Dewey and Bart both looked like they’d gone a few rounds when I found them, and they seemed confused about what happened with Serath. I just need to convince Dazielle not to hound my staff and focus on legitimate suspects, and it will get sorted.”