“Otherwise the criminal walks free?” Seth asked, his eyes opening in surprise.
“That’s her theory.” And I wasn’t willing to test it.
He blew out a breath. “Then Akwan won’t receive justice.”
“Do you happen to know anything about these music books?” I placed them on the desk. “I found them in the same place I found your photo.”
Seth pulled the books closer and examined the pages. “He was writing his own music. Doesn’t surprise me. When Akwan set his mind to something, he tended to master it.”
“It wasn’t something he mentioned to you?”
Seth shook his head. “Music wasn’t a common interest. He had his bandmates for that conversation.”
“Was he close to them?”
Seth appeared thoughtful. “Define close. They spent a lot of time together, practicing and playing gigs. I know he was friendliest with Lauren-Ann.”
“Singer?”
“Bass player. I think they were romantically involved at one point, but decided to remain friends for the sake of the band. He was always able to keep a relationship with his exes.”
“Not me. I take the scorched earth approach. Burn that mother to the ground.”
Seth smiled. “I wish I’d spent more time in your world. Humans can be so interesting.”
“Where did you spend most of your time?” I asked.
“Otherworld,” he said. “Where most supernaturals live. I was born there and only spent a short span of time on the mortal plane before returning to Otherworld.”
“Did you and Akwan grow up together?”
“No, we attended the same university and then went to your world together, along with our friend.”
“What’s university like with a bunch of supernaturals?” I tried to envision a raging party with a house of drunk jinn. “I bet it was hard to stay out of trouble.” I know I would’ve been so much worse with access to magic.
“We weren’t big on illicit substances,” he said. “We mostly kept to our studies and late-night philosophical debates.”
I pretended to snore. “There must be one cool story.”
“There is one time when we flew our magic carpets to the rival university and broke into their library.”
I smiled, waiting for the rest of the story. “And?”
“And that was it. They had books we didn’t have access to in our library, so we borrowed them through the interlibrary loan system.”
My enthusiastic smile faded. “So you…flew back?”
“Yes. It was a lovely day. The weather was perfect.” He inclined his head to the photograph. “It’s so interesting that Akwan took up music here when it was Kajeem who loved music during our lifetime.”
“Maybe that’s why he started playing it here, as a kind of homage.”
“Yes, that would make sense,” Seth said. “We were all very close.”
“Do you think Akwan and Lauren-Ann were still on good terms?”
“I believe so. She stopped by to visit him yesterday. She seemed in good spirits when she arrived.”
“You saw her?” I asked.
He nodded. “I was just leaving when she arrived. Akwan hadn’t mentioned her coming, though he did say he needed to practice for an upcoming gig.”
“Maybe they had a rehearsal then.”
“Maybe. I didn’t get the sense the rest of the band was due to arrive though.”
“Do you know where I can find Lauren-Ann?” I asked.
“Sorry, I don’t know her that well.” He handed the books back to me. “Good luck with the investigation. Please let me know if I can be of help.” He set the framed photograph on his desk so that it was facing him. “And thank you for this. It certainly brings back a lot of memories.”
“You know what they say—a picture is worth a thousand words.” I gathered the books in my arms and rose to my feet. “Ooh, I almost forgot one more important question—could I get a burger to go?”
Chapter Nine
I turned into my driveway, deep in thought about Akwan and Linzy. Could the witch have used black magic to harm him? If so, why not say that instead of confessing to a sleeping potion?
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of white where no white should be. I parked the golf cart and slowly turned toward the elderly wizard hiding behind a palm tree.
“Hey, Middle Earth. Were you some kind of medieval stalker during your lifetime?” I asked. I tried to envision what that would entail. With no social media or motorized transportation, it couldn’t have been easy.
The wizard glowered at me. “I prefer to keep a low profile.”
“No kidding. That’s what stalkers do.”
Harold blew out a frustrated breath. “You make it very difficult to get to know you.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Do I need to go back to the stalker example again?”
He facepalmed. “Fine, fine. I take your point.”
I studied the elderly wizard in his white robe, pointy hat, and his wooden cane. “Do you actually need that thing to walk or is it an affectation?”
Harold lifted the slender piece of wood. “It’s my magical staff.”
I held up a hand. “Whoa, dude. You can’t walk around telling the women you stalk about your magical staff. It’s creepy.”
The wizard bristled. “I do not stalk you and the staff is magical.”
“Tell it to Voldemort.” I folded my arms. “You didn’t come to my party.”
“I dislike parties. Too many supernaturals in one place makes me itchy.”
“Well, you missed a pretty good one. Ended with a real bang, although not the kind I was hoping for.”
Harold’s mouth sloped downward. “Yes, I heard about poor Akwan. Interesting turn of events.”
“How well did you know him?”
“About as well as I know anyone here,” he said.
The longer I stood outside, the longer Harold was keeping me from my burger. “Do you want to come inside, stalker? There’s a burger with my name on it and I’m not sharing, but I might have a few tortilla chips left.” I paused. “Fair warning. They’re the crumbs that are too small to eat without tipping the edge of the bag directly into your mouth.” It was like a tortilla luge. I had to admit that I enjoyed the remnants of the bag almost as much as the whole pieces.
“I wouldn’t mind a glass of water,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “Even your requests are lame.” I moved toward the door. “Fine, Merlin. Come in and go nuts with your water.”
“It’s Harold.”
I ignored him and pushed open the door. Mischief was waiting in the foyer, her tailing swishing. Her blue eyes rounded when she spotted Harold behind me.
“We have a guest, so be nice. Harold, meet Mischief.”
The wizard inched forward, leaning on his staff. “Such a majestic beast guarding your domicile.”
Mischief seemed uncertain whether to welcome him with a hiss or a leg rub.
“She’s a Siamese cat,” I said.
He hunched over to pet her head. “And she’s alive. I’d heard the rumor, but I didn’t believe it was true.”
“It’s true. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge and came through a portal. The whole nine yards.”
“You must have seen so much on your journey, my friend,” Harold said.
Mischief must’ve made up her mind because she started to purr. Harold straightened but not without difficulty.
“Can’t you see a healer about those aches and pains?” I asked.
“They’re all in my mind,” he said. “As are most of the ailments we suffer here.”
“So why not do something that heals you psychologically?” I asked.
Harold scowled and continued walking toward the kitchen. “Your bungalow is similar to mine, except my living room is on the right instead of the left.”
“Huh. I pictured you living in a shack somewhere in the woods.”
He chuckled. “There are no woods here, El
oise.”
I pulled a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water for Harold. He settled in a chair at the kitchen table and took a sip before offering some to Mischief. She jumped onto the table and began to drink.
“She’s very special,” Harold said.
“You don’t have to tell her,” I said, opening the wrapper of my burger. “She knows I am.”
Harold fixed me with a look. “I was talking to you about the cat.”
“Well, that too.” A knock on the door jolted me. I stared at my burger with longing and sighed. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
“If it moves, then it’s undercooked,” Harold said.
I hurried to the door and yanked it open. I flinched at the sight of Cole on my doorstep. He was the last villager I wanted to see right now. Or ever.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I thought we should discuss the case, now that we have one,” he said. “Do you have a minute?”
“Technically I have an eternity, but how I choose to spend that eternity is up to me.” Sort of.
Mischief followed me into the foyer and began wrapping herself around Cole’s legs. I glared at her, suddenly wishing that we shared that psychic link after all, so that I could make clear how I felt about her treachery.
“Hey there, Mischief.” Cole bent over to scratch her behind the ear. Oh, sure. He was willing to get cozy with the cat, but not with a willing, flexible middle-aged woman. Okay, maybe just willing and middle-aged. Mischief lifted her face and meowed softly.
I turned on my heel and stalked into the kitchen. Mischief was supposed to be my ride-or-die companion, not a cat that melted at the sight of a sizzling hot demigod with a rock-hard bod and eyes like two glittering sapphires.
Cole started at the sight of Harold at the table. “Hey, Harold. Sorry to interrupt. I didn’t realize the marshal had company.”
The marshal. Great. I wasn’t even Eloise anymore.
“He’s not company,” I said. “He’s a stalker.” I returned to my burger and took an enormous bite.
“Why would he stalk you?” Cole asked.
“I’m not stalking anyone. I was out for a walk…”
“Ha!” I said, my mouth full of food. “Not with that bum leg you weren’t.”
“Either way, it’s good to see you out and about,” Cole said.
“I could the say the same to you,” Harold shot back.
“What am I? The hermit magnet?” I wolfed down the rest of my burger and sighed in contentment. Burger Bar had moved up on the list of reasons to stay.
“I brought a piece of evidence to Brigit’s office,” Cole said.
“I saw.”
Cole edged closer to me. “Why are you acting like this? Are you upset that Akwan was obliterated at your party? It could’ve happened anywhere.”
I began organizing spices in the cupboard so that they were in alphabetical order. I normally didn’t care what order they were in since I’d probably never use them, but I needed to focus on anything other than his gorgeous face.
“Why do bad things always happen to me?” I pouted, still facing the spices.
“I think you’ll find that the bad thing happened to Akwan,” Harold said.
“Well, there was Zeus too.” I winced at the mention of Cole’s father. No matter how mortified I was by what happened at the party, it was wrong to raise the dead. Apparently illegal too. No necromancy allowed in any realm.
“I think you’ll find that, in that situation, the bad thing actually happened to my father.”
I felt Cole’s presence beside me and my stomach betrayed me by fluttering like a Real Housewife’s when she’s about to check her number of followers on Instagram.
“Why don’t you want to discuss the case with me?” he asked. “What’s going on?”
I gathered what little maturity I had and faced him. “Why are you so insistent on helping? You didn’t even know Akwan.”
Cole looked at me, aghast. “Because it’s literally my job.” He repeatedly tapped the badge on his shirt. “I’m the deputy. Your deputy, or have you forgotten?”
“No, but I’d like to,” I mumbled. I bet there was a potion for that. I’d have to check on the shelf at True Brew.
The intensity of his stare seemed to burn a hole through me. “Since when do you get embarrassed?” he pressed. “I thought you stopped growing turds in your field once you passed forty.”
I blinked at him in confusion. “Who grows turds?” Understanding swept over me. “Oh, you mean my field is barren of f…”
“Forgive the interruption,” Harold said, “but there’s someone else at your door.”
“Now what?” I rushed to the foyer, eager to escape Cole’s smoldering gaze. I threw open the door to see an unfamiliar slender figure. “Come on in, stranger. Join the party.” I returned to the kitchen with the new guy hot on my heels.
“I understand you’re new to Divine Place,” he said.
I’d been so grateful for the diversion from Cole that I failed to notice the book he clutched against his chest. “Are you from the library? Because I haven’t gotten my card yet.”
The visitor’s presence prompted a hiss from Mischief. His white-blonde hair and alabaster skin were in sharp contrast to his black short-sleeved collared shirt. A pair of khaki shorts and Birkenstock-style sandals completed the look.
“This is Jurgen,” Cole said.
“I don’t work for the library,” Jurgen said.
“You just like to read. That’s cool. I get it. What’ve you got there—War and Peace? I guess you have plenty of time to finish that doorstopper.”
His lips curled into a smile. “I’m so pleased that you asked.” He flipped the book around so that I could read the title.
“The Book of Lilith,” I said aloud. “Is it women’s fiction?” I pictured a story about a middle-aged woman named Lilith who finds love and fulfillment after her husband of twenty-five years leaves her for a younger woman and she’s forced to find herself.
Cole stifled a laugh and I shot him a dirty look.
“It isn’t women’s fiction,” Harold said.
“Not fiction at all,” Jurgen said. “Have you had the opportunity to consider vampirism?”
“Well, I’ve learned a little bit about it from Jules,” I said.
Jurgen’s eyes lit up at the mention of Jules. “She is an excellent example of our species.” He handed me the book. “I think you’ll find this persuasive reading.”
I was momentarily confused. What did he mean by persuasive? Only when I cracked open the book did I understand. “Jurgen, are you here to convert me?”
He grinned, and I noticed his fangs for the first time. They weren’t as apparent as others I’d seen, so I’d completely missed them. “We are always open to having others join us…”
I held up a hand. “I’m going to stop you right there, friend. I’m straight-up human and I like it that way. Do I belong here? No. Do I want to stay here? Definitely not. If you convert me, then I’ll have to stay because I’ll no longer be considered a glitch.”
“Not to mention that you can’t be turned when you’re already dead,” Cole added.
I aimed a finger at Jurgen. “And there’s that.”
Jurgen snatched the book from my hands. “Why don’t I save this for someone else?”
“You can save the book, but you won’t save their soul,” I said.
“That’s the point,” Jurgen said with a huff. He whipped around and marched out of the house.
I looked at Cole. “Is he always like that?”
“Pretty much. He won’t accept the fact that he can’t turn anyone here. He holds some kind of record for turning people in the mortal world.”
“If he killed that many people, how did he end up here instead of somewhere…less pleasant?”
Cole’s expression clouded over. “That’s Jurgen’s story to tell, but I will say that he was known to be persuasive.”
; “You mean his conversions were genuine? He didn’t just drain their blood without their consent?”
“That’s my understanding,” Cole said. “He was part of group called Sons of Lilith. They were dedicated to bringing people into the fold and saving them from a life of mediocrity.”
“They never knocked on my door in Chipping Cheddar.” To be fair, if they had, I would’ve been so obnoxious that they would’ve escaped before I had a chance to say yes. “What about Jules? She seems like she was a real badass. How’d she get here?” The vampire seemed like she’d be perfectly at home in a place where dead people screamed all day.
“Eloise, I’d caution you not to bring your particular brand of bluntness to this village,” Harold said. “Not unless you want to alienate everyone you meet.”
“We aren’t all open books here,” Cole added.
“I’ve spent over forty years alienating everyone I meet. When you have a talent, you should flaunt it.”
A somber look passed between Cole and Harold. “Can we talk about Akwan now?” Cole asked.
“There’s nothing to talk about. He reached the final death in a hot tub after a few drinks. Everyone should be so lucky.”
Mischief jumped onto the island and hissed at me. I knew what she trying to say, but I didn’t care. How could I interact with Cole like a normal person after humiliating myself? All I saw when I looked at him was his godly face telling me, in very clear terms, no.
Cole studied me for a beat. “Have it your way, Eloise. I’ll stay out of your hair for now, but we’re going to work through this eventually because that’s what adults do.”
“Is it?” I queried. I wasn’t so sure. My adult role models regularly turned up the volume on the television to drown out meaningful conversation and weren’t opposed to shouting obscenities until the other person stopped talking.
Cole gave me a lingering look before exiting the kitchen. Only when I heard the click of the front door did I release the breath I was holding. The cat swished her tail.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I said. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see how awful it was.” Granted, I barely remembered given how much I had to drink. Still, the feeling stayed with me and it sucked.
Homicide and Hot Tubs Page 9