At the mention of her name, Zach threw a quick glance over his shoulder to look at the Smith family. They were clustered near the gazebo, and while Thea gazed at them briefly, Zach's abrupt sigh made her return her attention back to him.
“I almost forgot about that,” he mumbled. “She was always pretty jealous of Rebecca.”
“I heard that you and Ashley used to date,” Thea said. Zach froze up. “And apparently... you left her for Rebecca.”
“This is so embarrassing,” he replied gently, wiping his forehead with the back of his hands since his palms were dirty. His ears were red. “I did date Ashley. When that happened, she was really upset. She yelled at us and threw things at my head, and I honestly was a little scared of her. But that happened months ago. I thought things were better now.”
“Are you sure?” Thea asked, hoping to get him to reveal something about Ashley’s character. “You don’t think she was capable of killing Rebecca out of revenge?”
“I-I...” he stammered, shaking his head. He hastily wiped his hands on his pants before getting up from his position. “Sorry, Thea, but I have to get going.”
Zach turned to his friends, who were just finishing up planting the rest of the flowers.
“Guys, help me start painting the gazebo! I want to get this done today,” he said, hurrying off and leaving Thea behind at the garden plots.
She stared after him, wondering if he was hiding something. Was he trying to save Ashley by not saying anything? She didn’t know for sure. Instead of answers, she was left with confusion with a side of curiosity.
As she looked down at her fingernails, she let out a small sound of disgust. They were all dirty, which was something she hated to see. However, when she looked up at the flowers they planted, she decided that it was all worth it. They looked beautiful.
She stared at them for a while, recognizing those same flowers from the local florist nearby. They were the same shade and variety, a popular gift for men to give to their partners. Even though the case was still prominent in her thoughts, she managed to smile.
There was still beauty in this world to admire. It was right in front of her.
Chapter 27
After staying in the shop with Jesse and working for the entire day, they didn’t even realize how quickly time passed them by. Before they knew it, the world outside was getting dark and it was time to close up.
Although Jesse wanted to stay behind and help with the clean up, Thea reassured him that it wasn’t necessary. He took his leave, albeit reluctantly, and told her to have a safe night before heading out the door.
Thea and Sybil were the only two left in A Stitch in Time. While the kitten curled up on the counter, Thea grabbed a broom and started to sweep the floor. The familiar yawned as she watched her.
“How did the park look today? Are they still fixing it up?” Sybil asked, purring as Thea rubbed her head as she walked by.
“It was beautiful, actually,” Thea responded. “They really stepped up to make it look beautiful. You should have seen it before. The playground was unusable, there was trash everywhere, and the place looked so dirty. It looks nothing like how it used to be.”
Sybil let out a small sound as she got up to stretch. “That’s a good thing, then. I think it’s the best way they can remember Rebecca.”
“It’s sad that she had to get killed for people to take the initiative and clean up the area for the better,” Thea pointed out.
“That’s just how it is sometimes, Thea,” Sybil said.
She nodded. It was a sad truth, but it was their reality all the same.
Eventually, the kitten hopped down onto the ground and started to pace around. She wanted to get some exercise in, her legs needed it.
“Who else was at the park?” Sybil asked, as she circled around Thea. “Were there a lot of people there?”
“Yeah, a good portion of the town managed to show up. I talked to Zach while I was there,” she said. “I didn’t see Miranda, though. I did see Ashley and the rest of the Smith family. It was only for a few seconds, but they were definitely by the gazebo. I think I even saw her crying.”
“Ashley? Crying?” Sybil asked with wide eyes. “Woah. I wouldn’t have expected that. Wasn’t everyone talking about how she was jealous of Rebecca and how she probably wanted her dead in the first place? Isn’t that a little... contradictory?”
Thea hummed out in agreement. “Yep. She was there to remember her sister. She and the rest of her family looked like they were pulling it together.”
“So what does that mean for the investigation?” the kitten pressed on, curiously. “Do you still think she’s a suspect, after seeing that?”
“I’m not sure,” Thea replied, followed by a small shrug. “I don’t know what to think about Miranda or Ashley, honestly. I think we’ll keep our eyes on them. Those two had the strongest motives to get rid of Rebecca.”
“And that leaves your angry cousin out of the picture,” Sybil joked. “It’s kinda crazy how he volunteers at an animal shelter. Who woulda thought?”
“Not me,” Thea responded with a short laugh. “Honestly, Sybil, I just want to see this investigation done and over with, y’know? It’s taken a toll on this town. The moment we find the killer is going to be a satisfying one, I can feel it.”
“Maybe when they’re done renovating the whole thing, I can go visit the park and see the new gazebo,” Sybil offered, looking towards the exit. It was almost pitch black outside. “Now that I think about it... they should have left the thing as it was.”
“Huh?” Thea asked, looking down at the kitten sitting by her feet. She was careful to side-step around her, considering she was still sweeping. “What do you mean? It’s a good thing that they’re repairing it.”
“I know, I know,” Sybil conceded. “I just said that for my own selfish reasons. Sometimes, I like to head down to the park and try to look for mice. That old gazebo was like a jackpot for me.”
Thea laughed inwardly as the familiar continued with her story.
“There were these small holes and cracks in the wood. Since I’m tiny, I could fit inside them and find some mice in there sometimes. I think they patched everything up and covered all the holes...bastards.”
Thea laughed.“Yeah, when I looked at the gazebo, it looked brand new. I think they replaced the old wooden planks because they would creak too much whenever somebody stood on them. Plus, they wanted to start repainting it. Zach and his friends made sure of that, but I’m not sure they got too much of it done,” Thea explained, while the kitten pouted over her lost hunting venture at the park. “Hey, but cheer up! The gazebo looks great now.”
“Those mice will think they got one over on me,” Sybil mumbled.
“Hush, I’m sure you can find them somewhere else. I’m glad those mice won’t be in the gazebo anymore. Who goes to the park and wants to see one of those running around?”
“Me,” the kitten replied.
“Okay, but not the rest of us,” Thea reminded her. “But in all seriousness, you really should stop by the park soon! I bet you’ll love the flowers.”
Sybil huffed, staring up at Thea. “What color are they? I kinda like the orange ones.”
“They’re lots of different colors, Sybil. They’re gorgeous and they fit into the environment pretty well,” she explained, envisioning the flowers in her mind. She remembered the sight of them, their scent, and...
She stilled her movements suddenly, recalling a certain bouquet of flowers that she found thrown into the garbage can. They were eerily similar to the ones Zach was planting when she approached him at the garden plots.
“The flowers...” Thea whispered out, grip loosening on the broom. It fell with a loud clash to the floor as she hurried to take her phone out of her pocket.
“Thea, what’s going on? Where are you going–”
“Don’t worry, Sybil. Stay here, okay? I’ll be right back,” Thea promised the kitten as she quickly left the shop.
As she t
ook to the streets in search of her car, she dialed Blaine’s number quickly. At this point, she had it memorized. It didn’t take long for the detective to answer her.
“Thea?”
“Blaine. Meet me at the gazebo in the park. I think I’ve figured it all out.”
She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it sooner. The flowers? How quickly Zach wanted to plaster the gazebo in a fresh coat of paint? Everything was adding up right before her eyes. It just took a while to see things clearly.
Chapter 28
By the time she made it to the park, she was encapsulated by darkness. Only the moon spearing through the clouds as well as the dim glow of the street lamps served as her guiding lights.
She approached the gazebo cautiously, taking a brief glance around her surroundings before moving forward. The park was empty. The only thing she could hear were her footsteps crunching on a few fallen leaves as well as the sounds of crickets nearby.
The people of Ardensville did a great job redecorating the gazebo and the area surrounding it. Fresh flowers encircled the spot. The frame of the gazebo was fixed, made stronger and more aesthetically pleasing to look at. As Thea walked around, she noticed that they had only managed to paint only some spots of the gazebo. There were still large sections that they didn’t get to, left uncovered.
Using the limited amount of light she had to work with, Thea traced her fingers along the spots that hadn’t been touched by paint. She was careful not to nip her fingers with splinters, knowing how badly they hurt.
There was a tendency for people to carve their initials into the wood. When it came to couples, seeing a pair of initials placed within a heart was common. As her fingers trailed along, it didn’t take too much effort to feel at the carvings that sliced into the gazebo’s frames.
Narrowing her eyes to look closely, she wasn’t surprised to see a particular set of them engraved into the gazebo. It was just what she was anticipating.
RS&Z. Fresher than the others, but unfinished. It seemed as if someone was in the middle of finishing the marking before jerking the tool they used away.
This was Zach’s doing, she was sure of it.
Just as she was taking out her phone to take some photos of the evidence, she heard a pair of footsteps stop somewhere behind her and a heavy object fall to the ground. Not to mention, it was soon followed by the sound of a gun cocking.
“T-Thea?” a voice whimpered out.
She turned around slowly, breath hitching in her throat as she gazed at the man in front of her.
It was Zach, pale in the face. His hands trembled violently as he gripped onto the gun he held. It didn’t seem as if he was comfortable with the weapon in the slightest. Thea knew she had to be careful, knowing that a stray bullet could easily fire with how jerky his movements were.
Eyes flickering to his feet, she saw a splattered bucket of paint as well as some brushes. Thea recognized the materials he brought with him. They were the supplies he bought with Rebecca when they visited A Stitch in Time together, not even a week prior.
Zach had an inkling that someone was going to catch on to his cover-up. That explained why he was in a rush to cover the entirety of the gazebo with paint. Thea managed to act much quicker than he had.
“Put down the gun,” Thea ordered him gently, making sure her hands were visible.
She didn’t want him to think she was going to lash out on him. He was going to retaliate.
Zach’s eyes were bloodshot as a thin sheet of sweat coated his forehead. His bottom lip quivered as he continued to point the gun at Thea.
“N-No one was supposed to know,” he whispered out. “No one.”
“Why did you do it then, Zach? She was your girlfriend! Why did you kill her?”
“It was an accident!” he cried out, aim faltering as he began to sob. “Everything was an accident! I never meant to kill Rebecca... it was the last thing I ever wanted to do!”
“An accident?” Thea repeated in disbelief. She shook her head. “How?”
Zach swallowed thickly as his mind drifted back to the day it happened. It was too hurtful to remember, but he knew he had to explain himself. There was no other way around it.
He took a deep breath. “After... after we visited your shop, I was scared about everything that Eric said. About the blood feud and the fight between the Smiths and the Beals. I didn’t understand any of it, but Rebecca decided to tell me. She told me that she was a witch and... I didn’t know what I was supposed to believe at first.”
Thea felt her heart get heavy as she watched Zach break down further, tears falling freely. He didn’t bother to wipe them away, so they clouded his vision significantly.
“S-She showed me what she was. She wanted to show me her powers, what she could do as a witch. She did this... this thing where she projected an illusion over herself. It was terrifying. I-I didn’t know what I was seeing and I lashed out with the knife I was using to carve our initials over there.”
He motioned towards the carvings Thea had found. She continued to stare at him, wondering what his next move would be. Clearly, he was still distraught over the entire situation. However, he was willing to kill her in order to cover his tracks. Despite the sympathy she felt for him, she had to remind herself of that fact.
“It was our six month anniversary,” he continued gently, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I had gotten her flowers. I wanted the day to be special for the two of us. Instead...”
He didn’t have to complete that sentence. Thea already knew what he was going to say. She could feel blood pounding in her ears as she met Zach’s gaze. He looked crazed, both from grief and desperation.
“I can’t let you walk away now that you’ve seen everything,” Zach said, finding enough strength in his arms to lift up the gun at eye-level again. “I wanted to get everything over with tonight. I wanted to paint over the initials and be done with it. I wanted to be free from this.”
Thea’s palms were clamming up as a deep frown settled on Zach’s face. Mental and physical exhaustion were taking its toll on him, pushing him to the very brink.
“I’m sorry it has to end like this, Thea.”
Chapter 29
Even though his words disturbed her, she put on a brave face. Thea knew that he didn’t want to do this. His hesitation spoke more loudly to her than all the words he had to say.
With that, she lifted up a shaky hand of her own and decided to plead with him. Or at least, buy herself some time to figure out a way to escape this disaster.
“Zach,” she said, keeping her voice low. She didn’t want to scare him or agitate him further. Her life was on the line here. “I understand where you’re coming from. Believe me. I know that you’re hurt, scared, and desperate right now.”
He held back a whimper, tightening his grip on the gun.
“But you still need to turn yourself in. You’re not making the right choice here. What will happen if you shoot me? Everyone around us will hear the gunshot. Everyone will know that you did it. You won’t be able to run away from this anymore.”
“I know, Thea! I know!” he exclaimed, gritting his teeth. “Do you think I have that much of a choice? I don’t want to have to do this to you, but you’ve seen too much! You can’t live!”
As if a switch had turned on in his head, the look on his face morphed. He raised his brow, a malicious smile tugging the ends of his tear-stained lips upwards. A newfound confidence was sparked in him, as he realized what he could do next.
“I already framed Miranda once for this crime. There’s a chance I can just do it again. Most of the town is already convinced that she was the one who killed Rebecca. If they find out that you’ve been killed, too, they’ll just look at her. You were sticking your nose too deep into this case anyway.”
Thea scowled. “You wouldn’t do that. You need to leave Miranda out of this already and start taking responsibility for your own actions, Zach. You created this entire mess for yourself and now you’re tr
ying to put the blame on everyone else!”
She shook her head, curling her lip in distaste.
“That’s pathetic.”
“Shut up,” Zach growled out, stepping forward.
By the expression he wore, he had made up his mind about this. Only a few moments ago, he had contemplated whether or not to let Thea live. His reluctance disappeared like a passing breeze. He was steady in his decision.
Just as his finger was about to press onto the trigger, he was jolted by the sound of a gun loading behind him. His eyes widened.
“Drop it.”
Although it was difficult to see in the dark, Thea gasped once she recognized that voice. Blaine.
Squinting her eyes, she managed to make out a dark silhouette of his figure standing behind Zach. He was huge and imposing.
Did he shift into his bear form? Thea asked herself. She wasn’t able to tell. Regardless, she let out a breath of relief. She was so glad he came.
“What if I don’t?” Zach challenged, turning his head slightly to try and catch a glimpse at Blaine behind him. “What if I just shoot her now? What will you do?”
“If I were you, I’d stop playing these games and put your weapon on the ground,” Blaine warned him sternly. His grip on his weapon was much more steady than the one Zach had on his. “I’ve already notified the entire police department on what’s going on here. Police cars will line up and down the streets in a few minutes. Give yourself up. Now.”
Zach’s knees felt weak, realizing that he was trapped by the police. The world was closing in on him, forcing his back to the wall.
Growing impatient, Blaine stepped forward. “Kid, I’m serious–”
By accident, he had knocked Zach's shoulder abruptly. The action made Zach lose his footing, but it also caused his hands to tighten around the gun he held. In doing so, he pulled the trigger. Everything was caused by a wave of Zach’s surprise and panic to Blaine’s unexpected shove.
The sound of a bullet rang across the clearing, smashing into the gazebo beside Thea. She yelled inadvertently, as pieces of wood flew in all directions when the bullet made contact. On instinct, she moved to dive out of the way and fell a few feet away from Zach and Blaine.
Familiar Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Series Book 1) Page 10