by K E O'Connor
It was too much of a coincidence for my liking. “Give me one angel. Even Dominic will do.” He always did what I told him.
“Dominic is busy.”
“Let me guess. He’s making more angel balls.”
“Nothing so important. Besides, his balls always come out lumpy.”
“So, you can spare him?”
“Not for this.”
I turned on my heel. I was done with these dumb bags of feathers. “Enjoy your food.” I hoped they choked on it. Without Dazielle cracking the whip, the angels had gotten lazy. But I wasn’t giving up.
I got to the door and realized Wiggles wasn’t with me. He’d do anything to get his paws on takeout food. “Wiggles! We’re leaving.”
A moment later, he raced after me, a sullen look on his face. “They wouldn’t even give me one lousy french fry. Did you see how piled those plates were? All I wanted was one french fry.”
“We can have french fries later. We need to find Seth.”
“We’ve looked everywhere. He’s not coming out now he knows you’re onto him.”
“Then we’ll stake out the house,” I said. “He has to come back at some point. He won’t have forgotten about Lotus that easily. I bet he’ll try to convince her to run away with him.”
“A stakeout,” Wiggles said. “That always involves food. All goods stakeouts have plenty of food to keep you awake. I read about that in my private investigator manual.”
I smirked. “Does your PI manual say what kind of food we need to get?”
Wiggles bounced around me. “Pizza!”
I shrugged, still angry with the angels, but I could do with something to eat. I’d also had pizza on my mind ever since talking to Lotus. “How about Mystic Mushroom?”
Wiggles danced around me. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”
We didn’t have to wait long to be served, and Tate was soon boxing two large pizzas, one covered in pineapple and mushrooms for me, while Wiggles ordered a meat feast with extra meat.
“Planning a fun night in?” Tate asked as he took my money.
“Something like that,” I said.
“We’re on a stakeout,” Wiggles whispered loudly.
Tate’s eyebrows rose. “A stakeout. That’s an interesting way to spend your time. Sounds risky.”
I glared at Wiggles. Nobody needed to know what we were up to. “Ignore him. He’s been watching too many spy movies.”
Tate nodded slowly. “If you need backup on this stakeout, you know where I am.”
“Thanks, we’ll be fine.” We headed out with our pizzas and over to the house Seth was staying in.
After a few minutes of hunting for a suitable spot, we settled behind a large bush where we had a good view of anyone approaching the house.
I leaned back, resting against a tree as I made my way through my delicious pizza. Whoever said it should be illegal to have pineapple on pizza needed their head examined.
Wiggles had finished his pizza within minutes and was sitting next to me, his gaze not leaving my final slice.
“I’m worried about Aurora.”
Wiggles glanced at me. “Because of Toby?”
“I have no idea about half the things we talked about when I was in his house. They’ve set a wedding date, and I don’t know when it is. And Aurora was so spiky when I was in her store.”
“A wedding date can be unset,” Wiggles said. “As soon as you figure out what Toby’s hold is over Aurora, you can destroy him.”
“Rhett thinks Toby is after the demons. Someone’s paying him to get access to our prison and using Aurora to help do that.”
“Huh! What does Toby want with the demons?”
“Maybe nothing, but if the pay-out is large, he might be brave enough to mess with our operation. Somebody could be pulling the strings to break out a demon they want free.”
“Or maybe they want to mess with us,” Wiggles said. “Ruin the Crypt family name. What better way to do that than bust open the prison and point the finger at us for being incompetent?”
“Rhett also suggested that.” I sighed as I wiped my fingers on a paper napkin. “Why do that? Who’d want to mess with us?”
“I imagine a fair few magic users aren’t big fans,” Wiggles said. “Anyone who’s a friend of the demons won’t be a friend of ours. There are loads of demons beneath the cemetery. Some of them have friends.”
“So, they use Toby Matlock to cause us problems?”
“It’s working,” Wiggles said. “I’ve never seen you and Aurora argue so much. You used to be so close.”
I crumpled the paper napkin and tossed it into the pizza box. “We still are. We just need to get Toby out of the way, and things will be fine.”
“Easier said than done,” Wiggles said. “Pretty soon, he’s going to be your brother-in-law.”
The thought made me queasy. “Over my dead body.”
We sat in silence for an hour, my thoughts continuing to churn over the Aurora problem. There had to be a way to break Toby’s hold.
“My butt’s gone to sleep,” Wiggles said. “It doesn’t look like Seth’s going to show.”
I was also bored and getting cold. “Seth could have left something incriminating in his room. Evidence that will suggest he’s involved in these murders.”
“Are you thinking a little breaking and entering is in order?”
“It’s in a good cause.” I stood, grabbed the pizza boxes, and placed them in the nearest trash can. “It looks like nobody’s home. We haven’t seen any lights go on and off since we got here. We can be in and out in ten minutes.”
“Stealthy is my middle name,” Wiggles said. “And now I’m fueled by pizza, I’m ready to go.”
I checked the lane was clear before hurrying to the house with Wiggles. I tried the front door but wasn’t surprised to find it locked.
We headed around the side of the house. I tested each window we passed, but none of them budged. However, when we got to the back door, it wasn’t bolted. The handle turned, and we were straight into the kitchen.
I looked around the gloom and waited for any sounds of movement, but the house was quiet.
“Upstairs and straight into Seth’s room,” I whispered.
Wiggles scuttled along, his nose to the ground.
I checked in the lounge, and all was quiet. No one had been here for hours.
We raced upstairs, and after a quick check of the rooms, I figured out which one was Seth’s. It smelt like him. It had the spicy whiff of his aftershave in the air.
I checked the closet. “His clothes are still here.”
“There are loads of papers on this desk,” Wiggles said. “He hasn’t been back to pack his things.”
“Maybe he’s not coming back.” I checked through the clothing and looked in the pockets. Everything was designer and tailored to fit. Typical vampire trying to be all debonair and sophisticated.
I walked to the desk and looked through the papers he’d left out. It was mainly information on schedules of appearances for Isadora and ideas for blog tours and book signings.
On a notepad, he’d written the words legal issue resolved.
I tapped my finger on the notepad. Seth had most definitely resolved the legal issue if he’d killed Gretel.
“We should look around the other rooms while we’re here,” Wiggles said.
“Good idea.” We headed along the corridor and into the next room. “This must have been Isadora’s room. I recognize that cream pant suit on the back of the chair. She wore it on the museum’s opening night.”
I looked through her bedside cabinet, checked the closet, and went to the dressing table. Everything was there. Nothing had been packed to send to any family.
Opening a drawer of the dressing table, I found a silver locket. I opened it and saw a picture of a baby wrapped in a white blanket. “I didn’t know Isadora had kids.” I showed Wiggles the locket.
“She never mentioned kids.” Wiggles glanced a
t the picture. “Maybe it’s a nephew or niece.”
I snapped the locket shut and placed it back in the drawer. Next to it was a small book. I pulled it out and flipped it open. It was full of baby pictures. She had dozens of them, from the time the baby was first born until he was about six months old. I guessed it was a boy from all the blue he was dressed in.
“This must be her baby,” I said. “Why keep so many pictures if he isn’t hers? And why no toddler pictures or those cringey first day of school pictures? Every parent loves to torture their kids with them.”
Wiggles snorted a laugh. “I like the one of you on your first day of school. Your hair looks like you stuck your finger in a power socket, and you were missing a front tooth.”
I grimaced. “I’ve asked Mom to take that photo down so many times. I look like an ogre.”
Wiggles nudged me with his nose. “An adorable ogre.”
I flicked through the photos again. Someone clearly loved this baby.
“Maybe the baby died,” Wiggles said. “That’s why there are no more pictures.”
I peered closely at the photos. “He looks like Isadora. They have the same chin.”
“Someone on her team will know if Isadora has a kid,” Wiggles said. “It must be hard to hide a baby.”
“Why hide a baby at all?”
A knock on the front door made me jump, and the photo album fell from my hand. I grabbed it and shoved it into the dressing-table drawer before closing it softly. I crept to the front of the house and peered out the window.
“It’s Cleo,” I whispered to Wiggles.
“Don’t let her anywhere near me. My ribs feel bruised from the last torturous snuggling session.”
“What’s she doing here?” I peeked out at her.
“Hunting for innocent hellhounds to hassle.”
“Or looking for someone to tell her what to do. With Gretel no longer bossing her around and Isadora gone, she might be worried about her job.” I tensed as the door knob rattled but knew the door was locked.
She knocked loudly. “Jonah, it’s Cleo.”
“That’s why she’s here,” Wiggles said. “She’s looking for some hot lovin’ with Jonah.”
“Cleo said they’d been flirting when he paid her a visit at the museum.”
A hand banged against the door. “Jonah! I got worried when you didn’t show. Is everything okay?”
“It sounds like Jonah has stood her up,” Wiggles said.
“The way he spoke about Cleo when I saw him in Aurora’s store suggested that he likes her. I wonder where he is.”
“Seth’s done something to him, so he can’t talk. Could Jonah be Seth’s next victim?”
“Only if my theory is wrong. This killer is targeting witches.”
Cleo knocked a couple more times before walking away and staring up at the house.
I ducked out of the way, so she wouldn’t see me. After standing there for another minute, I saw her shrug and turn away from the house.
My gaze went to Isadora’s room. I walked back into it and took out the baby pictures again. “What if this baby was a surprise? If she’d had him young, when she was starting her career, she might have felt unable to keep him.”
“She gave her kid away?”
“Or maybe she tried to keep him, but it became too much for her. A young mom and no sign of a dad around, he’s not in any of these pictures. Isadora had her future planned out, and it didn’t include a surprise pregnancy.” I flipped through more pictures and stared at the cute chubby-faced baby with his shock of blond hair and blue eyes. “You don’t take dozens of pictures of your baby and then suddenly stop. Unless you no longer have that baby.”
“Do you think Seth is related to Isadora? Is she his secret love child?”
“Not Seth. At least, this baby looks nothing like Seth. The coloring is all wrong. Seth is pale with dark hair.”
“Unless he took most of his father’s traits,” Wiggles said.
My heart thudded. “Jonah was really upset about Isadora’s death. How old do you think Jonah is?”
“Late twenties,” Wiggles said.
“Look at these pictures.” I showed him another one of a serious-faced baby with messy blond hair. “The baby has Jonah’s chin and nose. What if Jonah is Isadora’s son?”
“She would have told us they were related,” Wiggles said. “Isadora made no mention of having a son.”
My gut clenched. “What if she didn’t know Jonah was her son? He said they’d worked together for five years. What if he’d been looking for his biological mom? Jonah discovered her and found she was looking to hire someone. He invented himself as this incredible assistant, so she’d take him on and he could get back into her life.”
“It would have been easier to tell Isadora he was her son.”
“Maybe Jonah didn’t think he could,” I said. “It must be tough on a kid to know your mom gave you up because she wanted her career more than her baby. That must hurt. He must have been worried that she’d reject him again. At least this way, he got to be in her life.”
“Jonah thought he couldn’t be in Isadora’s life as her son, so he took the job as the next best thing?”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “Maybe he didn’t come back into her life because he wanted to get to know her. Jonah came back into Isadora’s life because he was angry. She’d abandoned him as a baby. She must have given him up for adoption. That could scar a child.”
Wiggles stared at the pictures. “Jonah planned to ruin Isadora because she put her career before him?”
I nodded as I grabbed the locket and hooked it around Wiggles’ neck. “Keep this safe. It’s evidence.” I headed to the door, the photo album in my hand. “Seth isn’t our killer. It’s Jonah.”
Chapter 21
It had been hours since I’d seen Jonah at Aurora’s store, but I raced back there with Wiggles, hopeful Aurora had insisted he stay until he felt better.
The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that Jonah was Isadora’s son. He was utterly devoted to her, and from the way he’d spoken about her, he’d do anything for Isadora.
But what if that devotion had become warped? What if Jonah had been sticking to Isadora’s side and making her dependent on him because of what she’d done when he was a baby?
Wiggles panted as we ran. “I still think Seth’s involved. He’s too sleazy to be innocent.”
“He’s a moneygrubbing jerk, but all Seth’s interested in is how much he can squeeze out of Isadora and how to convince Lotus to marry him. And, even with Isadora dead, Seth can still make money out of this deal. As Trixie suggested, people pay a lot for a first edition signed copy from a dead author.”
“I still wouldn’t trust him not to give me a nip with his vampy fangs when I’m not looking,” Wiggles said. “I vote for Seth as the killer.”
I checked the time as we approached the store. It should be open for another half an hour. Aurora had late night opening on Fridays. My hope fell as I saw the lights were off. It looked like she’d left.
“Tempest!”
I groaned as I turned and saw Mannie hurrying toward me. I could do without his interference right now.
“I’ve been trying to find you.” Mannie puffed out a breath as he stopped. “I heard worrying news from the angels. They tell me they’ve solved the case, but you’re still investigating. You’re after Seth Fellows?”
“Forget about Seth,” I said. “I’m more interested in Jonah Dragoon.”
“Jonah! He’s a charming young man,” Mannie said. “Devoted to Isadora. He’d never kill her.”
“Did you know he’s her son?”
Mannie’s eyebrows shot up. “That can’t be right. Isadora never said they were related, and she didn’t treat him like a family member. And, I don’t think she had any children. I never thought to ask.”
“I don’t know if Isadora was aware that Jonah was her son.”
Mannie shook his head. “No, you’ve got
this backward. Jonah isn’t involved in this. He’s smart, hard-working—”
“And possibly a killer.”
“It’s time someone else took over this investigation. I appreciate everything you’ve done so far, but it’s best to leave it to the experts. Sablo has an interesting theory about Isadora. She thinks—”
I grabbed his waistcoat and yanked him toward me. “Mannie, they’re related. I found pictures of a baby in Isadora’s things.” I shoved the photo album I held in his face. “That baby is Jonah. He came back in her life as her doting assistant. He’s anything but that.”
Mannie looked at the crumpled waistcoat fabric scrunched in my fists. “You can’t know that.”
I shook him. “Look at the pictures. I’ve got evidence. If Jonah’s intentions were good, he wouldn’t have hidden this secret for five years. Imagine how mad you’d be if you were abandoned as a kid, all because your mom wanted to pursue a career and not have a baby under her feet.”
Mannie spluttered and wriggled in my grip. “Well, I suppose I might be upset.”
“Jonah’s more than upset. He’s raging mad. He wanted revenge. Jonah killed Gretel and Isadora, staging their murders so they looked like the pictures from his mother’s book.”
Mannie licked his lips, and his attention settled on the baby pictures. “Why would he do something so twisted?”
“We have to ask him that. But what better way to get revenge than to ruin the career his mom built up over the years? He said her books were her only love. Jonah hated Isadora’s career, so he destroyed it. And he’s not stopping. He’s going to keep killing.”
Mannie blinked up at me. “Are you absolutely certain of this? There’s no chance the angels are correct?”
“I wish they were.” I wasn’t completely sure, not until I’d confronted Jonah, but I was willing to bet Cloven Hoof on my hunch. “The last time I saw him, he was in Heaven’s Door with Aurora.” I let go of Mannie and turned back to the store.
Hurrying to the door, I tried the handle. My heart clenched as the door opened. Aurora never left the store unlocked at the end of the working day.
I swung the door open and stepped inside. My mind reeled, and I grabbed the wall for support. “What if Aurora’s next? She was being kind to Jonah when he was here. He could have taken advantage of that. He claimed he was in the store looking for something to calm his nerves, but what if he was looking for his next victim?”