by Vella Day
“Briefly. When Jaxson and I were at the diner, Mrs. Sanchez showed up unexpectedly at the office where Gavin was visiting Rihanna. We only spoke briefly when we returned.”
“How did Gavin act around her?”
She seemed to want my honest opinion. “I didn’t get the sense he was overly pleased to see her.”
“I imagine not. He and Morgana are like water and oil. I’m kind of hoping the tragedy will bring them closer. He’ll need all of the support he can get.”
“Rihanna will help.”
“Yes, of course. She is wonderful, and Gavin thinks the world of her.”
Jaxson nodded to the container. “Had you been aware that your ex had health issues?”
“No. Then again, Daniel and I haven’t communicated in a few months. I’m not surprised he wasn’t in perfect health since he was always under a lot of stress from having to deal with his parents, his new job promotion to full partner, and then getting married. It would put a toll on anyone.”
“Are you saying his lifestyle could have been the cause of death?” Jaxson asked.
“Often yes, but not in this case. He died from heart failure for sure, but the other medical examiner believes he had help. He’s testing for poison now, but I don’t think he’ll find anything.” She held up a finger. “You said you were at the diner?”
“Yes.”
The briefest of smiles crossed her face. “Did the gossip queen have anything to add about what might have happened? I know how connected she is to the pulse of this town.”
Elissa knew how Dolly worked. “Sort of.” I explained about Steve being on his way to Miami, but I bet Nash had already told her that much. “Dolly’s sister-in-law lives in Miami and says she is on the case. Apparently, Nora knows a lot of the same people Daniel did.”
“That makes me feel better. In the meantime, Glinda, I’m hoping you can perform your pendant magic.”
I understood that she didn’t want to prejudice me by further giving me more information. “I can try.”
When Dr. Sanchez removed the container’s lid, I sucked in a breath and covered my nose. “What is it?”
“It’s the heart—or at least what is left of it. Since he was alive and seemingly well a few days ago, we can’t account for it being so black and hard now. There is nothing that we know of that would do this.” She lifted a hand. “I only saw this after Dr. Alvarez removed the organ. He asked my opinion because he’d never encountered anything like this before.”
“I bet he hasn’t.” It was horrendous. I lifted my necklace out from under my pink turtleneck and unclasped it. “I’ve only done full body scans, but I don’t see why I can’t check out just the heart.”
Not that I’d asked, but the good doctor and Jaxson moved back. Even though the object to be tested was small, I slowly swung the necklace across its base, the same as I would for the full corpse. Back and forth, back and forth. The pink stone immediately turned a bright yellow, and my heart spiked. Yellow meant magic. Was that what this was? A curse?
I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, so I continued. I also didn’t look at Jaxson or Dr. Sanchez, but I was sure they were enthralled at such a blatant color change. When I finished, I turned to them. “I have a theory, but to be certain, I’d like to do my test on the whole body if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, but I saw the stone turn yellow. Isn’t that conclusive enough?”
“Yes, but perhaps something else will show up if I check the rest of the body.”
“Of course. Good thinking.”
Dr. Sanchez retrieved the corpse. I pretended he was some John Doe and not Gavin’s dad. Once he was situated on the table, I started again, trying to ignore the findings about the heart. Even at the feet, the faintest yellow glow appeared. As I neared to where the heart had been, the stronger the color became. Once I finished with the head, I faced Dr. Sanchez.
“While I can never be one hundred percent certain of any diagnosis, I’d say someone put a curse on him designed to atrophy his heart muscle—and rather quickly.”
Dr. Sanchez remained stoic, but from the way her hands were slightly shaking, I’d upset her. “Magic. You’re sure?”
Hadn’t I just said I was almost positive? “The stone turned yellow. Very yellow. That means a witch or warlock did this.”
Her lips pressed together. “The last spell I encountered was the one put on Nash. That one was so powerful.”
“Thankfully, we were able to figure out how to counteract the spell on Nash. Obviously, it’s too late for your ex-husband.”
She huffed. “Sadly, that’s true. Could you tell if the person was standing close to Daniel when the spell was enacted—or whatever you call it? The answer might help determine who could have done this.”
“It’s called invoking a spell. That’s an excellent question. I know nothing about a spell this strong, but for something this deadly, our resident psychic, Gertrude Poole, or more likely her grandson, Levy, together with his coven, might know.”
“His group helped find the cure for Nash, right?”
“Yes. They are an amazing resource. Their extensive library is sure to hold some information about this.”
It was always possible that Bertha Murdoch, who ran the Hex and Bones Apothecary, would know something, too. She’d been around forever. Having so many options upped our chances of success.
“I appreciate it, but please keep Daniel’s name out of it for now—for Gavin’s sake.”
“For sure,” I said.
“We need to move fast since I’m not sure Steve will give Nash the go ahead to investigate. At the moment, we can’t prove Daniel was murdered, and without the autopsy saying it wasn’t death by natural causes, there will be no investigation.”
Then why did Steve drive the six hours to Miami? “If you’ve never seen a heart turn black before, surely that is cause for further study.”
“Maybe, but we have to follow the law. I’ll let Nash know what you found out, but the other medical examiner will not sign off on it as being murder unless the tox screens come back and show something.”
I clasped her arm. “We’ll get to the bottom of it.” Though I wasn’t sure if I was speaking for The Pink Iguana Sleuths or the sheriff’s department.
“Thank you, Glinda.” She looked up at Jaxson. “And to you, too.”
Believing Rihanna, Gavin, and his stepmother needed more time alone, we returned to my place instead of stopping back at the office. To my surprise, Iggy was there.
“Had enough of the drama?” I asked.
“I couldn’t stand that woman.”
“Are you speaking about Morgana Sanchez?”
“What do you think? The only other woman there was Rihanna.”
And Iggy loved her. I slipped off my coat and tossed it over the back of the sofa.
“How about I make us some coffee?” Jaxson suggested.
“That would be great. I’m still a bit chilled.” January and February were the coldest months in Florida.
Iggy moved away from me. “You stink, you know.”
“That’s what happens when I go to the morgue. Before I shower, tell me what you learned.”
“While Gavin’s dad ate too much and had too much stress in his life—being a divorce lawyer and all—his wife thinks someone did him in.”
Iggy had my interest. “Did Mrs. Sanchez say who she suspected?”
“I don’t remember names, but she said something about a gardener. Then she suggested her sister might have killed him.”
Morgana must not be close to her sister if she made such an accusation. “Did Mrs. Sanchez happen to mention if either of the suspects was a witch or a warlock?”
“No. And I didn’t ask.”
He’d have no reason to. Even I hadn’t learned witchcraft was involved until a few minutes ago. “Did Mrs. Sanchez say why she thought one of them wanted to harm her husband?”
Jaxson came out of the kitchen carrying two cups of coffee. He
set both on the coffee table and then sat in the chair across from me. “I heard something about a gardener and a sister?”
I repeated what Iggy told me.
Iggy lifted his head to let us know he was the special one for learning something new. “Mrs. Sanchez’s sister works in the same law office as Daniel Sanchez. I think she liked him.”
I looked over at Jaxson. “Could the sister have wanted Daniel, and when Morgana landed him instead, she couldn’t handle it?”
“We could probably come up with a lot of reasons for someone wanting to harm another person. What’s not to say that when Daniel made partner in the law firm that the sister believed she was the one who deserved the position more? Maybe the sister killed Daniel in the hopes it would pave the way for her advancement.”
I huffed. “I see your point. I should start by making a list of suspects. Maybe Dolly’s sister-in-law can check some of them out for us.”
He blew on the steaming coffee and then sipped it. “Sounds good.” He then turned to my familiar. “Any other tidbits that were interesting, Detective Iggy?”
Chapter Four
Iggy scratched his head, looking as if he was thinking. “The only other thing I learned was that Gavin seemed confused as to why his dad would come here and then not contact him.”
That kind of rejection would hurt a lot, but Gavin had already mentioned that to us. “I think the dad’s lack of contact should be our main concern. Why come and not tell anyone?”
“Could he have believed someone was trying to kill him, and he decided to hide in Witch’s Cove?” my familiar suggested.
“That has merit,” I said. “I’m surprised he didn’t stay with his parents in that case.”
“He probably didn’t want to put them at risk.”
“Then he shouldn’t have come to Witch’s Cove at all.”
“Someone must know his reasoning,” Jaxson said.
“I bet that Morgana lady knows,” Iggy threw in.
“I already asked her. She told us she thought her husband was at a conference in Tallahassee.”
“Then I bet she could guess why he lied,” Iggy added.
“You might be right, though she probably would be more forthcoming with Gavin than with either of us.”
“I agree with you,” Jaxson said. “From her point of view, there is no reason for us to be snooping. If we ask too many questions, Morgana will want to know why we’re so interested. Knowing you, you’ll say that you believe he was murdered.”
“But I do believe someone killed him.”
“And what will Morgana ask you next when you say that?”
I could see where he was going with this. “Why would I think that, if a medical examiner couldn’t figure it out?” I lifted my coffee, but it was a bit too hot to drink still. “Why can’t I say I think a witch’s spell killed her husband? It’s the truth. If she laughs at me, then she laughs at me. At least, I would have told her.”
“What if she is a witch? Or knows someone who is? What if Morgana confronts this person and ends up dead herself? How would that make you feel?”
Ugh. My partner’s imagination was so out of control. “Fine. I’ll say that his heart was so bad that it was the only explanation for his death.”
“That would imply death by natural causes. Not murder.”
“It would, wouldn’t it?” My mind was mush. “I have to tell her what I really believe then.”
“Before you say something you’ll regret, how about we wait until after you speak with Levy or Gertrude? They might say no witch could have done such a thing.”
“But my pendant—”
He smiled—sort of. “Turned yellow. I know. I just don’t want what happened to Daniel Sanchez happening to you.”
Jaxson always was looking out for me. “Fine. I’ll say nothing. For now.”
He flashed me a real smile this time. “You don’t have to sound so despondent. It’s for your own good.”
I chuckled. “I know. It’s just that you’re always the one who’s making sure I get out of my own way.” I didn’t like needing a protector. I just liked having one on standby.
“That’s what partners are for.” He polished off his drink. “I’m going to head home, but I’ll be at the office tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll give Levy a call now. He might have heard of this type of curse and be able to give us some guidance.”
Jaxson leaned over and kissed me. “Good luck.”
As soon as he left, I sank back against the sofa. Even though witchcraft was most likely involved in this crime, I felt out of my element, which was dumb, since I was a witch, just not a very experienced one.
At least Levy had a lot more magical abilities than I did. He also had a coven at his fingertips. Swallowing my pride, I retrieved my phone and called him.
“Glinda! Nice to hear from you.”
From his cheerful tone, he must not have heard about Gavin’s father. I shouldn’t be surprised since Levy lived two towns over. I explained about the odd circumstances of Daniel Sanchez’s appearance here, and then how I thought he died. “My necklace turned solid yellow. There was no indecision at all.”
“Hmm. How can I help?”
“The coroner can’t put magic as the cause of death. For my own sake, I was hoping you or your coven might be able to confirm that my stone wasn’t imagining things.”
He chuckled. “I doubt your necklace has feelings.”
“I know, but maybe the color yellow means something else besides magic. I don’t want to get this wrong. We need the sheriff to believe this is a murder investigation.”
“I understand, though it might not do any good if all we can come up with is the same witchcraft theory.”
“I know, but Steve trusts you. He might investigate without corroboration from the medical examiner if the two of us say the same thing.”
“Fine. I’ll set up a meeting for you with a few of the members for tomorrow. Meeting them face to face is often better than email anyway. Do you think you could get a photo of the heart?”
“Eww. Why?”
“It might look familiar to one of them.”
I would do anything I could to help. “Of course.”
As soon as we set up a time to meet, I texted Dr. Sanchez and asked if she could send me the image. I explained why, hoping she didn’t think I’d asked because I liked looking at gross stuff.
To my delight, a few minutes later, I received the image, which I immediately forwarded to Levy. I hoped that by sending it to me, that Dr. Sanchez was convinced someone had killed her ex-husband, and that witchcraft might have been the cause.
Once I met with Levy’s coven, I would go over their findings with Dr. Sanchez, who may or may not share that knowledge with the medical examiner. Then I’d question her about Daniel’s habits. I bet she knew more about her ex-husband than even she realized.
Gavin would also be a good source since both he and his dad lived in Miami until recently.
I turned off my phone. “I’m going to clean up,” I announced to Iggy.
“About time. Maybe you could carry a bottle of perfume with you if you go to the morgue again.”
I kept forgetting what a sensitive nose he had. “I’ll try to come up with a solution.”
“I appreciate it. I’m going to see what Aimee is up to,” he said.
Aimee was my aunt’s cat who, like Iggy, had the ability to speak. He fancied her as his girlfriend, but Aimee didn’t always reciprocate the affection. “Good luck.”
He swished his tail and waddled toward the cat door. I hoped she wasn’t in one of her cat moods and snubbed Iggy. He needed her sympathy today. For all his bravado, Iggy seemed to be sincerely sorry for poor Gavin about his dad’s death.
When I pulled up in front of the library around noon the next day where Levy and his coven held their meetings, my friend was outside waiting for me. I slipped out of the car, pulled my jacket around my shoulders, and greeted him.
“Th
anks for helping. Again,” I said.
Levy smiled. “Of course. We are always interested in ridding this world of bad witches and warlocks.”
Just like the last time I was there, he used the palm print and then the eye scanner to open the door. Once inside, he led me to the eerily lit room that housed bookcases full of old magic books. I had to believe the library knew what was stored in here. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if the librarian had magic and was part of the coven.
This time when I faced his crew, I wasn’t nearly as intimidated. Instead of being greeted with a bit of suspicion like the last time, five people were there pouring over books, mostly ignoring me, for which I was grateful. I needed them focused.
Camila, the werewolf-witch hybrid looked up and smiled. “Hey, Glinda. Nice to see you again.”
I wasn’t sure why she would be happy to spend time away from her job, but maybe she and the others liked a mystery as much as I did. “You, too.”
Levy reintroduced me to the group. When I was here before, he’d told me their names, but I’d forgotten a couple of them. My stress level at the time had been sky high.
“Have you found anything useful?” Levy asked his coven.
Diego looked up from the book he’d been studying and leaned back in his chair. “We were all intrigued by the sudden transformation, or rather deterioration, of the heart. It led us down some interesting dead ends, but we finally found one reference to the spell.”
My pulse jumped. I pulled out a chair and sat down. “May I see?” He turned the book around.
“That looks like this man’s heart. Do you know anything about the nature of the spell that caused it? Or how long it took to kill the person?”
Knowing how the spell was delivered might give me a clue about who could have done this. It would also make a difference if the spell caused instant heart failure, or if it took days or even weeks to disintegrate the cell walls. If it was quick acting, then the witch, or warlock, would have to be close by in Witch’s Cove at the time of Daniel’s death.
“The one we found takes about four or five days,” Diego said.
That wasn’t good. It opened it up to too many suspects. “I wonder if Daniel suffered a lot before his death.”