by Vella Day
“It’s funny,” Gavin said. “I’m almost looking forward to going back, and here I thought I never wanted to see that city again.”
“Why is that?” Rihanna asked.
“Because of all the disagreements I had with dad. Don’t get me wrong, we had some good times. Maybe if I visit, I can pretend he’s still alive.”
That would be great if it helped. “Hopefully, someone will know who wanted to harm your father,” I said.
“Even if we find out who killed him, my father isn’t coming back.” His voice faded away.
“No, but we can stop this person from doing this to anyone else.”
“Glinda,” Jaxson said. “How can you promise that?”
Darn. I couldn’t. “We’ll figure out a way.”
Jaxson grabbed his laptop and motioned we leave. Regardless of our odds, I had a good feeling about this upcoming trip.
Chapter Six
“I found something,” Jaxson called from my kitchen table.
I rushed in. “What is it?”
He turned his computer toward me. “This is a picture of Morgana’s sister, Sandra Cortez.”
She was dressed in a very conservative blue suit, and her dark auburn hair was pulled back into a bun. “Very put together. That’s her corporate photo, I take it?”
“It is.” He clicked on another tab. “And this is from some junior staff member’s social media site.”
I studied the picture. “That’s her?”
“Yup. She looks different, doesn’t she?”
Sandra’s hair was down. While her slacks and spiked heels looked expensive, like something a successful lawyer might wear, she looked young and happy. “Is she hanging all over Gavin’s dad or what?”
“That seems to be the case.”
He clicked on a few more photos that I bet Sandra had no idea even existed. I whistled. “It would appear that she liked her brother-in-law. A lot.”
“I agree. I’ll save these to my phone. When we talk to her—after we’ve received our protection spell—we’ll ask her about them.”
“Are you going with the theory that she was in love with her co-worker and was jealous that her sister landed him instead? She then decided to get back at Morgana by killing Daniel?” I asked.
“I don’t know what to think. Right now, I’m merely collecting information.”
That was a good approach. If the two sisters were at odds with each other though, why not kill the sister and have Daniel for herself? That might imply Daniel snubbed Sandra. Having too many options always frustrated me. “Did you look into Mauricio Jimenez, gardener extraordinaire?”
“I did. You will not believe what I found out about him.”
I pulled out the chair and sat down. “Tell me.”
“When I typed in his name, all I found was a photo of Mauricio living in Mexico at the time.”
I leaned over. “Nice looking guy.”
“Hey.”
“But this man is dressed in medical scrubs. Hardly the attire for a gardener. Are you sure you found the right person?”
“I wasn’t sure until I translated what it said about him. The translator app was a bit off, but I understood the gist. Apparently, Mauricio was a doctor who decided to leave Mexico and move to Florida, even though he knew that once in the United States, if he ever wanted to practice again, he’d have to get re-certified.”
“Who would do that then?”
“It might have been a political thing.”
I tried to make sense of it all. “Maybe someone found out he was a warlock and reported him. He could have been forced to leave.”
“I won’t dismiss anything just yet. Let’s suppose this guy had been a doctor and was willing to give it up to move here. What motive would he have for killing Daniel Sanchez, the man who hired him?”
“I’d only be guessing, but if Morgana was the one with the money, Mauricio might have wanted her. Get rid of the husband, and the way to the wife becomes easier.” Without any facts, it was like closing my eyes and trying to play darts.
“I’ll do a little more digging.”
“Sounds good. Did Gavin say when his stepmother was leaving Witch’s Cove and returning to Miami?” I asked.
“No, but I imagine she’ll want to make arrangements to have the body transferred back home. Even if she plans to have him cremated, I imagine she’ll have to stay for a couple more days since she can’t sign out the body until the autopsy is complete.”
“Agreed. I’ll text Rihanna and see if Gavin can ask Morgana about the gardener. She did say she suspected him. I wonder why?”
“Tell him to be subtle,” Jaxson warned.
“Do you think Morgana could be a witch or the gardener a warlock for that matter?”
He shrugged. “I’m not discounting anyone.”
“Smart. I’ll warn Gavin, but I’ll suggest to Rihanna that she try to read Mrs. Sanchez’s mind, if she hasn’t already.”
“Rihanna can’t tell if Morgana is a witch, can she?”
“Not that I know of, but Rihanna might be able to tell if Morgana thinks witchy thoughts.”
“Witchy thoughts?”
I smiled. “You know what I mean.”
“I do. Just teasing you, pink lady.”
The next morning at the office, my cell rang. Rihanna was at school, and I had to guess that Gavin was with his mom, so I wasn’t sure who it could be. Only one way to find out—check the caller ID.
“It’s Levy,” I told Jaxson who was sitting at the desk next to mine.
“Great. Answer it.”
That would be helpful. “Hey, Levy.”
“We found something.”
My whole body tensed, but in a good way. “Is it about the protection spell?”
“It is. I’m visiting my grandmother right now. Mind if I stop by the office in a few, assuming you’re going to be there?”
“Jaxson and I will both be here.”
“Rihanna is at school, right?”
“Yes.” I didn’t know if he wished she had been back here or not.
“Good. See you soon.” He then disconnected.
I turned to Jaxson. “That was rather odd. Levy is stopping over. He and or his coven found a protection spell.”
“That’s great, but why is that odd?”
“I don’t know. He kind of sounded worried.”
“Worried how?”
“I’m not sure. Like the spell might involve something we won’t like.” I pushed back my chair. “If he’s on his way, I want to brew some tea for him.”
Jaxson chuckled. “You do that.”
He must think I’m crazy for being anxious. I believed in witchcraft. I really did, but I wasn’t positive some ancient spell could work against someone this powerful, and if it didn’t work, this little trip to Miami could endanger all of our lives. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a choice. I was certain Daniel’s death was a result of witchcraft, and no Miami police officer stood a chance against this person.
While I mulled over whether going to Miami with Rihanna and Gavin was the right move, I brewed the tea. Once I finished, I let it cool. Only after Levy arrived, would I toss in some ice.
Before I had the chance to return to the main room, someone knocked. “I’ll get it,” I called to Jaxson.
I rushed to the door and pulled it open. Not only was Levy there, but so was Levy’s ninety-year old grandmother, Gertrude, who was holding onto the railing, panting.
Levy half chuckled. “May we come in?”
“Sorry.” My mouth must have opened. I stepped to the side. As soon as Gertrude came through the door, I slipped an arm through hers. “Long way up, huh?”
“Very long. You need an elevator.”
It sounded as if Iggy had put her up to mentioning the need for one. Even if he had, she’d deny ever conferring with him. She loved my familiar. Speaking of which, I wonder where he was? I hadn’t seen him in a few hours.
I’d just closed the door when who sh
ould pop in through the cat door but my sassy familiar—an iguana who was not out of breath. Ten bucks said he and Gertrude conferred on their way up here.
He looked up at me, stilled, and then started to hyperventilate. “Long way up,” he panted.
“Too late, buddy. I’m onto your game.”
Jaxson was already on his feet. He wrapped an arm around Gertrude’s waist, and I let go. He led her to the sofa.
She waved him off. “I can walk. I’m not dead yet.”
“How about some iced tea?”
“I’d love some. Thanks.” I looked over at Levy, and he nodded.
While those two settled in, I rushed to get the drinks. A moment later, I returned and set the tray on the coffee table. “Tell me about this protection spell.”
Levy looked over at his grandmother. “It’s a little bit different from the usual kind of spell. In fact, it’s a lot different,” Levy said.
“I don’t understand.”
“What my grandson is trying to say is that certain people are immune to the evil spell already. There’s no incantation to say that will protect against it. Either you are immune or you’re not.”
Gertrude acted as if that explained it all. “I still don’t understand.”
She was about to continue when Levy placed a hand on her arm. “Here’s the bottom line. The only way to be protected from this black-heart death spell is to be with someone you love when the spell is invoked.”
Tea dribbled down my chin from my jaw dropping open once more. I swiped off the liquid with the back of my hand. “What are you talking about? I’ve never even heard of anything like that. Furthermore, that doesn’t sound like witchcraft to me.”
Levy held up a hand. “None of us had heard of it before, but the passage is clear. Like I said, if you are in love—and loving a pet or a parent doesn’t count—then you are immune to this black-heart spell, assuming you are with this person at the time the curse is invoked.”
Wow. I looked over at Jaxson. He reached out and grabbed my hand. “I guess I’m safe then,” he announced with a huge grin.
I nearly crumbled. Was he saying he loved me? I mean, he acted like he did, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. It was why I never put a label on how I felt toward him.
Jaxson dipped his chin, clearly waiting for me to tell him, but what if he was only kidding?
Stop it, Glinda. I know my own mind. “Me, too.”
Levy beamed. “Great.”
I didn’t dare look at Jaxson. “What about Rihanna and Gavin? They aren’t here. I know my cousin adores Gavin, but is that true love? She’s only eighteen.” I was babbling, I know.
“Relax, Glinda. I know Rihanna. Young love or real love. It doesn’t matter. If they stay by each other’s side, they will be protected,” Gertrude said.
I looked over at Levy. “Really? Are you sure one of your coven members didn’t want to admit defeat and just made this up?”
“No, she didn’t. I promise you. We found the same information in two different sources.” Levy glanced at Jaxson. “Is she always like this?”
That snapped me out of my namby-pamby attitude. I sat up straighter. “No. This talk of love temporarily short-circuited my brain. But don’t worry. I have total faith in my relationship with Jaxson.” It was the idea that being in love would actually protect us against this other spell that sounded a bit far-fetched to me.
Levy smiled. “Good.”
“What should I tell Rihanna?” I asked.
Gertrude smiled. “Send her over to me. I’ll explain it to her. We see eye-to-eye.”
That meant they would engage in that mind-reading trick with each other. “I’ll tell her to stop by after school.”
“You do that.”
Levy polished off his tea. “Thanks. And good luck finding the witch or warlock who needs to be taken down.”
“What should we do if we find this person? It’s not like we can have him arrested. Even with a confession, no court in the world would convict him. The law doesn’t believe in magic.”
I realized there were courts for witches and such, but proving the person invoked a particular spell would be impossible to prove.
Levy smiled. “Leave that to me and my coven.”
Excitement raced through me. “What do you mean?”
“I think there is a way to destroy this person’s ability to ever use the spell again. It won’t put the person in jail for murder, but it will prevent him from ever harming anyone again using this magic.”
“That might be worse than being in jail.”
“Let’s hope so,” Levy said.
“What do you have to do to take away this person’s power?” I imagine it would take some serious witchcraft abilities.
“If I tell you, I’d have to kill you,” he said out of the side of his mouth.
Indignation shot up my spine. “You have to be kidding.”
Levy cracked up. “Of course, I’m kidding. I’ve always wanted to say that line, and you handed me the perfect opportunity. Seriously, to basically kill a person’s magical ability like that, it will take several of us to perform a coordinated spell.”
“Coordinated? Will you have to capture him and hold him under water for three minutes, all the while sprinkling fairy dust on him as you chant in some ancient tongue?” I was being ridiculous, but to eliminate such a powerful person’s ability would require drastic measures.
Levy shook his head while he huffed out a laugh. “You really need to book some appointments with my grandmother to learn the rudiments of magic.”
That was just plain insulting, especially since if he’d read my mind just then, he’d know I was joking. “I’m good. I don’t really believe in fairy dust anyway.”
“Oh, really? Actually, that part is correct. It’s the near drowning that is not. As for chanting in some ancient tongue, we just politely ask the witch’s abilities to leave.”
“Okay, joking aside, what needs to happen to cancel out this person’s magic?” I tried to sound professional.
He sobered. “We’re still working on it, but we’ll need to be in close proximity to the sorcerer—like within ten feet or so for it to work.”
“We think the perpetrator lives in Miami.” Which meant Levy and his coven members would have to drive down there if we found him.
“Then we’ll go there.” He stood and helped up his grandmother.
Gertrude turned to me. “We can start with some basic spells whenever you’re ready.”
I hope she was kidding, too. I’d taken some lessons from her already, and my last spell had reversed a curse put on Nash. I might have had some help, but in the end, he was cured. “I’ll sign up as soon as I return from Miami.” Or not.
“You do that, Glinda.”
With that, the two of them left.
As soon as I closed the door behind them, I almost didn’t want to turn around. Had I just professed my love for Jaxson Harrison? To be fair, he’d said it first, but that didn’t really matter. Over the last nine months, he’d become more and more dear to me—not only as a business partner, but as a friend and major supporter. So what was my problem?
Two hands clasped my shoulders and turned me around. “We need to talk about this, and you know it.”
Why couldn’t he be like the typical guy who avoided all things emotional? When I’d first met him, I was fifteen, and he was this twenty-one year old, muscular stud who had the biggest chip on his shoulder. That guy wouldn’t tell a woman he liked her if he had a gun to his head.
I guess he grew up.
“Talk about what? How cool it is that we are immune?”
Jaxson moved closer, if that was possible, and peered down at me. “It’s the why we are immune part that is cool.”
“It is.”
Iggy waddled out from under the sofa. “I can go with you guys to Miami.”
I spun to face him, happy for the distraction. “Why is that?”
“Because I love Aimee.”
/> I couldn’t believe Iggy would admit that. “That’s great, but we aren’t taking her with us.”
“That’s okay. I can still come.”
“I think Levy said both parties have to be present for you to be immune, buddy,” Jaxson said. “I’ll have to be by Glinda’s side the whole time we are there, or she could be harmed. Can you guarantee that Aimee won’t wander off? She is a cat, after all.”
Iggy looked up at me. “That’s not what I got out of the conversation.”
I did adore him. “How about if I ask Levy if the spell makes an exception for familiars?”
“Okay, but remember Aimee isn’t a familiar.”
I saluted him. “Got it.”
Love? Seriously? That was the solution to the problem? Who would have guessed?
Chapter Seven
“Ready to hear what Steve learned from his trip to Miami?” I asked.
“I am.”
Did Jaxson and I have the talk about love yet? Not really. Okay, not at all, but hey, I wasn’t ready to have that discussion. It seemed so personal, but I would have to at some point. I hadn’t proclaimed my love just to stay safe. I meant it, and I hoped he meant it, too.
We walked across the street to the sheriff’s office where Pearl was manning the desk. She looked up and smile. “My, oh, my. This is a surprise!”
I don’t know why. A murder had been committed. Considering magic was involved, it made sense we’d be here, but I didn’t want to dampen her spirits by saying so. It was hard enough to stay upbeat after the unnecessary tragedy.
“Hey, Pearl, is Steve around?” I asked.
“He sure is. Nash has filled him in on your magical theory. I must say, it is intriguing but scary.” Her eyes went from wide to narrow as if she was performing in front of a camera.
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I decided to remain noncommittal. “To us too.”
Once we made it back to his office, we knocked, and entered. Steve, our diligent sheriff, was leaning back in his chair looking really tired.
“How was the drive back?” I wanted to get a feel for his mood.
He sat up straighter. “Fine. Have a seat. I don’t know how you do it, but it seems like I might be using your witchy services once more.”