by Vella Day
I mentally pumped a fist. “Does that mean you believe Daniel Sanchez was murdered by a witch or a warlock?”
“I have to say, it’s a strong possibility.” He took a sip from his coffee cup. “To be thorough, I spoke with Elissa about it, and she said that even that fast acting flesh-eating bacteria I’ve read about couldn’t have been the cause of death since the medical examiner found no break in the skin where the bacteria would have entered.”
“Good to know.” I didn’t need the details. I’d already seen the hardened heart, and it wasn’t pretty. “What did the cops in Miami say?”
“When the Miami PD interviewed his co-workers, they all said that Sanchez was energetic and feeling well just a few days before his death. He didn’t complain of a fever or anything, which implies something happened right before he left or right after he arrived in Witch’s Cove. The medical examiner has not ruled out poison. He’s awaiting the lab results now.”
That was good that Dr. Alvarez was being thorough. “Considering the lack of physical evidence, did anyone on the Miami Force think Daniel Sanchez might have been murdered?” Had he been beaten up, it would be easier to go the murder route.
“Not really, but until the autopsy comes back, they won’t commit one way or the other.”
“That’s smart.”
“And yes, the cops asked his co-workers and neighbors who might have wanted to harm him. A few names were batted about, and the Miami PD will follow up with these leads.”
“Did they tell you who they suspected?”
“They had someone, but the man’s been cleared. Apparently, Mr. Sanchez was being sued by the husband of a woman he represented. At first, the police thought the man might have wanted Mr. Sanchez dead.”
“How do they know he was innocent?”
“Because Daniel Sanchez died in Witch’s Cove, and this guy can prove he was in Miami at the time. That means if you take magic off the table, no one who was in Miami at the time of Sanchez’s death will make the suspect list—at least not directly.”
“I take it you didn’t mention the idea of magic to them?”
Steve twirled the pencil in his right hand and smiled. “No. I think the police down south wouldn’t have believed me even if I had.”
“You’re probably right. That means it’s up to us to find the witch or warlock who is responsible. Even a sorcerer needs motive to kill—or so I believe.”
“That might be true, but you even said you can’t tell who is one and who isn’t, so how do you plan on finding this person-of-magic?”
The title of person-of-magic had a nice ring to it. “We have to wait for him or her to slip up. If they don’t, the sorcerer might get away with murder.”
“That would be a real shame,” Steve said.
“For sure. To be thorough, what was the name of the man who was suing Sanchez? And do you know why he was suing Gavin’s dad?” I asked.
Steve lifted his trusty yellow pad and flipped through a few pages. “His name is Ed Whitlow. He is claiming Sanchez falsified papers in favor of Whitlow’s ex-wife. Because of that, the court ruled in her favor for an exorbitant amount of alimony.”
“What would have happened if Sanchez hadn’t died and he’d lost the case?” I asked.
“I’m suspecting he’d have been suspended for six to twelve months.”
“That would depress anyone. Sanchez might have come to Witch’s Cove to tell his son what was happening, so he’d be prepared for the worst.”
“That’s plausible, but we may never learn the real reason for his trip. He never contacted Gavin, right?”
“No, he didn’t.”
Jaxson leaned forward. “Did Daniel Sanchez have a computer with him?”
Steve nodded. “He did, but we didn’t find anything useful on it. We are not as technically sophisticated as you are, so if you want to take a look at it in our conference room, you’re welcome to it.”
Jaxson reached over and squeezed my leg. “I’ll do that. Browser history can be a gold mine of information. Thank you.”
“Glinda, what’s your next move? I know you aren’t capable of sitting back and waiting for me to solve the case. I’d like to know your plans.”
By now, I was used to his barbs of me always interfering. “Like I said, we intend to find this person and bring him to justice if we can.”
“And chance being killed, too?”
While it was a bit embarrassing to tell him why we couldn’t be harmed, he needed to know. “Jaxson and I are immune to this evil spell.”
A smile crossed Steve’s lips. “Immune to being killed by this guy? Tell me how. I need a good laugh.”
“There’s nothing funny about it.” I explained what Levy learned about this ancient ritual.
“You’re telling me that if I admit to being in love with Misty, and she admits it to me, that we could go after this person with no chance of being harmed?”
It was one thing to put my life on the line, but to endanger Steve and the sheriff over in Liberty, was another. However, either I believed Levy was right or I didn’t believe. “That’s right, but when you admit it, you really have to mean it.”
“Got it.”
I waited for him to say he loved Misty, but apparently, he wasn’t in the sharing mood.
“Just so you know, Jaxson, Rihanna, Gavin, and I plan to go on a road trip to Miami to see what we can find out.”
“Have you ever been to Miami?” One brow rose.
Did that imply I’d get lost in the city or something? “No, but Gavin knows his way around, and Dolly’s sister-in-law hangs out with some of Daniel’s friends. She’s discreetly checking her sources and will share with us what she’s learned when we get there.”
He nodded. “Sounds good, but in case things don’t go as planned, I’ll give Sergeant Bogart a call. He is the lead detective on our joint investigation. I doubt he believes in the spirit world, but I’ll ask him to call me if you guys get into trouble.”
“We plan to keep a low profile. I’m not so naïve to believe that just because this warlock won’t be able to kill us with that heart-killing spell, that he can’t harm us in other ways.”
“Can’t you strike back if he doles out another kind of magic?” He held out both hands and wiggled them while making some weird noise that sounded like electricity popping. “Like zap the guy using your mind or something?”
I chuckled. “I’m not a superhero.”
“Are you sure? You did that spell to heal Nash. And you’ve done many other spells that helped find criminals. Why not this time?”
“I’ll see what I can do. Thank you for your vote of confidence.” I’d never produced any kind of electric spark, lit a fire with my mind, or harmed anything using thoughts, but I saw no reason to highlight my witch short-comings.
“You’re welcome.”
Jaxson and I said our goodbyes. Once we were out of the station, I faced him. “How about we grab a cup of coffee at the Bubbling Cauldron.”
“Do you think Miriam will know something?”
“I doubt it. I just need a moment to think. I figure if Pearl had any gossip, she would have shared it already. I really think our gossip queens won’t be of much help on this case.”
“Other than Dolly’s sister-in-law.”
“Right. Let’s hope she’s as good as Dolly thinks she is.”
We entered the shop, waved to Miriam who was with a customer, and found a table.
“I can see the wheels turning,” Jaxson said.
By now, I wasn’t surprised that he knew me so well. “Steve was right.”
“About what?”
“I’m a witch. I need to learn to cast some special spell—an evil one to be exact—that will stop this person from harming us in any way, in case he has other talents.”
“Didn’t Levy say he knew of something to kill this guy’s mojo?”
“Yes, but it will take him and his coven members half a day to drive down once we contact him. What if
we need something to stop this person right away?”
“Are you thinking of asking for Gertrude’s help?”
I shook my head. “She’d tell Levy. I was thinking Bertha might be better able to help.”
“Then Bertha it is.”
“When Rihanna gets back from speaking with Gertrude after school, the two of us will head on over and see what we can find. Having two witches is always better than one.”
“Having your cousin in particular with you will be important since she can read that person’s mind to see if he or she has evil intentions,” Jaxson said.
“Exactly. We’ll also need to come up with a cover story for why we are all in Miami.”
Miriam came over and placed a hand on my shoulder. “How is Gavin holding up? I heard he’s been spending a lot of time with Rihanna.” She shook her head, genuinely looking upset. “I still can’t believe Daniel is gone.”
“It is quite the shock. I’m glad Gavin has someone to talk to, too.” Her comment implied she knew Daniel Sanchez. “Had you met Daniel before?”
“A long time ago. He grew up in Witch’s Cove.”
Since his parents have lived in Witch’s Cove for forever, I figured he must have grown up here. “When did he move away?”
“Oh, my. Years and years ago. After he graduated from high school, I think.”
“I see. Thanks.”
When I didn’t give her any more information, she lifted her order pad. I asked for my usual iced coffee and a croissant, and Jaxson went with his standard black coffee. The man had discipline.
Once Miriam returned to the counter to fix our drinks, Jaxson studied me. “You can’t be thinking someone from thirty years ago would seek revenge against Daniel, now would you?”
“Not really. I think our Miami connection is our best bet, but if we fail down there, we should do a little investigating into who might still be living here from that time.”
“I can always pull up an old yearbook and look through the names.”
I smiled. “I knew I liked having you around for a reason.”
“Is that the only reason?” The side of his mouth quirked up.
“Of course, not.” I hoped he wasn’t about to bring up the topic of our profession of love. Before he could probe that minefield further, our drinks arrived.
For much of our coffee break, I tried to figure out if I was up for this trip. Going head-to-head against a powerful sorcerer was not my thing. Even if Bertha had a magnificent spell that would turn the evil person into stone for twenty seconds, allowing us to escape, I wouldn’t trust myself to get the spell right, especially if I was under pressure. It didn’t matter, I was getting better. Having Rihanna by my side—as well as Jaxson—would help.
“What do you think about asking Iggy to come with us? Mind you, that’s assuming Levy tells me that my familiar won’t be affected by the madman.”
“How can he know for sure? I highly doubt the effect of this spell on an animal would be mentioned in an ancient tome.”
“You’re probably right,” I said.
“On the other hand, Iggy has his uses. He can sneak into places unnoticed and report back to us.”
“Iggy is good at that. Furthermore, I fear that if we don’t take him, he’ll give me the cold shoulder for months.”
Jaxson nodded. “He did solve the last case, and almost single-handedly, mind you.”
Jaxson was exaggerating, but without Iggy, we might never have been able to time travel back home. “Okay, we’ll let him come if he gets the all-clear.”
Jaxson grinned, looking as if he’d won some legal battle, even though I was the one to bring up taking Iggy. After finishing our drinks, Jaxson headed to the sheriff’s department to check out the computer while I returned to the office. I’d already texted Rihanna to say she needed to see the psychic after school, because she had something important to tell my cousin. I hoped the news about needing to admit that she loved Gavin wasn’t too traumatic for her, but it was the only way for her to stay safe. If for some reason she denied it, then she’d be staying home for sure—as would Gavin.
Within a half hour of my return, Rihanna came back, but she didn’t meet my eye.
“How did it go with Gertrude?”
“Seriously? You know what she told me, and I’m still confused. How can being in love stop a monster?”
I was happy that admitting her love for Gavin hadn’t been the impediment. “I am concerned about that, too, but Levy says that is what two different books say.”
“Do you believe it?”
“I think so.” I wanted to be honest with her.
She let out a sigh. “I guess that means we’re going to Miami?”
“It does, assuming you want to go. No pressure.”
“Of course, I do. I mean, of course we do. Don’t worry, Gertrude spoke with Gavin to make sure he felt the same way about me. He does. I admit the conversation seemed somewhat strained, but I know what we mean to each other.”
Young love at its finest. “Great. We’ll drive down Saturday morning since I don’t want you to miss any more school than necessary.”
She waved a hand. “It’s the second semester of my senior year, and I’ve already been accepted to junior college. Besides, we aren’t really doing anything important. Figuring out who killed Gavin’s dad has to take precedence. Missing a day or two isn’t a big deal. Trust me.”
All kids said that. “We’ll see. Speaking of Gavin, where is he?”
“With his mom. He said that when he was at the morgue, he wasn’t thinking about his dad as much or his stepmother. It seems to be his safe space.”
“I guess that is like when you are out taking pictures: the world seems to melt away.”
Rihanna tossed me a half smile. “You’re right, which reminds me that I need to do more of that—but after we track down the killer.”
“Spoken like a true sleuth. Before you head into your room, I thought we might visit Hex and Bones Apothecary.”
“Why?”
I told her about our conversation with Steve. “We might be safe from certain death from having our hearts turn black and hard, but this person might have an arsenal of magic bigger than one spell.”
She slid down onto the sofa. “That’s a scary thought. Have you ever done a spell to harm someone before?”
“No, but whatever I do, I’d like it to be temporary—such as make this person light-headed, so he passes out, enabling us to get away.”
She grinned. “Or maybe you can make his muscles freeze for a minute.”
“That is a good idea, but let’s see what Bertha can offer. Hopefully, it’s a spell she’s tried before.”
Rihanna stood. “I’m always up for learning something new, but why not ask Gertrude?”
I figured she’d ask that. “I really don’t want her telling Levy. He might think I’m trying to usurp his power or something.”
“He would never think that.”
Rihanna and he were close. “I know, but I’ve disturbed the Poole family enough for one day. We’ll have to see Bertha eventually. Her shop will have the needed ingredients to do whatever spell we choose.”
“Works for me.”
Chapter Eight
Rihanna and I entered the Hex and Bones Apothecary, and when I didn’t see the owner, my heart sank. The last time Bertha went missing, the spell I received ended up quite different from what I expected.
“Where is she?” Rihanna asked peeking around some of the bookcases.
“Maybe Bertha’s in the back.” Or at least I hoped she was. A new employee, slightly older than me, was behind the counter. “Let’s ask that lady.”
The woman with the dark auburn hair stopped what she was doing and smiled. “May I help you?”
“I’m looking for Bertha.”
“I’m afraid my grandmother is not here. Maybe I can be of assistance.”
Her granddaughter? I knew about Bertha’s sister but not any other relatives. “It’s kind
of personal.”
I wasn’t sure that was the right word, but telling her I was in love with Jaxson, and that being so would prevent me from some horrendous death would raise a lot of questions that would take too much time to answer.
Rihanna placed a hand on my arm. “Actually, my boyfriend’s father was murdered a few days ago by a very powerful sorcerer. We’ve recently learned we are immune to one of his more deadly spells, but in case we run into him, and he has more talent than we’re expecting, we’d like something to keep him occupied for a few minutes while we escape.”
The woman looked between us. “Are you serious?”
Did she think because a teenager asked that she was making it up? I had enough sense not to ask that, however. “Very much so. Bertha has always been able to help me out.” Her grandmother was a practicing witch, so most likely her granddaughter practiced, too. “Are you a—”
“A witch? Yes. I’m Elizabeth Murdoch.”
Whoa. I introduced both of us, and we shook hands. “I normally don’t ever use witchcraft to harm anyone, but this person—whose identity isn’t known to us yet—could kill us, and I want to be prepared.”
“Totally understandable. I take it any kind of candle lighting or potion making is out of the question since you won’t have a lot of time to prepare?”
I was impressed that she grasped the situation so well. “Yes. That is why I was hoping there might be some kind of protection spell you could put on us and our boyfriends. Furthermore, it would need to last a few days since we have to travel to Miami to find this person.”
“Hmm. That might be a little out of my league.”
“Okay, then do you know of a spell to freeze a person so he can’t move for a minute or two while we get away?”
She smiled. “I might have what you are looking for. Give me a sec.”
That kind of spell actually existed? I hadn’t expected that. As soon as the woman ducked into the back room, I spun to face Rihanna. “Do you think she’s for real?”
“Very much so. The vibe I got from her is intense.”
“Meaning she might be as powerful as Bertha?”