by Vella Day
“I know my sister hates me for taking Daniel away from her, even though they’d broken up. Now she thinks you and I will get back together, and that is unacceptable to her. Sandra wants you very much.”
He shook his head. “I doubt that.”
“It’s true. I know she loves you.”
I had to admit, Morgana continued to impress me with her acting skills.
“You’re wrong,” he said. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here before Sandra returns. I’ll deal with her later—once you’re safe.”
Surprisingly, Morgana didn’t make some excuse as to why she needed to stay. When they left, I sagged against the seat. “This isn’t good.”
“No, it’s not,” Jaxson said.
“I really thought Mauricio would say Morgana had been a thorn in Sandra’s side for too long, and that she was willing to pay a lot to have him kill Morgana. Mauricio would then wave his hands and say his spell. Only he’d fail.”
“How would he know he failed?” Gavin asked. “Do we think the person suddenly turns a slight shade of gray and begins to cough?”
I hadn’t thought about that. “No. I don’t think your dad had any idea he’d been cursed until a few days went by.”
“How are we going to know if his powers have been destroyed if we can’t catch him in the act of doing a spell?” Gavin asked.
“We can’t. So much for my brilliant plan. It definitely was a bust.” I sat up straighter. “What about poor Morgana? I can’t imagine she wants to be with Mauricio right now.”
“I’ll call Steve,” Nash said. “He needs to stop them somehow.”
“Good idea. Best case scenario is that Mauricio takes her back to the hotel.”
“Do you really think he wants Morgana blabbing to the cops about what went down?” Rihanna said.
“What could she say? Nothing happened. The only person who looks guilty is Sandra, and she wasn’t even the one talking to Mauricio.”
“I’m sure Steve understands the potential danger Morgana is in. He’s not going to let any harm come to her,” Nash said.
“I hope not.”
A minute later, Elissa’s phone rang. “Thank goodness. It’s Chris calling me back.”
It took a second for me to remember that was Dr. Chris Williams, the medical examiner in Miami. “Can you put him on speaker?”
“Sure.” She swiped the icon. “Hey, Chris. Thanks for getting back to me.”
“Sorry. I’ve been with my mom. She’s been ill. I just now saw your message.”
“Not to worry. I hope she’s going to be okay.”
“Thanks. She will be with rest. In regard to your inquiry about the black-heart deaths, I’m so glad you asked. It’s been driving me crazy. About a week ago, we received a body whose heart had practically petrified.”
“Did you figure out the cause of death?”
“No, but we’re still looking. I’m assuming your medical examiner had the same issue?”
“Yes, only the heart belonged to my ex-husband.”
Dr. Williams sucked in a breath. “That’s terrible. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. The strange part is that he was seemingly healthy a few days before.”
“Same with this woman.”
“Can you send me your findings, and I’ll do the same to you?”
“Of course. As to your other query, Mauricio Jimenez volunteers here three times a week. He’s an outstanding doctor who needs to complete some course work before he can be licensed to work in Florida. Why do you ask?”
Elissa looked up at us. Nash motioned for the phone. “This is deputy Nash Solano of the Witch’s Cove sheriff’s department. We’re hoping he can help us with a murder investigation.”
“Oh, sure. He called a little while ago and said he wouldn’t be in for a few days, but I’ll tell him you asked for his help.”
“Thanks.”
Elissa and her former work partner chatted a bit more, and then she hung up. “What do you think?” she asked.
“Mauricio could be involved in Daniel’s death, but we can’t be sure,” Nash said. “Is it possible he tampered with the heart of the other dead person to make sure he wasn’t implicated?”
She shook her head. “That would only make things worse. Chris would take a picture of the heart the moment he removed the organ. He’d know immediately if something strange happened. There’s nothing Mauricio could have done to change that.”
The sheriff department’s front door opened, and Steve came in with Hunter, Misty, and Morgana. I jumped up, happy to see she was safe. Instead of Morgana coming into the conference room, he escorted her into his office.
Nash pushed back his chair. “Let me see what that is all about.”
I was glad to see he thought it strange, too. I wondered where Mauricio was, and why was Steve trying to hide Morgana? Did Steve think Mauricio would barge into the office and demand to see her?
Until Steve returned, I had no hope of getting answers to all of my questions.
Jaxson reached up. “Sit down, Glinda. Steve seems to have everything under control.”
I sat. “I’m glad that Morgana is safe, as is everyone else, but Mauricio is a big unknown.”
“When I get the report from Chris about the other body, if the two have identical symptoms, we’ll conclude that the issue started in Miami,” Elissa said.
“Even if we find out that Mauricio put a curse on Daniel and this other person, do you really think he acted alone?”
No one said anything for a moment. Finally, Elissa shook her head. “No, I don’t. Admittedly, he knew Daniel since Mauricio worked for Morgana, but by then, he and Morgana were history. If anything, he should have killed Morgana, not Daniel.”
That’s what I’d always thought. “Then who had it out for Gavin’s dad?” I asked.
She looked over at her son. “What do you think? Daniel and I didn’t really communicate much.”
“If I had to point a finger at anyone, I’d say Sandra had the most motive to want him gone.”
“In order to be partner in the law firm?” I asked. “Murder is a bit extreme.”
Gavin shrugged. “True, but he wasn’t really nice to her in the last year, mostly because Morgana had a grudge against her sister, and Dad wanted to be supportive. At least that is what he told me.”
“Did your dad tell you about the grudge or feud?” I asked.
“A little. Mostly it was that Morgana was jealous of her sister, because Sandra was the successful one. I don’t know Morgana all that well, but Dad would drop little hints about their many family feuds. Sandra worked hard while Morgana relied on her looks to get what she wanted.”
“That would make Sandra jealous of Morgana.”
“Maybe, but all I can say for sure is that the two sisters didn’t see eye-to-eye.”
“It would make sense then if Sandra had been the one to pull the puppet strings,” Jaxson said. “But do we have any proof she’s connected to Daniel’s death or Elissa’s kidnapping?”
I don’t know why he asked. Jaxson knew it was all supposition. “No, but it sounds logical.”
Nash and Steve returned to the conference room, which meant Misty and Hunter must be staying with Morgana.
Nash sat while Steve remained standing. “I’m sure you all have questions. I, too, heard what was going on with Mauricio and Morgana. And no, it didn’t go down as I’d thought either. When the two left together, I wasn’t sure what Mauricio’s plan was regarding Morgana. While it appeared as if he was driving her back to the hotel, I decided to intervene. I pulled them over on the premise that some salesperson had reported Morgana had shoplifted.”
“I bet that surprised her,” Gavin said, sounding quite delighted.
“Naturally, she defended herself, but she’s a smart woman. Eventually, she realized that she’d be safer with me than with Mauricio. She told him not to worry about her, that it was all a misunderstanding. She said she’d meet him back in Miami in a few days.”
>
“He bought it?” Mauricio seemed smarter than that. “I’m surprised he didn’t think it odd that you could recognize a tourist driving in someone else’s car.”
“You’re right. I would be suspicious, but for whatever reason, he didn’t say anything. He might have been trying to come up with a reason why he was with Morgana. I don’t know. From what he told me, he plans to spend the night at the hotel and then drive back tomorrow morning. I’ve asked Misty if she could supply a few undercover cops to make sure he doesn’t pull a fast one.”
“That’s smart. I, for one, will feel better once he returns to Miami. I just wish I knew if he was defused, so to speak,” I said.
Steve nodded. “Don’t we all. I’m thankful that Elissa is back and that no one else was hurt.”
“You’re right. We should be thankful for what we have.”
It was just that loose ends weren’t my thing.
Chapter Eighteen
Jaxson and I were at the Tiki Hut Grill at lunch a few days later when he pressed on my hand. “Is there any way you can stop that tapping?”
I looked up at him. “What are you talking about?”
He nodded to the spoon. “You’ve been banging that thing on the table for the last thirty seconds. Something must be on your mind.”
“There is. Even though Mauricio left three days ago, and Morgana left yesterday with her husband’s ashes, I feel unsettled.”
“I get it. Everything seems as if things are back to normal, and yet we’ve had no closure to either who was behind Elissa’s capture or who killed Daniel.”
“I know who killed Daniel. We just can’t prove it was Mauricio or if he acted alone.”
Jaxson let go of my hand. “You know the old saying: you can’t win ’em all.”
“I know, but it’s still frustrating. I keep coming back to the message on the mirror.”
“That your grandmother’s necklace told you the truth.”
“Yes, but there has to be something I’m missing.”
Just then Steve came into the restaurant. He nodded to us and said something to Aunt Fern. They chatted for a bit before he stopped over to our table.
“I have some news I thought you’d like to hear.”
My slight depression immediately evaporated. “Pull up a chair.”
Steve sat. “I received a call from Detective Bogart.”
“He’s the man who was working Daniel’s case from Miami, right?”
“Yes. He found the two men who kidnapped Elissa.”
“That’s great news.”
“As we expected, they were just some thugs for hire. After threatening them with a lot of jail time, they gave up the name of the person who hired them.”
“It was Sandra, wasn’t it? I knew it,” I said with a smile.
“Actually, it wasn’t.”
I sat up straighter. “Then who?”
“Ed Whitlow.”
“Seriously? Why? I mean, I knew he was suing Daniel Sanchez because he believed the lawyer botched the case against his ex-wife, but what does that have to do with Elissa?”
“The detective interviewed Whitlow, but of course, he denied everything. I have to say, with the amount of money this guy has, it will be hard to catch him. He’s got shell corporations and lots of ways to keep his distance from anything dirty.”
“Does that mean the detective let him go?” Of course, he did. The word of two felons wouldn’t hold much weight without any proof.
“For the moment, yes. I thought you should know.”
Aunt Fern carried over a To-Go cup of coffee for the sheriff. Most likely, he asked for the drink as an excuse to see if we were here.
“Thanks for letting us know.”
“You bet.”
Once Steve left, I didn’t feel much better. “If we believe the two hired hands, then one mystery is solved, even though there is no satisfaction in that.”
“Because we didn’t solve the crime?”
“That and I want to learn more about Mauricio.” I held up a hand. “And don’t you dare say that something will come up.”
Jaxson laughed. “It always does. Speaking of things coming up, have you decided if you are going to your tenth high school reunion? I saw the invitation on the desk.”
We had been talking about going. And by we, I meant Jaxson’s brother and I, since we graduated together. Until Jaxson came into my life, Drake and I had been fairly inseparable. His wine and cheese shop started to thrive just when our Witch’s Cove deputy was murdered, and Jaxson became the main suspect.
“I’m leaning toward saying yes. This case seems to be over, so it might be fun to see everyone again.”
“What percent would you say might come?”
“Maybe fifty percent of the class. I know a lot moved out of town, and I’m not sure if they’d want to return.”
“January is often the coldest month. We might be chilly at times, but we’re a lot warmer than most places.”
“Good point.” I finished off my coffee and was ready to head back to the office, even though we didn’t have much to do.
Before I could push back my chair, Rihanna and Gavin came in. The moment they saw us, they headed over. “We have news.”
My first thought was a scary one. They were eighteen and nineteen, and I feared they’d announce they were engaged or something crazy like that.
“Tell me.”
They pulled up a chair. “Mom got the autopsy report back from Dr. Williams regarding the other black-heart.”
That wasn’t our case, but maybe it would point a finger at Mauricio. How though, I don’t know. “And?”
“You’ll never guess who it belonged to.” Gavin smiled.
“I don’t know anyone in Miami. Tell me.”
“Ed Whitlow’s ex-wife.”
I was stunned. “The same woman Ed was trying to prevent from getting all of his alimony?”
“The one and the same,” Gavin said.
“Wow. I bet Detective Bogart will be questioned Ed Whitlow again.” I looked over at Jaxson. “If those two ex-cons are to be believed, Mr. Whitlow hired them two thugs to kidnap Elissa, but then for some reason, they walked out and left her alone in the warehouse. Did we ever hear why they did that?” I wonder if it had anything to do with his ex-wife’s death.
“No, but let’s hope Detective Bogart can get them to talk. Ed won’t be admitting to anything.”
“Where does that leave us?” I asked.
“The Miami police need to find proof that Whitlow was involved, and the word of two felons probably doesn’t count for much,” Gavin said.
“We have a better chance of it snowing here tomorrow.”
“Have some faith, Glinda.”
“I’m trying, and yes, I know something might come up.”
Because I’d been in a funk ever since Daniel Sanchez’s murder case turned cold, I decided to accept the invitation to our high school reunion. Maybe seeing some old friends would do me good. I was just about to call Drake and tell him I’d be his date since Jaxson said I’d have a better time with his brother when a knock sounded on our office door.
Usually, most people just came in. As I stood to answer it, Steve popped his head in and looked around. “Are Rihanna and Jaxson here?”
He sounded serious. “Jaxson is downstairs, and Rihanna is in her bedroom. Want me to get them?” Of course, he did, or he wouldn’t have asked about them.
“Please.”
I texted Jaxson and then went to Rihanna’s bedroom. “Steve is here for some reason. I imagine he wants to tell us something. Can you spare the time to chat?” She seemed to be in the middle of a school project.
“Sure.”
By the time Rihanna put away what she was working on, Jaxson had come up the back staircase. He looked at Steve and then at me. I just shrugged.
“Have a seat,” Steve said.
“What happened?” I wasn’t up for more bad news.
“Mauricio Jimenez is dead.”
/>
Well, stun me with a taser. “Dead? How can that be?” The three of us sat there without saying a word for a moment. Finally, I had to ask the question that everyone had to be thinking. “How did he die?”
“Now that is the interesting part. The autopsy is not complete, but on first glance, his heart had turned black and hard.”
I froze. “That means there is another warlock out there. I can’t believe it. I was positive Mauricio was our warlock who killed Daniel.”
“Looks like he might not have been. The police believe Mauricio died in almost the same manner as Gavin’s dad, which means Mauricio didn’t kill Daniel.”
Oh, no. Levy and his coven thought they’d stripped his powers to prevent him from turning other hearts black, but it was all for naught. “Who do they think is responsible?”
“That’s where it gets interesting. They checked Mauricio’s cabana and found his phone. When they searched his cell records, guess who had left him messages several times before Daniel died and again when Mauricio returned from Witch’s Cove?”
“Who?”
“Ed Whitlow.”
“Him again?”
Jaxson shook his head. “The man’s wife was killed by a warlock. Is it possible he hired Mauricio to kill her and not Daniel Sanchez?” He waved a hand. “That makes no sense. Another warlock had to have entered the picture and killed Mauricio. Or maybe it was a witch who has these extraordinary powers.”
“The cops are going through Ed’s correspondences now to see if he shut up Mauricio, but at the moment, the connection between them is still uncertain.”
This was mind boggling. “It kind of implies Ed Whitlow is a warlock. It’s not like Mauricio’s own powers killed him.”
“Why not kill his wife himself?” Jaxson asked.
“He didn’t want to be connected to her death. I don’t know. The puzzle pieces are not fitting.”
“I agree. Just so you know, I asked Elissa to assist in the autopsy to make sure we weren’t missing anything. She’ll be doing it virtually, of course. I didn’t want her anywhere near Miami.”
Rihanna let out a breath. “I know Gavin would say thank you.”