by Vella Day
“Now what?” I asked.
“Now we wait,” Steve said.
That was my least favorite thing to do. Steve left with the promise he’d let us know the moment he learned anything.
Once he was gone, I turned to Jaxson. “I guess you’re going to say this is exactly what you figured would happen.”
“How could I have anticipated Mauricio would die?”
“No, I mean that something turned up. Only now we have more clues than we want.”
He smiled. “You are never happy, pink lady. Too many clues or too few. I should call you Pinkilocks.”
“That’s funny.” I turned to Rihanna. “What do you think about trying to contact Nana?”
“Why?”
“We need answers, and I have the sense Nana can help.”
Rihanna shrugged. “Remember, I kind of failed last time I tried.”
“I don’t think you failed. Nana could have been the one to find Elissa and help guide her back to the station.”
“I think Elissa found her own way to town,” Rihanna said.
“Maybe, but even you have to agree that the message on the mirror had to have been from her, especially since she signed it with an N.”
“You’re probably right,” Rihanna said.
Jaxson wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. “You need to relax or all that anxiety will damage your mind.”
That was hard to do. “I could if I knew why Mauricio died and who was behind Daniel’s death.”
Jaxson leaned back. “You don’t ask for much, do you?”
I smiled. “No. I want what I want.” I tapped his chest. “And that includes you.”
He clasped my hand and pressed my fingers against his lips. “That’s so nice to hear.”
I’d basically told him I loved him only a short while ago, but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to bring that up at the moment—or think about it. Rihanna was here, and she might read my mind, which would be a bit embarrassing.
Just then Iggy crawled out from under the sofa. “Knock it off you two. All this sweet talk is making me sick.”
We all laughed. “What’s your take, Iggy, on Mauricio’s death?”
“What if this Ed guy isn’t a warlock, but rather Mauricio had used this time-stopping powder spell stuff before?”
Only then did I recall what Mauricio said when the powder came at him. “Jaxson, how would you describe Mauricio’s reaction to the potion I threw at him?”
“His reaction? Confusion at first and then total and utter fear.”
I lifted up Iggy and kissed him.
“Hey, what was that for?” He dragged his claw over his face as if he was trying to erase the kiss.
“For solving the case.”
“Me? What did I do? I’ve been stuck in your purse for the better part of a week. Ever since coming back here, I’ve barely left the office.”
“Then for being super smart.”
He lifted one leg. “Well, I am that.”
“What nugget of knowledge did Iggy just give you?” Jaxson asked.
“Remember I told you that I could only use the time-stopping potion one time?”
“Yes, and if you used it a second time, or if someone used it against you, it could possibly harm you—if you were evil.”
I waited for him to draw the same conclusion I had, but Jaxson looked at me blank-faced. “Yes. What if Mauricio had been involved with this time-freezing potion before? If this was his second contact, the potion might have taken his evil abilities and used it against him. The reaction would be different for each sorcerer, because their powers would be different. For Mauricio, he used spells to turn hearts black. This powder somehow knew that and turned his heart black.”
A second later, Jaxson’s eyes widened and he whistled. “Iggy’s right.” He laughed. “That is fantastic.”
How had I not connected the dots before? As if Nana was in the room, my pendant flashed pink for a few seconds. Rihanna sat up straighter. “Was that Nana saying she agreed?”
I grinned. “I think so.” I clasped my hand around the pendant and found it warm to the touch. While I had no proof, I was pretty sure she was here with us just now.
“Thank you, Nana.”
Once more the pendant flashed, and my heart warmed. We’d more or less solved the case—or at least the part of who—or rather what—killed Mauricio.
Chapter Nineteen
One week later
Steve called and asked if Jaxson, Rihanna, and I would join him in his office. From the fact he sounded happy, I had the sense he might have more news about the case, even though I was convinced we’d solved most of it.
“I’m coming with you,” Iggy announced. “After all, I figured out who killed Mauricio.”
“Yes, you did. Mauricio’s own evil killed him. You can come but keep a low profile. This is Steve’s show.”
“I always keep quiet.”
I ran a gaze down his body. “Are you Iggy Goodall, or did someone switch you out with a mellower version of my familiar?”
“Funny, funny.” He spun around and crawled into my big bag.
As much as I wanted to speculate what this could mean, I thought it best to wait and see what Steve had to say. When we arrived, Nash, Elissa, and Gavin were already in the conference room.
After grabbing a much-needed cookie from Pearl, we headed on in.
“Good, you are all here,” Steve said.
“Did you learn something?” I asked, even though the answer was obviously yes.
“I did. Have a seat.”
Rihanna sat next to Gavin, and we sat on the other side of Steve. “Tell us. The suspense is killing me.”
Steve smiled. “I’ll let Elissa go first.”
“As you know, I helped with the virtual autopsy. It was my first one. What struck me about Mauricio’s heart was that it was covered in a brown substance.”
I pumped a fist. “I knew it. Or rather Iggy kind of figured it out first.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
I explained about the restrictions of this potion. “If Mauricio had used this potion before to incapacitate his victim, for example, then when I used it on him, it turned his own spells against him.”
“Which meant it turned Mauricio’s heart to stone?” Elissa asked.
“Yes. Did you test to see what that powder was?”
“I did, or rather I asked the Miami lab to do an analysis of it, but they are stumped. Do you think I could get a small sample and send it to their lab?”
Since she wasn’t a witch, I saw no reason why not. “I bought it at the Hex and Bones Apothecary. Bertha’s granddaughter sold it to me, but ask Bertha. She knows all about it.”
Elissa smiled. “I will, but no lab tech or ME will understand or believe magic was involved.”
“True, but they can tell you if the powders match. Even if they say the cause of both deaths are undetermined, we’ll know.”
“Yes, we will.”
Elissa nodded to Steve to indicate she was done. “Okay, folks. For the big news. Between the texts found on Mauricio’s phone and some money sent to Mauricio, we know that Ed Whitlow hired Mauricio to kill his wife.”
That really came as no surprise. “Because he was too cheap to pay alimony?”
“The detective didn’t say, but it’s possible he wanted to make his ex-wife miserable. When the judge ruled in her favor, Ed had to do something.”
“Wow. That was one unhappy man,” I said.
“No kidding,” Nash said.
“Was Ed involved in my Dad’s death, too?” Gavin asked.
“Actually, no. For a slightly reduced sentence, Ed told us where he learned about Mauricio and his special powers.”
“Sandra?” I blurted.
“Bingo.”
I had to say, I felt pretty good for having guessed it all along. “Why did he say she wanted Daniel dead?”
“She wanted to be partner in their law firm.”
>
“Dad would have given the position up in a heartbeat to stay alive.”
“I’m sorry, Gavin. Greed makes people do strange things.”
“Can the Miami PD prove what Ed Whitlow said is true?”
“They are working on it now. I believe they are getting a warrant to search her bank records, phone records, etc.”
“Regardless of what they find, my gut says she’s guilty,” I threw in.
As if my necklace had a mind of its own, it flashed pink, and everyone stilled.
“What was that?” Steve asked.
“It’s never done that until this case. I think Nana is communicating with me.”
“If she’s a reliable source, perhaps we should hire her.”
The group laughed.
“Any idea who had Elissa kidnapped?” I asked. I really didn’t like loose ends.
“Ed finally admitted to that crime. He hired the two thugs. Because Sandra helped set up Daniel to take the fall for falsifying the papers in regard to Ed’s divorce, he owed her. Sandra was the one who asked him to handle Elissa’s kidnapping.”
“Why?” Jaxson asked.
“Because you were getting suspicious about Mauricio, she wanted the four of you out of Miami ASAP. What better way than to put Gavin’s mom in danger. The plan was never to hurt Elissa.”
“Wow. Is that enough to arrest her?” My knowledge of the law was limited.
“If they can confirm what Ed said is true, then yes. Whether she hired Mauricio to kill Daniel is another matter. If she is guilty, I have faith the good men in Miami will find proof. It’s just a matter of time.”
“Good enough for me.” And I meant it. Everything pointed to Sandra being involved in Daniel’s death.
“If she conspired to have Elissa kidnapped, she’ll be thrown in jail and then disbarred. If they can prove she hired Mauricio to kill Daniel, she’d go away for a very long time.”
“Do you think we’ll get confirmation that Sandra paid Mauricio to kill Daniel?” I asked Jaxson later that night.
“Does it really matter?” Jaxson asked.
His back was to me since he was kneeling down in front of his fireplace stoking the flames. I sighed. Being here with him made all of the questions about the case almost disappear.
“I don’t think she should be allowed to go free if she is guilty.”
He stood and returned to the sofa. “I couldn’t agree more.”
I handed him the bowl of popcorn. Solving cases took a lot out of us, but I wouldn’t choose another career.
We’d rented a movie that I was excited to watch. Of course, it was a murder mystery.
Just as he was about to turn on the television, my cell rang. I wasn’t going to answer it since that would be rude.
“Aren’t you going to take that? You know you want to.”
In case it was Rihanna or my mom, I picked up my phone.
“Hey, it’s Steve,” he said.
My pulse soared. “Can I put you on speaker? I’m with Jaxson.”
“Of course.”
“Go ahead.”
“The Miami boys are fast workers. They found the money trail that connects Sandra to Mauricio. It was done using some privacy cryptocurrency coin, but they were still able to figure out who sent it and where it went.”
“That’s fantastic. Is that enough to arrest her?”
“It might not have been until the men in blue received a note from Mauricio.”
I looked over at Jaxson who didn’t seem to understand either. “What did it say?”
“It was one of those in-case-of-my-death notes. He’d given the note to a friend who had no idea what was in the envelope. It basically outlined everything he and Sandra agreed upon.”
“Did it mention his magical ability to kill?” I asked.
“Not specifically, but it’s enough to put Sandra in jail for a long time.”
“That’s great news. Thank you.”
“You bet. And thank you guys, too. I’m not sure we could have done it without all of you.”
Heat raced up my face. “Thanks for being open-minded about my magic.”
“You bet.”
Steve hung up, and I turned to Jaxson. “Is that not amazing?”
He looked unaffected. “As I always said, something was bound to come up.”
I laughed. “And it did. I think this calls for a celebration.”
“What do you have in mind?”
I did what I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. I was right where I wanted to be and had no intention of moving any time soon.
I hope you enjoyed the magical mystery of the pendant. I always love it when Nana helps out—even if she is from the other side. I personally am convinced our dearly departed are always with us. We just need to look for clues.
What’s next? Glinda and Drake’s tenth-year high school reunion, of course! And what’s a reunion without a death? Glinda drags Drake into the fold of solving this mystery since it was his good high school buddy who’s been killed. Sniff, sniff.
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Here is a sneak peak of The Poisoned Pink Punch
Drake Harrison knocked on my bedroom door. “You’ve been in there a long time, Glinda.”
Both Jaxson Harrison, my partner in the Pink Iguana Sleuths’ Agency, and his brother, Drake, were waiting in my living room, but only Drake and I were going to our tenth high school reunion. Jaxson’s tenth reunion had been six years ago.
“I’m almost ready.” I checked my image in the mirror once more. I’d already changed my outfit three times. Enough was enough. Impressing others might have been my MO in high school, but no longer. I was a respected business owner now. It didn’t matter—or at least it shouldn’t matter—what my old high school friends thought of me.
Inhaling, I pushed open the door, lifted my arms in the air, and twirled around. “Tada!”
Jaxson whistled. “Maybe I should come with you guys so I can fend off the men.”
I laughed, though I adored him for thinking I looked good. “You don’t think everyone will be disappointed that I’m not dressed all in pink?”
“What are you talking about? You have on a pink blouse and pink earrings.”
I plucked the black skirt from my legs. “Hel-lo!”
Drake rolled his eyes at his brother. “I’m glad you have to deal with her every day.”
“Now you’re just being mean. Admittedly, I usually only wear my pink signature color, but I can handle some variety now and again.”
Iggy, my pink iguana familiar, poked his head out from under the sofa. “Can I come with you?”
“To the reunion? Why?”
“Where you go, disaster often follows,” he said.
“That is not true—at least not all of the time.” I looked over at Jaxson for some help.
He stepped over to Iggy and picked him up. “I thought you wanted to spend the evening with me, buddy. We were going to watch some TV.”
“I guess that would be okay. Can I ask Aimee to come over?” Aimee was my aunt’s cat who lived across the hallway from us. Aimee, like Iggy, could talk.
“Sure.” He placed Iggy on the sofa, and then Jaxson hugged me. “Have a good time, but watch out for Drake. He can be unruly at times.”
I chuckled. That was the farthest thing from the truth. Jaxson had always been the troubled older brother. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he doesn’t step out of line.”
Drake touched my arm. “Come on. We’re already late.”
Who wanted to be the first to arrive at a party anyway? Oh, yeah. Drake did. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed Jaxson goodbye. “You don’t have to babysit the animal, you know.”
He grinned. “I know.”
> “Who are you calling an animal?” Iggy huffed.
“Behave for Jaxson.” I wagged a finger at him, though I had no doubt the two of them would have a good time—or at least Iggy would. He adored my boyfriend.
After Iggy assured me he’d behave, Drake and I headed downstairs. Being the gentleman that he was, Drake insisted he chauffeur me the three miles to the high school.
Rihanna, my eighteen-year old cousin, had volunteered to head the party’s decoration committee. She, along with her two new girlfriends, Casi and Lena, promised to make it an evening to remember. I hoped that meant the theme would include some pink.
Drake glanced over at me. “Are you nervous?”
I knew why he asked. I often obsessed over things. “Surprisingly, no. I have a successful business, a boyfriend, and a drop-dead gorgeous escort for the night.” I’d heard that being unattached at one of these reunions was a big no-no. Or at least for women it seemed to be.
He chuckled. “Thanks. I don’t say it often enough, but I’m proud of all you’ve accomplished since high school.”
“Aw, thank you, but look at you. You’ve done ever better.”
“Maybe, but it has come at a cost. I’ve been so consumed making my cheese and wine shop a success that I’ve barely had time to date. Not to mention, I’ve miss our little talks,” he said.
“Me, too, but we can blame that on Jaxson.” His brother had been helping Drake with inventory and such until Jaxson and I teamed up to open our sleuth agency, which meant Drake had to pick up the slack. Thankfully, he’d recently found more part-time help.
Drake laughed. “Let’s do that. As his penance, my brother needs to give you up at least twice a month so the two of us can create our ice cream sundae masterpieces.”
“I love doing that with you.” I twisted toward him. “How did a health nut end up being your brother?”
He shook his head. “Some mysteries will never be solved.”
Before we could decide how the two brothers could be so different, we arrived at the school parking lot. The flashing sheriff’s car lights shot my senses to high alert. “What are Steve and Nash doing here? I can’t imagine our class is that rowdy.”