by Vella Day
Drake parked. “Let’s see what’s going on.”
When he reached the double doors that led into the gym, Nash Solano, our deputy, blocked our way. “Glinda. Drake. I’m afraid there’s been an incident. Steve asked I keep out all new arrivals.”
“What kind of incident are we talking about?” I was fairly confident that we could talk our way inside. I’d saved Nash’s life recently, and he owed us.
“Someone died.”
I sucked in a body-trembling breath. “Who was it?”
He checked his notepad. “A Kyle Covington.”
Drake grabbed my arm. “Kyle? You have to be kidding.”
“I take it you knew him?” Nash asked.
“Yes. We were on the debate and wrestling team together and were good friends.”
Nash looked over at me. “Since I know Glinda will worm her way into this investigation at some point, I’ll let you guys through, but don’t touch anything—especially you, Glinda. If you spot anyone who might have a motive for wanting this man dead, please let us know.”
I might have been offended that he thought I’d worm my way into an investigation, but since this was a friend of Drake’s, I had to help, and Nash knew that. “I guess this means he was murdered?”
“I spoke too soon. I’ve been assigned door duty, that’s all, but Steve might have more information.”
That was a line if ever I’d ever heard one, but we’d find out the truth soon enough. As we entered the gym that had a rather festive blue and black decor with a splash of pink thrown in for good measure, I couldn’t help but experience a trickle of excitement. It was totally uncalled for and inappropriate at a time like this, but it was a bit thrilling to be asked to help with a murder for a change—assuming Kyle had been killed.
A surprising number of people were there, which suggested Steve had asked all those present to stay around so he could question them. Even if the sheriff didn’t know for sure Kyle had been killed, he might have wanted to cover his bases in case it turned out to be the case.
I spotted my cousin Rihanna off to the side, huddled with her two new girlfriends, and we headed toward them.
Hopefully, one of them saw what happened. For sure, Steve wouldn’t share what he’d learned—at least not until the medical examiner gave him her report.
“Rihanna, what is going on?” I asked.
“Glinda. I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t know much other than Casi and Lena had just delivered the punch bowl to the main table when someone started screaming that a man had collapsed.”
“Did either of you girls see anything?”
Lena shook her head, and Casi ran her palms down her skirt. “Sort of. After I heard the punchbowl crash to the ground, I turned around and saw some guy lying there. I think he died like right away,” Casi reported. “But I didn’t see anyone near him or anything.”
“How terrible for you to witness that.”
She nodded. Since my parents owned the funeral home in town, I was used to dead bodies, but this girl didn’t seem to be.
Drake touched my arm. “I’m going over there to make sure it really is Kyle.”
“Sure.” I understood his need to be certain there hadn’t been a mistake. I’d never had a friend my age die, and I couldn’t imagine what that would be like. I turned back to the girls. “Did the sheriff say everyone had to remain in the gym until he’d questioned them?” That’s what he’d done at our Halloween party when my Aunt Fern’s boyfriend had been killed.
“Yes,” Lena said.
Just then our medical examiner and her son—who happened to be Rihanna’s boyfriend—arrived. I expected my cousin to dart over to him, but she remained where she was. Gavin must have told her that when he was working a crime scene that she needed to stay back.
“Did you know the dead guy, too?” Casi asked.
“A little. I mean, Drake and I were the ones who were close. Only because he and Kyle were good friends did we talk sometimes.” I had to search my mind for when we’d interacted other than when I was with Drake. Ten years was a long time. “Kyle and I had a couple of math classes together, but he mostly kept to himself. Back then, I was trying to figure out how to fit in, and I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend or anything. Even then, I could tell Kyle was destined to do great things. The guy was a genius.”
Drake returned. From the vacant look in his eyes, it was not good news. “It’s Kyle. I can’t believe it.”
I hugged him. “I’m sorry, Drake.”
“Thanks.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t see any evidence of murder. It appears as if he drank the punch, had some kind of reaction—or maybe even a heart attack—and then knocked over the bowl as he collapsed. There’s pink punch everywhere.”
“Good thing time of death was known. Otherwise, the cold punch might have affected his core body temperature.”
Drake dipped his chin. “Glinda.”
Dang it. I was being too clinical and not a sympathetic friend. It was the way I often coped with tragedy. “Sorry. Did Steve say anything?”
“What could he say other than he could tell I was upset? Mr. Vincent is taking names and asking questions.”
I craned my neck and spotted our principal. “That’s smart of Steve to ask him to take roll. Mr. Vincent might be old, but the man never forgets a student. If Steve had spoken to everyone, someone might have lied about their identity.”
“If I’d put something in the punch,” Lena said, “I wouldn’t give my real name.”
The punch being spiked with poison was a good theory, but only if Kyle had been the only one who drank from it. Because no one else appeared ill, it wasn’t clear what had happened. “I’m sure many would do the same, but Mr. Vincent will spot the liars.”
Drake clasped my arm. “As long as we’re here, we should mingle.”
Now it was my turn to dip my chin. “You want to catch up with old friends?” That wasn’t like him.
“No. I want to see who’s here. Kyle wasn’t the most liked guy in the school if you recall.”
I shrugged. “I think I was too into my pink clothing and my studies to have noticed.” Not to mention my magic.
“Assuming he didn’t die of a heart attack or some other natural cause, who are you thinking might have wanted him dead?” Rihanna asked.
My cousin would make a great sleuth one day. Okay, to be fair, she already was a pretty good one. Rihanna could not only read minds under certain circumstances, she could connect the dots when others often couldn’t.
“His death could be from natural causes, but Kyle still looked fit,” Drake said. “To be honest, we lost touch a few years back after one of his online trading schemes hit it big.”
“Trading, as in stock trading?” That was fascinating. With my math background, I probably would have done quite well in that field had I pursued it.
“Yes, but then he got into cryptocurrencies—Bitcoin, I think—along with a few Alt coins. He invested when those coins cost pennies. Then the price skyrocketed, and he became mega rich, or so I read.”
“That might have upset a few people.”
Drake looked around. “True, but none of those people would be at our ten-year high school reunion.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure. Jealousy can cut deep, and those kinds of people can be creative. Admittedly, holding a grudge for ten years seems remote,” I said.
“I won’t discount anything. Kyle won a lot of debate tournaments during his high school career. The last one allowed him to compete at States—which he won.”
The memories rushed back. “If I recall, that resulted in him receiving a full ride to Harvard. I bet whoever came in second might be angry at that lost opportunity.”
“I suppose,” Drake said. “The second runner up was Ronnie Taggert who ended up at Florida State. I don’t know how he faired after that.”
“Where did Kyle end up after college?” I asked.
“Last I heard, he was working in Silicon Valley.”
“Not that I was aware, but as I said, we lost touch a few years back.”
“I can subtly find out about his marital status,” Rihanna said.
I loved her enthusiasm. “That’s okay. We’ll find it out sooner or later.”
Suddenly, a tall, redhead made a beeline toward us, looking as if she was on a mission. The beautiful woman appeared familiar, but I couldn’t place her.
When she reached us, she broke into a dazzling smile. “Drake Harrison, is that really you?”
My protective instincts shot up, even though he and I were just friends. Drake spun to face her. “Yes?”
At least that made two of us who didn’t know her.
“It’s me. Andorra Leyton.”
Drake’s mouth gaped open. He then dragged his gaze from her head to her toes and back again. Okay, clearly he was impressed. “Andi? I can’t believe it’s you. You’ve changed.”
She chuckled. “I hope for the better. Braces and glasses weren’t a real good look for me back then.”
“Ah, yeah. Definitely for the better.” Drake all but drooled.
Once they finished hugging, I should have said something, but I, too, was in shock over her transformation. Andorra and I had only briefly interacted in high school. She’d mentioned she had some witch talents, but it wasn’t something I wanted to explore at the time. Being a seventeen-year-old math geek made me enough of an outsider. I didn’t need people learning about my abilities—limited as they were.
If I remembered correctly, Andorra Leyton had a crush on Drake, but back then, he was too focused on his studies, participating on the wrestling team, and trying to beat Kyle Covington at debate to give her the time of day.
Andorra faced me. “Is that you, Glinda?”
Expect for maybe a few added pounds, I hadn’t changed all that much—or so I thought. “It sure is.”
Before I could decide if I was happy to see her or not, she hugged me, too. Okay, that was unexpected. Andorra leaned back. “You look amazing. And the black skirt suits you.”
Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. She smiled and then turned back to Drake. “I’m so sorry about Kyle. Is it a shock or what?”
“It’s horrible,” he said. “I still haven’t wrapped my head around it. Did you hear anything?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.”
Her words perked me up. “What do you find out?”
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THE END
A WITCH’S COVE MYSTERY (Paranormal Cozy Mystery)
PINK Is The New Black (book 1)
A PINK Potion Gone Wrong (book 2)
The Mystery of the PINK Aura (book 3)
Box Set (books 1-3)
Sleuthing In The PINK (book 4)
Not in The PINK (book 5)
Gone in the PINK of an Eye (book 6)
Box Set (books 4-6)
The PINK Pumpkin Party (book 7)
Mistletoe with a PINK Bow (book 8)
The Magical PINK Pendant (book 9)
The Poisoned PINK Punch (book 10)
PINK Smoke and Mirrors (book 11)
Broomsticks and PINK Gumdrops (book 12)
SILVER LAKE SERIES (3 OF THEM)
(1). HIDDEN REALMS OF SILVER LAKE (Paranormal Romance)
Awakened By Flames (book 1)
Seduced By Flames (book 2)
Kissed By Flames (book 3)
Destiny In Flames (book 4)
Box Set (books 1-4)
Passionate Flames (book 5)
Ignited By Flames (book 6)
Touched By Flames (book 7)
Box Set (books 5-7)
Bound By Flames (book 8)
Fueled By Flames (book 9)
Scorched By Flames (book 10)
(2). FOUR SISTERS OF FATE: HIDDEN REALMS OF SILVER LAKE (Paranormal Romance)
Poppy (book 1)
Primrose (book 2)
Acacia (book 3)
Magnolia (book 4)
Box Set (books 1-4)
Jace (book 5)
Tanner (book 6)
(3). WERES AND WITCHES OF SILVER LAKE (Paranormal Romance)
A Magical Shift (book 1)
Catching Her Bear (book 2)
Surge of Magic (book 3)
The Bear’s Forbidden Wolf (book 4)
Her Reluctant Bear (book 5)
Freeing His Tiger (book 6)
Protecting His Wolf (book 7)
Waking His Bear (book 8)
Melting Her Wolf’s Heart (book 9)
Her Wolf’s Guarded Heart (book 10)
His Rogue Bear (book 11)
Box Set (books 1-4)
Box Set (books 5-8)
Reawakening Their Bears (book 12)
OTHER PARANORMAL SERIES
PACK WARS (Paranormal Romance)
Training Their Mate (book 1)
Claiming Their Mate (book 2)
Rescuing Their Virgin Mate (book 3)
Box Set (books 1-3)
Loving Their Vixen Mate (book 4)
Fighting For Their Mate (book 5)
Enticing Their Mate (book 6)
Box Set (books 1-4)
Complete Box Set (books 1-6)
HIDDEN HILLS SHIFTERS (Paranormal Romance)
An Unexpected Diversion (book 1)
Bare Instincts (book 2)
Shifting Destinies (book 3)
Embracing Fate (book 4)
Promises Unbroken (book 5)
Bare ’N Dirty (book 6)
Hidden Hills Shifters Complete Box Set (books 1-6)
CONTEMPORARY SERIES
MONTANA PROMISES (Full length contemporary Romance)
Promises of Mercy (book 1)
Foundations For Three (book 2)
Montana Fire (book 3)
Montana Promises Box Set (books 1-3)
Hart To Hart (Book 4)
Burning Seduction (Book 5)
Montana Promises Complete Box Set (books 1-5)
ROCK HARD, MONTANA (contemporary romance novellas)
Montana Desire (book 1)
Awakening Passions (book 2)
PLEDGED TO PROTECT (contemporary romantic suspense)
From Panic To Passion (book 1)
From Danger To Desire (book 2)
From Terror To Temptation (book 3)
Pledged To Protect Box Set (books 1-3)
BURIED SERIES (contemporary romantic suspense)
Buried Alive (book 1)
Buried Secrets (book 2)
Buried Deep (book 3)
The Buried Series Complete Box Set (books 1-3)
A NASH MYSTERY (Contemporary Romance)
Sidearms and Silk(book 1)
Black Ops and Lingerie(book 2)
A Nash Mystery Box Set (books 1-2)
STARTER SETS (Romance)
Contemporary
Paranormal
Author Bio
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Not only do I love to read, write, and dream, I’m an extrovert. I enjoy being around people and am always trying to understand what makes them tick. Not only must my romance books have a happily ever after, I need characters I can relate to. My men are wonderful, dynamic, smart, strong, and the best lovers in the world (of course).
My Paranormal Cozy Mysteries are where I let my imagination run wild with witches and a talking pink iguana who believes he’s a real sleuth.
I believe I am the luckiest woman. I do what I love and I have a wonderful, supportive husband, who happens to be hot!
Fun facts about me
(1) I’m a math nerd who loves spreadsheets. Give me numbers and I’ll find a pattern.
(2) I live on a Costa Rica beach!
(3) I
also like to exercise. Yes, I know I’m odd.
I love hearing from readers either on FB or via email (hint, hint).
Social Media Sites
Website:
www.velladay.com
FB:
facebook.com/vella.day.90
Twitter:
@velladay4
Gmail:
[email protected]