The Hex Files Box Set

by Gina LaManna

  “Really? You mean when I told the councilman off?” She gasped. “I hated for you to see me like that. Rare form, for sure. I was just so mad, you know?”

  I considered her cologne insult to be quite mild, but I nodded anyway. “Like I said, badass.”

  We marched to the marketplace, Willa chattering pleasantly the entire way. She only stopped talking when we reached the Hollow Haven and entered, and she caught the look of murder on Matthew’s face.

  Nash stood next to him, and he didn’t look happy, either.

  “So,” Matthew said. “I hear you pissed off the councilman, got this poor woman fired, and learned nothing about the case? Do sit down, Detective. I’m all ears.”

  Chapter 17

  Matthew enjoyed watching Dani squirm as she tried to explain.

  Matthew knew Blott, and he knew the man could be all sorts of unagreeable. But Dani had insisted on going alone, and she refused to learn lessons from others. Or heed advice. Or follow rules. Which was why Matthew had assigned Nash to trail after Dani in case she needed assistance. She hadn’t—clearly.

  Dani’s fists clenched and unclenched as she studied Matthew and Nash. “Did you send him—” she pointed a finger at Nash—“to babysit me? You had me followed to the councilman’s office?”

  “I sent backup,” Matthew said carefully. “Nash wasn’t to interfere, and if I understand the story correctly, he didn’t.”

  “Oh, not at all,” the blond, curly-haired woman next to Dani said. The girl couldn’t be over twenty-one, pink-cheeked and bright-eyed, and Matthew wondered how she’d gotten wrapped up with a seasoned, sarcastic detective like Dani. “We didn’t even know he was there. He totally stayed out of the way. Good job,” she added toward Nash. “A-plus work, er, sir.”

  “Thanks, Willa,” Dani said through tight lips. “Glad you’re on my side.”

  “I thought—” Willa’s eyes widened. “Aren’t these your friends?”

  “It can be difficult to tell with her,” Matthew said. “I’m Captain King. You’ve obviously met Detective DeMarco, and this is her brother, Lieutenant Nash DeMarco.”

  At the word brother, Willa looked knowingly at Dani and nodded. “Oh,” she said with new understanding. “I get it.”

  “And you are?” Nash asked, looking with interest toward the newcomer. He extended a hand. “You can call me Nash.”

  “We’re here on business,” Dani snapped. “Let’s be professional, eh?”

  Nash blinked at her, retracted his hand. Willa leaned forward, offered a sympathetic wave, and chirped that it was nice to meet him.

  “Where were you?” Dani asked Nash, then directed her second question to Matthew. “And what made you think it was a good idea to send a babysitter after me?”

  “Nash is not your babysitter, nor was he sent because he’s your brother.” Matthew felt a bit uncomfortable navigating an argument between family members—family had never been his strong suit—but he didn’t let it show. “I sent Nash because I knew you were meeting with a mayoral candidate who would not be pleased to see you. I couldn’t go myself, or I would have. Nash was on duty and nearby, so I told him to swing past the offices. He did, and he saw—or rather, heard—that you handled yourself just fine. Then he left as per his instructions.”

  “Coward,” Dani murmured, but Nash let it roll off him with practiced ease. “Sorry—this is Willa Bloomer,” Dani said, turning to Matthew and gesturing to her new friend. “She’s the woman who I accidentally got, uh, let go from her job. She’s tagging along with me to the pizza parlor.”

  “For a job?” Nash asked sounding hopeful.

  “No, for a slice,” Dani said, still peeved at him. “Of course a job.”

  “But that means you’ll introduce her to Jack.” Nash visibly cringed. “Jack is...”

  “Who’s Jack?” Willa asked. “Another brother?”

  Dani nodded, her jaw set. “Jack won’t even look at her the wrong way, or he’ll have to deal with me.”

  “I would believe her, if I were you,” Willa whispered, pointing at Nash and Matthew. “The detective was a total badass to Homer, by the way. So was I.”

  Dani gestured for the guys to be seated, then slid onto a bar stool around the table and motioned for Willa to do the same. “Did you find anything here, Captain?”

  Matthew’s lips pursed. “It appears Mayor Lapel was never here.”

  “What are you talking about?” Dani perked up, an air of professionalism settling over the table. “That’s impossible; if he wasn’t here, where would he have gone?”

  Matthew shrugged. “I looked through the reservation lists—nothing that would indicate he stepped foot in here. Obviously, he could have used a fake name.”

  “Did you ask around?” Dani pressed. “The servers would...”

  She trailed off at Matthew’s dark stare. “Yes, I asked around,” he said. “Either everyone’s too afraid to say something, or the mayor wasn’t here.”

  “Well, I didn’t see a hint of Moving Magic on Blott’s hands, though I wouldn’t mind putting some there just to keep him out of office.” Dani shook her head, lamenting the very notion. “I can’t believe we’re going to be stuck with him as the face of Wicked. We’ll finally live up to our name.”

  “Unless someone else runs for office...” Nash said. “The election is still a few months away.”

  “Yeah, who?” Dani asked. “It would have to be someone really well liked with a huge platform—I mean, campaigning began months ago. It’d be impossible for someone low profile to catch up.”

  Matthew stayed perfectly still, only realizing that everyone’s gaze had flipped to him in expectation. He raised one dark eyebrow. “Hell no.”

  “You could do it,” Dani said, though she sounded unsure of herself—as if she didn’t want to suggest it. “You’ve got an excellent history, people know your name, and you’d be the first vampire mayor in all of Wicked’s history. It could help in your favor.”

  “I said no.” Matthew rested his hands firmly on the table. “End of discussion. What else did you learn about Blott?”

  “That he’s a mean old pig,” Willa muttered. “And doesn’t appreciate good employees—er, well, bad ones. I really wasn’t very good at my job.” She glanced around, the gazes having switched from Matthew to her. “Oh, you meant about the case. Sorry—I have to learn to keep my mouth shut.”

  Dani heaved a sigh. “Unfortunately, Willa’s right. I was not impressed with his cooperation. He seemed offended you’d sent someone in your place, Captain.”

  “Offended?”

  “Apparently my being a woman, sir, means I’m not good enough. I didn’t, ah, stroke his ego.” Dani’s voice was layered with bits of emotion and flecks of frustration. “He said he wasn’t actually a suspect if they didn’t send the vampire.”

  Matthew’s jaw set and his fists clenched tight. One thing he didn’t tolerate was the mistreatment of his employees—by anyone—especially not for a reason as stupid as rank or gender. “Then I’ll have to pay him a visit myself and set the record straight about Detective DeMarco’s capabilities.”

  “Don’t,” Dani warned. “Don’t make this personal, Matthew. If you go over there, you’ll be giving him what he wants.”

  “Did he offer an alibi?”

  Dani cringed. “He said he didn’t need to because he didn’t do it. And yes, he refused to cooperate and threatened to lawyer up. I didn’t push him too hard.”

  “Well, you pushed him hard enough to break the door,” Willa offered, her eyes scanning over the menu and not paying attention. When she looked up, she saw Dani’s hard eyes on her. “Shut up, Willa,” she told herself, and dove back into the menu.

  “You have a thing for causing doors to break,” Matthew said, a light smile breaking out. “You’ll have to begin listing that on your resume.”

  Dani’s eyes darkened. “It was his own fault he broke it. Anyway, I have to say that despite everything, Blott doesn’t seem like our guy. He
’s cocky and arrogant, but I think he’s so sure of himself that he assumed the mayoral position was already his.”

  “Willa,” Matthew said gently, “you worked for him. Would you agree with Dani’s assessment?”

  Willa’s head snapped up. “Me? You’re asking my professional opinion on a case? That’s awesome.”

  Matthew blinked. “Yes. Is there anything you can offer us on Blott that might help clear his name or point us in his direction?”

  “I don’t think he killed anyone.” She wrinkled her nose. “He says he’s going to all the time. I think I have a count of four death threats against me, personally.”

  “Jesus, Willa—that’s not normal,” Dani said. “You should have quit weeks, or months, ago. You should never have stepped into the place.”

  “I’m really not that good at my job,” she said again, now sounding like a broken record. “And I needed the money.”

  “There are plenty of places to work that don’t require you to deal with...” Dani took a deep breath. “People like him.”

  She shrugged. “Wasn’t so bad most days. Anyway, I was saying I don’t think he killed anyone because the man is just too lazy. If he ever killed anyone, I think it’d be from a fit of rage.”

  “I should have been there,” Matthew said, frustrated. “I’m sorry I sent you alone, Detective.”

  “I wouldn’t have let you come,” she said quietly, looking to Matthew as if reading his mind. “I told you I wanted independence if I was coming back to the force, and I appreciate you giving it to me.”

  Matthew swallowed, wondering what it’d be like to have Dani’s perception of others. She had a way of reading people—him, especially—that could feel almost invasive with its thoroughness. He had to think that was one of the reasons they’d made such a magnificent pair—he had never been comfortable discussing, feeling, or dealing with emotions, and Dani had never pushed him. She just understood.

  “I agree with Willa,” Dani said, moving the conversation forward before it veered too personal. “Blott wouldn’t have had the patience to kill his victims with runes. That sort of death is long and slow and arduous. If it’d been Blott, they’d have been conked over the head with the nearest heavy object. It just peeves me he wouldn’t cooperate and give us an alibi. It would’ve left things on better terms.”

  “What night was the murder again?” Willa asked, frowning. “Late last night?”

  “That’s when the bodies were found,” Matthew said. “The murder happened before.”

  “Do you know where he was, Willa?” Dani asked her. “Did you have access to his schedule?”

  To everyone’s surprise, the dainty woman giggled. “Well, it’s embarrassing for him, so that’s probably why he didn’t want to give you an alibi. I’m sure he thinks it’s better for people to think he murdered someone than it is for him to admit to dating an ogre.”

  “What?!” Nash reacted with wild surprise, then struggled to recover. “An ogre?”

  “Um, hello,” Dani gestured between herself and the vampire. “Dating cross-species has been legalized for years.”

  “Ooh,” Willa looked between Dani and Matthew, her face all swoony and excited. “I so hoped the stories were true about the two of you dating. You are so perfect together, and you’d have the cutest babies. Can you imagine? The little fangs.”

  Dani choked on the sip of water she’d taken and Nash thumped her on the back. Matthew handled things more gracefully, though Willa had rattled his cage, as well. “Unfortunately, we’re no longer dating,” Matthew said. “That’s old history by now.”

  “Oh.” Willa sat back. “Well, sorry to make things awkward.”

  “It’s not uncomfortable—we work together,” Dani said with a smile. “We’re used to uncomfortable. But anyway, about this ogre—”

  “She,” Willa said, frowning briefly at Dani. “She is a very nice...creature. I met her once, on accident, and that’s the only reason I know about their little rendezvous.”

  Dani nodded for her to go on.

  “She swung by the office once, and I could tell it was unexpected. Really, you guys, she was the sweetest. She brought flowers and chocolates on the day of a preliminary vote to celebrate Blott’s win.”

  “How could anyone like him enough to do that?” Dani asked. “Poor woman.”

  “You have to understand that Councilman Blott can turn his ego on and off like a faucet,” she said. “When he speaks to crowds at fundraisers or the like, he really has these people believing that he’s a good man. It’s a skill.”

  “Apparently,” Dani muttered. “Because he’s not winning on raw personality alone.”

  Willa shrugged. “True. But he can captivate people; you have to admit that much.”

  “Grudgingly,” Dani said. “So, what happened with his girlfriend?”

  “Well, obviously I got to chatting with her. You know how I am.” Willa waved a hand that insinuated them talking. “Blott was on a Comm meeting. When he came out, he was furious. And I mean angry. He had veins popping everywhere and his nose started to bleed. It does that sometimes when he’s really upset—it’s like he just explodes a little.”

  Dani looked concerned for Willa. “What did he do when he found the two of you chatting?”

  “Well, that was the first time he threatened to kill me,” she said nonchalantly. “Because I let in someone who didn’t have an appointment. Like I said...sorta bad at my job.”

  “Willa—”

  “The weird thing was.” She raised a finger and looked around the table, nonplussed. “He was really gentle with her. Blott just shooed her into his office. I felt bad for Olga, of course, because it was clear he was embarrassed at having her show up in public. But he really did—does—like her because I didn’t hear a single raised word in his office.”

  The server arrived just then, and Willa ordered an Appletini, despite the fact that the rest of us stuck with water. The drinks arrived a minute later, and Willa took a sip and grinned.

  “Anyway, when she left, Blott was in a rage. But he was also scared, I think. He didn’t threaten to kill me for a few more weeks. Then he started getting all angry again, and I asked him once about Olga. I thought maybe they broke up which was why he was cranky. Right away, he got all scared and nice to me again.”

  “He thought you were blackmailing him,” Dani said with a laugh. “And you were just curious.”

  “I was! She hadn’t come by, and I was worried she broke things off.” Willa sipped her drink, practically bouncing on her chair with the flavor of each gulp. “Finally, he told me if I asked about her again, or told anyone about the two of them, he’d fire me. I mean, he already fired me, so I guess it’s safe to tell y’all now.”

  “What does this have to do with the murder?” Nash asked, careful not to lead her onto any answers. “His dating an ogre doesn’t convict him of anything.”

  “No, it frees him,” she said blandly. “He was with Olga all day yesterday.”

  “How do you know that?” I asked. “Are you sure?”

  “I arranged transportation for him. I mean, he could have left Olga’s and gone and done the murders or whatever, but all you’d have to do is ask Olga. She’ll tell you.” Willa leaned in. “It’s a shame he thinks she’s an embarrassment because she’s not. She’s way nicer than he is.” Willa sucked her Appletini dry. “Olga’s a great woman. She deserves better. But they have that weird sort of relationship where they just fell so hard and fast, like it consumed them. They can’t stay away from one another.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because if Blott could stay away, he would!” Willa blinked. “He’s muttered about breaking up with her every week, but he can’t seem to do it. No, I think he’s in love.”

  “But if Blott didn’t do it,” Nash said, “and the mayor’s trail stops at his office, then we’re back to square zero.”

  “Not so fast.” Dani stood, her eyes focused on the back wall as her chair screeched against
the floor. “I think we’ve got a pack of liars on our hands.”

  Willa’s eyes glowed as she sensed the ramp up in energy. “Who’s lying?”

  “The mayor was here last night.” Dani gestured toward the wall in the far corner. “That’s his Spell Splash all over the wall. He sat right...”

  Dani moved across the room, her eyes focused on one spot along the wall. Matthew loved to watch her work, loved the way she tuned out the rest of the world, the way she couldn’t be deterred when she caught the scent of something. It was like watching her hunt.

  Dani kicked two shady-looking goblins out of the booth in the corner, apologizing as they scurried away. Once they were gone, she climbed onto the booth, sat on the table with her feet on the seat, and studied the wall with curiosity. After some time she leaned forward, her hand propped against her chin in thought.

  “This is weird,” Willa muttered. “It looks like she’s staring at the wall.”

  The Hollow Haven was filled with enough strange folks that Dani’s actions only warranted lightning fast glimpses in her direction. Once the bartenders realized she wasn’t disturbing the peace, and the other patrons noted her interest was only in an empty wall, conversation resumed and Dani was left to puzzle in peace.

  “What’s she doing?” Willa asked. “Are there Residuals there?”

  “That’d be my guess,” Nash said with a wry smile. “When we were kids, everyone thought she was a huge freak.”

  Matthew smiled at the thought. “And now?”

  Nash laughed. “She’s still a freak, but at least we know why.”

  At that moment, Dani slid from the booth and returned to the group. “He was here,” she said firmly. “So was the Goblin Girl. And they weren’t alone.”

  Chapter 18

  “They weren’t alone?” Matthew asked, his brow furrowing. “How do you know?”

  “There’s been a contract sealed in that booth,” Dani said. “The Residuals are just barely holding on—and they’d have disappeared if they’d sat in any other seat.”

  Nash frowned. “What do you mean?”