by Traci Wilton
“I’ll ask her, but she’s been busy at the theater. She’s got the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past. Something about Scrooge?” He rubbed his head. “Can’t remember the darn name of it.”
“A Christmas Carol. That’s amazing.” She sipped her wine. “Kevin, I’ve sent some new guests this way. One is a tigress named Felicity. Be warned.”
He chuckled. “I can hold my own.”
“Have you heard anything interesting lately?”
His brow arched. “I got to meet the king and queen of the witch ball—giant couple. They were so happy they’d won that I bought them a round.”
She laughed. “When did they come in?”
He thought back. “Let’s see. Last Saturday night? Can’t believe Halloween was a week ago tomorrow.”
“You’ve heard nothing about a dead vampire?”
“The dude that washed up on Derby Wharf?” He shrugged. “Someone told me that Alaric disappeared right from the room at midnight. Crazy.”
She took another drink of her wine. “How do you suppose he got from the Hawthorne Hotel to the wharf, Kevin?”
Kevin slapped his palm down. “Ah-ha! That’s what you’re after. You want to see if there is a way for somebody to have staked him—yeah, I heard about that—and then dumped him from the hotel, through a tunnel leading to sea?”
“Is it so far-fetched?”
“Yeah. It is. I called my buddy and left a message. Listen, we’ll check it out tomorrow during the day, by foot, to see if it’s possible even by road.”
“You’re a great friend, Kevin. But we need to keep it quiet.”
“The detective . . .”
“Doesn’t want me poking my nose where it doesn’t belong. But this is for Serenity. She can’t go to jail.”
“Jail, no way. Hard to believe that her and Alaric actually hooked up. Here’s a well-respected witch and she has to explain that she put a spell on someone who then vanishes and winds up dead.”
She leaned over the counter and smacked his arm. “Dead on.”
“Bartenders hear a lot of stuff not meant for their ears.”
“What do you think of Dru?”
“Dru and Serenity used to be attached at the hip. He’s a good guy. I like him.”
“He works at the Peabody Essex Museum. Another of the major places the tunnels went to.”
“Oh—those are closed, for sure.” He frowned. “They have to be. Why don’t you ask Dru?”
“I don’t know where to reach him other than work.” She hadn’t wanted to call the guy there. What if he got in trouble? But she would, she decided. First thing in the morning.
Just then a crowd of people came in, hooting around a pretty woman with a fake wedding veil and a tiara.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Noon. Where should we meet?”
“The Hawthorne.” She wanted to check out the ballroom again. She placed a ten on the counter and left him to serve the bridesmaids and the bride-to-be.
She returned by nine to the bed-and-breakfast, pleased that her guests were still out. Opening the door to her suite, she saw Jack teasing the cat. He floated around the room as Silva tried to catch him.
“Playing games,” she said with a smile. “That poor girl doesn’t know what to make of you.”
“Her instincts are sharp and clear.”
“Silva wants to catch you and can’t. An endless source of frustration.” She plopped down on the love seat and put the blanket over her legs.
“Even though I can’t snuggle with her, I’m still her playmate.”
“You are so sweet, Jack. She adores you.” Charlene pointed to the laptop, open to a text that looked very official. “What’s that?”
“More stuff on Allan. If possible, could you try to find out about his earlier years? How deep the vampire fantasy went. When did it start?” The air around Jack whirled like a mini-tornado in her suite. “Maybe someone from his past surfaced to kill him.”
Charlene shook her head. “I can get away with asking questions to the locals because I live here in Salem, but tracking down family in Ohio? Almost impossible. We don’t know who they are or where they live.”
The wind in the room died down. “You’re right.”
“Kevin doesn’t think we’ll be able to get inside the tunnels to poke around, but he agreed to take me on the walking tour. Did you read Patrick’s book yet?”
Jack lowered his eyes. “I got into it, but put it down to do a little more research on Allan.”
“I understand, but it’s really important for you to finish it so we can be on the same page when I get back from the tour tomorrow.”
“I won’t let you down.”
Jack was stuck in the confines of his home and property and she knew how frustrating that must be. He wanted to solve this mystery as much as she did.
She heard a beep and looked down at her phone. “Five missed calls. Now what?”
Jack crossed his arms with a rueful chuckle. “You can’t keep ignoring the Flints. What if they turn you into a toad?”
CHAPTER 20
Brandy answered the Flint home phone on the second ring. “Hello, Charlene. You don’t need to wonder how I knew it was you—I just did. Now, why have you been giving us the cold shoulder? Because I refused to let you use Serenity as bait for a possible killer?”
“I’m sorry I suggested it, all right?” Charlene said. “It was in poor taste.”
“To put it mildly.”
“Did you have something urgent to tell me? I’ve been extremely busy with new guests arriving.”
“Serenity wants to talk to you—she’s being very secretive.” With a huff, Brandy covered the receiver and yelled, “Serenity! It’s for you.”
Serenity answered. “Hello? No, Mom, I don’t want you to listen in. Sheesh. I’m going in the other room—don’t eavesdrop.”
There was a muffled noise, a door slam, and then Serenity said, “I swear I’m going to get my own place. There is zero privacy here.”
Mind-reading crossed all kinds of lines, she imagined. “You called?”
“Pick me up tomorrow at ten,” Serenity instructed. “We’ll get a coffee at the shop where I first met Alaric—we can talk freely.”
Ten might work, if she rushed breakfast. “I’ll try to make it, but I have new guests to take care of first.”
“Whatever!”
Charlene, on the verge of asking for Dru’s phone number, realized the young witch had hung up.
“I tried, Jack,” Charlene said, placing the phone on the coffee table.
“You did.” Jack rattled the TV remote in agitation. “All we seem to get are dead ends.” He ran a hand through his thick hair, his face concerned. “This has gone on long enough. Where is Sam when we need him?”
“You must be desperate if you want Sam to help solve the case,” she teased, hoping for a brief smile.
“My empathy is with the poor kid with the skin disease who turned into a modern-day monster. Why was he killed?”
“We will find out, Jack. Now, did you locate a tunnel access close to Derby Wharf?”
“Took me all of five minutes,” he boasted. “I kept the map in favorites.”
She shoved aside the blanket to stand at Jack’s shoulder. “What am I looking at?”
“This is the Derby Wharf and the lighthouse.” He tapped the screen. “This is the Derby Tunnel.”
“Just a few blocks separate everything. Kevin and I are going to try and use Patrick’s book to see which houses might be connected. We want to estimate how far Alaric’s house is from the Hawthorne, and then the wharf.”
“Good. Is Elisabeta still a suspect after speaking with the police?”
“Her alibi with Asher was a joke, and Sam knows it. I still think she has more motive than anyone—well, other than Asher. Another thing that keeps running through my head is their financial situation. If they don’t work, how can they afford an expensive rental? And it easily could have been Asher hiding in the closet
. He’d have ducked in while we were knocking on the door, or perhaps before Orpheus came home. He had the motive to kill Orpheus, but he had to wait until we left. He fits the description perfectly. It all adds up.”
“You’ve already solved it in your mind,” Jack said. “Let’s hope you’re right.”
“Me too!” Her head pounded with the weight of it all. “I’m ready for a romantic comedy and a hot cup of tea.”
“Your wish is my command.”
Jack flicked his hand and Netflix appeared. Silva was already curled up on the love seat. They spent the remainder of the evening laughing at misguided lovers that found their way to each other again, not a single vampire or magic spell in sight.
* * *
Friday morning, Minnie arrived like a breath of fresh air. Her gray curls were held back with an orange headband and her round brown eyes were bright.
“How was the doctor?”
“All good. Wants me to lose a few pounds, but he tells me that every year.” Minnie tied on her apron and popped a corner of banana loaf in her mouth. “It’s not going to happen. How’d it go yesterday?”
“Great. We have a couple checking in later, and the two singles. I have a coffee date with Serenity Flint at ten, and an appointment with Kevin at noon.”
As she was getting dressed, she received a text from Serenity. She no longer needed a ride. Family issues, she’d said, confirming she’d meet her at Aroma at ten.
“Another busy day in paradise.”
Charlene greeted her guests for their first breakfast as Minnie brought out ham slices and scrambled eggs. Charlene limited herself to a single cup of coffee so that she wouldn’t be over-caffeinated when she joined Serenity at the coffee shop.
She arrived at the coffee shop five minutes early and lucked out with a parking spot only a few stores away. The front exterior had a long window facing the street. Sheer blue curtains draped on both sides. If open, Alaric would have seen Serenity clearly. Closed, he’d see a form but not enough to make an identity. And wasn’t the meeting at night? It had to have been to protect Alaric’s skin.
Charlene walked inside the dim shop. Fresh-ground coffee warred with autumn spices to get her attention. She craved a pumpkin spice latte with nutmeg.
“Over here!” Serenity called.
Turning in the direction of a shadowed table, Charlene lifted a hand as she approached. “Thanks for the text.”
Serenity gestured to the steaming mugs before her at the wooden table. “Have a seat. I’ve already got the drinks.”
Charlene frowned. She’d planned on treating.
“Don’t worry. I think you’ll like what I ordered for you.” Serenity grinned as Charlene inspected the drink before removing her coat and taking a seat.
“What is it?” She lifted the mug and sniffed the whipped topping. Nutmeg.
Serenity giggled mischievously.
“How did you know that I wanted a pumpkin spice latte?”
“Can’t spoil the magic.” Serenity shrugged her slim shoulders.
Charlene took a long sip, enjoying the flavors. “I guess you’re feeling better?” Good enough for jokes, the minx.
“Yeah.” Her smile faded as she picked up her drink and waved it under Charlene’s nose. “Soy and cinnamon. It’s what I was drinking when I met Alaric. It doesn’t taste as good as it did back then.” Serenity placed it away from her, eyeing it with regret.
Bad connotation due to the fact Alaric had died? Or the realization that he would have taken her life too? That wasn’t love.
“Let me get you something else,” Charlene offered.
Serenity scrunched her nose. “No, thanks.” She ducked her head and lowered her voice. “I’m going to meet a friend later.”
“Dru, I hope?”
Charlene hated the maze she sometimes had to navigate with secrets and omissions. Who knew what and who she could talk to. Much like Kevin, being a bartender and gathering people’s secrets.
Serenity sucked in her bottom lip as she fidgeted with a white square napkin.
Charlene didn’t expect an answer. She picked up her mug and sipped the pumpkin spice latte, giving Serenity as much time as she needed. “Yum, so good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Serenity tapped the table with long, slender fingers and fingernails painted black. “Funny you mentioned his name, because I invited you here to discuss the Dru situation.”
Charlene glanced around the interior to see if the tall, dark-haired young man was joining them, but no. Only mothers and a few children filled the few tables. “Have you been in touch?”
Watching her, Charlene remembered Elisabeta’s threat to kill Serenity if she discovered it was her that had harmed Alaric.
“Yeah. I hate not being honest.” Serenity held Charlene’s gaze. “I’ve talked to Dru at length. He didn’t kill Alaric. You have to help him—he’s terrified.”
She was already helping Brandy with Serenity, at risk to her friendship with Sam. “Did he call Detective Holden, like I suggested?”
Serenity wound an auburn strand of hair around her finger and shook her head. “He’s supposed to go down to the station, but he’s afraid he’ll get tossed in jail. He doesn’t want to involve me either in case they decide to detain me for more questions.”
Charlene liked this Dru guy.
“It will be okay, Serenity. If he didn’t do it, then he won’t go to jail.”
“That is not the way the world works. Mom said you were naïve, but even I know that.”
Her cheeks warmed at the rebuke and she focused on finding answers. “Serenity, this may sound strange, but after all that went down, do you . . . still feel an attraction toward Alaric?” Elisabeta had hinted that she might, if Alaric had turned her.
Serenity wrapped her hands around the mug, still not drinking it, but holding it. She flushed scarlet to her roots. “Why do you want to know that? We had a very sexual relationship. The chemistry between us was off the charts.” Her cadence was defensive.
“You said that Alaric saw you from outside and so he came in?” There was a window, with curtains. “Did you meet in the daytime?”
Serenity toyed with the loose strand of hair like a nervous tic. Winding. Releasing. “I work at the vineyard during the day so it had to be after four—it gets dark by five. Mom was riding my ass about how to unpack the new gift bags for Christmas, as if I haven’t been working there my whole life, right? Anyway, I needed to blow off steam so I came here. It’s usually me and Dru’s hangout. I was in a funky mood.”
“So what happened? Can you tell me what you remember?”
“It was like a movie.” Her blush lessened only slightly. “Alaric sat down opposite me and he was just so charismatic. His eyes gazed into mine as if he could see my soul.”
Charlene cleared her throat to keep the young woman in the present rather than the past. “When was this?”
“Oh.” She blinked and thought back. “Three weeks ago, now. Dru and I had gotten into a big fight about where we were going to live, and I’d moved back to Mom’s house with Grandma.”
She’d been very vulnerable. Charlene sipped her latte, taking comfort from the warmth of the mug.
“It sounds stressful.” Charlene leaned forward. “Can you remember what Alaric was wearing when he burst in and swept you away?”
Serenity half-smiled. “Definitely. He had on this Victorian shirt and jacket. Soft black leather gloves. A broad-brimmed hat. Jeans and boots. Goddess, but he was sexy.”
“Did he order coffee or a latte?”
“No.” Her gaze brightened. “He sipped from mine. Just picked it up and drank.”
“What did you do?”
“I was as shocked as you look, at first, but then he started speaking with his deep Southern accent. Told me that I was beautiful and he could see the power in me. Told me that my aura was gold, which meant I was special. I do have gold in my aura. It’s the witch in me.”
Charlene nodded. Elisabeta
had said she’d seen auras too and had probably fed this information to Alaric to trick Serenity into further lowering her guard.
She swallowed her anger down, her empathy for Alaric gone in the face of his actions toward Serenity. Sipping from her drink—had he somehow found a way to put something in it?
“How are you feeling now?”
Serenity glanced out the window, curtains open to let in the morning sun. “Better.”
“Like, how?”
“Clearer minded.” Serenity traced circles in her foam.
“Do you still think that you loved Alaric?”
She clenched her jaw, tears on her lashes. “No. I don’t. Which makes me really upset.”
Charlene patted her hand. “Can you tell me what the plan was for you the night of the ball?”
“There are lots of things that I don’t remember, and I haven’t told Mom or Grandma because I know they’d freak out.” She lifted emerald eyes. “What if I did have something to do with his death? The police keep insinuating that I wanted him dead—which is sorta true, but only to revive him!”
This was what Sam had warned her about. Was Serenity guilty? “What do you mean, hon?”
She dabbed the corners of her eyes. “We had planned an elaborate ceremony to welcome the Day of the Dead, as you know. It’s a very powerful day and a good omen.”
“To perform your necromancy ritual. Two in the morning.” She encouraged Serenity to tell her again and listened for anything that might free her. Dru. Celeste. God, she wanted everyone to just be okay. Was that too much to ask?
She knew firsthand the grief from when life didn’t play fair.
“I was going to raise the dead.” Serenity gulped and rubbed the hollow of her throat. “I told him I couldn’t kill him. I was very shocked when I woke from my faint and saw the stake there, with blood. Is that what killed him? I don’t even know, and I can’t ask the police because to admit that things are fuzzy might land me in jail.”
Charlene was speechless, so she sipped her latte. Serenity didn’t remember? The young woman was right to be afraid.
“I’m a very powerful witch, and I have access to centuries of magick. Alaric wanted me to share my spells with him. On some level, I had to know that he wasn’t a true vampire, but it didn’t matter.” She glanced at the napkin rack on the table, then back at Charlene. “Why didn’t it? It sure does now, when it might be too late.”