Kiss the Witch Goodbye

by Lisa Olsen

  Already feeling overwhelmed with the dizzying turn the female mind took over all things wedding, Nick wisely kept his mouth shut. There would be time enough to sort out all the details. First he had to get Annaliese to say yes without an embarrassing level of groveling. Ah, who was he kidding? He’d grovel on his hands and knees if that’s what it took win her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  She’d asked him to try her again later, but Nick decided to go down to Argent Flame and talk to Annaliese in person instead of trading texts. Rather than going in the front door, he parked behind her car and went to the kitchen door in the back. Finding the key under the mat, he used it to let himself in and contemplated not replacing it. How many times had he warned her about leaving a key outside for anyone to find?

  He was still debating it when he found Jax May sitting at her kitchen table, working his way through a monster sized sandwich.

  “Hey,” Jax greeted him with an easy grin, and Nick did his best to return it. It had to be a good sign that the guy could face him with a smile. Surely if he’d tried to put the moves on Annaliese the night before, he’d have the common decency to avoid his gaze, wouldn’t he? Or was it a smile of triumph?

  Deciding he was reading too much into it, Nick pushed those doubts away, using the opportunity to ask Jax a few follow up questions. “Hey. I’m glad you’re here. Listen, I was wondering, why did you dismiss the security guys that night instead of them accompanying you to back to the hotel?”

  “I didn’t.” The denial sprang quickly to his lips and Nick couldn’t help but wonder why he’d bother.

  “They both said you did.”

  Jax fixed him with a stony stare. “Maybe I did,” he allowed at last. “I don’t remember. I was headed straight for the hotel, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

  “Still, that’s what you hire them for, to protect you, right? It seems strange you’d let them go before you were tucked in for the night.”

  “They don’t always stick around all night and it was getting late. Anyway I’m not supposed to answer any other questions without my lawyer present.”

  That was an interesting development. “No? What happened to not needing a lawyer because you didn’t do anything wrong?”

  “Gideon insisted,” he shrugged. “So yeah, any more questions should probably go through him. Gideon has his number and stuff if you need it.”

  Nick found it strange that the man hadn’t even bothered to get the contact information for his own lawyer, but promptly forgot to care when Annaliese wandered into the room, stopping short once she caught sight of him. “Hey,” he said with a tentative smile.

  “Hey,” she replied, an awkward silence stretching between them.

  “I’d better get back upstairs before anyone sees me,” Jax said, picking up his sandwich plate and heading for the stairs. “This sandwich rocks, Apples,” he added, stopping to wink at Annaliese. “Nice to see you again, Nick.”

  “Likewise.”

  The silence descended again, with nothing but the shop’s sound system playing a movie soundtrack he couldn’t place.

  “Listen, about last night,” he started to say, but she cut him off.

  “It’s alright, Nick. You don’t owe me anything.”

  “But I wanted to…”

  “Look, it’s fine,” she insisted somewhat louder, and Nick zipped his lip. “I did want to talk to you though. I was talking to Jax last night and…”

  Now it was his turn to protest. He didn’t want any details about their reunion part two. “You don’t have to tell me about it.”

  “I want to. Did you know that Ruby has a tattoo just like those dead girls?”

  That got his attention. “She does? I wonder why she never mentioned it before?”

  “Have you asked her about it? It’s not something you guys publicized. Maybe she doesn’t know.”

  Could it be that simple, or was she deliberately keeping something from them? “I… don’t know, I came into this investigation half way in,” he had to admit. “I’ll have to check the files. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.”

  Annaliese edged closer, lowering her voice. “Listen, Nick, there’s something else about this tattoo. I did some checking today and I found it in one of my books. It’s not just a pretty design, it’s used in black magic.”

  “What do you mean black magic? I thought witches only practiced the light stuff these days.” The days of the pointy black hats and warts were all behind them, weren’t they?

  “Unfortunately, that’s not true. There are far more of us who honor the Goddess in her many forms, but there are also those who are only interested in power and what magic can get them. I’m talking the crazy dark stuff, the kind where nasty entities are invoked and all manner of ickiness ensues.”

  Nick’s brows rose. “Invoked… like the band’s number one hit song?”

  “Sort of.” Anna waved her hand back and forth. “Only with less sexual overtones and more of a demonic presence.”

  “And this tattoo is a mark of that?”

  “An obscure one, but yes. I think we’re dealing with something a lot more dangerous here.”

  “You think Ruby and Jax are summoning demons?” Witchcraft he could believe, he’d seen its power, but demons? Nick wasn’t quite ready to embrace that level of weird.

  “No, of course not. You already know I don’t think Jax is capable of something like that and I think Ruby doesn’t have the concentration to conjure two puffs of magic. I think they needed something cool and gimmicky for their logo and this is something that turned up in an online search, a total coincidence. But that doesn’t mean someone else isn’t sacrificing girls for a darker purpose. Someone who might take particular offense to their band using the symbol as little more than a commercial ploy.”

  Now that was a theory he could buy, demons didn’t have to be real for the crazies to worship them. “We’ll look into that angle, thanks for bringing it to our attention. Do you think you could make me a copy of that section of your book?”

  “Sure, I can scan it and email you a copy.” Annaliese laid a hand on his arm. “Do you have that amulet I gave you?”

  Distracted by the light touch, it took him a moment to remember what she was talking about. “The one with the eyeball on it?”

  “The Eye of Horus, yes. Are you wearing it?”

  “No, it’s at home, why?”

  “Go get it. I have the strongest feeling you’re going to need it.”

  “Then you do still care.” The corner of his mouth tugged up into a goofy grin and she leaned up to kiss him long and hard, leaving no doubt to that question. Nick kissed her back with everything he had, showing her without words what she meant to him.

  “For a detective, sometimes you really do say the dumbest things,” she said when they came up for breath.

  “That’s Sergeant.”

  “Whatever.”

  * * *

  Feeling buoyed by that much needed show of affection, Nick was light on his feet on the walk back to the car. He put a call through to Brady to check in and set a few things in motion. “Hey, how are you doing on your interviews?” he asked when the detective answered.

  “Only got two left, but I came up with nada, zip, and zilch again. How about you?”

  “Nothing but a lot of grief, but I might be onto a new angle. Listen, can you check the prior case records and see if you find out if Ruby’s ever been interviewed about her tattoo?”

  “Sure thing, boss,” he answered readily. “What’s your angle?”

  “It’s too early to say.” Nick didn’t want to make any waves until he had more information. “Do you know if Park found out anything from the tattoo place?”

  “Yep, she said they remember seeing her for her other tattoo, but not for this one.”

  “Ah well, if it was easy they wouldn’t need us to put it all together,” Nick sighed. “Thanks, I’ll see you back at the precinct later for an update.”

  “Where
are you headed?”

  “I thought I’d do a little digging into the past.”

  * * *

  Stephanie May was on the wrong side of forty, but not too much past it. From the file, Nick knew she’d had Jax and Ruby when she was young, barely sixteen at the time, but she’d long ago lost that bloom of youth, years of hard living taking their toll. Still, there was something about her that remained striking; the long hair more golden than silver, though that could’ve come from a bottle. Her voice was low and sexy, roughened by years of smoking and mellowed by whiskey to a throaty purr.

  “Sure, come on in,” she agreed easily after Nick identified himself. He hadn’t even had to flash a badge.

  “Thank you for letting me in, ma’am.” Nick was polite, taking a seat on the low couch while she folded herself up in a basket chair that swung from the ceiling, suspended by a massive chain. He’d never seen one of them outside of a movie, but it seemed to suit her, long bare legs dangling from the edge as she swung lazily. Dressed in cut off denim shorts and a Guns N’ Roses t-shirt that hung off one shoulder, she didn’t look like she was in a hurry to get to work or anything else.

  “I just have a few questions and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “Take your time, Detective. All you’re keeping me from is a date with Antonio Banderas here.” She arched a toe in the direction of a small TV tucked away in the corner.

  “It’s Sergeant,” he corrected automatically, but waved it off at her puzzled look. “Never mind. Have you lived here long?” The tiny bungalow would’ve been a tight fit for her and two kids growing up, it couldn’t be more than six hundred square feet at the most unless she was hiding a renovated basement. Something about the general state of repair the house was in made him doubt that. It wasn’t trashed or dirty, but there were signs of long term neglect – window casings cracked and in need of caulk, a slow but steady drip from the kitchen faucet – things a big strapping son could’ve easily taken care of if he’d spent the time.

  “Only about the last eight years or so. It’s small, but it’s all mine except for what the fuckers down at the state take from me in taxes. Jax bought it for me.”

  “Just Jax or was it from Ruby too?”

  “Same difference. It was his name on the papers but they don’t spit without the other one knowing about it. You mind if I smoke?” Before Nick could even reply she slipped a hand rolled joint between her lips and blazed it up. “It’s medicinal,” she croaked, holding it in before a long plume of smoke escaped her lips.

  “No doubt,” he said shortly, surprised at the ballsy move.

  “You’re not gonna bust me for one little old joint, are you?” she smiled, leaning back in the swinging chair again, pushing off lightly with her big toe. “I’m willing to share.”

  “No thanks, I’m on duty.”

  “What about later?”

  Nick gave her a tight smile. “I’m always on duty.”

  “Too bad. You look like you could be a lot of fun if you loosened up, lost that tie and that ugly shirt.”

  Looking down at his pale green shirt, Nick suppressed a frown over the dig. Trying not to let it get to him, he ignored it and moved on. “Do you see much of Ruby or Jax these days?”

  “Nah, they moved on to bigger and better things. Ruby invited me to come down and see them in L.A. but I don’t like to fly.”

  “What about now? You know they’re in town, right?”

  “Of course, Ruby sent me tickets. I didn’t go though.”

  Again the overture was made by Ruby and not Jax, and Nick wondered if there was something to that. “Why not?”

  “It’s not my scene.” She took another deep hit, spinning in a slow, lazy circle.

  “But don’t you want to see your kids again?” he pressed.

  Stephanie waited to answer until she’d made a full circuit around again. “We’ve never been what you call close. Ever since they were kids, they didn’t seem to need me all that much and I guess I got used to it. Jax was the protector and Ruby was the little homemaker. Half the time they ended up taking care of each other before I had time to. I could’ve helped if they’d asked for it. But they never asked.”

  “Aren’t parents supposed to offer help without being asked? You know, as the primary caregiver?” Nick couldn’t imagine small children taking independent care of themselves without a pressing need to. Teenagers maybe, but he got the impression she meant long before that.

  Her lips thinned, eyes hardening. “I admit, I had some problems I was working through when they were young, and I wasn’t always there to do every single thing for them. But by the time I got clean they didn’t want me to. There, I said it, I’m a terrible parent. Even Dr. Phil said so. Do you know what kind of a shit parent you have to be for Dr. Phil to call you out on national television?”

  “I must’ve missed that episode,” Nick said, wondering if she meant that literally or if a show on ex-junkie moms hit home for her. “So you’ve been estranged from them for a while then?”

  “I love that word, estranged…” Stephanie smiled, inhaling deep. “It sounds so fancy for not being able to sit in the same room together.” Giggles spilled out of her, though what she had to laugh about he couldn’t for the life of him figure out. “They were always shutting me out, even when they were babies. It’s the twin thing. Two peas in a pod, they never did anything apart. I used to think it was kind of sick, you know? A brother and sister shouldn’t be that close.”

  Nick’s brows rose a fraction. “How close?”

  “They weren’t screwing if that’s what you mean,” she said with a sour look. “But closer than I think is healthy. Then again, what do I know? I’m not exactly the poster child for mental health. Like I said, they took care of each other. Little Ruby would do anything for him and vice versa. She learned to cook all his favorite meals, and only listened to the kind of music he listened to. When she got a summer job, the first thing she ever bought with her first paycheck was a guitar for her brother.”

  She stubbed out the joint, carefully pinching the end closed. “It was the same the other way around, Jackson would do anything for Ruby. He’s the one who made her go to school when I was too far gone to notice. And he’s the one who got her into singing instead of wasting her time with those loser friends after school. And God help you if Jackson thought you did anything against his sister. He got into so many fights on the count of her mouth,” she giggled again.

  That made Nick sit up and take notice. “He had a tendency toward violence you say?”

  “I know where you’re going with that, but you’re way off,” she said, waving away the idea. “Jackson would never have killed those girls, there’s no reason for him to. Now if there were a bunch of dead guys who’d slept with Ruby and never called her back again, I could understand it.”

  Nick wasn’t so ready to dismiss it. It certainly sounded like Jax was capable of murder on his sister’s behalf, they just had to decipher the motive behind it. Maybe those girls had slighted Ruby in some way? After all, she wasn’t known for being into men anymore.

  “Besides, I think I might know who the killer is.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Nick almost missed the declaration, he was so wrapped up in spinning his own ideas.

  “The killer, I have a clue. A whole box of clues, actually.” Go ahead and have yourself a look in that box there on the counter.” Stephanie pointed with her toes. A little worried what he might find in there, Nick was surprised to find a series of letters, all addressed to Ruby May at her mother’s address. There was no return address, and a quick poke with the tip of a pen showed there were at least a dozen of them. The dates went back for several months and they were all post marked from Los Angeles, California.

  Whipping out a pair of blue surgical gloves so as not to mar any prints, Nick carefully pried open the top one, scanning the letter quickly before returning for a second read. They were fan letters at first glance, raving about Ruby and her talent. But grew creepil
y more obsessive as the letters went on. Nick read aloud from the letter. “I saw you on the TV today, you sure were pretty. Pretty, but you wear too much makeup. It makes you look like a whore. I wonder if you taste like one too?” Yuck.

  Another one read, “I heard you on the radio last night and I knew you were singing just to me. Like the Angel of Death, your voice touches me in places I can’t reach. I feel like you want me to come and be with you. Don’t worry, it’s almost time.” Nick carefully replaced them back in their envelopes and put the lid back on the box.

  “Do Jax and Ruby know about these?”

  She shook her head. “No, I didn’t want to worry them. They seemed harmless at first, but now with these girls dying, it got me to thinking.”

  “Why didn’t you turn these over to the police then?”

  “I wasn’t sure you’d care. They’re not threatening exactly, just, you know, creepy as shit.”

  “I’ll take them with me to be examined, and hopefully we can track the sender down. But I have to ask, what makes you think the person doing the killing is the same person sending her all this weird mail?”

  She looked at him like his brains were leaking out of his ears. “Because the girls look just like her.”

  So much for that theory. Nick felt a hot rush of disappointment that this new and interesting development seemed to be largely in the imagination of a pothead. “No, ma’am, the victims have all had blonde hair,” he said gently.

  “Don’t you ma’am me like I don’t know what I’m talking about. They look like they could be her long lost sisters,” she insisted stubbornly, hauling herself out of the swinging chair to pull a cheap plastic photo album off of an overflowing bookshelf, sending a stack of greeting cards tumbling to the ground. “Take a look for yourself.”

  The photo album showed pictures of the twins from about the sixth grade until high school graduation. There would be a rash of pictures all at the same age and then a huge span of time would go by and then another cluster of pictures. Nick paged through them with mild interest until he came to Ruby’s senior picture. Without the black gunk in her hair and the dark stage makeup, he could see she was naturally a blonde, her general coloring and features eerily close to the murder victims. It made sense, Jax’s hair was a dirty blonde, but he hadn’t put two and two together.