"Which time?"
"Both. I also know you had turkey for dinner."
Unable to stop myself, I laughed. I liked Jimmy. All I got from him was an overwhelming sense of honesty and curiosity. He wasn't out to get in my pants. If he wasn't careful, I might just have to get into his.
Dennis came back to the table, wielding a tray with three beers and our two drinks. "I snagged these from Carol. I figured you'd want them sometime tonight." He pointed at the whiskey sour and then at me. I pointed at Josie. He put it in front of her and set my vodka down in front of me. Then he set all three beers in front of himself.
"That's fucked up," Richie said with a laugh and got up. "You want a beer, Jimmy?"
"Yes, please."
"You got next round."
"Aye, Cap'n."
"Is he a captain?"
"Nah. I just like inflating his ego."
"You're a good friend, Jimmy," I said and patted his leg.
"So how long have you two known each other?" He looked from Josie to me."
"Sometimes it feels like a hundred years. We've been best friends since we were born. Even have the same birthday."
"That's kind of creepy," Dennis chimed in.
"Yes, she is," I said with a wink.
"Where are you guys from?"
"Small town in Virginia called Ashville."
"Never heard of it."
"It's not much bigger than Cedar Falls."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Not a big city type of wi–girl." I cursed myself for almost slipping. It didn't go unnoticed by Jimmy either. He lifted an eyebrow next to me.
Richie came back with the beers. We drank and talked and even played some pool. It was a nicer evening than I'd had in a long while. Josie and Richie kept migrating farther and farther from us. Before I knew it, I was leaning over the pool table with Jimmy "helping" me line up a tricky shot. I'd beaten him three out of the last four games we'd played, but he still insisted. I leaned forward farther and pressed my ass against the front of his jeans.
"Careful with your pool cue, Jimmy," I said over my shoulder. Dennis chuckled from his seat against the wall. He'd play winner.
"Sorry, ma'am."
"I wasn't complaining."
It was Jimmy's turn to chuckle. He pressed his hardness into the seam of my jeans. I cursed not wearing leggings. Even so, it was getting difficult to concentrate on my shot. "I see what you're doing now. Trying to cheat and get me to lose."
"I can neither confirm, nor deny your accusations."
"Just remember. You started this. Dirty pool."
I hit the cue ball and it snaked around Jimmy's stripe, hit my solid and it missed. I should have used magic.
"My turn!"
"It is," I said and moved out of the way for him. The cue had ended up almost exactly where it was when I missed. He bent over, lined up his shot, and I reached down and gave his ass a long caress, just as the tip of his cue hit the ball.
The ball missed his intended target, banked off the wall, and went back down the table, solidly sinking the eight ball.
"Oh, no. Jimmy, you lost!" I tried to sound innocent. I was a horrible actress.
"That's okay. I didn't mind in the least."
I leaned in, putting my mouth next to his ear and whispered, "I bet you didn't."
"Are you going to cheat like that when you play me?" Dennis asked hopefully.
"If you're lucky."
I looked around for Josie. She wasn't anywhere to be found. "Did you see Richie and Josie leave?" I asked Dennis, since he was the one not playing pool.
"They left about five minutes ago."
"I'm sure they did." I chuckled.
"You want to break?" Dennis asked me.
"Guys, I think I'm going to call it a night. I really do have to get up early tomorrow. But I would love to do this again sometime. I had a lot of fun."
"Well, we're here most nights we're not on duty. Would you like our numbers?" Jimmy pulled out his phone.
"Sure."
He rattled off his numbers and I really did punch them into my contacts. Surprisingly enough, he didn't ask me for mine. He was leaving the ball in my court. That earned him extra points.
Chapter 5
I turned the large key in the deadbolt and pushed open my motel room door. Hopefully, this would be our last night in the place. It wasn't a hovel or dingy, but it wasn't my own house. I let the door shut behind me and leaned back against it.
All in all, it hadn't been a bad night. Made some new friends. They were hot. Josie was getting laid. I was jealous. Maybe I should have brought Jimmy back to my room. Or Dennis. They were both sweet, polite, and sexy. That was a rare combination. Any one of those traits was rare enough these days.
I pulled off my jacket and my jeans were quick to follow. I didn't bother with the T-shirt, just unhooked the bra and pulled it through the sleeves. I flopped on the bed and flipped on the TV for some background noise. I hadn't been expecting porn.
"Damnit, Josie."
I went to flip the channel, but stopped. They weren't professional porn actors, that much was certain. It was kind of hot. I hated porn porn. This was sexy and real. I let my fingers slide down my stomach and over the front of my panties. I was already well on the way to slippery, just from playing pool with Jimmy. A nice big orgasm might help me fall asleep quicker…
My phone rang.
Of course, it is.
I sighed and got back up, having left it in my jacket pocket. I pulled it out and saw it was Josie. Worried, I answered.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Kinda. Well, I'm fine, but we were in an accident."
"Richie?"
"He… He um, didn't make it." I could hear the tears in her voice as it cracked. She had just met him, but the connection was almost instant. I knew my Josie, she was a hot mess, but fighting to keep it together.
"Where are you?"
"At the hospital. We didn't even make it to his house, Dot."
"I'm so sorry. I'm on my way. Where is it?"
"Go to Main. If you look toward the diner, you'll see it behind it, a couple of streets back. Three stories. Hard to miss."
"Gimme five."
"Take your time. Waiting for the chief to get here." Then the tears did start. I could hear her sobbing quietly on the other end of the line.
"On my way now."
I hung up and put my clothes back on, the mood completely ruined. Getting back in my Kia, I managed to find the hospital in ten. I pulled as close to the emergency room as possible, but still had to walk a quarter mile to the entrance. Cedar Falls might have a decent population if you counted the half of it hanging out at the hospital…
I almost ran into the glass doors. They weren't electric, I realized at the last possible moment. Pulling one of them open, I entered the heavily sanitized waiting room. Josie was sitting in the corner with Chief Bill. I wasn't even sure if that was his real name, but he was stuck with it now.
Josie had seen better days. Her makeup was nearly pouring down her face as the tears wouldn't stop falling. I nearly ran over and threw my arms around her.
"Are you okay?"
"Been better."
"Give us a minute, please," the Chief said politely.
"I'll be by the vending machines."
"Thanks, Dot."
I nodded and shot Josie a comforting glance. She looked scared. I wanted to do more than give her a glance. I still hadn't even found out what happened.
Pulling out a few dollars, I bought three coffees, two with cream and sugar and one black. I knew Josie liked her coffee light and sweet, but I wasn't sure about Chief. He could pick. I could drink it either way.
A few minutes later, they stood. I grabbed the three cups of coffee and made my way back over, handing Josie hers and holding the other two up to Chief for him to choose one.
"Thanks," he said and grabbed the cream and sugared one. Happiness flowed through me. I could drink it either way, but I prefer
red it black.
"Are you okay?" First things, first. I needed to check on my friend.
She shrugged and nodded.
"So, what happened?"
"We left the bar and hopped into his truck. We made it halfway to his house when he started feeling sick. Dot, he started sweating. I thought he was going to throw up, but… He burst into flames. As the Lady as my witness, he just turned into a mass of flames. He was screaming and then the truck hit a light pole. Luckily, I got out before the truck went up."
I wrapped my arms around her. She was pretty shaken up. Someone had obviously used magic to kill Richie, the question was why. The myth of spontaneous human combustion was just that…a myth. Chances were it was just a human that pissed off a witch. I just hoped it wasn't Josie that Richie pissed off. Killing humans, no matter what they did to deserve it, wasn't something you did where you lived. I'd only went to the extreme when I was sure I wouldn't be caught. Like the douche at the rest area.
As I held Josie, I looked over at Chief. "Did Richie have a wife or girlfriend?"
"Divorced last year. Please tell me you're not trying to play detective… Leave it to the professionals. I sincerely doubt someone could have launched a Molotov cocktail through an open truck window going forty without your friend noticing or getting hit."
"I didn't say it was a Molotov cocktail. I just asked if he had a wife. Josie and I don't know anybody in this town very well. Just seeing what we were getting into and if we should be worried."
"The answer is no. His ex-wife moved to New York City because of work. Richie stayed and had no desire to leave. They parted amicably and were still friends."
"Thanks," I said, knowing he didn't owe me an explanation or information.
"This is the second one this week." He didn't sound smug, almost…suspicious.
"In town? Two murders?"
"First of all, nobody said this was a murder. We need to let the coroner figure that one out. Secondly, nobody said in town. A report of a similar mysterious death came over the wire. At a rest area on the border…"
"Another burning?" I cursed my luck and tried to sound as innocent as humanly possible. "That's strange."
"It is. I'm going to see if I can find the coroner's report from that incident and see what Herb finds out about Richie. Make sure they're unrelated. In any way. By the way…where did you two say you're from?"
"Ashville, Virginia."
"Must have been a pretty boring drive."
"Not at all. The mountains were beautiful. First time I'd seen them."
"Have a good day, ladies," he said and walked away drinking his coffee.
"What was all that about?"
"I think he thinks it was me? I don't know. I did do the one at the rest area, but he deserved it. I didn't touch Richie, though." I gave her the look.
"It wasn't me!"
"He was a little tipsy. Just making sure you weren't defending yourself."
"No. If anything, he needed to defend against me. I was all over him like white on rice. I was groping him in the truck until he started feeling sick."
"Sorry, Josie. Just asking."
"No worries. Can we get out of here? I need three showers and some sleep."
∞ ∞ ∞
I slipped into the Cedar Falls Diner, almost a hundred-thousand-dollars poorer. I had to wire the money from my bank to the local bank, open an account, and then have cashier's checks printed. The good news was, I now had a local bank and they were very happy to be of service. Amazing what a few zeros can do to people's attitudes. I wired over double what I needed. The girl's face was priceless.
"Hey, Dot." Marge set a couple of plates down at one of the tables and walked over to me. "Breakfast or business?"
"Bit a both."
"Grab a seat and I'll tell Herb you're here. Usual?"
"Please. No chocolate chips."
"You got it."
I sat in my usual spot and waited. Marge brought me coffee and a coke before Herb finally slid into the booth with me.
"Morning."
"Hi, Herb. Here you go." I slid the two checks across the table. He checked them over carefully and slid me all the paperwork and keys I could ever want.
"Congratulations!"
"Thanks. When can I move in?"
"Whenever you want. I put the local utility companies' numbers in there on the top. That way you don't have to hunt to get the water, power, cable, etc. turned on."
"You are the man. Thank you."
"My pleasure. If you want to buy anything else in town, let me know. Just not the diner!" He winked and went back to the kitchen. I leafed through everything and called a couple of utilities before my breakfast showed up.
I was still perusing and absentmindedly shoveling food in my mouth when someone sat across from me. I gulped and looked up. Chief was staring at me with a bemused look on his face.
"Hey, Chief."
"Seriously, will you call me Bill?"
"Not until I verify that Bill, is in fact, your actual name."
"Chief William Jonah Bates, at your service."
"Sure."
"Hey, Marge," he called across the diner. "What's my name?"
"Chief."
I giggled.
"My actual name, Marge."
"Dick."
I spit coffee.
"Just kidding, Bill," she added, too little too late.
"See?" He motioned to Marge.
"Doesn't matter. I'm calling you Chief Dick from now on."
He sighed and put his head in his hands. Marge brought him over a mug and poured him some coffee. I noticed he didn't put anything in it before he started sipping. "I thought you liked cream and sugar?"
"Hate it. But I knew you liked yours black. Saw the other morning at breakfast."
"You are definitely a conundrum, William."
"Oh, God. Please don't call me that, Dorothea…"
"Touché. Should I ask how you know my full name?"
"A certain file I was reading last night."
"I have a file?"
"Several. As does your mother. A very recent one I might add. Something about harassing a local politician? Mayor I think it was?"
"Ah. What did that report say she did?"
"Caused some sort of infection on his forehead."
I laughed. "And what did mine say?"
"Mostly mischief and mayhem. That's not what surprised me though…"
"Oh, and what did?"
"How far back the reports went, Dot."
I felt the color drain from my face, which only caused his smile to widen. I hadn't known that Ashville PD had been keeping close tabs on me or my mother. Sure, they knew we were witches, but I didn't think they would have let that kind of information out of the town.
"How far?"
"Thirty years or so. Care to explain how a woman who looks barely twenty has a driver's license that says she's twenty-two and a police record that says she's at least fifty-five? Happy belated birthday."
"Um. I'm sure it's not what you think. I can explain…"
"As soon as you figure out how to lie about it. I'm sure."
"No. It's uh…"
He held up his hand and took a sip of coffee. "A man never asks about a woman's age. My mama taught me that. Your hilarious police record and your official driver's license are not why I spent half the morning tracking you down. I figured you'd end up here eventually, so instead of giving up on finding you, I waited."
"What for?"
"Finish your breakfast. We'll talk at the station."
"Am I under arrest?"
"Should you be?"
My mind flashed guiltily to the rest-stop fiasco… "Of course not."
"Uh huh. You have officially piqued my interest Ms. Blackwell. Nothing gets under my skin like a good mystery. I have difficulty sleeping when there are things that don't fit. Things that I can't quite understand. Things that need explaining. You wouldn't want me to lose sleep, would you, Dot?"
"No, Chief Dick."
"That's right. Keep cracking jokes. Finish your breakfast and come with me. Please," he added. I could hear it in his voice. He wouldn't back down, and he wasn't happy.
I lost my appetite…
"Marge, check please."
Chapter 6
"This feels like an episode of Dragnet."
We were sitting in a white room with a steel gray table. The overhead light was shining directly down on me. I was seated in a metal chair that was securely bolted to the floor. Chief Bill had turned his chair around and was straddling it, facing me. The only thing that was missing was a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"You're pretty funny."
"One of us has to be."
"One of us also is in a lot of trouble."
"So, I'm bad cop?"
"Dot. Enough. Speak."
"Woof."
He slammed his hand down on the table.
"Sheesh. Tough crowd."
He hadn't handcuffed me. Or done anything that would have caused me to burn him to a cinder or turn him into a toad. Yet. I was going to see what exactly his theory was about me and wipe his memory like a chalkboard. That was my saving grace. No matter how incriminated I might ever find myself, I could always wipe the slate clean and start over.
That reminded me. I needed to call Mother and have her make certain police records go away. If she couldn't do it with magic, she always had a backup contingency. She and the Ashville PD often worked together to solve crimes, both mundane and magical. That and she was boinking the chief. He was in his seventies now. I tried not to think about it.
One of his police officers opened the door and brought in two cups of coffee and set them down on the table next to us. I greedily picked mine up and went to take a sip. The Chief reached across the table and stopped me, gently prying it from my grip.
"No talkey, no coffee."
"That's blackmail."
"Yep."
I sighed. It was time to get everything out into the open. I had a house I wanted to move into. "Why don't you tell me what you think is going on."
"You sure you want that?"
"Yes. I'd love to hear your thoughts about me."
"I think you're a witch."
He did it to me again. He said it deadpan and hit the nail right on the head. The man had an uncanny knack for spitting out the truth. I tried not to let any emotions play across my face.
First Moon : A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 1) Page 4