The Big Fang Theory (Magic Market Mysteries Book 8)

by Erin Johnson

  Peter’s breath caught, and he edged slightly in front of me, placing himself between us. Bon gasped, then appeared to choke on his own spit and pounded his chest as he wheezed and attempted to breathe.

  McCray just stared at me for a long moment. “I don’t know what you’re up to, exactly, but you’ve got a certain powerful someone quite concerned.”

  Daisy’s hackles rose, and her dark lips twitched, revealing sharp white canines. Her dark eyes locked onto McCray.

  The chief ignored the enormous German shepherd and kept her gaze on me. “I’m in a difficult situation. I’m being pressured by a Mr. Caterwaul to call you off—to silence you all, no matter what it takes. Do you understand?”

  I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat, so I just nodded. Were we really having this conversation? Peter’s warm hand wrapped around mine, and I squeezed back, grateful that he was standing with me.

  McCray licked her lips and looked down at her folded hands for a moment before glancing back up. “So I really hope you’ve got something good on this guy. Something we can put him away with?”

  I frowned. “Come again?”

  She splayed her palms. “I’m being pressured because my predecessor was in this man’s pocket. I’m not my predecessor, so I’ve been holding Mr. Caterwaul off as long as possible. But the time has come that I need to make a move. I would like to help you put him behind bars, but I need you to trust me so that I can assist you.”

  I looked up at Peter. Was this a trick?

  He squeezed my hand, then turned to Daisy. He patted her head. “Chief, can we trust you?”

  McCray looked at Daisy, then at Peter and lifted her chin. “Yes—you can trust me. I’m on your side, not Mr. Caterwaul’s.”

  We all looked to Daisy, including Bon, who seemed to be stunned silent. Daisy wagged her tail and whined. She’s telling the truth… but I still don’t like her. She huffed. She treated me like a common house pet.

  I nodded at Peter, and he grinned down at me. While I still felt nervous, having Daisy confirm that McCray was on our side was a huge relief—and a big assist.

  McCray rubbed her palms together, grinning. “Alright, tell me what you’ve got on this guy and how we can put this slimy slug in prison where he belongs.”

  I grinned. Somewhere between leaving the palace and entering the jail, a plan had started to form in my mind. The Polly Pierre case had got me thinking about how sometimes the things and people we were most passionate about could also be our greatest weaknesses. I licked my lips and outlined my plan to use Ludolf’s passion against him.

  34

  AN ACCUSATION

  Peter, Daisy, Russo—the rookie cop—and I headed to Polly’s bakery. Tonya let us in, and we gathered upstairs in the flat she had shared with her mother. Tonya, a blue scarf tied around her head, sat in an oversized sweater and leggings at the kitchen table. She fidgeted with the edge of the floral tablecloth as Daisy stared her down. A clock on the wall ticked off the minutes until a few more uniformed officers showed up, escorting Lorenzo and Elin.

  Lorenzo was pale and jumpy, while Elin’s cheeks were flushed red as she scowled around the room.

  The tall, thin sister crossed her arms with a huff and glared at her twin. “What’s this all about?”

  Tonya shrugged, then darted her eyes to Daisy again.

  Peter, Russo, and I had squeezed together on the couch, with Daisy sitting on Peter’s toes, but I rose as the others entered. “Hey, guys—glad you could join us.”

  Elin rolled her eyes, and Lorenzo’s throat bobbed as he snuck wide-eyed glances at Tonya. No doubt he was uncomfortable being in the same room with a bunch of cops, his fiancée, and her twin who he’d been cheating with.

  I stuck my hands in the pockets of my bomber jacket and paced in the middle of the room, my boots scuffing along the hardwood floor. I looked to Peter before I began. I’d filled him in on my theory, and he gave me an encouraging nod.

  I gulped, feeling like I used to when I’d been a lawyer—right before delivering my closing. The other two cops stationed themselves around the room, one standing in front of the stairs that led back down into the bakery, to prevent anyone from fleeing. I privately asked the third to run downstairs and search the kitchen for evidence I suspected might be there.

  With everyone gathered—and many sets of eyes on me—I cleared my throat and began. “You’re all here this evening because we believe that we’ve discovered Polly Pierre’s killer.”

  Tonya frowned. “But—where are the other bakers from the tent? It had to be one of them, right?”

  I shook my head. “The fact that Polly was killed during the competition strongly pointed to a rival baker having the motive and opportunity.” I pulled a hand out of my pocket and lifted my palm. “But not so much. This was a family affair, with more personal motives.”

  Elin’s chest heaved. “Vince? Mom’s ex?”

  I shook my head again. “Nope.” I nodded at Peter, and with a wave of his wand, Tonya’s red and gold purse appeared in his lap. I walked over and picked it up.

  Tonya’s jaw dropped. “That’s my purse!”

  I nodded. “Yep.” I reached inside and pulled out the black tube of lipstick. “And this was the murder weapon.”

  Lorenzo, his shirt unbuttoned nearly to his navel, scoffed. “Lipstick?”

  Elin, lips curled back in a snarl, whirled on her twin. “So you killed Mom?!”

  The color drained from Tonya’s face. “What? No—I couldn’t.”

  Daisy rose, hackles raised, and growled.

  I shook my head. “Polly put on Tonya’s lipstick during the competition—lipstick that had been poisoned.”

  Tonya covered her mouth with both hands, the whites showing all around her eyes. “It was—poisoned?”

  I paced in front of Lorenzo and Elin, who stood together near the stairs, and Tonya, still sitting at the round kitchen table. “How would the killer have known that Polly would decide to put on her daughter’s lipstick that day?”

  Lorenzo blinked. “They’re psychic?”

  I stopped my pacing and frowned at him. “Uh—yeah, that could’ve worked. But no—that’s not the case. The truth is, the killer didn’t know and Polly wasn’t the actual target—Tonya was.”

  All eyes swiveled to Tonya, whose chest heaved. She slumped lower in her wooden chair.

  I pivoted to face the other two suspects. “None of the other bakers went over to Polly’s station that morning, and Lorenzo didn’t enter the tent until after the murder. Which leaves Tonya, Elin, and Polly with access to the purse. Polly’s dead, and if Tonya was the target….”

  I raised my brows, letting everyone fill in the rest.

  Tonya looked at her twin, whose face had turned an alarming shade of red. “Elin?”

  When Elin only tossed her blond hair over her shoulder and scowled back at Tonya, her lips pursed tight, Tonya let out a moan and buried her face in her hands.

  Elin’s chest heaved, her slender hands balled into fists. She shot daggers around the room at all of us. “It’s a lie—I didn’t do it!”

  Daisy advanced a few slow steps, as though stalking the blond, and growled. Liar.

  I winced. “Oops—looks like Daisy, our canine lie detector, disagrees with you.”

  Elin stamped her foot and let out a shriek. “I already told you—I didn’t want to kill my mom!”

  Daisy’s tail wagged. True.

  I nodded. “It’s how you got around our questioning, earlier. It’s true—you didn’t want or mean to kill your mother, but you did intend to kill your twin, Tonya. Isn’t that right?”

  In a courtroom, someone probably would have objected, but in real life I could get away with a lot more conjecture.

  Elin’s flush deepened to a blotchy purple. “Fine! Yes, I killed my mother—accidentally.”

  Daisy whined—true—as Tonya gasped and Elin whirled on her. The nearest cop drew his wand, and Peter and Russo rose from the couch.

&n
bsp; Lorenzo blew out a heavy breath. “Babe—how could you?”

  Elin turned and let the full force of her fury out on him. “Don’t you start with me!” She bared her teeth. “I knew you were cheating on me when I found a smear of lipstick on your pillow—in a cheap shade I’d never wear.”

  “No, baby, I’d never cheat on you.”

  It came out so weak that none of us needed Daisy’s growl a moment later to know he was lying.

  Lorenzo ducked his head and hunched his shoulders like a kid getting scolded. I rolled my eyes—these two deserved each other.

  “And you—” Elin spun around to face her sister, who cringed back. “We’re twins—I knew you were up to something. I could always tell when you were lying.”

  Tonya let out a little whimper.

  “Plus, you started wearing those dumb scarves in your hair and trying to dress half decently—I knew you were seeing someone.” She shook her head, lip curled. All the prettiness had disappeared from her features.

  “But I didn’t put it all together until that morning. I came over here to help move our baking stuff to the tent for the competition, and while you and Mom were getting ready up here, I had a poke around downstairs. I got bored and saw the note sticking out of your purse—the one from Mom.”

  She shook her head. “And then it all made sense.” She let out a shrill laugh. “I mean—I connected the dots, but it frankly makes no sense that anyone would cheat on me with you.”

  I shot Peter a wide-eyed look. This family was the definition of dysfunctional. Still, I felt a little badly for them all—they’d lost everything.

  Elin shrugged and looked down, her shoulders slumped. She walked to the kitchen table, Tonya shrinking back, and then pulled out a chair and dropped into it. It was as though confessing her crimes had left her suddenly exhausted.

  “I just snapped. I went into the kitchen and found the poison potion we use for killing roaches.”

  I lifted a brow—remind me to never eat at this bakery. I bit my lip. And also, I should probably tell Gary to spread the word among his roach buddies that they should avoid this place, too.

  Elin let out a heavy sigh. “I sprinkled some of it on Tonya’s lipstick—the same color I’d found on Lorenzo’s pillow. I figured it’d be fitting revenge for sleeping with my fiancé.”

  I nodded. “And then you all went to the competition and stashed your purses in the cubby below the baking station. Your mother, Polly, took a sip of the tea at the competition, and wanting to look her best in front of the royalty in the audience, touched up her lipstick. Only, for some reason, she grabbed Tonya’s.” I shrugged. “Maybe her purse was the easiest and quickest to get to, or maybe she liked the color.”

  Elin scoffed at that.

  I raised a brow at her. “Polly got the fatal dose of poison that had been intended for Tonya.”

  Elin shook her head, her gaze faraway. “I never wanted to hurt Mom. Never.” She growled at her sister, suddenly full of fire again. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be dead.”

  Lorenzo shrank back, looking as though he’d like to run away and disappear. Just as he was eyeing the stairwell as though about to make a break for it, the third cop tromped up the stairs, carrying a half-empty glass bottle of green potion. It bubbled and fizzed. “I found this under the sink.”

  I looked to Elin. “Is that what you used to poison the lipstick?”

  She nodded, “Yes,” and Daisy whined. True.

  As the officers bagged the evidence and bound Elin’s wrists in golden handcuffs, Peter moved to my side and put an arm around my shoulders.

  “Well done.” He grinned at me. “I can see you must’ve been a fantastic lawyer.”

  I winked up at him. “I did alright.”

  He hugged me tighter to his side.

  Daisy turned around and whined. I thought you said I could bite someone.

  Just as two cops were carting Elin away, she glared at her fiancé. “In case it wasn’t obvious, we’re over!” The cops marched her downstairs, their footsteps growing fainter.

  Lorenzo didn’t wait until they’d even left the building before he slid closer to Tonya. “So… now that I’m single, you wanna…?”

  Tonya, head in hands, split her fingers to look at him. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  35

  THE PLAN

  After we left the Pierre Bakery, Peter made a call up to the palace to let them know we were ready. With my heart in my throat, I walked, hand in hand, with Peter down another level to the docks and then found the entrance to the sewers. A huge grate covered the tunnel entrance, though rusted-out spots in the lattice allowed shifters to come and go at will.

  Peter, Daisy, and I sat behind a stack of crates as we waited for Horace, Francis, and the prince and princess. Even though we’d just successfully solved a murder and I was flying high on adrenaline, I did my best to rein in my energy. The night’s work wasn’t over yet—not by a long shot. I needed to focus, but between the satisfaction of getting justice for Polly and my nerves at what I had to do next, I could barely sit still.

  The sea lapped at the docks, and wooden planks creaked, loud in the silence between us. Peter held me tightly in the chilly night air as I nibbled at my thumb tip, and even Daisy seemed on edge.

  She sat, alternately gazing at the sewer entrance, then at Peter and me. She tucked her pointy ears back and let out a quiet whine. I don’t like this. No one’s even guarding the entrance? Seems too easy.

  I shrugged and whined back. There are never guards… but after what I pulled the other night, stealing the potions records—I’m a little surprised, too. I don’t like it any more than you do, Days, but… you got a better idea?

  She huffed. Any of my ideas would be better than yours.

  Peter looked between us. “What are you guys talking about?”

  I shot him a flat look. “Oh, just our usual exchange of compliments and flattery.”

  He smirked and hugged me tighter, and I laid my head against his shoulder. I raised a brow at Daisy. I’m still waiting to hear this amazing plan of yours.

  She shifted from one front paw to the other and growled. I could just storm in there, bite that Ludolf man’s neck, and drag him out.

  I nodded and woofed. You could, but he has some pretty ferocious bodyguards. One’s even a lion.

  She cocked her head. What’s that?

  I growled. A really big cat.

  She sniffed and looked off. Ooh. I’m so scared. I eat cats all day long.

  I raised my brows at her and woofed. Oh, really? Do you, now? Because I thought your diet consisted mainly of kibble, croissants, and bits of my donuts you steal whenever you think I’m not looking.

  Her eyes grew wide for a moment, and she flattened her ears. I don’t know what you’re talking about. “Woof!” She startled herself with a bark. Lie!

  I bit back a laugh as she dropped her head and flattened her ears. She growled. Oh, shut it.

  Footsteps thudded across the wooden planks, and Peter, Daisy, and I peeked up over the crates. Three dark figures walked toward us—and a fourth hovered a head above the others, floating. That had to be Francis the vampire.

  Peter drew his wand and held it at the ready, just in case, as we stood and waved them over. The wispy clouds overhead parted, and the moonlight confirmed that it was Prince Harry, Princess Imogen, the slightly terrifying Horace, and thin, pale Francis. The princess waved back, her lantern in her other hand, and soon they joined us.

  Prince Harry opened his wool peacoat and withdrew a vial of purple, bubbling liquid stoppered with a cork. “Evening.” He gave me a tight-lipped smile, then nodded at Peter and Daisy. The princess partially unshuttered the lantern, and Iggy, her magical flame, peeked out. She crouched down and scratched Daisy under her chin.

  Prince Harry handed me the vial, and I held it in my palm. It cast a faint glow that lit everyone’s faces as they gathered around it.

  The prince pointed. “The royal healer
s brewed this based on the files we stole from Ludolf.”

  Peter’s hand tightened around my free one. “And they’re sure it’ll work?”

  The princess winced and shrugged. “Well, they didn’t want to test it on any of the shifters.”

  The prince nodded. “A few volunteered, but many are so weak and have spent so long trapped in their second forms that the healers didn’t want to risk any unintended consequences.”

  I nodded. “Makes sense.” Still, my stomach twisted with nerves. This was an untested potion, and we were betting my life—as well as the chance for bringing Ludolf to justice—on it.

  Peter’s grip tightened so much around my hand that I had to nudge him to get him to relax a bit. A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Maybe we should put this off until we can be sure about the potion.”

  Horace stepped forward, the purple glow illuminating his sharp cheekbones and sunken, deep-set eyes. “Would it matter? We won’t be sure it’ll work on our old friend Ludolf until we try.” He leveled his half-lidded gaze on Peter, a mix of power and turbulence radiating off him despite his almost lazy demeanor.

  Prince Harry nodded. “It’s true. The healers said every shifter reacts differently to any given potion.” He pressed his lips together and gave Peter a quick nod. “But rest assured, this is our best hope, and we’ll do all we can to protect Jolene.”

  Peter nodded but didn’t look any more reassured. He kept a tight grip around my hand, his arm stiff and jaw set.

  Francis drifted closer and looked down his hooked nose at me. “You’re sure no one knows of Ludolf’s second form?” He narrowed his dark, lined eyes and sniffed. “You smell of fear. You realize our lives depend on this part of the plan? As powerful as we all are, we stand no chance against an entire army of shifters.”

  “Oh!” Iggy peeked out of the lantern, eyes narrowed. “A real vote of confidence from the vampire. By all means, charge right ahead with this plan.”

  The princess shot him a look. “I said you could only come if you were going to be helpful.”

  Iggy crossed his little flaming arms. “So it’d be more helpful if I was all for this suicide mission of yours?” He widened his eyes. “Then by all means, waltz right into the shifter lair armed only with a vial of untested potion. No way this plan could fail.”