For Pete's Sake

by Shannon Esposito

  Willow shrugged. “Not much. She said she had to look into things, and she’d get back to us as soon as she could. It was just the way she said it that bothered me.”

  Mallory tossed Goldie’s stuffed gator across the room. Goldie pounced on it. “Maybe we should call Mom.” She sounded like a scared thirteen-year-old girl again.

  My heart went out to her.

  “You know that would just freak her out, Mal,” Willow said gently. Our mother did not handle stress well. “Grandma Winters will know what to do.”

  After I was done with Willow’s braid, I sipped my tea and watched the dogs.

  Petey had latched onto the gator in Goldie’s mouth and was shaking his head back and forth, growling a tiny puppy growl. Goldie held her head down, her tail slowly arching back and forth. My heart swelled with affection. For her to share her favorite toy with Petey … she could teach us humans a thing or two about getting along.

  Mallory tossed Petey’s stuffed bear up into my lap. “While he’s occupied, you should wash this. Seriously, it stinks to high heaven.”

  Putting my tea cup down, I picked up the tiny stuffed bear, stiff with saliva, and grimaced. It was pretty disgusting. I squeezed its belly. There was something hard inside it. A squeaker? If it was, it no longer worked. I felt around the edges of it. It was long and square. “There’s something in here. I should probably remove it before it goes in the washer,” I said absentmindedly, my thoughts still on the danger we were in.

  “How does Zachary Faraday know about Father anyway?” Willow asked. She sounded lost in her own thoughts, too.

  I went to the kitchen to fetch scissors. “He just knows things,” I said, returning to my place on the sofa. I carefully snipped the large stitches along the bear’s neck. It looked like it had been repaired at one time. “I think it’s just part of his jinn nature or maybe he inherited some of his mother’s gifts. She was a fortuneteller.”

  “I forgot he’s a hybrid like us.” Willow said thoughtfully. “Maybe he’s not as dangerous as we think. He does seem to be protecting us.”

  “Grandma Winters thinks he’s dangerous, remember?” Mallory asked. Her green eyes flashed with irritation as she glared at me.

  Yeah, I remembered the message she’d passed to me through Mallory. Zach sounded like jinn and jinn were dangerous. Stay away from him.

  I shrugged and moved my attention back to the dog toy. “But if she knew him personally, she might think differently. He’s done nothing but help us.” I made the hole just big enough to jam my pinky down into the stuffing. It hit a hard object, and I worked it back through the hole.

  “That’s—”

  Willow cut her off. “Mal, she’s right. And it’s probably a good thing right now that he’s looking out for you, Darwin. As much as Will wants to protect you, he’s not going to be able to. Not from this crazy fish-woman. How would you even explain this kind of threat to him?”

  “I wouldn’t,” I said, grateful she could see past the whole “jinn” thing and realize how Zach being in our lives wasn’t all bad. “I couldn’t explain it to Will at all. He’d think I was off my rocker for sure.”

  That made me sad, but the sadness was shoved to the side to process later because of what I was now holding in my hand.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Mallory pushed herself off the floor. “What is that?”

  I pulled the cap off the end, my heart racing. “It’s a flash drive. It was in Petey’s bear.”

  This must be why Peter had the bear stashed on top his dresser. For safe keeping.

  “That means someone hid it there on purpose and that someone was probably Peter! Let’s find out why.” Mallory raced upstairs and came back down with her laptop.

  My hand shaking from adrenaline, I plugged the flash drive into the port.

  We watched as Mallory clicked through to open the drive and then clicked on the lone yellow folder. Around two dozen photo icons were displayed. She opened the first one. It was an image of the spay and neuter van in the parking lot of Helping Paws Rescue. She kept clicking. They were all photos of the van, most from kind of far away like surveillance photos. We went back through them again.

  “What do you think this means?” Willow asked, leaning over me to get a better view.

  “I have no idea.” I stroked Lucky’s arched back as she walked across my legs to try to get between Mallory and the laptop.

  Mallory scooped her up and draped her over a shoulder. She meowed in protest.

  I leaned in closer. “They all have time stamps and different dates. Maybe that means something. Maybe Peter was trying to prove the van wasn’t actually going out to the low-income neighborhoods like they said they were. That’s what they were being accused of, though her explanation to Will was that the van had a transmission problem. If that was a lie, this could be evidence against Sassy White in that fraud case.”

  “Then why wouldn’t Peter just turn it over to whoever was investigating the shelter?” Willow asked, twirling the tip of her braid around her finger. “Why would he hide the evidence?”

  “Maybe he was using it against Sassy White somehow,” Mallory said.

  “Like blackmail?” I rubbed my temple. Trying to get inside someone else’s head was making my own head thump. I couldn’t even figure out my own motives half the time.

  Willow sighed and moved to stretch out on the floor. Goldie stretched out next to her and rolled over for belly rubs. “Blackmail, huh? Hey, didn’t you say Peter thought he was going to come into a lot of money? Maybe he was getting that money by blackmailing Sassy White with these photos.”

  I gave her a doubtful look. “Do you know how much shelter directors make? Barely enough to survive. Besides, she wouldn’t have any problem supporting another shelter in the area if she had the money. Blackmail wouldn’t be necessary. It’s not like they’re in business competition.”

  I jerked my foot as tiny teeth sank into my big toe. “Ouch, you little vampire!” I squealed at Petey. Scooping him up, I held him close to my chest. Two shiny eyes gleamed at me mischievously, and then he jumped up and bit my chin. I couldn’t help but laugh as I snuggled him into my neck. “And a rascal, too. I think it’s time for a potty break.”

  At the word “potty” Goldie jumped up and headed for the door. I held Petey’s little two-pound body in one hand as I dug through my bag for my phone. “I’ll call Will and tell him what we found.” I was hoping he would’ve called me already anyway to let me know what Dr. Olivero said.

  Willow came up behind me and slipped Petey out of my hands. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for any of us to be outdoors alone right now. I’m going with you.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. Thanks.” I snapped on Goldie’s leash and handed Willow Petey’s harness and leash.

  We rode the elevator down and stepped out into the tropical courtyard tucked between two buildings. The sweet scent of summer flowering plants hung in the air.

  “Amazing it’s still this hot and muggy after the sun goes down, and people still choose to live here,” Willow said.

  “It’s just as hot in the summer back home. Are you tryin’ to talk me out of loving this town?” I closed the iron gate behind us and smirked at my sister.

  “Why would I do that?” she asked, trying to sound indignant.

  I wasn’t buying it. “Why indeed.”

  We made our way across the quiet street. I walked Goldie over to the banyan tree as I dialed Will.

  Surprisingly he answered on the first ring. “Hey, I was just getting ready to call you.”

  That made me feel better. I don’t know why I was still so insecure about our relationship … Well, that wasn’t true. I knew why. The big “thing” between us that he was uncomfortable with. The part of me he couldn’t accept. It made our connection feel tenuous, like it could dissolve at any moment.

  I released this thought to focus on what was important. “I have something for you, but first how did your chat with Dr. Olivero g
o?”

  “Well, I actually just got finished with her at the station. She’d agreed to come in after I asked her if the clinic had any sux go missing. Turned out when she checked for me, there was one 40 mg vial gone. But the problem is … they just did inventory three days ago and everything was in order, so the vial actually went missing after Vanek’s homicide.”

  I stopped walking and let Goldie happily sniff the myriad of scents around the banyan tree. “After? That doesn’t make any sense. It’s too big of a coincidence to ignore though, isn’t it?”

  “I think so, yes.”

  “But you don’t think Dr. Olivero had anything to do with it?”

  “My gut says no. She was very cooperative, actually seemed really broken up when I told her how Vanek died. But, that doesn’t mean someone else in the clinic isn’t involved.”

  I sighed, too drained to even try to put the pieces together.

  “So, what did you want to tell me?” Will asked.

  “Oh, I found something sewn inside Petey’s stuffed bear, a flash drive.” A loud splash in the water beyond the park made me jump. I immediately looked for Willow and found her kneeling down next to Petey who was rolling around in the grass.

  “A flash drive?” Will’s voice rose with surprise. “Did you check to see what’s on it?”

  “Yeah, photos of the spay and neuter van parked in the Helping Paws lot. They’re time stamped, so we figured maybe Peter was trying to get proof of the fraud they were being accused of.”

  “If he was, why wouldn’t he just turn the proof over to the investigators? Why hide it?” Will asked.

  “That’s what we wondered.”

  Goldie’s ears perked up and she turned toward the Bay. The hairs on my arms rose. I squinted through the dim light for any sign of movement.

  “And why would he care?” Will asked. “Maybe someone was paying him to get the proof. Maybe that’s where he was getting the money from. Or blackmailing Sassy White?”

  I was only half-listening now as a low growl had started in Goldie’s throat. I noticed Willow had stood and was facing the Bay, too.

  “I’ll come by the boutique in the morning and pick up the drive,” Will said. “This is big, Darwin. This could be the reason someone stole all Peter’s cameras and his laptop … Maybe they were looking for those photos. We may have motive now.” When I didn’t answer, he added, “Darwin? You still there?”

  I was frozen. A dark shape, a shadow, had lifted, separated from the water and glided effortlessly onto land. “Willow!” I screamed. “Run!”

  I pulled Goldie along as she barked, tearing across the road, my conversation with Will forgotten in the terror. My awareness shrank to the pounding in my ears, the strain on my shaking legs.

  It took me a few times to slide my gate card with trembling fingers. Finally, mercifully I heard the click. I jerked the gate opened and whirled around.

  Willow was right behind me. She stumbled in, Petey clutched tight to her chest. I slammed the gate and we both stared in horror at the figure now standing beneath the banyan tree watching us.

  A low rumbling reached my ears and the figure stumbled back a few feet as the ground began to shake. Glancing at Willow, I saw my sister’s fear had morphed into rage, and she was letting the woman know it, too, as she shook the ground beneath her feet.

  The woman turned and disappeared.

  I grabbed my sister’s arm and we collapsed like wet noodles on the elevator floor, both of us trying to catch our breath.

  “Well,” I pushed out between breaths, my arms locked around Goldie’s neck, “I guess that answers the question of whether she can come after us on land or not.”

  Willow glanced down at the phone in my hand.

  “Oh!” I said, finally registering the sound of Will’s muffled voice. I lifted it to my ear.

  He was frantically yelling, “Darwin! What’s wrong? Darwin!”

  “I’m here,” I managed. “I’m fine.”

  “What happened? I heard you scream …”

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “A stray dog was chasing us in the park, that’s all.” The tears came then. More from the fact that I had to lie to Will than from being chased by some psycho fish-woman from our father’s world. “We’re in the house now.”

  “You scared me.”

  “Me too,” I whispered. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I hung up and pressed my face into Goldie’s fur.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  I had stayed up most of the night practicing my water magick and failing miserably to tap into the Original Consciousness that Willow said was necessary to move to the next level.

  So it was no surprise when Will tilted my chin up Thursday morning and frowned at the dark circles under my eyes. “You’re not sleeping, are you?”

  The tears I’d been holding at bay welled up and spilled down my face, and I knew underlying them was the fact I couldn’t be honest with him about why I was so tired. Hiding a part of my life from him was painful.

  “Sorry,” I said, digging for a Kleenex under the counter. I blew my nose and took a deep, shuddering breath. “It’s just … I’m so worried for Sylvia and Landon.”

  And my family is being threatened by a woman from another world, but that’s also my secret to bear.

  “We’re their only hope of having a life together. I guess the pressure is just starting to get to me. I feel so helpless.”

  Will folded me into his chest. I let myself sink into him. “Hey, don’t lose hope on me now,” he said. “I’m narrowing down the suspect list. The neighbor has a solid alibi. He was out of town for two days and that checked out so he’s crossed off. The male model whose photos were being held by Vanek for payment was in a car accident the night before he was killed, so the kid was still in the hospital. And besides, we’ve got a possible motive now and good leads to follow up on today. Who knows what could happen. Our break could come.”

  He lifted my chin and made me look into his eyes. So blue and sincere. “I’ve got a list of all the people who had access to sux at Southern Cross, and I’ll be interviewing them today. Starting with Lincoln Lee, the vet tech we saw at Helping Paws Rescue. The shelter is connected somehow, I feel it. Especially after you found the flash drive with those photos of their mobile clinic. Just don’t give up yet, okay? We still have four days to figure this out so Sylvia and Landon can get married by Monday.”

  “Four days? That’s not a lot of time.” I thought for a moment. “Okay. You have the shelter angle covered. But what if we’re barking up the wrong tree? What if his death isn’t connected to the shelter? Who is the second most likely suspect? If you had more time, who else would you be investigating?”

  He rubbed my arms thoughtfully. “I would say the photographer who’s inheriting Peter’s clients, Margie Bealle. If she did it, it would explain the missing cameras and laptop, tools of her trade that she could use. But … I have to follow the most likely scenario. Like you said, time is not on our side here.”

  “Well, that’s something I could help you out with. I could go talk to her.” I saw his answer in the worried shake of his head. I held up a hand. “Will, I have to do something. I’m going crazy, and she won’t even know I’m investigating, I promise. I’ll figure out a way to talk to her that won’t be about Peter’s death.”

  His eyes registered skepticism but at least he was listening. “How?”

  “Well …” Come on, Darwin, think. The idea hit me like a truck. “I got it!” I squealed. “I’ll call her as a desperate model who needs pictures immediately or something drastic will happen. I don’t know that part yet. But I can do this, Will! Pretty please with sugar on top?”

  Like I’ve said before, not above begging.

  He had his arms crossed now and was staring out the window behind me. I could see the struggle on his face. I seemed to be responsible for that expression a lot. I held my breath.

  “All right. Just feel her out, get a sense of what type of person s
he is, if you think she’s capable of murder. Also, only bring up Vanek in the sense that he was your former photographer and you’re upset about his death. Don’t try to ask her any questions about how she felt about him or where she was that morning. Got it?”

  I bounced on the balls of my feet and then hugged him. “Got it.” And also, I could check her hand for that diamond ring, but I didn’t say that for obvious reasons.

  He blew out a breath and I noticed the shadowy half-moons under his eyes. He wasn’t sleeping either. “It’ll be a busy day but let’s have dinner after you close up the boutique so we can compare notes.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  He gave me a kiss and I watched him leave.

  I paced the boutique trying to come up with a plausible photo emergency. The one I came up with was pretty lame, but I hoped I could sell it.

  I dialed Margie’s number and waited. Shoot, I had to leave a message. I closed my eyes and put on my best distraught voice, which came with a heavy dollop of my Georgia accent. “Miss Bealle? Hi, my name is Darwin Winters, and I have a huge emergency I was hoping you could help me out with. I recently had my car stolen with my laptop and modeling portfolio in the trunk. I had all my digital copies on that laptop and was a client of Peter Vanek’s so I can’t even get more copies from him, may his poor soul rest in peace. I have a huge interview with a potential client on Monday but can’t show up without photos!” I sniffled here for effect.

  “I know you’re in high demand and very busy, but if there’s any way you can squeeze me in for a quick photo shoot, I would be forever in your debt. And also I would pay double your fee,” I added as an afterthought. Leaving my phone number, I crossed my fingers and toes that I sounded desperate enough.

  I carried my phone around as I helped customers the rest of the morning. Why does waiting for a return call make time move slower than a herd of turtles? I tried hard not to think about Sylvia and Landon and what the consequences of our failure to find Peter’s killer would mean for them. But it was always buzzing around the back of my mind like a nest of riled up hornets.