“Why would she do that?” I asked. Not only to Jake, but to her best friend, Dana.
“Because she was insane,” Jake practically yelled. “And selfish. She tried to seduce me once, when Dana was asleep after a party. I said no and she couldn’t handle it, so she spelled me into sleeping with her. Dana caught us.” His hands moved to his hips in anger. “To this day, I think Tatiana set that whole thing up. She made sure Dana found us. She wanted to hurt both of us.”
“Why?” Deputy Bolan pressed.
Jake gave us a dark look. “Because that was her nature. To hurt others for her own amusement. She couldn’t stand that I rejected her, that I preferred Dana to her. That was her revenge on both of us for choosing each other.”
I thought about Dana’s version of events. “Why didn’t you tell Dana the truth? Maybe you could have salvaged the relationship.”
“I tried once, but she didn’t believe me,” Jake said. “She just kept saying ‘once a cheater, always a cheater’ like it was some kind of enchantment. After that, I let it go. I didn’t want word spreading that Jake Goode wasn’t interested in bedding the hot ladies. I figured my engagement was over and I’d need my rep intact.”
“Are you dating anyone now?” I asked.
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Why? You interested?”
“Not right now, thanks,” I replied. “I’ve just extracted myself from my own love triangle.”
“And not very gracefully either,” the deputy said.
Jake guffawed. Not many people could guffaw in this world, but Jake Goode was apparently one of them. “I date, but it’s easier to keep it low-key.”
“Dana’s still single, you know,” I said. “It’s been years since you broke up. Maybe there’s a chance you could rekindle things.”
Jake snorted. “We learned our lesson. Vampires and werewolves shouldn’t mix. Everybody knows that.”
“Seems more like bad fairies shouldn’t mix with anyone,” I said.
“The truth is I’m planning to leave town soon anyway,” Jake said.
“You are?” the deputy asked. “I should advise you to wait until the conclusion of the investigation.”
“Where are you headed?” I asked.
“I’ve decided to take Body By Jake national,” he said. “I’m opening another location in Sleepy Junction and renting a condo there until it’s up and running with management in place.”
“That’s great,” I said. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” He seemed shy about the admission.
“Sleepy Junction is pretty far away,” the deputy said. “What made you choose there?”
Jake grinned. “The fact that it’s pretty far away. I’m tired of hearing my mother ask when I’m going to settle down. I want to live my life without so much pressure.”
I offered my knuckles for a fist bump. “Right there with you on that one.”
Jake bumped me as the door opened. “Hey, Melody. I’ll be right with you.” He winked at us. “In the meantime, Body By Jake is fully operational and open for business, if you know what I mean.”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “It’s hard to decipher when you’re so subtle.”
Deputy Bolan smothered a laugh. “One more question. Where were you on Monday between the hours of nine and three?”
“Here,” Jake said. “I had clients in and out most of the day. You can check the roster.”
“Would you mind providing us with a copy of it?” the deputy asked.
“No problem.” The werewolf waved to Melody. “Be right back.” He hustled down a small corridor to an office and returned with a piece of paper. “Feel free to get in touch with any questions. I’m almost always here.”
“One more thing,” I said. “We need a sample of your fur.”
Jake held out his muscular arms. “As you can see, it’s not available at the moment.”
“Head over to the sheriff’s office as soon as you can and provide a sample,” the deputy said. He took the paper. “The sooner you do, the sooner we can officially rule you out and you can make your plans for Sleepy Junction.”
“No problem.” Jake turned his attention to Melody. “Hey, babe. Sorry, I was busy with police business. That’s hot, right?”
“You bet it is,” Melody cooed.
Inwardly, I groaned. Somehow I wasn’t convinced that Tatiana’s fairy magic was the only reason that Jake strayed.
“I’m starving,” Deputy Bolan said as we ventured back to the parking lot. “Do you want to grab a bite to eat and go over the notes?”
“Can’t,” I said. “Aunt Hyacinth has changed family dinner night to tonight because of Marley’s party at the weekend. I need to get home and change.”
“I should probably check on the sheriff,” the leprechaun said. “I’ve sort of been avoiding him until we finish the investigation.”
“Me, too,” I said. “Well, I’m kind of avoiding him anyway.”
“That’s your best course of action, Rose,” he said. “He needs time.”
“Jake and Dana had time,” I said, jerking my thumb over my shoulder. “Didn’t seem to matter. No time healing all wounds there.”
We stopped next to the car. “The sheriff…He isn’t like Jake or Dana,” Deputy Bolan said. “He’s upset, but he won’t be bitter. Not for long. I’ve worked with him a long time. He’s one of the best, but you know that.”
“I do know that.” I inhaled deeply. “It’s my loss, Deputy. The truth is I never saw it any other way.”
Chapter Thirteen
A weekday family dinner at Thornhold was decidedly more stressful than a Sunday dinner. Everyone was rushing to arrive on time, so as not to ruffle Aunt Hyacinth’s feathers, but it only served to create a nervous energy at the table. I could tell my cousins were mentally calculating how long they needed to stay before they could go home and do the things they actually needed to do—because I was doing the exact same thing.
“Sterling sends his regrets, Mother,” Aster said. “He had a dinner meeting tonight with an important client from out of town.”
Aunt Hyacinth brought her cocktail glass to her lips. “I understand, darling. Family can’t always come first.”
Ooh. A subtle jab. Would Aster rise to the bait?
“I love the new curtains in your office,” Aster said. “I saw them on my way in.”
Ten points to Aster!
“Thank you,” Aunt Hyacinth said. “Mrs. Babcock made them.”
“Is there anything that brownie can’t do?” I said.
“She can’t make Bryn more likable,” Hudson said. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”
Bryn appeared to stomp on her brother’s foot under the table and he yowled in response.
“Where’s Aqua Man?” I asked, hoping to divert attention away from the squabbling siblings.
Everyone looked at me blankly, except Marley who giggled.
“I don’t believe I know anyone by that name,” my aunt replied.
I groaned in exasperation. “Your merman lover.”
Aunt Hyacinth regarded me coolly. “We do not use such vulgar expressions at the dinner table, Yarrow.”
“Ha!” Hudson said. “She used your real name.”
“Ember is my real name,” I said heatedly.
“And you know perfectly well that my friend’s real name is Zale Murphy.” Aunt Hyacinth rang the silver bell she reserved for summoning Simon.
The loyal servant materialized in the doorway as though by teleportation. “I am at your disposal.”
“Have the cook add extra sprouts to Ember’s plate,” my aunt ordered.
“Straight away.” Simon disappeared as quickly as he came.
“You wouldn’t,” I hissed.
She gave me a smug look. “I believe I just did.” She swallowed a mouthful of her cocktail. “I think you know me better than to expect I’d invite a random stranger to a family dinner.”
“Once you’ve made out with someone, you can hardly consider him a
random stranger anymore,” I said. I paused and cut a glance at Florian. “Well, maybe you can…”
“CPR is not the same as making out, as you so crassly put it,” my aunt seethed. “He saved me from drowning.”
“What’s making out?” Aspen asked from his end of the table.
“We’ll discuss it later,” Aster told him quietly.
“So if I want a stranger to be my friend, I ask them to make out?” Ackley queried.
Aster turned to her other son. “I’ll explain later.”
“Sorry,” I mouthed to Aster.
“You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve invited Mr. Murphy to attend Marley’s party this weekend,” my aunt said. “I expect you to be on your best behavior.”
“Why would you expect that?” I asked.
Florian chuckled beside me.
“Alec will also be joining us this weekend, I presume,” my aunt said.
“Yes,” I replied. “He’s looking forward to it.”
“How’s that going?” Aster asked. “Are you two finally official?”
“I’ve been wondering that myself,” Aunt Hyacinth said. She gave me a pointed look. It didn’t matter that she expected me to run my romantic prospects past her first. That would never happen, even if she threatened to boot me out of Rose Cottage. I refused to live under her iron-fisted rule.
“Sort of,” I said. “We have some hoops we need to jump through first, but I’m optimistic.”
“Vampires creep me out,” Hudson said. “I can’t imagine marrying one.”
Bryn elbowed her brother. “First of all, that’s rude. Second of all, you can’t imagine marrying anybody, never mind a vampire.”
“You’ll have to excuse Hudson,” Linnea said. “He gets his attitude about vampires from his father.”
“Dad is plenty upset for Uncle Granger,” Hudson said. “You should hear what he said about you.”
Linnea shot him a threatening look. “Hudson. None of that bears repeating.”
“I feel sorry for Uncle Granger, too,” Bryn said, “but if Ember doesn’t feel the same way about him, what’s she supposed to do? Marry him out of pity?”
“There are worse reasons to marry,” my aunt said.
I cast a surprised glance at her. “You never wanted me to marry Granger.”
“No, but I’m not talking specifically about the sheriff. I simply mean that there are worse reasons to marry someone than pity.”
“Such as?” Florian pressed.
“It doesn’t matter,” my aunt scoffed. “Where in Hecate’s name is dinner?”
On cue, platters floated into the dining room and landed gently on the table. Ackley and Aspen cheered.
“They’re hungry,” Aster said apologetically. “They didn’t get to eat after piano lessons.”
“Those kids don’t seem to have any down time,” Florian said. “It’s one scheduled activity after another.”
Aster began serving food onto her sons’ plates. “If they need any help with down time, at least they have the perfect uncle to assist them.”
“Hey, that’s uncalled for,” Florian objected. “I’ve been doing well with the tourism board.”
Aster handed the platter to her brother. “You’re right. You have been. Maybe you can help Linnea out with marketing for Palmetto House.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Aunt Hyacinth interjected.
“You just want to keep me busy and out of trouble,” Florian said.
“And what’s wrong with that?” my aunt replied. “I think it would be lovely to help your sister.”
Linnea pushed the food around on her plate. “I really could use the help. I feel like the inn is invisible lately. Maybe you could come up with one of your cute slogans like you did for Starry Hollow.”
“You really want my help?” Florian seemed genuinely surprised.
“You’ll come up with something awesome,” Hudson said. “I don’t care what my dad says, you’re not a complete and total waste of space.”
Linnea smacked her forehead. “Hudson, can you please insert a filter so that you don’t repeat everything your father says? The world doesn’t need that kind of energy.”
Florian drank his ale. “No worries, Linnea. Wyatt’s insults are pretty lame. Like him.”
Linnea put a finger to her lips and glared at Florian. As much as Wyatt frustrated her, she didn’t want anyone speaking poorly of him in front of his kids. I totally understood.
“Hey, why didn’t you tell me you saw the sheriff patrolling the neighborhood?” I asked.
Florian stuck a forkful of sprouts in his mouth and chewed. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. I mean, he’s the sheriff and there was a murder so…”
“There was a murder?” Aspen asked.
“No, no, dear,” Aster said. “Uncle Florian said there was a herd…of unicorns. They ran through the neighborhood the other day and Sheriff Nash was patrolling the area to make sure no one got hurt.”
“Cool,” Aspen said.
“How’s the investigation going anyway?” Florian whispered.
I stared at my plate. “Kind of hitting a wall. We found evidence of a werewolf at the scene, but we’re still identifying suspects.”
“A werewolf, huh? Have you been to see Nola?” Florian asked.
“Who’s Nola?” I asked.
“Hot werewolf. She lives over in the Pine Barrens,” Florian said. “I knocked back a few pints with her at the Whitethorn recently. I thought I might…” His gaze flicked to Ackley and Aspen. “I thought I might make a new friend, but she wasn’t interested. She was too busy stewing over Tatiana.”
“You saw Tatiana?” I blurted.
“No, she’d already left,” Florian said. “But Nola was still there. She seemed really distracted by the whole thing, like she’d spent the evening with a ghost and she couldn’t handle it.”
An upset werewolf was seen with the victim the night before her murder? “Thanks, Florian. That’s really helpful.” I made a mental note to text Deputy Bolan after dinner. The more suspects we interviewed, the sooner we’d catch Tatiana’s killer.
I sailed into the office of Vox Populi the next morning and was immediately confronted by Bentley.
“Any updates on the investigation?” the elf asked.
I halted. “What’s with the interest? Are you rooting for a certain outcome?”
“Alec wants me to start drafting the article, so I need your notes.”
“Could you at least try not to look smug about it?” I asked.
Bentley smiled. “Nope.”
“Why doesn’t he want me to do it?” I asked.
“Why do you think?” the elf asked. “You’re too close to it. He thinks I’ll be unbiased.”
“We’re all close to it,” I argued. “Alec was a suspect. Tanya…” I surveyed the room. “Where’s Tanya?”
“She’s running late,” Bentley said. He held out his hand. “Your notes, please.”
I swatted his hand away. “Since when does Tanya ever run late?” Our office manager ran a tight ship. That was the only option when Alec Hale was in charge.
“I think she’s having a hard time,” Bentley said. “She knows Tatiana wasn’t the most beloved fairy in the world, but she was still Tanya’s niece.”
I brushed past him and went to my desk. “I get it, Bentley. Family is complicated. You don’t need to convince me.” I’d have to find a way to lift Tanya’s spirits. Her feelings on the subject were no doubt complex and I could understand her wanting time alone to process.
“Should we send her a fruit basket?” Bentley asked.
I looked up at him. “With a note that says ‘sorry about your murdered niece that everyone hated?’”
He rubbed his pointy ear. “Well, when you put it that way, my suggestion sounds stupid.” He hesitated. “A box of chocolates?”
“I vote for a trip to the Whitethorn and getting her wasted when this is all over.” I glanced back at the editor’s office. “I
s Alec here?”
“Don’t you two keep tabs on each other now?” The elf returned to his desk and began typing away on the keyboard.
“Of course not.” I pulled out my notes from the investigation and debated whether to hand them over. I decided to review them first. Sometimes reading the suspects’ answers planted ideas that didn’t occur to me at the time. I didn’t realize Bentley was reading over my shoulder until he gasped.
“Wow! How many paranormals did Tatiana…? Forget it. By gumdrop, I hope Alec never sees this.”
“Don’t include it in the article and he won’t,” I said. “Make sure you pay attention to the parts I marked as confidential. Don’t print those.”
“I know how to do my job, Ember,” he said testily. “I’ve been doing it for much longer than you, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“How can I forget when you never let me?” I shot back.
The door opened and my heart stuttered as Alec entered the office, looking ridiculously handsome in a navy blue suit. The vampire never ceased to take my breath away. I wondered whether I would always feel this way about Alec. My smile gave my thoughts away because he came straight to my desk with a devilish glint in his eye.
“Miss Rose, you’re looking particularly well today. The color of that top suits you.”
Bentley adjusted his tie. “Ahem. Let’s not cross over into any human resources violations.”
Alec regarded him. “And that suit makes you look taller, Bentley.”
The elf’s back instantly straightened. “Thank you, sir. Meadow chose it for me.”
“She has excellent taste,” Alec said. “Miss Rose, I’d like to see you in about five minutes, if you would be so kind.”
“Sure,” I said. I watched Alec stride toward his office, enjoying the view.
“Just out of curiosity, does he call you Miss Rose in the bedroom too?” Bentley whispered.
“You’d better watch it,” I said. “Vampire hearing.” I tapped my ear.
“Let’s not cross over into any human resources violations, shall we?” Alec called.
Bentley nearly keeled over. “Please don’t ever break up with him. Old Alec would’ve drained my veins if he’d overheard a remark like that. New Alec is so much better.”
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