Witch Way To Amethyst: The Prequel (A Stacy Justice Mystery Book 0)

by Barbra Annino

  Monique sniffled and I wondered if she thought Cinnamon was going to literally kill her for ruining her marriage. I couldn’t blame her. The thought had crossed my mind too. “I offered to drive him home, only I took him to my place. Nothing happened. He slept on the couch." She bowed her head. "I just wanted to hurt her like she's hurt me over the years, you know? She can be so mean. But I never thought it would go that far. I never dreamed they'd get divorced. Honest. You have to believe me, Stacy." When she lifted her head she looked like a Picasso left out in the rain. "I tried to tell the truth a hundred times, but she wouldn't give me a chance. And then it was too late."

  I ran my fingers through my hair. What a complete and utter cluster fluff. Cin threw away her marriage because of this. She was not going to take this new development lightly and I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to tell her. On the other hand, maybe it will be a relief. To know that Tony had been loyal all along. One could hope.

  "You will tell her."

  Monique nodded.

  "Tonight."

  More nodding.

  I couldn't look at her anymore. "Go fix your face."

  She stepped around me, shielding her forehead and hurried to the bathroom.

  Now all I had to do was hide all the firearms in the tri-state area.

  I walked over to the bar. Cinnamon was slinging drinks next to Bay. A curly haired kid was refilling napkins and straws. My cousin glanced up as I squeezed my way through the crowd. "You drinking?" she asked, shaking something up in a tin.

  "No. I need to talk to you."

  Cin surveyed the bar. "Can't do it, Cuz. I'm slammed."

  "It's important."

  "Stacy, look around. I’m six deep."

  I rubbed my temple. Then I heard some squeals and giggles to my left.

  "I'll get you two bartenders. Just grab the key to the office and I'll meet you back there."

  Cin poured some reddish drinks into two icy glasses.

  I walked over to the Wild Women. "Ladies, I have a task for you."

  Melanie clapped her hands. "Goodie."

  Trish's eyes widened. "Is this it? Is this the last Wild Woman hurrah?"

  I considered that. Cin wouldn't be too happy if I unleashed these two all over her customers. She preferred the abuse come straight from her.

  "No, this is simply an endurance task. For exactly thirty minutes you will man this bar. You will not consume any alcohol. You will mix drinks and charge everyone accordingly. You will be cordial and polite. There's a price list near the register and a bartender's bible near the bottles."

  "Please tell me you're not serious," Cin said when I went back to her with my plan.

  "It's just for a little while. What's the worst that could happen?"

  Cin sighed and told the other bartender that the ladies would be assisting. Then I followed her to the back office.

  "Okay, what couldn't wait? I know it isn't Gramps because I just called the hospital."

  "Actually, it is Gramps."

  I explained about the power of attorney document, my mother mysteriously making an appearance and Ed’s little inheritance. My suspicions about Chance were on the tip of my tongue too, but I wasn’t sure Cin would believe my theory.

  Her eyes burned through me. "What else? I can tell you’re holding back."

  The pennies were tucked in my pocket. I still wasn't sure what reason Chance would have for breaking in or hurting Gramps, except for the money. He did have a brand new truck. There was no use holding back from Cin. I pulled the pennies out one at a time. I went through the dates with her, explaining what I thought each meant. High school, our birth year.

  "So you think Chance has something to do with this?"

  “Maybe.” Probably.

  "You've gone over the edge."

  "There's more."

  Cin folded her arms. I told her about the shirt, the notes, and the song.

  Her face grew darker with each word.

  "Oh my God," she whispered. "Chance broke in?"

  I sighed. "Looks like it."

  "But, that doesn't mean he's the one who poisoned Gramps. Chance makes great money. I can’t imagine him hurting anyone, let alone the grandfather of the woman he loves. It’s not like he’ll inherit from the will.”

  “No, but he has access to everything right now since Gramps is incapacitated.”

  “What about this Gretchen? If she’s Pearl’s niece, maybe those two are in on this together.”

  “Funny you should you mention her. Seems she might not be Pearl’s niece.” So I told her about the information Parker relayed to me

  Cin put a palm to her forehead. “Let’s backtrack. What’s this about your mom?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. Have you seen her recently?”

  “No. Of course not.” She thought a moment. “What about Wildcat? Have you noticed how he rubs Pearl the wrong way?”

  “I have, but he has that effect on a lot of people. Where is he anyway?”

  “Probably at the Elk’s. He doesn’t like my weekend crowd.” She glanced at the clock. “Stacy, I gotta go. The crowd is going to get bigger.”

  When we stepped out of the office Ed Entwhistle was standing near the door.

  "Hey I was just coming to get you," he said to Cinnamon. He was dressed as Dracula.

  "What do you need, Ed, a pint of blood?" she asked.

  Ed laughed. “No, but you might want to step back behind the bar."

  Cin and I looked at each other and ran to the front of the building.

  The place was even busier than when I first got there. Bay was running back and forth shoving beers in front of customers. Trish was dancing on top of the bar with her shirt off. A few drunks were bent over the rail backward and Melanie was pouring shots into their mouths.

  But what caught Cin's eye was Monique making out with the DJ in the corner as Monster Mash skipped over and over again.

  She started towards them when a woman in a French maid's costume stopped her. "Hey, where have you been? I've been waiting for a drink forever."

  "Really? I'm sorry," said Cin, touching her forearm. "Why don't you download a free drink coupon from my website."

  "What's the website?"

  “LikeIGiveAShit.com."

  The woman stomped off and Cin started for Monique.

  I stopped her and said, "I'll take care of it. Get to work."

  Cin hesitated, then grudgingly stepped behind the bar. The DJ caught her from the corner of his eye and unhooked his lips from Monique.

  "Wild Women," I said.

  Trish and Melanie stopped the debauchery and met my eyes. I pointed to Trish and then to the floor. She stumbled off of the bar. Melanie stopped pouring shots into customer’s mouths.

  "Ready for the signal?" I asked the two women.

  They nodded in unison like Bobblehead dolls.

  I thumbed at Monique who was re-applying lipstick. Then I made a gunslinger gesture with both hands.

  Melanie put the tequila bottle down and grabbed the soda gun. Trish went for a cheap bottle of Champagne. They waited for a signal and I nodded.

  Within seconds, the Champagne was uncorked and showering Monique. Melanie rinsed her off with diet Coke. The pair high-fived each other and I slipped around to the front of the long bar.

  Monique screamed and said, "You bitches!" Then she lunged for Trish.

  "No fighting in my bar," Cin shouted.

  Monique stopped in her tracks. She slid her eyes to me then Cinnamon. She must have deduced that I hadn’t told my cousin the truth. Yet. I would if I had to, but there was enough on my plate and since this particular monkey was not a member of my circus, I figured I’d let her clean up her own mess.

  Trish bounced over to me, Melanie on her heels. "We had such an awesome time," squealed Trish.

  "Of course, you did. Tell your friends.” I have no idea why I said that. I didn’t think this was the kind of crowd I wanted at the Geraghty Girls House.

  "We can't
wait to come back," gushed Melanie.

  I didn't want to encourage that idea so I said nothing and headed for the door. I caught a smarmy look on Monique’s face as I rounded the corner and I knew she wasn’t going to fess up to Cinnamon. I just could not have my cousin thinking for one more minute that the love of her life betrayed her trust. So on my way out into the October night, I called to her, "Monique lied about everything. It never happened."

  Cin met my gaze and I nodded. Her eyes narrowed for a second, then flashed a murderous look.

  Monique stopped wringing out her dress and said, “Oh shit.”

  The last thing I heard was Cinnamon bounding over the bar.

  Chapter 31

  Trish and Melanie were in that wonderful drunken state when you’re loud and obnoxious but you don’t give a flying fig if anyone can hear you. I decided to catch up with Wildcat at the Elk’s and to load them into a cab the first chance I got.

  The bar had floor to ceiling windows and I spotted Wildcat before I entered, slumped over a boilermaker. To my surprise, Gretchen was there too, finishing up a martini at a corner table. She put the glass down and picked up her purse to leave.

  I shoved the girls into the doorway of the next building and told them to be quiet.

  “Is this another test?” Melanie asked.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  I watched as Gretchen filed through the door and headed up the street towards the Palace, and I suspected, Gramps and Pearl’s apartment.

  I really needed to get in there, but that would have to wait.

  The Wild Women and I hurried into the tavern and I instructed Melanie to pick up the martini glass and hide it in her purse. If Gretchen had a record, maybe her prints would reveal her true identity.

  Trish ordered a coke at the bar and I sat next to Wildcat.

  “Hey, kid.” His speech was steady. “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you.”

  “Well, you found me.”

  I jumped right to it. “Wildcat, what’s the deal with you and Pearl? Why doesn’t she like you?”

  He just looked at me and swayed a bit. “I rub people the wrong way is all.”

  I thought about the pennies I found. “When were you in the war?”

  “1970-1972. Why?”

  “Just curious.”

  The bartender walked up and asked me for ID.

  “What're you nuts? This here is Oscar’s grandbaby,” Wildcat said.

  “No kidding,” said the bartender. “How is the old coot? Hope it wasn’t nothing he drank in here Wednesday.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Paul,” Wildcat growled.

  “My grandfather was in here Wednesday?”

  Paul swung his head from Wildcat to me, decided Wildcat could rough him up better than I could, and walked away.

  “Okay.” I stepped off the stool. “Listen to me, old man. I’ve had enough of the bull. I want some answers.”

  “Okay. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” He swigged his beer. “I took your Gramps out after dinner. Wanted to talk about my business proposition.”

  “Just the two of you?”

  He hesitated. “Well, Ed came along. It concerns his building after all.”

  “And you left out this detail why?”

  “Don’t look at me like that, Stacy. I don’t know what the hell happened after that. He had a hot chocolate, we talked, and he went home.”

  I wanted to believe him. “Why didn’t he tell the police this?”

  Wildcat shrugged. “Guess he didn’t want his old lady to know he was out with me.”

  Melanie and Trish were at the jukebox, wailing on the thing. Apparently it had swallowed a dollar without delivering. Paul reached for the phone.

  “Why would Pearl care?”

  Wildcat thought for a long time. Then he turned to me and said, “You know how your Grandpa met Pearl?”

  “At a carnival.”

  He nodded. “She was a knife thrower. Looked pretty darn cute in those fancy costumes.”

  I smiled. “Really? I didn’t know that. That’s interesting. I always thought she ran one of the booths or the cotton candy machine or--wait a minute. How did you know how she looked?”

  He took a deep breath. “’Cause I met her first. A long time ago.”

  Oh, this just keeps getting better.

  “It was after the service. She came through town looking all sexy and well, we had what you might call a relationship.” He curled the label off his beer. “I left shortly after that. She didn’t know I knew your grandpa ‘til just this week.” Then he added, “And I didn’t know she ever got pregnant.”

  Chapter 32

  Trish and Melanie were gone by the time I finished talking to Wildcat, so they must have grabbed the one cab that ran through town, or a local gave them a ride because I still had their keys. I decided to take the liberty of driving their car back to the Geraghty Girls House, thinking of what Gramps’ old buddy had told me.

  Apparently, Pearl placed the baby up for adoption and left town for several years after that. Wildcat didn’t even know if it was a boy or a girl. I wasn’t sure what any of that had to do with what was happening today, but I intended to find out.

  The next morning, I took care of my four-legged friends before heading over to speak with the aunts.

  I could see Fiona through the screen door swirling crepes in a pan, a bowl of sweet cherries and fresh whipped cream next to it. She wore a navy sheath dress and matching flats, her fiery hair pinned into a chignon. The back door was open so I let myself inside.

  "I thought you might need some help," I said, as chatter drifted from the dining room.

  "Oh isn't that nice, but your Aunt Lolly is doing well this morning. Birdie called and she had a nice chat with her." Fiona winked at me.

  I helped myself to a cup of coffee and reached in the fridge for the cream.

  "Good," I sighed. "Not sure I have the energy this morning."

  "Would you like some breakfast?" Fiona asked, folding a crepe onto a plate.

  "No thanks.”

  Fiona stuck her head in the fridge and said, "I'll have to call Ed for a special delivery today."

  That led me to my first question. "Does Ed have a key to the cottage?"

  "No." Fiona glanced at me sideways. "Why do you ask?"

  I still didn’t want to believe it was Chance who had broken into the place.

  "No reason."

  I grabbed a piece of toast from a platter and slathered it with butter and strawberry jam as Lolly sashayed into the kitchen. Her attire this morning was a black strapless full-length ball gown with pink tulle peeking out from the hem. Black kohl liner rimmed her eyes and her copper hair was punked out in all directions. She looked like Madonna.

  "Stacy, what a pleasant surprise." She planted a kiss on my cheek, branding me with orange lipstick.

  "How are you doing today, Aunt Lolly?"

  "Oh, I'm always excited on Samhain. The parade begins at 5:30. The bonfire starts at 8:00 so don't forget your cloak for the ritual."

  I pretended not to hear that as I scanned the paper and tapped my foot, trying to figure out a way to ask them about my mother. Why had she really been in town? And why had she left again?

  Unless...maybe they didn’t know after all. My eyes slid to Lolly as she hummed around the kitchen gathering plates and napkins, her gown sweeping the floor. Maybe it wasn’t the best time to bring it up. I didn’t want to upset her today, especially before breakfast.

  The doorbell rang as I was rinsing my plate in the sink. Lolly was setting the table and Fiona was elbow deep in crepes, so I went to the front of the house to answer it.

  Gus said, "Hey, Stacy. Would you come with me down to the station?"

  My heart fluttered. "Something wrong with Birdie?"

  "No, your granny's just fine. Beat me at chess today."

  I didn't doubt it. "Well, what do you need?"

  "The Chief wants to talk to you and
he asked me to pick you up."

  He sent his errand boy for me? Who did this guy think he was?

  I folded my arms over my chest. "Gus if you want me to ride in that squad car you'll have to arrest me."

  Gus shuffled like a puppet. "Aw, gee, Stacy. Don't do this to me. He gets real mad when I don't follow instructions."

  "Gus, if he wanted to speak with me, why didn't he call me?"

  "I don't ask. I just do." He bit his upper lip.

  "Fine." My phone was in the kitchen, so I grabbed that and told Fiona I would see her later. That’s when I noticed the text from Parker. CALL ME.

  Gus opened the back door of the squad car and I said simply, "No." He puttered up to the front passenger door and opened that for me. A few minutes later we were at the police station and I was on the phone with Parker.

  “Gates started his career in plastic surgery on the East coast. He was at the same practice for a few years before he was persuaded to leave.”

  “What does that mean? Persuaded how?”

  “Basically, his partners forced him to resign. I couldn’t get the details, but either the guy was performing unnecessary surgery or he was padding bills for the insurance companies. He wasn’t ever convicted of a crime, but my guess is that they threatened his license if he didn’t leave quietly.”

  Parker gave me the dates and the name of the clinic. “What about after that?”

  “He was a staff doctor at Sunnyvale.”

  The hospital where “Gretchen” stole her identity.

  I called Lynn next at the hospital. She put me through to the department head I needed to request that Gates be pulled off my grandfather’s case. I cited personal reasons and the woman didn’t put up much of a fight when I threatened to sue them for administering the wrong drug to Gramps.

  Leo was propped on the dividing gate when I finally made my way into the building. He didn't look happy, but I was getting used to that.

  "Is this how you get all your dates?" I said.

  No smile.

  "Come with me, please." His voice was clipped.

  I followed him into a tiny room with a metal table and one chair.

  "Have a seat," he said.

  "I think I’ll stand."

  "Your Jeep is at Panzano's Auto Body."