All's Fairy in Love and Murder

by K. M. Waller

  Officer Foster grimaced. “I’m not so sure I can do that.”

  “Imagine if you solve the case for the mayor,” Gladys said to him. “Then when the chief retires, she’ll likely endorse you as his replacement.”

  I appreciated her encouragement and wondered at her change of heart about trusting me.

  The police officer’s eyes rounded with the possibility. “The crime scene technicians have removed the evidence and taken photographs of everything. I can’t see the harm in letting you inside, as long as you don’t touch anything.”

  I stamped down the twinge of guilt that threatened to make my stomach queasy. The worst that could happen is that I wouldn’t have any useful information to add to the investigation.

  Pip squeaked again, and I put the remainder of the scone in the bag with him.

  I glanced up and noticed everyone staring at me expectantly. “Pip says he’s ready to go.”

  “You’ll have lunch with us here tomorrow. Be here at noon,” Gladys said. It wasn’t a request.

  Officer Foster led me to the door. Outside the window, I noticed a silver sedan pass by. It reminded me about the man with the grabby hands. I turned back to the gossip club. “Do you ladies know a man with a scar on his cheek?” I demonstrated where the scar would be. “It’s very pronounced.”

  Gladys and Emory shook their heads no. Allondra shrugged and said, “We know every soul in town, and we’d know a man with a scar. Why?”

  I shook off my apprehension. “No reason.”

  Chapter Ten

  Officer Foster lifted the yellow crime scene tape for me. I ducked under and sucked in a sharp breath as the ornate front door knocker sat at my nose level. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. I stepped inside and squished my bag so tight to my side that Pip made an oomph squirrel noise.

  John Bleaker’s house had held wonder and excitement for me the night before. Now all I could see were grim bluish-gray walls and trinkets that belonged to a man who would never again enjoy their beauty and significance.

  I blinked hard and set my shoulders straight. I couldn’t change what had happened, but I could help provide answers. Sherlock Holmes didn’t let emotion cloud his powers of deduction and clue gathering. I rubbed my hands together and took in the living room. “Where did they find John’s body?”

  “Next to the coffee table in front of the television.” He tiptoed around me. “Mind the crime scene dust. It gets everywhere.”

  The couch was in the same place as last night. Pillow cushions on the floor. Did that matter? The vase and flowers were no longer where Pip had spilled them the night before. Large sections of the carpet had been dissected and removed. All of this added up to… nothing. Absolutely nothing. I thought clues would jump out at me left and right, but I was no Sherlock Holmes.

  After what seemed an eternity of silence, Officer Foster rested his hands on his police utility belt and let out a long sigh. “Shouldn’t you be asking the squirrel what happened?”

  Pip—my secret weapon. I lifted him out of the bag and held him in my palms. We couldn’t communicate as we had the night before but maybe he could show me where to look if I asked the right questions. “Pip, does anything look out of place in the living room?”

  He bounced out of my hands onto the couch, then the coffee table, and finally scurried up the post to his hanging cage. It swung from side to side as he sat on top of it, clinging to the top.

  Then he leapt to the book case. The books I’d fawned over were toppled to the side. Pip sat at the end of the books.

  “One of the brick bookends is missing,” I said. “It had little sailboats painted on it.”

  Officer Foster scribbled down the note. “Blunt force trauma is what county is saying how he died.” He glanced up at me. “What else?”

  I turned back to Pip. “What else?”

  Pip jumped back to the top of his cage.

  Officer Foster walked over and opened the front latch. Pip crawled inside and buried himself in the bedding, leaving only his tale showing above the pile.

  “He’s obviously very distraught over the loss of his owner,” I said by way of an explanation.

  “And you can’t divine anything else helpful until he’s properly rested or something like that?” His tone took on a sharp edge.

  I shrugged. “Something like that.”

  “If the squirrel was here, then he would have seen the murderer. Can’t you ask him who did it?”

  “He didn’t see the murder.” I couldn’t tell him how I knew that.

  “That’s convenient.” Officer Foster closed his notebook and tucked it into his front pocket. “Nothing you’ve given me is useful.”

  The missing bookend must not have been the type of clue he needed.

  “You know what I think? I think you’re trying to point me in any direction that doesn’t lead to your aunt.” He stomped to the front door. “I think you’ve wasted enough of my time.”

  I removed Pip’s cage from the hook and carried it to the front door. I hadn’t meant to waste anyone’s time, least of all a police officer searching for the truth. How was I to know I stunk at detecting until I’d given it a try? Motive, means, and opportunity were not my friends at the moment. Sadly, I didn’t have many friends to count on in the human world. Yet.

  Officer Foster waited for me on the front steps. After I passed through, he locked the door behind me. This time he didn’t hold the crime scene tape. He passed under it and without another glance in my direction, got into his patrol car and backed it out onto the road. Then he drove away.

  “I don’t think he’s the best Watson to my Holmes, anyway, Pip.” I said it more to myself than the squirrel who slept so soundly he made little squeaky snores. He’d missed his safe place, cage or no cage. If my father were standing beside me, he’d say there was a lesson there somewhere for me to learn.

  I would counter that in four days, I had a safe home to return to. The people of Lilac Cove still had a murderer at large.

  A black SUV pulled into the drive across the road and Emory exited. She waved to me and I walked over. “How did it go?”

  “Terrible.”

  “Did Officer Foster strand you here?”

  I held up the cage. “I’m pretty sure I deserved it. Pip wasn’t in the mood to help out with the investigation.”

  “I’m sure the little fella is exhausted. You can always try again when he’s up for it.” She nodded to her vehicle. “Climb in and I’ll take you back to Fairyland Flowers. Word across the vines is that Chief Rayburn is bringing your Aunt Mossy home. I knew they didn’t have enough to arrest her.”

  “Did the police interview you, since you live across the street? Did you notice anything unusual that night?” Other than the weird family that appeared out of nowhere to ask what happened.

  “The county detective took a quick statement from all John’s neighbors. I wear double hearing aids, which is why Olivia is able to keep sneaking out on me, so I wouldn’t have heard anything coming from outside. I don’t think anyone else did either. It’s unnerving that something like that could happen so close to home and not any of us be aware of it.”

  I thought back to the man with the scar. If he didn’t live in the neighborhood, then why was he there at that time of night?

  “Do you know if John had a lot of visitors?” I tapped the cage, going all in on my pet psychic lie. “According to Pip, he didn’t have a lot of friends. Just the annoying ex-girlfriend that bossed him around.”

  “John liked to nose around in people’s business, and that didn’t make him a lot of friends.” She gave me a quick smile. “There’s an art to gossip, and John didn’t have the flair my friends and I have for the give and take and sorting out the straight lies. We’ll miss him just the same.”

  I wanted to hear more about the art of gossip but we’d already made it back to the town square. She pulled into the spot beside Mossy’s car.

  I turned toward her. “Aren’t you scared that the
re’s a killer in Lilac Cove?”

  She leaned toward me as if to pass on a secret. “This was done by someone he knew. The only thing that scares me is that it’ll take the police too long to figure it out.”

  “Thank you for the ride.” I noticed the time on her dashboard as almost seven in the evening. My stomach rumbled as if knowing the numbers made a difference to how hungry I was.

  Emory pulled out a pen and paper from her center console. She scribbled down a phone number. “If you need anything at all, please call me.”

  “I appreciate all your help.” I took the slip of paper and put it in my bag. Already the anxiety from a few minutes before receded. If I counted Emory, Olivia, and maybe Callan, I had made a few friends I could count on.

  Mossy met me at the door to the flower shop. She swung it wide and beckoned me inside. “I’ve been worried. I thought you’d remain here until I returned.”

  “You’ve been worried? The police hauled you in for questioning and I didn’t know that would take a full day.”

  She took Pip’s cage from my hands. “No need to be alarmed. Chief Rayburn returned me safe and sound an hour ago. Are you hungry?”

  “Starved, actually,” I started. “But I want to know more about why the detective spent so long questioning you.”

  “It wasn’t only me, my dear.” She set Pip’s cage down on her coffee table and busied herself with unwrapping sandwiches. “The mayor and her secretary came in for a statement too.”

  She put one in front of me. “It’s a veggie delight with oil and vinegar. I think you’ll like it.”

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” I asked and took a large bite of the sandwich. I moaned my satisfaction and closed my eyes. The flavors of cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce mixed together perfectly with the oil and vinegar.

  She squeezed my shoulder. “I’m rather tired. I’d like to soak in the tub and then go straight to bed. I’ve made the sofa up for you with a pillow and blanket.”

  Mossy disappeared behind the sliding panel and soon the sound of water running filled the apartment.

  Pip chittered from the coffee table, announcing the end of his nap. I brought him out of the cage and carried him to the table. When I offered him a good portion of the sandwich, he squeaked with delight.

  “Me too, pal. Let’s dig in.”

  By the time we finished the sandwich, and I cleared the table, Mossy stepped out from behind the screen and climbed into bed. She pulled a sleeping mask over her eyes and mumbled, “Goodnight, dear.”

  Moments later her snores shook her bed. I’d only ever heard my father make such a noise in his sleep.

  Pip tilted his head to the side and then glanced at me before swishing his tail.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know how I’m going to sleep with that noise either.”

  I took the pajamas Mossy had laid out for me and changed behind the screen. I washed my face with a rag and used water from the tub. I’d take a proper bath in the morning, as I didn’t want to make noise that could possibly wake my aunt. Although, with the noise she made, I wasn’t sure that would be possible.

  Unable to rest just yet, I bypassed the sofa and made my way into the flower shop. I’d noticed a few magazines on the counter earlier and thought reading might calm my racing mind. Why didn’t Mossy want to tell me about what the detective asked her? Did she know something that she didn’t want me to know?

  I leaned on the counter and tapped my fingers on the edge. A shadow in the corner of the shop moved and my heart stalled before pounding so rapidly my chest shook.

  Someone is in here with me. Had the real murderer come for me or Mossy? The image of the man with scar took hold of me and I couldn’t let it go. Times like this were why I wish Dad had left me my wand. I reached beneath the counter and felt a pair of scissors.

  I couldn’t hurt a living creature. That most certainly was not my purpose. But maybe I could scare them enough so that they didn’t hurt me.

  The shadow moved again and then it shrunk. Shrinking shadows? I held the scissors up and called out, “Who’s there?”

  A flurry of wings came at me and darted around my head.

  “Put those down, ninny!” The voice had yelled but at such a small size her command came out a high-pitched squeal.

  “Iris.” I put a hand over my chest willing my thundering heart to slow down. “What are you doing here?”

  She landed on the counter and sat on a stapler. “I’m checking on my best friend.”

  “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

  “Aren’t you glad to see me?” Her lips formed a pout.

  “I am.” I put the scissors on the counter and folded my arms, using them as a prop for my head. “How did you get out? Does my dad know you’re here?”

  “No way. And I can’t stay long. When the rest of the fairies heard what happened, we all rushed to the fountain to watch. Some were even placing bets on how long it would take you to use your dust and return home.”

  “That’s a little insulting.” I wonder which way the bets were stacked.

  “King Hypnum thought so, too. He’s now banned all the fairy godparents from the fountain until after you return. It’s driving your mom crazy. She snuck me out and asked me to stop by and check on you.” She patted her hair and wiggled her eyebrows. “It’s also driving Amaranth crazy.”

  “I’m actually doing great,” I said, relieved that she nor any of the others would know the difference without the fountain. “I’m a vital part of the investigation.”

  “I knew giving you my FE was a terrible idea. This has turned into a disaster of epic proportions.” Her flat tone told me she could see through my lie.

  “But you’re my best friend and you support me no matter what. Right?”

  She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to ask me for something else that’s going to get us both in trouble?”

  “I need you to give me the ability to communicate with Pip again.”

  “The squirrel. That’s the partner you need?”

  “It’s the best chance I have of getting the humans to take me seriously without telling them I’m a fairy. They assume I’m psychic and I let them run with the idea. I need to be able to communicate with Pip to make it work.”

  She huffed out a dramatic sigh but she’d already withdrew her wand. “I don’t know why I can’t tell you no.”

  “Let me grab him. I’ll be right back.” I dashed into the apartment and snatched Pip from the cage where he’d once again curled under the bedding. He pressed his little body hard against my hands, searching to replace the warmth I’d stolen from him.

  Back in the front flower shop, Iris used her wand to tap him on the head three times. “Talk.”

  “Wait,” I stopped her. “Be specific, just in case. I can’t have him talking to everyone.”

  “Fine.” She tapped his head three times again. “Talk to Juniper only about super important things.”

  Pip rolled over in my hands and went back to sleep. My questions would wait until the morning anyway. Wouldn’t he be surprised when he realized he could talk again?

  Iris flitted into the air. She flew close to my face and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Stay safe. There are some bad people in Lilac Cove.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Have you seen who the killer is through the fountain?”

  She shook her head, but her violet eyes clouded. “I haven’t, but I’ve never seen your father so distraught, Juniper. He knows more than he lets on to the rest of us.”

  He could be here, helping me instead of watching me flounder, I wanted to say. As angry as I might be with Dad, I still wouldn’t disrespect him, even in front of Iris. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you all in four days.”

  “Believe it or not, the majority of us are rooting for you.” Iris tapped her head three times. “Home.”

  In a poof, she was gone. At least now I knew the bets were stacked in my favor.

  Chapter Eleven


  Sleep didn’t come easy on the sofa, and as soon as Mossy’s feet hit the floor, I snatched the blanket away and met her in the kitchen.

  “Tea, my dear?” she asked.

  I stood close enough to invade her personal space. “Yes, please. But we need to talk.”

  She placed a hand over her mouth and let out a wide yawn. “What about?”

  “John Bleaker.”

  Mossy set two teacups on the counter and, after a moment of contemplation, turned to me. “What happened to John is a tragedy. I’m sad he’s gone, and I’m sad to have lost a one-time friend. But there’s nothing you can do that the police aren’t already doing.”

  “I need to help them.”

  “No, you don’t.” Her tone took on a sternness that rivaled my dad’s. “That’s not how things work in the human world. Bad things happen and there is no one to wave a wand or sprinkle fairy dust to fix it.”

  I backed up a step. I’d thought Mossy to be my ally.

  She turned her attention back to fixing the tea. She filled each cup with water from the tap and placed them in the microwave to warm them for a minute.

  After placing a tea bag in my cup, she set it in front of me. Then she smiled as if everything were settled.

  “I have a meeting with the mayor this morning to go over the final flower arrangements for the festival Friday night. I’m so glad you’ll still be here for the festival. It’s the highlight of the year for Lilac Cove.”

  The mayor. John’s place of employment, and the next stop on my list. Sorry, Mossy, but I won’t let this go. Not until I fix it.

  “Can I go with you to your meeting?” I asked.

  She lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I don’t see why not. We have about an hour to get ready.”

  Pip rustled around in his cage and emitted a series of chitters. Mossy disappeared behind the screen, and I took the opportunity to have a quick conversation with my partner.

  I opened the cage and he hopped on the front of my pajamas.