Witch Slapped: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 3)
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There was no telling what he might do.
I tossed the phone down on the driver’s seat and scrambled to get out of the car. I couldn’t risk the chance that Paul would pick Nick up on his radar. Not if Paul was what I thought he might be. As I started around the hood of the car, I wracked my brain, trying to remember the names of the most prominent figures in the Molder family. I wasn’t as familiar with the vampire houses as I should have been, considering quite a few of them called the Seattle haven home. It was the perfect city for vampires thanks to the lack of sunlight and general gloom nine months out of the year. Paul Molder didn’t ring any bells but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a link to the family. For all I knew, Paul Banks was a fake name.
Halfway across the lot, toward the front of the hotel, I spotted him. Paul Banks was indeed at the hotel—and accompanied by a lanky brunette. My eyes narrowed as I tried to get a better look. If Paul was a vampire—a Molder, no less—then there was the distinct possibility that he wasn’t cheating on his soon-to-be-ex-wife, but instead … preparing for his next meal.
Paul stroked a finger down the side of the brunette’s face as she gazed adoringly up at him. His finger slipped past her jaw and traced the lines on her throat. I gulped loudly, trying to push my heart out of my throat. All I knew was that Nick and I needed to get out of there before the parking lot turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet.
I whirled around, looking for Nick. Suddenly, somebody grabbed my wrist and yanked me to the ground with a sharp tug.
CHAPTER SIX
I caught myself before I hit the pavement. Magic sparked to life in the palm of my hand, a stunning spell at the ready as I twisted around to see who had a hold of my arm. “Let me—”
“Holly!” Nick hissed, his eyes wide. He placed a finger over his lips, silently shushing me, then made a grabbing gesture. I furrowed my brows at him and he whispered, “Camera?”
Bats! “I didn’t bring it,” I whispered back.
He gave me a strange look, like he was trying to figure out what was wrong with me. “Then what are you doing out here?” he asked, still keeping his voice low.
I licked my lips and glanced back in the direction of Paul and his leggy date/possible dinner. “I—uh—”
Nick didn’t wait for me to come up with an answer and jogged back to his car. I stayed crouched down behind the cement barricade that encircled the parking lot and peeked back over the top. The brunette was clinging to Paul like he was a life raft. Her full lips curved into a flirtatious smile as Paul whispered something in her ear.
He dropped his lips lower and my heart jumped into my throat. “Not on my watch, pal” I muttered to myself. I rubbed my fingers together, conjuring a stunning spell so powerful the magic hummed against my own skin. I glanced over my shoulder. Nick was bent over, half his torso inside the car as he reached for the camera. I didn’t have time to waste. I turned back and raised my hand, ready to strike.
Paul and his mystery woman were gone.
I blinked, wondering if I’d somehow imagined the whole thing. They couldn’t have just vanished. Could they? The hotel door flapped shut and I cringed. “Bats!” Nick was going to kill me. Worse than that, I might have missed my one chance to save the brunette from a grizzly end. I’d become accustomed to tame vampires—civilized, undead creatures that coexisted with other supernaturals, and even humans, without issue. However, the Molder family was one of the oldest vampire families in existence, and if gossip was to be believed, there were pockets of members that believed in the so-called “ancient” ways. I didn’t know if Paul Banks was one of them—or if he was even a vampire—but if something happened to the woman and I could have stopped it, I’d never be able to forgive myself.
“Where did they go?” Nick asked, crouching back beside me.
I jumped and slapped my hands together to smother the magic that lingered there. “I think they just went inside,” I said, jutting my chin in the direction of the front doors. “Can we go in after them? Pretend to be guests?”
Nick sighed impatiently. I could feel a lecture coming on, but before he could launch into it, the couple reappeared. “Wait,” I hissed. I jerked on the sleeve of his jacket and pointed across the lot as Paul and the brunette stepped out of the shadows. They hadn’t gone inside after all. From the disheveled appearance of her short dress, they’d been overcome by the heat of the moment …
Nick raised the camera over the cement barrier and snapped a series of rapid-fire pictures. The couple was so lost in each other that they didn’t even notice the soft clicking sounds. Paul removed his hands from the woman long enough to open the hotel’s front doors and ushered her inside, stopping just long enough to steal another kiss on the way.
“Bingo,” Nick whispered, snapping another shot at the exact right moment. “That’s what we call the money shot.”
I frowned over at him. “I thought you didn’t like catching cheating spouses.”
“I don’t,” he agreed, lowering the camera. “But I will enjoy collecting a fat check from Mrs. Banks and being rid of her hour-long phone calls.”
“Hour-long calls?” I asked incredulously.
“Yeah,” he replied wryly. “I’m starting to feel like I got into the wrong business. Half the time, I’m playing psychologist anyway …” He muttered something else under his breath as he pushed up from his squatting position. I glanced back at the hotel’s entrance and wracked my brain for a reason to stay and wait a little longer. Nick had what he needed and I should get back to the manor. It was dark and freezing, and from the feeling in the air, rain wasn’t too far off. But I couldn’t ignore the churning in my gut as I wondered what would happen once Paul got the woman behind closed doors.
“You ready?” Nick asked.
I tore my eyes from the hotel and saw that he’d already started back for the car. “Yeah. I was just … thinking.”
“I can see that.” He gave me a soft smile and waited for me to catch up before continuing to the car. “What’s on your mind?”
I sighed, unsure how to explain the heavy feeling in my gut without revealing why I had it. I couldn’t tell Nick anything about my suspicions or the necklace that Georgia was wearing in the picture on his phone. Nick wasn’t from my world and there was no way I could bring him into it, even if it would make things a whole heck of a lot easier sometimes.
He paused before opening the driver’s side door and considered me from across the roof of the sedan. A sudden look of realization crossed his face. “Jeez, I feel like such an idiot. You’ve been cheated on before, haven’t you?”
My eyebrows went sky high. “What?”
“Your ex? Did he ever cheat on you? Is that what you’re thinking about?”
“No. Gabriel wasn’t a cheater.” I shook my head. “Or at least, not in that way.” I tugged the car door open and dropped into the passenger seat. Nick slid into the driver’s seat and we buckled up, carefully avoiding eye contact.
Nick fiddled with his keys. “Sorry, Holly. I shouldn’t have even asked. That’s obviously none of my business.”
I glanced over at him and tried to reassure him with a faint smile. “It’s fine, Nick. Don’t worry about it.”
He nodded but then let out a heavy sigh. He dropped his head back and stared up at the ceiling for a long moment. “These cases get to me, Holls. I didn’t mean to make light of it.”
I briefly met his gaze and instantly wished I hadn’t. His normally bright blue eyes were dark in the low lighting and had a deep, intense quality to them that I hadn’t seen before. There was something magnetic and arresting about the way he looked and I couldn’t blink. Or breathe.
“It’s sad,” he continued. “When stuff like this happens. You gotta figure that at some point, Paul and Georgia Banks were this crazy, hopelessly-in-love couple. They had plans and dreams for their future. And now … six years later … they’re ready to go their separate ways and all those good years may as well never have even happened.”
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nbsp; I swallowed hard. “Some things just aren’t meant to last.”
“I guess not.”
Nick broke eye contact first and my heart sputtered back into action. He looked out the driver’s side window, back at the hotel entrance.
“Now what?” I asked after a long moment.
Nick hitched a single shoulder. “We leave. I’ll send the photos to Georgia in the morning and let her do with them whatever she pleases.”
I bobbed my head and interlaced my fingers together in my lap. “Right.”
“You sure you’re okay, Holly?”
“I’m sure,” I answered, wishing for the dozenth time that I could simply tell him the truth. About everything. If there was one person who would understand—even welcome—the supernatural world I lived in, it was Nick. But I couldn’t. It would be too big of a risk, especially when I was already on thin ice with Harvey and the SPA.
“All right. Let’s get out of this weather then,” Nick said as he turned the key in the ignition. The car purred to life and a blast of hot air streamed almost instantly from the vents. Without another word, he pulled out of the compact parking space and headed back toward the road. We both remained lost in our own thoughts as he drove back into Beechwood Harbor. My mind bounced all over the place, jumping from the past, to the present, to the future, and then back again, coming up with more questions but finding no answers.
Nick pulled up along the sidewalk in front of the manor and we both stared up at the stately home. The porch lights were on, illuminating the immaculately maintained facade. Several interior lights were lit and I spotted Boots’ silhouette jumping down from one of the second-level sills, likely getting ready to charge me the moment I stepped inside. I smiled to myself and reached for the door handle, but then paused. It felt like there was something that needed to be said, but I wasn’t sure what it was.
In the end, Nick broke the silence first as he twisted in his seat and smiled at me. “Thanks for coming with me tonight, Holly. It was nice to have some company for once.”
I slung my purse over my shoulder. “Sure thing. It’s fun to play super spy sometimes.”
“You might need to log a few more hours to launch yourself into the super category, but you’re getting there.” Nick’s eyes danced in the soft light of the cab. Suddenly it was like I couldn’t quite take a full breath, as though the air were thinning. I flailed to open the door, my fingers missing the handle on the first attempt. “Here,” he said, leaning across to unlatch the door. “Goodnight, Holly.”
“Night, Nick.”
I hurried to untangle myself from the seat belt and then ambled up the walk. I paused at the front porch to look over my shoulder and watch Nick drive away. A dull ache in my chest refused to leave and I knew it had nothing to do with the fact that somewhere across town, a dangerous vampire might be on the loose.
I heaved a sigh and tried to put the whole strange evening out of my mind as I entered the manor. After all, I’d been under a lot of stress lately.
After a fitful night of sleep, I woke up still feeling out of sorts, and things only got worse when I arrived at Siren’s Song. Nick burst through the doors before I could even finish tying my apron around my waist, and his face was so pale that he could have given Lacey a run for her money. He rushed to the counter, and as he placed his hands on the smooth Formica, I noticed they were shaking.
“Nick? What’s wrong?”
He leaned over the desk, his eyes wild. “You remember Mr. Banks, from last night?”
I nodded, my brows knitting together. “Yeah? What about him?”
“Holly.” Nick drew in a deep breath. “He’s dead.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Dead?” I repeated, desperately hoping I’d misheard Nick’s proclamation.
To my horror, he nodded. “They found him this morning, in that same hotel room.”
“Bats …” I glanced around, assuring myself that no one was listening. “What—uh—what happened?”
“He was found by the maid, dead in the bathtub.”
“The bathtub? What are we talking, toaster in the tub? Or …”
“I don’t think so.” Nick shook his head. “I don’t know much at this point. I heard the call over the scanner and recognized the address. When I got there, the team was still working the scene and I wasn’t able to go in.”
As a private investigator and former journalist, Nick was adept at keeping his finger on the pulse of the news items in the small community. It wasn’t a secret that he had access to a couple of police scanners and listened to them like some people would listen to a radio station. He claimed it was an old habit. Since his arrival in Beechwood Harbor, he had established quite the rapport with Chief Lincoln, but he still wasn’t able to have free reign over crime scenes or get unlimited access to police files. The details of the case would leak out over the following days.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “What about his, uh, date?”
Nick ducked his chin. “No one knows where she is but she wasn’t in the hotel room. So either she’d already left by the time he was attacked, or whoever killed him took her with them.”
“So, she might have gotten away? Made a run for it?”
Nick considered the theory and nodded. “It’s possible. I’ll know more when I get a chance to talk to Chief Lincoln. He wants to see me at the station in an hour to go over my statement. I already gave him a description of the woman so they can try to find out who she is.” Nick paused for a few seconds. “Or, it’s possible she’s the one who did it.”
I turned the theory over in my head. She wouldn’t have been able to escape Paul if he were a vampire. At least, the odds were low. But if he wasn’t? Maybe they’d had a fight? A lovers’ quarrel gone too far? It was horrifying either way, but I would rest somewhat easier knowing vampires weren’t tangled up in the murder.
A new, even more somber thought popped into my head. “How’s Georgia taking it?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Nick frowned. “She hasn’t answered her phone. I don’t even know if she knows yet.”
My stomach turned. “That’s awful.”
Nick shifted uncomfortably. “I suppose it’s not really news that should be delivered over the phone anyway. Chief Lincoln is headed over to speak with her.”
The room took on a sudden chill. I folded my arms and rubbed my biceps with my hands. Whatever their differences were, he had still been her husband. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to get that kind of news. “Are you going to show her the pictures?”
With a pained expression, Nick nodded. “I have to see if she knows the woman he was with. The police need that ID. The more information they can get, the faster they can track down whoever did this.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Chief Lincoln will probably want to get your statement from last night. I told him you were with me when I got the pictures of Paul.”
“Right.” I made a move toward the espresso machine. “You need a coffee for the ride?”
Nick shook his head. “I don’t think I could stomach anything right now. I’ll stop by later though, okay?”
“Okay.” I rested a hand on the counter. “Tell Chief Lincoln I’ll be here all day if he needs me.”
“Will do.” Nick backed up and exited the shop just as the first push of the morning rush was on the way in.
Cassie emerged from the back room at the sound of the bell ringing. She joined me at the counter as the cluster of peopled formed a line. “Was that Nick?”
I nodded, still dazed.
“Holly? You okay?”
I jumped at her feather-light touch on my shoulder. “What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. You wanna take orders or do drinks?”
“I’ll work the bar,” she said, sliding into place at the espresso machine. She launched into whipping up orders made from memory, as most of the people lining up at the register were regulars who rarely strayed from their normal orders.
****
By the time I got back to the manor after a long, ten-hour shift, I was mentally and physically exhausted. My feet ached and my stomach was churning, practically begging me for something more substantial than the three sugar cookies and large coffee I’d had for lunch. The manor was quiet when I stepped inside, but as soon as I closed the door behind me, I heard the sound of frantic paws on the floor. Boots crashed against me half a heartbeat later.
“It’s nice to know you’ll always be here, ready to greet me,” I told him, stooping over to scratch at his favorite spot under his chin.
As much as I liked spending time with Adam in the evenings, I had to admit, there was something nice about coming home to a quiet house every now and then. Especially after a long day. I didn’t have to worry about getting right back into my coat to go down to McNally’s for dinner. Then again, at least with Adam around, there was always good food. As it was, I’d probably crack open a can of soup and call it good enough.
My stomach rumbled loudly and I started to the kitchen, following Boots, who was, predictably, just as eager for dinner. I popped the top on a can of cat food before opening a can of soup for myself. “This is some pretty high class dining here, Bootsie,” I said sarcastically, frowning at the gloppy mess inside the soup can.
He was too busy inhaling his own dinner to commiserate.
A flick of my fingers had a fire crackling under the large green kettle on the stove. I supposed I should get out a proper saucepan, but the kettle was infinitely more convenient and I was feeling too lazy to put in much more effort. While the contents simmered, I pulled my phone from the pocket of my jeans and checked through my messages. Adam had texted earlier in the afternoon, asking me to call him when I was back home, so I dialed his number and propped the phone against my shoulder while I finished heating up my dinner.