Posy was the first one to find me. “Holly? Holly! You’re back for good?”
I wished she wasn’t a ghost so I could give her a bear hug. “You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I quipped, smiling at her.
She laughed. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a hundred years, dear.”
“Thanks, Posy.”
Footsteps sounded and we were joined by Evangeline, Lacey, Adam, and Boots. A chorus of excitement was followed by a barrage of questions. I scooped Boots into my arms and buried my face in his fur before I started answering their questions.
“Where did you go?” Evangeline asked.
Adam waited until I set Boots back on the floor to wrap me in his arms. “Are you all right? If anyone laid a finger on you …”
“Where’s that pint-sized goblin?” Lacey demanded, her fangs bared.
I laughed softly. “Harvey took me to the Seattle haven. We made a little deal.”
“A deal?” Adam repeated, his brows knit together.
I nodded. “I’m helping him with his case and in exchange, he let me go.”
Evangeline cocked her head. “Just like that?”
“Well, not exactly.” I dropped a look to my boots. “I have to shut down my potions business. For good this time, unless I can manage to get my license.”
“Oh, Holly,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you. I guess in comparison to jail time, it’s a bargain, but it hurts.”
Adam squeezed me tighter. “We’ll figure something out, gorgeous. I’m just glad you’re back and you’re safe.”
“We all are,” Posy added.
“Thanks you guys.”
Evangeline embraced me when Adam let me go. “I’ve already called Teddy. He’ll be here as soon as he can to help us sort all of this out.”
“I appreciate that, Evangeline, but I don’t think there’s much he can do at this point. But, Harvey did say that when this is all over, he’ll help me petition the council to give me my license. So maybe Teddy can help with that?”
“Of course!” she said brightly, as though it were already a done deal.
“I’m glad you’re back,” Lacey said. “Things wouldn’t be the same without you around here.”
I sniffled, trying to hold in the swell of emotions that had been building in my chest for hours, but the dam broke and I burst into ugly tears.
***
“So on a scale from one to ten, how awkward is breakfast with your parents going to be tomorrow?” I asked Adam once we were alone again. Posy had gone up to the attic and Lacey and Evangeline had each retired to their own rooms. Adam and I went to the kitchen, Boots in hot pursuit, and I gave him a can of tuna to soothe him.
Adam chuckled from his place at the stove as he made two cups of hot apple cider. He brought them over to the table, steam pouring off them, and settled into the chair kitty-corner to mine at the end of the table. “I’d give it a solid eight-and-a-half.”
I groaned and dropped my head to the table. “Great.”
Adam ran a hand over my shoulders. “It’ll be fine. We’ll just tell them …” he paused and I peeked up at him. His face was twisted into an expression that would have had me laughing out loud under any other circumstances. “We’ll think of something.”
I pushed up and propped my chin in my hands. “Adam, your parents just saw me hauled out of here in cuffs, led by an angry SPA goblin on a power trip. I’m not sure that’s something we can just explain away. And even if we could, it’s not going to scrub the visual from their minds.”
“I know.” He stirred the contents of his mug and frowned.
“I’m really sorry,” I said, barely above a whisper. “This is all my fault. I should have followed the rules when I got into town. I never should have started my business back up again. It was always a gamble. At the beginning, it would have only affected me if I got busted. But now … well that’s different, isn’t it? Now my choices affect way more than just myself. I shouldn’t have put any of you in that position.”
Adam took my hand and offered me a smile. “Don’t apologize, gorgeous. Your stubbornness is wildly attractive. At least when it’s not directed at me.” I laughed and he leaned forward to steal a kiss. “We’ll figure something out and my parents will just have to deal. It’s not like you murdered someone.”
“Speaking of …”
Adam’s eyebrows shot up.
I waved my hand. “Harvey’s still alive and kicking, I promise. What I was going to say, is that this whole thing traces back to that case I was telling you about on the phone the other night.”
“The Molder thing?”
I nodded and stirred my own cider. “Yeah. I can’t really get into all the details. Harvey told me it’s pretty top secret stuff and honestly, I’m not even really sure what the SPA is trying to accomplish, but it’s a big deal and the only reason he let me go was because I agreed to help him and give him all the information I have.”
“Bats, Holly.”
“I know. Not ideal, but it was a last ditch effort that paid off.”
He considered his still-steaming mug for a long moment. I could almost see the gears in his mind turning, but had no idea what they were churning over. “I just want you to be safe, Holly. All these murder cases with Nick—”
“Adam,” I groaned.
“No, I’m serious, Holly. This isn’t some over-zealous lady with a bottle of peppermint syrup in a back alley. This is really scary stuff! The Molders are ancient and they haven’t survived this long by handing out lollipops and teddy bears!”
“Don’t you think I know that?”
He reached for my other hand and held on tightly. His dark eyes locked with mine. “Holly, promise me you’ll leave this alone. You’ll let the SPA take care of this mess and you won’t go off half-cocked.”
“Half-cocked? It’s like you don’t know me at all,” I teased, desperate to break the thick mood between us.
Adam didn’t so much as grin.
“Okay, okay. I promise. I’ll leave it alone. I won’t dig. I will go about my business.”
“Thank you.”
I shrugged. “It’s for the best. Now that my business has been shut down, I need to find a second job.”
A mischievous smile twitched at Adam’s lips. “Too bad I don’t have the budget to hire an assistant,” he said, wiggling his thick brows at me.
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling but couldn’t help but giggle at his suggestion.
****
With one crisis averted, I set out early the next morning to solve the other. I stopped at Siren’s Song to load up on goodies, even though I knew there was no way I would be able to worm my way back into Nick’s good graces even with white chocolate chip cookies and a huge mocha with extra sprinkles. But, knowing Nick, it would be a good ice breaker to keep him from slamming the door of his office in my face.
And I was right. Nick was in his office, hunched over his desk, when I pushed open the door. He jumped when I stepped into the room, so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t heard me tapping on the door seconds before I let myself in.
“Holly, what are you doing here?” He glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was barely seven o’clock, and he didn’t look like his mood had improved since the last time I’d seen him.
I cocked my hip. “The better question is what are you doing here? Do you ever sleep?”
Nick rubbed his eyes and then scrubbed his hands down his face. He looked haggard. A five o’clock shadow coated his cheeks and jawline and his hair was mussed from raking his hands through it. He was wearing a fresh shirt and different tie than the day before, but I still imagined he hadn’t gone home for more than just a nap and a quick shower since the day before. He was always like this when there was a murder case on the line. I’d witnessed it twice before. He wasn’t a cop, but he would work just as hard to get to the bottom of what had happened. It was the combination of the PI and reporter in him. It wouldn’t quit.<
br />
“I come bearing gifts,” I said, not waiting for him to answer the first question. I set the coffee and bag of cookies on the desk in front of him. “Although, considering you probably haven’t eaten anything of substance since yesterday, I probably shouldn’t drop this sugar bomb on you.”
Nick swiped up the coffee cup before I could take it away. “Holly, sit down.”
I did as he asked and slowly turned my own coffee cup, rolling it between my palms as I waited for him to speak.
“I’m sorry for yesterday,” he said. “I shouldn’t have come to your house and shouted at you like that.”
“Nick, you don’t—”
He stopped me with a hand. “No, let me finish, please.”
“All right.”
He dragged a hand through his hair. “We’ve known each other long enough now that I know you were trying to help. I also know you’re a little … impulsive.” I frowned at his assessment and a tiny hint of a smile crossed his lips before he hurried to add, “But I also know that your instincts are solid and usually right on.”
I leaned back in my chair. “I should have told you I was going to visit Georgia. She’s your client.”
“Was,” Nick corrected.
“Right.” I shifted in my seat. “I crossed a line and I’m sorry, Nick. Is there anything I can do to help? I can go apologize to her too, if you think that would help.”
Nick smiled and took a long drink of his mocha. “I think it’s a little past that. But, I’m going to the hotel today to see about getting some more leads. You wanna tag along?”
“You really want me to?”
He shrugged. “Why not? Like I said, your instincts are usually dead on and I find it helps to bat around ideas.”
“What are you looking for at the hotel? If you’re not working for Georgia anymore, why bother?”
“Chief Lincoln has a theory he wants me to check out. As you know, he’s low on manpower and asked me to follow up on his suspicions to see if anything turns up. Also, Georgia has offered up a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest of her late husband’s killer.” Nick smiled. “I guess she figured it was the right move to make. Although, if you ask me, it’s more to garner attention to herself. Anyway, I figure if I’m not getting my stipend from her directly, then the reward money would be the next best thing.”
“How much are we talking?”
“A cool 100K.”
My mouth dropped open and Nick laughed. “Exactly. So, what do you say? You help me out, I’ll give you a 30% cut. You working today?”
I popped up from my chair. “I am now! Let’s go!”
Nick laughed and stood from his desk. He grabbed his coat from the rack and shrugged into it. “I thought that might sway you.”
Technically I should probably go back to the manor and try to wow Adam’s parents and make them forget about that whole dragged-out-in-handcuffs thing. But that idea was daunting and going with Nick sounded like a lot more fun. I’d promised Adam I would stay out of the SPA investigation, and definitely far away from any Molder family members, but asking some questions of a few hotel staffers couldn’t be dangerous. Besides, if Nick and I cracked the case, my split of the reward money would go a long way toward softening the financial blow from shutting down my potions business.
Adam would understand.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
We arrived at the hotel caffeinated and slightly sugar high, thanks to the tag-team effort on the bag of cookies during the drive over. Nick led the way to the front desk where a young woman dressed in all-black was studying a computer screen with a glazed look. Nick cleared his throat and placed his palms on the smooth stone counter-top. “Excuse me.”
The woman looked up with a vaguely annoyed look. Clearly not a morning person. Or a people person, for that matter. “Yes?”
Nick bristled at her impatient tone. “My name is Nick Rivers. I’m a PI working with the Beechwood Harbor PD on the murder investigation. I have some questions I’d like to ask the staffers who were on duty that night. Are any of them here today, by chance?”
The woman frowned and consulted her computer screen. The sound of her mouse clicking was the only thing that broke the silence as she searched for something. I was starting to think that she was playing solitaire and ignoring our presence entirely when she looked back up at Nick. “You can talk to Ginger and Francine. They were working that night and are just finishing their shift now.”
Nick nodded, making a mental note of the names. “And where might I find them?”
“Laundry room on the second floor.”
“Thank you for your help,” Nick said politely. When we were a few paces away, he looked at me archly. “Well. She was delightful.”
I laughed under my breath and followed him onto the elevator. Once the door closed, I asked, “Did the police talk to these two women before?”
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know. I would imagine so, but it never hurts to go back a few days after the event and get a second round of questions answered. A lot of times people don’t think they saw anything, only to remember something later. Even something small, an odd detail or tiny fragment of information, can break a case wide open.”
“I hope so.” I wasn’t convinced that the Molders weren’t somehow linked to the case, but if it turned out they weren’t responsible for the murder, it would make life easier, and infinitely safer, for everyone.
Nick motioned me off the elevator first and we wandered around the second floor of the hotel in search of the laundry room. Two women came rushing out of a door, coats in hand, and nearly crashing into us. Behind them, I could see washers, dryers, and a folding table. Apparently we’d found the girls from the laundry room or, more accurately, they’d found us.
“Are you lost?” the taller of the two women asked politely. She had long blonde hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail, and wore understated make-up. Her name tag identified her as Ginger.
“No, ma’am. We are actually here to talk to you both,” Nick replied.
The shorter woman had a dirty blonde pixie cut. She cocked a hip and looked at him suspiciously. “You a cop?”
I shifted a glance over to Nick. “Why is that always the first question?”
He ignored me and answered the girl. “I’m a private investigator. My name is Nick. I work with Chief Lincoln and his department on cases from time to time and am here to ask a few questions about the night of the unfortunate attack here in the hotel. The woman at the front desk said that both of you were working that night. I assume you’re Francine?”
The shorter woman nodded and looked up at Ginger. Ginger took the lead and waved a hand at the door. “Let’s get out of here, I’ve had enough of the humidity for one day. We’re both off the clock now but we can answer your questions.”
The clear message—make it quick.
Ginger led us to a small alcove that held a couple of wingback chairs, a coffee table with magazines splayed across it, and some fake plants. “What do you want to know?” she asked. “We both spoke to the police when they were here … cleaning things up.” She looked a little green just mentioning it.
Nick cleared his throat. Neither of us had seen the crime scene, but from what everyone was saying, I was grateful to have missed it. “Had you ever seen the victim here before that night?”
Ginger shook her head. “No, but our work keeps us in the laundry room for most of the night. I’m sure you can imagine the work load in a place like this. We have over a hundred rooms and stay pretty busy, especially this time of year with people coming in for the holidays.”
“At least we were busy,” added Francine.
Ginger nodded. “We’ve had a lot of cancellations since this happened.”
An unfortunate side effect. I wondered if that explained the clerk’s frosty reception at the desk. No paying guests, and probably a horde of looky-loos trying to find out what happened.
“Well the sooner we can get this cleared u
p, the sooner it will go back to normal.” Nick retrieved a printed picture from inside his coat. It was the clearest one he had from the night we’d been out in the parking lot. Paul was tangled up with his mystery date. It was a haunting image in hindsight. “As you might have heard, the victim was here with a guest that night. She’s missing. Do either of you recognize her?”
The two women studied the picture for a moment and then exchanged another dark look.
“What?” I interjected, a coil of anxiety wrapping around my stomach. “You know who she is?”
Francine sighed. “That’s Naomi Givens. She’s a …”
“Hooker,” Ginger finished.
Nick flinched. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah.” Ginger snapped her gum. “She likes to hang out at The Grasshopper—it’s a bar a few miles up the coast. Anyways, when she’s on a date with someone, she likes to bring them here. It’s the closest hotel that’s not full of roaches and mold.”
I recognized the name of the bar. Maybe Paul and this Naomi were both regulars there? I looked at Francine. “How do you know that she’s a prostitute?”
Francine shrugged one rounded shoulder and snapped her gum again. “She told me. We were in the elevator one morning. She was on her way out and I was just getting off my shift. I’d seen her in here before, always with a different guy. Usually pretty dressed up. Anyways, in the elevator, she dropped an envelope and I picked it up for her and saw that it was stuffed with hundred dollar bills. I didn’t say nothin’ because it’s none of my business, but she told me there was two grand in the envelope. She giggled about it not being bad for a night’s work. Told me I was in the wrong profession.”
Ginger snorted. “As if you could call what she does a profession.”
Nick glanced down at the photo in his hands. “Had you seen the victim here before? With her?”
Witch Slapped: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 3) Page 10