by Tegan Maher
I held up my hand when security started to haul him away. “Hang on a second. Margo, this guy’s a suspect in a murder. I just caught him outside Andromeda’s door trying to get into her apartment. Did he do it?”
She tilted her head and furrowed her stony brow, her expression studious. After a few moments, she shook her head. “Not murder. He’s guilty of something, but he didn’t kill anybody. He doesn’t have it in him.”
I growled in frustration but was glad I’d asked. I wanted to clear the case, but I didn’t want to pin it on the wrong guy.
“Fine,” I said, then turned to security. “Let’s take him to Blake’s office. We’ll find out exactly what he did.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” Zachary asked, then flipped his head to get a lock of dark hair out of his eyes.
“Nope,” I replied. “She said you’ve done something, so we need to figure out what.”
He hung his head. “I stole the key from the front desk. When I heard she was dead, I wanted to get my mom’s bracelet back if she hasn’t hocked it yet. I know I should have come forward, but ...” he turned his cuffed palms up, “I was afraid this would happen.”
I huffed a breath out through my cheeks. “Fabulous.” I gave him a once-over with my mental bullshit meter. He was telling the truth. “You still need to talk to Blake. You can’t just go around stealing keys and breaking into rooms.”
“But it didn’t even work,” he protested.
“That’s because Blake cast a security spell on the room. It’s standard procedure anytime a crime happens,” the security guy said.
“See there, then?” I said to Zachary. “All that, and now you’re in trouble for nothing. Likely banned from the resort. Was it worth it?”
He sighed and shook his head. “No.”
“Wait,” the second security guy said. He’d remained silent up until now. “How did you know the victim stole your mother’s bracelet?”
Zachary shrugged. “I didn’t for sure, but people around here talk. Somebody overheard the faeries arguing at the tiki bar, and when Mother went to dress for dinner last night, she says her bracelet was gone.”
“Andromeda didn’t do it,” I said, wiping my brow with my forearm. Even that late in the evening, it was still hot. “Or it’s unlikely she did, anyway. She didn’t get here until late.”
“Mother and I met her in the casino late last night. She sat by us at the craps table,” he replied. “Though if she always wins like that, I wouldn’t think she needs to steal in order to get nice jewelry.”
“So you think she stole it right off your mom’s wrist?” Andromeda might have been slick, but I doubted she was that good. Surely the woman would have noticed it was gone when she went to undress for the night.
Zachary shrugged. “It’s gone and there’s a thief here. I’m not much good at math, but that seems like an easy one. Besides, when I went to confront her this morning, she didn’t deny it.”
“Maybe so,” I replied. “Give Blake a description of the bracelet, and he’ll look for it when he inventories her belongings. If it’s there and you or your mother can identify it, he’ll give it back to you, I’m sure.”
I jerked my head at the security guys. “Take him to Blake’s office, please. I’ll let him know you’re on your way.”
“I’ll go tell him,” Tempest said. “I’m roasting and could use some AC.”
I nodded. “Meet you back here in a few, then.”
She faded away, and once security was gone with Zachary, I sighed and climbed up on Margo’s pedestal, sitting so I was in the shade of her giant head. “I really wanted it to be him.”
“I know,” she said, “but you did the right thing. There’s still a murderer on the loose. You can’t let that slide.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “Aiden’s still the prime suspect, though. If I don’t figure this out, I have no doubt the faeries will all be up in arms. You know how clannish they are.”
We sat in silence, looking out at the horizon. Two sets of fins, one purple and the other turquoise, flashed in the sun, and I smiled. That would be Amber and Dax, two of my favorite people on the planet. They were merpeople who often came on weekends when their inlaws could keep the kids. They hung out at the floating bar and were not only fun people, they were great tippers. They even used cash, which was something not all sea people were good with. It wasn’t unusual for me to be tipped in shiny shells or silver spoons because they had a vastly different trading system than landlocked folks did.
“You’ll figure it out,” she said. “I have faith in you.”
“Well, thanks for catching him, anyway,” I said, and the whole pedestal rumbled when she laughed.
“When I saw him running this way like hellhounds were on his tail, I figured something was up. I snatched him before he could get away. That is my job, you know.”
“I know,” I said, grinning up at her, “but you love it, too.”
She smothered a grin of her own. “I haven’t chomped anybody in a long while. It used to be par for the course back when punishments were harsher than they are now.”
“Much harsher,” I replied. “Back then you’d lose a hand for stealing, right?”
“For the first offense, yes,” she said. “Unless you were stupid enough to steal from royalty. Then it was just chomp, chomp, no more you. I was okay with it, though. Back then, most thieves were usually involved in other more serious activities, so even though they’d get caught stealing, there was a good chance they were guilty of a whole lot more. I’d always look into their hearts before I just ate them. I didn’t want to just slurp down somebody trying to feed his or her family.”
“That was considerate of you,” I replied, still smiling.
She lifted a massive shoulder. “I’m nothing if not fair.”
Only in my world would this be a normal conversation.
Chapter 12
Tempest came back a couple minutes later, and we sat there for a few more minutes until the stunning spell wore the rest of the way off. As soon as it did, though, I pushed off the pedestal. As much as I would have preferred to sit there and talk a while longer, I had a murderer to catch, so we headed down to the tiki.
As soon as we rounded the corner, a deep, familiar voice sent a delicious shiver down my spine. It didn’t take me long to spot Colin sitting at the bar, his back to me as he laughed at something Dimitri was saying. He was dressed for the beach in a tank top and board shorts, and I grinned as the smooth, toned muscles of his back and shoulders rippled with mirth. Every time I looked at him, I wondered how I’d managed to get so lucky.
“Hey, you,” I said, coming up behind him. “What’s a nice boy like you doin’ in a dive like this?”
He turned and pulled me into his arms, his chocolate eyes shining with naughtiness. “Oh, you know, just lookin’ to pick up a hot bartender. I heard there was one here, so I decided to come see for myself.”
Dimitri barely kept a straight face as he waved Colin off. “Oh, stop. I know I’m hot, but this will never be more than a casual flirtation. You’ve not my type. Werewolves are too broody.”
“Hey!” Colin said. “I find that a little offensive. You’d be lucky to have me.”
Dimitri laughed as he poured me a citrus water and shoved it across the bar to me. “Even if that were true, it wouldn’t be fair to Des to have to compete with”—he motioned up and down himself—“all this. I’ll bow out gracefully.”
“Thanks,” I said, grinning and giving Colin a kiss. “That’s generous of you. It just so happens werewolves are my type.”
Colin turned his raised brows to me. “Werewolves? Plural? Do I need to take care of some competition?”
“Nope,” I said, squeezing his knee as I climb onto the stool beside him. “One werewolf is enough for me. Your place in my heart is secure.”
“Barf,” Tempest said, rolling her eyes. “Can we order supper before I lose my appetite?”
Colin smiled at her. “Don’t be a h
ater. I love you, too. Plus, I seriously doubt anything could kill your appetite.”
“Keep up the gooey talk,” she said, jumping onto his lap, “and we’ll see about that. Today’s been a nightmare.”
“Tough day, huh?” he asked as Dimitri slid an order of nachos in front of him.
“You have no idea,” Tempest said as he pulled a plate forward and put a couple chips on it for her. He was one of the few people on the planet she liked, and she was usually glued to him the whole time he was there. “I’m exhausted, and Destiny barely took time off to eat. All I’ve had today is some fruit, a piece of a grilled cheese, and a little tiny portion of her cheeseburger.”
I raised my brows at her. “And about three oranges that you stole one wedge at a time from the bar caddy, two-thirds of my fries, five pickle spears, three huge onion rings, and whatever else you managed to filch when I wasn’t looking. You’ve probably eaten more than I have today.”
“Snacks,” she said. “We should order steak for dinner.”
Steak did sound good, but I was so tired that if I ate like that, I’d pass out. Seeing as how we had a murderer on the loose, that didn’t sound like the best plan. “We can have steak tomorrow.”
Colin laughed. “Speak for yourself. I’m having a steak.” As a werewolf, he ate an inordinate amount of red meat, but it was kinda baked into his genetics.
“Fine,” I said. “Steak it is. I could use a decent meal. But tomorrow, assuming we solve this murder and two Romanian royal families don’t start an all-out war here, I’d like to head to Abaddon’s Gate and grab some Mexican. I’d kill for a giant blackened shrimp burrito right about now.”
“That does sound good,” Tempest said, nodding.
“No!” Colin barked. “You’re not having a burrito. Or if you do, no beans. And I mean it. Whatever comes out of that tiny little body of yours is no joke.”
I laughed. The last time we’d gone for Mexican, I’d warned him not to give her beans, but he’d given in and slipped her a piece of his burrito when I wasn’t looking. Three hours later, he was regretting his kindness when she gassed us clear out of the house, all the while laughing so hard she was rolling on the floor. If she ever figured out a way to weaponize that on a large scale, world domination would be within her reach.
“So what ended up happening up there?” Dimitri asked, leaning his elbow on the bar. “I heard a ruckus.”
I took a sip of my water and plucked a cheese-covered chip off the nacho plate, then gave him a rundown of the last half-hour’s events.
“So that guy was up to something,” he said. “Just not murder.”
“Definitely up to something,” I said, frowning. I understood where he’d been coming from, but disagreed to my bones with his methods. Then again, upon further thought, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have gone about it the same way myself. Probably not, though. I tended to be an open book. Sneaking around wasn’t my thing.
He scowled at me, and I couldn’t figure out what I’d done. “What?”
“Stop taking on bad guys by yourself,” he said, wagging a finger at me. “We’d miss you if you went and got yourself dead. Or worse yet, it would suck if we had to listen to you whine for the six weeks it would take to heal a broken leg. Besides, the only other person left to help run this dive is me, and there’s no way I’m getting roped into it.”
I huffed. “I don’t know what healer you use, but waiting six weeks for a bone to heal is for humans. I have a cousin who’s such a whiz with potions that I’d be back up and good as new in three days, tops.”
That wasn’t a lie, either. Her mom is an excellent healer, and Mila learned all that stuff as early as she could. I couldn’t even remember a time when she wasn’t making a potion of some sort. I didn’t address the management thing because I didn’t blame him even a little bit.
He crossed his arms and smirked at me. “I don’t have to worry about it. I’m a faerie. I’m naturally graceful and don’t have to worry about broken bones.” His expression turned serious. “For real, though, Des, I hope you’re never in that situation again, but if you are, don’t dive in alone. Wait for backup.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Colin said, turning a gruff gaze toward me. “I know you’re powerful, but you’re not immortal.”
“Aww,” I said, giving him a gentle nudge in the ribs. “Are you sayin’ you like me and you’d miss me?”
He leaned closer and put his forehead against mine. “I’m sayin’ I love you and it would kill me if something happened to you.”
My belly got a little warm and I leaned over to him and nudged him with my shoulder. “Back ‘atcha. Trust me, I have no intention of dying anytime soon.”
“Good,” he said, “but what now?”
“That’s what I’d like to know, too,” a tinkling voice said from behind me. Cyri pulled up on the stool beside me and reached over to snatch a chip from the plate. “I mean, we all know Aiden didn’t do it, but how long are you going to be able to fend off the higher-ups? We need to get this resolved.”
“I’m trying,” I replied. “I thought we had him, but it turned out to be a dead end.”
“I’ve been asking around down here while you were checking into all that,” she said. “And there have only been a few strangers here. I can vouch for most of the faeries. I know them, and besides, we’re not exactly the type to kill somebody in secrecy. Technically, she stole from us, so Aiden was within his rights to confront her. If she tried to curse him, he’d have been within his rights to kill her.”
“Did she try to do that?” I asked.
“Nope,” Cyri said, munching on her pilfered snack. “She denied it at first, then told him to prove it when he wouldn’t let it go. But she didn’t try anything magical.”
“Maybe you’re going about this the wrong way,” Colin said, and I could see his lawyer’s mind churning.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “She wasn’t here very long, so I don’t see how she could have made an enemy that quickly. She came in, got in a little late-night gambling, then probably went to bed.”
He shrugged, “Maybe. What time was it when you saw her here?”
“Noon-ish,” Cyri replied.
“Then she had all morning,” Colin said. “Have you tracked her activities?”
“No,” I replied, a little irritated that I hadn’t thought of that. He was right. Where had she been before she came to the tiki? “But I’m going to right now.” I pushed off the stool and headed to the office.
“Where are you going?” Tempest asked. “We haven’t ordered yet.”
I glanced at Dimitri. “Whenever they order, I’ll do a steak, mid-rare, and a side of broccoli.”
Tempest screwed up her face. “Onion rings.”
“No onion rings,” Colin said. “They’re as bad as beans.”
While they bickered, I headed to my office. If Andromeda had made any charges that morning, I could find them easily enough. Maybe we’d have another string to pull at.
With a few keystrokes, I had her—or rather Pietra’s—account pulled up. She’d had breakfast at the buffet, then had done a little shopping. In the surf store, she’d bought the very-expensive sunglasses she’d been wearing along with a pair of men’s board shorts, size large.
I chewed on my lip, thinking. She’d been a little taller than me, maybe, but certainly not a men’s large. So who had they been for? I rubbed my forehead in frustration. That had been at nine a.m. and she hadn’t made any more charges until she’d bought her drink at the tiki. That left about three hours unaccounted for.
I tapped my pen on the desk. “Where did you spend your morning, Andromeda? And who did you piss off enough to kill you?”
Chapter 13
I sat for a few more minutes, then tapped a few keys on the computer. Security footage popped up, and I mentally crossed my fingers as I clicked the time and location. I decided to start where I knew she’d been last—the board shop. I fast-forwarded until she came in, the sl
owed it down so I could pay attention.
She browsed for a few minutes before picking up two pairs of sunglasses, and I rolled my eyes when she glanced around before stuffing one of them in her purse. I didn’t get people who stole for the thrill. She had Pietra’s room card, so there was no reason she couldn’t have paid for them.
After that, she headed straight toward the board shorts, which told me she’d planned to buy a pair. She didn’t browse this time; instead, she went straight to the large section and flipped through a few pairs before she pulled out a dark pair. She took them and the sunglasses straight to the register, paid for them, and left the store.
I closed that after checking the timestamp, then pulled up the footage from the lobby cams and fast-forwarded to a few minutes before she would have gone in. I caught sight of her and did a little fist pump when she met up with a man and kissed him. He was wearing a ball cap and the footage was grainy, so there wasn’t a good shot of his face. All I could tell was that he was tall and had blond hair, and the only reason I knew that was because it was long enough that the hat didn’t cover it.
His tee-shirt was a Guy Harvey—a popular clothing line for fishermen that often had a picture of a single fish on a hook—though I couldn’t tell what sort of fish was on it. I also couldn’t tell what color it was since the footage was in black and white. I growled in frustration. With the money we spent on security, there was no reason we didn’t have full-color cams.
They got into an elevator, but I couldn’t find them after that. I flipped through a little more footage, checking different places, but after fifteen minutes, I was no closer to knowing what she’d done with that two hours than I was when I’d sat down. She’d just disappeared.
I logged out of the security and pushed up from the chair, irritated that I’d found something and nothing all at once.
“Why the frown?” Colin asked when I slid onto my stool. “No luck?”