by Cat Larson
My throat constricted. Comedy hour over. Unfortunately, Fernando wasn’t in human form and had little defense against accidentally getting lodged underneath Damon’s boot. I was starting to get up when he came out of the room.
“Because there’s a bowl of water on the floor.”
“Oh.” Shoot. I’d forgotten about that. I waved it off. “That… that’s for the fairies.”
He raised an eyebrow. “The fairies.”
“You know how eccentric Violet is.” I rolled my eyes for extra effect.
Damon scrubbed his face again. Pretty soon he wouldn’t have any skin left to scrub. “Everything checks out so I’ll be taking off, but as soon as you talk to your sister, make sure she gives me a call.”
“Will do.”
“And make sure the door is locked behind us.”
“Will do.”
“One more thing.” Come on, buddy. Enough is enough. “I’m not sure of your plans and how long you intended to stay in Bigfoot Bay, but I’d strongly advise you to stick around a while.”
“What? Seriously? I have a life to get back to. What do I need to stick around for?”
“She has nothing to do with this, Damon.”
“I’m not saying she does, but a woman was found dead hours after a very public altercation.” Damon bore his eyes into me. “Just for my own peace of mind, what were you doing today between the hours of nine and six?”
“Well, I wasn’t killing Misty, that’s for sure!” This was absolutely ridiculous. I was being punished, that’s what this was. See what happened when I left Fernando alone for too long? I stumbled into a murder investigation.
“Calm down, Samm.”
“Shouldn’t you be advising me to get a lawyer instead?”
He crossed his arms and sighed. I zeroed in on one of Violet’s tea concoctions on the shelf; it wouldn’t be the worst idea to choke down something relaxing. But I’d get far more stress relief conking Damon over the head with the glass jar instead.
He crouched down in front of me. “It’d make me feel a whole lot better to know where you were.”
The look in his eye and the tone of his voice calmed me, making me realize he really was on my side. He wasn’t out to get me. My overreaction was understandable, but I had to take it down a notch. I’d known the guy a long time, and he was doing me a favor by not forcing me to sit on a hard chair in a cold police station. I seemed to keep forgetting that.
“Okay,” I said. “After the pet store, I came right back here and Sage visited and we caught up on old times.”
“And you were with Sage until you left for the festival?”
“No, she left and then your brother stopped by.”
He shifted his gaze to Griffin then back to me. “And then?”
Oh wait. I’d forgotten to mention about that woman—what was her name?—and Amy popping in. I frowned. Poor Amy. It wasn’t her fault she shared genes with a demon.
“I was with Samm the entire time,” Griffin said. “Now, give it a rest so she can get some sleep.”
I whipped my head toward him, mouth gaping. I detected the slightest shake of his head before Damon noticed. At least I hoped before he noticed. Why would Griffin lie?
“Is that so?”
“Something wrong with that, Damon?”
They eyeballed each other while I drummed my fingers on my knee. I could’ve set things straight, but then I’d have to admit all those hours alone and uncounted for. Hours that would’ve led right up to Misty’s unnatural demise when I knew I had nothing to do with it.
“That’s it, then,” Damon said, digging his keys from his pocket. “Sorry to take up so much of your time, Samm. We’ll be in touch. Remember what I said about Violet.”
“Okay.” After all that, it almost ended too easily. I couldn’t wait for him to leave so I could speak with Griffin in private.
Damon grabbed hold of his brother’s arm. “I suggest you leave with me, bro.”
Griffin paused a bit before nodding, but the quick look that passed between us was unmistakable. I knew we’d talk again soon.
I saw them out the door, triple-checked the lock, made sure the shades were fully drawn, then made a beeline for the bedroom. I breathed a sigh of relief when I opened the door and saw Fernando sitting right there, blinking up at me with his cute little bloated eyes.
I scooped him up and held him close to my chest. Did frogs normally cuddle? I’d bet a no on that, but he was definitely snuggling against me. It went a long way toward easing my conscience. I was still figuring out how his amphibian brain processed information in relation to his human one, but I got the strong impression that he understood what’d happened and hadn’t held the evening against me.
With him securely in my arms, I went over to Violet’s phone and rang up Sage. It went straight to voice mail, which I’d expect at this hour.
“Hey, Sage. It’s Eve. Or whatever you want to call me. I’m not sure if you’ve heard the news yet, but I need to see you tomorrow. Whenever you can fit me in. It’s urgent.” I glanced down at Fernando. “And please bring more blueberries.”
“I swear we’ll get this fixed soon,” I cooed. I had no right to make such promises, but I vowed right then and there that I’d get the spell reversed before we had to walk down the aisle holding canes.
And there was only one surefire way to make sure that happened.
I had to find Violet before Damon did.
Chapter Eight
“It was horrible,” I said, knocking back a hearty chug of my virgin mango margarita. “Positively dreadful.”
“You poor thing.” Sage touched my hand. “I can’t even imagine. I know she is—was—an awful person, but for you to have to find her that way…”
“I can’t get the image out of my mind. It kept popping in all night.”
So much so that I ended up sleeping through Violet’s clock radio alarm, ruining my plans to go to the footbridge early. Not that I would’ve had access to it anyway if the area was taped off.
“If you would’ve seen her,” I added. “Her face looked like one of your giant blueberries.” I gestured to the bag on the table filled with juicy berries. “Thanks for bringing them, by the way.” I held up the charger. “And this.” It was thoughtful of her to remember that I’d asked for one. Maybe if I tried charging up my phone in the normal way, it’d stop the weird calls.
“Of course. Anytime.”
I opened the bag and pulled out some blueberries. They were gigantic, freaks of nature. I pointed behind her. “Is that our server?” When she turned her head, I slipped a few into my purse.
“Yep. Should I wave him over?”
“Yes, please. We could use some more chips.” Sage and I were at Caliente, where she’d met me for lunch during her study break. We were stuffing ourselves with guacamole and sugar, mine in the form of syrupy margaritas and hers as multiple bottles of fizzy soda.
I folded up the bag. “How do you grow these things so big anyway? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s easy. I just ask them to grow big,” she answered like it was the most logical thing in the world.
“Um, okay.” Time for another drink. When the waiter approached our table, I ordered a second margarita to go with the chips, passionfruit this time. “And make it a double,” I called out.
Sage laughed. “You do know virgin means without alcohol, right?”
“Doesn’t hurt to pretend.” As tempting as it was to anesthetize my current reality, I had to keep my wits about me.
“Are you making muffins or something?”
“Muffins?” I mumbled through a mouthful of salt-laden tortilla crumbs.
“With the blueberries. You asked for more after I just brought over a large bag yesterday.”
I shook the remaining morsels from the bottom of the basket into my hand, then popped them into my mouth. That earned me a funny look. “What?” I asked.
“Maybe we should tell him to just leave the bag.
”
“Bite your tongue; there is no bag. You know they make them fresh here. That’s why they’re so delicious.”
“Then we could wheel you into the kitchen and set you up next to the deep fryer. Save him a trip. Or ten.”
“Ha-ha.” I nodded toward her third soda, which likely meant it was her sixth of the day. “You have some unhealthy habits of your own, missy.” I thought I liked sweets, but back in the day, Sage could pound the soda like nobody’s business, and it appeared nothing had changed. How she could still get away with it without gaining an ounce or slipping into a diabetic coma was beyond me.
“It’s only unhealthy if it doesn’t agree with you.” She stuffed a generous spoonful of guac into her mouth, and I wrinkled my nose. Sage didn’t eat chips, only guacamole. It was like slurping down ketchup without the french fries. Who does that?
“Maybe unhealthy was the wrong word. I should’ve said peculiar. Very peculiar.” In response, she stuck out her avocado-covered tongue. I was about to toss a balled-up used napkin at her but decided we were acting juvenile enough.
“You know what I think?” Sage said. “I think you’re stuffing yourself with chips so you don’t have to talk as much.”
“But I am talking. Plenty.”
“You’re also holding something back.”
“I already told you all about Misty and Damon’s questioning afterward.”
She eyed me through her glass. “There’s more to it, I know it.”
As if on cue, a brand-new supply of warm, crispy heaven appeared before me, and I dove right in. All right, maybe I was deflecting a bit, keeping my mouth full to avoid saying anything that would force her to run for the hills.
I stared at the purse in my lap. As badly as I wanted to, I couldn’t tell her the truth.
“I really need to find Violet. Are you sure you can’t think of anywhere else she’d go?”
“I’d be interested in hearing that answer too.”
I jerked up to see Damon looming over the table. Lovely. I dropped my head to the side and rubbed my hand over my face, mouthing no to Sage.
She knitted her brows then smiled up at him. “Hello, Officer Kane.”
“What are you ladies up to this afternoon?”
“Just a quick lunch before Sage gets back to hitting the books.”
He pulled out a chair and plopped down. Grr. “Any idea where Violet is, Sage?”
“No, Officer Kane.”
He turned toward me. “And you still haven’t talked to her?”
“Nothing has changed since last night.”
“And you’re still planning on letting me know when it does?”
“Of course.” Right after she unspelled my fiancé.
He rubbed his chin. “Care to tell me why you were buying insects yesterday when you don’t have a pet?”
I nibbled my bottom lip. “They’re a good source of protein. Did you know that?” Ugh. Great answer, Eve. I caught Sage making a weird face in my peripheral.
“Let me guess. They’re for the fairies.”
“Fairies don’t eat bugs, Officer Kane.” Sage slapped his hand. “Remind me to get them from you after lunch, Samm. And let me know how much I owe you.”
“What?”
She narrowed her eyes. “The bugs,” she hissed. “Geesh, have another margarita.”
“She bought them for you?” Damon asked.
“Yep. They’re for my greenhouse. Beneficial insects are crucial to the ecosystem.”
My mouth gaped but I had no words. For all she knew, I had picked up a bag of black widows. What was going on here? First Griffin, then Sage. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but why were they covering for me? It was becoming convoluted.
“Since you appear to be an expert, would you happen to know if snakes eat those same beneficial insects?”
“You flatter me, Officer Kane, but I’m only knowledgeable about plants. I have no idea what snakes eat, although I’m pretty sure I once saw Misty feeding hers some maggot-infested steak. Probably left over from her breakfast.”
He exhaled loudly. “And what about you, Samm?”
“Me? I’m hopeless around plants. I can’t keep one green to save my life.”
I swore he rolled his eyes. “Just tell me as soon as you have any contact with Violet.” He stood and pushed in his chair. “Either of you.”
“Yes, Officer Kane.”
As soon as he was out of earshot, I said, “What’s with all the formal ‘Officer Kane’ stuff? You’ve known him as long as I have.”
She shrugged. “Just messing with him. It’s fun. He’s taking this so seriously.”
“You don’t think he should take it seriously? When was the last time there was a suspicious death in this town?”
“Yeah, but too bad it’s one nobody cares about.”
“Sage! That’s terrible.” Even if it was true, there was something inherently wrong about speaking it out loud.
“You weren’t around her for the past thirteen years.”
“Think about Amy.” She raised an eyebrow, drumming her fingers on the table. “What? Okay, so maybe Amy won’t fall into a deep pit of despair over this, but surely she cares at some level? Misty was her only family… Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
“Buying insects? Seriously?”
“Just a few crickets and mealworms. No biggie.”
“Uh-huh. For protein, right? This must be some new Chicagoan foodie craze I’ve never heard of.”
I stroked the zipper of my purse. “All right, if you must know… I’m taking care of a frog, and he’s really important to me. He’s… associated with Fernando. He loves your blueberries, by the way, and that’s why I wanted more. It’s the only thing he’ll eat, so I’d really appreciate having as many as you can grow for me.” Earlier that morning, I’d even gone back out to the market and picked up some leafy greens, strawberries, pepperoni slices. All were met with disinterest.
“Your fiancé loves my blueberries?” She swiveled her head around. “Is he here?”
“No, I was talking about the frog.”
“Oh-kay. So, why is this some big secret around Damon?”
I massaged my forehead. “It’s hard to explain. I just don’t want it to be common knowledge that I have a frog.” Yeah, that sounded sane. “Why did you tell Damon the bugs were for you? It’s a good thing he didn’t ask you to clarify which kind.”
“Why? Because I know the history between you and Misty, and I didn’t like how Damon was acting. Who cares what her serpent from Hell eats? We all had to deal with her enough when she was alive. Why put up with it in death too?”
I slumped back in my chair. “You should’ve seen him last night. But I get it. He’s doing his job, and it’s all fine now. At least with me. He’s still very intent on finding Violet.” Get in line, mister.
“Yeah, I bet.”
“What does that mean?”
She rolled her eyes. “One thing that is not a big secret around here is how much Damon’s in love with your sister.”
“No way.” She nodded. “For how long?”
“Oh, only for forever. It’s so obvious too. I almost feel bad for the guy because it’s not reciprocated. He couldn’t get Violet to notice him if he wrapped his head in a tea bag and dunked it in her cup.”
“Wow. I had no idea. But that aside, he’s not just looking for her because of his feelings. He needs to cover his bases because of Misty and Violet’s ‘public disagreements’ as Damon put it.”
“He’s right about that. There was a particularly nasty one not too long ago right inside the coffee shop. You could hear it from down the block.”
“Do you know what the fight was about?”
“Not really. Misty was yakking away about something stolen from her. Violet threatened to stuff her in the freezer if she didn’t shut up.”
“What?!” The freezer? I nearly leaped across the table. “And you just thought to tell me this now?”
“Wa
it, you don’t think she took off because she had something to do with this, do you? You said she was avoiding you because you were mad at her or something.”
“I’m not putting anything past her at this point. Mrs. Stein told me she saw her yesterday morning on the footbridge near the lakefront.”
“That old troll? I wouldn’t take her word for it. I doubt her eyesight’s too great.”
“All I know is that I have to find Violet before the police department gets a hold of her. It’s critical. If you hear anything about her whereabouts, tell me first, not them.”
“Does this have something to do with that important frog of yours?”
My heart pounded wildly. “Why do you ask?”
Our lunch entrees—my enchiladas and her salad—hadn’t even arrived yet and already I wanted it boxed up. My desire for food was long gone. Chips couldn’t even tempt me anymore.
“You’re sure acting weird.”
“Sage, has anything not been weird since I came back?”
Her eyes flicked up as if mulling that over. “True.”
“You’ll keep an ear out then?”
“Yep. I can only imagine what would happen if Damon ever got her into an interrogation room. You might never see her again.”
I’d worry more for Damon the Human. I wondered how he’d feel about spending the rest of his life as a cockroach. I couldn’t imagine her taking too kindly to him professing his undying love.
“It still blows me away,” I said. “Violet really has no idea that Damon’s been pining away for her, yet the rest of the town knows?”
“Or else she turns a blind eye to it. Either way, I don’t think you have to worry too much for Violet. Unrequited love or not, he cares too much to let anything happen to her.”
“Enough to get away with murder? At the end of the day, he’s still a cop.”
“At the end of the day, he’s also a man in love. Don’t underestimate how much a Kane brother is willing to do for the woman he loves.”
“Now, what is that supposed to mean?”