“Well, maybe I can convince him,” I said, flashing a light-hearted smile, and she returned it with some sympathy.
“Oh, I don’t think a pretty little thing like you could convince him of anything, sweet pea. He has listening issues, when it comes to women.” In a conspiratorial whisper, she added, “There’s a reason he’s been divorced four times, let me just put it that way.”
I gave a careful nod. “Thanks for the warning. I’ll be off now, thanks for all your help.”
“You have a good day now, sugar!” she said brightly, waving as I headed down the hall, Luna, thankfully, keeping out of sight as she followed.
“This sounds boring,” Luna said before much longer, “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Coward!” I whispered to her before she took a turn down another hallway and vanished from sight. I rolled my eyes as I got to the rooms that had been pointed out.
All three rooms were at the end of a hallway. It was like a cul-de-sac with the three doors facing each other. I could see how he might be able to turn all three into one big suite, with a little work. I took a breath and knocked on 321.
A few moments later, 322 opened, and I saw Tony’s face appear in the crack, a permanent scowl on his face.
“You again?” he squawked. His eyes went to the floor suspiciously. “That cat with you?”
I’d totally forgotten about Luna’s help in breaking up the fight earlier, and I had to hold back a smile, grateful that she’d lost interest. “No, just me this time.”
“Well, what do you want? Elton send you to harass me? I have lawyers, you know!”
“Actually,” I said, taking a cautious step toward the door, a bright idea coming to me, “To be totally honest with you, Elton talked to me for a while, and I could tell he was full of bull. I thought I’d come to you and ask for the real story.”
“Ha!” he laughed, pulling the door open a little more, his ego apparently bigger than his paranoia. “The jackass can’t even convince strangers of his half-assed accusations. So what are you, Susanna’s granddaughter or something?”
“Friend of the family,” I said, folding my arms. “I know Elisa.”
“Whatever,” he grunted, waving his hand. “So what do you want to know?”
“Just where you were the night before Susanna was found,” I said simply, deciding the short and direct route was easiest.
“Right here!” he said, his short temper showing. “I was minding my own darn business, which is more than anyone else in this rats’ den can say!”
“You never left your apartment?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
“No!” he insisted, then rolled a hand in the air as if trying to remember something. “One of the nurses can back me up. Janet, or June, or something. I can’t remember, they all look the same to me. The one with the nice butt.”
Ugh.
“I see,” I replied, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.
“Now, don’t you go all ‘feminist’ on me,” he said, wagging his finger. Apparently, I hadn’t done that good of a job keeping my disgust under wraps. “I’m an old man, I ain’t got time for that crap. Back in my day-”
“Thanks for your help,” I interrupted quickly, taking out my phone and giving it a wave, “I think I’m getting a call. I need to go, bye!”
He scowled and waved me off before slamming the door behind me while I pretended to take a call. When I was a little ways away, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I headed for the nearest exit, where Luna caught up to me, bounding up behind me with a contented purr. “Hey!”
“You seem suspiciously happy,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, I’m not now that I see we’re leaving,” she said as I pushed the exit door open and headed outside with her. “It’s sushi day in the cafeteria, are you sure you can’t fake being old for a little while so we can get some?”
“What is it with you and sushi?” I asked with a smile, this time dodging her a little better as she circled me while walking. “I can get you raw fish, you know.”
“Sushi’s different, though!” she insisted as I got to my broom and mounted it, flicking her tail in protest. “It’s like, there’s so much preparation that goes into it, and you’ve got to make each roll special, and the presentation is to die for.”
I laughed and picked her up to plop her on the back of my broomstick, interrupting her. “It’s also expensive.”
“Exactly!” she purred. “If you really loved me, you’d get me nothing but the best, right?”
“I love you, but I think I draw the line at spending any more time blending in with this crowd,” I said wearily.
“Those sweet old people? I got tons of attention while we were apart. Maybe I should just move in here, since you’re so neglectful,” she complained, haughtily turning her nose up and looking away from me.
“If you’d have seen the bingo game, you might be singing a different tune,” I grumbled. “But how about this: when all this is over, I’ll make some nigiri for the guests and save you some.”
She flicked her tail suspiciously and looked back at me. “You’re just going to put some raw fish on sticky rice and call it nigiri.”
“You got me,” I confessed, rolling my eyes as my broom lifted up off the ground.
“Sashimi, or I’ll stow away in the luggage of the next guests from California we get.”
“See, but if you do that, then I’ll never have to worry about learning how to make sashimi again,” I said with a grin, and I giggled at the offended look Luna gave me before I kicked off and zoomed down the road, cool breeze whipping gently around us as we left the Senior’s Center behind.
I needed a few minutes to clear my head.
Chapter 9
“Where are we going? I’m hungry,” Luna asked. She was still daydreaming about that sushi, I was sure. I reached up and scratched her behind the ear. As obnoxious as she could be, it was still more fun having someone ride along with me throughout the day. It felt like I had a partner in crime, someone to bounce ideas off of. It was nice. Not that I needed to tell her that- her ego was already big enough as it was.
“I just need to clear my head a little,” I told her.
“Clear your head? Arti, your head is already empty as they come,” she said snidely.
“Ha ha,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Good one.”
“Sorry. You walked right into that one. Had to do it,” she said, amusement clear in her voice. She rubbed up against my cheek and began to purr. “But really, though, where are we going? This isn’t the direction of the bed and breakfast.”
“The park,” I answered simply. I hadn’t been out there in a while. It was one of my favorite places in town, but it was a little bit out of the way of my normal haunts, across town from the Manor and all the usual businesses I frequented. Of course, it wasn’t the only park in town. Actually, for such a small town, Moonlight Cove boasted a shocking number of public parks and gardens. The city planners had all been very attuned to the idea of maintaining the natural beauty and greenery of the area. Washington was well-known for its natural beauty, from the rocky, misty shore to the dense wilderness. Witches and wizards were all about preserving natural charm, being in sync with the world around them.
This particular park was one I used to sneak out to as a teenager, riding double on a broom with Elisa in the dead of night on one of our midnight romps. Part of the draw of coming here was just the fact that it was all the way across town. Like most teenagers, we really enjoyed the sensation of road-tripping, even if it was still within city limits. This park was a favorite also because it was near the shore, and of course, I loved being close to the water. We would ride down the little road that was the closest thing to a highway our car-less town could boast of, which ran alongside the shore. We’d put in our shared headphones and listen to our favorite songs with the volume turned up loud, the wind whipping through our hair and giving us goosebumps.
I smiled at the
fond memories. And this park gave me those feelings, rocketed me right back through time and space to when I felt like I would be seventeen forever and ever. Luna pawed gently at my face to get my attention and I realized with a jolt that she’d been trying to ask me something while I was totally wrapped up in my own thoughts.
“Oh, sorry, Lu. What were you saying?” I asked. She huffed and puffed.
“Wow, just flat-out ignoring me, huh?” she scoffed. “Rude, much?”
“I’m sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff,” I said lamely. “Anyway, what’s up?”
“Well, now I don’t want to tell you,” Luna said, poking her nose up into the air as I slowed the broom to a halt. We had arrived at the park, and it was just as beautiful as I remembered: perfectly well-manicured. The parks department of Moonlight Cove was fully-staffed. To get a job there was a huge deal; it carried a lot of prestige, not only because we magical folks were kind of obsessed with nature, but also because Moonlight Cove was more or less a resort town. Keeping our city beautiful and inviting was an important - no, vital - job.
“Come on, Lu. Don’t be like that. You get distracted and zone out when I’m trying to tell you stuff all the time,” I pointed out. She gave me an intentionally bored look.
“Oh, I’m sorry, what? What were you saying? I wasn’t listening.”
I narrowed my eyes at her as she tried not to smile. Well, the closest thing to a smile a cat could pull off, that was.
She finally shrugged and gave in. “Okay, okay. I was just trying to tell you that there’s a big crowd of people over by the gazebo. Is there some kind of special event going on today here or are they just doing one of those weird party things humans do for no reason?”
“Oh, I didn’t even notice,” I said, leaning my broom against the white, peeling trunk of a birch tree. I stood up on my tiptoes to look. Sure enough, squinting my eyes, I was able to make out a faint crowd of people near the gazebo.
“Huh. I have no idea. Maybe there’s a school group on a field trip or something. They took my class here a few times when I was in school, to do assemblies or teach us about plants and wildlife.”
“Ugh, it could be children?” Luna said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. She had never been a huge fan of kids. On the somewhat rare occasion that someone brought their kids to the Manor to stay, she tended to spend the entirety of their stay hiding under furniture and pretending not to exist. She couldn’t stand them.
“Human children are so gross. Their hands are always sticky and they all have this bizarre obsession with pulling my tail. I know it’s a really nice tail. Fluffy. Impressive. But come on, have some common decency,” she whined.
“Actually, they look a little tall to be kids,” I said, reassuring her. She relaxed a little, the fur on her spine lying back down.
“Good. I’m already hungry and grumpy. The last thing I need is some grimy little kid trying to pet me. I don’t have the patience these days,” she said. I snorted.
“These days?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Fine. Any day.”
“Well, come on, then. Let’s go for a walk. I need to think some stuff over before I decide what to do next. We’ll have to head back to the Manor soon, anyway. I hope our guests have enjoyed the extra privacy they got today.”
“Okay, but if one toddler lays their sticky fingers on me, there will be trouble,” Luna said in warning.
We meandered down the winding path, breathing in the sweet scents of flowers, trees, berry bushes, and a little further away, the salty sea air. The smell of brine on the breeze made me happy, filled me with an overwhelming sense of calm. If there was a way to bottle that particular scent or distill it in a candle, I would probably have spent my whole paycheck on it.
“That crowd is making me nervous,” Luna said suddenly, gesturing toward the gazebo. It was odd that they were all still milling about over there. I frowned.
Something, probably that little guiding light of witchy instinct in the back of my mind, urged me to go check it out. Or maybe it was just that party thing Luna mentioned earlier, and I was just falling right into the same trap of wanting to be involved. Either way, my curiosity was definitely piqued. “Yeah, it’s weird, isn’t it?” I murmured.
“Oh no. You’re going over there, aren’t you?” she sighed.
“I think I have to. I have to know,” I said. She rolled her eyes but dutifully fell in step behind me as I cut off the trail and headed toward the gazebo. As we got closer, I could hear the hubbub of the crowd. They were all giggling and talking in high-pitched voices. That was weird. As I pushed cautiously and courteously through the mass of people, I found the answer. It was a cat. But not just any ordinary scratched-up, streetwise alley cat. No, this was quite possibly the most beautiful cat I had ever seen in my life. And that included Luna, toward whom my affections were very biased. Luna hopped up on my shoulder to get a better look and once she noticed what was going on, I felt her stiffen up. I turned to look at her to gauge her expression. Yep. Definitely anger. Jealous rage, to be particular.
“Oh. It’s just some dumb cat,” she whispered.
“Have you ever seen such a gorgeous animal?” one of the onlookers cooed. At least ten people were crouched down around the fluffy white cat, petting her with reverent stares.
“She’s perfect!” exclaimed another.
“There’s no way she isn’t somebody’s familiar,” added their friend.
“But whose? Who would deserve such a pretty kitty?”
“Whoever they are, they’re lucky!”
“I wish she was my cat.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love my golden retriever familiar, but this cat is kind of making me jealous, you know?”
“Me, too! Oh, my parakeet would be so angry if she saw me petting this kitty right now.”
“Do you guys really not know who she belongs to?” someone interjected suddenly.
“Well, no. Do you?”
“Duh. It’s Lara Lancaster’s cat.”
“No. No way.”
“Are you serious?”
“Ugh, like that makes her so special,” Luna groaned.
“Yeah!” exclaimed the one person who seemed to be in the know. “My husband and I saw her arriving at the park with one of her bodyguards and her assistant. I think she just lets her cat roam free sometimes. But that’s crazy. If I were her, and this was my cat, I think I’d hire a bodyguard just for the cat!”
“I know, right? She’s gorgeous!”
And I had to admit, they were right. The cat had long, snow-white, fluffy, luxurious fur. She had huge, round, ice-blue eyes. It was like looking at diamonds. The cat seemed unimpressed and unperturbed by the attention she was getting. But then, if she was really Lara Lancaster’s cat, surely she was used to the limelight.
The cat glanced up and made eye contact with Luna. She instantly began purring smugly, which only made Lu even madder. Luna gasped.
“What a stuck-up, spoiled, attention-seeking little-”
“Okay!” I hissed, interrupting her rant. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Yes, please!” Luna agreed angrily. I carefully backed out of the crowd and we started making our way back to my broom. Well, this hadn’t exactly been the relaxing, mind-clearing walk in the park I had hoped for, but it was getting too late, and I needed to get home. We got back on my broom and started making our way across town again.
Luna was still seething. “Nobody even so much as looked at me!”
“They were a little busy, Lu.”
“Yeah! Busy showering that stupid white cat with praise! She wasn’t all that. I’m prettier than she is. And I bet she’s dumb as a bag of rocks,” she sneered.
“Luna, jealousy is not a good look.”
“Jealous? Jealous?! I’m not jealous. I’m just annoyed, that’s all!”
“Of course you are.”
“Come on, back me up here. That cat was nothing special, right? You like me better, right?�
�� she asked, prodding my cheek with her cold little nose. I laughed.
“Yes, Luna. Of course I like you better. I adore you.”
“Why didn’t those other people like me better?” she pouted.
“Oh, Lu. Don’t worry about that. They were only interested in that cat because she belongs to that actress Lara Lancaster, okay? She’s a novelty. People are always drawn to novelties and celebrities,” I told her. And I was only partly lying. The connection to Lancaster was at least half the draw. The other half was, well, the cat was awfully pretty.
“I am the most important cat in this town and I just wish everybody else would realize that already!” she added with a huff.
“Sorry, Lu. I wish I could cheer you up more, but I can’t stop thinking about the case. I mean, what is my next move? Elisa is counting on me to figure this out. I wonder what leads the cops have picked up so far,” I said, shaking my head. We were riding past the police station now, and Luna suddenly stood up on my shoulder.
“I have an idea,” she said.
“Uh oh. What?” I asked with a healthy dose of trepidation.
“Just break into the police station.”
“Excuse me, what?” I burst out.
“Just do it. No big deal. That way you can figure out what the cops know and just go from there. I mean, yeah, that’s probably a little bit illegal, but when you solve the case before the cops do, I’m sure they’ll get over it. And who knows, maybe they’ll never even find out!”
“Luna. You do realize you’re suggesting a felony, right?”
She sighed, exasperated. “You humans and your arbitrary laws. It’s just a technicality, right? Just another hoop to jump through. Besides, weren’t you, like, a rebellious miscreant as a teenager? I’m sure you know how to break into buildings.”
I bit my lip, my broom hovering in place as I stared at the police station. She was right. I did have experience. But was I really considering this? Seriously?
Chapter 10
“I swear, if we get caught, I’m saying you were the mastermind behind all this,” I whispered to Luna as I crept up around the bushes behind the modest building that passed for a police station in Moonlight Cove.
Witching for the Best Page 7