I drew in a deep breath. “They denied my petition.”
“What?” Adam boomed.
I yanked the phone away from my ear. “They dragged up everything with Gabriel and basically said I couldn’t be trusted. They’re even threatening to make my banishment permanent.”
Adam swore.
“Yeah.” I sighed and pressed my eyes closed. “It wasn’t pretty.”
“What about Harvey? Shouldn’t his testimony or recommendation be enough?”
“He wasn’t there.”
“Why not? He’s the one who convinced you to even go before the council in the first place!”
“I don’t know. SPA business. He disappeared in the middle of the hearing. In fact, I still haven’t heard from him. Teddy found out he was called away but I don’t know why or where.”
“You think it was an excuse?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know yet. It doesn’t make sense that he agreed to testify and help me if he had no intention of following through. Why lie about something like that? But then, there was one other thing that doesn’t line up.”
“Just one?” Adam said sarcastically. “To me it sounds like the whole thing was messed up.”
“The council had access to the files that Harvey said were . When he sent me to Beechwood Harbor, he told me that he’d bury the report of the arrest and wouldn’t report anything about the potions in my house as long as I left peacefully and didn’t come back. He said it was for his own protection as much as mine.”
“What do you suppose he meant by that?”
“I’ve always assumed that he meant that he’d get in trouble if it ever came to light that I was illegally selling potions within the haven. As my agent, he was supposed to keep me out of trouble and he figured it would blow back on him if anybody found out that he let me go with a slap on the wrist.”
“Banishment is hardly a slap on the wrist, Gorgeous.”
I nodded. He had a point. I’d never really had a chance to think about it much. I’d been too busy fitting into my new life at the manor and in the small, coastal town.
“There has to be something else going on,” Adam continued.
“Well don’t worry; next time I see him, I’ll be sure to ask him all about it.”
Adam sighed. “I’m sorry the hearing didn’t go well. What’s the next step? I’m sure Teddy has a plan.”
“He said he’s going to file a complaint and an appeal. I’m not going to hold my breath, though.”
“A complaint?”
“The hearing wasn’t exactly by the book,” I replied, my tone taking on an acidic tartness. “They didn’t listen to what either of us had to say and it was pretty obvious from the first minute that it wasn’t going to go my way. There was one witch in particular who really got under my skin. It felt … I don’t know. It felt personal somehow. But I swear I have no idea who she is or why she would care so much whether or not I got my potions license.”
“What’s her name?”
“I don’t know. They don’t exactly wear nametags. Teddy is going to find out more. He said she’s probably some kind of understudy trying to show off her newfound authority while the main council members are busy with this fraud case.” I paused, remembering Mrs. Clairmont’s shuttered potion shop. “When was the last time you were in the Seattle haven?”
“I don’t know, a few months ago, I guess. Most of my clients are humans and even when I’m in Seattle, I prefer to stay in a standard hotel and avoid all the hoopla.”
I smiled. Adam was unapologetically himself, through and through. He’d left the haven system some years before and had no plan to ever return, despite his parents’ insistence that he needed to grow out of his “nomad” phase.
“Well, apparently this guy, Praxle something or other, has been pressuring businesses into selling to him so he can spread these chains of shops all over the haven. He was even having people hurt to try to scare them into giving up their property.”
“Whoa. Fun guy.”
I absently stroked Boots’ fur. “Enough about this mess. Tell me what’s going on at the manor. I’ve only been gone a couple of days and I already miss it.”
“Well … ,” Adam hesitated.
“What?” I asked, sitting up. “Is everything all right?”
“Mostly?”
“Not convincing.”
Adam groaned. “I don’t want to dump more problems on your shoulders, but things here aren’t exactly going to plan either.”
I scooted to the edge of the couch at the cringe in Adam’s voice. Boots scowled up at me for disturbing him.
“What happened? Tell me you didn’t get into it with Lacey.” If he did, there was a fairly high likelihood that the manor had paid the price. The owner—and resident ghost—Posy had a tendency to manifest her frustrations or anxieties into physical reactions through the house. With quite literal earth-shaking effects.
“No. No, this has nothing to do with Lacey. Other than the fact that we currently have a human living under the same roof as our favorite little undead princess and eventually she might want to swap out her faux blood smoothie for a hit of the real stuff … .”
“What? Who’s at the manor?”
“Nick.”
My brow furrowed. “Why?”
Nick Rivers owned a successful private investigation business and a beautiful one-bedroom condo on the outskirts of town. Why would he need to crash at the manor?
“I found him out in the bushes, prowling around last night.”
“Sounds familiar,” I said with a faint smile, recalling the first time Nick and I met.
“He’s remembering things, Holly. About that night outside the Raven. He’s asking too many questions and I don’t know how to shut him up.”
I winced. “Bat wings.”
“Yeah. We’ve got to find a way to cast another memory erasing spell before he brings us all down. From the sound of things, you can’t really afford another scandal or to draw the eye of the council.”
“Not particularly.” I sighed. “Why was he prowling through the bushes?”
“He was looking for goblins. At least that’s what he said. I figure he means Harvey.”
“He remembers Harvey?” I yelped. “Bat wings! This is really bad, Adam.”
“I know, Gorgeous. I talked him into coming inside and Evangeline slipped him some of your sleeping potion. I think she got the dose wrong though … .”
“Man alive … ,” I groaned. “How much did she give him?”
“Two scoops?”
“Ugh. Why didn’t you guys call me? At this rate, he’s gonna be passed out until the weekend!”
“That might not be a bad thing … ,” Adam said.
“Adam … .”
“All right, all right. What’s the antidote?”
I rambled off a recipe to bring Nick back from the land of the living dead and was about to wrap up the phone call when a loud thunk sounded through the wall of the adjoining suite. I frowned, wondering what Teddy was doing. Had he lost his temper and thrown something? I stood up and moved closer to the wall and heard another thud. This time, it sounded like a door being slammed. What in the Otherworld was he doing over there?
Seconds later, someone was pounding on the door to my suite. “Hold on a second, Adam.” I went to the door and peered out through the peephole. Teddy was standing there, still beating on the door. I waved a hand, dispelling the security ward sealing the door, and pulled it open. Teddy’s cheeks were drained of all their normal rosiness. His eyes were wide and a sheen of sweat coated his wide forehead. “Teddy? What’s wrong?”
“Harvey’s been … Harvey’s been found.”
“Found?”
“Holly, he’s—he’s dead.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Even once I was seated on the couch, the room continued to spin. Teddy paced back and forth in front of me, speaking softly into the phone. My thoughts were jumbled and tangled to the point that I couldn’t make
sense of his conversation. Somewhere in my muddled thoughts, I realized that I didn’t even know who he was talking to. One panicked thought rang out above the rest: Harvey was gone and that if the gaping pit in my stomach was to be trusted, it had something to do with me.
Teddy stopped pacing. “All right. Call me when you hear something.”
I looked up from the thick carpet of my hotel suite and met Teddy’s eyes. “What happened?”
“I don’t know many of the details yet.” Teddy rubbed the back of his neck. “That was my contact in LA. He writes for the Haven Herald. He’s looking into it, but someone found Harvey, dead, in the back seat of a taxi parked in the alley behind a warehouse in the industrial district.”
“Of Seattle?”
Teddy nodded. “This is going to be tricky. The SPA has called in their special task force that handles situations like this. They’ll make sure the human who found him has his memory wiped and that the cops don’t interfere. They will set charms and wards over the scene to contain it until it’s processed so that humans won’t see anything. We should have more information soon, but from what I’m hearing … it’s not good.” Teddy moved to take the armchair opposite my place on the couch. “Should we call whoever it was on the phone?”
I glanced at my cell phone. As soon as Teddy’s news sunk in, I realized that I’d dropped it to the floor. Teddy had quickly swept it up and told the caller I’d get back to them and then hung up. “It was Adam.”
Teddy gave a slight nod. “I assumed.”
“I told him about the hearing and … ,” I squeezed my eyes closed as my words trailed off. “Stars, Teddy, I told him I thought Harvey had betrayed me. Now … .”
Teddy leaned forward and grabbed one of my hands. “Holly, you can’t beat yourself up. You didn’t know. We still don’t know what happened. I don’t know what made Harvey leave the council chamber today. None of the pieces are fitting together right now. It’s all speculation and what ifs. Let’s wait to hear back from Marvin and then we’ll figure out our next move.”
“Okay.” I gave Teddy’s hand a gentle squeeze and stood up. “I’m going to call Adam back.”
“I’ll let you know if I hear anything else.”
Teddy swept from the suite and went back to his neighboring room. I placed a new security ward on the door and then went to retrieve my phone. I dialed Adam back with trembling fingers.
“Holly? What the heck happened to you? Are you all right?”
I nodded, trying to get myself under control and keep my voice from wavering. “I’m fine but … Harvey was found. Adam, he’s dead.”
“What?” Adam sputtered.
“Teddy had been trying to reach him since the hearing was thrown out. He just got word that Harvey was found dead in a taxi in some back alley inside Seattle proper.”
“What happened? Was it a crash?”
“No, it wasn’t a crash. We’re waiting for more details. Apparently a human found him parked and called it into the Seattle police. The SPA is in the process of taking over the scene.” I paused, fidgeting with the ends of my hair. “But I’m pretty sure I heard Teddy use the word grusome.”
“Where are you right now?” Adam asked. I could almost see him going for the stairs, hitting the entryway, and throwing on his leather jacket.
“I’m at the hotel.”
“I’m leaving right now. I’ll take a cab. The train takes too long.” The background noises rose and fell as he verbally mapped out his plan.
“Adam,” I said with a deep sigh. “I’m fine.” I wished I sounded more convincing. Truth was, the whole thing had me rattled. It had been an extraordinarily odd day and in a few hours, the sun would be setting on a terrible tragedy.
“Holly, this is not up for debate. I’m coming. You shouldn’t be alone with all this going on.”
I rolled my eyes but somewhere inside, I was glad he would arrive before dark and I wouldn’t have to spend what was likely to be a sleepless night alone. “All right. I’ll call if I hear anything else.”
We ended the call and I passed the time by taking a long shower. It was far from relaxing but at least the hot water beating down on my back helped ease the knotted muscles that felt as though they’d been bunched together for months, ever since Harvey had shown up at the manor and caught me making potions in the kitchen. I sighed deeply and tried to sort through the lingering questions over his sudden disappearance from the hearing. Had he left over an SPA emergency? And if so, why hadn’t his assistant known his whereabouts? Or had he left because he never had any intention of testifying on my behalf? Maybe he’d turned over the complete, unrestricted case files and hung me out to dry. Or was there another reason? Maybe he’d simply seen the writing on the wall and decided to get back to work. The council hadn’t exactly appeared open to hearing another version of the story in their heads.
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in the plush robe furnished by the hotel. I knotted the sash and went into the adjoining bedroom and found my phone. Perched on the edge of the giant bed, I dialed Harvey’s number. The call patched over to his assistant, who sounded muffled and subdued when she answered. “Harvey Colepepper’s office. He’s not available right now. How can I help you?”
I cringed. The poor woman. Likely bound by some internal protocol, she’d have to play along, all the while knowing that her boss wasn’t ever going to come back again. I’d met Harvey’s assistant on a few occasions. She was a lovely witch who obviously adored her abrasive boss. There was no doubt she would be mourning his passing for some time to come.
“Hello, Harriet. It’s Holly Boldt.”
“Oh, Holly.” She sniffled. “Have you heard?”
“Yes. I’m so sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Harriet, I have to ask, this morning, when Harvey walked out of the council hearing, where did he go?”
Harriet sniffed again. “I—I’m really not sure, Holly. As far as I knew, he was planning to be busy all morning. I assumed it was because of your hearing but when your lawyer called he told me that Harvey left midway through.”
“That’s right. No idea where he went?”
“He called me, must have been close to nine o’clock, and told me he was done with the hearing and that he had been called away to a meeting. I thought it was strange because there wasn’t anything on his schedule and even after he called, the ledger didn’t update. Normally, it shifts and shuffles as he goes through his day so that I always know where he’s at. The ledger is enchanted with a tracking spell but his signal wasn’t anywhere. That only happens when he leaves the haven.”
I nodded, trying to wedge the new fragments of information together. “Does he normally leave the haven?”
“He hates leaving the haven and he definitely wouldn’t be in a taxi cab. You know—knew—Harvey. He liked the finer things in life. He would have used the portal to go into Seattle if he was going somewhere on foot. And if he needed a car, he would have used an SPA-owned town car. He never would have used a human taxi.”
The sight would raise a few eyebrows. Harvey, with his pointed ears, sharp teeth, and spider-like hands, would have had trouble fitting in outside the haven. The only SPA agents that worked outside the haven system were ones who could seamlessly blend in with humans so as to not alert them to the existence of creatures that filled both their storybooks and nightmares.
“Harriet, I hate to ask, but what did Harvey have to say about my hearing? Were you under the impression that he was prepared to testify on my behalf?”
“As far as I knew. He didn’t say much about it but when he left this morning that was his first stop.”
I sighed. I knew that Harvey trusted Harriet implicitly but I didn’t want to risk uncovering his secrets if I revealed that he’d promised to bury evidence to keep me out of trouble. It was likely best to keep that detail to myself. At least for the time being.
“He cared about you very much, dear. Harvey was a complicated soul. His mind
worked in ways that most wouldn’t understand. I know he was tough on you, but it was all done in your best interest. That much I know for certain. He must have had a very good reason for leaving the hearing without providing his testimony.”
A bittersweet warmth spread through me, taking away some of the doubt that had lingered there since the moment I’d turned and found his place on the bench abandoned. “Thank you, Harriet.” Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes. “I appreciate your time and I’m so sorry for your—our—loss.”
“Thank you, Holly. You take care of yourself, okay?”
“I will.” I clicked off the call and set the phone beside me on the bed.
Before I could reflect too much, a knock sounded at the door to the suite. I cinched the robe tight again and padded out to check the security peephole. Teddy stood there, a worried look on his face. I released the security ward and opened the door. He hurried into the room and I set the ward once again.
“Hear from your friend at the Herald?” I asked him.
Teddy gave a quick nod. “It looks like Harvey might have been poisoned. The SPA agents on the scene found a cup of coffee inside the taxi cab that was laced with some kind of potion. My guy’s source is within the SPA and he said they’re taking it back to headquarters for further testing.”
“Poisoned?” I gulped. It was a risky way to kill someone. Potions held a magical signature of the wizard or witch who’d crafted it. Granted, there were several ways around it, but it took skill and knowhow. Most witches and wizards who weren’t savvy in the world of potion crafting didn’t even realize there was a way to trace the magic required to pull the ingredients together into a viable potion.
“The human who called it in said he was going back to work after a smoke break; he works at one of the factories in that part of town. He says it’s rare to have cars, especially cabs, around. He walked up, thinking something untoward might be going on, and found Harvey with his face pressed up against the glass, mouth open.” Teddy stopped and raised a hand. “I won’t get into all of the details but it was quite a shock to the young man. He called the police but the SPA caught wind of the dispatch call, figured something super might be involved, and sent agents to the scene.”
Witch Way Home: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 4) Page 4