by E. M. Moore
His brows furrowed. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Jackson forced a smile to his face and then shut his notepad. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and even the hair rose on my arms as he gave the young kid in front of us a smirk. “These are all common questions, Reginald. The sooner you answer them, the sooner we get out of your hair. What did you like about Miss Hawkins?”
“She was pretty, I guess. We were both interested in Wicca. We both liked talking about what we hoped we could do with the power, and things just progressed from there. We didn’t date very long at all. It wasn’t that memorable.”
Jackson, who’d went back to taking notes, made an unimpressed face. “Huh,” he said, tapping his chin. He then, gingerly, took out a paper from his back pocket and held it out to Reggie. When Reggie took it, Jackson asked, “Then why were you calling her the other day? That is your phone number, isn’t it?”
Reggie blinked down at the paper, his eyes drifting toward the opposite wall again. I turned my head to follow his gaze and noticed a closet door.
At the same time, a noise came from inside. Jackson moved in front of me, his hand sliding to his hip as he gestured toward the closed door. “What’s going on in there, Reggie?”
Reggie shrugged, his eyes avoiding the closet altogether. But then a tiny hiccup came from the inside. His shoulders deflated, and he moped toward the door to pull it open. He stood in the open doorway, staring inside. “I told you she doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.”
“Why were you calling her?” a cracked voice asked.
Jackson relaxed in front of me. He wasn’t hiding a threat in the closet at least, just a sad girl.
He held his hands out and a short, petite girl took them and walked into the room. Jackson’s fingers drummed against his biceps. “Who is this?”
The girl sported major raccoon eyes. I pulled a tissue from my purse and handed it to her. She blew her nose, loudly.
“This is my girlfriend, Lenora.”
“Current girlfriend?” I asked.
“Current and ex,” she said, raising her eyebrows at Reggie. “We were dating when he decided to cheat on me with Taylor.”
I couldn’t help that my first thought was, ‘Well, this just got interesting.’
Jackson huffed. It was clear he hated all this drama. “Alright, start from the beginning.”
Lenora’s lips curled into a sneer. “I’ve been dating Reggie for years. We were high school sweethearts, but then he went to school here and started getting into Wicca. I then found out he was cheating on me with this Taylor person, so we were done after that. Done.” She pushed the tissue she took from me to the corners of her eyes. “But, of course, when they broke up, he came back to me.”
“And why were you hiding in the closet?” Jackson asked, his gaze still cautious. “It never looks good when someone’s hiding when the police are around.”
Her eyes rounded. “I just got scared,” she said immediately, but even I could tell she was lying. That was saying something because I was a very trusting person.
Jackson eyed her. “You know, Lenora, I can run any name I want and find out in a couple minutes whatever it is that you’re trying to hide. It’ll be better for everyone, you included, if you just come out and tell me. If I have to go through all that work, it’s going to be much worse off for you. I can promise you that.”
She bit her lip and frowned. She peeked up at Reggie and my stomach knotted. I didn’t think these two seemed like murders, but as Jackson was always saying, you never knew with some people. “It wasn’t my fault,” she finally said.
“What wasn’t?” Jackson asked.
“Shoplifting…” She rolled her eyes. “The baby needed diapers, and I had no money.”
I blinked. Diapers?
“We have a one-year-old son,” Reggie explained, rubbing Lenora’s back.
My eyes immediately narrowed. What a jerk. He had a girlfriend with a kid at home and cheated on her with a girl he claimed wasn’t even that special? Ugh. Then, she took him back! This sounded like the storyline of a soap opera.
“Let me guess, you’re a college student who can’t afford child support?” Jackson snapped.
Reggie shrugged as if it was obvious.
He shook his head and stepped back. “Let’s get to the witchcraft stuff. How heavy were you and Taylor into this?”
Reggie led Lenora to the bed and helped her sit while she still sniffled. “We had a group of us that used to meet three times a week. We’d do spells together, or try to, but it was mostly all talk. Taylor was fascinated by it. She loved the idea of having power over her life, or the strength to change things, or to have things happen that she wanted. She loved it second to only theater. We’d all go as a group to the museums around town, to the cemeteries and other stuff.”
Lenora eyed Reggie like she wanted to maim him.
“Ever been to Gallows Hill?”
Reggie nodded. “Once. During a solstice.”
That wasn’t uncommon. It was probably him and every other Wiccan in Salem.
Jackson cleared his throat. I looked up at him, and he motioned toward Reggie. It was clearly my turn to ask questions now. That was why I was here, anyway. We already knew they were both into Wiccan, but it was time to see just how much they knew and if they’d ever ventured down the wrong side of Wicca. “What were you and Taylor interested in?”
Lenora stood and huffed. “I can’t do this. I just can’t stand here and listen to you guys ask him questions about that skank.”
I reeled back, but Jackson silently pulled out his wallet. He held out a couple dollar bills. “Go down to the vending machine. I’m sure Reggie will text you when we’re done here.” She took the bills from him and was almost out the door when Jackson called back, “Oh, and don’t run too far. I might need to talk to you eventually, too.” Her back straightened, and she looked a lot less cocky as she shut the door behind her.
Reggie’s face paled. He looked from the closed door back to us. “Lenora didn’t do anything. It was all me. She has every reason to hate Taylor.”
“Don’t you mean she has every reason to hate you?” I asked. “You’re the one who cheated on her.”
“I’ve apologized to her,” Reggie said. “I’ve apologized profusely.”
Jackson rubbed his forehead. “Just answer the question about the witchcraft,” he told Reggie. “What kind of spells were you trying to do?”
“Mostly just small spells,” Reggie answered. “The biggest one was trying to bring fortune to us or good luck. It wasn’t anything bad. Someone in the group said their cousin had performed a spell, and they ended up winning two grand in the lottery. I was aiming for that. Taylor just talked about changing her destiny though. She talked a lot about being a better person, wanting better things.”
That explained some stones on the bracelet she wore. None of the stones were alarming or alluded to anything that happened to her. When I’d saw how she’d died, I assumed she’d been into negative stuff, but so far, nothing pointed to that.
“Alright,” Jackson said. “Now that Lenora’s gone, tell me about why you and Taylor broke up. The truth.”
Reggie’s face morphed. He wasn’t calm and sad anymore. “She broke up with me. Dumped me out of nowhere. Yeah, I was pissed. I’d broken up with Lenora for her, and we have a kid together.” His face turned hard, then fell a little with emotion. “I really liked her. I was broken up when she called it off and I said some pretty harsh things.”
“Like this one,” Jackson said, turning the paper over he’d already given Reggie. He pointed to it. “I hope someone hurts you as much as you’ve hurt me. Sounds like a threat, Reggie.”
Reggie’s eyes widened. “No. Like I said, I was just hurt. People say stuff they don’t mean all the time when they’re hurt. Besides, I meant hurt emotionally, not physically.”
Jackson nodded, jotting down notes. “Where were you the day before yesterday in the evening?
”
“With Lenora,” Reggie said, gesturing toward the door. “She came to visit me from back home, so we could patch things up.”
“Were you two seen by anyone? A roommate?”
He shook his head. “My roommate went home this weekend. We were alone. In here.”
Jackson grabbed a pen from his pocket and handed it to Reggie. “I’m going to need Lenora’s cell phone. Can you jot it down for me?”
Reggie’s hands fell to his lap. “Don’t bring her into this.”
Jackson dropped his head to the side. “You brought her into this. Just put her number down.”
Reggie pulled out his cell phone and started transferring the number. He handed the paper back, his hands slightly trembling as he did so. Jackson took it. “We’ll be in touch.”
Reggie nodded, all but resigned now. Jackson would want to talk to them again depending on what other information he could find out.
Jackson helped me up, and we walked out of the room and down the hall.
“No alibi,” I said.
“He’s also clearly one of society’s finest. Cheater, liar…”
“His girlfriend isn’t that much better, though I feel bad for her,” I told Jackson. “She sent her boyfriend off to college while she watches the kid and then he breaks up with her for another girl.” My insides twisted. The guy was a total jerk. “I want to tell her to hold out for someone new. He’s clearly not worth it.”
Jackson bumped his shoulder with mine and smiled down at me. “Look at you getting all fired up. How did he answer the witch questions?”
“They seemed reliable. The stones on the bracelet match what he said. They’re all for good fortune, positive thoughts, that sort of thing. Definitely not what I was expecting when she’s been murdered.”
He worried over his lip. “Yeah. Same.” He checked his watch. “Got time for lunch before I drop you back off at the library? We could go to the place we used to like around the corner?”
“Tony’s?” I asked, a smile pulling at my lips. I hadn’t been there in ages.
He nodded, his hand already on my door to pull it open.
“Sounds good.”
Chapter Four
Jackson and I sat outside at a small table at Tony’s. It was one of our favorite hangouts, but I hadn’t been there in years. The last time I’d been there, I was with Derek.
“It looks the same,” I said, staring up at the building. Though it had only been a few years as far as time went, it was also a lifetime ago. During that lifetime, I was dedicated to Derek. I knew we were going to get married, have kids, and live out the rest of our lives with one another. That had all changed. It couldn’t happen now that Derek was no longer with us.
As if we were thinking along the same wavelength, Jackson picked up his water. “Derek would be so proud of you.”
I rolled my eyes. “For what?”
“For taking the Library Director job, for helping me out in my cases.”
“Since when do I help you out with your cases? You hate when I get involved.”
“Only because you’re usually mixed up in it. This time I brought you in as a…specialist.”
“A witch specialist, huh? Does that mean I get a badge?”
He shook his head. “No.”
That didn’t matter. I didn’t like shouting the word witch aloud, anyway. “So, what did you think about Reggie and Lenora?”
“Ex-boyfriend, jealous girlfriend? That’s what all the shows on TV talk about, right?”
I shrugged. I was more into those kinds of shows now that I’d helped Jackson a little, but I didn’t have much to go on. “I guess. I felt bad for Lenora, but hiding in the closet? Seemed odd. I’m not sure why she would do that if she didn’t have anything to add. Neither one of them have an alibi.”
“She was definitely…strange. There’s still more work to be done though. I know you said that the witch stuff seemed on the up and up, but how did she end up like that then? I keep coming back to the way she was found.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t seem right.”
I couldn’t disagree with him. Seeing something like that was a shock, and I hadn’t even seen the whole thing like him. “I’ll do some asking around,” I told him. Well, I could ask Mel to ask around. I wasn’t really friends with any of the witches around town like she was.
He fretted over his lip. “You can do that, just make sure you’re careful though. The last thing we need is more witches being targeted. Make sure you tell Mel the same thing since I know you won’t be able to keep any of this from her.”
I smiled. “She’s probably at the library right now wondering where I am. Her and your mom both are going to pump me for information as soon as I get back, you know that, right?”
“They are determined.” He looked away, his forehead creasing, his eyes roaming all over the building as if it was an old friend.
“Your mom says you’ve been working a lot. You okay?”
He shrugged. “Just can’t seem to stop crime from happening, I guess,” he said, trying to smile.
“Well, Maxie misses you,” I said, almost choking on the words. The truth was, I missed him. Jackson was one of my oldest friends and he’d helped me a lot lately. I finally felt free to talk about Derek again. If I couldn’t talk about him with Jackson, who could I talk about him with? We were closer to him than anyone.
Jackson’s cheeks reddened. “I know I haven’t come by lately. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said, right away, trying not to act as if it was a big deal. It really wasn’t. I was a grown woman. I could fend for myself. I’d done it for a few years now.
“How’s the library going? Mom says you made a small breakroom?”
I did laugh at that. Of course, that’s what his mom would mention. “You would’ve thought I gave them their own private bathroom. Teddy brought in a television for the room. A television!”
He chuckled. “What? Do they think they’re going to spend all day in there?”
“Well, yes!” I said, coming up out of my seat. “That was my first reaction.”
Jackson hid a huge smile behind his water glass, which was my first clue that he was only picking on me.
“Stop it,” I chastised him. “I don’t know what this TV’s going to do to us. That’s all.”
“Well, you’re the boss. If it becomes a problem, you can tell Teddy to take it back.”
I straightened my shoulders. “That’s true. I have the power to do that. Your mom might get mad though. I get a sense she really likes the TV.”
He chuckled. “I bet she does, but she has too much respect for you not to listen to what you want. If you think it’s a detriment to the library, she’ll stand behind you.”
That was true. Mrs. Ward and I had always gotten along well. She’d always been a great supporter. “She’s a big help.”
“Exasperating though,” Jackson said, sitting back in his chair with a sigh. “Did you see her get close to the body?”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. “That was my fault. I shouldn’t have brought her.”
“Are you kidding? She would’ve just texted and called me incessantly to figure out what was going on. We really have to start a secret code word to let each other know when we want to talk in private.”
“She just cares about you.”
He looked up. “She cares about us.”
He held my gaze and my stomach bottomed out. We’d never talked about it before even though both of us knew Mrs. Ward would love nothing more than for Jackson and me to get together. I wasn’t totally against the idea, but I was worried about a few things. Some of them being Derek related. What would he think? It was enough never to let my mind wander there.
The waiter came by and dropped off the food. “It’s okay, Mads,” Jackson said as he put his napkin on his lap.
What was okay? Had I missed something?
He didn’t skip a beat. He just kept on going. “I’m going to feel like c
rap for saying this, but I’m glad this case came up, so we could find an excuse to talk again. I promise to come by to see Maxie soon.”
I smiled, the tips of my ears burning. Maxie really loved Jackson. He fell all over him when he was around. They were attached at the hip. It was awful to use that as an excuse instead of telling him I wanted to hang out, but I couldn’t bring myself to correct it now. “Good.”
“Maye sometime this week we can walk down to the ice cream shop.”
“I think Maxie would love that.”
We both looked away and started in on our meals, history the closest thing in our minds.
Chapter Five
I swear if you don’t answer me, I’m going to come downstairs and burst through your door.
This was the last text Mel sent me. I’d just gotten home from the library and hadn’t been able to text her back all day after taking the morning off. This wasn’t just an idle threat either. Mel would do it. Since I knew she was going to come down to the apartment one way or another, I just sat my cell phone down on the kitchen table after giving Maxie some snuggles. “Are you ready to see Aunt Mel?”
He wagged his tail.
“Any minute now…”
A door slammed above us. I smiled as I walked to the Keurig and started getting together two mugs for tea.
The clop, clop of her heels sounded as she descended the steps. Just as she said, the knob turned, and she walked right in, her hands on her hips. “What in the crap, Maddie? I’ve been texting you all day. You didn’t show up for lunch.”
I put a K-cup in the machine and pressed the lid down. “Hello to you, too. How was work?”
“I know you were with Jackson today doing detective-y things and I want to know what happened.” She groaned in response to my question. “Work was fine.”
Pulling a chair out, she sat down while I put the mug of tea in front of her. “Here. Drink some of this before you have a conniption.” I put my own cup in and lowered the lid, dribbling my fingers on the countertop as I waited. Finally, I sat down, smirking at the eyebrow my sister arched at me. “It went well.”