Hell of a Witch (Crypt Witch Cozy Mystery Series Book 2)

by K. E. O'Connor

  I looked at her and shrugged. “I should be grateful you tried to give me frostbite.”

  “I’m happy to do it any time.” Tilly smiled at me. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I’ve been slammed to the ground, singed with fireballs, and bitten by a hellhound.”

  “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I didn’t bite you that hard,” Wiggles said.

  I tested my shoulder. There was only a small ache. “Have you seen Aurora? She really set Frank off. He got a glimpse of her, and that was it. There was no chance of me getting control.”

  “I have, but I sent her away. She saw what happened and wanted to stay with you until you woke up. I told her it wasn’t the greatest of ideas in case Frank was lurking beneath the surface when you came to.”

  “Good thinking.” I sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “I shouldn’t have stayed after the solstice. But with a dead body in our cemetery and Auntie Queenie on Angel Force’s radar as a suspect, I had to stick around.”

  “Auntie Queenie?” Tilly shook her head. “What’s she got to do with this?”

  “Not a thing, but you know what the angels are like when they get someone they’re interested in.”

  “They’re beautiful to look at but not the brightest in the village.” Tilly stroked her fingers through Wiggles’ fur a few times. “Listen, I know it’s not my place to say, but you scared a few people today. Frank was strong. He could have caused real damage if he was in the wrong mood.”

  “I think your ruined freezer counts as real damage. And your chef dropped what looked like the most perfect chocolate cake in the world. That was a tragedy.”

  “I’m not talking about things. I mean people.”

  I frowned at her, feeling like I was being scolded. “That’s your fault. You were the one who got all handsy and slung me in the freezer.”

  Tilly arched a brow. “Whatever I’d have done, Frank would have come through.”

  I looked around the room. Tilly was right, but I hated to admit I was struggling. “Things haven’t been so easy with Frank recently. He’s gotten control on more than one occasion.”

  “You can ask for help if you’re having a tough time,” Tilly said. “I don’t mind lending a hand. Have you ever thought about yoga?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “I don’t think a downward facing dog will do me any good.”

  “You’d be surprised. I practise most days. It’s very soothing. It helps to keep my energy aligned.”

  “I can show you some yoga positions.” Wiggles did an elaborate stretch and balanced on his paws.

  “I’m not getting into yoga.” I looked at Tilly and shrugged. “I have been having a few control issues. I thought I could handle it. I figured I was spending too much time in Willow Tree Falls. Maybe a break away from the village won’t be such a bad thing.”

  “If it helps you, then that’s good,” Tilly said, her tone suggesting otherwise. “But have you ever thought that you’re running away from the real problem? By leaving Willow Tree Falls, you’re only putting a temporary stop to Frank becoming a problem again.”

  “I can’t run from a problem that’s trapped inside me.” I closed my eyes for a second. Tilly made a good point. Leaving Willow Tree Falls was the easy option when Frank became trying, but it never solved the real problem, how to dislodge one frustrating, stubborn, mean-spirited demon who lived inside me.

  Tilly squeezed my hand. “One day, we’ll beat that son of a demon.”

  “Here’s hoping.” I slowly sat up. “Enough about Frank, the reason I came here has nothing to do with me wanting to destroy your freezer or scare the non-magicals.”

  “That’s good to know.” Tilly grinned at me. “And it wasn’t to eat my fabulous food?”

  “Not this time.” My expression grew serious. “Someone saw you locking lips with the journalist who was found dead in our cemetery.”

  Tilly’s eyebrows shot up and her cheeks flushed red. “Who’s spreading lies like that?”

  “He wasn’t here on the night of his death?”

  Tilly nodded and ran her hands over the creases in the bed sheet. “He did come to dinner that night.”

  “And what else?”

  “Nothing else. He ate dinner and left.”

  “He didn’t stay for dessert?” I stared at Tilly as she continued to fuss with the bedding. “Not even your special kind of dessert?”

  Tilly tutted and looked around the room. “Of course not. He was cute enough but not my type. I wasn’t interested in him.”

  “Is that because you knew he had a girlfriend, and she wouldn’t be impressed if she found out you locked lips with her man?”

  “Nick was seeing someone?” Tilly pressed her lips together. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Are you feeling bad because you led him astray with your amazing food and tempting ways?”

  She glared at me and slapped the back of my hand. “I didn’t lead Nick astray. Don’t you go spreading rumors saying otherwise, or we will fall out. You’ll have to find someone else to deal with that butthead of a demon when he gets too annoying.”

  Tilly never usually minded my teasing. I was onto something. “Since you didn’t get romantic with Nick and had nothing to do with him winding up dead, you won’t mind telling me what you were doing that night.”

  “Of course not. I have nothing to hide. We ran three sittings to accommodate everyone in Bite Me. As soon as the restaurant got quiet, I headed out and helped run the food stall at the celebrations. I was there all night. Hundreds of people will have seen me.”

  “You didn’t disappear for a quick smooch break with Nick at any point?”

  Tilly glared at me. “I should have left you face down in the dirt. I did not lock lips with Nick. And I’m not involved in what happened to him. It’s terrible. Why would I want him dead?”

  I raised a hand. Tilly was getting seriously out of sorts over this. “Did you talk to Nick when he came into the restaurant?”

  “In a way.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well, if you must know, he came to dinner and insulted my food.”

  “You’re kidding. Why would he do that? Everybody loves your food.”

  “I know that! There you go. There’s another reason I’d never kiss Nick. I would never kiss a man who doesn’t love my cooking.”

  “There must have been something wrong with him if he didn’t enjoy what you served.”

  “I was appalled. The worst thing was, he ate most of it before he complained.”

  “The guy must have been out of his mind,” Wiggles said. “I always think I’m in heaven when I’m munching on one of your pies. And you make the best club sandwich.”

  “Thank you. I agree,” Tilly said. “So, there you go. I wouldn’t even have had him back in the restaurant, let alone stood close enough to kiss him after that insult.”

  This had me stumped. Tilly was fiercely passionate about the food she served. Everything was fresh and locally produced. I’d never had a bad meal at Bite Me, and I was absolutely sure that, if anyone insulted her cooking, she’d sling them out the door.

  “Maybe it was somebody else seen kissing Nick.” I eased myself off the bed.

  Tilly held out a hand in case I needed it as I stood. “It must have been because it wasn’t me.”

  I straightened my clothes and smoothed a hand over my hair. “Thanks for saving me from Frank. Let me know if you have any problems with getting a pay-out for your freezer. I don’t want to see you out of pocket for what happened.”

  Tilly waved a hand at me in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it sorted. Do you feel safe to leave?”

  “Frank is not stirring. You well and truly whipped him this time.”

  “It was close.” Tilly led the way down the stairs and back into the restaurant. “If I hadn’t had Wiggles helping me, I’d have struggled.”

  “Just call me Iron Fist the Wonder Dog,” Wiggles said.

&nb
sp; “Iron Fist?”

  “Don’t pay him any attention. Wiggles has been trying to change his name ever since he got his voice.”

  Tilly grinned, petted his head, and gave Wiggles a muffin. “This is your reward, Iron Fist.”

  Wiggles grabbed the muffin and trotted out of the restaurant ahead of me.

  I said goodbye to Tilly and walked out onto the main street. I felt none the wiser for my conversation with her, but she’d acted shifty when I’d quizzed her about kissing Nick. Maybe James had been mistaken, and he hadn’t seen Nick with her but another mysterious blonde wearing an apron.

  I walked slowly back to Cloven Hoof with Wiggles. I had to figure out my next move to find out who killed Nick. But first, I needed to clean myself up and wash off the unpleasant tang of demon and dirt.

  Chapter 11

  As I shoved open the door to Cloven Hoof, the unwelcome scent of warm, downy feathers hit me. Dazielle sat at the bar, a half-empty glass in front of her.

  She turned in her seat and nodded at me. “I figured we needed to talk.”

  I glowered at her, my fingers automatically clenching. “Have you got any more cakes you’re intending to throw at me?”

  Dazielle smirked. “I couldn’t help myself. You and your granny stomped off like a pair of big kids.”

  “And you acted just as maturely by hurling cake?”

  “I decided to sink to your level. It was a terrible waste of cake, but it was worth it to see the look on your faces.” Dazielle’s smirk grew. “You have to admit you overreacted when I suggested your aunt was involved in Nick Saunders’ murder.”

  “You’d have done the same if I’d accused a member of your family of murder.” I strode over and sat on the stool next to her.

  “Maybe, maybe not. I like to think I will always be on the right side of justice, no matter who committed the crime.”

  I wrinkled my nose. I would need to deep clean this place if Dazielle got any smugger.

  Dazielle looked away, and some of her smugness faded. “I wanted to be open with you about what we’ve found. I trust you’ll do the same.”

  “I’ll consider it.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Have you had a chance to speak to your aunt and figure out what she was doing?”

  I twisted my mouth to the side. That was the annoying thing. I had, and Auntie Queenie had been less than forthcoming. She’d hidden the fact she’d made threats to Nick, even if it had been in jest. If it hadn’t been for Uncle Kenny blundering in and revealing the truth, she most likely wouldn’t have said a thing about it.

  “Your silence suggests all is not well.”

  “Fine, Auntie Queenie acted a bit shady when I spoke to her. But she didn’t mean anything by what she said to Nick.”

  “Which was?”

  “She said something about summoning a demon who sacrifices humans.”

  Dazielle coughed on the sip of drink she’d just taken. “She was joking?”

  “She only ever jokes about things like that. And she only summons demons when she absolutely has to do so.”

  “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

  “Good, because that was a joke too. You see, people make dumb jokes all the time. Anyway, whatever she’s concealing, it’s nothing serious. I’ve also spoken to James Ranger, the other journalist.”

  “What were your impressions of him?”

  I smiled to myself as I pictured James sliding about in the marsh. I hoped he was having fun. “James claims any rivalry he had with Nick was friendly, which doesn’t tally with what Rachel told me.”

  The main door to Cloven Hoof opened. My eyebrows shot up when I saw Jenny, Nick’s former assistant, come in. How was she here? She shouldn’t be able to get through the magic barrier that prevented non-magicals getting access.

  Maybe my magic was on the blink. First Nick and now Jenny had broken through it. It should be impossible. When I got a moment, I’d strengthen the barrier and make sure no more non-magicals stumbled in and saw anything they shouldn’t.

  Jenny waved when she saw me and hurried over. “I hope I’m not intruding.” She glanced at Dazielle and nodded.

  “No, what do you need?”

  Jenny puffed out a breath. “This is going to sound silly, and I apologize in advance for asking, but James insisted I come by and speak to you.”

  “About what?”

  Jenny tugged at the end of her hair and shuffled her feet. “I’m almost too embarrassed to say. It’s just that James has had a few people report that they saw you being chased by the woman from the restaurant and your dog.”

  I glanced at Dazielle, who looked at me with a curious expression on her face. It looked like she’d missed that bit of news. “What if I was?”

  Jenny’s eyes widened. “Oh, I didn’t expect you to say that. Well, that’s not so strange, I guess, but the weird thing is, people also reported seeing smoke coming out of your mouth.”

  I ignored the hard glare Dazielle gave me. It seemed some other non-magicals attending the solstice celebrations also had a hidden magic radar. Rather than seeing me being chased by a dog and my friend, they’d seen Frank’s energy spiraling out of me. Note to future self: do not let Frank get control when Willow Tree Falls is full of non-magicals.

  Jenny gave an embarrassed sounding laugh when I didn’t reply. “Oh, goodness, I really am sorry about this. I knew James was setting me up. He loves humiliating people. It must be a joke. Of course, that’s what it is.”

  “It sounds like it must be. I think it’s impossible for people to breathe smoke.” I leaned toward her. “And I’m not a half-dragon in disguise.”

  Jenny grinned. “I expect he’ll ask me to go buy a long wait next. He thinks I’m an idiot. I just proved him right.”

  “You’re not an idiot. When he’s not wasting your time, how are you getting on being James’s assistant?”

  Jenny’s smile faded. “Well, it’s a job, of sorts. I don’t think he’s planning on paying me, not like Nick was. I keep trying to get him to confirm my wages, but he gets all evasive. What else can I do? I came here with Nick as a part of his team, and we need to finish the story. I’ll have to look for someone else to apprentice with when this is over.”

  “You’re not planning on sticking with James when you get out of here?”

  “Good grief, not for a second.” Jenny’s expression turned startled. “I mean, he’s okay, but he doesn’t need an assistant. I’m sure he works better alone.”

  I could imagine James had enough ego for several people not to need it bolstered by Jenny. “How’s everything going with your work?”

  “It’s all a bit messy. I have some work I did for Nick waiting to be edited. Then there’s stuff from James that he’s insisting I focus on. I feel like I’m being torn in two different directions.”

  “You must miss Nick. It sounds like he treated you a lot better than James.”

  “He was a good guy to work for. I hope you figure out what happened to him quickly. James keeps on about getting an exclusive on the story. I feel sick about reporting on the death of a friend.”

  “No doubt. We’re working on it,” I said. “We’re following several leads.”

  “If there’s anything I can do, let me know.” Jenny looked around the bar. “I’d better go, or James will only complain about me. Again, I’m so sorry for asking you those stupid questions about the smoke.”

  “No problem. Maybe you need to take what James tells you with a pinch of salt, so he doesn’t have you running all over the village wasting your time.”

  “You’re absolutely right.” She waved a quick goodbye and hurried away.

  I needed to follow my own advice when it came to time wasters. James had pointed the finger at Tilly and suggested a romantic involvement between her and Nick. He could be distracting me from his own motives for wanting Nick dead.

  “What do you think of her?” Dazielle asked as Jenny left the bar.

  “I don’t think Jenny’s involv
ed. I asked her where she was the night Nick died. She’s got a good alibi. She also seems a bit too—”

  “Too timid? Too innocent?”

  “Both. She’s not got a mean streak in her like Rachel. Somebody must have seen what happened to Nick that night. There were so many people around. How do you kill someone at such a busy event and it goes unnoticed?”

  “There wouldn’t have been anyone in your cemetery.”

  “There’d have been members of my family,” I said. “Before you start accusing my aunt again, it wasn’t her. Besides, we always know when we get people blundering into the cemetery and nosing around. We discourage it, but somehow, they still sneak in. We’d have known if someone had been murdered there.”

  “You weren’t in the cemetery with anyone that night?”

  “I don’t often do cemetery duty. I was in the forest, getting some shuteye. The first thing I knew about the murder was when Aurora woke me and told me what had happened.” I tapped my fingers on the top of the bar. “I did see someone else in the forest. It was the wild woman, the lady with the long dreadlocked hair.”

  “You’re talking about Jane Doe?”

  “Erm, I don’t know her name.”

  Dazielle arched a brow. “Exactly.”

  “Oh, got it. Anyway, Jane might have seen what happened. She’s good at sneaking around and nobody seeing her.”

  “Only seeing something? Could she have had something to do with Nick’s murder?”

  “There’d be no reason she would be involved. I’ll ask her. If nothing else, Jane might have seen someone lurking around or following Nick and waiting for the opportunity to attack.”

  “Good luck with finding her. Jane does not get found easily. She finds you, not the other way around.”

  I shrugged. “That won’t be a problem.” The chances were Jane, or whatever her real name was, kept out of the angels’ way deliberately.

  Dazielle stood. “A word of advice. From what I’ve just heard, you need to keep better control of Frank.”

  “I control him just fine.” I grabbed a drink stirrer and swirled it around my fingers.

  “Not from Jenny’s account of what happened to you.”