Okay, I loved coffee.
Let me rephrase…coffee was, in fact, the nectar of the gods.
You have a serious problem.
“I do need a coffee fix, but Heidi is waiting for me in the car. I don’t want to keep her too long.”
I took a few steps closer, realizing that I hadn’t actually thought this through.
I swear, do you ever think things through?
How was I going to ask for the old case files on a fifty-three-year-old murder without coming across as a bit odd?
Do you really want me to comment on the insanity of that request?
“Is everything alright?” Liam asked with concern, taking a step forward so that his handsome features came into sharper view. I suppressed the need to fan myself. “Is your battery giving you trouble again? You really should have Newt take a look at the charging system for you. This cold weather can be potentially dangerous if you don’t take the proper precautions.”
I remained silent while I thought through my current plight.
Please change your mind, please change your mind, please change your…
I closed the distance between Liam and me while ignoring Leo’s pleas. He was getting his whiskers tied in a knot over relatively nothing. What could it hurt to look into an old murder with the good intentions of clearing Nan’s name?
What’s the worst that can happen?
Now that I can answer. Do you want the first possible catastrophe or the hundredth? Forward or backward? You pick. I can even put them in alphabetical order, if you like.
“My Corolla is just a bit temperamental,” I replied with a casual shrug, ignoring Leo’s bait to focus solely on Liam’s suggestion of a mechanic. In all honesty, I was lucky my old girl was still running. And no, it had nothing to do with magic. “I was hoping to ask you for a favor of sorts.”
“Anything you need,” Liam said, returning my smile with one of his own. He shifted to the side with an invitation to enter his office, which I graciously accepted. I might have sucked in as much air as I could while walking past him. His cologne was like an aphrodisiac that caused me to pause mid-stride. “You know, I was a bit concerned that you might be going to cancel our plans. I am sorry that I had to postpone our date earlier. My sister, Meghan, was the only one in line the day spontaneity was being handed out. She got an abundance.”
See? He’s a fuddy-duddy. Even he admits it. Cancel and let’s go.
I tried not to appear too distracted at Leo’s continuous interruptions, but that wasn’t always an easy thing to do. With that said, I was getting better at it. A quick glance around the office reassured me that he was still invisible, so at least I had that going for me.
“What’s on your mind?” Liam asked, his voice akin to my favorite beverage in the morning.
“Well, I was talking with Cora Barnes about some of the reasons she and my mother don’t quite get along.” I didn’t bother to take a seat in one of the two guest chairs, knowing Heidi was probably chomping at the bit already. It wouldn’t surprise me if she left the Corolla running while she came looking for me. “Cora said—”
“Let me guess,” Liam interrupted with a small frown. I was just getting to the good part, too. “Cora brought up the unsolved murder from fifty-three years ago.”
Here we go…you know I don’t look good in stripes.
“How did you…”
I let my voice trail off as I realized that nothing was sacred in this town. It was honestly a wonder how Nan had managed to keep her witchcraft under wraps for so long. I tried not to be disheartened that these townsfolk knew more about my family than I did.
I can relate. Memory loss is nothing to sneeze at, you know. It’s a serious disorder.
“Yes, it is about that unsolved murder,” I replied to Liam, confirming that he was spot on. He had no idea I’d used witchcraft once before to solve a murder, and there was no reason I couldn’t do so again. A zing of anticipation shot through me at the chance of closing this case before bedtime tonight. “Cora mentioned that she and my mother had a falling out over Nan’s alleged involvement.”
I explained this earlier, but I was now able to sense things around me. The air tended to crackle with energy and my palm became warm when there was danger nearby. There were also times when a slight resonance could be heard to forewarn me when a conversation was about to veer in the wrong direction.
Yeah, that didn’t happen this time around.
“My mother went to high school with Cora and your mom,” Liam revealed, leaving me a bit speechless. How had I not known this before? “My mom and Regina were rather close before your mother left for the city. One might have even referred to them as best friends.”
Is this where you humans drop the mic?
No, that wasn’t a mic drop in the least.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t explain that to Leo right at this moment. I was too shocked at the fact that Liam’s mother and mine had been BFFs.
Another thing occurred to me.
Leo had to have known that little tidbit of information.
Short-term memory loss, remember? It’s an affliction. I thought we already discussed this.
Another conversation to have at a later time—there was a big different between short-term and long-term memory loss.
Oh, my Supernatural being! Did you grandmother not read the label before casting that black magic spell?
“You’ve never mentioned your mother before,” I said softly, catching sight of the pain that flashed in Liam’s dark eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him with my interest in the past. “I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s all right,” Liam reassured me, shifting on his worn brown boots so that he was leaning back against his desk. “It’s not a secret that my mother grew up in Paramour Bay. She passed when I was in middle school. Cancer. Meghan was a senior in high school, but she wasn’t eighteen years old at the time. Otis and his wife took us in when social services would have put us in the foster care system.”
All of this explained so much, especially why Otis was so proud of Liam. He’d followed in his guardian’s footsteps as protector of Paramour Bay.
“Anyway, Mom and Regina had a falling out with Cora and Beverly Garber. There might have been a fifth girl involved at the time, but I don’t recall her name offhand.” Liam tapped a finger on the desk as he thought it over. “Meghan was having problems with a group of mean girls at school. Mom explained the story of how Cora had said some awful things to Regina about your grandmother’s role in the murder of Norman Palmer. Of course, the lesson was that words can damage long-standing friendships. We can all learn from their example.”
Norman Palmer.
Liam had brought up the name once before in connection with Nan. In turn, I’d asked my mom about the man. I’d gotten the feeling that Nan had been intimately involved with Mr. Palmer, and I even had my own suspicions about his identity. It didn’t take witchcraft to figure out that fifty-three years ago was the time that Nan had been pregnant with my mom.
Let’s just say that particular conversation with my mother hadn’t gone over so well.
“Raven, what’s this favor you wanted to ask of me?” Liam inquired almost cautiously, as if I was about to wish for the moon and stars.
“I wanted to read over the old case file,” I admitted, deciding I might as well jump into the deep end with both feet. I held up my hand when I got the sense that Liam was trying to figure out a way to turn down my request. “Before you say no, what is the harm in letting me take a peek at the reports? Otis was the one to investigate Norman Palmer’s death, so I know that all of the old paper files are still in this office.”
“Raven, the murder took place fifty-three years ago.” Liam rubbed his jaw as he most likely tried to come up with a way to turn down my request. “Your grandmother was a person of interest in the case, because she was involved with the victim. They had a relationship.”
I knew it!
I refrained from pu
mping my fist into the air in an act of victory.
Truthfully, the only thing I knew about the investigation was that Norman Palmer was found floating face down in the lake. I assumed he’d drowned, but I’d never asked about the cause of death.
“Otis called in the state police, but there were no other leads. The case was a dead end.” Liam still hadn’t said he wasn’t going to give me the files, but I could easily sense that he was leaning toward denying my request. “Raven, Norman Palmer wasn’t really a local. He’d been a guest at the inn for a little less than two weeks before his death. He told Gertie that he was just passing through, and his behavior didn’t suggest otherwise. All the townsfolk who the state investigators spoke to agreed that he was just a nice guy who got caught up into something bad. He began courting Rosemary, and then one day he turned up dead.”
There you go. All the information you need. Now let’s go before you muddle this up.
A few things stood out in the facts that Liam had just related to me, but the most vivid one was that Norman Palmer couldn’t have been my grandfather if he’d been in town for only two weeks. Nan had been pregnant at the time of his visit.
He wasn’t my grandfather.
“No wonder Nan was a person of interest,” I murmured, more to myself than Liam. Had Nan had something to do with Norman Palmer’s murder? What if I delved into this old case only to find out that my grandmother was a murderer? No. No, I didn’t believe that for a second. “Liam, please let me look over the files. I promise to give them back at the beginning of the week.”
Are you purposefully doing this to ruin my New Year?
“Raven…”
Liam let his voice trail off, almost as if I exasperated him. I didn’t understand his reluctance in opening the files to me, but maybe it had to do with Otis’ involvement. Had he or the state police missed something within the investigation? Otis had been friends with my grandmother. Had he covered up a crime of passion to save my Nan?
Why is it that you always allow your imagination to run away with you? Can’t you take the good ol’ sheriff at his word? The case led to a dead end. So, we should leave well enough alone before you set fire to the past.
This entire time I’d been under the assumption that Norman Palmer was just an average male who’d succumbed to murder by another average everyday human being. Leo’s vexation with my interest in this case now had me guessing that Nan wasn’t so much the culprit as the cause.
I’m leaving now. I’ve got an itch behind my ear. And Heidi’s been waiting too long in the car. You realize that doesn’t make you a very good friend, now does it?
I was definitely onto something.
“Fine,” Liam relented, shaking a finger at me. “You can have the weekend to look over the file, but then I’d like the reports back in the same condition I gave them to you. All of them. Every page and photograph.”
“Deal.”
There was no hiding my bright smile, and I adored the way he shook his head with minor amusement. The last thing I’d want is for him to think I’m boring. It was always better to keep men on their toes…or claws. For some reason, Leo came to mind. He might complain a lot, but he’d had more adventure in the past two months than he’d had in a lifetime with Nan. Well, maybe. The answers I was looking for all depended on what these old case files produced.
“I was curious about the murder myself a time or two,” Liam said as he walked over to one of the filing cabinets in his office. He fished out his keys before easily choosing the one he needed. “It was the only crime not solved in Paramour Bay. Otis took it personally. It’s the reason I keep the case file in my office instead of the archive storage room over at the county building.”
“I find it hard to believe that every other crime to have taken place in Paramour Bay has been solved.” I wasn’t questioning Liam’s abilities as a sheriff, but it was highly doubtful that any law enforcement agency had that type of closing rate. “Aren’t there some kind of awards for that?”
Liam’s rich laughter filled the air, but the sound was much more soothing than any Christmas carol. I was beyond happy to be going with him to the New Year’s Eve party.
“It’s not like we have a large population, Raven. Not much gets past these townsfolk.”
Liam’s words instantly slammed into me and the palm of my hand began to tingle. I’d been looking at the black and white clock on the wall above Liam’s credenza, wincing at the fact that Heidi had been waiting in the car for so long. I hadn’t realized that he’d already collected the files.
He was watching me closely…too closely.
It was almost as if he believed I had the answers he was seeking.
Did he know that I was a—
“Raven Lattice Marigold!” Heidi suddenly appeared in the doorway with a frown on her pretty face. The flurries caught in her blonde curls began to slowly disappear one by one. “We’re going to run out of gas if you take any longer in here, and my toes are about to fall off. The heater in the car suddenly stopped working ten minutes ago.”
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Leo was behind Heidi’s interruption.
He’d done something to my Corolla so that Heidi would have no choice but to come in here in the nick of time.
I definitely didn’t give him enough credit.
“Your car heater is out with these temperatures?” Liam asked, his worried gaze shifting from Heidi to me. “Why don’t I drive you home? We can have Newt look at your vehicle first thing in the morning. I know he sometimes works on Saturdays, and this way he can look over the entire vehicle to make sure it’s safe to drive in the first place.”
“She’s just temperamental,” I reassured Liam, knowing full well that Leo would have the heater back up and running by the time Heidi and I walked outside. “I know exactly where to hit the dashboard to get the heat to come back on. I promise.”
If Liam’s arched brow was any indicator, he didn’t believe a word that came out of my mouth. I couldn’t blame him, but it was technically the truth.
That counted for something, right?
“You have my cell phone number,” Liam reminded me, taking the two remaining steps between us. He handed over three thick files bound into one murder book, but he didn’t immediately release them. He waited for me to make eye contact with him before issuing another directive. “Please call me if you break down before reaching your house. I wouldn’t want to spend New Year’s Eve alone.”
I couldn’t prevent the rosy flush that no doubt cascaded over my cheeks.
“I promise that I’ll call you if we run into any trouble.”
The files in my hand were heavy, but at least my palm was no longer tingling. I guess I had Leo to thank for what could possibly have been a very awkward conversation. There was no doubt that Liam suspected something was amiss, but did he believe that something was with me or with my dearly departed Nan?
“I’ll pick you up at seven o’clock on Monday,” Liam reminded me with a small wink. I relaxed somewhat as I nodded my acknowledgement. Putting things into perspective, what was the worst thing that could happen should Liam find out the truth? It wasn’t like he could arrest me for being a witch. “You two drive safe and remember to call me if you run into any problems I can help you with.”
“We will,” I assured him, joining Heidi in the doorway. There was one more thing I needed to do before we could leave. “Liam?”
I turned around to find that he hadn’t moved from where I’d left him. He was rubbing the small growth of whiskers on his chin, most likely still wondering what the missing pieces of the puzzle were in regard to the Marigolds.
“Thank you for letting me look at the old case file,” I said softly, holding the manila folders close to my chest.
“You’re welcome, Raven Lattice Marigold.”
I thought maybe I’d been the one to audibly sigh at the way he’d said my full name, because goosebumps washed over my body as if I’d just stepped into a hot shower. It was cl
ear that he’d been attempting to mimic Heidi in good jest, but his voice almost set fire to the murder book in my hands. Fortunately, the distinct sigh came from Heidi, saving me from embarrassment. As I fell into step with her, it didn’t surprise me when she commented on the obvious.
“I call dibs on being your maid of honor. Leo will have to fend for himself.”
Chapter Three
“I haven’t even gone on a date with Liam yet, so don’t you go making any plans that would have my mother being admitted to the hospital for a stress-related illness.”
I parked my Corolla—amazingly with a working heater—parallel to the black wrought iron fence that surrounded the front half of my property, no longer fazed by the eerie sight of the old Victorian style cottage.
You might think I’m being overly dramatic using the word eerie as an adjective, but I’m right on target considering its resemblance to a classic haunted house. I wondered why Nan fostered the idea of the foreboding exterior visage, yet she’d spared no expense at updating the interior.
It struck me so instantly upon opening the front door for the first time—the foyer and great room were spacious and inviting, and the kitchen was modern with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Nan and her penchant for understated appearances made me speculate over what she could be hiding other than the obvious. Peering out through the windshield brought all these thoughts to the forefront in light of what discoveries were to come.
The porch light I’d left on highlighted the overgrowth of entangled vines that were now nothing but thin, creepy twigs. The wrought iron fence with sharp spikes and the two bare trees on either side of the house didn’t take away from the ominous appearance, either.
It was all an elaborate façade.
Or it could be that Nan just had a wicked sense of humor.
“Your mother did mention that she wasn’t thrilled about who you had a date with for New Year’s Eve.” Heidi had been holding her hands in front of the heated vent, and she groaned in displeasure when I turned off the engine and her current source of pleasure. She quickly unfastened the seat belt and reached for the door handle. “I don’t get it. Liam is handsome, sweet, and nothing like the guys you dated in the city. You’d think she’d be happy for you.”
Enchanting Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 3) Page 3