That Old Witch Magic (Wicked in Moonhaven~A Paranormal Cozy Book 2)

by J. D. Winters

  I looked up. “Thank you Shane,” I said quietly. “I understand what you’ve been talking about a little better now. I know you’re only doing what you have to do. And I will be careful.” I paused, then went on. “You do know that my friendship with Bentley is purely platonic, don’t you? It could never be anything else.”

  He stared at me. “I know that’s what you want it to be.”

  The way he was looking at me—as if he could see inside to what I was thinking—was making me squirm. Surely he understood that any romantic feelings I might be experiencing were directed completely at him. But then, why should he know that? I’d never come right out and told him, had I? Just like I didn’t know what he and Krissy meant to each other, he didn’t really know about me. For just a moment, I was tempted to say something. Then I thought about how stupid I would feel if he looked at me incredulously and said, “No, that wasn’t what I meant at all.”

  I looked away. Then I remembered something. I pulled the little knitted cap out of my pocket. “Here,” I said. “I picked this up at the clearing where the dead animals were. I thought it might be a gremlin hat, but the wrangler says no.”

  He took it from me and looked at it. “I saw you pick it off that bush,” he said evenly. “I was wondering when you were going to tell me about it.”

  I sighed. “I’m sorry. I was mad at you at the time.” Suddenly I remembered how I’d thought I saw Rennie in the greenery. Maybe that was exactly what I’d seen, Rennie distributing caps. But why?

  “But I didn’t just hold it for spite,” I told him quickly. “I investigated and found out where it came from.”

  He looked up at me. “And?”

  “It seems Rennie ordered a bunch of them made. The woman she ordered them from said they were for Rennie’s little dogs. Only she doesn’t have any dogs, big or little. And I can’t find her anywhere to ask her what she was doing it for.”

  He smiled. “I know where she probably is.”

  “Really? Where.”

  “You know the old schoolhouse on Mayberry and Elm?”

  I nodded. It had been used as a one room school years ago and now was considered an historical building. Tourists went through it Tuesday through Thursday.

  “There’s a vacant lot right behind it, overgrown with bushes and small trees. I think you’ll be able to find her there.”

  “Oh. Good. I’ve been worried about her.”

  “Don’t worry about Rennie. She always lands on her feet.”

  I nodded. Okay, he’d told me something I wanted to know. Maybe I should explain about the night goblins to him. Just maybe, he could stop blaming Bentley for everything.

  “Okay Shane. There is one thing I learned out at the wrangler’s place. There is another species of blood sucking creatures here in Moonhaven. They’re called night goblins and they attack small and medium sized animals all the time. So keep that in mind when you begin looking for culpability in these things.”

  He nodded, but I saw the spark of amusement in his gaze and thought I already knew what he was going to say.

  “Thank you for that, Haley,” he said solemnly. “I did know about them and I know what their bite looks like. In fact, Brick is not officially allowed to keep them at his place. Now that you’ve confirmed he’s got them, I suppose I’m going to be obliged to do something about it.”

  “Oh.” I made a wry face. “I didn’t think of that. Couldn’t you forget I told you anything?”

  “Hey, don’t worry. I’ve got other things to do right now. I’m going to have to have it out with Brick as to what he’s doing—what’s legal and what’s out of bounds. He’s gone way beyond what he’s licensed for. But that can wait. We’ve got other problems right now.” He took a deep breath and for just a moment, his gaze seemed to skim over me in a tantalizing way, as though he was thinking beyond the crime-fighting aspects of our relationship. Or was I dreaming?

  “Okay, Haley,” he said. “I’ll take you to see Bentley now.”

  Chapter 10

  I hardly recognized my favorite vampire. He was sitting in the basement holding cell, looking forlorn. When I walked in, he barely looked up.

  “Hi Haley,” he said, and then went back to staring at the floor.

  I looked around the room. There was no one else in any of the cells and Shane had ushered me to the door, then left because he had a phone call. I appreciated the time to be alone with Bentley without others making him feel uncomfortable, but honestly, he didn’t look good and he definitely wasn’t happy.

  We talked for a few minutes, with me asking him what I could bring him that would make him more comfortable and him giving me monosyllabic answers.

  “I’m working on this case, you know,” I said softly, leaning against the bars. “I’m going to find out who really did it. Just wait. I know I’m going to be able to exonerate you very soon.”

  He looked up at that, his face anguished. “Oh Haley, don’t do that. It’s no use. I’m going to be prosecuted. It’s in the cards. Don’t waste your time.”

  I couldn’t believe his defeatist attitude. I told him about what I’d done that day, where I’d been. And that I thought the bloodless animals near his cave were the fault of the night goblins. He didn’t seem very interested.

  “Forget it,” he said again. “It’s no use. I’m going to prison for a long time. Unless…..”

  His voice trailed off and I knew he didn’t mean that I might be able to get him off. He meant something infinitely worse.

  “I got your wooden box,” I told him. “I hid it in my room.”

  “Oh.” His gaze sharpened. “Did you look inside?”

  I gulped. I hadn’t been expecting that and I turned bright red.

  He groaned. “Oh Haley, you shouldn’t have done that. You’re not supposed to see…” His voice trailed off and he shrugged.

  “I’m sorry. But…but I just had to take a look. And I saw…I saw that chart and your name as some kind of nobleman or something and …”

  “Shhh!” He hushed me, looking around the area a bit frantically to make sure no one had overheard. “Don’t say it. That is a secret, Haley. The most deadly secret about me there is.” He was staring at me so earnestly and his voice was barely above a whisper. “I have enemies, and if they knew what was on that chart, I would be destroyed.” He shook his head. “Please, Haley. Don’t repeat anything you saw there.”

  “I won’t. I swear, I won’t tell anyone.”

  “Good.” He took a deep breath and sank back into depression again.

  I felt terrible, but I didn’t want to leave him alone after that. I thought for a minute.

  “There was someone in your house when I went in.”

  He was briefly interested, but it didn’t last. “Oh well. Probably the police?”

  “No.” I leaned close. “Joe Pelligrini. He was going through drawers like a fiend. Any idea what he was looking for?”

  He shook his head but he didn’t meet my gaze and I had a feeling he knew exactly what Joe wanted there. “He came to visit me,” he said. “About an hour ago. I told Shane I wouldn’t see him.”

  “Oh.” So I guess I should feel honored that he let me in. Sigh. I wished I knew what I could do to cheer him up. He was Mr. Gloom and Doom and there didn’t seem to be any way to fix that.

  I gave up trying. I said good-bye and headed back up the stairs toward the lobby. As I walked down the hall, hoping not to run into Sheriff Hayes, I glanced into an office that was usually empty and noticed Alessandro sitting at the desk. I stopped and looked in on him, feeling a little depressed, feeling a little annoyed. He was writing something in what looked like a journal and I went on into the office with the complete intention of giving this newcomer a piece of my mind. It had been hard enough settling into a town full of things that should have been familiar, but the memory of which had been taken from me, so that everything was new and old at once. I wasn't about to let some interloper shake things up, just when they were all beginning to f
inally make sense for me.

  "Listen, you," I said, and then I made the big mistake of looking at him.

  That cut my words right off. I couldn't even say he was devastatingly handsome, or anything like that. For one thing, Alessandro was old. Way too old for me, but... something about him was so appealing, it cut right through my growing righteous anger. It was like... if you've ever seen a movie actor in real life, you'll know the feeling. Even one who just looks okay on screen can exude such a level of charm that even if you're angry with them, something in your lizard brain says, "Me like. Me no yell."

  "Listen, me, what?" he said, looking interested but slightly amused.

  “They gave you an office?” I asked, and suddenly I was smiling at him. “Great.”

  He gave me a nice smile back and motioned for me to sit. “Haley. I was just thinking about you. We definitely need to talk.”

  I went in, but stayed on my feet. “Are you officially joining the department?” I asked him.

  He grinned. “Not quite. But Shane did give me this office to use so that I could give him some help on this murder case. I was glad to oblige. And I’m thinking of settling here in Moonhaven for awhile. It’s a great place. Don’t you agree?”

  “Oh, I do.” A chill went down my spine. I didn’t care if the man moved here, just as long as he didn’t do so in order to take over Shane’s job on the force. I glanced at the books he had on the desk. It looked like he was planning some serious reading. “So what’s new? Who dun it?”

  He laughed. “I don’t think we’ve reached that conclusion just yet.”

  “You don’t want to pin it all on Bentley like Shane does?”

  His blue eyes were clear as he met mine. “Absolutely not. Bentley is just a cog in the wheel. I’m convinced of that.”

  Well, that was a relief. He was sitting behind the desk, his back ramrod straight, his too-intelligent eyes regarding me with the barest hint of an expression. I noticed again how he seemed impeccably dressed, his shirt starched, his slacks with a perfect crease. The pen he used looked expensive, and the gold ring on his right hand was thick and heavy and embossed with two letters. I couldn’t quite make out what they were.

  “That’s a beautiful ring,” I said. “What are the initials for?”

  He held it up for a moment and I could see them. I couldn’t be sure, but they seemed to be VD.

  He gave me his usual enigmatic smile. “They refer to my most celebrated case,” he said dismissively. “They wouldn’t mean a thing to you.”

  Okay. Maybe I was being a bit too familiar? I could buy that.

  "I have to tell you," I said, looking away from those eyes. "I think all kinds of mistakes are being made."

  "Indeed?" he said, his deep voice surprisingly soft. "By whom? Not, me, surely?"

  There was the barest hint of a twinkle in his eye, and it threatened to knock me off course again.

  "About Bentley. And about Shane." I stood my ground, planting my feet. And, just as I was stable, Alessandro made a gesture for me to sit down. I kinda shook my head, and folded my arms... but found myself sitting anyway. Dang it.

  "Let's take this one at a time, Miss Greco," he said, looking at me with some gravity.

  "Bentley," I said, trying to sound firm and tough, "is a good guy. He couldn't have done that... that murder."

  Alessandro steepled his fingers, and looked at me from above them.

  "Bentley is a vampire." He held out one hand to stop my protests. "He might be a good citizen and a taxpayer and even a decent lawyer. But he's a vampire. And I know from hard experience that a vampire, any vampire, could have done that murder."

  I shook my head, dismissing the idea. "I know him."

  "For how long?"

  Well, going on a couple months. But still...

  "It doesn't always take a long time to get to know somebody," I said.

  "Mm-hmm, true. But it helps," he said, with an annoyingly fetching smile. "Next point of fact. You were just in talking to Bentley. Has he told you he did not commit the murder?"

  I couldn't look at Alessandro. Because that was precisely what Bentley had NOT said to me. He hadn't denied anything, he hadn't admitted anything. He just... shut me out.

  "I thought not. Now, there could be a number of reasons for this. Supernatural creatures have restrictions mere mortals like you and I do not. A master vampire, one of the primes, could hold sway directly over him, order him not to say anything and then however much he wanted to talk, he would be compelled not to."

  My eyes went wide. Oh, my gosh, that could be the answer to everything. If another vampire was in town, one that could do that. I looked at Alessandro like a puppy who'd just been handed a treat... and deflated at his expression: winsome, a little sad. Too understanding. Obviously this wasn’t going to be the quick fix I was hoping for.

  "But that would have to be a direct ancestor of Bentley's,” he noted sadly. “And there aren't any. Hunters keep strict track of these things, and Bentley's sire has been dead for 14 years."

  "How do you know?" I said. I knew supernatural creatures were tricky. They fake their own deaths, have miraculous recoveries. I wasn't going to let this hope die.

  He stared at me for a moment as though trying to decide whether or not to confide in me. I could see when he made up his mind. He leaned forward and spoke softly.

  "I know because I put the stake in his heart myself, and turned him to dust. He was feral at the time, mad, and there was no hope for him."

  He was talking about some long-dead vampire, but that vampire was a direct ancestor of Bentley’s. To me the words really applied to Bentley. No hope... I was devastated.

  He switched topics before I had a chance to react.

  "And now, what about Shane?" Alessandro said.

  "Hmm?" I was getting whiplash. “What about him?”

  "What mistake am I making about him?"

  "Oh, right.” I readjusted my thinking. “Uh. Oh yeah. If you think you can waltz in here and take over for him--"

  His laugh was low and musical. "Rest assured, my dear, I can do that without even consulting my superiors. I have the authority to place him on probation, and knock him out of official status. Hell, if I wanted to, I could force him into exile from this haven, kick him out of the Hunters Association. If he defied me, I could even place a bounty on his head. His former brothers would become his persecutors."

  My mouth was hanging open by the end of that litany. I wasn't feeling too warmly toward Shane right now, sure that his antipathy toward Bentley made him jump to conclusions, but that didn't mean he deserved anything like Alessandro was describing. I felt as though I’d been slapped. What was going on here? Why did he talk like he controlled things?

  "You wouldn't," I blurted out.

  He shook his head, still looking vaguely amused, as though I was pretty much a rube and he felt the need to bring things down to their simplest terms in order for me to understand.

  "No, of course I wouldn't,” he said, and I breathed easier.

  “That’s a relief.”

  His eyes sparkled. “Unless circumstances forced my hand," he added simply.

  I shook my head. I couldn’t decide if he was threatening me, or if he just talked in these grandiose terms all the time and couldn’t help himself. Whatever—I didn’t like it. But he wasn’t through. In fact, he was trying to explain.

  "What I would do is keep an eye on how things are run in this town. Moonhaven isn't like most haven towns, Miss Greco. It has a lot of... idiosyncrasies. The ranches outside of the town proper. Open hunting grounds for the residents who require live sustenance.” His voice hardened. “The mayor's colorful and entertaining wife running everything because the mayor is supposedly indisposed."

  "Uh…what?” I said.

  "That's the whole reason the inspector was getting ready to come down on this place like a ton of bricks. And also the reason Shane contacted me, asking for help. Most havens are run, obliquely or not, by either sorcerers or
hunters. Having a ‘creature’ for a mayor isn't common."

  I stared at him, my mouth open again.

  "You didn't know?" he said, mouth twisted in a strange way. "Well, see, that's why some people think this particular haven needs to be taken in hand. Inspector Cranston was just a first step, and with what's happened to him...” He shrugged. “The best result for everyone involved might be if Bentley is, in fact, guilty. A vampire doing what comes natural is one thing. The alternatives..."

  He didn't say another word. He let me come up with some alternatives by myself, and I didn’t like them.

  “Haley, I meant what I told you earlier today. I’d like to be your friend. I’d like you to know you have someone to come to, to confide in, in case you run into situations where you need a bit of backup. Just keep that in mind.”

  I didn’t stay much longer. I had things to do, people to see. And I needed to get some distance from the man so that I could evaluate the new and shocking things he’d told me.

  I went straight across the almost empty park, not even thinking about the usual fear I had of it. I had too much on my mind for that—mostly Alessandro and how I was caught between being impressed by him and being very, very wary. He was just a little too much at times. I hadn’t really talked to Shane about him yet. I probably should do that sometime soon.

  I’d thought I knew hunters, since I knew Shane and the men on our sheriff’s staff. But this man, this hunter from Washington State was something else entirely. As charming as he could seem at times, he came across as completely ruthless--and pretty darn scary.

  What he’d said about the condition of the haven itself was a revelation to me. But then, I didn’t know what other havens were like. Maybe we were a bit strange. Maybe we did need reining in. And Shane himself had seen the problem, and that was why he’d called for help.

  Did that mean that Shane was in danger too? And from the same person-or thing—that killed Inspector Cranston? As if I needed more bad possibilities to be worried about.