by Amy Boyles
“So you think whoever they’re holding is innocent?”
I ran to the door and flung it open. “I think they’re innocent and the grandmothers are about to reveal to them that we’re witches. If they do that and the witch police find out, I’m pretty sure we’re toast, protection or no protection.”
Immunity or not, I was pretty sure that it was still illegal to go around telling folks that we were witches—and even more illegal to freeze regular people’s feet in blocks of ice.
I raced down the stairs. Luckily the back set ran all the way down to the basement. The basement sort of reminded me of the one on Downton Abbey—where the kitchen and mudroom and other facilities were placed.
I tramped down a hall until I found a door at the end. “This has to be it,” I said.
The knob turned easily. The hinges groaned as I pushed it.
“Let me go first,” Nan said, shoving me aside.
“Why’d you even ask?” I mumbled. I mean, if she was just going to go ahead and push me out of the way, what was the point?
A dim light glowed from the back. The room was cool and dank. A breeze coming from an undetermined location swirled around my midsection.
The whole place gave me the heebie-jeebies. I didn’t know if I’d even want my worst enemy down here.
Nah. I’d let Jenny Butts come down just so I could scare her.
Not that she was my worst enemy or anything. She was just the closest, if not the most annoying thing I had to one.
A cool breeze washed down my back, making the fine hairs on my neck rise. I wondered if Reid’s book on ghosts could help you figure out if one was around, because this room was getting colder by the minute.
Not that I was scared or anything.
But still, I grabbed hold of Nan’s shirt. If anyone sneaked up behind me and tried to snatch me away, she’d know I was gone because I wouldn’t be clinging to her for dear life anymore.
That was my plan, at least.
We reached the light. My family stood in a corner, a low-watt bulb burning above them. They were in a circle surrounding someone, but I couldn’t see who.
Milly had her hands extended. I watched as slivers of ice shot from her fingertips. “Listen, toots, you might as well go ahead and confess. We know you did it.”
Grandma poked the air. “Yes! The tiny dragons told us all about it.”
I smacked my forehead. “What’s going on here?”
Sera and Reid turned around. They rushed up to me. “Dylan, thank goodness you’re here,” Sera said. “We can’t talk them down. They nabbed her, and we couldn’t stop them.”
“Who’d they nab?”
My sisters moved out of the way. Sitting in a chair with her hands tied behind her back was Rose Wood.
Her wedding dress was ripped at the top and soiled on the bottom. Her blonde curls were sagging, hanging limply around her shoulders. Her mascara had smeared, with lines running down her cheeks.
“What the heck is going on? When I hired you, Dylan Apel, I didn’t expect you to bring crazy ladies who would try to kill me.”
“I’m so sorry, Rose. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I plan to find out.” I threw the grandmas a sharp look. “Will both of you come here, please?”
Grandma’s eyes widened with shock. “But we’re this close to getting her to confess.”
“Just get over here,” I demanded.
Grandma looked to be mumbling something to herself as she dragged Milly to the other side of the room.
When we were all huddled in a corner, Grandma thrust a tiny dragon under my nose. “But this told me it was her. We’ve got the tiny dragon seal of approval.”
I pulled the blob of melted black rubber from a knapsack I’d swung over my shoulder on my way out the door. “This says differently.”
“Dear Lord, what is that?” Grandma said.
Milly turned the blob over. “It looks like a melted mess.”
I nodded. “That’s exactly what it is. Nan and I found it out in the woods. These are what’s left of your dragons. All but that one—the one in your hand.”
Reid yanked her burgundy curls. “But I don’t get it. What’s it mean?”
Sera’s eyes shimmered in the light. “It means someone’s already found the dragons and burned them. Except for that one.”
“Right,” I said. “And it was probably planted in Rose’s room. We were meant to think she’s the witch.”
Grandma ran a finger down her nose. “But she already knows all about witches.”
I shook my head. “Because she was friends with Lilly.”
“The better to kill her, my dear,” Grandma said.
“No,” I said. “No. Not better. In no one’s mind but yours does that work. Listen, y’all need to set her free. She didn’t do it.”
“But the tiny dragon…” Grandma said.
“The tiny dragon was conned. Probably tampered with. That’s what we need to be looking at and figuring out. Who the heck tampered with it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to untie the bride.”
Who for some reason was still wearing her wedding dress. But who was I to judge? The woman had just lost one of her maids of honor and friends today.
I crossed to Rose and started untying her arms and legs. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into them. I think the whole Lilly-was-a-witch thing has upset these God-fearing women. You know they aren’t even Catholic, but if someone mentions a Ouija board, they do the sign of the cross.”
I laughed nervously, hoping that would ease some of the tension. Rose glared at me. When I got to her hands, she yanked her arms from the binds as soon as they were clear.
“Your grandmother said she was going to freeze my feet in blocks of ice if I didn’t confess to killing Lilly.”
I pinned Rose’s shoulders. “Like I said, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into them.”
Rose rubbed her wrists. “She seemed to think she’s a witch.”
I glared at my grandmothers. “They’re old. A little batty.” I circled my finger beside my ear. “They’re just typical old nutjob ladies.”
Rose pushed off the chair. “It’s not like I haven’t had enough happen to me today. The wedding’s been postponed. Lilly is dead. True, she was crazy and thought she was a witch, but she was my oldest and dearest friend. Yes, she was a little out-there and could be a bit psycho sometimes, but she was still my friend and someone here murdered her, and you people thought I’d done it. You thought I’d killed my friend. Because of all the rumors swirling about her, I understand your suspicion. But I didn’t do it.”
My ears pricked at the mention of rumors. “What sort of things were going on about her?”
Rose’s lips twitched. “Never mind. I can’t say.”
I waved at my family to leave the room. I figured I had a better chance of hearing what was going on if they were gone. At first they just stood staring at me. But when I shooed them toward the door, they scurried out like roaches running from light.
“You too, Nan.”
She frowned, but my temporary bodyguard did as I asked. When everyone was finally gone, I turned to Rose.
“Please. You can tell me. Maybe it’ll help Roman and his team find the killer. That’s what you want, right? Also, I’ll refresh your wedding dress for free.”
Because girlfriend, it looks like poop on a stick.
Rose knuckled away a few tears that had fallen onto her cheeks. “What I’d heard is that Lilly was stealing.”
I pinched my brows together. “Stealing? From where?”
Rose wrung her hands. “From her boss supposedly. I don’t know if there was any proof, though.”
Motive! A gazillion kilowatt flashbulbs exploded in my brain. “Where did she work?”
Rose’s lower lip trembled. “You don’t know?”
I shook my head. “No clue.”
“Lilly worked for my dad. She was his front desk attendant.”
With a
ll that purple and blue hair? Mr. Wood seemed much more conservative than to let a girl who looked as wild as Lilly be the face of his company.
Rose seemed to be reading my mind. “She’s an old friend of the family. My dad wanted to help her out, get her a job. So she started working for him. Then money started disappearing.”
“Did he fire her?”
Rose shook her head. “He was waiting until after the wedding. Course, he doesn’t need to do that now.”
“So where is your dad?”
Rose shook her head. “He’s around, but trust me, he’s the nicest guy ever. He’d never hurt anyone.”
Never say never.
I nodded. “Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. Listen, I’m sorry once again for the trouble my family put you through. I’ll go talk to them. I hope this doesn’t change anything between us.”
Rose gave me a tight smile. “Of course not.”
But somehow I got the feeling that wasn’t exactly true. I escorted her back up the stairs and stomped to my room. I threw the door open and glared at each and every witch in there.
“Just what did you think you were doing?” I demanded.
“Saving your hide,” Grandma said. “And I’d like a little appreciation for that fact.”
I threw my hands into the air. “Appreciation? You almost gave the bride frostbite. What’s wrong with you?”
Milly caned over until she was barely a foot away from me. “May I remind you that you’re being singled out here. We even called in a bodyguard for you.”
“Here, here,” Nan said. She spat on the blade of the broadsword she was holding and rubbed a cloth down the flat side.
I scoffed. “Milly, I didn’t ask you to call in protection for me, and I certainly don’t think Rose is the guilty party here. She’s not a witch.”
“How do you know?” Grandma said. “Did you smell her powers on her?”
Grandma and Milly exchanged a look; then they burst into laughter. “Smell powers,” Milly said. “What a riot.”
I focused my glare on Sera and Reid. “And how did you two get involved in this? Don’t you have some sense?”
Sera shrugged. “Seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean, we all decided to believe whatever the tiny dragons told us.”
“Well the tiny dragons focused on the wrong person. Rose didn’t do it.”
Reid stopped thumbing through her ghost book. “How can you be so sure?”
“Well, because, well—”
Milly slammed her cane on the floor. “That’s just what the witch wants you to think. Mark my words, there’s a skunk in this mansion.”
A knock came from the door. “Yeah, well the skunk isn’t the bride. Rose doesn’t have the whole witchy aura thing about her.”
I opened the door. Two men stood on the other side. They wore jeans, dark shirts, and had serious scowls on their faces.
“Hey, y’all,” I said, trying to stop my teeth from chattering. “What can I do for you?”
One of the men let his gaze wash over the room. When he spoke, it was with the deep drawl and crisp words. “What y’all can do is vacate the premises.”
I narrowed my eyes, confused. “What you mean? We’re all supposed to be here.”
The other man spoke. He fisted a hand into his palm, looking more like a bouncer at a busy nightclub than a guest at a wedding. “What he means is, the Woods would like you to leave immediately. Pack your bags and get out.”
TEN
I tried to argue with the guys, really I did, but there was nothing I could do. In fact the men swept in, grabbed our stuff down to hairbrushes and compacts, and forced us from the room.
To my surprise, Nan didn’t even put up a fight. “This isn’t a battle for me, girls,” she said. “I’m here to protect, not start a brawl.”
So the guys dragged us through the mansion. One of the brutes had tucked me under his arm. I tried to kick, tried to get him to put me down, but he was made of hardened steel.
I jabbed my elbow into him. “What are you doing? Why are y’all kicking us out?”
The man growled. “It’s what the Woods want. I work for them, so I do what they say.”
They escorted us to the front door of the mansion. Its large wooden structure swung open. Night had fallen quickly, and crickets chirped in the background.
Roman stood on the other side. He placed his hands on his waist and tapped his fingers impatiently. His green eyes flashed with anger. My heart swelled as I realized my hero was here to save me!
Wow, talk about having damsel-in-distress syndrome. Apparently I had a serious case of it. But how could I help it? Roman was dreamier than dreamy.
My boyfriend scowled. “Are you two impeding an investigation?”
The men balked. They stumbled over their words, trying to figure out what to say. The first brute spoke. “No, sir, we’re not doing that at all. We were told that these women were leaving the premises, and we were just helping them.”
Romans scowled. “And by helping do you mean picking them up and forcing them from the house?”
The bouncer gazed down at me. He opened his arm, and I fell to the floor right on my rump.
“Yeah,” I said, brushing dust off my rear end. “Y’all are forcing us out. There was no escorting about it.”
Roman took the man’s collar in his fists and yanked him until they were nose-to-nose. “If either of you touch any of these women, I will take off my police badge and personally kick both of you into the next county.”
“Yeah,” Reid said. “Take that.”
“Sorry,” the first man said. “We were just doing our job.”
“Go do it somewhere else,” Roman said.
The men scurried off. If they had sprouted tails, they would have been tucked well between their legs.
Roman brushed his hand over my hair. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. But I think we’ve made enemies of the Wood family.”
“Now why doesn’t that surprise me?” he said.
“I suppose you want to know all about it.” I rubbed my arms. I really didn’t want to have to explain to Roman that my grandmothers had tried to weasel a confession out of Rose Wood, but I had a gut feeling there wasn’t going to be a choice in the matter.
“Yes, I need an explanation.”
I dragged Roman from the front hallway. “You have a room in this joint?” I said.
He nodded. “Come on.”
Nan started to follow. “The best way to protect me right now is to stay with my family. Protect Grandma in case someone is out to get her.”
Nan nodded. “Sounds like a feasible plan, Dylan. I remain nimble and ready to serve you.”
“Thank you,” I said. I grabbed Roman’s arm and let him lead me off.
We walked down a corridor. “This is the side of the house that Lilly was staying on,” he said.
I quirked a brow. “So you’re staying on the same side as a dead woman? A bit morbid, don’t you think?”
He flashed me a huge grin full of perfect pearly teeth. “Like that about me?”
I swatted him. “Don’t be silly.” I paused. “I love that about you,” I joked.
Roman chuckled. “I knew if I stayed around you long enough, I’d discover your twisted mind.”
I rolled my eyes. “You wish.”
We turned a corner. Roman stopped. His hands curled around my arms, and he dragged me back.
“Hey—”
His palm clamped over my mouth. He shook his head, warning me not to talk. I nodded in understanding. Roman slowly released me and cocked his chin down the hall.
Quieter than a rat shuffling around in a wedding dress, we both leaned over the lip of the wall. Standing outside a door was Dave, Rose’s fiancé. He turned the knob and slipped inside.
I narrowed my gaze. “Is that Lilly's room?”
Roman nodded. “Let’s see what happens.”
We waited patiently. Luckily the hall was empty
. Most of the folks were in their rooms. I was suddenly quite aware of Roman’s body pressed so close to mine, the even rise and fall of his chest, the leathery scent from his cologne that trickled up my nose.
I watched him, studying the line of his jaw, the straightness of his nose.
“Are you staring at my nostrils?” he said.
I shook my head. “No. I’m not staring at your nostrils. Why would I be doing that?”
He shrugged. “You tell me.”
“I wasn’t—I was just admiring how handsome you are. Thanks for ruining a great moment.”
His lips coiled into a smile. “Darlin’, you don’t have to just admire. You can touch.”
I swatted him again. “Down, boy.”
The door down the hall creaked open. Dave’s head popped into view. Roman and I pulled back and waited a few seconds. When I glanced back down the hall, Dave was walking in the other direction.
“What was that about?” I whispered.
Roman took my hand. “Let’s go see.”
We entered Lilly’s room. It was normal looking enough, except the things in it—toiletries and such—belonged to a dead woman. A woman who was killed for a reason I had yet to figure out.
Roman shut the door softly.
“You know Lilly was stealing from Rose’s dad?” I said.
Roman nodded. “I’d heard something about that. Talked to him already. Guy’s a pushover. No way he did it.”
I crossed my arms. “How is it that I can never get the draw on you? You always know what’s going on at the same time I do.”
Roman patted his stomach. “Oh, I don’t know. It might have something to do with the fact that I’m a detective.”
I nibbled on a bit of fingernail and spit it out. “Always rubbing it in.”
Roman dragged his gaze from me and scoured the space. “So, what was young Dave doing in here? Was he perhaps looking to see if he’d left anything else behind?”
I frowned. “You mean you think he was really having an affair with Lilly?”
Roman shrugged. “What I know is that his wallet was found here and now he’s returned. What else could he have been looking for?”
I shook my head. “No clue.”
A slow smile curved on Roman’s mouth. He walked to the closet and opened it. He pulled out a woman’s purse and laid it on the bed. After unzipping it, Roman dipped his hand into a side pocket.