Nothing To Croak About (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 3)

by Leighann Dobbs

  Heat prickled up from beneath the neckline of her sweater, and Issy kept her gaze steadfastly on the toes of her brown boots.

  “No problem,” she managed to squeak past her constricted vocal cords.

  Dex remained silent.

  Gray stepped closer, his tone laced with interest now. “Am I interrupting something?”

  “No!” both she and Dex said in unison, each taking another step away for good measure.

  She forced herself to meet her cousin’s gaze. “I was making an appointment with Jerry, and Dex happened to show up at the same time, that’s all.”

  “Right.” Gray looked between the two of them, his expression quizzical. “Sorry again about being late, Issy. Mrs. Wiggins changed her mind about her hair color, and I—”

  “It’s fine.” Issy grabbed Gray’s arm and tugged him toward the parking lot. “I was just leaving.”

  “Issy?” Dex called from behind her. She turned back to face him again then regretted it almost instantly. The concern on his face almost melted her heart. “Be careful around those potential killers, okay? I don’t want the next body I see zipped into a bag to be yours.”

  8

  After Issy left, Dex went back inside the office and found Jerry waiting exactly where he’d left him. Dex put on his best official-cop expression and held out his badge. “Agent Dexter Nolan, Federal Bureau of Investigation. I’ve been assigned to the Adele Brundage murder case, and I need to ask you a few questions, Mr. Blaisdale.”

  “Oh, um. Sure, okay.” Jerry visibly trembled but seemed a heck of a lot meeker than he had when Dex had stumbled upon him with Issy. The thought of this guy hurting her made Dex want to punch a hole through the office wall, but he refrained, keeping his clenched fists by his sides instead.

  “Can you tell me where you were in the early morning hours of September twenty-second?” Dex asked.

  “At home, in bed.” Jerry stepped behind his counter once more, as if using it as a barrier. Body-language-wise, this guy seemed like he had something to hide.

  “Any witnesses?” Dex kept his tone flat as he jotted notes in a small notebook.

  “No. I was alone.” Jerry ran a shaking hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “I didn’t kill Adele, if that’s why you’re here.”

  “You were seen at her place the day before the murder. Why were you there?”

  “I went to visit her, that’s all. We’ve both lived in Silver Hollow our whole lives, and she was my friend. Her son died last week, and I wanted to make sure she was okay.” He gave Dex a suspicious stare. “That’s what friends do. They look out for each other. What’s wrong with that?”

  Dex ignored Jerry’s question. “A witness said you left her home rather abruptly, Mr. Blaisdale. Why was that?”

  Jerry frowned. “I was late for an appointment. Who told you that anyway? Crandall? He’s crazy, you know. Can’t trust a word out of that old guy’s mouth.”

  While scribbling his notes, Dex observed Jerry from beneath his lashes. The guy kept twitching nervously like he was a live wire or something. A ceramic cup exploded on the counter, and Dex jumped. Then a loud bang sounded, and both men ducked for cover. Instead of a gunshot, however, the noise was followed by the slow hiss of air. A tire had exploded in the auto bay next door.

  Something weird was going on. Dex could feel it. But what exactly it was, Dex had no idea.

  “Look, I got work to do, cars to fix. Are we about done here?” Jerry asked.

  Considering he was getting nowhere fast with Mr. Blaisdale, Dex nodded. If he needed anything more, he could come back later. “Yes, we’re done for now.”

  “Good.” Jerry headed back into his garage without another word.

  Dex walked back out to his Buick and climbed behind the wheel, only to get back out quickly. He’d sat on something bumpy, and it was moving. A toad. After removing his unwanted passenger from the vehicle, he got back in, only to find another toad staring at him from the dashboard. What was it with these things? He got rid of that toad too then pulled out of the lot before any more of the creatures found their way inside. He stopped at a red light and glanced in the rearview mirror. Maybe he’d come back to the garage after it closed and poke around some more. Jerry Blaisdale was definitely hiding something.

  The light turned green, and Dex accelerated, only to slow down and swerve over to the curb on a side street when his phone rang. He didn’t have Bluetooth in his ancient Buick. He pulled out his phone. Stan again.

  “What can I do for you, boss?”

  “Calling to see if you need me to come down. Did you check out that incident? Any paranormal happenings?”

  Dex could honestly say at this point there weren’t. Unless, of course, you counted those scrying balls. Which he didn’t. “Nope. No evidence of anything paranormal involved at this point.”

  Stan sounded genuinely disappointed. “Darn. What about the murder? Any suspects?”

  After relaying what he’d found out in Owen’s office earlier, Dex couldn’t help thinking about Jerry Blaisdale again. Weird how that guy kept twitching just before stuff would bust or explode. Oh well. He should be used to that sort of thing by now. Seeing Issy today had been a bonus. Images of them together flooded his mind—at dinner in the next town over, strolling on the boardwalk, kissing beneath the moonlight…

  If there was anything magical happening in this town, it was her.

  Issy Quinn was magic indeed.

  He’d not missed the sparkle of interest in her eyes today or the way she responded to him even as she seemed to deny her attraction. He rubbed a hand over his face and reminded himself of his failure at Enid Pettywood’s.

  He was a fool. Issy wouldn’t want him.

  No woman wanted a man who couldn’t protect her.

  He wrapped up his phone call with Stan then tossed his phone on the passenger seat and glanced in the mirror before pulling out into traffic again. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Jerry walking out of the body shop and getting into his red Honda Civic.

  Hunching down as Jerry sped past him, Dex straightened and followed his suspect. Several blocks away, Jerry got out and walked over to another car, a white sedan with a rental company sticker on the back.

  Dex’s outlook brightened.

  Apparently Jerry Blaisdale wasn’t as innocent as he pretended.

  9

  “So you went to see Jerry earlier today?” Ember asked as the Quinn cousins climbed out of Raine’s Jeep and stood on the berm of the highway, waiting for Raine to lock up the vehicle.

  “Yes,” she said as she hugged her gray hooded sweatshirt tighter around herself in the chilly autumn evening. Bella was tucked cozily inside to keep her tiny body warm. “Gray got stuck working on Mrs. Wiggins, so I ended up going by myself.”

  After what Troy and Len had said the other day at Adele’s house, they’d all decided speaking directly to some of Scott’s homeless friends would be a good idea. Too bad they’d all had to work late at their shops, so they hadn’t made it down to the bridge until after sunset. Issy bounced on her heels, trying to generate some extra body heat. The temperatures seemed to have taken a more abrupt dip than usual tonight. Either that or she was just nervous about talking to a bunch of strangers who may or may not have murdered a friend of hers.

  Dex’s parting words came rushing back to her mind.

  Be careful around those potential killers, okay? I don’t want the next body I see zipped into a bag to be yours…

  Maybe someday she’d heed his advice. Now, however, she had people to question.

  “What did Jerry have to say?” Raine asked when Issy didn’t elaborate. She’d wisely left Morty at home, given the below-normal temps. No sense shocking the poor plant’s system.

  “Not much.” Issy shrugged. “He got very defensive when I brought up Adele, though, and the fact Mr. Crandall had seen him leaving in a hurry the day before the murder.”

  “Don’t forget the most important part,” Gray said, his breath
frosting on the air. Cosmo squawked from his shoulder, doing a little cockatoo dance from leg to leg, as if he were trying to stay warm as well.

  “What’s that?” Issy asked, frowning.

  “Dex Nolan arrived to save the day.” Gray grinned. “Funny, but I couldn’t seem to find his white horse anywhere.”

  “Stop it.” Issy smacked her cousin playfully on the arm, though inside she was mortified. Was her infatuation with Dex so obvious? “Or I’ll start teasing you about a certain South Side witch that you seemed to be overly friendly with over the summer.”

  Gray’s jaw tightened and his eyes turned steely at the mention of Starla Knight. A member of a rival coven, they'd had to cross paths with her when they were trying to vanquish the demon that summer. Issy had thought she’d sensed a spark… or something between Gray and Starla. Judging by the look on Gray’s face, that subject was taboo, so she continued on. “Besides, Dex walked in as Jerry’s little problem with his spells went crazy and things started exploding all over the shop. I had to do something to distract him.”

  “Right.” Gray looked totally unconvinced. “And here I thought you were just about to kiss him when I walked up.”

  “What?” Ember’s pretty face lit with interest. Her kittens, Endora and Bellatrix, meowed softly from inside the fleece-lined basket over Ember’s elbow. “I knew you still liked him.”

  “Enough, guys, okay?” Issy had no problem keeping her cheeks warm now. They felt like they were practically on fire with embarrassment. She shook her head then started down the steep gravel embankment that led under the bridge. “Let’s get this over with so I can get home and snuggle under my blankets. I’m freezing.”

  “Maybe you can call Dex and have him keep you warm,” Gray teased, following close behind her.

  Once they made it the riverbank, Issy saw a group of about twenty people—men, women, children—all living in a cardboard shantytown harbored against the cement pylons of the bridge. They had several fires going to heat the area, and the air smelled of burnt leaves and roasting potatoes.

  Issy and her cousins approached the group slowly and stopped several feet from the nearest fire, hoping for a friendly invitation to join them. Instead, their presence seemed to meet with wary glances and hushed whispers. At least the kids seemed to enjoy meeting their familiars. They rushed over to pet Bella and the kittens and coo to Cosmo, with their parents eventually joining them.

  “What can we do for you folks?” one man asked, taking a little boy by the hand. The guy looked about Issy’s age, though it was hard to tell with his thick beard and straggly hair. He tugged the boy closer to his side as if to protect him. “You with the police?”

  “No,” Issy reassured him. “My name’s Isolde Quinn. I live in Silver Hollow and run the pet store in town. But please call me Issy. Everyone does.”

  The man stared at her extended hand for a moment before shaking it. “Ed.”

  “Hi, Ed. Great to meet you.” Issy glanced at her cousins before introducing them as well. “We’re here because of what happened to our friend, Adele Brundage.”

  “I see.” Ed’s expression remained stoic, though a shadow of sadness flickered through his dark eyes. “Tragic. The whole thing. First Scott and then his mother.” He led them to the nearest fire, and they stood around it, warming their hands. “Hard to believe the whole family’s gone.”

  “Yes.” Ember reached into her basket. “Oh, I almost forgot. I brought along some chocolates for all of you to enjoy. I run Divine Cravings.” She pulled out several large boxes of candy from her enchanted basket and handed them to Ed. “I hope you like them.”

  “I’m sure we will.” Ed hailed over several more people and passed the food around. Soon, the whole little homeless village was sitting around the fire, laughing and enjoying their rare treat. Issy couldn’t help but smile too. For people who had so little, they seemed like quite a happy bunch. Soon the conversation turned back toward Scott’s death again, though, and the atmosphere took a decidedly sad tone. “Losing Scott was like losing a brother,” Ed said. “Around here, we stay close to our own to survive.”

  “Were there any signs he was so distraught?” Issy asked gently.

  “No, not like that.” Ed stared at the orange flames leaping out of the top of the metal trash can. “Except for that one day. He got all upset when that lady in the white car came to talk to him. Later, though, Scott’s friend that comes here sometimes calmed him down. I thought he was good after that.” Ed sniffed and looked away. “We found Scott dead the next morning.”

  “That’s so sad,” Raine said, her shoulders hunched beneath her black hoodie. “I’m so sorry that happened to all of you.”

  “Us too.” Ed stood and gestured for the Quinns to follow him. He walked them over to the far corner of the makeshift village and showed them a memorial the folks had set up to honor Scott. “It’s not much,” he said, “but we wanted to do something to show how much he meant to us.”

  “It’s beautiful.” Issy gazed at all the pretty glass beads and trinkets scattered over a large photo of Scott in the middle. “Where did you find all these things?”

  “The Dumpster Network,” Ed said.

  “The what?” Gray asked, his expression puzzled.

  “The Dumpster Network.” Ed picked up what looked like a small hand-painted ceramic flower. “The homeless around Silver Hollow and a few other nearby towns trade and sell items they find in dumpsters or discarded on the street.”

  They walked back over to the fire and took their seats. Issy kept close to her cousins, not because she was afraid, but for the body heat. “This whole Dumpster Network sounds really interesting,” Issy said. “I never knew that existed.”

  “Even homeless people need to get new things. Don’t got no money for shopping,” a man wearing a green army jacket several sizes too big for him said.

  Something Ed had said niggled at Issy. “You said someone came here to talk to Scott?”

  “Yeah, lots of people coming here. You people. The cops. It’s been like Grand Central Station here with visitors,” a woman said from the other side of her. She looked younger, maybe early-twenties, and had a pretty face beneath the smudges of dirt and the ratty old knit cap on her head.

  This drew several snickers and nods of agreement from the other homeless.

  Issy glanced at her cousins, thinking this might be a good lead into the case. “Really? Who else has been here?”

  The young woman shrugged. “Like Ed said, that lady in the white car stopped by, though, before Scott…” Her voice trailed off as tears spilled down her cheeks. She sniffled then swiped the back of her hand under her nose. “Oh, and those two friends of Scott, the uppity ones, they was here too. They’d stop by every so often to buy him a good meal. Given how much they paid for that Caddie of theirs, though, they was probably just trying to make themselves feel better by doing it. At least they came by to pay their respects to Marcy. Too bad the cops came and scared her off.”

  Issy exchanged a did-you-hear-that look with her cousins.

  “Who’s Marcy?” she asked as casually as she could.

  “Scott’s girlfriend,” Ed said from his spot on the other side of the fire.

  “Is she here now?” Ember asked.

  “Um.” Ed frowned and glanced around at the gathered faces. “No, I don’t think she’s around at the moment.”

  “Wait, here she comes,” the younger woman beside Issy said. She pointed to the far side of the shantytown.

  A thin woman with long, scraggly hair and a navy-blue hoodie with a thick white stripe down the left sleeve was walking toward them past another trash can fire. She looked up and saw everyone pointing at her and froze in place, eyes wide and posture tense.

  Issy stood slowly, hoping to speak with her, but before she could take a step, the woman panicked and ran off into the night.

  Gray took off down the riverbank after her, but returned moments later empty-handed. He hunkered down beside the fire a
gain and held his hands out to warm them. “She took off into the woods.”

  “Marcy’s been acting kind of spooked since Scott died,” Ed said.

  “I’m sorry.” Gray frowned. “I didn’t mean to scare her. We only wanted to talk to her.”

  “What do you think spooked her?” Issy asked.

  “Not sure.” Ed shrugged.

  “Do you think she might’ve seen something she shouldn’t have where Scott was concerned?” Issy glanced at her cousins then back at Ed. If so, it was the first good new lead they’d gotten.

  “Could be,” Ed said. “Hard telling with her sometimes.”

  “Well.” Issy stood and gestured for her cousins to do the same. “Thanks so much for letting us share your fire tonight.” She pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to Ed. Not that she expected him to call her. The people here didn’t exactly have phones, but maybe the card would remind him to visit her in town. “If Marcy comes back or if you think of anything else that might help us figure out who might’ve done this to poor Adele, will you let me know? You’re welcome at my pet store anytime.”

  “Sure thing.” Ed walked them back to the embankment then turned to Ember. “Thanks again for the chocolate. That was a real treat for the kids.”

  “My pleasure.”

  They walked back up the hill to the Jeep, and Raine started the engine and cranked the heat while the others climbed in.

  Ed closed the passenger door for Issy and smiled. “You folks come back anytime.”

  “Thanks.” Ember pushed her head through from the backseat to talk to Ed. “I’ll be sure to send more chocolates over next week.”

  “That would be great.” Ed thumped the side of the car and looked back at Issy. “I’ll be sure to get in touch if we see anything else.”

  10

  The next morning, Dex was at yet another meeting in Owen’s office. He pulled up a chair to the sheriff’s desk. At least he’d thought to stop and bring doughnuts this time. He sipped his steaming hot black coffee and slumped back in his seat. “So, what’s new on the Brundage case?”