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

by Leighann Dobbs

  DeeDee took a seat at her desk across from Owen’s and pulled out her notebook. “I traced the license plate of that white car you saw yesterday, Dex. Seems it was rented to a woman named Linda Brewer. She’s a private investigator. I’m running a complete background check now.”

  “A PI, huh?” Owen said around a huge bite of glazed doughnut. “Why would Jerry be talking to a private investigator?”

  “Maybe Adele hired her to look into Scott’s death and something came up about Jerry?” Dex offered. He was glad he’d gotten the extra-large coffee today, both for the added caffeine kick and for the steady warmth it provided to his hands. Last night, temperatures had dropped lower than he’d expected this time of year. Though this far north, nights could be colder than he was used to. He took another gulp of coffee then grabbed a doughnut for himself. “What about Jerry’s background check. Anything pop up there?”

  “Not really.” DeeDee thumbed through the document. “Looks like he was actually a cop himself for a few years back in the day, then he left the force to work as a security guard at Buymart for a year or two. Worked security at the old applesauce plant too, then the paper mill, and the mall over in Franklin, before he opened his body shop about nine years ago.”

  “Huh.” Dex finished his doughnut then wiped his mouth with one of the paper napkins the bakery had provided. “Think maybe he’s trying to get back into the security business? That might explain why he met with the PI.”

  “Not sure.” Owen finished the last of his coffee and tossed his empty cup into the trash can beside his desk. “I asked around town yesterday, trying to find out who saw Adele recently for a reading. Three people said they booked appointments, but none of them were suspicious, and their alibis for the night of the murder all checked out. A couple of others said they wanted to make an appointment with her, but Adele had turned them away. Said she wasn’t taking on new customers since her son’s death. So, it seems like that angle is a dead end.”

  “Man, this whole thing still doesn’t seem right to me.” Dex sat forward to throw away his own trash. “My gut tells me this is less about some vision Adele might’ve seen in her crystal ball, and more about something else. What that something else is, though, I’ve got no idea.”

  “Did you go out to question the homeless?” DeeDee asked as she flipped her notebook closed.

  “I did. Or at least I tried.” Dex frowned. “I was only able to get a few noncommittal comments from some of them. The minute they saw I was a cop, most of them scattered.”

  “We need to keep on this, but meanwhile we have other crimes to investigate.” Owen grabbed a police report out of his inbox. “Someone tried to break in to the funeral parlor last night.”

  “Seriously?” DeeDee scrunched her nose. “Did they steal anything?”

  “Nope. Didn’t make it inside.” Owen sat back in his chair and propped his feet up on his desk again. “Says here the crooks tripped the alarm and ran away. Who’d want to break in to a funeral parlor?”

  “Guess it’s better than one of the bodies trying to break out,” Dex said, attempting humor.

  “Okay.” DeeDee stood. “I guess I’ll take that one.”

  Dex pushed to his feet as well. “I’ll see if I can track down this Linda Brewer and talk to her. Maybe I’ll try to have another chat with Jerry and the homeless folks later too. Too bad we can’t round them all up and bring them in for questioning.”

  “Nah.” Owen straightened. “I don’t want to do that. Those poor folks have been through enough already in their lives. No need to disrupt what little peace they have any further.” Dex shot him an incredulous look, and Owen gave a one-shoulder shrug. “I know, I know. But I’ve got a soft spot for them. Most of those homeless are nice people, just down on their luck. They never cause any trouble. I don’t want to scare them by having them think they’re under arrest.”

  “Fine.” Dex headed for the door. “I still think we need to talk to them, though. They might’ve seen something or heard something from Scott that would help us solve Adele’s murder.”

  DeeDee followed him out. “Don’t worry. I have an idea on how we can find out what we need without having to go to extremes.”

  “Really?” Dex asked as they headed out to the front of the municipal building. “Care to share?”

  “Not yet.” DeeDee nodded, the gold deputy badge on her chest glinting in the sunlight as she climbed in behind the wheel of her squad car. “But I’ll be in touch, Agent Nolan. You have a good day now.”

  11

  Issy was busy installing a new terrarium for her latest batch of rare purple solstice toads at Enchanted Pets when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Out of habit, more than necessity, she clutched the egg-shaped obsidian talisman she kept tucked away in the same pocket as her cell before pulling out her phone. That talisman had gotten her out of more than one sticky situation recently, and she just felt more secure keeping it close at all times.

  “Can you handle this for a minute by yourself?” she asked her assistant. Hannah nodded, and Issy climbed down off her stepladder. Phone in hand, she glanced at the screen and saw a text from DeeDee:

  compare notes?

  Know you talked to the homeless.

  “Um, Hannah. Would you mind watching the store for a minute?” Issy asked. “I need to run out and see someone for a minute.”

  “No prob,” Hannah said, smiling. She was the best hire Issy had ever made. Faithful and reliable, and she never questioned Issy’s odd comings or goings at all hours. In fact, now that she thought about it, Hannah deserved a raise. She’d be sure to add it to her next paycheck as a special bonus for being such a great employee.

  “Thank you.” Issy grabbed her purse from under the counter and eyed her rainbow-colored hoodie. She’d awakened to find a thin layer of frost on Brown Betty this morning and had grabbed the hoodie for the ride in. But now, the sun had been out in full force, and the day had likely warmed. She probably wouldn’t need the extra layer over her long-sleeved T-shirt. She hooked Bella’s leash up to her pink harness then took off for the front door. “Be back as soon as I can.”

  Hannah waved, her head stuck inside the terrarium again.

  As Issy hurried across the town green toward The Main Squeeze, she sent out a quick text to her three cousins to meet her at the juice bar as soon as possible. She scurried across the grass, toads hopping out of her way. Bella detoured to chase one.

  “Bella, not now.”

  The dog gave a regretful glance at the toad then trotted back to Issy’s side.

  The air was crisp but pleasant. One of those perfect fall days that New Englanders loved to take advantage of by sitting outside. Up north, you grabbed any chance you could this late in the season. You never knew when it would be the last time until spring. She ordered a Pineapple Pucker from Karen. It was a new blend of pineapple, celery, kale, and lemon. Supposed to be great for digestion, but Issy just liked the taste.

  She took her drink to one of the outside tables positioned in the sun to wait for her cousins. Behind the pizza counter, Luigi cast a suspicious eye her way. Maybe he was just hoping she’d order a slice, but Issy couldn’t help but fidget under his constant attention. He probably figured after all the trouble she and her cousins had given him and The Committee—first with Louella Drummond’s murder and then with the demon summoning Enid Pettywood had done by accident—his best bet to keep his current position as investigator was to keep a close eye on the Quinn clan.

  Luigi leaned on the counter, his long dark hair and scraggly beard looking right at home beside Karen’s goth-inspired outfit. She’d begun to wonder if perhaps there’d been something more than a professional relationship brewing between the two. If so, that would be great as it would give Luigi something else to focus on besides scrutinizing Issy and her cousins.

  “Hey, cuz,” Raine said as she and Ember arrived together, then breezed past to the juice counter with Gray in close pursuit. The three of them got their juices and then jo
ined Issy at the table.

  “What’s up? Got new information on Adele’s case?” Raine swirled her straw around inside her bluish-green drink.

  “Not yet.” Issy brushed a meddlesome toad off the tabletop. “DeeDee texted me and said she wants to meet here to swap information.”

  “That’s good.” Ember set her basket with her kittens inside on her lap. “Maybe with a little cooperation we can get this thing solved. These toads are getting out of control. I’m having a heck of a time keeping them out of my kitchen at Divine Cravings.”

  “Tell me about it.” Gray arrived and raked a hand through his shoulder-length dark hair. “I went to shampoo a client earlier and one hopped right out of the bowl. Scared her half to death.”

  “Not to mention they keep damaging all my holiday plants.” Raine sat back in her chair and scowled. “If we don’t solve Adele’s case soon, we’re all going to be out of business.”

  “Howdy, Quinns!” DeeDee said out the open window of her squad car. She parked along the curb then got out and headed for their table. DeeDee took a seat and leaned her elbows on the table. “I know you all went down and talked to those homeless under the bridge.”

  “How?” Ember asked. “Is Owen spying on us?”

  “No.” DeeDee smiled. “I happened to drive by and saw Brown Betty parked near the berm. There’s no other reason to go down there at that time of night, so I put two and two together. Did you find out anything useful?”

  “A bit.” Issy nodded. “Scott had a girlfriend.”

  “Really? Who?” DeeDee asked.

  “A homeless girl by the name of Marcy,” Gray said. “I tried to catch her to ask her some questions, but she ran away into the woods before I could talk to her.”

  “You seem to have that effect on women, don’t you, buddy?” DeeDee teased, nudging Gray in the arm with her elbow. “Kidding. I wonder why she’d run, though, if she wasn’t guilty of something.”

  “Was she at Scott’s funeral?” Raine asked.

  “I don’t remember seeing her,” Issy said. “But there were a lot of people, and I didn't know who they were. She could have been there, and I wouldn’t remember. Maybe she was involved in that altercation at the wake, though. Troy mentioned Adele was fighting with one of the homeless.”

  “Huh.” DeeDee frowned and pulled out her small notebook, scribbling Troy’s name down in it. “Looks like I’ll be making another trip to Holland Mills to talk to Troy, then. He failed to mention that to me during my initial questioning. Wonder what else he hasn’t told me. Did you hear anything else?”

  “The homeless guy we spoke with, his name is Ed,” Gray said. “He mentioned Troy and Len stopping down to talk to Scott a few times and them buying him a meal every so often.”

  “No surprise there.” DeeDee shook her head. “Those three were always good friends through school.”

  “True.” Gray’s dark brows drew together. “But Ed also mentioned a woman in a white car coming to see Scott and Scott being really upset afterward.”

  “Ah. I know who she is.” DeeDee flipped back a few pages in her notebook. “Had a meeting with Owen and Dex this morning, and that white car is apparently being rented by a woman named Linda Brewer. She’s a private investigator. I’m getting more background on her now.”

  “Seriously?” Raine snorted. “Why would a PI be in Silver Hollow talking to homeless people?”

  “Don’t know yet.” DeeDee closed her notebook. “She was also seen meeting with Jerry Blaisdale.”

  “Jerry? Do you think she’s investigating him too?” Gray asked.

  DeeDee shrugged and sat back, pushing a toad aside with the toe of her black work boot. “We did a background check on Jerry. Did you guys know he was a cop for a while after high school? Worked in security too for a couple of places in the area. Owen thought maybe he wanted to get back into the security business, seeing as how the auto repair business can’t be all that lucrative.”

  “Huh. Or maybe he’s up to something else,” Issy said. She glanced inside and spotted Luigi behind the counter again, a long line of customers in front of him waiting to place their orders. Good. That should keep him busy for a while.

  “Like what?” Ember asked, cuddling Endora under her chin while Bellatrix hogged the basket. “You said he was acting weird when you talked to him, right, Issy?”

  “Weird how?” DeeDee leaned forward again, her gaze narrowed.

  Issy took a deep breath. She didn’t like to think about that day at the garage because those thoughts led to what had occurred outside afterward. The way Dex had cornered her against the wall and they’d almost shared another kiss, the way he smelled like her favorite woods after a misty rainfall, the way the heat of him surrounded her and warmed her all the way to her bones, the way…

  Ember cleared her throat and shot Issy a knowing grin. Everyone else at the table stared at her with expectant expressions. Right. Time to focus on solving Adele’s murder and forget about Dex. She gathered her thoughts before answering. “Well, when I asked Jerry about Adele, he got nervous and agitated. Then his magic seemed to go wonky, and he started casting off strange charms and hexes without meaning to. Things around his office were shaking and exploding. Ember told me her customers have been talking for a while about his spells going haywire. Has anyone complained about anything strange when he’s around, DeeDee?”

  “All the recent complaints we’ve received have been about the overabundance of toads.” As if on cue, several more of the creatures jumped up on their table, croaking loudly. “Unless you count an attempted break-in at the funeral parlor last night.”

  “Ew.” Raine scrunched her nose and shoved the toads off the table. “Why would anyone break in to a funeral parlor?”

  “That’s exactly what I asked,” DeeDee said. “Then I got to thinking on the way over here. That’s where Adele’s body is being held, isn’t it?”

  The Quinn cousins all locked gazes.

  Issy glanced toward Luigi once more, who was still inside serving up slices of pizza, then lowered her voice. The man might not be adept at investigating the paranormal around here, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t cast a simple spell to hear their conversations. “Do you think Jerry’s trying to raise the dead with some kind of dark magic? Maybe Adele wanted him to revive Scott or something and now he’s in there trying to do the same for her. He told me they used to be friends.”

  Gray shuddered. “First of all, that’s just creepy. Second, we can’t go around spouting off wild accusations about dark magic until we’re absolutely sure that’s what’s involved. Remember what happened with Louella’s case? It won’t do anyone any good if Luigi gets wind of the information then goes sticking his nose into things again. We’ve already got enough people investigating this case. And besides, why would Jerry want to do that?”

  “Good point.” Issy glanced inside the juice bar and caught Luigi watching them again, his expression suspicious. She waved, hoping to distract him. He returned the gesture but continued to stare at their table anyway. For a man who was supposedly not very good at his job as watcher, he was sure being persistent today.

  She shook off her reservations and refocused on their conversation at hand.

  “Sorry.” Ember put Endora back in the basket and picked up Bellatrix to cuddle instead. “I still don’t understand how this PI lady fits into all of this.”

  “It would help to know why this Linda Brewer is here in Silver Hollow and who she’s investigating,” Issy said.

  “Pretty sure your Dex is working on that now. He planned on going to talk to her later today, I think.” DeeDee checked her notebook yet again, grinning at Issy over the top. “If you hurry, you might run into him.”

  “He’s not my Dex,” Issy said, doing her best to keep the irritation from her tone and failing miserably, if her cousins’ smirks were any indication. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to bother him while he’s working.”

  “I’m sure it would be no bother at all, cuz.�
� Raine winked.

  Heat warmed Issy’s cheeks, and her lips tightened. “I told you guys things would never work out between us. Leave it alone already.”

  “Aw, that’s too bad.” DeeDee looked up at Issy, her smile widening. “Dex has seemed kind of lonely lately. I always thought there seemed to be a spark between the two of you. If that’s the case, Issy, you shouldn’t pass that up.” DeeDee’s amused expression turned serious. “Remember, not everyone is lucky enough to have the choice of who they want to marry.”

  Issy winced. “How are things going with your father’s arrangement?”

  “Arranged marriage, you mean.” DeeDee shook her head, her perfectly coiffed auburn locks—a la Gray—dancing around her head. “Not good. Dad’s on a retreat up north with his new wife, so they’re out of communication range, but they’ve moved up the date for the wolf packs to merge. That’s about all I know at this point. Other than my single days are coming to an end in January.”

  “I’m sorry.” Ember reached across and took the deputy’s hand. “That stinks. Everyone should be free to choose who they want to love and spend the rest of their life with.” Ember leaned to the side and peered past DeeDee, her emerald eyes full of interest. “Speaking of love… who is that?”

  Issy swiveled in her seat to see an extremely hot, tall, muscled stud with a thick mane of dark-brown hair strutting down the sidewalk on the other side of the town green. She’d never seen him before, which meant he was either new to the area or just passing through on his way elsewhere. Still, he was nice eye candy. Judging from the way DeeDee was currently gaping at the guy, she apparently thought so too, at least until she caught herself and turned back around, scowling.

  “Oh, that guy.” DeeDee wrinkled her nose, her tone dripping with distaste. “He’s some high-maintenance movie producer by the name of Caine”—she gave a dismissive wave—“something or other. We’ve gotten complaint calls about a few disturbances on his sets. If you want him, Ember, you can have him. He’s not my type at all.” She crossed her arms and exhaled. “Be careful, though. He’s too full of himself, thinks he’s a gift to womankind. Plus, he’s got a different blonde on his arm every day. He’s a real player, from what I can tell.”