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

by Leighann Dobbs

  “Interesting.” Ember’s gaze remained on DeeDee, not the new stranger in town. “What kind of movie would they film in Silver Hollow?”

  “Got me.” DeeDee shrugged and stared at the tabletop. “From what I’ve heard, he’s thinking about moving his operations here, so whatever it is, it must be big. I hope it doesn’t work out, though. If you ask me, all those flashy sets and cameras bring in a bunch of riffraff.”

  “Why Silver Hollow though?” Raine frowned. “I mean, it’s pretty here, but hardly Hollywood quality.”

  “Caine specializes in werewolf and vampire movies,” DeeDee said, her tone flat.

  “Oh,” Issy said, her gaze narrowing on DeeDee. The good deputy was a werewolf shifter herself, so perhaps things between her and this new producer wouldn’t be so cut and dried after all. “Well, then Silver Hollow would be perfect.” Where better to film werewolf and vampire movies than a town that was full of the real thing?

  DeeDee made a show of putting away her notebook and pushing to her feet. “I need to get back to the station.”

  Issy kissed Bella’s head then put her down on the ground and stood too. “Anyone else have anything to add?”

  “Nope.” Ember tucked Bellatrix back into the basket beside Endora then slipped her sunglasses back on. “I need to whip up a new batch of fudge this afternoon, so I best get back to my shop.”

  “I’ve got a new shipment of pansy orchids due in today I need to enchant with relaxing magic.” Raine followed Ember out onto the sidewalk. “Need to make sure I’m toad-free before they arrive.”

  Gray stood as well, Cosmo squawking on his shoulder. “We’ll wait to hear more from you about this Linda person, eh, DeeDee?”

  “Yeah.” DeeDee slipped on her aviator shades. “Try not to get more involved in Adele’s case than you already are, Quinns. Things could get dangerous.”

  12

  After DeeDee left, Issy headed back to Enchanted Pets with Bella and Gray by her side. She couldn’t help scratching Cosmo on his head as they walked down the sidewalk. “Who’s a good birdie, huh? Cosmo is. Yes, sir. Cosmo is such a handsome boy.” The bird did a little dance on Gray’s shoulder then preened his lovely crown of yellow feathers. Issy laughed. “I figured you had another busy afternoon at Sheer Magic.”

  “I do.” He walked her across the street. “But it won’t kill me to take a little break and get out in the fresh air for a minute with my cousin.”

  “Okay.” They walked into the grass on the town green so Bella could chase another toad. “I wonder where that PI DeeDee mentioned is staying.”

  “Good question.” Gray tilted his head and whispered something to Cosmo then released the bird to fly high over their heads. “I told him to keep a lookout for any unfamiliar white cars in the area.”

  “If we find her, maybe Raine can lend us one of those relaxing orchids.” Issy shifted her weight while Bella started to sniff the ground and twirl in endless circles.

  “Dabbling in illegal magic these days?” Gray asked, cocking a dark brow.

  “No.” Issy gave him an exasperated stare. “I don’t mean enough to make the woman do anything against her will or anything. Just enough to relax her and get her to open up about why she’s here.”

  Cosmo returned a few minutes later, swooping back down onto Gray’s broad shoulder in an elegant arc. The bird leaned over and nuzzled Gray’s ear then began preening again.

  Gray nodded then smiled. “He says she’s staying over at the Route Nine Motel.”

  Issy grimaced. The Route Nine was out of the way, built in a swampy area on the outskirts of Silver Hollow. “Not exactly the nicest accommodations around.”

  “No. But that could work in our favor.” Gray cooed to his pet then narrowed his gaze on Issy. “You in a hurry to get back to work?”

  She checked her watch. “My assistant Hannah’s scheduled until three. Why?”

  “Want to go see this Linda Brewer now? If her car is at the motel, then our chances are good she’s there too.”

  “What about Raine’s orchid plant?”

  “We can swing by her place on the way over.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s take my car.” Issy fished her keys out of her pocket and led the way to Brown Betty. Pulling out into traffic with Cosmo sitting on Gray’s shoulder right in her line of vision was tricky, but somehow she managed. On the way, they passed Jerry’s Auto Body. No cars were in the lot. The windows were dark. “Wonder what that’s all about?” Gray asked.

  “Maybe he got spooked with all the questions yesterday,” Issy said.

  Gray twisted in his seat, his eyes fixed on the auto body shop. “Maybe. You did say he was acting nervous. If he is the killer, he might have hightailed it out of town.”

  “Maybe Linda Brewer will be able to tell us something about him.” Issy pulled up in front of Raine’s shop, and Gray hopped out to collect the plant.

  Twenty minutes later, they were chugging down the highway heading toward the Route Nine Motel. Weak sunshine streamed through the overcast sky, and with each mile they traveled, the air thickened with the smell of stagnant water and decaying plants as they neared the swamp. More toads than ever hopped out onto the roadway in front of Issy’s pickup, and she had to swerve several times to avoid squishing them flat.

  At last, they pulled into the parking lot and got out, leaving Bella and Cosmo to wait inside the truck. A white rental sedan was parked out front of Room 127. Gray held Raine’s enchanted orchid beneath his arm as they walked up to the door and knocked.

  A woman in her late twenties answered, her gaze suspicious as she peeked at them from around the security chain. “What do you want?”

  Issy forced her brightest smile. “Hello, my name’s Isolde Quinn, and this is my cousin, Gray Quinn. We’re business owners here in Silver Hollow, and we were hoping we might talk to you for a moment.”

  The woman squinted at Issy then eyed the plant under Gray’s arm. “What’s that for?”

  “Oh,” Gray said then held out the orchid. The purple markings in the center of the five white petals gave the impression of a happy face waving in the slight breeze. “It’s a welcome gift for you.”

  “I don’t want any gifts. I didn’t move here, just passing through.” She tried to close the door, but Issy wedged her toe inside.

  “Please, Ms. Brewer,” Issy said, crossing her fingers behind her back. “We’re friends of Jerry Blaisdale.”

  The door opened a bit wider again. “How did you know my name?”

  Fingers still crossed, Issy glanced at Gray then told another small fib. “Jerry told us.”

  A few tense moments passed in silence, then a metallic swish sounded as Linda slid the security chain free, allowing them into the motel room.

  “Where is Jerry?” Linda asked.

  “What do you mean?” Issy exchanged a concerned look with Gray then followed him inside.

  Gray set the enchanted orchid on the dresser. “We thought he was still here in town, but his shop was closed when we drove by.”

  “He told me he was going on vacation.” Linda took a seat on the edge of the olive-and-orange floral-covered queen-sized bed near the dresser. The sweet scent of the orchid soon drifted around the small motel room, and Linda’s shoulders visibly relaxed. Issy and Gray exchanged a relieved look. “It was all rather sudden. He didn’t tell me where he was going, and I really need to talk to him. Are you with the police?”

  “No.” Issy took a seat in one of two chairs in the room. “We aren’t with the police.”

  “Why should I talk to you then?” Linda asked, her tone less edgy than before. “I already talked to one cop earlier. Nice-looking guy too. His name was Dex.”

  Gray winked at Issy, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smacking him.

  “We know things the police don’t,” Issy said. “We might be able to help you find Jerry.”

  Linda seemed to mull this over for a moment then stood and walked over to the dresser. She opened t
he top drawer and pulled out a folder before bending and sniffing the orchid deeply. “This plant smells wonderful. What kind of orchid did you say it was?”

  “Pansy,” Gray said, meeting Issy’s gaze again. “We’re glad you like it, Ms. Brewer.”

  “Oh, it’s lovely. Thanks again for bringing it over. Such a nice gift. And please, call me Linda.”

  She took a seat on the bed again, and Issy moved her chair closer while Gray grabbed the other chair and placed it beside Issy’s.

  “So,” Issy said. “What’s in the folder?”

  “Ah.” Linda flipped open the file and pulled out several documents, which she handed to Issy. “These are the court transcripts from the trial where Scott Brundage was accused of murdering Sarah Landers. I never believed Scott was guilty, and now I’m here to prove it.”

  Issy frowned. “This happened a decade ago. Why are you so interested now?”

  Linda flinched and looked away. “I just like to see justice done.”

  Issy glanced at Gray. The woman was hiding something, but she didn’t want to press her. Pressing her might get them kicked out before they got a look at the documents.

  “Anyway.” Linda shrugged. “You’re right. It was a long time ago, but back when it happened I was fascinated with the case. I lived around here then, and it was big news. I guess maybe I was always meant to be a PI because something about the whole business seemed off. Then some things they brought up at the trial didn’t make sense, and I started to suspect some of the evidence was suppressed or people had been paid off to lie about Scott. His acquittal only helped to prove my point. All of the evidence was too contradictory, too circumstantial. And once I got my PI license I could see there was nothing that conclusively proved Scott Brundage was the real killer.”

  “Why come to Silver Hollow now, though, after all this time?” Issy asked. “And what does all of this have to do with Jerry?”

  Issy got the whole wanting to see justice thing, but why would Linda investigate this on her own dime? Surely she had paid cases to work on. Unless someone was paying her to investigate. Maybe Adele had hired her, and that was why she avoided the earlier question. She might not want to reveal who her client was.

  “Over the years I’ve made some contacts with the police departments involved in the original case,” Linda said. “One of the departments recently gave me access to some of the evidence in the case I wasn’t allowed to see earlier. In one of the bags were old photos from the last day Sarah spent at the beach. One of the people in the photos was holding a vintage Polaroid instant camera, you know the ones where the picture comes out the front and develops while you wait?”

  Issy and Gray both nodded.

  “Well, I know it sounds crazy, but I couldn’t help thinking maybe whoever had that camera might’ve captured something the rest of the pictures taken that day missed. All the photos at the trial were digital, and there weren’t many of those to boot, since someone threw all the cameras from that day into the pool during a wild party.” Linda frowned. “Anyway, when I showed the picture with the Polaroid camera to Jerry, he recognized the model. Said he was some kind of vintage-camera buff.”

  Issy glanced at Gray then back to Linda. “Did you show that photo to Scott Brundage as well?”

  “I did.” Linda hugged her arms around her middle. “I went down to that homeless settlement under the bridge and went over the events of Sarah’s death with him again. Problem was he couldn’t remember what happened. He claimed he’d blacked out most of the trip. Given the drugs Scott was on that last day, he was even confused about who was there on that trip with him ten years ago. I feel bad about that now. Turns out he killed himself that night. Maybe if I didn’t dredge all this up, he wouldn’t have done that.” Linda shook her head. “Made me more determined than ever to find the real killer, and that’s why I went to see Jerry Blaisdale. I knew from the original trial that he’d known Adele for years and had spent time around Scott back then. I thought perhaps he could give me more insight into Scott’s frame of mind back then, his habits, how much and what kinds of drugs he was taking.”

  “Did you find anything else interesting in those evidence bags?” Gray asked.

  The smell of the orchid was thick in the air now, and Issy rubbed her nose to keep from sneezing. The relaxation spell wouldn’t affect her and Gray—Raine had taken special precautions—but the cloying, sweet odor was starting to give Issy a headache just the same. Linda, however, seemed nearly catatonic, sprawling out on her bed and smiling at them serenely. At this point, Issy left all pretense behind, knowing chances were good Linda wouldn’t remember this conversation in the morning. “Linda, did you find anything that could give us a clue to who killed Adele Brundage?”

  Linda stretched then yawned before pulling out another photo and handing it to Issy. “This was the only other new picture I found in the evidence.”

  Frowning, Issy stared down at the image of a visitor’s badge from Holland Mills. She passed it to Gray. Finally, something new they could go on.

  “When I showed that to Jerry,” Linda continued, “he said he’d signed Scott into the mill the day before he left to go on the trip. Jerry was working security for the Hollands back then. He said Scott went to the mill to see Troy and Len, who were interning there that spring. I asked him if he’d thought Scott was under the influence of any illegal substances at the time, but Jerry couldn’t remember. It was a long time ago.”

  Gray laid the photo back on Linda’s bed then pushed to his feet and moved his chair back to the corner of the room where he’d gotten it. “We need to be going.”

  “Yes.” Linda rubbed her eyes. “I’m so tired all of the sudden.”

  “Right.” Issy grabbed Raine’s orchid plant from the dresser before joining Gray near the door. Best to cover their tracks by not leaving enchanted plants around for Luigi to find, in case he was looking. He wasn’t known for being particularly adept at his snooping, but they couldn’t be too careful these days. She and her cousins were already on The Committee’s radar. “Thanks for speaking with us. We’ll see what we can find out about Jerry.”

  Linda rolled off the bed and shuffled over to let them out, frowning at the orchid. “I thought that was a gift?”

  “It is, but, umm… I remembered it needs a special plant treatment at my cousin’s shop. See how it’s all droopy? She’ll fix it right up, and I’ll bring it back after,” Issy said. Maybe she could use that as an excuse to make a return trip should she have more questions for Linda.

  “Oh, okay. If you find Jerry, will you let me know? He’s been helping me a lot with the case.” She chuckled. “Turns out he’s studying to be a PI. Did you guys know that? I didn’t know until I came here to question him. Small world, eh?”

  Issy and Gray exchanged another look as they stood in the open doorway.

  “There is one more thing,” Issy said. “After you talked to Scott that last day, did he mention where he was going afterward?”

  “Hmm.” Linda slumped against the doorframe, her eyes heavy-lidded. “Pretty sure he said he was going back to his mom’s place to see if there was anything she’d saved from the time of his trial.” She frowned and squinted. “Yeah, I remember now. He said he knew Adele had kept stuff in boxes from when he was a kid all the way through his high school and college days. He said his mom would be surprised to see him, since he didn’t go home much anymore. Too ashamed of being a homeless drug addict and all. Then he died.” She hugged herself tight again. “So sad how that all turned out.”

  “Very sad,” Issy said, her chest aching for Scott and Adele.

  “I stuck around to see if I could speak to Adele after the funeral. I was waiting a respectable period of time. I wanted to see if she’d let me look through those boxes Scott said she kept. Now that she’s been murdered, I’m guessing whatever’s in them must have been pretty important. Important enough to kill for, it seems.”

  13

  “Wait,” Raine said. “So, Jerry’s
studying to be a PI too?”

  “Yep.” Gray leaned his shoulder against the cinder-block wall of the greenhouse. They’d stopped by to drop off her orchid plant. “That’s what Linda Brewer said, anyway. She said Adele was holding some information back from the days of Scott’s trial. My guess is whoever ransacked Adele’s bookcases was looking for whatever was in those boxes.”

  Issy took a deep breath, glad to smell fresh air and dirt again after the thick floral fragrance in Linda’s motel room. “And that means Adele’s murder might have had nothing to do with her scrying balls or something she told a client. I can’t imagine what kind of evidence she would’ve had, though. Do you think the killer actually found it, or is it still at the house somewhere?”

  “Don’t know.” Gray frowned. “The fact Jerry suddenly left town doesn’t look good. Especially since he’d spoken to Linda and knew that stuff was probably hidden somewhere in Adele’s house. Too bad we have no idea where he went.”

  “Can we even trust what Linda told us?” Issy asked. “She was obviously hiding something, and why would she be interested in this old case now anyway?”

  Gray pressed his lips together. “Good question. She looked about the same age as Scott…”

  “You don’t think she might have been involved back then?” Raine asked.

  Gray shrugged. “I don’t know. What other reason would she have to be looking into it?”

  Issy turned to Raine. “Did you put a truth charm on that orchid or just a relaxation?”

  “Just relaxation.”

  “So she could have been lying. There was no charm to compel her to tell the truth,” Issy said. “We know she really is a private investigator, but maybe she’s here for more personal reasons, and maybe she didn’t come to see Jerry for the exact reason she told us.”