“Right. She could have known that Jerry had information. For all we know she was lying about him going on vacation to cover up,” Gray said.
“Cover up what?” Raine asked.
“The fact that she did something to him. What if Linda knew something about the killer, or what if Linda is the killer. And she knew that Jerry knew something. And that something could incriminate her in some way,” Gray said.
“If that’s the case, what she said about visiting Scott might not have been the whole truth either.” Issy’s blood chilled. “She admitted to being there the day he died. But what if he wasn’t alive when she left?”
“You mean she killed him and staged a suicide?” Raine asked. “But why?”
“I have no idea. Maybe something new came to light recently and she was afraid the case would be reopened?” Issy said.
“If Jerry really was studying to be a PI, maybe it wasn’t Linda that requested a meeting with Jerry. Maybe it was the other way around,” Gray said.
“Jerry and Adele were friends. He might have started looking into the case. Adele might have even asked him to look into it, which could explain him speeding away from her house and possibly even the fight at the wake. He might have had information she didn’t want to hear, or maybe he was trying to persuade her to show him what was in those boxes and she refused,” Raine said.
“Or maybe she did show him, and that’s how he got Linda’s name,” Issy suggested.
“But why would Linda come all the way out here? Wouldn’t she just blow him off if he contacted her about the murder?” Raine asked.
“Not if she thought he might have evidence against her,” Gray said. “She’d come out here and try to get rid of it. And with her PI skills, it wouldn’t be that hard.”
“Then again, Linda could be on the up and up, and Jerry could have been involved in that death somehow and has skipped town now that he knows Linda is looking into it,” Issy said. “He was acting awfully suspicious when I talked to him.”
“Either way, we need to look into Jerry’s disappearance,” Gray said.
“I’m pretty sure Ember has friends who work at the airport.” Raine frowned. “I’ll call her, and maybe she can check around and find out where Jerry went and if he’s really on vacation.”
“Good idea.” Issy checked her watch. “I need to get back to my shop. Poor Hannah’s working overtime as it is.”
“Yeah, me too.” Gray scrunched his nose. “Mrs. Wiggins is coming back in this afternoon for a color adjustment.”
“Do you guys want to get together later and check out Adele’s place for ourselves? See if we can find this supposed evidence?” Raine asked.
For the first time since the whole demon-possession mess, excitement sparkled in her eyes, and Issy’s hopes soared. The thought her beloved cousin might finally be emerging from her fog of sorrow and depression made her set her cautious instincts aside. If digging deeper into Adele Brundage’s murder case brought Raine back to her old self again, Issy would gladly risk anything. “Sounds good. Say right after closing at six thirty tonight?”
They all went their separate ways.
By the time five fifty rolled around, however, Bella was sending urgent telepathic messages Issy’s way, saying they needed to get to Adele Brundage’s. Her cousins weren’t due to close their shops for another forty minutes, but from the way her little Pom was scampering around Issy’s feet, this couldn’t wait.
Hurry, Mommy! Adele’s now! Hurry, hurry!
With a sigh, Issy picked up Bella then grabbed her bag from beneath the counter. It wouldn’t hurt anything to close a little early, and business had been slow this afternoon anyway. Besides, she’d been working with Bella on her communication skills. To ignore her familiar’s messages now wouldn’t help her training at all.
Brimstone stretched lazily from his usual perch on the top shelf then jumped down to join Issy by the front door. “Leaving early, are we?”
“Bella says we need to go to Adele’s house now to investigate.” Issy held the door for Brimstone then followed him out of Enchanted Pets, turning to lock the door behind them. “I don’t want her to think her messages aren’t important.”
The cat gave an imperious sniff then slowly walked away, nose high in the air. “Considering it’s the first time that little pup has done anything of any value, I must say I agree.”
Issy watched Brimstone walk away, shaking her head, before heading to the old pickup and securing Bella inside. “Don’t listen to him, sweetie. Mommy’s very proud. Yes, she is.” She kissed the little Pom’s head before closing the passenger side door and jogging around the front of the truck to climb behind the wheel. “Off to Adele’s we go.”
The drive didn’t take long, but the sun set early these days, and the woods looked ominous. She turned down the old dirt road and traveled deeper into the forest, the gathering gloom making the whole area seem more scary and spooky than she remembered.
Bella sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window and panting excitedly. Her running commentary full of eagerness.
Tall. Dark. Good! Tall. Dark. Good! TallDarkGood!
She’d done the same thing a few weeks earlier when Luigi had been around, Issy recalled. At least Issy had thought it had been in conjunction with Luigi, since he was tall and dark. The good part was still up for debate. Still, that didn’t make much sense now. Why would Luigi Romano be at Adele’s house? The murder case didn’t have anything to do with him. Or maybe the little dog was commenting on the looming pine trees surrounding them. It was hard to tell these days, since the only subject her familiar seemed to home in on with any clarity was Dex.
And he was the last thing she needed to focus on right now.
After switching on her headlights, Issy quickly pulled into the long dirt drive leading to Adele’s place and parked Brown Betty. There were no other cars around, which was a good sign. Even better, another indication there was no Luigi either. She cut the engine and climbed out then walked around to get Bella, ignoring the Pom’s stream of telepathic nonsense words.
The little dog immediately began pulling on her leash, seemingly desperate to get inside Adele’s door. After locking the truck, Issy walked up onto the porch and tried the knob. Locked, of course. She sniffed the wood around the lock. No waxy smell, meaning another paranormal had not been there to unlock it.
Bella continued to scratch at the wood as Issy ran her fingers over the knob then sucked in a breath. She focused all her supernatural powers, picturing a key fitting into the lock and turning. Fist clenched, Issy unfurled her fingers at the same time she muttered, “Infero.”
Snick.
The old door creaked open, and Issy inched inside. A funny tingle started low in her belly, but she pushed it aside. The air smelled stale and musty, undisturbed, like all the life had been sucked out of the house. She fumbled in the darkness, searching for a light switch.
Crash!
Issy swiveled fast toward the kitchen, her breath caught in her throat and her pulse racing. Bella jumped in her arms then shook all over.
Badbadbadbadbadbadbadbadbad!
Through the dim moonlight filtering through the windows, Issy glimpsed a shadow rushing out the back door. Holding tight to Bella, she crept toward the kitchen, only to find the back door busted in. Near the tree line, the intruder darted through a bright patch of moonlight, and Issy saw a flash of a dark-blue hoodie with a white stripe down the sleeve.
Marcy!
“No!” she yelled from the back stoop of Adele’s home before taking off down the steps. “Wait!”
She was so preoccupied with catching the homeless girl that she failed to notice the wall of male muscle stepping into her path and collided smack into the solid chest of Dex Nolan.
14
“Do I even want to know what you’re doing here?” Dex asked, peering down at the top of Issy’s strawberry-blond head. After the shock of the abrupt impact, it had taken him a moment to realize who had run out
of Adele Brundage’s residence and smack into him. Now that he had Issy’s warmth in his arms, though, he could honestly say he didn’t mind a bit.
Who had she been chasing? Whoever they were, they were still out there, in the woods behind him, and they could be armed and very, very dangerous.
Issy started to step away from him, but Dex tightened his arms around her, keeping her right where she was. He’d not gotten a good look at whomever it was she was chasing but had seen enough of their shabby, dirty clothes to peg them as a member of the homeless group down by the river. The last thing he needed right now was Issy running off into the woods after some vagrant and getting hurt.
She struggled against his hold a bit at first then went limp, keeping her gaze averted and her head lowered.
“How did you get into Adele’s?” he asked, to break her continued silence. “Last time I checked, the front door was locked, and the way you came bursting out the back, I don’t think that that’s the way you got in.”
Maybe she picked the lock, he supposed. Then again, given the magical things he’d seen her do at Enid’s place, maybe she’d just cast a spell. He wouldn’t have been surprised or dismayed. Heck, the way this case was going currently, a little magic could come in handy.
They stood near the edge of the woods, their breath frosting in the chilly evening air, those darned toads hopping around their feet, and yet Dex couldn’t have brought himself to move, even if a thousand wild horses stampeded in his direction.
Issy finally looked up, though not at him. Instead she stared at the thick trees beside them. Her tiny dog was snuggled in Issy’s arms between them, sniffing Dex’s shirt and looking happy as a clam. “That person I was chasing was Scott Brundage’s girlfriend. We need to find her and question her about what she knows.”
She tried to free herself again, but Dex held fast. “Leave her. If she’s with the homeless group, then we know where to find her. Running into those woods at night is too dangerous.”
Exhaling, Issy met his gaze at last, her expression speculative. “What are you doing here?”
“Probably the same as you,” he said. The longer he held Issy, the more distracted he became. It was harder to concentrate on what she was saying and ignore the heat of her warming him all the way to his toes. “Why?”
“Aren’t you going to tell me to stay out of it?” she asked, arching a brow at him. Was it his imagination, or was her voice a tad huskier than before?
Dex forced words past the growing constriction in his throat. “Yes. But first I want to know why you’ve been avoiding me.”
He’d already run through pretty much every possible scenario in his head and had a good idea of her answer. That didn’t mean the rejection wouldn’t sting when Issy told him she wasn’t interested, when she said he was a failure, a fraud, a man who couldn’t protect what was his… He closed his eyes and braced for the worst.
“What?” she asked, her tone incredulous. “I thought you were avoiding me.”
Squinting one eye open, Dex scrunched his nose. “Me? Why would I want to avoid you?” He frowned down at her. “From what I recall, we had a great date and then… well, then that thing happened and—”
“Yeah, that thing.” Issy looked away again, and Dex missed the heat of her gaze immediately. “You saw what I am that night, Dex. A witch, a paranormal. Why haven’t you taken me in yet?”
“In?” Stunned, he loosened his hold on her slightly. “You mean to Area 59? I wouldn’t do that. That place is nasty.”
“Right.” Issy stepped back, and this time he let her go. “You know what, Dex? Let’s just be honest with each other. Just once. I know you saw weird things at Enid’s house. I know you’re here as an FBPI agent and your job is to report all things paranormal. We both know you remember what happened, so why haven’t you performed your sworn duty and reported what you saw?”
Dex crossed his arms and scowled at Issy in the moonlight, a small muscle ticking near his clenched jaw. “Maybe because I don’t want them doing a bunch of crazy testing on you or any of the other paranormals around here. I told you the real reason I joined the division that night at the restaurant. About that child, the kidnapping victim, who died because of me, because of my failure to solve the case in time. I will never fail to protect those in my charge like that again. Ever. And if that means keeping a bunch of innocent paranormals from being dragged into Area 59 simply because of who and what they are, then so be it.”
Issy blinked at him, eyes wide. “I thought you didn’t believe in paranormals.”
“I don’t… well, I mean I didn’t. But now after seeing what you and your cousins can do, I can hardly deny it, can I?”
They stared at each other across the brief expanse of space separating them.
Finally, Issy exhaled slowly, her beautiful gaze earnest. “So that’s why you aren’t going to turn us in?”
“That.” Dex reached for her and pulled her close once more, his lips mere millimeters from hers as he whispered, “And this.”
Stunned, Issy just stood there, enjoying the feel of Dex’s soft, warm lips. She forgot all about Adele’s case. Forgot about all her protests that witch-human relationships never worked. Forgot about everything really, except the feel of Dex’s strong arms holding her close and the smell of his sandalwood cologne drifting around her, making her feel safe and secure and wanted…
Time lost all meaning as Issy slowly twined one hand around Dex’s neck, sinking her fingers into the soft, dark curls at the nape of his neck. Honestly, she could’ve stood there all night just kissing him and been perfectly content. Even the constant low croak of the toads didn’t bother her. In fact, it all seemed rather comforting…
“There you are,” Raine said, walking up to them. “Gray and I’ve been looking all over for you, cuz.”
Issy and Dex flew apart fast, each looking around at anything but each other.
Raine’s gaze flickered between them, and her smile deepened. She shifted Morty’s pot from under one arm to the other then called toward the back door of Adele’s house. “Gray, Em! They’re out here, near the tree line.”
“Who’s they?” Gray said, pounding down the back stoop with a scowl on his handsome face. Ember trailed out after him, Endora and Bellatrix peeking wide-eyed at the scene from over the top of their basket. In Gray’s hand was one of Adele’s walking sticks, which he brandished like a weapon. “That back door is busted out.” He squinted at Issy. “Surely you didn’t do that.”
“Of course not.” She fiddled with the zip on her hoodie, making sure Bella was still warm and secure. “I was inside the house, and I saw someone in the kitchen. Turns out it was Marcy, but she ran into the woods before I could catch up with her.”
Gray looked at Dex, Cosmo squawking loudly on his shoulder. “Where were you when all this was going on?”
Dex met Gray’s hard stare with one of his own. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the only one of this group who’s actually supposed to be here. I could have all of you arrested for trespassing and interfering with a crime scene.”
“Please, Dex.” Issy placed a hand on his forearm, hoping to defuse the suddenly tense situation. The last thing she needed tonight was to go bail Gray out of jail—or worse, for the FBPI to get their hands on him. Dex might have said he was on their side, but the rest of his department couldn’t be trusted. “We’re all on the same side here. My cousins and I came to search for evidence from Scott’s trial we think she might’ve kept here in the house. Evidence that could have gotten Adele killed.”
“Where’d you get your information?” Dex asked, his hazel gaze concerned. “I told you to be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt, Issy.”
Raine shivered in the chilly night air. “Maybe we could continue this conversation inside? Morty and I are turning blue over here.”
After several awkward moments and more tense stares between Dex and Gray, they all made their way back inside Adele’s home. While the guys worked to get the bac
k door secured to keep any more would-be snoopers out, Raine, Ember, and Issy rummaged through the bookcases in the living room.
“Looks like this is where Marcy was searching too,” Issy said, taking in all the mess and the clean, finger-sized streaks through the otherwise dusty shelves. “Not sure what we’re even looking for.”
“I saw a picture of Adele in this very room in the newspaper once,” Ember said, removing a stack of papers from the shelf. “These bookcases were packed full. Maybe if we straighten up and put everything back, it will reveal what’s missing.”
“Couldn’t hurt,” Raine said, shrugging.
The girls stuffed the shelves once more, using the dust outlines left behind to figure out what objects had been where. By the time they were done, they discovered an empty gap of about fifteen inches where something had been, but they had no clue as to what.
Issy wrinkled her nose. “Well, whatever it was, it was definitely bigger than one appointment book.”
“Maybe they took more than just an appointment book,” Raine said.
“Like what?” Ember asked.
“Photo albums?” Issy suggested. “Everybody keeps them, and so far we’ve not found any of Adele’s. Seems odd, don’t you think? Plus, when Gray and I went to talk to that PI earlier, she said it was photos that led her here to Silver Hollow.”
“All right, then.” Raine started down the hall toward one of the bedrooms, while Issy and Ember each took the others. None of them, however, found any photo albums or anything else related to Scott’s murder trial.
Bella kept squirming inside Issy’s hoodie, so finally she pulled the small Pom out and put her on the floor. Instead of staying near Issy, however, the little dog scampered out the door and headed straight for the kitchen. By the time Issy found her, the tiny Pom was flopped down at Dex’s feet and begging for his attention. Issy tried calling Bella back as discreetly as she could, but her familiar refused to budge. Just sat there panting and staring up adoringly at Dex. Every so often, Bella would shoot Issy approving looks in between. Seemed her dog had as bad of a crush for Dex as Issy did.
Nothing To Croak About (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) Page 8