“Hey.” Galen absently trailed his fingers over my back as he sat on the bench next to me, his eyebrows hopping when he got a gander of the huge blue slush I was drinking. “Are you trying to overdose on sugar?”
I shrugged and stuck out my tongue so he could see the blue hue. “It cools me off, which I think is going to be unnecessary now that you’ve found a dead body. That cools me off, too … just in a different way.”
“Yes, well … .” Galen’s smile was rueful and I could read the uncertainty and disappointment behind his forced smile.
“You don’t have to worry about it.” I squeezed his wrist to offer what little comfort I could. “I know this isn’t how you saw our date going. I don’t blame you for having to do your job or anything.”
“I know. It’s still … disappointing.” Galen tilted his head back, staring at the sky as he rolled his neck. “I was kind of hoping that I’d be able to talk you into resuming sleepovers tonight, but I think I’ll have to back off that thanks to the knife wound in Trish Doyle’s neck.”
There was so much about that statement I wanted to press him on that I didn’t know where to start. “It’s too soon to have sleepovers.” I meant it. “I thought we agreed to get to know one another first.”
“I didn’t say the sleepovers required sex.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please. I’m not new.”
Galen managed a grin, but it didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “I’m fine waiting. I was simply messing with you.” He sobered after a beat. “I was just teasing you. I don’t want you to think I was pressuring you. That was a stupid thing to say.”
“I prefer it when I’m the one who verbally beats you up,” I chided. “I don’t like it when you do it. I know you were joking. Let it go.”
“As long as you know.” Galen exhaled heavily as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m pretty sure she either died or was severely injured here. I can smell the blood on the ground. The blow was quick and efficient and the knife is still lodged in the soft tissue. I can’t pull it out until the medical examiner is done and I doubt that will be until tomorrow.”
He was matter-of-fact and I couldn’t hide my surprise that he was sharing sensitive case information. “Why are you telling me?”
“Because you were with me when I found her and I think you deserve to know.”
“I’m not a police officer.”
“No, but you are … intuitive.” Galen pressed his lips together as he debated … something. Finally he merely shrugged. “I don’t know how else to tell you this … and May would probably be angry that I’m considering it at all … but your grandmother used to help with my investigations occasionally. I’m wondering if you might be in a position to help.”
I was understandably dubious. “My elderly grandmother helped you solve murder cases?”
“She’s going to pitch a fit if you call her ‘elderly,’” Galen noted. “I’m serious. She won’t like that one bit.”
“Well, if she ever shows up and sticks around for longer than five minutes I’ll take that into consideration.” I rubbed my cheek as I studied Galen’s serious face. “How exactly did my grandmother help you with investigations?”
“She was a witch. You’re a witch. I thought maybe you shared a few powers.”
I glanced around, worriedly scanning the nearby faces to see if anyone heard. “Say that a little louder,” I grumbled. “I don’t think the guy over there shoving blood samples into test tubes heard you.”
The man in question, a blond with a charming smile, lifted his chin and started shaking his head. “I heard him. It’s fine. I already knew.”
I murdered Galen with a dark look, but he was already raising his hands when I swiveled. “Did you hear that? He already knew.”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve thought about that before I said it.” The words tumbled out of Galen’s mouth. “I know you’re keen to keep that under wraps, big on privacy and all that.”
“Even though everyone already knows,” the tech called out.
“Thank you, Dave,” Galen snapped, his eyes flashing. “Don’t you have something you’re supposed to be doing … like working on the body?”
“I’m collecting soil samples.” Dave was somber as he stood. “The blood spread pretty far from where the body is. I’m not an investigator, but to me that seems to indicate she was alive and bleeding out long enough for the blood to run down the hill and pool up here or … well … .”
“Or she was initially stabbed down there and dragged up the hill,” Galen finished, his expression thoughtful. “Which one do you think makes more sense?”
“I’m not the investigator,” Dave replied. “I’m a lowly lab tech. Why not have your girlfriend touch the body and answer that question for you?”
I balked at the suggestion, jerking my shoulders. “Excuse me?”
Galen let loose an exaggerated sigh and pinned Dave with a dark glare. “There’s a reason people say you talk too much. You know what that reason is, right?”
“I’m fine with it.” Dave was blasé as he straightened his shoulders. “I’ll run the blood samples. I might be able to tell you which scenario is more likely, but I’m not sure it truly matters. A knife in the throat tends to suggest a crime of passion.”
“Especially when the knife is left behind,” Galen murmured as he stared at the medical examiner, a lithe blonde who wore a short skirt and carried a clipboard in her glove-covered hands. “I’ll talk to Darlene before she leaves and ask what she thinks.”
“She’s going to say what she always says,” Dave countered.
“Wait for the evidence,” Galen and Dave said in unison, adopting mocking female tones.
“Well, maybe she has a reason for saying that,” I supplied, sipping my slush as I stared at the woman in question. “She obviously seems very diligent. She’s all dressed up and came to work anyway.”
“Darlene is a consummate professional,” Galen said. “She’s been in the medical examiner’s office for a long time. I’m glad she’s the one on this case. She’s easy to work with.”
I stared at the woman’s long legs. “Yeah. I bet.” I realized I was being envious – and not for a good reason – and forced myself from my reverie. “So, you said it was Trish Doyle. The same Trish we saw melt down with her buddy in Lilac’s bar this afternoon?”
“That would be the one,” Galen agreed, grabbing the slush from my hand and taking a sip without asking. “I can’t believe Ashley would do this, but … I also saw how angry they were with one another earlier. They wanted to throw down.”
“Trish Doyle, huh?” Dave knit his eyebrows. “I didn’t realize it was her until you mentioned it. She was behind me by a year or two in high school. I always thought she was a bit … .”
“Fiery?” Galen suggested.
“I was going to say oversexed,” Dave replied without hesitation. “I know it’s wrong to speak ill of the dead, but that chick was always looking for someone to nail … or rather, someone to nail her. I think she slept with half the town … including you, if I’m not mistaken.”
My stomach twisted as I pressed my lips together and slid him a sidelong look. I wasn’t exactly jealous, but I wasn’t thrilled with the revelation either. I couldn’t put a name to what I was feeling.
Galen scowled when he saw my expression. “Thanks for that, Dave.”
Dave was oblivious. “No problem. I’m going to talk to Darlene and then probably head back to the lab. I’ll send you a report as soon as I have anything.”
Galen was beyond listening to Dave, instead focused on me. “It was a long time ago.”
I held up my hand to cut him off. “You don’t owe me an explanation.” That was true. “You’re a big boy. You’ve been an adult for a long time. I’ve seen how you look without a shirt. I’m not exactly surprised you have a past that involves multiple women.”
I was, however, surprised he had a past with this particular woman. While pretty, she seemed somehow ang
ry and defiant to the point I had a hard time picturing Galen rolling around naked with her. That was something I wanted to keep to myself, though, and think about long and hard later.
“Oh, don’t phrase it like that.” Galen made a face. “We were both young and dumb … and there was a bonfire. It hardly matters. It was long before I knew anything about you.”
For some reason his insistence on explaining himself filled me with mirth. “Good to know.” I patted his arm before turning my full attention to Trish’s body. I tried to avoid staring at it from the start, but now it was as if I couldn’t look away. “She looks as if she took a beating before she died. I don’t think the knife wound is the only injury you’ll find.”
“I agree.”
“What were Dave and you talking about?” I asked after a beat. “What could May do that you obviously want me to try?”
Galen heaved out a sigh. “I was sort of hoping you would forget I brought that up. I feel kind of guilty, and I’m not sure this is the time to talk about this.”
“Well, I’m not sure now is the time to talk about this either, but it doesn’t seem we have much choice.” I forced myself to remain calm as I met his gaze. “What could May do?”
Galen almost looked contrite as he regarded me. “Sometimes – and it wasn’t something she could do every time – but sometimes May could touch a victim and … um … see what happened to them in the last minutes of their lives.”
The revelation caught me off guard. “Seriously?”
Galen nodded, conflicted. “I was hoping maybe you could do the same, but … if you’re not ready … .” He left it hanging.
I swallowed hard as I stared at the body, a myriad of emotions and feelings rushing through me as I tried to identify one thought to cling to. If I could focus on one thing I would know how to answer … at least I believed that was true. “Oh, well … .”
“Don’t twist yourself up,” Galen said hurriedly, holding up a hand. “It’s too much to ask. You just found out you’re … .”
“A witch. You can say it.”
“Special,” Galen clarified. “You just found out you’re special. The rest of it was far too much to ask.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed. “I can try. I mean … if you really want … I can try.”
Galen momentarily looked caught and then shook his head. “No. This is my job. It’s not your responsibility. Maybe down the line, after you’ve settled a bit, but for now I think you should just be you.”
I couldn’t help being relieved. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” Galen smiled as he stroked his hand down the back of my head and handed me the slush. “Finish with your sugar. I have to … .” Whatever he was about to say died on his lips as he narrowed his eyes and looked at a point over my left shoulder.
I swiveled quickly to see what he was staring at and my eyebrows hopped when I caught sight of one of his deputies dragging a swearing and spitting Ashley Conner with him.
“I found her, sir,” the deputy announced, pride evident as he puffed out his chest. “She was in the beer tent doing the limbo.”
For some reason, I found the thought of that so surreal I had to chew on the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
“Thank you for that, Roscoe.”
My mirth shifted to confusion. “You have a deputy named Roscoe? Like on The Dukes of Hazzard?”
Now it was Roscoe’s turn to scowl. “It’s not at all like The Dukes of Hazzard. I mean … sheesh. Does this look like Kansas to you?”
“Georgia,” I automatically corrected. “Hazzard County was in Georgia.”
Galen cocked an eyebrow. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
I shrugged. “Fast cars turn me on.”
“Remind me to host a Fast and Furious movie night,” he muttered, shaking his head before focusing on Ashley. “Do you know why you’re here?”
“I think I’m here because your girlfriend doesn’t put out and you want a real woman,” Ashley spat, causing my cheeks to color.
Galen remained calm. “That’s not why you’re here. You’re here because of that.” He pointed toward Darlene toiling over Trish’s body. “Do you have anything you want to say about that?”
I didn’t consider myself an expert on reading people – lord knows I made more mistakes than I could count in that department over the years – but the look on Ashley’s face was so profound that I would’ve swore on a stack of bibles right then and there that she was innocent and had no idea the woman she called “friend” up until a few hours before was dead.
“Is that Trish?” Ashley’s hair whipped from side to side as she glanced between the body and Galen. “Seriously, is that Trish?”
Galen nodded. “That’s her.”
“Well, why aren’t you transporting her to the hospital?” Ashley barked. “Why aren’t you helping her? I mean … she doesn’t look good. I’m going to make sure she knows you just left her there looking like that and she’ll sue you.”
Galen was calm as he slowly got to his feet and moved closer to Ashley. I studied his face for a sign of what he was feeling, but he was ridiculously hard to read. “She’s not going to get better. She’s already gone.”
“What? No.” Ashley furrowed her brow as she studied her friend’s body. “That can’t be right. I … no. You’re wrong! Either this is a dream or you’re wrong!”
“I definitely wish it were a dream,” Galen said. “I also wish I was wrong. But I’m not. Trish is dead. She died sometime tonight, although it will be a little bit before we have an exact time of death. I’m sure you understand why I dragged you here.”
“I … .” Ashley worked her jaw. “You think I did it.”
“I think you and Trish exchanged harsh words this afternoon,” Galen clarified. “I think you two were fighting about something. I want to know what that something was. In fact, I want to know who that someone was you were referring to in the middle of the argument.”
Ashley wasn’t quite ready to give up her secret. “How do you know we were fighting about a guy?”
“Because you kept referring to ‘him’ and ‘he,’” Galen replied without hesitation. “I’m not an idiot. You guys were fighting over a man. I want to know which man … and I also want you to confirm your whereabouts since I last saw you at the bar.”
Ashley was clearly caught off guard by Galen’s matter-of-fact nature. “You think I murdered Trish! I couldn’t. I was angry with her, sure, but I would never kill her.”
“I didn’t say I thought you murdered her.” Galen was careful, remaining calm even as Ashley’s demeanor fired with fury. “I simply want to know who you were fighting over and where you were this evening. We’ll start there.”
“I was here all night,” Ashley snapped. “I was in the beer tent … and maybe outside one of the food trucks for a bit. A bunch of people saw me here. You’re not going to pin this on me.”
“We’ll work hard to confirm your alibi.”
“As for who we were fighting over, it seems stupid now, but … it was Booker.”
The revelation stole my breath. Booker? The same Booker who was hurt when a murdering lawyer kidnapped me? The same Booker who did work around my house? The same Booker who helped me uncover a family secret? That couldn’t be right.
“Not my Booker,” I said automatically, earning a surprised look from Galen.
“Your Booker?”
Uh-oh. I sensed trouble brewing. “You know what I mean,” I said hurriedly. “He helped me.” I swallowed hard. “He got seriously hurt helping me.”
Galen’s expression softened, but only a little. “I understand what you mean. But you have to understand that Booker is much more than that.”
“Much, much more,” Ashley agreed, taking on a dreamy expression.
“Ugh.” Galen rolled his eyes. “Let me guess, you and Trish were both spending time with Booker and he didn’t bother to tell either of you he was playing the field. Am I close?”
Ashley returned to reality and shrugged. “He liked me more. Trish simply couldn’t deal with it.”
“Criminy.” Galen pinched the bridge of his nose. “All I wanted was a quiet night with my girlfriend. Is that too much to ask?”
That was a loaded question. “Since when do you refer to me as your girlfriend?”
Whatever bravado remained withered as Galen shook his head. “Of course you would latch on to that one word. I should’ve seen that coming.”
“You definitely should have,” Dave agreed as he passed behind Galen and made a clucking sound with his tongue. “You’ve dated enough women to know that was a stupid thing to say.”
Galen sighed. “Live and learn.”
Live and learn indeed.
5
Five
May was in the kitchen when Galen dropped me off. He wasn’t so distracted by Trish’s murder that he didn’t spend a full five minutes kissing me goodnight, which left me breathless and a little disheveled when I walked into the house.
May looked amused by my flushed cheeks and messy hair. “Hello, dear. How was your date?”
The question caught me off guard, as did the mug of tea that May magically had waiting for me on the counter even though she didn’t have corporeal hands. I was still trying to figure out how she managed to physically move objects. “I … it was okay.”
“Just okay?” May’s expression was speculative. “It looks as if things went better than okay.”
I kicked off my sandals and left them by the front door before moving into the kitchen. Even though I wasn’t in the mood for a hot beverage, I sipped the tea as I got comfortable on a stool and regarded my dead grandmother. “It started out great. It ended great. There was a spot in the middle that wasn’t so great.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” May tsked. “What happened in the middle of the date? Did Galen get handsy? I only ask because he’s a bit notorious as a lothario.”
That was the last thing I wanted to hear. “No. He didn’t get handsy.”
Witch Out of Water Page 4