Witches and Wedding Cake

by Bailey Cates

  “Sounds great. It was a scam, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “How much did you lose?”

  “Me? None. I decided against joining the group.”

  “You knew?”

  He made a face. “The guy was really convincing, so much so that everyone who got involved was then also convincing. After a short time, Tucker didn’t even have to say anything. They sold themselves.”

  I felt myself nodding. “Once someone is committed to believing something and is also surrounded by others who think the same way, it’s almost impossible to change their minds. But you didn’t fall for it.”

  “Let’s just say I had a feeling. A strong feeling.” He gave me a you-know-what-I-mean look.

  “Connell,” I said.

  He nodded, chewing on his breakfast again, then swallowed. “I’m pretty sure he saw what was really happening and set off my alarms. Even back then, before I knew anything about him.” A haunted glimmer flickered behind his eyes.

  I reached over and put my hand on his.

  He gave my fingers a squeeze before reaching for the last bite of biscuit. When he was finished eating, he said, “Tucker and the rest of them worked on me for a few weeks before giving up. I didn’t have any bad feelings about the people involved, not even Tucker. I just knew I didn’t want to be part of their investment group. This was five years ago, and Rori still lived here in Savannah. One time when Tucker came by to talk to me, she was at my place.”

  “And the rest is history.” I’d known the bare bones, but Declan had been sketchy on the details—probably because he didn’t like admitting that if he hadn’t introduced them, his little sister wouldn’t have married a con man.

  “Tucker really seemed to like Rori.” There was a note of protest in Declan’s words.

  I made a noise in the back of my throat.

  “Well, you might be right. But he seemed to be head over heels. He even told her some of the stuff he was involved in.”

  “The investment group?”

  He shook his head. “Not until later. It would have been harder to convince Rori he’d reformed and was on the straight and narrow because of his great love for her if she knew he was scamming her brother’s friends.”

  “He did scam them, then.”

  “Oh, yeah. They found a fifth investor, another firefighter, and they all gave Tucker twelve grand to use as a down payment on the apartment building.”

  “Why didn’t he go to jail?”

  Declan’s smile was sardonic. “He was a con man.”

  “But . . . fraud.”

  “The deal fell through. Their money was gone, and Tucker gave them all sorts of reasons for why it happened. And like in a lot of situations like that, no one reported it. They either chose to believe him or were too embarrassed to admit they’d been conned.”

  My mouth fell open. “You’re kidding.”

  He sighed. “I wish I was. Now, the last member to join the group, Carolyn Becker, did file a complaint. The district attorney didn’t think there was enough to prosecute, however, especially since she was the only one of the investment group who reported Tucker.”

  “Dang,” I said in wonder. “This must be one of the fraud cases Quinn mentioned.”

  “Carolyn didn’t give up, though. She filed a civil suit. Won, too.”

  “Good. She had the chutzpah to put her ego aside, and she got her twelve thousand dollars back.”

  Declan shook his head. “Nope. She got a judgment for that much, but to the best of my knowledge, she never saw the money. A judgment is one thing—getting the defendant to pay it is something else.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake. And Rori married this guy?”

  “Well, all this other stuff came out after. In the meantime, Tucker courted my sister for a few months, and then they eloped.” He grinned. “Eliza about lost her mind when she found out.”

  “I bet.”

  “They lived here for a little while, and Tucker tried to stay on the straight and narrow. Then Rori was offered a job at a big market research firm in DC. It was her dream job, and there was a lot of opportunity for growth.”

  I remembered her saying something about her dream job and closed my eyes. “He screwed it up for her, didn’t he?”

  When I opened my eyes, Declan was nodding. “They moved to DC. She was making good money, using her business degree, but Tucker was having trouble getting a full-time job. He tried another kind of scam. Something about cars. Rori didn’t know anything about it, but when it all hit the fan, she lost her job.”

  “Poor thing. No wonder she’s bitter.”

  “It took her a while to get the job she has now.”

  “The community center in Dover?” I asked.

  “That one. Rori had to move back in with Mother for a while so she could get back on her feet.”

  “I remember you telling me that. What about Carolyn Becker? Is she still around?”

  “Sure. She used to work at Two House, but she transferred to Four House about a year ago. She moonlights as a personal trainer at the River Street Athletic Club.” Since firefighters worked a single forty-eight-hour shift each week, many fit other jobs into their time off. Declan tended to work extra hours doing fire inspections and giving safety talks at schools and other organizations.

  “I think Bianca belongs to that gym. I wonder if she knows Carolyn.”

  “It’s likely. Randy and Carolyn worked together at Two House and got to be pretty good friends.” Randy and Bianca had been dating for several months.

  Declan rose. “Listen, I need to get a shower and change. Maybe a nap, if I can manage it. I’ll let you know when I get ahold of Rori.” He gave me a kiss, then glanced around at the few customers, saw no one looking, and gave me another, lingering one.

  The door opened and a half dozen people came in. I gave my fiancé another quick peck on the cheek and hurried to help Lucy take their orders. He was gone when I turned around.

  * * *

  * * *

  After what Declan had told me, I was surprised to see Rori come into the bakery at about ten o’clock. Lucy and I had frosted the carrot cupcakes and filled in the empty rows of brookies in the display case with fresh warm ones. When I saw Declan’s sister, I wiped my hands and came out from the kitchen to give her a hug.

  She looked like she needed it and clung to me for a moment longer than I was expecting before letting go. Her face was pale, and the skin around her eyes was puffy.

  “How are you doing?” I asked.

  Rori lifted her chin. “I’m all right.”

  Lucy looked up then, spied Rori, and came over to bestow another hug. “Honey, I’m so sorry. What can I get you? Maybe a nice cup of coffee and a vanilla scone?”

  I nodded my encouragement, knowing the vanilla would provide a dose of happiness and strength.

  She shuddered and shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ve been awake since five. My stomach is a mess.” Her hand ventured to her abdomen.

  “And you haven’t had a thing to eat, I suppose.” I put my hand on her shoulder and guided her toward the library area.

  Lucy went behind the coffee counter, and I saw her reach for a mug. She glanced up and nodded to me. She had something herbal in mind. I left her to it.

  The coffee table was littered with empty cups and crumpled napkins. I gestured toward one of the poufy chairs, and Rori sank into it as I quickly gathered the detritus and took it back to the kitchen. When I returned, I saw she’d removed her shoes and tucked her legs underneath her. She rubbed her eyes, then looked up at me.

  “Declan was by earlier,” I said. “He said he’s been trying to get in touch with you.”

  She sighed. “I know. I just couldn’t talk to him. Or Eliza. They’re both angry at me for going to that motel last night. They don’t understand.”


  I gave her a smile. “About you returning his gift, or wanting to tell him off and never talk to him again?”

  A miserable shrug. “Both.”

  “But Tucker was a strangely irresistible guy, wasn’t he?”

  Her eyes brightened a little in hope that I understood. “He was. You saw that right away, didn’t you?”

  “Indeed, I did.”

  A small smile lightened her features. “He’s always been like that, but this last time I saw him, I mean, when he was alive, it was like his charm was on steroids.” The smile dropped. “But when I found him at the motel, he seemed so, well, so unattractive.” She looked miserable. “That sounds horrible, but I don’t mean it that way. It was almost like he was a different man, even though I completely recognized him.” She licked her lips. “Tucker was the first person I’ve ever seen who’d passed on. You’ve seen lots of bodies, though, haven’t you, Katie?”

  I winced inwardly.

  “Are they all like that? Do people always look that different when they’re, you know . . . dead?”

  “Not exactly,” I said and changed the subject. “So you’ve been avoiding Eliza, too?”

  “And Mother. Even she’s angry at me. I snuck out early, and she figured out I wasn’t in my bedroom about an hour ago.” She lifted her phone. “Totally blew up my cell with texts.”

  “They both love you. They’re concerned.”

  “Yeah,” she said in a small voice. “I know.”

  “Have you answered?”

  She shook her head.

  “Rori, they’re worried. Let your mother—and Eliza, and Declan—know where you are so they can relax.”

  Her jaw set, and for the first time I realized Rori wasn’t just younger than Declan, she was about two years younger than I was. She would have been twenty-three or twenty-four when she eloped with Tucker. He’d looked to be around thirty to me, but it was hard to tell with the glamour. In the brief time I’d known Rori, she’d seemed capable and sure, but now that seemed stripped away to leave a bewildered waif. My heart went out to her.

  “They’re worried,” I repeated gently.

  “Yeah, okay. You’re right, of course.” Her head bent over her phone as her thumbs tapped around the tiny keyboard. When she was done, she sat back in the chair with an air of relief.

  Lucy chose that moment to come over with a steaming cup of tea. “Peppermint green tea with lavender,” she said. “Just try it.”

  “Thank you,” Rori said, and took a sip.

  “Where have you been all morning?” I asked when Lucy had gone back to the kitchen.

  “Just walking. Along the river, through the squares. Places we used to hang out as kids.”

  “And that’s what you were doing yesterday between five and six?” I asked. “Revisiting old haunts?”

  She looked toward the window, where Honeybee was in her usual spot on the sill. “Yeah. Remembering stuff. You know—my childhood, high school. My marriage.” Her gaze returned to me. “It wasn’t all bad, you know. Tucker could be a lot of fun. He was different than anyone I’d ever known.”

  “Declan told me he introduced you.”

  “He did. But it wasn’t like he was trying to set us up or anything. We hit it off right away, and Tucker could be pretty persistent.”

  “And persuasive.”

  She nodded. “He was a born salesman. It’s all he ever did. When I met him, he was working for a vacation rental place. You wouldn’t think that involves much salesmanship, but he knew exactly how to stage the houses for photos, where to advertise, stuff like that.”

  “I saw an article about that company, and he was pictured.” I left out that I’d seen it the night before when I was trying to find out more about her ex. She didn’t seem to notice, though. “Was he still working there? I mean, before he got fired?”

  She lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “I have no idea. I’d guess not. He moved from job to job a lot.”

  “You seemed pretty upset with him at the house,” I said.

  Her face clouded. “Like I said, he was a born salesman. Unfortunately, he wasn’t above selling things that weren’t actually, you know, for sale.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Declan told me something happened in Washington, DC.”

  “Tucker was working part-time for a used car dealer.” She made a face like she’d suddenly smelled something rotten. “But it turned out he’d sell a car twice, once on the lot, and once on Craigslist as a private citizen—under a different name, of course. Then he’d disappear, and the private buyer was out the money and didn’t even know who to go after.”

  I let out a snort. “Wow. Are you serious?”

  “I know, right? He got away with it for a while. Only one person reported it, they were so embarrassed at being taken like that. I think he counted on that, because it had worked before. But then he tried to pull the scam on the wrong person.” She blew out an angry breath. “My boss’s wife. Can you believe it? She was furious, and she reported him. The police didn’t do much about it, but then Tucker attended a Christmas party with me, and I personally introduced her to my husband, the man who had conned her. I tell you, Katie, it was a mess.”

  I felt sure that if it had been me, I’d have described the situation a bit more colorfully. “I bet it was. Did Tucker go to jail?”

  “Naw. He gave the money back, and she let it drop. I lost my job, though. My boss thought I was in on it. They all did. It was awful. I knew Tucker was a little sketchy, but not that bad. I filed for divorce within the week.”

  I reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  She snagged my gaze. Those intense blue eyes were so much like Declan’s that I couldn’t look away.

  “Katie, my brother told the family a little about the murder cases you’ve been involved with.”

  I braced myself. “Oh?”

  “Will you help me?”

  Frowning, I asked, “Help you with what?”

  “I want to find out who killed Tucker. I told you I wanted closure, and I feel like understanding what happened and why he was killed is how I’m going to get it.”

  “Maybe,” I said slowly. “But the police are investigating. Don’t you trust them?”

  She shrugged.

  Never mind that I myself didn’t always trust Detective Quinn. He was quite competent, of course, but when there was magic involved, he didn’t always know what to look for.

  This is Declan’s sister, not to mention a victim who used glamour spells. And then there’s the heads-up from my dragonfly totems.

  I sighed inwardly. The truth was, I was already looking into Tucker’s murder. I’d sneaked a look at the crime scene, practically interrogated the manager at the Spotlight Motel, poked around online, and had been gathering background on Tucker most of the morning. Even with the wedding and family in town—and more to come—it was as if I couldn’t help myself.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll do what I can to help. I’m not sure where to go next with this, though.”

  Rori studied me for a few seconds, then seemed to make a decision. Swinging her feet to the floor, she leaned over and reached into her bag. Her hand came out holding the music box Tucker had given her. She held it out to me.

  “Tucker said he needed to sell this because he owed someone money. That means it has to be worth some real coin, don’t you think?”

  I took the little ceramic birdhouse and looked at the bottom. There was a faint maker’s mark there, but I knew nothing about how to figure out how much money Rori might be able to get for it.

  “Jaida said Detective Quinn didn’t think it was worth anything. It’s one of the reasons . . .” I trailed off.

  “One of the reasons what?” Rori asked.

  One of the reasons you’re on his suspect list.

  “Never mind,
” I said. “You think it could be valuable?”

  “That’s really why I was driving around yesterday,” Rori said. “Trying to figure out whether to keep it or not. Whether it would be better to have the money from it or better to confront Tucker and close that chapter of my life forever.”

  “And you decided to close the chapter.”

  She half shrugged. “Yes. Plus he sounded pretty desperate when he called. But I had to wait until after supper to get away from Mother and Eliza. By that time, well . . .”

  “It was too late,” I finished.

  “Now I’m wondering how much this might be worth. Maybe it was why Tucker was killed.”

  “The music box?” I asked, surprised. “For the money he owed, maybe, but probably not for this thing. This, um, lovely little thing,” I amended.

  She laughed. “It’s not exactly my style. But if I could sell it . . .”

  “Hmm. What did you have in mind?” I asked. “As far as finding out how much it’s worth.”

  She beamed. “Will you come with me?”

  “That depends on where you’re going.” I was starting to get frustrated with Declan’s little sis.

  “I want to take it to a friend of Tucker’s.”

  I felt my eyes narrowing. “Who’s this friend?”

  “His name is Hudson Prater. He’s an antique dealer here in town. I looked him up, and he’s still in business. Will you come? I’ve never done this kind of thing before, and Declan says you’re good at investigations.”

  “Do you need to leave, Katie?” Lucy asked from behind my left elbow. She’d materialized without my noticing it, and now grabbed our empties to take back to the kitchen. “We can handle things. Go ahead.”

  I turned and looked at her. She was giving me a you-know-you-want-to look.

  “Oh, good!” Rori said and hopped to her feet. “I have the address of Hudson’s store right here.”

  Chapter 10

  My aunt was right; I did want to find out more about the music box, but perhaps as important, I wanted to keep an eye on Rori. I went back to the office to grab my tote and explain to Mungo where I was going.