“How are you so certain?” he asked.
“Because there are layers of privacy spells on all the impenetrable rooms at The Magic Bean. They're a perk and a draw to support their business.”
“You should know something about me. I don’t believe in spells, or magic, or potions.”
“You saw with your own eyes how I worked magic to heal my knee.” A slight challenge to argue against her lifted the corner of her eyebrow.
“Did I? Or did I see you use natural remedies and homeopathic medicine? Those are things I can believe in.”
A small huff of air blew from her nose, and she shook her head. “Suit yourself. I’m openly confessing to using magic and other means of healing and persuasion. It scares some people because they don’t understand magic is a part of the natural world. If I understand you correctly, you blatantly deny my lifestyle and the existence of everything I identify as real.”
“Looks like it.” Leif took another drink of coffee and watched her closely.
“Do you think I’m insane?”
“No. I think your belief system is vastly different than mine.”
“Well let’s start there and agree we have differences.” Tori picked up her mug, gave a half-hearted salute before taking a drink.
“Works for me. Truth be told, I’ve never met anyone who holds the exact same beliefs as someone else. Some people’s ideas come close, but close is the best you can hope for.”
A diminutive smile sat on her warm peach lips. He didn’t know what to make of the expression. Was she mocking, questioning, or plotting against him? It was hard to say.
“Did you ask me to come here to talk about how to protect yourself from the psychopath? Because that’s your first priority if I get any say in this conversation,” he said.
“That’s not the reason. I wanted to see you again.”
Her eyes were clear and focused. He was glad to see her nerves had already settled down from the confrontation downstairs.
“You handled yourself well. The best way to deal with a creep is to be upfront and clear. Stalkers like to confuse avoidance and aversion for mixed messages to their favor.”
“I understand that. I had no idea how creepy Gerard was the other night at Club Wicca. I only went out with him twice. I never said anything to him about going jogging together. In fact, I don’t think I ever mentioned my morning runs to him at all.”
“How long have you known him?”
“A couple weeks.”
“He’s following you. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s been doing so since you met.”
“So I gather.”
“This is serious, Tori. Take extra precautions for a while.” He held back about seeing Gerard at Delana Smootz’s crime scene. The exact crime had yet to be determined, but until the detectives knew exactly what happened to Mrs. Smootz, he would assume foul play. Whether or not Gerard was involved, he couldn’t identify yet. He wasn’t ready to share those thoughts with Tori. If or when she needed to know, he would tell her.
As if she could follow his thoughts she said, “Delana Smootz was a client of mine.”
He stilled and let the information sink into all the appropriate cracks and crevices inside his mind. “What kind of client?”
“I had a non-disclosure agreement with her. I can’t say. I’m risking my reputation by telling you anything.”
“Why are you telling me then?”
“Because I want to find Weston and you’re a private investigator.”
“You did your research,” he said. He never told her he was an investigator. “Weston, Delana’s personal bodyguard?” Leif assumed Tori was about to give him information on Gerard’s involvement, not the chauffeur. “What about Gerard?”
“What about him? Gerard doesn’t have anything to do with Delana.” Tori paused, concern etched in her multi-colored eyes. “Does he?” She leaned in, and he watched her mind at work. Truth or speculations crossed her face over the next few seconds. “I think he’s been following me, possibly since we met, but I can't be certain,” she whispered.
“It wouldn’t surprise me.”
The possibility that Gerard had something to do with Delana’s death hit her like a punch to the stomach and had been a hard pill to swallow. She shook her head again. “Gerard has no reason. As far as I know, he never met her. The more I think about it, the more I don’t believe he knew I worked with her once a week.”
“But you just said, he may have been following you since you met. Maybe he was stalking you before you met,” he amended.
Tori sat back and loosened her shoulders by rolling them. She caught her lower lip between her teeth. Her gaze dropped to the coffee mug. Leif let her contemplate the implications for as long as she needed. “No,” she said again. “Gerard couldn’t have had anything to do with Delana. If he somehow did, the cops will figure it out. Will they question him? Why are you watching him anyway? He’s the reason you were at Club Wicca. Am I right?”
“Yes.” He wondered just how much he should share with her. The case was sensitive. Not only because of Mrs. Smootz’s celebrity status but also because of the unusual circumstances surrounding her death. A possible murder, with cult-like evidence surrounding it, and arson were serious crimes. But Tori came to him and opened up about Delana being a client. If she put some trust in Leif, he would return it. At least some. “Gerard was spotted at the scene. I want to find out what he was doing there.”
Tori blinked. Her face went blank. This wasn’t what he wanted to see. He wanted to read her expression. Shouldn’t she show some sign of surprise that the man she was dating was spotted at the scene of her client’s death?
“We need to find Weston,” she said definitively. “He wasn’t only her chauffeur. He was her personal bodyguard and assistant. They were close. If anyone saw her before the fire, it was him.”
“How do you know that?”
“He lived in the apartment above the garage and was almost always with her, or nearby. I know because my weekly appointments with Delana were at her house. We were also very close.”
“I’m going to pass this information to Breck Hollingsworth at the Police Bureau. He’s the detective on her case, and he’s a friend of mine.”
“My name can’t go public. I told you, we had a non-disclosure contract.”
“Why so much secrecy? What were you doing with Delana every week?”
Tori drummed her fingers against her coffee mug. “We’ve come full circle, Leif.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that you’re not the only one who doesn’t believe in what I do. Delana wanted this part of her life to stay out of the media. Not just for her, but because of the foundations she chaired and how important they are for so many people. The children her foundations support meant everything to her.”
“She didn’t want the public to know about the part of her life that includes make-believe and sorcery?” he asked.
She rewarded him with an icy stare.
He raised surrendering palms in her direction. “I’m trying to make heads or tails out of what you’re telling me.”
“Not many people believe in witches. She doesn’t deserve scorn and ridicule. I don’t need it either. I’m saying I do not want to talk to the police about Delana. They’ll make me break my confidentiality agreement. I’m not willing to do that. Not without a firm reason.”
“But?”
“But I want to know what happened to my friend as much as the police want to know. Weston is who I need to talk to.”
“Do you want me to find him for you?”
“Yes. I would do it myself, but I ran into a snag.”
Leif scratched his temple. God knew what “snag” meant to this self-proclaimed psychic and witch.
“You need to have this conversation with Breck. He’s a decent guy, and you can trust him. He’s well aware of the sensitivity of the case.”
“I told you. I’m not willing to speak with the cops. Yet.”<
br />
“How do you know they haven’t already interviewed Weston?”
“Has Breck talked to him?” she asked.
He didn’t answer. The truth was, the bodyguard had disappeared, and Breck was searching for him.
“That’s what I thought. I think Weston is in hiding,” Tori said.
For some reason, he believed what Tori said was the truth.
“You still need to give your statement to the police, Tori. That is my professional recommendation.”
“I’m not going to do it. Not until after I speak with Weston myself. Then I’ll decide on whether or not I have anything important to tell your buddy Breck.”
“I have to tell him what you told me. He’ll be contacting you.” Leif drained the last of his coffee. He set the cup down and knew he needed another sixteen ounces to go with him out the door.
“I can disappear faster than you can blink. Please don’t force me to prove it.”
Once more, Tori surprised him with her candid, no-holds-barred approach to life. Leif slid the empty mug aside and clasped his fingers in front of him on the table. “Do you expect me to ignore my oaths to obey the law? To serve and protect to the best of my ability?”
“I don’t know enough about you to answer that. I’m not going to the cops until after I speak with Weston. You can help me and make finding him that much faster. Or, I can disappear, and you and your cop pal will never find me again.”
“That sounds an awful lot like a threat, Tori.” He sounded calm, but she was rattling him in a way that was all new.
“It’s not a threat. It’s the bloody awful truth. When I swear to someone that I will protect their privacy or any other oath, I mean it as much as your commitment to your job.”
Leif worked his jaw back and forth as he settled the rising uproar in his bloodstream. He didn’t take orders or threats lightly. “I’ll find him, and we will speak to Weston together. Then you’ll make an official statement to Breck Hollingsworth at the Police Bureau. Is that how this is going to go?”
Tori set her shoulders back. “If we can find Weston together, then I’ll consider speaking to your friend Breck. I really don’t have anything of interest to report about Delana.”
“I’ll let Breck decide whether you do or not. From this side of the table, you sound a little like a suspect somewhere in all this.”
She narrowed her gaze and took a deep breath. “We work together on this. I promise it will make finding Weston go a lot faster. Then we’ll both get our answers. Agreed?”
Leif nodded. “Agreed.” He didn’t know how this was going to work, but he definitely didn’t want her taking off before Breck had a chance to speak with her. Keeping Tori close seemed the most likely way to keep her from disappearing like she threatened.
* * * *
Leif bloody freaking suspected her! The thought reeled through her mind. Then she reevaluated. He didn’t suspect her of killing Delana, but she could see the doubts and uncertainties swimming across his face as he chewed on every tidbit she forked over to him. She stepped down from the high-top chair and brushed non-existent crumbs from her lap.
“I think I should give you a ride home.”
“Because of Gerard?”
“Yes.”
“All right. We can work out the details on how we’re going to find Weston on the way.”
“Sounds good.” Leif held the door open for her.
The sudden stiffness between them crackled and irritated their breathing room. She wouldn’t have it. Suspicious or not, Tori didn’t want to spend time with Leif if he was going to chafe her ass like sandpaper. The arrangement she came up with to work together to find Weston benefitted them both. He needed to realize it and lighten up. Just because she didn’t run straight to the police didn’t make her a bad guy. She needed to protect Delana and her friend’s priorities, but she also needed to protect herself. Tori didn’t need negative publicity either. For a variety of personal reasons, her clients counted on discretion.
Caught in the maelstrom of her thoughts, Tori moved mechanically as she climbed into Leif’s SUV. He gave her the basic rundown on how he would find Weston and find out if that was even his real name. He didn’t think it would be too difficult and it relieved her. Before she realized it, he was parking in front of her building.
“I’ll walk you in,” he said.
The playbacks of their conversation at The Magic Bean and ideas for finding Weston skidded to a halt as Leif opened the door for her.
“You remember everything from the other night—even where I live?” she asked as they moved together up the walkway to her building.
“It was dark the other night, but my sense of direction isn’t that bad.”
Tori nodded and bit the inside of her cheek. Leif stopped by the keypad so Tori could punch in the access code, but she scooted past him and grabbed the door handle. The locks clicked, and she opened the door.
“Anyone can just walk in?” Leif said.
“No. The entrances are protected. The doors recognize me when I touch them. But, you don’t believe in magic or spells, so you can’t possibly consider what I’m telling you to be the truth.” She smiled coyly and batted her lashes. Let him be confused. It was probably good for him. Tori checked the clock on the wall as they passed by her office. Her first appointment for the day was in forty minutes.
“Touch sensing locks have been around for a few years,” he remarked.
“They’ve existed for thousands of years in my world,” she countered. “Want to come upstairs? I can make you a coffee to go since you didn’t get a second cup from The Magic Bean.” He remembered where she lived, which meant he didn't drink the potion. She could try giving it to him again, but oddly enough, she wasn’t as worried about him knowing where she lived as she thought she would be.
They stood by the elevator waiting for the doors to open. Leif stared down at her through narrowed eyes. Did she detect more suspicion in the penetrating look he gave her?
“Are you trying to slip me a weird concoction? One of your magic potions?”
The doors slid open, and she stepped inside. He knew? He didn’t appear pissed off about it. If she found out someone tried to give her a potion without her permission, there would be hell to pay. Leif followed her into the elevator.
“Would I do something like that?” she said and laughed it off.
“I don’t know, would you?”
Maybe he didn’t know.
The elevator opened, and they stepped into the second-floor hall.
“I would definitely feed you a potion if the situation called for it.” She walked to her door and used her magic on the locks again. It was just so much easier than inserting a key.
“Did you give Delana a potion?”
“Aren’t you funny?” she said with another smile even though she inwardly cringed. In fact, she had given Delana a potion. It was supposed to ease her pain and slow the progression of her arthritis. Goddess, what if something had gone horribly wrong with the healing ceremony? What if the coroner’s report said she was poisoned? Tori’s mouth went dry.
Leif stood at the threshold and didn’t move to enter.
“Should I take a quick look around before I say goodbye?”
“He’s not in here. My house alarm would alert me.”
“Don’t you need to disarm it?”
“Doesn’t work that way,” she said. In actuality, she didn’t have an alarm system. She trusted her protection spell and her sixth sense to tell her if anything was out of sorts when she walked in her door.
“We should exchange contact information so I can contact you after finding Weston.” Tori picked up her phone from the hall table near the door.
“I take it you’re not one of the magical types that can’t partake in the technology revolution.”
“I’m okay most of the time,” she said. “Best to keep your TV away from me when I’m unhappy, though.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
/> “What’s your number?”
He recited his phone number and email address. Tori tapped the information into her phone.
“I was looking forward to the fancy paper and seeing you write with the blood of your enemies,” Leif said as he stared at the phone in her hands.
“I save those for invites to the coffee shop,” she said.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit the power button. The screen remained black. After trying again, he gave up.
“Looks like it’s dead. I should have warned you ahead of time about the coffee shop and all the magic. Sorry. I could have shielded your phone for you while we were downstairs. I’ve been distracted lately.”
“The Brain Trust must wield powers beyond comprehension,” he said flatly.
Tori laughed. “You’re starting to believe!”
The levity of his statement lightened her mood, and she placed her fingertips on his chest. The stoic expression on his face cracked, and he accidentally smiled at the joke he made. She rose up onto her toes and leaned in to kiss his cheek. A quick goodbye and a thank you for seeing her safe to her door.
The instant her lips touched his clean-shaven cheek, pleasurable warmth spread over her skin. A definite zing of attraction raced through her blood and clenched her belly causing tingles between her thighs. The scent of him rushed into her lungs, and she unknowingly lingered by his cheek to absorb more of his smell. An involuntary sound left her throat. Leif turned his head, so his lips brushed against hers. She mewled. It was embarrassing and unstoppable. His hand found the back of her head, and he held her in place as he kissed her the way her body asked him to, full of desire and unrepentant. Her mind apparently decided to take a vacation the instant she got a whiff of his aftershave. She certainly didn't mean to tackle him on her doorstep. Tori may enjoy a hot guy once in a while, but even this behavior was new to her. Strong fingers combed through her hair. He’d pulled out her loose ponytail, she realized after the fact. The hand stroked her spine and settled on her lower back to pull her in close and hold her against his hard body. He nipped her lower lip then released her. The empty space he created by stepping back almost pulled her over and back into his arms.
A Witch's Fate: Witches of Lane County Page 8