“If only Angel Force would set Aurora free, I’d be less worried.”
I took another waffle and shuffled the fresh strawberries around on the top into a frowning face. “I can’t believe they still have her.”
“It’s that wretched evidence,” Mom said, “the hair and the shoe.”
“It was obviously planted,” I said. “You know Aurora; she’s so fastidious. If she was intent on killing someone, she’d know how to leave no clues behind. She’d probably go to her victim’s home wrapped in polythene after having shaved her head. She’d know how to avoid leaving evidence.”
Mom’s eyebrow arched. “You make her sound calculating.”
“I make her sound clean.”
Mom sighed. “Which means somebody wants Aurora to go down for this murder.”
“It’s not happening,” I said as I helped myself to another waffle and ignored Wiggles cold nose nudging my calf for a piece. “I’m dealing with it.”
“Which is good, but...”
“Go on, what’s on your mind? You don’t think I can do this?”
“I’m sure you can. But I know stress makes Frank tetchy. Maybe take a day or two off from your interrogations. I had Mrs. Romer send me a rude message yesterday about your visit to the telegram store.”
“Mrs. Romer can bite me. My conversation with Mannie was none of her business. She said neither me nor Aurora is welcome in the telegram store.”
“She decided to make it her business. We don’t want to get on the wrong side of Mrs. Romer. She might cut off our communication link out of Willow Tree Falls.”
“She can try,” I said. “We won’t be cut off. I leave Willow Tree Falls at least once a month to do Angel Force business. We can still get messages in and out.”
“It will make things more difficult for you.” Mom placed her mug down. “I worry about you.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.” I kept my expression neutral as I focused on my waffle. “I’m certain this will be solved by the end of today. Mannie lied to me. He told me that meeting went on late. Star says otherwise. Mannie had plenty of time to get out of his house, over to Deacon’s, and kill him. He’s got a perfect motive. Deacon was competition and could have ruined Mannie’s chances of being mayor.”
“You’re ruling out everybody else?” Mom asked. “What about Axel? Granny Dottie is convinced he had something to do with this.”
“She only fingered Axel because she doesn’t want me to date him. Not that I would, but there is something off about him. He lied about his alibi. Merrie spotted him in Cloven Hoof when he said he was at a movie.” I sighed as I finished the last waffle. “I don’t know, maybe they’re in this together? Axel and Mannie both want to be mayor, so they teamed up to get their biggest rival out of the way.”
“Keep your enemies closer than your spell book,” Mom said. “What about Rhett?”
“I should go talk to him too, just to clear his name. Otherwise, Auntie Queenie will keep prodding me to hassle him.”
Mom regarded me steadily. “Will you find it tricky speaking to Rhett?”
I spent a long time drinking my coffee. “No.”
Mom smiled at me. “It’s okay to like a bad boy. Your father was considered a little rough around the edges when we first got together.”
I blinked at her. Mom rarely talked about Dad. He’d disappeared five years ago, simply up and left one night. No one knew what happened. Everyone assumed he was dead.
“Don’t look like a startled owl. We were young when we met. I was just out of my teens and looking for an adventure. Your father roared past on this enormous sleek motorbike. He had hair to his shoulders and was dressed in leather. It was lust at first sight.”
I coughed down my mouthful of coffee. “Too much information, Mom.”
She smiled. “When I got to know him, I realized what a sweetheart he was. Behind the leather and moody looks, he was a giant teddy bear. So protective of me. And you girls.”
I nodded. I remembered him quizzing Aurora and me when we first got interested in boys. He warned us not to date anyone with long hair who wore leathers. I smiled at the memory. One day, I’d find out what happened to him and why he had to leave us.
“You’ve been on a few dates with Rhett.”
“It was nothing. I’m not into him.”
“If you are, then you have good taste. I know I said not to date a biker, but I don’t mind. Make sure you take plenty of time to get to know him. You need to ensure there’s more to him than that bad boy image.”
“I’ll ask him for his CV when I see him.”
“I’m serious. Some men have a shady side but a good heart. Others are bad to the marrow. They chew you up and spit you out like a werewolf does hairballs.”
“I do not want that kind of guy.”
Mom patted my hand. “Rhett is always welcome at our dinner table. If you do bring him, Queenie will be thrilled. She’s also got a thing for men in leathers.”
I grimaced as an image of Auntie Queenie dragging a leather clad gimp around on a leash came into my mind. “She’d eat Rhett alive.”
Mom chuckled. “Quite possibly. Seriously, if he is involved, take care. Rhett runs with a dark crowd. Be discreet with your questioning.”
“I’m always discreet.”
“That’s not what Mrs. Romer said. She claimed she had to throw you out of the telegram store because you were being, let me get the phrase right, too much of a disruptive influence.”
“That’s not true. I stormed out of there quite happily on my own.”
Mom chuckled again. “I just need to make sure you’ve got Frank under control.”
“I always have him under control.”
Her expression turned serious. “You do a great job. I know it’s not easy. We ask a lot of you to keep Frank away from Aurora.” Mom’s eyes glistened. “It should have been me. I should have gotten to Aurora in time and stopped him.”
A part of me wished that was true. I’d acted on instinct, launching myself at Frank as he’d wrapped his talons around Aurora. It had happened in the blink of an eye, and now, I lived with a demon inside me. “He’s never going to get her. Frank tried once, and he failed. I’m never letting him get close to Aurora again.”
“Of course not.” Mom dabbed at her eyes and finished her coffee. “You always have been protective of her.”
I nodded. It was the main reason I was knee-deep in this mess and had no idea how to get out, but I wasn’t letting Mom know I felt like I was fumbling in the dark for answers to this mystery.
We left the apartment together. I said goodbye to Mom and headed in the opposite direction with Wiggles over to Rhett’s studio on the other side of town.
He lived on Firefly Lane in a converted barn. From the outside, it looked abandoned, but from what I knew of his place, he’d been working on it for a long time, fixing it up himself.
Aside from running with a biker gang, Rhett had a creative side and made enormous metal sculptures from scrap metal. His home doubled as his work studio, and as I got nearer, I noticed several of his sculptures placed along the driveway.
Wiggles stopped and inspected one. “This thing is a beast.” A twisted metal image of a two-headed dragon stared down at him.
“It’s unique.” I was impressed. To create something so striking out of junk needed a good eye and plenty of hard work.
“If we took that home, it would give me nightmares.” Wiggles dabbed the claw of the dragon with a paw.
“You’re a hellhound. How can you get frightened by that?”
“I might fart brimstones, but even I have phobias.”
I laughed. “I promise I won’t buy you this as a birthday gift.”
“Yeah, stick to giant bones and steaks, and I’ll be happy.”
We headed to the large metal double doors of the studio. I knocked and waited. No one arrived.
“Maybe he’s out doing nefarious things with his biker gang,” Wiggles said as he inspected
a small metal sculpture of a lizard.
“He’s most likely still asleep.” Which was exactly what I wanted to do.
“Keep knocking.”
Five minutes of knocking later, and I was about to admit defeat. I’d just turned to walk away when I heard a bolt slide across the other side of the door. The door slid back to reveal Rhett. An almost naked, sleepy-looking Rhett.
I tried hard not to stare at his abs. His hair was a tangled dark mess around his stubbled jaw line. He wore a pair of black boxers that looked incredibly snug, and his feet were bare.
“Tempest! What brings you here?” He ran his hands through his hair as he stared at me.
I dragged my gaze from his abs. “I thought no one was in.”
“As you can see, I’m in. I was in bed.”
“Alone?” I grimaced. Why on earth had I asked that? Who Rhett dated was none of my business. We’d had a very brief fling a long time ago, and it meant nothing. It was ancient history, all brushed under the carpet; no one remembered it. Definitely not me.
He grinned. “I don’t usually allow sleepovers. I’m all alone. It’s tragic.” He looked down at Wiggles. “That’s a new look for you.”
I glanced over to see Wiggles had shaken off his sunglasses and placed them on the lizard, revealing his glowing red eyes.
I shrugged. Everyone would eventually know what had happened to him. Rhett might as well be one of the first. “He’s a hellhound these days.”
Rhett’s eyebrows rose. “Nice one.”
I looked at Wiggles and nodded.
“I think so,” Wiggles said.
Rhett glanced at me. “And a talking one. Do you two want to come inside?”
“Sure.” I waited until Rhett had stepped aside before walking in to avoid brushing past those toned abs.
“I’ll put on some coffee.”
“And maybe some clothes?”
He laughed again. “If it bothers you.”
I tried not to stare at the lovely view of his butt as he walked away and ran up the stairs. It shouldn’t bother me. I’d been the one to cool things off. Rhett had been keen on us dating and had asked me out several times before giving up when I’d repeatedly refused him. He was gorgeous but dangerous. I had enough danger in my life. I didn’t need some shady biker guy messing things up even more.
His studio was a huge, open plan space with a giant lounge diner and a mezzanine floor above where a bedroom sat.
Several of Rhett’s sculptures sat around the main room. There was a giant cat, some sort of warrior knight with a blade in his hand, and a long-haired woman with a flowing robe staring off into the distance.
“You were my inspiration for that.” Rhett appeared, thankfully dressed in dark jeans and a white T-shirt.
I stared at the sculpture. “That’s supposed to be me?”
“Not you exactly, but I wanted to capture your emotion.”
I stepped closer to the sculpture. “What emotion was I conveying?”
“Repressed love. The desire to do the right thing and protect those you care about, while denying your own happiness.”
I tilted my head. “Huh! That’s what you think of my emotional state?”
“Sometimes. You’re a complicated woman.”
The sculpture was starkly beautiful. Rhett had captured a quiet despair on the features of the woman. It wasn’t me, though. I had nothing to despair about.
“Coffee?” Rhett asked.
“Thanks, that would be good.” I followed him into the kitchen.
“Do you still take it the same way?”
I nodded. “Same as always.”
I watched as he expertly worked his way around the kitchen, filtering coffee and pouring cereal into a bowl.
He grinned at me. “As lovely as it is to have you here, I’m guessing this isn’t a social call.”
“That’s true. I’m here about Aurora.”
Rhett blew out a breath as he handed me a mug of coffee. “Jeez, that sucks. Angel Force should never have arrested her. What were they thinking?”
“I often wonder that about their decisions.” I leaned against the kitchen counter. “The first time was a knee-jerk reaction. They figured she was the last one to see Deacon alive, so she had to be involved in his death. The second time they arrested her, they had evidence to connect her to an attack on Petra. They’re convinced she tried to kill Petra.”
Rhett shook his head. “That makes no sense. Aurora wouldn’t do anything like that. She isn’t into Deacon.”
“And you know that how?”
“Oh, you know, you hear rumors.” Rhett stuffed a huge spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
I wasn’t letting him off that easily. “What do the rumors say?”
He spent an inordinate amount of time chewing. “Well, Deacon was seriously into your sister. He was looking to set himself up as the perfect mayor.”
I pursed my lips. “To do that, he needed the perfect trophy girlfriend to parade around at fancy events.”
“Something like that. Not that Aurora wouldn’t be a great girlfriend. She’d make any guy proud to have her on his arm.”
I ignored the faint stab of jealousy I felt. “I wondered the same thing. So did Aurora, which was why she doubted his interest in her.”
“I also heard your sister was into somebody else and only dated Deacon because she felt sorry for him.”
“That’s my sister all over. She never likes to hurt anybody’s feelings, even if it means doing something she doesn’t enjoy.”
“Aurora told Deacon she couldn’t date him anymore. From what I heard, he wasn’t willing to give up without a fight.”
“Who told you that? Was Deacon hassling my sister?”
Rhett shrugged. “It’s just local gossip.”
“You knew Deacon, though. Is it right that he still wanted to be with Aurora?”
“I can’t say for certain. We were friends when we were kids. We’ve drifted apart over the years. I haven’t spoken to him for ages. We didn’t have a connection anymore.”
I took a sip of coffee. Rhett did something magic to coffee, making it strong and rich without any bitter taste. “What made you drift apart?”
“This and that. Deacon picked the life of an upstanding half-angel. I decided to run with a shady biker gang.” He winked at me as he finished his breakfast.
“You won’t mind telling me where you were the night Deacon died?”
He chuckled as he refilled my mug with coffee. “No problem. My gang can back me up. We were out late that night.”
“Doing what?”
“What gangs always do, causing trouble and mayhem.”
“Really?”
Rhett laughed again. “No, not really. We were out on Deadman’s Lane, running the bikes. Josh has a new one, and we went to test it.”
“You were out playing with your toys all night?”
“Sad but true. I’d rather have had someone fun in my bed to play with, but we’re just a bunch of emotionally repressed guys who push our feelings into our giant engines and pretend we want for nothing.”
I had to smile. It was probably closer to the truth than he realized. “How about Mannie Winter? How well do you know him?”
Rhett’s laugh was startled. “Not at all. I have nothing to do with Mannie.”
“You don’t like dwarves?”
“I like dwarves just fine.”
“You never go to Mannie’s store? There’s never anything you need him to get you?”
“No way. If I want something, I get it myself.” Rhett traced his tongue across his bottom lip.
I was annoyed when I felt my cheeks grow warm. “What about Mannie being involved with Deacon? Does your secret rumor mill suggest the two of them had a falling out?”
Rhett shook his head. “Not that I know of.”
“How about the two of you working together?”
“Why do I need to work with Mannie?”
“Maybe he was paying you to get
rid of a problem?”
Rhett’s dark eyes narrowed. “You’re talking about a Deacon kind of problem? Are you suggesting Mannie hired me to get rid of Deacon?” He lowered his mug to the counter.
“You’re not close to Deacon anymore. It would only be business if Mannie needed your help to get him out of the picture.”
“The business of murder,” Rhett said. “Something I’m not into.”
The surrounding air crackled with tension as Rhett glared at me. “Could Mannie have done it alone?”
“Not a chance. Mannie is not man enough to do anything like that.” Rhett scraped his hands through his hair and let out a sigh. “You’re on the right lines if Mannie is involved, though. He’d hire someone to do the dirty work for him.”
I looked down into my coffee. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. I don’t suppose anyone in your gang has been talking to Mannie? Anyone who’s in need of some cash and would help Mannie?”
“Tempest, we’re not cold-blooded killers. We might run on the wrong side of the law now and again, but we wouldn’t stoop to something like that. You need to look elsewhere if you’re hunting for a killer.”
“Then who do you think did it? Who killed Deacon? I have to find out. I have to get Aurora back home where she belongs.” The desperation in my tone surprised me.
When Rhett didn’t speak, I tipped my head back and stared at him. “What?”
“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but everyone thinks it was Aurora. Anyone I’ve talked to comes to the same conclusion. She was the last one to see Deacon alive, they were having relationship problems, and she was caught trying to get rid of his old girlfriend.”
“You don’t believe that,” I said. “You just told me you know Aurora couldn’t have done it.”
“I’m not the one who needs convincing. Angel Force has the evidence. They’re being pushed for a quick result. Your sister is their quick result.”
“How do you know all of this?” I said. “And why are you so interested in this case?”
“Because a friend of mine is involved.” Rhett gave me a meaningful look. “I don’t like to think of your sister in trouble. I know what stress does to you and your demon companion. If he’s stressed, then so are you, and that’s good for no one.”
“I’m fine. As is my companion.” I let out another sigh. This felt like a failure, and none of it made sense. Mannie still wasn’t in the clear, but just like Rhett, I couldn’t believe he’d snuck off into the night and killed Deacon.
Luck of the Witch (Crypt Witch Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) Page 13