Mandy M. Roth - Magic Under Fire (Over a Dozen Tales of Urban Fantasy)

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Mandy M. Roth - Magic Under Fire (Over a Dozen Tales of Urban Fantasy) Page 72

by Unknown


  "Sure, I can get it." Logan offered and she waved him off. "Nonsense, relax stay and talk to Gary. I'll be right back."

  "What the hell is wrong with you?" Becka followed her. "Did something happen?"

  "No nothing. That's the problem. I can't relax, I feel as if I'm on display, like everyone stared when Logan and I arrived."

  Her friend chuckled. "You're so silly. Of course they are staring. Duh, two different men, two nights in a row."

  "Shit." Abbie lunged for the bar. "Margarita, extra shot of tequila."

  While waiting for drinks, she watched the crowd. Nothing unusual, mingling and stiff small talk. A couple women competed to see who could laugh harder in an effort to prove they were fun. Clark and his wife had managed to hook up. Belinda held a drink up in an Audrey Hepburn stance and looked around the room as if trying to find somewhere to escape to.

  It seemed Clark was still hot flashing by the sweat breaking out all over his shiny face. He constantly looked around as if an ax murderer would jump out with a chainsaw at any minute.

  Abbie poked Becka. "Do you think Clark is nervous because of the dead body?"

  "What dead body?" Becka hissed.

  "The one we couldn't find."

  "Oh that dead body.” Becka studied Clark. "He is acting weird. We should follow him. Oh look there's Cissie, she looks upset."

  "Here," Abbie shoved Logan's beer at Becka. "I'm going to follow Clark. Maybe I'll find a clue."

  "Don't take too long." Becka walked off toward the men who seemed to be deep in conversation.

  Soft music filled the air as Abbie walked toward the side of the building where she'd seen Clark head too. Mrs. Polanski caught up to her. "I heard a horrible rumor about you," she gave Abbie a pointed look.

  "I am not sleeping with the vet," Abbie told her and tried to walk off.

  The older woman put her hand over her forearm. "Not that. That you might be the random thief."

  Abbie whirled around and faced the woman. "That is crazy. Why would I steal parakeets and mailboxes?"

  "It could be you were sexually frustrated. But now that you're getting around, can I have my birds back?" Mrs. Polanski refused to back down. "I'll let you borrow Mr. Polanski for a night or two."

  "Ew," Abbie blurted. "I am not "getting around" she made ineffective air quotes since she only had one free hand. “And, I am not the random thief."

  "Just know the offer stands," Mrs. Polanski tottered off shaking her head mumbling something about birds and special seeds.

  Angry at the woman's accusations, Abbie gulped down the margarita and took off toward the side of the restaurant. She had to get to the bottom of who the thief was. It was that or be labeled as the town thief and slut. All right so the slut part she probably could not do anything about at this point.

  Although it was dim, there was enough light not to make it creepy. Abbie's heels sunk into the dirt so she walked on her toes. Just as she was about to call out Clark's name she heard a noise. It sounded like a moan. Great, he was probably throwing up. She didn't want to have to do the "are you all right" thing. She was about to turn back when another noise sounded.

  She peered around the corner to see Clark holding Cissie against the wall and her skirt hiked up around her...well above her butt. His hand was somewhere where Abbie couldn't see and didn’t want to think about.

  Cissie pushed him back. "You said you'd tell her as soon as she got back."

  Clark tried to kiss her. She turned her head and his mouth landed on her throat. "Give me a couple days." He turned to look in Abbie’s direction and she ducked back behind the wall. She strained to hear whatever they said, but the music made it hard. Now she understood why he was acting so fidgety at the committee meeting. Cissie was feeling him up under the table.

  "Oh my God," Abbie whispered and turned to head back. Although Cissie and Clark messing around was interesting news, it didn't help her figure out who took the crap. She took a step when another sound came from across the way. Unable to help herself she rushed over and peered around the side of that building. It housed a gift shop and an accountant's office. Shadows in the window got her attention and she slipped closer.

  "I tell you what, this is too easy. They'll be shocked when we show up." The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it over the sound of her heart beating so hard in her ears. Whoever it was, planned some sort of attack. She reached for her clutch and realized she must have left it in Logan's car. "Damn it." She muttered and turned, slamming straight into a man's chest.

  Abbie screamed, but it was muffled by whoever it was' hand.

  "What are you doing?" Jimmy hissed into her ear. "I thought someone was about to break in."

  "Shhh," she whispered. "There's someone in there."

  "Where?" Jimmy squinted into the darkness.

  "In the gift shop."

  "Oh that. Yeah Mrs. Milton and her husband are bringing a birthday cake over for the mayor."

  "Clark?" Abbie squeaked and turned to where she hoped Cissie and Clark remained until she could get Jimmy away.

  "I better head back. I'm at the party and Becka's probably looking for me."

  "Can I come over when I get off?" He asked and pulled her against him. "I won't be too late."

  Abbie's giggle sounded more hysterical than she hoped. "Ugh, no not tonight. I have...well I'm sorta..." she walked backwards toward the restaurant.

  Just then Cissie and Clark came around the corner, Cissie gasped. Jimmy pulled his gun and Abbie tripped over a rock. Jimmy tried to catch her but lost his balance when she accidently kicked him in the nuts.

  She hated how loud her screams were and how far they traveled when she did so. What was even more admirable was how fast people rushed out to the scene.

  What they saw was Abbie on the ground, one shoe off. Jimmy on top of her with his hands between his legs, Cissie hiding behind Clark and Clark with a raging hard on.

  THE VET STOOD with all the watchers as Jimmy helped Abbie up and then had to rush to help Clark when Belinda began calling him a son of a bitch between slaps. Cissie had pretended to faint, only until realizing no one was there to catch her. Then she'd rushed inside to get her purse and keys.

  At a loss, Abbie went to Logan. "Sorry. I was..."

  "Judging for the yard of the month again?" Logan gave her an uneasy smile. "Gotcha."

  "Sorry. It's kind of a bad time for me right now. I'm in the middle of an investigation and so it's kinda complicated."

  His eyes narrowed. "You're a cop?"

  "What?" Abbie giggled and then hiccupped. "No I...well sort of. More of a suspect really."

  "Umm-hmm," he said not seeming to believe her.

  "Anyway. How about you do your own thing and I'm just going to hang out with Becks?"

  "Good plan," he visibly relaxed.

  "It could have been worse," Becka said later while they waited for Abbie's third margarita. "I mean at least they know you won't sleep with Logan."

  Her ankle ached and she hoped it would not be swollen in the morning. "Do you think tequila helps with swelling?"

  "Time to get you home." Jimmy came up behind her and eyed the drink in her hand. "I need to talk to you two tomorrow."

  Exhausted Abbie stood up and limped. "Damn it I can't have a bad ankle, the festival is next weekend."

  Jimmy lifted her easily and carried her out of the room while she squeezed her eyes shut not wanting to see the reactions of the few people that remained. At the same time, it sure felt good to be held by a strong good-looking guy.

  8

  A bbie and Becka sipped tea in Abbie's kitchen as Jimmy read them their rights. It was hard not to grab her cell phone and update her social media status with the occurrence. How to word that she was being read her rights by a cop she'd slept with the night before, while drinking tea with her best friend? She eyed her cell. Surely the statement could be done with one hundred and forty four characters.

  "Now how about you tell me why the two of y
ou were peering into Logan Porter's window," Jimmy said, his face blank, eyes flat. Abbie had to admit he could switch on the cop thing pretty well.

  "We saw him acting suspicious," Becka told him with a shrug. "He was dragging a box into this house."

  Jimmy stayed quiet and looked to her.

  "It was dishes," Abbie added. "We thought it was strange."

  "He's just arrived in town and moving into a new place," Jimmy stated the obvious. Both she and Becka drank tea in silence and waited for the next question.

  "What about Cissie's dog Beauregard? Did you steal her dog?"

  "Nope," Abbie was ready for that question. "She acted funny when we returned Fugly the first time. Now I know it was probably cause Clark, the cheater, was over there. So we did our civic duty and returned to investigate in case she was the random thief."

  Becka interrupted. "The stupid dog got out cause Abbie left the gate open. We tried to catch it. And then it just showed up at the shop."

  "Did you take the parakeets, a mailbox or a rocking chair?" This time Jimmy's lips twitched.

  "Hell no," both she and Becka said.

  Abbie rolled her eyes. "And I didn't take my own wreath and mat either. I think we should question that nosy thing across the street again. If she says she didn't see anything, she's lying."

  "We," Jimmy said, leaning forward and pinning her with a sharp look, "are not doing anything. You two are benched. Let me do the investigating."

  Becka gave Abbie a "yeah right" look and Abbie tried to hide a chuckle, so it sounded like a burp. Damn her inability to make cute noises.

  After Jimmy left, Becka stretched. "I can't believe he had me come here so early on a Sunday morning. What is wrong with him?"

  "I don't think he sleeps." Abbie said, then snorted. "I’m not going to the gym today. I worked out twice this week already. Jimmy slept over again. I'll go next week, by then the exercise will have worn off."

  "What if you sleep with him again this week?" Becka asked picking up a piece of bacon Abbie had cooked for them.

  It was hard to figure out what was going on between her and Jimmy. Were they an item now? "I don't know. I think it will be okay. The newness may be gone by then and I’ll need to do something extra to burn off the scone calories."

  Both ignored that going to the gym once a week did very little to help Abbie stay in shape and that the real reason for going was because the owner was a hunky warlock.

  "You need to clarify your relationship status. That will help you keep working out regularly." Becka said in a sage voice. "Then you need to get him to propose."

  Abbie choked on her tea.

  AN HOUR later they were parked in front of Mousy Brown's house. The teenager's name was not really Mousy, it was Missy, but they'd secretly renamed her. Abbie's neighbor had finally cracked when they'd caught her at the mailbox and admitted seeing Missy walk up to Abbie's porch on the day in question.

  Mousy opened the door and stared at them, her open mouth revealing she was in the middle of breakfast. Her greasy hair was plastered to the sides of her head and she wore a stained sweatshirt and no shoes. "What?"

  "Hi Missy," Becka smiled brightly. "We came to personally congratulate you for winning a gift certificate from our shop."

  The teen's eyes narrowed. "How did I win? I don't like tea." Something flew out of her mouth and Abbie hoped it didn't land on her.

  Abbie looked past Mousy into the house. It was surprisingly neat and brightly decorated. Of course Mousy's mother was a normal human, most witches didn’t keep such pristine houses, it was scary. "Well, someone must have entered you. Can we come in and take a couple pictures for our website?"

  "All right." Mousy moved back and shuffled through the living room to the kitchen. "Mama, some ladies are here to take pictures," she mumbled and slumped onto the couch. She picked up what looked like a breakfast sandwich and stared at the television.

  "Hi there," Mousy's mom, Janet Brown walked into the room with a bright smile. In contrast to her daughter, she was dressed in a pink t-shirt and black yoga pants, her hair was combed up into a ponytail and she wore bright shiny lip-gloss.

  Abbie felt bad lying to her about winning a certificate when noting that there was no way Mousy could sneak in parakeets and a rocking chair without her mother noticing. Once they explained about the gift certificate and then produced one to Janet, they took pictures with her instead.

  Mousy ignored them until Abbie tapped her on the shoulder. "So I hear you stopped by my house the other day. Were you looking for me for something?"

  "Mom's making me get a job, so I was knocking on doors asking if anyone needed pet sitting or stuff like that."

  "I don't have a pet," Abbie thought of poor Fugly not getting adopted, but pushed the thought away.

  Mousy shrugged.

  "That was a waste and cost us twenty dollars," Abbie said as they got in the car. "Can you believe the contrast between mother and daughter?"

  THE AFTERNOON WAS PLEASANT. Abbie put her old mat out front and watered her potted plants. In the spare bedroom she pulled out crafting supplies and began putting together centerpieces for the shop. It had to be festive since visitors were sure to come to town for the Whisper day festivities.

  Her cell rang and she picked it up at seeing Jimmy's number.

  "You're off the hook, neither Logan or Cissie want to press trespassing charges."

  "Oooo...kaaay. So any leads?"

  "Nope."

  "Nothing?" She couldn't help that her voice pitched in annoyance. Surely somebody in that town knew something. They sure figured out quickly who spray-painted a mustache on the Clucky chicken the summer before.

  "This is crazy. I think we need to step up the investigation and call in law enforcement from the GBI to help."

  "We?"

  "You know what I mean," she snapped.

  "Can I come over tonight?"

  Her insides quivered. "What is our status?"

  "Huh?" There it went, his impressive switch from police officer to cave man.

  "Are you my boyfriend?"

  There was a nervous chuckle, followed by throat clearing. "Yeah, I suppose so."

  "Not good enough. You have to be sure. So no, Jimmy you can't come over." She hung up and smiled. He'd call back.

  "HE NEVER CALLED BACK?" Becka asked as she placed each scone on a baking sheet. Mondays she usually made orange and snicker doodle scones. The shop smelled like Christmas.

  Abbie pulled a baking sheet of scones out of the oven. "Nope. He's an idiot. I don't care." Her chest tightened and she hated the alert that she'd just lied. At forty, she should know not to put stock into a guy just because they slept together.

  The bell jingled and Jimmy strode in. Her stomach tumbled at the sight of him. His hair was still damp from a shower and he was not in uniform. Instead he wore a dark grey t-shirt that showed off his well-toned chest and arms and worn jeans that he filled out quite nicely. "Good morning ladies." He had the audacity to look relaxed and not at all uncomfortable after not being able to declare their status. Abbie almost hated him at the moment.

  "Hi Jimmy," Becka said. "Coffee?"

  "Thanks," he gave Abbie a quizzical look. "You okay? Look mad."

  Seriously? She eyed a hot scone and considered chucking it at him. "I'm great."

  "The damn thief struck again," he muttered. "Supposed to be off, but Clark wants me to go with Frank and see about it." He referred to the other deputy, Frank Walker.

  "What got taken this time?" Becka asked.

  "The Clark's post box flag. You know those little things that hang from the mailbox. Someone took it and replaced it with a pair of dirty underwear."

  "That was probably not the random thief," Abbie couldn't help but chime in. It doesn't fit the M.O. He or she's never left anything in place of what's taken.

  "Did you watch Law and Order last night?" Jimmy asked with a grin. "Should have let me come over. I would have talked cop language to ya."

  Abbie bl
ushed and Becka laughed.

  "So Jimmy, you and my friend an item now?" Becka asked in a casual tone, but it didn't stop Abbie's eyes from widening."

  "Yep. Otherwise I can't come over," Jimmy replied and took a scone from the tray.

  Before he could bite it Abbie snatched it out of his hand. "You haven't said the actual words to me yet."

  He eyed the scone for a beat before meeting her gaze. His lips curved slowly and she wanted to drag him across the counter and feel them on hers. "Will you be my girlfriend and let me have sex with you every night?"

  Her lips quivered at his earnest look. It would have been romantic if he'd looked at her and not the scone while speaking. "Fine, here take it."

  "Is that a yes?" Becka asked with a wide grin.

  "Yeah, she can't resist me," Jimmy replied between bites and Abbie couldn't help but laugh.

  The bell over the door jingled and two women walked in. They made a beeline for the counter and began exclaiming about how good it smelled in the shop. While she served them tea and scones, Jimmy blew her a kiss and walked out the front door. Damn he was sexy.

  LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Abbie wiped the tables by the window and watched Mrs. Grundy shuffle down the street. Today she wore a loose dress that hung from her shoulders at odd angles. "Old woman shouldn't wear sleeveless tops," Abbie mumbled.

  "What is she doing?" Becka joined her as the woman bent at the waste and held out something.

  "Is that Fugly?" Abbie squinted toward the bushes near where the woman stood. Why would Mrs. Grundy want to mess with a dog? The woman was equally mean to both human and animals.

  "I hope not," Becka replied. "If she catches him, she'll probably cook him for dinner."

  The terrier jumped up at Mrs. Grundy throwing the old woman off balance. As she flayed her arms attempting to catch her balance, he snatched the treat and dashed away.

  Abbie and Becka cheered as Fugly ran across the street toward their building. Mrs. Grundy stumbled onto the bench and glared at them. "Don't you two idiots have work to do?" She lifted her cane in a threatening manner.

 

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