A Cold Case in Spell

by J L Collins

  “Pfft! Hardly. She was there in the beginning. And then Father Time came along, they had their torrent love affair, and then they started driving each other crazy. Talk about a rocky relationship. They’re divorced in human terms, and they still chase each other around the world as if they don’t have anything better to do.” She shook out her feathers. “What about you?”

  “Me?”

  “You’re the only other one in the room, aren’t you? For someone who talks a lot, you sure don’t talk much about yourself.”

  I flipped open my notebook to the last page I’d left off in our investigation. ‘Who’s Constance?’ was heavily circled. “I’ve told you some things.”

  I didn’t think it was possible for a bird to give me a dirty look but here we were. “Some things. How about more things?”

  “I wasn’t created by Mother Nature. Or, I mean maybe technically I wasn’t. Or was. I don’t even know anymore. But I was raised by my grandparents. They had a farm when I was little and then they sold the farmland and we stayed in the house. My mom was never around much… and I don’t have a dad.

  I graduated high school early and went to college when I was seventeen. I graduated with double majors in three years and then went back for my master’s degree. Then I liked the school so much that I applied and got a job there. Worked my way to Assistant Professor and it’s been a pretty relaxed job, so I was thinking of making the jump to a Resident Professor once the position opened up. But here I am instead. Oh and I like to write, and I’m apparently a sadist because I’ve tricked myself into writing a novel. For some reason.”

  Goldie cracked a smile. “You like to stay busy. I see why you’re taking on this whole investigation thing,” she said, pointing her wing at the notebook. “I’m the same. I don’t like to stay in one place too long. I’d say life’s too short, but I wouldn’t know.”

  I leaned forward. “Are you immortal? Or is it one of those things where you age really slowly? Sorry, I just find it utterly fascinating that you’ve been around longer than America has even been a country.”

  “I’m pretty amazing, I’ll admit. And I don’t really know the answer. I’ve never been sick or been in a situation to test that theory. Though in this town you never know what you’ll get. One time Davvy nearly set me on fire not paying attention to where he was flying. But I snapped his neck, and when he came back he profusely apologized.”

  I choked on a chip. “You what? No way. You did not just say that. Are you serious? Nah,” I said, shaking my head with a grin. “Wait. Are you?”

  “Served him right.”

  “Whoa. You’re a killer. I hope you’re not leading me on this wild goose chase here when it was really you who killed Beatrice this whole time,” I said as I pointed to the notebook.

  She rolled her big gold eyes at me. “I am a predator, you know. Killing is a daily thing for me.”

  It was hard to imagine but she had a point. Her curved and pointed beak and long sharp talons told me so.

  Finishing my snack, I went back over the details with her in the notebook. We came to the conclusion that this would all be way easier without all the snow outside not only concealing evidence but making it generally miserable to go out and look for more clues.

  “It doesn’t really bother me, but I have enough body fat on me to keep me warm. Unlike other owls. Really, I was the most prepared for any of this,” she preened, fluffing at her down.

  “Lucky you. I’ve got plenty of body fat too but it’s not helping me out. I just wish I knew how to get some dirt on Constance. The kind of dirt that doesn’t require me having an aneurism just to move it around a little.”

  Goldie hopped down from the table and walked a few feet back and forth on the floor. “Actually, I think I have an idea. How do you feel about clubbing?”

  She went on to explain how before the time spell, there was Open Mic Night at the local bar and nightclub in town, Lucky’s. Apparently Constance was one of the main singers there and it was likely that she’d show up to the re-opening tonight.

  I wasn’t a fan. “I don’t do clubs. Too loud.”

  “I’m telling you, it’s the best way to ask around about her. Surely you’re at least a little curious?”

  “The last time I went clubbing I got thrown up on by a bridesmaid. Not mine,” I hastily added. “I… never got that far.”

  “I’d come with you, but the music and lights are way too much for me. All you have to do is go and listen while she does her number. People are already whispering about her possible affair with Victor,” she said in a sing-song tone.

  “But I don’t have anything to wear. And there’s always some kind of dress code for these—”

  “Excuses, excuses.”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “Fine. I’ll go. But I’ll need the details. And a ride.”

  There was nothing more awkward than showing up to a place by yourself and not knowing a single person there. Especially when it included drinks, dancing, and groups of friends all hanging off one another in their own little bubbles. It took everything in me not to turn around and walk right back out.

  But Goldie was right. I would have the best chance of finding out more information on Constance if I tailed her and listened for her name.

  I must have done something right because as soon as I waltzed over to the bar to order the most basic drink I could think of (obviously my mojito with old trusty Bacardi), I caught sight of some familiarish faces.

  Across the dance floor and the neon light lasers was a group of chairs and large stuffed ottomans, with a long lounge couch tucked into the corner in between everything. I wasn’t sure what grabbed my attention from so far away until the lights flashed over the faces on the couch again. Not one but several pairs of eyes reflected back at me as if I’d run into a pair of deer out on the farm. The lights passed and there sat Natalia Florescu and Gallows. There were others sitting with them that I didn’t recognize, in particular was a woman with curly black hair piled high on her head, sitting between them and laughing at something one of them said.

  Instead of ordering, I made my way closer to the group of them, doing my best not to knock into too many gross sweaty people on the outskirts of the dance floor. The speakers placed on either side of it vibrated and bounced electronic dance music that was definitely over a decade outdated through my head. All I wanted to do was cover my ears, but I didn’t want to appear weak in hostile territory.

  An almost freakishly tall man elbowed me as I tried to push through the thick of a small crowd gathered around a table. “Sorry, lass,” he said, towering over me. In the dizzying lights I could make out vivid blue eyes and a jagged scar cutting through an eyebrow down to a cheekbone. The man was already squeezing past me and walking away.

  “You should be!” I called out, rubbing my side. I kept moving forward, relieved to see Natalia’s head tilted back as she drained a martini glass. I positioned myself just close enough to catch bits and pieces of what was going on.

  “Do you know how many times I’ve had to tell that man no? I’ll not do it again,” the curly-haired woman said, crossing her legs. “Him and his business partners are still holding half of my last pay over my head.”

  “We’ll handle it, darling. They won’t say no to an elder,” Natalia said, patting her thigh. “We take care of our own.”

  Over the speakers, the DJ got the crowd’s attention. “All right folks, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s been eleven years, but our lovely performers haven’t missed a beat! First up, Constance Addington! Come on up, Coco! You have the stage in ten.”

  “Ugh, I have no idea why he calls me that,” the woman in between Gallows and Natalia said, shaking her head in disgust. “I better go.” She took one last swig from another martini glass and winked at her party before she teetered off in six-inch heeled shoes.

  Huh. So that was the woman that I was here to check up on. I have to admit, she’s not what I was expecting. I also didn’t
expect to see a cat hanging out at a nightclub and lapping up milk from a bowl but here we are.

  “You don’t have to hide in the shadows, you know, Miss Warren.”

  I blinked. Gallows was sitting back on his hind legs with his eyes trained on me. Of course he could see me here.

  I pulled away from the wall and walked closer, giving them a little wave. “Hi. I don’t really know anyone here and you were the first familiar people, uh… faces I saw.”

  He nodded. “This isn’t typically the type of place you’ll catch us elders, but Natalia and I are fans of the nightlife.”

  “Oh. Okay. Well, I love the nightlife too!” I said, pasting on an uneasy smile. Despite the cold outside I was already overheating from all the bodies crowding and breathing inside. Blegh.

  Gallows gave me an appraising look before leaning down and drinking from his bowl again. “I’d say the hair was a dead giveaway if I actually believed you.”

  Whoops. “Well I—”

  “Oh my god, you’re the new girl in town!” one of the women sitting to the right of Natalia squealed. She stuck out her hand and wiggled her long dark nails. “I’m Drusilla Andrei. And this is my sister—”

  “Alina,” the girl next to her purred with a smile. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize they were twins. In fact, they reminded me of Natalia, with their same dark hair and goth outfits. They were probably all family.

  I’d already extended my hand to shake Drusilla’s, but Alina caught hold of it and turned it over to look at my palm. “Ooh, you have a very lovely tale to tell here.” She ran a finger along it and I pulled my hand back.

  “I very much doubt that,” I said. “But it’s nice to meet you, though.”

  Her eyes glittered in the lights and I was just able to make out the fangs in her sultry smile. Vampires. I thought about the reflecting lenses and remembered that Constance was one too.

  “Don’t mind the girls,” Natalia said with a widespread smile. “They like shiny new things.”

  I swallowed hard. “And me being new… I didn’t mean to gate-crash your little party over here. It was suggested for me to go out and get to know others.”

  “And since you’re so into the club scene, you thought you’d stop by?” Gallows guessed. You know, for a cat he was oddly perceptive. Maybe even more than Goldie.

  “Have a seat, darling,” Natalia crooned, and I took the empty space between Natalia and Gallows. She turned toward me, Alina putting an arm around her and leaning in, too. Drusilla even scooted over more until they were all pointedly looking at me.

  “Is it true that you’re the one who woke us all up?” Drusilla asked, her whisper low and scandalized.

  I shook my head and laughed, doing my best not to sound as nervous as I was. I couldn’t crack under pressure. “I guess the rumors precede me. But no, I didn’t have anything to do with that. Despite what others might think.” I didn’t look at them, but I could feel the elders’ eyes on me even more.

  “It’s got the whole town curious, that is for sure,” Natalia said as she sipped from the suddenly full again martini glass. “But let’s not talk of business. We’re here to enjoy ourselves, aren’t we?”

  The bass blasted through the speakers, setting my teeth on edge. “Absolutely!” I shouted.

  “You just missed the queen bee of the microphone herself,” Alina said as the music hit a slightly softer stride. “Constance would be jealous that we got to meet you without her.”

  I raised a brow at her. “Really? Why?”

  “If there’s one person who likes to make new friends, it’s her. She’s a businesswoman first and foremost,” she said.

  “Oh, she’s not such a callous thing,” Natalia said, waving her hand at Alina. “She does what she does to get by. It’s not like pouring drinks earns her much.”

  “So Constance has two jobs then?” I asked about as casually as I could. I’d have to remember all the details without breaking out the notebook. Somehow I didn’t think they’d appreciate that.

  The frantic laser lights suddenly disappeared, and in their wake a soft glowing spotlight highlighted the front stage. Constance was standing behind the microphone, her curly hair down and a couple of extra buttons on her top undone. Everyone throughout the club—current company included—let out whistles and yells, clapping and hollering. Well, you couldn’t say she didn’t command stage presence.

  “Hello everyone,” Constance said into the mic, wearing an extra pouty smile on her face. “Did ya miss me?”

  The crowd went wild. Even Gallows let out a whistle this time, which I had no idea a cat could even do.

  Constance pointed out to the crowd and did a little shimmy. “Hit it, Kevin!”

  The music slid into something slower, and Alina leaned past Natalia. “I’ve known her for a long time. She’s a hard worker when it comes down to it. She works at another bar—Pokey Moe’s, bartending,” Alina said, gingerly sipping from the dark liquid in her glass.

  “She’s an amazing singer. It took us so long to convince her to sing in front of other people and look at her now!” Drusilla added, pointing to Constance up on the stage serenading all of us.

  I had to find a way to turn this conversation in the right direction. I glanced around, trying to think of something. “She is very talented. So she’s a singer on top of being a bartender? It’s a shame she can’t put out any music on Spotify. She’d make a killing, I bet.”

  “What is Spotify?” Gallows asked, his tail swishing against the seat.

  “Just a music streaming service. Like satellite radio but on any device you want.” They all nodded along.

  “Her voice is great, but you should see her dance skills,” Alina said with a sly smile. “She’s very agile.”

  Natalia and she shared a giggle while Drusilla nodded. “Very true. You could say that’s where the money is for her.”

  “Oh really? I didn’t think there was a dance studio here. At least I didn’t see one on the map…” I said.

  “No, she doesn’t work in a studio,” Natalia replied with a shrug.

  Alina was the ticket to information. “Constance has a way with men. And they pay her handsomely for her voice and dance,” she said as she looked back at her on the stage.

  “Alina!” Drusilla hissed at her, her fangs sliding out even more.

  “It’s not like it’s a huge secret. Maybe from the men’s wives…” her and Natalia shared a giggle. “But I doubt Indie here is ready to run off and tell them. Are you?”

  “Tell them what?” I winked at her and she winked back. This was my chance to steer this whole thing exactly where I needed it to go. “It’s not like they would care about anything I have to say. Everyone in town seems to think that I killed the head of your Special Council,” I said with a sad sigh. “I was just trying to sleep in a totally new-to-me town and almost got taken out by a small avalanche. And now… well, you’re the first people in town who haven’t given me a dirty look or tried to pull their children out of my path. Talk about inconvenient timing.” It wasn’t necessarily all true, after all, the priest had been plenty kind to me.

  Natalia shook her head, tsking at me. “It is such a shame. Beatrice was a good leader. For a witch.”

  “She was good enough, anyway,” Gallows added, his eyes solemn. “The matter of her death is most confounding.”

  “Constance and I were just talking about that,” Drusilla said while jutting her thumb back toward her on the stage. “Victor won’t leave her alone about it. Seems he got all uppity about her party that night.”

  I leaned forward, knowing full well the answer. “Who’s Victor?”

  “Her husband. Beatrice’s, that is,” Gallows answered.

  “Oh no. He must be an utter wreck after what happened to her…”

  Alina was the first to laugh. “Let’s be real. He’s only upset because his meal ticket is gone. The man’s hardly ever had to work a day in his life, has he? Constance told us that she didn’t get hom
e until dawn that night—the night of her party. And Victor was busy drunk-dialing her and begging her to come see him. Pretty pathetic not to mention ironic.”

  “How so?” Excitement fused to my nerves, making me jumpy. I was so close…

  “Well, it was the same night his wife was murdered. And when the three of us heard about it the next morning,” she said, sharing a look with her sister, “Constance burst into tears.”

  Drusilla practically fell forward she was trying to sit so far off the seat, conspiratorially whispering to the rest of us. “She felt terrible, honestly. She was always trying to push him away, but the guy was in love with her. And then his wife gets knocked off and she can’t help but feel a little guilty about how Victor feels about her. It doesn’t exactly paint her in a good light.”

  “Yes. She was indeed upset. I saw her at the cremation ceremony. I’m surprised she wanted to get back on the stage tonight,” Gallows finished up his milk and let out a soft purr.

  And there it was. My answer. Constance, the main suspect I’d found after crossing Victor Wimberly off the list, was also innocent. If she was entertaining her guests until dawn the same night Beatrice was killed, then she couldn’t have been the murderer. I highly doubted the company in attendance of her so-called party would’ve let her out of their sight for very long at all.

  Constance finished up her song with a deep bow, and every one of us clapped and shouted. Even I felt the need to join in. She was off my case sheet for now.

  “Ooh, this is my favorite song, darlings,” Natalia said as she leaned back against the lounge couch. She closed her eyes, moving her head in time with the music. Alina slid her arm behind Natalia’s neck.

  Drusilla hopped up, nearly blinding me with her metallic shiny skirt. “Want to come dance?” She tugged at my hand.

  I shook my head but smiled up at her. “I had a big dinner,” I lied. “But maybe next time.”