One Bad Witch

by Danielle Garrett

  I frowned and peeked over my shoulder at Nick and Narissa. Neither of them looked happy, but at the same time, they didn’t appear to be arguing. Nick would probably ex-communicate me from his life if I used another listening spell on them, but my fingers itched to set one anyway. What could they be talking about? Honestly, what was left to be said after Bruno’s revelation the night before? Clearly, Narissa was involved in Breanne’s murder. I just didn’t know how. Or, even more puzzling, why.

  I was going to figure it out and get her away from Nick before she could snow him over any more than she already had.

  “What’s good here?” Tyson asked, redirecting my attention to the menu hanging on the wall above the front counter. We were next in line, and he was carefully reading each item.

  “Pretty much anything,” I said. “What’s your usual poison?”

  “I drink my coffee straight-up.”

  “Of course you do,” I muttered.

  “What, is that bad?” he asked, sounding almost offended.

  I laughed. “No. Not at all. I work at this shop part time, and I love those orders. Simple and to the point. I just meant it fits your personality. If I have you pegged correctly, you’re the type who’s up before the sun, chugs exactly twelve ounces of black coffee, and then runs a half marathon before returning home for a healthy bowl of granola and berries.”

  Tyson laughed, this time a real, genuine belly laugh that boomed through the cafe. A few people glanced our way, but Nick and Narissa weren’t among them.

  “Am I right?” I asked, smiling after checking Nick’s table.

  “Only on the coffee order, and that’s not much of a point, since I gave you that one for free. I have an intense love affair going with my snooze button, I don’t run unless chasing down a perp, and I’d rather have a bear claw than a bowl of that sawdust-tasting stuff they peddle as health cereal these days.”

  I blinked. Man, Holls, you’re slipping.

  “Morning, Holly!”

  I turned to the counter and smiled at Leslie. “Good morning, Leslie. Wendy. How are you two this morning? Holding the fort down?”

  Leslie laughed. “Just barely. Cassie ran out to get supplies and it went bonkers. Everyone decided to come in all at once.”

  “Been there,” I replied, smiling. “I’ll take a medium vanilla latte and my friend here, would like a—” I paused and glanced up at him. “Medium, black coffee?”

  “Sounds great. I think I’ll also take one of those chocolate muffins from the case, if you don’t mind.”

  “Coming right up!” Wendy said, going to work on the drinks while Leslie rang up the purchase.

  Tyson insisted on paying, and once he had his muffin, we shuffled to the side to let the next customer place their order. A minute later, Wendy handed over the drinks and pointed Tyson toward the coffee bar for sugar and milk options. He thanked her and slid a lid on his coffee cup.

  “Shall we join our friends?” Tyson asked, his business face sliding back into place after the brief levity.

  I swallowed a gulp of my latte and nodded. “Guess so.”

  Tyson took the lead and we approached Nick’s table. They both looked up at us. Nick frowned.

  “Good morning,” Tyson said. “Nick, right?”

  Nick nodded slowly and shot me a confused glance. “Is everything all right?”

  “Mind if we join you?” I asked.

  Nick stood. “Um, sure. Let’s pull up a couple extra chairs—”

  “You can take mine,” Narissa said, rising as well. “I need to get going. Thanks for the coffee, Nick. I’ll see you tonight?”

  My stomach churned as he agreed. When she was gone, Tyson pulled up a chair, I took the one she’d vacated, and we all sat down around the small table.

  “What’s going on, here?” Nick asked, looking from me to Tyson and then back again. He reached for his phone that was lying face down on the table. He flipped it over and frowned at the screen before looking back up again. “Did something happen?”

  “I need to talk to you about last night,” Tyson said, keeping his tone level and professional as he placed his coffee and muffin on the table. “I’ve got Holly and Evangeline’s accounts and would like to ask you some questions about what happened in the hours leading up to the confrontation with Frederick Bracken.”

  “All right. Um, what do you want to know?”

  What you’re doing talking to that slime shifter, I wanted to say, but kept my lips occupied with my latte, taking a sip every time the words threatened to bubble up.

  “It’s my understanding that Bruno called a pack meeting to discuss Breanne’s death, is that right?”

  Nick nodded. “Yes.”

  “And where did this meeting occur?” Tyson asked, reaching into his coat to get his notepad.

  “We meet in a private room at the Surly Octopus.”

  I snorted and nearly inhaled my coffee. “The Surly Octopus?”

  Nick frowned. “It’s a bar, all right? The owner is a werewolf. He’s not a pack member, but he lets us use the space above the bar for meetings.”

  Tyson jotted the name down and then glanced at Nick. “So, Bruno tells everyone that Breanne was killed and that he received information that Frederick Bracken was responsible.”

  “That’s right. A few months ago, a couple of our wolves, youngsters, attacked a member of House Bracken. Bruno thought the killing was a revenge thing. It all made sense.”

  “You knew about the attack on the vampire?” I asked, not bothering to check my contemptuous tone. The Nick I knew—or thought I knew—would never have let something like that slip by unchecked.

  Nick looked down at his coffee cup. “I didn’t know about it until last night. It happened right after I joined the pack.”

  The two closest tables to ours were empty, but we still kept our voices low as we spoke.

  “Nick, you have to get away from these wolves. They’re not the good guys.”

  Tyson raised a hand and I sat back in my chair and drained the rest of my latte.

  “I didn’t agree with what they did and if anything like that happens going forward, I won’t be afraid to say something,” Nick said.

  “And yet, last night, when Bruno told the pack he was going to confront Bracken, you willingly went along?” Tyson asked, his pen poised over the notepad.

  “I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Nick protested. “He didn’t tell us about the duel. I thought we were going to go and talk to the guy!”

  I snorted and shook my head. “That’s not how stuff like this works, Nick. I tried to tell you—”

  Tyson shot me a sidelong look and I stopped.

  “It all just got out of hand, Holly!” Nick continued, pleading with me. “That’s why I called you and asked you to come help break it up!”

  “Holly mentioned that after things were somewhat settled, you confronted the pack’s second-in-command. Mind sharing what that was in regards to?”

  “His name is Pierce Lassen. And yeah, I got in his face a little. He knew what was going on before we even left the bar, and he let it happen. He was going to stand there and let Bruno get himself killed. What kind of friend, let alone pack member, let’s that happen?”

  When neither of us replied, he continued, “I was full of adrenaline and mad and terrified. I shouldn’t have attacked him like that.”

  “Last question,” Tyson said. “What can you tell me about Narissa Leonard? Is it true she was the one to give Bruno the tip-off about Bracken?”

  Nick’s eyes blazed as he looked at me. Had he seriously not expected me to tell the SPA about her involvement?

  “Well? Did you ask her about it?” I asked, trying to keep the snippiness out of my voice.

  Nick exhaled. “She says she doesn’t know what Bruno is talking about. She said they met at the bar earlier in the week, right after she’d arrived in town, but that she never told him about Bracken. She’s only been in Beechwood since Tuesday. It doesn’t make sense th
at she could move here from the Bay Area and somehow have that kind of information. Maybe if she was a vampire and connected to House Bracken, but she’s not. She’s a shifter, and the only reason she’s here is to work on a book she’s writing.”

  He gave us both a hard stare. “She has nothing to do with this. All right?”

  My stomach soured and I set my cup aside. “Message received, Nick.”

  Without waiting for Tyson to wrap up his questioning, I pushed back my chair and walked away from the table.

  Tyson caught up with me outside the coffee house. “You okay?” he asked, tossing his cup into the wrought-iron trash bin by the doors.

  I nodded. “Just peachy.”

  “Come on,” he said. “I’ll walk you back home.”

  We walked in silence back up the hill to the manor, but when we got to the front door, he lingered, an almost pained look on his face.

  “Did you, uh, want to speak with Evangeline? Seems like you two might have hit it off.”

  A brief smile flashed across his face. “That’s all right. I have her number. I actually want to run a theory by you, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”

  My chest tightened. Where was this going?

  He blew out a breath and then leveled me with an earnest expression. “Holly, I think we need to consider that Nick is more involved in this than we originally thought.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”

  Tyson slipped his large hands into the pockets on his coat. “I haven’t filed my official report yet, but at this point in the investigation, I’m placing Nick on my short list of suspects for Breanne’s murder.”

  My jaw flopped open and struggled to close again.

  “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but you—”

  “You can’t be—I mean, you—you really think Nick had something to do with this?” I sputtered. “Sure, he’s being an idiot with this whole Narissa thing, but he’s a guy, they do dumb things when it comes to pretty women sometimes. It’s a pretty big stretch from bad friend and questionable judge of character to murderer!”

  Tyson softened. “Listen, Holly, I know he’s your friend, but hear me out.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not possible.”

  “Take half a step back and look at the full picture. If you’re half as good as Agent Bramble says you are, you’ll see the dots line up.”

  I threw my hands up. “I’ll listen to your insane theory, but I can guarantee you’re way off base here.”

  “He’s moved up in pack ranks in an almost alarmingly short period of time. He’s close with the alpha—he was the first call the alpha made after the murder. That’s what he told you, right? He was Bruno’s first call?”

  Begrudgingly, I nodded. “That’s what he said.”

  “All right. Well, that right there speaks volumes about their relationship and how much trust the alpha has put in him.”

  “I don’t see how that’s a bad thing,” I said.

  “It’s not, but it illustrates that he’s gone all in on pack life. He clearly has a goal. If he was only in it for community and a sense of belonging, it doesn’t seem that he’d try so hard to get in the alpha’s good graces. Then, let’s take last night for example. You just told me that after things cooled off, he attacked the second-in-command in front of the pack—including the alpha—to make a point that the second wasn’t doing his job. How else are we supposed to interpret a move like that? It’s a power grab. End of story.”

  Tyson looked at me, as if expecting me to argue. When I didn’t, he continued, “And now, he’s sitting there with the woman who tipped off the alpha.”

  “You’re wrong,” I said, shaking my head, even as my stomach knotted a little tighter.

  The Nick I knew wouldn’t be tangled up in anything even remotely like what Agent Tyson was theorizing, but the Nick I knew seemed to have been on something of a hiatus recently. Was it possible he’d slipped further away than I’d thought?

  Chapter 16

  “Argh!” I slammed the front door of the manor.

  Posy popped into view, a cross look on her face. “What do you think you’re doing? That door is older than you!”

  I winced. “Sorry, Posy.”

  “What has you so worked up, dear? It isn’t like you to stomp around and slam doors.”

  “That really was more of Lacey’s calling card, wasn’t it?” Adam added, sauntering into view. He’d clearly come from the kitchen and held a triple-layered sandwich in each hand.

  Posy cast a sour look at him but then shifted it back to me. “Well?”

  I glanced past them, up the stairs. “Where is Narissa?” I asked, keeping my tone low.

  “She’s in her room,” Posy said, a baffled look on her face. “Holly, what’s going on?”

  “Kitchen,” I said, walking past them.

  Adam didn’t object.

  Evangeline was already in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a pair of chopsticks in one hand, absently twirling through a take-out box of noodles as she studied a glossy magazine. She glanced up and smiled. “Is Agent Blair with you? I mean, Tyson.” She giggled.

  “He went back to headquarters,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely sure that was correct. He hadn’t mentioned his next stop, and I’d been too angry to ask.

  Evangeline’s smile twisted into a frown and I felt bad for popping her bubble. “He said he’ll call you,” I told her and she brightened again.

  “Is this Agent Tyson the reason you’re in such a foul mood?” Posy asked, shimmering as she settled into one of the kitchen chairs.

  “Yes. Well, yes and no.” I sighed and tried to gather my thoughts and scattered emotions. The last twenty-four hours had been nothing but chaos. “He thinks Nick is a suspect in Breanne’s murder.”

  Evangeline dropped her chopsticks.

  “What?” Adam asked. “Why?”

  I plopped into a chair beside Posy and recounted his theory to them. “And it doesn’t help that Nick is still talking to—” I stopped and pointed up at the ceiling. “I’ve never been more angry with him, and that includes the time before we were friends and he was trying to convince me to let a bunch of paranormal-obsessed freaks come crawl all over the house.”

  “He’s wrong,” Adam said, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Nick isn’t some power-hungry wolf who wants to be the leader of the pack. If that’s all Agent Blair can see as his motive, it won’t take long for it to crumble.”

  He began massaging my tensed muscles, but I still couldn’t relax. “I don’t know. Nick was being a total jerk during the interview. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was alpha-ish, but it still wasn’t pretty.” I shook my head. “I wish I knew what’s going on with him.”

  “Who else is on the short list?” Adam asked after a moment, giving up on trying to rub my shoulders.

  “I don’t know,” I said, kicking myself a little. “I didn’t think to ask. The whole thing took me off guard.”

  “What was he doing here in the first place?” Evangeline asked, before smiling and adding, “Not that I’m mad about it.”

  “Did someone call the SPA?” Adam asked, looking at Posy. She’d no doubt heard us talking about the evening when we’d returned home.

  “It was me,” I said. “I called Agent Bramble last night and filled her in.”

  “Since when are you the first one to call in the SPA?” Adam asked. “Is that a rule that goes with your whole new gig?”

  “Agent Bramble would have found out eventually, and it would look bad if I was trying to hide it,” I said, carefully navigating the mine field of questions. Even with Adam and Evangeline getting dragged into the whole investigation, I wasn’t sure I could bring them into the loop completely. I’d barely been given permission to tell Nick what was going on, and that was only begrudgingly once she saw how valuable he was.

  Well, at least, how valuable he could be. Ya know, if he wasn’t too busy acting like a royal toad.

&nb
sp; I sighed. “I told you guys, I like my new job at the SPA, and I’m not going to do anything to risk it. So, yes, in the past I’ve been a little cagey when it comes to stuff like this, but those days are over now. Open and honest is the way it has to be.”

  “I think you need to speak with Nicolas,” Posy said. “If you tell him he’s setting himself up to look guilty, maybe he will be more willing to work with you to get to the bottom of things.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m supposed to share what Tyson told me.”

  Posy scoffed. “Oh, come now, dear. If anyone can find a way to warn him without directly telling him, it would be you.”

  I frowned at her.

  “Don’t play innocent with me,” she said, waving a shimmering hand. “You know how to work the marionettes better than anyone I’ve known before.”

  “Posy, I—”

  “It’s a compliment, dear.”

  “Oh, sure,” I said, offended regardless. “Who wouldn’t want to be called a manipulative control freak?”

  “Gorgeous, I’m sure that’s not how she meant it,” Adam interjected.

  Posy shimmered and floated out of her chair. “I’ve said my piece. Now, I’m afraid I must get going. Earl is waiting for me to go on our morning stroll.”

  She left and Evangeline looked at me. “She was only trying to help, Holly.”

  I dropped my face into my hands. “I know. I know. I’ll fix it later. Right now, all I want to do is get some breakfast and then go back to bed for another eight hours.” I let out a dry laugh. “But, of course, that’s not going to happen because I’m three weeks behind on potion orders and can’t waste one more minute.”

  Scratching noises sounded on the door.

  Adam smiled and opened it. Boots strode in, his belly swinging as he marched to the cupboard where his cat food was stored. “Speaking of breakfast… ,” Adam said, laughing. “Come on, tubby. Let’s get you set up.”

  “As far as I’m concerned,” I said, coming to a decision, “Nick’s on his own. He’s made his alliances pretty clear.”

  “Holly—” Adam started, reaching for my hand.