Game of Bones: A Cozy Witch Mystery (Magic Market Mysteries Book 3)

by Erin Johnson

  More knocks sounded, and I pushed myself up to sitting on my crumpled mess of a bed. The blanket wound around my legs, and mascara stained my pillowcase. Urg.

  I groaned and tried to push my hair back out of my face, but my fingers got stuck in it. Oh, right. The night came rushing back to me.

  After Neo and the boys escorted me out of the sewers—this time without nearly drowning—I’d barely made it back home before collapsing under the crushing weight of exhaustion, spent nerves, and a general desire to erase the night from my memory. I certainly hadn’t taken the time to take off my makeup or let down my hair.

  “Jolene?”

  I pressed my eyes shut tight at the sound of Peter’s voice. Not who I wanted to see in my current state. Then again, the longer he stood outside yelling my name, the more likely some of Ludolf’s spies would notice and report back to him.

  I staggered to my feet and stumbled past my kicked-off heels to the front room. I glanced at the mirror on the wall beside the beaded curtain and grimaced. I resembled a raccoon who’d gotten in a really bad fight—I tasted my own breath—over a trash can feast.

  I trailed one hand down the rough plaster wall as I descended the steep, narrow staircase, just in case I lost my balance. I took a deep breath before unbolting the metal door to the street, and blinked in surprise at the sky behind Peter.

  It was dark out, the street lit only by the flashing neon signs of the night market. Dawn had just been lightening the sky when I’d flopped down on my bed. Had I really slept through the whole day?

  Peter’s eyes widened for a moment, no doubt at my wrecked appearance, but he immediately softened his expression and held out a paper cup of coffee.

  I sighed, and my shoulders relaxed. “You’re an angel.” I stepped aside and waved him in. He dipped his tall head and clomped up the stairs, followed by Daisy, who glared at me up and down. She woofed.

  Looking good. Is a rat living in your hair now?

  The mention of rat made me think of the one I’d interrogated last night for Ludolf. I was in no mood. I glanced up the stairs at Peter’s back, and finding him far enough away to not overhear, growled back at Daisy.

  Careful, or I’ll tell him you’re in need of a good de-worming.

  Her ears flattened before she bounded up the stairs behind her partner. I trudged up behind them.

  “Have a seat.” I gestured at one of the two kitchen chairs at my table that doubled as the place where I gave my pet readings. A blue velvet tablecloth with glittering stars and moons hung over it.

  Peter settled into a seat, sipping his own cup of coffee, and Daisy moved about my tiny, shabby apartment sniffing the corners and the threadbare couch.

  I caught myself hating on my meager living situation and thought of the shifters living underground. Guess it could be worse.

  I leaned against the cracked kitchen counter and savored the earthy goodness of the coffee. “So… what brings you by?” I figured it had something to do with the death last night… or possibly the incredibly awkward way we’d parted.

  Peter wrapped his big hands around his cup and looked up at me. “Gabriel—you remember the coroner?”

  I nodded.

  “He’s still examining Davies’s body, so this hasn’t officially been ruled an investigation yet.” He leaned forward, a little grin on his lips. “But I did some preliminary work.”

  I couldn’t help but grin back. “Of course you did.”

  His smile broadened in his eagerness. “I looked into the band’s singer, Amarina, the one who pulled him out of the water?”

  I nodded for him to go on.

  Peter lifted a thick brow. “Turns out Davies had a restraining order against her.”

  I lowered my coffee cup and uncrossed my ankles. “You don’t say?”

  To my left, in the “living area” of my tiny place, Daisy huffed. Your couch is more dead skin cells than fabric.

  Just what I wanted to hear. I turned back to Peter. “Why?”

  He shook his head. “The court order didn’t say—which is unusual. But maybe not for a cop.” He shook his head. “Sometimes there’s a little more coziness between our department and the judges than I like.”

  I lifted a brow. Mild-mannered Peter had been expressing more criticisms of his own police department than I’d heard before.

  “Anyway.” He lifted a broad palm. “Amarina’s playing at a jazz club tonight, The Pearl, and I was wondering if you’d go with me and help me look into it.”

  The Pearl was a popular place in the Darkmoon District, attracting patrons from all walks of life… including Ludolf and his favorites. My stomach flooded with ice at the thought of running into him there, with Peter as my date. I set my half-empty cup on the counter and looked down at my bare feet.

  “Maybe we should just wait… until it becomes official, you know?” I shot him a tight-lipped grin.

  Crack crunch.

  We both glanced toward the living room, with its drawn black curtains and single sofa in the center of the dirty, worn carpet. Daisy stood there, munching on something hard, her nose scrunched up and lips curled back.

  “Daisy? Daisy, what are you eating?” Peter half stood, but the dog swallowed, and he sank back into his chair.

  I fought a smirk. “Yeah, Daisy. What are you eating?”

  The dog looked uncomfortable, then her whole body lurched and she gagged and coughed. Eck. The food between the cushions is… disgusting.

  I stifled a giggle with my fist.

  Peter turned to me, eyes wide. “I’m so sorry.” He clicked his tongue gently at his dog. “Daisy, what have you gotten into?”

  With his back turned, I tried to disguise a bark as a cough. And yet, Daisy, you’re eating that disgusting couch food. Why?

  Her ears flattened as she licked the roof of her mouth, black lips curled back. I couldn’t help it!

  I smirked and let out a quiet whine. Just remember this next time you’re feeling superior. You couldn’t help eating food out of someone else’s couch.

  “You alright?”

  “Hm?” I jerked my gaze to Peter, who was watching me, brows pulled together. He glanced between Daisy and me.

  Erp. I needed to distract him. “Besides, that club is really tough to get into. It’s pretty exclusive.”

  “Oh.” Peter bit his full bottom lip. He glanced up at me, brows raised. “I could give you a personal advance on the funds? Just until it’s officially ruled a case and I can hire you on through the department.”

  My stomach sank. Why, oh why, did he have to be so kind? “Er, no, it’s not about the money, it’s just—” I scratched the back of my neck. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with Bon.”

  He chuckled, genuinely tickled. “Since when? You feeling okay?”

  Good point. Not like I’d ever paid much attention to police procedure or Bon’s opinions before.

  He licked his lips, a more serious slant to his brows. “But to be honest… I wanted to come by also to just see if you really were okay.” He shot me a gentle, though questioning, look. “Things seemed a little weird last night….”

  My stomach lurched. Where to begin? From running into my ex, the coworker who’d cursed me, and my former boss, to being summoned by Ludolf to the underground headquarters—last night had been beyond weird.

  I took a sip of coffee to buy myself some time, then waved a hand dismissively. “I’m fine.”

  From over by the window, where she stood sniffing the curtains, Daisy growled. Liar!

  Peter gave me a pleading look.

  I rolled my eyes at the dog and thought carefully about my next words. “I’m just… I’m worried you’ll get hurt.” Truth enough for you, Daisy? Ludolf’s threats to him were still top of mind for me.

  Subtly, Peter’s eyes shifted to his truth-sniffing dog. My stomach sank that he had to double-check I was telling the truth, but I didn’t blame him. I’d been lying and acting shifty a lot lately.

  Daisy’s tail merel
y wagged. Guess I’d passed.

  He turned to me, a warm grin on his face. “I’ll be fine.” He sounded touched. “This is just a little stop by a jazz club… we’ll ask Amarina a few questions, off the record of course.” He spread his hands out, palms down. “Very low key.”

  I let out a sigh. “Fine.” Ludolf already knew about Peter, so really, what would be the harm in taking him to the club? “But I meant it—it’s not easy to get into.” I threw my head back and finished off the last of the coffee before setting the cup down and pushing away from the counter. “We’re gonna have to talk to Will.”

  18

  THE PEARL

  “Starfish.” Will overenunciated the word.

  The eyes blinked, the panel slid shut, and then locks clicked and the metal door swung inward. Will cast a smug look back at Peter, Heidi, and me. “Back in the day, I used to be regular here. Guess my connections are still good.”

  He then led the way down the dimly lit stairwell into the speakeasy. We’d only convinced him to get us into the jazz club by promising to leave Daisy at his clinic (which she wasn’t pleased about) and me privately promising I had juicy gossip to dish about last night.

  The place occupied what had once been some underground tunnel or crypt, the walls made of rough stone, the ceiling rounded, and the space cramped. A handful of tall two-tops lined the walls leading up to the tiny bar. A low archway led to the other room, where a man plucked at an upright base, another guy tapped a swingy beat on a high hat, and Amarina, the singer from the ship last night, crooned.

  They stood in the corner on a stage barely big enough to fit the three of them and their instruments, raised just about a foot off the stone ground. People crowded together before them on long benches and at tiny round tables.

  The whole place was dimly lit with red lights, and the tables and stretches of wall were draped with red velvet.

  “We’ll grab drinks.” Will raised his voice to be heard and jerked his head toward the bar to our right. “Peter, why don’t you be a dear and find us somewhere to sit.” His dark eyes darted toward the next room where the band played.

  “Oh.” Peter nodded, grinning. “Sure.”

  I shot Will a flat look as Peter, head slightly dipped, wandered off through the thick crowd. I leaned close to Will and rose on my toes to speak in his ear. “Why are you getting rid of him?”

  He raised his bushy brows at me. “I was promised gossip.”

  I rolled my eyes. Of course. I followed Will as he snaked through the thick mass of bodies, the crowd parting for the huge bear of a man. Heidi, hands on my shoulders, bounced along behind me.

  She leaned forward. “It’s so classy in here.”

  I grinned. For a tiny underground vault, The Pearl did have a pretty swanky vibe. I hadn’t known Will before his fall from grace, but back when he’d been one of the best and richest surgeons in the Water Kingdom, I could totally picture him pretention-ing out hard down here.

  We lined up at the bar, which was actually made of magically playing piano keys. A single bartender busied herself making drinks, bottles of glowing potions pouring themselves into shakers and enchanted olives skewering themselves on toothpicks. While we waited our turn to order, Heidi nudged me with her shoulder.

  “So…?” She bounced on her toes. “How’d it go? Did you dance?” She gasped, and her eyes grew wide. “Did you kiss?”

  Will gave a mock gasp, eyes just as wide. “Did you demolish the buffet?”

  They leaned close to me on either side to be able to hear over the jazz music.

  “Not quite.” I filled them in on all the details of Davies’s death.

  “Wow.” Heidi made a face. “Sounds like it put a real damper on the evening.”

  Will shot her a flat look. “Yes, Heidi, a death usually does.”

  “I just meant….” She sighed. “Jolene looked so beautiful—seems a waste to not even get a dance with Officer Hottie.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he wasn’t standing right behind us. Not that he probably could have heard over the music anyway.

  I sighed. “There’s more. Emerson, my old boss, was there, and I had an embarrassing run-in with both my ex, Zale, and get this—his new fiancée, Eve.”

  Heidi gaped. “Not the Eve? The one who cursed you?”

  Will threw his head back and laughed, a deep belly laugh. Tears streamed down his face, and I shot him a flat look.

  “You finished?”

  He let out a few wheezy giggles, wiping tears from his eyes. “Almost.”

  Heidi shook her head at him. “What’s so funny? That’s horrible!” She pouted at me. “That must have been so awful.” She gritted her teeth and scrunched up her cute little nose. “Ooh! I could just—just slap her for what she did to you. And now they’re together?! Ooh!”

  I fought a grin. She was almost more angry and devastated for me than I’d been.

  I tried to shrug it off. “Whatever. I’m over that guy—have been for years.” I shook my head, my eyes unfocused on a glowing green bottle behind the bar. “It’s just… everyone’s moved on, you know? And what am I doing with my life?”

  Heidi squeezed my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jolene. That’s so hard. But you’re doing your best.” She winced. “Sorry, but I see a friend—I’ll be right back.”

  I nodded, and she skipped off through the thick crowd.

  Will caught my eye and gave me a gentle smirk. “In all truth, I’m sorry you—”

  I couldn’t hold back the secret I’d been dreading telling him any longer and cut him off. “I was summoned to Ludolf last night.”

  He choked and turned a splotchy mix of red and green. “You what?!”

  The men and women next to us at the bar shot us surprised looks, and I managed a wan smile. Then I flashed my eyes at Will.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Jolene, was that too extreme of a reaction for you?” The whites shone all around his huge dark eyes. “Here I was thinking I was having a nice night out with a friend, not a last hurrah with a dead woman walking!” He gritted his teeth and practically growled at me. “You were summoned to Ludolf last night and this is the first I’m hearing of it?”

  I pressed my eyes shut tight before flashing them at him. “I was trying not to make a big deal out of it.”

  Will gave me a good, long look, his eyes round, pale lips pressed into a tight line. He dragged an enormous hand over his mouth and stubble, then faced forward and slammed his palm down on the piano keys of the bar. Drinks up and down it rattled, and the bartender jumped.

  “Two vodkas—make them triples!”

  I lifted a brow. “I don’t like vodka.”

  He rounded on me. “Good, because they’re both for me!”

  The bartender slid a couple of shot glasses to Will, and he downed them both in quick succession, his eyes glassy and face red when he finished. He pointed a long finger at me. “Tell me everything.”

  I filled him in on my little adventure through the sewers, then on how Ludolf had threatened Peter to get me to interrogate the rat.

  “Then what?” My friend had grown quiet, which was more alarming from Will than yelling.

  I gulped and finally got the whisky neat I’d ordered. I nodded my thanks to the bartender as she worked on drinks for Heidi and Peter, then took a sip. The burn in my throat was somehow bracing. I gripped my glass with both hands, squeezing it tight to minimize their trembling. Just recalling the events of last night had me shaken up again.

  “Then, he said he owed me one and sent me home.” I shrugged.

  “Well, I, for one, am horrified. This is how it starts, Jolene.” Will leaned against the bar next to me and slumped down until his shoulders were nearly level with mine. “It’s a slippery slope with Ludolf. No one means to sell their soul to the devil—it doesn’t happen in one lump sale. No, it happens bit by bit.” His words dripped with bitterness as he sipped the gin and tonic he’d ordered after his shots.

  I shook my head. “Yeah, well
, not with me.” If Daisy had been here, she would have barked. Even I knew I was lying to myself. “That’s it. I’m done with him.”

  Will scoffed. “Really? And if he summons you again?”

  I shrugged. “I won’t go. What’s he gonna do? Sic Neo and the boys on me?” I sipped my whiskey, the fumes tickling my nose. “Neo’s half afraid of me—I’ve known him since he was four and picked his nose.”

  Will spun the glass with his long fingers. “Don’t underestimate Ludolf. And don’t cross him.” He huffed. “I don’t want to have to read about your body being dredged from a canal in The Conch, okay? I don’t need any more nightmares, Jolene!”

  The bartender slid us Peter’s bottle of beer and Heidi’s Chu-Hi. I grabbed the bottle and my own drink. “On that cheery note…” I flashed my eyes. “Shall we?”

  Will gave a solemn nod and scooped up his drink and Heidi’s, then led the way to the other room to find our friends.

  19

  AN ALIBI

  Peter, though off-duty, looked so much like a cop he’d actually managed to get one of the tiny tables in front of the jazz band when a group cleared out at the sight of him. The four of us squeezed around it, Will’s massive shoulders bunched up in his ears, though he closed his eyes and seemed so lost in the music he didn’t appear to care.

  Heidi chatted happily with a couple she knew at the next table, and I sat in awkward silence, my arm barely touching Peter’s, pretending to pay attention to the songs, though keenly aware of how close he sat. Finally, the set ended and Amarina announced they’d be back after a short break.

  Peter waved at her, and her dark eyes landed on him with a heavy look. She gathered up her long, glittering gown and slid through the crowd toward us. She was slowed down by patrons heaping compliments on her, but eventually made her way over. Peter rose and gave her his seat, then stood, hands shoved in his jeans pockets, beside her.

  She crossed her arms and legs and bounced her foot as she looked from Peter to me, then to Will and Heidi, who leaned in, listening eagerly.