Witch Confidential

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Oomph.” He caught her before she could tumble to the ground. “Are you okay? What are you doing here?”

  “And a rollicking howdy to you, too,” she drawled, making a face.

  Sully wrinkled his nose at her response. “Rollicking howdy?”

  She pretended he hadn’t spoken. “I found something. I mean ... I think I found something.”

  He wanted to ask how she had found him but, ultimately, it didn’t matter. “Okay. I’m all ears.”

  “It’s one of the missing girls. At least, I’m fairly certain it is.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Laura Charles, and I think she’s my stepfather’s niece, which means you need to come with me if we’re going to question him.”

  “Why do I have to go with you? Are you afraid of your stepfather or something?”

  “No, I just hate spending time with my mother.”

  The morose expression on her face made him laugh. “Ah. Well ... I guess I have nothing better to do. Let’s go see your mother. I haven’t spent nearly enough time with her.”

  “You’ll get over that feeling pretty quickly. Trust me.”

  Seven

  Ofelia picked one of her mother’s favorite restaurants for lunch. She tried getting Henri on the phone without her mother overhearing, but it didn’t go well. It started with Marie talking smack in the background.

  Is that Ofelia? What does she want? Why did she call you instead of me? Has she been arrested? We’re not laying bail if she’s been arrested. Why can’t her perfect father help her?

  Then it progressed to Marie wrestling the phone from her husband’s hand and peppering Ofelia with questions without having to go through a middleman. Sully stood next to her, amused, as she held out the phone and rolled her eyes to the sky.

  Finally, Marie and Henri agreed to meet Ofelia and Sully for lunch, although it was ultimately a painful conversation.

  “Have you ever gotten along with your mother?” Sully asked as they cut through the Quarter toward the restaurant.

  Ofelia held out her hands and shrugged. “I’m sure there had to be some instance where she didn’t make me want to bash my head into the wall.”

  He popped his lips as he regarded her. “If this is going to turn into a thing ... .”

  “It’s always a thing with my mother. I’m used to it. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  That was easier said than done from Sully’s perspective. Ofelia had managed to become important to him in a short amount of time. Given the fact that they hadn’t even gone out on a date yet, he considered that fairly impressive. She had a presence about her. He couldn’t put a name to it, but she was whimsical ... and witty ... and wonderfully sexy. She also smelled like cloves and delighted him with her laugh. He was starting to lose his head where she was concerned and he couldn’t understand how it was happening.

  Before she’d come into his life he went on the occasional date. He knew going in that he wasn’t looking for a long-term partner, though. The dates usually consisted of dinner, a walk through the Quarter, and then something a little more physical. If he found the woman likable enough, he might date her another two or three times. Then, inevitably, he blamed work as he walked away.

  Things were different with Ofelia. They hadn’t yet had a date, but he couldn’t imagine ever trying to distance himself from her. That was a daunting thought. He was also mildly intrigued by it.

  “I’m sorry for all of this,” he said after a beat.

  Ofelia’s eyebrows hopped. “You’re sorry for what?”

  “All of it. I know the last thing you want to do is purposely seek out your mother. The last time she was around ... well ... I believe you had a headache for twelve straight hours.”

  “Surprisingly enough, that’s nowhere near my record after spending time with her. Three years ago I was bedridden for thirty-six hours after celebrating Christmas with her.”

  He cast her a sidelong look. “I think you’re exaggerating.”

  “Maybe a little,” she conceded, her eyes on the colorful buildings they passed.

  “I’m still sorry,” he offered. “I know this can’t be easy for you. I mean ... purposely seeking her out has to go against every survival instinct you’ve ever had.”

  “That’s true. We’re trying to find answers about dead girls, though. If Henri’s niece is one of them that’s actually a lucky break.”

  “For us. I don’t think it’s much of a break for Henri.”

  “You’ve got me there.”

  They lapsed into amicable silence again, their fingers absently brushing against each other. Neither pulled back. Of course, neither went the extra mile and actually grabbed on either. The dance continued, with both of them acting like cowards in the moment.

  “What do you know about this woman?” Sully finally asked, desperate to shatter the silence.

  Ofelia shrugged. “I didn’t know her.”

  “But he must have mentioned her before.”

  Ofelia screwed up her face in concentration. “I honestly can’t remember her name ever coming up. That’s weird, right?”

  “I would think so.”

  “I wonder why she’s such a big family secret.”

  “I think we’re going to have a chance to find out in a few minutes.”

  OFELIA WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE restaurant. Her mother and Henri had a regular table, toward the back and off the patio, and they were already seated when Ofelia and Sully sliced through the restaurant.

  “It’s about time.” Marie’s eyes flashed with impatience as she looked between their faces. The way she looked at Sully made him distinctly uncomfortable. “I didn’t realize you were bringing a date,” she said stiffly.

  “It’s not a date,” Ofelia countered as Sully pulled out her chair, ignoring the way his lips quirked as she got settled. “We’re ... working on a project together.”

  “That sounds nice.” Henri beamed at her. He was a friendly man, always going out of his way to try and engage Ofelia. He was desperate for the younger woman to like him, although Ofelia had never been anything other than friendly. She held no ill will toward Henri — he hadn’t broken up her parents’ marriage, after all — but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend her time with him. “What sort of project are you working on? Is it something for Krewe?”

  Marie shot her husband a withering look. “He’s a cop. What sort of project would a bartender and cop be working on together?”

  Sully frowned at Marie’s dismissive tone. “Actually, your daughter is helping me with a case. That’s why we’re here.”

  “A case?” Marie’s eyes flashed hot. “Why would you possibly be working on a case together, Ofelia?” Her tone was accusatory. “You’re a bartender, not a superhero. Wait ... does this have something to do with your Wonder Woman fascination? You know superheroes aren’t real, right?”

  Ofelia didn’t answer, instead tucking her tongue behind her teeth and staring at a blank wall as she silently counted to ten. She was determined to keep her temper in check.

  Sully was another story. “I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t attack her,” he started, his tone firm. “She’s doing me a great service. You’re not even aware of what that service is, so I’m confused why you’re going after her the way you are.”

  Marie was taken aback. “I’m not going after her. This is simply the way we communicate.”

  “You might not consider it going after her but, from an outsider’s perspective, it looks uncomfortable.”

  “Uh-huh.” Marie tapped her perfectly manicured fingernails against the tabletop. “And what’s your relationship with my daughter again?”

  “We’re working together,” Sully replied, not missing a beat.

  “You seem pretty close for work colleagues.”

  “We’re bonding over death.” His tone was dry and he smiled at the waitress as she sauntered over to get their drink orders.

  “I’ll have an iced tea,” Ofelia said, ign
oring the menu.

  “I’ll have the same.” Sully made a point to focus on the specials so he wouldn’t have to meet Marie’s surly countenance. “How are your oysters?”

  “The best in the city.” The waitress beamed at him. “I can bring you a sample if you like.”

  “Actually that’s not necessary. I’ll have the oyster sampler with a side of fries.”

  Marie made a face. “That’s quite the refined palate you’ve got there.”

  Sully ignored her. “What do you want, Ofelia?”

  She didn’t need to look at the menu to know what she wanted. She hated visiting this particular restaurant because it meant she would have to interact with her mother. Despite the negative connotations the establishment held, they had some of the best authentic food in the area. “I’ll have the crawfish étouffée.”

  The waitress nodded. “Sure. Anything else?”

  “That should be it.” Once it was just the four of them, Ofelia found she had trouble broaching the subject of Henri’s missing niece. Luckily, Sully was used to difficult discussions and he dived right in.

  “I’m not sure if you’re aware of what happened last night,” he started.

  “Does this involve your relationship with my daughter?” Marie queried.

  Sully ignored her. “As a brief breakdown, I was in Krewe last night when a woman started screaming. We followed the sound of the disturbance and found her on the second floor of a nearby building.”

  “What used to be the Windsor building,” Ofelia volunteered for her mother’s benefit. “It was recently sold to another corporation and they’re planning renovations.”

  “Really?” Marie’s eyebrows hopped. “That’s ... interesting. I wonder what business they think they’re going to be able to get to thrive in there.”

  Ofelia held out her hands and shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  “So, you ran to the second floor,” Marie prodded, turning back to Sully. She wasn’t known for her patience. “Just out of curiosity, was it just you and Ofelia who ran to help or did others join in?”

  “Felix was there, too,” Sully replied.

  “Really?” The way Marie’s lips curved made Sully distinctly uncomfortable. “Well, isn’t that interesting? I guess I know who to badger for information about the two of you once this meal is over. Felix hasn’t let on that you’re dating.”

  Ofelia shifted on her chair, her cheeks heating. “Oh, well, we’re not dating.” She couldn’t remember the last time she was this uncomfortable. “We’re just ... working together.”

  “Really?” Marie didn’t look convinced. “Well, that’s disappointing.” The look she pinned Sully with left little doubt who she blamed for that development.

  “Who knows what will happen in the future,” Sully reassured her. “For now, we’re trying to discover answers regarding what we found in that unit.”

  “And what did you find?” Henri asked.

  “A screaming real estate developer and a dead body,” Ofelia replied.

  “A dead body?” Marie’s distaste was evident. “Well, that’s unseemly.”

  “I’m sure the dead girl thinks so, too,” Ofelia shot back.

  To keep the peace, Sully rested his fingers on Ofelia’s wrist, a gentle reminder that she wasn’t alone. “She was a street performer,” he explained. “She was strangled.”

  “It was probably drugs,” Marie supplied. “Most of those kids who perform on the street are on drugs.”

  “Felix performs on the street,” Ofelia reminded her.

  “Felix does it because he’s whimsical,” Marie shot back. “He doesn’t do it out of necessity.”

  “I’m not sure that makes things better. It doesn’t matter anyway. The girl was from a family of means. She chose the life. It wasn’t chosen for her.”

  “Just ... what does the dead body have to do with our lunch today?” Marie pressed, her expression bland. “I guarantee we didn’t kill some random street performer.”

  “I don’t happen to believe you did, ma’am,” Sully countered. “I’m not actually interested in your ties to the most recent girl. It’s what we found in the wall — or, to be more precise, what your daughter found in the wall — that has my interest.”

  “And what did you find in the wall, Ofelia?” Marie asked. “I’m not even going to ask why you were looking inside of a wall because there’s no answer that’s going to serve as a satisfactory response.”

  Ofelia had no doubt that was true. “They were bones, Mother. I found six sets of bones.”

  “Bones?” Henri’s forehead wrinkled. “I don’t understand. Are you saying there was more than one body on the property?”

  “There were seven bodies,” Sully confirmed. “Six of them had been there a long time, though.”

  “How long?” Marie looked more curious than annoyed now, which served as a mild reprieve for Ofelia.

  “Since right before Katrina,” Ofelia answered, her eyes landing on Henri. “We haven’t identified the bodies yet but ... well ... there’s reason to believe they were killed in a similar manner.”

  “I don’t see what that has to do with us.” Marie was woefully oblivious when she wanted to be. “We didn’t kill those girls either.”

  “Henri knows why we’re here,” Ofelia prodded gently.

  Henri swallowed hard and nodded as he leaned back in his seat, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. “You think one of them is Laura.”

  Marie lifted her head. “Who is Laura?”

  “My niece. Barry’s girl.”

  “I thought she was out living the dream in California or something,” Marie argued. “That’s what you said.”

  “I didn’t explicitly say that,” Henri countered, licking his lips. He fidgeted on his seat. “It’s possible she did run off to California. She was always talking about it.”

  “It’s also possible she died in this city before Katrina, isn’t it?” Sully pressed.

  Morose, Henri bobbed his head. “That’s what I always thought, but nobody wanted to believe me.”

  “I don’t understand.” Marie’s bewilderment was on full display. “If this girl has been missing for fifteen years, why haven’t you said anything?”

  “Because .... because ... .”

  “Because your brother believes his daughter ran off to be a big star and is still out there,” Ofelia volunteered. “You don’t want to be the one to ruin the fantasy.”

  Henri’s smile was wan. “You’re a perceptive little thing. You don’t get enough credit for that. As far as Barry is concerned, though, you’re right. I feel that the truth would kill him.”

  “Isn’t not knowing worse?” Sully challenged. “I mean ... as far as he’s concerned, his daughter took off fifteen years ago and hasn’t bothered reaching out to him. That seems worse than her being dead to me.”

  “You have to understand, they had an argument right before Laura disappeared,” Henri explained. “Laura had been saving up money for a long time. She even volunteered on the weekends with the carriages to make extra money. We were close. She confided in me.”

  “And what did she say?” Ofelia was inexplicably enthralled in the story.

  “She said that she wanted to be a big star. At the time Cameron Diaz was big and that was who she wanted to emulate. She had dreams that included moving to Los Angeles, getting a job as a waitress, and being discovered within a month.”

  Sully’s eyebrows hopped. “Within a month?”

  “Hey, they were dreams.” Henri held out his hands and shrugged. “My brother is a good man, but he was always strict with her. She never had the room she needed to grow and they were always butting heads. They got in a fight one night — he told her the Hollywood dream was stupid because she wasn’t a very good actress — and she took off.”

  “Did she pack anything?” Sully was in detective mode. “Usually runaways take a bag or two with them. Very few hit the streets with nothing unless there’s a specific reason for it, like an abusive paren
t.”

  “She did take a bag. It was a backpack. It had clothes in it, a book, some cash. It wasn’t much. I remember trying to talk to her that night. She was adamant she was taking off. I wanted her to sleep at my house — she was older than my daughters but still close with them — but she refused.

  “Honestly, I thought she would spend the night on the street and then change her mind,” Henri continued. “I never once thought that was the last time I would see her.”

  Ofelia’s heart went out to him. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, too.” He tentatively reached over and patted her hand before swallowing hard and continuing. “At first my brother was extremely angry. He cursed her name and said he wasn’t going to help her when she came crawling back. I knew he didn’t mean it, but I was angry at the time.”

  “Did anyone consider notifying the police when she didn’t show up after a few days?” Sully queried.

  Henri shook his head. “No. I mean ... when we didn’t immediately hear from her we started bracing for other possibilities. I figured she’d actually gotten a ride out to Los Angeles somehow — she was a pretty girl so anything is possible — and then we adjusted our expectations.”

  Sully’s forehead wrinkled. “Can you be more specific?”

  “We figured she would go out to California like she always threatened, get a job, either hit it big and call us to gloat, or become disillusioned and call us to pay for her to return. The longer we went without hearing from her, the more prepared we were for the second call.”

  “It never came, though.” Ofelia shifted on her seat and glanced at Sully. “Do you think it’s possible she’s one of the girls in the wall?”

  The detective nodded, thoughtful. “I do think it’s possible. We need to run DNA tests, though. That’s the only way to confirm it.”

  “Do you think you could compare the bodies to me rather than my brother?” Henri asked. “Just to start, I mean. I don’t want to make things more difficult for you, but if my brother finds out about this, well, I’m worried the fantasy that he’s been building in his head might crumble. When that happens ... .”