“Mhm. Enchanted,” she said quickly, then turned back to Xander. “So, how’s it been around here? Boring as usual? Have any dangerous encounters lately? Any salacious house calls or daring adventures?” she asked him, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
Xander stood uncomfortably by the door, looking at her with a mix of apprehension and annoyance that gave me a twinge of hope. “Nothing that would compare with Chicago,” he answered. She giggled.
“Right, right. Of course not. I just wanted to see how my old boyfriend was hanging in there. I know it must get awfully boring just sitting in this office day in and day out. You should really come with me on a business trip sometime. You deserve a break from all this,” she said, pointedly ignoring or perhaps including me in ‘all this.’
“Well, I’m pretty busy most of the time, so,” he said quietly. “Uh, actually, speaking of which, Artemis and I were discussing a case we’re working on, and it’s kind of got some confidential information, so if you don’t mind,” he trailed off.
“Ooh, confidential? Sounds exciting. Come on, what is it? A bank robbery? Grand theft auto? You’ve got to give me some details,” June wheedled him, biting her lip.
Suddenly, I’d had just about enough of sitting here invisible while Xander’s old flame openly flirted with him. I stood up and put my sub on the desk, pushing my chair back so that it made an awful scraping noise on the floor. Luna was already waiting by the door.
“Well, it’s been nice, but I think I’d better go. I’ve got some investigating to get back to,” I said, mustering up as much politeness as I could along with a probably-forced smile.
“Oh no. Already? Okay. See you later, Athena!” June said brightly.
“It’s uh... actually, nevermind,” I said, deciding it was pointless to correct her. “Call me later if you get a chance, Xander. You know. To check in about the case.”
I swished out of the room and was halfway out of the building when I heard Xander running to catch up with me. I turned to look at him, surprised. He put a hand on the small of my back and pressed gently to keep me walking. “You didn’t have to come with me,” I said.
“Oh no, I’d, uh, I’d rather go with you than stay,” he answered. “But let’s walk a little faster, shall we?”
Chapter 10
I couldn’t help but feel a pleasant shiver run down my spine at the sensation of Xander’s large, powerful hand pressing softly at the small of my back. It wasn’t as though I was particularly touch-starved or anything: between my parents, sister, Lara, and Luna, I was pretty well-stocked in hugs and affection. But there was just something about the way Xander touched me that made me feel like every nerve in my body was on fire, like every cell that comprised my form was about to melt at any moment. He was going to turn me into a little puddle of goo. How sexy. I truly worried that I might become an addict for his touch, obsessed with getting as close to him as possible for as long as he would let me. Every single step we took together made me feel more and more at ease, despite the discomfort of that horrible intrusion into our lunch date-slash-work-meeting. I still had the heebie-jeebies from that awful woman sitting on the desk in front of me in her skin-tight pencil skirt and her blatant posturing and her pretending to get my name wrong on accident.
Ugh. I did my best to be the kind of woman who supported other women. I hated the trope in movies and books where there had to be a designated good female character whose enemy was a designated evil woman. Overall, I thought it was much better and more effective for us women to stick together. But specimens like June definitely tested my patience and my dedication to being supportive of all women everywhere. She clearly did not want to be my friend. She saw me as a nuisance, as an ugly, vaguely girl-shaped obstacle for her to leap over to collect her prize: Xander.
But I reminded myself inwardly that I needed to cut her some slack. I didn’t know much about her yet. Maybe she was actually really cool once you got to know her. And I mean, if Xander had once dated her, I had to trust that he had a good reason to do that. He had standards, right? Goodness, I hoped so. Otherwise that may not have said much about me.
Xander, meanwhile, still looked a little frazzled, maybe even annoyed, as he led me out of the police precinct building and into the fresh, afternoon air. In the distance there hung a swath of rather moody-looking purplish rain clouds, but right above us it was sunny for the time being. I glanced down at Luna, who gave me a meaningful look. I knew what she was thinking without her even having to say a word. She was worried about getting rained on, of course, being a cat and therefore no friend of water. Normally I might have reassured her that I could perform a preservation or drying spell on her to keep her dry - though she was not a big fan of having spells cast on her, it gave her the creeps - but with my magical abilities currently on the fritz, I was not about to risk exploding my cat like I exploded that blackberry turnover this morning.
“So, what’s our rush right now? Why are you shoving me out of the precinct?” I asked Xander, who gave me a sheepish shrug.
“It’s just that I would rather not waste our precious investigation time making small talk with my very intrusive and very persistent ex-girlfriend,” he sighed, raking his fingers back through his gorgeous blond hair. Man, he was so good looking, standing there in his sexy uniform with his hair all ruffled and the sunshine beaming on his face to accentuate his cheekbones…
I forced myself to stop lusting over him and actually listen to the words coming out of his admittedly very handsome mouth. “June Siebog has never been known for her subtlety,” he added, rolling his eyes. I could sense a multitude of anecdotes packed densely behind those words. I was torn. On the one hand, the idea of listening to my brand new sort of casual boyfriend describe his ex was an objectively bad idea. But on the other hand, if he wanted to complain about her, maybe that would be kind of satisfying.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” I told him, trying to be the bigger person. “It’s not like I expected you to be chaste up until meeting me or whatever. You’re a grown man. I’m not your mother, Xander. You can totally be friends with your ex.”
He gave me a beatific smile. “I appreciate that, but I think you may have the wrong idea,” he said. “I haven’t had any kind of relationship with June in a long time. We dated ages ago. It honestly feels like another lifetime to me now.”
“She sure seemed awfully comfortable waltzing into your office,” I pointed out, trying to keep my tone lighthearted. The last thing I wanted was to be the kind of girlfriend who hounded him about his private life.
Yeah,” he sighed. “She’s just like that. June has way more confidence than anyone else I have ever met in my life. She’s comfortable everywhere.”
“Is she from around here? I don’t recognize her,” I said.
Xander nodded. “Well, she hails from Vermont somewhere, but she’s been living in Moonlight Cove off and on for years. But she’s kind of got this big fish in a small pond complex. Always has. So she spends a lot of time out of town traveling for work. She’s been all over the place, actually. Really well-traveled.”
I raised an eyebrow as I grabbed my broom to carry while we walked along. He did the same with his broom and fell into step beside me. “Lucky girl,” I quipped.
He shrugged. “I guess. Personally, after being out there in the world myself, I kind of prefer to stay around here nowadays. Moonlight Cove might not be as flashy and exciting as Paris or Tokyo or Las Vegas, but it’s home.”
“So, how did you two meet? If that’s not too awkward to ask,” I added quickly.
“No, no. Not at all,” he assured me. “It’s simple, really. We were the only two magical folks at our college when we were enrolled. In a crowd like that, people like us tend to stick out. We found each other pretty quickly, and one thing led to another. I think we were mostly just lonely, you know? It’s hard to fit in when you’ve got a big secret to keep.”
“That makes sense,” I agreed, actually feeling a
little guilty now. “So, I have another awkward question, but feel free to ignore it if it’s too personal or weird.”
Xander laughed, a sound so delightful it gave me tingles all over. “Go for it,” he said.
“She’s beautiful, well-traveled, interesting, and sounds like you guys have a pretty solid history together, so why did you break up?” I asked, biting my lip.
Xander shrugged. “Well, to be honest with you, June was always a little too clingy for my tastes. It made sense at first when we started dating in college and we didn’t really know anybody else. But after a while it just got on my nerves. Besides, she’s after a bigger, flashier lifestyle than I want. I guess we’re just not a good match, you know?”
I couldn’t deny how great it felt to hear that, but I played it off coolly. “Yeah, totally. Makes sense to me,” I said, smiling. “Anyway, what’s next on our agenda? I’ve been kind of following you but I don’t know where we’re headed.”
He chuckled. “I’ve been walking in the direction of that big construction site nearby being handled by Balder Construction. They’ve got an office downtown but the owner, George Balder, will most likely be at the site itself.”
“What are they building? And why would he be there instead of in his office if he’s just the owner?” I asked.
“You know, I’m not sure what they’re building. It’s in a residential area just down the road from here, so I’m assuming it will be some kind of residence. But they have been working at it for a while now. Must be a difficult project,” Xander postulated. “And I could be wrong about George, but the impression I’ve always gotten from him is that he’s a very hands-on worker. He likes to see a project through from beginning to end.”
“A real go-getter, sounds like,” I remarked.
Xander nodded. “Yes, definitely. He’s a good guy and a hard worker. Did you know his family has been part of an architectural coven for probably centuries? They’ve been working and building in the state of Washington for a really long time.”
“Oh wow,” I replied, blinking in surprise. “I had no idea.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty remarkable, but not flashy. They keep to themselves for the most part, even though that coven has produced so much talent you’d think they would be better known for it by now,” he said. “But I guess that’s just a sign that they’re not in it for the money or fame - they just like building and working on the community.”
“How lovely,” I said, smiling. “Man, we’ve got some really great families here in town, don’t we?”
Xander beamed. “Yes. We do. It’s one of the things I love so much about Moonlight Cove: the people who live here really do put their hearts and souls into the community. It’s stuff like that and people like George Balder and you who make me want to pour so much of my own time and energy and heart into policing this place and keeping it protected from harm.”
“People like me?” I repeated, confused and flattered.
“Yeah, of course,” he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You run a family business basically all by yourself, bringing in tourism for the local economy, you also help out other local industries by using homegrown cooking ingredients, and then somehow you also find time to volunteer your services as a crime-solver. That makes you pretty important to the community here, if you ask me.”
I blushed deeply and looked away, too overwhelmed with flattery and surprise to come up with a good response. I wasn’t used to anyone talking to me this way, much less the handsomest, bravest, most kind-hearted man in the world. So I did what I had to do: I changed the subject.
“So anyway,” I said lamely, “why exactly are we going to talk to George Balder?” The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t think from where.
Xander, to his credit and to my relief, allowed the topic switch without hesitation. “Well, I want to talk to him because he was most likely an associate of our victim.”
“Oh, really?” I asked as we turned the corner.
“Yeah. If there’s one thing I know about the Kleins, it’s that their business made them a lot of friends in town. A lot of allies, at least,” Xander corrected himself.
“And you think George might know something we don’t know?” I asked.
Xander shrugged. “I hope so. Worth a try, anyway.”
“Hmm. Alright, fair enough,” I replied lightly.
We walked for another block and a half until we turned around corner into a small cul-de-sac. Immediately my eyes fell on an empty lot full of construction workers, heavy machinery, and a complex network of magical spells and charms keeping the ball rolling. There was a man with a thick mustache, a ruddy face, and a yellow hard hat, levitating ever so slightly off the ground while he barked instructions to the crew. That had to be George Balder, the owner. He just looked the type.
As we approached, he called out, “Mr. Balder?”
George turned, still floating a few inches off the ground, to look at us. When he saw Xander he grinned and gave him a friendly wave. He landed back on the ground and came striding over to shake our hands.
“Well, hey there, chief! To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked in a jovial voice. Between his graying hair, thick mustache, and rosy cheeks, I got the weirdest sensation that I was speaking to an off-season, toned-down, blue-collar Santa Claus.
“Good to see you, George. I wish I was here for a more pleasant reason, but I actually have some questions to ask you about a case I’m working on,” Xander said.
George’s smile faltered a little but he nodded. “Of course. Oh, and who is this lovely young lady? Have we met before?” he asked.
I smiled at him and shook my head. “I don’t think we’ve met, but our families have probably known each other for ages. My name is Artemis Mani,” I said.
He grinned. “Oh! You run the Moonlight Cove Manor, don’t you? I know your parents. Great folks. A great family. Nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you, too,” I replied happily.
George turned back to Xander. “Are you or were you ever an associate of a local furniture-maker named Arnold Klein?”
George’s brow furrowed and he stiffened a little, looking uncomfortable. “Yes, of course. I’ve worked with him a number of times, purely on a professional basis. He does good work. Makes a fine product. I’ve used his furniture in staging my model homes for years. Why?”
“When was the last time you remember speaking to him?” I asked, avoiding having to break the bad news to George just yet. As kind and friendly as Mr. Balder seemed to be, I had to remind myself that anyone could be a suspect. Anyone could be hiding a secret.
George scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment before answering. “Hmm, probably about three weeks ago, I would guess.”
“And how would you characterize your relationship with Mr. Klein?” asked Xander.
George sighed, shifting his weight between his feet back and forth awkwardly while he ruminated over the question. Uh oh. That didn’t seem like a good sign at all, in my very amateurish opinion. But when I stole a furtive glance at Xander, he looked concerned, too, so perhaps I was right to be a little suspicious.
“George?” I prompted him gently.
The construction guy blinked a few times, seemingly shaking himself out of his thoughts and back to reality. Then he folded his arms over his white polo shirt smudged with grime and leaned in closely. He lowered his voice and answered, “I don’t know what kind of trouble Arnold must have gotten himself into for the police to be out asking about him, but truth be told, I always had a good rapport with the guy. When we spoke last, we were on good terms. Should I be worried, chief? Is something wrong?”
Xander and I exchanged looks of mingled disappointment and concern. On the one hand, it was good to know that perhaps Arnold wasn’t hiding some big dark secret, but on the other hand, our list of suspects and motives for his death was starting to stagnate. Who on earth could have wanted Arnold Klein dead?
Chapter 11
>
“Don’t get me wrong, I do like to be of assistance to the police, but you guys are worrying me a little bit,” said George, frowning. “Is Arnold in some kind of trouble?”
“Oh no. It’s uh, nothing like that,” I answered hastily, shaking my head.
George looked unconvinced, glancing back and forth between Xander and I with a bewildered expression. “Could you tell me what’s going on or is that confidential police business?” he asked.
Xander stepped in this time, taking on his usual professional demeanor. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what he did that changed his whole aura, but I was sure it had something to do with his mannerisms and charisma. He clapped George on the shoulder reassuringly and gave him a broad, winning smile.
“No. Don’t stress yourself out over it, George. This is nothing for you to worry about. You do good work for the community, and your hands are clean. I know that. Just keep doing what you do, and we will get out of your hair. You have important things to do,” Xander reminded him, gesturing toward the construction project underway.
The various members of George’s crew had all stopped to gawk at us from afar, but they hurriedly got back to work when Xander looked their way. It was almost comical the way he could suddenly transform from a sweet, casual local guy having a chat with a fellow citizen into a fearless leader who commanded a space without even trying. Although it was definitely crass and highly inappropriate for the moment, I couldn’t help but find myself wondering if he ever used that tone of voice and command in bed.
Goodness. Here we were on an important mission to gain information on a brutal murder by poisoning and I was standing here fantasizing about my police partner, my mind totally in the gutter. I usually had a pretty solid head on my shoulders, and I wasn’t easily distracted when I had an important task in front of me, but if there was anyone in the world who could get my mind rolling in a totally different - and totally unprofessional - direction, it would have to be him.
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