George looked downright bashful at the nice string of compliments. He scratched at the back of his head, his rosy cheeks burning hotter. I found myself relating to his struggle pretty damn well. It seemed that nobody was immune to Xander’s charming way of calming people down. Not even a big, buff, middle-aged contractor in a hard hat.
“Well, I thank you kindly for that, officer,” George said, beaming with appreciation. “And if you decide you need anything else from me, just don’t hesitate to let me know. I’ll be around, as always. Just give me a shout.”
“You got it, Mr. Balder,” Xander said, sticking out his hand for the contractor to shake. “We’ll be in touch. Have a great afternoon and don’t work too hard.”
“I’ll do my best,” George said with a wink. Then he gave me a friendly nod. “Good to see you, Miss Mani. If you ever need some help with anything over at the Manor, you just give me a call and I’ll fix you right up.”
“Thank you, sir,” I said, smiling. I would definitely have to keep that in mind, especially now that my mother and I were tossing around the idea of getting some more renovations and updates done around the Manor.
Xander and I said goodbye to the crew and then headed off back in the direction we’d come from earlier. Luna, who had stayed quiet - probably out of sheer boredom - came trotting out of the bushes where she’d been hunkered down during our interview with George. She raced up to walk with us, weaving between my legs and Xander’s. She looked up at him and let out the cutest, most plaintive little mew I had ever heard from her. It was so contrived and attention-seeking that it almost made me roll my eyes. Instead, I just laughed out loud.
“Wow, she must really like you to want your attention so badly,” I remarked.
Xander looked down at her just as she gave me a subtle glare. “Oh, so you’re the only one who’s allowed to make googly-eyes at the police chief? I see how it is.”
He bent down to gently pat her soft little head for a few seconds, and she clearly lapped it up, purring like an engine. I half-expected her to jump up into his arms, she was laying it on so thickly. But Xander evidently had his mind still fixated on the case at hand, so he kept walking. I followed along, watching the side of his face as he thought hard over what we ought to do next. It was a privilege, I realized, getting to see him hard at work. He was good at his job, but the most impressive part to me was how passionate he was about keeping Moonlight Cove safe.“So, where to next? Any ideas?” I prompted him once he had been silent for a good minute or so. He snapped out of it with an almost humorous jolt, and then gave me a smirk.
“I think so. You said you went and spoke with Karrie, the Kleins’ secretary and personal assistant, right?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I went this morning after you and I met at the crime scene. Well, after I detoured to the Magic Bean to talk to Elisa.”
“And you said she seemed pretty upset about the whole thing?” he asked.
“Yeah. She was sobbing and everything. Maybe she’s just a great actress, but those tears sure looked genuine to me,” I remarked.
“Alright. Yes. I think she’ll be our next stop,” Xander said, climbing onto his broom. He looked over at me expectantly. “Do you have the time to head all the way back out to the warehouse with me right now? I know it’s a bit of a jaunt and you’ve still got the Manor to worry about.”
I smiled and climbed atop my own broom. “No problem. The Manor will be there when we’re done. I want to keep sleuthing for a while longer. Besides, I’ll be interested to see what you think about Karrie’s demeanor.”
“Great,” Xander said brightly. Luna hopped up onto my broom and walked a few tight little circles in the basket until she curled up and got comfortable. As soon as she was lying down, I kicked off, and followed after Xander.
The streets were a little busier this time of day, with pedestrians and broom-riders alike weaving in and out between us on their daily routes. A lot of people were going on break, leaving work, or switching shifts at this point in the afternoon. Still, without big, bulky automobiles to clog up the roads, traffic was almost a non-existent issue. Brooms took up considerably less space, even the ones that had gigantic baskets or side-seats on them. People floated by on their family brooms, which had little offshoots with special invisible straps that would keep even the roly-poliest little toddler from sliding off the broom. Most adults rode sans-straps because these days, brooms were manufactured with lots of built-in safety charms. It looked a lot more precarious and uncomfortable than it really was. I had always thought broom-riding was pretty relaxing, personally. Being outside in the breeze, just floating along, it was a great way to clear your mind.
Although, right now, my mind was downright crowded with competing thoughts. I was worried about the case, about my malfunctioning magic, about the Manor and how things were going there, about Luna and Lucy and their eternal frenemy feud, and of course, about my relationship with Xander. Especially now that I had come face to face with his beautiful, intriguing, worldly ex-girlfriend. How was I meant to compete with that?
By the time we arrived at the warehouse, I was feeling a little anxious, so I was relieved to have Luna there with me. Even when she was being obnoxious, she was a rather calming presence for me. That was all part and parcel of having a familiar. We were simply better when we were together.
Xander and I pulled our brooms to a stop, hopped off, and leaned our brooms against the outside of the building. Karrie’s broom was still here, which was a good sign. Luna woke up from her little nap and leaped out of the broom basket to follow us as Xander and I walked up to the front entrance and knocked.
Moments later, the door creaked open, only this time Karrie didn’t peek out, she just yanked the whole door open carelessly. I could see that she was still in a state of panic and sorrow. Blackish streaks of mascara ran down her cheeks, and she had pulled her poufy red hair back into a messy bun. She looked as though she had been crying nonstop all day long.
Xander immediately took on a more nurturing, gentle demeanor. “Hi, I’m Chief Forsetti. Are you Karrie?”
She nodded, wiping at her eyes with a napkin. “Yes. That’s me,” she said. Then, looking at me, she added, “I remember you from this morning.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry to barge in on you again like this,” I said. She shrugged.
“It’s okay. I want to help. Do you want to come in?”
“That would be great, Karrie, thanks,” Xander said with a soft smile. She turned and walked away toward the lounge area we sat this morning, Xander and I following after her with Luna trotting in with me, keeping close. She looked uneasy in the warehouse at first, and then I saw her eyes go wide and round with curiosity. Of course, she would feel that way: a warehouse was bound to be full of fun items to play with and nooks and crannies for a cat to hide in. I gave her a meaningful look that warned her to stay close, and though I could feel her disappointment, she nodded.
“I just don’t know what to do with myself,” Karrie admitted as she took a seat in the break room. Xander and I sat with her. “It feels like my whole world has been ripped out from underneath me. I just never expected this, you know?”
“Of course. This is a big shock,” I assured her.
“Exactly. I mean, I always thought Arnold and Flo had life figured out. They were perfect for each other. Yin and yang,” she sighed.
Xander frowned slightly in a way I recognized meant that he had a hunch of some kind. He leaned forward, folding his hands together, and asked her, “Could you tell me more about their relationship? Their marriage? How did they meet?”
Karrie smiled in spite of her tears. “Sure. They were so happy. I mean, they argued sometimes just like any other couple, but overall they were so into each other. Sometimes I used to complain about it, actually, about how I felt like a third wheel a lot of the time. But their story is so sweet, it was hard to stay annoyed about it. They met when Florence used to work at a plant nursery. One day, when Arnold was startin
g out with his business, he decided he needed some flowers to brighten up his office, so he went to Flo’s work. She helped him pick out the right plants and from there, one thing led to another, I guess. Isn’t that sweet?” she sniffled.
Xander and I both nodded. “Yes. Very sweet,” I agreed with a smile.
“So, what’s going with Flo? Is she alright? Is she stable?” Karrie asked, wiping her nose. “Can I go see her yet?”
“Probably not yet,” Xander said gently. “You’ll have to be patient, I’m afraid. But she is going to make it.”
She sighed. “Of course. I understand. I’m so glad she’s going to be ok. Well, if you find out anything else, let me know. I don’t know how I’m going to get anything done today. Not without Mr. Klein to guide me. Oh, I just keep expecting him to walk through the front door, whistling and smiling as usual,” Karrie said, her face crumpling into tears yet again.
Xander gave me a look that clearly told me he had decided to trust Karrie. She didn’t seem anywhere near stable enough to be a suspect in this case. We both stood up to leave. I gave Karrie a long hug, patting her on the back and reassuring her that we would figure this out, and then we took our leave. Xander looked a little put out as we walked out of the building.
“I really thought Karrie might jog my memory and generate some new leads. But I’ve got nothing,” he admitted with a sigh. “How about you?”
I shook my head. “No. Not that I can think of. The mystery continues.”
We got on our brooms and started making our way back toward town, Luna curled up in the basket once again. As we neared the busier part of town, we swung close by the Manor so I could let Luna go home, with a reminder that she was to be a downstairs cat only until she could learn to get along with Lucy. She had clearly gotten her fill of police procedures for the day. We stopped out front of the Manor and I carried her inside, setting her down on the couch with a kiss on the head before going back outside to join Xander. I hoped against hope that this time, Luna would be too exhausted to pick up her feud with Lucy.
“Is she fast asleep in there?” Xander asked, amused.
I nodded, smiling. “Yeah. She’ll be out for a bit. She’s not used to spending a lot of time outdoors in the-”
I trailed off as I caught sight of a very familiar-looking figure just a few blocks down on a broomstick. I squinted and tilted my head to one side, which made Xander do the same. Then it hit me: that was my mom! She was just kind of hanging around the neighborhood, looking a little suspicious. And when she looked over and did a double-take at me, her eyes going wide with surprise, my suspicions definitely increased.
“Mom?” I said, starting to go over to her. But she hastily jumped on her broom and zoomed off in the opposite direction, clearly doing her best to avoid me.
“Wow. Your own mother just ghosted you,” Xander chuckled.
“Yeah. That’s, uh, probably not a great sign,” I groaned. “What on earth is she up to now? And why is she being so secretive about it?”
“Who knows,” Xander laughed. “Your mom is a riot.”
“She’s a hurricane, is what she is,” I lamented, pulling out my cell phone to text my younger - but annoyingly wiser - sister, Diana. I fired off a quick text, asking if she had any idea what our incorrigible and frustratingly energetic mother was up to this time. It only took a minute or so to get a response.
No idea. There is no telling what that woman is up to. I’m sure it’s something ridiculous and niche and over the top, since that seems to be her modus operandi. Should we get her a giant hamster wheel or something to help her burn off that excess energy safely?
I snorted, then showed Xander the text. He laughed out loud, too.
“Your sister is funny,” he said. “Must run in the family.”
“Yeah, we’re a real barrel of monkeys,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “So, what’s your plan? Are you calling it quits for the day?”
“No, I’ve still got some juice left in me. I was thinking of going to visit Florence Klein in the hospital, see if she’s well enough to have a visitor yet,” he suggested. “And you?”
“Can I tag along?” I asked brightly. “I wasn’t able to get in to see her earlier, but with you there…”
Xander smirked. “Yeah, I’ll be your hall pass. Come on. Let’s go see Flo.”
Chapter 12
Riding side by side with Xander wasn’t half-bad. It wasn’t the first time I had done it, but every now and then, I had to remind myself that I was technically still just a B&B owner asking questions around town. That didn’t mean much in practice, except that I couldn’t get into places like the hospital without bending the rules a little, but sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder what Arti from two years ago would have thought if I could jump back and say hello. The conversation always went pretty smoothly in my head. “Things are good, you’re dating someone nice, you have a celebrity friend, the Manor is getting renovated - oh, and you’ve survived at least two attempts on your life. Go us!”
“So, you said you couldn’t get into the hospital before,” Xander mused as we glided over the winding roads leading down to the hospital. “But I’d like to think I know you better than that by now, so what actually happened, and should I be worried about someone asking me to arrest you when we get there?”
“Oh, come on, I’m not that bad!” I said, pretending to be more offended than I actually was. I would have been surprised if one of the citizens of Moonlight Cove hadn’t at least thought about calling the cops on me. “I didn’t do anything major. The nurse might have left her station for a few minutes, and I might have run to the bathroom, during that time. And if I overheard anything coming from Florence’s room, well, that’s not my fault.”
“Uh huh. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. But in this completely made-up hypothetical situation, did you hear anything useful?”
“Not particularly,” I said. “The doctor might have been arguing with Florence about letting her make a business call, but that’s it. She’s definitely awake and active, so she shouldn’t have trouble talking to us.”
“Business calls?” Xander said, frowning. “The business must not have been doing very well if she’s so worried about keeping things running that she can’t even take downtime the morning her husband died and she was poisoned.”
“That was my first thought, but my second thought was to remember what my sister is like,” I said. “She could lose an arm in the morning and be back in the office with a prosthetic by noon, I swear.”
Xander chuckled as our brooms came to a slow stop at the hospital. As we headed inside, I couldn’t help but feel a smug sense of pride, walking in with my official permit to go wherever I wanted. Unfortunately, that was diminished slightly by the fact that a different nurse was working the front desk. I supposed I could deal with that disappointment. The first nurse had at least found Luna cute. I could let a lot slide after that.
“Good afternoon, Officer,” the nurse said as we approached the desk. She was one I’d seen before, and she narrowed her eyes at me briefly, despite my flashing the best sympathetic smile I could muster at her. “Can I help you with anything?”
“We’re here to see Florence Klein,” Xander said casually, raising his badge briefly before tucking it away in his jacket. I hated myself for noticing, but I kind of liked the easy authority he could show off when he did stuff like that.
“Of course, she’s right this way. Let’s see if she’s in a talkative mood,” she added, standing up and leading us back to the room I’d eavesdropped on earlier.
“What does that tone mean?” Xander asked as we walked.
“That tone means she’s been in a talkative mood since the moment she woke up, despite having nearly enough poison in her to shut her up for good,” the nurse chuckled quietly. “She’s a fighter, she is. Here we are, give me just a moment.” The nurse stepped up to the door and knocked before opening it and sticking her head in. “Mrs. Klein? Chief Forsetti and his assistant are he
re and would like to speak with you, if you have a moment.”
“Sure, sure, send them in, it’s not like I’m going anywhere,” Florence’s voice came from the other side of the door, and the nurse ushered us inside.
Florence was looking much better than the state I’d seen her in when she’d been carried out of her house earlier that morning. She wasn’t looking great, but she didn’t look like she was on death’s door anymore. She was sitting upright with her hair in a messy ponytail, and despite the doctor’s warnings earlier, had a phone lying on the table next to her. Apparently, she’d worn someone down at some point. She also had a large bouquet of flowers sitting on the table, along with the remnants of a hospital lunch. Her eyes glanced between us briefly before she raised an eyebrow.
“Hello there. Can I ask why you two look so familiar? I could have sworn I’ve seen you both somewhere recently, together.”
“We didn’t get a chance to meet properly,” Xander said with that charming smile of his. “You were a little busy getting carried out on a stretcher this morning. I’m Chief Xander Forsetti, and this is Artemis Mani.”
“Ah, that’s right,” she said, smiling as we approached. “You two were heading into the house while I was on my way out. Well, I suppose it’s good to see you again, rather than the alternative.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m glad you were able to get a call out fast enough to save yourself,” I said.
“Me too,” Florence said with a sigh, rubbing her temples and shaking her head.
“I’d imagine so,” Xander said, pulling up a couple of chairs so that he and I could sit at her bedside. He took out a pen and a very official-looking notepad and leaned back in his chair, looking calm and relaxed. I, in contrast, was leaning forward and bouncing a leg anxiously. “Let’s start with the basics. Do you have any idea who poisoned you and your husband, Mrs. Klein?”
“I don’t know,” she said, crossing her arms and shaking her head. “And believe me, if I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here in a hospital bed waiting for people to take care of me, I’d be out on the hunt.”
Beat Around the Broom Page 9