by Esme Addison
“Of course I don’t mind,” Alex said, and took her hand. “Pepper, this is Jenna Hoffman. We met at the coffee shop yesterday.”
“Hello,” Jenna said shyly. “I told Alex how much I love Botanika, and she was nice enough to offer to show me around.”
“Nice to meet you,” Pepper said, but it was clear she was still thinking about Neptune Investments.
“You know, I was actually wondering if you have a job opening.” Jenna’s eyes were wide as she took in the numerous shelves of salves, ointments, teas, tonics, and candles. She finally focused on Alex. “My internship is almost over and my boss is cutting my hours. I have a lot of retail experience and I love your products.”
Minka must have overheard, because she came running from the back of the shop.
“When can you start?” she asked Jenna. “If I don’t get more inventory ready before Memorial Day weekend, we’ll never catch up. Summer’s our busiest time and Alex has been busy, uh, running errands.” The cousins shared a glance. “If we have someone watching the floor, I could get something done.”
Jenna’s face brightened. “I don’t have class today.”
“She’s getting her MBA,” Alex explained to Minka.
“You’re hired,” Minka declared. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
“Oh, okay.” Jenna laughed lightly and stuck a hand into her bag. “I brought a résumé and some references—”
“Perfect. I’ll call them later. We can really use the help.” Minka ushered Jenna toward the back of the shop. “I’ll show you where you can put your stuff.”
Alex laughed as Jenna glanced over her shoulder with a big smile. “We’ll chat later,” Alex assured her. “Minka will keep you very busy.” She turned back to Pepper, who was frowning. “Everything okay?”
“I was thinking about what you said. I need to know who is behind Neptune Investments.”
“Can you ask your father?”
“He wouldn’t tell me,” Pepper replied. “Not if he was trying to conceal the company’s identity. For some reason, he thinks I have a big mouth.” She batted her eyelashes innocently.
Alex couldn’t suppress a grin.
“I’m going to hit the library and do some research there, try to figure this out,” Pepper continued. “But Stephanie is definitely next on my list. She was at the coffee shop just now. I should’ve asked her some questions there.”
Alex tried not to look too excited. “She’s there? Now?”
“Yeah, but I’m not going back. I’d rather talk to her when I know some more.” She held up several bars of soap. “Can I buy these?”
Alex rang Pepper up, and once again they promised to keep each other informed. Minka was showing Jenna the teas, pointing to a chart that explained the different ingredients.
Once Pepper left the shop, Minka smiled coyly. “So, you’re friends now?”
Alex laughed. “Not exactly. More a case of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. But it’s paying off.” Alex was already untying her apron. “She just told me that a certain someone is at the coffee shop. I’ve got to get to her before she leaves.”
Minka took a step backward. “Who are you talking about?”
Stephanie, Alex mouthed. She didn’t want Jenna to overhear her talking about Randy’s wife.
“Alex,” Minka warned.
“I’ll be careful, don’t worry.” She folded up her apron and stuck it behind the counter. She whispered, “Stephanie’s not going to do anything to me in broad daylight with witnesses all over. She wouldn’t dare.”
She took off toward Coffee O’Clock at nearly a sprint. “Please be there, please be there,” she whispered as she took the cement steps into the coffee shop two at a time. She pulled open the door and instantly saw Stephanie sitting at a table in the back, reading a book. Stephanie was wearing a flowery sundress and sling-backs, and her legs were bare—fitting for the warm spring day.
She marched in and headed straight over to Stephanie. Magical or not, Alex was furious that the woman thought she was going to get away with murder. “Stephanie, we need to talk.”
She looked up from her book in alarm but composed herself quickly. “I have nothing to say to you,” she snapped. “And if you’re here to harass me, you’d better leave.”
“Mind if I sit?” Alex pulled out the chair across the table. “The grieving-widow performance you gave the other day at your house was a good one. You’re quite an actress, I’ll give you that.”
Stephanie eyed her. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
“Come on. I saw you and Edwin leaving that bed-and-breakfast yesterday. You told me how upset you were that Randy had a girlfriend, but you were seeing someone, too. Randy’s business partner.”
Her blue eyes scanned the shop nervously; then she leaned forward to hiss, “So what? We were in the middle of a divorce. Our marriage was failing.”
“Then why did you tell me you were trying to work it out?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation.” Stephanie’s voice echoed across the room, and patrons stopped to look.
Alex lowered her voice and held up her hands. “There’s no need to make a scene.”
“I’m not making a scene.” Stephanie closed her eyes, visibly fighting for control. When she opened them again, she appeared calmer. “My husband left our marriage years ago. Woman after woman, night after night. He humiliated me. And yes, I discovered that Edwin and I had a lot in common. We were both victims of Randy’s enormous ego. It’s like he was unable to think of anyone but himself.” She balled her fists in her lap. “But Edwin is different. He’s sweet and he’s faithful. I did love Randy. I gave my life to him, and I’m still devastated that he didn’t feel the same way.” Her jaw tightened and she looked down. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. It makes no difference now that Randy’s dead.”
Alex leaned in. “It makes a big difference if you killed him.”
Stephanie blanched. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound emerged. Alex thought she might begin shouting again, but her blue eyes narrowed into daggers and her cheeks flushed with rage. “I should sue you for even suggesting that.”
“You know you hate my aunt Lidia. And you hated your cheating husband, too. So you decided to take care of them both at the same time.”
“Yes, I despise your aunt,” she spat out. “But I have nothing more to say about that. I didn’t kill my husband, and if you continue to harass me, I’m going to contact the police.”
“Too late,” a deep voice said from behind her.
Alex turned around to see Jack approaching their table with a disapproving glare. “Is everything all right here?”
Alex groaned. “Just fantastic.”
Stephanie shoved her novel forcefully into her bag. “I finished bringing Randy’s clothes to the thrift shop, and I was looking forward to just having a quiet cup of coffee. You ruined that.” She zipped her bag with bravado and skidded her chair backward on the wood floor. “Yes, I wanted to be with Edwin. Are you happy now? He’s a better man than Randy ever was. And I’m not sorry Randy’s dead. But that doesn’t mean I killed him.” With that, she stormed out of the coffee shop, her nose high in the air.
Jack watched her leave and then lifted his brows at Alex. “You okay? Things seemed a little tense.”
“We were only talking,” she scowled. “Everything’s fine.”
Jack pulled up the chair Stephanie had just abandoned. “Alex, the last time I saw you, you’d blown four tires. And now I see Stephanie Bennett announcing that she’s not sorry her husband’s dead, and something about a lover—”
“Edwin,” Alex said. “Randy’s partner.”
Jack stopped to massage his forehead. “Yes. Of course.” He sighed. “And here I thought small-town murder would be simple after working in New York City.”
“Rookie mistake.” Alex folded her hands on the table.
“My point is, either trouble’s following you
or you’re looking for it. I tend to think it’s the latter.”
“You saw how upset Stephanie was, right? I thought she might slug me for a minute there.”
“Most people don’t like being accused of murder. In my experience, they don’t take it well.”
Around them, the shop had returned to normal. The smell of fresh-ground coffee beans wafted through the space, and the room was filled with the sounds of chatter. Alex turned her head and caught Celeste watching her and Jack as she knocked coffee grounds into the trash. The barista’s eyebrows raised in question, but Alex only looked away, suddenly embarrassed by her own conduct.
“Alex, what are you doing here?” Jack spread his hands wide. “Why are you bothering a woman who just lost her husband?”
“I’m trying to solve this crime,” she said earnestly. “My aunt had no reason to kill Randy. But you heard Stephanie. She’s not sorry her husband is dead.”
Jack nodded. “Yes. The entire town heard that.”
“She’s getting sixty percent of the company and all of their marital assets. I’m sure Randy had a life insurance policy, too.” Alex counted the reasons on her fingers. “She’s in love with Edwin Kenley, Randy’s business partner. And now that Randy is dead, the two of them own the entire company, which is worth one hundred million dollars, Jack. And from what I hear, they’ve already found a buyer.”
His expression was serious as he listened to her argument. “It’s a lot of money,” he agreed.
“It’s more money than either of them would have ever seen if Randy Bennett hadn’t suddenly died. And you know what else? Stephanie hates my aunt. Ask anyone in here.” She waved an arm around the room. “They all heard her say it. She had every reason to frame her for murder. And she’s probably the one who tried to send me off the Peninsula, too.”
Jack eyed her. “We didn’t find anything on your car. No signs of tampering.”
“So you’re telling me we’ll never know who did it?” Even if she’d been correct, she was disappointed.
“It could have been a defect in the tires. If you want, we could send you the report and you can speak with the manufacturer—”
She knew that wouldn’t go anywhere. There had been nothing wrong with those tires, design-wise. But she didn’t want to have a lengthy conversation with Jack about it. “Yeah, that sounds good. In the meantime”—she edged closer to Jack—“what are you going to do about the fact that Stephanie Bennett murdered her husband but my aunt is under house arrest?”
He returned her steady gaze and said, “New evidence in the case, coupled with the information you’ve just shared, convinces me I need to investigate this further.”
Relief surged in her chest. She’d done it. When Jack stood, Alex jumped up and gave him a hug. “Thank you, Jack. I knew I could count on you.”
She only realized what she’d done when his body stiffened. Quickly, she released her arms and backed away, but the moment was officially weird.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I got a little carried away.”
He looked visibly torn as he looked from her to the patrons around the coffee shop. She thought she could hear his thoughts. Small town. Gossip. Bias. Ethical violations. The words were almost whispered in her mind, but she had no doubt that Jack was screaming in his.
“Wait. You said new evidence?”
“We finally had the opportunity to review all the security footage in the area.”
“And?”
“And”—he leaned forward—“seems like Edwin Kenley paid his business partner a visit a few hours before he died.”
“What?” She slapped a hand over her mouth and looked around the café, hoping no one had heard her. “You’re kidding me,” she said in a whisper.
He nodded. “We got him on a neighbor’s security cam knocking on the door with an envelope in his hand. They worked together and it’s probably nothing, but I’ll look into it. He stayed about thirty minutes and then left. Bennett walked him to the door, so we know he was alive when he left.”
“But if he put something in his tea and Randy drank it later …” She couldn’t hide the excitement bubbling in her chest. They were one step closer to freeing her aunt. She wanted to wrap her arms around Jack and squeeze him tight again, but she restrained herself this time. They still had to cross all their t’s and dot all their i’s. There was another suspect on her list that needed investigating. I’m so grateful that you’re looking into this, Jack … but there is one more thing I’d like for you to do.” She rushed on when she saw his eyebrow arch in warning. “Just ask Bronson Bellamy what he was doing when the murder happened, and if anyone can corroborate his whereabouts.”
His eyes widened, and he leaned toward her. “You want me to ask the mayor of Bellamy Bay if he killed someone?”
Sighing, she tried to look apologetic, but she really needed to know if the mayor had an alibi. “Yes.”
He gave her a look of warning. “Careful, Alex,” he said quietly. “Your questions are going to annoy the wrong people, and I don’t want to get a call that you’ve been seriously injured or worse. You’re chasing after a cold-blooded killer. Even the best people get desperate when they’re cornered.”
She swallowed. He was right; she’d been making some enemies. But now that Jack was going to investigate Stephanie and Edwin, Alex could stop her own sleuthing. “I’m done. I promise.”
But Jack’s expression soured. “I’ve heard that before. I don’t want to hear promises. I just want you to be safe, got it?”
He meant well, but the hard tone of his voice stung. Clearly her investigation had struck a nerve. Maybe Jack really did care about her more than he was letting on. “Got it.”
He gave her upper arm an affectionate squeeze before heading to the counter to give Celeste his order. Alex avoided the curious glances that followed her out of the coffee shop. She walked to a small park organized around a large mermaid fountain. She gazed at the structure and suppressed a laugh: another mermaid fountain? It seemed the water witches of Bellamy Bay were hiding in plain sight.
When the water was running, four bronze mermaids held shells that sprayed water out of their openings into the center of the pool. The park was empty. She sat on a bench and pulled her phone from her purse. Apologies were in order.
She hadn’t heard from or spoken to Dylan since that nightmare of a party, but now she felt guilty about the way she’d treated him and how she’d sneaked around the Wesleys’ library. She’d thought Captain Bellamy’s journal would lead her to the killer, but perhaps she’d drawn connections that weren’t there and embarrassed herself in the process. She was eager to help her aunt, but Alex had to consider whether she’d gone too far. Nervously, she found his phone number in her contacts list and waited to see if he would pick up. The phone had barely rung when he answered.
“It’s Alex Daniels.” She had forgotten to plan what to say, and now she stood, pacing to get her brain working again. “How are you?”
“I’m well,” he replied, his voice guarded. “I was actually going to call you. Your car is finished. Minka’s car, really.”
Alex was speechless. How in the world would he know that? “I own some body shops in the area,” Dylan explained. “It’s an investment I made a few years ago.”
“Oh. I had no idea.”
He chuckled. “There’s probably a lot about me you don’t know.” He softened his voice. “I was concerned when I heard about your accident. Are you all right?”
Her chest tingled at his concern, but now that Jack was onto Stephanie and Edwin, the issue would be resolved. Stephanie was a Magical and she was in cahoots with Edwin, plain and simple. Once she was arrested, the Council would place a shackle spell on her, Edwin would go to jail, and Alex wouldn’t fear any more attacks. “Yes, thank you. Look, I’m calling you because you’re right, there’s a lot about you I don’t know, and I unfairly judged you. I want to apologize for that.”
“I accept your apology, and I hope you’ll co
nsider having dinner with me again. Just you and me, no crowds. My place?”
“I do hate crowds.” Alex smiled.
“So what do you say? Tomorrow night?”
Alex hesitated. Was this a date? No, this was just two friends meeting for a meal. And that was the truth. Even so, she wondered why her stomach suddenly filled with butterflies. “That sounds lovely,” she grinned, realizing that she really, really wanted to see him again.
“I’ll pick you up at Lidia’s.”
“No,” she said, a bit too firmly, and then lightened her tone. Even if the Wesleys weren’t responsible for Randy’s death, there was still plenty of bad blood between the families, and Alex didn’t need the additional drama. “Why don’t we meet somewhere else? On the beach? In front of the Seaside Bed and Breakfast?”
To her relief, Dylan understood. “I’ll be there. And when you arrive here, your car will be waiting.”
After they disconnected the call, Alex headed back to Botanika. All in all, she felt great. It was only a matter of time before Jack dropped the charges against Lidia, and Dylan didn’t hate her. She was smiling as she opened the door to the herbal apothecary. “Hey, Minka. How’s Jenna’s first day going?”
She froze one step into the shop.
Bryn was standing in the middle of the floor, her brilliant blue eyes practically glowing. “There you are,” she hissed. “We need to talk.”
She was wearing a pinstriped skirt suit and high heels, and her hair was pulled into a severe knot. As usual, Bryn looked poised, stunning, and pissed off.
Alex caught sight of Minka alone at the back counter, looking shaken. “Where’s Jenna?”
Her voice was weak. “She ran out to get us doughnuts. Her treat. She wanted to do something nice for us since we gave her a job.”
Alex was sick and tired of Dylan’s sister being a bully. “What do you want, Bryn?” she asked, lacing her voice with boredom.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” she spat. “I erased all of Pepper’s memories about that journal. So why is she messing with my family again? I know you sent her. You’re obsessed with my family.”