by Nova Nelson
“But that was a hundred years ago, give or take a couple of decades. So much has happened since then.”
Their waitress, Abigail Shoggins, approached, and Bloom ordered herself a glass of red wine.
“Drinking on duty?” said Ruby.
“Are you going to tell on me?”
“To whom?”
“Exactly. Besides, it would be a shame to eat the steak without the proper pairing.”
“I won’t fight with you on that.” Ruby took a sip of her hot tea.
“Good. Now that you’re done judging me, which we both know is my job anyway, how about you get on with your story?”
Ruby agreed and by the time she was finished relaying the conversation with the two prime suspects, Bloom’s steak had arrived. “I have thoughts,” she said, “but I also have steak, and this takes precedence.”
The first cut sent a flood of delicious juices spilling onto her plate, mingling with the creamy potatoes and the butter from the asparagus. Her old comrades in Heaven really didn’t know what they were missing. The meat practically melted in her mouth, and she moaned.
Ruby refilled her teacup from the small kettle in front of her. “Moaning at the taste of blood, huh? You know who you remind me of?”
Bloom, whose eyes had been closed, the better to savor the meal, opened them just enough to glare at her dinner companion. “You will not ruin this for me, no matter how hard you try.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Zax tells me they prepare this according to an old Wisconsin recipe. I already finished mine, so I can tell you that I firmly understand the emotion you’re experiencing, and if you ever decide to take time off from work, I propose a ladies’ trip to Wisconsin.”
Once Bloom’s food cravings had been adequately sated, she sat up straight, sighed, and said, “Okay, back to the case at hand. And yes, a trip to Wisconsin is happening at some point.”
“It’d better be soon. I’m not getting any younger.”
“True, but you’re not exactly old, are you?”
“Of course not. But try telling that to my ankles first thing in the morning.” Ruby paused. “Here’s what I’m wondering.” Bloom set down her utensils and paid Ruby her full attention. She could tell they were diving back in. “If Opal didn’t tear up her home, who did?”
“That’s really the question of the hour, isn’t it?” replied Bloom. “Whoever tore up her home is likely the one who delivered the letters to Flufferbum. They must have known it would also put Cedric in a lot of danger.”
“So do we have a case of vigilante justice? Maybe someone saw Cedric murder Swamy and is trying to make sure he doesn’t get away with it.”
“Or,” Bloom said, “the real person behind Swamy’s disappearance is trying to frame Cedric for it.”
Ruby nodded. “It does seem like it’s one or the other, doesn’t it?”
“It does. Which we both know from hard-earned experience probably means there’s a third possibility we’re missing.”
“And it’s the correct one.”
Bloom nodded. “What about Virgil? He’s involved in this situation, even if it’s not entirely clear why and how. And we can only take his word for the fact that his scratches were from Taurus or something like it and not from attacking and possibly killing Swamy in the woods that night. Perhaps Swamy did show up, after all. It’s just a matter of taking Virgil’s word.”
“This is true,” Ruby conceded. “His alibi is thin at best. Did you detect any guilt in him when we first spoke with him?”
Bloom nodded. “He was definitely withholding something, but now that I know more, it seems likely that it was the story of Opal kissing him and Swamy having possibly seen.”
“Or maybe it was something more.”
“Or maybe it was something more,” Bloom echoed.
“The motive is something I don’t understand, though. Why would he want to kill Swamy? There seems to be no reason.”
It was something Bloom had considered in depth as well. “Perhaps Swamy’s reason for getting Virgil out in the woods wasn’t to hunt for Taurus but to hurt him for kissing Opal. And Virgil merely defended himself and in doing so killed Swamy.”
“And hid the body?” Ruby asked.
Bloom frowned. “Right. I didn’t detect that degree of guilt. Sure, it was clear he was hiding something relevant, but not something that relevant. And you know how everything anyone’s ever done wrong tends to surface to the forefront of their mind when they speak with an angel.”
“I don’t, actually.” Ruby sipped her tea.
“Not even a little?”
“Maybe years ago. But the more I learn about you, dear Gabby, the less I believe you actually have room to judge.”
Bloom rolled her eyes and finished off the last of her wine.
From beside the table for two, Clifford’s head shot up, and he looked toward the restaurant entrance a moment before a frantic figure sprinted in, her eyes wide as she scanned the restaurant. It was Opal Barker.
Her stare locked onto Bloom, then she rushed through the labyrinth of tables, shouting before she was even halfway there, “He’s been attacked!”
“Who?” Bloom and Ruby asked at once.
“Cedric! He’s been attacked!”
Gabby hurried to her feet. “When? By whom?”
“Just now,” Opal said breathlessly as diners at the nearby tables gaped unabashedly at the scene. “It was Taurus. Taurus attacked him.”
Ruby said, “Lead the way.”
“Yes,” said Bloom, wondering how a being that didn’t exist managed to wreak so much havoc. “Lead the way.”
Chapter Eighteen
A million possible scenarios raced through Ruby’s mind as she and Clifford hurried after Bloom and Opal. But none of them, at least by her accounting of the facts, actually included Taurus, the legendary werebear bane himself, attacking Cedric in broad daylight. It just didn’t make any sense.
And yet, Opal blathered on about it in a nonsensical and panicked flow, and Sheriff Bloom placated her with plenty of nods and halfhearted sounds of understanding.
Finally, they reached the spot. It was one Ruby had already walked today, as it wasn’t far from Opal’s home.
They found Cedric sitting on the ground, leaning against a boulder just off the footpath. He clutched as many of his wounds as he could.
“Siren’s song,” cursed Ruby under her breath as she took in the severity of his gashes.
Blood dripped down his forehead from a single cut just below his hairline, and his forearms both held defensive wounds similar to the ones on Virgil. On top of all that, there seemed to be a great amount of blood flowing down Cedric’s right side. He moaned and tried to call out to Bloom, but his speech was slurred.
“He saved me,” Opal said. “He saved me from Taurus.”
Bloom knelt in front of him and grimaced slightly. It was fortunate that the angel had enjoyed her bloody steak before this incident. Was she imagining it now?
“Zax,” Ruby said. “I’ll send an owl. Maybe he hasn’t made it to his meeting with Malavic yet, and he can hurry back with some of the ointment he used on Virgil.”
Bloom nodded her approval decisively and then returned to her scan of Cedric’s wounds. Ruby knew he wouldn’t die, so long as Bloom was with him—she had tricks up her sleeve to keep people alive—but she was no healer.
Clifford trotted beside Ruby as she ran to the nearest home to borrow (without asking) their owl. A brown spotted owl napped on the perch above its bell, just to the side of the front door, and Ruby searched deep into her pockets for what she needed. Her fingertips found a bit of charcoal and a scrap of parchment from an old grocery list. That would do.
She scribbled, Attack on Cedric. Head toward Opal’s home. Bring ointment. Then she told the owl who to locate and watched it fly away. How long would it take for Zax to arrive?
Bloom would need her. Not to help Cedric, but to manage Opal, who had been on the verge of hysterics.
And nothing had changed by the time Ruby returned. “Come with me over here, dear,” Ruby said in her calmest most matronly tone. She put an arm around Opal’s waist because the woman’s shoulders were a foot too tall for her and led her away from the messy scene.
Once they were far enough away that Cedric’s moans were mostly inaudible, Ruby said, “Tell me what happened.”
Opal’s voice shook, and her eyes were still wide, her pupils so dilated none of her green irises could be seen. But she managed to answer, and Ruby was grateful for that. “After you left, I told Cedric I wanted to go see my home, to see how big the mess was and try to put it back together. He fought me on it. He said what had happened there was a crime, someone was desperate. And it would be stupid to return to the scene of the crime.” Her taut expression drooped into misery. “And he was right.”
Ruby’s Insight was gently nudging her in the sternum, and she told it, Yes, I know. The letters. But now didn’t seem like the right time to interrogate Opal about that. “I assume you convinced him to change his mind?”
“Yes. Only after an argument, though. He needed a little time to cool down, but finally he said it must mean a lot to me, and if I had to go, he would come with me.” She put her head in her hands, making the last of her words difficult to hear. “I should have listened to him. None of this would have happened.”
Ruby leaned forward and patted the hunched-over Opal on the shoulder. “Now, now. He’s going to be just fine. It looks bad now, yes, but Zax Banderfield is on the way, and we’ll get him all fixed up.”
Opal hiccupped and raised her head. “He saved me. If he hadn’t come with me, I don’t know what would have happened. Taurus might have killed me!”
Ruby had her doubts about that but spoke nothing of them. “He’s a very brave man, that’s for sure. But he’s also tough. I’m sure he’ll be back on his feet in no time.”
Just then, Zax appeared around the bend, hustling over at a solid jog. “Oh, thank goddess,” Ruby moaned, and went to meet him by Cedric and Bloom.
Along with the ointment from the Pixie Mixie, Zax had smartly brought with him a roll of bandages and a small flagon of water.
Well, wasn’t he just the prepared one? Ruby appreciated people who were quick on their feet when the swirls hit the fan.
There was no more discussion of what had happened for the ten minutes that followed. Once the blood was washed away, the wounds didn’t look nearly as intimidating. The damage was likely not even life threatening. While Ruby guessed he would have a scar on his forehead and a few on his forearms, the scratches on his side were hardly more than superficial, despite having produced so much blood.
Before he declared his patient fixed, Zax reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small flask, handing it off to Cedric. “Whiskey,” he said.
Cedric took it gladly and knocked back two swigs before he returned it to his sleuth leader. “Thanks.”
“Can you tell us what happened now?” Ruby asked.
But Bloom interrupted. “Hold on.” She looked over her shoulder to where Opal was standing, clutching herself. “Would you mind having a seat on that bench over there while we talk to him?”
Opal narrowed her eyes at the sheriff. “Why?”
“I don’t want you to have to relive it.”
The lie was more transparent than any ghost Ruby had ever seen, but Opal apparently had bigger concerns preoccupying her. “But what if he’s still out there?”
“Clifford will go with you,” Bloom said. “That okay, Cliff?”
“On it, Sheriff,” he said dutifully, and went to stand by Opal.
While Bloom couldn’t hear his reply, he’d made himself clear, and she turned back to Cedric once Opal was out of the way. “Okay, now you can tell us what happened.”
The fact that Bloom was intent on splitting the couple up meant that both Opal and Cedric were still firmly on her suspect list. And they couldn’t have two suspects overhearing each other’s account of the attack. It would have tainted the evidence.
And that also indicated that Bloom still wasn’t buying the Taurus nonsense either.
Cedric’s breathing was labored, but he pushed through the pain to respond. “Opal insisted on going back to her house to check on it after she heard it’d been torn apart. I didn’t want her to go for obvious reasons of her safety, but she insisted, so I went with her. Then, I heard a rustle in the woods just back there”—he pointed—“but I figured it was just a deer or something. Maybe even a few birds flapping around in the bushes. That was until the cursed thing stepped out.” He shuddered. “It was huge. It looked right at me and then charged.”
“Right at you, or right at the both of you?” Bloom asked.
“Just me.”
“Do you think it had you singled out, then?”
He held up his bandaged arm where the blood was already soaking through. “Yeah, I’d say so.”
“Did you get the sense,” Ruby asked, “that Opal was in any danger at all?”
Cedric considered it and then said, “Only if she’d tried to step between Taurus and me.”
“How big would you say it was?” Bloom asked.
Cedric shrugged and looked around vaguely.
“Zax,” Bloom said, turning to the sleuth leader. “Would you stand to give us some sort of reference point?”
The werebear looked at her askance but did as she requested.
“Taller or shorter than Zax?” Bloom prompted.
“Um, well… probably about the same height.”
“So it was tall then,” said Bloom. “Zax is no dwarf.”
Zax nodded. “I come from big stock,” he said proudly, taking a knee in front of Cedric again.
“What happened then?” Bloom asked. “What made him leave rather than finishing the job, you think?”
Cedric cringed. “I think he assumed he did finish the job. After he got me in the side and across the head, I’m a little embarrassed to say I went down. I would’ve gotten back up to protect Opal, but it didn’t seem necessary. He turned and ran down the path.”
Bloom’s eyebrows shot up. “He ran down the path? Not straight back into the woods?”
“No. Down the path. That way.” He pointed.
“Perhaps,” said Ruby, “he wanted to be seen.” She exchanged a look with Bloom before the angel cast a glance over her shoulder at Clifford. The hellhound was on his feet, prowling a tight protective circle around Opal.
Ruby knew then what they were about to do, and while her survival instincts weren’t all too thrilled with it, she did love a bit of danger.
Nothing like risking death to make one appreciate being alive.
Bloom turned to Zax. “I don’t want to keep you from your meeting with Malavic. You know how broody he gets when he’s bored. We’ll take it from here.”
Zax got to his feet slowly. “You sure?”
“Yes,” replied the sheriff. “With my powers, Ruby’s Insight, and Clifford’s teeth, I think we can manage ourselves fine.” Her smile was polite, but clearly a dismissal.
“All right then,” he said, casting Ruby a concerned glance. She nodded at him, hoping to convey that she appreciated his chivalrous consideration but agreed with Bloom’s directive.
Once Zax was out of sight, Ruby and Bloom each grabbed Cedric under an armpit and helped raise him slowly to his feet. “Let’s get you two somewhere safe,” Bloom said. “We’ll be back to check on you later. But first, Ms. True and I have something that demands our urgent attention.”
Chapter Nineteen
Clifford’s nose bounced so rapidly just a half-inch above the dirt foot path that it almost looked like he was having a seizure. But experience informed Sheriff Bloom that this was quite usual for the hellhound. Not only that, but this was him in his element, getting to sniff out a trail that undoubtedly led straight to danger.
They’d dropped Opal and Cedric off at Opal’s home where she could begin to straighten the mess and Cedric could r
est.
Only an hour before, she would have thought leaving the two of them together could be putting Opal’s life in danger, but now she wasn’t so sure. If Cedric was responsible for the attack on his brother and Swamy’s disappearance and possibly, perhaps even likely, murder, he was likely too injured to do any real damage to Opal, who was by no means a tiny woman herself.
But now that he’d been attacked, Bloom’s firm suspicion had become unstuck. Unless he somehow staged them, he was probably not the one behind his and Virgil’s attacks. There was someone involved in all this whom they hadn’t properly investigated, and he was slowly crawling to the top of her list.
But her new theory was still too fresh to get attached to.
And besides, they would likely learn much more once they found where this trail was leading.
“Any indication of species?” Bloom asked.
“Cliff says it smells like a werebear. But he adds the caveat that everything in this area of Eastwind smells like werebear.”
“Any particular werebear?”
“He can’t say yet. There are a few familiar scents running this way.”
The path split, with the branch on the right running parallel along the lane of homes that continued up the mountain. The other branch twisted off deeper into the woods.
Without missing a beat, Clifford went into the woods.
“Huh,” said Ruby.
“What?”
“He says there are three distinct scents that he recognizes going this way. But he can’t tell which one is fresher than the others.”
Bloom was getting impatient. The sun was beginning to set, and the dark canopy of the woods swallowed them up. “And to whom do these familiar scents belong?”
Ruby was silent for a moment, no doubt carrying on with her familiar. Finally, once they were fifty yards farther down the path, she said, “Keep in mind there are others in here, but only three are familiar to him. Virgil, Zax, and Swamy.”
“Swamy?” Bloom said. “How does he know Swamy’s scent?”
“When we stopped by his home. Clifford stayed outside, but he says there was a scent all around that he took to be Swamy’s because it wasn’t Opal’s. He smells the same one now mixed in with the rest.”