It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't have a good reason to be there. I hadn't come up with any real excuse, and I was just winging the whole thing. I probably should have just turned around and walked away, but I didn't.
"I don't,” I said. "I mean, I have a car, but it doesn't need any work."
"You're the one whose boyfriend disappeared,” he said thoughtfully.
I almost said You're the one whose fiancée turned up dead this morning, but I managed not to humiliate myself and insult him. "I'm Allegra Darling,” I said instead.
"I'm Gareth Torres," he responded. "I'd shake your hand, but I'm afraid these old rags don't get all the grease off."
"That's very thoughtful of you,” I said.
"So, are you just a ghoul?" he asked softly. There was a hint of accusation in his tone, but it was slight.
"A what?" He'd piqued my curiosity.
"Are you just a looky-loo here to see where she died?" Again a hint of accusation but he wasn't nearly as hostile as you'd expect someone to be when people come by to gape at where your loved one died.
"I mean, I am here to see where she died, but I'm not a ghoul,” I said.
"I think I've heard about you,” Gareth said. "You helped solve some of the murders around here, right?"
"I guess you could say that," I responded.
"Is that why you're here? You want to help Beth solve Rosaline's murder?" Gareth asked.
That was why I was there.
"I should probably stay out of it,” I said. "Bethany is always telling me to stay out of these things, but I seem to find myself in the middle of them."
"That could be because you put yourself in the middle of them,” Gareth said, but he didn't sound upset. "I'm sorry. That probably sounded rude. It's been a rough morning."
"I can imagine,” I said. "I'm surprised you’re at work."
"Grief doesn't pay the bills,” Gareth said. "Besides, if I was at home, I'd just be stewing over her. It's better if I'm here working on something. It keeps me out of trouble."
"Some people might say it's because you don't really care she died." I instantly regretted it the second it came out of my mouth. "I'm sorry. Wow. I am a jerk. I guess I am interested in finding out who killed her, and I guess that means I've started with you."
Gareth took a deep breath. "I can tell you didn't mean anything personal by it. I didn't kill her, if that's why you're getting at."
"I suppose it was,” I said.
He let out a strained chuckle. "Bethany came right to me too. It's the natural place to start given how many women are murdered by their significant others, but it wasn't me."
"Yeah, I guess Bethany would have arrested you if she really thought that,” I said, and then I thought of something. "Wait, you asked me if I was a ghoul. Said something about looky-loos coming around to see where she was murdered. Have you had a lot of that?"
"A few. Mostly people walking by really slowly. A few stopped and stared like you."
I shook off his comment. "Who? Sometimes a killer will go back to the scene of a crime. I saw that on a TV show."
Gareth thought about it for a moment. "Well, other than the ghouls just staring, this guy was here. He stuck out to me."
"How so?" I asked.
"At first, he was just standing across the street staring like you were. I called out to him several times, but he didn't answer."
"Kinda like me,” I said.
"Yeah, I mean, maybe you are the killer,” Gareth said. "Are you the one returning to the scene of the crime?"
I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. It seemed like a strange time to be joking around, but people deal with grief in different ways. I couldn't judge him for it. Maybe it was the only way he could keep from breaking down.
"No,” I said. "No, that's not it, but when you put it like that..."
"I'm sorry,” Gareth said and held his hands up in front of his chest. "I shouldn't keep giving you a hard time, but I'm just..."
"Going a little crazy?" I asked.
"It's not really sinking in that she's gone, but at the same time, it feels like it's smothering me,” he said and took a deep, shuddering breath.
"You know what? Now I'm going to apologize again. I should leave you alone. I'm sorry,” I said.
"We seem to be doing that a lot,” Gareth said and smoothed his beard. "We keep apologizing. Like we're just stepping all over each other's toes."
"I think this situation is a lot stranger than I imagined it in my head,” I said. "I'll go."
"You don't have to do that,” Gareth said, and he reached out for my arm.
I almost jumped, but all he did was brush my upper arm gently. It was a sweet gesture. Of all the things, he was comforting me. People had him all wrong.
"You were saying something about a guy standing across the street staring at you,” I said before I could apologize again.
"Yeah, anyway, I finally hollered at him and he snapped out of it. I expected him to cross the street and come into the garage, but he just started bawling. It was bizarre,” Gareth said.
"That is strange."
"So at first, I thought that maybe I hadn't known Rosaline at all. I'm thinking this guy is crying because they had some sort of relationship and he was torn up about her death,” Gareth said.
"Oh, no."
"But it wasn't that,” Gareth said. "I got the guy some tissues and a can of soda, and he started talking. His name was Felix McCoy. Apparently, he was one of Rosaline's psychic clients."
"You knew about that?" I asked.
"Everybody knew about it. I'm sure of it,” Gareth said.
"Do you believe that she was a psychic?" I asked.
"Not in the least. I don't believe in all that magical mumbo jumbo stuff,” he said.
That was ironic given that he was having a conversation with a witch and her talking dog familiar, but I didn't think it was a good time to say anything. Not that I could say anything, but for some reason, I wanted to show him. I ignored that urge and asked him to tell me more about Felix.
"So, did this Felix guy tell you why he was so torn up about her death? Was it just because she'd been his psychic for so long? Maybe he considered her a friend?"
"No, that's the weird thing. He didn't like Rosaline. I guess he didn't know I was her fiancé, so he told me all about why he didn't like her,” Gareth said. "So he'd spent a lot of money on those video chat readings. At first, I thought I was going to find out she was doing more than just psychic readings, but I should have known better. My Rosaline would never be a cam girl."
"So, what was it then?"
"The guy had just spent tons of money on psychic readings, and he thought that Rosaline would be able to read him better if they did the video chats. So, he paid out the wazoo for it. The thing is, and Rosaline should have known better on this, he was asking for advice on some serious stuff. I know she had a disclaimer that her readings were only for entertainment, but Felix was asking her about stuff like what he should do with his business and how he should invest money. I personally don't think Rosy should have been involved with that kind of stuff. It's bad news to meddle in people's financial lives, but I guess she couldn't bring herself to turn the money down."
"I'm guessing the stuff she told him didn't help,” I said.
"It was more than that,” Gareth said. "This guy ruined his business and bankrupted himself."
"That's not good."
"It's not, but he kept coming back. He said that every time, he thought the next time would be the one where she got it right and he hit it big time. He was here crying because he was never going to get the chance to fix everything. I guess it was so bad that his wife had left him."
"Wow,” I said. "Did you tell him he could fix everything by not spending all of his money on psychics and bad business investments?"
"I did not say that,” Gareth said. "But I probably should have. I wonder how much I could have charged him for my advice."
I couldn't h
elp but laugh a little.
"It just figures," a woman's voice boomed loud behind us.
Gareth and I had been so deep in our discussion that we hadn't heard her approach. It was Jasmine Morgan, the owner of What in Carnation Flower Shop.
"What figures?" I asked.
"It figures that this man's fiancée isn't even cold yet, and he's out here carrying on with another woman," Jasmine sniped.
"That's not what's going on,” I said.
"Well, it sure looks like it. You two were neck deep in conversation, and I walk up and you're laughing and joking around. Have you no respect for the dead?" she shrilled.
"People deal with grief differently,” I said.
"Oh, sure. You know what?" Jasmine asked.
"What?" I couldn't wait to hear what she had to say.
"That's the kind of thing murderers say," Jasmine spat.
"Just so we can be clear," Gareth said calmly, "are you accusing me or Allegra of murder?"
"You know what you did,” Jasmine said. "That poor girl. If it wasn't for the likes of you, she'd still be alive."
"Like Allegra said, people deal with grief differently, so I'm going to let it go that you're standing here accusing me of murder,” Gareth said measuredly. "But I think you should stop before you say something you regret."
"Is that a threat?" Jasmine practically yelled.
"No, Jasmine, it's not a threat. I would never threaten you, but you're saying things you're going to regret later. I didn't kill Rosaline, and when that becomes obvious, you're going to feel really bad about accusing me. So, please, just stop now. That way, in the end, we can all still be friends,” Gareth said.
"Like I'd ever be friends with a criminal like you. I can't believe you're even allowed to walk the streets."
Gareth took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I'm at work. I can't do this right now."
"No, you look..." Jasmine began, but before she could finish her sentence, Scarlet pulled up to the curb.
She got out and looked at the three of us. "What's going on here?"
Her eyes were rimmed with red, and I could see where her tears had cut little rivers through her makeup. She was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans that were so rumpled, it looked as though she'd either pulled them out of a laundry basket or rolled out of bed in them. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and strands of her ash blonde hair were sticking out. She'd probably slept in the ponytail too.
"Mind your own business,” Jasmine said.
"Uh, Gareth is my business," Scarlet snapped. "He's a good friend and he was engaged to my best friend. I'd go as far as to say he's family. So, if you've got a problem with him, you've got a problem with me."
"I don't think your parents would appreciate you carrying on with a member of a biker gang, Scarlet. You need to figure out your situation because hanging around with trash like this isn't a good look for a young lady."
Scarlet's face turned bright... scarlet. Her nostrils flared, and I could tell she was about to attack Jasmine, so I stepped in.
"Gareth, why don't you take Scarlet inside?" I said and he nodded to me. "Jasmine, do you have a business reason to be here?"
"No, I don't,” she said. "But what are you doing hanging out with the likes of Gareth Torres. I never expected that."
"I'm not,” I said. "I was walking by the garage and he was outside. I was just offering my condolences. It seemed like the neighborly thing to do." I shrugged.
"Well, that's sweet of you, but he doesn't deserve it. He did this, and the whole town is going to find out eventually."
Jasmine had calmed considerably. I decided that while Gareth was inside with Scarlet, it was a good time to find out if Jasmine had a real reason to believe Gareth was guilty. If she had information, I wanted it.
"Jasmine, why do you think Gareth killed Rosaline? Is it just because he has a criminal past, or is there something else?" I asked. "Do you have information on the case?"
I tried to act conspiratorially. I wanted to make Jasmine think I believed her and that we were partners in the "truth". Maybe if she thought of me as an ally, she'd spill some dirt.
"He was having an affair,” Jasmine said. "Everybody knows he was only marrying Rosaline because her family is well-off compared to him, but he was seeing someone else behind her back. He was in love with someone else. I just know he killed Rosy to get her out of the way."
"Why do you think he was having an affair?"
"I saw him with the other woman. I came here to pick up my car one day after having some work done on the transmission, and I saw him right there inside the garage with the other woman. I even got a picture,” Jasmine said as she pulled out her phone. "Here look."
She scrolled through her photo album and then turned the phone toward me. There was a picture of a blonde woman and Gareth. From the angle of the photo, it looked like they were kissing, but I couldn't be sure. She might have just been leaning in close to him. Either way, they looked much closer than a customer and mechanic relationship. I felt my heart sink a little. I'd thought better of him than that, but then again, I'd really just met Gareth. Perhaps my radar was just off because of stress.
"That does look suspicious,” I said.
"You see,” Jasmine said triumphantly. "It's all going to come out soon. You should stay away from the likes of him."
Before I could say anything, Scarlet and Gareth came back outside.
"What are you still doing here?" Scarlet asked Jasmine. "Why don't you scram? Nothing but a stinking troublemaker."
Jasmine was about to blow her top again, but I interrupted.
"Jasmine, don't worry about it. Like you said, it's all going to come out soon."
"You're right,” she said and straightened her back. "I have better things to do anyway."
As soon as Jasmine was gone, Scarlet said she had somewhere to be too. That left Gareth and me still standing there for some reason.
"You're still here,” Gareth said.
"I guess I should probably take off before it gets weird,” I said.
"Oh, you're beyond that point,” Gareth said with a soft smile. "Did Jasmine say something to you?"
"She showed me a picture,” I said. "It looked like you might have been kissing a blonde woman."
"Might have been?" Gareth asked.
"Yeah, because of the angle, I couldn't tell for sure."
"That's because I wasn't kissing some blonde woman,” Gareth said.
"Jasmine said she came here to pick up her car and saw you with another woman."
Gareth let out a strangled laugh. "We were probably just talking. I'm guessing it was another customer. Jasmine was looking for a reason to hate me. She always is."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I have a past and that bothers some people more than others,” Gareth said. "But I assure you, I wasn't cheating on Rosaline. I never did and I never would have."
I was about to say something else, probably awkward, when a man came out of the office area of the garage into the work area. So instead, I just said, "I should let you get back to work."
"Yeah, I gotta go. Boss would let me take the day off, but I want to work. I can't do both at the same time."
"I'm sorry again for your loss,” I said.
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
Chapter Four
I did go home after I left the garage, and I found Trixie waiting for me on my front porch.
"Is everything okay?" I asked as I got out of my car.
"Yeah, I just needed to talk to you,” she said and stood up.
"Why didn't you call or text me?" I asked.
"I dropped my phone in the toilet,” she said.
"Why are you waiting outside?" I asked. "You have a key, and even if you didn't, you could get in."
"It's a nice day. Plus, Mrs. Miller from next door was here. We had ice tea and cookies laced with... I'm not sure what she laced them with, but they were good."
"Is that wh
at's in the container?" I asked as I noticed it sitting next to her.
"Yeah, she said she thought you could use a little something to take the edge off."
"That was kind of her,” I said. "So, what is it that you need to talk to me about?"
"Oh, right. Okay, so the council wants to see you tonight,” she said.
"The council? Of witches?"
"Yeah, the elders are ready to see you, and they want to speak with you about Alex as well,” she said.
"Are they going to kill me?" I asked.
Trixie laughed. "No. I mean, I guess that's a fair question, but no, Allegra. They really want to talk to you."
"Great. What time?"
"Just after sunset. So we have time for some dinner,” Trixie said.
"Did you really drop your phone in the toilet, or are you here because you want me to cook you dinner?" I asked.
"Both,” she said.
"Fine, I'll cook dinner, but I'm not doing anything fancier than burgers and tots,” I said.
"That sounds fine to me."
Voodoo went out into the back yard to sniff around while I got started making the hamburgers. I was about to fry them in a pan on the stove when I remembered there was a grill out on the patio. I joined Voodoo outside while Trixie went upstairs to go through my closet. She said she was going to go upstairs and pick the perfect outfit for my meeting with the elders.
That was fine by me. I'd rather have her do it than me have to.
While the burgers were grilling, I went inside to throw some frozen tater tots in the air fryer. I could have used magic to get it all done in minutes, but I'd started to learn that it was better not to use magic when you didn't need to use it. The energy cost was too much for some things. Plus, I wanted to make sure I was as energetic as possible for my meeting at sunset.
I went outside to flip the burgers, and when I came back inside, Trixie was in the kitchen shaking the air fryer basket. "I found the outfit,” she said. "When we're done eating, I'll do your hair and makeup too."
"Do I really have to do all of that?" I asked. "I figured the witch council of elders would be all earthy and stuff."
"This is why I'm doing your hair and makeup,” she said.
"That's fine with me as long as you don't mind,” I said.
Sprinkles, Spelled, and Slayed Page 3