Murder by the Cup

by Abigail Thornton

  Wynona nodded wearily. It seemed as if every bit of energy in her body had suddenly been drained. Stumbling slightly, she walked with the officer to a couch away from the chaos. Wynona slumped down and leaned her head back. Violet chirped a few soothing sounds and nuzzled into the crook of her neck, leading Wynona to automatically reach up and pet her creature’s fur. She had to admit that the silky texture was calming.

  “Is that a purple mouse?” Officer Nightshade’s voice rose high at the end.

  Wynona cracked open an eye. “Yep.”

  “How did it get purple?”

  Wynona shrugged and yawned. “I don’t know. I found her this way.”

  “Huh.” Officer Nightshade put her hands on her hips.

  “Wynona.” Rascal’s voice was tinged with the lightest touch of panic as he rushed toward them. He sat down on his hip, angled toward her on the couch. “Are you alright? Did I get there in time?”

  Wynona gave him a tired smile. “I’m fine. You burst in just in time to save me.” Frowning, Wynona sat up. “How did you know where I was? Or that I needed your help?”

  Rascal’s skin was fairly tan, but the red that tinged his ears was easily visible. “I, uh... “ He rubbed the back of his neck.

  Laughing softly, Office Nightshade started to walk away. “Perhaps you would like to get her statement, Deputy Chief?” Her grin was nothing short of mischievous.

  He tilted his chin at his officer. “I’ll take it from here. Thanks.” He turned back to Wynona and opened his mouth, but another voice took over.

  “I think I’d like to be a part of that.” Chief Ligurio sauntered over, one eyebrow raised high in challenge at his Deputy Chief.

  “Yes, sir,” Rascal said quickly. He glanced sideways and winked at Wynona.

  She held back a grin and gave the chief her attention.

  “Care to explain exactly what happened tonight?” the chief asked in a tone that said he wasn’t willing to take no for an answer.

  Wynona didn’t mind. She wanted all this behind her. Her shop was set to open in just a few hours, and though she was going to be massively sleep-deprived, at least it would open free and clear of any suspicion. The next twenty minutes were spent going over the events of the evening, she and Rascal taking turns explaining things from their point of view.

  “Your...mouse?” The chief’s eyebrows rose. “Attacked Mr. Caligari?”

  Wynona shifted her hair so the vampire could see Violet.

  He huffed, shook his head and wrote something down in his notebook. “Don’t know what kind of spells you kids are doing these days, but a purple mouse is ridiculous.”

  “That ridiculous mouse saved my life,” Wynona said defensively. “And as far as I know, there was no magic involved. I found Violet this way and when I started feeding her, we just became...friends.”

  Violet snorted and snuggled in deeper.

  “May we go home?” she asked. “It’s been a really long night and I have an equally long day ahead. You’ve got your killer, and recovered the recipes. Perhaps I could be set free?” She hoped he understood that she was asking for freedom from more than going home. She wanted freedom from suspicion and his neverending disdain as well. The shrewd look he gave her said she was no longer a suspect, but she wouldn’t be invited to dinner at his house anytime soon.

  Chief Ligurio stuffed his notebook in the front pocket of his shirt. “Excuse me for taking up your precious time,” he said with more than a hint of sarcasm. “But there are a few loose ends I’d like to tie up.” His red eyes narrowed. “Starting with why you were here at a closed office building to begin with.”

  Wynona pinched her lips between her teeth. How was she going to get out of this one? When she’d snuck in to look through Delila’s desk, no one had been any wiser. But this time, Wynona had been caught at the scene of the crime...literally.

  “Mr. Caligari and I are...were...friends,” Wynona said. “Does it really matter why I was here?”

  Chief Ligurio folded his arms over his chest. “Then it shouldn’t be a big deal to tell me why.”

  Wynona wrung her hands together, then paused to stare at them. Something funny had happened tonight. In fact, several funny things had been happening to her lately. Magical things she couldn’t quite explain. She knew she didn’t have any powers, so why did odd magic keep showing up? “You know...I think my granny might have been with me tonight.” The words were quiet and she hadn’t really meant to say them out loud, not having truly thought them through, but it was too late now.

  “You think your dead grandmother was here?” The chief’s eyebrows shot up. “And she what? Helped you?”

  It wasn’t like ghosts were unheard of in the paranormal world, but they rarely took an interest in anything but themselves. Some even going so far as to create an entirely new afterlife for themselves, as seen in the ghost media. But a spectre who hung around the living as some sort of guardian angel? That was rare. As in...it had never happened before.

  Wynona stuck her chin in the air, projecting a confidence she didn’t feel. “Yes. I think that’s exactly what happened.”

  CHAPTER 30

  “Explain,” Chief Ligurio demanded.

  Rascal shifted next to Wynona and she found herself wanting to lean into his warmth and strength. She was so grateful he was next to her, rather than standing across with the chief, who looked like he wanted to throw her out the window.

  “When Roderick walked into the office, I didn’t hear him at first. He surprised me and as we spoke, he worked his way around to his desk.”

  “Where he kept the gun,” Rascal inserted.

  Wynona nodded. “Yes. First he tried throwing a hex at me.” She felt the blood drain from her face as she remembered how close she had come to dying tonight. “I’m pretty sure it was the same one he used on Mr. Skinflayer and Chef Droxon.”

  Chief Ligurio huffed. “And you know this how? I thought you had no magic.”

  “My magic is bound,” Wynona pointed out. After Roderick’s little rant, she was beginning to realize there was a difference. She had magic. She just had no access to it, which to be fair, made her feel magicless. “I can still see magic and sometimes, if the spell is strong enough, I can feel it.”

  He made a noncommittal sound, then waved her on.

  “Roderick sent the spell at me and I had no way of fighting him off.” Violet stirred on her shoulder and Wynona reached up to pet her again. “I remember screaming and putting my hands up, but then...nothing.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “When I looked up again, there were purple sparks, but I was still alive.”

  Chief Ligurio stared at her, looking surprised for the first time since she’d known him. “The hex just...didn’t work?”

  “See, this is where I think my granny had to have been there!” Wynona said, her conviction and eagerness growing the more she thought about it. She scooched forward to the edge of the couch. “I think she protected me. Granny Saffron, if you recall, was one of the most powerful witches in history.”

  “I remember,” the chief grumbled. “I’m fairly certain no one has ever forgotten your family, Ms. Le Doux.”

  Wynona sighed. “I was simply pointing out that her interference is entirely possible. She would be more than strong enough to come back if she wanted to, not to mention Granny is the only one...” She trailed off. Suddenly they were getting into personal territory and Wynona wasn’t sure she wanted to share.

  “Don’t stop now, Ms. Le Doux.” Chief Ligurio sneered. “Things were just getting interesting.”

  “Does it really matter if the ghost of her grandmother helped?” Rascal asked in a soothing tone. Obviously, the wolf had had to tame the vampire on more than one occasion. “The point is, something went wrong with the hex and Wynona, Ms. Le Doux, is still here to tell us about it.”

  “It matters if knowing everything means she’s lying to us,” the chief argued. “Something fishy is going on with your claim to be cursed. No one knew who you we
re before you suddenly arrived in the city a few months ago. No one had ever heard your name before. Now you claim to be related to the most powerful family in Hex Haven, and if you didn’t look like an exact replica of your mother and sister, I’m not sure I’d believe your story.” His brows furrowed menacingly and Wynona was reminded of a comment Roderick made about Chief Ligurio wanting revenge on her sister.

  There was obviously some history there, but what? And when would be a safe time to ask about it? Right now was definitely not the time.

  “When I was born, I was cursed immediately. My family didn’t even have a chance to test my powers before they were gone,” Wynona said through gritted teeth. Somehow, she was going to get through to this police chief. She was innocent and he needed to recognize that. “I don’t know how much you’ve dealt with my family, Chief, but they aren’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type. In fact, they’re the “if you aren’t useful to me, I want nothing to do with you” type.”

  Her eyes were tired and began to sting a little, but Wynona pushed the tears back. She would have her pity party later.

  “I was useless in their eyes. So, I spent my childhood and a chunk of my adulthood being kept out of the spotlight and treated like a dirty little secret. They were afraid if the media knew I existed, it would weaken their reign. I would be seen as a liability.”

  “How did you escape?” The softly spoken question came from Rascal. His golden eyes were glowing with compassion, but his fists were forming claws. Wynona couldn’t tell if he was angry at her or her family.

  “Granny,” she answered just as quietly. “She gave me instructions on what to do and promised to provide a distraction. On the night of the summer solstice, when an earth witch’s magic is most powerful, I managed to get out.” She took in a shaky breath. “I didn’t know until later that Granny’s distraction was her own demise.” Wynona’s eyes fell to her lap. “She was a great reader of tea leaves. My guess is she read about her impending death through a cup and set everything up with that in mind.”

  Chief Ligurio sighed. “If your family is so against people knowing you, why haven’t they come after you?”

  Wynona glanced back up. “Because it would cause too much of a scene. Right now they can spin it that they’re being magnanimous at letting me have my shop and do something useful for society. If they came dragging me back to the palace, it would reflect badly on them.”

  The chief nodded, but the scowl on his face didn’t move. Wynona had no idea how he felt about her story. In the end, it didn’t truly matter, but she was tired of being treated badly because of who gave birth to her.

  “Why don’t you tell me how you figured out it was Mr. Caligari,” Chief Ligurio said. “None of the evidence I had pointed in his direction at all.”

  Wynona relaxed a little, grateful for the change in topic. “I’ll be honest, most of it was hindsight,” she explained. “Roderick was always very adamant that I wouldn’t be convicted of the murders, even though I was at the top of your list.” She scrunched her nose. “I think that’s part of why he chose my shop for the first one. It was basically neutral ground. I was untouchable, or so he thought, and so it made a great way to throw you off his own trail.”

  Rascal growled low and shook his head.

  “Secondly, I came to visit him once, here at his office, and accidently disturbed him during a phone call where he was talking about a package.” She shook her head. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but that package was the binder of recipes. He told me it was about a gift for his sister, but just tonight, I figured out he doesn’t have a sister.”

  “So his lie wasn’t what tipped you off?”

  Wynona slumped back on the couch, exhaustion creeping in once more. “No. It was...” She paused. How could she say this without telling Ms. Kimoko’s secret? “Roderick once mentioned in passing something that seemed innocuous at the time, but later I realized it was information he shouldn’t have known.”

  “Such as?”

  “I can’t tell you,” Wynona said carefully. “It’s confidential information about a client of mine, who wishes to keep it a secret. I only know because it’s pertinent to my business with them.”

  “And it’s not pertinent to a murder investigation?” he snapped.

  “No. The information itself isn’t,” Wynona argued. “Just that Roderick knew it.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “The only way for him to know that particular piece of information was if he’d been in my office and been snooping through my books.”

  “Ah.” Chief Ligurio regarded her studiously. “And you put together that he had been in your office when he’d killed the doppleganger?”

  “Yes.” Wynona nodded. “He killed Mr. Skinflayer because he failed to steal the binder earlier in the day, using the chef’s clothes and my office to throw everyone off. But as we started gathering evidence, Roderick became concerned when I suggested that Chef Droxon wasn’t the actual target. Since he couldn’t get me to stop investigating, he went ahead and killed the chef, leading us farther and farther away from the truth.”

  “But he wanted the binder,” Chief Ligurio pointed out. “So wasn’t he after Droxon the whole time?”

  “No. He wanted the binder. Chef Droxon’s death helped cover up the fact that Roderick has ties to the paranormal underground. He was planning to sell the recipes to the highest bidder. The mess with the Droxon family only helped make things more complicated and keep suspicion away from him.” Wynona frowned. “I wonder if he didn’t already know about the embezzling. That was something I didn’t clarify when he and I were talking. But Roderick and Delila live in the same apartment building. It wouldn’t have been difficult for a warlock with his power to sneak something into her room.” She rubbed her forehead. “The more I think about it, the more my head hurts. He basically ran us in circles so we wouldn’t ever think to look deeper.”

  “So, that’s why you came over asking questions about the mobs,” Rascal said. He huffed in surprise and pushed a hand through his hair. “I’m just glad it didn’t go any farther underground. If Roderick was planning to sell the binder himself, then he wasn’t working under a bigger boss. This should be the end of it.”

  “We can only hope,” Chief Ligurio said. He sounded tired. “You.” He pointed at Wynona. “Don’t leave town. If I have questions later, I want to know where to find you.”

  Wynona let out a long breath, but nodded. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

  “And you, Strongclaw,” Chief Ligurio continued. “Take this woman home and don’t let her out of your sight until she’s inside.” He straightened and shook his head. “Every time I turn around, she’s somewhere she’s not supposed to be.”

  Wynona watched him walk away. “You’re welcome,” she muttered under her breath.

  The chief didn’t hear her, but apparently Rascal did, since he snorted and then quickly hid his smile. “Come on, Wy. Let’s get you to bed.” He glanced at his watch. “The ghost media will have this all over the headlines in a couple hours and then your little party this afternoon will be overflowing with curious patrons.”

  “Well, at this point, I don’t care why they come,” Wynona said, welcoming his hand as he helped her to her feet. “The more people come through the door, the more I have a chance of convincing them to come back.”

  “That’s a good way to look at it,” Rascal said, opening the door for her. “But by the end of the party, you might feel differently when the gawkers just won’t leave you alone.”

  “Wow. You’re a cauldron-half-empty kind of guy, huh?” Wynona teased. The cool night air hit her face and she felt her muscles begin to unwind. She was so glad to be out of that building and away from all that had occurred in the last few hours.

  Rascal chuckled, that deliciously dark sound that Wynona enjoyed. “Not really. I’ve just had experience with the masses and I never come out of it feeling like I won.”

  She pulled her scooter out of the shadows. “Thank you, Rascal,” she s
aid sincerely as she straddled the vehicle. “For everything.”

  Stepping a little closer, he tapped the end of her nose and gave her a wink. “Anytime.” He didn’t try to hide the fact that he meant it in more ways than one and Wynona was grateful for the cool evening that helped keep her blush at bay.

  Wynona’s heart fluttered a little and she wondered if she would ever get to see this handsome Deputy Chief again.

  “I’ll see you soon,” Rascal said as he backed away, as if he could read her mind.

  Her heart began to beat harder and she couldn’t look away from his eyes.

  Rascal tilted his head to the side. “I’ll follow you in the patrol car to make sure you make it home safely. Give me a minute.” Like the predator he was, Rascal disappeared without another word, blending in like he belonged to the night.

  Wynona sucked in a large breath after he moved, the evening air suddenly feeling thick and slow. She put a hand to her heart to try and calm it down. It was too soon to be turning all her attention to Rascal. Roderick had barely been taken away and Wynona was still faced with the difficult task of getting her business going.

  She shook her head and turned the key to the scooter. She liked Rascal and she was definitely attracted to him, but just like before, she wasn’t in a position for anything more. If he was as interested as he seemed to be, she hoped he was a patient man, because she had no idea when the ideal time for a relationship would finally come her way.

  She just knew it wasn’t now.

  CHAPTER 31

  If Wynona thought her nerves were on full alert last night, they were nothing compared to what she was feeling at the moment. She glanced at the clock before shifting the vase of flowers just so. She was sure the quarter of an inch she moved it helped the sunlight better reflect the soft colors of the daisies Prim had put together for the occasion. Wynona’s fairy friend had assured her that daisies stood for new beginnings and rebirth, the perfect complement to Wynona’s grand opening.