Chapter Eight

The drive from the cafe to the Cove was short, and Daniel didn't ask me any more questions. In some weird way, I was glad he was there. I wasn't a damsel in distress, by any means, but things were moving into a gray area out of my depth.

I ran through the last few conversations I'd had with Aimee and Maria over and over again. Aimee had seemed sad about Maria's death—spooked almost. But was she spooked because she'd caused it?

Maria had said there was no love lost between them, and Aimee had confirmed it by saying Grace's father had been killed by mermaids. But she'd also told me she had no quarrel with Maria. Was that the truth or was she just trying to cover her tracks?

I was really starting to wish I'd picked up the phone when Big Jo had called. Maybe I'd have some insight into the personalities I'd left behind—and a bit more clarity on who amongst the witches, warlocks, and other supernatural creatures might be capable of murder.

As Vinnie had said, the Cove was already swarming with magical law enforcement. Two werewolves were on their hands and knees—in human form, no less—sniffing the beach. Several others were questioning the boat owners (including Billy Cutter, who'd flown here faster than I could drive). I didn't see Aimee anywhere, which made me nervous.

"Any words of advice, o wise lawyer?" I asked as Daniel stepped out of the car.

"Don't say anything," he said, his face darkening as he followed me onto the deck.

Raised voices drew us to the bar, and I found Aimee, red-faced and furious, in a shouting match with Vinnie, who looked smug and held a pair of handcuffs.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Good, Little Jo's here," Aimee said. "Tell this impertinent little—"

"Aimee…" Daniel said warningly.

"Tell him that you were with me before the mermaid died," she said.

I glanced at my supposed lawyer, and he nodded briefly. "I told you, Vinnie. Aimee and I were in the office."

"And you also said you left her there and went out for a walk," he said. "Then came across the mermaid."

"So what? You think she beat me to the mermaid and left her on the beach so I could find her?" I scoffed. "I mean, I know Aimee's mad about me taking over the Cove, but—"

"You're mad about it?" Vinnie said, and in my periphery, Daniel rolled his eyes.

"What she means is—" Daniel began.

"Thank you," Vinnie said. "No one's under oath, so we don't need a lawyer here."

"Can we all take a step back?" I said, holding up my hands. "Why Aimee? I told you that I saw Maria and Carver arguing. Why not bother him?"

"Carver has an alibi," Vinnie said.

I clicked my tongue. "Does he have an alibi or did Big Dog tell you to back off?"

"Jo," Daniel warned, but I glared at him.

This smelled too much of the Eldred's Hollow powers-that-be meddling. Big Dog Briggs ran Eldred's Hollow Grocery, but he'd made sure members of his pack had infiltrated everything in town, from the bank to the co-op to the small police force. And I was quite sure every one of those werewolves answered to the alpha, not to justice.

"Everyone in Eldred's Hollow knows Aimee hates the mermaids," Vinnie said. "I've got accounts from five witnesses saying that last week, Aimee was hounding them off the property."

"They were drunk," Aimee said with a glare. "And using their magic to harass the non-water folk."

"The way I hear it, the merfolk were trying to prevent a Cove marina boat from dumping their trash into the water," Vinnie said. "And you took the witch's side."

"Again," Aimee said through gritted teeth, "they were drunk. Billy Cutter was ornery and threatened to hex them. I told them all to go home. Pretty standard around here. Go talk to him about it if you want."

"Do you have any sort of evidence to charge Aimee?" Daniel asked.

"I do, as a matter of fact." Vinnie tapped his wand to the air, revealing a small vial suspended in a clear bubble-like spell. "We found this empty vial of mermaid-stunning potion in the office with Aimee's magical fingerprints on it."

I couldn't tell a mermaid-stunning potion from hair dye, but based on his smirk on his face, I guessed that was the murder weapon.

"That's not mine," Aimee said, reaching into her pocket. The vial she held was identical to the one Vinnie had, but there was still a purple liquid in it. "I've carried the same potion in my pocket for the past fifteen years. Never used it once."

Vinnie quirked a brow. It wasn't quite the slam dunk she was hoping for, in my eyes, and based on Daniel's expression, he didn't think so either.

"Besides that, you still don't have motive," Daniel said, after a too-long pause.

I flashed him a brief smile, grateful he'd come along with me.

"How's this for motive?" Vinnie said with a sneer. "Last night, Aimee got into an argument with Maria, who'd come to discuss the new regime after Big Jo's death. The argument turned physical. Aimee, in self-defense, doused her with a vial of mermaid-stunning potion. We all know she carries it around with her since her ex-husband's death."

Aimee gritted her teeth, and Daniel stepped forward.

"Vinnie, you know this is all speculation," he said.

"Except the mermaids have given sworn testimony that Maria was going to discuss the future of the Cove with someone last night," he said. "When she didn't return, they came looking for her and found the police around her dead body. Now, who else would she be discussing the future of the Cove with if not Aimee?"

"Me?" I folded my arms across my chest.

"Are you sure you want to be volunteering yourself? You're the one who found the body," Vinnie said with a look.

I cleared my throat. "What motive would I have? I literally got here two days ago. But what I do know is Aimee was with me moments before I found Maria's body."

"And how is that possible if you were taking a walk?" Vinnie asked.

It was my turn to blush, feeling like an idiot. But if I wanted Vinnie to leave Aimee alone, I needed to come out with the whole truth, as embarrassing as it was. "Because I wasn't taking a walk. I…uh…" Fates alive, this was like nails on a chalkboard. "I tried to use Big Jo's wand."

Vinnie let out a low snort, and even Daniel looked at me sideways.

"I…" The words came with difficulty. "I was trying to find her will after the conversation I'd had with Aimee. Thought it might be faster if I summoned it to me."

"Hasn't it been several years since—" Daniel began.

"Yes, it has," I snapped, my face turning even more red. "Look, I'm trying to get back home, so I was doing whatever I could to find the thing. Instead, it transported me to the beach where I found Maria's body." I tightened my arms across my chest, hating the way everyone stared at me like I was some kind of freak.

"Are you seriously trying to tell me you used transportation magic?" Vinnie said with a quirked brow. "There aren't but a handful of witches and warlocks in town with that kind of magical ability, and you want me to believe that you…uh…you could do it by accident?"

"Believe me or not, but that's the truth," I said, wishing I could melt into the ground.

"You have to admit, it's a bit too implausible to be a lie," Daniel said.

I didn't know whether to thank or slap him.

"As it stands, we still have enough evidence to charge her," Vinnie said, pulling out his wand. "Aimee Cheatwood, you're under arrest for the death of Maria Greenfin."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Daniel quickly shook his head, and I closed it. Aimee allowed herself to be magically handcuffed and led out of the bar to where two officers had a broom between them. They placed her on it, linking their brooms to hers, and lifted into the sky, floating toward town. Vinnie then turned on his heel and went to talk with three of his officers.

Daniel and I stood in the Cove, neither of us speaking for a long time. He was the first to break the silence. "I suppose I'd better get down to the station with her."

He pulled out his wand and lowered it slowly, a stylish mahogany broomstick appearing. Once it was fully formed, Daniel snatched it out of the air and headed toward the deck of the Cove.

"Wait!" I called, walking after him.

He turned with a quirked brow.

"Thanks," I said. "I think she's innocent, by the way. The timing just doesn't make sense."

"I know she is. That's why I'm going to help her," he said with a half-smile. "You stay here and keep the bar running. I know you need the money."

With that, he hopped onto his broom and took off, leaving me alone inside the Cove bar. It felt strange, the whirring of the Witchwhacker machines, the magic humming in the air, keeping the beer cold. I chewed my lip and looked around, unsure what to do next.

Vinnie was over by the dock, speaking with a merman who seemed much larger than any I'd seen before. He had a broad, russet-colored chest partially covered by a thick smattering of white hair, and a long beard. He carried a large spear, and the water that held him aloft swirled around a purple tail. On his head was a coral crown.

Was that Duke Pinfish?

With gaze narrowed, I left the shade of the Cove and walked toward the dock where Vinnie seemed to be wrapping up his conversation with the merman. If I wanted to speak with him, I'd have to hurry, as I wasn't going to be jumping into the sound to swim after him.

"Duke Pinfish?" I said, rushing up to the two of them.

The merman turned to me, his dark brown eyes scanning me while he scowled.

"I'm Jo Mael—"

"I know who you are."

I swallowed a catty retort. "My condolences for the loss of Maria. She was…" I didn't think I should lie. "I'd heard great things about her new role."

"And I have your despicable bar employees to thank for it," he said, turning to me. "Should've sunk every boat in this marina and flooded the place years ago. Nothing but a cesspool of alcohol and debauchery for careless supernaturals."

"Nice to meet you, too," I muttered.

Vinnie scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I'll be in touch, Duke Pinfish."

He walked away, and I got the sense the mermaid was about to leave, too. "Aimee had nothing to do with this," I said, hurriedly. "She was with me."

"And I should trust you because?"

"Because I have no reason to lie to you," I said.

"Your kind lie all the time. Your grandmother promised me and Maria that all instances of that horrific potion would be banned from your shores. And yet your own second-in-command was known to carry it. How is any mermaid supposed to trust one of your kind anymore?"

"You're clearly trusting the police," I said, gesturing to Vinnie's retreating back.

"They're a means to an end. I sit on the council in New Orleans for all magical creatures in this area. I will be ensuring that justice for Maria is accomplished quickly and will be taking the culprit to our underwater jail."

I frowned. "That's not… Can she breathe underwater?"

"We aren't barbarians," he said with a sneer. "She will be uncomfortable, but not dead. But that's a fitting punishment for the way she treated Maria."

"How are you so sure it was Aimee? I heard Maria arguing with Carver Briggs the other day. Why don't you go harass Big Dog and see if his son had anything to do with it? It's always the boyfriend, you know."

"Maria very smartly broke off their relationship weeks ago, and they were quite amicable."

That wasn't what I'd seen. "Look, don't assume you have the murderer because it's the most obvious, easiest solution. Whoever killed Maria might still be out there, plotting another mermaid's death. We should be focused on that, not on innocent people."

Pinfish gave me a once-over. "If you've got such a problem with your own police, why don't you investigate yourself?"

I didn't have a response to that. It wasn't my job to get in the middle of this any more than I already had by finding her body. But there seemed to be a strong current of opinion going against Aimee, and if I didn't stand up for her, who would?

"Maybe I will," I said, lifting my chin. "I hear Maria was set to meet with someone the night she died. Something about the future of the Cove. Any idea who that was?"

"The person I thought it might've been has been arrested." He moved to leave before stopping to look at me over his shoulder. "I've given the word to all my mermaids that they're no longer allowed to frequent your bar," he said. "Clearly, it's a hazard to our health."

"That's not—" Mermaids made up at least a third of the Cove's revenue. Not the best time to be losing money. "You can't do that."

"Can't I?" He chuckled. "I'm the leader of all the mermaids from Cozumel to Miami and beyond. I can do whatever I want." The vortex of water brought him closer, until I could practically count the water droplets on his toned chest. "And if you aren't careful, you might find yourself on my bad side, Miss Maelstrom. I don't think you'd like to see what happens when the mermaids decide you and your witchkind are no longer allowed to use our waters for your recreations."

I swallowed, but didn't retort as he dove back into the water. I stood there for a long time, waiting for the waters to calm, before walking off the dock to where Vinnie was waiting.

"You'd better watch that silver tongue of yours, Little Jo," he said. "Lot more at stake around here if you tick off the mermaids."

"And you'd better do your job," I said. "Aimee is innocent. Just because you've got King Triton over here pressuring you for a culprit doesn't mean you can pick the first person whose fingerprints you find and call it a day."

He scowled, and that was all the confirmation I needed that he was phoning this in. But before I could press him further, he left me on the dock.

~~

I spent two hours rage-cleaning Big Jo's office before my blood pressure finally came down. Jimbo flew in to watch me, but when he realized he wasn't getting any food, he disappeared. Some familiar he was.

I found more bank statements, though none that answered the burning questions of the day. Plus some very old fry basket paper, a copy of the Holl-Call from 1993, and an invoice from Eldred's Hollow Grocery from three years ago.

After I came down from my anger, I sank into Big Jo's chair, wishing that it somehow smelled like her still. One week, and the whole place had gone to pot. Aimee arrested. The mermaids refusing to come to shore to spend their money. The place barely making ends meet. And here I was, sitting in her chair like I had the right to manage any of it.

I stared at my phone, wondering if Daniel would pick up and give me an update. Surely, some level-headed judge would look at the evidence and let her go. And then Vinnie and the police would be able to focus on finding the real killer.

Something about Maria's death seemed very personal, as if someone had wanted to take revenge against her and her alone. There were, of course, plenty of people who might want a mermaid in power dead. Another mermaid could've been the one to do it, if they hadn't had such a visceral hatred of the stunning potion (for good reason). Someone like Billy, who'd always run afoul of the mermaids in his business, could've grown tired of her and wanted her out of the picture.

Then, of course, there was Carver. A man used to getting what he wanted would certainly have motive to kill his ex, especially if she'd been the one to dump him. Carver wouldn't take rejection lightly, especially if he was in the running to take over from Big Dog.

Not to mention…

Cal Reaves, the very man I'd been about to implicate in my thoughts, sat at the bar.