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Wynona hummed as she let herself into the shop through the back door and into the kitchen. She had stayed late last night and with the help of her new friend and landlord Roderick, they’d managed to put the kitchen back to rights before heading to their respective homes.
He had been the ultimate gentleman and Wynona found herself wishing things could be different. He was flirty and sweet and terribly handsome, but he was also a warlock. By trade, she knew that warlocks and witches were always looking for more power. This wasn’t an attitude brought on by her skewed childhood. It was a statement of fact.
As soon as Roderick knew she was powerless, he would more than likely stop speaking to her altogether. She sighed as she flipped on the lights. It was a sad situation, but one she needed to get used to. It’s not like she could change her circumstances. Not to mention, she didn’t want someone who was only interested in her magic.
“Having no powers just means you can be together with someone who wants you for you,” she reassured herself. It was a line she told herself over and over, but on days like today, it felt especially important. Roderick seemed like the type of man who would have been fun to get to know.
After setting down the basket of tea leaves she had brought, Wynona headed out of the kitchen into the dining area, flipping on all the lights as she went. As she walked through the largest gathering room with all the tea tables, her eyes drifted to the spot on the floor where she had left the crumbs in front of the bookcase. When she realized that the space was empty, she paused midstep. Eyes widening, she hurried back to the kitchen and threw open the fridge. There was very little in it at this point, since she didn’t plan to stock the perishables until the day before she opened, but there were a few takeout containers from her long nights decorating and cleaning.
She ripped one open and grabbed a crust of pizza from The Weeping Widow. It was a small pizzeria down the street, run by Mewla Wraithsong, a banshee. Apparently, the songs she screeched in the kitchen did something special to her creations and it had been voted the best pizza in the haven for three years running.
Breaking off a nice chunk, Wynona went back to the sitting room and carefully bent down in her heels and pencil skirt to leave the crust just in front of the bookcase. “I hope you’re alright from my sister’s hex,” Wynona said, feeling only slightly foolish for speaking to a mouse. “Hopefully, this will help you recover.”
She waited a moment, but there was no sign of the creature, so she stood and brushed off her fingers. It was time to get to work for the day. She’d check back later to see if her little houseguest had ventured out.
Wynona walked across the room and headed down the hallway, only to pause just outside her office door. A frown pulled on her lips as she stared at her door. It was slightly open, which shouldn’t have been the case. Wynona was meticulous in the way she ran her life. Every door had been shut, every light turned off, and every deadbolt locked when she’d gone home last night.
An eerie foreboding crawled up her spine and her hands began to tremble. Her eyes darted around, looking for some kind of weapon, but unless she wanted to use a vintage teacup, there was nothing within reach. She made a mental note to get some kind of weapon to keep on hand. This was just another example of how having magic would have drastically changed her life. Celia would have marched in without a care in the world, knowing that nothing in the room would have been strong enough to hurt her. Once again, Wynona had to hold back harsh thoughts about whoever had cursed her. The culprit had never been found, but they’d left an indelible mark on her life.
Reaching out, she slowly began to push the door inward. The wary feeling grew the farther the door opened. “Hello?” she asked, leaning around so she could see inside. No one answered her call, which wasn’t surprising. She scoffed in her mind. If an intruder was there, they weren’t exactly going to announce themselves.
All was still...too still. She stepped fully into the room and frowned, putting her hands on her hips. Whoever had been there had obviously come and gone. A quick glance at her shelves showed nothing obvious missing.
Wynona huffed and the dust in the air floated into her eyes. Blinking rapidly, Wynona waved a hand in the air. “Ew. I need to...” Her words trailed off when she spotted something on the floor.
Without running a single step or lifting any kind of weight, Wynona’s heart began to race and her stomach flipped. Her shaking hand rose to her lips. “Oh...”
On the floor lay a body. Or what was left of a body. The flesh had all been turned to ash, which was currently floating around Wynona’s face, while the clothes lay perfectly on the floor, untouched by whatever hex had been thrown at the individual.
“Nona?”
Wynona jumped at the sound of her name and it spurred her into action. She rushed out of the door and ran down the hall as fast as her heels would allow. “PRIM!” she yelled.
Primrose was just coming through the kitchen door when Wynona ran over and grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?” Primrose asked.
“You need to come see this,” Wynona said breathlessly. She pulled her friend forward. “Come on.”
“I don’t understand,” Prim managed through her panting. She was still in her fairy form, making her much smaller than Wynona.
“You will in a minute.”
“Nona, I—” Prim cut off and her face contorted before she screamed as if the reaper himself was swinging his scythe at her head.
Wynona ducked and covered her ears. “If they weren’t already dead, I think you’d have finished the job,” she said wryly.
Prim covered the rest of her scream with her hands. “Soidngeorhewhrwek.”
Wynona tugged on the fairy’s hands. “I can’t understand you.”
“Who is...you know...” She pointed at the body from behind her other hand.
Wynona held back her eyeroll. “They can’t hear you, Prim. It’s okay to talk out loud.”
Prim dropped her hands,but her shoulders remained bunched up near her ears. “Who is that? And what in the world happened?”
Wynona’s eyes went back to the gruesome sight. She shook her head as she studied the scene. Nothing in her room seemed out of place, except for the dead body, of course. What in the world were they doing in her office of all places? “I’m not sure,” Wynona said. “But if I had to guess...” She swallowed hard. “I think it might be Atherton Droxon.”
“WHAT!” Prim’s voice had risen again.
“Oh my word, Prim! I’m going to be deaf before the police get here.”
“Sorry.” Prim brought her voice back down, but it was still shaky, making Wynona feel bad about scolding her. It was clear the fairy was terrified. “What makes you think that’s him?”
Wynona shook her head sadly and pointed. “The apron? See the brown streak? I saw him wearing that yesterday when he came over for the taste test.”
Prim squeaked and she rose on her tiptoes. If she had wings, she’d have risen off the floor, but just like Wynona, Primrose was an outcast among her kind. She was a fairy born without wings.
Primrose, however, was not the type of personality to let something so mundane get her down. Although she kept her feet firmly planted on the ground, she’d let her dreams reach the clouds, and now Prim was the premiere flower farmer in the land.
She might have taken on the business world fearlessly, but apparently that attitude did not apply to murders.
“The ghost reporters are going to have a field day,” Prim grumbled. She looked up, her pink eyes glassy with tears. “This is a disaster.”
Wynona nodded. “I know.” Not only was she sad that a man had died, but she couldn’t help but mourn how this would change her tea shop as well. She had been so excited to have a contract with him. She shook her head. Her business definitely wasn’t as important as a man’s life. Not to mention his family was probably worried sick.
“Are the police on their way?”
“No. You arrived just as I found him,” Wynona said softly. “Let me grab my phone.” She walked back to the kitchen where her purse was sitting on the counter. After digging around, she found the device and punched in the number.
“Emergency services, what is your emergency?”
“I’d like to report a murder,” Wynona said matter of factly. Her stomach was still doing flip-flops, but she figured being hysterical on the line wouldn’t be very helpful.
“Excuse me, ma’am, but did you say a murder?” the voice clarified.
“Yes.”
“Can I get your address, please?”
“I’m on Haven Main. The new tea shop. Saffron’s Tea House.” The name still made Wynona choke up, even when she wasn’t already emotional. She hoped her granny knew the shop had been named in her honor. “Please have the officers come around back.” After answering a few more questions and assuring the worker that there was no present danger, Wynona managed to hang up just as her back door opened. That was fast. “Oh, Roderick!”
He smiled. “Good morning, Wynona. I wanted to check on you to make sure there weren’t any lasting problems from last night.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine.” She began to assure him when Prim barged into the room.
“Nona, I can’t stay in that room any longer,” Prim gushed. “That body gives me the creeps.” Her mouth snapped shut when she spotted Roderick. Pink eyes darted back and forth between Wynona and Roderick multiple times before a mischievous smile pulled at Prim’s thin, pink lips.
“Prim, this is Roderick Caligari,” Wynona hurried to introduce them before Prim got the wrong idea. “He owns this building.” The words were said very pointedly and Wynona raised her eyebrows at her friend.
“Ooooh!” Prim nodded slowly, her mouth still forming an “O”. “Gotcha.” Sticking her hand out, she sashayed toward the handsome warlock. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Caligari. I’m Primrose Meadows.”
“The famous florist?” he asked with his usual charming grin.
“The one and only.” Prim put her hands on her hips and stood as tall as her fairy stature allowed. It wasn’t exactly impressive next to Roderick’s height, but Prim definitely had the bigger attitude. She was taller in her human form, but Prim normally only used that in public. With Wynona, she was free to be herself.
Roderick frowned and turned away from Prim to look at Wynona again. “Did she say something about a body?”
Wynona slumped against the counter. “Yes. I found a body in my office this morning.”
Sirens wailed in the distance and Wynona winced. She had hoped they would quietly show up and take care of matters without creating an undue scene. Apparently, she wasn’t going to be that lucky.
Roderick glanced toward the sound, then looked at her again. “I think you better tell me what’s going on.”
“Atherton Droxon is dead in Nona’s office. We can tell because of his apron, but we can also tell it was a murder because the body is nothing but ash.” Prim fluttered her eyelashes at Roderick’s astonished look. How she’d managed to sound so matter of fact when she’d nearly been a sobbing mess earlier, Wynona had no idea, but any second now, the police were going to break down her door.
“Excuse me,” Wynona said softly, stepping around Roderick. She pulled open the door and Roderick grabbed her upper arm.
“Are you hurt?” he hissed, looking her up and down.
“No,” Wynona said even as she blushed from his perusal. “I found the body when I arrived this morning. Whoever did the deed was long gone.”
“But why did they kill him here?” he pressed. “Why was Atherton back at the shop?”
Wynona shrugged. “I wish I knew.”
“Ms. Le Doux?”
Wynona looked out the door. “I’m she.”
A tall, pale-faced man stepped into the kitchen. His dark hair was slicked and his red eyes pronounced him a vampire. He was tall and muscled with a hooked nose that should have dominated his face the way his presence dominated the kitchen, but instead it gave him a rough sort of attractiveness. “Chief Deverell Ligurio. Dispatch said you reported a body.”
“I did.” She stepped out of Roderick’s hold. “I wasn’t expecting the chief to show up,” she said with half a smile. “It’s in my office. I found the body when I arrived this morning. Judging from the clothing, I’m fairly sure it’s Chef Atherton Droxon.” She pursed her lips. “He was here for a business meeting yesterday and the clothes on the body are the same ones he was wearing.” She turned and began walking. “This way.” Wynona led her small entourage through the shop and down the hall. Instead of going in, she stood near the door and waved everyone inside. “To the right of the desk.”
The chief stepped past her, followed by Roderick and a slew of officers. One in particular caught Wynona’s eye when he winked as he walked into the room. His golden eyes and messy brown hair were as striking as his physique. He had to be a shifter. A flush rose up Wynona’s cheeks before she could stop it. She wasn’t used to so many men flirting with her.
“Ms. Le Doux?”
She snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the chief. “Yes, sir?”
“Mind telling me where you were last night?”
“I...” Wynona’s jaw was slack. She hadn’t even considered the fact that she would be a suspect. “I was at home,” she choked out.
“Is there anyone who can corroborate your story?” the office pressed. His red eyes were intense.
“Come now, Chief Ligurio,” Roderick said impatiently. “You just got here. Surely you aren’t suggesting Wynona had something to do with this.” His hand waved over the body.
The chief barely spared him a glance. “I’ve done this job a long time and I’ve found that usually the easiest explanation is the truth. We’re in her office with a hexed body. She’s a witch from an extremely powerful family.” He tilted his head, staring at her like a naughty wood sprite. “Please answer the question.”
Wynona knew this day would come, but she hadn’t been prepared for it to be quite so soon. Knowing there was no way around it, she squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye. “No. I live alone. But I couldn’t have done this anyway.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
Ignoring the fact that an entire room full of officers and friends were staring at her, Wynona admitted, “Because I have no powers.”