| |
The chief’s hand slowly dropped from his notebook. “You...what?”
Wynona dropped his penetrating gaze and looked at the ground. She could feel the eyes of every person in that room boring into her head. She knew word would eventually get around about her handicap, but she hadn’t wanted it to happen like this. “I was cursed as a baby,” she explained, still not making eye contact. “I have no access to my powers. Never have. They were bound by an unknown entity.” She forced herself to bring her head back up. Just like when she dealt with her family, this was not the time to act vulnerable and afraid. This wasn’t her fault. It was the hand life had dealt her and she refused to be ashamed of it.
The chief pointed a pen at her. “You could have bought a spell.”
“Chief.” The man who’d winked at her stepped up and put his hand on the vampire’s arm. “Let’s get all the information from the scene before we make any assumptions.”
The chief scowled, but nodded. “Right.” He spared Wynona one last sharp glance before going back to the body.
Wynona sighed quietly in relief. Her eyes drifted to the golden ones who had saved her and she gave him a small smile of thanks. He gave her a curt nod, then turned away, effectively dismissing her.
The room broke into movement again as the officers wrote down clues and discussed what might have happened.
“Who would have wanted to kill Droxon?” one of the officers murmured.
Wynona kept her thoughts to herself. While she was devastated to lose the contract with the baker, she thought there could be many people who might have wanted a little revenge. He wasn’t a nice gnome, and the tantrum he’d had in her shop yesterday had been clear proof. Heaven only knew how a disgruntled employee would feel after years of dealing with his vitriol.
“Have you ever tasted his lemongrass muffins?” another asked.
The officer he was speaking to shook his head.
The officer’s white teeth glowed against his dark, bark-like skin. “I’m pretty sure I know what a cat on catnip feels like.”
His friend snorted. “Invite me next time. We’ll give it a whirl.”
“There won’t be a next time,” the nature fairy grumbled. His eyes shot to Wynona and she stiffened, but didn’t defend herself. She knew she was innocent. Nothing they said or did would change that.
Her eyes drifted down to the body and she considered the situation. Now that she was calm enough to pay attention, something seemed...off. Slowly, unconsciously, she walked farther into the room, her eyes never leaving the ash.
“Excuse me, Ms. Le Doux,” Chief Ligurio said forcefully. “You’ll need to wait outside the room.”
Wynona snapped upright and shook her head slightly. “Sorry,” she said with a smile. “Just curious.” Spinning on her heel so she didn’t have to look at his face and whatever emotion was aimed at her, she marched out, going back to the main dining room. Primrose was waiting at one of the tables, a freshly brewed tea in her hands. Wynona took a deep sniff. “Ah, I see you found the lemon balm.”
Prim shivered and took another sip. “Can you blame me? There’s someone dead just down the hall.” She wrinkled her petite nose and made a disgusted face. She had shifted into her human body, allowing her to sit naturally at the table and not give away her wingless state to the police. “This better not interfere with your grand opening next week.”
Wynona paused before sitting down. “Why would it? I’ve still got six days.”
Prim gave her a look. “If this is still considered a crime scene, there’s no way Chief Undead will let you open and bring customers all over his precious evidence.”
“Prim!” Wynona scolded. “You can’t talk like that.”
Pink eyes rolled to the ceiling. “What’s he going to do? It’s not like it’s illegal to not like him.”
“Why don’t you like him?”
Prim pursed her lips. “I heard what he asked you. He didn’t even bother to gather any evidence or take your statement, just automatically accused. It was ridiculous.”
Wynona slipped into her seat with a sigh. “Can you blame him?” she asked softly. “It’s not like my family has a lot of friends.”
Prim huffed. “You’re nothing like your family.”
“Thank you for that, but that doesn’t mean the chief knows that.”
Prim grunted. “Stop trying to talk me out of it. The man was rude. End of story.”
Wynona laughed softly. “Alright. I’ll stop defending him.”
“Thank you,” Prim said with her nose in the air.
Wynona shook her head with a smile. They grew quiet for a moment, though the voices from down the hall were still filtering into their space. The smell of Prim’s tea met Wynona’s nose and she took a deep breath, only to pause mid-sniff.
A quiet squeaking noise, the same one from the day before, could be heard if she strained. Twisting in her seat, Wynona ducked her head to look in the direction of the bookcase.
“What are you doing?” Prim asked, leaning sideways and essentially blocking Wynona’s view.
Wynona put a finger to her lips, stood up and walked around to the bookcase. Squatting down carefully, she kept her ears peeled.
The noise happened again. “Did you enjoy the pizza?” Wynona whispered. She’d noticed immediately that the crust was gone.
More squeaking ensued and Wynona looked over her shoulder, grinning at Prim.
“What is it?” Prim mouthed.
“A mouse,” Wynona whispered gleefully. “I thought Celia killed it, but it’s still alive. I fed it some crumbs yesterday and a crust of pizza this morning...” She trailed off when she heard more noises and turned back to the spot under the bookcase. Her hands came up to cover her mouth when a nose peeked out from the dark space.
Black and twitching, the nose moved around, then slowly crept forward. The snout came next, then one paw and another.
Wynona frowned. She gasped when the whole head appeared.
“It’s purple!” Prim squealed.
The mouse disappeared again.
“Prim!” Wynona scolded.
“Sorry,” Prim whispered, locking her lips with a pretend key. The motion did nothing to stop her from speaking again. “How did it get purple?”
Wynona’s eyes were wide as she shook her head. “I have no idea.” She kept her eyes on the shadow. “Come on out,” she said in a sweet tone. “We won’t hurt you. Prim was just startled.”
After a moment, the nose slowly worked its way out again. Wynona held as still as possible, though her calves were starting to scream from being crouched down in that position.
The creature emerged quicker this time, his entire body eventually coming into sight. Prim was right. The white tail Wynona had spotted yesterday was now a bright purple. “It had to have been my sister’s spell,” Wynona mused. “Something must have gone wrong.”
“Huh.” The clanking of a teacup let Wynona know that Prim had taken another drink. “I’ve never seen anything like it and we live in Hex Haven. Weird things happen every day.”
The lavender rodent now stood on its hind legs, nose still twitching as it stared at Wynona with black, beady eyes.
“Hello,” Wynona said softly. She smiled.
The creature squeaked as if answering her and Wynona’s smile grew wider.
“Are you still hungry? Want me to bring you something from the kitchen?” Even more than it had yesterday, Wynona’s heart went out to the tiny animal. Yesterday he’d been viewed as a nuisance. Today he had joined the outcast club. Just like Wynona and Prim, the purple mouse was one of a kind.
More squeaking and a head bob answered her question.
“Right. Give me a moment.” Wynona bit back a groan as she stood up, the blood rushing through her cramped limbs.
“How do you know what it said?” Prim asked.
Wynona shook her head. “I don't,'' she said as she walked past. “But when is a mouse not hungry?” It just felt like the right thing to do, especially after it was almost killed yesterday. Grabbing a package of crackers from the cupboard, Wynona quickly made her way back out to the sitting room. She came to a screeching halt when she saw who had joined Prim.
Roderick stood up from where he’d sat down. “Wynona,” he said, tilting his head to her. “Are you doing alright?”
Wynona held herself stiffly. She had no idea how Roderick was going to react to the news she’d shared earlier, but she wanted to be prepared. “Fine, thank you.” Without another word, she headed back to the bookcase. The mouse had disappeared again, but Wynona knew it would take the cracker if she left it on the floor. She stacked three of the butter crackers on each other, left them strategically placed, then stood up and wiped her fingers together.
“What’s that for?” Roderick asked. He was frowning and smiling at the same time, causing Wynona to relax just a little. As long as he wasn’t going to be mean about her issues, she wouldn’t need to defend herself.
“Nona has a new friend,” Prim said right before another sip.
Roderick’s eyebrows rose up. “Under the bookcase?”
Wynona shrugged. “He’s...unique in size.”
“Right.” Roderick gave her one more look, then pulled back a chair. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Wynona walked over. “Thank you,” she said softly, letting him push her in. He sat next to her and faced her direction.
“How are you holding up?” he asked. “After nearly being trampled yesterday, and now you’ve got a murder in your shop...you must be overwhelmed.”
Wynona shrugged and drew a random pattern on the tablecloth. “I’m okay. Sad more than anything. It’s hard to believe anyone would kill...” She paused. Something was tugging at her brain.
“Droxon?” Roderick scoffed. “Is that what you were going to say? I know the man could bake better than anyone else in the haven, but I don’t think he had much in the way of friends.”
Wynona nodded. “I know, but something is not quite right.”
“What do you mean?” Prim asked. She reached over and stole the package of crackers, crunching into them immediately.
Wynona smiled. She loved how Prim was comfortable enough to just take advantage of Wynona’s kindness. It made her feel like a true friend, something Wynona had never had before now. Except for Granny.
“Nona?”
“Oh, yeah...” Wynona cleared her throat. “I don’t know, it’s just...something is tickling at the back of my brain.” Her eyes went to the hallway. “But the chief wouldn’t let me look close enough to figure it out.”
Roderick studied her for a moment, then jumped to his feet. “Come on,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand.
“What?” Wynona said breathlessly as he pulled her along.
“If you think you have something to offer, then you should be given the chance to figure it out.”
“Stop,” Wynona said, pulling backward until he listened. “They think I killed him,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t go in there.”
“We both know you had nothing to do with that murder,” Roderick said with a shake of his head. His silver eyes held no doubt, and that helped her relax a little further. “They can’t accuse you of anything without proof, so let’s go in there and figure out what’s bugging you.”
Wynona pressed her lips together, then finally squeezed his hand. “Okay.” She let him lead her inside. She’d learned long ago to stand on her own two feet, but it felt good to let Roderick help. She was still nervous about being accused of murder, so a friend at her side was helpful.
“Chief,” Roderick said loudly as they walked into the office. “I think maybe you should let Ms. Le Doux take a look at things.”
Chief Ligurio glared at them. “This is a crime scene,” he snapped. “Please wait outside.”
Roderick let go of Wynona’s hand and folded his arms over his impressive chest in a stance that spoke of ease and confidence. “I think you’ll like what she has to say.”
Wynona almost choked. She didn’t have anything to say! All she had was a funny feeling in the back of her mind that said something was not what it seemed.
The chief turned his glare directly on Wynona. “Is that so? What is it?”
Wynona swallowed hard, turning to Roderick first before going back to the chief. “May I look a little closer at the body?” she asked, her voice softer than she would have liked.
The chief looked heavenward as if sending a prayer to the Creator for help. “Sure. Why not?” he snapped, waving his arm at the ashes. “Let’s see if a powerless witch can see more than a trained police crew.”
Ignoring the jab, Wynona tentatively walked over. She could feel the eyes of the team on her again and it made her skin itch. The golden eyes were the worst. It was as if she could pick them out of all the others, probably because he’d winked at her and come to her defense earlier.
Clasping her hands behind her, she studied the ashes. Her frown grew the longer she looked.
“See anything interesting?”
Wynona jumped slightly and looked up into the face of the handsome officer with the messy hair.
“Do share,” the chief drawled.
Wynona pinched her lips together, then decided things couldn’t get any worse. “Well, I’m sure you already noticed, but the shape left behind with the ashes is of medium height and slim build.”
“Of course,” the chief said in an unimpressed tone.
“Atherton Droxon is a gnome.”
The chief waved a hand in the air as if to say And...
“So, he’s short and round,” Wynona continued. She straightened. The more she thought about it, the more she knew she had to be correct. “Don’t you think the ashes would be more in the shape of a circle if it was him?”
The chief took a moment to respond. He put his hand on his hips. “Are you telling me that you don’t think this is Atherton Droxon? Wasn’t it you who told me it was when I first arrived? You recognized the apron, right?”
Wynona nodded. “Yes. It’s his apron, but I’m reasonably sure it’s not his body.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” the wood fairy officer murmured.
“So, let me get this straight,” Chief Ligurio said slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. “You think someone...dressed like Atherton Droxon...broke into your shop, got himself killed with a hex... but isn’t actually Atherton Droxon?”
Wynona nodded firmly. “Yes.”
The chief opened his mouth, but a shout from down the hall caught their attention. Wynona’s eyebrows shot up. She knew that voice. Turning to the door, she waited.
“What is going on here?” Chef Droxon screeched as he burst into the office.
“But...” One of the officers started to argue.
“You’re not dead,” Chief Ligurio said, his tone almost disappointed.
“Dead?” Chef Droxon scoffed. “I not dead. I bake!” He glared at the room, Wynona included, then his black eyes landed on the ashes. “Who is that?” he demanded in his usual imperial tone.
“Not you, apparently,” the handsome officer muttered under his breath.
Wynona glanced his way and met his stunning eyes again.
“Good work, Ms. Le Doux,” he said, a note of admiration in his voice.
Heat infused her cheeks. “Thanks. But that still leaves us with a question.”
“Yep.” The officer turned and Wynona saw his nametag: Officer Strongclaw. “If this isn’t Chef Droxon,” he looked up at his chief, “who is it?”