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Since Wynona had no idea how to find Kayne Droxon, she decided her best bet was to go back to the Droxon bakeries and try to talk to Delila Caseis. There was something nagging Wynona about her alibi. The woman had been strong and defensive, up until that moment, and it brought up a red flag in Wynona’s mind.
The darting eyes and failure to make eye contact all screamed that the woman was lying. But how to prove it? Or how to get the woman to confess?
Ideas, none of them good, swirled through Wynona’s brain as she rode her scooter through the town. A small amount of trepidation churned in her belly as she rode down to Runes Road. She wasn’t going through an alley this time, but she had still been attacked here only yesterday and the feelings of fear and helplessness were close to the surface.
As she drove closer, however, everything drained away, except for the fear. The front of the building was completely blocked with police vehicles. Sirens had been turned off, but the lights flashed across the side of the building and onto the cars that slowly passed by.
Getting as close as she dared, Wynona parked her scooter and hurried over, slinging her purse across her chest as she went. “What happened?” she asked the officer standing guard in the doorway.
The man scowled. “Move along, please,” he said gruffly. His height, combined with the gravel in his tone, left Wynona assuming he was some kind of troll. The angles of his face were sharp and the muscles beneath his uniform bulged. A rock troll. The problem here was that they were known for being as stubborn as they were strong. She would have to handle this delicately.
“I’m Wynona Le Doux,” she said carefully, making sure her last name was clear. Oh, how she hated using it to gain advantage, but in times such as this, it was a blessing in disguise. “I have business with Chef Droxon and his secretary, Ms. Caseis. Please let me inside.”
Large arms folded over an equally large chest. It was no wonder they put this guy at the door. He filled up the entire entryway, which happened to be two glass doors wide. “No one goes in.”
“Deputy Chief Strongclaw is expecting me.” The little white lie nearly got stuck in her throat, but she knew Rascal would back her up.
The guard’s eyebrows furrowed. He stared her down, but Wynona stood tall. She needed to know what was going on. That same gut instinct that told her Ms. Caseis had been lying was saying that whatever was going on had to do with the murder in her shop.
Reaching toward his shoulder, the officer pressed a walkie-talkie and spoke into it for a minute. It crackled to life and the distinctive honeyed tones of Chief Ligurio came pouring out. “By all means. Let her up.”
Wynona swallowed hard. She didn’t like the way the chief had said that. He had almost sounded gleeful that she had arrived.
The guard moved to the side and waved an arm toward the entrance. “Tenth floor, Ms. Le Doux,” he said in his harsh tone.
“Thank you,” Wynona said politely. “I appreciate you letting me through.”
The officer gave her an unimpressed look as she walked past and turned back to the front once she had gone inside.
Sighing in relief, Wynona made her way to the elevator. The bottom floor seemed deserted and she guessed the building had been evacuated. The elevator was straight ahead and Wynona hurried over. She didn’t like the heavy, depressive feel of the abandoned area.
Luckily, it only took a few moments for the elevator to open and soon she was on her way up. Soft music played in the background, which seemed in direct contrast to her pounding heart. Something bad was going to happen. A heavy sense of doom weighed her down, but Wynona forced herself to stay upright.
She watched the digital numbers at the top of the elevator. The closer she got to the top floor, the thicker the air became until it was difficult to breathe. The door dinged, then opened, shocking Wynona out of her near hyperventilation.
Sucking in a much needed lungful of air, she pushed her legs into action, stepping out before the doors closed on her again. Whereas the bottom level has been silent, floor ten was buzzing with activity. It was like a hive of sprites, all dressed in blue uniforms.
“Ah, Ms. Le Doux.” Chief Ligurio’s voice was as smooth as ever. Those darn vampires and their charm magic. It seemed in complete odds with his grumpy personality.
Wynona smiled. “Hello, Chief. Thank you for allowing me to come up.”
He curled a long, white finger at her. “Perhaps you would like to see what brought us here?” His black eyebrow rose. “Or perhaps you already know.”
Wynona shook her head. “I have no idea what’s going on.”
“Ms. Le Doux!” Rascal came up behind his boss’s shoulder. Wynona was grateful he was on duty this afternoon and had only been off for the morning shift. She’d need a friendly face in this crowd. “I heard you were coming.” He gave her an apologetic grin. “Come on back and I’ll show you where it happened.”
Wynona looked back and forth between the chief and his deputy. “Where what happened?”
Chief Ligurio sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Where were you between twelve and two o’clock, Ms. Le Doux?”
“Having tea with friends.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Now will you please explain why you feel the need to ask me that? I still don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Chef Droxon is dead.”
Wynona’s arms fell to her sides. “What?”
“You said friends,” the chief continued. “I’m assuming they’ll corroborate your story?”
“Of course they will,” Wynona sputtered. She stepped forward, her mind still reeling. “Chief, I don’t know why you are so dead set on this being my fault, but this is the first time I’ve ever been in this building. Ever. I had nothing to do with the chef’s death and nothing to do with the man’s death in my shop.”
The chief eyed her with clear disdain. “Time will tell, I suppose.” Turning on his heel, he led the way through the crowded space.
Wynona rushed over to Rascal and together they followed. “He’s really dead?” she asked, putting a hand on her churning stomach. She knew something bad was going to happen.
Rascal nodded. “Yep. Just like before. Turned to ash.”
“Are we sure it’s really the chef?” Wynona asked. “Last time we were fooled as well.”
“Coroner has already examined the ash and confirmed it,” Rascal whispered. “We’ve been here for over an hour collecting evidence and questioning the entire building.”
“And it happened in broad daylight?” Wynona asked, looking around at all the open windows.
“Sort of. Middle of the day, yes. But you can only see one way through these windows, so no one in a neighboring building would have noticed a thing.” He stepped aside and let her walk through a doorway first. “And Droxon’s office, as you can see, is closed off from the rest of the floor.”
Wynona looked around, noting that Rascal was right. The office space was quite large, with a full kitchen off to one side and sitting area on the other. If it weren’t for the oak desk and massive wall of filing cabinets, it would have looked like they had entered someone’s home. Her eyes finally settled on the outline of a body. Apparently, Chef Droxon’s remains had already been removed, but the police had used tape to mark where it had been.
She noted that the shape, this time, was correct. Short and round. Exactly right for a gnome. “I would have thought the department was keeping an eye on him,” Wynona whispered, glancing up at Rascal.
He scratched his chin. “We were. No one saw anything unusual. No struggle, no fight, no shouting for help.”
“Then how did this happen?”
Rascal shook his head. “We’re not sure. Ms. Caseis called it in. She had tried to call him over the intercom, but Droxon didn’t answer. After a while, she went to check on him and found...this.” He waved his hand toward the markings.
Back to Ms. Caseis. She seemed to show up a lot. “Is she still around?”
Rascal raised one of his thick eyebrows. “Why? Want to ask her some more questions?”
Wynona nodded. “Please,” she added when Rascal didn’t respond right away.
He sighed and tilted his head toward the front of the office. “Come on. She’s in one of the other offices.”
“Thank you,” Wynona said softly.
He grinned. “We’ll be lucky if I don’t end up fired after this case.”
Wynona stopped. “Do you really mean that?” she asked. “I wouldn’t want to do anything that might cost you your job.”
Rascal shook his head quickly. “Nah. I’m joking.” His grin grew. “But it’s nice that you’re worried about it.”
That dang blush. There was simply no hiding it and when it shot up her cheeks, Rascal’s eyes were immediately drawn to the color. Wynona cleared her throat. “Um, which office is she in?” A change in subject was her only defense at the moment.
Rascal never stopped grinning as he led her to the far corner. He knocked twice on the door and poked his head inside, speaking to someone before opening it fully. “Go on in.”
“Thank you,” Wynona said softly, slipping past him. Rascal didn’t leave her much room, so her shoulder brushed against his chest. It was a good thing her cheeks were already on fire, because getting even the smallest feel of his muscles was enough to send her temperature through the roof. “Ms. Caseis?”
Delila looked up from dabbing her eyes with a soggy handkerchief. “Ms. Le Doux?”
Wynona gave her a kind smile. “Wynona, please.”
Ms. Caseis nodded. “Delila.”
Walking over, Wynona put her hand on the siren’s shoulder. Even grieving, she was stunning. A slight red rim on her eyes was the only true sign that she had been crying. Well, that and the garbage full of tissues at her feet. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Delila nodded. “Thank you.” She shrugged. “He wasn’t the best boss, but I’d been with him for several years.” She dabbed delicately at her eye again. “I just can’t imagine who would do something like this.”
“May I?” Wynona pointed to the chair next to hers.
Delila nodded. “Please.”
Wynona sat down, taking her purse off and tucking it at her side. “Deputy Chief Strongclaw told me you found the body.”
Delila nodded. “Yes. It was awful.” Her bottom lip began to tremble along with her voice. “Just a pile of ash. His clothes were normal, but his body was gone.” She sniffled and reached for another tissue, blowing it softly before dumping it in the trash.
“It must have been an awful shock for you,” Wynona prodded.
“It was.” Delila wiped a stray tear. “I’ve never seen the results of a hex before. It’s something you think only happens on the television, you know?”
“Yes,” Wynona agreed. “What were you doing when it happened?” There was no way to ask the question delicately, but luckily, Ms Caseis was too caught up in her grief to get upset about it.
“Working out front, at my desk.” Her eyes grew wide. “The whole office can vouch for me.”
Wynona reached out and patted the woman’s knee. “I’m sure they can. I’m just trying to get a mental picture, is all.”
Delila tilted her head. “Are you a detective or something? I thought you were a Le Doux.”
“I am,” Wynona responded. “If you recall from our meeting the other day, I own a tea shop, but ended up getting caught up in...” She waved her hands around. “This.”
Delila nodded, though it was clear she didn’t exactly understand. Which was fine. Wynona didn’t want to break it all down anyway.
“Can you think of anyone who might have visited Chef Droxon during the time frame the police are looking at?” Delila’s eyes skittered away and Wynona immediately grew suspicious. She had seen this look before.
“No one out of the ordinary,” the secretary said. She wrung the handkerchief in her hands, nearly tearing the fabric.
“Can you tell me even the ordinary ones?” Wynona started a mental checklist in her head, ready to remember each and every name. She was sure Rascal already had it written down, but she wanted the information for herself.
Delila’s eyes fell to her lap. “Just his...family, a couple of business associates.”
“Family? Do you mean his wife, or his son?”
Delila’s head jerked ever so slightly, but she played it off by stretching her neck. “Both. They had a family meeting during lunch.”
“I see. And his business associates? Can you tell me their names?”
The siren sighed, exasperation leaking into her tone. “I really don’t see what all this has to do with you, Ms. Le Doux.”
Wynona fought to keep from arguing. This had everything to do with her. Whoever had mistakenly killed that thief back at her shop had finished the plot by killing Chef Droxon in his office. And despite having an alibi, she could tell the chief still didn’t believe her. Her shop was doomed if she couldn’t clear her name.
Jerking upright, Wynona turned to Rascal, who was chatting with another officer nearby. “Deputy Chief Strongclaw. Did anyone check for Chef Droxon’s little black book?”
Rascal huffed. “We checked. But nobody can find it.”
“And the will? Is it still missing?”
Rascal nodded. “Yep.”
Wynona sagged in her seat. More than ever, she needed to find Chef Droxon’s son and confront him. Something just wasn’t adding up, and until she figured it out, she knew her entire future was in jeopardy.