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“Ms. Le Doux?”
Wynona wasn’t sure she enjoyed them having to be so formal. She preferred when Rascal called her Wynona, but she couldn’t exactly scold him when they were in public and he was on the job. She gave Delila one last comforting pat, then stood and walked over, raising her eyebrows in question.
“Find out anything interesting?” he asked in a low tone.
“Nothing you probably don’t already know,” Wynona said. “Why?”
Rascal sighed and pushed a hand through his thick hair. “She wasn’t exactly forthcoming about everything and I was hoping speaking to another woman might help her open up a little.”
Wynona pursed her lips. “She told me Mrs. Droxon and her son, Kayne, were here. And that some business associates came by, but she didn’t seem keen to name any of them.”
Rascal nodded. “Yeah...that’s about all we got.” He wrinkled his nose. “I’m not sure if she’s scared one of them did it and will target her next, or if she’s got something going on with one of the visitors and is trying to protect them.”
“She’s hiding something for sure,” Wynona mused, tapping her bottom lip. “But I’m not sure what.”
“Do you think she’s the killer?”
Wynona shook her head. “No. I don’t. Do you?”
Rascal responded in kind. “No. She doesn’t seem the type. I mean, she’s a siren and all, but she’s not exactly trying to charm every man on the force.” He gave Wynona a rueful grin. “Not that she would have to try hard. I think half my men started drooling the second they saw her.”
“And you? Did you drool?” Wynona snapped her mouth shut. She shouldn’t have asked that. It wasn’t any of her business whether Rascal thought Ms. Caseis was attractive or not. She and Rascal were only friends and most of that was on a professional level. The fact that she found him attractive was irrelevant.
A slow, boyish grin spread across his face. “I can’t say that I did,” he said, his tone slightly huskier than before. “I prefer my women a little less...high maintenance.”
Wynona nodded jerkily, dropping her face to the floor in an effort to hide her ridiculous blush. “Good to know,” she responded in as much of a business tone as she could. She cleared her throat yet again. Rascal was going to think she had allergies if this kept up.
“So, if you don’t think Ms. Caseis is the killer,” Rascal began, “who do you suspect?”
Wynona pinched her lips together. “I’m not sure. None of the clues make sense.”
“Such as?” he prodded.
“Such as the missing will.” She turned to face him fully. “Speaking of, you deliberately never told me what was in that will.” She glared at him, though there was no heat behind the look. “I have a sneaking suspicion you did that on purpose.”
Rascal grinned and shrugged. “I’ll never tell.”
“What was in the will? Or whether or not you withheld information on purpose?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he taunted.
Wynona fought the urge to roll her eyes. “What are we? Toddlers?”
He chuckled. A deep rich sound that resonated through Wynona’s chest. “The will said his son Kayne would inherit everything. However, Chef Droxon told us he had plans to change the will. Planned to cut off Kayne completely.” Rascal squished his lips to one side. “I’m guessing that didn’t happen before he died. If the will ever shows up, it should show that Kayne inherited everything.”
“Hmmm...”
“What are you thinking?” Rascal asked, eyeing her. “I’m starting to recognize your looks, and this one means you’ve discovered something.”
“What?” Wynona blinked several times. “Oh. I was just thinking how convenient that was for Kayne. He was supposed to be cut off, but his dad couldn’t change the will before he died? Don’t you find that suspicious?”
Rascal nodded. “I do. Except that Kayne has an alibi.”
Wynona’s shoulders drooped. “Everybody has an alibi.”
He grinned. “True.”
“Which means that someone, or multiple someones have to be lying,” Wynona continued. She looked up into Rascal’s golden orbs. “But who?”
He scrunched up one side of his face. “I don’t know.” He scratched behind his ear. “Who would have reason to?”
Wynona tapped her bottom lip. “All of them, I suppose.” She glanced over to Delila. The woman was still sniffling and wiping tears, but when an officer handed her a cup of coffee, she gave him a grateful smile that disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. She shifted continually in her seat, telling Wynona the woman was nervous. But why? That was the biggest question. There just didn’t seem to be a good reason for the secretary to kill her boss. Or kill someone else in his place.
“The recipes,” Wynona breathed. “Obviously they were after the recipes the whole time.” She frowned. “But why kill for them? When that man tried to steal them at my shop, he wasn’t attempting murder. He was just a thief.”
“Joksac Skinflayer.”
Wynona paused. “What?”
Rascal scrambled for a notebook in his pocket and flipped through its pages. “Joksac Skinflayer. The thief you were talking about.” He snapped the notebook closed. “He was a doppelganger.”
“Ah. That explains why someone thought he was the chef when they killed him,” Wynona mused, tucking the bit of information away.
Rascal nodded. “Yeah. That’s what we thought too. Though when he was killed, he reverted back to his original form.”
“Letting the killer know they had the wrong man,” Wynona finished for him.
“Exactly.” Rascal’s eyes gleamed with pride and Wynona couldn’t help but smile at him.
“That still doesn’t tell us why the person tried to kill the chef. Thievery doesn’t lend itself to murder.”
“Unless it’s in self defense,” Rascal offered.
“Coming back to kill the chef would dispel that theory. If they killed in self defense, why come back for him?”
“Perhaps they were still after the recipe book,” Rascal said. “Both burglary attempts could have been botched.”
“That seems unlikely.” Wynona scrunched her nose. “And why were they looking for the book in my office that night? I don’t have it. It was in Chef Droxon’s pocket.”
Rascal blew out a long breath. “Guess that doesn’t work.”
“None of it does,” Wynona complained. “I feel like everything just turns in circles. If the recipe booklet was the real reason for the crimes, none of our suspects seem likely to want it. His wife certainly had no reason to want it. She already had access to his money, as long as he was alive. His son was out of the will, but how would stealing the recipes help that? And his secretary had been working here for years. If she wanted the recipe booklet, there’s no way she would have had to kill for it. She knew this building, and more than likely knew his office and schedule. Of any of them, she would have the best chance of getting away with stealing it without having to commit murder.” Wynona rubbed her temples. “I’m missing something,” she murmured. “Something important. And when I find it, everything will become clear.”
Rascal put his hand on her shoulder, creating a hotspot, which traveled down her arm. “Don’t stress about it,” he encouraged. “These things have a way of coming to light. If people are lying, we’ll eventually figure it out.”
Although she appreciated the sentiment, Wynona didn’t have time to wait it out. Her shop was set to open in just a couple of days. She couldn’t afford to relax about the matter.
“Ms. Le Doux.” Chief Ligurio was scowling deeply as he approached them.
Rascal’s hand dropped from her shoulder and Wynona felt slightly colder from the loss. “Sir,” he said in a serious tone.
Wynona lifted her chin slightly. “Chief Ligurio. What can I do for you?”
His red eyes were menacing as he glared at her. “I came to warn you not to leave town.”
Wynona huffed and folded her arms over her chest. “Not that I had plans to, but would you care to tell me why I’m being warned in such a way?”
He stepped a little closer and Wynona had to fight to hold her ground. She knew she was innocent, and nothing this man could do would change that. But without any powers to protect herself, she couldn’t help but be a little intimidated by him. “Because I have every intention of proving that you’re lying,” he said in a low tone. “And when I do, you and your family will have nowhere to hide.”
Wynona stood, stunned, as the police chief stalked away. She was fully aware that her family’s power made them targets and not everyone liked the way the Le Doux’s or other witch families ruled Hex Haven, but this was being taken to an extreme.
“I’m sorry,” Rascal said from behind her.
Wynona turned just enough to look at him. He looked exhausted as he scrubbed his face with his palms. “It’s not your fault that he’s such a jerk,” she said before stopping herself. She blew out a breath. “Now I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Rascal shook his head. “Under the circumstances, I think you had every right.”
“I just don’t understand why he’s so determined to see me go to jail. I’d never even met him before you all showed up at my shop.”
Rascal shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him like this.” He made a face. “I mean, Chief has always been kinda hard-nosed. I think it comes from living so long, but he’s also usually pretty good about digging for the truth, instead of jumping to conclusions.”
That headache was pounding against her forehead again and Wynona rubbed the spot. “Maybe I better go. I don’t think there’s anything else I can learn from here anyway.”
Warm fingertips brushed her upper arm. “Be careful out there, huh? I don’t like the fact that we’ve had two dead bodies in as many days.”
Wynona nodded, grateful for his concern. “Thank you, I will be.”
“In fact...” Rascal began searching his pockets until he handed her a small tube. “Keep this on you.”
Wynona frowned and studied it. “What is it?”
“A Banshee Scream,” Rascal explained. “The container is spelled to hit whoever the container is aimed at.” He grinned. “So don’t mix up the front and back.”
Wynona gave him a look. “I think I can handle that.”
“Anyway, it’ll incapacitate whoever it hits.” His golden eyes turned warm. “Maybe it’ll help keep you safe since you don’t have, uh...” He trailed off, obviously worried about offending her.
“Since I don’t have powers?” Wynona said plainly. There was no use beating around the bush. She wasn’t happy about it, but she couldn’t exactly hide it either. “Thank you,” she said softly. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”
Rascal gave her his signature wink. “Anytime.”
Holding the container up with a little shake, she gave him a smile and left the building. Once outside, Wynona shot off a group text to Roderick and Prim. After what she had just learned, it appeared that true to her landlord’s claim, more tea was in order.