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Wynona’s heart was pounding in her throat as she walked casually across the road to the front entrance of an apartment building. From the outside, it looked like any other highrise. Built with steel and glass, the collection of residences appeared to be for the business class folks. Which immediately gave Wynona a confidence boost. She was almost positive her idea was correct, especially if a secretary could live in a place like this.
“Wynona Le Doux to visit Delila Caseis,” Wynona said politely to the doorman.
The man looked at her with startled eyes. “Le Doux?” He looked her up and down and frowned, obviously noting that she didn’t appear as lush as the rest of her family.
“Yes, Le Doux,” Wynona said more forcefully. “My father is President Le Doux.”
The doorman continued to frown. “How come I’ve never heard of you?”
Wynona decided now was not the time to spill the fact that her family had kept her a secret because of her curse, not when she was on a mission. “Would you care to call my mother, Marcella?” Wynona pulled out her phone. “Or, perhaps, Celia instead?” Wynona’s smile was far from warm at this point. “I’d offer to let you call Granny Saffron, but she passed a few months ago. Did you know?”
The man, who looked like a normal human, branding him as a possible warlock, folded his arms over his chest. Wynona couldn’t help but swallow hard. If he decided to use powers on her, she was toast. Although, a warlock working as a doorman meant he wasn’t very good, but still... “Everyone knows who the Le Doux family is,” he said condescendingly. “Doesn’t make you related.”
Wynona sighed. She didn’t want to do this, but needed to get inside. She dialed her sister’s phone.
“This is Ms. Celia Le Doux’s personal line. How may I help you?”
Wynona wanted to dance a jig. How lucky was she that Celia’s personal assistant had answered, rather than having to deal with Celia herself?
“Hello, Airian,” Wynona said in a perky tone. “It’s Wynona. Is my sister around?”
There was a pause and a shuffling sound on the other end. Wynona held the phone up so the doorman could hear. “Just one moment, Ms. Le Doux. Let me see if she’s receiving calls.”
The doorman rolled his eyes and pushed a button. “Come on,” he said.
“Never mind, Airian, it sounds like she’s busy. I’ll chat with her another time.”
“Is that my sister?” A screech could be heard in the background and Wynona’s eyes opened wide as she realized Celia had obviously entered the room. “What does she need? A handout?” she asked with a snicker.
Wynona hung up and stuffed the phone in her purse, ignoring the buzzing that resulted when Celia tried to call her back. “Thank you,” she said to the smirking doorman. It had been too much to hope that he hadn’t heard that last comment.
Once inside, Wynona realized she didn’t know what floor she was going to, but she wasn’t about to go back out and ask the doorman. Even magicless witches had pride. Instead, she headed toward the elevator. Hopefully another resident could help her along the way.
The elevator dinged and a well dressed gentleman stepped out, adjusting his cufflinks.
“Excuse me, sir. Could you, oh!” Wynona broke out in a smile, then immediately panicked. This was definitely not according to the plan.
“Wynona,” Roderick said warmly. His smile was as bright as ever. “What brings you here?” Stepping closer, he leaned and gave her another cheek kiss. “Are you here to see me?”
Wynona shook her head. “No, actually. I had no idea you lived here.”
Roderick looked slightly disappointed, but he hid it fairly well. “I’ll pretend that didn’t hurt my ego,” he teased. “Do you have another friend in the building?”
That was just the opening she needed. “Yes! I was told that Delila Caseis lives here.”
Roderick frowned. “The siren arrested for the murders? Yes, but isn’t she at the station?”
Wynona shook her head. “They received some new evidence and had to let her go.”
Roderick’s frown grew and his eyes went toward the ceiling as if he could see her through the floors. “I see...”
“You wouldn’t happen to know what apartment she’s in, would you?”
Roderick immediately came back to himself and focused his silver eyes on Wynona. “I didn’t realize you two were such good friends.”
“Oh, we’re not, but I have a few questions for her,” Wynona said easily. “You know, trying to solve the murder so I can clear my name and open the shop.” She scrunched her nose. “I’ve only got two days left.”
Roderick nodded sadly. “If I didn’t have to head to work, I would help, but alas...” He held his arms wide. “I’m afraid business waits for no man.”
“It’s fine,” Wynona assured him. “Go do what you need to do.” She gave him a grin. “But letting me know Delila’s apartment number would be an easy way to prove what you just said.”
Roderick chuckled. “Thirteen A, if I remember correctly.” He gave her another quick kiss, this time on the top of her head. “Good luck. I must go.”
Wynona barely noticed that he left as she rushed to catch the elevator. How grateful she was that this time she would not be walking the stairs. She was certain her thighs and tush would never be the same.
Soft music played as she rode up, but it did nothing to soften Wynona’s nerves. She had come here today to run a con and it was wreaking havoc with her emotions. After another hour of persuasion, Chief Ligurio and Rascal had reluctantly agreed to her plan. The problem was, Wynona had never done any acting in her life, unless she counted pretending not to care that her family hated her.
She practically jumped out of her skin when the elevator door opened to the thirteenth floor, and Wynona walked on wooden legs out into the hallway. Glancing at the doors, she turned to the left, finding apartment A immediately.
“Send help, Granny,” she muttered to herself. Wishing for the millionth time that she had powers to help protect herself beyond the Banshee Scream in her purse, Wynona raised her hand and knocked.
She fidgeted with her shirt hem and straightened her skirt, hoping she looked professional but approachable.
“Who is it?”
Wynona frowned. The voice sounded hesitant and it worried her. “Delila? It’s Wynona. Wynona Le Doux?”
More noises came from the apartment for several seconds before the door cracked open. “Oh, Wynona!” Delila gushed. She opened the door all the way and reached out to pull Wynona into a surprisingly tight hug. “I don’t know how you did it, but thank you for getting me out!”
Wynona pulled back. “How did you know it was me?”
Delila smirked and walked over to the couch. “Who else could it have been? I have no family and you’re the only person I spoke to who actually listened to what I said.”
Wynona sat across from the beautiful siren. Delila was dressed casually today, more than likely only having been home for an hour or two, but it didn’t matter. The woman was still gorgeous. “Delila, I need to ask you some questions.”
Delila huffed in disbelief. “More? What in the world could I offer that I haven’t already confessed?”
“How about the truth about where you were when the first murder occurred?”
Delila’s plush lips pinched and turned white.
Wynona tilted her head. “Was the salmon good?” she pressed. “Or perhaps you had the filet mignon? I’ve heard that it's especially tasty.”
Delila’s face drained of color and she sunk into her seat. “How did you know?” she rasped.
Wynona shook her head. “I followed a hunch.” Wynona dropped the other woman’s gaze for a moment, struggling to come up with the courage to say what needed to come next. Taking a deep breath, she looked up. “Perhaps Kayne would like to join us for this next part.”
Before Delila could respond, Kayne burst from the bedroom. “Don’t say a word, Delila,” he snapped. “Having dinner together isn’t a big deal, especially not with Dad dead.”
Wynona’s heart hurt. She knew exactly what it was like to break free of a parent’s prejudiced expectations. Even if hers were still alive, they had little say in her life at the moment. “When did you first start embezzling from him?”
Delila gasped and brought her hands over her mouth. “Kayne,” she squeaked.
Kayne’s blue eyes were glued to Wynona, as if daring her to say more. “She’s just guessing, Dee. Stay quiet.”
And here was where it was going to get tricky. Wynona knew she wasn’t the world’s best liar, but she needed to convince Kayne she was. “You do realize that with Delila cleared, the police will be looking for a new suspect?” she asked coolly. “How do you think it’s going to look when they find the bank records in Delila’s desk? Or the receipts of your dates that she’s been writing off as business expenses?”
Kayne stiffened even further if that were possible. “I didn’t kill my father,” he said tightly.
“He didn’t!” Delila cried. “He’s innocent! He was with me!”
“Quiet, Dee!” he shouted. “They can’t pin anything on me. We’ll get a lawyer before we say any more.”
Wynona shook her head. “The police are investigating now,” she said, slowly rising to her feet. “If you’re innocent, doesn’t cooperating look better than fighting?” Wynona fought to keep her knees steady and her voice from breaking. A single drop of sweat trickled down her spine, tickling and distracting her from her mission. “You’ve been using Delila’s position to suck him dry for years.” Wynona stepped forward even though she wanted to step back. “When did he first tell you you were cut off? It wasn’t when it leaked to the press. The records go back way before then.”
Another step.
“With your father out of the way, you were free to be with the woman you loved,” Wynona continued, keeping her voice low and steady. “The woman your father thought beneath you. Her powers weren’t enough, were they? He wanted someone like your mother. Someone who could bring wealth and prestige to the table instead of just good looks.”
Kayne’s face was growing a dangerous shade of purple, while Delila muffled her sobs on the couch, curled into herself like a young child.
“Perhaps you killed him in self defense,” Wynona argued.
“NO!” Kayne shouted.
“Did you fight at lunch over how he was treating your mother? Or maybe you fought over money, for the thousandth time,” Wynona’s voice grew quieter with each word. “Is that when you threw the hex on him? Did he say something about Delila you didn’t like?”
Delila shot to her feet. “He didn’t do it! He couldn’t have! I met them for lunch and we were having dinner the night of the first murder!”
“Stop, Dee,” Kayne pleaded. “You have to stop. Nobody can know we’re dating.”
“I won’t let you go to jail for murder,” Delila said through her tears. “Not when I can stop it. I don’t care what the public thinks...or your mother.”
Ooohh, Wynona hadn’t figured out that Maeve also disapproved. But she supposed it made sense. Elves saw themselves as vastly superior to every creature except a few. A siren wouldn’t have been enough for the son and heir of the Droxon empire.
“He didn’t do it.” Delila turned her attention to Wynona. “I’ll swear to it and I can offer witnesses at the restaurants. We took the money, but only because it should have rightfully been his! He was Chef Droxon’s heir! The money was his!”
“That won’t be necessary,” Wynona said, backing up now. “I know he didn’t kill his father, or Mr. Skinflayer.”
Delila’s mouth flopped open. “But you just said...”
Wynona nodded and wiped at her damp forehead. “I know. But I needed you to confess about the embezzlement.”
Kayne’s lips curled slightly. “Well done, Ms. Le Doux. I can’t say I’m happy with the results, but I can’t fault your persistence. When we met, you didn’t strike me as the type of woman who gave up easily.”
“Not when it means gaining justice,” Wynona said sadly. She didn’t like having to turn these two in, but what they’d done was wrong and it needed to stop. She might not have caught a murderer yet, but at least she’d helped solve one crime. For the moment, it would be enough.
A banging came on the door and Wynona finally allowed herself to breathe deeply.
“Open up! It’s the police!”
Wynona kept an eye on the couple while she opened the door, then stood out of the way as the room flooded with blue uniforms.
“Are you okay?” Rascal stopped at her side, his eyes roaming her face.
Wynona nodded. “Fine. My heart just ran a marathon, but the rest of me is okay.”
Rascal chuckled. “A burst of adrenaline is good for the system,” he teased.
“Speak for yourself,” Wynona shot back. “I think I took ten years off my life due to fear.”
Rascal’s smile grew. “Pity. That’s a lot of time to deprive people of your company.” Giving her a quick wink, he followed his officers as they cuffed Delila and Kayne and led them out of the apartment.
Tea. Wynona needed tea. And a chance to look through what was left of the clues. With the embezzling out of the way, hopefully what was left would make more sense and they could have this whole case wrapped up sooner rather than later.