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It had taken some finagling to convince Silvaria to stay behind. When Wynona had mentioned Mr. Melion’s name, the young witch had been furious, her magic sparking out of control until Daemon had stepped up, his powers quickly negating Silvaria’s.
Wynona stared at the road ahead while Rascal drove.
“You’re sure it’s the lawyer?” Rascal asked as he maneuvered them quickly through the streets.
Wynona sighed. “Reasonably sure?” She glanced down at Violet, who was sitting on her lap, glaring at the fake Duo, who was meowing unhappily in his carrier. “He makes the most sense. He’s a feline shifter, so it could have been his claws that hurt Zander.”
Rascal growled. “We considered that, but he had an alibi and no motive.”
“I believe he’s been essentially running the Roseburg fortune for years,” Wynona said tightly. “Manipulating Ms. Roseburg through her cat fetish.”
Violet began cleaning her face. Don’t trust people who like cats.
Wynona nodded. “Duo, or the fake Duo, was in Mr. Melion’s office the day of the will reading. I remember him sitting on the bookcase, watching the whole proceedings.” She turned to Rascal. “There’s no way he didn’t know.”
“But why kill Zander?”
Wynona shrugged. “Maybe Zander figured it out. Remember when Zander left that day? He made a threat that the situation wasn’t over. I thought he was talking about them fighting the will, but if Zander had figured out what Mr. Melion was doing, then his words mean something completely different.”
Rascal nodded. “Right. But why not just say something? The police were there.”
“Because Zander himself was covering up a murder,” Wynona argued. “I mean, not exactly a murder, but he was working to frame someone and had been privy to his mom’s death.”
“And the shoes,” Rascal added with a sage nod. “Someone had to know about the shoes in order to plant them and Mr. Melion would have been the most likely.”
“Right,” Wynona agreed. “Plus, telling your lawyer about your crimes is commonplace. Besides his sister, it makes the most sense for Zander to tell Mr. Melion.”
They arrived at the large office building and Rascal pulled onto the sidewalk with a wink at Wynona.
Despite the tenseness of the situation, she laughed softly. “I believe you became an officer just so you could break the rules without repercussions.”
“At least now you know who you’re stuck with,” he teased. Leaning over, Rascal left a quick peck on her cheek. “Hang on while I call for backup. I should have done that before we left.”
Wynona watched the building, waiting for Rascal to finish his phone call.
“Okay. Let’s go in.”
“You don’t want to wait?” she asked.
Rascal shook his head. “I don’t think he can do too much. Between Skymaw and myself, we’ll have the kitten cornered in no time.”
Wynona was a little nervous, but she knew Rascal and Daemon were both competent in what they did, so she climbed out of the truck, setting Violet on her shoulder. “We might need to work together if things get out of hand,” Wynona whispered to her furry companion.
Violet chittered. Let’s do this.
Wynona snorted quietly. Sometimes the mouse could be a bit frightening.
“Not that I don’t believe in your abilities,” Rascal said in a low tone as they walked into the building. “But I’d feel a lot better if you let Skymaw and I lead.”
“Lead away,” Wynona said. “I hate this part of the investigation.” She blinked a few times, working down the lump in her throat. The last time they had been toward the end of a case, they’d been caught off guard when the witch they were investigating arrived home early. If she closed her eyes, Wynona could still hear Rascal choking and see the purple color of his face. The witch had Wynona caught in a magical trap that Wynona had been unable to break as she slowly watched her soulmate die.
“None of that,” Rascal said gruffly. He reached back and took her hand. “This time we’re going in with our eyes open. Melion won’t catch us off guard and he doesn’t have that kind of magic.”
“Right.” Wynona swallowed. “It’ll all be fine.” Still, she couldn’t help but worry. If you corner a frightened beast, they can do terrible things in their desperation.
The elevator seemed especially small as they traveled up to the fifteenth floor for Mr. Melion’s office. The soft music made Wynona cringe. She didn’t want to be calm right now, she wanted to be prepared and ready for whatever fight might come their way. If Mr. Melion had been manipulating the funds for his own disposal for years, he wouldn’t go down easily.
The door opened and they walked into a lobby with a desk facing them.
“We’re here to see Mr. Melion,” Rascal said, flashing his badge.
“Oh, dear,” the secretary muttered. “Um...” She stood up. “I’ll just...”
“Have a seat,” Daemon said. “We’ll let ourselves in.”
The woman sat down, her eyes darting around the group and her bottom lip trembling.
Facing away from her, Wynona was still sandwiched between Daemon and Rascal as they burst into the lawyer’s office.
Mr. Melion held the phone to his ear. “Thank you, Mrs. Kobold. I have it from here.” Slowly, Mr. Melion put the phone back in its cradle. “Deputy Chief Strongclaw.” His eyes went to Wynona. “Ms. Le Doux. Officer.” Mr. Melion nodded. “You appear to be in a hurry today. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Let’s have a chat about Zander Killoran, shall we?” Rascal asked, coming to sit in a chair placed in front of the desk. He settled back as if he hadn’t a care in the world, but the bright flashing of his golden eyes told a different story. “And while we’re at it, we can also talk about Duo.”
Mr. Melion’s eyebrows rose high. “Ms. Roseburg’s cat?”
“The very one.”
Mr. Melion chuckled, his eyes going around the group. “What’s this all about, Deputy Chief? You’re not making sense.”
“How long have you been keeping Duo alive?” Wynona asked, stepping up to stand by Rascal’s chair.
Mr. Melion frowned. “I’m lost.”
“The cat,” Wynona clarified. “The one that sat on your bookcase during the reading of the will.”
Mr. Melion nodded. “Duo is the cat that Ms. Roseburg left her fortune to, in the care of—”
“Under the care of the Kitty Kauldron, right,” Wynona interrupted. She leaned in. “But tell me, Mr. Melion. Who controls the money allotted to the shelter?”
“I do,” he said, leaning back with a wary eye. “It’s a common enough place for a lawyer to be.”
“Maybe, but most lawyers don’t swap out dead cats for live ones so that the money doesn’t stop,” Wynona said. “They also don’t kill their client’s children in order to keep the secret.”
Mr. Melion’s mouth dropped open and then began to chuckle. “You don’t really believe that I’m hiding the fact that a cat died, do you? Or that I killed Zander? Why would I do such a thing? Ms. Roseburg was a friend of mine.”
“I think the will tipped Zander off,” Wynona said. She pointed to the bookcase. “I think he figured out your scheme with the cat and was going to call you on it, but you killed him to keep it quiet.”
Mr. Melion held up his hands. “Duo is healthy and safe. He’s home with Silvaria right now. You can check.”
Wynona shook her head and Rascal slowly climbed to his feet. “No...the imposter is in Deputy Chief Strongclaw’s truck. The six-toed cat, Duo, is a ghost.” She raised a single eyebrow. “We saw him while Silvaria was holding the fake in her arms. The cat she was holding only had five toes. The ghost...” Wynona shrugged. “Imagine our surprise to see those extra large paws.”
Mr. Melion hesitated for only a split second, but every paranormal in the room caught the movement.
Rascal’s muscles tensed as Mr. Melion smiled.
He spread his hands out to the side. “I do believe we can work this all out, lady and gentlemen. It’s not what you think.”
“What isn’t?” Rascal growled. Claws began to emerge from his hands as he walked the two feet to the desk. “The fact that you’ve been swindling a woman out of her money? Or that you killed her son to keep him from blabbing about your thievery?”
Mr. Melion’s smile dropped and the predator made an appearance. Like Rascal’s, the lawyer’s eyes flashed brightly. “That ignorant pup thought he could blackmail me,” Mr. Melion said with a sneer. “Thought he had it all figured out.” Mr. Melion shook his head. “But he knew nothing,” the shifter hissed. Slowly, Mr. Melion stood up, his skin pulsing as his shift came closer to the surface. Fangs began to grow in his mouth, making his words harder to understand. “Do you have any idea how much money it takes to hobnob with the elite?” he asked. “The rising cost of a mortgage or even a trip to the human world?”
Wynona slowly stepped back. She was grateful to have Rascal in front of her and could feel Daemon coming from behind. Violet’s tail wrapped around her neck and Wynona brought her magic to her fingertips. She didn’t want to startle the creature in front of her, but she wanted to be prepared for anything. She wouldn’t be caught off guard again.
“Stand down, Melion,” Rascal demanded, the strength of his alpha voice ricocheting through the room.
“I’m not one of your cronies,” Mr. Melion said with a deep laugh. “Cats don’t answer the call of the hounds.”
Rascal began to move to the side of the desk and Daemon moved the opposite so they would catch Mr. Melion in the middle.
Mr. Melion stood his ground, not looking worried in the least. His smug smile worried Wynona.
“Romulus Melion,” Rascal said. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Zander Killoran. Also, embezzlement of the Roseburg fortune.”
Mr. Melion laughed. “I’m afraid, gentlemen, I won’t be going to jail.”
Wynona wiggled her fingers. Be ready, Violet. I have a feeling things aren’t going to go well.
Really? Violet drawled. Whatever gave you that idea? Even with her snark, Violet tightened her hold on Wynona’s neck.
Her magic sat at the ready, thrumming under her skin. She wouldn’t let Rascal or Daemon be hurt.
“This will go better for you if you’ll cooperate,” Rascal said, still moving forward. “We’ll do it the hard way if we have to, but judges look more favorably on prisoners who don’t fight back.”
Mr. Melion burst into laughter. “Oh, really? Think he’ll let me live when they find out what I was forced to do?”
Rascal grabbed an Old Hag’s thread from his back pocket. “Easy does it, Melion.”
Mr. Melion shook his head and shifted back until there were several more feet between him and the officers. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Deputy Chief. You see...I didn’t really murder him.”
“You know your rights,” Rascal stated. “You can tell a lawyer what happened and I’m sure he or she will be happy to help you.”
Wynona paused. Something was tickling at the back of her mind, but she wasn’t sure what. Mr. Melion had already said he’d been involved in the killing. So what was he talking about? What did he mean, he hadn’t actually been the killer?
“Aren’t you the least bit curious about who was really pulling the strings?” Mr. Melion asked. His eyes went to Wynona. “And there she is now.”
Wynona jerked back. “What?”
“Right on time, darling,” Mr. Melion called.
It was then that Wynona realized he wasn’t looking at her, but over her shoulder. A curse word came to mind just as a very familiar voice spoke from behind.
“As usual,” Ms. Valence Tailorson said from the doorway.
Wynona began to spin, her hands up and ready, but before she could make any kind of defensive move, a large object flew over her head, landing next to Ms. Tailorson.
By the time Wynona was facing the door, five dozen cats and a leopard were blocking the exit with one very smug witch standing in the middle. Ms. Tailorson grinned. “We’d love to stay and chat, but I’m afraid we have a plane to catch.” She shrugged. “A bit more money would have been nice, but Romulus and I can live very well on what we already have.” She waved. “Thanks for the laughs.” With a snap of her fingers, the cats all hissed and moved forward to attack.
Wynona screeched and held up her hands, while squeezing her eyes shut. Angry meowing and hissing continued, but she hadn’t been shredded just yet, so she dared to look. A purple wall of magic stood between her and the angry horde.
Rascal hurried up behind her with Daemon on his heels.
“Come, Romulus,” Valence said. She snapped her fingers again and the wild cat trotted at her side.
“She’s controlling him,” Wynona whispered. “Her cat affinity allows her to control all of them.”
“Stop her magic!” Rascal shouted at Daemon. The shifter was toe to toe with the purple wall, waiting to make a move.
“I can’t,” Daemon said in a tortured tone. “Not without taking out Wynona’s wall. We won’t make it to the door without being shredded first.”
“They’re just cats,” Rascal growled.
Wynona shook her head. “No...” She tilted her head, too afraid to bring down her hands and lose the wall. “Look closely.” The eyes of every cat there were glowing as they clawed at her protective bubble. “These are all ghost cats and she’s not just controlling them anymore...they’re under a spell. They’re corporeal right now, but if I let down my wall and they turn into specters, we’ll have no way of protecting ourselves at all. I’m almost positive that’s what I kept feeling was the ghost cats, but for some reason I can’t see them like I can human-like creatures.”
Rascal held up a fist with a shout, but didn’t actually hit the wall. “So what now?” he demanded. His wolf was barely contained at this point.
Wynona shook her head. “I don’t know.” Her heart was in her throat and she doubled down on her hold on the wall. This was not how she’d expected this morning to go.