Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Coffee, crystals, and corpses
Gideon
I didn’t have to return Winston’s jacket.
I could’ve left it there for the vampire to retrieve on his own, but I wanted a chance to talk to him.
He was rubbing a lot of people the wrong way with not only his behavior but also his attitude.
It might not be my job to keep the peace, but he was more likely to listen to me than human law enforcement, so even if he was breaking all kinds of city ordinances, he likely didn’t care.
There were nuances to dealing with the supernatural community that humans didn’t understand, since, for the most part, they had no idea that we not only existed but lived among them.
I chuckled to myself. Kind of like Elwood’s adorable but clueless grandson.
I’d noticed him watching as both Elwood and I slipped Eugene a bite of the pastries since we knew he would never come out with that many people in attendance.
He’d looked curious, then confused, but I watched as his brain found an explanation that worked for his human experience, and his expression returned to normal.
It had all happened in a matter of seconds, but I saw it all the time with the non-magical community.
It was easier for their brains to create a narrative that made sense than to accept there were things in this world they knew nothing about.
Oh well, enough procrastinating. I had to open the pub for lunch in a couple hours, so it was time to get on with it.
I pulled the jacket off the rack where I’d hung it last night.
I hadn’t recognized the brand written on the fancy label, but the fabric felt like it was of good quality, and I didn’t want to listen to Winston complain about me messing up his expensive clothing.
Not that it would surprise me if it was a knockoff.
Something about the guy smelled phony to me.
Not that it mattered, because again, not my job.
My wolf grumbled in the back of my mind, telling me that these were my people and it was my responsibility to keep them safe. I was too broken for that to be my role, but my wolf didn’t understand. As far as he was concerned, this was my pack, and I was their alpha.
I went out the side entrance that those of us who lived above the pub used and started down the sidewalk toward Main Street.
Winston’s office was across the street, so my plan was to stop there with his jacket and have a little chat with him.
As a business owner, I understood he was worried about the money these renovations were costing him, but the traffic these festivals could generate was going to be good for him, as well as the rest of the business owners in town.
I crossed the road, nodding at Mrs. Bloomgarden from the quilt shop as I walked by. She had on one of her big hats with what looked like a full bouquet of flowers around the brim. She nodded back, and I swear I thought I saw something move in the flowers, a bird maybe.
I stopped in front of his office and looked in through the glass door.
His assistant, Janis, was sitting at her desk, but there was no sign of Winston.
She looked a little frazzled, which wasn’t normal for her.
She looked up expectantly when I walked in, but when she saw it was me, her expression fell.
“Oh, Gideon, hello. I thought you were Mr. Wilcox.”
“He isn’t here?” I held up his jacket. “He left this at the committee meeting last night, and I wanted to return it to him.”
She shook her head. “No, he isn’t. He should’ve been here for a video call half an hour ago.
I had to phone in myself and give them some excuse for why he wasn’t here.
He isn’t answering his phone, and he has another appointment at the top of the hour, and it’s an important one.
He takes great pride in being punctual, so it isn’t like him to miss scheduled meetings. ”
“Okay, I’ll leave his jacket with you then. I’ll stop by the old Nook and see if Jim has seen him today. If he’s there, I’ll tell him to call you.”
“Thank you, Gideon. I’m probably all worked up over nothing, and he’ll be here any minute.”
I pushed open the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. I caught the motion to my right just in time to step back out of the way before Declan doused me in coffee again. I glared at the cup in his hand. The Witch’s Brew again.
“I thought I told you to get your coffee at the Twinkling Thistle Café instead,” I said without thinking.
He scoffed. “Funny, I don’t remember you being the boss of me.”
I put up my hands in surrender. “Sorry, you’re right. I didn’t mean it that way.”
He reached up and pushed his glasses up his nose.
“It’s alright. We did talk about how much better the drinks are at the café.
I could tell everyone at the table last night agreed, but I felt bad when Lily asked what happened to the coffee I bought at her shop, so I thought I would give it a shot this morning.
I skipped the peanut butter and jelly one, though.
She said it was a flavor she was testing for the festival, but I wasn’t there for a unique flavor this morning.
I was there for the caffeine.” He held up his cup.
“Dark roast with a double shot of espresso. Surely, she can’t mess that up. ”
“I wouldn’t count on it.” I cocked my head to one side and looked him over. He looked more tired today, even though he’d traveled all day yesterday to get here. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just tired. My grandfather got a call late last night and had to go out. He didn’t tell me where he was going, and he was late getting back. I know it’s silly of me. I mean, he lives alone and takes perfectly good care of himself when I’m not here, but I worried anyway.”
We started walking back toward the corner to cross back to our side of the street.
“Well, hopefully the coffee will do the trick.”
I watched as he tipped the cup up and took a drink. He winced and let out a long sigh. “How can you mess up a dark roast double shot of espresso coffee?”
I chuckled. “I don’t know, but Lily manages it.”
“I have to get a coffee pot for my grandfather’s place. His tea doesn’t cut it, and I can’t drink this every morning.” He sighed and forced down another drink. “So, what are you doing this morning, other than almost getting another coffee bath?”
“I was returning Winston’s jacket from last night.”
“Oh. He’s… not well liked, is he?”
“No, he’s not. The people in this neighborhood are like a family. We look out for one another, and he likes to act like he’s better than everyone else. That doesn’t go over well.”
“And he dumped Tulip,” he added.
“True. He did do that.”
“Did he at least thank you for returning his jacket? He looked like he was picky about his clothing, so I can’t imagine he was thrilled about leaving it.”
“He wasn’t there. I left it with his assistant.”
Declan paused in front of the pub and looked up at me. “You were right about the coffee. I’ll be sure and go back to the café next time.”
“You’ll be glad you did.”
We stood there for a minute before I realized he was waiting on me to go inside.
“I’m not headed home yet. I’m going to pop into the Nook and see if Winston’s there.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry, I assumed you were headed back to the pub.”
His cheeks darkened a little, and the blush only added to his adorableness.
Such a simple mistake making him blush like that made me wonder what else would make his cheeks flush.
I gave my head a little shake to clear my thoughts.
Declan Hawthorne was not a mouse for me to play with, no matter how fun that sounded.
He was one of my oldest friend’s grandsons, and he was here to visit, not to stay.
We walked on, but when we reached the entrance to his grandfather’s shop, he didn’t stop; instead, he grinned at me.
“I thought I would tag along. I remember when that place was a gift shop. I used to go in there and bother Mister X all the time. I’ve only been here one day, and there’s been so much banging and hammering I’m dying to see what they’re doing with it.”
Declan being with me meant my chat with Winston would have to wait, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him no. If he was there, I’d tell him he needed to call Janis and ask her when a good time would be for us to talk.
I checked the door of the shop, and it was unlocked.
Declan stepped inside, and I was right behind him, but the second I stepped inside, I knew something was wrong.
I inhaled deeply to make sure, then grabbed for Declan, pulling him behind me as the ancient smell of decay and acrid stench of panic sweat filled my senses.
“What is it?” Declan asked, leaning around me to take a look.
“I don’t know yet. You should go back to your grandfather’s shop.”
“I don’t think so. I’m not leaving you here alone.”
It was ridiculous to think that a dire wolf needed a human to accompany him to keep him safe, but I couldn’t tell him that.
“Fine, but stay behind me.”
I looked around the room, which was in complete disarray, with supplies lined up along the wall, and partially constructed scaffolding scattered around.
No wonder it was taking so long to make any repairs.
I followed my nose through the building, all the way from the front to the back where the smell was the strongest.
We rounded the corner, and Declan gasped behind me.
I turned and looked at him to see him standing there, eyes wide, mouth gaping, staring at something off to our left.
Winston. He was lying there deathly still, arms and legs splayed out, with a large crystal point sticking out of his chest. I didn’t like the guy, but he didn’t deserve to die like that.
“Is he—” Declan started.
“Dead? Yeah, I’m afraid so. Call Elwood and ask him to get over here.”
“Shouldn’t we call nine-one-one or the police or something?”
“We will, Declan, but first I need you to go get Elwood.”