16. Marius
16
MARIUS
I took the long way through the Christmas market to my car, trying to clear my head.
It worked…
No, it didn’t, I argued with myself. It’s complete bullshit.
The stall seemed to materialize in front of me, a void that swallowed up the rest of the lights in the Christmas market.
This wasn’t where the stall was yesterday, my mind unhelpfully told me. I walked toward it as if I was being reeled in.
It was just because I was distracted by Emmie—the sweet, homey Christmas smell of her, the soft curves, the way she fit perfectly in my arms.
“A happy voodoo-doll customer,” the black-haired woman said.
I whirled around. I could have sworn she hadn’t been there a minute ago.
Chimes sounded faintly, and smoke from incense hung hazily around us. In Lilith’s arms was a black cat with yellow eyes.
“Have you come for another?” she asked.
“I don’t believe in voodoo.”
“And yet you spent quite a lot of money for that doll.”
“I didn’t kill Brooks.”
“Then where is the doll?” Black eyes bored into mine. “I’ll give you a refund.”
“I don’t have it.”
I didn’t have it because I had hidden it in the grocery sack of stuff Aunt Frances had asked me to get from Costco… including the toxic-mildew cleaner she’d wanted me to buy that had spilled in the bag, ruining the doll.
I’d discovered it late that night after getting Emmie out of jail.
“Then why don’t I make you a new one,” Lilith offered with a sharp smile. “On the house. Maybe for Brooks’s friend—Theo, was it? Or maybe Oakley, who broke your heart?”
“No, I’m not a murderer.” I stepped back.
“Everyone is a murderer when they’re pushed far enough.”
The black cat hissed at me, baring sharp fangs as I stumbled out of the stall.
I stood in the middle of the bright, cheery Christmas market as the pounding in my ears subsided. A witchy cackling under the tinny sound of Christmas carols made me involuntarily shiver.
I am eating too much rich holiday food, I decided, blotting at my sweating forehead.
I didn’t kill Brooks. I know I didn’t, right?
Then why was it temping to go back and slap down hundreds of dollars for two more dolls?
I needed grounding. My nerves were too fried to go back to the senior center, even though I was behind on work.
I needed Emmie—Emmie with her pretty face with its soft, kissable mouth, her cozy sweaters, and her warm hands so small in mine.
Emmie was closing up the café when I pulled my car up in front of her store.
“Marius!” she exclaimed when I gathered her in my arms. “What’s wrong?” She squeezed me tight like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I buried my face in her hair, never wanting to let her go. “Nothing,” I mumbled. “I just missed you.”
“You only just met me,” she said with a breathy laugh.
I leaned back, gazing down at her. I wanted to kiss her.
Or maybe whatever it was Lilith had put in that smoke was making me crazy.
A hungry meow sounded from Emmie’s feet.
“I was going to take Moose back to your aunt’s,” she explained.
I tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“I think he’d rather stay with you than in the cat hostel.” She wrinkled her nose.
I leaned down to nuzzle her briefly, wishing I could press my mouth to hers.
My heart was still racing. I settled for wrapping an arm tightly around her waist.
“Let me take you out to dinner,” I offered.
“You don’t have to. You’ve gone above and beyond.”
“I want to.” I looked down at her, deciding, fuck it, actually I would kiss her. This had been the week of terrible life choices and, aggravatingly, reverting to the person I’d been in high school, so why the hell not?
“Let me take you out,” I murmured, cupping her cheek, leaning in…
Angry yowls sounded as Moose took off, harness jingling as he raced into the dark alley.
“Moose, no!” I yelled, swearing as I ran after him, Emmie behind me.
“It’s probably just a rat he heard,” Emmie called after me as I advanced cautiously in the dark alley.
“I thought I replaced that light,” I hissed as Emmie’s phone flashlight shone into the alley.
Instead of a rat, though, Moose was yowling and spitting as he cornered a dark figure.
Emmie screamed when she realized what Moose was doing.
The figure was trying to escape, but he couldn’t because of Moose and his sharp teeth and claws.
“And they say you need a dog if you want protection.” I grabbed the smaller figure and hauled them up to slam them against the metal door to Emmie’s kitchen. There was that smell of almonds. “Returning to the scene of the crime.” I pulled at the hood and cap hiding their face.
Emmie exclaimed in surprise as the murderer dropped the spray bottle they were carrying and started sobbing. “I’m so sorry. I just didn’t know what to do. I was pushed to the edge. I was in over my head. I was overwhelmed!”
“Alice?” Emmie peered at her fellow feral-cat-committee member.
“Please don’t tell Gertrude,” the other woman sobbed.
“I don’t understand. Why did you kill Brooks?” I frowned.
“I didn’t kill him.” Alice was taken aback. “I didn’t have anything to do with the murder.”
“Then what are you doing here, smelling like cyanide?”
“Oh, this?” Alice picked up the spray bottle. “It was just to help the café cats accept the new cats.”
“New cats?”
Moose was hissing and spitting at the large plastic box near the door. Out of one of the holes in the plastic box, a paw reached.
“The white cat. You’ve been dumping cats here,” Emmie said accusingly. “After you protested in front of my shop and called me a murderer, you’re the one abandoning cats.”
“I’m not abandoning them. They’re going to a good home!” Alice wailed. “Gertrude…” She lowered her voice. “She keeps stopping by with more cats for me to keep in my house. It’s too much. It’s too many cats, and you’re adopting them out, Emmie. I didn’t think you’d notice.”
“Moose noticed,” I said.
“Charles did too.” Emmie pressed her lips together.
“Some of them didn’t quite make it into your shop,” Alice admitted. “Oh, please, please don’t tell Gertrude. I’ll call off the protests. Just… I cannot take these cats back. My house is overrun. And you’re doing such a great job adopting them out. I think Cora’s going to open a cat diner or something, and she can take some. Oh, Gertrude is so mad about the town hall.” Alice wrung her hands.
“This is absolute madness,” I muttered.
“Do you think you could take these cats?” Alice asked hopefully.
Emmie sighed, and I picked up the carrier, much to Moose’s annoyance.
“Did you,” I asked as Alice started to dart away out of the alley, “happen to see anything suspicious while you were out here sneaking around at night?”
Alice blinked. “I’ve seen Rosie out late.”
“Doesn’t her shop stay open late?” Emmie said.
“Only during the holidays. Earlier this year? Not so much, but she’d be out. I thought it was suspicious because she wasn’t dressed for cat catching.”