Chapter 10
“Bex? Bex?”
I snapped out of my nightmare vision of Linda and me, having to work together. Cosmo met my gaze and unleashed the power of the purr on me, until the tension left my body and my head filled with warm, fuzzy thoughts.
The purr stopped. “Now breathe. Don’t forget, you can handle anything. You’re a strong, mature woman …”
“Independent and mistress of my own fate. Right. Thanks, Cosmo.”
“I didn’t say independent.” He drew himself up to his full height. “You and me, we’re a twofer, I think the peculiar expression goes.”
“That goes without saying.” I blew him a kiss. “Don’t wait up for me. I can’t say how long I’ll stay at the Blue Moon.” I hadn’t even finished my words when my phone buzzed.
One glance at the screen and I rolled my eyes. “It’s Rick again.”
What could he want now? I’d dropped everything to go see his lady love, I’d promised the damsel in distress that I’d be on the case and keep her posted, so what else was there left to ask from me?
Only one way to find out. I opened the message.
“How is Candice doing? Does she need me by her side? Rick”
I blinked at the screen. Then I blinked again.
“Show me.” Cosmo peered at it and broke into his equivalent of laughter.
I giggled. “Unreal.”
“What are you going to do?”
My thumbs hovered over the keyboard. Then I put down the phone. “Nothing, for now.”
Cosmo rewarded my resolve with a slow blink. “You are learning.”
At the Blue Moon, Ange dragged me to a corner table. A few regulars enjoyed a beer at the bar and exchanged jokes with the bartender, Phil, although it was clear their real focus was his sister Pilar, who popped in and out of sight with large plates of food for the dining clientele.
In less than an hour, it would be standing room only, when a local band took over the stage. Harper and Reina were firm believers in supporting up and coming talent.
Because this period before the gig counted officially as a lull, they both awaited me too.
“I’ve brought the girls up to speed, up to our return this afternoon,” Ange said.
“I didn’t want you to miss out on the new revelation.
” I’d expected a happy twinkle, or an air of triumph.
Instead, my bubbly, effervescent friend had a somber air.
“What is it?” I blurted out.
Ange scanned the crowd.
“We can go up for a bit, if you need more privacy,” Harper said.
“That’s probably better.”
“You go, and I’ll be with you in ten minutes,” Reina said. “Are Poke bowls okay for everyone? We’re trialing a new menu.”
Right on cue, my stomach growled.
“I’ve had a bite with Nick,” Ange said. “So, make mine a small portion.” Her sparkle had returned. Whatever she had to say, it couldn’t be all bad.
Harper and Reina’s apartment above the bar shared a floor with a few guest rooms, but they were currently empty, and the apartment was sound-proofed. It looked out over a colorful yet Zen yard, with a small pond, and the interior was a calming mix of Japanese and American.
Harper brewed decaf coffee while we waited.
I toyed with my phone. I still hadn’t replied to Rick.
Ange tapped me on the hand. “Stop it. I may only be witch-adjacent, but it doesn’t take occult powers to see that you’re itching to check your messages. Don’t. Be present in the moment.”
“I am,” I protested. To prove it, I put the phone aside and helped Harper with laying the bamboo table we’d be dining on.
Reina arrived with four separate bowls. I’d arranged chopsticks, forks, and spoons in a large glass.
“Now, tell us”, she said as she sat cross-legged on a low cushion. We all followed her example. I thought I detected a slight creak in my left knee. Never mind.
Ange picked up a raw fish cube with her chopsticks.
I tried the same with a bit of rice. It slipped out of my chopsticks and I switched to fork and spoon.
Ange swallowed her bite. “This is amazing.”
Harper gave her a nudge. “I’m glad you like it, but we don’t have all night. Reina and I still have a business to run.”
“I’m trying to figure out my story,” Ange said.
My phone buzzed. I reached for it.
“Bex. Fully present, remember?” Ange gave me a concerned glance.
“It could be my daughter. Or it could be important, for the case.”
I opened the message and groaned. “It’s Rick again, begging for an update. This has to stop.”
I ate a few spoonfuls while I thought. Then I pushed my poke bowl away and typed. “How is this for an answer?” I asked my friends and read my reply to them.
“Hi Rick, I understand that you’re worried about Candice, but you should talk to her, not me. I promised to help her if needed and I will, but we need boundaries. I’ll be in touch if I think it’s necessary.”
Harper and Reina clapped their hands. “About time,” Harper said. “Your ex-husband needs to learn to stand on his own two feet, without leaning on you as a crutch.”
“Good.” I took a deep breath and pressed Send before I changed my mind and fell back into my old pattern of taking care of everything for him.
“That makes my life so much easier,” Ange beamed at me.
“It does? I’m confused.”
She toyed with her food.
Harper grabbed the bowl and whisked it out of Ange’s reach.
Reina pointed at her watch.
“Okay. Nick confirmed that Tim was stabbed to death, right through the heart. He died the night before you found him and then was stuffed into the chest.”
“That’s what we concluded all along,” I said.
“There was one other thing. Nick spotted a photo in the inner pocket of Tim’s jacket. A printed one.” She paused.
“And?” Harper pressed her.
“It showed a naked woman under the shower, and from what he told me, it looked exactly like Candice. That’s probably why the police are concentrating on her. It’s possible that Tim was trying to blackmail her with it.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “Who gives a hoot about that kind of thing these days?”
“Maybe a much older man who blew up his marriage for her?” Ange gazed at me.
“No. Our relationship died long before that, we both just didn’t want to admit it.”
“It’s nevertheless possible that Candice wanted to prevent Rick from seeing the photo. Or maybe it was taken more recently than she’d like him to know.”
“There’s also the business angle,” Reina said. “If Candice and Rick are desperate to attract new customers or retain the old ones, with you gone, a sleazy reputation won’t work in their favor.”
I clasped my hands. They felt icy. My witchfire wave, which tended to at least give me a hint if I was getting closer to defeating evil, as dramatic as it sounds, was stubbornly quiet. “I believe in her innocence.”
A voice in my head whispered, Or maybe your reaction came earlier, this afternoon, when you sensed that she was hiding something from you.
“No,” I said out loud. “It’s not possible.”
“You say he was stabbed through the heart.” Reina frowned. “How much muscle strength does that take and how much anatomical knowledge?”
“She goes to the gym twice a week, or at least she used to. She once told me she lifts twice her body weight,” I said reluctantly.
“Do you want to drop the case and let the police do their job?” Harper asked.
I hesitated.
“What was your impression, Ange? You don’t have a history with Candice,” Reina interrupted my thoughts.
“I thought her shock was genuine, and so was her gratitude toward Bex.”
“I agree. I can’t go back on my word. If she’s innocent and the police don’t see that, we’ll prove it. If she’s guilty, well, then Rick needs protecting, and so do other people, including my daughter,” I said.
“What do you plan to do next?” Reina stacked our poke bowls and carried them through to the dishwasher.
“I’ll pay a visit to Detective Stone. Maybe he can tell me a bit more.”
“And if he plays dumb, there’s Officer Lopez,” Ange said.
Geraldine Lopez and her mother were loyal library customers, and thanks to our involvement in recent murder investigations, she’d become an ally as well.
“Good. That’s all sorted then, because the gig downstairs will start in ten minutes.” Reina held out her hands to Ange, to lift us to our feet.
On our way out, I noticed an embossed prospectus for the Cannon Hill Retirement Village development Ange and I had passed. “What’s that about?” I asked.
Reina picked it up and gave it to me. “You can read it downstairs. My cousins have been sending me promo material from all over Oregon and Washington State. My uncle moved into a five-star establishment a while back, and now they think I need to plan ahead for my parents.”
“I thought they’d be happy to stay in Salem.” Reina had grown up in Oregon’s capital city, a couple of hours away.
“I’ll have a peek,” Ange said. “It’s fun to compare with Serenity Springs.”
At least that was one worry I no longer had; with my mother and my aunt both passed away, there were no aging loved ones to take care of. I had no idea if my dad was still alive. The last I’d heard from him was soon after we buried my mom. He’d sent a postcard, but that was all I remembered.
Downstairs, the band checked their set-up.
Phil and Pilar gave Harper two thumbs up to show that they had everything under control. I hesitated. I’d left Cosmo alone a lot. Maybe he’d appreciate my coming home sooner than expected.
Ange nudged me. “Sit down. The band’s supposed to be good. Heavy on the lyrics, light on the hard rock.”
I took the seat at the back, so Harper and Reina had a chance to get in and out of their seats without a problem.
Together, we poured over the prospectus.
The Cannon Hill Retirement Village was due to open in fall, offering luxurious one- and two-bedroom apartments with balconies or a private terrace, a pool and a spa, arts and crafts courses, and two restaurants in addition to the dining room where four meals a day were served.
Dry-cleaning, a beauty salon, and other amenities were also planned.
The mock-up pictures showed happy retirees living it up.
The only thing missing in the prospectus were the fees.
I’d thought our local home offered high standards, with well-furnished rooms, dedicated staff, craft classes, and visits from volunteers like Ms. Vine, but compared to this resort-style prospectus, folks in Willowmere were slumming it.
Then again, so far nobody I’d met had been forced to sell a kidney to afford the payments.
Ange was engrossed in the description of the various classes.
“You can learn ballroom dancing from a professional dancer, take painting and sculpting lessons, do yoga and – they even offer classes in pole dancing.” She seemed in awe.
“They’re smack in the middle of development and already they have lined up the most entertainment for seniors outside of Las Vegas. ” She closed the brochure.
Reina picked it up. “Do we know the owner?”
I took a close peek at the stamp-sized profile picture at the bottom of the back. “We saw him at the antiques' fair. He’s the one who stole the female attention from Tim.” I read the name. “Charles Martin Pratt. Aka Champ Developments.”
A shadow fell over our table. A long, pointy fingernail painted in bubblegum pink and adorned with rhinestones tapped on the brochure.
“Where did you get that?” Linda had decided to grace the Blue Moon with her presence.
“Aren’t you a little young to plan your retirement?
” She scanned my comfortable outfit, probably adding up the price tags which paled in comparison to what her figure-hugging slinky dress edged with faux feathers had cost. At least I hoped the feathers were fake.
My fingers curled into a fist. I forced myself to relax them.
Linda could thank her lucky stars that I stuck to Cosmo’s rules for good witches, or the woman would have found herself literally hopping mad for a couple of hours.
I pushed away the vision of a frog with her face before my magic went haywire.
I managed a bright smile. “Much too young and way too broke. Why, have you reserved an apartment?”
Her laughter grated in my ears. “Heavens, no. We’re trying to plan for the future, for my in-laws, and Garth has invested in Champ’s company.”
“Right. And what about your parents?” I asked, more out of habit than anything else.
Her features hardened. “My dad died a couple of years ago and my mom has retired to Florida.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” For a split second, I felt bad for Linda.
“Would you like the prospectus?” Reina asked her.
Linda picked it up. Her sleeve moved and revealed a lace-like pattern on her wrist. She’d gotten herself a henna tattoo.
As she strutted off, to a candle-lit table where her husband already waited, I exhaled deeply until I’d released my tension. “She really gets under my skin.”
“No kidding.” Harper grimaced. “I got goosebumps when you were baring your teeth at her like a vampire ready to bite.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Yes, you can,” Ange said. “You’re the bigger person. You have so many things she’ll never have.”
“Like what?” I shot Linda’s table a quick glance.
She and her husband Garth had been a little rocky for a while but considering that he was now pouring her a glass of the most expensive wine the Blue Moon offered, and seemed to genuinely smile at something she’d said, they appeared to have patched up their differences.
“You’ve got us, and Cosmo, and the power to make a difference to Willowmere,” Reina said. “Would you rather swap that for being shallow and unfulfilled, despite being married to a decent guy with heaps of money?”
“You’re right.” I put my hand on the table. Ange put hers on top, and Harper and Reina followed suit. “I hereby declare that I’ll sort out this toxic relationship, as soon as I have the mental space for it. Good enough?”
“It’ll do,” Harper said. “One, two, three!”
We raised our hands together and clasped them. A warm, fuzzy sensation spread from my stomach, all the way to my fingertips.