Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
It took a moment until the penny dropped. “The stuff that killed Jake?”
“Yes.”
“That can be a coincidence, right? Maybe the plants were dead.”
“Maybe.” She sounded as convincing as a telemarketer selling wonder-vitamins over the phone.
“And she can’t be the only one with foxglove in her garden.” I had no idea what upset me more, the idea that someone might have stolen poisonous plants from my aunt’s beloved back yard or that Louisa dared link her name to a murder.
Louisa weighed the key in her hand. “I have to mention this.”
“To whom?” I already knew the answer.
“The police. I happen to – be well acquainted with one of the detectives.”
I could almost hear the air quotes around the “well acquainted”. There was only one explanation for why she was acting this coy. “You’re the law and he’s the order?”
“What do you expect me to do?” she asked.
“How about, come inside with me? Don’t mention it to anyone but your detective.” I needed a chance to regroup with my sleuthing buddies. And to think, logically. Although deep down I was already certain that more bad things were coming.
In the library, Sarah and Noah waited for me to process the books I’d selected for the boy. At least the kid had a smile on his face as he cradled his books. “Thank you, Ms. Merriweather.”
“Call me Bex,” I said. “All my friends do.”
His eyebrows shot up in delight and he giggled. The cookie he’d eaten was supposed to help him deal with the physical and the emotional pain, and it seemed to work. Aunt Violet had cared about him a lot. It was easy to see why.
“Thank you,” his mother repeated.
“My pleasure.”
The sour-faced woman had disappeared while I was outside.
Reina waved at me from a corner where she stood with a tween and an older man.
I took him to be the grandparent. Strange.
I hadn’t expected the place to be humming, given the short notice and lack of advertising.
But surely news had spread enough for people to drop by, if only to check out what I had or hadn’t done to the place?
When I closed the door behind them, Reina flopped onto the sofa. “We’re in deep trouble.”
I’d fiddled with the old-fashioned date stamp on the counter. Now I dropped it, only to catch it in the last second. Cosmo winked at me in slow-motion.
“Care to explain?” I parked my backside next to her.
“Did you notice your lack of customers? It seems, people are talking about a big fight your aunt had with Jake, just before he died.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I wish. In some minds, Violet has gone from being a much-loved, much-missed stalwart to being suspect number one. Others are defending her, for now.”
“How convenient, seeing that she’s also dead. Anger rose in me. “How can anyone believe this –” I stopped myself and thought of the swear jar. “This load of manure. If she had anything to do with his death, why would she have written to the police at all and started the whole investigation?”
“I’m not saying that I believe a word of it, I’m only telling you what I heard.”
I buried my head in my hands.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You’ll get to the bottom of this. We’ll all help you.” She gave me an affectionate hug before she rose. “Blue Moon, eight o’clock?”
“I’ll see you then.” I locked the door behind her and hung up the “Closed”-sign.
“Deep trouble sounds about right,” I said aloud. “What on earth is going on?”
Cosmo stretched. He carefully climbed off the counter and sauntered upstairs. I followed him, thinking furiously. The next thing I knew, I missed a step and landed on my backside. Again.
Cosmo turned around.
“It’s okay,” I said. I grabbed the handrail and pulled myself upright.
Upstairs, he danced around me, as if to inspect every inch of me. “You’re not usually that clumsy.”
“I was distracted.”
“No. I think you’re running low on energy.”
“I’m not ancient, thank you very much.”
“Magical energy. The more you use it without proper training, the harder bad thoughts in the vicinity hit you. That’s why most witches learn to shield themselves a little.” He appeared a little worried.
“You’re the one who insists on me practicing,” I protested.
“I know. It’s the only thing that can protect you, but we need to figure out how to do it without draining you.” He sighed.
“Can’t we postpone the whole witchcraft thing until Jake’s killer is under lock and key?”
“I wish it were so easy.”
“Because it’s all connected.”
“Yes.”
For a moment, I’d have given everything to turn back the clock, so my aunt would be alive, I had no idea witches were real, and hey, turns out there’s a lot worse things than a crumbling marriage.
“There’s the negative energy again,” he said.
“That’s only me.”
“Have you at least paid attention earlier?”
“Could you be a little more specific?”
“You snatched the wooden stamp right out of the air. I assume you slowed its fall by at least 20 percent. Which proves you, you heard or noticed something that brings you another step closer to the solution. It weakens the blockage.”
“But what is the clue I found? Unless it’s the plants?”
He blinked at me.
“There are holes where foxglove should be. The Latin name is –”
“Digitalis,” he interrupted me. “Interesting.”
“The problem is, I have no clue how long ago the plants were taken out. Maybe it was Aunt Violet herself.”
“No.”
“But who could have taken them, and why? Jake died first. She’d have noticed her foxglove had gone AWOL and put two and two together.”
He launched himself onto the windowsill, overlooking part of the garden.
I had to twist my neck to catch a glimpse of the flower beds from where the plants had disappeared.
“Can you go check the compost heap, to see if that’s where they ended up?
” I asked Cosmo. I didn’t really believe it, but I had to be sure.
“You’re not coming?”
“I’d rather write down everything I remember before I forget a crucial part. And you said it yourself I’m running low on energy.” I omitted to mention that the word compost conjured up bad smells in my olfactory memory.
I’d barely finished my notes, when Cosmo returned. His fur stood up. “Not a single stem or stalk,” he said.
I rose and peered out into the back yard.
Behind the property line and the fence came forest, that circled around all the way to the lake.
Entering the property unseen was a piece of cake with the right footwear, an idea of the geography, and the physical ability to climb over a five-foot split rail fence.
Unfortunately, that didn’t cross a single person off our suspect list which now included Cosmo’s masked stranger. Where did I go from here?