Chapter 3 #2
“They won’t arrest you, because you didn’t do it.” Elaine touched the back of my hand, the warmth from her fingers reminding me of how chilled I was despite my warm drink. “You’re not alone in this, Kitty. Everything will be okay.”
I blew out a breath. “After what happened with my mom, I never should’ve given him that potion. It was silly and selfish. But you’re right. As much as I don’t want to, I should probably talk to the police.”
“I can come with you if it helps.”
My throat tightened with nerves. I had a feeling the conversation wouldn’t go well. “That’s okay.” I gave the cup back. “I'd better go.”
Despite the urgency, my legs dragged as I trudged home.
The sooner I arrived, the sooner I had to face my family, assuming Mary had already told everyone what happened.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was my fault.
How could I have ever thought I was good at potion making when I did things like this?
I made my way back around the corner of Elaine’s place and opened my purse to stare at the bag of cookies.
Could they be deadly too? I needed to throw them away as soon as possible, but I didn’t dare crumble them up and leave them here.
They might kill any animals that nibbled on them.
Or was that the same as tampering with evidence even though these weren’t the exact cookies Graham ate?
I sniffed and did my best to blink back tears, although a few still rolled down my cheeks. I’d been ready to move on with my life, but not like this. Never like this.
Footsteps sounded behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder. A figure loomed in the shadows under a tree a few yards back. My breath caught, but I forced myself to keep moving.
A twig snapped, and I walked a little faster, my heart picking up speed.
The footsteps mirrored mine. They were close. Too close.
Was I being followed? Maybe it was the police. They were already onto me, and they’d decided to track my movements. But no, that didn’t make sense. The police hadn’t even seen me at Graham’s house, which meant it must’ve been someone else.
Unwillingly, my thoughts turned to the killer on the loose.
“Kit—”
I whirled around with a shriek, swinging my bag like a weapon.
The figure let out an oomph and stepped back, rubbing its head.
The moon peeked out from behind some clouds, illuminating a tall form with dark skin and a wry smile. “Is it just me, or do I get hit in the head a lot when you’re around?”
I let out a breath even though the sight of Riley had a strangely calming effect on my racing heart. I wiped away my tears as subtly as possible. “What are you doing here?”
He cocked a brow. “I might ask you the same question.”
“I live over there.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder toward the bakery a few blocks down the street.
“If you live over there, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?” His eyes narrowed as he took in my slightly puffy eyes. “Are you okay?”
“It’s not even 9:00 yet, but if you must know, I was visiting a friend.” I put a hand on my hip and stared him down. Focusing on his sudden appearance was easier than thinking about everything else. “And what about you? What are you doing skulking around in the ‘middle of the night’?”
“Skulking seems a bit harsh,” he said, his scruff not quite hiding his grin. “I’m looking into a few things.”
“Just like you were looking into things at the bookshop today?”
“Spot on.”
“Gee, that’s extremely specific and helpful. Thank you.”
“I see sarcasm is a family trait.”
I narrowed my eyes, but his grin only widened, a slight dimple appearing in his chin.
“And what friend were you visiting?” He leaned forward like I was going to offer a delicious secret, and his deep brown skin caught the light from the streetlamp.
“I fail to see how that’s any of your business, Mr. Nosy.” I kept walking down the street.
“What sort of reporter would I be if I weren’t naturally inquisitive?” His lip quirked at the corner, but his eyes were serious as he said, “Besides, considering someone else has died, I don’t think anyone should wander around on their own.”
My stomach tightened. “You heard about Graham?” It wasn’t a good sign that the news was already making its way around town. With the way gossip spread through Austen Heights, it was only a matter of time before people connected his death to my family.
Riley nodded, his gaze traveling over my tear-stained face once more. “How did you know him?”
“He is—was my boyfriend—ex-boyfriend.” I swallowed and wiped at my cheeks again.
Riley studied me, his thick brows pulled together in a firm line. “Maybe I do need to talk to you,” he muttered, more to himself than to me.
My breath caught at his words, and I shivered again as the wind whipped through the trees. A single leaf quivered on the branch above me, holding on for dear life.
Riley looked me over again, then shrugged out of his jacket, revealing a strap across his chest and the hint of a tattoo in the shape of a serpentine tail on his upper arm. “Here, take this and let me walk you home.”
The warmth of his coat settled around me, bringing that same coffee and clove smell, plus the faint scent of wood smoke. I put my hands into his coat pockets to warm them, and my fingers curled around a small plastic pen cap. “Thank you.”
Riley’s tone grew serious. “Do you know what happened to him?”
“I heard he was poisoned,” I whispered as my throat grew tight once more.
“Do you have any idea who might have done it?”
“I”—I swallowed hard and dropped my gaze—“I don’t think I should talk to you about this. You’re a reporter.” And telling a reporter that I had motive, means, and opportunity to kill Graham was a terrible idea.
“Whatever you tell me will be off the record.”
I jerked to look at him. “Why? You don’t even know me.”
“I know you’re Lizzy’s sister, and that’s enough for me.”
I tilted my head to the side. Even if telling him was a stupid idea, I couldn’t deny that a part of me wanted to.
Elaine had refused to explore any angle in which I might be guilty, which meant that I couldn’t believe her when she said I was innocent.
But Riley was a near stranger, someone who only thought of me as “Lizzy’s sister.
” He owed me nothing and seemed to have no qualms about blurting things out.
If he thought I was guilty, he’d tell me the truth.
And in all actuality, did it even matter if I told him what happened since I was planning on talking to the police, anyway?
“You promise you won’t put any of this in a story?” No matter what happened, I needed to keep my family from getting caught up in another scandal. The extra stress was the last thing Dad needed with his already poor health.
“Scout’s honor.” Riley held up a hand.
We made it back to my house, but since I couldn’t bring myself to go inside, I settled on the porch swing, and Riley sat next to me.
I started at the beginning, skipping over my theory about Graham cheating since that was all it was—a theory.
When I got to the part at the bookstore, I pulled the bag from my purse and showed it to him as I told him about the potion-laced cookie I’d given Graham.
“The love potion one would’ve lasted for a week, but the veritas potion was only for a day.
It was just supposed to be a way to get some answers. No one was supposed to get hurt.”
He was already shaking his head before I finished. “This isn’t your fault, Kitty.”
I sniffed again, and the swing creaked under us as we moved. “You don’t know that. It could be.” But hearing him say it made me feel better than when Elaine had said it.
“No, it couldn’t. I’m confident you did nothing wrong,” Riley said. “Besides, the police mentioned poison, and you didn’t put any poison in your cookies.”
“You don’t know me, but I have a history of messing up, especially when it matters.
” The cool air slithered beneath his coat and whispered accusations against my skin.
Another shiver raced through me. “What if my spell somehow went wrong, or I combined the ingredients incorrectly and it caused some sort of reaction that killed Graham?”
Riley handed me a thermos hanging from a strap around his chest. “Here,” he said, handing it to me. “This’ll warm you up.”
I took a small sip and winced. It was plain black coffee, but it was warm, and Elaine’s cider felt like ages ago. I stopped after another sip, not wanting it to make my magic jittery. In the distance, the church bell tolled nine times.
Riley reached for me, hesitated, then put a hand over mine. “I might not know you that well, but your sister does. And Lizzy told me you’re the best in the family at potions.”
My mouth fell open. “She said that?”
He nodded.
I stared down at the bag of cookies in my lap while his words settled around me like a warm blanket. I wanted to accept them, to pull them close and snuggle into their warmth, but what if he was wrong? Was I only trusting him because he was saying what I wanted to hear?
“Even if you made a mistake with this potion, I’m sure it wouldn’t have turned poisonous and killed him.” His serious gaze met mine. “My instincts tell me it wasn’t you, and I listen to my instincts.”
I bit my lip, wishing I’d learned to listen to mine. Then maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess. “There’s no way to prove it wasn’t me.”
“Well, there is one way,” he said. “Let me see that bag of cookies.”
I passed it to him, hope pounding wildly in my chest. “How?”
“Like this.” He reached in and grabbed a chunk of a bat cookie, then popped it into his mouth.