Familiar Spirits (Twilight Hollow Witchy Cozy Mysteries Book 1) Read online

  I felt so silly I could’ve smacked myself. Of course Francis was only thinking about romance. It was her favorite genre. “Max and I are just friends, Francis.”

  She tilted her head. “But you could become more? You’re not getting any younger, Addy.”

  I kept a smile on my face. I would tolerate such comments from few people, and Francis was one of them. “We’ll see, Francis. But for now, just friends.”

  “Just friends, eh?” Elmer was looking out the front window.

  Max reached the door, spotted me, then gave a little wave. So much for making him a coffee, there wasn’t time now. Or maybe there was, but I didn’t want to use it. I was anxious to ask Mary more questions.

  I stood. “If you’ll both excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

  Francis winked at me. “I’ll just bet you do.”

  I laughed as I headed out the door, waving bye to Evie as I went. I held the door open for Spooky, then turned to face Max. His hair was a little more mussed than usual, and there were bags beneath his brown eyes. “Did you have a rough night?”

  He looked down at his shoes. “If we’re being honest, I was a little worried about you. I wanted to make sure you got home safe, but I wasn’t sure if it was my place to call.”

  Feeling eyes on me, I glanced through the front window. Francis was staring intently.

  I grabbed Max’s arm to get him walking. “You could’ve called, but I got home just fine. Totally uneventful night.” And pigs can fly, I added silently.

  “That’s good to hear. Was the detective too upset with you?”

  I glanced at him, wondering about his interest on the subject. “I think the detective is in a constant state of upset, but no, he wasn’t too mad. After all, I didn’t seek Mary out, she came to us.”

  “Was he interested in what you learned from her?”

  I hopped over a crack in the sidewalk, my motion echoed by Spooky. “Yes, actually. He was going to call you today to get her information so he could question her.”

  Max stopped walking, then turned to face me. “Addy, if the police want to question her, we shouldn’t go over there. You should call the detective and give him her address.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Logan questioned Blake earlier, I’m sure he already has the address. He may even be there now.”

  He watched me for a moment. “We’ll drop the check off, that’s it.”

  “Of course.” Once I knew where Mary lived, I could always come back.

  We started walking again with Max giving me occasional directions. Spooky walked a few steps ahead, glancing back to make sure we weren’t taking any turns. Max was right, she did live near me. We even passed the spot where Neil had been murdered on the way.

  Max stopped in front of a mailbox shaped like a little house and checked his phone, then looked at the address on the box. “This is it, and remember, we’re just dropping off the check.”

  I glanced at the house. There was nothing remarkable about it, just a plain little house with tan paint and a white picket fence. “Of course.”

  We walked up the narrow driveway together, and took the stepping stones cutting across the grass to the front door. Max knocked, and we waited.

  Mary opened the door. She was wearing another crimson blouse, this one long-sleeved and cut low on her chest. She obviously knew the color looked spectacular on her. Her dark hair framed her thin face, but did nothing to conceal the sudden irritation as her eyes landed on me.

  Her attention darted back to Max. “I didn’t realize you were bringing someone along.”

  “I hope you don’t mind.” He took his wallet out of his back pocket and withdrew the check. “I figured it would be alright since I was just dropping this off.” He handed it to her.

  She snatched it with well-manicured fingers. “Well you might as well still come in. I figured since you were on your lunch break, I would make you something to eat.”

  I was glad she was watching Max so closely, so she didn’t see my eyebrows shoot up.

  He turned to me, obviously too polite to say no. Or maybe he didn’t want to say no, and I was misreading everything.

  “Sure,” I said with a smile. I felt bad for Max’s discomfort, but I wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to see inside her house.

  Her smile was more of a grimace. She looked down at Spooky sitting by my feet. “The cat will have to stay outside. I’m allergic.”

  Go, a voice spoke into my head, making me jump. I didn’t hide my surprise quickly enough.

  Mary’s upper lip lifted slightly as she looked down her nose at me. “Are you alright?”

  I forced a smile. Oh boy, another person who thought I was a nut. Though maybe this time it could work to my advantage. “I’m fine, I just thought I saw a spider. Spooky can wait out here.”

  Mary’s eyes narrowed, but she opened the door wide and stepped aside.

  Max gave me a look only I could see as I entered. A look which said he had clearly been betrayed when I accepted her invitation.

  I gave him a little salute, then walked into the living room. The carpets were a pale cream that wouldn’t have lasted a month in my house. My white couch was challenge enough. Every wooden surface was clean and gleaming. The couch had a plastic cover over it.

  “Nice place,” I said as Max came to stand at my back.

  Mary shut the door, then walked past us, taking a moment to put the check in her purse where it was hanging from a hook on the wall. “Lunch is in the kitchen.”

  I was the first to follow her, so I got to see the neatly arranged lunch for two before she haphazardly tossed another place setting and glass onto the table.

  I couldn’t help but stare at the tray of sandwiches. She had cut off the crusts. A glass bottle of fancy sparkling water dripped condensation onto the white tablecloth.

  She had planned a romantic lunch for her and Max, which was more than odd, since they didn’t know each other.

  We all sat, and an awkward silence ensued.

  “Well?” Mary said expectantly. “Dig in.”

  I took a sandwich, though I didn’t really want one, glancing around her kitchen. Though she had just prepared lunch, every countertop was freshly wiped and there were no dishes in the sink. It was the third meticulously clean house I’d visited in that number of days. Maybe I just had low standards, but I didn’t think so.

  I took a bite of the sandwich, assuming it wasn’t poison since she was trying to seduce Max, not kill him. At least I hoped. The sandwich was turkey and cheese, and was actually pretty good.

  “So have you started working at the tavern yet?” I asked Mary.

  Her frown softened. “Not yet, Tammy has a pretty rigorous process for new employees.”

  “Rigorous?”

  She huffed. “Two forms of ID. How many people carry around two forms of ID? I had to request a new copy of my birth certificate.” She looked to Max, dismissing me. “How was Ike? I only met him a time or two, but he must have been devastated about his son.”

  Max had put a sandwich on his plate, but hadn’t tried it yet. “Yeah, he’s pretty torn up about it, and he’s upset that the police haven’t found the killer yet. He thinks it was one of Neil’s business schemes gone wrong.”

  She shrugged. “I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. They have to have some suspects by now. I do hope they have questioned Desmond.”

  I dropped my sandwich on my plate at her words, then covered my surprise by reaching for the bottle of sparkling water. I poured some into the glass she had put down with my place setting. “Do you really think Desmond knows something about what happened to Neil?”

  She pursed her lips. “Of course he does. They were brothers, and they were always scheming together. If anyone knows who killed Neil, it’s Desmond. Or maybe he even did it himself.”

  My eyes widened. She sure had come a long way from casually mentioning an argument before, to blatantly accusing Desmond now.

  “Did you tell all of this to the
police?” Max asked.

  She looked genuinely shocked. “Of course I did. I may not have particularly cared for Neil, but I want his murder solved.”

  Suuuure, I thought.

  She gave me a long look. “I asked Tammy about you, she said you own that little cafe, and that you and Neil didn’t really know each other. I had assumed you were one of his lovers for you to take such interest in his murder.”

  I chose to ignore her derisive tone when speaking of my cafe, which was easy to do with my brain struggling to catch up with her blatant accusation. “Definitely not a lover,” I assured her. I could tell she was waiting for further explanation. “Honestly, he had my phone number in his pocket when he died. I was hoping to figure out why that was?” I said it like it was a question. She had been his secretary after all, and the handwriting had been feminine.

  She looked to Max, then back to me. “How should I know? I didn’t even know you existed until yesterday.”

  I knew it was a lie, at least in part. I had seen her around town, so it stood to reason she at least vaguely knew who I was. It made me wonder if she had been the one to write down my phone number, though I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why.

  “We should get going,” Max interjected. “I told my employee I wouldn’t be gone long.”

  Had he realized I was trying to figure out how to ask her about her relationship with Neil? I stuffed the rest of my sandwich into my mouth before I could say anything out loud, then swallowed it in a painful gulp.

  She looked to Max. “Surely you could stay a little longer.”

  He stood, leaving his half-finished sandwich on his plate. “I have an appointment soon too, I’m sorry. But thank you for the lovely lunch.”

  She seemed frozen for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll show you out then.”

  The short walk to the front door seemed to take a million years. Only once we were alone and walking down the driveway did my shoulders relax.

  “What happened to not questioning her?” Max muttered.

  I shrugged. “Opportunity knocked, and I answered.” I stopped where Spooky was waiting for us next to the mailbox.

  Max snorted at my answer, then looked down. “That’s a well-behaved cat.”

  “You have no idea.” I glanced over my shoulder as we started down the sidewalk, just to make sure Mary wasn’t watching, then turned my full attention to Max. “Did it seem a bit odd how she was talking about Desmond?”

  “I was thinking the same thing. She was the one who pointed us there to begin with. I assumed Desmond was lying about not seeing Neil, but now I wonder if Mary is the one lying.”

  I glanced over my shoulder again, though her house was out of view. “You mean like she’s setting Desmond up?”

  He shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe. Something isn’t adding up. Did you notice how upset she was that Tammy wanted two forms of ID?”

  “And Neil was paying her under the table. Who would take an under the table job that paid below minimum wage?”

  Max stopped walking to look at me. “Someone trying to hide who they are. We should call the detective.”

  I glanced back again, feeling uneasy. Spooky stopped and glanced back with me. “Let’s get back to the cafe first. I’ve got the creeps.”

  Max shivered. “You and me both.”

  As we started walking again, I considered what we’d learned. Mary wasn’t who she said she was, and she wanted Neil’s brother to go down for his murder. She also had a house as meticulously clean as Desmond’s. I’d thought Sasha had been the one to clean for him, but maybe I was wrong.

  But who would clean someone’s house, then accuse them of murder? Blake thought Mary left him for Neil, but maybe he was mistaken. Maybe she left him for Desmond. And maybe Desmond had ended things, and now Mary was trying to set him up for murder.

  But did that mean Mary had killed Neil? Maybe, but we had no proof, nor any real motive. Either way, I would tell Logan what we had learned, and I would take the lecture he would give me for questioning another suspect.

  Eventually we got back to the cafe, and I realized I’d be getting that lecture sooner than expected. Logan was waiting for me inside.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Speak of the devil,” Max said, spotting Logan the same time I did. “I guess this saves us a call.”

  Logan headed our way like a tall, dark, angry cloud. As he opened the door, Spooky rushed in, clearly not wanting to be a part of the situation. Logan stepped outside, facing us on the sidewalk. His gaze settled on me. “Where have you been?”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Now how is that any of your business?”

  “It’s my business, because I went to your friend’s clinic to get Mary’s info,” he gestured to Max. “His secretary said he was dropping a check off to someone, then I come to the cafe to find you missing, with your employee not knowing where you went.”

  I furrowed my brow, moving aside as a couple walked past us on the sidewalk. “Well if you already guessed that we had gone to Mary’s, why ask me where I’ve been? And why not just get Mary’s information from Blake?”

  He sighed. “I figured I’d give you a chance to make up an excuse, and I didn’t want Blake calling Mary ahead of time to let her know I was coming. We didn’t have enough on him to take him to the station, and his story checks out. He was sold a camping permit and witnesses placed him several times at the country market buying bait.”

  I glanced at Max. “Do you want to tell him, or should I?”

  Max raised his hands, palms up. “You’re the one that accepted her invitation inside, I’ll let you tell.”

  I smirked. “Traitor.”

  “If you two are quite through,” Logan interjected, “we can talk in my car.”

  Feeling a bit like a scorned teenager who stayed out too late, I followed Logan and Max to Logan’s car parked just a few spots away. I tried to beat Max to the backseat, but he was faster and I ended up in the passenger seat next to Logan.

  “All right, start talking,” Logan ordered.

  We told him our suspicions about Mary, starting with her not wanting to provide ID to Tammy and ending with her trying to set up Desmond.

  Logan’s mood seemed even sourer by the time we finished.

  “Let me guess, you already knew all of this?” I asked.

  “No, I didn’t, and it’s a little irritating that the person I’ve repeatedly ordered to stay off my case has discovered more information than I have.”

  I grinned. “Aw, I done good.”

  He angled his body so he could look at both me and Max. “You also entered the house of a potential murderer. I will keep everything you’ve told me in mind when I question Mary, but from now on, stay out of it.”

  I lifted my hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, but if Mary’s the murderer, just don’t let her get away.”

  “I’ll try not to,” he said caustically. He looked to Max. “I’d like a moment alone with Ms. O’Shea, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course,” he said, then patted my shoulder. “I have to head back to the clinic, I’ll call you later.”

  I flashed him a smile. “Sounds good.”

  My smile wilted once I was left alone with Logan. I wasn’t sure what he would need to say to me alone, we had already told him everything we learned about Mary.

  He watched me for a long moment before speaking. “About the other night, what happened in the graveyard—” he hesitated.

  I sucked my teeth, not sure what to say. “Go on.”

  “Has anything else happened? Are you still in danger?”

  I forced a smile, then lied through my teeth. “I think the worst of the danger with that has passed.”

  His eyes narrowed, and I got the sensation he could see right through to my thoughts. “You would tell me if anything else happened, right? I know I don’t know much about your world, but I still might be able to help.”

  “I appreciate the sentiment, but you’re better off forg
etting everything you saw. Your job is to deal with mundane bad guys, you are not obligated to deal with anything else.”

  His jaw went a little slack. “I wasn’t asking because I feel obligated.”

  I shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. He was the first mortal who knew I was an actual witch, and I wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. “Well either way I’m fine, and I’ll be careful. You just focus on Mary.” I reached for the door handle.

  “I’m not sure how long things will take with Mary. Can someone walk you home tonight?”

  I hesitated with my hand on the handle. If I said no, would he make sure he was available? Did I want him to? “I’m sure one of my sisters will come meet me.” I opened the door a crack. “And thanks for your concern. It’s surprising, but also nice that you’re not running for the hills.”

  I opened the door and got out before he could say anything else. He had a murder to solve, I had a cafe to run, and that’s all there was to it.

  I walked into the cafe to find Spooky sitting in Sophie’s lap on the sofa. Richie, Elmer, and Francis were with her. I was surprised about the latter two, since I’d seen them before I left with Max. They had been hanging around practically all day.

  Richie waved me over.

  I caught Evie’s attention behind the counter to see if she needed anything, but she gave me a thumbs up. I had some time before she needed to leave.

  I walked over to Richie. “What’s up?”

  He ran a hand over his slicked-back black hair, glancing to Sophie, who quickly looked down at the cat in her lap and twirled one hand through her blonde ponytail.

  I looked to Francis and Elmer, knowing one of them would surely spit it out. “All right you guys, what’s going on? This better not be about Max.”

  Richie leaned forward and whispered, “Are you trying to solve Neil Howard’s murder?”

  I grabbed a nearby chair, spinning it around and placing it to face Richie and the others. I sat down and lowered my voice. “What are you talking about?”

  Richie shrugged, crinkling his leather jacket. “Well, that detective keeps coming around, and Blake Monroe came in a few minutes ago looking for you. He said you were asking a bunch of questions right before the police came to question him.”