Magic and Mayhem: Witchin' Impossible (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Hazed & Confused Mysteries Book 1) (3 page)

“I’m so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Decker.”

Joy sobbed harder, but John tightened his mouth and nodded. “Thank you, Hazel.”

The man next to them stood up and held out his hand. “I’m Robert Townsend, a good friend of the Deckers. If I can do anything to aid you in your investigation, let me know.”

What made him think I was investigating?

I could feel the power in his grip as he shook my hand. “I am the alpha of the
paullulum mammalia
.“ I must have looked confused because he added, “The small animal Shifters.”

Ah. He was the head mucky-muck over the chipmunk, beaver, badger, and raccoon Shifters in the area. “I appreciate your cooperation, sir.”

He gave me a smile that both reflected friendliness and proper decorum for the mood in the hall. To the Deckers, I said, “I’ll be at Lily’s house for the next week or so, if you all need anything, please let me know.”

Chapter Five

THE SPARSELY FURNISHED
guest bedroom consisted of a full-sized bed with a worn but clean quilt over brand new purple cotton sheets. The colorful quilt made of simple blocks had belonged to Lily’s grandmother. A wedding present her own mother had made for her from her childhood school clothes. Her grandmother had handed down the quilt to Lily’s mom when she married, and now that her mom was dead, Lily had become its keeper. The rest of room was designed for utility. There was an ironing board in the corner, several large opaque green storage tubs—the kind you can pick up at the general store—stacked near the closet, and a well-worn vanity with an oval mirror that had lost a distracting amount of silvering from the back.

I sat on the edge of the bed staring at my sorry, distorted reflection. The file Officer Baylor provided had been slimmer than I’d hoped. It pretty much meant little had been done to find justice for the Danny…or for Lily. It made me want to punch someone in the nose. That someone being Ford Baylor, of course. His lack of empathy for Lily, his lack of commitment to his job as an officer of the law, and his lack of caring whether I’d ever even existed infuriated me.

I rolled over on the mattress and read file notes from my phone. I jotted down a few key details and photographed anything else I thought important. The crime scene report had been written by Dennis Mitchel, the lead detective on the case. I’d asked for a meeting with him, but desk officer told me he’d taken a leave of absence for a family emergency. Still, I wanted to grill him. There were more holes in the files than a colander.

The report said that Danny’s body was found in a folded heap in an abandoned barn out on the edge of town. The property had gone into foreclosure five years earlier and was currently owned by the bank. Very little blood had been found at the scene other than a small amount that had dried around Danny’s mouth. His face had been as bloated and purple as the rest of his body. Unidentifiable. He had his wallet on him that contained his driver’s license, a Paradise Falls Grocer card, a family picture of him and Lily with their parents when he was five-years-old, and seven dollars in ones.

The toxicology screen showed trace evidence of drugs but not in any quantity that made a difference. The medical examiner’s report confirmed what Lily had told me. Every bone in Danny’s body had been broken, from the individual plates in his skull down to the tips of his toes. Even the tiny bones inside his ears had been cracked. No wonder he’d been unrecognizable in the crime scene photos.

Who or what could do that? Be so precise? This killer had some serious determination. Other than Danny’s body, no other material evidence had been found. No fingerprints, stray hairs, or fibers. There had been no footprints, not even Danny’s. Someone had managed to kill him and dump his body in a dirt floor barn, and hadn’t left even the tiniest scuff mark behind.

My gorge had risen when I had read that 205 bones were cracked or broken before the rib fracture that punctured his heart. How long had he suffered? I shuddered, pushing the thought to the back of my mind. I had to stop thinking of the victim as Danny. I had to put my emotions aside if I wanted to be the person Lily needed me to be.

Lily’s gentle knock on the door had me closing my notes fast. She cracked the door open.

“Hey,” she said, her eyes were red with exhaustion. “Can I come in?”

“Of course,” I said a little too brightly. I turned off my phone screen and stood up to give her a hug. “Rough day, huh?”

“Rough couple of months,” she amended.

“Gosh, I’m sorry, Lils. I didn’t mean—”

Her simple smile let me off the hook. “I’ve missed you, Haze. I’m so glad you’re here.” She leaned forward and her smile grew wider. “I can’t believe Dick Knuckles had you hauled down to the station. What a butt-wipe.”

“No kidding. And who the hell does Officer Baylor think he is, threatening to cuff me? I’m a federal agent for the love of Pete.”

“You mean officer Woo-woo, don’t you?” Her smile verged on a grin now. “Or at least that’s what you called him in high school. Ford “Woo-woo” Baylor, because every time you saw him, you’d say, woo-woo.”

“I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Woo-woo. You pined for that boy like nobody’s business our senior year.”

“Because it
was
nobody’s business,” I snapped. Though I had to admit, I was glad to see Lily having fun, even if it was at my expense. I smirked. “I crushed on him hardcore, didn’t I?”

“Uhm, if by hardcore you mean writing Mrs. Haze Baylor all over your spiral notebooks and tennis shoes every day, then yes, I’ll agree, you crushed on him hardcore.”

“I hate you.”

Lily shrugged. “The evidence speaks for itself.”

I laughed. She wasn’t wrong. I think there were a few textbooks I’d graffitied as well. Ford had been, as my teenage self would have said, dreamy. Nothing had changed in that department. Ack. He still smelled better than any man I’d ever met.

“I’m sure he’s happily married with a dozen cubs by now.”

“You know Shifters actually have babies right?”

I rolled my eyes. “Did he marry Greta Sharp?” She’d been a bear Shifter like Ford, and the two of them had been Prom King and Queen our senior year.

“He didn’t mate with Greta.”

“Then who.”

Lily grinned. “He’s single, Haze.”

A wave of adrenaline rushed through me, raising gooseflesh on my skin. “You’re kidding right?”

“Nope. I hear about him dating occasionally, but nothing has stuck.” She gave me a meaningful look, which I poo-pooed away.

“He barely remembered me from high school, Lily. Besides, I’ve moved on with my life.”

“I can see that by the ring on your finger and your phone gallery full of pictures of your children.”

“Smart ass.”

“Smart cougar,” she corrected. “The ass Shifters live in another part of town.”

We fell into a fit of laughter verging on hysteria. And, frankly, it was better than crying our eyes out. After a few minutes, we finally settled down. Lily reclined on the bed next to me, both of us staring at the flaking popcorn ceiling. “I used to love coming here,” I told her. “It was my favorite place in Paradise Falls.” I turned my head and looked at her. “Amend that. Anywhere we could hang out together was my favorite place to be.”

“Same here,” she told me. “What happened to Boyd? The morgue guys rolled out something large and lumpy in a black zipped-up bag. It didn’t look like a person was in there.”

The horrific image of a blob-shaped Boyd waving at me popped into my head. I shuddered. “It didn’t look much like a person out of the bag either.”

“How awful.”

“Did Danny and Boyd hang out?”

“Do you think the two deaths are related?”

“No. Maybe. I don’t know.” It was really a stretch. “I’ll have to wait and see what Boyd’s autopsy shows. The only two thing both deaths have in common is a certain bizarre, unexplained nature. I mean, Boyd looked like something out of a D horror movie. If I hadn’t witnessed his condition, only saw a picture, my first thought would have been that somebody got creative with a graphics program.”

“Tell me.”

“I don’t know, Lils. It’s kind of terrible.”

“I’m not a delicate flower, Haze. No matter what my parents named me.”

“Have you ever heard of those weird twin tumors, where they find big lumps of flesh with teeth and hair and other gross stuff inside someone?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s called a teratoma.”

Her knowledge of the term reminded me she’d wanted to go to medical school. Her parent’s death had sure sent her down a different path.

“So you know what I’m talking about.”

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s what Boyd looked like, only person sized and with skin.” I didn’t mention the arm hanging out of his ass. “It was as if someone made him a pretzel inside his own skin.”

“You’re right,” Lily said. “It’s terrible. That sounds as bizarre as what happened to Danny.” She tapped me on the shoulder with the back of her hand. “What can do that, Haze? Is it witch magic? I mean, Shifters are strong, but I don’t know if they have the finesse to do all this.”

“I don’t want to speculate, Lily. Not yet. But I do believe magic is involved, but honestly, this kind of crap would have a karmic kickback like nothing I’ve ever heard of. It’s evil, Lils. And real evil has a steep price tag.”

“If it is witches, what can you do?”

“I have Baba Yaga’s blessing to investigate, but I’m not sure I’m equipped to deal with a powerful witch. My own magic is pretty crappy if you recall.”

“You mean like when you accidentally knocked yourself out when you sent a current of electricity into your locker, and it backfired on you.”

I gave her a sour look. “Yes. Like that.”

She giggled. My cell phone rang, saving me from the conversation. The number was “Unknown.” I answered, “Special Agent Kinsey,” out of habit.

“This is Officer Baylor,” the deep, sexy voice said on the other end. My stomach dropped, and my palms began to sweat. “Can we meet for coffee?”

“Uhm…”

Lily’s eyes widened as she mouthed the word “yes.”

“Yes,” I said. “Sure.”

“Lolo’s Diner on Elysium Street in an hour?”

Lily nodded at me emphatically. I glared at her. “I’ll be there,” I told Ford. “With bells on.” I disconnected the call, kicking myself for the last part. I looked at Lily. “With bells on? Seriously? Why the hell did I say that for?”

“Because you looo-ooove him,” she crooned. “Love makes you stupid.”

“You’re stupid,” I told her as I devolved into my fifteen-year-old self again. “I don’t love him.”

“Of course not, Mrs. Haze Baylor.” Lily leaped from the bed and grabbed my suitcase. “Now let’s find you something to wear.”

“This isn’t a date.”

“You don’t know what it is.” She threw a black dress at me. “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”

“I hate it when you throw my words back in my face.”

Her mouth quirked up at the corner. “I know.”

****

“TIZZY, YOU CAN’T COME WITH ME.”

“I’ve seen Officer Baylor, Haze. You need the backup,” she whined. “What if he decides to haul your butt to jail again?”

“He’s not going to take me to jail.” Really, I think Tiz just wanted to eavesdrop. I couldn’t blame her. I’d taken her out of a paranormal town to live in a human city, which meant she’d only had me to talk to for nearly two decades. Seeing how excited and alive she’d become since we’d returned to Paradise Falls, made me feel like the most selfish witch on the planet.

She’d never once complained about being alone, so foolishly, I had believed she wasn’t lonely.

“Why don’t you invite Jackie for a shake? Lolo’s used to have the best chocolate malts on the planet.”

“She’s mated,” Tiz said, disappointment lowering her voice to an alto-soprano.

“I’m sorry.”

The squirrel brightened. “I think there’s a Shifter shin-dig on Eden’s Road. I might head out there if you don’t mind.”

I raised a suspicious brow. I’d been to a couple parties out there. We used to call the area the “garden of delights.” Lots of booze. Lots of drugs. My head hurt just thinking about those Sunday morning hangovers. “Those can get a little rough.”

“Puh-leeeeeeaze, Haze.” She clasped her tiny hands in front of her and batted her lashes. “I’m just so…sad…about Jackie. I think a party would do me some good.”

Lily, who’d been listening quietly, stepped in. “I’ll go with her.”

“You sure?”

“Yep,” she said, laughing as Tizzy climbed her leg and arm until she landed on Lily’s shoulder. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten out of this old house. It’ll do me good.”

“Okay,” I said. “Tiz, Lily’s in charge.”

“Haze!”

I narrowed my gaze.

She threw up her manicured paws. “Fine. Lily’s in charge.”

Chapter Six

LOLO’S DINER LOOKED STRAIGHT OUT
of the nineteen-fifties. It was red and white on the outside and lit up with bright neon signage advertising shakes, burgers, and fries. Oh, Lord have mercy, I could smell the burgers. The delicious scent took me back to my teenage years when Lily and I would sit in her dad’s old Coup and people watch safely from our own private bubble.

Ford Baylor stood near the entrance. A woman with red hair wearing a tight cardigan and a ruffle skirt was talking to him, so he didn’t seem to notice my arrival. I groaned when I recognized her. Tanya Gellar. Ugh. She was a healer. Which meant, she was born with a calling, unlike myself who had been born with a failing. I almost put the car in reverse, because, as much as I’d like to rewrite history, I was not what you’d call one of the popular kids in school. I wasn’t witchy enough for the witches or the popular Shifters. People like Tanya made my formidable years intolerable. The fact that she had been best friends with Ford’s girlfriend Greta played no part in my dislike of her.

I sucked it up and got out of the car. When Ford saw me, he waved. Tanya gave me resting bitch face, which I assumed was her way of saying, “Howdy, neighbor.”

“You’re late,” Ford said.

“It looks like you found a way to occupy your time,” I told him.

His face flushed. “Tanya is the medical examiner. I thought you might want to hear her initial report on Boyd Decker.”

“Oh.” Color me petty. “Yeah, actually, that would be great. Did you do the autopsy on Danny Mason as well?”

“Yes,” Tanya said. “That was…unsettling. As unsettling as my findings about Decker.”

“I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule.”

She sniffed. “You can thank Ford.” She softened her eyes when she looked at him and flashed a flirty smile, or at least that’s how I saw it. “I owe him a favor or two.” She turned her nose at me. “Never thought he’d waste his marker on this, though.”

What she meant was she never thought he’d waste the favor on me. Funny enough, that revelation brightened my evening.

“Let’s go inside,” Ford said. “We can discuss this over pie and coffee.”

“Sounds good.” His cinnamon scent had me jonesing for apple pie.

The place was only half full, sad for a Friday night. We took a booth at the back near the restrooms. Tanya slid in on Ford’s side of the booth, and my heart sunk a little. Why did this guy always get under my skin? Even the years I spent away from Paradise Falls, I couldn’t get him out of my head.

A young waitress with flawless skin and bouncy, shiny hair and a name badge that said, “Becksy” took our orders. Probably a teenage witch. She was a little too put together as if someone was dipping into a spell book. Besides, no self-respecting Shifter would name their child Becksy. It was silly and pretentious. Our kind could get that way sometimes. It was the same machinations that made rich folks call their kids Biff or Mitsy or Scooter.

“What do you have on Decker?” I asked, putting on my FBI hat about the time that Becksy came to our table with three pieces of apple pie, three coffee cups, and a carafe. She put the pie down and then the cups, which she filled with steaming hot java.

“Sugar and cream are there.” She pointed to a silver condiments’ caddy near the window on our table. “Let me know if I can get you anything else.” She paid good attention to detail, and her smile was amiable and professional. I decided Becksy had more going for her than a pretty face.

When she left us, I turned back to Tanya again. “Decker?” I took a bite of the pie and resisted making
mmmm-mmmm
noises as I chewed the little slice of Heaven.

“A rapid toxicology screen showed opiates in his blood, but not enough to overdose him. It was more of a recreational dose. I haven’t counted all the broken bones yet, but much like Daniel Mason, I think all of Boyd’s have been fractured in one way or another.” She pressed on clinically, and I respected her ability to be professional under the circumstances. “It’s my belief he was mid-shift when…the homicide occurred.” Her eyes widened for a moment at the memory.

“What was the COD?”

“Cause of death was a rib to the heart.”

“Like Danny.”

“Just like,” Tanya agreed.

“Did Danny have drugs in his system too?” I was so focused on my own dessert, it surprised me to see Tanya had already eaten most of hers, and Ford’s had completely disappeared from his plate. At least I could pretend the cinnamon I was smelling was from the food and not from the sexy furball sitting directly across the table from me.

“Same as Boyd. Recreational amounts only.”

Shifters burned through drugs quick, but I knew from some high school experimentation that Lily and I had partaken in occasionally that marijuana had a long lasting calming effect on the two-natured. Lily had been buzzed for hours. The opiates would have been a quick burn, though. Strange that Boyd and Danny both had them in their system at time of death.

“Any trace evidence?” I asked. “DNA under the fingernails, a stray hair, saliva, anything?”

“Nothing so far,” Tanya said. “I’m going to examine the body again tomorrow. And I’ll have the lab results for a more detailed tox screen in two days.”

“Will you keep me informed?”

“I’ll keep Ford informed,” she said. She slid from the seat. “Thanks for the pie, Ford. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?” She turned the statement into a question.

“Sure enough,” he replied.

Her wide smile made me want to throttle myself for caring.

“Thanks for coming out, Tanya. I appreciate it.” When she put a ten dollar bill on the table, Ford shook his head. “On me.”

“Next time, I’ll buy.”

Ford smiled at her, and I wanted to lunge across the table and beat the crap out of both of them. “You’re on.”

Did they just make a date? Right in front me? Was I freaking invisible? Ahhhhhhhhhh! Outwardly, I maintained my cool. “See you around.”

She gave me a tight lip smile that basically said, “Not if I see you first.”

What-evs.

“Thanks for that,” I told Ford. He hadn’t had to share information about Boyd Decker. It wasn’t the case Baba Yaga gave me permission to investigate, but I was pretty sure the two were connected.

He shrugged. “There is nothing against the rules that three high school friends can’t get together for a bite to eat.”

Was he trying to tell me something? “Why isn’t there more information about Danny’s death? There were no suspects or witness statements. No follow-up reports. The officer in charge, Dennis Mitchell, is either a complete incompetent or he is covering something up. Do you know what emergency took him out of town? I’d really like to speak to him.”

Ford looked at me with a bland expression on his face but remained silent.

“Who is tying your hands, Ford?”

“How’s life in Kansas City?” he asked. “I hear you’re posted there now.”

“In town for less than five minutes, and the word about me is already getting around.”

“I heard about it two years ago when you were first posted there.”

“Seriously?” I narrowed my gaze at him. His delicious scent grew more intense. “You didn’t even act like you knew who I was earlier. Or do you just get the 9-1-1 on all the ex-residents in town?”

“I do when that ex-resident is my mate.”

“Huh? Wait. What?” You could have surprised me less if a piano had suddenly fallen out of the sky and dropped on my head. “Mate? Like friend? Compadre? Buddy? I don’t think we were any of those things.”

“Don’t be dense, Hazel.”

“I…” Was at a loss for words. “I think I need a translator. I don’t speak nonsense.”

“Do you remember the night of Woolsey's party, the one out on Eden’s road at the end of our senior year?”

“Sorta.” Truth be told, I’d had a lot to drink that night. “I remember waking up the next day with a hangover that lasted until graduation.”

He steepled his fingers. “So you don’t remember kissing me?”

“Uhm, no.” Nooooooo! It wasn’t possible. I couldn’t have kissed him and not remembered. This was turning into a cautionary tale about drinking and kissing for lovesick teenagers everywhere. “Was it good?” It must have been, right?

“Awful. Abrupt. Sloppy,” Ford said. “Your scent took me over.” He sniffed the air as if he could still smell it. “Vanilla and rum.”

“That was probably the booze,” I murmured, mortified by this conversation.

“Now,” Ford said. “Your scent is all I can think about.”

He stood up, all sexy six-foot-nine inches of him, and slid into the booth next to me. He smelled my hair, and I nearly peed my pants.

“You didn’t even know I existed in high school.”

“Until that night.”

“You were with Greta.”

“We broke up shortly after graduation.”

“I always thought you two would get married.”

“It was impossible,” Ford said.

“Why?”

“Because she wasn’t my mate. You are.”

“Oh.” I consider myself a smart cookie. Quick on the uptake, but I was having a hell of a time processing this conversation. “We aren’t mates.”

“Yes,” Ford said. “We are.”

I opened my mouth to rebut him, but my phone rang, saving me from having to make words. “Kinsey here,” I said without even checking out the caller’s name.

“Haze,” Lily shouted. I could hear music and yelling in the background. “I think you better come out to Eden’s road. Tiz is in trouble.”

I didn’t even hesitate. “On my way.” I clicked the phone off and looked at Ford, gulping as his sparkly blue eyes hypnotized me. “I have to go now.”

“I’ll drive,” he said, standing up.

“Fine.”