Moonlight Murder: An Inept Witches Mystery (9 page)

Emily held down the giggle that threatened to erupt when she saw Gabe
’
s face blanch at Ingrid's words and tone. He knew he was in deep. So deep. Emily would give Ingrid some time alone with the doomed sheriff. She turned her attention to the new deputy.

“
Officer, I haven
’
t bothered to learn your name, why don
’
t we give them a minute.
”

Kevin looked at Ingrid, then at Gabe who nodded, before replying to Emily.
“
Yes, Miss Brown, I
’
d like to ask you some questions.
”

“
Lead the way.
”

Kevin led Emily into a small interrogation room, maybe the one she
’
d been interviewed in when her idiot ex-husband turned up dead, and she sat down before he told her to.

“
I
’
m glad you two decided to turn yourselves in.
”

“
Uh, yeah. You
’
ve got the wrong idea. I can see you are just as smart as Sheriff Blind and Stupid. We are not turning ourselves in. My best pal Ingrid is in the hallway telling your boss what a colossal fool he is. After which, I
’
ll be adding my two cents. What
’
s happening right here with you and I, we are giving her privacy.
”

“
I think Gabe has a different plan for the next few minutes. Your friend is in a lot of trouble, Miss Brown. She has tampered with evidence, contaminated a crime scene, fled the area when she was a prime suspect. I think the sheriff has realized that he cannot be romantically involved with someone like Ingrid.
”

Okay, yeah. Now it was on.
“
Listen up, you tiny, arrogant prick. First of all, the sheriff would be lucky to be loved by someone as incredible as Ingrid. He would know that if he pulled his head out of your ass for five minutes. Secondly, you're a dick. Finally, you should be more worried about the woman in your life, rather than who the sheriff chooses to spend his time with.
”

“
Keep my wife out of this. She has nothing to do with this.
”

“
Oh no,
”
Emily said, injecting a dripping sweetness into her voice.
“
Why, you must be dumber that I had first thought. Which is saying something because I already assumed you were dumber than a box of rocks. I wonder what the downgrade of that would be? Maybe a box that was empty. Dumber than an empty box. Hmmm
…
no that doesn
’
t really have a good ring to it. I
’
ll think on that for now. Anyway, Deputy Dumbass, your wife has exactly everything to do with this murder case since she was sleeping with the victim and has been for years. Sheldon was on the island for a booty call. That and to try to profess his love for my friend Ingrid in there.
”

Emily nodded her head in the direction of the hall and watched as her announcement settled on to Kevin the Moron.

“
Yeah, so. Speechless, right. Clean up your own house, you idiot. And leave my friend out of it. If I so much as a hear a whisper from you about the
‘
type of girl
’
Ingrid is, I
’
ll pull on my big girl witch panties and you will never know what hit you. Just because we choose to be casual in our use of witchcraft doesn
’
t mean we have to. Don
’
t screw with us, Deputy. We have a whole coven of badass witches who, to this point, have aided the police department. Don
’
t get on our bad side.
”

She stormed out of the interrogation room and marched outside to wait by the Camaro for Ingrid. She knew as soon as Ingrid was done reading the sheriff the riot act, she
’
d storm out to the car. They had a similar leaning toward dramatic exits.

•••

Ingrid swallowed on a dry throat as Kevin and Emily left. She didn
’
t need to read minds to know that Gabe was about to dump her. The big question was why was her heart pounding in her throat.

“
Ingrid,
”
Gabe started, stretching his neck.

She didn
’
t say anything. She breathed in through her nose and out through barely parted lips, not making a sound. How had she let this happen? She
’
d spent the last four days missing Gabe so bad it hurt physically.

“
I was worried about you,
”
he said softly.
“
I couldn
’
t find you and I didn
’
t know where you were. Someone was just murdered, and you disappeared. If Hazel hadn
’
t said you were all right
…”

He ran his hands through his hair. She loved his hair. Loved to run her hands through it. To rub her cheek against it when he sat on her couch. She loved the way it blew in the wind and the way it smelled fresh out of the shower.

This was going to hurt so very much.

“
What then?
”
she asked. She wanted to hear him say she mattered.

But he didn
’
t.

Of course he didn
’
t tell her that she mattered. That he loved her. None of the things she thought she might want to hear. Where had all these feelings come from?

Instead he snapped his mouth closed, and she could see the muscle tick in his jaw.

“
What then, my pretty?
”
She kept her voice light and frothy.

He didn
’
t smile. He didn
’
t meet her eyes. He didn
’
t
…
anything. He didn
’
t touch her. He didn
’
t run his fingers through her ponytail. He didn
’
t lean in for a quick kiss. Or a long, gasp-inducing one.

He just didn't.

“
You know I didn
’
t do this,
”
she said, the pain of all the things that weren
’
t happening stabbing her over and over again. Why had they been drinking? Why had they gotten lost? Why had they gone alone to the witch thing? Why had they buried that damn body instead of calling Gabe as soon as they
’
d found it.

“
I might suspect that you
’
re innocent,
”
he replied.
“
But that doesn
’
t mean that you
’
re making it easy for me to prove it.
”

At that comment, that insinuation that she might be guilty, she had to blow out a long breath before she could even control herself enough to reply.
“
And will you have to prove me as not the murderer of every murder that happens on the island?
”

“
Ingrid!
”
His voice rose, and she wanted to slap him. How dare he talk to her like that? Oh gods, it was so like Harrison. That shout of her name, all irritated and frustrated.
“
The only murders in the last nine years are directly connected to you.
”

She swallowed again to prevent herself from shrieking like a fishwife. She wouldn
’
t be that person.

“
You buried the body. You fell on it. You left your DNA all over the crime scene and his car. You don
’
t have an alibi.
”

“
I have Emily,
”
Ingrid said, watching his beloved face scoff at that reply. He looked at her then, because her voice was different than anything he
’
d heard before. Cold and brittle. Like she was. Like this was making her. Oh gods, she thought again, oh dove god. Why was she stupid enough to let herself feel about someone again?

“
We both know that Emily would do anything for you. She
’
d bury a body. Whatever was needed. Oh wait, she did bury a body for you.
”

“
A body,
”
Ingrid said,
“
that I did not kill.
”

“
But I have to prove that after you rolled around in the dirt with it and then buried it,
”
Gabe shouted.

Well, what could she say to that anyway? He had a point. But she was finding it didn
’
t matter. Oh, how it didn
’
t matter. What mattered was how he was talking to her right now. What mattered was his disgust with her. She deserved someone who knew instantly that she was innocent and was determined to prove it without destroying her in the process.

“
Ingrid, we can
’
t be together. Not now.
”

Oh gods, there it was. She wanted to throw herself at him and beg him to not say those things. But she
’
d known it was coming, and she wasn
’
t going to be that woman. She didn
’
t need him. She didn
’
t need this. She didn
’
t know what she needed but it was
not
this.

“
Let me make something clear,
”
she said softly, steel in her voice.
“
I did not kill Sheldon Peters.
”

“
Well, I
’
m not the only cop in this town, and I have to prove that. I can
’
t do it while we
’
re together.
”

“
Do you believe me?
”

“
Of course I do, but Ingrid
…”

That hadn
’
t been very heartfelt. She could understand it of anyone but him. He had a key to her apartment. He slept in her bed more nights than not. He held her in the dark. He could not be those things anymore. Not after destroying her like this.

“
So you
’
re dumping me because others think I did it.
”

“
Of course they do,
”
he shouted.
“
You practically licked the body. For the love of all that is holy, Ingrid, you have destroyed any chance I had of not looking like a moron.
”

She stared at him, and he flushed, stepping back.

“
Because I
’
m stupid? I
’
m the spoiled little housewife widow? How many people are accusing me of poisoning Harrison now.
”

Gabe flushed brighter.

“
Oh, are you investigating that then, too?
”
The anger was so hot it was burning away the rush of hurt. The hurt was left, but it was the deep lasting wound and the fury made it manageable.

“
We have to cover our bases thoroughly, Ingrid. Please stay out of this.
”
At least he looked ashamed. Thank goodness she hadn
’
t told him that much about Harrison.

“
You are a bastard,
”
she said carefully.
“
You really did call the cops who investigated Harrison
’
s death, didn
’
t you?
”

“
I
’
m not at liberty to discuss any part of the investigation beyond the questions I have to ask to ascertain what happened.
”

She smiled. It was the smile Emily would call Ingrid
’
s
‘
evil, now it
’
s on
’
smile. Her magic flowed into her, and she flicked her finger, sending him across the room and pressing him against the two-way glass.

“
Are they recording this?
”

He didn
’
t answer. He struggled against the unseen bonds, but how can you fight an enemy you cannot see when you aren
’
t a witch? You can
’
t. The evil smile was tilted across her face.