What the Hex? (A Paranormal P.I. Mystery Book 1) (5 page)

Of course I didn’t have a plan, but Derek didn’t need to know that.

Steve and Tabitha stood behind the counter when we reached the front of the gym.

“Thanks again.” Derek gave a little salute as we walked by.

“Why are you pushing that guy? He already looks like he wants to rip our heads off.” I needed to cast a spell that would make Steve less cranky.

“Never mind the meathead. Are you my workout partner now?” Derek said when we walked across the parking lot.

“I think you should pay for my membership,” I said.

“What makes you say that?” he asked.

“Because if not for your snooping and getting us caught, I wouldn’t have had to make up that story about joining this gym.” I opened the car door and slid in.

Derek climbed behind the wheel. “You’ll thank me later. Do you believe what he said about Morgan?”

I leaned my head back against the seat. “I don’t know. If Morgan takes off all the time, then why are we looking for her? Doesn’t her best friend know this about her?”

“I’ll call Paige and ask her what the deal is.” Derek pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

Steve was looking out the window at us. Was he always this aggressive or was it just the extra testosterone? He seemed as if he had something to hide. Maybe it was a good idea after all that we’d gotten that gym membership. We’d have an excuse to go in anytime we wanted. Why did Derek have to be right?

“She didn’t answer, so I left a message.” Derek clicked off the call.

“Let’s get out of here.” I gestured toward the road.

Derek pointed the car in the direction of our office. As we drove down the street, I saw someone I thought I recognized.

“Is that George?” Derek asked.

Apparently we’d seen George at the same time.

“I’d recognize him anywhere. With that black hair he looks like a shriveled-up version of Wayne Newton. I thought he was staying at the office? Pull over and see what he’s doing.” I gestured.

Derek steered the car to the side of the street. I pushed the button, bringing the window down. “George?”

He didn’t hear me and continued his trek down the sidewalk.

“George,” I called out again.

George finally snapped to attention and looked over at us. He gave a little wave and shuffled over.

“What are you doing? I thought I left you at the office,” I said.

George leaned down and rested his arms against the car’s door. The smell of Bengay filled the car. “I had to get out of there.” His brown eyes narrowed and his tiny mouth tipped down into a frown. I’d never seen George this shaken. Even his bow tie was a little lopsided.

I touched his arm. “What happened?”

“I just stepped out for a moment to get coffee. When I came back, someone had broken into the office. I didn’t want to stay there.” He shook his head.

My heart sped up. “Did you call the police?”

“Hop in, George.” Derek pushed the button, unlocking the back door.

George opened the back door and climbed in. Derek pulled away from the curb in a hurry and headed toward our office.

I looked back at George. “What makes you think someone broke in?”

George brushed hair off his forehead. “Papers on my desk were all moved around. That wasn’t how I left them. There was nothing on Derek’s desk for anyone to move around.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Okay. Don’t worry. We’ll figure out what’s going on.” I wasn’t sure about that, but at least it would make George feel better.

After driving entirely too fast, Derek whipped the car into a spot by the main entrance of our building.

“Your driving skills are highly questionable,” I said as we walked toward the main glass doors leading inside the building.

“Glad you like them.” Derek opened the door and motioned for me to enter.

When we reached the office door, I shoved the key in and unlocked it. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

I stepped forward to go inside, but Derek shoved his arm in front of me, blocking my entrance. “Maybe you should let me go first.” He puffed out his chest.

I rolled my eyes, pushed his arm out of the way, and then stepped inside. George and Derek followed me.

As I stood in the middle of the room, I looked around and said, “George, nothing seems to be out of place. What makes you think someone was here?”

He marched over to his desk and pointed. “All of the papers have been moved.”

I stepped closer. The papers looked a little shuffled around, but nothing major. George was meticulous about his stacks though, so I figured he hadn’t left them that way. “Maybe it was the wind?”

“There is no wind here,” George pointed out.

“Did you lock the door?” I asked.

A tiny frown appeared on his face. “I think so, but I may have forgotten.”

“Do you remember unlocking it when you came back?” Derek asked.

George shrugged his narrow shoulders. “I just don’t remember. I was daydreaming and just going through the motions. I’m sorry.”

I hugged George. “That’s okay. Everything’s fine.”

Derek patted George’s back. “It’s okay, buddy.”

As George sat behind his desk, he clearly looked disturbed by the event. I wasn’t sure how papers on his desk being moved would make him think someone had broken in. If a person really had gained entry into the office, then why? It didn’t look as if anything had been taken. Plus, I didn’t have anything of value in the office. As a matter of fact, I didn’t really have anything of value anywhere.

The phone rang and George jumped. He grabbed it and said, “Cash Detective Agency. I mean, Cash and North Detective Agency. No, wait, it’s North and Cash Detective Agency.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake. See what you’ve done to George.” I looked at Derek. “You’ve confused the man.”

Derek chuckled. “Yes, it’s all my fault.”

“One moment, please,” George said, covering the phone. “It’s Paige.”

“I’ll take the call in my office.” I headed across the room.

“No, she wants to speak with Derek,” George called out.

I stopped in my tracks.

The corner of Derek’s sensual mouth lifted into a lazy half-smile. “In that case, I’ll take the call in
my
office.”

I smirked. “You don’t have an office.”

“Right.” Derek marched over to his desk and sat down. He picked up the phone and winked at me. “Paige, any news?”

George and I watched Derek. He spun around in the chair, turning his back to us.

“Okay. Yes. I’ll talk with you soon.” Derek turned back around in the chair and placed the phone down.

I crossed my arms in front of my waist. “Well, are you going to share?”

“Paige wanted to remind me that Morgan used to call or text her several times a day. She thinks something has to be wrong. Otherwise, even with the police looking for Morgan, Morgan would text her. Paige went by the gym, but Steve basically kicked her out.”

I leaned against George’s desk. “That’s strange. Why would he do that?”

Derek leaned back in his chair. “I guess he never liked Paige, but she doesn’t know why.”

“There has to be a reason,” I said.

“Maybe he feels threatened by her relationship with Morgan,” George said.

“Good thinking, George,” Derek said.

I glanced at the clock. Only a couple of hours until my appointment. I just needed to get out of the office without Derek knowing what I was doing.

Tonight I had a gig for a birthday. It was being held at a conference room in one of the casinos. I was waiting backstage to surprise the birthday boy. Actually, he was turning eighty, but he looked young at heart.

“We’re ready for you,” his daughter said.

Father and daughter had the same crystal-blue eyes and narrow face. Her hair was blonde, her father was mostly bald with a little gray.

I made my way over to the man and began singing
Happy Birthday
. Of course I used my Marilyn Monroe voice. I wore a long red sequined gown, matching high heels, and bright red lipstick to finish the look. The room watched and the man blushed. Everyone seemed to be having fun with it though. I wrapped my arms around the man’s neck and sang the last of the song into his ear. I knew the room was watching me, but something felt different. Suddenly, I just wanted this to be over.

When I peered across the room, I spotted Derek. What was he doing here? A rush of panic gripped me. Luckily, he hadn’t noticed me. Or maybe he had earlier and was acting as if he hadn’t. This couldn’t be a coincidence, right?

I had to get out of here. I didn’t need him giving me a hard time about this. Unfortunately, people would want to have their pictures taken with me. I couldn’t leave yet. They’d paid for a full hour. Maybe I could blend in with the crowd. Yeah, in a sparkly dress and wig? That was unlikely.

Derek looked right at me. He had that expression on his face that someone got when they were trying to remember where they’d seen you. There was only one thing I could do right now. I had to hide before it finally came to him.

I scanned the room looking for a perfect spot to hide for a few minutes. Just long enough for him to get out of there. This was some big coincidence, although I shouldn’t be surprised to see Derek in a casino.

When no one was paying attention, I slipped across the room and hid behind a tall artificial tree. I peeked out, but Derek was nowhere in sight. Whew. Maybe he’d finally left. Why was he crashing this private party anyway? Apparently he would show up at any party he stumbled upon. I’d wait just another minute and then finish this party. If anyone saw me back here they would think I was wacky. 

Just as I stepped out, someone called out to me. Not just any someone. Derek.

“Excuse me, Ms. Monroe?”

I couldn’t pretend as if I thought he was talking to someone else. There was only one person dressed in the room as Marilyn. Derek was right beside me now.

Instead of acknowledging him, I rushed toward the door. This was incredibly awkward. As I glanced back, his stare was still focused on me. His eyes met mine. That tingling sensation sparked in my stomach again. I rushed out the door and didn’t look back.   

***

I’d left my wig on the dresser and red sequin dress across the cream-colored chair in my bedroom. It had been a long day and even longer evening. All I wanted to do when I got home was fall into bed. Working the agency during the day and being a Marilyn Monroe impersonator at night was exhausting. It was the only way I could make extra money though. I needed to save my cash so that I could pay Derek back the money he had invested in my business.

Running the agency was something I wanted to do on my own. Finally I would prove to everyone that I was able to be successful at something.

I wasn’t sure why I felt the overwhelming need to prove myself. It wasn’t as if anyone in my family had said anything directly. I’d overheard my sister-in-law Tiffani say that I would never hold down any job long before I got bored with it. Just because she’d gotten a part-time position for me at a local boutique and I’d quit a week later, she felt I was irresponsible. She failed to see how the pretentiousness of her co-workers was a problem. Then again, she didn’t realize she had that same flaw. My brother was blind to it too.

After college and several years of jobs that led nowhere, I’d decided to start over in Las Vegas. Well, that and Aunt Barb had insisted that I come here and practice the craft with her. Shortly after arriving and needing cash, I’d responded to an online ad for the Marilyn Monroe gig. It had been okay at first, but when a private investigator had hired me to go undercover at a party dressed as Marilyn, I’d been hooked. Being a private eye gave me a rush. A weird mix of professions, but I never claimed to be normal.

When my phone rang, I managed to wake up enough to grab it from the nightstand. The time on the clock read exactly seven a.m. Who could be calling this early? Derek’s name was displayed across my phone’s screen. I should have known. He probably hadn’t slept all night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stayed out late for fun.

I groaned and put the phone to my ear. “I don’t have bail money.”

“Did I wake you?” Derek’s smooth voice reverberated through me like a lingering caress.

I shot up in bed. What was I thinking? In college I’d dated a guy like Derek. Ted Lynn had had the same personality as Derek—well, maybe not quite as charming as Derek. Turned out Ted had had several serious girlfriends at the same time. Needless to say, I wasn’t interested in having a repeat of that again, so dating a guy like Derek wasn’t on my agenda.

My brain must have still been fogged by sleep. Derek would love nothing more than to think he had caught me still sleeping. Never mind that it was still early, and I wasn’t supposed to be in the office for another two hours.

I lay back on the big white fluffy pillow with the phone pressed to my ear. My bedroom was decorated in white and silver with vintage mirrors and furniture around the room. It had an old Hollywood glam vibe. Just like something Marilyn would have loved. The rest of my place was still decorated with my dearly departed aunt’s stuff.

I couldn’t wait to hear what scheme Derek had planned now. He always had a scheme. It had started at a young age too. Like the time at the age of ten Derek and my brother had decided to move to New York City. Of course they’d only made it to the next street over from my house before my parents had caught them. My brother said it had been all Derek’s idea. I believed him.  

“I figured we can get a head start,” he said.

“Okay… head start for what?” I studied my pink nail polish and yawned.

“Back to the casino. Early morning is when it’s less busy.”

I scoffed. “In case you didn’t remember, I’ve been kicked out of there.”

“You could always wear your wig,” Derek said in a teasing tone.

I almost fell out of bed. I hadn’t told anyone. Not even Derek’s sister, my best friend, Donna. I definitely hadn’t shared the info with George. He couldn’t keep a secret if his life depended on it.

I sat up in bed again. “What are you talking about, Derek?” I tried to play it off, but I knew that he knew. And he knew that I knew that he knew.

“They probably forgot all about your little indiscretion by now,” Derek said.

“There was no indiscretion. And let’s say that they have forgotten. What makes you think we should go there again?”

“My neighbor Russell called. I told him we’d come back to the casino and talk with him again.”

“Why did you do that?” I slipped out of bed and into my pink bunny slippers.

Coffee was the only thing that would get me through the morning. There was no time for a trip to Starbucks either. I had a caffeine emergency on my hands. I shuffled across the floor toward the kitchen.

“I figured it would be fine by now,” Derek said sweetly.

“You figured wrong.”

“Do you want to solve this case?” he asked.

I sighed. “Fine. I’ll be at the office soon.” My doorbell rang. “I have to go, Derek. Someone’s at my door.”

What was going on this morning? If this was any indication of how the day was going to be, I might as well forget it and crawl back into bed. I made my way to the front door. It was probably one of my neighbors. Around Desert Palms my nickname was Baby. They brought me cookies and banana cream pies. In return, I played bingo and taught them how to Skype.                                                                                             

I leaned against the wood frame. “Who is it?”

“Your partner.”

What was he doing here? I looked down at my pink pajamas with little white kittens on them.

“I hear you on the other side of the door, Cece. I’m not going away, so you might as well answer the door.”

Derek would wake the neighbors, so I had no choice but to let him in. Moving over to the window, I peeked out to see if anyone had noticed him. If they saw Derek at my door I’d face a million questions. “Why aren’t you married yet?” “Is he your boyfriend?” I planned on tying the knot someday. Moving back home and getting a nice little place surrounded by magnolia trees was on my to-do list. In the future, but not yet.

Moving back to the door, I blew the hair out of my eyes and opened the door an inch. “Derek, what are you doing here? I told you I would meet you.”

Maybe he wouldn’t notice my bed head. Had I gotten all the mascara off last night before bed? It was probably streaked down my face. I rubbed my hands under my eyes, trying to remove any remnants. I shouldn’t worry about what he thought anyway. If Derek didn’t like me for who I was by now, then it was his problem, not mine. So why was I worried?

“I was in the area and thought I’d stop by.” He looked over my shoulder into my apartment. 

I doubted he’d been in the area. He looked me up and down, from my bubblegum-pink toenail polish to my disheveled hair.

“You have to give me a chance to get dressed,” I said, trying to ease the door shut.

Derek moved forward. Either he couldn’t take a hint or didn’t want to. I was pretty sure it was the latter.

“Are you going to let me in?” He didn’t take his eyes off me.

I sighed and stepped to the side, opening the door wide for Derek to enter. He strolled into my place and scanned the whole room. When I glanced to my left, I spotted my mortar and pestle. I used it to mix the herbs for my spells. Derek noticed that I’d been looking at something. He glanced that way, but I didn’t think he’d noticed it yet. Not that he’d know what I used it for, but just the same, I wanted to hide it. When he turned his back, I hurried and shoved it into the cabinet by the door.

Derek waved a newspaper in front of me. “Amber made the paper.”

I grabbed it from him and scanned the article. Her photo was with the story. She was beautiful with long blonde hair and a big smile.

“If we solve this case it could be great for the agency,” Derek said.

“It could also be great for Amber and Morgan.” I handed the newspaper back to him.   

“This is quite a place you have here.” Derek plopped down on the sofa. “Looks like the set from
Miami Vice
.”

I placed my hands on my hips. “I told you this was my aunt’s place. I just haven’t had a chance to redecorate yet. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to dress.”

There was the little thing called cash flow that was standing in my way of redecorating. Besides, I wasn’t home much anyway. I’d get around to it eventually.

He grabbed a
Glamour
magazine from the table next to him. “Take your time.”

I stared for a second and then walked away, mumbling under my breath. I didn’t know how I felt about having Derek in my house. This was my personal space and now he was here. It felt somehow intimate—a feeling I was trying to avoid.

Since it was going to be hotter than hell’s waiting room, I decided to wear pink shorts and a white tank with little pink polka dots. It wasn’t professional attire, but I had a feeling I would need to be comfortable today.

When I walked out of my bedroom, Derek soaked in my appearance.

“Let’s do this,” I said as I grabbed my big white purse.

A spell bottle full of herbs rolled out of my bag. It traveled across the floor and landed at Derek’s feet. As he reached down to pick it up, I raced over and yanked it from his hand. His brow furrowed.

“Sorry about that,” I said with a chuckle and then shoved the bottle back into my bag.

He studied my face for a moment and then asked, “Is that a special bottle?”

The pentacle charm tangling around the bottle probably tipped him off.

I shook my head. “Nothing special.”

That was all the explanation that I’d offer. After another second his expression eased and he eyed me up and down.

“Well, in any case, you’re looking good, Cece Cash,” Derek said with a click of his tongue.

“Thank you,” I mumbled as I pulled the door shut and locked it.

I knew Derek was still staring at me, but I chose to ignore him.

“I read that dating quiz you filled out in the magazine. Do you really feel you’ll never find your soulmate?” Derek asked.

Why didn’t I have a magic eject button to get me out of this situation? “No comment,” I said.

“I think you’d make a great girlfriend.” Derek’s voice was soft and sweet.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Thank you.” 

Derek and I stepped out of my building and to the parking lot. I’d snagged a prime parking spot right by my place last night. That rarely ever happened. Since I lived by the rec center, the street was always crowded. I might be surrounded by senior citizens, but they didn’t let that slow them down. Most everyone here had a car still.