All Too Familiar Page 4

  “I can’t believe I’m going to ask this, but could a spell have done this? Killed her, I mean.”

  He had lowered his voice, so I did the same. “You know I’m not blessed in that department, sheriff. Opal would be able to answer that question better than I could.”

  “And yet, I’m asking you.”

  I glanced back at the car where the coroner was now blocking the view of the body. Doing his initial assessment of the situation just like all the crime shows I watched on television. Funny, but they had never captured the full emotion of that moment for me. Nothing like knowing the victim to bring out the emotions. Even if you never really liked them.

  The sheriff touched the back of my hand, bringing my attention back to him. He must have guessed my answer by my reluctance to give it. But he was still waiting.

  “I think it could. But again, not having much in the way of magic myself, Opal would be the one to ask.”

  He nodded. “My thoughts exactly. You headed back to the farmhouse now?”

  Where else would I go? Then I remembered that I’d have to pass the Flour Shop on the way. Maybe my small betrayal would go a little better with Opal if I got her a raspberry delight.

  “After a quick stop off to get donuts and coffee, yes.”

  His hand reached up and ruffled through his hair. It must be a family trait, as Opie did that all the time. Or maybe he was just mimicking his dad. He could do worse. His dad was a good man.

  He blew out a breath and dug out his wallet, handing me a ten-dollar bill. “Don’t suppose you’d do me a couple of favors? Like pick me up a tall black coffee and a plain glazed donut while you’re there?”

  I took the money and shoved it in my shirt pocket. “I can do that. What’s the second favor?” As if I didn’t already know.

  “Call your aunt and let her know I’m coming for coffee, donuts, and a couple of questions.”

  Chapter 5

  THE CALL WASN’T A PLEASANT one to make, but Aunt Opal deserved the warning. Especially as the morning after a full moon was the one morning each month that she allowed herself to fully sleep in. The shop wasn’t open until noon those days.

  I briefly filled her in on what I knew, which wasn’t much, and told her I was stopping by to get donuts and coffee and would be there as soon as I could. Not that she needed me there, but still. I was family, and I wanted to hear what was being said. Just as much for myself as for Opal.

  The sheriff’s car was already sitting behind our house when I got there. I parked beside it—Opal’s designated parking spot for my car, out of sight—and grabbed the purchased breakfast and ran in. I couldn’t have missed much. At least I hoped not.

  The door was standing open into Opal’s domain, so I went in. I would have knocked on the doorjamb to let them know I was there, but my hands were kind of full. They’d just have to forgive me for the interruption. After all, they both knew I was coming.

  Opal looked up when I entered her sitting room, then her eyes went to the bag in my hand. “I’m really hoping they had my donuts.”

  “They did. I got you two Raspberry Delights and four plain glazed for the sheriff and me to share.” I sat the drink container down on her coffee table. I’d had the shop label the cups so there wouldn’t be any confusion over which belonged to whom.

  I sat down on the remaining easy chair and grabbed a donut and my latte. The sheriff gave me a look, but I wasn’t budging until he told me I had to. There was such a thing as family solidarity.

  It didn’t take long.

  “I think you need to take your latte and donuts upstairs,” he said, his voice much more serious than usual. He was using his officer of the law tone, which was worrisome. “But I’d appreciate it if you stuck around for a bit. I’ll want to talk with you after I’m done talking with Opal.”

  Oh, joy. I shrugged like it didn’t matter, then picked another donut out of the bag and left the room. At the top of the stairs, I turned left instead of right. Ruby and I never locked the doors into our personal space from the inside of the house, unless we had company and didn’t want to be disturbed. Read that as we were making out with a fellow. That hadn’t been the case for either of us for quite a while and was part of the reason Ruby was on this stupid singles’ retreat. She thought maybe Opal was right, and it was time to settle down.

  Truthfully, Opal couldn't care less if Ruby ever settled down. I mean, Opal never had. Not really. She had never even come close to marriage as far as I knew. In fact, learning yesterday about her and George Hill was the first clue I had that she’d ever even dated. Although she gave birth to Ruby, so she’d had to have had at least one man in her life at some point.

  My mind was racing along all the different tracks it could take. It did that sometimes to distract itself from the serious parts of my life I wanted so desperately to avoid. But there was no avoiding this.

  Once in Ruby’s sitting room, I opened the air vent leading down to Opal’s. We had discovered long ago, that if we opened that vent, we could hear everything being said below. Came in very handy for eavesdropping.

  “You were here all morning after your meeting and altercation with Valerie Kimble?”

  “When I think of altercations, sheriff, I think of punches being thrown. Our argument didn’t get physical. The only things being thrown were words. But to answer your question, yes, I was here all morning.”

  There was a pause, and I could imagine Sheriff Taylor going through the motions of making a note in a small notebook. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a way to confirm his actions. I could hear, but not see.

  “Okay, so it didn’t get physical. That’s good.” Another, shorter pause. “Did it get magical?”

  Opal hesitated just long enough to let my heart drop into my stomach. She had done something magical. Crap on toast, what had she done?

  “The woman took my donut.”

  I closed my eyes. This was so not good.

  “And... for that she had to die?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, sheriff. I wouldn’t kill anyone over that. So, if you are asking me if I sent a death spell over to Val, the answer would be no. I did no such thing. We argued, she took my blasted donut, and she went home. Still one hundred percent alive. I have absolutely no idea of what happened to her after that.”

  I held my breath, waiting for Sheriff Taylor to ask the follow-up question that was on my tongue. “What spell did you throw at her?” But he didn’t. He knew our family and, maybe more importantly, Opie was close to us. Unless proven otherwise, or sufficient evidence appeared to make him question our words, he would believe what we said. He trusted his son’s judgment in friends. That said a lot about both of them.

  “Okay then, I think we’re through for now.” There were sounds of him getting up. I glanced at the door to Ruby’s and hesitated. I didn’t want to miss any last questions he might ask, but I also didn’t want to be seen going from Ruby’s apartment to mine. Once he stepped out Opal’s door at the bottom of the steps, my crossing would be visible.

  I left. I’d barely made it into my bedroom and was working on a quick making of my bed when the knock came on my door. When I opened it and the sheriff saw my bed sitting there plain as day, he blushed.

  “Sorry, sheriff. Most of my company comes from the outside stairs. That entrance leads into my sitting room.” This one was for family, but I didn’t need to say that.

  I led him through to the safer part of the apartment so that his facial coloring could go back to normal. Once we were both sitting on my comfy couch nursing our hot drinks, the questioning began.

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to tell me exactly what happened last night at that meeting. We have an eyewitness that says it got pretty heated. I’d like to know why.”

  There was a brief pause as I considered how best to word my story. There wasn’t any way I was going to lie to Sheriff Taylor. And I knew that Opal wouldn’t want that, anyway. We were honest witches, dang it.

  “Well, I’ll
admit that it surprised me when Opal invited Val and her gang to join us for the night to begin with. They’ve never been the best of friends. Especially now since Opal is going up against her for that town council seat. But she did.” I glanced over at him. “If she hadn’t, it would have just been the two of us dancing around that fire. That would have been kind of sad.”

  He grinned. “Not to some people I know, but I get your point. Go on.”

  I took a deep breath. “Full moon meetings are special. At least they are to us. But Val brought a non-witch guest along with her coven, Tommy Hill.”

  His eyes widened. “Valerie Kimble brought Fat Geek to your coven meeting? A skyclad meeting? Oh, Opie is not going to be happy about that.”

  That confused me for a minute. Why would Opie care? Then it hit me. He’d be thinking that Tommy was taking advantage of the situation just to see me naked. That was so not the case.

  “Tommy didn’t know it was a joint meeting until it was too late for him to back out.” I could see the sheriff was doubtful on that point. So be it. I don’t know why, but I believed Tommy. “And when he saw the trouble that his being there caused, he left. Voluntarily, and of his own accord.” That had to mean something.

  Sheriff Taylor chuckled. “Okay, so Tommy didn’t do anything wrong. I hear you. But I’m betting that Opal didn’t take too kindly to him being there at all.”

  “No, she didn’t.” Then I took a deep breath and told him everything, including about the final straw—the taking of the donut.

  “Opal really loves those things, doesn’t she?”

  I nodded. “And they only had the one, so Val knew exactly what she was doing when she did it.”

  The sheriff sobered. “Do you think Opal would have retaliated over the whole evening’s turnout? Sounds like just about enough to push her over the edge.”

  What did he want me to say? That the first person I thought of when I learned about Val’s death was Opal? My aunt and I have our differences, but I’m a lot more loyal than that.

  “I’m not going to say that Opal wasn’t mad as an old wet hen, because she was. But killing someone over it? No way.” For what it’s worth I believed every word I said. The sheriff must have been able to tell that because he shut his notebook and stood up. The interview was obviously over.

  “Well, if there is anything else you can remember that might help us, be sure to call me, okay?”

  “I will. I promise.” I paused as we walked toward the outside entrance. No way was I taking him through my bedroom again. “Do you really think someone killed her?” Personally, I was still hoping for a heart attack or something.

  He shrugged. “Until we get the coroner’s report, we won’t know for sure. That means I have to be ready with all the information I can gather in case he comes back with a suspicious death ruling.”

  I could understand that. He was good at his job. I’d expect nothing less from him. I walked him out to the top of the outside staircase and then watched him as he finished walking to his car. He’d parked out back, and now my car was sitting right beside his. His laughter filtered up to me as he shook his head and climbed into his car. Once he was gone, I went back inside, through my apartment, and back down the stairs to Opal’s.

  It was time for us to have a talk.

  Chapter 6

  “WHAT DID YOU DO TO Val?” Opal wasn’t much of one for small talk, so I was just taking my cue from her.

  She looked at me for a minute, then turned away. At least she wasn’t going to belittle my intelligence by saying she’d done nothing. She might not say a word. That would be totally in keeping with her personality. You can’t call it lying if she says nothing, right?

  When I had entered, she had been watching the sheriff leave from her picture window facing the road. I was kind of shocked when I saw her deflate right before my eyes and sink onto the couch. Opal was by far the strongest woman I had ever known, and right now she just looked spent.

  It was enough to really have me worried.

  “I’m going to guess that you heard what I told the sheriff?”

  She knew the house better than I did. Stood to reason that she’d know about the ventilation intercom system. No sense in denying it.

  “I did. You said that you didn’t throw a death spell her way. But he failed to ask the all-important question. What spell did you throw?”

  “What time is it?”

  What? I glanced at my watch. “Nine o’clock. But what does that have to do with anything?”

  “I need a drink, but it’s far too early to start drinking. If it was closer to noon, I wouldn’t feel so bad about making a onetime exception.”

  She was stalling. This wasn’t good at all. There was something she didn’t want to tell me. Worst of all, I could tell she was worried. It was faint, and probably not apparent to anyone who hadn’t seen her every single day for their entire life, but it was there.

  I waited. My question was still hanging out there, and I didn’t intend to go anywhere until she’d answered it.

  When she saw I wasn’t budging from my self-imposed mission, she relented. Her head was resting on the back of the sofa and her eyes were closed when she started. “It’s times like these that I really miss your mother, you know. She always knew what to do when times got rough.”

  Mom? Really? I’d always thought Mom was just like me in that regard. Opal and Ruby were the two the town really respected. Mom and I were kind of like their sidekicks. But maybe now that was really just me.

  “And to answer your question, I threw a harmless karma spell her way. Nothing that would break the witches’ creed at all, as it wouldn’t be me deciding her punishment, but the universe itself.”

  I swallowed. We both knew what kind of person Val Kimble was. It was entirely possible that the universe had decided that Valerie Kimble should die. And, in the end, it would have been Opal’s spell that maybe helped it along.

  “When did you cast it?”

  “Right before I turned in this morning. About three or so.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Where is your mom now? Do you think it’s too early to call her?”

  “I think she’d be fine with a call from you anytime, Opal. But I haven’t been able to reach her for days. Knowing Mom, she’s lost her phone again.” I paused. “I think we should call Ruby too.”

  “No! I want a grandchild while I’m still young enough to enjoy them. As she certainly wasn’t meeting her match here in Wind’s Crossing, this retreat is her best shot at meeting someone suitable.”

  “Don’t you think that should take a back burner to what’s going on right now? We need to find out exactly what happened to Val.” I didn’t want to come right out and say it, but she knew what I meant. We needed all the magic we could get. As I didn’t have much to contribute, and Mom was out of the country, that meant Ruby and Opal. At least I could help fill out the trinity of numbers, but that was about the extent of my worthwhile contribution.

  Opal rallied. “And we will. If the police don’t beat us to it.” Her eyes bore into mine. “But Ruby stays where she is. It’s only two more days. I’ve got this. Now go back upstairs and get back to bed. That’s where I’m going after letting the animals back out of my bedroom."

  Yeah, it was hard talking with anyone, let alone a lawman, with Bridget and Yorkie Doodle in the room. I had been wondering what she'd done with them.

  "A tired witch doesn’t think properly. It’s entirely possible the Goddess will solve all of this kerfuffle while we sleep.”

  Oh, it was possible but highly unlikely.

  WHEN MY ALARM WENT off two hours later, I was filled with resolve. I was going to do what I should have done years ago. Get a familiar and find my magic. I could feel the stupid power inside me at times like this. On the off chance that Opal was right and having a familiar could help me tap into it, I needed to bite the dang bullet and do it. Surely, I could learn to handle the allergies, right?

  Ruby’s dog, Yorkie Doodle, didn’t bot
her me too bad, as long as I wasn’t in prolonged contact with him. But then, a dog was fine for a powerful witch. I needed something more.

  I needed a cat. There was a reason they were the most popular animal for witches’ familiars. Even if my entire family had been nice enough to not go that route in deference to me. Ruby had Yorkie Doodle, my mom had Komo the bearded dragon, and Aunt Opal had Bridget the Macaw.

  Now, after all their generosity to me in choosing familiars, I was going to break the chain. I loaded up on water and took another couple of bottles with me. Then I popped an allergy tablet and headed out of town.

  Wind’s Crossing had a local animal shelter, but I didn’t want to go there. They knew us Ravenswinds there and weren’t all that fond of handing out animals to witches. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why. Familiars had the best life of any animals on earth. We take very good care of them. Well, witches in general do, and I planned to do my part too.

  Shoot, I might have to section off a part of our balcony and give the new kitty its very own space. I’d have to remember to ask Opal if I had to be in the same room as my cat in order to feed power through him. That would be kind of important to know.

  My goal wasn’t even the next town over or the town after that. I was trying to make lemonade out of the lemons here. I was finally taking my new baby for a decent spin. Our town was about thirty-five miles north of the Indiana state line. That was my objective. Crossing that line.

  I’d done some research online, and there was a likely looking no-kill shelter a few miles past that invisible border. According to their website, they were overstocked on cats at the moment and pretty desperate to adopt them out. That meant they had cut their normal adoption fee in half. For an unemployed witch working side gigs, that was an important consideration.

  I downed another bottle of water and took another half of an allergy pill. I know that was above the recommended dose, but I was hoping it would be enough to do the trick. The water was to help fight the dehydration that came with the antihistamine. My life could never be a simple one.