Chapter 9

NINE

“ The dogs again?” Dru asked, eyeing Rufus and Fluffy in her cute red sweater as they trotted alongside us.

Rufus sent her a sidelong glance, then huffed.

“ They can understand you, you know,” I chided.

“ Doubtful .” But she warmed her voice when she spoke again, “ You know what they say about people who don’t like dogs, right?”

“ That they like cats?” I laughed at my comeback and offered Rufus a low-five. He ignored my hand and kept going forward. Tsk . Loyalty these days.

“ Did Vicky not teach you anything?”

In one of my occasional gloomy fits of sadness over my best friend turned murderer-saboteur, I’d confessed to Dru that I should’ve known Vicky had been evil the moment she hadn’t liked Fluffy .

“ Brimstone is Key’s uncle. He can’t be that bad. Plus , he needs the job to impress Sonia .”

“ Somehow , I don’t think working at your shop will impress Sonia ,” Dru said wryly.

“ Maybe Sonia thinks better of me than we assume.”

“ Maybe she sent him to spy on you, hoping to catch you doing something wrong so she can kick you out of Olmeda .”

I gaped at Dru . “ Take that back. Don’t ever put those kinds of evil ideas out in the universe.” But could she be right? No . No way. Sonia wouldn’t be that underhanded. And she didn't dislike me that much.

Did she?

Dru let out a malevolent chuckle, then pointed ahead. “ There’s the building.”

I wiped my suddenly sweaty forehead and followed Dru inside a converted three-story building. We went up the stairs to the second floor, where we had the choice of a shipping company and a dentist’s office. Dru chose the dentist.

The reception area was on the small side, with yellowing white walls and four chairs that had seen better days. Opposite from us, a sheet of scratched plexiglass separated the counter from the reception area.

I ran my tongue across my teeth. I would not be coming here for my next cleaning.

April sat behind the counter in pink scrubs, browsing dejectedly through her phone. She glanced up at our entrance and cheered right up.

“ Dru !” She studied me for a few seconds, then recognition hit. “ And Hope , right? Aww , and doggies.”

“ That’s right. Is it okay if they come in?”

“ Of course!”

I smiled and approached the counter, making a show of examining the room again. It did not improve on a second viewing. “ You’re not at Crane’s office?”

Her mouth formed a sad arch. “ Oh , no. It’s closed for now.”

“ We’re sorry for your loss,” I said. While the method of Crane’s demise hadn’t been made public, his death had.

April’s lower lip trembled before she summoned a brave smile. “ Thank you. The boss’s death came as a shock.”

I had never thought them close, but judging from the sadness permeating her voice, I’d clearly been wrong. “ It’s hard to lose your boss like that. You two were close?”

“ I just don’t know what’s going to happen to my paycheck.” Her eyes turned slightly watery. “ And the bonus.”

Ah . Now things made sense again. “ They closed the office?”

She nodded glumly.

“ What’s going to happen to it?” I thought of all the paranormal business Crane had dealt with, including the Tea Cauldron . “ What’s going to happen to all the clients and the files?”

“ Someone’s coming from Montel to take over for now, but I don’t know if they’ll take on the clients or close everything down.”

“ Won’t they need your help to deal with the clients? Why are you working here?”

“ They won’t be here for at least another week.” She leaned in, guilt written all over her face. “ I made some purchases last month that maybe I shouldn’t have…”

I lifted a hand. “ Say no more. Been there, done that.”

Dru stepped up. “ You’re still Crane’s representative for the PBOA , right? At least until the next accountant takes over?”

April frowned. “ I suppose.”

Dru elbowed me.

“ We’d be delighted if you could come to the next meeting and lend Dru your support for her new store,” I said.

April looked absolutely pleased. “ Of course. I’d love to.”

“ Wonderful ,” I said. I shot Dru a see? nothing to worry about! look, which she ignored.

“ Thank you,” she said graciously. It was her time to lean forward in a conspiratorial gesture. “ We’re actually here to pick your brain.”

April perked up, extra interested now. Considering she loved to dress as a zombie, Dru couldn’t have chosen better words. “ You are?”

“ You ever heard of someone having a beef with movies made in Olmeda ?” Dru asked, gossiper to gossiper.

“ Oooh .” April all but clapped her hands. “ The curse, right?”

“ Exactly ,” I agreed.

“ So exciting about the movie. I went there after my evening shift, but it was so hard to see what they were filming, and nothing weird happened. It was a little disappointing.”

“ You think the curse is real?” Dru asked.

“ Of course,” April said, all conviction.

“ You do?” I asked, surprised.

She lowered her voice, her eyes shining with ill-concealed eagerness. “ It must be, right? Fits right in with all the creepy stuff.”

Who was I to destroy so much enthusiasm with the truth that curses weren’t actually real? “ Who do you think is behind the curse?” The source of the tale might just be the saboteur himself.

“ Oh , I don’t know.”

“ No names floating around?” Dru asked.

“ Hmm .” She fell silent for a few moments, a line of concentration appearing between her brows. “ Craig Turner ? Maybe ?”

I exchanged a glance with Dru . She shook her head.

“ Craig Turner ?” I asked.

“ He used to be a local filmmaker. I think. I remember hearing about how he tried to get permission to film a documentary in Olmeda but kept getting rejected. He got arrested trying to assault someone in the mayor’s office. He was really mad about the whole thing.”

A -plus grade quality suspect right here. “ When did this happen?”

“ A few years ago.”

Could this Turner hold a grudge for this long?

Yes , absolutely.

“ Do you know where he lives?”

April giggled. “ How would I know?”

“ Was he a client of Crane , maybe?”

“ No , nothing like that.” She paused to think for a few moments. “ You know, Wyatt might know more about him. I think they worked together a while back.”

I made a face. Wyatt , owner of the seediest paranormal bar in town, and I didn’t have the best of histories. “ Anyone else who might know about Turner ?”

“ Sorry , that’s all I can remember.”

“ You’ve been very helpful,” I told her, meaning it. Just because I didn’t like where she led me didn’t mean her contribution wasn’t worth it.

She smiled at us and we said our goodbyes.

“ What do you think?” I asked Dru as we came out of the building, and I gave Fluffy and Rufus some well-deserved scritches for being such good, quiet doggies inside.

“ I think she’ll vote for the shop.”

I grinned. “ I think she will. About this Turner person.”

“ Has possibilities. Who’s Wyatt ?”

My eyes widened, and I covered a gasp with my hand. “ No ! Tell me it isn’t true!”

She glowered. “ What ?”

“ There’s a paranormal in town you don’t know?” Feeling insurmountably proud of myself, I puffed my chest and channeled my best lecture tone. “ He owns a bad-paranormals-only bar in Guiles and Romary .”

Dru’s expression cleared. “ Oh , that Wyatt .”

Dang it. “ Yep .

“ Hmm . I wonder if he ever goes to the PBOA meetings.”

“ I’ve never seen him there before, but it can’t hurt to ask.” I had a feeling talking to Wyatt with Dru by my side would be a much better experience than when I did it on my own. The woman had a way of reducing the most hardened of paranormals into fumbling toddlers with a single arch of her eyebrows.

Dru didn’t need a second to consider the proposition. “ Is the bar open now?”

“ Twenty -four hours a day, seven days a week, baby.”

“ If you ever call me ‘baby’ again, your face will be joining the paintings at the creepy gallery.”

“ Immortalized for eternity. I like it.”

Dru rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the smile. We found a ride share who’d take us and the dogs, and thirty minutes later we were standing in front of Wyatt’s bar. As per usual during daylight hours, there was no bouncer guarding the door, and we were free to walk in.

“ No dogs on the premises,” Wyatt barked from behind the long bar. The space was as depressingly dark as always, with only a few customers sitting at the booths and at the counter. They gave us one initial look, then went back to their drinks and conversations.

“ Hello , Wyatt ,” I said as cheerfully as humanly possible. “ How are you today?”

He brought out a metal bat from under the counter. “ No . Dogs .”

Rufus growled while Fluffy lurched forward with a happy yip, no doubt thinking the shiny bit of metal would make for a wonderful toy.

“ They’re very well behaved, I swear.”

“ Hey , is that one of the wolves?” A man at the counter asked.

“ If he is, you better lock your door at night,” another one answered with a booming laugh.

Ignoring them, Dru stomped up to the bar and slammed a twenty on top of the counter. “ Do you ever go to the PBOA meetings?”

Wyatt snorted. “ Hell , no.”

Dru snatched back the bill and turned on her heel. “ We’re done here. Let’s go.”

“ Hold on, lady,” Wyatt said, putting the bat down. “ What’s it to you if I go to the meetings?”

“ We’re making sure the paranormal community is well served,” I chimed in.

Wyatt pointed at Dru . “ Hey , you’re that demon who used to work for Lewis , right?”

“ She sure is.” I put an arm around Dru’s shoulder, then dropped it immediately when she snapped her head to glare at me.

“ That asshole owed me money.” His expression darkened. “ Do you know what he did with it?”

Dru met Wyatt’s scowl. “ If I did, I wouldn’t be telling you.”

Wyatt let out a short laugh. “ Smart lady.” He grabbed a shot glass and poured a splash of whiskey in it, then placed it in front of Dru . “ On the house.”

Dru sniffed, then picked up the glass and downed it. “ Not bad.”

Fluffy pawed at my leg, as if she were as dumbfounded as I felt. “ Good girl,” I murmured, reaching down to pat her. I’d hoped bringing Dru for the questioning was a good idea, but I hadn’t expected it would be this much of a good idea.

“ About the PBOA ,” Dru began.

“ About that twenty,” Wyatt finished.

Dru shrugged and put the bill back on the counter. It immediately disappeared into one of Wyatt’s pockets.

“ If you happen to go to the next meeting,” Dru said, “ I’ll take your vote for my new shop.”

Wyatt narrowed his eyes. “ What kinda shop?”

“ Not a bar,” I piped in from the side.

“ Nobody’s talking to you, witch,” Wyatt snapped.

I shut my mouth and let Dru work her magic.

“ It’s a vintage clothing store,” Dru said.

“ Sounds cool.”

Dru gave him a look that said of course it’s cool. Have you seen me? “ It’ll make a profit within the year.”

Ah , the dream.

Wyatt studied Dru closely, then nodded. “ I have no problems with that. If I go, you got my vote.”

“ Thank you.” Dru’s voice was so regal, I half expected her to lift one of her hands for Wyatt to kiss. Although , if I were her, I’d be questioning where those lips had been.

“ It’s no problem. You want anything else?”

Dru tapped her fingernails on the counter. They had grown pointy tips while keeping their shimmering purple coat. Magic could really do wonders. “ I could use some information.”

Wyatt crossed his arms. “ What kind of information?” He glanced my way. “ Does it have something to do with her ?”

I almost checked if I had something gross hanging from my jacket, the way he said that last word.

“ We’re looking for Craig Turner . Someone told us you might know where he’s hanging out nowadays.” She gave the room a slow look over, clearly indicating she thought Turner might be one of Wyatt’s customers.

“ Turner ? Haven’t heard that name in years.”

“ You worked together a while back, right?”

“ We did.” His mouth curled into an ugly twist. “ Why ?”

“ I want to contact him.”

He huffed. “ Good luck with that.”

Dru’s nails stilled. “ Why’s that?”

“ Got arrested or something, then moved away.”

“ Away where?”

“ How would I know? Away . Haven’t heard from him since.”

“ When was that?”

“ Years ago. Now , order something or stop bugging me.”

It was Dru’s turn to narrow her eyes.

Clearly , Dru’s charm could only go so far. Gingerly , I hooked my hand around her elbow and tugged her away from the counter.

“ Thank you so much, Wyatt ,” I said. “ Always a pleasure to do business with you?—”

He pointed at the exit. “ Out !”

We went out, Rufus growling the whole way.

“ Phew ,” I said. “ That was close.”

“ Close to what, getting your butt handed to you?”

“ Yup . Good thing you were with me.”

She began walking toward Guiles . “ Just so you know, I’m never going in there again. And you owe me forty bucks.”

“ You only paid twenty!”

“ Service surcharge.”

I couldn’t complain—it had been worth it. “ Doesn’t sound like Turner is our guy.” Unfortunately . It would’ve been nice to catch our saboteur so easily. I sent Key the name to check if he was part of the crew anyway, just in case. “ Hey , want to see if Mark is working at the Crawler ?”

Dru sent me a sidelong glance. “ Why ?”

Because they were totally into each other. “ Just wondering.”

“ Wonder less, work more. What now?”

“ We should interview our suspects.”

“ Isn’t that Key and Shane’s job?”

“ The crew might be too busy while they’re at the set…” I snapped my fingers as a genius idea came to mind. “ We should catch them off set. I bet they’ll come here to Guiles and Romary to decompress.”

“ More like their hotel rooms.”

“ Nobody comes to Olmeda and doesn’t visit the bars at least once.”

Dru conceded the point with a small grunt. “ It’s Saturday . They might go visit tonight.”

“ And when they do…” I wagged my eyebrows. “ We’ll be ready for them.”