10. Elrik

10

ELRIK

" D o you mean something like swans slowly melting on a table at a fancy buffet?" she asked. "Or using molds to make ice cubes that look like dice?"

"Neither."

"Tell me."

I shot her a smile. "Do you like ice?"

She shook her head. "I guess so?"

"I'm an ice lord. Surely you can come up with a better answer than I guess so."

"Insulted you, did I?" she said with a low laugh.

"I'm going to surprise you, sweetheart. Wait and see."

"Then I can't wait until you present your surprise."

From the moment I met Melly, some part of me had known she would come to mean the world to me. We hadn't touched at the wedding, and it wasn't until she was sitting in my office that I felt something unexpected awaken inside me .

But her kiss . . . that had solidified everything in my mind and in my soul.

She was my fated mate, the one person I never expected to find. Now I was determined to court her and claim her.

We finished looking around inside of the function hall, but we didn't find anything suspicious.

Locking up, we walked to my truck, and I lifted her inside again, buckling her. This time, I paused to kiss her, and it wasn't long before she was moaning and clinging to my shoulders. I could kiss this woman all day and night and still end up needing to kiss her again.

Finally, I lifted my head.

She gave me a blissful smile. "You're good at that."

"I'm good at a lot of things."

Her eyes sparkled, and fuck, they were brown now. Was that a good sign? "I'm sure you are. Or you think you are," she added pertly. "Every guy says that. Very few deliver."

"There's time yet." I could tell myself I wasn't going to open my heart to anyone, that I would hold myself back and give myself time to heal. But all I wanted was Melly. By my side. In my bed. Smiling up at me with everything she felt for me blazing in her brown eyes. I embraced the feeling like a man standing on the shore with his arms wide while a big frothy wave crashed over him.

"I want to kiss you forever," she said. "But we have to interview Sue and Alfred before they leave the hospital, then get me back to Creature Cones so I can help Clara. She's going to start wondering what happened to me."

I'd happened to her, and I was quite proud of the fact .

After I'd buckled, I pressed down on the brake pedal and pushed the button on the dashboard to start the truck.

Nothing happened.

"Odd." I pushed it again. Still nothing.

"What's going on?" Melly asked, a thread of concern coming through in her voice. "You didn't run out of gas, did you?"

"Full tank. The truck's new. It only has a few thousand miles on it." I unbuckled and left the truck, walking around the vehicle to the hood. Melly slid from her seat and joined me.

An odd, sweet smell drifted through the air.

I glanced her way. "Someone cut my radiator hoses and disconnected the battery." I nudged my chin toward an index card lying on the engine. "They also left a calling card."

Melly stood on her tiptoes to read the black letters scrolling across the white card, but I could see them quite well from here.

Stop investigating.

Or else.

I left everything alone and called Detective Carter, who said he'd be here shortly. I also called Cryptid Car Care and they said they'd send someone out with parts to do a quick repair here in the lot. They'd also make sure nothing else had been sabotaged .

We sat in the truck. Melly fretted. I studied the building, looking for cameras.

"We're not giving up," Melly said in a shrill voice. "Whoever framed Grannie Rose is not getting away with this."

"I won't stop until they're the ones worried about going to jail."

"Thank you." Her lower lip trembled.

I scooted across the bench seat and lifted her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her. "We're going to clear her name."

"We've barely started looking for clues and this happens. What motive do they have for poisoning six people? And why try to blame Grannie?"

"Your grandmother could be collateral damage. They may have been trying to hurt one of the others, and her punch was convenient. No one would suspect a thing if a drink made with sherbet was extra sweet. They'd think she just messed up the recipe, something that wouldn't be unusual for someone her age."

"Never Grannie. She doesn't have even one sign of dementia or Alzheimer's. Not yet anyway. Her mother was sharp until she died at the age of ninety-two."

"Your grandmother is fortunate."

"I feel like time is ticking away and we're not making progress," she said. "I'm not criticizing you. I know you did some investigating last night, and you'll fill me in on what you found. But I'm worried. What if we can't find any evidence pointing to someone other than my grandmother?"

"I'm not going to let that happen. "

She looked up at me. "I appreciate that. I'm grateful you're helping me figure this out. But some people are very good at hiding their tracks."

"There will be clues. We'll put them together."

Detective Carter pulled in at the same time as the wrecker. After giving the yeti mechanic the go-ahead, she started replacing the hoses and looking at the engine to make sure nothing else had been sabotaged. She also took care of the battery.

Detective Carter removed and bagged the note. "I don't know if I'll discover any clues from paper."

The note was written in block letters with what looked like a permanent marker.

"There are no cameras on the building or in the lot," I said.

"Good observation." Detective Carter squinted around the empty parking lot. "And they hide a key in a fake rock. I don't think there's anyone in town who doesn't know where it is."

I'd thought the same thing. They should install a door with a code or restrict access. Have someone let them in. There were plenty of things that would make the place safer.

Detective Carter grunted. "I've told all the businesses in town that they need to come up to speed on security, but most ignore me."

"The church isn't wealthy," Melly said. "They probably can't afford to add cameras."

"And look what happens." He held up the clear bag. "I'll ask around to see if anyone passed the lot and saw someone near your truck, but with the long driveway, the odds are slim."

I'd already noted this.

The detective frowned at the plastic bag a moment more before his gaze slid to Melly. "I told you I'm looking into the poisoning."

"You did." Wisely, she didn't say anything else.

His attention fell on me. "You're the new guy at Monsters, PI. The ice lord."

I nodded. "Elrik Nivalis."

"What exactly is an ice lord?"

Melly stiffened and huffed.

"I didn't mean anything by it." Detective Carter had the grace to wince. "I've just never heard of ice lords before."

"There aren't many of us left. Most live in northern Canada. But you know what I can do."

"That wall of ice you created to stop the thief from getting away with stealing Angie's kegs of beer was impressive."

"Thanks."

Angie had come to Monsters, PI after her specialty kegs of beer were stolen right before an important brew-off contest. My coworker, Tuvid, a gargoyle, had taken the case and solved it. Now he and Angie were married. Their relationship had progressed fast, too fast some might say. Not me. Many monsters knew right away when someone was the one, and Tuvid and Angie were fated mates. Why waste time when you know from the start that the other person is the one you'll love forever?

I caressed Melly with my eyes, taking in the pink color in her pretty cheeks, the way the skirt of her sundress flirted with her thighs, and the brown color in her eyes when she looked at me.

She was mine. We were fated. I suspected we also wouldn't waste any time before making sure the world knew we were meant to be together.

"Did Melly hire you?" Detective Carter asked, drawing my attention back to him.

"She sure did."

The detective's lips thinned. "What have you discovered? While I don't like the idea of anyone blundering around in my case and messing things up, I assume you'll share everything you learn with me."

"Of course." Eventually.

"I've barely started." He scowled at Melly. "There was no need to hire a private firm. I told you I'd look into everything."

"And I told you my grandmother was not going to jail." The steel in Melly's voice would've frozen my blood if such a thing was possible.

Detective Carter didn't even flinch. "Yes, you did." He studied us both before grunting. "I'll see you two around." We watched as he sauntered over to his vehicle and got inside, driving it slowly out of the lot and toward town.

"Did you discover anything online?" Melly asked me.

I nudged my head to the vehicle, and we got inside, shutting the doors.

The mechanic finished and closed the hood, coming around to my window that I put down.

Her pale green eyes scanned us both. "All set." She ran my card on a small machine and gave me a salute before getting into her tow truck and leaving.

"I'll tell you what I found later. We need to question Sue and Alfred before she's discharged."

"Alright."

I started my truck and drove to the hospital, parking in the lot. We went inside, and the front desk directed us to Sue's room.

We were about to push on Sue's cracked-open door until a nurse stopped beside us and tapped my arm. "Could you give her a second? She's in the bathroom. She should be right out."

"Sure."

We leaned against the wall, watching as a physical therapist helped an orc move down the hall. He used a walker, and from the way he hitched his gait, I suspected he'd done something to his left leg. Maybe he'd had surgery. At the other end of the hall, an elf pulled a covered food tray from a big silver cart and took it into one of the rooms. Late lunch or an early dinner?

"I never should've married you," a woman said inside Sue's room.

Melly's wide gaze met mine, and she whispered. "That's Sue. She's not married."

"You're the one who insisted on the Elvis wedding," a male said.

"That's Alfred." Melly's eyes grew even wider. "They're married?"

Did this somehow tie into what happened? An assumption like that would be a stretch, but I wasn't leaving any possible clue unexplored .

"Grannie never told me they'd gotten married," Melly added softly. "She and Sue are best friends. Maybe Grannie doesn't know."

"I hate Elvis, but I love you," Sue said. "If I hadn't drank all that free champagne at the casino, I might not have taken a peek inside the chapel."

"It was fun having the Elvis impersonator marry us," Alfred said.

"Do you think it's legal?" Melly whispered.

I shrugged. "I'll see if I can find the license online later."

She nodded, and we leaned toward the door. We should knock. Go inside now that Sue was out of the bathroom. But I suspected the conversation would end abruptly, and we might need to hear what they said.

"I love you," Alfred said in a pleading voice. "I have almost since we met at the pharmacy all those years ago."

"He's a retired pharmacist," Melly said.

"I love you too," Sue said with a sigh. "But you cheated on me!"

Melly's eyes grew even wider.

"I apologized," Alfred said. "It was just a kiss."

"A kiss is still cheating," Sue huffed. "And with Carla, of all people."

Carla?

Melly's wide-eyed gaze met mine.

"You said you forgave me," Alfred said.

Sue sighed. "I did. You're right."

"I only want you, sweetheart," Alfred said. "Not Carla."

"That gold digger," Sue snarled .

"She's not," he said. "She's just lonely."

"Then she needs to find some friends because she can't have you." Sue sighed. "I'm sorry we haven't spent a lot of time together lately. Things have been tough. There's so much to take care of all the time."

"That's why I've offered to help you," Alfred said. "Over and over again."

I'd done some research online last night. Sue was a retired kindergarten teacher.

"I know you have, and I appreciate it," she said.

"First things, first. I brought the paperwork with me. The pen's lying next to it."

"Where do I sign?"

"At the bottom," he said.

" This should show you I forgive you more than anything else," she said. "I kept adding to it like that man suggested, and for such a long time. It's certainly grown. I still think I should donate at least part of it to the library."

"I promise I'll make a donation in your name. The library's wonderful for this community, but we need to look out for each other first."

"You're right." I heard a scratching sound like a pen on paper. "Could you help me get onto the bed? I'll lay down until the nurse says it's time for me to leave."

"Of course, sweetheart," he said. "You won't regret this."

Footsteps approached our way.

We scooted to the side and leaned against the wall.

I heard a rustle of fabric as he helped her.

The nurse scooted over to us. "She must be done by now. Give us a sec, and I'll call out. You can come in after that. She's leaving soon, though. I've already gone through her discharge instructions. Her boyfriend is here to take her home." She cracked the door and slipped inside.

Boyfriend? Why hadn't the nurse named Alfred as Sue's husband? And why didn't the whole town know they were married?

When Melly's glance met mine, I could tell the same thoughts were crossing her mind.

The nurse opened the door again and gestured to us. "Come on in. I'm going to pack her things, and I'll get a wheelchair and someone to take her to the front door soon."

"We don't need much time," I said, urging Melly inside the room ahead of me.

"Hello," Sue said, smiling Melly's way. She'd dressed in dark pants and a loose white shirt and lay on top of the blankets. Her long gray hair had been secured in a ponytail at her nape, and her pale blue eyes sparkled. "It's sweet of you to stop by." Her gaze slid to me, and her smile remained true. "You must be Elrik. It's nice to meet you."

A raised table spanned the opposite side of the bed, holding a plastic water pitcher, a glass half-full of water, and a pile of papers resting on top of a manilla envelope.

"Thanks for letting us stop by to ask you a few questions," I said as I eased around the foot of the bed, determined to get close enough to see what the papers might reveal, if anything.

Sue's face fell. "Yes, it's a tragedy. I can't imagine what happened. I know one thing though. Rose didn't do it. "

"I don't believe she did either," Alfred said. "I mean, she's getting on there in age, and I'm sure her mind's not as sharp as it used to be. Perhaps this is a case of someone with early dementia making a simple mistake."

"My grandmother's mind is as good today as it was twenty years ago," Melly said with a frown.

He shrugged. I looked him over. About Sue's age or perhaps a few years younger, Alfred sat in the chair beside the bed, his hand resting on Sue's thigh. Like her, he wore dark jeans and a t-shirt, his with "Got Milk?" emblazoned on the front.

"Whoever put the Xylitol in Grannie's punch knew what they were doing," Melly said with a growl. "As for Grannie's memory, I was with her when her doctor did a full dementia screening. She does it every year for older patients. But Grannie passed without one hitch."

"She's as sharp as she was when we were in high school," Sue said. "Detective Carter will find out who did it and they'll pay."

Was Alfred involved? It was hard to say.

Why were they keeping their marriage hidden?

Because I knew our time was limited, I asked them a few basic questions, determining they'd arrived as Grannie was about to go to the bathroom. Sue helped Grannie Rose into the stall and waited a moment to make sure she didn't need help before coming back out into the main room. The bathroom was located in the hallway between the church and the function room.

The nurse bustled in while I was quizzing them. She gathered Sue's belongings and put them in a plastic bag emblazoned with the hospital's logo .

"I love that punch," Sue said wistfully. "It's one of the few good things Rose can do."

Melly huffed.

"What?" Sue said with a low laugh. "Your grandmother's mittens are not as wonderful as she'd like everyone to believe."

"They're amazing," Melly said, her gaze meeting mine. "You know that."

"Well, that's what the town says, so I guess it must be true, right?" Sue's laugh held a harsh edge. "As for the punch, in that, she excels." Her gaze flicked to Melly. "You have the recipe. You should share it with me sometime."

"You know Grannie doesn't want anyone else knowing her secret ingredients," Melly said.

"One day, I'll figure it out." Sue's smile contained no humor. "I often drink three or four glasses of it through the evening. I was thirsty because this one . . ." She laid her hand on Alfred's and squeezed. "This man thought it would be fun to hike one of the trails through the woods on the edge of town. Did you know the Mystic Harbor Hiking Society has been working in the forest behind the park? They've cleared three new trails for walking, and one of them is over four miles long. Somehow, Alfred and I ended up on that one. I was so tired, hungry, and thirsty when we finished, but by then, it was almost time to leave for the church social, so we just grabbed our potluck offering and scooted to the church."

"Where you drank the punch," I said.

"Tainted punch," Alfred said with a scowl. His worried gaze met Sue's. "Her kidney function took a solid hit. I hope Detective Carter arrests the correct person soon, because I'd like to have a word with them. They hurt my girlfriend, and I want to see them pay."

"I'm sorry about your kidneys," Melly said.

Sue shrugged. "Fate sure is determined to kill me early."

Melly gasped. "What do you mean?"

"My kidneys aren't recovering from this as much as I'd like."

"You can do dialysis," Alfred said softly, wringing his hands on his lap.

"I don't want to. I told you that already." Sue's gaze met mine. "My dad was on dialysis. He was a diabetic, which fortunately, I'm not. His kidneys failed, and he did dialysis for three years while waiting and hoping for a kidney transplant. I gave him one of mine, but his body rejected it. Can you imagine that? We were a perfect match, and it still wasn't enough." Her fingertip traced along the seam of the bed spread. "I don't have a spare kidney any longer. It's ironic that the one I still have has decided it's had enough. But I won't do dialysis. It wore my dad out each time, and I'm not going to go through that as well. I'm old. If I die now, it's my time, and I accept that."

The nurse gave me an odd look but didn't say anything.

Alfred stood and rounded the bed. "Well, I don't accept it." He grabbed the papers, folded them, and stuffed them into the manilla envelope lying beneath them marked with Sterling Life and Indemnity. "I'm going to do all I can to talk you into considering dialysis." After tucking the envelope into a tote bag sitting on the floor, he straightened and looked toward Melly. "Speak with Rose, will you? See if she can talk to Sue."

"I'm right here, Alfred." An edge had crept back into Sue's voice. "Rose knows how I feel already."

The nurse strode closer to the bed. "Are you about ready to leave, Sue?"

"I believe so," she said. A woman wearing bright pink scrubs brought a wheelchair into the room. "There's my ride now." She looked up at me. "Do you have any more questions, Elrik?"

"Not right now."

"Well, if you do," she rattled off a phone number, and I noted it in my mind, "feel free to call." Her smile fell on Melly. "Thank you so much for stopping by, sweetie. I appreciate it. Say hi to your grannie for me. Tell her I'll stop by her place for coffee soon."

Melly gave Sue a kiss on the cheek. "I will. Take care. Let me know when you're coming for coffee so I can join you."

"I will, sweetie. I will."

We left and went out to my truck.

"Poor Sue," Melly said with a sigh. "It sounds like she's going to die." Her teary gaze met mine. "She and Grannie have been friends forever. I feel like she's my second grandmother. But I do understand why she feels that way about dialysis. I remember her mentioning more than once how tough it was for her father, how she would never want to do it herself. I guess we have to respect that, since this is how she wants to live her life." She buckled and stared through the windshield, sighing. " I saw you trying to get a peek at the paperwork she signed. Did you see what it was?"

"I did," I said grimly.

Melly shot a frown my way. "You sound concerned."

"That paperwork she signed? It changed her life insurance policy beneficiary to Alfred."