Chapter 27

All that cleaning left my hands busy and my brain free, so I mentally wrote a pros and cons list. By the time I was done, the pros had it. I picked up Wilson and called Liv. ‘Gunnar,' she purred.

‘It's Bunny.'

‘Oh,' she said flatly, her disappointment clear. Burn.

‘Gunnar is still with Sig in hospital. I need to talk to you about your interviews with the black market people. Can you come in?'

She harrumphed. ‘I've already told Gunnar that no one knew anything. Besides, I'm busy.'

‘I don't have any leads, so I'm asking you as a councillor to please come in. Maybe if I ask you some questions, it will trigger a memory or something that will help our investigation.'

She sighed audibly. ‘Fine. Give me an hour.' She hung up. Did no one in this town say goodbye?

There was a knock on the back door; it was Ernie, the owner of the hardware store-slash-café. I opened the door with a smile. ‘Hey Ernie!'

‘Hi, little lady. I've got a new front door for you. Just wanted to give you the heads up before I rip that wooden travesty off.'

‘Thanks, Ernie, you're the best.'

The old man grunted and thrust a paper takeout cup at me. ‘Chai latte,' he said, scratching his head awkwardly.

My eyes lit up. ‘Thank you!'

‘If you cry—' he started.

‘—you'll leave. I remember. No tears, I promise.'

‘Some people got no respect,' he complained. ‘Doing this to the Nomo's office? You wouldn't have gotten such disrespect in my day.'

I wondered when his day was. Ernie could have been anything between sixty and a few centuries; with a paranormal town, you never quite knew.

‘It wasn't his fault,' I said vaguely. ‘Extenuating circumstances.'

‘It ain't right,' he groused. ‘We'll see you fixed up.' He touched a hat he didn't have and went to start work on the front door. Banging and clanging commenced and I winced. I wasn't going to be able to hear Wilson over all this racket.

I went back to my cleaning as I waited for Liv. By the time she swanned in, Ernie had hung the door and left. She arrived fifteen minutes early but I was prepared. She liked people off balance, especially me. Well, two could play that game.

‘I like what you've done with the place,' she said drily, looking around the empty office space with its lonely phone and single chair.

‘We had an angry polar bear stop by.'

‘So I heard.' She looked amused. ‘He's been a very naughty boy, but at least Gunnar will finally have to redecorate this monstrosity.'

‘I liked it the way it was.'

‘Of course you did.' She waved a hand imperiously. ‘You have no taste.'

‘Hey!' I objected, more out of principal than because I thought she was wrong.

Rather than ushering her into the interview room, I took her to Gunnar's office. Two friends shooting the breeze. I sat in his big chair and she took the one across from his desk. ‘I don't know what I can add,' she said dismissively.

‘Tell me about who you interviewed and what they said. Anything that might help.'

‘Most of the vendors aren't from here, so out of respect I won't give you their names.'

I wanted to yell at her for being evasive but she was a councillor and I couldn't afford to alienate her. ‘Any hints whatsoever?' I asked.

‘None. The ones that saw the vendor get sick said he was fine one moment and collapsed the next. No one saw anyone cursing anyone else.'

‘You still won't tell me where the market is so I can interview people myself?'

She scoffed. ‘If I did that, they'd never come back and several of us would be without an opportunity to procure items we need for our magic. So no, I will not.'

‘Liv, the cursed people almost died. Two were from our community. We have to protect our own.'

She fixed me with a condescending look. ‘And that's why I interviewed everyone.'

‘But you aren't a trained interviewer,' I pointed out.

‘Bunny darling, neither are you,' she laughed.

Touché. Annoyingly, she was completely right; I was due to go to the police academy in Sitka for training at the end of the month, but all I'd had was on-the-job training with Gunnar. ‘I have plenty of experience,' I pointed out.

‘And so do I. Are we done?' She stood up.

‘Are you meeting my mother later?' I asked casually. If she came to pick up Mum, I could tail her to wherever they went.

‘Yes,' she said impatiently, ‘and the other three witches. We need to sort out the gems because they're dangerous.' She looked at me intently. ‘As I said, I'm busy. I have to go.'

‘Fine. Thanks for coming in,' I said begrudgingly.

She nodded curtly and left in a swirl of hot desert air, her way of punishing me, I guessed. The joke was on her because I loved the heat.

And things were about to heat up even more because I was going to follow her snooty ass.