A Deceptive Potion Read online

  “Hey,” the big, beefy man said. “I’m Ray Collier, the detective on this case. Y’all got time to talk?” He sat with a smile under a rather thick, mostly gray mustache. Going bald, he seemed not to care as he neither shaved his head nor sported some sort of combover. His hands were very large, and he carried a pistol on his hip and a badge on his shirt. He looked like the type who enjoyed cooking over a grill and drinking beer.

  I nodded. “But I don’t know very much.”

  “Why don’t y’all just start with what y’all do know.” His accent was a bit thick, but I had come to expect that in rural Georgia.

  “I was asleep until I heard the scream,” I began. And then, I told him all I did...from leaving my room, to searching for a pulse, to calling 911. It took me about a minute to get through it. There wasn’t a lot of content to convey.

  “Did y’all know the deceased?”

  “I did not,” I answered.

  “Well, are y’all sure? Because according to the owners of the hotel, y’all had words with the deceased just this evening.”

  “That doesn’t mean I knew her.”

  “And they had heard about a run-in with y’all downtown. Now, I’m not sayin’ that happened, but if it did, I’d rather hear it from y’all than from someone else.”

  “I did have a ‘run-in’ with her,” I said. “Because I accidentally bumped into her and spilled her drink over her shirt. She didn’t take it well, but then, who would? I offered to have it cleaned for her, but she wouldn’t hear of it. So, I guess you could say we knew each other in some way.”

  “I see. And y’all had never met her before today, well, yesterday to be precise.”

  “No, not ever. I don’t even know her name.”

  “Don’t need to know the victim in order to kill. I don’t mean y’all, specifically, but just someone who kills randomly.”

  “I don’t kill at all,” I said.

  “If y’all don’t mind, I’d like to get your fingerprints.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “To eliminate your prints from the others we’re gonna find in that room. It makes sense to identify as many different prints as possible.”

  “I see. And if I say no?”

  “Then, I have to put y’all in a cell until mornin’ when I can get a judge to grant me a warrant.”

  “If I say yes?”

  He smiled. “I’m still gonna put y’all in a cell till mornin’. I don’t want y’all t get lost.”

  “In that case,” I said. “The answer is no. And I want to make a phone call.”

  “I imagine I can get that done.”

  Tessa sounded perfectly hazy until I mentioned jail. At that word, her ears perked up, and she started asking questions. I told her the gist of the problem and asked for bail money, should I need it. She told me not to say a word, not one word, until she got there, and she would be there when the sun rose. I thanked her, and told her that was unnecessary. I just needed her on standby. She wouldn’t hear of it. No one was going to mess with the best earth witch on the planet. Well, I was far from the best earth witch, but I was thankful. While I knew I could let myself out of the jail any time I wanted to, I also knew that letting the judicial system work was my best bet—especially since I was innocent.

  Sleeping on a jail cell cot was not a skill I had mastered. My sleep till morning was decidedly unrestful. I woke wishing I had forgone my scruples and used a spell to return to my comfortable bed in the Drop Anchor Inn. My back ached as an officer came to fetch me.

  “Ya got company,” the officer said as he unlocked the cell. “Ordinarily, we don’t allow visitors this early, but you got some pull or something. Ray said you could talk to them.”

  “Them?” I asked.

  “You got a passel waitin’ for ya.”

  The visiting room was small and made smaller by the “passel” of people who had come to see me. I was stunned to find Tessa, Allie, Genevive, Mara, Ada Gallagher, and her twin brother, Ethan. The entire coven and two detectives had arrived to give me aid. This was what friendship was all about.

  “If they hurt you,” Tessa began.

  “No rubber hoses,” I said with a smile. “And boy, are you guys a welcome sight.”

  “You’re sure you’re all right?” Mara asked.

  “Just sleepy,” I said. “With a back that wasn’t designed for a paper-thin mattress.”

  “We need to hear what happened,” Ada said.

  “The uniforms weren’t too helpful,” Ethan added.

  “If you need breaking out,” Allie said. “We can do it.”

  “I can make it rain,” Genevive said. “I can flood this place.”

  I shook my head. “I haven’t done anything, and that will soon be obvious. So, everyone be cool.”

  “We don’t have all day,” Ada said. “So, tell us what happened.”

  “Nothing, really,” I began. Then, I told them everything that happened the day before. I skipped the beach meanderings, but I told them about the incident on the street, the second incident at the hotel, and then the run down the hall to the woman’s room. The Gallaghers asked questions about the body, and how it looked, and how the skin felt when I touched it. I did my best with the questions, but I clearly wasn’t observant enough for them. They would have to get more information from the locals.

  “By the way,” I said at the end. “How did you guys get here so fast?”

  “How do you think?” Tessa answered.

  “Let me tell you,” Ethan said. “I was not made to ride one of those things.”

  “You found that many?” I asked.

  “We had to do some conjuring,” Mara said. “But we managed.”

  “You should never take that kind of risk,” I said. “Especially as a group.”

  “We were very careful, Aunt Sam,” Allie said. “Mom made sure of that.”

  “Knowing your mother,” I said. “She lit up the sky.”

  They laughed.

  “Like shooting stars,” Genevive grinned.

  “Ethan and I are going to talk to the detective in charge,” Ada said. “There was no reason to bring you in, as far as we can see.”

  “I can’t thank you enough,” I said.

  That ended our chat, and the uniformed officer took me back to my cell.

  “Breakfast is coming,” he said.

  “You wouldn’t have some other clothes?” I asked.

  “Orange jumpsuit,” he answered.

  “Done,” I said. “Any size. I’m not choosy.”

  He laughed. “We got something that won’t make you look like a blimp.”

  “That would be a first.”

  He laughed harder.

  The breakfast wasn’t too bad, considering it was prison food. Well, jail food. The orange jumpsuit did indeed fit better than I expected. I wasn’t expecting to wear it for long, and that was the wrong assumption. I was alone with my thoughts until lunch, and while breakfast tasted good because I was hungry, lunch didn’t enjoy the same satisfaction. After lunch, I was led to the interrogation room again. Detective Collier was waiting for me.

  “Have a seat,” he said. “I hope everyone is treating y’all well.”

  “I need to get out of here,” I said. “I think you know by now I had nothing to do with that woman’s death.”

  “Her name is Jessica Jensen. And while y’all say y’all never met, we got to check that out.”

  “And my fingerprints?”

  He smiled. “We got them off the breakfast spork.”

  “I thought as much,” I said. “So, you know I didn’t touch much in the room.”

  “Just the phone. Now, I want y’all to think back to runnin’ down the hall. What did y’all see?”

  Inside my head, I went back, as I had several times during the day. “I’m sure you saw how dark that hall is,” I said. “But even in the that gloom, I would have seen anyone coming out of her room. At least, I’m pretty sure I would have.”

  “I think y’all would have too. So how did the killer escape?”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

  We talked for a few more minutes, him always trying to get me to remember more. There was nothing more to remember. Neither one of us could figure out how the killer had escaped unseen. Unless he had left before I came out of my room.

  “How did she die?” I asked.

  “Asphyxiation,” he replied. “Someone wrapped somethin’ around her neck and choked her.”

  “Ouch. That’s harsh.”

  “One more thing,” he said. “Y’all got some high-powered friends. It’s not every day I get rousted by a couple of capable detectives from another jurisdiction.”

  “I hope they weren’t too vocal,” I said.

  “They got their theories, and I got mine. I just wanted y’all to know that I’m gonna do what I think is right, no matter who comes to your aid.”

  “I would expect no less.”

  The rest of the day was a battle against boredom. I kept expecting either a release or another visit from my friends. I paced and tried to sleep and paced and counted the number of tiles in the ceiling. Dinner arrived, and while I was hungry, the food tasted like lies and regret. Nothing tasted good, not after a day of doing nothing in a jail cell. I was ready to tear someone’s head off. My fingers itched. I fought the urge to put a hex on the entire station.

  If one night in jail was tolerable, the second night was horrible. Sleep was impossible. I tossed and turned and fumed at the same time. With me in stir, the real killer was getting away, was probably two states over and still running. I had achieved a modicum of success in solving murders, but not even Sherlock Holmes could solve a mystery from a prisoner’s cell. As dawn arrived, I was ready to raise holy hell. And I was pretty s
ure I could convince the rest of the coven to join me. I doubted that Sunrise Beach had ever witnessed the fury of a coven scorned.

  But I didn’t have to unloose Tessa and company.

  Detective Collier arrived before breakfast, and he gave me the news.

  “As soon as we open for business, y’all are getting out,” he said. “I have to ask that y’all stay in town for a few more days, as we haven't yet collected the murderer.”

  “I’ll be here,” I said. “And the quicker I can get out of jail the better, no meanness intended.”

  “None taken.”

  I watched him disappear, and I made a mental note to do something nice for the Gallaghers. I was pretty sure they had vouched for me and put a bit of pressure on the police department. It was good to have friends who could watch your back.

  The coven and Gallaghers were waiting outside the police station. Hugs and kisses were in order. While they wanted to go to breakfast, I told them I needed a shower and a change of clothes. I would meet them at their hotel, which wasn’t far from mine.

  The few tourists on the street gave my orange jumpsuit the eye. I was guessing that one or two of them took the time to call the police station. And someone was going to see if there was a reward for information about an escaped prisoner. That almost made me laugh.

  Mr. and Mrs. Malis met me in the lobby. They looked fit to be tied, and their first words were—

  “You have to go.”

  Chapter 3

  “What?” I asked. “I have to go?”

  “We cannot have a murderer in the Drop Anchor,” Mr. Malis said. “It looks bad.”

  “But I didn’t kill anyone,” I answered.

  “Perhaps not, but the optics are bad. You spent two nights in jail, and well, that says something, doesn’t it?”

  “It says that the police don’t know anything,” I answered.

  “Be that as it may, we feel it best if you check out.”

  I stared at them, and I didn’t really want to ask the next question. “And where can I find a room? Detective Collier insists that I remain in town.”

  Mrs. Malis shrugged. “I can’t think of a single, respectable place that would take you. But you can try them if you wish.”

  Anger bubbled up inside me. I had just come from the ignominy of jail, and now I faced eviction for something I hadn’t done. The injustice of it all made me want to explode. But explosion would only make matters worse. I was smart enough not to force the issue.

  “I’m going to shower and change,” I said. “Then, I’ll pack up and leave.”

  They glared at me as if they didn’t want me to even shower, but I wasn’t going to be deterred by their prejudice. I marched up to my room and jumped into the shower. To say I was unhappy was ridiculous. I was steaming. Yet, the shower helped. I would be clean and smell good when I met the others. That was a start.

  And almost a finish.

  I met the others in front of their hotel. They waited in front, their bags at their feet. From the look on their faces, I knew something had gone wrong.

  “We got kicked out,” Allie said.

  “We were asked to leave,” Tessa corrected. “Politely.”

  “It’s all because of me, isn’t it?” I asked. “They found out that you were my friends.”

  “It seems that way,” Mara said.

  “I suspect the police had something to do with it,” Ethan said.

  “The police didn’t take kindly to our questions,” Ada added. “It’s one of those jurisdiction things. No one likes another professional breathing down their neck.”

  “So, are we going to go home?” Genevive asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “All of you are going home. I can’t. The police want me to stay.”

  “Oh, no,” Tessa said. “As much trouble as you are in, we came to fetch you home, and we’re not leaving without you.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I said. “Now, I’m trouble?”

  “Tessa’s right,” Mara said. “We’re a unit. We won’t leave you behind.”

  “Don’t be silly,” I said. “I appreciate the loyalty, but no one but me needs to stay.”

  The group traded glances, but they didn’t need to. I knew what their answer would be. They were the best friends a witch could have.

  “I think we should begin with a search for accommodations,” Ethan said.

  “And that means we start with the internet. Everyone has a phone, correct?” Ada asked.

  We all nodded.

  “I will pull up a list of local hotels. We’ll split up the names and make calls. I like to think we can find a place before too long.”

  Ada’s plan sounded like the best we could do, so we started making calls, even Allie and Genevive.

  Even the best plans don’t always work out. It seemed as if every hotel had signed up to the “don’t-give-the-coven-rooms” order. Not a one of us had any luck. As soon as they heard our names or where we were from, the hotels backed out. Several hours of frustration left us hungry and short-tempered. Tessa was especially hot, as she was a fire witch. I was certain that, left to her own devices, she would set fire to half the town.

  “I need something to drink,” Allie said.

  “Me too,” Genevive added.

  “I could use a stiff one,” Ethan said.

  “Two stiff ones,” Ada said.

  “Let’s find a place to sit down and think this through,” Mara said.

  That seemed to be the common next step. We needed to get off our feet and work out some reasonable way to find a place to stay. We opted for a beach bar, where we could pose as weary travelers, waiting for their rooms to clear. I cautioned all to not offer names, as that would give us away. The island cabal would then kick us out of the bar.

  We occupied two tables at the far end of the outside bar, away from people who might recognize us or overhear our plans. It took some minutes before our drinks, with their colorful umbrellas arrived. We spent the time staring at the waves and feeling how good it was to be sitting instead of standing and walking. But we couldn’t avoid talking about our predicament for long.

  “Alright,” I said. “The meeting is open. Who has an idea for a place to stay? And I still want all of you to go back to Goodsprings.”

  “We could camp out,” Genevive offered.

  “We might get away with it for one night,” Ada said. “But tomorrow, we’re going to want showers and beds.”

  “We could take turns sleeping in Aunt Sam’s car,” Allie said.

  “Good idea,” Mara said. “But it’s not a real solution. It simply puts off the solution until tomorrow.”

  “Wild forms,” Tessa said. “If we change to wildforms, we wouldn’t need rooms.”

  “Ada and I don’t have wildforms,” Ethan said.

  “I forgot,” Tessa said. “Besides, wildforms don’t really solve anything.”

  “How about a house?” I offered. “We could rent one for as many days as needed.”

  “Sounds good,” Mara said. “But we need one tonight, and I’m not sure houses rent out by the day. More like the week and month.”

  I knew Mara was right, but I also knew we were getting desperate.

  “How about we just commandeer one?” Tessa asked. “We can cast a spell or two, move in, and maybe hide for a day or two.”

  “That would be against the law,” Ethan said.

  “We’re desperate,” Tessa said.

  “Better solutions,” Mara said. “Everyone be quiet for a minute or two and just think.”

  “Houseboat,” Allie chirped.

  “Just a bit of quiet,” Mara said.

  We sipped our drinks and looked at the sea, watching the afternoon fade away. We had run out of options, and I thought we all knew it. The only viable solution was to send them back to Goodsprings for the night. I would fend for myself. They wouldn’t like that, but what else could we do? I was about to offer the solution when the old woman arrived at our table.

  “I’m Cassandra,” the old woman said. “And I insist you follow me.”

  I took one look at the old lady, and I immediately thought “eccentric”, which was a kind way to describe her dress. It was something from the last century, and while it was worthy of comment, it was by no means the oddest thing about her. That would be the parrot on her shoulder. I knew of tour guides in other cities who went about with a parrot, but I didn’t think Cassandra was offering us a tour of Sunrise Beach. And when we didn’t respond quickly enough, Cassandra slapped a table with her umbrella. Why she had an umbrella on a perfectly clear day was not a question I was inclined to answer.