A Charming Crime (21 page)

Steam exploded
from the deep dish when he cut into it.

“I. . .um. . .I
know I put you in a compromising position.” I grabbed my plate and took it to
the table. I pulled the chair out and sat down without making eye contact. “I
don’t want you to pick between me and Oscar. He is really your family. Plus you
are a cop, but I really need your help. And you need to keep it from Oscar.”

“Oh.” Jordan sat
across the table and had a curious stare. “You two never keep secrets.”

“I know, but I
think it’s a fine line between murder suspect and friend.”

“I don’t like
keeping secrets.” He patted the badge on his uniform. “Part of the job, but I’m
listening.”

“You know I have
those nightmares. Well, I dreamed about Ann’s murder before it had happened.
Only I didn’t know it was her.” I left out the fact that I saw a mole on the
killer’s hand. “The dreams are becoming more vivid.”

“So you are a
spiritualist.” He put his fork on his plate and waited for my answer.

My mouth dropped
open. So what Eloise had said was true. They
were
spiritualist. “How did
you know?”

At this point I
only wanted him to help me catch Oscar. I didn’t want to accuse Oscar of being
an evil spirit or I’d fear Jordan wouldn’t help me. After all, I was going to
expose Oscar as the killer, so asking him questions about their family was
off-limits.

“Oscar told me
to combine our cities since Whispering Falls is so small. You aren’t going to
put some spell on me are you?” He was half joking, half serious.

“I’m not that
kind of spiritualist. Supposedly I know how to mix the right ingredients for
cures.” I pointed in the direction of my Cape Cod. “And we see how that turned
out.”

I left out the
little detail about Ann burning down my shed. I let Jordan think I had done it.

“Are you going
to try to combine both communities?” I asked. Oscar never mentioned a meeting
with his uncle about combining the two.

Izzy would never
let that happen. Hell, the village didn’t let in Fairiwicks. They certainly
weren’t going to allow the mortals.

“Not any time
soon. They would have to have a vote and change the laws in place. If you were
in Locust Grove and under the suspect umbrella, you’d be out on bond, not just
hanging around until they figure it out.” He glanced over, but I didn’t give a
reaction. I knew the law and yes, it was a little suspicious that each of the
victims was holding something that tied them to me. Jordan knew his boundaries.
“Let’s talk about your nightmares.”

“Anyway, I had a
nightmare that I was the next victim.” I swallowed hard trying to digest what I
had said out loud. It didn’t sound good or sit well in my stomach. I was afraid
my lasagna was going to come up, but I needed to eat for strength. I wanted to
put my plan in place tonight.

Mewl, mewl
. Mr. Prince
Charming lay under the table, his tail slowly wagged up and down.

There was fear
in Jordan’s eyes. “How do you know it’s you?”

I held my hand
in the air. The charm bracelet dangled. “The difference between dreams is that
I
seem to struggle with the killer. I can see my bracelet.”

“Did you tell
Oscar all of this?”

“No. He’s so
busy trying to figure it all out that I thought I could count on you to help
me.” I lied.

He eyed me
suspiciously.

“Okay.” I put my
hands in the air. “I think it would be a conflict of interest. So I’m asking
for your help.”

“And what would
that be?” He put his elbows on the table and locked his hands together.

“Well, the
killer is doing this at night. I figured if I would be at the lake, say at midnight,
and you were hiding in the woods, the killer would come to get me and you could
tackle them.” It seemed pretty simple.

“When did you
want to do this?” He didn’t seem to act like my request was stupid.

“Midnight.
Tonight.” I blurted it out before I had time to think about it and change my
mind. The sooner the better.

“Tonight?” His
eyebrows shot up.

I nodded.

“I don’t know, June.
It’s kind of risky.” He took a bite of his bread. “I’m not a citizen and it’s
not my jurisdiction.”

“But you have a
gun. It’s no different from your stakeout here.” There was no way I was going
to take no for an answer. It was foolproof. “We can say that you were visiting
me. I
have
to get my life back.”

“Visiting you at
midnight?” He asked. He did have a point.

“If I’m right,
you won’t have to explain why you were there at midnight.” I begged, “Please?”

“Fine. I will be
in the woods at midnight.” He shook his head. “I will flash a flashlight twice
to let you know that I’m there. Do not go out there until you see my
flashlight.”

“Got it.” I took
a few bites of my lasagna. I felt a little relieved knowing that my life was
about to get back to normal soon. “Can I ask you about my dad?”

Cough, cough.
Jordan pulled
his napkin up, covering his mouth.

“It’s just that
I’m beginning to figure out things about my previous life and I don’t
understand how or why my dad was with you when he got killed.” It was a
legitimate question. And one that I needed answered.

“The truth?”

“Yes, the
truth.”

“I didn’t know
your dad. Darla told me that he was a cop in another town and you two were in a
witness protection program. I had just recovered from a gunshot wound and it
was easiest to tell you and Oscar our lie.” He rubbed his mouth with his napkin
before putting it back in his lap. “Was he a cop in Whispering Falls?”

“From what I can
gather, he was. And Darla left the village, but I’m not sure why.” I didn’t
know anything about the witness protection program, but I was definitely
putting that on my list of questions for the council after Jordan and I catch
the killer. “How did you get Oscar?”

That was one
question I had never asked before. I knew that his parents were killed in a car
accident, but I never got the particulars.

“My older
brother left for college and met a girl.” There was sadness in his eyes. “She
came to our house just one time. They eloped and we never saw them again. I
didn’t even know I had a nephew until my brother called telling me he was
moving his family to Locust Grove. They got killed on the outskirts of town.
Oscar was just a little fellow. I used all the department’s resources to locate
anyone in my brother’s wife’s family, but came up empty.”

Sadness swept
over me. No wonder there weren’t any family photos in the house. “Oh, I’m so
sorry. Does Oscar know?”

“Yes. I’ve
always been very open about it.” Regret dripped down his face. “I wished I knew
my brother. There was not a will, nothing.”

“I had no clue.
I’m so sorry.” I picked up Mr. Prince Charming. This was so much to take in
with all the other stuff going on. A Ding Dong was calling my name. “I better
get going.”

I wasn’t going
to tell him that Oscar was a Fairiwick, because he obviously didn’t know. Nor
did he know about the voodoo dolls. Still, Eloise’s words stung, “
He could
be an evil spirit, but doesn’t know it. I’ve seen a lot of little boys who make
voodoo dolls that are spiritualist’s and don’t know it.”

If that was the
case, and I hated to think it, but the best friend that I’ve ever known or a
stranger was on a mission to kill me. But why?

Chapter
Twenty-Two

When I pulled
out of Jordan’s driveway, I carefully pulled out Madame Torres.

“You’re back,” sarcasm
dripped in her voice. The globe was glowing a bright red.

“I am.” I placed
her between me and Mr. Prince Charming. “Are you going to show your face?”

“No.” Her tongue
was as sharp as a knife. “I wanted to help you.”

I squeezed the
steering wheel. “You can still help me.”

“No, you ruined
that. If you made a deal to buy me from Isadora Solstice I could’ve helped
you.” A couple of gold flashes and the globe went black again.

Hiss, hiss
. Mr. Prince
Charming batted at Madame Torres.

“She’s testy.” I
patted Mr. Prince Charming. With or without Madame Torres help, I was going to
find the killer and Jordan was going to help me.

Anxiously, I
waited for midnight to come. I held off on calling Jordan to make sure he was
going to be there. He affirmed that he would be, and there was no reason to
believe otherwise. But it played in the back of my mind that he may have called
Oscar and told him our plan.

I pulled the
Green Machine on the outskirts of Whispering Falls behind some woods. I had to
get to Eloise and tell her about my plan. If it didn’t work out, and the killer
got me and Jordan, at least someone would know what I was up to. Unfortunately
I knew I couldn’t share it with someone inside the village and that included
Oscar.

“Okay, buddy.” I
put my bag over my shoulder and place Madame Torres inside. “You found Eloise’s
once. Can you find our way from this side of town?”

I took Mr.
Prince Charming out of the car and put him on the ground. With his tail wagging
in the air, he pranced off and I ran behind him.

It didn’t take
long until we reached a clearing. In the distance I could see the back of
Eloise’s tree house. As quickly as my legs would take me, I ran as fast as I
could so no one would see me. If the village knew I was gone, they were
probably looking for me.

The closer I
got, the aromas of the cauldrons engrossed my senses.

“You’ve got to
be kidding me?” Madame Torres chirped from my bag. “I’m a crystal ball, not a
bouncy ball. Slow down!”

I ran faster.

“Eloise?” I
yelled into the garden once I reached the gravel walkway. The lanterns burned
bright. “Are you here?”

“June? Are you
okay?” Eloise popped up from the Singing Pettles row and wiped her hands on her
apron.

“Hmmm” The
Singing Pettles had their leaves to the sun. “Laalaa.”

I shook my head.
“I’m never going to get use to this life.”

Eloise put them
in the basket on the ground with the other ones she had picked.

“I can only pick
them once a week or they give me a headache with all that singing.” She laughed
and walked towards me. “You look frightened. Are you okay?”

“Okay?” A shadow
of annoyance crossed my face. “You know I’m not okay.” I stomped my foot.

“I’m not a toy!”
Madame Torres screamed from my bag.

I opened it and
stuck my face in it. “Shut up!” I snapped the flap down, and looked at Eloise.
Tears streamed down my face. “I’m not okay! A couple of days ago I was just a
girl with a quirky mom who sold fake homeopathic remedies at a flea market and was
the most wonderful best friend in the world.”

Eloise put her
hands out for me to take.

I shook my head
and walked backward a few steps. “No. I’m not okay,” I said through gritted
teeth. “Now I’m a girl that has some kind of power. I see people when they
really aren’t there. I have an angry crystal ball in my bag. My cat steals. Not
only am I accused of being a murderer, I’m being framed. I don’t know who or
what I am!”

I fell to the
ground with my head in my hands.

“Um. . .can you
take it easy during your nervous breakdown?” Madame Torres’ was muffled.

Eloise bent down
and held me. She sat there with me while I cried. This entire situation had
finally gotten to me.

“I shouldn’t
have run away.” I took my purse off my shoulder and pulled Madame Torres out. I
held her up to Eloise. “I stole this.”

Eloise smiled.
“Hi, Madame Torres.”

The ball glowed
the normal green. “Well, well. Look what June dragged in. Where in the world
have you been?”

“Banned.” Eloise
took the ball, and then picked up the basket of Singing Pettles.

“I hate to break
up this little reunion, but I need some help.” I stood up and brushed the dirt
off my clothes. I picked up my bag and put it back on my shoulder.

Eloise had a
great idea. “Let’s go have a Ding Dong.” She continued her conversation with
Madame Torres as I followed behind to the Gazebo.

Eloise sat
Madame Torres on the table next to the Singing Pettles. They hummed away
happily.

“Do you mind?”
Madame Torres’ eyes shot in the directions of the basket. “They give me a
head-ache.”

I couldn’t help
but smile as I ate my Ding Dong. Madame Torres was a pain-in-the-butt. Thank
God she wasn’t in human form.

“Tell me what is
going on?” Eloise set the basket on the other side of the gazebo. They still
let out a low hum, but nothing like before.

“I have a plan that
I put into motion with Oscar’s Uncle Jordan.” I told Eloise how I was going to
go to the lake because I had the nightmare about the next victim being me. “I
wanted to tell you just in case it doesn’t work out, and the killer kills me
and Jordan.”