Witches and Whatnots: An Izzy Cooper Novel (4 page)

Nodding, Ayden boarded the
Celia
to check out the crime scene for himself.

* * *

The Mystique Port Authority was housed in a small white and blue building that had originally been a fisherman’s cottage.

The receptionist looked up when I entered. “What’s going on out there?” Lila Jackson asked.

I’d known Lila since high school. She was a nice girl, even if she did bleach her hair until it looked as if she were wearing a bunch of straw on her head.

I contemplated lying, just so I could ease some of the fear I saw in her eyes, but changed my mind. “We found a possible homicide victim in his boat.”

“Oh!” Her lips went into a big O shape. “Who is it?”

I gave her a tolerant smile. “The victim was Keith West. The coast guard found the
Celia
adrift and Mister West deceased. Of course I’ll need you to keep this information to yourself until this can be confirmed, and his next of kin has been notified.”

“Sure … I wasn’t trying to be nosey.”

It was a lie. She totally meant to be nosey, but that was normal in Storm Cove. “Were you working when Mister West took his boat out?”

“I was just leaving, actually. He pays a monthly fee so he didn’t need to come into the office. As I was leaving, I saw him going down the docks, toward the
Celia
.”

“About what time was that?” I took out my digital recorder and pushed the power button.

“It was just after five thirty, which is when I leave here.” Lila’s voice grew less confident when she saw the recorder.

“I just use this so I don’t have to write in a notebook. Do you mind?”

Lila shook her head. “It’s okay.”

“Was Mister West alone when you saw him?”

Again she shook her head. “In fact, he did have a woman with him. I thought it was kind of strange at the time because he never takes anyone out with him, except for his first mate, Tony Farnsworth.”

“Do you know who the woman was?”

“They were too far away to see who it was, plus she had on one of those big sun hats that kind of block the face.” Lila motioned toward her head.

“What can you tell me about the woman?” I was doing my best to keep my questions simple, so as not to confuse her, but what I really wanted to do is grab Lila and shake the stuffing out of her.

Wasn’t it her job to know who was going out on the water?

“She was kind of short, maybe five foot … and she was wearing really short, shorts and some kind of blue-print halter top.”

“Did Mister West usually take his boat out in the evening?”

“No, he was a morning fisherman. Once in a while he’d go out at night, but he didn’t even look like he was going out to fish. They were carrying a picnic basket with them. If you ask me, it was more of a pleasure cruise than a fishing trip.”

“Thanks.” I switched off the recorder. “If you think of anything else, contact me or Sheriff Bourne.”

“Will do, but I was wondering about the carnival and ball at Misty Haven. Is it going to be safe if we have a killer running
amok
on the island?”

That was a good question, and one I didn’t really have an answer for. The best I could do was lie to her.

“I’m sure the Sheriff’s Department will put extra deputies on duty to keep people safe.”

She appeared relieved.

I kept telling myself it wasn’t a real lie. It was very possible they’d put extra deputies on to cover the Halloween and Grand Opening festivities. It would be the logical thing to do anyway.

Not that the Sheriff always did the logical thing, which is why I kind of felt it might be a lie.

A twinge of guilt got to me. “But … I would definitely watch your back and who you trust. It appears as if the perp’s preferred victims are men, but you never know.”

The fear was back in her eyes, but I figured a little fear might not be such a bad thing in this situation. It might even save her life.

I sat in Lady Luck and stared at the Mermaid Inn across the street, which was visible from the port parking lot.

Julius had a small apartment at the Mermaid, but he was hardly ever there.

What did a demon really need with an apartment anyway?

I thought it probably had something to do with his habit of playing with every woman he crossed paths with. He had to have a nest to bring them to.

Every once in a while he’d take time out of his womanizing to help me with a case, but not too often. It was his way of trying to push me into tapping into my own demon power.

Since Granny Stella’s disappearance, I’d been very tempted to do just that. The only thing that stopped me is that I knew she wouldn’t approve of it at all. She’d never want me to give up my soul for any reason.

There had to be another way.

Maybe I could trick Julius into helping.

At first I’d thought Aaron and Annabelle’s witchy power would be enough to find Granny, but lately I was having serious doubts. Maybe I needed something a little stronger than a witch.

There was always the opposite of the evil demon spectrum. There was Tim, who was supposed to be an angel, though I’d never noticed him having anything particularly angelic about him, let alone any super powers, but he was really sweet and nice.

Sighing, I turned the key in the ignition. I really needed to concentrate on this new case.
Granny might be gone, but even she wouldn’t want a crazy life-sucking fiend running loose on her island.

That was it!

Someone was sucking the life out of the victims!

But how?

I needed some advice from some of the old timers, and the place to find them was at Sunnyside, Mystique Island’s assisted living retirement community. There was a good chance that Delia, or one of Sunnyside’s residents might know something.

Delia, also known as the Good Witch of Storm Cove, might possibly have some idea of what we were dealing with. Not only had she been around awhile, but she’d been dealing with elderly witches and other whatnots for years.

* * *

As soon as I stepped into Delia Antson’s office, I saw the dismay in her eyes. She tried to disguise it with a bright smile, but it was too late. I’d already seen it.

She stood up and reached across her desk to offer her hand. “Hello, Izzy.”

Delia was a few inches taller than me, and although she was a stout woman, she was well proportioned so that the weight actually looked good on her. I was still jealous at how beautiful her long, brown hair always seemed to be.

If I looked half as good as Delia on the downside of fifty, I’d be happy.

“Hey, Delia.” I returned her smile and took her hand. “How are things going for Sunnyside these days?”

“Good. Have you heard anything about your grandmother?” she asked, worry still shining in her eyes.

I shook my head. “No … we are still looking into it.”

“I’m so sorry. If there is anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

I wasn’t too proud to ask for help, especially when it came to Granny. “What do you think the Ripper did with Granny?”

Sitting in her chair, Delia tapped her long fingernails across the top of her desk, as she eyed me warily, looking for the right words. “You might have to accept that Charlie Fox could have killed Stella. I know that isn’t a nice thing to think about, or accept, but there is the possibility that he killed your grandmother and hid her body. We do live on an island. He could have dumped her body out at sea.”

I had already thought of that, but was still convinced Granny would have come through with a message if she were really dead.

It was time to change the subject. “Did you hear about the Jason Robinson homicide?”

Delia nodded. I figured that probably had something to do with why you dropped by. Is one of the residents here a suspect?”

“Should they be?” I asked, playing cop.

Delia drew her perfectly shaped brows together. “Not that I’m aware of. Sunnyside has been quiet since that last episode.”

The director of the Sunnyside Retirement Community was referring to Aggie and her escapades into another dimension, though it was really no fault of her own. Someone took advantage of the old lady’s witchy powers to cross into this dimension. That’s the conclusion I’d come to anyway.

“Actually I’m here to tap into some of your expertise,” I explained. “What kind of power could drain the life force out of someone and not leave a mark on them? Our victims look as if someone put them in a huge food dehydrator and shriveled them up.”

“Well, I did have an incident a few years back. One of our male residents was found in that condition, though he’d been out and about just hours before his death. The coroner ruled the cause of death, undetermined, but there was a resident who was seen with him just moments before his body was discovered.”

Now I was listening. I hadn’t thought we would have another perp that just happened to be a resident of Sunnyside, but maybe I was wrong.

“Barbara Jenks was seen walking with him down by the creek, where he was discovered,” Delia explained. “When we questioned her, the old lady had no memory of being with him, but I noticed that she seemed to look much better than she had that morning. I did a little spell of my own and unveiled her true nature. Barbara was a succubus.”

“Where is this Barbara Jenks now?”

Could solving this case really be so easy?

“Barbara was put into an asylum shortly after that. I believe she is in Indiana now.”

Damn! I should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy. At least now I had a better idea of what me might be dealing with.

“Is there a possibility that you might have another resident like Barbara?” I had serious doubts that if there were another succubus at Sunnyside, Delia wouldn’t have already gone to the police, but it was worth a try.

Sighing, Delia shook her head. “I would have already checked into it if I had any suspicions,” she assured me.

I believed her.

Standing, I offered my hand. “Thanks, Delia. If you come across anyone like that, please call me. Also, if you can think of anything that might help me locate Granny.”

Delia was one of the most powerful witches on the island. I was beginning to think that if Annabelle and Aaron couldn’t help me find Granny, I might have to turn to Delia.

* * *

By the time I curled up on the sofa to watch a rerun of
Bewitched
, I was more than ready for some rest and relaxation … and some pizza.

The pepperoni pizza I’d ordered from Murry’s Stone Oven was late. They usually didn’t take longer than a half hour to make a delivery. By the time I switched on the TV, it had been twice that long.

Just as I was staring down the phone and dying to let some wicked words roll off my tongue, someone knocked on the door.

It was about time!

My stomach was growling and I could almost taste the pepperoni.

Swooping up the money that was sitting on my end table, I opened the door. All the bitching I’d been intending to do, died a sudden death.

Instead of the pimple-faced pizza delivery boy I’d been expecting, Zane Dupree stood there, holding out a pizza box.

My mouth dropped open, but not a single word would come out.

His eyes seemed bluer than they had the last time I’d seen him, and there was a spark of laughter in them that was both irritating and unsettling. The unsettling part was how my heart lurched when I looked into those eyes.

Handing me the box, he bowed. “Your pizza, Miss Cooper.”

It wasn’t until I felt the heat of the pizza against my hand that I finally came to my senses, and then I became suspicious. My imagination went wild.

What if he’d fed from the pizza delivery boy, and killed him?

That was enough to make me feel guilty for the rest of my life, but in that instant, I wasn’t too sure how long the rest of my life would be.

What if he’d dumped the body somewhere on my property?

I purposely twisted my face into a sour scowl, hoping to intimidate him, if just a little. “What did you do with the pizza boy?”

“I paid for your pizza and sent him on his way.” He smiled, showing me a set of perfect, sparkling white teeth.

I couldn’t help but wonder about his fangs.

“Thanks … I guess.” I wasn’t being very gracious, but what could he expect from a very confused, almost demon. The confusing part was how I felt whenever he was near.

Not since my teen romance with Elias had a guy been able to make me feel like an awkward schoolgirl, but Zane was doing a dang good job of it.

Leaning his shoulder against the doorframe, he asked, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

Warning bells resonated through my head.

It was a vampire trick!

The one thing that watching too many vampire movies had taught me was if I invited him in, he could enter my house anytime he wanted. I wasn’t okay with that. The last thing I needed was some vampire biting me while I slept.

“Thanks for getting the pizza, but I can’t invite you in. I’m expecting company,” I lied.

“Really?” His brow rose sharply. I wasn’t sure if the expression on his face was one of disbelief, or annoyance.

“Here … this is for the pizza.” I shoved money toward him.

“That’s okay. It’s my treat.” He held up his hand. “I was hoping I could talk you into being my date for the Halloween Ball on Saturday.”

“You’re asking me for a date? Why?” I was astonished.

Why would a millionaire vampire ask me for a date?

No doubt he would probably want a free pint of blood out of the deal.

“Maybe because I find you intriguing, and cute.”

Cute!

I was a demon. I couldn’t be cute!

“Sorry … but I already have a date.” It was another lie, but I didn’t trust Zane Dupree, and I didn’t trust myself when I was with him.

“But you
are
planning to be there?”

I nodded, but then cringed inside when I realized that now I really was going to have to find a date for the ball.

All I could do was hope Timothy didn’t have a date, and would go with me.

Who was I kidding?

Tim never had a date for anything. The thought made me a little sad until I remembered he was an angel.

Angels had no need for dates. That was my assumption anyway. The stuff that went along with dating, didn’t seem too angelic.

Being an angel was definitely a mark in Tim’s favor. I would feel far more comfortable going to the ball with an angel, than a vampire.

“Good. I can’t wait to see you there.” Leaning forward, he brushed my forehead with a kiss.

Although his lips weren’t particularly warm, as soon as they made contact with my skin, it felt as if my flesh was sizzling. Startled, I took a step back.

His eyes locked with mine and suddenly I was someplace else. Icy water closed in on me as the sea pulled me into her icy depths.

The darkness and cold lasted only for a few seconds, and then I was filled with a warm - glowing light that illuminated everything around me. I saw him again, bound in chains and lying at the bottom of the ocean.

The sadness in his eyes tore at my heart. I wanted to help him, but I was being pulled in another direction.

Blinking, I came back to the moment and Zane was gone.

I really hated the way he could appear and disappear so quickly, but what was even more troubling was the memory flash I’d just experienced. It was the same as the dream I’d had not too long ago.

What did it mean?