Chapter Five
“ G et him!” I gasped, trying to stand up, only to have the heel of my boot buckle under me while drops of blood from my broken fingernail dripped on my skirt.
There was something to be said for the attire Nina chose. Work boots and jeans would be a whole lot easier to navigate than the cute skirt and ankle boots I’d chosen.
I heard clanging and crashing, stomping footsteps, and then Nina yelling, “You better run, motherfucker!”
I managed to right myself and run to the living room, where the front door was wide open, the cold breeze blowing in and rifling the mail on Pearl’s small buffet table.
Wanda rushed to me, grabbing my hand to look at my bleeding nail, broken to the quick. “What happened, honey?”
“I don’t know. One minute I was getting ready to search Pearl’s bedroom, the next I was slamming up against the wall. Felt like a freight train hit me.”
Wanda went to the kitchen to dampen a paper towel, handing it to me. “Did you see who it was?”
I sniffed the air as I wrapped my finger. “Nope. But I smell male. A were male.”
Nina blew back inside, her shiny hair ruffled, her eyes angry. “He got away, the son of a bitch. Who the hell was that?”
Still rattled, I shook my head. “I don’t know! Someone who was in here looking for something, maybe? Definitely a male were.”
Nina looked me over with a critical eye, pushing my mussed hair from my face. “You okay?”
I pouted, sticking out my lower lip, holding up my bloody finger to show her. “I broke a nail.”
She made her fake sad face to mock me. “Aw, Widdums. How’re you gonna sleep at night without ten perfect fingers?”
Nina made fun of us all the time for our love of all things feminine. She thought getting our nails and toes done, dying our hair, shopping, anything that had to do with our appearance, was frivolous and silly.
“Shut up, vampire. I’m injured. A heinous crime’s been committed and I want blood! Did you get a whiff of him so I can hunt him down and make him pay for my next mani?”
She chuckled. “Whoever it was, he was fast as fuck. Had a huge head start on me because he caught me by surprise. I tracked him for a little while, but he managed to lose me. Though, I def smelled were, too.”
With a defeated sigh, I wondered out loud, “So the question is, what’s here that’s of interest to anyone?”
Wanda brushed her hands together and shrugged off her coat. “I guess we’d better get looking, hadn’t we?”
Nina flicked my hair. “Can Precious go on with a broken fingernail, or does she need to recuperate on the couch?”
“Can Big Mouth go on with a broken nose?” I shot back.
Nina scoffed as she began picking up the knocked-over end tables. “You wanna risk more broken fingernails, Diva?”
“Ladies!” Wanda yelped from the back of the house. “Lay off the bickering and get moving or I’m going to take away your Netflix!”
With a grin, I stuck my tongue out at Nina and headed back to Pearl’s bedroom.
Wanda was the glue that held us all together. The one who prevented us from going too far. She was our gauge, our leader, if I’m honest, in a group of woman who, under any other circumstances, likely never would have been friends. She made us a team. She nurtured us when necessary and she scolded us just as easily. I’m pretty sure we exhausted her with our bickering
We were all we had, and we each had a role we played within the dynamic of our deep bond. I always reminded myself of that whenever I wanted to choke Nina. I’d learned more than I would willingly admit from her.
She’d taught me to stand up for myself. She’d taught me fierce loyalty and how to love with total acceptance. She’d taught me survival as a paranormal. I’d grown up with a single mother who died when I was in my twenties. I knew how to fend for myself, but I didn’t have the backbone I do now.
She’d also taught me to give as good as I got—something I did on the reg, mostly with her.
Stepping back into Pearl’s bedroom, I made note of the fact that nothing appeared disturbed. So either the person who’d knocked me down had found what they wanted quickly, or they didn’t have a chance to start looking before we showed up.
Pearl’s bed linens, a mixture of a creamy light beige and blue comforter with ruffled pillows, looked inviting and still neatly made. There was a pretty painting of the ocean with sailboats dotting the horizon, hanging over a white oak dresser, and lots of pretty glass tchotchkes atop the surface.
I began there, pulling open drawers, digging through Pearl’s clothes and feeling awful while I did. I hated rifling through her personal things, but I kept reminding myself, I didn’t believe Ron had killed Zinnia and I wanted to find out who did.
Nothing of interest appeared in the dresser, so I moved on to her nightstand.
Popping the top drawer open, I began moving things around when I came across an envelope tucked under a bunch of eye masks. Pulling it out, the second I saw Zinnia’s name on the front, my heart jumped out of my chest.
My fingers trembled. It had been opened, but by whom? Zinnia or Pearl?
Flipping the flap over, I pulled out the single piece of paper and unfolded it. The note looked like it had been printed off a computer…but if my heart had almost jumped out of my chest upon finding it, now it raced like a Kentucky Derby contestant.
Zin,
I love you. I can’t stop thinking about you. I have some things I need to take care of, but I’m going to be there for you. I promise.
Love,
R
There was no date on it, nothing to discern who’d written it. I blinked and read it again. Was Ron R? And if he was, why was Ron writing love letters to Zinnia?
Now my stomach really turned, flopped like a fish out of water, making me scrunch my eyes closed. Had Ron been cheating on his wife with Zinnia? A child in comparison to him? Was he not only a murderer but a cheater, too?
“Guys!“ I hollered. “I found something!”
I flew out into the living room, waving the letter in the air. Nina stopped what she was doing to come across the room and take it from my fingers. As she read, she blinked, too.
“Aw, fuck. Is Ron one of those guys everyone thinks is a great dude, but really he’s a secret fucking jerk of a cheater? And isn’t Zinnia a kid?”
I made a face. “She’s the age of consent, but compared to Ron, she’s a kid.”
“What?” Wanda yelped. “Let me see that. She took the letter from Nina and then her eyes widened. Her hand went to her mouth. “Oh dear.” She paused a moment before she, too, waved the letter. “But hold on. We don’t know if this is a letter from Ron, and we don’t know why Pearl had it. So let’s not jump to conclusions just yet.”
“So what you’re saying is he might not be a cheating prick who’s having an affair with a kid he considers his own, and a murderer? R is for Ron, in case you missed that lesson in kindergarten.”
I watched as Wanda measured her words. “And J is for jump, as in jumping to conclusions. There are lots of people whose names start with the letter R. All I’m saying is, we ask Pearl why she had this letter and if she knows who it came from. Zinnia’s of age, Nina. If he was having an affair with this young woman , it’s not against the law. Now let’s put it back and finish up here. We have more people to question and not a lot of time. You know the council moves swiftly when it comes to crimes like this one.”
Nina scoffed. “But it’s still disturbing AF.”
Wanda crossed her arms over her chest. “I would agree, due to the circumstances of their long-standing relationship, it’s a sticky wicket, but I’m not here to judge. I’m here for Zinnia. Now more than ever. Take a pic of the letter, put it back, and let’s get this done.”
Nina did as she was told, and I took myself and my sour stomach back to Pearl’s bedroom to look around for anything that might help us figure this out.
But I definitely felt less inclined to help Ron if he was a cheater, and that wasn’t a good sign, because he was paying the bill.
Back in the murder basement, we all sat at our desks in silence. We’d spent the better part of the day combing through Ronald’s mansion and Pearl’s cottage, only to find nothing but the letter.
As fast as we were supernaturally, the search had taken our energy to a new low, and we were exhausted. None of us wanted to believe Ron was capable of having an affair with Zinnia. It almost felt worse than him being a murderer.
We did get our hands on some video footage surrounding the days leading up to Zinnia’s demise. We’d given it to Tottington to look over while we caught our breath.
“We can’t really talk to Charmaine about this, ladies,” Wanda said, yawning with a stretch of her graceful arms. “She’s just a child, and if she doesn’t know anything about what might have been going on with her father, I don’t want to be the one to scar her for life and put the possibility in her head. According to Hollis, she considered Zinnia akin to an older sister.”
Nina threw a sticky pad down on her desk and began toying with a pen, clicking the top. “Right. Neither do I. But if we don’t ask if she saw anything strange, how are we gonna know if she might have some information we could use? Because with this new info, it’s not lookin’ good for Ron. What if Zinnia was gonna tell someone about their affair and he didn’t want her to? That’s a clear motive for murder.”
Wanda sighed. “We could just ask Ron tomorrow when Stan goes back in to argue for his release on bail. I don’t know if he’d be truthful, but it’s too late to talk to him now anyway.”
No bail had been set for Ron at this point, and truthfully, I wasn’t comfortable sharing anything with Stan Freemont. He had beady, darting eyes that made me uneasy.
I cupped my chin in my hand and thought about that. “She might have told Hollis. I mean, they shared everything until Charmaine went dark and shut Hollis out. If we’re careful and we delicately poke, maybe we can find something she might have mentioned to her?”
Nina nibbled on the end of her pen, her eyes narrowing. “And where the fuck is wifey number two? This Eve broad? She didn’t come home, and we were there all damn day into early evening. Maybe she found out Ron was dippin’ in the Fountain of Youth and she whacked Zinnia?”
Ugh. Nina’s words made me throw my phone on my desk. “Don’t be so crass, vampire. It’s disturbing, yes. And sure, maybe Eve did it, but she didn’t come back to the house because, according to Stan, it was too upsetting to stay in a place where someone she cared so deeply for was murdered. She’s at a hotel, but also according to Stan, she texted Charmaine and begged her to come with her to the hotel. To which, Charmaine simply refused. Eve also sent several texts to me throughout the day, checking on Charmaine.”
Wanda blew out a breath. “I vote we talk to Hollis. We can’t talk to anyone else until tomorrow anyway, and if, as Marty said, we’re delicate, maybe she’ll know something. Until then, we can’t tar and feather Ron, or Eve, or anyone because we need facts, not feelings.”
I nodded, resigned to maybe hear something I didn’t want to hear. “Okay, she’s upstairs. I’ll text her and ask that she come down here alone.”
Hollis popped her head around the corner of the stairs in what seemed like seconds, her beautiful blue eyes seeking mine. “Hey, Mom, what’s up?”
“Come down and sit with us for a minute, would you?” I patted the chair next to my office chair.
As she walked across the room, her long hair swinging around her shoulders, I couldn’t help but notice what a lady she’d become. She walked with such confidence, it brought tears to my eyes. For all our differences and spats, I was so proud of her.
She looked at me with bright, inquisitive eyes. “What’s up? Did you find anything out?”
I grabbed her soft hand, enveloping it with mine. “First, how is Charmaine? Is she okay? Did she eat?”
Hollis cocked her head. “Yeah. Grampa Arch made us her favorite. Steak Diane and some potato gratin thing that was amazing. Then we played cards with Tottington and Carl until she got tired and went to bed.”
I was glad to hear that. As young werewolves, they needed to eat a lot to keep up their energy levels for their shifts. Even though Hollis was technically half-human because of me, she had the enormous appetite of a were.
“Listen, honey, there’s a lot going on with Mr. Ellis right now?—”
She snorted before she made a face I knew well. It was the “duh, thanks for stating the obvious” face. “Ya think, Mom? He’s accused of murdering his house manager’s daughter. That’s definitely a lot going on .”
Nina didn’t miss her slight sarcasm, nor did she let it slide. “Hey, kiddo,” she gently scolded. “Your mom’s been bustin’ her butt all day, trying to find some answers because you asked her to. How about we show some respect, capice?”
Wanda nodded. “I concur. It’s been a long day, and your mother’s been doing her best, sweetheart. Maybe easy on the tone, please?”
Instantly, Hollis looked to them both with apologetic eyes. “Sorry, Aunties. Sorry, Mom. I know you’re doing everything you can. You always do,” she said softly. “Everything’s a real mess right now and I’m behaving like a brat.”
My smile was gentle at her admission. “About that…what has Charmaine said to you about all this? Have you talked at all about it? Did she see anything? Was this incident something that, when she looks back, there were signs her father might be angry with Zinnia? Upset? Was there any turmoil between them?”
Hollis’s shoulders sagged, her look defeated. “She didn’t really say much except that she knew her father wouldn’t do something like this. That he loved Zinnia and Pearl like family.”
“Was she at home when they found Zinnia?”
“Yeah. She was getting ready for school.”
“Did she hear anything? Anything at all?”
Hollis looked down at her hands with a sniffle. “She said she heard Eve screaming, and when she went to find out was going on, Mr. Ellis wouldn’t let her into the room where Zinnia was. But after that, she said everything happened really fast. The council police arrested him, and Eve drove them to council headquarters. That’s where she was when she called me.”
So Eve as there when they found Zinnia. She was definitely at the top of my list to question tomorrow. I needed to know what she’d witnessed right after they’d found Zinnia’s body.
“What about before this happened, Dumplin’? Did she notice anything off-kilter? Hear any arguments about anything? With Zinnia? About Zinnia? Do you know if she ever heard her father argue with Eve?”
Hollis looked to Nina, her eyes sharp. “You know, she always says Mrs. Ellis makes her so mad she can’t think straight, but she hasn’t really been talking to me much since Mr. Ellis got married again. So everything she says about Mrs. Ellis is always angry. If she breathes, Charmaine hates on her, but she didn’t mention any arguments or anything unusual before Zinnia…”
Damn.
I know Hollis, and I know if Charmaine told her anything that could help us, she’d tell me. Of course, they have secrets, but if Charmaine could be hurt or if anything she told her would help her friend, she’d tell us. My girl, for all her mini-outbreaks of rebellion, had a soft heart. She’d do anything for Charmaine.
“Okay, honey. Good enough. But if she mentions anything to you, will you let me know?”
“Sure, Mom. I mean, of course. Now can I go? Because I don’t want to leave Char alone for long.”
“I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You can. Off to bed with you. It’s late.”
She rose and began to take her leave, but she stopped before climbing the stairs. “Mom? Aunties?”
Our heads all popped up. “Yes?”
Her eyes grew watery. “Thanks for helping Charmaine and her dad. I knew you would.” She took a deep, shuddering breath and then she said, “I love you guys.”
My heart tightened in response. “Love you, too.”
Nina and Wanda both blew her kisses before she took her leave, her soft footsteps fading until she was gone.
“She’s a good kid, Marty,” Nina said, her tone uncharacteristically hoarse. “You did a good job.”
I smiled. “I did it with Keegan and you guys. Thanks for always making sure she’s taken care of.”
“Always,” Nina murmured with a smile.
Wanda swiped at her eyes before she straightened her shoulders, and looked at her phone. “Okay, so some news from the Sexist Pig.”
I rolled my grainy eyes. “What does Stan have for us now?”
Wanda’s lips blew outward. “Brace yourselves.”
“Now what?” Nina asked. “Did he make a break for it? Dig his way out of there Shawshank Redemption style?”
Wanda scoffed, wrinkling her nose. “That might be an easier issue to deal with. Stan is sending us pictures of the crime scene. I guess the council police decided to do their jobs because Ron’s an important cog in the wheel. Or they’ve been watching Law and Order and taking notes. But there’s more.”
Nina leaned back in her office chair, making it squeak. “I’m on the edge of my fucking seat.”
“They also began an autopsy…and the preliminary findings say Zinnia was pregnant.”
Well, blow me over.