“Have you heard anything more about what might have happened?”
He picked up a small knife and a long piece of wood and began to work on what would probably become a wand. “Aren’t you dating that cop?”
I felt my face get hot. How did he know? If he knew, then lots of people knew. I hesitated.
“Excuse me?”
“That lanky cop. The young one.” He examined my face, and I found myself wanting to defend my right to date anyone I wanted.
I was too relieved, however, to argue with him. “That’s Tom Andrews. We’re friends. Not dating.”
His eyebrows quirked upward. “Well, Tom Andrews has already been sniffing around, asking if I saw anything.”
“Well, did you? Hear or see anything?”
Lucan set the wand and the small knife on the table. “I don’t want any trouble with cops or their girlfriends. Why should I talk to you?”
I chose to ignore the girlfriend comment. “Because I’m Diana’s friend and if you knew Rafe at all, you’ll know how close they were. She’s devastated and needs some answers so she can deal with this.”
He let out a breath of air, and wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I like Diana. She’s a great person. Maybe not the best judge of character, but she’s great.”
“Whose character?” I didn’t know why this guy was getting under my skin but I found myself annoyed by his assumptions, and I sensed he was hiding something.
“You just said she was close to Rafe. She’s either a terrible judge of character or he was a much better actor than I gave him credit for.” Lucan had picked up the wand again. If he kept on with his whittling, he’d end up with a toothpick.
I took a deep breath and waited. Lucan cleared his throat. He set his knife down again. “Rafe had alienated quite a few people in the coven. He ran it like he was our fearless leader and we should all just do whatever he said. Wiccans tend to like to do things their own way.” Lucan grinned. “We aren’t exactly conformists.”
“You aren’t saying that anyone in the coven would want him dead, are you?”
“All I’m saying is Rafe had an inflated idea of his own place in this world. He said he was descended from five generations of Wiccans and since no one else had that kind of heritage, we should all listen to him. That alone was debatable since many people say Wicca only began in the 1950s. He acted like some kind of chosen one, and that can get on a person’s nerves after a while. I would imagine he acted like that with other people as well. Has Diana talked to her brother?”
“I think she’s pretty aware of how her brother feels,” I said.
Lucan shook his head and laughed. “I doubt it.”
“I could really use your help if you know something.”
His mouth drew into a thin line behind his mustache. “Talk to Skye Paxton and Morgan Lavelle. They both knew Rafe pretty well. And tell Diana to listen to her brother.” Lucan turned away as a customer approached the booth. He made a big show of telling them about all of his merchandise. I took the hint and nodded at him as I walked away.
*
Lucan’s comment about Diana listening to her brother reminded me I needed to talk to my own sibling. I walked to the parking lot for some privacy. The rustling and chattering of squirrels and chipmunks gathering food for winter, and the exuberant color beginning to fade as I crunched through the leaves made me smile and I wondered how I’d stayed away from Crystal Haven for so many years. I steeled myself for the task at hand. I couldn’t go any longer without talking to Grace. She was expecting Seth to return on the train that evening. I took a few deep breaths, turned on my phone, and scrolled to her name.
“Grace Proffit.” Her voice was crisp, businesslike.
“Grace, it’s Clyde.”
“Clyde? Hi. Your number came through as private. How are you?”
“I’m fine. I’m calling about Seth. . . .”
“Don’t you have his number? He’s out of town right now. He’ll be home tonight if you want me to give him a message.” I heard honking in the background, and Grace’s voice faded in and out.
“Are you at home?” I raised my voice and put my hand to my other ear as if that would improve the connection.
“No, I’m walking to an appointment uptown, I don’t have much time.”
“Listen, Grace, Seth is here. With me.”
“What? I thought you said Seth was with you. Wait. I’m ducking into a coffee shop, it’ll be quieter.”
For once not jealous of Grace, I leaned against my Jeep fender and listened to the few remaining leaves whispering in the trees.
“What did you say?” The connection was clear now with no background noise.
“Seth is here with me. He and Tuffy showed up on my doorstep last night.”
The line was silent.
“Grace?”
She cleared her throat. “Is he okay?” Her voice cracked.
“Yes, he’s fine.”