“Maddy, I have a big favor to ask you. Can I come over later tonight? I need your help with a spell. I just got word that my sister is missing and you’re one of the best at Finding spells.”
Technically, she was right, and the plea in her voice was more than I could stand. I could talk to Aegis about the picture later. Right now, a coven-mate needed my help, and a missing sister took precedence over a business dispute.
“Sure, come over around eight o’clock. Bring something with you that she touched, or a picture of her. We’ll see what we can do.” With her thanks still ringing in my ears, I gathered my purchases and headed inside. The sun had already set—it was after four-thirty—and I was surprised to find a note from Aegis.
Had to go out early. Will head straight to rehearsal tonight. Don’t wait up for me. Love, ~Aegis
I stared at the paper, wondering if I should join him after Rose arrived. But I was still irked about the picture and my confrontation with Ralph had done nothing to soothe my mood. I decided to savor a long bubble bath, eat a leisurely dinner, and then help Rose. Then, if I wanted to, I’d crash their rehearsal.
By the time I saw Rose out the door—Finding spell in hand—I was too tired to bother going out again. Twenty-five degrees and fresh snow convinced me to forget about everything for the night and head upstairs to bed, where I cuddled with Bubba under the quilt. For once, I slept like the dead.
I WOKE TO find a dozen roses arranged in a vase by my bed, along with a box of chocolates and a handwritten note that said, “I love you. Aegis.” Stretching, I blinked as a ray of sunlight splashed through the French doors to wash across my bed. Blue sky winked through the windows, and for once, I was thrilled to see the hint of sunshine.
“What time is it?” I glanced down at Bubba, who was licking one paw. He rolled over on his back, exposing his belly as he let out a rumbling purr. “No, I am not rubbing your belly. But you look like you’ve been fed. Did Aegis feed you, Bub?”
“Purp.” The trilling purr rumbled through his meow.
“He did? I assume he went to bed on time.” One look at the sunbeam and I changed that to “I hope he went to bed.”
“Mrow,” Bubba answered in the affirmative.
“Good.” My irritation from the evening before had evaporated. I loved the gloom and rain of the area, but the sun was a welcome sight for a change. I slid from beneath the covers and padded into the bathroom for a shower, cringing at the icy chill on the floor.
This time, I locked the bathroom door.
After I was warm, clean, and smelling like peppermint, I dressed in a pair of comfortable black jeans that didn’t sausage-squeeze my ample butt and thighs and a plum V-neck sweater. I fastened a black leather belt around my waist and slipped into a pair of black suede slouch boots. They were almost flat with good traction, and they came up to mid-calf over my jeans. Side zippers allowed me to easily pull them off and on.
I clattered downstairs, humming to myself. Before I had breakfast, I decided to go out and pick up the paper. The paperboy always threw it into the backyard rather than bringing it around front. At first I thought it had something to do with him being afraid of Aegis, but given vampires slept in the daylight, it was probably just laziness.
“Bubba, I’m going to grab the paper. I’ll be right back.”
“Mrow.” Bubba was lounging in a sunbeam, lazily batting a catnip toy. I wasn’t sure how old the cjinn was—we had met around seventy-five years back—but he seemed content to mostly act like a cat.
I opened the sliding door that led from the kitchen out to the patio. As I stepped out into the cold, crystalline morning, scanning for the paper, I realized there was something in the yard, near the back fence. I couldn’t quite make out what it was, so I began to wade through the fresh snow until I reached a point where I could see clearly. There, frozen and surrounded by a stain of red frozen ice, lay Rose, dead as could be.
AFTER THAT, THINGS got a little fuzzy. It wasn’t that I had never seen a dead body. You don’t live close to four hundred years without running into a few corpses here and there, and I admit, I was responsible for more than a few of them. But facing the death of a friend was a far different experience. I stood there, unable to process what I was seeing as a whole. Instead, I noticed the frozen pool of blood surrounding her. The way her coat spread out meant she hadn’t buttoned it shut against the cold. The curious turn of one ankle—if she was alive, it would hurt like hell, so she must have twisted it fighting back. A crow was perched on a branch, eyeing Rose with speculative eyes, and I waved it away.
“Tell the Morrígan she can wait,” I said hoarsely. “And if you aren’t her servant, then get the fuck out of my yard.” Crows were harbingers of the Morrígan, but they were also opportunistic scavengers.
The crow cocked its head and flew away. I slowly crossed the snow to Rose, kneeling beside her. She wasn’t a friend on the scale that Sandy was, but she was a coven-mate and I liked her a lot. Finding her dead in my yard was as big a shock as I had had in a long time.
I tried to make sure that I didn’t touch anything near her so I wouldn’t contaminate the crime scene, but it was obvious she had been there for a while. The blood around her had frozen and she was covered with snow. I reached out, intending on feeling for a pulse, but then stopped. I knew she was dead. Without a word, I rose and pulled out my cell phone.
My first call was to Sandy. The moment she came on the line, I blurted out, “Can you come over? I just found Rose dead in my yard.”
After a frozen pause, she exploded. “What the hell? What happened? Did she have an accident?”
“I think she was murdered.” I stared down at the body, unable to look away. It was almost as though I was afraid she’d vanish if I closed my eyes.
“Get away from there! The murderer may come back. Have you called the cops yet?”
“No, but I will right after this. Please, come over. I’ll go inside, but Sandy, I think she’s been out here since last night.” I rang off, promising to phone her back if anything else happened before she got here.
On the way back to the house, I called the police. Delia Walters was the sheriff. She was a werewolf, and exceptionally good at ferreting out secrets. There weren’t many unsolved crimes in Bedlam, and people generally thought twice before pulling some stupid stunt they could get arrested for. She had been sheriff for the past twenty years, taking over from her grandfather, who had finally retired.
Inside, I searched for something to keep myself busy. I put the kettle on for tea and made some toast to calm my stomach. I was just pouring the boiling water into the teapot when the doorbell rang.
“Where’s the body?” Delia was a flurry of movement. She was short but sturdy, and her tawny hair was caught back in a tidy braid. Delia was all business. She was so focused on her work that she had rejected getting married or having children.
“Out back. It’s Rose Williams.” I caught the surprise on her face.
“Rose? Who could want her dead? Have you told anybody else about this?”
I could see the wheels turning in her head.
“I have no idea, and I only told Sandy. She’s on her way over.” I showed her through the kitchen. “I just made tea. Would you like a cup?”
“After I have a look around. This isn’t a social call.”
Yep, blunt to the point.
“Right. I didn’t even think.” Actually, that was the truth. I was running on autopilot and I realized that I was suffering a mild shock. “Out here.” This time, I stopped to shrug into my coat before leading Delia out to Rose.
She stopped me about six yards away. “Those are your footprints?”
I nodded. “Yes. I didn’t see any others around when I came out here. Even Rose’s were covered up, so I’m assuming she’s been here since she left my house last night.”