“A smoothie will help that.”

  Cassandra nodded and left with the smoothie and Paula.

  True to her word, a number of motorcycle types wandered in for smoothies and a few minutes out of the sun. They weren’t all big and rough and tattooed. Many were couples in jeans and shirts, carrying helmets, which gave them away. They were soft-spoken and polite. David returned, and he engaged the bikers, asking about makes and models and answering questions about the best roads to ride. I was very thankful he was there. He developed a rapport with the bikers that I could never achieve.

  We were in the middle of the biker rush when the Gallaghers arrived. They didn’t smile as they came to the counter. Before I could ask what they might like, Ethan spoke,

  “David Ortiz, you’re under arrest for the murder of Heather Sousa.”

  Chapter 8

  “What? I didn’t kill anybody,” David said.

  “Please step around the counter,” Ada said.

  David turned to me. “Sam?”

  I looked at the Gallaghers, who were grim and official. I raised my eyebrows in a question, and Ada merely nodded. They had a reason to arrest David.

  “I think you should go with them,” I said. “We’ll get this straightened out right away.”

  I saw the panic in David’s eyes. He didn't want to be arrested, especially not for murder. I could see the wish to escape.

  “Just take it easy,” I said. “Let them do their work.”

  David walked around the counter.

  “Do we need to cuff you?” Ethan asked.

  “No,” David answered. “I’m not going to cause a problem.”

  The detectives marched David out of the shop, and I was stunned. Why in the world would they arrest David? What kind of evidence did they have? I needed to talk to them, but I had a shop full of gawkers who stared after David and the detectives. I guessed most of them had never witnessed an arrest before. I wanted to shoo them out of the shop and shut down, but that wouldn’t do. There was no way to get David out of police custody until bail had been set. That meant a court appearance, and I knew for a fact that the local judge wasn’t holding court. He was fly fishing in Tennessee. I told myself that there would be time to spring David. I just needed to be patient. Luckily, I was an earth witch, and earth witches were known for their patience.

  “Talk to me, Sam,” Tessa said when she arrived. “What’s this about David?”

  “I’ll fix you a smoothie.” I could tell that Tessa was not about to take the arrest calmly. Fire witches didn’t do much of anything calmly. She wanted information, and she wanted it now.

  “I’ll take the smoothie,” Tessa said. “Then, I’m going over to the police station and tell that blockhead Ethan how dumb he is.”

  “We both know David is innocent,” I said. “So, be cool for a while. I don’t know any more than you do. We’ll have to wait till Ada and Ethan explain the arrest. And they will. It may not be till later today. I suppose they’ll need to interrogate David, and that will take some time. So, don’t jump the gun.”

  “Maybe we can use a glamour spell to replace him in the jail. Like we did at Sunrise Beach.”

  “No, no, no,” I said. “First of all, that would take magic, and we can’t use magic where David is concerned. He doesn’t know about the coven. Second, there’s no reason for him to be free. He doesn’t solve murders. He might well flee, and that would be a bad thing, especially for whoever would replace him.”

  Tessa frowned, and I could see that she was dying to use the glamour spells again.

  “Well, it worked before,” she said.

  “And it might work again, but not with David. Now, go back to Good Eats and take care of your customers. Oh, if you get a chance, send over a lunch. I won’t be able to leave here.”

  “You got it.”

  While I worked to please my customers, I tried to reason out how the Gallaghers had latched onto David. I was too busy to give it careful thought, and so, I came up empty. As far as I knew, David hadn’t committed any crime.

  Allie brought over a lunch that I managed to eat between blendings.

  “David?” Allie asked. “Did he do it?”

  “Not a chance,” I told her. “It will turn out to be a mistake.”

  “I hope so. Did mom tell you that she wanted to use a glamour spell to replace David?”

  I nodded. “That won’t work with someone who’s not magical.”

  “That’s what I told her. She seems to think that anyone can become a ‘Bubbles’, if you know what I mean.”

  “Keep an eye on her. We don’t want her going off the deep end.”

  Allie nodded and left, and I tried to concentrate on Tessa. I couldn’t do that either.

  Nails arrived during the afternoon lull, which wasn’t much of a lull with the bikers coming in.

  “I heard about David,” Nails said. “Are you going to need help? I can work the peak periods, if you want.”

  “That’s very generous,” I said. “But I’m afraid it’s too early for that. David will be loose in a day or two. I’ll manage till then.”

  “I’m a quick learner.”

  “I’m sure you are. And I appreciate the offer. We’ll see if your help is necessary.”

  “Just say the word.”

  “I’ll call you.”

  He laughed.

  When I thought about it, I was pretty sure I would never use Nails as a helper. It would take too long to train him. Blending smoothies wasn’t rocket science, but it did require a certain flair, only achieved through experience. If I were going to hire anyone on a temporary basis, it would be Cassandra. She knew all about the coven and magic, which she could use to make every smoothie even better.

  The afternoon had come and gone, and I was getting ready to close when the Gallaghers came in, looking tired and peaked. In anticipation, I had already made them smoothies. They were grateful, even as I joined them at a rear table.

  “Alright,” I said. “What’s the word on David?”

  They looked at each other.

  “I’ll do it,” Ada said. “We’ll start with David’s vehicle.”

  “His vehicle? What does that have to do with anything.”

  “Well, that’s where we spotted the siphoning equipment. We could see through his windows, and we recognized it. Very sophisticated machine. And believe it or not, even through the window, we could see a bit of blood in the tubing. That got us thinking. So, we got a warrant, searched the vehicle, and arrested him, so he couldn’t flee.”

  “But he explained it, right? I mean, he’s part owner in a business that infuses seniors with blood from younger donors.”

  “Yes, he told us about the business, which explained the machine. But just because the machine came from the business, doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been used in the murder.”

  “Oh,” I said. “That’s true. But he has an alibi, right?”

  “He says he was home alone, which is no alibi at all. However, we’re trying to verify that.”

  “You can use cell phone records,” I offered. “But even that proves only that his phone never left his apartment. He might well have.”

  “Exactly,” Ada said. “It helps, and if he took a call that night, then we can check with the other person and verify David’s whereabouts.”

  “That will take a few days,” Ethan said. “So, we can’t send him home right now.”

  “You know I have the utmost faith in David,” I said. “I can’t see him killing anyone, under any circumstance.”

  “We would agree, except for the machine. We’re having the blood analyzed. If it matches the victim, then, we have another issue.”

  We chatted for a few more minutes, but nothing new came out. For the time being, David was safe inside the jail. After the Gallaghers left, I closed up the shop. Anxiety flowed through me. The problems were multiplying like rabbits. I needed time to think and consider. As I cleaned, I considered the number of people who might have killed Black Widow.

  There was David, of course, who had been arrested. He had means and perhaps opportunity. Did he have a motive? He hadn’t claimed to know her, but they both roamed in biker circles. There was a good chance they had met somewhere.

  Mr. Bluth came to mind. He had never caused any kind of problem before, but he was a vampire. Vampires had needs, even old ones like him. I didn’t think he was dumb enough to hunt in his own home town, but the world was filled with beings that decided poorly.

  While I didn’t want to include them, the Gallaghers were suspects also. Half vampire, they might need something that only real blood could supply. Their vampiric attributes had begun to assert themselves, and they were changing. Did they now need human blood? If so, arresting David might be just some smoke screen.

  I couldn’t rule out Nails and CueBall. They weren’t kin of vampires, but they did own the shop. They probably knew Black Widow. Did one of them have a need to kill? Was the blood draining just some kind of dodge?

  Those were just the suspects I could name. Goodsprings was filled with people who might kill under the right circumstances. I told myself to talk to the Gallaghers and learn more about Heather Sousa. Perhaps the solution to the murder was in her contacts.

  I had turned onto the main street, when Mara stepped off the curb to flag me down.

  “Just to let you know,” Mara said. “I’ve been listening, and while there has been a lot of talk about the murder, no one knows any more than you and I. There are all kinds of theories, from vampires to aliens in search of a way to kill off the human race. It’s amazing what people can come up with. Conspiracy theories abound.”

  “Keep listening,” I told her. “You never know when someone will say something that will help.”

  “Well, I did hear something,” Mara said reluctantly.

  “About what?” I asked.

  “About whom,” she said. “It was Tessa, or rather Bubbles. She’s going to Clayton tonight, to a new bar.”

  “Oh no. She shouldn’t. She can’t. Bubbles might be all right in Goodsprings, but Clayton? There are some very hard places there.”

  “I know. And while I would like to say something, I can’t.”

  “Because then, Tessa would know you were listening.”

  “Exactly. In fact, I don’t think a single one of us can follow her.”

  “No, no, we can’t.” I shook my head. “Now, I wish you hadn’t heard. I’m going to worry all night.”

  “Me too. Do you still think we should wait for the full moon?”

  “We have to. Perhaps, perhaps, Cassandra and I can run over to Clayton.”

  “Tessa won’t like that.”

  “Not as ourselves. We will have to use a glamour spell.”

  “You don’t think Tessa will recognize you?”

  “Not if we just observe. This is absolutely crazy. Okay, you go home and listen. I’ll persuade Cassandra to drive to Clayton and look for Bubbles. That means I have to get going.”

  “Be careful. The Alley Cat Lounge doesn’t enjoy a good reputation.”

  “Trust me, we’ll hug the back wall and sip club soda.”

  Mara laughed, and I pedaled away. I asked myself if I really needed to check up on Tessa. The answer to that was yes, someone had to ride herd on Bubbles. The next question was whether or not Cassandra would agree to accompany me.

  “Of course, I’ll go with you,” Cassandra said. “And you said glamour spells?”

  “I don’t think it would be wise for Paula to accompany us,” I said. “There might be some people who wouldn’t appreciate her.”

  “I don’t want to go,” Paula said. “I’ll just hang around here.”

  “Fair enough,” I said. “And, Cassandra, I can’t begin to tell you what this means to me and the coven.”

  “Nonsense, you and the others were kind enough to invite me to Goodsprings and your circle. Such generosity is uncommon, and it is certainly appreciated. I may be many things, but ungrateful is not one of them.”

  “Then, all we need are disguises,” I said.

  “Do you want me to change the car?” Cassandra asked.

  “No, that would invite more scrutiny than we need. We want to observe without being found out.”

  “You’re right, of course. But we can’t use the same spells we used in Sunrise Beach.”

  “I agree,” I said. “So, I think I’ll go as someone new. What do you think of black hair with blue streaks?”

  “Yellow nail polish and black spiders?”

  “No, no, I don’t want to be the Black Widow. But I think I might like to remind someone of her.”

  “Well done, well done. Thirty minutes?”

  “Hour. We don’t want to be there all night, just as long as Tessa is there.”

  “I’ll do it,” Paula said.

  “Do what?” Cassandra asked.

  “Fly over to Tessa’s and wait till she leaves. Then, I’ll fly back and let you know it’s time.”

  “That works, and thank you very much,” I said. “That’s very thoughtful.”

  Paula flew off, and I went to my room. If I was going to the Alley Cat, I needed to change. The first item of business was the spell.

  Hair of black.

  Hair of blue.

  Make it so, she begs of you.

  With her soul wild and free.

  Make her what she wants to be.

  When I looked in the mirror, I saw a pretty woman with blue streaks in black hair. Now, all I needed was some baggy clothes to make me just another face in the bar.

  The Alley Cat Lounge was indeed in an alley, a dark alley. Cassandra, as a younger redhead, led us past the tattooed bouncer, a huge man who no doubt could take care of any problems that arose. He waved us through, because we were women. He eyed us because we were women. I wanted to laugh.

  Since Paula had warned us after Tessa left, we knew Bubbles would already be in the bar. Even as we found a small, round table at the back, we could see Bubbles by the pool tables. We ordered beers and waited. The music was loud, and the place smelled of something not quite alive. We didn’t think it would be a good idea to eat, so we nursed beer and watched Bubbles.

  I had to hand it to Tessa. She knew how to shoot pool, and she knew how to command attention. Some expert shooting, some flirtation, she had every man playing pool eating out of her hand. I was reminded of high school, where Margo Polinsky was the homecoming queen. She had it all. Smart, pretty, charming...she had her choice of suitors. She ended up with a peanut farmer across the state, which seemed odd at the time. Margo could wow like Bubbles. She seemed to settle for less than she could have had.

  After an hour of watching, I was bored to tears. Cassandra wasn’t much better. We yawned and chatted, but that was hardly enough. I was about to leave, Bubbles or no Bubbles, when a bearded man wearing a baseball cap stopped by our table.

  “Well, hello,” he said. “Haven’t we met before?”

  “I don’t think so,” Cassandra said. “I would have forgotten you.”

  The man laughed. “And I always remember redheads.” He pointed at me. “The blue streaks. Weren’t you in here about a month ago?”

  I shook my head. “Perhaps, you have me mixed up with someone else.”

  “No, no, it was you. Holly, Haley, Helen, some ‘H’ name. I wasn’t completely wasted.”

  “Oh, you mean Heather.”

  “Yeah, that’s it. She had really weird nails. Spider nails, right?”

  “That’s her...not me.”

  “I can see that now. You’re much better looking.”

  I laughed. I wasn’t nearly as pretty as Black Widow, but he was making an effort to flirt.

  “Was she with someone?” Cassandra asked.

  “No, but she was waiting for someone. She said that. I moved on, because, well, when people are waiting for someone, you ain’t got much chance.”

  “Did you see who she met?” I asked.

  “Nope. But I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a regular. We woulda noticed that. You waitin’ for someone?”

  I shook my head.

  “But you’re not lookin’ for company.”

  “No, we’re not,” Cassandra said. “But thank you for stopping by.”

  “If you change your mind...”

  “We’ll flag you down,” I said.

  With a smile, the man moved on, and just then, the pool area exploded.

  I had no idea what caused the ruckus. The YELLS brought me to my feet, along with Cassandra. The SNAP of a pool cue brought the bouncer from the front door running. He was too late, as half a dozen men were punching and grabbing and kicking around the tables. Unused to bar fights, I was amazed. While a lot of energy was being expended, there wasn’t a lot of damage being done. More noise than action.

  That was when I spotted Bubbles heading for the exit.

  “Come on,” I told Cassandra. “She’s making a run for it.”

  We hadn’t gone ten feet before we saw a rather large man block Bubbles from leaving. With more speed than I thought she had, Bubbles turned and raced into the women’s restroom. I blinked, not knowing what was happening and seconds later, out walked...

  Tessa.

  She had changed back to herself in seconds, and she didn’t wait for the big man to move. She blasted out through a side door, which set off the fire alarm.

  That ended the fight.

  And started the stampede.

  Cassandra and I knew what had caused the alarm, so while every other person in the Alley Cat was running for an exit, we stepped back and waited. Since there was no real fire, there was no reason to get trampled. I hoped there wasn’t any real fire. We watched as the combatants gave up the fight and rushed the exits, which quickly became clogged. Panic fueled the insanity. Then, on cue, the sprinkler system kicked on. We stood in the rain of water and looked at each other. Then, we laughed. We had come to make sure Tessa didn’t get in trouble. Now, she had escaped, and we were the ones getting soaked. It was not a pleasant ride home.

  Paula greeted us at the door and informed us that Tessa had returned as Tessa in her Honda. We thanked Paula, gave her a brief summary of our evening, and went to bed. I told myself that next time I was going to let Tessa go. I was angry enough to swear that it would be easier to recruit a new fire witch than to change Tessa.

 

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