Spellbound Murder Complete Trilogy (Spellbound Murder Box Set Book 1) Read online

  “Did Sally know a Dennis Simmons or Helen Kassell?” Detective Burke asked.

  Mira tried to keep her face impassive, but she could feel her forehead crease in her confusion. “Dennis Simmons or Helen Kassell? I—” Mira didn’t know how to continue. She’d never heard the first name, but Helen was a werewolf, so of course Sally had seen her, but had she ever seen her outside of the meetings? “The names don’t sound familiar,” Mira lied. That was one of the ground rules: if you didn’t know the supernatural outside of the meetings, you didn’t know them. “But Sally met a lot of people through work. Maybe check with her boss?”

  Detective Flint crossed his arms and Mira noticed his eyes narrowing in on her as though she was being studied.

  “Was one of these people involved in Sally’s death?” Mira asked. Even if they had known each other in the outside world, Sally couldn’t have been close to Helen, or Mira would have known about it.

  After a moment’s hesitation, Detective Burke cleared his throat and leaned forward. “It’s unlikely, but we believe that there is a connection between the two. It’s important that you tell us how they knew each other.”

  Mira shook her head and tried to sound confident. “As far as I know, Sally didn’t know Helen.”

  “Do you know Helen Kassell?” Detective Flint asked, still giving Mira the same look.

  “I told you,” Mira snapped, “the name doesn’t sound familiar.” But Mira could tell that Detective Flint didn’t believe her.

  “Are the names Yvonne Childs or Karen Green familiar?” Detective Flint asked.

  “They aren’t,” Mira said. Karen Green. Had she heard that name before? “What makes you think Sally knew these people?”

  Detective Flint shook his head, but didn’t say anything.

  Mira couldn’t think of a way to fill the silence that was lingering beyond comfort.

  Detective Burke cleared his throat and went on. “We might have a more—”

  “We would like to get a more formal statement,” Detective Flint said, interrupting his partner.

  She shifted in her seat. Mira knew what that meant, but she was hoping she was wrong. “Do you need me to sign something here?”

  “Actually, Miss Owens, we were hoping you would accompany us to the office. We have some follow up questions and you could sign a statement there.”

  Mira’s stomach knotted. She’d been to a station when she wasn’t working with the police—on the wrong side of the desk you might say—and she hadn’t enjoyed the experience. “Uh, is this something we can do here?”

  “We’d rather you come with us,” Detective Flint said.

  Detective Burke frowned at his partner and Mira wondered if the request to do this at the station was one sided.

  Mira ran a hand through her hair. “Sure,” she said, “my car is parked a few blocks away, but if you give me the address, I can follow you.”

  “We’ll give you a lift,” Detective Flint said.

  Mira’s stomach was clenched tight and she bit her lip. Looking around the store, she couldn’t find a good enough excuse to refuse.

  “Okay,” she said, “I’ll need to grab my coat and talk with my employee, and then I’ll be ready.” Not bothering to wait for a response, Mira left the two officers at the table.

  After writing a quick note to the manager coming in, Mira grabbed her purse. While she spoke with Ana, she watched the two detectives out of the corner of her eye. They were waiting by the door and neither one of them looked happy, but Mira got the feeling that Detective Burke was aggravated with his partner. Clearly, taking her to the station for a statement had not been a part of the plan.

  Mira took one last look around the store before she approached the detectives again. “I guess I’m ready to go.”

  “This won’t take long,” Detective Burke said while holding the door open for her.

  The frigid air wrapped around Mira, sucking out all the warmth of the store. She pulled her coat tighter, noting that both men appeared unfazed by the cold. Even Detective Flint, wearing what could barely be called a jacket, didn’t seem to notice. Thankfully, they hadn’t parked far away.

  Detective Burke held the back door open for her and she slid in. It was a normal car, not a police vehicle, which helped to calm her nerves some.

  They were mostly silent on the way to the station, so Mira took the opportunity to text Della. Detectives came to the store to ask me more questions. They are taking me to the police station.

  Della’s response wasn’t as immediate as Mira would have liked, but a few minutes later, she received a message. Have you been arrested???

  No, Mira quickly wrote, they wanted to ask me more questions and sign a statement. They asked me to come with them.

  This time, Della’s response was immediate. Why on earth did you go with them?

  Mira frowned, feeling that she was being admonished. Because they asked.

  You should have called me first. I’m going down there. Which station?

  Shoot. That was the last thing Mira wanted. Don’t. It’s fine. I’m fine.

  “Everything okay?” Detective Burke asked, turning from the passenger seat.

  “What?” Mira asked, staring at her phone, hoping for Della to tell her she wasn’t on her way. Then Detective Burke’s question sunk in. “Oh, I’m fine. I’m just trying to convince Della not to come to the station.”

  “Della Yates?” Detective Burke asked. Mira noticed the sideways glance he gave his partner.

  “Yep,” Mira said, trying to keep the satisfied smile off her face. Knowing a friend that was a lawyer in the distinct attorney’s office would definitely work in her favor.

  “Why did you tell her if you didn’t want her to come?” Detective Flint asked. It sounded like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

  “We’re meeting up a little later,” Mira said. “I let her know in case I ran late.”

  Detective Burke sighed audibly.

  Mira was pleased he didn’t seem any happier with the situation than she did. Detective Flint was unhappy, too, but that wasn’t a change. Mira had the idea that he was upset for a whole host of other reasons.

  An aggravated silence permeated the front seat, but Mira kept her eyes on her phone, waiting for Della to respond.

  Traffic was turning thick as people began leaving the city or returning to the city after their workday. It was a bad time to be driving through town.

  Mira began watching the traffic outside her car window. Tailpipes were fuming and brake lights blinked off and on, as cars rolled a few feet and stopped. Her phone vibrated again and she welcomed the distraction.

  One hour, Della texted. If you’re not on your way out, I’m coming down there. Will you be at the meeting?

  Shoot. She’d almost forgotten about the meeting. I’ll probably be late, but I will be there. Do not tell my mother or sister where I am. Mira knew her father wouldn’t blow things out of proportion if he found out where she was.

  NP was Della’s only response.

  Mira waited, hoping Della would offer some unsolicited advice, but slid her phone in her pocket when nothing else came through.

  “Is your friend joining us?” Detective Burke asked.

  “Depends on how long I’m here,” Mira said.

  Light dimmed as the car moved into a parking garage.

  “It won’t be long,” Detective Burke said again. He shot his partner another look, which Detective Flint either missed or ignored.

  The parking garage had quite a few police cruisers and other cars. They wound their way up a floor before Detective Flint parked.

  As the detectives led her through a door and down a maze of hallways, Mira tried to build some confidence. It wasn’t as if she had done anything wrong.

  They led her into a ‘conference’ room. It was marginally nicer than the rooms she had been taken into during college, but it was what it was; an interrogation room with a dressed-up name.

  Detective Flint sat opposite Mira, wh
ile Detective Burke stood, leaning against the wall behind his partner. Flint went over her previous statement and asked if she had anything to add.

  Mira shook her head, thinking she was getting off easy if they just wanted to rehash what she’d already said.

  It was a short-lived thought.

  Detective Flint started asking questions about the statement. The questions were slow and casual at first, but then he got more serious.

  “We’ve had some interesting facts about this case come to light recently,” Detective Flint said. “It appears that your friend Sally had made herself unpopular with a lot of people. What can you tell us about that?”

  Mira thought over his puzzling statement. “Sally was one of my best friends,” she said carefully, “but I don’t know of anyone that didn’t like her. Maybe an ex-boyfriend or two, but she was friendly and social.”

  “What can you tell me about Sally’s relationship with her boss, Mr. Leer?” Detective Flint asked.

  “Uh,” Mira thought about anything that Sally might have said about work, “she was one of his top sales people. She said she was selling more cars than just about anyone else.”

  “She never said anything specific about Mr. Leer?”

  Listening more carefully to the questions and attitudes of Detective Flint made her think through her answers slowly. His body language was eager. He wanted to know more.

  “Sally won an award at work not long ago,” Mira said.

  Detective Flint let a flash of frustration cross his face. “And Mr. Leer gave her this award?”

  “From what Sally said, she received the award from Mr. Leer in front of everyone. I’m sure that wouldn’t be hard to check out.”

  The detective shook his head. “Did she mention anything about Mr. Leer specifically? About his habits or his family?”

  “No.”

  “What about her boyfriend, Martin West? Did Martin say anything about Mr. Leer?”

  “I didn’t really talk to Martin much,” Mira said. “We barely spoke.”

  “Did Sally have an interest in anyone else?”

  Mira knew the question had been left wide open for a reason. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking.”

  “Did Sally say anything about secrets that others may have? Maybe something that she had found out.”

  Mira thought over the question carefully. Sally had been a clairvoyant and had a great many secrets about other people, but she never shared them. Well, sometimes they played games to find out interesting bits of information about their server at the bar or about a guy they were hitting on, but nothing serious. It was also something that Mira couldn’t tell the detectives.

  “Sally never said anything about anyone else. She wasn’t the type to gossip much.” Despite the pause, Mira said this with confidence. The detectives were fishing, but she had no idea what they were trying to find out. Finding other suspects, maybe?

  “I find it hard to believe that, as her best friend, she never shared any information with you. Did Sally tell you how she bought her new car?” Detective Flint asked, getting more aggressive.

  “I assumed she bought it at a discount from work.”

  “And the clothes and jewelry?” He scowled at Mira.

  It didn’t do any good. Mira had no idea what he was looking for. “I assume she made good money where she worked. Sally worked hard.”

  Detective Burke moved forward a bit and cleared his throat. Detective Flint, who had been leaning forward in his seat, sank back and switched tactics.

  In a calmer voice, Detective Flint asked, “Did Sally practice witchcraft?”

  “What?” Mira asked, hoping confusion masked her fear.

  “Did she ever have an interest in the occult?”

  Chapter 3

  Mira used great care when trying to come up with a response. “How are you defining the occult?”

  Flint sighed. “Did she believe in magic or witchcraft?”

  They had to have looked at Mira’s file. Why else would they ask her something like that? Now, how did she play this?

  “You do know that there’s a lot more to the occult than that, right?”

  Smug satisfaction played across Detective Flint’s face. “Are you into the occult?”

  That was enough to satisfy Mira that Detective Flint had no idea about her past experiences with the police, but she didn’t know if that would work for her or against her. “I know a great deal about the occult, if that’s what you mean.”

  “So you know how to perform sacrifices?” Detective Flint asked.

  Her nose scrunched up in distaste. “What are you talking about?” Mira looked at Detective Burke, who didn’t appear happy with the direction the interview was taking. “Why are you asking that?”

  “Can you please answer the question?” Detective Flint asked, sounding far too nice.

  “Fine,” Mira crossed her arms. “A sacrifice for what purpose?”

  “For sacrificing,” Detective Flint said.

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Are we talking devil worship, voodoo, hoodoo, generic black magic, or any number of other belief systems that may involve sacrificing?”

  “It sounds like you’re an expert,” Detective Flint said.

  “Isn’t that why you’re asking me?” Mira asked mockingly. “Because of the other cases where law enforcement has used me as an expert?” Saying cases, plural, was pushing it, but she didn’t care. Technically, it had been more than one case, but it also, technically, had been only one incident.

  Apparently, neither of the detectives knew what to do with that.

  “Miss Owens—”

  “She’s not lying,” Detective Flint said, cutting off his partner. He didn’t sound happy about it, though.

  He knew she wasn’t lying? Mira looked at Detective Flint closely, past his good looks and his frustrations, trying to figure out what he might be thinking.

  Damn, he was cute.

  Well, that wasn’t helping anything. “No, I’m not lying. Why would I lie about something like that?”

  “There was nothing in your file…” Detective Burke said.

  “Did you do a federal background check?” Mira asked.

  “I put in the request today,” Detective Flint said.

  “Right,” Mira said, checking the time on her phone. “Why don’t you get back to me when you have that information?”

  “We have other questions,” Detective Flint said halfheartedly.

  “So do I,” Mira said, “starting with why you’re asking the questions you’re asking.”

  Detective Flint crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. “Where will you be tomorrow?”

  “I’m not sure,” Mira said, “but you should have my contact information.”

  “Thank you for your time,” Detective Burke said, moving forward.

  “Wait. Before I go, why has the case changed hands? You look familiar,” Mira gestured to Detective Burke, “but I know the case was being handled by someone else.”

  Mira noticed the sideways glance that Detective Burke gave Detective Flint.

  “The case has grown in scope,” Detective Burke said. “But the original investigators are still involved.”

  Grown in scope? They had asked about Helen and the occult, and then they said the case had grown. And who were those other people they mentioned?

  This wasn’t good.

  Mira glanced at her phone. “I’m running late, can I go now?”

  Detective Flint looked at his partner, but Detective Burke said nothing.

  “You’re free to leave,” Detective Flint said. “Thank you for your help.”

  It sounded like he was saying something by rote without the meaning ever really sinking in.

  Mira snatched up her bag and left the room. She was halfway down the hall before she realized she had no idea how to get out of there.

  “Let me give you a ride to your car,” Detective Burke said.

  “I don’t have time
to go back to work,” Mira said. “I’ll just take a cab.”

  “I’ll drop you off wherever you need,” Detective Burke said.

  Mira thought about her other options. She could call Della or spend a fortune on a cab.

  “We did bring you here, after all,” he said when she took too long to decide.

  “Um, I guess,” she said. Oh well, at least she wouldn’t be too late.

  “Follow me,” he said.

  To Mira, the silence was awkward as they walked through the building, though Detective Burke appeared more at ease than he had when they’d arrived. They went down a flight of stairs and out into the parking garage. It struck Mira that she was following an unknown person. Law enforcement or not, she was pretty sure that horror stories started that way.

  Still, when he held the car door open for her, she got in. More silence greeted her, and she struggled to find something to say to fill the void.

  “Where are we going?” Detective Burke asked.

  Taking anyone to Lance’s house would be a bad idea. The people gathering would definitely not want the police to be around, even if it was just to drop someone off.

  “My house,” Mira said, pulling out her phone again. “I’ll pull it up on my GPS.”

  “Sorry we made you late,” Detective Burke said.

  Mira shrugged, and then realized that wasn’t helping the awkwardness. “I’m still not sure why you did. It took longer to bring me there than it did to interview me.”

  Detective Burke followed the voice telling him to turn left. “I’m not sure you’d believe me even if I told you why.”

  Mira’s entire world was filled with stuff that others wouldn’t believe. “Try me.”

  Detective Burke took his time answering. “Gabe has this knack for telling when someone is lying. It sounds strange, but I’ve never known him to be wrong.”

  “He thinks I’m lying?” Mira asked. “About what?”

  “It’s hard to say.”

  “Huh.” Mira looked out the window. She had noticed he’d caught her in a lie, and he’d known when she told the truth, but that could still be coincidence.