Magic & Maladies by Annabel Chase

Author:Annabel Chase [Chase, Annabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC
Published: 2019-08-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Deputy Bolan and I stood outside the entrance to Quicksilver. “Why don’t you let me handle this one?” I asked.

The leprechaun looked at me askance. “You think because they sell broomsticks that I won’t know how to conduct an interrogation? Do you know how law enforcement operates?”

“Sometimes?” Back in New Jersey, my closest interaction with law enforcement had been a parking ticket, so my frequent interactions with the sheriff's office in Starry Hollow was still a relatively new experience for me.

The deputy angled his head toward the door. “We’re working this case together, remember? This isn’t about proving ourselves. This is about solving the case so that the sheriff doesn’t lose his job.”

“I know,” I said, sounding just a smidge like a teenager who was just told that she couldn’t claim the child discount at the movie theater.

Deputy Bolan opened the door. “Civilians first.”

I entered Quicksilver and was immediately set upon by a sales clerk.

“Stars and stones, if it isn’t Ember Rose.”

“You know me?” I didn’t recognize him.

“How could I not?” He clapped merrily. “I would never want to disappoint a member of your family. You’re far too important to our community.”

“Thank you, Mr…” He was so intent on impressing me that I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I wasn’t here to make a purchase.

“Apple-White,” he said. “Brock Apple-White.”

“Well, Mr. Apple-White, I can assure you that my family is no more important than anyone else’s,” I said.

The wizard waved a hand. “Oh, please. Your family is full of influencers in this town. I follow Aster and Florian on social media. I love living vicariously through them.”

Aster and Florian were active on social media? Why wasn’t I in the loop?

“I hate to break it to you,” Deputy Bolan said, “but Ms. Rose and I are here on official business.”

His eyes widened. “Is this about that faulty broomstick that Evan Wormwood bought last week? Because I told him it was a manufacturing issue and that I would take care of it.”

“No,” I said. “This is about Shayna Masters.”

The wizard’s expression clouded over. “The tragedy. Shayna was far too vibrant to be taken from us so soon.”

“You don’t have to pretend with us,” I said. “Obviously, the deputy here knows all about the police report you filed a couple weeks ago.”

The wizard’s shoulders sagged. “It wasn’t personal,” he insisted. “It was just that she could have killed someone, not to mention the fact that she caused damage to my shop that she refused to compensate me for.” He pointed to the top of the shared wall between their shops. “You can see the spackle where I had to make the repair.”

“Why don’t you tell us exactly what happened?” I asked.

The wizard turned to the deputy. “It’s all in my report that I gave to the sheriff.”

“The report is very brief,” the deputy said. “It would be helpful to hear the story in your own words.”

“It was around noon that Tuesday,” he said. “I remember it distinctly because I always eat my lunch at twelve and I’d just sat down at the counter and opened my tuna fish sandwich.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.