Magic, Movies, and Murder: Book 1 of the Bewitcher's Beach Paranormal Cozy Mysteries by Emily Fluke

Author:Emily Fluke [Fluke, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

THROWN TO THE WOLVES

On Monday, I killed time by refreshing myself on the clues I’d gathered.

While I waited for Piper’s appointment, I sat at Mockbuster’s front desk and mused over the clues. After hours of writing with a numb butt, I’d become accustomed to the stool and deemed it my brainstorming spot.

Squeaks curled in my lap, snoring softly to the sound of my voice as I mulled over the information aloud.

“Mae is out. Vera doesn’t have a motive. Dr. Pitt dated the same woman as Cliff.”

Though I’d closed the shop early, it didn’t matter; nobody came to the door. Passersby didn’t so much as walk by the windows, choosing instead to give the curse a wide berth. In the last half hour alone, I’d witnessed three people step into the gutter rather than risk walking too close to Mockbuster.

I sighed. Sett had said investigations move slowly, but I’d hoped to have clearer answers by now. At least clear enough to prove poison wasn’t because of a cursed video.

“Speaking of which,” I mumbled and leaned over to scoop a handful of VHS tapes from the return bin. I fell into the rhythm of opening each case and checking that the correct video was inside.

“Motives are the key,” I said, circling Dr. Pitt’s motive. Jealousy? I dragged the crayon to Piper’s motive and underlined it several times until the crayon snapped. Broken flecks of red wax rolled off the paper as I huffed and puffed them away. I wiped the page of the remaining pieces and stared.

Was Piper and Cliff’s breakup related to Dr. Pitt? If so, it seemed odd she’d return to his clinic for care. Unless it wasn’t for his care but to...

“Settle a score,” I breathed. The first time I’d met Piper, she overshared with that one phrase. Did she hate Cliff for ending their relationship? And was it somehow Dr. Pitt’s fault? Or did she have a vendetta against all her ex-boyfriends?

I reached for Scream’s case and popped it open. Sweeping blue font labeled the VHS tape inside.

“The Swan Princess?” I shrieked, reading the title aloud. Squeaks awoke with a start and dove off of my lap. He landed on the desk with a thud and scrambled for protection from the shock. His little body squeezed beneath the keyboard where the small hinges propped it up.

How did the movie Cliff had rented end up in the case Piper returned? It was proof enough for me. Piper had watched half a movie with Cliff that night, and then he’d ended up dead with the tapes in his hands.

A lump gathered in my throat, and I squinted at the clock on the back wall. I’d lost track of time, too invested in the mess of theories in my notebook. The afternoon was almost over, which meant Piper had already arrived and Dr. Pitt was in danger. If, in fact, he was next on her ex-boyfriends murder rampage. And with the muffins she’d pay him with, she had somewhere to stash the poison.

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