Bewitching Murder by Elizabeth Clover

Author:Elizabeth Clover [Clover, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Sunday

11:41 pm

I could barely make out Amelia in the darkness, but her voice gave her away. “Coral, I think someone’s squatting in City Hall.”

“What?” That was not what I was expecting to hear.

“I’m often here late, working. Sometimes Luisa is here. But the past few nights, after she goes home, I’ve been hearing something from the roof stairwell. I went to look, but the key is gone. I haven’t touched it since I let your brother on the roof.”

“What time do you normally hear those sounds?”

Amelia paused. “In about half an hour.”

I rubbed my palms together. “Perfect.”

We went back to Amelia’s office as Luisa was leaving. Once she left, the quiet of the building was profound. Amelia and I didn’t talk while we waited in the dark, with her lights off. I heard her yawn, and I got the distinct impression that we were much more in danger of one of us falling asleep than being attacked.

Then the sound of a door opening in the distance echoed throughout the building.

Amelia jumped to her feet, switching her heels for slippers. We crept over to the stairwell as we heard a key being inserted into a lock. We waited for the key to turn, the door to open, and someone to climb the staircase. Once they did, we followed suit.

As we stepped onto the roof, Amelia holding a heel in a defensive position, I shivered. The crisp night air chilled me to the bone, but the sight of what we found was not nearly as chilling.

Ezra was smoothing out a sleeping bag and fluffing a pillow. A duffel bag was nearby, and a bottle of multivitamins sat next to a water bottle.

“Coral!” Ezra looked up when he heard us approaching. Knowing his secret nightly crash pad was no longer a secret, he lifted his shoulders. “This is the best spot in Desert Spell for stargazing.”

“You told me you’re at The Enchanting.” I had immediately relaxed, but Amelia’s shoe was still raised and ready to go.

Ezra’s shoulders dropped, and he sat on his sleeping bag, defeated. “My buddy’s reservation ended, and I’m broke. I can’t afford an extended stay at such a fancy resort.”

Amelia shook her shoe menacingly. “How did you get up here?”

“On one of my rounds of the town, I found a couple keys next to the dumpster that’s behind City Hall. I took a chance, tried all the locks, and found the ones that worked.”

Amelia lowered her weapon. “You’re trespassing.”

Ezra looked at her with sad eyes. “I’m sorry. I needed a place I could afford, and I could only afford free—even at the cost of stealing and trespassing. I’ll leave right away. I should have enough from my shift at Magic Brew to pay for a bus ticket home.”

“You’re dead broke,” I said. “So you took advantage of a stepping challenge that gave you a room to stay at, and you’re dedicated to getting the most steps. Hasn’t the challenge ended, though, if your buddy cut you off?”

Ezra scratched his head.

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