The Pink Pumpkin Party Read online

  “Sure. I’d be happy to.”

  While I had been to his place one time after I’d passed out from cloaking myself for too long, I would feel a little strange going through his things, but for Rihanna’s sake, I would do as he asked.

  He reached in his pocket and unhooked a key. “Here’s my spare. Keep it.”

  I refused to read anything into this other than his need for me to grab a change of clothes for him and some toiletries. When we reached the back entrance to the Tiki Hut, I unlocked the entrance and ushered him in. I could have suggested Jaxson head on back, but I was in a selfish mood. I needed a long hug.

  At the top of the stairs, I lifted Iggy out of my purse and opened the cat door, motioning him to go into the apartment. He looked back at me with disgust. Too bad. I wanted some alone time with Jaxson. Once my familiar was on the other side, I turned to my partner and leaned my head against his chest. “Thank you for being there for me and for Aunt Fern.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “Of course. Are you going to be okay?”

  I looked up at him. “I will be after a nice soak in the tub, but I worry that Aunt Fern won’t be for a long time. She really cared for Peter.”

  Jaxson brushed a wisp of hair out of my face. “I know. We’ll do what we can to help her.”

  I wasn’t sure what we could do exactly, but I appreciated his willingness. I didn’t know who leaned in first, but the kiss that followed was sweet and full of promise.

  He leaned back. “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will.”

  Once Jaxson left, I went inside. “Iggy, you need to get clean.”

  “Ugh.”

  “I thought you liked water.”

  “Water yes, soap no.”

  Ah, the life of an iguana. Soap probably dried his skin. “Come on. Maybe I can clean you up without using it.”

  Chapter Five

  Even though I barely slept a wink last night, I got up early to see if Aunt Fern wanted me to open up for the cleaning staff. Before the horrible incident, the plan had been for a crew to arrive at seven. After picking up the party trash, they were to wash the floors and then set up the tables and chairs that their company had stored.

  “I need to do some running around,” I told Iggy, who was still on his stool with his eyes closed.

  “I’m sleeping,” he shot back. “Go away.”

  I figured he’d say that. Besides, he was perfectly capable of heading the few hundred feet to the office on his own.

  “As you wish.” As soon as I stepped out of my apartment, noise from the restaurant filtered upstairs, and relief shot through me. The workers were here, which meant that Aunt Fern had been able to pull herself together enough to get dressed and manage the clean-up.

  I found her in the middle of the restaurant dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, something I rarely saw her wear. I didn’t know if I should be concerned or not. “Aunt Fern?”

  She was talking with one of the workers. When she spotted me, she motioned for him to do something near the bar and then came over. “Oh, Glinda,” she said before hugging me.

  “I am so sorry for your loss.” I inwardly groaned at the cliché, but I’d heard it my whole life. It was what I always said. In this case, I meant it. “I’m glad you didn’t tell the workers to get near where Peter was…I mean, near the coffin. Steve asked that we not touch anything behind the crime scene tape.”

  Her half smile seemed forced. “I figured, dear. What are you doing up so early?”

  “I wanted to check up on you.”

  “I’m good. Thank you.”

  She wasn’t good. Her eyes were still red, probably from crying all night. “Do you have any idea who would want to harm Peter?”

  Yes, yes, I know, it wasn’t my place to ask, but this was my aunt, and I wanted to help her any way I could.

  She shook her head. “I’ve had all night to think about it, and the answer is still no. Peter didn’t expect anyone to pay him back. I think I mentioned that he lent money to start-up companies, but what I meant was that he invested in them. In return, he would receive a portion of the profits.”

  She had told me. “Did he mention which companies he’d invested in?”

  “He might have, but most weren’t from around here, so I can’t recall.”

  That I didn’t know. “Maybe he was killed by mistake.”

  Her eyes widened. “By mistake?”

  I’d mentioned the possibility yesterday also. She must have forgotten. “I just meant that it was dark, and several people wore vampire costumes. You said it yourself. Peter was a good man.”

  “Good men are often murdered.”

  “I suppose. Let’s hope that the sheriff’s department finds something. Is there anything I can do?” Aunt Fern was down here most likely to forget, and here I was dredging up bad memories. Way to go, Glinda!

  “No, dear, but I’ll let you know if I think of anything.”

  I hugged her again before heading out. I hopped in my car and drove to Jaxson’s place. Being there by myself almost seemed like an invasion of his privacy, but he needed his things.

  Once inside, I gathered the items on his list and then headed back to the office. And yes, I was tempted to snoop, but I didn’t. I’d even considered making his bed and straightening up a bit, but that would be overstepping anyone’s bounds.

  When I returned to the office, I was surprised to find that Jaxson and Rihanna were up. “Hey.”

  I didn’t ask if either had slept, as I assumed the answer would be no. My stomach, however, was quite awake if the grumbling coming from it was any indication.

  “Hungry?” Jaxson asked with a hint of a smile.

  “I am.” I handed him the items he’d asked me to pick up.

  “Thank you.”

  “How about we see Dolly?” Rihanna asked.

  “Why?” It was too early to be thinking straight.

  “We want to eat, and Dolly might have learned something since last night.”

  If anyone could get to the bottom of this, it would be her. “The Tiki Hut is not open yet, so the Spellbound Diner it is!”

  “Where’s Iggy?” Jaxson asked.

  “He wanted to sleep in.”

  Jaxson nodded. “Give me five minutes to clean up.”

  “Sure.”

  He disappeared into the bathroom. “Did you and Jaxson figure anything out after I left?” I asked.

  “Not really. Either Mr. Upton was the target, or he wasn’t. Could either Levy or I have been the intended target? Maybe.”

  I had been worried finding answers would be hard. “This is why we need to ask Dolly.”

  “I agree.”

  True to his word, Jaxson emerged from the bathroom in no time. “I’m ready,” he stated.

  We hadn’t reached the bottom steps when who should appear but our sleepy iguana. “Nice of you to join us,” I said.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To the diner.”

  Without me asking if he wanted to come, he crawled up my leg to my shoulder. Prancing in with Iggy when the town was full of tourists might not be such a good idea, but fortunately I had on a lightweight sweater. Wanting to keep Dolly’s goodwill, I placed him underneath.

  Inside, the place was packed. That came as no surprise as it was a Sunday morning. Our luck, a couple left their booth, and we snagged it. Dolly was working in the kitchen, but I didn’t want to disturb her—at least not yet. Food first and then gossip.

  After the server cleared off the table, she took our order. This time, I remembered to ask for the plate of lettuce for Iggy.

  “I’m thinking of seeing if Gertrude can set up a séance,” Rihanna said.

  “In order to talk to Peter?” I asked.

  “Yes. He might have some ideas as to what happened.”

  “My mom says it often takes days before the deceased is willing to talk.”

  “Sure, but isn’t that because they want some kind of justi
ce first?” she asked.

  I was no expert in talking to those who’d passed on, except for the few ghosts who’d come my way. Even then, only one person who hadn’t been in his ghost form had spoken directly to me. “I don’t know.”

  “Come on, Glinda. What do we have to lose?” Jaxson’s brow rose.

  “Nothing. I’m game.” I held up a finger. “By the way, I spoke to Aunt Fern this morning.”

  “How is she?” he asked.

  “As good as can be expected.” I detailed our discussion about the fact that while Peter invested in growing companies, most were not from around here.

  “That’s makes researching his firm more difficult.”

  “Steve will be at a dead end, too, I bet, which is all the more reason to follow the psychic trail. He won’t have much access to that,” I said.

  “He knows Levy,” Rihanna said.

  “True, but I doubt your mentor would invite the sheriff’s department to a coven meeting.” Not that he’d ever suggested we go, either.

  “What are you thinking?” Jaxson asked.

  I had no clear path of attack. “I know Rihanna wants to consult a fortuneteller, but I think talking with Gertrude, who is our most competent psychic, will be our best use of our time. I can ask Mom to join us for the séance if need be since the four of us contacted my Nana the last time.”

  “What about Jaxson?” Rihanna said. “He should join us.”

  “I have no problem with the five of us, but Jaxson, are you comfortable with it?”

  He inhaled and then pressed his lips together. Before he could answer, our food arrived. I took his delayed response as a probable no. I was going to ask the server to tell Dolly we were here, but when the owner emerged from the kitchen, I’d flag her down. This diner was still a madhouse.

  “Come on, Jaxson,” Rihanna urged. “It will be fun.”

  Iggy crawled on my lap. “I’ll do it.”

  I almost laughed, but then thought better of it. He could see and talk to ghosts. Perhaps he had some supernatural powers I was unaware of. “If Gertrude is amenable, we can give it a try,” I told him.

  He ran up my chest and licked my face. That act of affection took me by surprise since Iggy didn’t bestow kisses often.

  “I don’t think six is a good number,” Jaxson said, clearly fighting a smile.

  “Next time.”

  He smiled. “Sure.”

  We dug into our meal. Halfway through, Dolly came over. “I thought I saw you guys come in. How is Fern? I tried calling, but she didn’t answer.”

  “My aunt is managing the clean-up. She claims she’s fine, but she’s not really.”

  “It’s such a shame. She and Peter only stopped in here one time, but I got to see them at the art showing. He seemed nice.”

  “I thought so, too.” Even though Dolly seemed anxious to discuss Aunt Fern’s mental state, I needed her to answer some questions. “What exactly did you see last night?” I asked.

  “Just what I told Steve. No one notices a bag lady, so I was free to wander. In fact, I was heading over to chat with Nash, or at least who I thought was Nash, because I wanted to ask about Pearl, but before I reached him, the man left and joined your aunt. When he kissed her, I realized that vampire had not been our deputy.”

  “Oh, my,” Rihanna said.

  “What is it?”

  “I spoke to Steve briefly. He asked me about how my work with Gertrude was coming. I told him good, and then I went in search of Gavin, who was getting us some sodas.”

  “Are you thinking the killer thought you or Peter might have been Nash, because both of you were talking to Steve?”

  “I don’t know what to think,” she said.

  Having four lookalikes could be confusing. “Dolly, did you ever find Nash?”

  “I did. Like I said, I wanted to chat with him instead of Steve, because I didn’t want to bother the sheriff. He and Misty seemed quite cozy, if you get my drift.” She winked.

  “I’m glad. He needs some balance in his life.” Before I’d met Jaxson, I might not have been as pleased. Now? I had no interest in the man.

  “Did you see anyone else in a vampire outfit?” I asked.

  “One more guy, that’s all.”

  That would have been Levy. “You said you saw a person in a Spiderman costume stab, if that’s the right word, the vampire. Right?”

  “I saw Spiderman walk up to the vampire, and he was carrying the hook from Steve’s Captain Hook outfit. I never saw the actual stabbing, because the lights went out. I did hear someone groan.”

  That might have been the same groan I heard.

  “One more thing. Did you see any other people dressed as Spiderman?” I asked.

  “Yes, but I couldn’t tell you how many. Pearl said there had only been one—according to Steve. I told her that wasn’t right since I distinctly remember several wearing that costume.”

  Iggy clawed my leg, and I looked down at him. “Tell her about the three men stashing their Spiderman costumes in their car.”

  I wish I could communicate telepathically with him right now so I could tell him I wasn’t comfortable with Dolly knowing about the other men. “I remember only one for sure during the time Jaxson and I manned the front door. Others could have entered through the back entrance, though.”

  Hopefully, later today, we would get together with Penny, Hunter, and possibly Levy. Between all of us, we should be able to figure out how many had worn Spiderman costumes and why only one appeared after the murder.

  Someone called Dolly’s name. “I’ve got to go. Keep me in the loop.”

  I just waved, not wanting to commit to anything. “Thank you.”

  She hustled off. “What do we make of this new information?” I asked my crime solving companions.

  “Why didn’t you tell her about the three men?” Iggy asked.

  “I don’t want to put her in any more danger. She already saw the killer—or rather kind of saw him. I just hope he doesn’t know that Dolly was the bag lady.”

  “I doubt it,” Jaxson said. “Even we couldn’t tell with all that makeup.”

  “Maybe Gertrude can get a handle on this mess,” Rihanna said.

  “That would be nice. I just wish the killer had left something behind so that Gertrude—or you—could touch it and maybe see something.”

  “Who’s to say he didn’t?” Rihanna asked.

  “He might have. The cleaning crew could have picked up something. Even Dr. Sanchez might have found a trace.”

  Once we finished our meal, I paid, anxious to find some answers.

  “Can we stop over at the Psychics Corner to see when Gertrude can fit us in?” Rihanna asked.

  “We can do that.” I turned to Jaxson. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

  “I’ve changed my mind. If I’m going to be part of some paranormal cult or coven or whatever you call yourselves, I need to learn everything I can.”

  I loved his new attitude. “Works for me.”

  We headed over to the Psychics Corner to find Gertrude. Because this was a tourist town, they were open on Sunday, and it being Halloween week, the town was more full than usual. I was convinced parents bused their kids in from neighboring towns to see all of the decorations. I wouldn’t be surprised if they told their children they might see some real magic.

  Gertrude wasn’t in, but the receptionist, who wasn’t Sarah this time, said she’d call her, claiming Gertrude never seemed to mind being interrupted despite her advanced age. Because time—and possibly another person’s life was on the line—I didn’t feel bad asking the receptionist to make the call.

  After she contacted her, the receptionist disconnected and smiled. “She’ll be here soon.”

  I never knew where Gertrude lived, but considering she arrived in less than fifteen minutes, I bet it wasn’t all that far.

  Gertrude entered the large entranceway and smiled. “Isn’t this a nice surprise. Are we trying to find out who ki
lled your aunt’s boyfriend?”

  Now how did she know that?

  Chapter Six

  “Tell me what you know,” Gertrude said once we were all seated in her office.

  Iggy climbed up on Gertrude’s lap, and she seemed quite happy to have him there. I described the Halloween party, who some of the guests were, and then how the lights went out. “Right after Jaxson turned them on, I heard Aunt Fern cry out.”

  “That’s when she saw her dead boyfriend,” Gertrude said in a low, faraway sounding voice.

  What I wouldn’t give to know how Gertrude always knew things. “Yes. Everything was bizarre.”

  “Bizarre?” Gertrude asked.

  I explained how I had placed a mannequin of a vampire in the coffin. “How ironic was it that Peter had on in the same costume, lying on top of my mannequin? To make matters worse, your grandson, Rihanna, and Nash Solana all wore identical ones and are approximately the same height.”

  She wove her fingers together. “I didn’t know Levy was there. hat does confuse things. And you want to know if the person who killed Peter might have been trying to kill someone else.” It was a statement rather than a question.

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t know.”

  That answer surprised me.

  “Can’t you do some psychic spell or something to find out?”

  She smiled. “It doesn’t quite work that way.”

  While she was nice about it, I still felt like an ignorant witch.

  “How about we conduct a séance so Peter can provide us with answers?” Rihanna asked.

  Gertrude pressed her lips together. “That would be wonderful if he would talk to us.”

  I leaned forward. “You don’t sound hopeful.”

  She held up her hands. “No two séances are the same. I’ve been working with Rihanna on them, but she can attest that they don’t always go as planned.”

  “That’s true,” Rihanna said. “I’ve been trying to reach my dad, but he’s been rather stubborn about appearing.”