Lethal paws, p.3
Lethal Paws, page 3
Ember had proven instrumental in proving Kara’s guilt and putting her in jail. It seemed a cruel twist of fate that Kara walked the streets a free woman now. Kara had been sure to rub it in Ember’s face.
Ember resisted the urge to be glad Kara had been killed. She did, however, allow herself the luxury of feeling relieved. Kara had already killed one person. According to investigative logic, that meant she was likely to do so again.
Kara wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else, and Ember couldn’t help but feel relieved about that fact.
Ember added a pinch of salt to her mix, then retrieved the butter from the fridge. She used the mandolin to cut neat slivers off into her flour mix. Her mind drifted away from being relieved at Kara’s death to trying to solve her murder.
Kevin Whitman seemed the most likely culprit. His gun fetish meant he could have been itching for a chance to use them. Who else could construct an ice bullet and use it in a public place in broad daylight than a deeply paranoid gun maniac?
Ember refused to even consider for a moment her pixie friend Luka could have harmed anyone. Luka bore no love for Kara—no one did—but Luka just wasn’t a violent person…er, pixie.
James Connor was trickier to dismiss out of hand. He had motivation, as Laura had been one of his close friends. He’d slept with her on several occasions, in fact. Of course, James slept around a lot, cheating on his wife with an almost compulsive fervor.
Ember couldn’t abide his cheating dishonesty, but murder seemed a bridge too far for James Connor. He was definitely a lover and not a fighter.
Ember used her fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture. The cold butter soon integrated with the flour, forming pea sized crumbs. Ember burrowed a pit in the center of the crumbs and poured in ice cold buttermilk. She worked the dough a bit, then turned it out onto the counter and rolled it out, folding it over twice in the process.
To Ember’s thinking, her husband had his work cut out for him. Not only would he have to deal with the rowdy wrestling troupe, but a murder investigation as well.
Ember cut the biscuit shapes out, saving the scraps in a plastic baggie, she could roll them out for pizza crust for dinner that night.
The sausage hit the skillet and Kali bounded down into the kitchen and leaped on the counter to ‘supervise’ its cooking.
“Make sure you let it sit for a while,” Kali said. “Get that Maillard reaction on the sausage.”
“Gee, thanks, Kali. I might accept your cooking advice more readily if you had any experience whatsoever.”
“That’s racist.”
“Racist?”
“I can’t cook sausage because I lack opposable thumbs. You’re being prejudiced to my lack of manipulatory digits.”
Ember laughed. “You’re just trying to guilt me into pouring the grease over your dry food when I finish.”
“And some of the crusty bits, if you don’t mind. I like the crunch.”
“Okay, okay.” Ember fished the sausage out of the pan and drained it in a colander. While the biscuits baked in the oven, Ember poured milk in the hot skillet and stirred rapidly, adding a bit of four a spoonful at a time until she had a thick, burbling gravy.
Kali nibbled on bits of sausage while Ember set out the plates for breakfast. They turned around and took the biscuits out of the oven, smiling at their perfect, fluffy, golden brown tops.
She heard Cedric enter the kitchen behind her, and a smile spread on her face.
“Good morning, honey,” she said, taking off the mitts and turning around.
Ember’s jaw hit the floor. Cedric had a gun pointed straight at her.
“Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?” His eyes narrowed, finger curling around the trigger. “Don’t make me ask twice.”
Seven
Ember frowned, putting her hands on her hips. “If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not very funny! And if we’re supposed to be role-playing again, I told you, only on holidays and your birthday.”
Cedric put a second hand on his pistol, steadying his aim. “Ma’am, I can assure you if there’s a joke here, it’s being played on me, not by me. Now show me your hands and tell me who you are, and why you’re here.”
Ember stared at Cedric, letting her vision shift from the mundane world to the magical one Her eyes widened. Cedric told the truth. He really didn’t remember her. Some kind of magic?
“What are you doing?” Cedric stammered and she cast a quick spell.
“I’m checking for the presence of magic, like you’ve seen me do a hundred times before.” Ember sighed. “No spell I can detect. How did this happen?”
“Magic? So, are you one of those dark coven witches?”
Ember rubbed a hand over her face. She tried not to panic. If she could restore the memory of Ash to her parent’s minds, she could probably do the same with Cedric’s memories.
Still, it hurt that her attentive husband, who could read her at a glance, now thought her a stranger. Worse, an intruder.
“I’m not a dark coven…” Ember sighed, trying to keep the exasperation out of her tone when she next spoke. “Cedric, you’re a detective. An investigator. You can figure this out. Look around you. Look at the walls.”
Cedric glanced over at a portrait sized photo from their wedding day. He put his hand on the wall and frowned. Ember breathed a sigh of relief when the barrel of his gun drooped to the floor.
“Remember?” Ember’s voice brimmed with hope she couldn’t surrender, not yet. She knew magical memory enchantments were powerful yet couldn’t fathom her beloved husband had well and truly forgotten her. “You were so handsome.”
“I—I can’t remember,” Cedric sighed.
“So, we know that your memory loss isn’t just me, but any event which featured me prominently. That’s more powerful magic.”
Cedric raised the gun again. “All I know is that you seem to have all the answers, and I’m very confused because the answers don’t add up. I. Do. Not. Know. You. Okay? You’re not my wife. I don’t love you.”
Ember winced as if struck. Her lips cracked a smile, though tears welled at the corners of her eyes.
“I—know that. You can’t love somebody you don’t even remember…” Ember sniffled. “It still hurts to hear it, though. It still hurts…”
Ember turned and fled from the kitchen.
“Hey! Where are you going? Stop or I’ll shoot!”
Cedric didn’t sound very convinced he would actually shoot. That, and the gnawing despair in her heart, drove Ember to flee out to the back porch. She leaned with her forehead pressed into one of the support pillars and cried.
It’s like a nightmare. He really doesn’t remember. He doesn’t remember me at all!
Cedric exited the porch, the gun holstered at his side. He put his hands on his hips and stared at her for a long time as her shoulders shook with sobs.
“I’m sorry,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “I’m not sure for what, but I’m really sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Ember moaned without turning around. “You’re the victim here. I’m just…a bystander caught in the crossfire.”
“Hey,” Cedric stood a little bit closer. “The way you’re carrying on, I wish I could remember just so you wouldn’t be sad. I really kind of wish I was your husband.”
“You are, though.” Ember turned about and pointed at his hand. “Look at your wedding ring. Do you remember how you got it?”
Cedric shook his head. “I don’t. I don’t remember it at all.
“If you check your bank records, you’ll find the purchase,” Ember said hopefully.
Cedric dug out his phone from his pocket and stared for a long moment. “Huh. You’re right, four months ago. How come I don’t remember?”
“The spell is insidious.”
“Or there is no spell at all.” Cedric’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Maybe someone hacked my account, and I didn’t notice?”
“Didn’t notice THAT many zeroes went missing?” Ember snapped. “What about the ring itself?”
“What about it? It could have been put on my finger while I was sleeping.”
Ember sighed. “Yes, but it’s worn on one side more than the other because of the way you grip the steering wheel on your squad car. One handed, your elbow hanging halfway to your belly.”
Cedric frowned thoughtfully, his gaze boring into the ring on his finger with intense scrutiny.
“You have an excellent point. I’ll admit there’s a lot of evidence to suggest we’ve been married and living together.”
“That’s because it happened. I know you can’t remember, but if you’ll just give me a chance I can fix this.”
I hope I can. Please let there be a way to fix this!
Cedric sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “I—I don’t have time for this. I have no way of knowing for sure if what you’re saying is the truth.”
“Cedric, do you think I’m some dark witch trying to trick you? Look into my eyes.” She took a half step toward him. “You may not love me, but I love you. Can’t you see it? Can’t you see I love you?”
A tear slipped down her cheek. Cedric gasped, reaching out to wipe it away with his thumb.
“I do see that. But for all I know, you’re the victim of the spell as much as I am.”
Ember sighed. Even with some memories missing, Cedric remained Cedric. He would play by-the-books investigator to the hilt, assuming nothing and exploring everything until he unearthed the truth.
“I have to go. I need to meet with the Medical Examiner about the murder case.” Cedric shook his head. “We’ll figure this out later, okay?”
Ember turned her back and shuddered. Cedric sighed and stalked off. When she heard his car pull away, Ember fell to her knees and sobbed.
Eight
Ember struggled to control her despair as Cedric drove away. She tried to see it from Cedric’s point of view. Waking up to find a total stranger claiming to be your spouse was deep blue Twilight Zone stuff. She would likely be just as skeptical as he.
Ember texted Ash and asked her to open the Broom. She felt reluctant to share Cedric’s magically induced amnesia over the phone so she feigned having slept through her alarm.
Ember ate a biscuit with drizzlings of gravy more for the fuel than the flavor. All her effort seemed to mock her, now. Cedric had not only forgotten her, but figured Kara Dennings’ murder ranked higher than finding out the truth of his own memories.
She tried not to think of her own despair, only of possible suspects. Top of the list was the Dark Witch coven. Ember decided to pay a visit to one of their members.
Ember put away the abundant leftovers and cleaned the kitchen before collecting Kali into her arms and heading out to her car. She filled Kali in on the situation with Cedric on the way to their destination.
“So we’re talking about a specific memory wipe, just like the one which made your folks forget Ash?”
“That, or something like it. There are at least six different ways of achieving a memory theft or erasure. I don’t want to make assumptions at this point.”
Kali laid a paw on Ember’s shoulder. “You can dispel the effect, right? I mean, there’s a way to do it…isn’t there?”
Ember stroked Kali’s fur and tried not to weep. The best way to counter an enchantment was to convince the original caster to dismiss it. Curses in particular were often overcome in this fashion.
A memory-erasure spell was the worst-case scenario. If the memories had simply been destroyed, then they were gone forever.
The third possibility was some form of memory theft; many spells and creatures were capable of such feats. Those cases had to be handled on an individual basis and had no catch-all defusion technique.
Ember decided to operate under the assumption she could do something to get Cedric’s memories back. She had a two-out-of-three chance of being right. Besides, she’d likely find the entity or entities responsible, and if she couldn’t get Cedric’s memories back, well…
Ember shook her head. She’d what? Kill them? That was the way dark witches thought. Ember didn’t want to go down that path. Still, the idea of a dark coven causing havoc in her life didn’t seem too much of a stretch.
Many of the Dark Witches of the local coven blamed Ember for preventing the resurrection of the cruel, yet popular, Cassandra. Any one of them could be nursing a grudge.
Ember continued on her way to speak to a member of the dark coven. Not the most powerful, and certainly not the leader. Rather, this was the most wretched witch in town.
The Spanish moss hung low over the road as she penetrated the swamp at the edge of town. Enveloped in the cool, humid darkness of the swamp, Ember repressed a shiver.
Ember parked outside of a small two-story home with a rusting van parked out front, one of its tires flat. She carefully moved past the two loud, savagely barking dogs straining at the end of their chains. There would be no sneaking up tonight.
That suited Ember’s mood just fine. She rapped on the door with her knuckles, rattling it in the frame. A moment later the pinched, wizened face of a septuagenarian woman appeared in the barely open door.
“What do you want?”
“I want to talk to you, Meredith.”
“Well, I don’t want to talk to you. I’m a very busy woman. Go away.”
Meredith tried to close the door, but Ember stuck her heel in the way.
“Hold up, Meredith. This is important. Where were you last night?”
“None of your business. Get your foot out of my door, or I’ll call your husband and have him arrest you.”
Ember flinched. If Meredith were feigning ignorance, she deserved an Academy award.
“Look, Meredith, if you’ll just answer me this one question, truthfully, then I’ll leave you be for now, all right?”
“No, not all right. You’re not the boss of me. Getting big britches because your old man is the Sheriff? Please. I didn’t kill Kara Dennings, okay? I may have told that to Crazy Cat Lady but it’s not true.”
“Crazy Cat…never mind,” Ember said, shaking her head. “You think I’m here to accuse you of the murder?”
“Why else would you be here?”
Ember didn’t trust Meredith as far as she could throw her. The old Dark Witch wasn’t powerful, but she was crafty and craven. Still, Ember believed the old witch wouldn’t be able to play it so cool. No, Meredith would be more likely to lord it over Ember that she had stolen Cedric’s memories.
Ember decided to come clean, on the off-chance Meredith had heard anything. “Someone or something cast a spell on my husband last night. He’s not hurt, but he’s having trouble with his memory. You know anything about that?”
Meredith sneered. “No, I don’t. I’m glad to hear you’re getting what’s coming to you, though! Ha!”
Ember restrained her anger. She turned on her heel to leave, but Meredith called after her.
“Oh, Ember? I’ll throw you this much of a bone. If you’re looking for suspects, I would put Cassandra’s sister at the top of the list. She just came to town.”
Meredith slammed the door, her cackle echoing out into the air. Ember stalked over to the car, chewing over the witch’s words.
There’s only one place she could be, if she just came to town…
Nine
Ember drove back to the Broken Broom in a daze. Cassandra had a sister. Recently come to town, no less. Right when the murders and Cedric’s memory problems started.
As soon as she pulled into the parking lot, Ember knew she couldn’t stand to go back to work that day. She called her friend Kathy and asked her to pitch in at the pub to take some pressure off of Ash.
Ember filled in Ash while they waited for Kathy to arrive. Ash’s bottom lip quivered, her eyes swimming with tears as Ember wound up her tale.
“That’s so awful!” Ash hugged Ember tight. “Whoever did this is a monster.”
“You understand why I can’t concentrate on work today, right?”
“Oh absolutely. You go ahead, take all the time you need. I can hold down the fort here. If I have to, I can call Mom and Dad. I bet they’d be willing to pitch in and help out a little.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. Just don’t let Dad make the biscuits. Ever. He tries to just cut the butter in at the same time as the milk.”
“The savage!”
Ember smiled, then nearly broke down again. She leaned her head on Ash’s shoulder, weeping silently.
“It’s all right, sis,” Ash said softly, stroking her hair. “You’re going to figure this out. You always do. Ember McNair always saves the day.”
“Ember McNair-Jamison.”
“Oh my God.” Ash threw her hand in front of her mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t fret about it. I’m heading home. Call me if you need anything.”
Ember took her leave. She did a bit of research and found a likely dispelling incantation. Ember committed the words to memory and grew antsy. She had no idea when Cedric would return home so she could try it.
To kill time, Ember went out and did some much-needed yard work. She cleared fallen branches from the yard, trimmed the hedges, and weeded the flower boxes on the northern side of her home.
Ember frowned as she saw something jutting up from under her marigolds. She gently pried the green stems to the side and spotted something she first took to be a splinter of wood.
As she lifted it from the dirt and brushed it off, it revealed itself to be too smooth to be natural. A long, rigid, cool tube. Slightly tapered on one end, it was clean enough on the inside to see through.
Ember blew on the straw, and heard a sound akin to laughter. The laughter seemed eerily familiar, but she couldn’t place from where. She blew again, but nothing happened. Ember shifted her vision into the supernatural realm, and saw that the device, whatever it was, possessed no innate magic of its own.
She tucked it in her back pocket and returned to her task, deciding to puzzle it out later. It didn’t seem harmful, or of much interest at all. Ember even wondered if her stressful day had caused her to imagine the laughter.
