“One person so far, but who knows what the killer will do. Whoever’s guilty seems fine with letting Wickham take the heat. We’re going to at least rule all the band members out before relaxing around them too much,” I explained, not sure how to say we didn’t suspect them but we didn’tnotsuspect them either.
“Yikes. You’re sure Wickham is innocent, right?” Kitty finished her donut and raised a brow.
“I’m sure. We discovered the body together after our first date,” I explained. Though, I wanted to ask him about the ring he wore on the string around his neck. It wasn’t something he’d worn before. “There’s no way he could have done it.”
“Good thing we’ve been using protective spells at night.” Kitty shuddered.
“Yeah.” Outside the bakery window, the streets were dark, and I didn’t want to think about who might be out there. “The sooner we get this solved, the better.”
Chapter 4
Myfuturehusband—thoughhedidn’t know it yet—showed up the next afternoon around three, and of course, Mom answered the door.
“Oh! Wickham! How fun to have a celebrity visiting us!" Her aura glowed frantically orange and yellow as she ushered him in, toward the bottom of the stairs, anticipating his full attention. So I rushed down to greet him before she hijacked our afternoon.
“We’ve got a lot to do to set up for the open mic tonight, Mom,” I said. “We’ll have a more social visit later.”
Wickham nodded to my mother as I dragged him away.
“Sorry,” I said, “if we get started with her, it might be hours before we get anything done. Have you had the chance to invite anyone for tonight?”
“Yes, I told the band and asked them to share it on their socials. Most of them should be here any minute.”
“Perfect. We’re done cooking for the bakery today, so we can use the professional kitchen to prepare,” I said, pulling Wickham away from the picture-window storefront, wrought iron French café tables, and displays and into the back kitchen. We had two kitchens at Cupid’s Confection. One was the professional kitchen in the bakery. The other was the cozy place where we cooked, ate, and gathered in our living quarters.Someone had left an enchanted empty bowl stirring itself with a wooden spoon, so I snatched the spoon and put it away.
"Fancy." Wickham stood next to me, surveying the scene.
“I’ll just unlock the side gate so the band can come in through this back entrance—no need to subject the entire group to my mother.”
“I mentioned they should enter through the alley, like you said.” Wickham followed me out the side door as I unlocked the fence and swung open the gate."I tried this entrance, but it was still locked."
“Sorry, I should've opened it sooner. If they get stuck at the front counter in a conversation with her, we’ll never be ready.”
Back in the industrial kitchen, coffee, cinnamon, and donuts scented the air, while sugar and flour dusted the black-and-white checkerboard floor.
I grabbed two brooms and handed one to Wickham. “We’ll need to finish tidying up from this morning first. Mom won’t want anything out on the café floor until after hours tonight, so we'll want to get organized for a quick setup at eight.”
“Got it. I’m not sure everyone in the band knows how to bake, by the way.” Wickham moved aside some stools to sweep underneath them, obviously familiar with chores.
I grabbed a dustpan. “Anyone who wants to help is welcome, but no one is required to stay and bake. If we can all just meet up and have a plan for tonight, we should be all right. We just need to cover all the details.
“Easy. It’s like setting up for a gig but with pastries. We’ve done this a million times.” He swept a pile of flour into the dustpan and tossed it in the trash.
The reason for our gathering overshadowed my thoughts. “Have you had any ideas about who might have killed Alex?”
Wickham’s eyes flickered, and his deep sapphire-and-green aura rippled with storm-gray flecks. I didn’t know his exact emotions, but I could guess. He was holding so much beneath that calm surface, and I knew he was more scared than he admitted. He had to be.
Considering my question, Wickham leaned against the counter and rubbed his temples. “No solid ideas yet. I know the band members are suspects, but I don't love it.”
“Well, we have to consider the possibility of someone in the band being the killer, even if you’re sure they’re innocent. Considering everyone as suspects will do two things: help us learn more about what happened that night and give us a chance to rule out the innocent. We probably shouldn’t let on that we’re investigating though.” I couldn’t imagine anyone in the band or any fans wanting to show up at the event if they felt they were under surveillance.
“Good thing you’re level-headed about this situation.” Wickham leaned his broom against the wall, then he spun me around and lifted me onto the counter, which put us at eye level. “I have a confession. Your determination is making me feel like things are going to be okay. I need to be careful notto get reckless.”
“That’s because everything will be fine,” I flirted back as I smiled and slipped both of my hands into his. “I usually find a way to get what I want without ruffling too many feathers.”
His reaction wasn’t as playful as I’d expected. An undercurrent of sorrow washed through his expression.
“That’s where we’re different, Lydia. I’m not used to things working out for me unless I put in ten times the amount of work than most people. My life has been one problem after another.” Wickham’s gaze grew distant. He was a ridiculously attractive rock star with loads of fans, but everyone had some hidden pain, I supposed. I didn’t want to pry further, but I also wanted him to understand I’d do my best to be supportive.
