I went through to the kitchen, and sure enough, Alvin was there getting all his prep work done for lunch.
“Hey, boss, where have you been?”
“I went to return Winston Wilcox’s jacket and found him dead.” I walked over to find a full pot of hot coffee sitting off to the side, as expected. I grabbed a cup and poured one for Declan.
“Dead? Really?”
“Yep. Staked through the heart with a crystal point.”
It might’ve been my imagination, but I swear I thought his veggie chopping got a little more vigorous. “I’m not surprised. He rubbed a lot of people wrong.”
I tilted my head to one side. “Really? Did he rub you wrong, Alvin?”
“Me? Nah. But I heard rumors that some of the guys on Jim Walton’s crew didn’t receive their paycheck because Winston hadn’t paid his latest installment on the project. They were pissed about it. Of course, I guess none of them will be getting paid now, huh?”
I tucked that info away for later as I grabbed a container of sugar and some cream. I didn’t know how Declan took his coffee, but if he was willing to drink something as horrible-sounding as a PB & Jinx, he was bound to want to add stuff to his coffee.
“I don’t know what will happen with the project. I assume when they settle his estate, they’ll get paid if there’s anything left to pay them with. I’ll be out front if you need me.”
I pushed through the door back into the front. Declan was sitting where I’d left him, folding a napkin. From the looks of it, he had been folding and unfolding it for as long as it took me to get his coffee.
“Here you go. I brought you some sugar and cream. I wasn’t sure how you took it.”
“Thanks.” He pulled the coffee close and then reached for both the sugar and the cream. I watched as he poured ridiculous amounts of both into the cup and then stirred. “So, if my grandfather didn’t kill Winston—and we both know he didn’t—who did?”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“I thought you’d have a different question for me, honestly. Something about magic, maybe?”
Declan’s cheeks flushed, and his hand trembled. “I… Yes. Magic. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that, I think. I feel… I don’t know, maybe a little lightheaded at the idea? Like, it’s too fantastical to be real? Does that make sense? I mean, this ishuge. It’smagic, but not the kind you pull out of a top hat. How’s that even a thing?” He let out a shaky breath. “But right now, Elwood’s been hauled away. That seems more pressing.”
I was a little disappointed by his answer for some reason. Maybe because of the doubt and disbelief in his tone. But I understood why he’d want to concentrate on Elwood’s situation first. It wouldn’t be healthy for him to put off acknowledging magic for too long, though. Denial never helped anyone. But for now, I’d let it slide.
“I don’t know who killed Winston. So many people have traipsed through that building, it’s hard to parse out the different scents.” Of course, if I could’ve shifted, my wolf would’ve been able to, but that wasn’t an option. Grady might pick something up, though since a bear’s sense of smell was even better than a wolf’s.
“I didn’t smell anything at all.” He looked so confused, but of course he did. He had no idea I was a shifter.
I didn’t want to lie to him, but I wasn’t sure how much to tell him and how much to leave for Elwood to explain. Maybe the shriveled-up vampire lying there dead with a stake through his heart opened his eyes so he would actually listen when Elwood talked. “You wouldn’t have. I have an abnormally strong sense of smell, though.”
I figured that was the truth without me saying,oh, by the way, it’s not just vampires that are real.
He eyed me suspiciously, but he didn’t say anything. He took a long drink of his coffee. I swear I could see the wheels turning in his mind as he tried to piece it all together.
“Okay, we’ll come back to that. Right now, what I want to know is who killed the… uh…v-word,” he whispered that last bit, “so they’ll let my grandfather go free.”
I let out a sigh. “Elwood will be fine.”
When Grady asked Elwood where he’d been, he’d said he couldn’t say, which meant there was some supernatural creature who’d been in trouble and sent for Elwood to come help. He had an alibi. He would just need to get permission from said alibi to reveal his whereabouts.
“You don’t know that, so we need to figure out who did it.”
“Oh, do we?” Grady was good at keeping the peace, but he wasn’t exactly experienced at solving murder, since we rarely had one here in Ravenstone, so I didn’t disagree. But I wasn’t sure Elwood would appreciate my getting his grandson involved.
“Yes, we do. It was easy to tell from the meeting last night that a lot of people didn’t like him much. Maybe one of them found out he was a… you know what—” He paused to bare his blunt little human teeth. “And got scared, and staked him.” A look of—was it excitement? I didn’t know him well enough to be sure—flashed across his face. “Or maybe he tried to gnaw on someone, and it was self-defense. Did you think about that?”
“Declan, vampires don’t go around biting people anymore. It isn’t necessary. There are blood banks available for those who choose to drink blood, and other alternatives for those who choose a more… vegan route.”
