The place was empty. Lily wasn’t even hanging out behind the counter. A cardboard box with a few bags of coffee tucked inside sat beside the till like Lily had been in the middle of packing up more supplies for her booth when she’d been interrupted. That was promising. This festival could be a turning point for her business.
Something banged in the back room. Then someone grunted. The feeling along my spine was less fluttery and increasingly scratchy by the moment. Was my magic trying to tell me something?
Huh, maybe it was.
I hadn’t realized it until now, but Lily’s name had popped up several times during our inquiries into the murders. Leon had said she was out the night Winston died. Of course, she’d also pointed her finger at Leon. Except he’d had an alibi. So far, I didn’t think Lily did.
I thought back to the night of the festival meeting. She’d been flirting with Winston… which, ew… but what if he’d let her believe she might have a chance? He’d told Tulip he loved her, even though he didn’t.
And I was sure she’d walked out of the festival meeting on her own. It would’ve been dead simple for her to pocket a crystal on her way through Elwood’s shop. She’d also known all about Leon’s daggers. Oh… and hadn’t Jim glanced in Lily’s direction when we’d asked him if he had any other information?
Holy crap. Was I right about this?
I gulped.
Maybe I should go back to The Den. Gideon and I could call Grady together. But I didn’t really have any evidence, did I? Just a hunch.
And what if Paula arrived at the coffee shop after I left?
Oh… was that why Paula wanted to meet here?
There was another grunt. If Lily was injured, I should help. Even if she might possibly be a murderer.
“Lily?” I called out. “You okay?”
No answer.Shit. I moved toward the end of the counter, but before I could duck around to the back, Lily darted out. Her hair was in disarray, and her suit–this one in a rather dull mustard yellow that did nothing for her complexion–was askew. She was smoothing down her collar when she saw me.
“Declan?” She narrowed her eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“Is everything okay? I thought I heard a strange noise.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She glanced over her shoulder, then her gaze dropped to the floor by the back doorway. I couldn’t see what she was looking at from where I was. I rose up on my toes to look over. She must have seen me move out of the corner of her eye, because she stepped between me and whatever she’d been looking at.
“I was moving some boxes around in the back,” she said as she motioned to the box on the counter. “I needed to grab some stuff for my tent. It’s the last day of the festival.”
“It’s been great, hasn’t it?” I shot her a smile as I scrambled to make normal conversation. I probably sounded way too cheerful. Was I acting suspiciously? I smiled wider. Smiles were good, right? “We’re getting a lot of engagement on the pictures I’ve posted on social media.”
Before I could say anything more, there was a shuffling sound. Lily frowned.
“Oh, is your staff here already? I guess they must be, hey? You’ll want to head over to the festival soon.”
“Marcy doesn’t get here until ten,” she said. “What do you want? I need to get back to packing up my boxes.”
“Oh, right. Sorry,” I said.
The shop was still empty. I probably needed to order something since Paula wasn’t here yet. What if I retreat to the street and intercept Paula before she got here? Would leaving without ordering make Lily suspicious? What would she do if she was suspicious? If I was right about this, she’d already killed two people. I glanced at my phone, but Paula hadn’t sent another message. Damn it.
Lily stared at me.
“How about a Meadowland Mocha?” I ordered the first thing on the menu.
That sounded pleasant, right? Meadows were lovely.Peaceful. Not sinister at all.
“Sure.” She splashed some chocolate syrup in the bottom of a cup, dropped in a few dried leaves of some kind, then fiddled with the espresso machine. As the machine hissed and growled, I tapped the counter.
“You haven’t seen Paula yet, have you? I’m meeting her here.”
