I’d had enough of her dismissive tone. I leaned over the desk and looked her in the eye. “We know what you and Mari andSasha and Reed did in high school to Eliza Nordic. You realize that, right?”
Rayna snorted. “What? That we made a spell that would make two girls fight over a guy? Big deal. It was a low-level spell. They were supposed to have a little cat fight, and that was it. Not my problem they took it too far.”
I shook my head. “No. We know you added another spell, making it so the girls’ anger intensified during the day, making their emotions compound as the hours went on.”
Anger flashed in Rayna’s eyes. “Oh, yeah? Prove it? You can’t.” She waved a hand dismissively in the air. “It was fifteen years ago.” She gave me a creepy small smile. “Plus, the only other witch in our group whocouldmaybe implicate me is dead. And not by my doing. But still my good fortune, wouldn’t you say?”
This woman was about as cold-blooded as they came. Zane must have sensed my rage because he asked the next question.
“Did you use magic to further harm Eliza in the parking lot fight she had with Darla?” he mused. “The one resulting in Eliza being severely hurt and permanently injured?”
“Again, it was fifteen years ago. What the othersthoughtthey saw happen…didn’t.”
“Is that why you killed Mari?” I asked. “Because not only was she going to tell everyone what you all did back then…but she was going to admit to the extra steps you took in making sure Eliza got what you thought she deserved?” I shrugged. “We also know you blamed Eliza for losing out on Winter Court Queen. Your so-called friends have all ratted you out.”
Rayna stood, her eyes flashing. “We’re done here. You can’t prove I killed Mari because I didn’t. I have nothing more to say on anything else that may or may not have happened fifteen years ago. This is beginning to border on harassment.”
“I don’t like that woman,” I said the minute the doors to the shop closed behind us. “I mean, Ireallydon’t like her. She’s smug and arrogant about what she did. Almost like she’s proud of it.”
“Something tells me she is.” Zane pulled out of the marina parking lot. “Supernatural Sport Resort to talk with Hunter?”
I nodded. “I think so. He has a lot to explain.”
19
The lobby inside Supernatural Sport Resort was busy when Zane and I entered. I assumed the resort had some sort of Valentine weekend deal going on.
We waited our turn in line, and fifteen minutes later, we asked the witch behind the counter to ring Hunter Quinn for us. She did as we asked and told us he’d be down in five minutes and would meet us at the coffee shop.
I popped my head inside Fairy-Kissed Confections, but Sasha wasn’t behind the counter. Another fairy was. I hurried across the lobby to stand in line with Zane for coffee. Zane also ordered a white-chocolate mocha for Hunter.
Hunter came down alone, no Jayla, no Sasha. Zane handed him the coffee, and we took a seat at one of the empty tables.
“I don’t want to leave Jayla alone too long,” he said. “I have another engagement later tonight, and so I need to be with her as much as possible the rest of the afternoon.”
“Then we’ll make this quick,” I said. “Your accounting business has struggled for a couple of years now.”
Hunter took a sip of his coffee and shrugged. “That’s the way it is with businesses. Some years are good, some aren’t.”
“Hunter,” Zane said, “we know you’ll inherit five-hundred-thousand dollars from your wife’s life insurance policy. A policy that was changed last year.”
A muscle jumped in Hunter’s jaw. “So what? Doesn’t mean I killed her. It means she was looking out for Jayla and me.”
“Is that why she left the house to your daughter?” I asked.
Hunter sucked in a breath. “I see you know a lot.”
I snorted. “Yeah, that’s pretty much our job.”
He set his cup down and stared at it for a moment. “Yes, I’ve spoken to the lawyer. I know what Mari’s will says. I know I get fifty percent of her royalties for however long they last, and I know Jayla receives the other fifty percent. I also know Mari put the house in Jayla’s name for when she turns eighteen.” He looked up and pointed a finger at me. “You ask me, Eliza Nordic murdered Mari. This just proves it. Mari probably ran her mouth and told Eliza she’d put her in her will, told her she’d get money, and Eliza decided to kill her for it.” He shook his head and looked out at the supernaturals strolling by. “I gain nothing with Mari’s death.”
“I wouldn’t call half a million dollars nothing,” I said tightly.
He waved a hand through the air, as though dismissing my statement. “It’s still a disruption in our lives and my lifestyle.” He sighed. “I have a memorial to get to shortly. Are we done?”
I took a sip of my coffee. “So you’re going to your wife’s memorial tonight at Bottoms Up?”
His eyes went wide. “How did you know about that? I only just found out about an hour ago that some of her readers are putting it on.” He ran his hands over his face. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
