“Are you going to do it?” I asked.
Eliza blinked. “Of course. It’s what Mari wanted.”
Zane leaned forward slightly. “Did you know they’re having a memorial for Mari tonight at Bottoms Up?”
“They are?” Her brow creased. “No, I didn’t know.”
“Hunter just found out himself about an hour ago,” I said, “so I’m sure you’ll hear about it soon. Some of Mari’s readers are putting it together. You should go.”
“You think?”
I wanted to see how the others would react to Eliza walking through the doors. “I do. It’s a little last-minute, but I’m sure Mari would have wanted you there.”
She bit her lip. “Do you know what time?”
“Seven o’clock,” Zane said.
“I’ll be there. Will you two be there as well?”
“I’m not sure,” I lied. “We have a couple things we’re still looking into.”
She nodded. “Of course. I’m sure you’re busy trying to find out who murdered Mari.”
Zane rose from the couch. “I think you told us what we needed to know.”
She looked up at him. “I did?”
I smiled. “Yes. We wanted to know whether you were aware of being in Mari’s will, and then whether you had any idea why she would do that.”
Eliza shook her head. “It’s a mystery to me.”
Iclosed my eyes and broke down the ward I’d placed on Mari’s house last night. The magic hummed against my senses as the protective barrier dissolved completely.
Zane opened the front door, and we stepped inside.
I conjured up a set of booties and gloves for each of us, and we slipped them on before heading upstairs.
“Where do you think the entrance to the attic is?” I mused when we reached the top landing. “I don’t remember seeing it last night, but I really wasn’t looking, either.”
Zane smiled and pointed up at the large wooden panel set into the hallway ceiling, an ornate pull string dangling from its center.
I laughed. “I hate when people hide things in plain sight.”
Zane reached up and pulled on the string. The panel dropped down with a groan of old hinges, and a folding ladder descended, each section unfolding until the whole thing stretched to the floor.
Zane motioned for me to go first.
I carefully made my way up the rickety rungs until I popped my head through the opening into the darkened attic.Two windows sat on opposite sides of the space, their glass clouded with grime, letting in just enough light to turn the darkness intoa murky gray. Combined with the glow spilling up from below, I could just make out shapes.
I lifted myself off the stairs and stood. Conjuring up a light orb, I tossed it into the air, and it drifted near the pitched ceiling.The attic was massive. Nearly the full footprint of the second floor, with exposed rafters overhead and wide plank flooring underfoot. Cardboard boxes were stacked along every wall. A full-length mirror with a cracked gilded frame leaned against one wall. Beside it, an old rocking chair sat draped in a white sheet that had gone yellow with age. There was a wooden trunk, a set of mismatched dining chairs, a baby crib with one broken slat, and what looked like a rolled-up area rug.
Zane came to stand next to me, and I snickered as he brushed dust off his expensive Armani suit jacket.”See, that’s why you don’t wear uber-expensive clothes to a murder scene.”
“Where do you want to start?” he asked, looking around the room.
“You take that half.” I pointed toward the far end of the attic, past the rocking chair and the trunk. “I’ll take this side.”
He nodded and picked his way through the maze of forgotten furniture as I turned to the boxes nearest me and started reading labels. The first few were exactly what I expected. One said “Jayla’s Baby Clothes.” Another read “Jayla’s Stuffed Animals.” I opened that one just enough to confirm it was exactly what it claimed to be. A pile of well-loved plush animals stared up at me with glassy eyes. I closed it and moved on.
