No Ladder What (Witch of Wickrock Bay Book 4) Read online

  “I can’t even think about food at the moment,” she replied. “Too much stress, actually,” she added.

  “Is this to do with Drew’s death?” Scott asked, still watching Lt. London. “Because if it is, and if you need a character reference, I’d be more than happy to give you one. You’re a good, law-abiding citizen, not only incapable of committing a crime but also pretty good at detecting and reporting any law-breaking to the police,” he said, directing his speech clearly at Lt. London.

  Orlando London nodded.

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your comment. However, it’s unnecessary at this stage,” the lieutenant said.

  “Well, I should hope not,” Scott replied, shifting his gaze back to Mimi. His face looked more relaxed now. “I suppose if you don’t really need food or my character reference now, I might go?”

  “Thanks, Scott, and yes, you should probably go,” Mimi said.

  How did he know Mimi was in trouble with the state police? Someone was obviously spreading rumors—except in this case, the rumor was true.

  Maybe Lacy told him on her way back? No, Lacy’s visit was also…strange. Were they trying to help her? Both Lacy and Scott walked in just at the right moments, saving her from saying something that might have jeopardized her situation.

  Scott bowed lightly and left the shop.

  “Your friends certainly care about you, Miss Knotley,” Lt. London commented. “Shall we go back to the questions?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Yes and no.”

  “What does that mean?” Her face tingled again. Was she being interrogated illegally? Maybe she should have taken him up on his offer to call an attorney, even if she didn’t have one.

  “Well, let me put it this way,” he replied slowly, watching her cautiously with his brown eyes. “You have agreed to talk to me, and I’m questioning you here, in your own space. It’s all voluntary at this stage, but you can end this conversation at any point and call your attorney.”

  Mimi blew out a breath. Yeah, exactly as she suspected!

  “What would happen if I did? Would you stop interrogating me?”

  “I’m not interrogating, I’m interviewing you. But yes, I’d have to end the interview.”

  “And that would be it? The end to this unpleasant, stressful conversation, whatever we call it?”

  Orlando London closed his little notebook and slipped it back into his pocket, watching her all the while. He clasped his hands behind his back again and rocked on his feet.

  “That, Miss Knotley, would terminate this interaction, but it would mean I’d call you to attend a formal interview at the police station. Believe me, that would be a much more stressful and less pleasant interaction.”

  A lump grew in Mimi’s throat. Whichever way she looked, she was trapped in this situation. This wasn’t right. She’d have to check with Rob whether Lt. London was acting legally. Baxter let out another low growl. Mimi had almost forgotten about him.

  “Shush, Baxter,” she breathed. “It’s all right. The officer will not harm me,” she added, looking at the lieutenant. She expected him to confirm that, but he remained silent.

  Mimi took a few steadying breaths, stroking her pug’s head. This had been a very peculiar day, or even morning, but, like everything in the world, it had to end. She couldn’t wait to see the back of it.

  “Okay, Lieutenant. Let’s just get on with this…interview,” she said. “I’m eager to have it over and done with as I’ve got work to do, and I’m sure you’re busy, too,” she said as calmly as possible.

  “Thank you, Miss Knotley. I appreciate your cooperation. Unfortunately, I cannot stay much longer. I’ve got another urgent matter to attend to, but I shall return to this conversation at the earliest convenience, if that’s okay with you.”

  Mimi shrugged, annoyed that while he was finally leaving, he apparently was coming back. It didn’t matter if it was okay with her. It was a police investigation and she was clearly a suspect.

  She rose to her feet. “Yes, Lieutenant. I’ll be most obliged to help with this investigation, as I care deeply about law and order in our little community. Also, as Drew’s neighbor and a fellow business owner, I want to see whoever killed him brought to justice. And, let me stress it again, I am not the murderer. We might have clashed, but Drew and I were never enemies. If anything, I think he was a person who needed help, probably professional, and badly.”

  Lt. London nodded.

  “Thank you, Miss Knotley, I appreciate that.”

  “I don’t know who killed him, but I’ll do anything I can to help find out.”

  As Orlando London left her shop, the sound of the door closing behind him echoed in the room. Baxter squealed. Mimi relaxed her shoulders.

  “It’s all good, Baxie,” she whispered, patting her dog’s back. “It’s finished for now, but I bet this guy will be back soon. I’d better get used to the idea.”

  Chapter 5

  The day continued with no more major events. Mimi was grateful for the flow of tourists, even those who came to “just have a look.” They needed supervising so that nothing got broken or knocked off the shelves, they asked a lot of questions, they were noisy, but that was exactly what Mimi needed—distraction. Even Baxter evacuated his favorite green armchair and hid in the back room.

  When everyone was gone and the evening sky was darkening behind the shop windows, Mimi took in a deep breath, trying to relax. Her head buzzed with noise and emotions from the day.

  “Come on, Baxie, time to close up,” she called out. “It’s a bit early to leave, but I’ve had enough.”

  Baxter trotted out of the back room. He must have been exploring some less clean nooks and crannies, as he had patches of gray all over the back of his apricot coat.

  Molly wiped him off with a cloth. “Let’s go for a little walk,” she said. “The evening is nice and it should be warm outside. What do you think?”

  Baxter just tilted his head and stared at her. Mimi stared back at him. Despite having her dog for a good few months now, she still struggled with deciphering his doggy language. And sometimes, she suspected it might not be entirely doggy. Like this stare right now…exactly like her grandma’s cat used to practice on her.

  “Walk in the park, Baxter?” Mimi repeated, reaching for the leash. “Happy doggy?”

  Baxter’s tail flapped to the left and to the right. Not exactly the magnitude of joy Mimi was expecting, but it would have to do.

  “Come on. We could both do with a bit of fresh air.”

  They left the shop. The sun was lowering on the horizon, basking the world around them in a golden glow. The trees and shrubs along the sidewalk were still bare, but the first buds had appeared on slender branches. Mimi took a deep breath and looked around.

  “Spring is in the air. Can you smell it?” she asked her dog. But Baxter, as usual, remained silent.

  As Mimi locked the door, a quiet sobbing caught her ear. It was coming from somewhere to her right, from around the bookstore.

  Mimi strode across the lawn, beckoning Baxter to follow her. The windows of the bookstore were dark and quiet. A strip of the yellow police tape flapped gently in the evening breeze. The surroundings felt eerily quiet, except for the sobs coming from around the corner. Mimi turned her steps in that direction.

  On the bench by the side door, where the entrance to the apartment was, a woman sat.

  “Hello there, I’m Mimi from next door. Are you all right?”

  The woman lifted her head. Her round face was puffed, her eyes red.

  “Oh, hello, I didn’t know anyone was here,” the woman replied, pushing her brown curls behind her ears. “I’m Thea Walters.”

  The name didn’t ring any bells for Mimi.

  “I’m Mimi Knotley. Did you know Drew Honeycomb?” Mimi asked.

  The woman nodded vigorously. Her curls spilled over her face again. “He’s…was…my boyfriend,” she said. Another sob shook her plump chest.

&
nbsp; Mimi’s jaw dropped.

  “You’re his girlfriend?” she asked. “I-I…didn’t realize he still had one.”

  Thea Walters pulled a tissue out of the pocket of her coat and dried her face.

  “I’ve been living away for a while looking after a sick relative in Portsmouth,” she explained. “I’m totally shocked by his death. Apparently, the police think he was murdered.” Her voice quivered.

  “Apparently so. I’m shocked, too. Do you have any idea who might have done it?”

  Thea’s lips trembled. Her eyes welled. She shook her head.

  “I can’t even imagine what would be the reason for that. The store is not making a fortune; there is nothing really of value in there. And Drew…I’m not sure, you tell me. Did he have any enemies?”

  Mimi pondered her reply. If Thea had to ask this question, did she really know Drew? Was she aware of his bizarre behavior?

  “I’m not sure myself. He was…not a popular person, but I’m not aware of any major conflict with anyone, certainly not major enough to end in murder. How about you?”

  Major was the key word here. She wouldn’t consider the graffiti a major problem.

  Thea blew out a sigh. “To be honest, I hadn’t kept in touch with him regularly of late. We’ve sort of…split up. I mean…” She paused, hesitation clear on her face. “Not officially, but I knew it would not work. I just didn’t have the courage to tell him. I’ve been putting it off and off for months. Well…years.”

  Mimi blinked. Putting off formalizing the end of a relationship for years sounded strange. Either the woman was an extreme example of avoidance of conflict, or…there was a reason she kept avoiding it.

  “That sounds like a long time. That’s probably why I’ve never seen you around. I’ve owned the antiques store next door for a couple of years now.”

  “I know. I may sound like a real coward, but…” She paused again and ran the tip of her tongue along her lips. “I was concerned Drew would take it badly.”

  A thought popped up in Mimi’s head.

  “As in, he might have gotten upset and maybe…suicidal?”

  “No, no,” Thea protested. “I mean, he would have gotten upset, but in a different way.”

  “As in…angry?”

  “Yes, sadly. He could get wound up pretty quickly. That’s why I’ve been avoiding coming over. And when the police told me what happened, I ran to check on the store. Now it’s safe.”

  Mimi’s head swirled. Thea’s comments raised several suspicions in her mind.

  Angry quickly? How badly? Why was it unsafe before? Why did she want to check on the store? And why was she interested more in the store than in her boyfriend, however estranged?

  “I see,” Mimi drawled, trying to come up with a sensitive way of asking the questions that were brewing in her mind. “The store was unsafe before?” she asked, deciding this was the least threatening question.

  Thea’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, haven’t you seen it before?”

  “The store? I have. It looked well organized and okay to me.”

  “Well, yes, the store. He loved books. It was the apartment and the storeroom he’s trashed. But that’s not my point. I meant: haven’t you seen his temper?”

  Mimi thought about it.

  “He could be verbally abusive,” Mimi said cautiously. “He scribbled graffiti over my store window. But I haven’t seen him assault anyone or anything.”

  “He had an awful temper. When things didn’t go his way, he could be really threatening. That’s why I wanted to end the relationship as soon as I realized what he was like. But I also didn’t feel comfortable telling him face to face.” The woman slipped off the bench. She buttoned up her coat. “I’d better be going. I need to find a place to stay for the night, since I can’t stay in the apartment.”

  “There are lots of hotels in town, and by the beach.”

  “I know, I’m from here,” Thea said and stepped forward. “I really need to go now. Thank you for stopping by.”

  “No problem. And if you need anything, let me know. I live above the store next door. Surprises: Rare and Wonderful—that’s the name of my store.”

  “Will do, thank you, Mimi.” The woman waved and rushed toward a car parked in the distance.

  Mimi stood there watching Thea’s short, plump silhouette disappear into the car.

  Baxter barked. Mimi bent to pat him.

  “I forgot about you, Baxie. Sorry. You’re okay?”

  Baxter wagged his tail.

  “So what do you think of this woman?” she said.

  The pug tilted his head and looked at her.

  “No, I find her hard to read, too. But I don’t sense any danger from her. You?”

  Baxter moved his head to the side. Was he shaking it? Or was she reading too much into her dog’s behavior?

  She probably was. After all, Baxter was just a dog. Smart, lovable, with an outstanding talent for spotting good and bad people, but a dog nevertheless. Not a creature with magical, or any other, superpowers.

  A chill ran down Mimi’s spine. Creatures with magical and other superpowers…she’d better not jinx it. It had been quiet on the magical and superpowers front.

  Mimi and Baxter trotted back to the building that housed the store and their apartment. She ran up the stairs to her home and turned all the lights on. This had been a hard day, full of stress and strange encounters. First that stiffy police officer who suspected her. Unusual visits from her fellow townspeople, maybe coming to her rescue. And now the estranged girlfriend with more interest in the bookstore than in Drew’s death.

  Mimi needed a break.

  After feeding Baxter, she busied herself with dinner preparation. Once her lasagna was ready, she set the table and lit a candle. She chose a lavender one to help her relax. She poured herself a glass of red wine and sat to enjoy her meal.

  She’d barely finished when someone rang the bell downstairs. Mimi rushed to the hallway and ran a few steps down.

  “Who is it?” she called out. She wasn’t in a mood for company. Or another round of police interrogation.

  “My name is Belin Sugar,” a female voice replied. “I need to talk to you, Mimi.”

  “Who are you? I don’t recall your name.”

  “We met about a month ago. It’s important.” There was a note of urgency in the woman’s voice.

  Who was that woman? What was so important that she came so late in the evening?

  “I’m sorry, but it’s too late. Could you come tomorrow morning?”

  “Yes, but…” The woman paused. “Could you just come to the door, please? I really, really need to talk to you. It’s for your own benefit and safety,” she added in a lower tone.

  Benefit and safety? Mimi shuddered.

  Since she had apparently already met the woman and nothing bad had happened, what was the risk? Particularly if the potential gains were her own benefit and safety.

  Mimi trotted down the steps and unlocked the door.

  She recognized the smell before she recognized the person.

  The cinnamon bun woman!

  Belin Sugar, if this was indeed her name, stood on Mimi’s doorstep. In the bulb's light above their heads, the woman’s face looked fresh with rosy cheeks and bright brown eyes. Her hair, however, was as greasy and messy as Mimi remembered it.

  “Good evening, Mimi,” the woman said. The softness in her voice surprised Mimi. She was expecting something harsher. Like a cackle.

  “Evening,” Mimi replied. “I’m sorry to be so blunt, but why do you all keep coming?”

  “You all?” The confusion on Belin’s face didn’t last too long. “Ah, you mean the various weird people who have visited you of late? Have there been any more since we last met?”

  “No, but it keeps bugging me.”

  Belin nodded.

  “Of course. I understand,” she said. “And I’m sorry, I’m yet another visitor, probably an unwanted one.” She paused. Her brown eyes pierced throu
gh Mimi.

  Mimi, determined not to give away too much before she knew what she was dealing with, resisted the urge to confirm or deny.

  “Anyhow,” Belin continued, “I can only speak on behalf of our group. We are simply people with unusual powers. We are a community created to give one another support and feel connected. It’s difficult being a superhero in a world that proclaims their love of superheroes on t-shirts and in movie theaters but, in reality, treats them as weirdos and misfits.”

  Another pause, marked with a careful stare and probably an expectation for Mimi to make a comment.

  Mimi nodded. This was the least she could agree with.

  “But why me? I’m not a superhero,” Mimi protested.

  “You may not feel like a superhero, but you have special powers. Don’t you?”

  Mimi opened her mouth, then gulped. Baxter appeared by her feet. Mimi welcomed the distraction.

  “Baxie, you came to say hello?” she said to her dog and picked him up. “This is Baxter, my pug,” she said to Belin, rubbing the dog’s ears.

  A strange, quick wince crossed Belin’s face, but she gave a curt nod, as if greeting her dog.

  Baxter didn’t emit any sound.

  At least he wasn’t growling. Maybe that was a sign the strange woman was okay?

  “Where was I?” Belin said. “Ah, the superpowers. You may not feel you’re a superhero, but you have unusual skills and…that’s enough. We’re really not judgmental. And we know how terrifying it can be to have those special powers. How lonely one can feel, not able to talk about it, or even being forced to hide one’s powers from the world and often even from one’s nearest and dearest.” She stopped speaking, looking at Mimi.

  Belin Sugar clearly was waiting for Mimi to say more than she was willing to disclose. Mimi had figured this group was keeping tabs on her. And it sounded like Belin was also speaking from personal experience.

  Mimi gulped. Something in her gut was telling her this wasn’t the right time to share her secrets with anyone other than Sara and Baxter. She cleared her throat.

  “I’m not really wanting to—”

  “Talk about it now?” Belin cut in. “That’s okay, dear. Take your time. It’s important to feel at peace with yourself, including the aspects that may be…difficult to accept. I understand. We understand. And, may I emphasize this again, once you’re ready to join us, you’ll be surprised to see how liberating it can be no longer having to hide one’s special powers.”