A smile flitted on Andy’s lips. “Unfortunately, that’s not always how law enforcement works.”
“I know, but I can still hope the killer was someone I disliked.”
“That’s fair,” Andy laughed. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
“What’s your instinct on him?” Jack asked Andy. “Do you think he did it?”
Andy pursed his lips as he thought about the question. “I think he could have. He tried to claim that he really had nothing against Rudoldir, and that it was all just a big misunderstanding, but deep down I think he was very annoyed at having been denied, and he might have just been mad enough to kill.”
“Or hopeful that whoever replaces Rudoldir would be more amenable to flexibility with regards to the law,” I added.
“Who is taking over for Rudoldir? Does anyone know?” Jack asked.
“Vernon seemed to think it was Fjordir, and from what I saw when I went to the office this morning, that’s most likely,” I replied.
“Fjordir. So he was an elf and not likely to be the one whose rage Rudoldir felt,” Jack mused.
“No. Plus, I got the impression from him that he couldn’t have given less of a crap about getting a promotion,” I added. “He seemed to be happy where he was, enjoying his life. He didn’t even mention to me the idea that he would take over. He didn’t take it for granted, and he didn’t seem to be chomping at the bit for it, either.”
“Ok, so that’s probably not our motive, and he’s probably not our killer.”
“We need to find Raoul Lupo,” Andy said. “I think that should be our main focus.”
“Agreed,” Jack said, right as the waitress brought over our food. I dug into my chili and BLT, listening while Jack and Andy dealt with the logistics of the case.
“I’m assuming it’s pointless to ask you to stay out of this?” Jack eventually asked me when they were done.
“You know it.”
“Fine, I figured. But at the very least can you leave the hunt for Raoul Lupo to Andy and me? After all, we’re the trained Enforcers, and this is a dangerous shifter.”
“And I’m just an itty bitty witch who doesn’t know how to handle myself?” I replied.
“No, but you’re not an Enforcer. You’re not trained to deal with shifters like this, and I’d rather only have one body coming out of this investigation and not two.”
“Fine,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “I’ll focus on Andrei. I also want to find out about Bellatrix, the fairy who works at reception. Vernon says there’s more to her than meets the eye. But if you find out anything about Raoul, I want to know.”
“Deal,” Jack replied. “Talk to you later? Maybe go out and grab a drink?”
“Stop trying to be friends with me again,” I said, wagging my finger at him. “It’s not going to work.”
And with that, I sauntered out of the café and headed right over to my favorite place, where I knew a fairy who would spill an entire pot of tea if given the chance.
Chapter 12
I was pleased to see Pyxis working at the counter at The Magic Brewmstick when I got there a few hours later; she was exactly who I wanted to see.
Pyxis always had gossip to share, and while about three quarters of the time it was absolute nonsense that didn’t have a hope in the world of being accurate, she did actually know some things, and if there was gossip to be known about a fellow fairy, she was my best shot at finding it.
Luckily, with it being the middle of the afternoon, the coffee shop was in the middle of a lull, so I had plenty of time to chat with the fairy.
“Hi, Ali,” she greeted me happily, her silver wings fluttering behind her. “What can I get for you?”
“A latte would be great, and I’m also after some information.”
“Sure, but it’ll cost you. I have it on good authority that you were the one who found that elf’s body.”
Yup, that sounded like a rumor Pyxis had picked up. “Your good authority messed up on that one,” I replied. “A couple of vampires out for a late-night boat ride found the body, not me.”
“Oh,” Pyxis said, her brown curls bobbing up and down as she frowned. “Well, I had to have been close, right?”
“Sort of. I am helping with the investigation. That’s why I’m here, actually. So what do you say, can you help someone who’s working with the Enforcers?”
I might have been overstepping the line a teeny little bit, but what was it there for if not to test it? I wasn’t exactly working with the Enforcers, but I wasn’t too far off, either.
“Oooh, so this is official Enforcer business, then?” Pyxis said, her eyes widening.
“That’s right.” Ok, so I was getting a little bit further over that line. What could you do?
“Alright, what do you need to know?”
“Do you know Beatrix, the fairy who works as a receptionist at the office with Rudoldir?”
“Oh, I sure do know that little firecracker.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, you wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t heard.”
“I was told there was something strange about her, but I didn’t know the details. I figured I would come to the one fairy who always knows everything happening in town.”
Pyxis puffed up her chest with pride. Even though most of what she passed on was total baloney, she always seemed to be under the impression that her knowledge was flawless and that she was single-handedly keeping Mt. Rheanier informed.
“Well, you know, that is why I’m here. And yes, I can tell you a lot of things about Beatrix. That fairy has had a strange life. Did you know her mother spent ten years in Spellcatraz?”
“I didn’t,” I replied, my eyes widening.
“That’s right,” Pyxis said, her voice now a half-hushed whisper, the kind that was meant to give the impression of a whisper without actually dropping the volume, so that anyone nearby who wanted to
