I was so much better than this.
Yes, I was now an accomplished witch. With that came a downside. It was far too easy to take matters into my own hands and cast spells to make the world work the way I wanted it to. Just as billionaires bought whatever they wanted with their money, I had magic at my disposal. As a witch, I could cast spells to make my dreams a reality. But the ability to do something didn’t make it the right thing to do.
I finally understood why Aunt Pearl often cast spells when things didn’t go her way. It was tempting to throw a witch tantrum when things worked out differently than you wanted. Aunt Pearl was a very talented witch but with character flaws—she was impatient, vindictive, and used to getting her own way. While I looked up to her witch-wise, I didn’t want to use my powers frivolously or vindictively.
Yeah, I was better than this.
I took a deep breath and quickly muttered a reversal spell to undo my misguided clearing spell. Then I refocused on Tyler and Desiree.
I wasn’t about to lose my cool over that manipulating minx.
Breathe.
Tyler was only doing his job. Part of that involved using a bit of psychology with Desiree. He wanted her to feel comfortable enough to let her guard down. A good interviewer builds rapport and trust. If Tyler pulled his hand away, Desiree’s guard would go back up.
I still didn’t like that Desiree was getting a little too comfortable with my boyfriend.
I still wanted to run into the next room and rip her hand off Tyler’s.
I still wanted to place a curse on her.
I could want whatever I wanted, though, and it wouldn’t change anything. Tyler had to question Desiree, and I was present only to observe, not interfere.
Of course, Tyler knew I was behind the glass, watching everything unfold, hoping I didn’t barge into the room and blow my cover.
Which I would, spell or no spell, if she didn’t remove her hand right now.
Thankfully at that very moment, Tyler removed his hand under the pretext of picking up his pen again to jot down some notes.
I exhaled, feeling both relieved and embarrassed about my jealousy.
It infuriated me that the minute Desiree caught Tyler alone, she flirted with him. I had lost what little respect I had ever had for her. Everybody knew Desiree to be manipulative, not above charming people in order to get what she wanted. But it took on a whole new meaning when her target was my boyfriend. And she was here because her boyfriend had just been murdered. I couldn’t imagine myself acting that way if something had happened to Tyler.
I jolted back to reality. My job was to watch the interview, not let my mind wander.
Tyler was talking. “When did you last see Richard?”
“Well, I don’t know…he drove me to the wine festival early this morning,” Desiree said. “We both went inside. I was in a hurry to see if my booth was in the same place as last year. You know what they say in real estate…location, location, location.” She laughed nervously. “Thankfully everything was set up the way that I wanted. Richard went back to the car a few times to bring in my wine. I had to bring extra cases this year because my wine is so popular.”
“What time was all this?” Tyler asked.
“Around nine-ish.”
“That was the last time you saw him? Around 9 a.m.?”
“I didn’t check my watch at the time, but it was around then. Richard never told me he was going anywhere, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“He didn’t mention a meeting with Antonio?”
Desiree shook her head. “Not to me. I doubt he had prearranged plans to meet him because he wouldn’t schedule something the same day as the wine festival. But maybe he took pity on Antonio. Richard really did have a soft spot for people down on their luck.”
“Did you see him talking to Antonio?”
Desiree nodded. “Antonio pulled Richard aside just as we walked into the gym. I turned away to talk to someone, and when I looked again, they were both gone.”
“You saw them leave together?”
“No, only that they weren’t standing there together anymore. I figured Richard had gone on to do other things to get ready for the day. Wine festival day is one of his busiest days of the year. And on top of that, we had special plans for later tonight. I think he was planning to ask me to…to—” Desiree’s voice broke into a sob. “He was going to ask me to marry him.”
“You two discussed this?” Tyler didn’t mention the obvious fact that Richard was already married to someone else.
Desiree pulled a tissue from the box and dabbed her eyes. “Yes, in general. He said he had a surprise for me tonight. Valerie had told him she was filing for divorce. Finally. He was happy about it, relieved. That was even though divorce gave her half of everything. Richard said we could finally we could be together at last. B-but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” Desiree dropped her head into her hands and sobbed.
Chapter 21
Minutes after Desiree’s departure, the precinct’s outer door flew open. Aunt Pearl rushed inside, breathless. She slammed the door and leaned against it. “It’s exhausting enforcing the law. I promised Tyler I would make sure the wine festival got shut down when the liquor license expired.”
“That was your secret assignment?” I asked, wondering how she managed to single-handedly disperse all the attendees when
