Avery Ann found the name of the woman and her contact info at the bottom and rummaged around in the drawer for a quill and scroll, then copied her address down for me. I mulled over the information as she did so—if the potions had somehow harmed this Maria Wu woman’s husband, she might not have been content with some merkles to keep quiet. Maybe Ralph had been right and she’d come after Pearl for revenge.
Avery Ann tore off the corner of the parchment and handed it to me. I looked over Maria Wu’s name and address—then paused and glanced up at her. The girl had dotted all her i’s with hearts. She was in way over her head with these scam artists.
“Please look into it?”
I nodded. “We will.”
She clasped her hands. “Oh, thank you.”
I nodded and tucked the paper in my jeans pocket. I headed toward the door, but frowned and spun to face Avery Ann. “Hey—where’s Opal, by the way?” I’d have thought Pearl’s sister would have rushed in here as soon as she heard we were arresting Ralph. She’d basically told us she thought he was guilty the other day.
Avery Ann cupped one hand around her elbow. “She’s been working from home the last couple of nights.”
I nodded. “Understandable.” She probably wasn’t keen on coming to work with the man she assumed was her sister’s killer.
I sidled up to Daisy and grasped the door handle. I bent forward and let out a quiet yelp. Free at last.
She just tapped her front paws.
I rolled my eyes and whined again. Desperate much?
Without taking her eyes off the door, she growled. Try being trapped in a room with you, and you’ll know how I feel.
I opened the door, and she bounded out.
21
MARIA WU
Peter, weary though he looked, was only too happy to have another lead to follow. I knew he trusted Daisy’s abilities and had to have strong doubts about Ralph’s guilt, given Daisy had smelled him as truthful—at least about not having killed Pearl. The affairs were a different story.
The sky was lightening as dawn approached, when we finally tracked Maria Wu down. The address Avery Ann had given us turned out to be an old one—she’d moved right after the settlement with Potent Potions from a run-down studio in the Darkmoon District to a clean and comfortable town home on a middle tier of Bijou Mer. It’d taken us a bit to coordinate with Edna, and in the end, a former neighbor had given us the deets on Maria’s new digs.
The woman answered the door and ushered us into the front room of her home. Peter and I sat on a new velvet sofa, a huge window behind us that looked out over the quiet, brightly lit street. After asking if she could get us tea or coffee, which Peter declined for both of us—though I’d have gladly accepted some caffeine, thank you—she settled down on a loveseat across the polished coffee table from us.
The place seemed like the picture of a normal, comfortable middle-class home—tasteful, framed paintings of the sea and a bowl of fruit hung on the walls, the place smelled of beeswax candles, and the bookshelves against the far wall were lined with leather tomes and glowing tchotchkes. Which made it seem so unusual for the woman to be gently stroking an enormous iguana on the seat beside her.
Maria cast a beaming smile on Peter and me, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She blinked rapidly. “So, Officers…, how can I help you then?” She sat with perfect posture in her capris, her straight black hair in a neat bob just skimming her shoulders, her cardigan buttoned nearly all the way up.
I sucked on my lips to keep from smirking about the lizard.
Peter scratched his scruffy face. “We’re actually here to ask you about your husband.”
“Oh! John?” She swept her hands toward the iguana, and I choked. I had to turn fully away from her and pretend to be interested in something out the window as I fought the giggles. She was married to a lizard?
“Uh….” Peter shifted in his seat. “Could you, uh—tell us a little bit about John? We’re investigating the death of Pearl Litt and understand you had some dealings with Potent Potions?”
He turned toward me and muttered, “Get it together. Please.”
I covered my mouth and shook my head, eyes watering. “I’m trying.” My shoulders shook as I fought another round of giggles. Knowing how inappropriate it was to be laughing just made it funnier.
“You’re not the only one who finds this hilarious, you know.”
I turned toward him and found a little twinkle of mirth in his deep blue eyes. Something in my chest relaxed just the tiniest bit—it was like I’d caught a glimpse of the old Peter. The one who’d been my friend, and more, before I’d told him about being a shifter. Just as quickly as it’d showed up, the hint of humor faded, and he cleared his throat and turned back to face Maria.
I heaved a sigh, suddenly less amused. Good to know that the Peter I’d come to know and well, love, if I was honest with myself, wasn’t dead—just dead to me.
My shoulders slumped as I turned to face Maria. Not sure which was worse.
Eyes tight, she kept that bright smile plastered to her face. “Well, I can tell you that yes, I used to be an independent consultant for Potent Potions until about six months ago.” She spoke slowly, as if carefully choosing her words.
Peter frowned. “What happened six months ago?”
She took a deep breath and began cautiously. “There… was an incident that led to my leaving the company.”
“Did that incident involve your husband turning into a lizard?” I blurted it out before I could stop
