ceremony and ran down the hill to get
away.”
She nodded and a few twigs fell out of
her messy hair.
“ And you tripped over his
feet as you were running to Glorybee?” Oscar wrote on his little
notepad.
Anxiously, I paced back and forth,
getting a couple of glimpses of Kenny. There was a crowd gathered
outside of the shop. Isadora and Eloise watched the Karima sisters
as they did their thing to prepare Kenny’s departure from the
doorway of A Charming Cure. I had to wonder if there was some sort
of ceremonial procedure this community needed to do before they
whisked him away.
“ We will be back.”
Constance assured us as Patience tripped over Constance’s feet.
“Sister! Can you please stay at least one foot behind?”
“ One foot behind.”
Patience repeated and opened her hands to span one foot between her
and her sister.
There was a faint glow from Belur’s
bottle. Did he know? Did Belur really belong with him?
“ I’m just a customer of
June’s.” Adeline threw her hands up in the air. “I walked up and
saw her,” she pointed directly at Petunia and then at Gerald, “and
him standing over him .” She pointed back to Kenny.
“ You didn’t see anyone
strange or suspicious running from the shop?” He questioned poor
Adeline.
“ No.” She shook her head.
Her pupils were dilated as she stared at Kenny. She couldn’t take
her eyes off him. Blindly she pointed toward Petunia and Gerald.
“Just them.”
Cough,
cough . “Don’t look at me.” Gerald took his
top hat off and held it to his chest, drumming his fingers on top
of it. “We didn’t do anything. I was comforting my sweet Petunia.”
He placed a hand on Petunia’s shoulder.
“ What about her?” Petunia
glared at me. “It’s her shop. She was the one asking around how to get in touch
with him.”
“ Me?” My mouth dropped.
“You think I killed him? When? I’ve been with you this whole
time.”
“ Not all day.” Petunia
huffed, crossing her arms.
“ I think it’s time for you
to go.” Oscar shut his notebook. “Petunia and Gerald, I’ll be
filling out the report and dropping by to see you two tomorrow. You
are free to go.”
“ I didn’t do it.”
Petunia’s teeth were clenched.
“ Come on. Let Oscar figure
this out.” Gerald placed his hat back on his head and helped
Petunia up.
“ He’s her boyfriend , Gerald.”
Petunia reminded him as if he didn’t already know. “I want another
officer on the case,” She demanded, running over to Izzy. Petunia
dropped to her knees with her hands clasped in the air. “Please,
Izzy.”
Gently, Izzy took her by the hands and
pulled Petunia to her knees.
“ It’s out of my hands,
dear.” Izzy looked lovingly into Petunia’s dark eyes.
“ But you are the village.
. .” Petunia dropped her hands when she realized that Izzy was no
longer in charge. Slowly she turned back around. “June?”
Rushing to her side, I embraced her,
crow and all.
“ I know you couldn’t have
done this. Just like I didn’t do it.” My intuition told me
something wasn’t right. “Oscar will figure all of this
out.”
Out of nowhere, the old Two Sisters
and A Funeral ambulance roared down the street, lights flashing and
horn blaring as if nobody saw them.
“ Outta the way.” Constance
pushed the gurney through the crowd. “Got a dead body we need to
get.”
“ Yep, body we need to get
to.” Patience kept her eye on the prize.
I looked out the shop windows. Every
single spiritualist had moved from the smudging ceremony circle to
the front of A Charming Cure. Faith’s smug smile caught my eye. Our
eyes locked.
“ Told ya.” A smile crossed
her face as she mouthed those two little words before she rotated
on the balls of her feet and sashayed toward Wicked
Goods.
Told me what? My hands began to sweat, and my face felt
flush.
“ June?”
I heard someone call my
name, but I couldn’t focus on anything but Faith’s words,
“ told ya”.
Instantly my mind
away.”
She nodded and a few twigs fell out of
her messy hair.
“ And you tripped over his
feet as you were running to Glorybee?” Oscar wrote on his little
notepad.
Anxiously, I paced back and forth,
getting a couple of glimpses of Kenny. There was a crowd gathered
outside of the shop. Isadora and Eloise watched the Karima sisters
as they did their thing to prepare Kenny’s departure from the
doorway of A Charming Cure. I had to wonder if there was some sort
of ceremonial procedure this community needed to do before they
whisked him away.
“ We will be back.”
Constance assured us as Patience tripped over Constance’s feet.
“Sister! Can you please stay at least one foot behind?”
“ One foot behind.”
Patience repeated and opened her hands to span one foot between her
and her sister.
There was a faint glow from Belur’s
bottle. Did he know? Did Belur really belong with him?
“ I’m just a customer of
June’s.” Adeline threw her hands up in the air. “I walked up and
saw her,” she pointed directly at Petunia and then at Gerald, “and
him standing over him .” She pointed back to Kenny.
“ You didn’t see anyone
strange or suspicious running from the shop?” He questioned poor
Adeline.
“ No.” She shook her head.
Her pupils were dilated as she stared at Kenny. She couldn’t take
her eyes off him. Blindly she pointed toward Petunia and Gerald.
“Just them.”
Cough,
cough . “Don’t look at me.” Gerald took his
top hat off and held it to his chest, drumming his fingers on top
of it. “We didn’t do anything. I was comforting my sweet Petunia.”
He placed a hand on Petunia’s shoulder.
“ What about her?” Petunia
glared at me. “It’s her shop. She was the one asking around how to get in touch
with him.”
“ Me?” My mouth dropped.
“You think I killed him? When? I’ve been with you this whole
time.”
“ Not all day.” Petunia
huffed, crossing her arms.
“ I think it’s time for you
to go.” Oscar shut his notebook. “Petunia and Gerald, I’ll be
filling out the report and dropping by to see you two tomorrow. You
are free to go.”
“ I didn’t do it.”
Petunia’s teeth were clenched.
“ Come on. Let Oscar figure
this out.” Gerald placed his hat back on his head and helped
Petunia up.
“ He’s her boyfriend , Gerald.”
Petunia reminded him as if he didn’t already know. “I want another
officer on the case,” She demanded, running over to Izzy. Petunia
dropped to her knees with her hands clasped in the air. “Please,
Izzy.”
Gently, Izzy took her by the hands and
pulled Petunia to her knees.
“ It’s out of my hands,
dear.” Izzy looked lovingly into Petunia’s dark eyes.
“ But you are the village.
. .” Petunia dropped her hands when she realized that Izzy was no
longer in charge. Slowly she turned back around. “June?”
Rushing to her side, I embraced her,
crow and all.
“ I know you couldn’t have
done this. Just like I didn’t do it.” My intuition told me
something wasn’t right. “Oscar will figure all of this
out.”
Out of nowhere, the old Two Sisters
and A Funeral ambulance roared down the street, lights flashing and
horn blaring as if nobody saw them.
“ Outta the way.” Constance
pushed the gurney through the crowd. “Got a dead body we need to
get.”
“ Yep, body we need to get
to.” Patience kept her eye on the prize.
I looked out the shop windows. Every
single spiritualist had moved from the smudging ceremony circle to
the front of A Charming Cure. Faith’s smug smile caught my eye. Our
eyes locked.
“ Told ya.” A smile crossed
her face as she mouthed those two little words before she rotated
on the balls of her feet and sashayed toward Wicked
Goods.
Told me what? My hands began to sweat, and my face felt
flush.
“ June?”
I heard someone call my
name, but I couldn’t focus on anything but Faith’s words,
“ told ya”.
Instantly my mind
Similar Books
