Body Bags & Blarney by J.D. Shaw Page A

started?”
    “The fire
department is conducting an investigation, but there wasn’t anything obvious
that pointed to foul play.” Joshua leaned back in his chair and rubbed his full
stomach. “Thank heavens for small favors.”
    “Agreed.”
Vivienne walked over to where he was sitting and wrapped her arms around his
shoulders. “You smell like smoke.”
    “Yeah, I was
going to jump in the shower before bed.” He tipped his head back and looked up
into her eyes. “Unless you want to play the hot fireman fantasy?”
    She giggled
and shook her head. “If you think that you’re crawling into my crisp, freshly
washed Egyptian cotton sheets smelling like that, think again.”
    He pulled her
hands up to his lips and kissed them. “I guess not.”
    She leaned
forward and kissed him on the right cheek. “Why don’t you go jump into the
shower and I’ll clean up down here?”
    “Are you
sure?” He asked.
    “I’ll meet you
upstairs in about fifteen minutes.” She purred softly. “I promise I’ll be
prompt.”
    He waggled his
eyebrows at her. “You know I love dessert most of all.”
    “I think I
have something in mind that will satisfy.” She teased back.
    Joshua had no
sooner tromped upstairs when her cell phone rang. A quick glance at the caller
display screen told her it was Kathy. Normally, she’d let her leave a voice
mail, but after what had happened to Suzette she couldn’t wait to get more
details. “Hello, my friend.” She spoke softly into the phone until the sound of
the shower turning on told her she was safe to gossip at a normal voice level.
    “Oh my God,
did you hear about what happened to Suzette earlier?” Kathy asked.
    “Yes. Joshua
said they don’t suspect foul play.” Vivienne reassured her.
    “That’s a
relief.” Kathy sighed. “I was hoping we didn’t have an arsonist living in town
now.”
    “I’m sure it
will turn out to be bad luck.” Vivienne sighed back. “There seems to be quite a
bit of that going around here lately.”
    “What do you
mean?”
    Vivienne
gathered up the plates from the dining room and carried them into the kitchen,
taking care not to trip as Tommy and Sammy Cat darted around her legs hoping to
catch a fallen piece of sweet and sour chicken. “First Tristan and Nathaniel
saying they’re going out of business, then that religious tantrum with Pastor
Kilpatrick at the library, and now Suzette’s catering business catches fire.”
    “I never
really thought to string that all together like that, but you could be on to
something.” Kathy agreed.
    Vivienne set
the plates down on the counter and opened her dishwasher. “I really don’t want
to be on to something like that. I’ve got far too much to do this month.”
    “Well, you do
seem to have a knack for figuring out when something nefarious is going on in
town.” Kathy replied.
    “That’s just
dumb luck.” Vivienne lied. She had wished many times that she could reveal to
her best friend the real reason she was the center of all the strange things
happening in Cayuga Cove. But, as she knew all too well, being a witch required
her to maintain an oath of secrecy. She loaded the plates and drinking glasses
and dropped a detergent tab into the holder, shutting the door with her hip.
    “Well, so much
for your competition in this town.”
    Vivienne would
have to wait for Joshua’s shower to finish before running the load. Her hot
water tank simply wasn’t large enough to handle both. “I’m sure that they’re
going to rebuild as soon as the insurance money comes in.”
    “Do you think
so? It’s not like her business was really booming.” Kathy said without much
sympathy in her voice. “She’s raised her prices up so much lately.”
    “And how did
you know this?” Vivienne raised her voice in mock concern. “Have you been
cheating on me?”
    Kathy laughed.
“I was simply doing what any good businesswoman would do. I shopped around and
researched my options.”
    “Good.”
Vivienne