Witches and Whatnots: An Izzy Cooper Novel (2 page)

Thankfully, the subject of Elias’s nakedness was dropped when Ayden entered the conversation.

“Myron has no idea what the cause of death is. The body is basically shriveled up, as if something drew every ounce of fluid from him,” Ayden explained.

My mouth twisted into a sour frown. “What could do that?”

Ayden shook his head. “I have no idea, but what I can tell you is that we are probably not looking at the usual suspects.”

By usual suspects, he meant vampires, werewolves and the like. I’d already figured as much, but it was probably better to let the boss think he’d come up with the idea.

When no one had any comments, Ayden continued, “The victim is Jason Robinson … he’s nineteen years old and bagged groceries at the Super Mart.”

“I thought that’s where I knew him from,” I interrupted.

Ayden nodded and turned to Tim. “I need you to question the employees at the Super Mart and his family. Izzy, you do some nosing around and see if you can find anything we might be able to relate to the victim … any curses, or whatever.”

Although my boss had been dealing with the paranormal for years, he was still uncomfortable with it, which was obvious whenever a case strayed into that gray area that might involve something other than a normal crime.

Finishing my run was out of the question, so I started back toward my car. Elias fell in beside me.

I gave him a sideward glance. “I’m sorry that we got sidetracked. There was something you wanted to talk with me about?”

Elias nodded. “Have you noticed all the activity over at Moonlight Dell?”

“I haven’t. What’s going on at the Dell?” I asked, coming to a full stop.

Anything that was happening at Moonlight Dell was something to pay attention to. That’s what Granny always said.

The little village of Moonlight Dell had been deserted for as long as I could remember, and most of the witches on the island would prefer it stayed that way.

When we reached the parking lot, and my Mustang, Elias leaned against Lady Luck’s passenger side door and folded his arms across his chest. “When I was out running this morning, I noticed that the cottages over there had been remodeled. It looks like a few of them are actually being lived in.”

What the hell was going on?

First Zane Dupree comes to town and revamps the old Marsh Estate, which was sure to stir up trouble, and now someone was meddling with the Dell too.

People just didn’t know when to leave well enough alone.

“That’s interesting,” I murmured. “Maybe I’ll take a drive out there soon and check it out.”

Elias shook his head. “I didn’t tell you about this so that you could go snooping around and get yourself into trouble.”

“Oh come on! I’m an FBI agent. Snooping around is what I do.”

“Still … don’t go out there alone.”

“Are you going to the Halloween Ball at the Haven Resort?” I asked, changing the subject.

“I wouldn’t get within a thousand feet of that place before Dupree had his men all over me, but I was hoping you would be going.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, suspicion getting the better of me.

“Because I can’t get in there. I thought maybe if you were going, you could do some looking around and find out what is really going on there?”

So he was using me to do his job, again. “I could, but why should I? I kind of like Zane Dupree.”

A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Really? You like cold and dead, instead of hot and wild?”

Blood rushed to my cheeks. “Maybe I just like hot and romantic, instead of cold and aloof.”

Sighing, Elias grabbed my hands. “Izzy, you have to know that I don’t like this at all. If it were my choice, I’d not only bed you right here and now, but I’d keep you with me forever.”

“It is
your
choice,” I snapped.

Pulling my hands from his grasp, I stalked away, hoping he would follow, but he didn’t.

Easing Lady Luck onto Granny Stella’s dirt driveway, I parked behind Aaron’s car. Hopefully he’d be awake. With my uncle working at the radio station late into the night, he had a habit of sleeping until way past noon.

After knocking on the front door, I walked in without waiting for him to answer.

I was surprised to hear hushed voices coming from the parlor.

Uncle Aaron never had visitors, with the exception of Malcolm Skeet , the local pothead, and Aaron’s best friend.

As soon as I stepped into the parlor, I felt the fires of Hell engulf me.

My uncle was hastily trying to pull up his drawers, while Missy Rogers, the town sleaze, was pulling her shirt over her head.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing with my uncle!”

“Now that’s none of your business, Izzy,” Aaron came to Missy’s defense.

“First Julius, then Zane Dupree, and now my uncle … is there anyone on the island you’re not sleeping with?” I asked, sarcasm dripping from my tongue.

Frowning, Missy brought up a hand and flipped a lock of her long blond hair away from her face. “Izzy Cooper, you’re just jealous. Maybe if you got a little once in a while, you wouldn’t be so hateful toward me.”

“Oh please!” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t settle for just anyone, unlike some hosebags.”

“Hey! That was uncalled for,” Aaron interjected.

“What does Julius say about all this sleeping around you’re doing?”

A brooding expression twisted at Missy’s face. “Julius is so busy watching you … he hasn’t got time for me.”

“Is that so? I barely see him. Julius must be out doing someone else and giving you a taste of your own medicine.”

I thought it best not to let Miss Missy Murderess in on the fact that Julius was a demon and was probably doing half the women on the island.

Ignoring me, Missy gave Aaron a peck on the cheek. “Call me later, Sugar.”

As soon as she was gone, I turned my fury on Aaron. “How could you? Granny is missing and you’re screwing the town  … whatnot!”

It took a lot of effort not to call her what she really was, but I didn’t want to do it in Granny Stella’s house. Granny hated it when we used profanity.

Suddenly it dawned on me that Missy had left, but I hadn’t even seen her car when I drove up.

“I didn’t see her car. What was she driving?” I asked as I peered out the window.

Aaron scowled. “I guess she rode her bicycle over here. Why is that a crime too?”

Abandoning my search for Missy’s car, I turned back to my uncle. “How could you bring someone like that … who is probably a murderess, into Granny’s house?”

He waved away my words. “A man has needs you know. Besides, Missy is really a nice woman, once you get to know her.”

“Whatever.” I scowled. “What have you been doing to look for Granny?”

Uncle Aaron was a warlock, and my sister Annabelle was a witch, but neither of them seemed to be able to locate Granny, which was really starting to get on my nerves.

“I have been scrying every night … but I’m just not seeing anything.”

The last time I’d talked with Annabelle, she’d said the same thing.

Sighing, I slumped into Granny’s old green couch. “We have to do something. She’s not dead, I know it.”

At first, Aaron had been hopeful when I’d insisted Granny wasn’t dead, but I could tell that hope was starting to fade.

“Maybe you’re right.” He shrugged. “But maybe you’re wrong too. Not every spirit contacts the living after passing over.”

He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know better than he did. Still, I knew Granny, and she would have gotten a message to us.

“Have you heard anything about Moonlight Dell?” I asked. “Elias claims there was some activity over there this morning. He thinks there might be some people living at the Dell now.”

Aaron’s meaty face grew pale. “That’s not good. No one goes to the Dell.”

“I know that, but I still can’t figure out why the Dell is such a red zone.”

Granny, and pretty much everyone else had always warned us to stay away from the Dell, and for the most part we had. Every once in a while kids from town would go up there and snoop around, but not too often. There was something about the place that seemed to ward off even the most curious.

Sitting in Granny’s old wooden rocker, Aaron pulled on his black motorcycle boots. I could never understand why he wore riding boots when the closest thing he had to a motorcycle was a bullet bike.

“It’s the history of the place like it is with most things here.”  He was purposely being evasive.

At the moment, I didn’t have the time or patience to pry info out of him.

“We have another suspicious death on our hands, and if there are new people on the island, it is probably something I should check out.”

“If there are people living there, they are either crazy as loons, or they’re dangerous. Either way you’ll want to stay clear of the Dell.”

Uncle Aaron was the biggest chicken butt warlock I’d ever known. Not for the first time, I wondered if he actually had any witchy power.

Come to think of it. I’d never actually seen my uncle cast any kind of spell.

I gave him a tolerant, but subtly sarcastic smile. “Thanks for the advice, Uncle Aaron.”

* * *

Lady Luck was sputtering a little, but I attributed her health problems to the dusty dirt road. Mustangs just weren’t meant to traverse the wild, at least not the yellow, automobile variety of Mustang.

In spite of the fact that it was nearly midday, the road was dark, shadowed by tall pines on both sides.

Another reason Moonlight Dell hadn’t gotten too many intruders over the years was due to the fact that it was so out of the way and secluded. The Dell was located near the northern end of the island and was surrounded by woods.

I’d only ventured to the Dell once before. It was just after Annabelle got her driver’s license and new ride. With my sister being naturally curious and wayward, the Dell seemed like the perfect place to try out the four-wheel drive on her Jeep.

Truthfully, I’d been a little disappointed. With all the warnings to keep away from the Dell, I’d been expecting monsters or something. All we found were some derelict cottages and a lot of overgrowth.

Annabelle’s Jeep had done a great job negotiated the road, much better than Lady Luck was doing.

The Dell got its name for the fact that it was located in a little valley, surrounded by hills. Clearly, its location had been chosen for privacy. The little village was even more isolated than Roseland. Whoever the original settlers had been, they definitely hadn’t wanted to be bothered by the outside world.

Suddenly the trees thinned and I entered a clearing, which meant I had reached the outskirts of the village.

The change wasn’t just stunning, but miraculous. Weeds and overgrowth had been cut back and replaced with just about every kind of flower imaginable. The gardens of Moonlight Dell were a rainbow of color, and perfect.

The entire village looked like a meticulously manicured botanical garden.

Bringing Lady Luck to a stop, I stared at the beauty before me as if I were looking at a freak of nature - a monster.

It was truly breathtaking, but for some reason it seemed unnatural.

The gardens were too perfect. With Halloween only a few days away, the flowers should be starting to die. Some would still look good, but most wouldn’t.

That wasn’t the case in Moonlight Dell. As soon as you entered the clearing, it was like the seasons changed and it was suddenly spring.

Maybe they just had really green thumbs.

It was strange, but I shrugged it off and continued. There were a couple of shops that didn’t appear to be open, and several empty cottages, but even those were picture perfect.
I had the sense that I’d just entered a medieval town in some fairytale, complete with cobblestone streets. The cottages and shops had a Tudor appearance, but they didn’t look old. In fact, everything looked new, as if it had just been built.

It was beautifully eerie, but again I shrugged it off. 

Obviously whoever was remodeling the village, knew what they were doing.

After parking Lady Luck next to one of the empty cottages, I reached beneath the driver’s seat and found my Glock. No matter how peaceful the village appeared to be, I wasn’t going to get caught without my gun.

It was a slow process, but I was developing the habit of keeping my weapon on me while conducting homicide investigations. I’d learned the hard way that there was no telling when you’d need a gun to help you out of a tight situation.

After all, there was a reason law enforcement carried guns.

Getting out of my Mustang, I locked the doors and started walking the cobblestone street, looking for someone to talk to.

I’d only gone about fifty yards when I came to a cottage. It was lovely, almost as perfect as a painting. Its thatched roof actually had ivy growing over it. Behind the white picket fence, I spied a young woman working in what appeared to be a vegetable or herb garden.

“Hello!” I waved.

The woman looked up and smiled. She was as stunning as the village. Her silky brown hair was bound in a French braid, and she had a glowing complexion that some women would kill for.

Dropping the gardening tool she’d been using, she stood up. “Hello. Can I help you find something?”

“Well, I don’t know. I was just kind of curious as to what’s going on. I thought the Dell was deserted.”

“Oh, it was. We moved in a couple of months ago and started fixing it up.” Her smiled widened as she walked toward the fence.

The closer she got, the more beautiful she was. I admit, I felt a twinge of jealousy that anyone could be so perfect.

My cop instincts took over, or some kind of instinct anyway. It was entirely possible it was my nasty demon instinct, spurred by my envy of the girl’s perfection. “You must
have been keeping a low profile. As far as I know, nobody was aware the Dell was occupied. What are you doing all the way up here?”

In spite of her display of friendliness, her brown eyes turned cool. “Just cozying up our new home.”

“Who all lives up here … and what’s your name?”

Now even her smile turned cool. “Who are you?”

“I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. “I’m Special Agent Cooper with the FBI.” Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out my ID and showed it to her.

“I see. Is this an official visit then?”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Well my name is Tanna Aster, and this is my home.” She lifted a dainty hand and pointed to the cottage.

“Who else is up here?” I repeated the question, getting right down to business.

“Right now there are only four of us here, but we hope that over time, we will be able to build up our community.”

I wondered if she was purposely avoiding an answer to my question. “So there are four of you? Where are the other three residents?”

“They have gone to the mainland to bring back more building supplies. We still have a lot of work to do in order to get this place into shape.”

Although to an onlooker Tanna appeared to be cooperative, she was really not giving me much information at all. I was sure this was no accident.  “So are you all just squatting up here, or do you actually own this property?”

Laughter bubbled from her perfect, baby doll lips. “Of course we’re not squatters. My friend, Rayanne, inherited the village and the land Moonlight Dell sits on. She’s had the inheritance since she was a baby, but just recently started to do something with it. Some of us got together and decided to make it our home.”

“Do you ever shop at the Mystique Super Mart?” I asked.

Tanna shook her head. “Eventually we probably will, but the girls have been bringing back groceries from the mainland when they go for supplies.”

What she said actually made sense, which meant there wasn’t much else I could question her, as if there was no apparent connection to the victim.

On the surface, the Dell seemed completely legitimate, but I wasn’t convinced. What were the chances there would be a homicide at the same time we had new residents come to the island?

Of course, Tanna had said they’d been at the Dell for a couple months, but there was no way of knowing for sure how long they’d really been on the island.