“Nope. Cops have all these rules and regulations around how they can treat their suspects.” I gave him a wide, toothy smile. “I don’t have any of those.”
Marty paled. “I didn’t do anything. You think this store runs itself? I ain’t got time to go set a house on fire.”
He was a bigot, but I doubted he was a murderer. “You ever notice anyone who had issues with Brooke?”
“That was her name? Brooke?” He shrugged. “She kept to herself most of the time. Usually polite, until she stalked in here and told me I needed to replace her fruit. I don’t give refunds.”
He pointed to the sign above him. “It’s right there. People these days don’t even fucking read.”
I wasn’t going to get anything out of him. I shook my head, bit my tongue, and walked out.
“She sounds like a normal woman who was just living her life.” Kyla said as the door swung shut behind us. “It pisses me off.”
“I know. But say she was the main target… why take the other witches out? There were so many easier ways to kill her while she was alone. They could’ve set it up as a home invasion, a robbery gone wrong, or even a simple execution. Taking the rest of the coven out just means there are more grieving families. More cops, more publicity, more time on the news. Why draw that much attention to yourself?” I scowled. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
“What now?”
I sighed. “Now, we interrogate what’s left of Gemma’s coven. One of them is likely involved in the slaughter of the women who considered her a sister.”
Kyla looked slightly sick. “Can’t wait.”
9
Danica
We stopped by my apartment building long enough for Kyla to leave her car so she could ride with me. That way, I could give her a rundown of what to expect from Gemma’s coven. They were staying at the new boutique hotel off Main Street, and Kyla whistled when I said the name.
“I’ve always wanted to stay at Alchemy. So they’re going to let you interview them?”
“According to Gemma they will. I’m not expecting most of them to be cooperative though. The Durham witches aren’t exactly my biggest fans.”
“Why?”
I took a right and scowled at the long line of traffic. “They need to do something about this fucking intersection.” I sighed. “I guess they think I should’ve come crawling back to them and rejoined the coven when I returned to Durham. Instead, I joined the Mage Council.”
I pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and sent Gemma a text. She replied instantly with her room number and we strolled into the lobby.
“Wow, this place is as gorgeous as everyone says.”
“The coven has money.”
We walked past the front desk, ignoring the speculative look from the staff. In my ripped jeans and beaten-up brown leather jacket, I didn’t look like the type to stay in a five-star hotel. Kyla was wearing black leggings and an oversized t-shirt, although she somehow managed to look almost elegant.
Gemma opened the door herself as soon as we knocked, moving back so we could step into the suite. Her eyes were red-rimmed and tired.
“This is Kyla. She’s helping me with my investigation.”
Gemma narrowed her eyes, obviously unhappy that a werewolf was involved. I merely shrugged, and after a moment, Gemma stepped aside.
“We have gathered in the living room. We also have the suite next door, which you may use for your interviews.”
I nodded. The witches were quiet when we walked in, a few of them eating lunch. There must have been ten or fifteen of them gathered together in small groups, some of them sitting on the floor. A few of them nodded at me, while most ignored us. Charming.
“I’ll make this quick,” I said. “We need to talk to everyone. The easier you make this, the faster it will go, and the more chance I have of finding out who did this.”
One of the witches sneered at me. I recognized her from last night. Marie. I gave her a wide smile. “You’re up first.”
Kyla glanced at me. Technically, Marie was on her list, but I was just ornery enough to want to deal with her myself. Kyla glanced at her phone.
