Chapter 2
Jasmine closed the window of the small office at the back of the restaurant and chucked a couple of large pieces of firewood into the fireplace. She looked at the clock on the wall, and it confirmed what her internal timer predicted—it was six thirty p.m. on the dot.
She turned on her computer and logged in to the private chat room. On the screen, her two friends had just entered the room.
Beatrice smiled. Her long sandy hair cascaded onto her delicate shoulders, and her striking emerald eyes twinkled to match her smile. Beatrice looked like a hair and makeup model straight out of a fashion magazine. She could be a celebrity if she wanted to. But she chose to lead a quiet life, running her own vet school in Gisborne central.
Mia, on the other hand, expressed emotions only when she felt the need. Her sharp dark brown eyes pierced through people if they lied to her. If there was such a thing as a staring competition, and if she even bothered to participate, she could be a world champion. People who didn’t know her well might think she was aloof. But Jasmine knew that under her tough mask was the kindest, most warmhearted person she had ever met. Mia worked as a psychologist during the day and accepted paranormal clients whenever there was a need. As the population of the paranormal community was five times larger than the human one, her clinic looked quiet on the surface, but her schedule was always full.
“I just discovered something,” Beatrice said with a smile.
Jasmine bit into a vegetable stick left over from those she had prepared earlier for Bertram. “Nothing can beat my news about the city detective, but go ahead, what did you discover?”
Mia’s eyes sparked with curiosity. “Spit it out, ladies. I’m not a fan of suspense.”
Beatrice grinned. “We look like Charlie’s Angels.”
Jasmine looked at their images on the screen, and Beatrice was right. Beatrice was blond, and Mia had beautiful Asian eyes and a delicate oval face framed by raven hair that just touched her shoulders. Jasmine twirled a finger in her long brunette hair and laughed. “That’s a fair observation. And I get to be the more sensible one of the three.”
Mia smiled. “As you wish. Now, tell us about the detective. Is he in his sixties? Taking on this job to look for a good property or maybe a location for his retirement?”
Jasmine finished her vegetable stick and grabbed a second one. “Far from it! Thirty-something. Laser-sharp. A nonbeliever. I think we have to go with plan B.”
Beatrice winked. “I think you’re wrong this time, Jasmine. There’s something in him that clouded your judgment. He’s susceptible to magic.”
Jasmine narrowed her eyes. “Goddammit, Beatrice! You wielded that dog! He could have shot it for real. I thought you loved your animals.”
“I do. But it was just a tiny lizard I asked to run across the vines. If he had fired, which he didn’t, the bullet would have hit only air, or maybe your vines.”
“Show-off!” Jasmine muttered. She pretended to scowl, but it didn’t last long. Beatrice wasn’t a natural witch. Her ability with magic came from learning and practice. But she was far better than Jasmine, who had been born to witches.
Mia nodded. “If he wasn’t susceptible to magic, he wouldn’t have seen the dog. But does that mean he’s open to the paranormal? Because if he isn’t, telling him will be a disaster.”
“But we’ve got no choice. I talked to Landon, and he won’t help swap the body with a human John Doe,” Beatrice said.
“I thought he was a paranormal empathizer,” Jasmine said.
Mia shook her head. “There’s been an increased number of fatal incidents caused by unexplained wild animal attacks recently. I think Landon’s seen enough and thinks the government should step in.”
“That won’t be helpful,” Jasmine said as she waved her hands in the air. “The government can only do something if they were real animal attacks. But we know very well they weren’t. Pulling in the central police would be a disaster. Landon didn’t have an issue with helping us before. Why did he change his mind?”
“Maybe you should talk to him tomorrow, Jasmine. He listens to you,” Beatrice said. “He’s the only medical examiner in town. The police will take his report seriously.”
Jasmine shook her head. “I’ll take Bertram to the B&B tomorrow. I think he’ll want to take a look at the crime scene first. You might have to be the one to talk with Landon in the morning, Mia. I’ll try to stall Bertram for as long as possible, but sooner or later, he’ll want to see the body in the morgue.”
Mia nodded. “Okay, I can talk to Landon.” She swiped through pages of her electronic notepad. “From my investigation today, I learned that Sara Hines was made a werewolf only a few months ago. She had just gone through a divorce, and I think her ex-husband is a mundane human. I’m not sure if he knows about her condition. He has been notified as next of kin about her death.”
“So she’s a child in paranormal age. Young and inexperienced. That’s why her body didn’t completely reverse back to her human form when she was killed,” Beatrice said. Her beautiful emerald eyes began to tear up. Jasmine made a mental note not to circle back to that topic again. Beatrice was very emotional when it came to children, both mundane and magical ones.
Jasmine grabbed a third vegetable stick, but then, remembering Bertram’s ruined dinner, she put it back down. She turned the kettle on and pulled out an herbal tea bag. “She must have been looking for something at the B&B. If she owned a bottle of wine at that price tag, she’d choose to stay at the resort and not at the B&B,” she said while making her tea.
“No offense, Jasmine.” Beatrice smiled. “Your resort is the best and the only in close proximity to town central. But the B&B is advertised as a vineyard with one of the oldest vines in the world. Sara owned that bottle, suggesting that she was a wine-snob. I think staying at the B&B instead of the resort would be the more natural choice for her.”
Jasmine frowned. “They hardly fill two rooms a month, and they advertise?”
“Yep!” Beatrice clucked her tongue. “Maybe that’s why they advertise?”
Mia grinned. “I’d use the money to upgrade the condition of their rooms first before spending it on advertising. You’re packed all the time, and they never fill their rooms. There must be something wrong with their products.”
Jasmine shrugged. “I’ll take a look tomorrow while I’m there. Maybe I can give them some feedback.”
Mia winced. “Whether or not they welcome it?”
Jasmine waved a set of keys in front of the camera. “They left me the keys to take Bertram through. I think they trust me!”
Beatrice chuckled. “Trust has nothing to do with what they did and whether they deserve your feedback. Their family has been there for decades. But when disaster happened, they dropped you the keys, left town, and let you handle the police!”
Jasmine sipped her tea, smiled, and said nothing. Beatrice had never gotten along well with that family. “All right, so tomorrow, Mia, can you talk to Landon about the body? I’ll stall Bertram for as long as I can. Keep me posted. And Beatrice, can you contact Bob the handyman for me? His phone was out of range all day. I need to get the pothole in my driveway fixed.”
“On it!” Beatrice grinned. “Checking out now!” she said and logged off.
“What’s your plan for tonight, Jasmine? There’s something you didn’t tell Beatrice.”
She smiled at Mia, who was as sharp as usual. “I’m going devise some kind of test to see whether Bertram is susceptible to magic and if he’s open to the paranormal. But I want to do it my way. Beatrice isn’t the only one who can wield magic in this town.”
Mia smiled and nodded. “Bye, Jasmine.” She logged off.
Jasmine took a few more minutes to enjoy her tea and then went to the kitchen. She could create a heavenly dinner in twenty minutes with what she had on hand.
Twenty-two minutes later, she walked up the Merlot block with the dinner secured in a picnic basket.