A Hillcrest Witch Mystery Collection Page 19

  “Right.” I say. “And he went to Raul’s room, you think?”

  Dawn nods. “The visitor went down the hallway, towards Raul’s room, and then he and Raul came out through the lobby and left without saying a peep to me on the way out. I was sitting right behind the front desk. It was very rude, if I do say so myself.”

  “And then...?” I ask. I want to get to the part about the wolf.

  “Raul came back, late in the evening. Let’s see...” She taps her lip. “I know it was only last night, but things are a bit fuzzy. Now... when did he come back?”

  I stay quiet to let her think.

  Finally she says, “I’m not sure exactly what time that was. Just after dark, I think. I was having my evening cocktail, and wasn’t paying attention to the time. I do remember seeing him come in through the door and head to his room. He was limping a bit, now that I’m thinking about it.”

  “Limping?”

  “Yes.” Dawn nods. “I’m fairly certain. Favoring one leg. He walked down the hallway without saying a word to us, and I assumed he’d settled in for an early night. Except...”

  Dawn shifts in her seat. She looks uncomfortable.

  “Except what?” I say.

  “I did... well, hear something. Later last night. Neville and I went to bed at about nine. We locked the front door, as we usually do. I had given Raul a key when he checked in. At about midnight, I heard the front door slam. I woke Neville.”

  “Was it Raul?” I ask.

  “Neville got up and ran out to see who was up and about. He opened the front door and looked out, but he didn’t see anyone out on the street.”

  “No one?” I say. I’ve forgotten all about my notes now. They lay abandoned on my lap. I’m too engrossed in Dawn’s tale to mind.

  “No one,” Dawn says. “The only thing in sight was two dogs. Two very big, black dogs. Neville says...”

  Her voice tapers off, and she looks to the side. She shakes her head. “It couldn’t be... and I know how silly it sounds, but... Neville says that they were wolves. In fact, he insists that they were wolves.”

  “I don’t think we have wolves in this part of Colorado,” I say.

  Dawn sighs. “That’s what Marty, with Animal Control, keeps telling us. But Neville won’t change his story.” She shrugs.

  Just then, the door behind the front desk opens. Neville, Dawn’s husband and business partner, steps out into the lobby.

  “Penny, love!” Neville says as he steps into the room, opening his arms wide.

  Neville is just as friendly as his wife. He’s tall and has twinkling eyes and a fuzz of grey hair crowning his balding head. He lived in England before moving to Colorado, and he still has a subtle English accent.

  He grins at me. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he asks.

  “It has,” I say, standing and setting my pen and paper down on a side table.

  I walk towards Neville. As soon as I approach, he sweeps me up into a bear hug.

  “Good to see you, love!” he says, giving me a squeeze. “When are we going to start planning a wedding for you and Captain Wagner?” he asks.

  I step back and my cheeks flush with embarrassment. For some reason, people love the fact that I’m dating Hillcrest Police Captain Chris Wagner. They say we’re an adorable couple.

  “Whoa, I don’t know about that,” I say, grinning.

  “No?” he says. “Come on, now. This winter? A holiday theme? Maybe mistletoe, hanging in every doorway?” He starts humming that sounds like a Christmas carol or a love song, I’m not sure which.

  Dawn comes up behind me.

  “Now, Neville. Don’t give her a hard time.”

  Neville lifts his arms, and begins pretending to dance with an invisible partner. He keeps on humming.

  I chuckle, and Dawn stifles a laugh. She reaches for Neville’s arm to still him. “Stop that!” she says. “Penny will be the first to tell us, when she and Chris decide to tie the knot. I’m guessing it will be a summer wedding. Wouldn’t you like that, Penny?”

  My blush intensifies. “I—I—um...Chris and I haven’t—”

  “Don’t worry,” Dawn says, cutting me off mercifully and giving me a wink. “You don’t need to explain. We’re just happy for you, that’s all. Chris Wagner is such a nice young man.”

  She turns to her husband. “Penny isn’t here about wedding planning, Neville. She’s here because I called her. I wanted her opinion—as an investigator, you know—on our little issue.” She purses her lips.

  Neville’s grin fades. “Oh, yes. It’s unfortunate.” He reaches into his pocket, and pulls out his phone. “Did you tell her I got a little snapshot of the print on the carpet?” he asks his wife.

  “I was just getting there,” Dawn says.

  Neville starts swiping through his phone. “Here...” he says, looking at the screen. “See what you can make of this, Detective Banks.”

  Dawn moves so that she can look over his shoulder at the phone’s screen. I take a position on Neville’s other side, and peer at the phone as well.

  “There it is,” Neville says, as he stops searching.

  Indeed, I see a photograph of a bloody paw print on a cream colored carpet.

  “When did you find it?” I ask.

  “I didn’t find it,” Neville says. “Dawson spotted it first.”

  Dawson, Neville and Dawn’s son, is about ten years older than me. Despite the fact that he’s almost forty, he still lives with Dawn and Neville. He never quite ‘flew the coop’, so to speak.

  He lives at the inn, cleaning and helping out at events.

  When he’s not helping out with the family business, he has an almost permanent seat at The O.P., Hillcrest's watering hole, where he likes to drink beer while playing some sort of role-playing card game with his friends. I think it’s called Fantasy Fest or something like that, but I’m not sure. All I know is that he and his friends are regulars, and their games are quite elaborate and last for hours.

  “Okay, when did Dawson find the print?” I ask. “I’m trying to figure out how it might fit in with the way you were woken up by the door slamming, last night.”

  Neville looks at Dawn. “What have you told her already?” he asks. He turns to me. “I don’t want to bore you, detective.” He tosses me a wink.

  Dawn speaks. “I told her about how we heard the door slam, and you ran out and spotted those big black... dogs.”

  “Wolves,” Neville says. “They were wolves. I’ve seen plenty of dogs in my day, Dawn, and these were no dogs. Believe me.” He swivels his head and looks me in the eye. “Do you believe me, Penny?”

  “I believe that you’re certain you saw two wolves,” I say, carefully. I give my fake glasses a nudge.

  Neville seems satisfied with my answer. “Good,” he says. “Marty didn’t believe me.”

  “Well?” Dawn prompts her husband. “Tell her the rest! She doesn’t have all evening.”

  I do have all evening, but I don’t feel the need to share that.

  Neville clears his throat. “Well, almost as soon as I spotted the wolves out on the sidewalk, they were gone. Whoosh!” Neville makes a sound like wind with his lips. “Into the darkness. Disappeared completely. One of them was limping a bit, but could still move fast. I was amazed at their speed. You should have seen it! I ran back inside to get my camera, in case they came back. I knew no one would believe me.”

  While Neville speaks, I lean in to get a closer look at the photo of the bloody print. Neville holds it up so that I can see it clearly.

  As I look he says, “Then I waited around for a while, ready to snap a picture. But that was it. They were gone. I locked the front door up again—because it was unlocked—and then I took a walk through the kitchen, dining room, downstairs, and upstairs to see if anything was out of place. Nothing was. Raul’s door was shut and his light was off. I didn’t want to wake him up and worry him, so I didn’t knock on the door or anything.”

  “Raul must hav
e gone in or out,” I say. “He’s the only one besides you and Dawn who has a key, right?”

  “Well, Dawson has a key too,” Neville says. “But he enters through the back door. He still sleeps in his old high school bedroom, you know.”

  I know what that’s like. I inherited my apartment unit from my mother when she passed away. I still sleep in the exact same room that I was once an infant, toddler, child and teen in.

  Neville’s voice yanks me from my trip down memory lane just as I’m recalling what my room looked like as a teenager—plastered with magazine cutouts of celebrities and pictures of Marley and me. I still have some of the pictures up. I really should redecorate, but who has time for that?

  “Besides,” Neville says, “I don’t think Dawson was home yet. He likes to stay out late with his friends, playing cards until the bar closes. You know how boys are.”

  Dawson isn’t a boy. He’s a full grown man nearing forty, but I know how Neville and Dawn baby him, so I don’t say anything.

  Neville continues. “Since nothing seemed out of the ordinary, I went back to bed. Then, this morning, when Dawson was cleaning Raul’s room, he spotted this paw print.”

  “Where was Raul while Dawson was cleaning?” I ask. “Have you seen him today?”

  Dawn chimes in. “No. Not today. He must have headed out to wherever he goes. Goodness knows where he’s going to get covered in so much dirt. Off into the woods somewhere, is my guess. But why?” She frowns.

  Neville looks my way, and wiggles his brows. “A real mystery, isn’t it Detective Banks?” he says playfully

  “It is,” I say.

  Dawn speaks up again. “Raul’s so quiet. I wish he would talk to us, and tell us his plans. Since we have no idea what he’s doing here in town, we also don’t know when he’s going to check out. I should never have told him that he could stay for as long as he needs.”

  “It’s good business,” says Neville.

  “But is it?” Dawn asks her husband. “It’s not going to be good business if he causes trouble Saturday, during the Harvest dance! I don’t like the idea of two giant dogs—”

  “Wolves” interjects Neville.

  Dawn ignores this. “—that he didn’t even tell us about running around this place. I think it would make the members of this Historical Society very uncomfortable. Don’t you, Penny?”

  “Yes, I’d imagine it would,” I say honestly. Then I ask, “So you didn’t see Raul leave, this morning, before his room was cleaned? But then the room was empty... no dogs—” I glance at Neville and correct myself, “I mean, no wolves—and no Raul?”

  “That’s correct,” Dawn answers. “Raul must have headed out very early, and he must have brought those creatures with him. Really, I don’t like it one bit.”

  “And he’s not back yet?” I guess.

  Dawn looks at the door, as if she’s nervous that Raul and his pets might arrive at any moment.

  “Not yet,” she says. “What do you make of it, Penny? Neville and I were hoping that you might do whatever you do to investigate this man. If he’s up to no good, the police ought to know about it, right?”

  “And if he’s traveling around with some sort of tame wolves, animal control should know about it,” Neville says.

  “We don’t want trouble for the inn,” says Dawn. “But we also don’t want trouble for this town. Hillcrest has seen enough unpleasantness this year.”

  She’s right. Two murders, in less than six months. I frown, thinking of the unfortunate events.

  Neville reads my expression. “All of this crime,” he says, shaking his head. “What’s happened to our little safe-haven? Hillcrest used to be such a peaceful place. Ah well, the only constant is change, I suppose. Even our quaint little town is subject to it.”

  It sure is, I think to myself.

  In more ways than Dawn and Neville could ever fathom.

  You see, this past summer, when an elderly woman died, I inherited a book from her. It turned out that the woman, Claudine Terra, was a witch. The book, called ‘The Art and Science of Becoming a Witch’ (or ASBW for short), supposedly turns humans into magical beings.

  Namely, witches.

  I’m on my way to becoming a real witch.

  When Claudine died, a magical portal just beyond her house up Hillcrest Pass, opened up. Our small mountain town became exposed to magical beings of all shapes and sizes.

  But Dawn and Neville don't’ know about all of that.

  As I think about magic, an idea strikes me like a lightning bolt.

  A strange fellow, acting odd, renting out a room.... Could he have arrived through the portal? Is he magical?

  It would make sense.

  My train of thought is going full-steam now. Choo - choo! If he’s a magical being, could that be connected to Neville’s wolf sighting?

  Neville and Dawn haven’t seen Raul with the wolves. Could Raul be one of the wolves?

  Is Raul a—

  Gulp!

  —werewolf?

  Oh, crap.

  I feel Dawn and Neville staring at me intently.

  “What do you think?” Dawn says, after a long pause. “Can you help us with this?”

  “You called the right person,” I say.

  I mean it, too. As a witch-in-training, I’m one of the only people in town who would take the possibility of a wolf staying at the local inn seriously.

  “Neville,” I say. “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think that you really saw two wolves out on the sidewalk last night.”

  “Thank you, Penny,” Neville says.

  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll poke around town and see what I can figure out. If this guy has been leaving the inn during the day—and possibly at night, too—someone must have seen him around. I’ll try to figure out what he’s been up to. If it’s something illegal, I’ll let the P.D. know about it.”

  Dawn breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank you, dear,” she says.

  “And try to get a picture of Raul’s wolves, too,” Neville says. “He must only let them out at night, or something. I don’t know what he does with them during the day,” he scratches his bald head, just above his ear.

  Then, as if thinking is hurting his head, he shakes it. “Well,” he glances at the clock. “It’s five now. Time for a beverage. Can we get you a glass of wine, Penny love?”

  Dawn glances at the clock too. “Ah, happy hour!” she says. “I’ll have a fuzzy navel.” She winks at me.

  I remember how much Dawn liked her cocktails. I grin as I return to the armchairs, and begin gathering my things. I stuff the paper with a few random notes on it back into my bag, and then add in the jar of jam. It makes my bag bulge. I loop the strap over my shoulder.

  “Nothing for me,” I say. “I have work to do.” I pat my bag. “I have to do some detecting to earn this jam, right? I’ll see what I can figure out by morning time.”

  “Don’t feel you have to work all night,” Neville says. As if on second thought, he adds in, “Though the guy does seem to take his wolves out for fresh air while the rest of us are sleeping...”

  I feel myself wince. Yep. This definitely stinks of werewolf.

  “I’ll most likely post up in front tonight,” I say. “Somewhere out of the way. You might not see me, but just know I’m on the case.” I flash a quick thumbs-up. It feels fun, so I do it again. “Penny Banks, on the case!” I say, giving my thumbs-up again.

  Dawn looks confused. “You just said that,” she notes.

  “I know,” I say. “But it sounded cool. All right then! I’ll head out and get to work!” I pat my bag.

  “Penny?” Dawn says, her tone concerned. “If you see him doing anything illegal, please try to get it sorted before Saturday evening. I don’t want a big scene here during the event. I know it sounds silly, but...”

  Neville puts his arm around Dawn’s shoulder. “If the man is dangerous, then the authorities will have to arrest him when they can,” he says. “Regardless of our schedule. We
have to allow whatever is best for the town to happen.” Then, to me, he says, “Just do what you have to do.”

  “I will,” I say.

  “You have Marty’s number, too?” Neville asks. “Animal Control? In case you spot the wolves?”

  “I can find it,” I say.

  It’s not like I call Animal Control every day, but I’m a smart woman. I can find the number if I need it. I’m antsy to get out the door. There might be werewolves out loose in my little town, and it’s now up to me to track them down and deal with them.

  I wave as I continue backing out of the lobby. “I’ll be in touch,” I say. “If not tonight with an update, then at least bright and early tomorrow morning!”

  “Thank you, Penny,” Dawn says. “We really appreciate your help. Be safe, dear!”

  “I will,” I promise.

  Chapter Three

  Immediately after I leave the Hillcrest Inn, I call Chris.

  He doesn’t pick up.

  When his voicemail clicks on, I leave one of my usual, succinct, well-thought-out messages. Not.

  “Hey, Chris. It’s me. Penny. Have you seen two strangers around lately? Guys in their thirties. One is short and stocky with black hair, and the other one is tall and lean with dark hair too—black, I think—yeah, probably, since his beard is black.”

  I bite my lip, thinking. “The one with the beard wears a grey beanie though...but if his beard is black, then his hair must be black too—not that it’s all that important, but... yeah. One of them is staying at the Hillcrest Inn and Dawn doesn’t have a good feeling about him.” I pause, wondering if I should go into Neville’s wolf sighting. Nah.

  “Anyways, you should probably know about these two guys, and tell the other officers too. They might be a pair to watch out for. I’m going to see what I can find out, but I thought you should know. Umm... are you at work? Well, call me back. I think you’re on the night shift tonight, but if you’re not, do you want to hang out? Oh, wait! I can’t hang out because—oh, just call me back.” I hang up.

  Whew!

  I’m winded.

  I’m lingering by my bike, and now I hop on it and adjust my bag so that it’s sitting in the center of my lower back. I can feel the jar of jam, heavy in my bag. I can’t wait to try some of it!