whiskey witches 01 - whisky witches by s m blooding Page B

your standard chief of police. I knew what I invited in my town when I called you in, and I was aware things could get pretty odd.”
    She mouthed the word “odd” with a dry chuckle.
    White perched on the arm of a chair. “Also, there’s the fact I saw the demon possessing you. That’s not something I can erase. Nothing but the truth is going to make any sense.”
    Paige walked to the window seat. “So, you’re okay with this?”
    “I have to be if I’m going to help solve this case. I’ve already had to relieve my own investigator from the case.”
    Something Balnore had said when she’d been in the dream state suddenly clicked into place. “Lieutenant Mike Jones?”
    “Yes. You saw his name in the files?”
    “Actually, I didn’t really pay that much attention to who signed them.”
    White frowned at her.
    “Did you check his alibi’s?”
    White expelled a surprised breath. “Why?”
    “Why’d you kick him off?”
    “His best friend had been murdered. Ashley Fort and him were best friends since Kindergarten, Detective. He was never a suspect.”
    Paige fingered the window pane. “The connection to all the victims is a coven.”
    He shook his head. “We don’t have a coven in St. Francisville.”
    “Yes. You do. Or, at least, you did. Malika Moore led it.”
    The chief’s expression dead-panned. “Malika? She’s Mike’s girlfriend.”
    Paige didn’t ignore the fact White had dropped the lieutenant’s surname. They were close, probably friends. She waited for his own blindness to dawn on him without further prodding.
    “She owns the local magick shop.” His shoulders slumped as shock slackened his lips and eyes. “I didn’t think anything of it. It’s just candles and books and incense.”
    “And you didn’t suspect her? Not once? You didn’t ask for her advice?”
    “No.” A quiet dawning rose in White’s dark eyes. “Mike told me about you almost immediately.”
    Dexx narrowed his eyes at Paige. “Where did you get the information about the coven?”
    Paige drew her jaw to the side, trying to decide if Dexx was on her side before she spoke. “Balnore.”
    “I was there when you summoned him.”
    “But you weren’t when I dream-called him. Before I knew I could. Before I even knew what that was.”
    His eyebrows shot up.
    “Leave it, Dexx. Everything’s fine. Balnore’d been keeping watch on the situation, so he shared his information. That’s all.”
    “In a dream summoning.”
    She rolled her lips inward, her mouth open.
    “Hey, kids,” White interjected. “Could we get back to the case?”
    Paige scratched her face where her hair tickled it. “What did Mike show you that led you to believe you could call my chief and ask to borrow me?”
    White gestured with one hand. “The Pilmner case. There were too many similarities for me to ignore. It said you caught the guy, but Mike said if we had any chance of catching our man, we needed your expertise.”
    Paige dropped her gaze. “That’s too coincidental.”
    “You can’t suspect Mike.”
    “Let me guess. You’ve known him since Kindergarten.” She didn’t understand how anyone could be so blind. She nearly kicked herself when she reminded herself of what her blind trust had led her to.
    “No.” White took in a deep breath. “College.”
    Paige flared her hands. The small town had made him soft.
    “The suspicion is there.” Dexx paced. “What are we going to do to prove this guy’s innocent?”
    White sent Dexx a half-smile of appreciation. “Or his guilt.”
    “Yeah.”
    “Meet me at the station in a half hour.”
    Paige tipped her head to the side, question all over her face.
    “And be prepared.” White narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to give him the opportunity to interrogate you.”
    “Well,” Paige said dryly, “that should be fun.”

    PAIGE AND DEXX decided to get some prime stake-out time logged. They chose Paige’s rental since the silver sedan was a bit more low-key than Dexx’s.