Waking the Witch (Otherworld 11)

"If she solves the case, it'll make Chief Bruyn look bad," Kayla pointed out.

Dorothy's eyes glittered, but after a moment, she shook her head. "I don't want to get involved."

"That's up to you," Kayla said. "Just as long as you don't mind having a killer in your town. One who might have seen you spying on him that day."

Dorothy scowled at her, then finally waved me to a chair.

She settled across the table, looked me over again, then said, "It was the day before that girl died."

Dorothy had been in the hardware store, trying to return a frying pan she'd left on the stove too long. Cody had been in line behind her, getting impatient as she argued with the clerk, which I'm sure only made Dorothy all the more determined not to step aside.

That's when Claire came in. She'd walked past Cody and smiled.

"The hussy," Dorothy sniffed. "Don't you ever behave like that, Kayla. That's how your mom got into trouble."

"If my mom hadn't gotten into trouble, I wouldn't be here," Kayla said.

Dorothy harrumphed and resumed her story. Claire had smiled at Cody. Then she'd walked out the back door, tossing another smile over her shoulder. Cody--"being a man, and you know how men are"--forgot whatever he'd been there to buy and followed Claire out.

That's when the clerk gave up and agreed to exchange Dorothy's frying pan, so she didn't notice what was transpiring outside until she was about to leave, and caught a glimpse of Cody and Claire out the back door.

"That girl wasn't smiling anymore. She was saying som

ething and Cody didn't like it one bit. He caught her by the wrist. She shook him off and tried walking back into the hardware store, but he stepped in front of her. Grabbed her arm. I headed for them. That girl was stupid, flirting with a boy like Cody Radu, but I wasn't going to stand by and let him hurt her. Cody saw me and let her go real fast. She came inside. He took off down the alley, I bet. Coward."

"Did Claire say anything to you?" I asked.

"I told her she ought to be more careful, and she agreed. Looked real shook up, too. Felt kinda sorry for her."

Not sorry enough to tell Bruyn about the fight. Claire had flirted to lure Cody outside, meaning they hadn't been lovers. What had she said to him? And, more important, was it worth killing her for?

As WE LEFT Dorothy's, Kayla reminded me of my ice cream offer. We'd just turned onto Main Street when a familiar silver SUV roared past.

When Cody saw me, he braked and squinted out the window, like he was hoping for a limp, a broken nose ... I waved. He sped off.

"I hate him," Kayla said, almost too softly to be heard. "Even if he didn't kill my mom, I hate him."

She led me into the diner. We got ice cream and went back outside.

"Grandma decided I should talk to you," Kayla said. "On my own, without her there. That's why I came over when I saw you with that cop. I think she figures I'll tell you things I wouldn't with her there. She's still worried that Cody might have hit me."

"Did he?"

She hesitated, and my heart slid up to my throat. Shit. I wasn't prepared for this. I had no idea what to do and I was sure that whatever I did would be the wrong thing and it would be so important to do exactly the right thing--

"Would he go to jail if I said he did?" she asked.

"If he did hit you, then yes, that would help." I noticed her expression was studiously blank and said, slowly, "But if you lie about it, that could make things worse."

She sighed, shoulders slumping. "He never did. When they started dating, it was good. I mean, Cody didn't want anything to do with me, but I didn't care because Mom was happy." She looked up at me. "Really happy. Like I'd never seen her before. She said she'd finally found the right guy and he was going to be my dad one day. I didn't want him to be, but if she wanted it ..."

"Then you were okay with that."

She nodded. "She said she was going to clean up, so she could be a good wife for him. She gave all her dope to Brandi, and she hardly drank at all. She showed me how to paint my nails, and one day we went into Battle Ground and got our hair done at a real beauty parlor--Grandma usually cuts mine--and Mom had the lady do our hair the same way and it was cool." Her gaze dropped. "It was really cool."

I waited for her to go on. After a moment, she did.

"Only Cody didn't want her to clean up. He'd bring her stuff--dope and booze--and if she didn't take it, he'd hit her. Brandi said that was okay, he liked her just the way she was and she should be happy."