Westerham Witches and a Venetian Vendetta by Dionne Lister (top rated books of all time TXT) 📕

“Lily squirrel—yes, I know. Anyway, cameras are disabled. Let’s go.”

I hurried in after him and shut the door. The showroom door was already open, thanks to Will. We slipped in. I got straight to work and called up my magic. “Show me the last time Angelica was here.”

Light filled the space, and I flinched, looking away from my phone screen and checking out behind me. It was dark in real time. Doh, Lily. What is wrong with you tonight? I took a few deep breaths and looked at the screen again. Angelica stood with my mother. They were looking at a glass bird. “The last time she was in this room was when we all were.”

“Okay. Let’s try the factory.”

I followed Will in and asked my magic the same question. Again, it showed Angelica standing near the bleachers talking to Lorenzo on the day we’d come to watch him. After that, Will led me to a storeroom where I got nothing, then to two offices…. Again, she hadn’t been there at all. This was a bust. Hmm. Maybe if I tried something else. “Show me Lorenzo and Mrs Dal Lago last time they were here.”

I blushed. Yikes. It was dark except for the lamp sitting on the desk. They were naked and going for it on that desk. She was under him, and that’s all anyone needed to know. I took a photo, which I didn’t want to do. Now there was porn on my phone. Porn that wasn’t okayed by the perpetrators. When did I turn into a creep?

I showed Will while my gaze looked anywhere but at him and the photo. La, la, la, la, la. Awkward. Well, not as awkward as if my mother were here. At least it was just Will. “Can you take another look and see if that calendar over there is set to a recent date?”

“Okay.” I called up my magic and asked to see that again. I stepped around the figures who weren’t really there and zeroed in on the desk calendar. I took a photo. “Wow, no wonder his alibi didn’t check out. He was here having sex with Mrs D the night Mr D went missing. But why wouldn’t they just say?”

Will looked at the photo, then at me. “Because it would be too convenient and make them both look guiltier. At least if his family alibi checked out, it would make him safe. Who wouldn’t assume they’d murdered him together knowing what we know now?”

“Hmm, good point.”

“If we can figure out what time this was, it’ll help. I know she finished work at the hotel at 7:00 p.m.—we have video footage of her in the hotel before that time. Think you can get your magic to work out a time?”

I scrunched my forehead. “I have no idea. It usually does what I say, but I’ve never been so specific about time before, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t.” I lifted my phone. “Show me this room two nights ago between seven thirty and eight at night.” Faded light came in the window, but that was it. Empty. “Show me this room two nights ago between eight and eight thirty.” Still Empty. “Show me this room two nights ago between eight thirty and nine.” There they were, on the table. “Okay, we have them here between eight thirty and nine, but not before. At least, not in this room. Hang on.” I asked for a nine to nine thirty timeline. They were still there, just in a different position. Oh my God. Were you kidding me? Maybe he took Viagra? He had to be at least in his late fifties. I snapped a shot.

Will looked at it. “So the office chair got a workout too?”

“Looks like. It’s probably not safe to touch anything in here.” I pulled an “ew” face. “I’m thinking we check the other rooms for their presence before that time. See if they were here by themselves earlier or later.”

“Good idea.”

I held my phone up one last time and asked for nine thirty to ten. She was now resting her bottom on the windowsill smoking a cigarette. He was standing there staring at her. Looked like things were winding down. Finally, ten to ten thirty, they were gone. Thank God. Now it was time to go room to room and see what else was happening here that night.

In the lunchroom, I found where they’d been from seven thirty to eight thirty; they were in here eating dinner, just the two of them, a candle on the table. How romantic. I clicked off a shot. “So, the only time we can’t account for is from seven to seven thirty, when I suppose she was showering and getting ready for the date because she’s not wearing her work clothes here.” Unless work clothes were a tight-fitting red-sequinned dress that finished at the top of her thighs and red stilettos.

“And after ten, we have nothing on them. The crime happened, well became obvious at eleven twenty. So, we have an hour and twenty minutes unaccounted for. As complicated as that spell is, I’m thinking that’s enough time to create that kind of masterpiece.”

“I guess we have to see if Lorenzo was in his apartment after ten.”

“Which will have to wait until tomorrow.”

I threw my head back and closed my eyes. And where was Angelica? We’d made some discoveries, but it wasn’t enough. Will’s arms slid around me, and he pulled me to his chest. “It’ll be okay, Lily.”

I didn’t want to be a naysayer, but…. “It might not be.”

He kissed the top of my head. “I know, but we have to have faith that we’ll figure this out before whoever did this kills her.”

“If it’s not those two—and it still could be, but most of their night was accounted for—who would it be? And where does that other dead woman come into it?”

Will swore. “Bloody Agent Tondato. He’s making this as difficult as possible. He told me