Mermaid to the Rescue: Purgatory Falls Mysteries, #3

CHAPTER ONE

The sun ducked behind the mountains that surrounded Purgatory Falls, and the shadow brought with it a sharp drop in temperature. The spring evening was crisp, bordering on cold, but after the long winter, it nearly felt warm.

The snow had melted, and after a few muddy weeks, the ground in the park was dried out, and the grass was turning green. But Twyla’s tree still didn’t have any new buds, and my nerves ate at me more each day.

Aiden and I were the last two at the park. He adjusted the tune on his guitar and shot me a glance. Relax. Twyla will return eventually.

We had repeated this conversation every few days for months. But you said that we should see buds soon.

He shrugged. Normally we would, but it wasn’t a normal hibernation for her.

Do you think she’s… I couldn’t even speak the words out loud.

She’s fine. I know we can’t tell, but you did everything right. You organized everything, and there isn’t a day that someone isn’t out here singing or talking or laughing in this park. That will help with her healing. Twyla will come out when she is ready. In the meantime, your worrying is just slowing things down. You ready to head out, or do you have time for one more song?

I leaned back on the bench that one of the youth groups had made and installed under the boughs of Twyla’s tree. One more, then do you want to grab dinner?

Sure, and maybe the springs later for a soak? I’m on call, and I don’t want to jinx it by saying any more. Do you want to pick out something to sing?

I didn’t have the best voice, but I participated whenever possible. It was more fun when everyone got involved, and my repertoire had definitely improved after countless hours. If a song was an American sing-along staple, I knew the words by now.

Surprise me, I challenged him.

He gave me a smile, his eyes crinkling up. How about a Russian folk song? He grabbed a notebook from his guitar case and tossed it over.

I flipped to the front, where I saw a line of Russian language with an English translation next to it. He started to strum, and a gentle melody built. When he started singing, we locked eyes, and the words cut straight to my heart. My throat tightened, and I found it hard to swallow as I glanced down to read the words of the song.

A beautiful maiden with shiny hair and bright teeth.

Her voice as sweet as honey and eyes like jewels.

She has my heart and my mind.

I will love her with my last breath.

You sang this to me as a child, Twyla interrupted in an airy voice.

I certainly did, kiddo. You’re looking great. Aiden put down his guitar and wrapped her in a bear hug. We missed you.

I leaped from my seat and raced over to where Twyla stood next to her tree. We certainly did. I threw my arms around her even as Aiden kept an arm around her shoulder. Tears rolled down my face. I’m so glad you are back. How do you feel?

A little groggy, but it was such a great sleep. She craned her head to the left and right then arched her back.

Here, sit down. I directed her to the bench and sat next to her. They made these so people could sit near your tree.

I know. I could feel them. It was so warm and cozy with everyone around.

Aiden went over to pack up his guitar. That was all Brooke. She organized the whole community to come out daily.

Aiden was there too. And Tavros. And Esmerelda. And all your friends.

I know. I felt you. She rubbed her eyes and winced a little. I’m still sore but feel so much better. Everything from my accident is hazy.

I wrapped her in another hug. It was just awful. We were all so worried about you, but Aiden took control of everything.

He’s good in an emergency.

Aiden was staring at his phone. Speaking of which, there’s been an avalanche up in the mountains, and they need my help. I’ll catch you all later.

He stuffed his phone into his pocket and raced into the center of the park, transforming on the way into a truck-sized dragon. I tried not to gawk as he leaned back on his haunches. His muscles coiled then exploded into the air. The force of his wings had me holding my arm up to cover my face as dust shot out from under him.

Wow, dramatic. Twyla observed. I’m surprised he shifted in front of you. He told me before that he thought it might spook you.

I got over it, I said as I watched his form disappear from sight. Then I lowered my eyes. Oh, drat. He forgot to give me the keys to his truck, and he left his guitar out. Are you hungry?

Starving. And I would love to see Tavros.

I grabbed the guitar case and was careful not to let it bounce against my knee as we walked to the edge of the park then crossed the street toward Tavros’s bar, The Bull in the Bookcase. Quickly, the awkward weight of the case jostled my arm, which still wasn’t fully healed from being shot and stabbed the previous fall.

Do you mind if we take the shortcut down the alley between Main and Second? I asked Twyla.

Sounds great. Maybe once we arrive, you’ll call Esmerelda for me? You have been keeping up with your magic studies, right?

Yes, every day.

Every day? You must be exhausted.

I shrugged. Most days I just help around the store, but it’s excellent practice even when I’m not learning something new. Oh! I have been working on healing spells and made this new pendant. It took me three weeks. It’s wire-wrapped, and I even made the glass center. It has an encased opal inside.

I turned and pulled open the neck of my jacket to show the piece. It’s meant to help me with emotion and lie detection.

Wow. Esmerelda added lampworking to the store?

Yep, she picked up some new ideas in Albuquerque at a conference we went to. It isn’t as powerful as natural gemstones in most cases, but you can go much bigger for far cheaper, and some applications might be possible that aren’t otherwise. I knew I was babbling, but I had missed Twyla so much. I felt giddy and even nervous. What if she didn’t like me as much after her long rest?

What have you been up to, other than magic?

Like Aiden said, we’ve been at your tree every day. They started a small market on the weekends. Several churches scheduled worship series on Sunday. Schools brought kids down to sled. Oh, they put in a small ice-skating rink for a few weeks, but it tended to melt. The rest of the time, we ate with Tavros or went to the springs. That kind of thing.

The alley was cold in the sunset, and the temperature dropped quickly in the dark. We had several more blocks to traverse as we exited the alley and crossed the street before entering the next. I switched the guitar to the other hand and considered that I probably needed to get back into the gym or rehab if my arms were so weak.

Sounds like you and Aiden have been spending a lot of time together?

I smirked. We have, but it’s the same old, same old. Just friends.

Is that what you want? Twyla asked. She tripped over a broken bit of furniture that was close to the ground and hidden in the growing darkness.

I threw out a hand, and Twyla caught herself after a few stumbling steps, but the jostled piece of wood upset the pile stacked up against the back of the building, and it collapsed, spilling across the alleyway.

Are you okay? I asked.

Fine. But why is there so much junk everywhere? And what’s that smell? She covered her nose.

They are doing spring cleanup this week. Ew, what is that? The smell had hit my nose, and I recoiled. It smelt of feces and rot.

A tingle raced down my spine, and I pulled out the flashlight on my phone to illuminate the mess. Behind the broken chairs and a discarded table was a shoe. Unfortunately, the shoe was connected to the leg of a headless man.

CHAPTER TWO

At the end of the block near a streetlight, Twyla and I waited for the police to arrive. I took the time to call Tavros, who managed to make it over just as Dwayne pulled up with his new partner. The streetlight had clicked on and added enough illumination that I could see in the alleyway the junk that had hid the body.

Tavros brought Twyla a large hamburger and sweet potato fries sprinkled with cayenne pepper, which she happily munched on. Tavros was a minotaur and towered over us, which was a comfort as we stood in the darkening evening a couple dozen yards from a dead body.

Dwayne exited his vehicle. When his eyes landed on Twyla, he stumbled slightly. Twyla’s awake!

Twyla looked at me with inquisitiveness in her eyes.

This is Officer Dwayne Shurr. He spoke to you when you were in the hospital.

Her face lit up. I do remember that. Thank you, Officer.

He made it over, towering over her, a goofy smile slathered on his face. Anytime, Twyla, and please call me Dwayne.

I nodded. He’s very dedicated to his job.

Saving you was the most important thing. How are you feeling?

The officer behind Dwayne cleared his throat. Perhaps we should focus on the dead body.

Dwayne snapped out of his daze and nodded back. Yes, of course. This is my new partner, Officer Herbert. He’s training under me.

Herbert’s mouth clamped into a thin line for a moment before he spoke. I am new to the department, but I’ve been in law enforcement for seventy years.

But not in Purgatory Falls. Things are different here. Dwayne hooked his thumbs into his belt loop.

I gave Herbert a quick scan to see if I could guess what kind of paranormal he was, but nothing stood out immediately. No mass of wings under his shirt, pointed ears, or fangs, which left only several thousand options. What I did pick up was that Dwayne and Herbert would probably not be fast friends.

Twyla was steadily making her way through the burger and wasn’t slowing down. The sooner we could get on our way, the better.

I pointed into the dark alley. The body is over there, up against the brick wall. We were walking through here, and Twyla tripped over the leg of the chair. A bunch of stuff that was stacked on it fell over. Then we noticed the smell. If you go around the other side, it’s pretty hard to miss.

People walked down the street, and I noticed a few stopping to watch the police activity even as someone crossed the street to join the growing crowd under a streetlight. I scanned for any familiar faces, but no one stood out.

Night had fully fallen, but Herbert pulled up a thick flashlight that probably doubled as a weapon. Tavros followed Herbert at a distance, close enough to see but far enough away that Herbert didn’t say anything, even when he noticed.

Dwayne called after him. Herbert, don’t touch anything, no matter how tempted you are.

Even from the distance, I could see Herbert’s back tighten in annoyance. I was reasonably sure he rolled his eyes as he ran his flashlight over the area I had indicated. He shouted back, Definitely missing a head.

Dwayne turned back to us. Twyla, don’t worry. I’ll solve this case.

I saw the growing crowd, watching us and the crime scene. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I felt menace. I scanned the faces for anyone that stood out, but despite the variety of people and excitement levels, no one seemed to ping my senses. I felt a slight nausea and resistance to continue looking, which indicated that someone was using magic to hide themselves. I recognized it and wasn’t skilled enough to see through it, though I had discovered, with Esmerelda’s help, that often enough it was just an old paranormal concealing their actual appearance. I turned in every direction to see if I’d missed someone, but the only people around were us and the crowd.

Tavros huffed through his bovine nostrils. The puff of air surrounded him like mist in the cool evening as he shook his head. Surprised someone didn’t call it in sooner. I can smell it from here.

I shrugged. I didn’t notice the smell until we stopped, and the body was more hidden before the pile collapsed. Maybe the smell wasn’t as strong earlier in the day.

Dwayne nodded. There was a hard freeze the last few nights, and this alley wouldn’t get any direct sun during the day. If the body was there at least overnight, it might not have started smelling until recently. We’ll know more once the forensics team is here.

Tavros clomped back over to us then turned to Dwayne. Twyla needs more food. We will be at my place if you have more questions. He picked Aiden’s guitar up off the ground, turned at the end of the alley, and headed up toward Second Street rather than continuing down the alleyways.

Dwayne seemed to hesitate for a second, torn between allowing us to leave the scene and making us stay, but his eyes slid to Twyla.

She gave him a beaming smile. We really don’t have anything more to add, but we can answer any questions you have later. She gave him a little finger wave and bounded after Tavros.

Dwayne got a goofy expression in his eyes behind his heavy-rimmed glasses and gave a moon-faced Bye, before turning back to Herbert and shouting, Did you call into the station, or do I need to do that too?

I missed Herbert’s reply as I jogged after Tavros just as they were crossing to street.

Tavros looked over his shoulder before ducking his large head down and whispering to us. I recognized the man, and I don’t want either of you getting too mixed up in this.

Someone in the crowd? I asked, trying to keep up as his long legs ate up the distance and his hooves clomped on the sidewalk.

No, why do you ask?

I shrugged. I felt like someone was watching me, but I couldn’t see anyone. Did you recognize anyone in the crowd?

Yeah, a few people. The owner of the sandwich place and a few people that work on Main. And Tricky Ricky.

Tricky Ricky sounds promising. Who’s that?

Just a general ne’er-do-well.

I’ve never heard anyone use that phrase in person.

Twyla leaned around Tavros. He’s friends with Bernie. They just kinda live on the edge.

I nodded. Bernie was my landlady’s sister and had been the primary suspect for a murder of a local werewolf, at least until I helped clear her name. One of the biggest problems for her was her reputation of living on just the other side of the straight and narrow. That makes more sense. So you wanted to get us away from Tricky Ricky?

Tavros wrinkled up the furry skin between his eyes. No, Tricky Ricky is harmless. I meant the victim, but I don’t want to discuss that now in public. He turned his attention to Twyla. Are you feeling rested?

Yes, still a bit sore and sleepy, but I think I’m over my winter hibernation.

He grunted. Brooke, does that mean you will now be leaving town?

I tripped on a crack in the uneven sidewalk. I snuck him a look.

He snorted. I’m not trying to run you out of town. I would prefer you stay. We all would. I just want to know before you disappear in the night.

I won’t disappear. I could never. I’ve just been so focused on Twyla that I haven’t thought about it. Truth was I didn’t want to think about it. It turned my stomach to imagine leaving, but I couldn’t just run away forever. My mother was bugging me constantly about my plans for the future.

Twyla looked around Tavros. "You can’t leave yet. I need you. I mean, literally. If you really are the