What the Hex? (A Paranormal P.I. Mystery Book 1) Read online

  Just as I stepped out, someone called out to me. Not just any someone. Derek.

  “Excuse me, Ms. Monroe?”

  I couldn’t pretend as if I thought he was talking to someone else. There was only one person dressed in the room as Marilyn. Derek was right beside me now.

  Instead of acknowledging him, I rushed toward the door. This was incredibly awkward. As I glanced back, his stare was still focused on me. His eyes met mine. That tingling sensation sparked in my stomach again. I rushed out the door and didn’t look back.

  ***

  I’d left my wig on the dresser and red sequin dress across the cream-colored chair in my bedroom. It had been a long day and even longer evening. All I wanted to do when I got home was fall into bed. Working the agency during the day and being a Marilyn Monroe impersonator at night was exhausting. It was the only way I could make extra money though. I needed to save my cash so that I could pay Derek back the money he had invested in my business.

  Running the agency was something I wanted to do on my own. Finally I would prove to everyone that I was able to be successful at something.

  I wasn’t sure why I felt the overwhelming need to prove myself. It wasn’t as if anyone in my family had said anything directly. I’d overheard my sister-in-law Tiffani say that I would never hold down any job long before I got bored with it. Just because she’d gotten a part-time position for me at a local boutique and I’d quit a week later, she felt I was irresponsible. She failed to see how the pretentiousness of her co-workers was a problem. Then again, she didn’t realize she had that same flaw. My brother was blind to it too.

  After college and several years of jobs that led nowhere, I’d decided to start over in Las Vegas. Well, that and Aunt Barb had insisted that I come here and practice the craft with her. Shortly after arriving and needing cash, I’d responded to an online ad for the Marilyn Monroe gig. It had been okay at first, but when a private investigator had hired me to go undercover at a party dressed as Marilyn, I’d been hooked. Being a private eye gave me a rush. A weird mix of professions, but I never claimed to be normal.

  When my phone rang, I managed to wake up enough to grab it from the nightstand. The time on the clock read exactly seven a.m. Who could be calling this early? Derek’s name was displayed across my phone’s screen. I should have known. He probably hadn’t slept all night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stayed out late for fun.

  I groaned and put the phone to my ear. “I don’t have bail money.”

  “Did I wake you?” Derek’s smooth voice reverberated through me like a lingering caress.

  I shot up in bed. What was I thinking? In college I’d dated a guy like Derek. Ted Lynn had had the same personality as Derek—well, maybe not quite as charming as Derek. Turned out Ted had had several serious girlfriends at the same time. Needless to say, I wasn’t interested in having a repeat of that again, so dating a guy like Derek wasn’t on my agenda.

  My brain must have still been fogged by sleep. Derek would love nothing more than to think he had caught me still sleeping. Never mind that it was still early, and I wasn’t supposed to be in the office for another two hours.

  I lay back on the big white fluffy pillow with the phone pressed to my ear. My bedroom was decorated in white and silver with vintage mirrors and furniture around the room. It had an old Hollywood glam vibe. Just like something Marilyn would have loved. The rest of my place was still decorated with my dearly departed aunt’s stuff.

  I couldn’t wait to hear what scheme Derek had planned now. He always had a scheme. It had started at a young age too. Like the time at the age of ten Derek and my brother had decided to move to New York City. Of course they’d only made it to the next street over from my house before my parents had caught them. My brother said it had been all Derek’s idea. I believed him.

  “I figured we can get a head start,” he said.

  “Okay… head start for what?” I studied my pink nail polish and yawned.

  “Back to the casino. Early morning is when it’s less busy.”

  I scoffed. “In case you didn’t remember, I’ve been kicked out of there.”

  “You could always wear your wig,” Derek said in a teasing tone.

  I almost fell out of bed. I hadn’t told anyone. Not even Derek’s sister, my best friend, Donna. I definitely hadn’t shared the info with George. He couldn’t keep a secret if his life depended on it.

  I sat up in bed again. “What are you talking about, Derek?” I tried to play it off, but I knew that he knew. And he knew that I knew that he knew.

  “They probably forgot all about your little indiscretion by now,” Derek said.

  “There was no indiscretion. And let’s say that they have forgotten. What makes you think we should go there again?”

  “My neighbor Russell called. I told him we’d come back to the casino and talk with him again.”

  “Why did you do that?” I slipped out of bed and into my pink bunny slippers.

  Coffee was the only thing that would get me through the morning. There was no time for a trip to Starbucks either. I had a caffeine emergency on my hands. I shuffled across the floor toward the kitchen.

  “I figured it would be fine by now,” Derek said sweetly.

  “You figured wrong.”

  “Do you want to solve this case?” he asked.

  I sighed. “Fine. I’ll be at the office soon.” My doorbell rang. “I have to go, Derek. Someone’s at my door.”

  What was going on this morning? If this was any indication of how the day was going to be, I might as well forget it and crawl back into bed. I made my way to the front door. It was probably one of my neighbors. Around Desert Palms my nickname was Baby. They brought me cookies and banana cream pies. In return, I played bingo and taught them how to Skype.

  I leaned against the wood frame. “Who is it?”

  “Your partner.”

  What was he doing here? I looked down at my pink pajamas with little white kittens on them.

  “I hear you on the other side of the door, Cece. I’m not going away, so you might as well answer the door.”

  Derek would wake the neighbors, so I had no choice but to let him in. Moving over to the window, I peeked out to see if anyone had noticed him. If they saw Derek at my door I’d face a million questions. “Why aren’t you married yet?” “Is he your boyfriend?” I planned on tying the knot someday. Moving back home and getting a nice little place surrounded by magnolia trees was on my to-do list. In the future, but not yet.

  Moving back to the door, I blew the hair out of my eyes and opened the door an inch. “Derek, what are you doing here? I told you I would meet you.”

  Maybe he wouldn’t notice my bed head. Had I gotten all the mascara off last night before bed? It was probably streaked down my face. I rubbed my hands under my eyes, trying to remove any remnants. I shouldn’t worry about what he thought anyway. If Derek didn’t like me for who I was by now, then it was his problem, not mine. So why was I worried?

  “I was in the area and thought I’d stop by.” He looked over my shoulder into my apartment.

  I doubted he’d been in the area. He looked me up and down, from my bubblegum-pink toenail polish to my disheveled hair.

  “You have to give me a chance to get dressed,” I said, trying to ease the door shut.

  Derek moved forward. Either he couldn’t take a hint or didn’t want to. I was pretty sure it was the latter.

  “Are you going to let me in?” He didn’t take his eyes off me.

  I sighed and stepped to the side, opening the door wide for Derek to enter. He strolled into my place and scanned the whole room. When I glanced to my left, I spotted my mortar and pestle. I used it to mix the herbs for my spells. Derek noticed that I’d been looking at something. He glanced that way, but I didn’t think he’d noticed it yet. Not that he’d know what I used it for, but just the same, I wanted to hide it. When he turned his back, I hurried and shoved it into the cabinet by the door.
r />   Derek waved a newspaper in front of me. “Amber made the paper.”

  I grabbed it from him and scanned the article. Her photo was with the story. She was beautiful with long blonde hair and a big smile.

  “If we solve this case it could be great for the agency,” Derek said.

  “It could also be great for Amber and Morgan.” I handed the newspaper back to him.

  “This is quite a place you have here.” Derek plopped down on the sofa. “Looks like the set from Miami Vice.”

  I placed my hands on my hips. “I told you this was my aunt’s place. I just haven’t had a chance to redecorate yet. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to dress.”

  There was the little thing called cash flow that was standing in my way of redecorating. Besides, I wasn’t home much anyway. I’d get around to it eventually.

  He grabbed a Glamour magazine from the table next to him. “Take your time.”

  I stared for a second and then walked away, mumbling under my breath. I didn’t know how I felt about having Derek in my house. This was my personal space and now he was here. It felt somehow intimate—a feeling I was trying to avoid.

  Since it was going to be hotter than hell’s waiting room, I decided to wear pink shorts and a white tank with little pink polka dots. It wasn’t professional attire, but I had a feeling I would need to be comfortable today.

  When I walked out of my bedroom, Derek soaked in my appearance.

  “Let’s do this,” I said as I grabbed my big white purse.

  A spell bottle full of herbs rolled out of my bag. It traveled across the floor and landed at Derek’s feet. As he reached down to pick it up, I raced over and yanked it from his hand. His brow furrowed.

  “Sorry about that,” I said with a chuckle and then shoved the bottle back into my bag.

  He studied my face for a moment and then asked, “Is that a special bottle?”

  The pentacle charm tangling around the bottle probably tipped him off.

  I shook my head. “Nothing special.”

  That was all the explanation that I’d offer. After another second his expression eased and he eyed me up and down.

  “Well, in any case, you’re looking good, Cece Cash,” Derek said with a click of his tongue.

  “Thank you,” I mumbled as I pulled the door shut and locked it.

  I knew Derek was still staring at me, but I chose to ignore him.

  “I read that dating quiz you filled out in the magazine. Do you really feel you’ll never find your soulmate?” Derek asked.

  Why didn’t I have a magic eject button to get me out of this situation? “No comment,” I said.

  “I think you’d make a great girlfriend.” Derek’s voice was soft and sweet.

  Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Thank you.”

  Derek and I stepped out of my building and to the parking lot. I’d snagged a prime parking spot right by my place last night. That rarely ever happened. Since I lived by the rec center, the street was always crowded. I might be surrounded by senior citizens, but they didn’t let that slow them down. Most everyone here had a car still.

  “Cece. Over here, Cece.” Agatha Holt frantically waved her arms at me.

  Pink rollers were secured tightly in her gray hair. Today she wore purple and pink floral capri pants and a white blouse. Her mouth was always tilted into a smile and her eyes always merry. No doubt she was on her way to the morning bingo game at the rec center.

  Aunt Barb and Agatha had been best friends. Agatha had taken over as the head of the coven now that Aunt Barb was gone. Derek didn’t need to know any of this though, so I wanted to avoid Agatha accidentally sharing my witchy secret.

  “Oh, no. She’ll talk our ears off,” I whispered.

  “Who is it?” Derek asked.

  “She was best friends with my aunt. Now that my aunt passed away, she’s taken on this motherly role for me.” I sighed.

  “That’s sweet,” he said, glancing over his shoulder.

  “Don’t look back,” I said, pulling on his arm.

  It was too late though. Agatha had caught up with us. She was fast for her age.

  Agatha shuffled over. “How’s George?” Her blue eyes lit up when she spoke his name.

  “He’s fine, Agatha,” I answered.

  Whew. Luckily she didn’t lead the conversation with the witchcraft topic.

  “Will you tell George I said hello?” she asked.

  “I promise I will.”

  Just like all the other days when she asked me to do the same thing. George was oblivious that Agatha was gaga over him. Maybe I needed to step in and enlighten him to the fact. I didn’t want to play Cupid, so I’d stayed out of it, but this was getting ridiculous. Not to mention I’d had to convince Agatha not to cast a love spell on George. I’d told her if she couldn’t get his interest without the help of a spell, then she didn’t need him.

  She eyed Derek up and down. “And who is this?”

  Derek smiled and stretched his hand toward Agatha. “Derek North. I’m Cece’s partner.”

  I’d told Agatha about Derek, but I’d never given her the opportunity to meet him. Less chance for her to spill the beans that way.

  Agatha glanced over at me with a wry grin on her face. “Nice to meet you, young man.”

  Tonight she’d have a ton of new questions about Derek. I’d never felt the need to share the facts about why he was now involved with my agency. Why bother when he wouldn’t be around long anyway? Plus, it would only bring up the dreaded marriage and children topic again. I had a business to run and no time for a social life. At least that was what I kept telling myself.

  Agatha winked. “Okay, well, stop by for dinner later. I made liver and onions. We can watch Golden Girls and work on ideas for our next meeting.”

  Whew. At least she hadn’t uttered the words coven or spells.

  As I pulled on Derek’s arm, I tried to hide the cringe on my face. “Oh… liver and onions, my favorite. I will if I have time, Agatha.”

  I hated that Derek now probably knew that I spent a lot of time at Agatha’s watching Golden Girls and Jeopardy. I’d led Derek to believe that I had an active social life.

  “Do you really like liver and onions?” Derek asked when Agatha walked away.

  “Are you kidding? It’s disgusting.”

  Derek laughed.

  “I’ll drive.” I motioned toward my car.

  He quirked a brow, but didn’t argue. Derek climbed in the passenger seat of my Ford Fusion and we took off. I still couldn’t believe that I had let him talk me into going back to the casino. I wasn’t sure what made him think we could find out any more about Morgan. All another trip to the casino would do would be to cause me more embarrassment. But as my grandmother Blanche always said, I needed to ‘suck it up, Buttercup.’ She was full of wise advice. I had a job to do and now was not the time for complaining.

  My stomach danced with butterflies as I neared the casino. Of course I was nervous to go in.

  As if Derek sensed my tension, he said, “You’ll be fine.”

  “Easy for you to say. You didn’t get kicked out. As crazy as that is to believe.”

  “I need to go back to Caesar’s. There was this woman there last night. She was a stunner.”

  I glanced over at him. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “Yeah, she was dressed as Marilyn Monroe. I think there was a spark between us.”

  Derek was staring at me. I didn’t have to look over at him to know. If I looked at him, he would probably know that I was keeping some kind of secret from him. Did he really mean that there was a spark? Or was he just messing with me?

  As I sat at the red light, I glanced in the rear-view mirror. The black Jaguar didn’t look as if it was slowing down. At that moment, brakes squealed. The car smacked into the back of mine. My head swooshed forward, but I’d gotten a look at who had been behind the wheel. I’d recognize that face anywhere.

  Chapter 10

  “Are you okay?” D
erek asked.

  Still in a daze, I looked over at him. “Yeah, I think I’m fine.” I shoved the car into park and we got out. “What about you?”

  “Never better,” he said.

  The woman had already gotten out of her Jaguar and was staring at the front of her car. Tabitha, the trainer we’d met at the gym, had hit my car. What were the odds that I would run into her here on the Strip? Even worse odds that we’d be involved in an accident.

  She was wearing her workout gear of yoga pants and sports bra. Cleavage spilled over the top of the fabric. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail. No surprise that Derek was already standing beside her. He’d better not let her talk her way out of this. When I approached, she glared at me for a split second and then she frowned, giving me a distressed look.

  “I guess you didn’t see the red light,” I said sarcastically.

  Derek quirked an eyebrow.

  “What?” I mouthed.

  I was only telling the truth. She focused her blue eyes on me like lasers.

  “I suppose I didn’t,” she said through gritted teeth.

  What was she so mad about? I was the one who’d have whiplash tomorrow. I leaned closer and looked at the back of my car. Other than a little scratch on the bumper, it appeared that my car had come out of this unscathed.

  “Are you okay?” Derek asked as he soaked in her appearance, clearly checking out her chest longer than necessary.

  She shrugged. “I guess I’m okay.”

  Needless to say I was a bit suspicious of her.

  “Were you following me?” I asked.

  “Subtle,” Derek said under his breath.

  Sure, maybe she wouldn’t answer me truthfully, but at least she would know that I wasn’t born yesterday.

  She scowled. “Of course not. Why would you even ask that?”