He didn't seem to have aged much in the past year, and again I was reminded of Dracula and his ability to de-age when drinking blood. Nearly fifty, he should have a lot more fine lines and wrinkles, but there were only a few that appeared in his cheeks and the corners of his downturned eyes when he smiled. The silver strands sparkling in his hair were the only giveaway that he might be older than he looked.

"Do you have a house in the village?" I asked. I had never considered where he stayed when he was in town. Some of the Roving Stones vendors had rooms at the Pixie Cottage. Others at hotels on the outskirts of the village, in Salem proper. Where he stayed was a mystery. He was a mystery.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "While in town, I stay with friends."

He had friends? "Who?"

"People."

"What kind?"

He full-out smiled. A hundred watts of charm. "The usual variety."

"Is there a reason you're being evasive?"

"Is there a reason you're being so nosy?"

I dropped my voice. "You might have heard I'm working in an official capacity for the Elder. Your name came up this morning in regard to Raina."

His eyes narrowed. "Did it?"

Interesting that he didn't deny knowing I was the Craft snoop, and I wondered who supplied him with village gossip. He had a twenty-something-year-old son-Lazarus-but he traveled with the Roving Stones as well and wouldn't have been privy to a lot of what was going on since the last time the Stones had been in town. I didn't know of any other Woodshalls in the village.

His father had been killed after the Circe Heist, but what had happened to his mother? Where was she? So many questions, but I had to focus on the most important first.

"Did you know her well?" I asked. "Raina?"

"What makes you think I knew her at all?" he countered calmly.

"Just a feeling." A bad feeling at that.

"Feelings can be manipulated," he said, leaning into the shadows as though proving a point.

It was clear he was well aware of his metamorphic abilities. It was good to know.

I gently pushed him backward into the light and said, "Initial instincts are rarely wrong. You know Raina. How? Is it the house? Are you one of the potential buyers?"

He tensed. "What do you know of the property?"

"Enough to know that it may be worth much more than its listing price," I said. "Especially to you."

"Indeed," he said. His gaze narrowed. "I heard Raina interrupted a burglary. Do you know if the burglar found what he was looking for?"

This was why he wanted to talk to me. He wanted to know if the diamonds had been found. So, he was either truly curious or trying to make me believe he hadn't been the burglar.

Complex.

I didn't know which idea to believe, so I stayed neutral. "I don't know."

"I see." Apparently he was done with me, as he abruptly stood. "I should be going. There is much to do in preparation for the Roving Stones." He bowed. "It's been enlightening, Ms. Merriweather."

I stood, too, but resisted reaching out to grab his arm. As much as I didn't want to let him go without getting a single answer out of him, I absolutely didn't want to touch him. "Where were you this morning? Do you have an alibi?"

True humor crinkled his eyes. "I had a . . . meeting."

"With whom?"

"A friend."

"What's the friend's name?" I pressed.

Before he could answer, a voice from behind me said, "I'd like to know as well."

I turned and found an imposing-looking Nick. Wide stance, hard eyes, grim set to his lips, his strong chin jutted. It was what I called his police chief face.

Which, in all honesty, wasn't all that different from his regular everyday face. He didn't allow himself to fully let go and just be very often. He was a protector by nature. Always on guard. I treasured the times the hard edges softened and his eyes would fill with happiness. It did my heart good.

And him being here right now? I felt myself relax a little. Safety in numbers.

"Ah, good to see you again, Chief," Andreus said, offering a hand shake.

Nick reluctantly shook. "If you have an alibi for this morning, Andreus, I'd like to hear it."

"I'm sure you would," he responded. "I cannot give it, however."

"Why not?" I asked him.

"It's the nature of secrets, Ms. Merriweather. They're meant to be kept."

"Not always," I said. Not in matters of life and death.

Andreus tapped his chin. "Perhaps you are right, and I am, alas, wrong. Or perhaps, if you're so curious about secrets, you should discuss the matter with the Elder. She and secrets go hand in hand, no?"

Uncomfortable, I shifted my weight. "What's that supposed to mean?"

From my many encounters with Andreus, I'd learned he rarely said anything flat out. His sentences were laced with undercurrents that could drown someone if she had the misfortune of getting caught up in them.

I was caught.

He'd baited me with a riddle about the Elder, obviously knowing that learning her secrets was one of my weaknesses.

Nick stepped a bit closer to me, offering his silent support. He knew how my curiosity burned for more information of the Craft's leader.

With dark eyes growing wide and his eyebrows inching upward, Andreus feigned innocence. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Do you know who she is?" I asked point-blank. Glug, glug. Drowning was as painful as I'd always imagined.

For the briefest of seconds, I thought I saw his eyes soften. But it must have been a trick of the light, because he suddenly grinned mischievously. "Of course I know who the Elder is, as I was at her appointment many moons ago. Most of us in the village know who she is. Except you don't know, do you? Poor thing. Left in the dark. One has to wonder why." He tsked.

I could feel my cheeks flushing, and I hated that he could see that he was getting under my skin.

"But the Elder's business is not of my concern," he continued. "Just as my business should not be of concern to her"-he arched an eyebrow-"or her puppet."

That was it. I'd had it with him. I stepped forward, ready to jab him in the chest with an accusatory finger, which was saying something, because it meant touching him. But fortunately Nick suddenly sidestepped in front of me.

"Enough," he said sternly to the both of us.

I huffed as Andreus winked at me.

Winked!

The gall of the man.

Nick pulled a clear plastic evidence bag from his pocket and held it up. Inside the bag was the amulet that had been in Raina's palm this morning when I found her. The charm was a stunning work of art. A thick golden rope chain held the amulet, which was rimmed in colorful gemstones and crystals.

"Do you recognize this?" Nick asked him.

Andreus's eyebrows dropped into a deep furrow as he pretended to contemplate the amulet. He finally said, "My memory isn't so good these days."

Nick's forehead wrinkled as he threw Andreus a dubious look. "Perhaps a trip to the station will give it a jog."

Andreus's smirk was full of menace. "Is that a threat, Chief?"

"Merely a suggestion. However, I do need to ask you some questions regarding the murder of Raina Gallagher, so it wouldn't be a wasted trip."

"Now is not such a good time for me." Andreus glanced at his watch. He looked up, staring at Nick dead-on. He tipped an imaginary hat. "Good day to you both."

We watched as he strode away. Movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention, and I shifted my gaze to see a young gangly golden retriever galloping toward Andreus, his leash dragging behind him.

Clarence.

Drawing in a deep breath, I looked around for his owner and found her near a lamppost giving me a death stare.

Glinda Hansel.

Andreus knelt on one knee and let the dog slobber his face with kisses. Glinda finally tore her gaze from mine and went after her dog.

When Andreus stood, he gave Glinda a kiss on her cheek, linked arms with her, and headed off in the direction of her house.

My mouth had fallen open in shock.

Nick used the tip of his finger to nudge my chin upward. I snapped my mouth closed.

Cocking my head, I said, "What's Glinda have to do with Andreus?"

Nick shook his head. "Nothing good, I imagine."

It was a complication I didn't need in this case . . . or my life.

Nick's deep brown gaze searched my face. "Are you doing okay? Rough morning."

The day so far had been nothing short of a nightmare, but here, now, with him? All was okay in my world. It had taken so long for me to get to this point. My heart had broken after my disastrous marriage, and I never thought I'd love again. I'd been okay with that. I had friends. Family. A new job. A new life.

Then I met Nick. He'd picked up those broken pieces. And put them back where they belonged. I loved him with a fierceness that I couldn't quite explain.

I let myself get lost in his eyes for a moment, soaking up the concern . . . and the love I saw there.

"Yeah, it was," I said. "I'm okay. I'm just . . . Well, you know."

There was no need to describe to him the emotions that came with finding a dead body. Of knowing someone had deliberately taken a life. He'd worked most of his adult life in some sort of law enforcement. He knew how it felt, the mix of sadness and anger.

"Unfortunately," he said, pulling me in for a hug.

I held on just a little longer than usual. "Plus, Andreus . . ."

Letting me go, Nick threw a glance in the direction Andreus had gone. "That's understandable."

I looked back toward the Tavistock house. "Any leads? Suspects?"

Nick nudged me with his elbow. "I should be asking you. I heard you asking Andreus about his alibi. If you're investigating, it means there's Crafting involved."

"You didn't happen to find a bunch of diamonds when you searched the house, did you?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"Diamonds?" Confusion filled his eyes.

I quickly explained about Circe's diamonds, Andreus's father's involvement with the heist, and the treasure hunters.

Nick pushed his palms into his eyes. "The Circe Heist? My God. No, no diamonds were found, but that does help explain loose paneling in the closet and the bloody pry bar in the backyard."

"Pry bar?"

"It appears to be the murder weapon."

I winced and told him of my working theories. Of how I suspected someone was after the diamonds . . . or lying in wait for Raina and using the diamonds as a cover.

"Did you question Kent yet?" I asked. "When I saw him earlier, he didn't seem too upset about the death of his wife."

"He tried to muster some grief, but I saw right through it. With a little pressure, he admitted he filed for divorce a couple of days ago. Irreconcilable differences. He hadn't even told Raina yet."

My eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Apparently, they'd been having relationship trouble for a while."

"It's not really surprising, considering." I told him what I knew of their mortal-Crafter marriage and how Harper had overheard their heated argument last week. "They certainly kept their issues quiet, though. There hadn't even been a whisper of trouble until that fight."

"Raina's death makes his life a whole lot easier, doesn't it?" Nick said.

No divorce battle. No division of assets. "It does. We need to find out what happens to the agency. From what Harper overheard, it was Raina's business. Did she have provisions in place for Kent to inherit it if something happened to her?"