Southern Charms

The Gift of Detection

I didn't visit my father long. All I could think as I stood next to his bed is that this couldn't be the way I would remember about him. Lying so still, his skin ashen and his face slack, he looked like a shell of a man. The healers whispered as they worked spells over his body, and even though I didn't know enough to tell what spells they were casting, I knew enough about people to read their body language. Whatever they were doing was failing.

After I kissed his cold cheek, I excused myself from the room and hurried to my car, praying I could slide behind the wheel before the first tears fell. But today was not Rose gets what she wants day. My hands were shaking so bad, I dropped the keys twice before managing to unlock the door, only remembering after I was inside that I could've hit the unlock button. A hysterical giggle bubbled up between sobs, and I banged my head against the steering wheel.

A soft chime rang in the car. Running a finger under my eye, I tried to repair some of the damage. Without a tissue, it was a lost cause. I sighed and called out, "hello?"

Ash appeared in the passenger seat, his face somber and pale as he looked me over. "How is your father?"

I shrugged. There was nothing I could say that wouldn't lead to more tears. He seemed to understand and didn't press me for more information. Several long minutes passed, both of us staring out the windshield of my car, watching raindrops slide down the glass. Lightning flashed, turning the sky dusky violet. Thunder grumbled not long behind it, and like I had as a child, I counted the seconds between- ten seconds. The storm was almost upon us.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"Okay." I pushed back in my seat and closed my eyes. When he didn't say anything, I cracked open a lid and looked at him. He was fidgeting. "Ash? What do you want to tell me?"

"I-I think my father had something to do with that explosion."

"What?" I sat up, blinking owlishly at him. Surely, I hadn't heard him right.

"I'm not a hundred percent certain, but I think my dad had something to do with the explosion."

A surge of anger washed through me, and I had to restrain myself from shouting my next words. After all, Ash hadn't done anything but deliver his suspicions. Don't shoot the messenger and all that, right?

"What makes you think this?"

"When I got home, my house was in chaos. Abuelita was shouting at my father, and he was telling her to be quiet. Papi never speaks to Abuelita like that. She's the only person he listens to. Even my mother treads lightly around him most days."

I frowned. What a terrible way to live. Reina Goodwin was as catty as her daughter. Most days her nose was so high in the air, she'd be the first to know if the weather changed. Her husband, Luis, put on airs, but he at least attempted to be kind. But it was in the same way politicians shook hands and kissed babies. His mannerisms were too contrived to be genuine. Ash's words only confirmed what I'd suspected about Luis all along- he was as phony as a three dollar bill.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. As much as I wanted an easy answer, pointing fingers all willy nilly wasn't the way to go about solving the crime. Maybe if Officer Pilgrim had been more diligent, my mama wouldn't be sitting in a police station right now. There was no way she'd attack her ex-husband or Polly Hamlin. Luis could very well be an innocent bystander. Wrong place. Wrong time.

"Could they not just be upset about him being so near the explosion? Maybe he was hurt?"

"No, Rose. Abuelita kept asking him why. And he looked different. I could see the energy coming off of him. It was dark and angry and too much."