Read Wicked Ways: Death at the DuMond (A Cozy Witch Mystery Book 1) for Free Online Page B

deposited the bloodstained coveralls and locked the door when they left.
    “I’m sorry, kid. The guy is guilty,” Gibbs said. “But that’s not for me to decide. He’ll face a jury of his peers.”
    “What about Elliott and Charlotte?” I asked.
    “I spoke with Thomas Kemp. Everything checks out.”
    “And you believe him?”
    “He didn’t have too many nice things to say about Charlotte. But he did say he was on the phone with her the entire time. I don’t see any reason for him to lie,” he said.
    “Are you still going to get statements from the residents?”
    “I’ve got other cases that need my attention. This one is a slam dunk,” Gibbs said. “But if you find anything out, you call me.”
    I couldn’t believe it. Jake was going to go down for something I was sure he didn’t do. I needed to talk to Jake, look him in the eye, and get his side of the story. 
    It was almost 10:00am, and my paper was due at 11:30. A paper that I hadn’t started yet. I raced back to my apartment. I scribbled down something that vaguely resembled an essay on the proper examination of physical evidence. Something that seemed to be sorely lacking in this case.
    I raced to campus, and by the time I got to class it was 11:35am. Professor Hicks wouldn’t accept the paper because it was five minutes late. It was my first failing grade. Ever. 
    I didn’t stay for class. What was the point? That F was going to seriously affect my GPA. I wanted to cast some type of spell over Professor Hicks, but I thought better of it. For one, I wanted to make my grades on my own merit. Two, spells for my own personal gain have never worked. The last time I used magic for my own gain it turned out badly. 
    From there, I went to the county jail downtown. I lied and said I was Jake’s attorney and was granted visitation privileges. I met with him in a small room, with the table and an overhead light. The kind you see in movies. There was a two-way mirror, with an observation room on the other side.
    I sat at the table, waiting for Jake to arrive. After almost half an hour, Jake was escorted into the room in handcuffs by a guard. Jake sat across the table from me in an orange jumpsuit. I reiterated to the guard that this was a privileged conversation. Making sure to note it should not be recorded or observed.
    “What are you doing here?” Jake asked.
    “Trying to help you,” I said.
    “You’re not my attorney.”
    “Have they assigned you one yet?”
    “You’re the first person I’ve talked to. I have no idea what’s going on,” Jake said.
    “You’re in a whole heap of trouble.”
    “Tell me something I don’t know.”
    “I just need to know one thing. Did you kill Mrs. DuMond?”
    “Of course not,” Jake said.
    “Swear to me.”
    “I swear,” Jake said.
    “Pinky swear?”
    “I’d pinky swear if I weren’t handcuffed.”
    “What’s your felony conviction for?” I asked.
    Jake shook his head. “It’s not like that.”
    “What’s it like, then?”
    “Some guy harasses my girlfriend and I get an assault charge for defending her,” Jake said.
    “You’ve got a girlfriend?” I asked, slightly jealous.
    “Not anymore.”
    I told Jake about the fingerprints and bloody clothes the police found in his apartment. 
    “Somebody is trying to set me up,” Jake said. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t like Mrs. DuMond. But I sure as hell didn’t kill her.”
    “I believe you.”
    “You’ve got to help me,” Jake said. 
    “I need something to go on. If you didn’t kill her, who did?”
    Jake shrugged.
    “Where were you between 10:00 and 10:40 last night?”
    “I was in my apartment. Look, I took Isabella up to her place, we talked for a bit, then I left,” Jake said.
    “Do you think Isabella could have done it?”
    “No. If Isabella did kill Mrs. DuMond, she wouldn’t make it look like I did it.”
    “Why?” I asked. “Is there something going on between you two?”
    An officer pushed open the door.