Read Online Wicked Ways: Death at the DuMond (A Cozy Witch Mystery Book 1) by Ava Collins - Free Book Online

shrugged again.
    “Never mind,” Gibbs sighed.  “You can’t do illegal stuff when you’re trying to solve crimes.”
    “But you’re in here rummaging around?”
    “I’m a cop. You’re not. Now, get out of here.”
    I reluctantly started for the door. 
    “You know, I ran a background check on you,” Gibbs said. He crossed his arms and looked down his nose at me.
    “And what did you find?” 
    “Nothing,” he confessed.  “Try to make sure it stays that way.”
    I nodded. “Oh, I think you should look into Otto.” I told Detective Gibbs about my suspicions. He rolled his eyes and thought the whole theory to be a little far-fetched.
    “You want me to get a search warrant and look for a stolen painting?” Gibbs asked, mocking me. “All because someone, who’s name you won’t reveal, said they saw a Picasso in Otto’s apartment?”
    I nodded.
    “I’m going to need more to go on than that.”
    I frowned. “What were you looking for here?”
    “Just a routine check,” Gibbs said. “Charlotte reported some items stolen from her car. I thought I’d look over Mrs. DuMond's apartment again while I was here.”
    “What was stolen?”
    Gibbs pulled out his tiny notepad from his coat pocket. He flipped through the pages, then read from a list. “One ladies gold Rolex watch. One diamond engagement ring. $50 in cash. One smart phone.”
    “When did this happen?”
    “Sometime between the night of the murder and now,” Gibbs said. “With all the excitement, she didn’t notice the items were missing until now.”
    I thought about this a moment. I distinctly remember feeling like I wasn’t alone in the parking garage when I discovered the body. My instincts are usually never wrong. 
    “Do you think the thief could have witnessed the murder?” I asked.
    Gibbs shrugged. “It’s unlikely. We’re talking a large window of time when those items could have been stolen. The odds that some snatch-and-grab artist happened to be in the parking garage at the same time of the murder is slim.”
    “But possible.”
    Gibbs nodded in reluctant agreement.
    “So are you looking around at the local pawn shops to see if the stolen goods have turned up?”
    Gibbs’s face tightened. He was getting a little irritated with me. “Yes, I’ve got an officer calling around.”
    “You’re not so sure Jake did it anymore, are you?”
    Gibbs sighed. He muttered, “If you can bring me something concrete, I’ll entertain the notion that Jake might, and I say might, be innocent. Now get out of here.” 
    I nodded and left the apartment. Bancroft was waiting for me in the hallway. 
    “I can’t believe you just left me in there,” I said.
    “I didn’t leave you. I was trying to possess the spider so it wouldn’t bite you,” Bancroft said. “And if you think spiders are creepy on the outside, try being on the inside.” He shivered as he said the words.
    “You can possess spiders?”
    “Small lifeforms. Spiders, cockroaches, mice. I’m working my way up. One day I might be able to possess a cat.” Bancroft was hopeful.
    “What about people?”
    “That’s a whole different ballgame. It takes a lot of spiritual energy. Or magic. Usually, the person has to be open to it.” 
    “What about demonic possession?” I asked.
    Bancroft chuckled. “In 107 years, I’ve never seen a demon. I think those people are faking it.” He sighed. “But then again, in 107 years, I’ve never seen another ghost.”
    “Well, if it makes you feel any better. In 19 years, you’re the only ghost I’ve seen.” I smiled at him.
    “You know I would never let anything bad happen to you,” Banksy said.
    My heart melted just a little bit. “I know.” I smiled and wanted to hug him, but I couldn’t. 
    “Come on, Banksy. We’ve got work to do.”  
    I called a every pawn shop in the city to see if the stolen items had turned up. But it was a dead end. The thief had to be fencing the stolen goods somehow. But I wasn’t