Page 44 of Real Fake Hauntings

“Not like this!”

Ian grinned. “Don’t worry, they’ve done it before.”

Thinking about how they had “disappeared” Mr. Lewis and the few people who had come to a bad end in the shifters’ forest made me wonder if digging up holes was a shifter thing.

Turning back to Ian, I gave him a nod. “Okay, our turn to investigate. Let’s make a murder board.”

FOURTEEN

“Murder board?” Ian asked.

“You know, to figure out who murdered Crane. They always have one in the books I read.” I studied the workshop. Every wall was full of shelves or hanging tools.

“I don’t think putting information about Crane’s murder out in the open will help keep his fate in your shop secret,” Ian said dryly.

“You may have a point.”

“What I find the most curious,” Ian said, “is how they got into the shop.”

I picked up the thread. “The front and back doors were locked.”

“No signs that anyone busted the locks.”

“Someone has a copy of my keys?” I shivered at the notion. A shiver that turned into a deep shudder as it truly dawned on me that strangers—dangerous strangers—had been in the shop while I was blissfully sleeping upstairs.

“Wards?” Ian asked.

“Only on the stairs.” No point in having wards on the first floor with all the paranormals coming and going. My wards wouldn’t stop anyone, but they would’ve let me know if anyone besides myself, Dru, Ian, and the dogs had passed through them. Although… “Another witch could’ve canceled them. It wouldn’t take much power.”

“What about the alarm? Did you arm it before going to bed?”

“Yes.”

He touched my arm. “Are you sure? People often forget when they recently installed one.”

“I’m sure.” I wasn’t about to tell him about the cute daily habits tracker I’d installed on my phone so I wouldn’t forget.

“Let’s check the logs.”

I unlocked my phone, opened the alarm’s application, and passed it to him.

He scrolled back and forth for several moments, then looked at me with unreadable eyes. “Someone deactivated the alarm at three in the morning.”

“What?” I took the phone and checked the data. He was right. “But how?”

“Who has the code?”

“Dru, and I guess the alarm company guy who taught me how to program it.”

“You didn’t change it after he left?”

I squirmed under Ian’s disapproval. “He looked away while I put the new one in, but I suppose he could’ve taken a peek.”

“What about keys? Does anyone have copies?”

“Dru. I suppose someone in the Council might have copies somewhere. I meant to get the locks changed when the sabotage started, but after we caught Vicky, I thought it’d be fine.”

“Whoever left Crane in your shop has a copy of the key and knows the alarm code.”

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