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

finish this conversation later,” Mr. Bancroft said. He had a devious glint in his eye, knowing that I’d be tormented until he had given me all the gossip. Bancroft drifted away, passing through the wall, presumably to haunt Zoe Alexander.
    “What excitement?” I asked.
    “Isabella returned and started screaming at Mrs. DuMond. I thought she was going to punch her. Elliott had to restrain her,” Otto said. “She was almost too much for him.” Otto chuckled. Then he leaned in and whispered, “Between you and me, I was hoping Isabella would take a swing at her.”
    “What’s happening now?”
    “By that time, Zoe was falling down drunk. Charlotte and I had to help her up to her apartment. Don’t worry, everything settled down. I don’t think there’s anyone left in the lobby,” Otto said. “I left my coat in all the excitement.”
    Otto sighed and looked at his watch. “Well, it’s past my bedtime. If you’ll excuse me,” he said, strolling away toward his apartment.
    “Good night,” I said.
    I looked at my watch. It was 10:32pm. Then I strolled to the elevator and hit the call button. Part of the charm of this old building is that the elevator is painfully slow. So slow that I decided to take the stairs. Of course, by the time I had gotten to the stairwell at the end of the hall, I heard the elevator bell ring. The doors opened, and I heard someone step out, but I couldn’t see who it was. 
    I decided to go ahead and take the stairs for two reasons. One, I’d never make it back to the elevator before the doors closed. It always goes back down to the basement on its own. I would have had to wait another five minutes for it to come back up. Two, I needed the exercise after all of Mrs. Abbott’s cupcakes—no matter how fat free she says they are. 
    I spiraled my way down the staircase to the basement and pushed through the door into the parking area. I was halfway to my car when I saw a woman’s shoe sticking out from behind an SUV.
    Mrs. DuMond's shoe.

CHAPTER 4
    MRS. DUMOND'S BODY was sprawled on the concrete, face down in a pool of blood. It looked like she had been hit in the back of the head with something. Blunt force trauma.
    This was the first time that I had seen a real live dead body. Looking at pictures in college forensics textbooks isn’t quite the same. I’ve never been squeamish at the sight of blood, but I felt queasy at first. That unsettled, sickly feeling you get when something terrible has happened. Mixed with the dread of what the future holds. I felt like this was just the beginning of worrisome times.
    A few bloodstained footprints were leading off toward the elevator. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911. After reporting the murder, I snapped a few pictures of the crime scene with my cell phone. I took several shots of the body from different angles and close-ups of the footprints. I was mindful not to step in any blood, or otherwise contaminate the crime scene. The footprints looked like they belonged to work boots. I followed them toward the elevator. But they faded quickly after a few steps. 
    While I was doing this, it dawned on me that the killer might still be in the parking garage. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and a chill ran down my spine. I glanced around the lot and didn’t see or hear anything.
    When I looked back to the footprints, I heard a sound from the far corner of the parking garage. My eyes snapped to the noise. I could have sworn I saw a shadow move across the far wall. I froze. My heartbeat skyrocketed.
    “Is anybody there?” I asked, as if a killer would actually respond. I felt instantly stupid, like one of those girls in a horror movie.  
    The air was still. Nothing but rows of cars and concrete support pillars. I couldn’t help but feel like someone was hiding behind one of those pillars. I took a deep breath and stepped toward the direction of the sound. I crept forward, my head on a swivel, scanning all around me. I angled