Gas torches mounted on the brick walls cast a dim and romantic light over the diners at The Cobblestone. Couples, mostly, filled the tables of lace cloths and linen napkins. Soft votive candles sat in the center of each table with clean, clear glass shades over them as ceiling fans turned slowly overhead. Little trickles of smoke escaped the tops of the candle holders to dissipate into the air of soft music. Demitra stared out from the tableside window over the water. A long black barge moved like a turtle down the Black Warrior River.

  “Okay, we’ve finished off two glasses of merlot, ordered our filet mignons, and picked over our salads,” her dinner companion, Howard, said. “Are you now going to tell me why we’re here?”

  “Look around this place, Howard,” Demitra began. “Oak beams, cobblestone floors. During the winter, they light the three stone fireplaces and string lanterns all along the overhangs of the outdoor porch. In the summer, the patio has lanterns where customers can dine with the river flowing past them. There are five separate dining rooms, two bars, and an upstairs banquet hall for parties. It’s sitting here like a haven on the riverbanks.”

  Howard was confused. “Yes, Demitra. It’s a nice restaurant.”

  “It is for sale,” Demitra said as the light from overhead glistened on the inky blackness of her shoulder-length hair.

  “I see.”

  “How much money would you say I have Howard?” She was in business mode now. He didn’t often catch Demitra in business mode.

  “You have enough to last you, I’d say,” Howard answered.

  “You know, I never keep up with those things. That is why I rely on you. I know that mother is loaded with Sinclair money, but I know there was a substantial amount of Windham money, too, that my father left us girls. Not to mention Larry’s insurance and savings. I should be pretty well fixed, right?”

  “I’d say you’re worth a few hundred thousand.”

  “Wonderful,” Demitra said, folding her arms and leaning closer to the table. “I want you to try and get this place at a good price for me. You know all the ins and outs.”

  Howard made the face he was known for making whenever he heard a bad idea. “You want to buy The Cobblestone. Why? Why buy the most expensive restaurant in Daihmler when you don’t know the first thing about running a restaurant.”

  “It’s not for me,” Demitra said with a glint in her eye.

  Howard leaned back in his chair and wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin. He looked at Demitra with a knowing gaze.

  “Oh, well now I am beginning to see the picture a little more clearly,” Howard grinned. “You want to buy this for Artemis.”

  “Precisely.”

  “Expensive gift,” Howard scoffed. “Wish you were my sister.”

  Demitra looked as though she were about to reply, but the waitress came to the table with the steaks. The filets looked tasty, but as Howard carved into his and took a bite, his face revealed the mediocrity of the cook’s ability. Demitra seemed to read his very thoughts, and perhaps she had.

  “Wouldn’t Artemis create the most marvelous dishes if she owned this place? All her life she dreamed of being a chef. Now she can be. Even if her powers manifested in some way and caused a little problem, she would be the boss. She wouldn’t fire herself.”

  “But Demitra, buying this place would drastically reduce your accounts to very little.”

  “What do I need money for?” Demitra laughed. “I live in a huge house which has long been paid for. Mother’s household account pays for all household costs and food. I never go anywhere because I dislike traveling. Clothes and gasoline for my car—what else do I need money for? And I receive the occasional income from the Sheriff’s department when I help with a case. Surely I will have enough money left to keep living the way I live.”

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  “I see your point,” Howard nodded. “But Demitra, a place this size. It’s still a great deal of money for a present.”

  Demitra’s face turned more serious. “Howard, you know as well as I do how much Artemis has sacrificed her life for the greater good of the family. After the two of you broke up, she devoted her life to the rest of us. She has never pursued a life of her own. There hasn’t been a day gone by when she hasn’t fed us, cleaned up after us, shouldered most of the day-to-day responsibilities. When Nacaria was cursed, she took over raising Salem and Seth. When Larry died and I had my breakdown, she took care of my girls as well as me. My sister has spent every one of life’s moments in service to our family. It’s time for her to have something for herself. A place to pour her creativity. She’s earned this.”

  Howard was quiet for a while. He didn’t disagree in the least with the argument Demitra made. No, he was remembering a time long ago when he was supposed to be the one who’d make Artemis’ dreams come true. But he didn’t. He was afraid to marry a witch. It was different just being friends with the Blanchards, but taking one as his wife had carried with it too much baggage with her powers so hard for her to control. Olympia had helped him realize that. Still, there had come a day many years later once Artemis had mastered—or practically mastered—her powers. Howard had looked back in regret at having let her go before. But by that time Nacaria was gone, and the family needed her much too much for him to selfishly try and rekindle the flame. Artemis deserved something special all for her very own.

  “I’ll see what I can work out,” Howard said.

  “Howard Caldwell,” Demitra beamed. “You are just as sentimental as the rest of us.”

  “Maybe, or maybe I still have a special place inside me for your sister. I want to see her happy.”

  Demitra was about to comment—about to ask why Howard had never tried again with her sister when it was still so painfully clear that he loved Artemis. Just as she was about to say something, a man approached their table.

  “This saves me a phone call,” said the man. “Hello, Howard.”

  “Chief Bennet. Nice to see you.”

  “I hope you don’t mind if I interrupt your dinner for a quick word with Demitra.”

  “Not at all.”

  The Chief of Daihmler police extended his hand to help Demitra rise from her chair. The two of them stepped outside onto one of the side porches of the restaurant. Howard could see them through the glass windows but could not hear the conversation.

  “Charlie,” Demitra began. “I had a feeling you’d be reaching out to me soon. It’s about the murders?”

  “Yeah,” Chief Bennet replied. “At first we just thought it was a regular murder. Kinda gruesome though, but nothing crazy. Then the second happened. Same kind of thing. But this third one makes me think we have a lunatic running around town. People are starting to get panicky.”

  “Any leads at all?”

  “Not a one. Some in the department think it may be a satanic thing. Like those killings Tuscaloosa had at Maxwell Crossings a decade ago. But I don’t think so. These don’t look to be ritualistic in any way.”

  “What were the circumstances with the victims?” Demitra asked.

  “Pretty basic. Attacked. Battered a bit. Scratches. Throat cut with something jagged enough to really leave quite a tear. But this is where it gets creepy, Dee.”

  “Creepy?”

  Chief Bennet lowered his voice even though no one else was in earshot. “Examiner says there was animal hair on two of the victims that struggled the hardest. I’m wondering if this lunatic is using trained dogs to attack them first.”

  “Using dogs?” Demitra gasped. “That’d be very unusual.”

  “Yeah, but two of these victims were men, big strong men. If the killer is a singular person, how else would he be able to subdue a guy like that? I really am just guessing here. I have no leads whatsoever. Could really use you on this one. We solved that missing boy case in two days with the clues you gave us. And that meth lab ring that started up two years ago. We’d never have found those guys without your assistance.”

  “I’m glad to help Charlie,” Demitra said. “If you will email me the locations of where the bodies were discovered, I’ll go out and see what I can pick up.”

  “I’m afraid the victims’ clothing is locked up in evidence. Contamination risk, you know. But—”

  “Don’t worry about that right now,” Demitra said. “Let’s wait and see what I can learn from walking around the discovery sites first. If that doesn’t give me any visions, then we’ll see what we can do about my holding their possessions.”

  “You are the greatest, Dee,” Charlie said, hugging her. “I take a great amount of credit for cases you’ve solved for me. I am the master at tracing leads, determining motivation, and finding evidence no one else thinks to look for—but you. You just close your eyes and see the whole thing. Sure has kept me from arresting the wrong suspect a time or two. And no telling how many lives you’ve helped me save over the years. Wish we didn’t have to work in secret, but nobody on the force would believe I solved cases with the help of a psychic.”

  “The important thing is finding this killer.”