Halo Effect Read online

  “If it’s any consolation, the rules here aren’t as strict as they used to be,” I said. “In fact, I worked as part of the team that revised the sentencing guidelines.”

  “I could see if my third offense was jaywalking, but it’s my third offense for the same behavior,” Ansell said.

  “You seem pretty willing to convict yourself. Care to tell me your side of the story?”

  He splayed his sizable hands. “Is there any point? One look at me and the judge will lock me up, no questions asked.”

  “Don’t be so quick to assume,” I said. “In the same way you don’t want them to be quick to assume anything about you.”

  “Fair point,” the ogre said.

  “I’m your attorney, Mr. Howard, and it’s my job to defend you. I’m the last paranormal who’s going to judge you unfairly because I’m not going to judge you at all.”

  His brow lifted, drawing attention to the absence of eyebrows. Did ogres not have eyebrows and I never noticed?

  “I doubt that. Everybody judges me. They can’t help themselves.”

  “Why don’t you tell me about the incident from start to finish?” I almost added ‘and I’ll be the judge of that’ but wasn’t sure Ansell would appreciate my sense of humor.

  He slid forward in the seat. “There isn’t much to tell. He pissed me off and I took a swing. I’m an angry ogre. It’s what I do.”

  Although his file suggested as much, Ansell didn’t strike me as the raging monster he claimed to be. In fact, his manner could almost be described as gentle and easygoing.

  “It mentions in the file that you took anger management classes after the second offense,” I said.

  He grinned, showing off a couple missing teeth. “Didn’t help, obviously.”

  “You haven’t had an altercation in years, Mr. Howard. Give yourself credit.”

  “I don’t deserve it. I’m bad to the bone, just like everyone says. I’m surprised I get a trial at all. Might as well lock me up now and save everyone the time and effort.”

  “Are you about to become homeless or something?”

  He peered at me. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Because you seem pretty enthusiastic about seeing the inside of a cell. I’m wondering if you have nowhere else to go.”

  “I have a roof over my head and can afford to pay my bills,” he said.

  A toy monkey careened over my head and landed on the desk with a rattly thud. I craned my neck to look at Diana.

  “I think someone wants attention,” Ansell said.

  On cue, Diana opened her arms. She wanted out of the stroller.

  “Do you mind if I hold her?” I asked.

  “Be my guest.”

  I walked to the stroller and bent over to liberate her from the stroller. She swatted me away with an angry face.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. She pointed to Ansell and I frowned. “You want Ansell to hold you?”

  Diana’s smile returned as quickly as it had vanished.

  I twisted to observe the ogre’s reaction. “Any objection?”

  He shrugged and held out his hands. “If you don’t fear for her safety.”

  “I don’t. She’s tougher than she looks.”

  I lifted her out of the stroller and carried her to the ogre, relieved that she didn’t reek of dirty diaper.

  She settled onto the ogre’s lap with a plastic pink unicorn in her hand. She immediately held the toy up for his inspection.

  “I think she wants you to play,” I said.

  “I’m getting that impression.” He took the unicorn and pretended to make it trot. “I’m starting to think this isn’t even your baby.”

  I laughed and returned to my chair. “That’s right. She bills out by the hour and I employ her to soften the ornery clients.”

  Ansell seemed comfortable with her, so I closed the file and leaned back against my chair. “Tell me about your job. Do you like it?”

  The ogre focused on the unicorn. “It’s fine. It pays well, which is a nice change from my old jobs. I lived paycheck-to-paycheck until I got this gig.”

  He had job security, yet disliked his boss enough to punch him and jeopardize his entire future. Something didn’t quite fit.

  “What do you like about it?”

  “I look forward to my daily routine. I do well with structure.” He paused. “I learned that about myself in anger management class. I don’t do well when I have too much free time without a focus. That’s when I get into trouble.”

  “You and Diana have that in common,” I said. “The other day I found her in the bathroom covered in toilet paper. She’d managed to use half the roll on her and stuffed the other half into the toilet.”

  He tickled her under the chin. “You did that? No, I don’t believe it. Butter wouldn’t melt in that mouth.”

  “What about your colleagues? Do you get along with them?”

  “Yeah. My co-workers are nice. A bunch of us hit the pubs sometimes.” He snorted. “Guess I won’t be going to The Spotted Owl tonight.”

  “Could I get their names?” I asked.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but don’t bother. No one’s going to speak on my behalf. Maybe if I’d punched a random stranger instead of the boss man.”

  “I take your point, Mr. Howard. I’d still like to make a list of those who might support you. Character witnesses. If nothing else, they could help reduce your sentence.”

  He still seemed reluctant to share.

  “If they’re willing to socialize with you outside of work, they must like you,” I said.

  “They’re probably afraid I’ll bully them if they don’t let me join them.” His laughter rang hollow.

  “There’s only so much I can do without your cooperation,” I said. “It sounds like you try to do your best at your job, so you can understand that I’d like to do mine.”

  He chewed his ragged fingernails before answering. “Reggie. Miriam. Violet. Carter. Those are the usual suspects.”

  I made a note of their names. “Thank you. Now tell me about the job itself.”

  “Our company makes cat toys. Mini Meow. Used to be a small operation but ever since the curse was broken, we were able to expand into other territories. They hired more workers. Now we even have a fancy board of directors.”

  “And the boss you hit—who is he in all this?”

  “Don Yates. The president of the company. The board hired him last year to replace the original owner after he retired and sold his share of the company.”

  “And what’s your role in the company?”

  “I’m on the development team. We come up with ideas for designs.”

  “Really? That sounds fun.”

  He flashed his gap-toothed smile. “It is. I like collaborating. Again, something I learned about myself after anger management class. I thought I liked solitude being an ogre and all, but turns out I need the energy of a group to bounce ideas off of.”

  “It sounds like you’ve learned a lot about yourself and your needs these past few years.”

  He nodded. “It’s been an eye-opening experience, that’s for sure.”

  “And how often do you interact with your boss?”

  “I avoid him as much as possible. He might be a centaur, but he’s a real wereass.”

  I suppressed a smile. “I get that impression. What’s the issue with him?”

  “It’s a typical employer-employee dynamic. I’m an ogre. I don’t like being told what to do.”

  “Are you the only one who has trouble working with him or do your drinking buddies share your contempt?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, averting his gaze. “You’d have to ask them.”

  “Are you the only ogre at the company?”

  “Yep. The old owner…He loved the idea of my big green hands designing these dainty cat toys. Got a big kick out of it.”

  “Where do you get your inspiration?”

  He glanced out the window. “Nature, mostly. I
take a lot of walks. It’s where I do my best thinking.”

  “What’s your favorite toy that you’ve designed?”

  “I tend to favor feathers in my work,” he said.

  “Don’t tell my husband that,” I said. “He’s an angel.”

  Ansell lit up. “He’s the ultimate cat toy.”

  I burst into laughter at the thought of Daniel surrounded by playful cats. As long as they didn’t all resemble Magpie, he’d probably be okay.

  “I enjoy working with lasers, too,” he said. “Anything that makes a cat go nuts in the best sense of the word.”

  For some reason, Ansell had downplayed his enthusiasm for his job at the start of the interview. It was clear from our conversation that he absolutely loved it. He had the same starry look in his eyes that Begonia had when she talked about her magical tattoos. It wasn’t merely his job; it was his passion.

  “Do you have a cat?” he asked.

  I grimaced. “Sort of.” Magpie was more hellbeast than cat, but he qualified.

  Ansell laughed and shifted Diana to rest on the opposite knee. “That’s the first time anyone’s ever given me that answer. Usually they either express their undying love or complete contempt. Cats and ogres have more in common than paranormals realize.” He paused, his expression darkening. “Except nobody expresses their undying love for ogres, I guess. That’s not a thing.”

  A wave of sympathy washed over me. There was something beautifully genuine about Ansell Howard.

  “Tell me about your personal life,” I said. “Anything I should know or that would help your case?”

  He hung his oversized head in shame. “No significant other if that’s what you mean. Not for lack of effort.” He managed a smile. “I’ve hit on more women than I can count and the answer is always the same.”

  “Always? I find that hard to believe.” Ansell had a sweet and charming side, a good job and work ethic, and he liked nature walks. There had to be someone out there who appreciated those qualities.

  He blew out an embarrassed breath. “You have to say that because you’re defending me.”

  “There’s no requirement that I like my clients, Mr. Howard. Trust me. There’ve been plenty that I didn’t.”

  “Would your sort-of cat like a cat toy? I can get you one at a deep discount.” He winked.

  “Thanks for the offer, but it would be destroyed within minutes,” I said. No need to elaborate on Magpie’s flame breath.

  He fidgeted with the unicorn. “This question might be too little too late, but what can you tell me about prison?”

  I met his gaze and saw the fear in his eyes. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Mr. Howard. We both need to stay positive.”

  “Is that your defense strategy? Stay positive until the last strike of the gavel?”

  “I’ve listened to your story and I think we can make a case for you.”

  “You either misheard my story or you’re one imaginative attorney,” he said.

  I gave him a patient smile. “You may not believe in yourself, Mr. Howard, but I believe in you. And not because it’s my job, either.”

  “Then why? You’ve seen my record.” He pounded his chest with the pink unicorn. “You’ve seen me.”

  “I’ve seen you and I’ve heard you, and the Mr. Howard described in this file isn’t the same paranormal seated before me. That much I know.”

  The ogre sat in silence for an extended moment.

  “Ansell,” he finally said. “If you’re going to be my attorney, Ms. Hart, you should call me Ansell.”

  Chapter Four

  “Dinner is served,” I announced. I carried in two platters and set them on the table.

  “I hope you didn’t go to any trouble,” Ember said. “I know how busy your day was.”

  “Nothing a little magic couldn’t help,” I said with a wink.

  “Maybe you could give Ember a few lessons,” Florian said. “She seems to struggle with the microwave even when she uses her wand.”

  “Mom’s gotten a lot better,” Marley interjected. The young witch sat beside Diana’s high chair and seemed perfectly content placing slices of banana on the tray for my daughter to smash into her mouth.

  Raoul hooked his claws onto the platters and pulled them toward him.

  “I don’t think so,” Ember said. She fixed him with a hard look. “Mind your manners, please. You’re lucky they’re letting you sit at the table.”

  Raoul slid one platter back to the center of the table but kept the other one.

  Ember served food onto this plate and took the remaining platter away. “We are not splitting one platter between the rest of us,” she chastised him.

  “I almost said your eyes are bigger than your stomach, but your eyes are pretty small.” Daniel tilted his head to examine the raccoon’s eyes more closely.

  Raoul turned away and nibbled resentfully on a carrot stick.

  “Florian is interested in locating the best bars in town,” Ember said.

  “Any suggestions for a random weeknight?” Florian asked.

  “Oh, I can help with that,” Gareth said.

  “My friend can help with that,” I said. “He’s a ghost, so he spends a lot of time hitting the hot spots at night. He won’t steer you wrong.”

  Florian surveyed the dining room. “He’s here now?”

  I pointed with my fork to where the vampire ghost was hovering. “He lives with us. This was his house before it was mine.”

  “Tell him you took my job, too,” Gareth said.

  I glared at him. “I did not take your job. You were dead. You couldn’t exactly defend your clients anymore.”

  Raoul stared at me with beady eyes and I could guess what he was thinking—Wow. You took his job and his house?

  Magpie chose that moment to jump onto the mantel of the fireplace.

  “And his cat,” I added.

  “That’s a cat?” Florian asked, gaping at Magpie.

  “You don’t want to insult him,” Daniel said. “He breathes fire.”

  Ember glanced at her familiar. “Why can’t you do that? You’d be a lot more useful.”

  “It’s not like my familiar can do that either,” I said, glancing at the owl that was now perched on the back of Diana’s high chair.

  Feed me a pot of spicy chili and I’ll see what I can do, Your Highness.

  Marley abandoned her post to approach Magpie. “Can I pet him?”

  “At your own risk,” Daniel said.

  “I don’t know,” Ember said warily. “He doesn’t look thrilled to see you.”

  “Neither did you when we first met, but I still brought you back to Starry Hollow,” Florian said. He addressed the rest of the table. “Ember and Marley would’ve died if my sisters and I hadn’t found her.”

  “It was definitely a dire situation,” Ember agreed. She raised her glass to her lips. “Moral of the story is never piss off a mobster.”

  “I knew he was brave,” Gareth said, dreamily gazing at Florian. “He has hero hair.”

  “You and I have so much in common,” Ember said to me. “We were both cruising along living our ordinary lives and bam! Everything changed in the blink of an eye.”

  Florian eyed me curiously. “Did you get rescued, too?”

  “Sort of,” I said.

  I smiled at Daniel, remembering the sight of him perched on the cliff and ready to jump. We always said that, even though I’d pulled off the road to stop him, we’d ultimately saved each other.

  “Emma rescued a whole town,” Daniel said.

  “Oh, we know all about that,” Marley said. “We saw the statue.” She bit back a smile as she reached a tentative hand toward Magpie. To my surprise and relief, the hellbeast raised his head to meet her open palm.

  “We broke the curse together,” I said. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of the town.”

  “And you two got married and had a baby.” Florian seemed to be pondering the chain of events.

 
“No wife or kids for you, Florian?” Daniel asked.

  The wizard made a dismissive sound. “Not really on my to-do list.”

  “I used to think that, too,” Daniel said. “Then I met Emma and I couldn’t remember why I was so resistant.” He reached across the table and covered my hand with his. “Now I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

  Behind us, Gareth made a gagging noise.

  “I think it’s great that the coven accepted you even though you’re not a witch,” Florian said. “Ember had it easy from that perspective because she’s a Rose.”

  “He even lavishes attention on his own cousin,” Gareth said. “Have you ever met anyone so courteous?”

  “He’s not making a Shakespearean comparison,” I said. “She’s an actual Rose. That’s her family name.”

  “I’m a descendant of the One True Witch,” Ember said. “Which means a lot more to residents of Starry Hollow than anywhere else.”

  “I don’t think our coven has any famous ancestors like that,” I said. The closest we came was Arabella St. Simon, the founder of the academy that bore her name.

  Daniel chuckled. “Looks like someone’s ready for dessert.”

  Raoul climbed onto a chair and placed a plate of brownies on the table in front of him. I hadn’t even realized he’d left the room.

  “Raoul, I don’t think that’s a single serving,” Ember said.

  “How’s he going to hold a brownie without opposable thumbs?” Daniel wondered aloud.

  The raccoon kept his gaze fixed on Ember as lowered his head closer to the plate and devoured a brownie.

  “Are you serious right now?” Ember demanded.

  “Someone hasn’t been taught manners,” Gareth scoffed.

  At that moment, Magpie jumped onto the table and unleashed a furious hiss at the raccoon. Raoul didn’t react. He simply glared at the hairless, one-eyed rat and leaned down to inhale another brownie.

  “Stand down,” I said firmly. Nobody wanted scorched brownies.

  Magpie scowled before sitting next to the plate like a guard.

  “Raoul, those brownies are for everyone,” Ember said.

  Raoul rolled his beady eyes and slumped against the chair.