Page 19 of Herbs & Hex-breaking

“You’re not stupid. Or naïve,” he said.

“Lorna and Circe don’t know about any of this…Dex and me situation,” I told him. “It’s beyond awkward.”

He nodded. “I understand why you didn’t say anything to them.”

“I suppose they’ll have to know now though, won’t they?” Then something occurred to me. “Well shit. Lorna probably already figured it out. I’m sure she looked at the security footage herself, didn’t she?”

“She did.”

I closed my eyes in mortification. No wonder Lorna had barely spoken to me in the past few days.

“Do you still have the note that he left you?” he asked.

“I do.”

“I’m going to want that.”

“I can run up to my apartment and get it for you.” I pushed away from the desk I’d been leaning on. “Is it okay to ask if you have any leads?”

“I’m currently reaching out to his family. But that’s not a simple thing. I’m trying to see if they’ve heard from him.”

“What?” I blinked at that information. “Dex doesn’t have any family.”

“Ms. Weaver,” he began and then switched to my first name. “Kate, are you aware of who Dex truly is?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know Dex’s full name?”

“Of course I do. It’s...” I trailed off as my face flushed in embarrassment. I’d always simply assumed his last name was Dexter and that Dex was a nickname. By the old gods, I’d fallen into bed with a man whose full name I didn’t even know…

“Kate?”

“No. I don’t suppose that I do.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “What is his full name?”

“Beauregard Poindexter III.”

“The third?” My mouth opened and closed several times as it sunk in. “Beauregard Poindexter III? Are you telling me that his people are the Poindexters?”

“Yes.” Nash nodded. “But according to Lorna, they are estranged.”

I stood there and stared at him, even as my brain whirled. Lorna knew. She knew his family connections, and yet she never told Circe or me. Is this why she was so worried when Dex went missing?

“I take it, you’ve heard of the Poindexters?” he asked.

“Lord almighty, they’re one of the more wealthy and powerful families in the Birmingham area!”

He nodded. “That they are.”

Which meant that this was potentially more serious than I’d first realized. “Do you think his family has something to do with Dex being missing?”

“Dex’s father, Beauregard Poindexter Junior, passed away last week. The funeral arrangements have been announced in the paper and online this morning.”

“Shit,” I said, feeling the blood drain from my face. “Is Dex suspected in his father’s death?”

“No,” Nash said quickly. “No, he’s not. However, now Lorna is not the only one searching for Dex,” he continued quietly. “Now his family is as well. In fact, I have to be in Mountain Brook within the hour to speak with them.”

“Oh, I see,” was about all I was able to say.