by K E O'Connor
“I think it’s brilliant,” Dominic said. “I always enjoy hanging out with you.”
Sablo’s eyes narrowed, but she nodded. “I don’t see it being a problem. You’ve helped us in the past. With Dazielle away, we’d appreciate an extra pair of hands.”
“What do you want us to do, boss?” Dominic asked.
I looked at Gretel, and my stomach clenched. I was never good with dealing with the more gruesome side of murder. “Secure the crime scene and control entry. It’s been contaminated enough. No one else goes near the body. There might be clues as to who did this. Get photos of the scene, including pictures of Gretel before she’s moved out of the water.”
“Wow! Tempest, you know what you’re talking about,” Dominic said. “You sound just like Dazielle.”
“I’ve heard her bark orders at you enough times to know the drill,” I said. “Look around for any signs of who did this, but don’t touch, just document. Gretel didn’t put herself in that ducking stool, which means someone else is involved. They might have left behind a clue.”
“No problem,” Dominic said. “I’ll head back to the office and grab the equipment.”
“Get the pizza, too,” Sablo whispered.
I glared at her but then shrugged. Pizza sounded good after only a few puff pastries. “Pizza too. Get extra for everyone. Be quick. When you get back, you need to keep everyone separate. We don’t need our suspects fudging their alibis.”
“Got it.”
“Sablo, you stay with Gretel until Dominic returns.”
Sablo nodded and clasped her hands behind her back, her gaze darting around the room as if looking for an attacker.
I walked over to Suki, who stood by the door with Wiggles, the tray of squashed food long gone. “You might as well head back to Cloven Hoof. There’s not much you can do here.”
Suki’s nervous gaze shifted to the body before she grimaced. “If you’re sure. I can stay if you like, but...”
“No, you’ve been great tonight. Go grab a coffee and take a break, make sure everything is fine at the bar. Some museum visitors might have stopped off there, so it could be busy. We won’t be too long.”
Suki nodded, her relief obvious, before hurrying out of the museum.
I turned as I heard footsteps.
Isadora walked over, her face pale. “Do you know what happened?”
“Someone wanted Gretel out of the way. Any idea who that might be?”
Isadora’s hand went to her mouth, and she swallowed loudly. “Gretel was a strong woman. Whoever did this would need to be equally as strong.”
“What were her powers?”
“She was an elemental witch with a liking for old magic. She had a collection of artifacts that had residual magic in them. She enjoyed indulging in the old stuff. It makes sense. That was where her passion lay.”
“Her ability was strong?”
Isadora nodded. “And she was never one to be walked over. Gretel would have fought back if someone attacked her. It would need someone with strong magic to hold her in place and use the ducking stool to kill her.” She looked away and wiped a hand across her cheek.
“Is everyone still here?” I asked. “I need to speak with you all.”
“Oh, yes. Mannie asked us to stay. We’re in the red exhibit room.”
I took a deep breath. I wasn’t certain where to start, but I recalled the comment Seth had made about Gretel being a problem.
Since he hadn’t had anything nice to say about our victim, I’d start with him and see if he’d acted on his low opinion of Gretel Le Strange.
Chapter 4
I walked into the red exhibit room with Isadora and looked around at the anxious faces. Mannie stood with Seth and Jonah. Lotus stood apart from the group with Cleo.
It wasn’t ideal that all the suspects and witnesses were together, but Dominic would be back soon to separate everyone.
“Seth.” I gestured him over.
Isadora nodded at me. “I’ll leave you to it.” She hurried away and joined Lotus and Cleo.
Seth strolled over. “I hear Mannie put you in charge.”
“Lucky me,” I said. “I’d like to talk to you about your relationship with Gretel.”
“There’s not much to say. I’ll help if I can.”
“How well did you know her?”
“As well as I wanted to.” Seth shoved his hands into his pants pockets and leaned back on his heels. “I know I’m the first person you’re talking to about her, but I’ll be honest with you. Gretel was a hard person to like.”
“You didn’t like her?”
“No one did. If they tell you differently, you’ve found your killer. Gretel Le Strange was sharp, rude, and full of herself.” Seth shrugged. “In a way, she had a right to be. She was at the top of her field. If anyone had a question about some historical magic artifact, Gretel was your go to woman.”
“Did she do anything, in particular, to make you dislike her?”
“She didn’t go out of her way to target me. She was just a beast to anyone who got in her way. People let her get away with being obnoxious and rude for so long that it became her default mode. Gretel considered everyone else beneath her because they weren’t as clever as she was.”
“What did you mean when you said that Gretel was a pain in people’s backsides?”
“Nothing was ever good enough for that woman. She drove me almost to distraction by her demands.”
“What was she demanding from you?”
“Gretel saw this museum as hers. Mannie brought her in as an adviser because of her expertise, but she was soon claiming this was her idea. That sat badly with everyone who made this happen.”
“That must have annoyed the whole team.”
“Of course.” Seth shook his head. “The worst thing is, Gretel demanded that she be interviewed about the museum.”
“And she wanted you to set that up?”
“I’m a book publicist. I know how to arrange a few interviews, but I’d never arrange a single interview for Gretel. She’d annoy everyone because she’d be rude.” Seth glanced at Isadora. “Isadora, on the other hand, is a dream to work with. She’s my client. She was the one going in front of the cameras and talking about her book and its links to this museum. She has a way of making the dullest subject interesting.”
“And Gretel didn’t like that Isadora had all the limelight?”
Seth shrugged. “Professional rivalry, I guess. Call it what you like, but Gretel wasn’t camera ready. I rejected her suggestion, and she made my life difficult after that. I kept out of her way, but the closer it got to the launch of Isadora’s book and the opening of this museum, we couldn’t avoid each other.”
“Since she was making your life so difficult, did you do something about it?”
Seth smirked. “Sweetheart, you obviously don’t work in PR.”
I narrowed my eyes. “No, but I do hunt annoying demons for fun. And any magic using creature who gets on my wrong side.”
Seth tilted his head. “Oh, you’re the witch who hunts demons. I’ve heard of you. You’ve got an interesting reputation. I could make a book out of your story if you’re interested.”
“I’m not.”
“And you’re freelancing with the angels now? Even more of an interesting twist.”
“It’s a temporary thing,” I said. “Who have you been talking to about me?”
“Word gets around. And I know Brogan Costin. We’re old acquaintances. He mentioned you when I dropped by his café last night.”
Half-vampires were a close-knit group, so I wasn’t surprised to hear that Brogan and Seth knew each other. “Getting back to Gretel’s death, where were you last night?”
“I grabbed a bite to eat. Brogan will confirm that, and then I headed to the local pub. I think it’s called the Ancient Imp. I was there all evening.”
“And after you left the pub?”
“I went back to the house.”
“Where are you staying?”
“Mannie’s rented us a place while we’re here. We didn’t fancy staying in the local hotel, so he got us a house for a couple of weeks. I’m there, along with Isadora, Lotus, and Jonah. It’s a decent place, lots of space to work in. It’s along Luminaire Lane. Number six.”
I knew the place. “Who do you think would want Gretel dead and displayed so dramatically?”
“I can give you a long list of people who Gretel irritated. As for killing her, I don’t know. You’d need to search back fifty years. There will be a lot of people who won’t be sad she’s gone.”
“I’m more interested in the people here.”
Seth’s bottom lip jutted out. “It’s a gruesome way to go. Killed by her own exhibit. Gretel was fascinated by witch trials. She’s written several papers on that period in history. They’re a bit dry for my taste, but Isadora used some of Gretel’s research in her book. Sprinkle them with a little movie magic and they’d make a great fantasy production.”
“I’m sure that would have made Gretel happy, seeing her research manipulated for a movie.”
Seth chuckled. “I never mentioned the idea for exactly that reason. Now she’s gone, the door’s open to different income generating opportunities.”
That gave Seth a motive. He saw Gretel as a cash cow, but only if she agreed to sell out. Something I doubted she would do.
“Who knew there’d be a ducking stool in the museum?”
“It was kept quiet, just between the team, so we wouldn’t spoil the unveiling. We had parts made by different companies, so no one would figure out we were creating a working model of a ducking stool. Everyone you see in this room knew, but that’s about it.”
“What about other members of the team? Did Lotus or Jonah have much to do with Gretel?”
“Jonah spends all his time with Isadora. She works long hours, and he needs to be close by for whenever she needs anything. I expect their paths crossed, but I’ve never heard him complain about her.”
“And Lotus?”
Seth grinned. “She’s as sweet as apple pie. Lotus has never got a bad word to say about anybody.”
I arched a brow. “The two of you are close?”
He smiled smugly. “As close as you can be. I met Lotus after I started working with Isadora to put together the publicity campaign. Lotus does background research for Isadora’s books.”
“It’s serious between you?”
Seth nodded. “If she plays her cards right, we’ll soon be married. She knows she won’t find anyone better.”
“You do sound like a catch.” Not anything I’d be hurrying to grab anytime soon.
“Lotus does what I tell her because I’m always right. It’s the perfect match.”
“I hope you’re happy together,” I said. Seth’s smugness set my teeth on edge. It wasn’t an uncommon vampire trait, but he talked about Lotus as if he owned her.
“Can you think of anyone who disliked Gretel, who would act on those feelings?”
Seth looked around the room. “Well, I don’t like to mention it, since he’s such a respected figure in the village.”
“Mention away,” I said.
“I saw your mayor arguing with Gretel. She pestered him all the time about things not being right at the museum. Although he laughed off her comments, I could see they grated on him. I walked in on them two days ago in a fierce debate about the layout of a display. Gretel was in his face, shouting at him. Mannie’s cheeks were bright red. I thought he’d burst a blood vessel.”
“I know Mannie Winter well. I can’t see him killing Gretel. As you pointed out, he’s a public figure.”
Seth smirked. “If you know Mannie as well as you say you do, then you’ll know what he’s like when it comes to his social status.”
Mannie was a serious social climber but killing someone would do nothing to enhance that status. “What makes you say that?”
“Mannie mentioned how great he’d be in a documentary. He suggested we do a series in Willow Tree Falls featuring local residents. A sort of faux reality series.”
That sounded like a nightmare. “That won’t interest anybody.”
“You’d be surprised what trash people watch.” Seth tipped back on his heels. “Mannie wants a starring role.”
“Mannie has big ambitions. Was Gretel stopping him from achieving them?”
“She could have been. Mannie was jealous of Gretel and the respect her position gave her. He has himself up as some kind of know-it-all historian, but Gretel was quick to knock him on his behind if he got a fact wrong. They were competitive, and both hated to back down.”
Could things have gotten out of hand with Gretel when they were arguing? Mannie was powerfully built even if most of his weight was stored in his expansive gut. It wasn’t out of the question that he had the strength to hold Gretel on the ducking stool before drowning her.
“Did you see Mannie here last night?” I asked Seth.
“Only for a couple of minutes early on in the evening. He was running around trying to get this organized.”
“Did you see him near the ducking stool?” Mannie might have investigated the stool to see how easy it would be to use.
Seth shook his head. “No, but he’d know how to work it. Mannie had a tedious argument with Gretel about the mechanisms of the ducking stool and how you’d get one to work, the kind of weight you need, and the...” he yawned. “Sorry, I’m boring myself. Anyway, they argued, and he knew what he was talking about.”
This wasn’t looking so great for Mannie. He knew how to operate the ducking stool, and he didn’t like the victim. I couldn’t rule him out just yet.
“You’re wasting your time by quizzing me, gorgeous,” Seth said. “I didn’t do this. I’ve got an alibi, and it’s a good one. If you’re looking for a killer, go speak to your friendly mayor. I bet he’s got a tale to tell. Are we done?”
I gritted my teeth but nodded. Gretel had rubbed Seth up the wrong way, but his alibi would be easy to check, and I could discount him as the killer. “You can leave. Are you staying at the house?”
“Sure. We’ve got a mess to sort out after tonight’s event. I need to figure out the next steps for Isadora. Make sure her book doesn’t flop.”
I watched him saunter away. If everything Seth said was true, I had a problem on my hands. It was dwarf-shaped and had a huge beard. I couldn’t go accusing Willow Tree Falls’ mayor of murder without cast iron proof. If I did that and was wrong, the village would be in an uproar, and Mannie would most likely shove me on the ducking stool next.
I needed to be careful how I handled this. If I was seen interrogating Mannie Winter, there could be hell to pay.
Chapter 5
I decided to tackle the other members of Isadora’s team before approaching Mannie, see if they supported Seth’s theory that Mannie could be involved.
Walking across the room, I wasn’t happy to find Mannie and Isadora talking quietly in one corner. I looked around and glared at Dominic, who was studying an artifact in the cabinet, a piece of pizza in one hand.
I hurried over to him. “You’re supposed to be keeping the suspects separate.”
He jumped and turned toward me. “Oh, sorry, Tempest. I got distracted. Have you seen this? It’s a hand of glory.”
I glanced at the mummified hand. “It is.”
“Do you own one?”
“No. They’re only for black magic.” Although, I bet there was one covered in dust in Mom’s attic. She loved collecting weird magic items.
Dominic continued to eat his pizza. “This is the severed hand of a hanged criminal.”
“They all are. It makes them more powerful.”
“Have you ever touched one?”
“Sure. Now, about this murder investigation you’re helping me solve.” I glanced at the suspects. “We have to get people apart. Use the extra pizza you got to lure them away.”
“Extra pizza?”
I pursed my lips. “Yes, the pizza I asked you to
get for all of us.”
“Oh! Sure. That slipped my mind. I only picked up the order for me and Sablo. I guess I’m in shock over what happened to Gretel.”
I sighed. “So, no pizza?”
He held out his crust. “You’re welcome to this.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’ll pass.”
Dominic nodded. “It says here you use a blend of salt, long peppers, nitre, and zimat to pickle the hand.”
“That’s right.” It looked like he wasn’t budging until he’d educated himself on the hand of glory. I was tempted to get it out of the glass case and use it on him as a punishment for forgetting the pizza and not doing his job.
“It’s creepy.”
“It’s dark magic. It’s meant to be creepy. You get the hand to hold a lit candle. It enhances a spells power. If the candle was made from the dead person’s fat, that’s a bonus.”
Dominic swallowed his pizza crust and grimaced. “Witches are strange.”
“Angels can be too, especially when they’re not doing the job they’re supposed to do.” I grabbed his arm and tugged him away from the display case. “Keep Mannie and Isadora apart. If they’ve got anything to do with what happened to Gretel, they could be fixing their stories while you’re staring at a dead man’s hand.”
“Of course, all my fault.” He tilted his head. “But you can’t think Mannie has anything to do with this. He’s our mayor. Everybody loves the mayor. He pays for the winter parade out of his own pocket.”
“Everybody won’t love the mayor if it turns out he killed Gretel. But I won’t know that if he’s fudging his story and getting Isadora to cover for him.”
Dominic bit his bottom lip. “Dazielle’s always telling me off for getting distracted on the job.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Dazielle and I agree on that. Go over there and get Isadora away from Mannie.”
Dominic’s wings wilted as he walked away. He looked like a scolded puppy. It was hard to stay cross with him when he looked like that. There wasn’t a mean bone in Dominic’s toned body, just lots of foolish ones.
Mannie glanced up as Dominic spoke to him and then looked at me. I didn’t like the determined expression on his face as he hurried over.