by K E O'Connor
“I could run rings around you, Feathers.” Wiggles puffed out smoke.
“I’ll get you more doughnuts to make up for it,” I said. “Has Mannie been by yet? We were supposed to meet to arrange interviews with the rest of the suspects.”
“Not yet. You’re the first person we’ve seen for hours,” Dominic said.
“I discovered the missing dummy from the exhibit.” I gestured to the ducking stool.
Wiggles loudly cleared his throat. “Who discovered it?”
“Okay, Wiggles was cake hunting in the trash and found the dummy behind Sprinkles.”
“Excellent work,” Dominic said. “That could be useful.”
“I’ve also spoken to Seth and Cleo about their whereabouts on the night of the murder and if they saw anything suspicious.”
Dominic nodded encouragingly. “So, who’s the killer?”
I glanced at Sablo, who looked equally keen to know the answer. “I can’t tell you. I’ve only interviewed those two, and no one’s come forward with a confession. The body hasn’t been examined, and we’ve got no clear evidence as to who did this.”
“That’s disappointing.” Dominic looked at Sablo. “What shall we do now?”
Sablo scratched her chin. “Wait until Dazielle comes back?”
I suppressed a snarl of frustration. “Or we can interview the people most likely to have murdered Gretel before they all vanish and we lose track of them.”
Dominic pulled on his bottom lip. “That’s not a bad idea either. Hey, Tempest, maybe you can apply for Dazielle’s job if she doesn’t come back.”
I grimaced. “What makes you think she’s not coming back?”
“She’ll be back.” Sablo glared at Dominic. “Dazielle just needed a time out.”
That sounded ominous. “Are you sure?”
Sablo shrugged. “Pretty much.”
Dominic leaned closer. “Dazielle was told she had to go on this course.”
Sablo fluttered a wing at him. “No one’s supposed to know.”
“Know what?”
Dominic ignored the evil glare Sablo gave him. “Dazielle has anger management issues.”
My eyebrows shot up. “I thought she’d been a bit snarky. What did she do?”
Sablo smacked Dominic in the face with her wing. “Nothing! She’s a great boss.”
Dominic staggered back. “Ouch! That hurt. Tempest is Dazielle’s friend. She’ll want to help.”
Sablo gaped at him, and I shrugged. I was no friend of Dazielle’s, but I still wanted to know what she’d done to be forced to go on this course.
The door behind us opened. Mannie bustled in. “Excellent. I’m glad you’re here, Tempest. What’s going on with this investigation?”
I smiled sweetly at him. “I need to have a few words with you.”
“How delightful,” Mannie said. “Have you got it all figured out?”
“No, and this won’t be a delightful chat,” I said. “I need to confirm what everyone was doing the night of Gretel’s murder. That includes you. Your name’s been mentioned a lot and not in a good way.”
The smile on Mannie’s face faded, but he nodded. “We all need to prove our innocence. Why don’t we make this more pleasant, though? This doesn’t need to be a witch inquisition.” His gaze went to the ducking stool, and he winced. “Maybe that was a bad choice of words.”
I tilted my head. “What do you have in mind?”
“Let me take you to lunch. We don’t need to be savages while we’re completing this investigation. Everyone thinks better on a full stomach.”
“That sounds good,” Dominic said. “We’ve not had a break all night.”
“Oh, no. Just Tempest,” Mannie said. “You need to get to work on the scene. Do, well, whatever you’d normally do in this situation.”
“And me,” Wiggles said. “I’m coming to lunch. I’m an essential part of the team.”
Mannie glanced at Wiggles and shrugged. “Your mutt can come too.”
Wiggles didn’t even growl at being called a mutt. His thoughts must be on his stomach. “Let’s go to Bite Me.”
Mannie patted his belly. “Why not? And it’s on me. My treat.”
I arched an eyebrow. “I hope you’re not trying to bribe me, Mayor.”
He took a step back. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve made me lead investigator in a murder that you’re implicated in.” I smirked. “Now, you’re taking me to an expensive lunch while we discuss your alibi. Some people might find that suspicious.”
I noticed Sablo and Dominic exchange a worried glance and almost lost control of the smile I was fighting.
“I’ve never given a bribe in my life,” Mannie said. “I’m not about to start now.”
“That’s good to know.” It was also completely unbelievable.
He sniffed before turning to the door. “Shall we?”
I looked over to see Sablo and Dominic still looking confused. I decided to cut them some slack. “One of you go to Angel Force and get the others to take over here. See if Cassiel is around to deal with Gretel. If she isn’t, get her moved and back to your base. It doesn’t matter who does it, just get it sorted.”
Dominic looked even more perplexed, but Sablo nodded. “Yes, we can do that.”
I wasn’t convinced, but they seemed to operate better when given clear and simple instructions. I hoped they wouldn’t mess them up.
I left the museum with Mannie, Wiggles walking beside me.
“Tell me your progress,” Mannie said.
Talk about a conflict of interest. I was about to share information about a murder with one of the suspects. “There’s not much so far. I only got to talk to Seth last night. I checked his alibi, and it’s unlikely he’s involved, although he has a small window of opportunity.”
“Seth’s a smart fellow.” Mannie nodded as people walked past and greeted him. “I suggested he work for me on my next campaign. Do you know what he said?”
“That he’d be thrilled to run the campaign for the mayor of a small village?”
Mannie chuckled. “He said I wouldn’t be able to afford him. I was tempted to show him my bank balance, but that seemed crass.”
“I’m still considering him a suspect. He’s too smooth for his own good.”
“As you should, my dear.”
We arrived at Bite Me, and Mannie held the door open for me.
I looked at Wiggles and shrugged. “You know the deal.”
Wiggles snorted a cloud of gross smelling smoke. “I know. Not every diner wants a free fur ball with their meal. So long as I’m fed, I’ll stay out here.”
Mannie wafted his hand across his face before deciding he’d had enough of being a gentleman and hurried inside.
Most of the tables were occupied, but we found one at the back that gave us a little privacy.
Tilly Machello hurried over, her expression one of curiosity as she saw me with Mannie. She knew we weren’t the best of friends. “It’s lovely to have you here, Mayor and Tempest.”
“Thank you. What can you recommend, Tilly?” Mannie asked.
“We have a delicious chicken and leek pie. Or there’s our usual lasagne. That’s always popular.”
“Lasagne for me,” I said.
“That sounds perfect. And garlic bread,” Mannie said. “And two tankards of Imp’s Claw ale.”
“Not for me,” I said. “I’ll have water.”
Mannie chuckled. “The ale is all mine.”
“What about Wiggles?” Tilly tilted her head. “He’s already making my heart bleed by giving me his abandoned puppy face through the window.”
I grinned. “Whatever you’ve got spare. He loves your cooking.”
Tilly nodded before hurrying to the kitchen to put the order in.
“From what you’ve said, you don’t consider Seth your main suspect,” Mannie said.
“Not yet. I need to speak to Isadora and her assistants, Jonah and Lotus, to get a better pi
cture of the group dynamics. One of them could have seen or heard something suspicious.”
“Leave that to me,” Mannie said. “They’re staying in the same house, so it’s easy for me to arrange a meeting. I’ll get in touch with Isadora, and you can all meet later today. Now everyone is rested, this nasty business will be much easier to handle.”
“I appreciate that. Although, I shouldn’t discuss any of this with you,” I said. “I need to discount you as a suspect. You knew Gretel. You brought her in on the museum job. And, you were seen arguing with her.”
Mannie stroked a hand down his beard. “Arguing is a strong word. Our professional disagreements were not uncommon, but we never fell out about anything serious.”
“How heated did these professional disagreements become?”
Mannie played with a button on his green waistcoat. “We both maintained our dignity, even if there was a little yelling. But if you need my alibi, I’m prepared to give it to you.”
“I’m guessing you have a good one.”
His smile was a little on the smug side. “I was at the museum that evening. There was a lot going on the night before the grand opening. I walked around the exhibits with Gretel. She showed me what she was unhappy with. I arranged for the museum assistant, Cleo Jinx, to deal with the final adjustments. Have you met Cleo?”
“We bumped into each other. She was very helpful.”
“Yes, she’s a good girl. On the flighty side and somewhat obsessed with ghosts but very reliable.”
“What time did you leave the museum?”
“We were all there late that night. I must have been there until around ten. Then I went home.”
“Your wife can confirm that?”
Mannie smoothed his hand down his beard again. “No, I’ve gone my separate ways from the first Mrs. Winter. As you’ll remember, she discovered my little... mistake, just as I was elected into this role.”
I pursed my lips. His little mistake involved an affair with a much younger woman. One I publicly outed. “You’re still with Star?”
He shook his head. “Sadly, we’ve also parted ways. She’s a lovely woman but focused on her career. And I like to see a lady who knows how to dress like a lady. Star spent most of her time in workout clothes. All that lycra and those dance shoes aren’t for me. I bought her new clothes and some delightful high heels to tempt her to change her style, but she wasn’t having it. Star said heels damage your feet.” Mannie leaned closer. “You should see the state of her feet after so many years practicing ballet. I have nightmares about those feet. Dancers don’t have beautiful feet, and I’m partial to a pretty foot.”
“Your foot fetish aside, if you weren’t with your wife or your mistress, who does that leave?” Mannie might be a man of influence, but he was no stunner. Women shouldn’t be falling at his flat feet.
“I have a new lady friend.” He grinned at me. “Trixie Vermouth. We’ve been together two months.”
Trixie sounded more like a cocktail than a person. “I don’t know her.”
“She’s a new resident. She works with Abigail at the Fur Baby Emporium. I helped her to get the job. It’s just part-time, but she’s talking about staying and taking on more hours.”
“Trixie can confirm you were with her that evening?”
“Absolutely. I got home around ten-fifteen, had a late supper, and we sat listening to new music from Draygar. He knows how to work a dwarfen drum. Then we went to bed. That’s where we stayed until the morning.”
“I’m discovering Gretel annoyed a lot of people. And when I met her, she was bending your ear about the problems in the museum. That must have been wearing.”
Mannie nodded. “Gretel was an exacting woman. You don’t get to her position without treading on a few toes. She was head of her department and held that position for more than a decade. Whenever there was a conference on the history of magic, everyone wanted Gretel’s input. She could charge whatever she liked to give talks.”
“Does that mean you didn’t like her?”
Mannie toyed with his napkin. “I respected Gretel. Her knowledge was outstanding, and I admired that. Were we best friends? No, but from one professional to another, I appreciated her input. I was the one who insisted she become a part of this museum development because it has to be world class. It wouldn’t be without Gretel’s input.”
Tilly walked over with our food and drinks and set everything on the table. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
“No, this all looks lovely.” Mannie flapped his napkin over his lap and grabbed a hunk of garlic bread.
The sound of frantic scratching came at the restaurant door.
I turned to see Wiggles giving me the stink eye through the glass. I chuckled. “You’d better serve his majesty before he barges in and starts stealing from customers’ plates.”
Tilly shook her head. “Will do. He’s also getting lasagne.” Her gaze went from me to Mannie before she walked away.
I gave the interrogation a rest as I sampled the rich, savory layers of lasagne and dunked my own hunk of garlic bread in the juice.
“Tilly has outdone herself.” Mannie smacked his lips together.
“She always does.”
We ate in companionable silence. Mannie had a good alibi, and it would be easy to check. It looked like I could discount our mayor from this investigation.
He lowered his fork. “Did you see the museum display about your family?”
“No, but Mom told me you’ve been asking to see old family documents.” I wasn’t keen about the Crypt family secrets being publicly displayed. Our demon catching lineage went back centuries.
“You should be proud of your family and what they’ve achieved.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t.” Long before Willow Tree Falls existed, the Crypt witches hunted demons all over the world. For years, our home was wherever we laid our hats until an ancestor set down roots in the village and the demon prison was established.
“It’s fascinating,” Mannie said. “The research is meticulous, and it’s all thanks to Gretel and Isadora’s hard work that the exhibits are so impressive.”
“Speaking of the exhibits, Cleo mentioned that Gretel was exacting in what she wanted to be displayed. Would that have irritated anyone?”
Mannie nodded as he brushed garlic bread crumbs from his beard. “It could have. In fact, I discovered Gretel making fun of one of Cleo’s displays. She’s a charming creature and an absolute font of knowledge, but her display ideas can be eccentric. I walked in on them, and Gretel was furious with Cleo. She was telling her she had no idea what she was doing and mocking her amateurish display.”
Cleo hadn’t mentioned that when I’d talked to her. “Was Cleo upset?”
His brow wrinkled. “It’s tricky to know what Cleo’s thinking. She’s a strange one. Her ability is like nothing I’ve encountered before. It’s a mixture of pixie magic and something much older. She feels like an old soul.”
I nodded. That was exactly how I’d felt when I was around her. Cleo had an eclectic power. Maybe her act of being ditzy and cute was just that.
“Did Cleo complain about the way Gretel spoke to her?”
“She never mentioned anything to me,” Mannie said. “While Gretel was ranting at her, Cleo was disassembling the exhibit and putting it back together the way Gretel wanted it. She was humming as she worked, which makes me think she was happy.”
“And Cleo does the night security, as well?”
“That’s right. I don’t know how she does it. She patrols three times a night, which means her sleep is disturbed, but she’s always full of energy. I’ve had to warn her a couple of times about all the sparkles she leaves around. It’s as if she sweats glitter.”
“Cleo said she’s descended from the Muses. She could draw power from the artifacts around her. If she’s regularly handling old items, they’re often tinged with power. That would energize her, so she could manage both jobs.”
“Th
at’s very possible. See, I knew you were the right witch for this job!” Mannie finished his last mouthful of lasagne and sat back in his seat. “How about dessert?”
“Tilly does a mean cookies and cream pie.” As far as questioning murder suspects went, this wasn’t a bad way to spend a lunchtime.
“We’ll get three servings of that.” Mannie nodded and smiled at me. “I know we’ve had difficult times in the past, but I appreciate your help with this. We must get the murder solved quickly. I have to get the museum opening rescheduled.”
“I’ll do what I can,” I said, “but I’m only standing in until Dazielle returns. There’s no guarantee I’ll solve this.”
“You’re doing a splendid job. Dazielle will be back anytime now. Until then, you keep going. It’s a pleasure to be interrogated by someone so charming.” Mannie blinked his beady eyes at me.
It looked like Mannie and I were now friends. I never thought I’d see that happen.
After we placed the dessert order, I sat back and listened to Mannie regale me about a new tourist promotion he had planned for the thermal spas, but my mind was elsewhere. I was worrying about Cleo. With her mix of powers and obsession with history, she could have taken Gretel’s criticism badly.
What if her sparkles and giggles were a front? I’d thought Seth was involved, but having learnt more about Cleo and more or less confirmed Seth’s alibi, it might be that I’d focused on the wrong person.
There were a lot more questions to ask before I made progress with this mystery.
Chapter 11
I knocked on the door of the detached redbrick house Isadora and her assistants were staying in. It was three hours after my lunch interrogation with Mannie, and he’d been true to his word, arranging for me to see Isadora that afternoon.
“Mannie can’t be short of money if he’s rented this place for them.” Wiggles snuffled around the outside of the door.
“That must be why he’s so attractive to women in Willow Tree Falls,” I said, “including his new girlfriend, Trixie.”
“That’s a pet’s name.”
I waggled my eyebrows. “Maybe she’s his new pet.”
Wiggles snorted. “It can’t be the beard they find attractive. Even from where I sat outside of Bite Me, Mannie ended up with half his lunch nestled in that forest around his face. He’ll be enjoying leftover garlic bread for days.”