by K E O'Connor
“That must be hard on you,” I said. “You’re running your life and hers.”
“If it was anybody else, I wouldn’t be around.” Jonah shrugged. “Isadora is a good boss. And history is an interest of mine. I studied it at college and planned to go into teaching, but then this opportunity came up to be Isadora’s assistant, and I grabbed the chance. Working alongside such a popular magic historian and helping get her book out seemed like a dream. I’d love to write myself, but I don’t have the intellect to write a book.”
“Is Isadora a demanding employer?”
“Not usually, although she keeps odd hours. It’s mainly that she forgets about things when she’s deep in her writing. For example, no food in the cupboards when you visited. It’s the little things she forgets about; that includes remembering to eat regular meals. I give her a routine, and she sticks to it so she can maximize her productivity.”
“Since Isadora is focused on making sure her book is a success, I imagine she’d do anything to ensure it didn’t fail.”
“Oh! Of course. There’s a countrywide book signing tour planned. The museum’s opening was stage one before she heads off to other venues. Isadora’s also got a number of TV appearances booked when she leaves Willow Tree Falls. Lots of radio interviews, and she’s appearing on numerous blogs. We have it planned out.”
“I thought Seth handled the publicity.”
“He does. We work side-by-side to make sure there’s never a clash with Isadora’s schedule. She has to have time to produce new work. A genius like Isadora never stops working.”
To me, it sounded like Isadora wouldn’t let anything stand in her way to ensure her book was an epic success. Maybe that included murder.
“How was Isadora the night before the book launch?” I asked him. “She said she had an early night after eating dinner with you.”
He nodded. “That’s right. She came back from the museum around eight. I was with her. They’d been working on last-minute problems Gretel had identified. Isadora wasn’t happy about it. I ordered in dinner as a treat. We ate together and ran through the schedule for the launch, then she said she was tired and was getting an early night.”
“Was that unusual? Does Isadora often go to bed early?”
“It depends on her work schedule. When she’s close to a deadline, she’ll often stay up until gone midnight working on a book. But all she needed to worry about was her talk at the museum and the launch event. There wasn’t much she could do. I wasn’t surprised when she said she’d have an early night.”
“Did you see her after she went to bed?”
Jonah raised his eyebrows. “I’m not sure what you’re implying.”
“Nothing improper. But did Isadora come out to get a drink or use the bathroom?”
“Oh, no, not that I saw.” Jonah smiled self-consciously. “I sat up until around ten-thirty. The house was quiet, so I did some work undisturbed. Then I went to bed.”
“Did you hear Isadora in her room?”
He tilted his head. “I heard some noises early on, so I assumed she was getting ready for bed.”
“You said that Gretel had issues at the museum that Isadora wasn’t happy about. Did they often argue?”
“It was common. After the fallout over her book, Isadora stayed away from Gretel. Every time they met, they clashed. Two alpha females in the same room, you see, it’s always going to be fireworks. Gretel thought she was better than Isadora because of her qualifications and the papers she’d published in a few dry academic journals.”
“It sounds like Gretel rubbed Isadora’s nose in it.”
“All the time, but Isadora is smart. She does her research and goes back to the source material. She’s not sloppy like many of these popular historical writers. They embellish the facts with nonsensical romance or ideas about historical figures that they can’t know about. Isadora’s an excellent historian. Gretel hated the fact that she’d never back down when they argued. It was a shock to her system when she didn’t get her own way.”
“When was the last time you saw them argue?”
Jonah tugged on his bottom lip. “Outside the museum, the night before Gretel died. It got quite heated. I was about to intervene when Gretel stomped away.”
“What were they arguing about?”
“I didn’t hear the details of the argument, but there were only ever two things they argued about, the museum or Isadora’s book. It was all either of them cared about.”
It wasn’t looking so good for Isadora. She’d had an ongoing feud with Gretel, who sounded like she was trying to ruin Isadora’s book launch, and no one could confirm where she was after nine o’clock on the night of Gretel’s murder. It wouldn’t have been difficult for her to slip out and confront Gretel at the museum. Jonah would have been none the wiser.
Isadora and Gretel both sounded passionate and headstrong. Gretel might not have considered it strange to meet Isadora so late if she believed there was a problem with an exhibit. She’d have wanted everything to be perfect for the opening event.
Jonah touched my arm. “The sooner you figure out what happened to Gretel, the better. I’m so worried about Isadora. She can’t cope with more stress. Mannie is pushing for a second launch event, and Seth keeps adding more book signing dates to the list. Anything else, and she might break.”
“I’m doing what I can, but I still haven’t spoken to all the witnesses. And everyone who knew Gretel is under suspicion.”
“You can’t believe any of us are involved, do you?”
“Someone who knew Gretel killed her. She wouldn’t have met just anybody at the museum that night. Can you think of anybody who’d want Gretel dead?”
Jonah’s shoulders sagged. “Sadly, lots of people. I don’t know of anyone who had kind words to say about Gretel, other than the fact that she was a genius when it came to the history of magic.”
“Does that include you?”
He nodded. “Sure, but I’m used to dealing with high-powered types. Isadora mixes in a particular social circle. There are often experts and people whose egos need careful management. Difficult people are my bread-and-butter. It didn’t bother me that Gretel was abrasive. I’ve handled people a lot worse than Gretel Le Strange. Academics are an odd breed. You learn to ignore their bluntness and eccentricities once you’re used to it.”
“Would you hazard a guess as to who’d most benefit from Gretel being out of the picture?”
He was silent for several seconds. “I’m not sure.”
“What about the rest of the team you work with? I’ve spoken to Seth, and he confirmed that Gretel was tricky to work with. Did anybody else have problems? Was there any division within the team?”
“On the whole, everyone’s happy.” Jonah rubbed his chin. “We all like working with Isadora. Although, Lotus has just handed in her notice.”
“Why is she leaving?”
Jonah puffed out a breath. “It’s got to do with her relationship with Seth. I imagine he’s mentioned her to you.”
“He did,” I said. “He said they might be getting married. Are members of staff not supposed to date?”
“It’s got nothing to do with whether they’re dating or not,” Jonah said. “Lotus wasn’t happy because of Isadora’s handling of the relationship.”
“Isadora isn’t happy that Seth and Lotus are involved?”
“Jonah!” Isadora’s voice drifted along the lane. “Where are you? I need you.”
Jonah snapped to attention and stepped away from me. “I have to go. I can’t leave Isadora alone for long or she starts to panic.”
“Wait! What do you mean about Lotus and Seth’s relationship?”
Jonah’s fingers flexed. “Lotus isn’t into Seth. She wants nothing to do with him.”
“Jonah!” Isadora sounded like she was close to tears.
“I have to go. If you want to learn more about their relationship, you’ll need to ask them.” Jonah turned and dashed back to the house.
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I rubbed the back of my neck as I processed this information. Seth had been so certain about his relationship with Lotus, but it seemed like there was trouble in paradise.
“Isadora sounds ambitious,” Wiggles said as we turned and walked slowly along the lane toward the main street.
“Ambitious enough to kill Gretel,” I said. “She sounds like a woman on the edge. How can somebody get so stressed about writing one book?”
“Have you ever written a book?”
“No, but I’ve read a few.”
“Her book sounds like her whole life,” Wiggles said. “Gretel threatened Isadora’s livelihood, and she snapped.”
I glanced back at the house. “Jonah seems worried about her. The team can’t fall apart now, or they’ll all lose out. If Isadora can’t do this book signing, Seth will miss out on the publicity deals, and future sales will be affected. Lotus might not have a job if Isadora stops working, and Jonah won’t have anyone to assist.”
“You don’t think they’re all covering for her, do you?” Wiggles asked. “Maybe the team knows what Isadora did to Gretel and is providing her with an alibi, so they keep their jobs.”
“If that’s what they’re doing, they’re not doing a great job,” I said. “Isadora’s alibi is flimsy. Nobody can vouch for where she was at the time of the murder. Being in bed alone isn’t a great alibi.”
“And she’s got a great motive,” Wiggles said.
“I need to speak to Isadora again. But let’s give her a bit of time to calm down. She sounded frantic when shouting for Jonah. I don’t want to be the one to push her over the edge. How about we tackle Lotus next?”
“And find out if that smarmy half-vampire is telling the truth about their relationship?”
I nodded. “Somebody’s not being honest, and we need to figure out why.”
Chapter 13
I’d visited the museum in my search for Lotus, but there was no one there. I was pleased to see Gretel’s body was gone, and there were no signs of the angels. It looked like they’d followed their orders.
Lotus hadn’t been at the house when I’d visited Isadora, so there was no point in going back there. I wandered through the village, hoping I’d bump into her.
As I passed Mystic Mushroom, I did a double-take.
Lotus sat at a table on her own with half a giant pizza in front of her. Grease from the cheese was smeared down her chin, and her expression was glum as she sat alone eating.
I walked into Mystic Mushroom and over to the counter. “Hey, Tate. How’s everything going?”
“No complaints.” He grinned at me. “Are you after an early dinner?”
“Actually, just a few questions.” I tilted my head toward Lotus. “How long has she been here?”
“She’s been eating alone for the last hour,” Tate said. “That’s her second large pizza. I get the impression she’s comfort eating.”
“I could do with some comfort eating right about now,” Wiggles said.
I ignored his nose as it stabbed into my leg. “She didn’t mention why she needs to eat two huge pizzas on her own?”
“You mean other than the fact that I make incredible pizzas?” Tate smiled. “She didn’t say anything, but I can tell she’s upset. Her eyes are red, and her nose is puffy as if she’s been crying. I asked if everything was okay, but she clammed up and said she wanted to eat alone. I decided not to bother her. If customers want to deal with their feelings on their own as they eat my pizza, they’re welcome to.”
I turned and looked at Lotus. I did need to bother her. I ordered a coffee and walked to Lotus’s table. “Mind if I join you?”
Lotus looked up and blinked at me, recognition crossing her face. “Oh, you’re that investigator.”
“Tempest Crypt.” I nodded at the chair opposite Lotus.
“Sure, help yourself.” She stuffed a large piece of pizza in her mouth, her gaze shifting to Wiggles.
“That’s Wiggles,” I said.
Lotus tossed him a dough ball, which he grabbed in mid-air.
“Thanks.” Wiggles swallowed after a single chew, his gaze on the remaining dough balls.
“Anytime,” Lotus said.
“Tate makes incredible food, doesn’t he?” I said.
She made a muffled sound of agreement around the pizza.
“How are you doing? It must be a shock what happened to Gretel.”
Lotus shrugged and wiped cheese grease off her lips. “Not really. I’m surprised no one killed her years ago. She was an old hag. She always tried to pick apart my research simply out of spite. She kept on about lack of experience and youth as if that’s a factor. I’m amazing at what I do. It always riled her when I proved her wrong.”
“I thought Gretel was the font of all knowledge when it came to the history of magic.”
Lotus snorted. “Gretel did old school research, sticking to books in dusty libraries. I investigate using two different methods. I go to the original source when possible, and I go online. Although, my computer’s been playing up since we got here.”
“Blame the magic. Electricity and magic always have fun together.”
“Figures. Anyway, I fact check using specialist search sites. I leave questions in online chat rooms and use mapping programs to investigate sites I can’t physically get to. Add that to my source data review, and my research is more comprehensive than Gretel’s. The only issue with age was hers. She was too old to keep up with new ways of researching. She was a dinosaur. I’m a genetically modified super computer.”
“I can imagine how much Gretel liked accepting that.”
“She hated it, not that she’d ever acknowledge I was better than her. I think that was why she was so spiteful to me. Not that I cared. I knew I was better than Gretel Le Strange. It gave me a thrill to make her mad.”
For a cute looking elf, she came with a mean streak. “I heard that you won’t be working with Isadora anymore.”
She nodded. “It’s time to move on.”
“Have you got a new job?”
“No. It’s not easy to pick up research positions for this kind of work, but I’ve got my eye on something.”
“You must have gained useful experience doing research for Isadora’s book.”
“And it’s all for nothing.” Lotus grimaced and looked away. “I worked alongside her for such a long time. I would say two thirds of the research in that book is mine.”
“I’m surprised your name isn’t on the cover.”
Lotus scowled and ate a dough ball. “Exactly. Isadora doesn’t even mention me in her acknowledgements. I’m always there for her, looking up obscure facts, finding information, and checking source material. Sure, Isadora did some of it, but she did the glamorous stuff. She got to have lunch with the fancy professors and give talks at museums and universities all over the world. What did I get? A dusty old room with no window in a library. I barely left that room for months when we did the initial research. Isadora only cares about the finished product. She wants her name all over this book, so she can be rich and famous.”
“That must have made you mad,” I said.
“For all the good it did me,” Lotus said. “It doesn’t bother her if her team isn’t happy, so long as she gets what she wants.”
“Is that what prompted you to resign?”
“It was the final straw. I was angry with the way she treated me, but when I asked for her help, and she saw I needed it, she turned away.”
“What did you need help with?”
Lotus frowned. “Have you met Seth?”
“He was the first person I talked to about what happened to Gretel,” I said. “Things aren’t going well between you?”
She snorted a laugh. “Things have never gone well between us. Seth’s so full of himself. He’s been working with Isadora for nine months, getting this book launch in place. The first day we met, I knew he’d be trouble.”
“What happened between you?”
“Seth assum
ed too much. He was overly friendly and acted like I should be grateful for his attention.”
“And you weren’t?”
“I have no interest in Seth. He’s asked me out dozens of times, and I always turn him down. I’ve made it clear there’s nothing romantic happening between us. Not now, not ever.”
“Seth doesn’t buy that?”
“He doesn’t believe it. The guy lives in a fantasy world where we’re blissfully happy together.” Lotus pulled the pineapple off her pizza and ate it before flicking a piece at Wiggles. He ignored the pineapple offering. He wasn’t a fruit fan. “Every time I say no to Seth, he comes up with another suggestion for a date or another reason he’s perfect for me. At first, it was cute. It’s flattering when someone’s interested in you, but it got boring. He wouldn’t stop asking.”
“He sounds like a pest,” Wiggles said. “Feed me a few more of those dough balls, and I’ll bite him for you.”
Lotus managed a small smile as she threw him a dough ball. “Be my guest. Anyway, I began to find reasons not to be around when Seth was about. Isadora was flexible and let me work anywhere, but I still couldn’t get away from Seth. He’d turn up when I wasn’t expecting him. No matter how discreet I was. I only ever told Isadora where I worked, but Seth still figured it out.”
“What did you need Isadora’s help with?” I asked. “If you didn’t want her to okay your relationship with Seth, what else could she do?”
“Seth was interfering with my work. I asked Isadora to keep him out of my way, but she said Seth had a job to do, and she wasn’t letting him go. But I’m not a part of his job. I have nothing to do with the publicity side of things. We have no reason even to speak.”
“Isadora overlooked Seth’s inappropriate behavior because he’s so good at his job?”
“That’s the problem. Isadora’s determined her book will be a massive success. Seth isn’t cheap to hire, and she wants the best.” Lotus’ mouth twisted to the side. “And, although he’s a creep, he does know how to run an excellent publicity campaign.”