by B. T. Alive
“I don’t know. Where is Deanna?”
Crud. That was a very good question.
She hadn’t been in the bedroom with Lionel. She could be anywhere.
And the sheriff was busy hauling off the wrong suspect.
Chapter 32
I left Mercedes to finish her pancakes under Grandma’s watchful eye, and I raced off to find Deanna. But as I hurried out into the hallway, I realized a couple things.
One, if Deanna really was a murderer, maybe I didn’t want to apprehend her all by myself, and two, since Taylor had never been the target, Tina could drop guard duty.
These were two great reasons to find Tina first. The problem was, I had no idea where she might be either.
If she were still following Taylor, she could be anywhere in Wonder Springs. But if she’d heard about the attack on Mercedes, she might be looking for me… or she might even have gone back to work. I was still pretty hazy on what exactly Tina did all day, besides greet and seat people during meal times, but once or twice she’d mentioned helming the front desk. I might as well start there.
Just like the first time I’d seen it, the wide old desk and the wall of cubby holes made me feel like I was walking into a classic film. Cary Grant might stroll up and give me a mysterious wink.
Thinking of dishy movie stars reminded me of Cade.
I really did need to clear the air with Tina.
True, the whole physical-contact-zaps-your-memory thing had always made romance… problematic. But who knew? Maybe a guy who could cure blight was the one man who’d be able to handle my Touch. I mean, yes, he hadn’t actually touched me yet… his healing seemed to operate with a tiny bit of airspace, hands hovering instead of skin-to-skin contact. Still, a healer had to have some special power here, right?
Or maybe that was “magical thinking”. Literally.
I leaned over the counter, craning to see through a door to the back office. I opened my mouth to call, “Tina?” but her name died on my tongue. Something else died too. Hope.
Because through the crack of the open door, I did see Tina.
In Cade’s arms.
They were facing each other, eyes closed, smiles soft. His strong arms enfolded her, his hands were moving gently down her back…
My stomach clenched, and a splitting headache seared down my skull. In that moment, I wanted someone to die. Maybe me, maybe Tina. Maybe both. I felt utterly shut out from the world… abandoned, untouched, and alone.
Then Tina cried out and clutched her own head, exactly where I hurt.
Damn it. I skittered away around the corner and huddled out of sight. The last thing I needed was the Perfect Couple catching me in my desperate yearn.
Though their voices were muffled, I heard Cade making solicitous murmurs of concern, then Tina replying with reassuring sweetness. Don’t worry, I’m fine, I could imagine her saying. Must have been some passing loser.
Well, no. Tina would never call you that. Even in private, that would be beneath her. Like everything else.
I heard the door creak open, and Tina spoke. “Hello?” she called. “Is someone waiting?”
I steeled myself. I had a killer to catch, remember? Make that we. Tina had treated me just about perfect; it wasn’t her fault I’d come down with an Insta-Crush on her boyfriend. Or that he was into exchanging soulful personal stories with near-strangers in his orchard by the moonlight, or that he might be one of like five guys on the planet who might have some magical ability to touch my skin without literally losing his mind. Plus, for all I knew, my four other options were probably stringy old creeps… but Tina could have any guy she wanted…
Okay, STOP, I thought. Just stop. Tina was with Cade, that was how it was, and I was going to put this all behind me and be Tina’s friend. Or at least cordial acquaintance. She’d never even know; I’d never need her pity.
I took a deep breath, and I sauntered around the corner.
At the counter, Tina was radiant, eyes sparkling. I don’t know about Cade, because I couldn’t even look.
“Summer!” Tina called. “I heard about Mercedes! I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“Me too,” Cade put in.
“Thanks,” I said, ignoring Cade and bracing myself against Tina’s torrent of honest affection. I stayed focused on Tina. “We’ve got to talk.”
“Sure,” she said, with a cryptic glance toward Cade. She frowned. “Are you sure you’re all right? You feel…”
“I’m fine!” I snapped. Against my better judgment, I flicked a look at Cade, and his surprise at my outburst twisted in my gut. Dodged the bullet with me, didn’t you? I thought. “Really, I am,” I added, with forced calm. “I mean, I did do a flying tackle, so I might be a little sore.”
“I bet,” Tina said. “And nothing bad happened with Lionel, right? Sheriff Jake just took him away.”
“He did,” I said. “But I don’t think he got the right guy.”
“You don’t?” Tina said.
“Neither do I,” said a new voice, close behind my shoulder.
I turned in surprise. It was Kitty Carter.
Her mousy little face was grim, and she met my gaze with a level stare. “After what happened with Mercedes, I decided to watch that video after all.”
“You did?” Tina chirped, excited.
Kitty nodded, her eyes still fixed on me. “I think you should take a look.”
Chapter 33
Tina tried to invite Cade along, but I cut in, and he took the hint.
I considered asking Kitty to wait until we’d found Deanna, but on consideration… what exactly did I plan to do? It’s not like I could arrest the woman. Would I just start following her around? I had zero proof, just the obvious fact that if she were a vengeful wife, she’d be highly motivated to kill both Nyle and Mercedes, and frame her loser husband. Not quite grounds for arrest, even in Wonder Springs.
But if Kitty had spotted something on this video… real proof would change everything.
Mercedes would be safe for now. But we had to make this as quick as possible.
As Tina and I hustled down the hall after Kitty, I tried to talk like everything was normal.
“Whatever happened with you and Taylor?” I asked Tina. “When I came back, you were gone.”
“Oh, right!” Tina said. “Sorry about that. She came out right after you left, and she went down to eat.”
“You mean nothing happened? I was worried sick! The room was trashed!”
“I know.” Tina scrunched her nose. “They must have a maid at home.”
Oh right. The room had looked ransacked when I saw it empty, but in my panic, I’d forgotten that it had already looked ransacked when we’d been interviewing Fitzgerald and the teens. Oops.
“Anyway, I followed Taylor down,” Tina said, “and then I was like, why don’t we just hang out? It’s way easier, and the killer might back off if she’s not alone.”
“You hung out? With that teenager?”
“Yeah, she’s actually pretty neat.”
“I thought she was glued to her phone!”
“I know, right? But get this: she was editing a movie. Can you believe it? I had no idea you could do that on a phone. It’s this short film she shot herself, a documentary. She and her friends went around interviewing these senior citizens who lost their spouses to this new pharmaceutical. They’re hoping to get the drug pulled; there’s this nonprofit putting together a class-action lawsuit, and they said a video like this could be a huge awareness boost.”
“Great,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic. What was the world coming to? You turn around, and even the twerps turn out to be activists saving lives.
Kitty led us up the stairs (I was glad to see she shared my feelings on the elevator) and bustled into her room. Last time I’d been here, she’d locked me out, so now I finally got to see her place.
It was… underwhelming. Of all the Pritchetts, Kitty seemed the most capable of just staying in a hotel room like a nor
mal human being. Everything was tidy; even the nightstand was clear.
She pulled a chair over to a vintage dresser and set up the laptop on top. Tina and I stood behind to watch.
The picture was better than I expected, and the audio was pristine. A ripple of excitement surged up my back; would this be the evidence that finally caught our killer?
Apparently… not any time soon.
For several minutes, we slogged through what was, after all, an awkward video call between failing young entrepreneur Bryce and the ailing Aunt Delilah. Actually, she turned out to be his mother… but he’d moved out to San Francisco and hadn’t even talked to her since the video call at the last reunion. Which neither of them seemed to think was weird. This family, I swear…
… though who was I to talk? When was the last time I’d called my dad?
The whole time, Kitty was on-screen. Mostly just her shoulder and elbow, but every so often she would lean in to make a comment. When she did, she would inadvertently show that she was also holding her phone (and perhaps not entirely invested in the conversation).
Finally, on-screen Kitty told the talkative Bryce that he should hop off and let someone else have a turn. He slid out of the chair… but he didn’t actually leave. He just walked back behind the chairs and leaned against the wall… watching across the room.
“What’s he doing?” I said. “What’s he looking at?”
Real-life Kitty arched an eyebrow. “I think you mean whom,” she said, and nodded at Tina.
Tina’s face flickered in a slight wince, and she took a discreet step away from the seated Kitty. “He might have just been watching for his food,” she said.
“Nope. Kitchen’s the other way,” Kitty said.
“He was just standing there? Staring at her?” I said. “How long did he stay there?”
“The whole time,” Kitty said, shortly.
I felt a tug of sympathy for her. Not that I got the impression she was actually into Bryce (which would have been weird, on multiple levels), but it had to be hard to watch women get those adoring, hungry looks you’d never get yourself. I mean, who was I kidding? It was hard for me to watch, and I certainly got my fair share of glances. Though not whenever I was with Tina.
(Unless you counted that creep Lionel. Ugh… I considered letting the sheriff have him after all. He had to be guilty of something. Besides, if he could have reached Tina, he’d have grabbed her first.)
Speaking of Lionel, he was next on the screen. Along with Deanna.
“Whoa, they came on then?” I said. “While the chef was still in the kitchen?”
“They did,” said Kitty.
“Did they stay the whole time?” I said. “Is this their alibi?”
“No,” said Kitty. “Watch.”
And then, with sweet mercy, she finally sped up the playback.
When Lionel and Deanna got up, they both moved off-screen. Then came Fitzgerald and his mustache, along with both Tyler and Taylor. Soon after they came on, Kitty played it again at normal speed, and off-screen, Priscilla bellowed for the chef. We could hear Vladik calling as he walked out.
The kitchen was empty. The window had opened for the killer to strike.
And which Pritchetts were accounted for? Priscilla, of course, and Kitty… and Bryce in the background… and Fitzgerald and the two teens.
Everyone but Lionel, Deanna, and Mercedes.
And if the attack on Mercedes proved both her and Lionel innocent… which wasn’t certain yet, but extremely likely…
“Is Fitzgerald there the whole time the chef’s out?” I said, getting excited. “And the kids?”
“Yes,” Kitty said. She jumped ahead a few minutes, then played Priscilla finishing off her harangue. Vladik bellowed promises of satisfaction, and then his voice vanished into the background chatter.
“He couldn’t have taken more than a minute or two to get back to the kitchen,” I said. “And look, Fitzgerald and the kids are still there! They’re in the clear! It’s got to be Deanna!”
Kitty nodded, her eyes fierce and bright. A Pritchett had fallen, and vengeance was near.
Plus, I realized, Deanna had married in. She wasn’t even a “real” Pritchett. Not that it mattered to me.
“This is it!” I said. “We finally have proof!”
But Tina said, “Shoot.”
“What? What is it?” I said, sensing doom.
“It can’t be Deanna,” Tina said. “She was talking to me.”
Both Kitty and I cried out in dismay.
“You?” she said.
“The whole time?” I said. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. Grandma had told me to take over at the hostess stand, and Deanna came up and started asking me about the history of the Inn. I know she came over before Vladik came out, because we both stopped talking when Priscilla started shouting. Deanna was super embarrassed; she started apologizing to me, as if it were her fault.”
“But how are you certain she didn’t slip off to the kitchen?” Kitty said. “The chef was out for a long time.”
“Before this, I wasn’t sure,” Tina said. “But now I am. Deanna couldn’t have left me before the chef went back to kitchen.”
“Why not?” I said. “I don’t hear Deanna on here; you two were on the other side of the room.”
“I know,” she said. “But she didn’t leave. Not until Bryce came over.”
“Bryce?” we both echoed.
“He came over and ‘rescued’ me,” Tina said, with a wry frown. “Look.”
And as we watched, Bryce finally straightened his shoulders, pulled out his own phone, checked his hair on the screen (with an app, I guess?) and strode off.
Long, long after Vladik had to be back in his kitchen.
Crud.
We’d watched the video, and we had proof all right. All the proof we’d ever need.
Proof that this mystery was impossible.
Chapter 34
Defeated, I slouched with Tina out into the hall.
At the door, I turned. “Hold onto that video,” I told Kitty. “We’ve got to show the sheriff.”
“I will,” she promised, and she closed the door.
“Hey,” Tina said, gently. “How about I make some tea?”
“Why not?” I said. “Nothing magically solves impossible puzzles like a gratuitous beverage.”
“You never know.”
We climbed the stairs to the top floor, slipped down toward the bright bare Quaker side hall with the red begonia door to her ladder… and at the corner, met Sheriff Jake. Frowning.
“You?” I said. “Here?”
“Pleasure to see you too, Ms. Sassafras,” he said. “I hope we can finish a conversation without you sprinting off like a hare.”
Of course, at that, my adrenalin surged, and my major muscles tensed. “Why would I?” I said. “I thought you’d be interrogating Lionel.”
“I did,” he said. “Turns out his lawyer is quite the crackerjack.”
“You mean Lionel’s in the clear now?” I said. “Just because of his lawyer?”
“I didn’t say that,” the sheriff said. “But his lawyer raised an interesting point. If you don’t mind my asking… how did you happen to be right there, in the exact right place, at the exact right time?”
“Sheriff Jake!” Tina cut in. “That’s not fair and you know it! Grandma told me she’d already talked to you and straightened that out.”
“She did admit that she’d asked you two to keep an eye out,” he acknowledged. “Though she was mighty parsimonious of details.”
“That’s Grandma,” Tina said, with crossed arms.
“Indeed. But as I understood it… she’d asked you to watch an entirely different person.”
“Hold up,” I said. “Are you trying to say that I staged the attack on Mercedes? So I could pretend to rescue her myself?”
The sheriff shrugged. “It certainly is convenient how it seemed to clear your name.”
&nbs
p; “But we weren’t even looking for Mercedes,” Tina said.
“You weren’t,” the sheriff said. “In fact, Ms. Sassafras could be reasonably certain that you’d be otherwise occupied. All she had to do was keep a close eye on her real target, and send a quick message to Lionel Pritchett once she was in place.”
“Oh come on,” I said. “How do you think I made a pot fall from the roof? At the exact right time?”
The sheriff frowned.
“See?” I pressed. “Not to mention that that thing crashed like three feet from my head. If I were going to stage some fake rescue, trust me, I wouldn’t put myself in the line of fire.”
The sheriff cleared his throat. He looked… troubled.
“This whole murder mess is a Pritchett family disaster,” I said. “Has been from the start.”
“Kitty Carter has a video,” Tina added helpfully.
I nearly jabbed her with an elbow. Why the heck was she bringing that up?
The sheriff snapped to attention; his droopy mustache bristled. “Video? Of what?”
“The whole thing,” Tina said. “They were making a video call to an aunt, and she has the recording. All the way through until Nyle… um, you know…”
“Did you watch it?” he demanded. His nostrils were flaring. “Where is she?”
Tina told him, and the sheriff bounded off. She turned to me with a pleased smile.
“That should keep him busy,” she said.
“Maybe for twenty minutes,” I said. “The whole point of the video is that none of the Pritchetts could have done it. The second he figures that out, he’s going to be sniffing me out and carrying cuffs.”
“You don’t know that,” she said. “He might see something we missed.”
“Like what?” I said. “Every Pritchett in that room is either assumed innocent from the Mercedes attack or else totally accounted for. They couldn’t have gotten in and out of the kitchen to poison that dish. Not without some magical power.”
“Except you,” she said.
“Thank you, yes,” I snapped. “I’m still the one plausible suspect. Plus, I actually have a magical power…”
I froze.