by Sonia Parin
He looked at Lexie and then flicked his eyes down to Luna. “Your feline companion is staring at me. Tell her to stop it or I’ll stare right back.”
You heard the man. Stop staring at him.
I can’t help it. He’s... He’s mesmerizing. So unlike the other O’Rourke detectives we’ve met... yet the same.
Lexie stepped in front of Luna. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Where are they?”
“In the bathroom. Right through there.”
“Tell me everything you know about the events before you walked into a suite you clearly had no business being in.”
Lexie took the prompt literally. Her mind filled with images of that morning. Their trip to the psychiatrist...
“Everything about the case,” he clarified.
In that instant, Lexie knew he’d read her mind. A knack shared by all the O’Rourke detectives.
“Right... well... I heard a scream. Actually... it was a yelp and then it turned into a scream.”
“Where were you?”
“At the foot of the stairs waiting for—” She broke off. Luna had been upstairs and she didn’t want to incriminate her. Knowing the detective could read her thoughts she filled her mind with images of pizza. Why had her local pizza joint blackballed her? She’d been a loyal customer. Okay, for a while there, she’d ran a tab and had fallen behind her payment but she was currently all caught up...
Gerard O’Rourke turned away from the scene in the bathtub and grumbled at her. “You were saying?”
“I was awaiting further instructions. We’d been set a task to follow a clue. Everyone else had completed the task and had moved onto the next one. After I heard the scream, they all came down the stairs.”
“Anything else?”
The van... “When Luna and I came up, I saw a van pull away. Lexington Catering.”
Luna’s head popped out from between her feet.
“Your feline companion is staring again.”
“She can’t help being observant.”
He gave Luna a hard stare. To her credit, Luna held her ground for a second and then withdrew to sit behind her.
“Anything else?”
Plain cheese pizza.
“You seem to be fixated with food,” he said under his breath. “What are you hiding?”
Chapter Five
“Just keep walking, missy. And, whatever you do, do not say a word.”
Luna scurried on ahead, her tail flicking in the air. “I don’t know what you’re so grumpy about.”
“Let’s start with you getting us into trouble...” Lexie peered down the stairs to make sure no one could hear her and then hurried down.
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Wait until we get outside.”
The bodies had been taken away and the scene secured. Gerard O’Rourke had stepped out to take a call, but not before telling them to keep to themselves and not talk to anyone. His tone alone had been enough for Lexie to imagine there would be severe repercussions if they didn’t obey.
“I can’t quite put my paw on what makes him different from the other O’Rourke detectives,” Luna mused.
“How about his rudeness and suffer no fools attitude?”
“I’m not a fool so I wouldn’t know about the latter. And you’re misinterpreting his rudeness. I’m sure it’s a smoke screen camouflaging a sensitive side.”
Lexie snorted and hurried toward the entrance gates.
“Are we making a getaway?” Luna asked, her tone sheepish as they stepped outside the Gainsborough Mansion grounds.
“I need to test a theory. Let’s move away from the gate. I don’t want anyone seeing us and thinking we look guilty.” Again, she looked around to make sure no one could see or hear them. “Okay. The coast is clear. Do something.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You’re the one with more power. Disappear.”
Luna blinked and faded.
“It works. Come back.”
“What does that mean?”
“Magic doesn’t work inside the grounds or the house. At least, not our magic. I’d like to know how and why that happened. I am an incoming High Chair. Doesn’t that mean anything to anyone?” They’d experienced something similar at the Lauriston Academy but had managed to work around the problem by stepping outside the academy’s grounds.
“You’ve been hacked.”
Lexie gritted her back teeth. “Yes, but... how?”
“Easy. A spell must have been inscribed in the scroll we received. It’s the only contact we’ve had with the High Chair Disciplinary Board and, therefore, the only tangible link.”
“That would make sense, more so if I knew what you were talking about.”
“I’m only guessing... The spell is localized. Specifically targeted at you and me and triggered when you read it.”
“So from now on, I’m going to have to be careful what I read.” Lexie nibbled on the tip of her thumb. “I’ll get Octavia to do all my reading. After all, she is my personal assistant. Hey, that reminds me. I should try calling her...”
Octavia.
“Yes?” Octavia’s voice came through loud and clear.
“You can hear me?”
“Of course. That’s why I answered.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m... I’m in a library.”
That didn’t surprise Lexie. “Hang on. Whose library are you in?”
“I’d... I’d rather not say.”
Because she couldn’t reveal her exact whereabouts.... or because she didn’t want to?
Mirabelle.
“When I get my hands on Mirabelle, so help me, I will wring her neck. She’s behind all this. Admit it.”
“Even if I knew what you were talking about, it really isn’t my place to comment. Is there something else I can help you with?”
Lexie filled her in on everything that had happened since that morning. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t put you on the spot.” She turned to Luna. “Remind me to wring Mirabelle’s neck.”
She heard Octavia clear her throat. “Is there something else I can help you with?” she repeated, clearly not comfortable to find herself in an awkward position.
“Pizza.”
“What about it?”
“Find out if Mirabelle had anything to do with my local pizza supplier blackballing me.”
“Why would she do that?”
Lexie growled softly, her usual response to anything related to Mirabelle. “Because it’s in her nature to interfere and she disapproves of me eating pizza because she is who she is. I need my pizza delivery service restored. If you could see to it, I’ll be forever grateful.”
“Anything else?” Octavia asked.
“Yes. Luna and I are in the midst of an investigation, and that reminds me. I work for Crafty Investigations and not Delicate Matters Investigations. You make sure and tell Mirabelle that. We had an understanding and I expect her to honor it.”
“I shall pass on the message.”
“While I have your attention, could you also look into a spell? Luna thinks the disciplinary board used a scroll to bind us. We left it in the apartment. Please destroy it. I’m hoping that will be enough to end their meddling.”
“Did you say the disciplinary board?”
Lexie bit the edge of her lip. “You’re about to tell me there’s nothing you can do about it because you don’t wish to get on the wrong side of the board.”
“Strictly speaking, I am still trying to claw my way back into their good books. However, I can actually work within a loophole. As long as I am under your employ and bound to act in your best interest, I am first and foremost accountable to you and must therefore perform my tasks with diligence as defined by your ordinance. Meaning, I have to do everything you say, or suffer the consequences.”
“Is this where I accept responsibility for your actions?” Lexie asked.
“It goes without saying. I d
o the deed. You do the time.” When Lexie didn’t respond, Octavia cleared her throat again. “I’ll... I’ll get onto it straightaway.”
Lexie turned to Luna. “Now, we have to discuss the other matter.”
Luna looked up and gave her a wide-eyed look that spoke of innocence with an underlying hint of mischief.
“Is there something you wish to say to me?” Lexie asked.
“I always have a lot to say to you. However, you are known for displaying a poor attention span, so I have to be selective. You could help me by being more specific. For instance, are you actively encouraging me to express my dissatisfaction with my current circumstances? If you are, I’m quite happy to expand on my previously stated grievances. I have been working on a list...”
Lexie fought the urge to close her eyes for a moment. She knew Luna expected her to lose track and wander off in another direction, so she needed to focus. “No, I am expressly asking about the time you spent upstairs right before I heard the scream.” She hoped Octavia could sort out the business with her local pizza place... Her mind meandered along memory lane. When was the last time she’d had pizza? It couldn’t be that long ago, surely. The moment Octavia sorted out this business, she’d have to decide if she would have her favorite pizza or if she’d try something new. Snapping out of it, Lexie gritted her teeth and fixed her attention on Luna.
“Please tell me you had nothing to do with Lauren falling into the bathtub.”
Luna blinked. “Lauren? Bathtub? What are you talking about?”
“You were upstairs... at exactly the same time Lauren and Lance were killed.”
Luna took a stumbling step back. “Are you accusing me?”
“That is not an answer.”
“No.”
“Are you agreeing that is not an answer or actually answering my question?”
“The answer is yes.”
“The answer to which question? Yes, you had something to do with Lauren falling or yes, you are agreeing with me.”
Luna lifted her chin. “I did not cause Lauren McCullen to fall into the bathtub.”
“And if you had... you’d own up to it because it would be wrong to lie and... or be in any way, shape or form evasive?”
Luna stepped forward. “I would never think of evading a direct question with a convoluted answer aimed at misleading you or confusing you enough so that you lose track of the thread of the conversation.” Luna gave a firm nod.
“I’m... I’m glad we cleared that up.”
“But if I had to defend myself against such a grievous accusation, I could always plead temporary insanity caused by undergoing extreme hardship such as a poor diet and the emotional trauma inflicted upon me by your insistence I play with a feather.”
“Are you suggesting you’re capable of such an act?”
Luna scrunched up her little face. “I’ve changed my mind and choose to refrain from answering that for fear that it might incriminate me in any future acts.”
“I’m inclined to think you’re trying not to protest too much.”
Luna blinked and tilted her head, the picture of innocence. “You’ve hurt my feelings. They are crumbling as we speak.”
Lexie stepped back and studied her. “You’d been saying we needed someone to be murdered. It wouldn’t have been difficult for you to slip into the room and startle Lauren into losing her balance. You might even have thrown in a hiss so she’d fall into the bathtub. After that, you could have made a quick getaway. Mission accomplished. I’d give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn’t realize she held a hairdryer in her hand.”
They stared at each other in silence.
“You really think I’m responsible?” Luna asked in a small voice that carried a world of hurt.
Of course she didn’t think she was responsible. Not really... But what if Luna had wandered into the suite, compelled by her natural curiosity? Lexie sighed. “You’d tell me if you did something you know you shouldn’t have done.”
“Yes.”
They stared at each other, their eyes not even blinking.
“Are... are we okay? No hard feelings?” Lexie asked.
“I’m trying very hard to not hold your accusations against you. In the spirit of this team building exercise we’ve both been forced to take part in, I’m prepared to put it behind me. Now it’s your turn to say something equally appeasing.”
“Yeah, all right. Let’s move on.” Shaking her head, Lexie frowned. “We’ll have to start asking questions without being too obvious about it. If Gerard O’Rourke finds out we’ve been snooping around, he might come down on us. Hard. I don’t think I’d want to be at the receiving end of his ire.”
“What’s the plan?”
Lexie looked around. “We’ll corner Marcela. I need her to tell me about the other participants. Also, we’ll need access to any security camera recordings she might have. If the place is under constant surveillance, one of the cameras might have caught the perpetrator going into the suite.”
“You’re starting to think like a true detective. Although, despite my sincere effort to bury the hatched, I still have reservations about you suspecting me.”
A torrent of responses came to mind. Instead of blurting them out, Lexie counted to ten. At the rate they’d been going at each other’s throats, they’d be lucky to walk away without resorting to more biting... from both of them.
Lexie stabbed the tip of her boot against the ground. “Well... I had to make sure. You had been acting strangely...”
“How can I be sure you remained downstairs all the time I was upstairs?”
“You’ll just have to trust me.”
“Doesn’t trust work both ways?”
Lexie crouched down. “Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t, at one point or other, wish someone would get killed.”
“But I did. So did you.”
True.
Luna twitched her whiskers. “It doesn’t mean we’d be capable of actually committing a crime just to satisfy our urgent need to escape from this idiotic exercise in futility. Don’t you agree?”
Lexie gave a small nod.
“It feels tremendously good to talk openly.”
Again, she agreed. Lexie straightened. “At some point, we’ll have to talk about this little spat we’ve had. Either we brought it about ourselves or...” Could the Council have been involved in stirring them up?
“They wouldn’t be above sprinkling a little malicious dust on us,” Luna said.
“That reminds me, we’ll also have to draw boundaries. I’m not entirely comfortable with you having such easy access to my thoughts.”
“I would have to switch on my insouciance, but that would defeat the purpose of being linked to you. What if you need my assistance?”
She smiled. “I’ll holler.”
“But that’s your usual tone.”
“Are you trying to get a rise out of me?”
Luna lowered her head. “It’s become a habit. Sorry.”
Grumbling, Lexie offered her own apology. “I suppose I shouldn’t be so sensitive. We’ll have to figure out a way to deal with our contrasting personalities.”
Luna tilted her little head and gave her a pensive look. “You actually put some thought into that conclusion. I believe we can use it as a springboard for a better working relationship.”
Luna gave her more credit than she deserved and Lexie suspected it had been deliberate. The little scamp knew how to play her.
“Come on. Let’s head back in and see if we can at least overhear something useful. With any luck, Octavia will get us back our powers and we’ll be able to move around more easily.”
“That’s never been a priority with you before. Are you, by any chance, hoping you’ll pick up some new powers?”
Maybe. Their talk with Marcela had been lingering in the back of her mind. In truth, Lexie had no idea what sort of power she could acquire. What if... she could conjure a large sized pizza with the lot on command?
She thought she heard Luna snicker.
Heading toward the side entrance, they strode by the sitting room windows and saw Zoe and Zach talking to the beige couple. The four of them stood almost huddling together. Assuming Gerard had spoken with them, she guessed they’d already been informed about the deaths.
Luna raced ahead of her. As Lexie entered the sitting room, she saw why. Two dishes had been set on the floor for her. One with milk and the other with...
Delicious small cubes of perfectly flambéed meat. I thought I should tell you, as you appeared to be about to give it a generic label, which would not have done the dish justice. You should take note of this and perhaps ask how they prepare it.
Luna purred deeply, her attention fixed on the meal as Lexie moved closer to the group. Zoe spotted her and gave her a brisk smile and an encouraging wave.
“I suppose you’ve heard what happened to Lauren and Lance. Everyone’s talking about it. We’ve been interrogated.” Zoe looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. “They think one of us did it and I’m inclined to agree.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?” Lexie asked.
“No, and that’s intriguing. We’ve just been discussing motive.”
Oh, yes? Tell me more...
“Any one of us had the opportunity to step inside the room...” Zoe broke off and shared a look with the others that spoke of conspiracy. “We wouldn’t mind knowing how they met their end. That way, we could start tossing around ideas about ability to carry out the deed.”
“Ability?”
“Well,” Zoe continued, “If they were strangled, that would rule the women out because I doubt we’d have the strength for it. A blow to the head would require handling of a murder weapon, and that in turn would require some premeditation. After all, one wouldn’t want to leave prints behind. Of course, that’s assuming there’s only one guilty person.”
“Are you suggesting there might be two murderers?”