by Cynthia Kuhn
“You’re right—it’s very slippery.”
“And of course it doesn’t help when people like that cut in line.” She jabbed a thumb at the Raleighs.
Truer words were never spoken.
“Enjoying the conference? I am. It’s been ages since I attended any professional gathering. But I was poking around the web and discovered this event. I was very intrigued by some of the topics here. I enjoyed your paper, by the way.”
The sense of familiarity clicked into place—she’d been in the back of the room, nodding along with my presentation, even smiling at some points. In other words, she was the sort of audience member one dreams of.
“That’s so kind of you. Thanks for attending the panel.”
We exchanged credentials—she was Bibi Callahan, retired professor of literature—and fell into a conversation during which I went on a bit about Isabella, as I am inclined to do, and she held forth on Agatha Christie. The chit chat was enough to keep us entertained until we had our drinks in hand. Then we wished each other a good day and went our separate ways.
I was convinced of one thing: if the Raleighs were willing to knock someone down to get to their cappuccino faster, I needed to be careful. Especially once they found out that their little rescheduling plot had failed.
I attended two other panels—“Twenty-First Century Urban Gothic Themes” and “Ghost Sightings in Recent Film and Media Studies”—and enjoyed them immensely. My body was tired from sitting, but my brain was sparking; listening to others talk about their topics proved rich in catalysts.
Wandering into the lobby, I found an open spot next to the fountain and sat down to wait for Lex. We had planned to go into Stonedale to grab a bite and take a little break from the wall-to-wall scholars. Also, and he didn’t know this yet—or maybe he did, as he knew me pretty well—I fully intended to find out what he knew about Ellis.
Richmond slid onto the bench next to me, breathing heavily.
“Are you all right?” He was pale and his forehead glistened.
“I am indeed,” he said absently, as he looked over his shoulder at the crowd. “Just taking a moment out. You know how dreadful these things can be. Everyone wants something, every minute. One gets tired of smiling. It’s exhausting.”
He removed a monogrammed white kerchief from the pocket of his brown suit and patted his face. “There. All better.” Then he tilted his head. “Who are you meeting? Your perfume is lovely.”
I blushed. “It’s tea rose essential oil. I’m surprised you can smell it—I applied it hours ago.”
“I have a very keen sense of smell,” he said. “Very keen indeed. Which is both a blessing and a curse as I’m constantly assailed by anyone walking by. And taking the bus is misery, quite frankly.”
“I can imagine. By the way, I’m so sorry about Ellis.”
He nodded gravely, staring at the ground. “It is a great loss to us all.”
“How long have you known him?”
“Forever and a day. That’s the long and short of it. We grew up in the same town. Became friends when we were just knee high to a cricket. Eventually went off to different schools but we remained close.” He blinked rapidly—I could see that his eyes were full of tears. “Very close.”
Time to change the subject—slightly, anyway.
“How are the book sales?”
He brightened and put both of his hands on his knees, squinting up at the ceiling as if he were calculating his gains. “Splendid. We sold out last night and had another shipment overnighted for the book signing later today. You’ll be attending, I presume?”
“Looking forward to it.”
“Good. I’d like to introduce you to Flynn. You’re both our authors now. I suppose precision demands that I call Flynn a subject of our books, but in any case, we’re all associated, and Fairlake is glad to claim you both as our people in whatever manner we can.”
A thrill shot through me. To be called an author by the likes of Richmond Haskin and treated like a colleague of Flynn McMaster on top of that? Unfathomable.
Just then, Lex appeared in front of me. He’d gone for gray slacks and a navy jacket that brought out his striking blue eyes and impressive biceps. His dark hair was damp and I had to refrain myself from reaching up to run my fingers through it right then and there. Which wasn’t a usual impulse when I was in the room with men, but this particular man had that kind of effect on me.
He smiled, revealing his even white teeth. “Having fun?”
I turned to make introductions to Richmond, but he was already holding out his hand. “Good to see you again, Detective.”
The two of them shook and exchanged pleasantries.
“Any news?” Richmond looked eager.
“Nothing yet,” Lex said. “We’ll be in touch when we know more.”
Richmond nodded. “Any time of day or night, please.”
“Of course.”
“Off to lunch?” Richmond looked back and forth between us.
“Yes. Would you like to join us?” I was the kind of person who invited everyone to join in, everywhere. I couldn’t stand the thought of someone feeling left out of any situation if it seemed like they’d be alone otherwise.
“So kind of you, Lila. Truly. But I’ve made arrangements with—”
“Richie!” Simone and Selene were suddenly there, dressed exactly alike again. Butter-colored sheaths this time, with chunky gold necklaces. They gave him hugs and fawned over him, practically mewing like kittens who just found a delightful ball of yarn for the first time.
We had very different ways of treating our publisher, apparently.
I made introductions all around. The twins, catching sight of Lex, transferred their attention rapidly.
“My, my. You’re yummy,” Selene—according to her name badge—said, narrowing her eyes and looking my boyfriend up and down slowly. I could almost hear a low whistle. “Wow.”
“Agreed,” Simone added, who had met Lex before many times but never with her sister in tow, which clearly encouraged her to say inappropriate things all the livelong day. She narrowed her eyes, assessing us as a couple. “Aren’t you lucky, Lila? Considering.” She gestured languidly toward me, silently conveying my many shortcomings with a swoop of her slender hand.
There was no universe in which she would resist an opportunity to take a dig. Before I could come up with a fitting retort to her implication that I wasn’t in his league, Lex was on it.
“Oh, believe me, I’m the lucky one.” He grinned at them.
They did not look convinced.
“Shall we go?” Richmond inquired of the twins, offering a bent arm to escort them away. The three of them looked for all the world like an old-timey movie mogul with a starlet on either arm.
We all said goodbye politely.
“Please get me out of here,” I said to Lex after they’d turned around. “As quickly as possible.”
“With great pleasure,” he said.
Later, we were seated in a booth at The Peak House, one of our favorite restaurants. The warm, rustic environment was peaceful, and the company of one person was calming in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the conference.
We’d both ordered Cobb salads and were about halfway through them when Lex put down his fork and smiled at me. “How did your panel go? I’m sorry I couldn’t listen. Duty called.”
“It was fine. Did you find out anything interesting about Ellis?”
He shook his head and took a sip of iced tea. “No one seems to have had any issues with Ellis Gardner, aside from his having been somewhat of a snob.”
“A snob?”
“That’s the general consensus. Though I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that yet.”
I had another bite of Cobb salad while I pondered this. What did yet mean? “Is that what his colleagues said, o
r did that come from other people?”
“People in general.” Lex paused. “Before we go any further...I’m in somewhat of a bind here, Lila. I mean, we’re doing everything we can to procure the proper information. But I keep getting the sense that we aren’t asking the questions we need to ask.”
“What do you mean?”
He tapped the table as he thought. “I guess I mean that academic vocabularies and hierarchies are...”
“Baffling?”
“Exactly. Also I get the sense that some things aren’t written down anywhere but still kind of matter...”
“You mean they’re unstated but understood?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve just cracked a most important code, Detective.”
“Thank you, Professor.” He stretched his hand across the table toward mine. I wove my fingers into his and we sat there for a moment, smiling at each other. Which probably looked ridiculous but it was perfectly fine with me.
Eventually we pulled back so that we could return to our salads.
After a few bites he said, “Anyway, I was wondering...”
“Yes.”
Lex raised his eyebrows. “Agreement so soon? I hadn’t finished asking my question. What if it was something you didn’t want to do?”
I shrugged. “If you’re asking, I’m doing.”
“What if I’d asked if you would dog-sit while I go on vacation?”
“Glad to.”
“Help me paint my front porch?”
“Anytime.”
“Darn the holes in my socks?”
“Oh, wait...I guess there are limits.”
He laughed at that and pushed the oversized bowl away so he could rest his folded arms in front of him. “I may need some help figuring out what happened to Ellis. Given that you’ve helped us in the past—”
I made a point of gasping and widening my eyes in faux surprise. “Is that an official acknowledgment, Detective? I’m shocked. Usually I’m the one having to remind you about my helpful nature.”
Lex threw up his hands. “Yes, okay, it’s official. It comes from the Chief.”
I’d met the jovial Chief Cortez at a holiday fundraiser for the police department. We’d shared a cup of eggnog and a long conversation about the investigations I’d contributed to, unofficially, in the past. It must have made an impact.
“Anyway, I’ve gotten permission to bring you on as a special consultant.” He caught sight of my expression and sighed. “Go ahead. You’ve earned it. Take a minute to gloat—”
“I’m not gloating. I’m soaking it in.” I beamed at him. “You just said that I’m special.”
He laughed.
“But seriously, you’re asking me to consult? In an official capacity?”
“That does seem to be the word of the day. And yes. That’s what I’m asking.” He leaned forward slightly. “I still wouldn’t be able to tell you everything about the case, but I could share more than I normally do. What do you think? Oh, it’s pro bono, unfortunately, but you’ll have our undying gratitude.”
“Are you saying that I don’t already have your undying gratitude? Three cases in?” I pretended to pout.
“Let’s say that this will cement it.” He picked up his glass and held it out so that we could clink our drinks. So we did.
As I took a sip, I heard a loud voice and swiveled my head toward the source.
Dr. Trawley Wellington—chancellor of Stonedale University and owner of the Peak House—was bearing down on us. A tall man with a patrician brow, he could cut an imposing figure when he wanted to do so.
“Dr. Maclean,” he boomed. When he arrived at the table, he took note of the empty bowls. “Good to see you enjoying our menu.”
His tone somehow had the effect of making me feel as though I hadn’t sufficiently conveyed my enjoyment the eight hundred other times I had gone there.
“You remember Detective Archer,” I said, nodding to Lex.
“Yes, of course. How are you, Detective?” The chancellor gave him a tight smile. “Heard about the unpleasantness at Tattered Star Ranch.”
Talk about downplaying things.
Lex dipped his chin. “Very unfortunate.”
The chancellor turned his attention to me. “How is the conference going? You’re on the site committee, correct? I presume you are putting your best foot forward to represent our fine university?”
No pressure. “Doing my best.”
“She was just nominated for an award,” Lex cut in smoothly, attempting to score me a few points with the most powerful person at the university.
The chancellor blinked without displaying any interest in the details. “Glad to hear that you’re doing your part, Dr. Maclean. Keep me posted.” He raised his hand in greeting at someone behind us and left abruptly.
Lex and I stared at each other.
“Keep me posted?” I whispered. “What does that even mean?”
He shook his head. “And if he’s so interested in how Stonedale University is represented at the conference, why doesn’t he attend?”
“Oh, the chancellor is very busy.”
“And very important.”
“Yes. Very busy and very important.”
Lex grinned. “Is anyone else from your department going?”
“Calista is coming Saturday. Simone Raleigh is already here, as you saw. But not many other folks study horror or gothic. This conference has a rather narrow focus compared to some of the other ones.”
“Like the Modern Language Association one?”
“Well done, Detective.”
“I do listen, you know.”
I registered a warm little glow inside my chest.
He took a sip of his drink. “Let me ask you this: why do some people stay overnight and others drive in for the day?”
I shrugged. “Personal preference, maybe? Though in this case, it’s incredibly expensive to stay there now that they’ve done the expansion. If I hadn’t been comped a room for committee work, I wouldn’t be staying there, either.”
“I’ll have to thank them for that,” he said. “I enjoyed falling asleep there with you on my shoulder last night.”
“You’re welcome to join me again tonight.”
He smiled. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
His phone buzzed and he quickly scanned the text. “Need to get back to the ranch.”
“What’s the next step? Now that I’m helping with the case and all.” I batted my eyelashes at him playfully.
“Right.” He grinned. “Let’s make a list. Who do you think might have had it out for Ellis?”
“Meredith, Candace, and Richmond all seemed genuinely distraught.”
“Who else had contact with him that you know about?”
“Here at the conference? Hanover.”
“Already spoke to him,” Lex said. “How about not at the conference?”
“Whoever else at the press worked with him. His family. Neighbors and friends. Colleagues at Fairlake University.”
“You’re doing great.”
I thought for a moment. “The scholars who submitted to the critical guide would have interacted with him.”
He nodded approvingly. “Good.”
“Had you already thought of that?”
“Yes, but keep going.”
“Oh, Flynn McMaster was a colleague too.”
“So far, we are on the same page. Keep thinking about why someone could have been angry enough to attack him.”
I sighed. “It’s so sad. I don’t know how you think about these things and not walk around utterly depressed.”
Lex met my eyes. “Some days I do. But then I spend an hour with you and it lifts me out of the shadows.”
I had just opened my mouth to say something that wo
uld have been regrettably gushy when the check was delivered by our hipster waiter with his handlebar mustache.
Saved by the mustache.
Chapter 6
On the way back to the hotel, Lex informed me that he had set up a meeting with all of the contributors to the critical guide immediately following the signing event. We would have the chance to ask questions then. In the meantime, my assignment was to observe the signing, to see if anything looked out of order.
“Out of order?” I touched his arm as he pulled into a parking spot. “What do you mean?”
“Anything that doesn’t seem common. You’ve been to these before, right?”
I picked my bag up from the floor of his Honda as I thought. “I have been to many signings before, yes, but not one that hosted quite so many authors at once. Since this is an anthology—”
“A what?”
“It’s another word for collection of texts.”
“Got it.” He shot me an exasperated look. “So this thing is a critical guide, an anthology, and a collection of texts? Why so many words to describe one thing?”
“English teachers like words? I don’t know.”
He chuckled.
“And yes, Detective, I will perform surveillance and report back. Officially speaking.” A bit of glee crept into my voice. “I’m on the case.”
He removed the keys and faced me. “Let’s get something clear, Lila. This is not an opportunity for you to ramp up into super-sleuth mode or go into overdrive. We don’t need you to produce any charts or tables—”
“But you know how much I like a good chart. Or table.”
“I do. I’ve seen you in action. Which is why I mention it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We’re just interested in any general observations you may be able to provide.”
“No super-sleuthing? What’s the fun in that? Speaking of which, will I be getting a badge? Something to flash before I launch my probing interrogations?”
“Absolutely not.” Lex laughed, then his expression shifted. “And I cannot stress enough the consulting part of this arrangement. We are asking you to confer with us. Provide information. Help us think through things. This does not give you the right to do anything you wouldn’t have done before. You could set some undesirable things in motion.”