Murder, She Slopes

by Rachael Stapleton

  Pale-faced, his innocent eyes round with incipient hysteria, Felix stared at him.

  The detective motioned him toward the door. The boy didn’t move. “No,” Felix said softly. “Tell me now. Tell me what’s happened.”

  Bumble sighed. “When did you last see Mr. Bluebird?” he whispered.

  “Last night,” Felix replied. He searched Bumble’s eyes. “Is he okay?” he demanded, his voice louder.

  Bumble said nothing.

  “God damn you! Tell me he’s okay!” he screamed. He reached toward his shoulders as if to shake the statement out of him.

  Bumble stepped back, avoiding his hands. He nodded at the officers. Each of them took one of Felix’s arms, and together they led him out through the glass doors of the dining hall and into the family office.

  We heard Felix’s howl all the way in the dining room.

  Cody put his arm around me. I buried my face in his shoulder. Holly and Noel had been killed by the same person. The marks on the body proved that. At least they proved it to me.

  Felix hadn’t killed Noel—that much was clear. That boy truly loved him although I wasn’t sure why. Lucas found the body, but he hadn’t killed Noel. His reaction to seeing Noel’s body had been genuine. Maybe you can fake tears, but vomit? The resident cynic in my brain reminded me about the old fingers-down-the-throat routine. I told it to shut up. Fake vomit or no, I’d have bet my life Lucas hadn’t known Noel was dead until he stumbled over his body.

  As I listened to Felix weep, my heart went out to him. But my brain pushed forward, who was Noel and why was he so important to this boy? Was he doing something inappropriate to the child? Could Marie-Angelique or Justin have found out and killed him for it? But what did that have to do with Holly? What did they have in common? That was the crux. Who had the motive to kill both Noel and Holly? I turned to Cody. If only we could talk.

  Had Noel known who killed Holly? Wouldn’t he have spoken out if he had? Unless he had reason to protect the killer.

  I was still working through scenarios when Detective Bumble stomped back into the room. One of the officers strode in behind him.

  “You!” he shouted, pointing at Lucas. “You’re next. Follow me.”

  Lucas looked at Bumble and turned as white as the packed snow outside the window. He picked up his jacket and stood up. His hands were trembling.

  I threw an encouraging smile in Lucas’ direction. But he wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were locked onto Detective Bumble’s face, mesmerized.

  Detective Bumble gestured for Lucas to precede him. Lucas stepped out in front, back straight but trembling. A brave prisoner to the gallows. They exited the glass doors in procession.

  “He was a good man,” Marie-Angelique pronounced into the silence left behind, her voice thickened from silk to velvet by her tears. For an instant I thought she meant Lucas. Then she went on. “Noel never hurt anyone.”

  “I know, my dear,” said Amélie softly. She stroked Marie-Angelique’s hair, encouraging her to continue.

  “He just wanted Felix to be happy. That’s all. That’s why he hung around this place. He was worried about him. He was worried about us. You know what I mean?”

  “Of course,” answered Amélie, her voice as warm and comforting as a heated blanket.

  “Do you know Noel worked at a mental institution when we first met him? He wanted the world to recognize mental illness for what it was and he was so good to Justin’s sister, but after she killed herself…” Marie-Angelique dropped her gaze to her lap. Then the wail came. “I’m so sorry!” she sobbed. “I have to go.” She stormed out of the dining hall and Cody gave me a look.

  “C’mon.” He was on to something, and so we also made a fast exit. Marie-Angelique was nowhere in sight when we stepped outside—out onto the chalet’s porch. The snow was falling a little heavier now. I zipped my coat up and cuddled into Cody’s side. There were tracks in all directions so it was hard to guess where she might have disappeared to.

  “Do you know where Noel lived?” Cody asked.

  “I think so. He had a cabin not too far from here,” I replied, and we headed down the path in the opposite direction of my tree house. “You think he saw something?” I asked. “Something to do with Holly’s murder that got him killed?”

  “That or did they know each other?” Cody asked, as if the thought had just occurred to him.

  “I don’t think so,” I answered slowly. “But I wasn’t here. I don’t know much about Noel at all.”

  We paced a few more feet. “What did they have in common that got them killed?”

  “Now you’re talking,” he said, his smile twitching. “What did they have in common?”

  “Nothing I can think of,” I answered.

  “No,” he insisted. “They had to have something in common.”

  “Different sex,” I said. “Different ages. She must have been ten or fifteen years younger.”

  “Both Canadians,” Cody pointed out.

  “One from Quebec and one from Ontario,” I countered. “Not much of a connection.”

  Cody paused as if he was thinking about what I’d said then he reached for a tree branch and broke it off. “I don’t know any of these people well enough to make assumptions yet, but there’s got to be a connection and the best place to look right now is through the deceased man’s things.” He took the branch and covered our tracks as we went off the path.

  “Right.” I agreed. “See if there’s any physical evidence that maybe he knew Holly.”

  “Look.” Cody stopped and pointed at the snow tracks in front of us. “Someone’s been here since it started snowing again. Better leave those.”

  I waited while he peeked in the window. “It’s clear.” He whispered. “Have you ever broken in somewhere before?” Cody asked as I pulled open the screen door to the cabin. It groaned in protest and slammed immediately when I let it go, the spring on the door either broken or nonexistent.

  I smirked, thinking of earlier in the Tremblés’ apartment. “Are you going to have me arrested if I say yes?”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “What was I thinking? Of course you have. You’re friends with the notorious Eve Banter. You probably already have keys to every cabin on this resort.”

  I tilted my head. “Wait a minute. You know about Eve’s key ring?”

  “Who doesn’t? The woman thinks she’s the mayor of Bohemian Lake. Luckily for her the local businesses don’t mind. They see her as more of a free security feature than a threat.”

  “Well, that’s true. She is better than any guard dog I’ve ever crossed.” I pulled my toque down a bit lower. “Alright, let’s sneak inside one of these windows, nose around, and get the hell out before the cops come to work it over.”

  He brushed a few stray hairs that must have slipped from beneath the knit of my hat. “Are you sure about this? We may need to break one of the windows and that detective seems to have a thing for you and your ex. I could do this on my own and use my position and connections to level with him if I get caught.”

  I nodded. “I’m sure.” As if the hair bit wasn’t enough, Cody’s hands settled on my shoulders. “You are one brave, rebellious woman, do you know that?”

  “I do. I’m also apparently a contrarian and not a super great team player, at least that’s what the chief of police told me before I quit the department. Not quite in those words. I believe he likened me to a hockey player.”

  “I think you’re a great team player, maybe you just weren’t on the right team or maybe your coach just sucked.”

  “Maybe.”

  We both tugged on our gloves and began checking various windows, covering our tracks as we went.

  Cody was on the backside of the cabin when he hollered, “Found one.” I hurried over and he slid the window up and held out an arm. Ladies first.

  Once I was in, he was right on my heels, after which he slid the window shut and latched it.

  “I’ll see if there’s a towel i
n the bathroom we can use to wipe off our boots.” He said and walked away.

  The dark room looked like it had been lifted from a slasher film shoot. The wood-paneled walls were chipped and peeling and the low-pile carpet was a cross between rust and orange. A wooden-framed bed lay unmade against the far wall. There were mismatched shelving units, all wood laminate, filled with games and well-read paperback books.

  I scanned the walls, looking for a clue. Clothes littered the floor around the bed, and a quick peek showed both old and young—perhaps Felix’s?

  After our boots were dry, we got to work. Splitting up, he searched one end of the cabin, while I went to work on the other. Piles of newspapers littered corners and chairs, many as recent as this past week.

  I snapped pictures with my phone.

  A quick, quiet snap of fingers brought my attention to Cody. He stood over a disintegrating cardboard box tilted on its side. Old pictures spilled out.

  I left the newspapers alone and headed over to where he stood. And then the muscle in my chest stilled, because each and every single picture—and there were dozens of them—were of Felix as a child.

  My God.

  Another few minutes of searching brought about new pictures, drawings and photocopied report cards scattered throughout the room. Some were faded, some framed, some torn.

  I scanned the photos. As I stared at the sight before us, my repulsion met with confusion.

  Circled in red, with a slash straight through it was a family photo of Marie-Angelique, Justin and Felix, only Justin was crossed out with red marker.

  Frantic, I searched through the photographs. More red circles and slashes.

  “My God, either Noel was obsessed with the boy or he was obsessed with Justin’s family. Had Justin found out and killed him? But again what did that have to do with Holly.

  A thump sounded, but it was not from inside the room. Somebody bellowed—and by somebody, I meant the prime suspect himself—followed shortly by hysterical laughter.

  Cody dropped a hand onto my shoulder and forced me to look at him. He mouthed: Someone’s coming.

  Together, we hurried to the window, something crashed again. Something much closer than before.

  We both froze.

  Footsteps plodded up an unseen set of stairs. A woman called, “Wait here! And do one of your bird calls if you hear someone coming!”

  There was no time for us both to get out. Cody quickly led me toward a broom closet. We had nowhere else to go, nowhere else that would allow us cover. The door protested loudly as he wrenched it open. The space was tiny, but basically empty aside from a broom, mop and a few miscellaneous items on the floor. Cody yanked the door back into place, enveloping us in darkness.

  The front door creaked and then slammed.

  Our bodies were smooshed together like twin embryos in the womb. My hands had nowhere to go except to settle on his neck; his fell on my hips and made me think of last night.

  Neither of us moved.

  “Where are you?”

  Cody’s breath, all minty and tantalizing, whispered against my ear. “It’s Marie-Angelique.”

  “I know you are here! Oh, Noel, where did you put it?”

  It was my turn to put my mouth up against his ear. “She’s looking for something?”

  I felt, rather than saw, the slight nod of his head.

  We settled into silence and the smell of him drove me crazy—clean soap and spice. Was it the adrenalin from the situation or his nearness that had my blood pumping? Sweat trickled down the back of my neck, and my knees ached from the weird angle we were forced into.

  I leaned my head back and stared above. Cody shifted, his head ducking awkwardly beneath the low ceiling of the upper shelf, the brush of his body against mine made me tingle all over.

  Now it was my turn to shift when the ache in my shoulder turned unbearable. Another tiny intake of breath on his behalf sent my pulse skittering once more. Underneath my fingers, the beat in his chest drummed harder.

  How could I be lusting over this man right now? We’d just broken into the residence of a murder victim during an investigation and we could get caught and all I could think about was how bloody attracted I was to him.

  Another crash sounded beyond the broom closet. Cody shifted again and his fingers tightened around my waist.

  My head dropped back down until our noses were mere inches apart. He’d been staring at the door listening to Marie Angelique crash about, but the moment he’d noticed I moved, his eyes found mine in the darkness.

  The nerves that ran between my brain and hands ceased functioning, because my fingers curled into the softness of his hair.

  It would be so easy in this moment to close my eyes. Just pretend that nothing was happening, that his touch did nothing to me. I’d closed my heart off after Lucas. It had been difficult, but I did it. Lucas was my everything for years and he broke me, and yet here I was locked in a closet because of that stupid man. Love made you a slave.

  Any second, we could be discovered. And yet . . . when Cody’s head lowered toward mine, I kept my eyes wide open.

  We shared the same air for many seconds as Marie-Angelique continued her search. Her words were barely distinguishable. Those I caught continued to be meaningless, just snatches of irreverent talk that told us nothing about Noel’s apparent obsession with her or her son. Our lips were precariously close; all it would take would be the minutest of shifts for skin to touch skin.

  Something else crashed in the next room; maniacal giggles follow. But none of that mattered, because the moment my lips met Cody’s, live wires exploded throughout my body. Logical thought disappeared like a magician’s trick.

  His hands curled tighter around my waist, pulling me into him. My own hands drifted higher until they looped around his neck. His mouth was soft and hard and warm and addictive, and when his tongue touched the seam that held the last of my restraints in, I lost the battle.

  Our tongues traced one another, and I tasted mint. The situation was less than ideal, risky as all hell, even, but stupidly, none of that mattered. His body leaned farther into mine, pressing me up against the wall that I’d already been trapped against, and yet he wasn’t close enough. I wanted—no, needed—him closer. Instinctively, he must have sensed this from me, because the next thing I knew, our legs overlapped in the tiny space and he erased the separation.

  This wasn’t my first kiss, nor even my hundredth. I am no inexperienced wallflower. And yet, my knees went weak and my nerve endings had become painfully aware of every inch of his body as it pressed up against mine.

  Time blurred together until it was meaningless, until the closet disappeared around us.

  “Marie-Angelique, get the hell out of there before you get us caught! I can’t wait around anymore. The detective wants to talk to me.”

  Caught? We startled apart at the male voice. Justin. Reality slapped us both straight across the face, but at least now we had a confession.

  “I can’t leave yet! We’re as good as arrested if the police see this stuff. We need to burn these photos.” Marie-Angelique whined.

  Feet clomped on the stairs and another rip of a creak filled the room.

  Something was kicked and sent skittering across the room. It bounced against the closet door, and sent Cody’s hand to his holster.

  “I can’t leave until I find it,” Marie Angelique growled. “Which means you need to get back to the chalet to distract Detective Bumble. Keep him busy while I get rid of everything.”

  Justin’s voice lowered. “Okay. I’ll meet you up there. I love you, Marie.”

  “I know,” she whispered back.

  Justin left and time ticked on with Marie-Angelique occasionally mumbling incoherently to herself. It felt like forever, pressed up against Cody.

  At last, she let out a whoop of success.

  Cody leaned forward and whispered softly in my ear, “Finally.”

  We heard the front door creak and the footsteps receded. />
  We gave it another sixty seconds before we opened the closet doors. The moment we were out, Cody tugged me forward for a tiny hug.

  When he pulled away, all the parts of me that had touched him screamed for more.

  Just before we darted toward the window, a door creaked open. And there, her mouth and eyes wide in shock, stood Marie-Angelique.

  My body instantly went into defense mode. I readied myself to kickass. So did Cody, his handgun was out, and trained on her in two seconds flat. God, he was sexy.

  “What. The. Heck?” she screeched. “How did you two get in here, and why are you pointing a gun at me?!”

  Sixteen

  _____________

  “I

  think the more relevant question would be: what were you looking for?” I furrowed my brows to let her know I meant business.

  Cody obviously realized she was no threat, holstered his gun and approached her, relieving her of the manilla envelope in her hands. “I’ll take this. Thank you.”

  Marie-Angelique started crying. Then she walked to the fireplace in the far corner and sat down on the hearth. “You don’t understand. This is my fault and I have to clean it up. He came here because of me—to help me out —and now he’s dead.”

  I took a step closer to her. “What do you mean? Why do you think that this is your fault?”

  She was holding a picture in her hands—I recognized it. I’d seen it already. It was a photo of Noel, her, Justin and another woman. I guessed the other woman was Justin’s twin sister, Dani.

  Marie-Angelique ran her nose along her arm, sniffling as she did it. Then she started to babble, “Sixteen years ago, Justin left—he just up and disappeared the day after his sister’s funeral. He was so distraught and he couldn’t take being around anyone who knew him. I was so lonely, and I didn’t know if he was coming back. After a month on my own, Noel found out, and he came to stay with me. He was heartbroken, too, over Dani but he didn’t shut down the way Justin does. He and I… well, we just grew so close. Too close if you know what I mean. One night…” She paused and I realized what she was saying.