by Louise Lynn
The possibility that Josh was the mastermind in the scheme that ended Cameron's life faded right before her eyes. She had an idea who was actually responsible now, and it chilled her to the bone. "Where's Emma?"
Josh whimpered at the sound of her name. "If you found Jimbo, you know."
Hazel frowned. “Emma wasn’t with Jimbo. She hasn’t been seen by anyone since yesterday afternoon."
Josh stilled. “It's all my fault. Cam's dead, and it's all my fault."
Tess drifted next to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I do not speak false prophecies, I warned Cameron of his fate, yet he insisted upon meeting for their date," she said sadly and hung her head.
Hazel sighed. "Josh, if you know where Emma is, you need to tell me now. Are you the one who made it look like she was hurt yesterday?"
His head snapped up. "She said it would urge Tess to confess, but I didn’t want to do it. I thought we were done with that. I didn’t want to help, but she said if I didn’t, I looked guilty," he cried and tried to move the chair forward. It barely budged.
Hazel’s mind raced. Why was Emma so obsessed with blaming the crime on Tess. Either she was guilty, or she’d done something that made her look guilty.
Oh.
She got it.
They were looking for Xtreme_Skeptic, and they found her.
“When’s the last time you saw Emma?" Hazel asked.
Josh shrugged. “Last night. She claimed we had to come here and get Jimbo back. She said she was scared Ms. Corning would find out what we did and expose us, even though she’s the one who told us about the secret passages in the first place! But then the horse got away and I just—I couldn’t lie anymore. When I went looking for her, someone hit me on the back of the head. I woke up here."
Hazel nodded and turned. "Tess, stay with him, I'm going to see if there's a knife in the kitchen," she said and left Anthony Ray standing guard.
Still, the whole mess had been so overly elaborate. The secret passages. Fake deaths followed by real deaths followed by more fake deaths.
Only, that was all done by Ghost Hunters Extreme to scare Tess, not to kill Cameron. The real killer had used it as a cover for their crime. Someone who either hated Cameron Killian, or had something to gain from his demise.
And who had anything to gain from another murder in Massacre Mansion?
With that thought, she froze.
“I know who did it," Hazel whispered to herself.
They had to get to Sheriff Cross right away.
She turned into the kitchen as the cabin’s front door swung open.
"Now Patricia, I don't know why we had to go out in this downpour. Even if you did buy all my sage, it doesn't mean that this cleansing couldn't wait until the weather dried out. Even if that body in the garden is an evil omen. And I already told you, I have no clue where Tess ran off to," Maureen Hart said.
Patricia bustled in behind her, and both women stopped and looked at Hazel.
"Hazel, what are you doing here?" Maureen said with a warm smile.
Hazel's mind raced. She thought of her bedraggled appearance, soaking wet and standing in the caretaker's cabin—the same cabin where Josh Hopkins had been tied up since the night before, Hazel surmised.
Patricia's eyes went wide, and then narrowed ever so shrewdly. "I didn't know you were going to come by today. I thought all the investigation was at the main house?" Patricia said and moved further into the kitchen.
"You're surprised I'm here? You didn't see my truck?" she asked and hoped her voice sounded normal.
"No, it wasn’t parked out there," Patricia said and frowned.
Hazel sighed. Hopefully, Michael contacted the sheriff and they’d be here soon. Especially considering what she was about to do.
"Mom, you should probably step away from her. Patricia is an axe murderer."
Chapter 23
"Murderer? That's preposterous. Maureen, tell your daughter how preposterous she's being. You've known me for nearly thirty years. I wouldn't hurt a fly," the woman said, and quickly glanced between the two of them. Her body language stiffened.
Too bad they were having this conversation in a kitchen that was no doubt filled with murderous implements.
Maureen took several steps backwards. "I don't know, Patricia. My Hazel is usually quite good at things like this. I already told you how many crimes she'd solved, and here you doubted her prowess. Isn't this where you usually explain how you know the murderer is in fact the murderer, darling?“
Hazel cast her mother a thankful, if tight, smile. "Actually, that's how I put all the pieces together. Darling. Your horse, but don't worry, because Josh Hopkins confirmed everything." That last bit was a smudge of the truth, but she wasn’t going to feel guilty about it. Josh might not know who tied him up, but Hazel did.
Patricia blinked and let out a bark of unamused laughter. "My horse named Darling and Josh Hopkins? Do you hear yourself? You sound absolutely insane. I sold all of my horses before I moved back to Cedar Valley. I already told you that. And even if I had horses named Darling, that doesn't prove anything. Josh Hopkins? I'd like to know where he is. I thought the police needed to speak with him?"
Hazel raised her voice and hoped Josh and Tess could hear her. “They will, especially now. You said so yourself when you first moved here. The Pearl House was infamous, but it wasn’t as famous as the Rockwell Manor. Or the Lizzie Borden House. Or any other famous murder house. And after all that nastiness at Rockwell Manor last spring, what happened again, mother?"
Maureen’s eyes brightened behind her glasses. "After the dust settled, the place sold for an absurd amount of money, and the tours of the house are full nearly every day."
Hazel nodded. "Exactly. Murder is good for business. At least, in some circles. And while the tale of Massacre Mansion would draw in a certain crowd, it wasn't a high profile enough crime to attract as many as you wanted, was it?"
Patricia pressed herself into the kitchen counter. "What are you talking about? The reputation of this house is abhorrent. I can't stand the place," she cried.
Hazel smiled. "Is that why you sold your house in Oregon and came back here? No. I think you wanted this place to make you rich, because all of your other businesses failed. But with Albert alive, you couldn't give it the makeover you always wanted. You couldn't bring Massacre Mansion into the twenty-first century and charge five hundred a night to stay in it. But Cameron and his crew gave you the perfect opportunity, didn't they? Josh told me the truth. They didn’t pay you—you invited them!"
Patricia’s face reddened. “So what if I did? That doesn’t mean I killed someone. Drumming up business by proving the house is haunted doesn’t make me a murderer!"
"How did the ghost hunters do that, Hazy?" Maureen asked.
Patricia glanced wildly back and forth between them.
"Well, for one, they were secretly at odds with each other. While Josh may have been loyal to his best friend, Emma was anything but. I'm pretty sure she was trying to undermine the channel by pretending to be a psychic while using the persona of the Xtreme_Skeptic online. She didn't believe in the supernatural, and when you found out they were going to pull a trick on Tess and fake Cameron's death and the haunting here, you saw the perfect opportunity. Why not have Cameron really die, that way you got your new murder, and you had a number of viable suspects to pin it on," Hazel said and crossed her arms.
Anthony Ray wandered out and sat next to her, calmly licking his paws to rid them of rain.
Maureen’s face brightened. "Oh, that actually makes so much sense. You complained about what a burden the Pearl House was, yet as soon as you got back, you opened it for business, despite the risks," she said and put her hands on her hips as if she were scolding one of her daughters and not talking down to an axe murderer.
Patricia sneered. "You have no proof, and how on earth did I get into a locked room? Did you forget the windows are nailed shut?"
Hazel smiled thinly. "That one's easy.
There's a secret passage that goes from the parlor to Dora’s room. You showed them to the Ghost Hunter’s Extreme crew, but that was to cover your own tracks. Even if you went to the Lodge that night, you could have easily come back here, killed Cameron, and left before anyone saw you. In fact, there are three secret passages in total. One that goes from the study to Mr. and Mrs. Pearl's bedroom, and another that goes from the kitchen to the third floor bathroom–" Hazel felt her voice die in her throat as she had a new sinking pit in her stomach.
"That still doesn't prove anything. I was at the Lodge that night. And where is this Emma girl? How do you know she didn’t do it? Didn’t Cameron say he was going to expose that Xtreme_Skeptic person? If that was her, she had the perfect motive. I'm sure she's the one who tied up Mr. Hopkins and left him. I had no clue. I don't even come here on my own," she said and crossed her arms.
“I didn’t say anything about Josh being tied up. How would you know that if you’re not the one who did it?" Hazel said.
Patricia’s mouth gaped like a fish out of water. “I—you said. I swear…."
Hazel shook her head. “I didn’t. And, unfortunately, I think I know where Emma is. After she got Josh to help her fake her death, you saw that as a threat, didn’t you? Emma was trying to get the blame away from her and onto Tess, but you didn’t know that. You thought she was onto you."
"What do you mean? What does she mean, Patricia?" Maureen demanded.
Patricia's eyes went wide. "I have no clue what she's talking about. They’re all lies."
"I think you did away with her, just like you were going to get rid of Josh tonight," Hazel spat.
A sudden thump sounded from outside, loud and ominous.
Patricia jumped. "What was that? You have no proof I did any of this. A horse and a missing girl? Cameron's friends probably killed him, not me. That axe was theirs. Everything was their idea!"
Suddenly, a rasping voice came from outside the window, right near Patricia's shoulder. "You can lie and you can run, but you'll never hide from what you’ve done," it cried.
The woman covered her ears and shook her head.
Then a glowing green horse appeared in the window and let out a thunderous whinny, and Patricia screamed.
"You really did want me to help you cleanse this place, but not from the evil that was brought here ages ago, from the evil you created," Maureen said. "I think the spirits know how to take care of you."
"And I think we’ll do a better job, no offense, Mrs. Hart," Sheriff Cross said and stepped behind her. Water streaked off of his rain poncho, and Hazel let out a sigh of relief.
Patricia glanced around the small kitchen and slumped in place. There was no escape from her crimes.
"Why is there a glowing green horse out here?" Sheriff Cross asked suddenly.
Hazel couldn't help but laugh.
Chapter 24
"I can't believe it, you actually did save Halloween," Celia said and beamed at Hazel. Even with the bald cap, she was gorgeous.
Hazel smoothed down the black dress she wore. "All in a day’s work."
The storm had blown itself out by early afternoon, and with the killer caught, the Halloween Fair was set to go off.
It didn't mean the rest of the day had been particularly easy, especially not for Sheriff Cross and the deputies. They'd had to tromp around the Pearl House in the mud picking up Patricia Corning's mess. Thankfully, Josh had been able to fill in many of the blanks, even though Patricia Corning had been careful enough not to spill her plan to him.
Emma wasn't so lucky.
They found her body stashed in the third floor secret passage, her throat slit.
Hazel shuddered when she thought about how she and Michael had nearly discovered it when the horse distracted them.
She was grateful for that. Finding two bodies in one week was never fun.
She was also right about Emma being the Xtreme_Skeptic. Milo was able to match Emma's IP address to that of the blog posts, which put more pieces of the puzzle together.
Hazel hoped Colton would be done with most of the paperwork and enjoy some of the festivities. Besides cleaning up the mess at Pearl House, the other problem was what to do with the horse. Thankfully, Colton was able to find someone close by who had a ranch.
It was still evidence, he said, though Hazel wasn't sure if he was kidding or not.
Anthony Ray, dry and his belly full of food, meowed from his leash. She managed to put some Halloween decorations on the harness, but hadn’t tried any on him, lest he get angry and seek revenge in an unsavory manner.
While Hazel didn't have a booth at the fair, her mother and Esther both did, and she and Celia wandered there together. "It's crazy to think you’ve known Patricia for so long and she was capable of, well, that. How does your mom feel about this?"
Hazel frowned. "I don't know, she was pretty upset, but then she acted like it made sense in the long run. I guess Patricia was always a little too greedy for her own good."
Celia nodded. "Promise me you won’t become obsessed with creating a murder house to make a bunch of extra cash, please?"
Hazel laughed. "I'm pretty sure I can promise that, as long as you do the same."
Celia grinned. "Oh come on, you're the one obsessed with murder."
Hazel scoffed. "Obsessed? Not quite. I just keep stumbling into it, and that's not my fault."
Hazel pinched her mouth shut as she approached her mother's booth. To her surprise, her mother was also in full witch regalia, while Tess was done up in what looked to be an old-fashioned wedding dress. She even wore white makeup to appear paler, though she’d left her hair as it was. "Mom you look witchier than normal, and I'm assuming Tess is a ghost bride?"
Tess didn’t answer.
Her mother gave her a tired smile. "I have no idea what your costume is, Celia, but I love it. It's not fair for you to look so good even without hair, but it figures."
“Are you doing okay?" Hazel asked as Anthony Ray butted his head into Maureen’s calf.
“Oh, I’ll be fine. I hadn’t seen Patricia in years, and while it hurts to think she was capable of something so terrible, it’s not a huge surprise. I’m just glad she didn’t get a chance to harm anyone else."
Hazel bit her lip. She didn’t want to say it, but—“I did say a ghost didn’t do it."
Maureen rolled her eyes. “Oh, you did. And you were right, but you can’t prove a ghost didn’t expose her. She got rattled when the body was found in the garden. Enough so that she made a mistake by killing Emma and tying up Josh. If she hadn’t done that, you might not have figured it out."
That was true enough, but Hazel didn’t have to admit it. “A body isn’t a ghost. But I get your point."
Maureen’s eyes sparkled, and Hazel had the feeling they agreed on something, for once.
“Hazel! I’m so glad you’re here!" Violet called and charged up a moment later. She’d gone the opposite of her normal slightly gothic attire and wore a purple skirt and matching suit jacket.
Milo trailed after her. He wore a fitted suit and had his hair slicked back. He grinned from ear to ear.
Hazel blinked. She’d never seen the girl wear anything so bright. “Violet! You look….peppy."
“I’m Janet and he’s Michael from The Good Place. Where’s Uncle Colton?"
“Finishing up the paperwork. Did you guys come here together?"
“As friends," Milo said with a shy smile.
Violet nodded. “Oh, are those caramel apples? I need one. Maybe ten! See you later. You look great, by the way!" she said and ran toward Esther’s booth.
Milo followed.
Celia laughed, and soon enough they were joined by Marcus dressed all in black, though not how Hazel imagined he would be. "I thought he was going to be the Black Panther?"
Marcus raised a brow. “I am not wearing a bodysuit. No, I said T-Challa in his normal clothes."
Celia hit him playfully in the arm, but didn't seem to take offense, especially aft
er he offered her his jacket and pulled her close.
As they turned toward Esther's booth and the caramel apples that waited for them, Tess suddenly grasped Hazel. "The spirits speak through me and act through you. We both play our parts, that much is true," she said in that dreamy voice of hers and loosened her grip.
Hazel pretended a chill didn't go up her spine.
Then Marcus tapped her arm and pointed.
Down the street, Hazel recognized the familiar shape of a man in a sheriff’s uniform. Costumed children ran around him, and the smell of spices filled the air. The dim glow of jack-o-lanterns lit the way toward him, and warmth filled her stomach.
Anthony Ray butted her leg and meowed.
She definitely didn't believe in ghosts, but, if she was seeking justice for those who couldn’t, she didn't see anything wrong with that.
Plus, her partners in solving crime were both perfect.
She grinned as Sheriff Cross approached, and Marcus nudged her shoulder. “It’s a shame you didn’t solve the original Massacre Mansion case as well."
Hazel shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe the mystery is part of the fun. Or Dora really did do it."
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Read the rest of the Hazel Hart Cozy Mystery Series!
Hazel Hart is having a terrible day.
A man is murdered in her Wild @ Hart Photo Studio, and the new sheriff in Cedar Valley not only declares it a crime scene and insults Hazel’s fashion sense, but he also suspects Hazel of the murder!