by Tonya Kappes
I stepped into the elevator and stuck my finger next to my nose, sending the elevator up to the penthouse.
I put the basket on the floor next to my feet because it was heavy. I knocked on the door.
“Hi, Angela.” I greeted her with a smile. “I’m Maggie, Mick’s friend.”
Her brown hair was down and flowed over her shoulder. Her eyes dull. She opened her mouth, “My art,” she gasped and fell forward. I caught her in my arms.
“Angela?” I looked over her shoulder, down her back and couldn’t help but see the knife sticking out of her back.
Chapter Nine
“Explain to me exactly why you are here?” Burt rubbed his bald head. By his expression, I could tell he wasn’t one bit happy that I was there. We stood out in the hallway just a few feet from where I’d caught her. I had called Burt as soon as I dropped her on the ground, which wasn’t as graceful as I wished I’d done, but I’d never caught a nearly dead person that then died in my life.
There was a flurry of people that included police, SKUL agents, hotel employees, and emergency staff milling around the room. The police were keeping everyone away from some sort of evidence they were collecting and the SKUL agents were questioning the hotel staff. There was something said about the security camera, which I’d love to get my hands on. The EMTs were still hovered over Angela Fritz’s body that was still half in the hall and half in the hotel room.
“I met Angela Fritz yesterday when Mick and I went to the St. James Art Festival. She and Mick have been long-time friends.” My lips twitched, keeping the secret inside of me that Mick and Angela did have a fling. It was something I wanted to take up with him when we were not around so many eyes. “She knew my lipstick color, which happens to be from Mystic Couture, which was my first case with SKUL,” I reminded him.
“Yes.” Burt continued to rub his head and looked at his shoes. “Keep going.”
“I told my sister about it and she said that Angela Fritz had agreed to be their new spokesperson for their new makeup line.” My words caused Burt to jerk up and look at me.
“She doesn’t like her picture taken,” he said and pulled me out of the way when the EMT nearly knocked us down taking Angela Fritz’s body down the hall to the elevator.
“You’re right.” I nodded. “Her contract had Mystic Couture bring in an abstract makeup artist that would use the Mystic Couture makeup to disguise her look. It was a very expensive campaign. Only Angela Fritz didn’t show up.” I cocked a brow.
“And you know that how?” Burt asked.
“Oh, yeah.” I had to backtrack. “I was going to get some lipstick as a thank you gift for inviting me to supper today for Angela.”
Burt’s head tilted to the side, his eyes narrowed. He was confused.
“Angela had invited me, Mick, and Big Stevenson to supper tonight at her hotel before she leaves town tomorrow.” Clearly she’d already left town. . .the dead way. I shook my head. “So I went to Mystic Couture to pick up the lipstick. That’s when my sister told me about her not showing up for the photo shoot and literally shoved this basket of goodies at me that Angela was going to get at the shoot.”
“So you decided to come on by and give it to her instead of waiting until tonight?” Burt asked.
“I got excited about the makeup package,” I lied. I really wanted to ask her about Mick—I didn’t think she’d be the next victim.
“Sir,” Sherry popped her head out of the room. “Can I see you for a second?”
“Sure.” Burt walked into the room and I followed.
The fall sun was fading fast as the afternoon drew to a close and the penthouse had an amazing view from the windows. I walked over and looked out over the river. The noise from below caught my attention. I looked down where the news and reporters had collected in front of the hotel. They were taking photos, holding microphones out, and screaming for attention as the EMTs wheeled Angela out to the ambulance.
The hat. My heart dropped.
The person with the hat that I’d seen a couple of times now was standing at the back of the group of rubber-neckers that were trying to see what was going on. Slowly the hat tipped up the side of the building and up to the penthouse windows.
I gulped as my insides churned and my necklace warmed against my chest.
The last of the burnt sunshine cast the shadow of the hat’s brim down on the face. The only feature I could see was the pointy chin before the mystery hatted person disappeared into the walking crowd.
“Are you okay?” Sherry came up behind me.
“I’m fine.” I shook off the feeling I’d gotten from the hatted mystery person. I dropped my hand from my necklace. It was no longer hot to my chest, which told me that the person with the hat was someone who needed to be found. “I just can’t believe this.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked.
“I don’t want to be thinking it, but I do believe that someone is trying to frame Mick.” My eyes slid past her shoulder just as Mick hurried through the door.
“Maggie?” Mick’s face melted when he saw me. He rushed over and touched my arm.
“Mick, I’m so glad to see you.” I dragged him to me. “She had a knife stuck in her back.”
“I know.” Mick lips pursed. “She shouldn’t have. . .”
“No!” The loud scream caused both of us to turn and look at the brunette woman I’d seen yesterday at the art festival. Her hollow eyes slid toward Mick and me. She sucked in a deep breath and her face stilled along with her glare at Mick. Sherry rushed over to her.
She and Burt led the woman to the couch where she buried her head into her hands and sobbed. The police officer came over and took over for Burt and Sherry.
Mick and I stood there trying to take it all in before she said something to Burt that caused him to walk over.
“Mick,” Burt walked up with an unexpected concerned look on his face. “I’m going to have to ask you to take a leave of absence.”
“Why?” Mick asked. I felt his anger as much as I saw it on his face.
“This is the third woman this week that has died and the only link to each other is you.” He held up a piece of paper with Mick’s address and phone number along with Angela Fritz’s cell phone where there was a recent photo taken of them.
Mick ran his hand through his hair and let out a long sigh.
“I can explain that.” He pointed to the evidence the police decided to come over and bag.
“No need to say anything until you meet with the SKUL lawyer and the SKUL psychiatrist.” Burt pointed to the door. “I think it’s best you leave and wait until you hear from me.”
“Psychiatrist?” Mick questioned. “I didn’t do this.”
“I’m not saying you did, but someone sure does want us to think you did.” Burt’s words curled around my neck like a noose.
Chapter Ten
“Vinnie, I need you to tell me everything about the staff that Angela Fritz had,” I said to Vinnie.
After Burt had released me, they kept Mick for more questioning and it was disheartening watching him turn his badge over to Burt. Sherry and I looked at each other as if we knew what we needed to do.
“Can you also text Sherry the list of Mick’s women along with their addresses. We want to check them all out and at the very least make sure they are alive.” I had to put the photo I’d seen of Mick and Angela in the back of my head.
I’d noticed Mick had on the same clothes as in the photo.
“Wait!” I yelled at Vinnie to stop. “Can you pull up close to the Galt House security room and get me a look at the security camera?”
“Maggie, you and I both know that the police are already all over the system.” Vinnie was good at how things worked in the familiar world, but not so great in the mortal world.
“Yes, I bet you are right. Only they have to get a warrant to gain access and then view it.” I ran my hand along his dashboard. “They don’t have a Vinnie.”
&
nbsp; “And this is why your Life’s Journey is to work with SKUL.” Vinnie’s engine roared and his tires squealed as he did a U-turn in the middle of the road.
He pulled up to the service entrance of the hotel next to the dumpster.
“It sure does smell here. I hope the stink doesn’t peel my paint job.” Vinnie’s engine shut off. His circuit board rolled red.
“Oh, look at you trying to make a joke,” I chuckled.
It was rare for Vinnie not to be serious about everything when it came to me. Maybe he was getting a little more of a social side.
“I took the video camera from the elevator up to the penthouse and the footage from the hallway looking down to the penthouse door along with the front entrance.” Vinnie’s circuit board turned into a grainy movie screen. “The entrance doesn’t show Agent Jasper coming or going. Though it does show him in the elevator going up to the penthouse. Once he exits the elevator, you can see him get off and walk to the penthouse door where Angela Fritz steps outside to talk to him. There seems to be a bit of an argument between them,” Vinnie did a play-by-play.
“Roll it back and zoom in on them.” I watched as Mick’s and Angela’s actions went backward in slow motion.
When Vinnie played the footage again, I noticed Angela was crying. Mick at one point tried to touch her but she jerked away. Vinnie continued to play the video. Angela didn’t let him in. She shut the door. He stood there for a couple of minutes before finally going back into the elevator.
“If he didn’t go out of the front doors, where did he enter and exit the hotel?” I asked Vinnie.
“Good question. I can see there are no cameras in the kitchen but other than that, it’s all I know.” Vinnie’s circuit rolled red.
“Okay.” I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with this information. I had to figure something out quick because the police would get the warrant and Mick would definitely be arrested for Angela Fritz’s death. “Was Mick the last person to visit Angela?”
“It appears that way on the video. Also it shows you on the video going up the elevator.” Vinnie played the footage. It clearly played me talking to the concierge and then he suddenly fell asleep. “I am most certain that we need to erase that.”
“I agree.” I was lucky to have him looking out for me. The last thing the police needed to see was me talking to the concierge and not having clearance to go to the penthouse, much less the unexplained sleeping episode of him.
Vinnie pulled out from behind the dumpster and headed toward home.
“Mick said something very strange to me.” I bit my lip. “He said ‘she shouldn’t have’.”
“Shouldn’t have what, Maggie?” Vinnie asked.
“I don’t know. That’s when the brunette woman came into the room.” The images of the person in the hat kept coming into my head. “When my necklace warmed, you knew I had seen that person in the hat again.”
“Yes. I tried to follow but lost the person down an alleyway before I could get a full body scan to tell me if the person under the hat and black coat was a female or male,” frustration was held in Vinnie’s voice.
“Not only has that person come to the diner and the art festival, they were now also at the hotel where they knew I was or where they killed Angela.” I looked out the window as Vinnie got on the interstate heading toward Old Louisville.
I was going from one fire to a frying pan. Who knew what was happening on Belgravia Court? I wondered if Susie Brown and Shay Hannagan had Mrs. Hubbard up in arms because I could guarantee the two women had already spread the news about Brian’s indelicate state to the rest of the gossip-loving women of Belgravia Court.
“Maggie,” Vinnie’s voice was stressed. “I think we are being followed. Hold on.”
Vinnie’s engine picked up speed and roared underneath my feet. I turned around in my seat to see the car. I knew with pulse-pounding certainty the car was following us.
“Hold on, Maggie.” Vinnie took the next exit nearly jumping the curb.
My stomach clenched tight as did my eyes when I saw Vinnie swerve into a line of traffic, barely avoiding a collision with another car. Panic rioted within me as the trailing car inched closer and we were stuck in traffic.
“This wasn’t very bright,” I said and jumped out of Vinnie when he came to a stop. There was only one way to figure out who was following me and that was to confront the person.
I brought my hand to my necklace and said a protection spell as I drew an X with my finger across my heart. The black car had tinted windows and my hand shook as fearful images of who was inside built up in my mind before I jerked the door handle.
“It’s you,” My voice broke with uncertainty as to why the brunette woman I’d seen with Angela at the art festival and at the hotel would be following me. “Get out.” I pointed my finger at her sorrowful eyes.
“I needed to know where you were going,” she spoke in a soft voice. “I have to know who killed her.”
She dropped her hands from the steering wheel and into her lap. Her head bobbled as sobs escaped her lips. Her sadness struck a chord in my heart that I knew I should ignore. But I couldn’t.
“Fine. You can follow me to a little diner I know and we can talk.” I knew it was well after closing time at The Brew and Auntie Meme would be long gone. It would be the perfect place for me and this woman to talk. “What is your name?”
“Georgette Treminski. I’ve been Angela Fritz’s assistant for over six years. There are a lot of things I know that may help out.” She nodded as she made a decision. “I’ll follow you.”
The beeping horns of the irritated drivers didn’t bother me any. I had a murder, well three murders, now to solve and hopefully Georgette Treminski had an answer I could work with.
Vinnie pulled up to the curb of The Brew. It wasn’t like we needed a key to the front door. We simply touched it with our fingers, but for times when people were with us, we had dummy keys made for show.
Like my key fob for Vinnie. I pushed the button and Vinnie did the beeping even though the fob wasn’t hooked up. I reached into the glove box for my set of dummy keys.
“You stay here and keep watch,” I instructed Vinnie before pulling my sweater from the floor board.
As soon as the sun went down in the autumn, the chill in the air was almost too much to bear without a coat. At least for me.
Georgette had parked her car right behind Vinnie and she met me at the door. She had nice brunette hair with natural highlights. The kind of natural highlights that sent a woman’s heart and soul into an itch of envy that no matter how much you tried to scratch it, you just couldn’t. She had small hazel eyes with an average frame. She wasn’t too skinny or too big. Just normal. She definitely wasn’t as pretty at Angela, which I was positive why Angela hired Georgette, so as not to be out done.
I jimmied my fake key into the front door of The Brew and tapped the outside of the lock with the pad of my finger. The door opened and the lights flipped on.
The dining area had been left exactly as it should’ve been. The salt and pepper shakers along with the rest of the condiments needed to be refilled for the next day, which was something I’d do in the morning.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” I asked Georgette as I walked back behind the counter to the coffee pot. All I had to do was pretend to flip the switch, then the perfect idea popped into my head. Georgette was not my Life’s Journey so a little truth spell could potentially help me break the ice and not have to try so hard to get answers out of her.
“I’d like that.” There was a thin smile on her lips that dipped down on the edges.
“Have a seat.” I gestured to the stool in front of me on the other side of the counter. “I need to grab something from the kitchen.”
I disappeared into the kitchen to find the herb that Mom used for the truth spells Auntie Meme put in some recipes. Sometimes the best thing for a full stomach, besides my biscuits, is a dose of the truth, Auntie would say when she knew that
someone was in the diner for emotional eating because they either couldn’t take the truth about something or tell the truth about something.
“Where is it?” I looked in the cabinet space around the kitchen until I found it in the jar labeled flour. Don’t ask me why Auntie Meme would put it there because I had no idea. “The coffee should be about. . .” I pushed myself with my rear through the swinging door between the kitchen and the diner. “Auntie Meme.” My jaw dropped as she and her Spell Circle stood in the middle of The Brew in their full regalia including their flying brooms.
She was stroking a little brown bunny that nestled in her arms.
“Ah, oh.” Pixie’s mouth formed an ‘O’. She stood four feet tall by four feet wide and had a buzz cut. She looked between Auntie Meme and me.
I glanced around the room.
“Where is the girl that was sitting there?” I pointed to the stool where Georgette used to be.
“Who?” Auntie’s brows lifted as her voice escalated.
“You know who,” my voice husky as I stalked over to her. I pointed at the bunny. “Is that her?”
“Well. . .” Auntie’s jaw tensed. “Miss Kitty interrupted our Spell Circle and told me that someone was sitting at the counter here,” she referred to her owl that was her familiar. “The girls,” she waved her hand in front of Pixie, Flora, Charmary, and Glinda, “and I decided we better fly on over and see what was going on.”
“You turned her into a bunny?” Anger started to boil in me.
“I didn’t see you in there until it was too late.” Glinda stepped up to take the blame. The button on her cape was about to pop off due to her middle age spread. She had sweet eyes that almost got lost behind her straight hair that was parted down the middle and hung to her shoulders. “My grandchildren have always wanted a bunny and I just figured. . .”
I gave her the stink eye and grabbed Georgette out of Auntie Meme’s arms.
“She is a very important witness for my Life’s Journey with SKUL. I needed to talk to her. Didn’t you see Vinnie outside?” I asked and glanced past the women in the Spell Circle.