ExSpelled (The Kitchen Witch Book 5): Witch Cozy Mystery series

by Morgana Best

  My calves were aching by the time I reached the flat tunnel. Once again, the wind was violent between the two tunnels and once more I was thoroughly soaked. Blisters were forming on my heels from walking all the way in soaking wet shoes. On the bright side, it had all been worth it because I had gotten the message to Alder telling him of my predicament. The thought warmed me right through.

  As I sprinted for the entrance of the flat tunnel, I noticed there was only one ax in the chopping block. Perhaps I had only imagined two before. I ran faster as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

  I ran blindly into the tunnel and bumped into Owen, sending him stumbling forward. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” I said.

  He nodded and moved forward. No doubt he hadn’t heard what I said, because we were too close to the entrance and the wind was deafening. Thunder had started again and the ground shook with every thunder clap. I was glad there had been no lightning when we were at the top of the hill.

  We reached the tunnel door which Owen pulled open, and we walked into his office. The light hurt my eyes and I blinked rapidly. Vanessa was right behind me, and she was out of breath. I wondered why, because that was the first time I had seen her puffing. “Where’s Sarah?” Owen said.

  Vanessa looked behind her. “I thought she was right behind me.”

  Owen called out, but there was no response. “Come on, all three of us will have to go back and look for her. Stay close, mind you.”

  Don’t ask me how, but I just knew something was terribly wrong. I didn’t want to go back into the tunnel, but I knew I had no choice. I stayed close to Owen and Vanessa as we made our way back along the tunnel.

  The sense of dread increased with every step.

  We reached the end of the tunnel and stopped. “We couldn’t have passed her,” Owen said. “The tunnel isn’t wide enough.”

  “Something’s happened to her,” I said with certainty. No one disagreed with me.

  Owen turned to Vanessa. “When did you last see her?”

  Vanessa was shaking. “Um, it must’ve been when we ran out of the tunnel. I was ahead of her and the wind was so strong that I just sprinted as fast as I could. I was right behind you guys.” She appeared to be on the verge of tears.

  “The ax was missing!” I said, suddenly remembering. “On the way out, I saw two axes, and on the way back, I only saw one. I thought I must’ve imagined it the first time, but now…” My voice trailed away.

  We hurried back down the tunnel, shining our flashlights on every nook and cranny. When we reached the end of the tunnel, instead of sprinting for the next tunnel, we all stepped forward, shielding our faces from the wind and scanning the area.

  Owen was the first to speak. “Ladies, turn around. Don’t look.”

  I ignored his request and looked past him, and over by a fallen tree, I could see Sarah. The ax was impaled in her head.

  It was all so surreal. I tried to speak, but no words would come out. Vanessa must be the killer. If no one else was on the island, then it had to be Vanessa. Owen had been in front of me the whole time. That is, unless Vanessa and Owen were in it together.

  The blood drained from my face as I turned to look at the chopping block. The ax was still there. I could have cried with relief.

  I felt as if I were going to faint, but now was not the time and place to sit down and put my head between my legs, not with a murderer likely watching me right now. If it wasn’t Vanessa, then it had to be someone else on the island, somebody that no one else knew was there. And the others had said that there was no one else on the island.

  I looked at Vanessa to see if she had any blood splatters on her, but the rain would have washed them away. Owen must have been thinking the same thing. “Vanessa, why is there mud all down the front of your clothes?”

  “I was running so fast that I tripped and fell face forward in the tunnel,” she said. Her voice was trembling and she looked ashen, but I supposed that someone who had murdered more than once would be a good actor. She had obviously put mud on her clothes to hide any blood splatters that hadn’t washed away in the rain.

  Owen’s face was green and he looked as though he was about to be sick. “There’s nothing we can do for Sarah now. Let’s go back and tell the others what’s happened. The three of us need to stick together.” He shot me a significant look as he said it, and I assumed he was trying to give me the hint that Vanessa was the killer. I had already figured that out for myself. It was screamingly obvious, and I wondered why it hadn’t occurred to Vanessa that we would know it was her.

  The three of us hurried back down the tunnel, and I was sure to keep a close eye on Vanessa.

  I had another horrible thought. What if someone, or even all of the others, had been murdered? It had already occurred to me that there could be more than one murderer. I was sick to my stomach.

  After we reached the office, we wasted no time hurrying back to the dining room. I was at once relieved to see that Abby and Michael were sitting there, calm and well.

  “Where’s Sarah?” Michael asked, when the three of us burst into the room, soaking wet and frantic.

  Owen did not mince words. “She’s been murdered with an ax,” he said grimly. “It’s only just happened.”

  Mandy appeared at the kitchen door with a coffee pot. “What?” she screeched.

  Lisa, towel-drying her hair, hurried into the room. “What’s happened?”

  Everyone gathered around us, all speaking at once, all asking questions.

  Owen held up a hand for silence. “We made it to the top of the hill, and you’ll be pleased to know I was able to speak to the police, although the service was intermittent at best. They’re going to come as soon as the storm breaks. Amelia and I were coming back along the second tunnel, and we thought Vanessa and Sarah were right behind us. When we reached the office, we realized that Sarah wasn’t there. Vanessa said she had last seen her at the second tunnel, so we all went back, and we found Sarah. She had been killed with an ax. Michael and I will have to go back for her, and put her in the cool room with the others.”

  There was a collective gasp, and everyone turned to Vanessa. I watched as it dawned on her. She clutched her throat. “It wasn’t me! I tell you, there must be someone else on the island. It wasn’t me!”

  “It wasn’t me, and it wasn’t Amelia,” Owen said evenly. “The two of us were close together the whole time, and Vanessa was the only one lagging behind.”

  Vanessa was struck silent, her jaw working up and down. I wondered how she would try to get out of this one. I supposed she had seen the two axes on the way up the hill, and had moved one ready for the return journey. No doubt she hadn’t had time to think it through and had simply seized her opportunity.

  “It wasn’t me, I tell you!” she said again, her voice filled with panic. “I was right behind Owen and Amelia in the tunnel. I hadn’t realized Sarah had fallen back. I’m telling you, there’s someone else on the island!”

  “You poor thing,” Mandy said, ignoring Vanessa and patting me on the shoulder. “You’re drenched. I’ll get you and Owen some fresh coffee. This coffee pot’s cold for some reason.” She hurried back to the kitchen.

  “What will we do with Vanessa?” Michael addressed the question to Owen.

  “There’s a storeroom out back,” Owen said. “It doesn’t have windows and we can lock the door. It’s part of the original building—it was once a servant’s room. It has a tiny bathroom now and even a small opening at the top of the door. It’ll make an ideal prison cell.”

  Vanessa clutched at her throat and backed away. “You can’t lock me up! It wasn’t me!”

  Just then, a loud scream erupted from the kitchen.

  Chapter 8

  Mandy ran out, her eyes wide and her arms outstretched. She was as white as a ghost, and unable to speak.

  “Stay here, all of you,” Michael called over his shoulder, “Keep an eye on her.” Owen ran after him to the kitchen.

  They
returned shortly after with the pool boy. I would recognize those abs anywhere.

  Michael pushed him into a chair. “What are you doing here, Bazza?”

  Bazza ran his hand through his dreadlocks. “What’s all the fuss? Why the rough treatment, man?”

  “You were supposed to have left the island yesterday,” Owen said angrily. “Explain yourself!”

  Bazza leaned back. “What’s the problem? I had a migraine so I went to bed, and when I woke up, I’d missed the boat. I was sick from the migraine, so I slept all night until this morning. I’m off duty, anyway, so why does anyone care what I do? What’s going on?”

  “Why are you soaking wet? Where’s your shirt?” Michael asked him.

  “Duh! I’ve just had a shower.”

  “Why are your shorts soaking wet, then?” Michael said.

  Bazza shrugged and looked unconcerned. “I didn’t want to bother drying myself too much because I was starving. I was in a hurry to get some food. What’s wrong with that? It’s not against the law, is it?” He laughed at his own joke and then studied his thumbnail.

  “But murder is against the law,” Michael said.

  Bazza’s expression changed. “Are you for real?”

  “Two of our guests, Benedict Fletcher and Laura Lindsey, were stabbed to death last night, and Sarah Stafford was murdered only minutes ago, outside the tunnel with an ax. But you already knew that, didn’t you!” Michael added.

  Bazza shook his head. “You’re kidding, right?” When no one spoke, he jumped to his feet and pushed the chair back. “Murder? Here?”

  Michael shoved him back into the chair. “Stay right way where you are, and don’t make any sudden moves.”

  Bazza looked wildly around him. He shot from his chair and made to run away, but he didn’t get far. Michael and Owen grabbed him. He struggled wildly at first, but stopped when he saw it was no use. “Seriously, man, I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me.”

  “Let’s put him in that room we talked about earlier,” Owen said to Michael.

  “It wasn’t me,” Bazza said again.

  Owen and Michael escorted him out of the room, and all the while he was protesting his innocence.

  I didn’t know what to believe. Bazza was soaking wet and shirtless. At this point it seemed to come down to either him or Vanessa, but I couldn’t believe either of them did it. Still, I had to remind myself that someone was the murderer. Both Bazza and Vanessa had the opportunity, and for all I knew, one of the others in the room could have slipped out somehow and murdered Sarah. I couldn’t see how, but I had to admit that it was a possibility. Lisa had been wet and was drying her hair. And whoever it was, was acting normal. They weren’t going to do anything to give themselves away and so I had to stay on full alert.

  I was relieved that the police knew what was happening and were coming, and that Alder knew. He would have told the others by now and they were no doubt doing spells for my protection. I also had done spells for my protection, but I was still worried. Who wouldn’t be?

  Yet what motive could the murderer or murderers possibly have? I had no idea. What connection was there between Benedict, Laura, and Sarah? If Benedict was the target, then Laura simply could have been there at the wrong time, and the same could be said for Benedict if Laura had been the target. Yet what did either of them have to do with Sarah? I remembered that Sarah was a journalist. Benedict was a famous food critic, and he had said he had a scoop for her, so there was a connection right there. It might not have anything to do with the murder, but it was a plausible strand of evidence for a possible motive.

  There was also the possibility that one person was the target, and the other two had been murdered to cover up that fact, to throw the police off the track.

  I wondered if anyone else could be on the island, someone undetected, but I thought it unlikely. The cooking school resort was the only building on the island, and the wind had been furious. I supposed there was the possibility that someone had been hiding in the tunnels, and had only left their cover when they heard us coming. Yet for what purpose? Obviously to murder someone, I thought.

  I sat on a chair and rubbed my tense neck. I wondered what the dripping sound was, and then realized I was still soaking wet and needed a hot shower. There was no way I was going to walk to my room alone, and I didn’t want just one person to accompany me there. Everyone was standing around looking at each other. I spoke up. “Would you all walk me to my room, please? I’m soaking wet and I don’t want to go alone.”

  “You’re safe now that the murderer’s been locked up,” Mandy said.

  “But what makes you think he’s the murderer?” Lisa said. “We don’t know for sure. It’s just as likely to be one of us. I, for one, won’t be taking any chances. It had to be Vanessa—who else had the opportunity to murder Sarah?”

  “Someone could have sneaked out and done it,” Abby said. “Some of us took bathroom breaks and you can’t see the bathroom door from here. Lisa, you took a long shower break, didn’t you? And Mandy, you were an awfully long time making coffee. The first tunnel isn’t very long. Anyone could’ve sneaked out there and waited for Sarah.”

  “I’m afraid your shower will have to wait, Amelia.” I swung around at Owen’s voice. I hadn’t even seen Owen and Michael return. “We’ll need to bag Vanessa’s shirt as evidence.”

  Vanessa jumped to her feet. “Over my dead body!”

  I couldn’t believe she had just said that. She continued to screech, clutching her hands over her chest. “You’re not having my shirt!”

  “Yes, we are.” Michael took a step toward her, and she backed up against the dining table. “Abby and Amelia will escort you to your room, and wait until you change.” He walked over to Abby and handed her a large plastic bag. “Abby, have Vanessa put the shirt in there—make sure you don’t touch it. Then tie a knot in the bag tightly and bring it back to me. We’ll put it in the cool room with the bodies.”

  Vanessa stomped her foot. “Keep away from me!”

  “You have two choices, Vanessa,” Michael said firmly. “We either lock you in a room until the police come, or you can stay out here with the rest of us on the condition that you give us your shirt.”

  Vanessa’s cheeks puffed up like those of a two-year-old child about to have a tantrum. She appeared to be thinking it over. “Fine!” she snapped. “I’m doing this under protest. And I’m going to make a written complaint to…” She appeared to be trying to figure out to whom she could make the complaint, and failed. “I am going to make a complaint!”

  Owen nodded to Abby. “Come on, Amelia. The two of you take Vanessa to her room and make sure you get her shirt. Make sure she doesn’t wash it first. She has to take it straight off and put it in the bag. Don’t take your eyes off her. Don’t take too long, because Michael and I have to go and get, um, the body and put it in the cool room with the others.” His face was ashen.

  Abby and I trailed behind a furious Vanessa. I wondered if she would slam the door on our faces before we got into her room, but Abby must have been anticipating that as well, because she barged straight in as soon as Vanessa unlocked the door.

  “I’m just going to the bathroom to take off my shirt, and you two can wait out here,” Vanessa said imperiously.

  Abby shook her head. “No, we have to watch you at all times.”

  “Why?” Vanessa said angrily. “What do you think I’m going to do?”

  “That was the deal,” Abby said. “Either give us your shirt now, in this room, or Owen and Michael will lock you up.”

  I wondered how Abby was managing to stay so calm.

  “Fine!” Vanessa stormed over to the dresser and pulled out another shirt. “Can I ask you to have the common decency to shut your eyes? I’ll stand right here and you’ll hear if I move. I don’t like people looking at me.”

  Abby and I exchanged glances, and Abby nodded slightly. “All right then, but make it fast. Owen and Michael are waiting.” She handed her the plastic bag.r />
  Vanessa snatched it and turned her back to us.

  Abby shut her eyes, and I did, too. Moments later, I heard a rustling sound, and I assumed that Abby was pushing the shirt into the bag. Right at that moment, there was a clap of thunder. I instinctively opened my eyes. There was a mirror to the side of the wall, and in it I saw Vanessa clearly. She had a nasty scar on her chest. For a moment, I had a rare pang of sympathy for her. I immediately shut my eyes again.

  “Finished! Are you happy now?”

  I opened my eyes and saw Abby had already opened hers. Vanessa viciously thrust the bag at her. “And now I’d like to have a shower, in private. If you ladies don’t want to watch, would you be so kind as to wait out here for me. And Amelia, remove yourself from my bed. You’re dripping all over it.”

  I moved to stand near the door where I was dripping puddles of water only on the tiles. Despite the humidity, I was beginning to shiver, and I hoped her shower would be fast.

  It was not to be. Vanessa’s shower was no doubt the longest shower in the history of the earth, and I was sure it was just to spite me.

  When she finally emerged, I was shaking and hungry. “Come along, Amelia,” Abby said. “We’ll take you to your room. You’re shivering.”

  When we reached my door, I asked them to wait while I checked the rooms. I felt a little silly doing so, but I wanted to be careful. When I saw the room was clear, I thanked them and locked the door.

  I stood under the shower for ages, thankful for the hot water. I was stressed to the max. This was an absolute nightmare. I wanted to wash away the memory of seeing Sarah, and Benedict and Laura for that matter. The hot water revived me somewhat, and the heat on my neck made me realize just how tense my muscles had been. The water stung my blisters, but that was the least of my worries. My calves were still aching, but I was too tense to enjoy a long hot bath. There were numerous suspects, yet no clear motive. My goal was to remain alive until the police arrived, and I would have a far better chance of doing so if I knew the identity of the murderer.

  After I toweled myself dry and dressed, I rubbed some cream on my heels. The blisters were raw and peeling, so I decided to stay barefoot. That’s when it dawned on me. How was I going to get out of my room? I felt so silly. I should have asked the others to return in fifteen minutes. Now I would either have to stay in my room, or go back to the dining room where I assumed the others were still gathered.