by Morgana Best
The aunts were all sitting at the kitchen table when I burst through the back door. “There’s a dead man on the beach!” I said. “I have to call the police.”
A collective gasp of shock went up from the table. “But who?” Aunt Maude said.
“No idea.” I hurried from the room to get my phone. I called triple zero and explained the situation to the police. After I made the call, I turned around to see all three aunts looking at me. I sat back down on the sofa, barely missing Hecate who was stretched out, purring. How does one small cat manage to take up an entire sofa? “When I was coming back from a walk on the beach, I saw something washed up near the big rocks. I went over and saw it was the body of a dead man. It looked like a shark got him.”
“I saw the shark boat flying over earlier,” Aunt Maude said. “I believe they closed the beach today because of shark sightings.”
“Shush, Maude,” Aunt Agnes said. “Can’t you see Valkyrie is upset?”
Aunt Dorothy picked up her knitting, and soon her needles were clicking away. “I wonder if it’s the serial killer? You know, those bodies down the coast a little south of here? At first they thought they were shark or dog attacks, but then they thought it was the work of a serial killer. It’s all over the news.”
My hand flew to my mouth. “I hadn’t even thought of that! What if there’s a serial killer around here?” I trembled and pulled my coat around me.
“You should light the fire, Agnes,” Dorothy said.
“It’s not winter yet,” Agnes said.
Dorothy grunted. “Does it matter? Valkyrie’s cold.”
“Well, go and make her a nice cup of hot tea,” Aunt Agnes said in an imperious tone. “The police should be here in a moment.”
“I told them the body was at the beach. That new guest, Scorpius Everyman, is down there with the body.”
By the time the detectives arrived to question me, I had consumed a whole goblet of Witches’ Brew and a cup of sugary tea. I was relieved to see Detective Mason and Detective Oakes. At least they knew who I was, and were familiar with the aunts and the manor.
They at once ushered the aunts out of the room, and asked me to give them my account.
“And did you recognise him?” Detective Oakes asked me.
I shook my head. “No. He was face down in the water.” I shuddered as I said it. That was a sight I would never be able to un-see.
“We’ll have to ask you to come down to the station to give your statement later, once the Task Force arrives,” Detective Mason said.
“Task Force?” I asked him.
Mason and Oakes exchanged glances. “Yes, the shark attacks,” Mason added.
I nodded. I was on the point of asking them about serial killers, but I realised they wouldn’t tell me, so it would be an exercise in futility.
They asked me the usual questions, and I was dismayed that being questioned about a homicide was becoming familiar to me.
When they finished questioning me, I showed them to the door, surprised to see it was raining. I was halfway through shutting it, when I saw Linda’s car pull up. I beckoned to her furiously.
“What are you doing, Valkyrie?” Aunt Agnes said behind me. “We’re all anxious to hear what the detectives said.”
“I’ll tell you when Linda comes inside,” I said.
Aunt Agnes pursed her lips, but Linda was too close for her to complain. The aunts knew Linda was a Shifter wolf, but while Dorothy and Maude were fine with it, Agnes harboured some small measure of resentment, no matter to what degree she said otherwise.
“What’s happened?” Linda asked me, shaking the rain from her hair. “I was just on my way to return the keys to the cottage. No one was home earlier when I collected the last of my stuff.”
“I was home,” I said. “I must have slept through you knocking.”
Aunt Maude interrupted us. “Let’s all go into the kitchen and talk. Would you like to join us for dinner, Linda?”
Aunt Agnes’s face blackened, but I smiled encouragingly.
“I’d love to, only if you’re sure it’s no trouble?”
Aunt Maude assured her that it wasn’t, and took her arm.
Soon Aunt Agnes was dishing up the food, and the rest of us were sitting at the vast dining room table, the last vestiges of sunlight wending their way through the hideous, faded lace curtains.
I explained the events to Linda. When I finished, she asked, “Do you think it’s that serial killer who has been working down south?”
Aunt Maude nodded. “That’s exactly what I said, didn’t I, Dorothy?”
Dorothy looked up from her knitting. “Yes, you did say that, Maude, the serial killer who makes his victims look like shark attacks, or some sort of animal attack, at any rate.”
I tapped my chin. “But why would a murderer make his or her victims look as if they’d been attacked by animals? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“The murderer must be a man.” Maude nodded knowingly.
“That’s right,” Dorothy piped up. “Everyone knows that poison is the female murderer’s method of choice.”
“Don’t be so sexist, you two,” Agnes snapped at them over her shoulder. “We don’t know if it’s a man or a woman. Besides, I agree with Valkyrie. Why would a serial killer try to make it look like an animal attack?”
Everyone shrugged. Aunt Agnes busied herself placing a bowl in front of us. “Eat up. It’s stirred fried flat rice noodles with basil and vegetables. Help yourselves to any sauces.” She gestured to five bottles on a silver tray in the centre of the table.
Maude immediately seized the salt shaker and poured a hefty amount of salt over her food. Agnes snatched the salt shaker from her. “Have you tasted it yet, Maude?” Maude sighed and shook her head. “Then how do you know whether it needs salt or not?” Before Maude could answer, Agnes began her familiar tirade over salt, about how she could not tolerate people who put salt on their food without tasting it first.
“Would anyone like some wine?” Dorothy asked, clearly as a diversion.
Everyone, even Linda, said they would like wine. I wondered why Aunt Dorothy was being so coy as to call it ‘wine’ rather than ‘Witches’ Brew.’ She was fully aware that Linda knew we were vampires, and we all knew Linda was a Shifter wolf. It was out in the open, so there was no need for pretence.
I couldn’t sit through a night of awkwardness, skirting around the topic. I decided to say something. “Look, we’re vampires and Linda is a Shifter. We all know this to be the case. There’s no point beating about the bush. Let’s not be shy about it.” I stopped talking and looked at the sea of shocked faces. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything, after all.
The black cat, Hecate, broke the silence with a loud meow. “Valkyrie is right,” Aunt Agnes pronounced, although she looked none too happy with me. The aunts were from an age when social niceties ruled, when no one mentioned the elephant in the room. Actually, I had no idea what era the aunts were from, as they hadn’t told me their true ages. They had confided in me that their elderly appearance was a ruse and had shown me what they actually looked like. They were stunningly gorgeous, but I was so used to seeing them as my elderly aunts that I tended to forget their subterfuge. “No one takes any notice of elderly ladies,” they constantly told me.
The aunts chatted with Linda and knitted away, while I zoned out, thinking of Scorpius Everyman. I couldn’t help but feel that his presence meant trouble somehow. After a while, I realised Linda was speaking to me. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“I said I’ve decided to rent here in town for six months, to give me time to sell my house, and then I’ll buy here.”
Aunt Agnes stopped knitting. “You won’t go back to prepare the house for sale?”
Linda shook her head. “Too many memories, and none of them pleasant. I’ll go back soon and clear out all Paul’s stuff, and then get a real estate agent. I’ve already contacted my lawyer to draw up the contract for sale. I really don’t have all
that many possessions. Paul and I had different tastes, and he wouldn’t let me buy anything. I have no friends back home. As you know, we used to come to Lighthouse Bay every year, and it’s the only place I’ve ever felt truly happy.”
There was a catch in Linda’s voice, and my heart went out to her. Aunt Maude clearly felt the same. “You don’t need to stay in a motel, Linda. You’re welcome to stay here, in the manor.”
Aunt Agnes shifted in her seat, but she remained silent.
Linda shook her head. “Thanks ever so much, but I’d rather be by myself, after everything that’s happened.”
After Linda left, I left the aunts knitting in the kitchen and had a long, hot bubble bath. I soaked in the frangipani-scented water for over half an hour, enjoying the warm water on my bruises, and turning into a wrinkled prune.
I was halfway through towelling myself dry when something tapped against the window. As my bathroom wasn’t on the ground floor, at first I thought it was a bird, but then it came again. I pulled my bathrobe around me, tied it tightly, and opened the old sash window a little. It was dark, the only light afforded by a sliver of the moon peeking through rain clouds.
I shut the window, but before I was halfway to the bathroom door, the noise came again. I opened the window fully and stuck my head out. This time, I saw a figure beckoning to me. I squinted for a bit, and then finally realised it was Lucas.
My heart skipped a beat.
I waved to signal I would be right there, and hurried downstairs. Unfortunately, I ran into Aunt Maude. I did not want to tell her I was about to have a clandestine meeting with Lucas. It was obvious that he wanted us to meet in secret, otherwise he would have knocked on the front door.
“Where are you going?” she asked me.
I tried to think up a suitable answer on the spot. “Um, err,” I stammered. “I just wanted to pick some rosemary from the garden to take to bed with me.”
It was a crazy excuse, and that was probably why it worked on Aunt Maude. She nodded as if it was the most sane thing in the world to say. “Well, don’t get too wet, dear. Pop those gumboots on before you go out.” She pointed to a huge pair of knee-high, black gumboots sitting inside the front door.
They were hideous, but at least they were practical. I had been on my way in bare feet. I tightened my bathrobe, pulled on the heavy gumboots, and stepped out the front door. My heart hammered, not only because I was about to see Lucas, but also because I was surely about to find out why he had avoided Scorpius Everyman.
Lucas was standing in the shadow of a tree. “Evening.” His voice was nothing more than a whisper. As I drew closer, he swept me to him, grazing my face with his lips as he bent to speak softly in my ear. “We can’t be seen together. You’re in grave danger, Pepper.”
His hands were warm on the small of my back. It was a good thing he held me tightly in his arms, because my legs went wobbly, like spaghetti.
His stubble pleasantly scratched against my cheek as he spoke again. “That man, the new guest…”
“Scorpius Everyman.”
Lucas placed his finger on my lips. “Don’t say his name.” Lucas pulled me tightly to him as he spoke. “Pepper, he’s a Cleaner.”
I gasped, being hit with more than one shock. Gone now was all pretence. I knew Lucas was a vampire, a Cleaner even; he knew I was a vampire, and we each knew that the other one knew.
Lucas was still speaking. “He’s dangerous, Pepper, more dangerous than you could possibly imagine. He’s cold-blooded and devious. He’ll stop at nothing. It’s imperative that we don’t do anything that could make him think I’m protecting you, because you and your aunts will be in even more danger.”
I managed to find my voice, difficult due to Lucas’s close proximity, his warm breath on my cheek, his solid body so close to mine. “What do you mean?” I squeaked.
“You need to remove my contact details from your phone—for now. We have to act as if we’re nothing to each other, nothing more than passing acquaintances living at the same boarding establishment.”
I wondered what exactly Lucas and I were to each other. He had kissed me briefly previously, and he had held my hand, although I was injured at the time. I was still wondering, when Lucas explained it only too clearly, yet not with words. His mouth was suddenly on mine, kissing me urgently. He tasted of Witches’ Brew, of cinnamon, cloves, and of promise. I clutched the back of his neck, but then it was over all too suddenly.
He held me away from him a little, and the moonlight punctuated the air between us. “We have to play it cool, Pepper,” he breathed. “We can’t be seen together. Warn your aunts about him. It is imperative that he doesn’t suspect any of you are vampires. Linda, especially, has to be careful. He doesn’t like Shifters. Go to any lengths to ensure that he doesn’t find out about any of you. You need to trust me on this. Here, I’ll watch you walk to the manor, to make sure you get inside safely.”
He brushed the hair from my face and gave me a little push.
I took one step, but he caught my arm and whispered, “Nice outfit.” It was only then I remembered the gumboots and bathrobe combination.
Blushing, I stumbled towards the cottage.
“Did you get the rosemary?” Aunt Maude asked me as soon as I stepped inside.
“No, something better,” I mumbled. I could still feel Lucas’s lips pressed to mine. “Let’s join the others in the living room. I have something important to tell you all.”
When we were all seated, I began. “It’s about Scorpius Everyman. Lucas told me in confidence that he’s a Cleaner.” The smiles vanished from the aunts’ faces immediately.
“You’re kidding!” Aunt Agnes said in horror, while the other two gasped and sputtered. “He knows we’re all vampires?”
I nodded. “Yes.” I didn’t want to go into it all, so I quickly added, “I figure Scorpius is pretending to be a private detective because he’s looking into the murders. The dead man I found washed up on the beach must be linked to the serial killings down south.”
Aunt Dorothy interrupted me. “But we all suspected that, didn’t we? Isn’t that obvious? Did Lucas tell you that?”
I shook my head.
“Please be quiet, Dorothy,” Aunt Agnes said waspishly. “Give Valkyrie a chance to speak.”
Aunt Dorothy glowered, but remained silent. I pushed on. “Lucas said we have to be very careful that this Cleaner doesn’t find out that any of us are vampires.” I paused. “Especially not that Linda is a werewolf.”
“A Shifter wolf,” Maude said. Aunt Agnes rolled her eyes.
I ignored her and pushed on. “Lucas told me I had to warn you all.”
They nodded vigorously.
“But if a Cleaner is looking into the serial killings, then the Cleaner must think those deaths were done by vampires or Shifters,” Aunt Agnes said thoughtfully, tapping her chin and looking off into the distance.
I nodded. “Yes, and Scorpius Everyman must have had some inside information about it. He must have traced the serial killer here and that’s why he arrived around the same time as this murder.”
Aunt Dorothy jumped to her feet. “This is a serious matter.”
Agnes muttered something I couldn’t hear, but I assumed it wasn’t complimentary. “Dorothy, you have a penchant for stating the obvious,” she added loudly.
Dorothy shook her head. “I mean, given what Lucas told Valkyrie, this Scorpius Everyman must suspect that we, and perhaps Linda, are involved in the killings.”
Chapter 5
I awoke the next morning, fuzzy headed. I made a beeline for the coffee machine and switched it on, making sure to insert the coffee capsule this time. What had all that been about with Lucas? At least my suspicions were vindicated—Scorpius Everyman was dangerous, after all. Lucas thought I might be in danger from Scorpius. Was it because I had found the body?
I needed to go back to my cottage. Logically, it would be better to stay with the aunts, given that a Cleaner was about, but I fe
lt safe in my little cottage, surrounded by my things, in my own personal space. I would have to broach the matter with the aunts when they woke up.
I fed Hecate, and then sat at the kitchen table to sip my coffee. After a while, I decided to make the second one, but then realised that the aunts were out of the coffee capsules I liked. I’d have to fetch them from my cottage. I grabbed my keys from the table and stepped outside the back door. To my surprise, Detective Mason and Detective Oakes were walking away from the direction of Harry Friar’s cottage. I slowed down, expecting them to speak to me, but they just nodded and kept walking. Harry Friar hurried out of his cottage muttering to himself. He stopped muttering when he saw me.
“Good morning, Mr Friar,” I said in a friendly fashion.
He walked over to me. “You found the body, didn’t you?”
I nodded.
“The police were here, telling me they’ve identified the body.” Before I could ask who it was, he pushed on. “It was my cousin.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” I said, but he waved my words away.
“My cousin and I didn’t get on, so now I’m worried.”
I took his meaning at once, and hurried to reassure him. “I’m sure lots of people don’t get on well with murder victims,” I said. “It doesn’t mean they’ll be suspects.”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand. The only reason I’m in town is that I came for the reading of my grandfather’s will. The police have asked me to stay around for goodness knows how long now. You see, my grandfather left everything in the world to my cousin, and nothing to me, but now that Joseph is gone, I’ll inherit everything. There was a considerable amount of property and money, so the police will think I killed him. That’s not really fair, because no one liked him, given that he worked for Ozfoneandnet and everything.”
My throat tightened and my stomach sank. “Your cousin wasn’t Joseph Maxwell, was he?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yes, did you know him?”