by Mollie Bryan
The gaggle of girls interrupted her reverie with their laughter.
Viv took another drink and tried to ignore them.
Her thoughts turned to Eliza and trying to figure out what happened. Was it as simple as her trying to do a ritual in the game and accidentally poisoning herself? On the one hand, it made sense. If a person was smart enough to advance in the game, wouldn’t they be smart enough to know not to ingest harmful herbs? Nor to poison themselves.
One would think.
But she was only nineteen., and if Eliza had been anything like Viv at that age, she was probably naïve, if not stupid. Viv rolled her eyes. She wished she could erase her own nineteenth year. But, alas, that was impossible. That was the year she and Willa had gotten to know one another, had started their own hacking business, which helped them both (and others) to get through college. Then they were busted. Thank goodness she didn’t serve jailtime, but she plead guilty and served the community for a year. Even so, it was a bust that would follow Viv forever. No computer game company wants a hacker on staff. And the one that gave her a chance let her go immediately when there was financial trouble. She understood that. Viv didn’t blame anybody, but herself.
She’d have to freelance if she’d ever again do what she loved.
Viv sipped the last bit of chocolate out of her sea-green cup. If she could lick the cup, she would.
She picked up her phone and dialed the number on the flyer.
“Esmeralda,” the voice said on the other end of the phone. Esmeralda? Where had Viv just heard that name? It was unusual enough that it stuck with her.
“Hi, I’m interested in Bella’s Grimoire Spirit Potion.”
“Great,” she said. “Usually I meet with customers at the park, but I’m so busy today I don’t think I can leave my room.”
“Okay,” Viv said. “Where are you located?”
“We are staying in the huge pink B & B in town. Sweet Victoria’s B & B?”
Viv’s heart lurched. Yes, of course, now she remembered Esmeralda, the customer in the Rose Room, who demanded fresh towels—several times a day.
Chapter 15
Viv needed to speak with Aunt Libby, pronto. She almost ran to the B & B. She checked in the kitchen, the conservatory, and the library. No Aunt Libby. She dialed her cell phone.
“Viv?” she answered. “Where are you?”
“I’m in the kitchen.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. I’m in the basement finishing the laundry. I’ll be right there.”
The basement! She hadn’t checked the basement.
Libby walked in the room with an armful of towels and pillowcases. She plopped them down on the table. Viv sat and the two of them folded the warm linen.
“What’s wrong, Viv?”
Viv explained what she’d discovered. “What should I do? Call the police?”
“Absolutely not. She’s a guest here. So she sells herbal remedies. That doesn’t mean she sold it to Eliza. And that doesn’t mean she’s up to no good. Although...I don’t approve of her running a business out of the Rose Room.” One of her eyebrows lifted.
“What else do you know about her?” Viv asked.
“Not much. She’s quiet. Pretty much stays in her room. I’ve noted she does go out once in awhile. She’s been here two weeks, which is unusual. I’ve had others come in and stay a week for the Spring Fling, but not two. And she shows no sign of leaving.” Libby shrugged. “But she’s a paying customer. So it’s entirely up to her how long she stays.”
Viv folded a white towel. “She’s expecting me.”
“Okay,” Libby said after a few seconds. “I don’t see the harm in you purchasing the brew. And while you’re in there, look around. What’s she doing with all those towels ?”
Viv nodded and continued folding. “I’ll do that. Then I’m taking the bottle to the police.”
“What?”
“Listen, I know she’s a customer, but if her herbal brew killed Eliza, we need to know that. God knows how many other kids have bought it since she’s been here.”
Libby sat back in her chair. “Well, all right. We don’t need to let her know we’re doing it. If she’s guilty, so be it. We’ll handle it.”
Viv stood after folding the last towel. “Wish me luck.”
Libby half-smiled at her. “Don’t drink it. You’ll be fine.”
Viv rapped on the door of the Rose Room. A tiny, birdlike woman in her forties opened the door. “Esmeralda? I’m Viv. We just talked on the phone.”
“Yes, yes, come in,” she said, waving her forward. She opened the door and walked across a path of towels. Viv paused.
“I never walk on carpet in a hotel or B & B. Not clean, if you ask me.”
“Oh, I see,” Viv said and followed her to the chairs, also draped in towels.
“Please have a seat,” she said.
Viv sat on the towel-covered chair. Her palms sweaty, she was seized by an impulse to buy the potions and get out of this room.
And then she and Libby needed to figure out how to coax this woman out of the establishment.
“Hello?” The woman said waving her hands. “Are you okay?”
“Oh yes,” Viv said, thinking fast. “I’m just tired. Up half the night playing games.”
Esmeralda walked over to her with a green bottle. “The game is fun, but shut it off to get some sleep.”
Viv nodded and handed her cash. As she did so, she noted the stock of bottles on the dresser, most were green bottles, but also a few purples. “Is there a difference between the purple and the green?”
She smiled. “Yes. The purple is for returning customers.”
The green bottle filled with the herbal brew felt cold in Viv’s hands. “Is there another level to the game?”
“I can’t give it all away, can I?”
Viv had figured the ritual was the last act in the game. If there was more, she didn’t know it. She didn’t think there was. So, why were people returning? Odd. But she was sitting in a chair covered in towels, which she had gotten to by walking on a path of towels. So, oddness was the usual.
“Of course not,” Viv replied, standing. “Thanks so much for the potion.”
“Certainly. Thanks for the business.”
As Viv walked backed toward the door, she saw a photo of Esmeralda and a man. Was that who she thought it was? She picked it up off the table. “What a lovely photo.” Her heart pounded in her chest.
“Thanks. That’s our engagement photo.”
“Wow. Congrats.” Viv placed the photo back on the table.
“He’s a wonderful man,” she said with a goofy grin on her face.
Was he? Viv tried to smile back. He was the same man who helped her that day in the cemetery. The same man who was walking with Peggy. The same man who was a substitute teacher at the high school. Mr. Paul.
Chapter 16
Viv skirted around the B & B, seeking Aunt Libby. Finally, she delved downstairs into the basement and found her folding sheets.
“What’s wrong? You look as if you just saw a ghost.” She dropped the sheet.
As Viv explained what she saw and the link between Mr. Paul and Esmeralda, Libby’s eyes grew wider and wider. “Do you have the bottle?”
Viv held it up.
“I think it’s best if we just take it to the station,” Libby said and drew in air. “I don’t want to disturb a guest unless it’s necessary.”
“Aunt Libby, she’s troubled. Whether she made the potion that killed Eliza, she has towels on the floors and furniture. You should take steps to remove her,” Viv said.
Libby laughed. “I’ve seen everything in this business. Stick around and you’ll see everything, too. She’s not harming anybody, just making us work more.” She waved her hand. “You’d not believe some of the things I’ve found. People and their oddities...” She looked off into the distance.
Impatient, Viv snapped her fingers. “Aunt Libby! Let’s go. You might be used to this, but I�
�m not and it makes me very uncomfortable.”
She laughed again. “Okay, let’s go. We’ll turn over the potion to the police.”
“And find out about Mr. Paul. What is he up to?” Viv said as the two of them walked up the stairs.
“I’m certain he’s not local,” Libby replied. “I’d never heard of him before all this.”
Viv led her toward the front door. “But Peggy said he’s a teacher.”
Libby shrugged.
They opened the door, exited the house, and began walking down the street toward the police station, for the second time that day. And that was never a good thing. They walked along past the quaint shops and elegant iron fences until they reached the station. As they entered, Viv smiled at the receptionist, who was a different woman.
“I’m so glad this is a different woman. The other creeped me out,” Viv whispered.
“Linda? Oh, she’s okay. She’s Willoughby’s wife,” Aunt Libby said.
As they approached her, Aunt Libby stepped forward. “Why hello. How is your grandmother?”
The woman looked up with her weak chin and bright blue eyes, smiling. “She’s home from the hospital. Thanks for asking. Now what can I do for you?”
“Can we speak with Willoughby or Jacobs,” Libby said.
“Sure. Jacobs is off today. His wife went into labor this morning!”
She picked up the phone, and within moments Libby and Viv were following her down the gray hallway to an open room full of desks. A few people sat at their computers. Other people were on the phone. Viv and Libby spotted Willoughby at the corner desk.
“How can I help you, ladies?”
Viv recounted the story and handed him the potion.
“Thanks,” he said. “Are you sure the man in the photo was Jack Paul?”
“Absolutely.”
“Now if it turns out this woman has poisoned Eliza, can my B & B be implicated?” Libby said.
“Only if you’re hiding something for her. You’ve done the best thing by bringing me the potion and telling me you saw that photo.” His expression, puzzled, then wary. “He was just here and didn’t mention a girlfriend.”
“Why would he?” Libby asked.
“No reason. But we asked for names to give him an alibi for the 24 hours before Eliza’s death and you’d think she’d be on that list. But it’s all men.”
“Curious,” Libby said. “When did she die?”
“Sometime around midnight,” he said. “In any case, I’ll get this analyzed and let you know what I find. It could just be a coincidence.”
“There’s something off about the woman,” Viv said. “I don’t know if she poisoned anybody, but I do know she’s got issues.”
“Sounds like it. We’ll check into her background. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I’ll let Edwards know.”
“Sure thing,” Libby said and waved as they walked away.
The air felt fresh on Viv’s skin and sweet in her lungs, pleased she may have helped the case. She’d feel a lot more content if the police found Eliza’s killer and put him or her away for good. A nagging sensation pricked at her: a good friend of hers once killed someone. She had been right under Viv’s nose. Could that be the case now? If so, how to find out? She drew in air. She wasn’t acquainted with that many folks yet. The ones she had been are in jail or dead. Present company excluded, of course.
Chapter 17
When they arrived at the B & B, there was a message waiting at the foyer desk. It was from Esmeralda, who was asking if she could stay in her room for another week.
“Did you tell her no?” Viv wanted her out of the B & B, more than she wanted to spy on her.
“I told her she could stay a few more days, but the room is booked after that..” Aunt Libby shrugged. “I may have to buy more towels.”
“That room won’t be easy to clean,” Viv said. “I can see why she asked for it not to be cleaned during her stay. She’s got so much stuff in there.”
“Speaking of cleaning...” Aunt Libby said.
“Okay, okay. Which rooms do I need to clean?”
“Just the Lilac Room,” she said and walked toward the kitchen.
After breakfast the next day, Viv’s cell phone rang. It was Officer Willoughby.
“Yes?”
“Viv? This is Officer Willoughby.”
“Yes?”
“The labs came back on the potion, and it’s negative for any harmful substance.”
Viv’s heart dropped to her feet. She was so certain this is what happened to Eliza. “But she was poisoned, right?”
“Affirmative. But not by what you brought us.”
The wind left Viv. She didn’t know what to say. What to think.
“Viv?”
“I’m still here.”
“Thank you for trying. And thanks for the lead on Jack Paul.”
“Wait. Are you sure about this? That was an awful fast response time from the lab, right?” She said.
“That’s one of the benefits of living in a small town with little crime,” he said. “Once again, thanks for the lead.”
“Sure,” she said before clicking off.
The image of Eliza’s face popped into Viv’s mind. She wanted justice for her. But Viv seemed to be following the wrong path. Where else could Eliza have gotten poison and who gave it to her? Viv’s mind raced. Maybe they’d been following the wrong path the whole time. Maybe Eliza’s death had nothing to do with the game. Maybe it was set up to mock it, but it had nothing to do with it. Maybe the killer put the mirror and other items by Eliza’s body to throw the police off track. Why kill a beautiful young woman with her whole life in front of her?
She knew that murder was usually committed by someone the victim knew. A boyfriend? A girlfriend? A father? Mother? Viv couldn’t imagine anybody in her family had committed such a heinous act.
Her chest felt heavy. Fresh air. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and went outside for a walk. As she walked along the quaint streets, she thought about how lovely this place was, yet how underneath it was very sinister. Since she’d been here, there’d been two murders. The scent of chocolate stopped her in her tracks. Did she have the time before dinner for a quick cup of hot chocolate at Cee-Cee’s? She glanced at her phone. Yes, but it would have to be quick.
As she sat down with her hot drink, she spotted Irene, Stu’s wife, sitting at the corner table. She started to wave to her, but a man blocked her sight path. She almost choked on her drink when she saw who it was—Jack Paul.
Irene’s husband, Stu died about six months ago, and given the circumstance of his death, Viv saw nothing wrong with the Irene and Wes, together, cozy, in the corner. His arm draped over her shoulder. But. Wasn’t he engaged to Esmeralda? Calm down, maybe Stu’s wife was a good friend of his. Viv shouldn’t jump to conclusions
She stirred her hot chocolate, drawing in the scent and staring deep into the brown frothy brew, as if it held all the answers. She didn’t want to look away from her drink. She breathed in and out, trying to settle her stomach, which waved and roiled. She was being ridiculous—wasn’t she?
Viv looked up again, with a perfect view, and his cheek pressed against hers as if he’d just kissed her. Okay, not just friends, then. Looked like he was playing the field. She refrained from rolling her eyes—she knew there was something suspicious about him. Turns out he’s just a cad. Chuffed that her “prick” radar was working, Viv went back to enjoying her drink.
Poor Esmeralda.
Poor Irene.
Another couple went by, temporarily obscuring her view. When they settled in, Viv saw that Wes was readying to leave. He bent over and kissed Irene. That was not a friendly kiss. Might have even have had tongue involved. Once again, she stopped herself from rolling her eyes. He was so gross. What did Irene see in him?
He exited the shop without looking her way. Irene sat sipping her drink and gazing dreamily out the window.
Maybe he’d broken up with E
smeralda. Though it was just yesterday she’d seen the photo. Curiosity brewed until she couldn’t stand it anymore. She stood and walked over to Irene.
“Hello, Viv! How nice to see you. Please join me. I’m so glad to see you. I’ve been meaning to call.”
Viv sat and smiled. “Call?”
“Yes, I wanted to ask when you’d like to start working.” She was a startlingly beautiful woman. Viv wondered what she’d seen in her dead husband, or saw in Wes, both plain, drab sorts. Or at least to Viv.
“Anytime,” she replied and took a drink of chocolate. “Was that Mr. Paul I saw here?”
She blushed. “Yes, we’ve started dating.”
Viv felt her face fall.
Irene’s fingers splayed against her chest. “Do you know him?”
“Yes,” she said. “Sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
“I met him the day I...you know...found Eliza’s body. He was walking his dog.” She paused. “He was helpful. I kind of freaked out.”
“I bet.” She beamed. “He’s that kind of man, though. Not like Stu, so harsh and judgmental. I’m sorry. I know you were a friend of his.”
“Not really,” Viv said. “I worked for him exactly one day. My friend...was involved with him”—wow, could this conversation get more awkward?—“but I never saw them together.”
Irene frowned. “I understand.”
“How long have you been dating?”
“I just started. Jack is so kind and so cute, and I just couldn’t say no. I know people might think I’m dating too early and maybe I am. But you’ve got to take the first leap sometime.”
Viv couldn’t care less about when Irene started dating. What she wanted was information on WHO she was dating.
“Listen,” Irene said, after taking her last sip. “I’ve got to run. When would you like to start?”