Beauty In Death

by D E Dennis

  “Mister and Missus Cadal,” Monica began, “I’m sorry for what’s happened, and I’m sure you want to get to the hospital as soon as possible.”

  Claudia sniffled. “We want to be by Beauty’s side, but we had to make sure the police were doing everything they could to catch her attacker. Thank goodness you’re both here. We want to help you as best we can so ask your questions.”

  Monica looked around at the gawkers. “Would it be possible for us to go somewhere more private?”

  “We can step out into the hall,” said Charles.

  Michael was struck by how different Charles looked now compared to just thirty minutes ago. Without the righteous mission of detaining all the suspects and facing down obstinate cops, he had nothing to distract him from the horrible situation he found himself in. Whether she was attacked or not, his daughter met with a horrible fall and was now fighting for her life in a cold, sterile hospital. The shock of that aged him twenty years and made him look a pale, washed-out copy of the handsome man who used to stand in his place.

  They stopped just a few feet from the doors.

  “So,” Monica began. “Would you mind talking us through the night, from before the guests arrived to when your daughter was found?”

  Claudia wiped a stray tear away and cleared her throat. “The guests started arriving at six, but the party didn’t officially start until six thirty. We sat down to dinner, and when everything was cleared away, we put the music on. She left the party, and when it came time to start the movie and she still hadn’t returned, I sent Marcus and James to look for her and... and...”

  “Any arguments or fights spring up between Beauty or anyone else tonight?”

  “No,” she wailed. “Everything was going perfectly. Beauty was having such a good time.”

  Monica paused to let Claudia collect herself. When her tears slowed, she continued. “What about before the party? Were there any run-ins with the staff?”

  Charles shook his head. “No. Beauty didn’t deal with the staff. Only we did, and Malia of course.”

  “What about the people in Beauty’s life? Is there anyone who would want to hurt your daughter?”

  They were shaking their heads before she finished the question.

  “Everyone loved Beauty,” Charles said firmly. “No one would want to hurt her.”

  Michael suddenly piped up. “But yet you feel strongly that someone did. Why is that?”

  Their faces changed, going from sorrowful to serious. Claudia and Charles shared a look.

  “This has... happened before,” Charles answered reluctantly.

  Michael’s eyes sharpened. “What? Someone made an attempt on your daughter’s life before? Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because we were never sure,” Charles replied. “When Beauty was eighteen, she was run off the road near Siren Woods by some reckless nut. She wrapped her car around a tree but walked away without a scratch. Then when she was nineteen, she was almost hit by a falling studio light. We chalked them up to accidents, because she had never received any threats and the incidents were over a year apart, but then it happened again. A couple of months ago, she was out with friends when her drink was found to have strawberry juice in it.”

  “Strawberries?” Monica asked.

  “Beauty is severely allergic to strawberries,” Claudia answered. “It was only by chance that her friend took a sip of her drink first and warned her. After that, we started to get worried something was going on. We hired extra security and warned Beauty to be careful.” Claudia’s face crumpled. “But we should have done more! We knew something was wrong! We could have stopped this!”

  “Mrs. Cadal, you did everything you could do,” Monica said soothingly. “And now we’re going to do everything we can do to help your daughter. If you can tell us who Beauty was close to, we’ll begin questioning them while you go and be with her.”

  “Thank you. Charles can tell you what you need to know. I am going to get changed.” She took off down the hall and the siblings turned to Charles.

  “Beauty has so many friends,” Mr. Cadal said. “But she’s particularly close to Emma French and Minnie Choi. They are also students at Castle Rock University. There is also Beauty’s boyfriend, Gabriel Silva. All three of them are in the ballroom so—”

  “We’ll speak to them, Mr. Cadal. You go ahead.”

  Charles didn’t need to be told twice. “My phone will be on. Call me if you find out anything. Anything,” he repeated. “I don’t care what time it is.”

  They nodded, and he took off.

  Monica turned to Michael when the sound of his footsteps faded. “What do you think?”

  “I think this keeps getting stranger,” he said softly. “Three attempts on her life, spaced out over three years, but no threats made.”

  “Maybe there were no threats made because they really were accidents. Maybe tonight was too, but paranoia is making the Cadals think otherwise.”

  Michael shook his head. “No. I have a feeling their instincts are right. No one is that unlucky to have so many brushes with death.”

  “I would say she was lucky. She walked away from three brushes with death.”

  “Until now,” he said gravely. “If this wasn’t an accident then we’re not only dealing with a smart, patient, and crafty would-be killer. We’re facing one who can be in two places at once.”

  Monica shivered. “I can’t even imagine that. Someone watching her, following her around for years, just biding their time. Who could hate her that much?”

  Michael looked toward the ballroom. “Let’s find out.”

  MONICA AND MICHAEL assisted Samira and Spencer with collecting names and statements. Unsurprisingly, most guests refused to be searched. They worked through the guest list until there were only a dozen people left.

  The siblings requested that Beauty’s friends and boyfriend stay behind, along with Malia Diragoni and the staff that worked the party. The twelve of them gathered near the platform, watched over by Spencer and Samira.

  “Gabriel?” Monica called out. “Can we talk to you for a second?”

  Gabriel peeled himself off the stage and loped over to the dining table that Michael and Monica had chosen as their interview space. Samira was right behind him.

  “I will be listening in,” Samira said in response to their unasked question. “We were called in. We won’t sit idly by if there truly is an attacker on the loose.”

  “Attacker?” Gabriel said, frowning. “You guys serious?”

  His frown did nothing to mar his handsome face. Sharp cheekbones, piercing brown eyes, pointed nose, and a chin that looked like it was chiseled out of a slab of granite.

  “We don’t have proof,” Monica said, “but we are looking at this as an attempt on Beauty Cadal’s life. Her parents tell us there have been more than one.”

  Samira’s eyes narrowed, but Gabriel rolled his. “Not the strawberry juice thing again. That was just an accident. Some overworked bartender mixed up the drinks. It’s not like Beauty drank it. Emma took a sip from the wrong glass, warned her, and the night went on.”

  “What about the studio light?”

  “Those things are falling all the time, aren’t they? Look, Beauty didn’t even take all that seriously.” Gabriel brushed his curly locks out of his eyes. “She thought her parents were overreacting especially with the guards. She ordered them away half the time.”

  “So you don’t know of anyone who wanted to hurt Beauty? Anyone ever threaten her?”

  He shrugged. “Nah, dude. I mean, some people were jealous of her, for sure. She’s hot and rich and dating me.” He smiled broadly, either completely unaware of how arrogant that sounded or completely uncaring. “She got some nasty comments on her blog but that’s it.”

  “Blog?”

  “Yep,” he said, leaning back in his seat. “Beauty runs a fashion blog, Beauty isn’t Skin Deep. She’s a fashion major at CRU. They all had to make one for class, but hers got popular so
she kept it up.”

  “And people have sent her weird messages? Is there a way for us to see them?”

  He shook his head, curls swinging. “She deletes the stupid ones right away. It’s just dumb, petty stuff, nothing to do with anything.”

  “What about tonight, Mr. Silva? Beauty is getting nasty messages. She keeps meeting with accidents, and now, she takes a tumble down the stairs and her phone goes missing. What do you think about that?”

  He sat up. “Her phone? Well, that is weird. Beauty never let that thing out of her sight. I wasn’t even allowed to touch it. You sure it wasn’t on her?”

  Samira answered this one. “A call to the hospital confirmed that she wasn’t brought in with a phone, and one wasn’t found anywhere near the staircase. Did you see her with the phone at any point tonight?”

  He scoffed. “She had her phone all night.”

  “How do you know?” Michael asked.

  “I saw it.” He jerked his thumb behind him. “The whole room saw it. Beauty was up on her throne, in full view of the party, texting away.”

  “Beauty fell right around nine o’clock. Where were you at that time?”

  Another scoff. “I was here waiting for the big countdown with everyone else.”

  Monica looked at Michael. He shook his head. “Thank you, Mr. Silva. That’s all for now. We’ll call you if we have any more questions.”

  Gabriel nodded, then rose to leave. He took a few steps before pausing. “It’s not...” He looked over his shoulder at them and Michael saw the arrogance was gone. “It’s not really possible, that she was pushed, right? I mean, no one would do that to her?”

  “We don’t have evidence to say she was attacked,” Samira said firmly. “But if she was, we’re going to catch the person who did this to her.”

  Gabriel looked at Samira directly. “Leave me in a room alone with him when you do.”

  With that chilling statement floating in the air, Gabriel stomped away and they turned their attention to the remaining people.

  “Minnie Choi,” Monica called out. “Can we speak to you?”

  A tiny, raven-haired figure broke away from the group to join them at the dining table. Minnie removed her mask to reveal a pretty, but kind-looking face. “It’s Choi Min Su, but everyone calls me Minnie.”

  “Minnie it is,” Monica replied. “Beauty’s parents tell me you’re one of her best friends.”

  She nodded. “Yep. Friends since freshman year. We’re both fashion majors too. I made this.”

  The this she was referring to was her intricate lace gown with a corset bodice.

  “Beautiful,” admired Monica. “So you also had the same blog project that Beauty did. Did you know about the problem she was having with hers? The nasty messages?”

  Minnie shrugged. “You spend more than five minutes on the internet, and you’re going to get trolled. I got nasty emails too. We both just deleted them and moved on.”

  “So there wasn’t anyone or anything that Beauty worried about?”

  Headshake. “No, just the opposite. She’s been flying high. Her blog has been doing well, and she’s starting to make real money. She was even contacted by a rep from the fashion magazine, Mirror, Mirror. They wanted to do a piece on young, entrepreneurial women who are dominating the fashion scene.”

  Monica asked her about Beauty’s brushes with death. She got another round of scoffing in response. “Her parents were always freaking over nothing. Just accidents. No big deal.”

  “How about tonight? Did you see anyone suspicious hanging a little too close to Beauty?”

  Minnie waved her mask at them. “Didn’t see anyone, and I wouldn’t have recognized them if I did.”

  “Where were you around nine o’clock?”

  “I was here on the dance floor waiting for Beauty to make her big entrance.”

  “Okay, that’s all I wanted to ask. Mira, you have any questions?”

  Samira shook her head. Monica let Minnie go with a wave while she called for Emma French.

  Emma heaved a sigh as she plopped down. “It’s about time. It’s almost midnight you know.”

  “We’re sorry to keep you up so late, Miss French,” Monica said politely. “We just have a few questions.”

  She flapped a hand at them. “So ask.”

  Monica tried another tack this time. “Tell us about the party.”

  She shrugged. “It was fun. Not her usual Beauty bash, but I think that’s what everyone liked about it.”

  “What made this party unusual?”

  Snorting, Emma waved her hand to encompass the space. “Buffet-style dinner, mashed potato bar, a DJ instead of a band, and a masquerade theme. A typical Beauty party is ten times more snobbish. Last year, she had a garden party complete with those ridiculous old lady hats and a harpist.”

  Monica nodded along but tried to steer the conversation back. “So did Beauty get into it with anyone?”

  “Not that I saw. She spent most of the night on the throne. I asked her to dance a few times, but she ignored me.”

  “Do you know a reason why someone would want to hurt her? All these accidents we’ve heard about. Strawberry juice in her cup. Falling lights. Seems strange.”

  “Not if you knew Beauty. The girl is gorgeous on the outside, but might have well have been a gargoyle on the inside.”

  Michael blinked at her bluntness. She sounded so matter-of-fact; as though, she was giving directions instead of bad-mouthing Beauty.

  “I thought you were Beauty’s best friend,” Michael said.

  She focused on him. Emma French was far from beautiful. Her face was a riot of acne and thin, stringy blonde hair hung in her face. Her only attractive feature was the striking gray eyes which were staring at him coldly.

  “Yeah, we’re friends. I’ve known Beauty for most of my life, and that’s just how she is. She is mean for no other reason than she can be and even though everyone else is going to lie and say she was an angel, you should know the truth if you’re going to find out who did this.”

  “So you believe she was pushed?” Michael asked.

  “Wouldn’t surprise me if she was. She pissed a lot of people off.”

  “Where were you at nine o’clock?” Monica asked, getting right to the point.

  “I was standing by the buffet table waiting for the big celebration.”

  “Alright, that’s all for now. Thank you.”

  Emma got to her feet without another word and strode away. Monica and Michael watched her go before turning to each other.

  “My money is on her,” Monica stated. “She calls herself Beauty’s friend, but it seems like she couldn’t stand her. I wouldn’t want a friend like that at my back while descending the stairs.”

  “Agreed, but you heard her. She was in this room with everyone else at the time and probably has witnesses and three oversized guards to back that up. We should focus on the people who could move about freely.”

  “Want to do this one by one or all together?”

  Michael got to his feet. “Let’s talk to them together and then take a look around. I haven’t seen where she fell yet.”

  Monica turned to Samira. “Mira, what do you think?”

  “Don’t mind me. I’m just observing the Grimm process in action, and it seems Michael does very little talking when he’s working too.”

  “You learn much more listening than you do talking.” Michael had repeated this mantra so many times over the years his sister once suggested he get it tattooed across his forehead. “Monica knows the right questions to ask, and I know the right things to look for. We make a good team that way.”

  “Don’t believe him, Mira,” Monica teased. “He just likes sticking me with most of the work.”

  Michael shrugged. “That too.”

  They spared a few chuckles, but quickly sobered when they approached the remaining people.

  Malia stepped out in front of them. “Darlings, ask your questions so these poor people can go home.
They’ve been on their feet all night.”

  Monica nodded. “Of course, Malia. We only have a few things we want to ask. Where were you all at nine o’clock this evening?”

  Malia placed her hand over her heart. “I was on stage getting ready to press start on the light show and movie.”

  The detectives shifted their attention to the black-pants-and-tie-clad servers.

  “We were here too,” one of the guys piped up. “Standing behind the buffet in case anyone wanted anything.”

  “No one left to go to the kitchen? The bathroom? Anywhere?”

  “We didn’t need to go to the kitchen,” another one spoke up. “We served all the food from the buffet line and had extra servings under the table. Some of us left the room a few times of course, but we were all together at nine.” She shrugged. “We wanted to see the light show too.”

  Monica inclined her head. “Okay, thanks. You all can go home, but, Malia, if you wouldn’t mind hanging back for a minute.”

  The servers tramped out while Malia lifted a penciled brow. “What can I do for you, love?”

  “You hire lots of people to put these parties together. Would you mind giving us a list of everyone who helped with the prep, the food, the decorations, and the electronics? Anyone who was in the house tonight that wasn’t an official guest.”

  “You think someone used me and the party to gain access to the house and attack poor Beauty? Darling, I can assure you I run background checks on everyone I employ. Year of the Dragon caters to the most upscale clientele. I don’t have just anyone running around these people’s homes.”

  “I’m sure you’re very thorough,” Samira said. “But we do need to cover our bases.”

  With obvious reluctance, Malia exchanged contact information and agreed to pass on the list of everyone she invited on the Cadal’s property. After that was done, they let her go and turned to each other.

  Spencer folded his arms. “So? Did the friends or the boyfriend give you anything?”

  Monica shook her head. “Only one admitted Beauty may have had enemies, but all confirmed they were in the ballroom at the time she fell.”