by K E O'Connor
“He was even comforting you, Abigail, after he found Edward,” Jen said.
“I know. He’s awfully sweet,” Abigail said. “I can’t imagine he’d do anything so awful.”
“We can’t all have an alibi for the time of Edward’s death. No alibi doesn’t automatically make you the killer,” I said.
“From my study of the corpse,” Selina said, “Edward died between nine o’clock at night and midnight. Most of us would be at home or asleep at that time.”
“Isn’t there twilight golfing on a Wednesday in summer?” I asked Selina. “Danny’s obsessed with golf. I’ve seen him going to the golf course in the evenings. Maybe he was there.”
“That’s right,” Selina said. “I’ve seen him there, sometimes. I wasn’t there this Wednesday, though. I can’t vouch for him if he was at the golf course.”
“If he was, he’d have told Nick,” Jen said. “There’d be no reason to hide his alibi. He must have been somewhere else. Maybe even doing something he wasn’t supposed to.”
“Danny’s not like that,” Abigail said. “I’ve not known him long, but he’s such a sweetheart. Nick’s getting things wrong.”
“It won’t be the first time.” I filled my plate again. “I’d still like to have a chat with Sebastian on my own, though. Nick spoiled my plan to talk to him when I went to the shelter. I want to hear Sebastian’s side of the story and rule him out as a suspect.”
“I can arrange that for you,” Jen said. “I’m volunteering there tomorrow. I’ll sneak you in and make sure Nick isn’t around. Like you, I don’t think it’s Sebastian. He’s a gentle zombie. He just gets possessive over his brains.”
“Nick’s warned me off of getting involved,” I said. “He told me to keep my nose out. But given the tight deadline we have to work to, I figure he’d appreciate all the help he can get.”
“I doubt he’ll appreciate it if you mess up his investigation,” Selina said. “In fact, he told me not to reveal any case details to you.”
“He did?” I frowned.
“Not that I pay any attention to what Nick Morton tells me.” Selina smiled slyly. “I work for myself, not the police. He knows I do a good job, and I’d never tell you anything to compromise one of his investigations. You only poke your nose in because you like to help.”
“That’s exactly it. It’s important to be helpful.” I pretended not to notice the exchange of grins that went around the table. “What about Edward’s employer, Finlay Canfield?”
“You think Finlay’s involved?” Laura asked.
“I’m not for sure. I don’t know him well,” I said. “Drew mentioned Finlay has used Edward’s services on his yacht.”
“From what I know of Finlay, he’s a bad boy,” Laura said. “Rumor has it he uses his yachts to avoid paying taxes. He spends the money he should hand over to the tax man to buy more yachts and more villas in tax havens. That’s why he’s never around much. He can only spend so many days a year in this country before the authorities get interested in him.”
“That sounds tight-fisted,” Selina said.
“He sounds rich!” Abigail’s eyes brightened.
“Be careful of that one,” Laura cautioned. “Finlay always gets what he wants, even if you don’t want to give it.”
“I only want to ask him a couple of questions about Edward,” I said. “He can’t object to that.”
“I’ve known Finlay a long time,” Laura said. “He can get intense when he thinks someone’s trying to trip him up.”
“Speaking of intense, Nick was being territorial at the theme park.” Jen waved a prawn cracker at me. “I detected a flair of jealousy when he spotted you standing next to the heart stoppingly sexy Archer.”
“That was nothing to do with me,” I said, my cheeks feeling warm. “Nick and Archer have yet to decide which one of them is the alpha male in town. Since they were declared joint winners in the welly throwing competition a few months ago, they have a score to settle.”
“Let’s hope they don’t try to settle the score using you.” Laura cleared away the food and returned with a plate of fortune cookies and a pot of green tea.
“I don’t know what you mean.” I grabbed a fortune cookie.
Laura smiled. “I mean, you have two attractive, dominant males interested in you. Neither of them wants to lose.”
“I’m nobody’s prize.” I snapped open my fortune cookie. “Besides, I might not want either of them. There’s nothing worse than a noisy male stomping around your tiny cottage and getting in the way. I like to keep my life uncomplicated.”
“That’s only true if you don’t count the murders you always get involved in,” Selina said.
“I wouldn’t mind either of those guy’s stomping around my cottage,” Jen said. “Especially if they’d just gotten out of the shower and were wrapped in a towel.”
“Jen! You’re spoken for.” Laura swatted her with a dish cloth.
“I know! Alex is my dream guy. I’ll happily watch him strut around in only a towel, too. But you can’t deny that Nick and Archer are attractive.”
“I don’t know how you’re able to resist Archer,” Abigail said. “He’s so hot.”
“Hot but dangerous,” I replied. “I get the impression he’s playing a game, as if I’m a mouse he’s toying with. He’ll soon get bored, especially if I show any real interest in him.”
“But he is single?” Abigail asked.
“Are you interested in Archer?” Jen asked.
“No, well, maybe,” Abigail said. “Since I lost Bert, I’ve been thinking it might be time to get a new man. A younger model, as well, someone who doesn’t need a little blue pill to get excited.”
“Please, don’t speak ill of the dead,” Jen said. “I don’t want my memories of Bert mixed with him popping pills before having fun times with you.”
Abigail pouted. “I wouldn’t have to worry about that with Archer.”
I grimaced at the idea. Somehow, I couldn’t see Abigail and Archer together. Sure, they were both good-looking, but Abigail was a little too sweet for Archer. If he were to remain interested in a relationship, he’d need someone who would keep him on his toes and who enjoyed ten mile runs before breakfast every morning followed by fifty star jumps. Abigail didn’t fit that mold. Mind you, neither did I. My idea of exercise was getting out of bed in the morning and putting both slippers on the correct feet.
“It hasn’t been long since you lost Bert,” Laura said to Abigail. “You might like to take a little time to get over him before you get into a serious relationship.”
“You should find someone as soon as you can,” Jen said. “You don’t want to get lonely or out of practice. Look at Cassie.”
My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“Cassie hasn’t been in a relationship for years. When she did date, she picked a guy who thought zombies would turn him into a superhero.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” I muttered. Okay, I was out of practice when it came to dating. I also didn’t have great taste in men. I always picked the oddballs, but I wasn’t that terrible at relationships.
“Your dream man will find you,” Jen said.
“You sound like a bad fortune cookie message,” I said.
Jen grinned. “What does your cookie say?”
I pulled out the message, read it, and grimaced. “The object of your desire comes closer.”
“I wonder if it will be Nick or Archer,” Jen teased.
“Mine says I will be successful in love,” Abigail said. “Going on a date or two wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I don’t like to be on my own, especially not when I’m reading such horrible books.” She held up her copy of the novel we’d all forgotten about.
“Enough talk about murder and men,” Laura said. “Who wants to discuss some juicy vampire gore instead?”
Chapter 7
I struggled to get out of bed the next day. The crazy amount of work from yesterday and the late night as we’d fi
nished all of Laura’s Chinese food and discussed the book, made me wish for another couple of hours under the duvet.
But the sun shone brightly through my bedroom window, and with only a few days left until the grand opening of the theme park, I didn’t dare pull a sick day.
Instead, I dressed in the brightest colors in my wardrobe, played some bouncy music to wake myself up, and had an ice pop for breakfast on the way to work.
Several hours later, Jen tapping on the window of the office made me jump. I’d almost been asleep, having been lulled into a stupor by a dull contract I was reading.
“I’m going out to get lunch,” I said to Zara as I grabbed my purse. I hurried out of the office, sliding my sunglasses on as I did so.
Jen caught hold of my elbow and scooted us along the road. “I can’t be long. I’ve got Mrs. Perkins under the dryer and a set that needs combing out in forty minutes. I called the shelter, and it’s clear of any official types. Nick won’t catch you snooping. Sebastian’s there as well, and he knows we’re coming to see him.”
“Thanks for doing this,” I said. “I’m sure he had nothing to do with Edward’s death, but I’ll feel happier once I’ve spoken with him.”
“No problem,” Jen said. “I also want to rule him out of Nick’s investigation so he can focus on finding the real killer.”
We found Sebastian in his room after a couple of minutes of searching. He sat on the edge of his bed, his thin legs covered in short black pants and a red shirt that matched the color of my dress. He was a tall, thin zombie, with a mess of dark hair.
“Hello, Sebastian,” Jen said brightly. “We’ve come to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?”
“About Edward?” Sebastian asked. “Been asked about him lots.”
“Yes, we want to find out everything we can about what happened to Edward,” I said.
“Do you remember Cassie?” Jen asked. “She volunteers here sometimes. Cassie puts on those great events in town.”
Sebastian nodded. “Went to the Valentine’s dance.”
“That’s right,” I said. “I saw you.”
“Do you mind if we sit down?” Jen gestured at two chairs in the corner of Sebastian’s bedroom.
“Sit down.” He nodded and shifted on the bed.
“Can you tell us about the argument you had with Edward?” I asked as I settled in a chair.
“Over brains,” Sebastian said. “My food and he took it.”
“Were you angry with him?” I asked.
Sebastian nodded again. “Shouldn’t take food.”
“Did you make friends afterwards?” Zombies were a strange bunch. I’d never go as far as to say they formed deep relationships with each other, but they appeared to form bonds. I’d seen several zombie couples at the Valentine’s dance a few months ago. That suggested that they could develop feelings of affection and friendship.
“No, but not an enemy,” Sebastian said. “Kept to himself.”
“Where were you on Wednesday evening between nine in the evening and midnight?” I asked. “Did you see Edward during that time?”
“No, don’t think so.” Sebastian pointed to his head. “Days get muddled. Not a good memory.”
“Think hard.” Jen leaned forward in her seat. “Can you remember seeing Edward on Wednesday?”
“Maybe at dinner,” Sebastian said. “Always keep an eye on the brains when he’s around. Don’t want to lose them.”
“Did you speak to him?” I asked.
Sebastian shook his head. “Can’t remember speaking. Ate food in my room.”
“And where were you between nine and midnight?” I asked again.
“Probably here,” Sebastian said. “Like this room. Quiet, no noise from others.”
“You’re not sure?” I persisted. Sebastian’s alibi didn’t sound great, but I’d been on my own Wednesday evening between those times and had no one to vouch for me. I couldn’t say that Sebastian was guilty simply because he spent a lot of time alone.
Sebastian sighed. “Too difficult. Can’t remember.”
“Why don’t we get something to drink?” Jen suggested. “Once you’ve had a drink and some food, your memory might get better.”
Sebastian nodded. “Lunchtime brains almost ready.” He stood and swayed from side to side for a few seconds as if getting his balance.
We followed him into the corridor, moving slowly to keep pace with Sebastian.
“Can you walk faster than that?” I asked him.
“No. Problem with legs,” Sebastian said. “Rot on them.”
I exchanged a glance with Jen. If Sebastian had a problem with his legs, it would mean he’d be slow and easy to avoid. If he’d confronted Edward, and they’d fought, it would have been easy for Edward to escape.
I focused on the way Sebastian walked and noticed a limp on his right side. He was in no condition to fight anybody. A strong wind would knock him from his feet. Sebastian couldn’t be Edward’s killer.
A quick cup of tea and a few more attempts to figure out where Sebastian was on the night of Edward’s murder, and I’d ruled him out of the investigation. He was too weak to be a killer. At one point, he’d had trouble holding his cup of beef broth. His hands trembled so much that Jen had to help him. Sadly, this was a zombie on his way out, not one able to kill.
“Thanks for your time, Sebastian.” I stood from my seat, Jen by my side.
“Hope you find the killer,” Sebastian said.
We said our goodbyes and left the shelter.
“He’s not on my list of suspects anymore,” I said as we walked toward my office.
“Agreed. He’s far too weak,” Jen said. “I didn’t realize Sebastian had such bad problems with his legs. It must be a recent thing.”
“I was talking to Selina about the method of killing. She suggested it might be a professional job, a person who knows how to kill a zombie. Would there be any reason somebody would want to kill Edward?”
“I can’t imagine anyone who would,” Jen said. “Are you thinking it was a professional hit on Edward? Someone paid an expert zombie killer to come into Zee Town and get rid of him?”
“I know, it sounds unlikely. But the way he was killed suggests the person knew what they were doing. It was a single lethal blow to the back of the head.”
“As grim as this sounds, a lot of us know the best way to kill a zombie,” Jen said. “Remember those government ads about what to do if you’re confronted with a zombie and it tries to bite you?”
I grimaced and nodded.
“Turn the zombie around, insert a sharp object at back of neck, then run and call the authorities when it’s safe to do so.” Jen shook her head. “The posters were everywhere.”
“I remember. I don’t think the person who made that ad had ever encountered a rabid zombie. I did the running part when I found one. I never stopped to ask them if they’d kindly turn around so I could cut their heads off,” I said. “Maybe we’re looking at this wrong. What if an event in Edward’s past means someone had a grudge against him and finally acted?”
“I don’t know much about Edward,” Jen said. “It’s a possibility. Surely the fact he’s now a zombie is justice enough for most people.”
“Maybe whoever killed him decided it wasn’t and wanted to finish the job.” We stopped outside my office.
“I’d better check on my customers,” Jen said. “I don’t want Mrs. Perkins perishing under the heat of the dryer. Let me know if you find out anything useful about Edward.”
“I will do. See you later.” I went into the office and settled behind my desk.
I had a dozen things that still needed doing for the theme park opening, but couldn’t focus on any of that. I found myself surfing online for information about Edward Newton.
I got a few hits on a former race car driver with that name, but it wasn’t him unless he’d grown five inches since becoming a zombie. Then I struck gold. Professor Edward Newton, a geneticist. He trained in the UK but
had worked in several countries on the controversial subject of genetic modification on unborn infants. He’d returned to the UK five years ago and worked at the University of Exeter.
His background was interesting, and the work he’d done definitely raised a few hackles, as some of the vitriolic articles I discovered online showed. Somebody could have hired a hitman to kill him if they disagreed with the work he’d done when he was human. Genetic modification had always been controversial.
My desk phone rang, and I grabbed it. “Cassie March, Zee Town’s tourism office and theme park.” I still wasn’t sure what to call this office at the moment. I had a foot in two different camps.
“Cassie, it’s Laura. I’ve got good news. I’ve just heard that Nick’s arrested a tourist for Edward’s murder. The murder is solved!”
Chapter 8
Despite the scorching heat outside, I ran full speed to Laura’s diner to get the gossip.
“Tell me everything,” I said as I walked through the diner entrance.
She handed me a bottle of water as I sat on a stool. “I overheard Alex talking about the arrest this morning. It’s someone who arrived in town early for the theme park opening.”
“What happened? Did this tourist meet Edward, and they fought?”
“It sounds like it,” Laura said. “This tourist got drunk at the Black Dog and started a fight with Edward in the street. Someone even overheard him threatening to kill Edward.”
“And he did!” I downed some water as I shuffled my thoughts into line. “Why kill Edward in the theme park? Did they carry on fighting and end up in there? It would have been tricky to get inside. We’ve got fencing all around the perimeter to stop people from sneaking in early, and to keep out any rabid zombies.”
“Maybe the tourist killed Edward somewhere else and was looking for a convenient place to hide the body before he got caught,” Laura said.
“Maybe, but I’m still interested in knowing how he got into the park. I’ll need to shore up any breaches.” I tapped my fingers on the countertop. “Archer would have known if there were any problems with the fence. His team’s all over that. He wouldn’t let something like this happen.”