“Why?” Bluebell asked.
“Well, he’s a nice guy, Ewan. Friendly fellow, great person to have a few drinks with, but he’s not the most trustworthy lad.”
“What did he do?”
Oliver lowered his voice even farther so that the others couldn’t hear. “I won’t go into details, I can’t with all these people here. But the long and short of it is that Ewan used hypnotism to cheat people out of their money. When Sutter found out, he was furious. What Ewan had done was just legal enough by human laws that he couldn’t go to jail. It was a complex stock market fraud. But Sutter felt he deserved punishment, so he took away Ewan’s powers for five years, and warned him that it would be permanent if he didn’t reform.”
“Did he?” Bluebell asked.
Oliver shrugged. “We meet maybe three weekends a year. Sure, he was nice in that time. But it was Sutter’s job to keep an eye on him, not mine. We’ll find out soon enough whether he was walking the straight and narrow or not. This weekend was when Sutter was supposed to give Ewan his powers back.”
“Could that be the argument Mathilda and Gertrude overheard?” Bluebell asked. “They did both mention hearing raised voices.”
“Yes,” Oliver said. “Which puzzles me. They heard it at separate times. What does that mean? If the murderer killed in the spur of the moment, he’d hardly go and argue with Sutter twice, would he? I mean… I don’t know. Besides, Ewan was with me at 6pm when Gertrude heard the voices. Mathilda said she heard the voices about an hour earlier at 5pm.”
“Ewan was with me then,” Bluebell said. “So we can rule him out. He had motive, but there’s no way he was on the scene.”
“Well, that does seem to rule him out,” Oliver said. He laced his fingers behind his head and yawned. “Long day.”
“I keep feeling like I’m missing something,” Bluebell said with a frown. “I wish I knew just what it was. It’s nagging at me.”
“We’re heading out to the dining room for dinner,” Mathilda said, walking up to them. “Would you two like to come?”
“Sure.” Bluebell smiled. Angelina, Ewan and Gertrude were already at the door, waiting to leave.
“Actually, Mathilda, could you stay back a minute. There’s something I want to talk to you about,” Oliver said. “You guys can go ahead. We won’t take long.”
“We understand,” Ewan said, then gave him a thumbs up. “Best of luck, buddy,” he said with a grin.
Oliver rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head.
Angelina and Ewan bounced off ahead, leaving Bluebell and Gertrude to follow them to the dining room at a slower rate. Before they left the room, Bluebell took a last peek in, to see Oliver standing very close to Mathilda, speaking rapidly to her. His eyes had a pleading look about them.
“Poor man,” Gertrude said. “I hope she takes him back.”
“Why did they break up in the first place?” Bluebell asked.
“They’ve had a few ups and downs in their lives,” Gertrude said. “Mathilda, she’s a very good woman, and she has a strict moral code. A little too strict, if you ask me.”
“Do tell,” Bluebell said, interested.
“Oliver works as a detective, but you know that already.”
“All too well.” Bluebell smiled.
“Ah, well,” Gertrude said. “It’s a tough job, being a detective. It can really mess with your mind.”
“What happened to him?”
“I don’t want to gossip,” Gertrude said. “Let’s just say—”
They were interrupted by a cough. The butler glided to a stop in front of them. “Dinner is served,” he said.
*****
Chapter 9
Oliver & Mathilda
Bluebell pulled out a chair and sat opposite Ewan. Angelina and Gertrude sat on either side of her, and the dinner seemed to be doomed to silence.
The food was plentiful though it was simple, pork chops on a bed of mushrooms with a light pasta salad on the side. A glass of Chardonnay sat next to the plate. The wine seemed to absorb the candlelight and glow with it.
“Delicious.” Ewan set his fork down and rubbed his lips with a napkin. “Pork chops were Sutter’s favorites.”
Gertrude looked at him sideways, and neatly cut a small square of meat, before changing her mind and dropping her fork. “Suddenly I don’t feel hungry anymore.”
“You have to eat, Gertrude,” Angelina said gently. “He’s gone, but we need to take care of ourselves still.”
“Oh, yes, take care of ourselves,” Ewan said. “Do you think Oliver’s taking care of Mathilda right now?”
“I know she still loves him,” Angelina said gently. “I hope she gives him a chance.”
“Some women aren’t so big on second chances, are they, Angie?” Ewan said, “Or even first chances for that matter.”
“There’s subtext I’m missing, apparently,” Gertrude said.
Angelina changed the subject. “Addiction’s a dangerous thing,” she said. “I know at least three actresses who’ve gone into rehab this year. Their addictions have robbed them of their looks and sometimes their lives.”
“Oliver’s an addict?” Bluebell asked, looking horrified. “I didn’t see any signs of him doing drugs.”
“Oh, it’s not drugs she’s talking about,” Ewan said.
“What, then?”
“We don’t have to go into this,” Gertrude said. “Oliver had a difficult childhood, and his last few years in the force broke him a little bit. A man can slip sometimes. I feel Mathilda should give him another chance. They have something together.”
“A kind of magic, perhaps?” Ewan smiled. “Personally, I don’t believe in that kind of magic.”
“You wouldn’t,” Angelina said. “You might as well not believe in magic at all. Or did Sutter return your powers to you?”
Ewan colored. “Do you have to do this in front of the newbie?”
“Why not? You had no problem tattling about Oliver and Mathilda,” Angelina said. “So why the sudden reluctance?”
“I… that was different. I didn’t tell her anything.”
“I already know about Sutter stripping you of your powers,” Bluebell said quietly. “I’m not judging you, Ewan. I’ve lived without powers for 21 years.”
“I thought this weekend would be the end,” Ewan said, throwing his towel on the table. “I thought Sutter would finally stop playing his ridiculous power games and just… give me back what was mine. I’ve done my penance, I’ve repaid all those I took money from. I reformed.”
“But he refused to give you your power back?” Bluebell asked.
“If you must know, yes.” Ewan sighed. “I suppose it’ll all come out in the investigation anyway. I might as well tell you now. Sutter and I had a big fight yesterday. I threatened to kill him.”
Gertrude gasped. Ewan shook his head. “Oh, don’t act holier than thou, Gertrude. I am sure you’ve thought about killing him yourself more than once in your life.”
“I never!” Gertrude protested.
“Oh, yes you did. We all know how your relationship was, love-hate-love and then hate once more,” Ewan said. “You always thought you deserved to lead this coven, not him. To be honest, I think you did too. But Sutter was far too powerful, more powerful than all of us combined. He led us well, but he was a dictator at heart, and a man can really start to chafe under that sort of leadership.”
“So you wanted to kill him?” Angelina said. “You told him so yesterday?”
“I didn’t and I did,” Ewan said. “An hour before Bluebell arrived yesterday, I went to confront him. I went to the library and asked him point blank if he was planning to give me my powers back. He was very dodgy about it. He told me I’d find out soon enough. I told him I had enough, that I missed my powers - it was like… it was like having a limb taken away. I demanded he give it back, and he started hemming and hawing. Started wondering if it was too much temptation for me. I lost my temper, I admit it. I threat
ened him.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Angelina asked.
“A coven is supposed to be a place of strength,” Ewan said. “Yet ours has become a place of secrets. We all hide from each other, because we’re afraid of being judged by each other. I don’t want that anymore. So here I am, being honest with you.”
“Ewan…”
“One of us killed him,” Ewan said with force. “You do realize that, don’t you? We all think it might be Hector, but even if it is, why did we come to a place where we stopped trusting each other emotionally? There used to be a time when coming to the coven almost felt like coming home. Each of you were my friends, more than my friends, you were people who understood my soul.” He sighed. “So what happened? What happened for us to grow apart?”
“People grow up,” Gertrude said gently. “They grow, Ewan. It’s no one’s fault. We just went in different directions, all of us. But we’re still one coven. We’re still connected together by our magic.”
“Is it enough?” he asked.
“I think it is,” Angelina said, putting her hand on his. “Out there in LA, I’m surrounded by yes-men and flatterers. I’m surrounded by “friends” who would happily stab me in the back, and the one thing that keeps me grounded is the handful of weekends I spend with you lot. All of you rejuvenate me. You make me feel younger.”
“Oh, so you use an energy-sucking spell on us?” Ewan teased.
Angelina’s face darkened a little, but her retort was cut short when Oliver and Mathilda came into the room. Whatever Oliver had said clearly hadn’t worked. Mathilda was walking carefully, a few feet away from him, while he had his hands stuck in his pockets, and looked miserable.
“Uh-oh,” Ewan said.
“We’re done with dinner,” Angelina said. “But you two should eat. The pork chops were wonderful.”
“No, thanks,” Oliver said. “I have no appetite.”
“Me neither,” Mathilda murmured.
“Don’t be silly! You have to eat.” Angelina clapped her hands, and waited for the butler to come back. When he didn’t, she frowned and rang the bell beside the table. Once. Twice.
“Where did he go?” she wondered out loud. “He was right here when we were served.”
“I have a question,” Bluebell said.
“What is it?”
“This house… does the butler take care of all the housekeeping?”
“Of course. Ghosts make the best caretakers. Everyone knows that. That’s why they always haunt old houses,” Ewan said.
Bluebell wondered whether he was joking or not. “So, now that Sutter’s gone, who does this house belong to?” she asked.
Everyone turned to look at Gertrude, who shook her head. “It passes on to the next high priest or priestess of the coven,” she said. “But that won’t be me.”
“Why not? Makes sense that it should be you, since you’re the most powerful witch after Sutter,” Oliver said.
“Maybe so, but I’m going to be incredibly busy running my campaign this year,” Gertrude said. “I’m far too old to handle both. It would just pass to the next most powerful wizard or witch.”
“That would be… Mathilda, wouldn’t it?” Ewan asked.
“We were discussing this just yesterday.” Gertrude nodded. “Sutter had already taken her under his wing.”
“Is that true?” Oliver looked at Mathilda. “You never told me about it.”
“How could I?” she asked. “You were never around to talk to. Besides… I didn’t think it would happen for years and years.”
Bluebell wondered about that. The thing was, Mathilda had said she was going to take a bath, but no one had really seen her again until… until she had followed Gertrude out of the passageway and told them about the voices she heard. Could this be Mathilda’s motive? Had she wanted to be in charge so badly that she killed Sutter?
“Did the officers figure out what it was that Sutter claims he knew, yet?” Angelina asked. “It feels like that would solve everything.”
“No luck,” Oliver said. “The police are setting up camp in the passageway downstairs. They don’t want us sneaking on the crime scene. They asked us all to stay here and conclude the interviews tomorrow morning since it’s getting late.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Ewan shrugged.
Angelina bit her lip. “I hope this doesn’t last beyond the weekend. I have a reading with the producers of Independent Mind day after tomorrow. I really need to get back to LA.”
“Won’t you ever quit?” Ewan laughed.
“Show business is my life,” Angelina said. “Even if Hollywood isn’t very fond of aging actresses, I’m determined to act till the day I die.”
“The butler never did come, did he?” Gertrude asked. “You rang for him twice, didn’t you, Angelina?”
“I don’t know where he’s got to,” Angelina said, a little irritated. “Mathilda, if you’re his new boss, you have to tell him off.”
Almost as soon as she’d finished her sentence, the butler swept down the staircase, and slid to a halt in front of them. He looked most upset. “I won’t have this!” he said.
“Murgatroyd, what is the problem?” Mathilda asked.
“I won’t be chased out of this house by… by a bunch of poltergeists!” he exclaimed.
“What is it?”
“Voices in the chimney!” he said. “I heard voices arguing in the chimney earlier today. Clearly, after Sutter’s death, they thought they could come infest the house.”
“We’ll cast a spell and get rid of them,” Mathilda said. “Don’t worry, Murgatroyd.”
“Well, someone ought to,” Murgatroyd said.
“Why? They’re fun.” Ewan laughed. “I had an infestation in my house growing up. They actually became my buddies.”
“If anyone could befriend a poltergeist, it would be you!” Oliver said with a smile. “That irrepressible charm of yours.”
“Oh, come on. How can you talk about my charm when Angelina is in the group with us?” Ewan said, though he looked pleased.
“Murgatroyd, have you fed the officers? Please see that they get dinner too,” Mathilda said.
Officer Chadwick walked out of the passageway leading to the library. “Ah. Here we are. Hello everyone.”
“Officer Chadwick. What a pleasant surprise.” Mathilda smiled. “Dinner for you and your colleagues?”
“Just some sandwiches, if possible,” the officer said. “We just thought we’d announce this to you. We’re arresting Hector Blossom in connection with the murder of Sutter Cutler. We believe that he is the perpetrator.”
Gasps went up around the room. Gertrude’s knees seemed to shake, and she caught hold of the arm of the chair next to her. “Then… then it’s over?” she asked.
“Not yet, ma’am. We’ll have to get him before a judge soon. But we thought we should tell you.”
“Right.” Oliver got out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. “Horrible,” he said. “I know I should feel relieved, but I just feel sad. Why would Hector do it?”
“We believe Hector had some gambling debts. He used money from the treasury to pay these off, and then put the money back in the treasury when he got his salary,” Officer Chadwick said.
“A straightforward motive,” Oliver said, looking grim. “Still, if Hector put the money back where it belonged, that’s not so bad, is it?”
“It would still cause him to be fired if it came out,” Mathilda said. “Perhaps that is what he was afraid of.”
“He’s a good guy who made a mistake,” Ewan said with a shake of his head. “I don’t know if I fully support this theory. Has he made a confession, Officer?”
“No. Not as yet,” the officer said. “But we’re confident it’s him.”
“How can you be confident it’s him if he hasn’t confessed?” Ewan asked. “What proof do you have?”
“Well, first, there’s Miss Gertrude and Miss Mathilda’s statements, they both said they heard an an
gry man talking to Sutter.” Officer Chadwick said, “Then there’s the footprints. We found the boots.”
“Where did you find them?”
“It was hidden in a closet near the dining room, actually,” Officer Chadwick said. “Quite well hidden, but they’re the same boots, and they’re Hector’s boots.”
“Oh.” Bluebell frowned. “Did you tell Hector this?”
“We did, hoping he’d confess. Instead he just started crying and saying that someone had framed him.” Officer Chadwick shrugged. “Doesn’t mean much. Some people believe in the saying ’it’s not over till it’s over,’ and we know he can afford good lawyers.”
“Something’s not right,” Bluebell said, still frowning. “Something’s not right.”
“Oh, poor Hector,” Angelina said. “He’s so big and scary looking but I always thought he’s like a sweet old teddy bear.”
The words clicked in Bluebell’s brain, and suddenly, she jumped. “That’s it!” she cried. “A sweet old teddy bear! That’s the solution!”
“Are you all right?” Oliver looked surprised. “You might be falling sick.”
“That’s what was missing,” Bluebell said. “That’s what I’ve been missing all along.”
“Definitely looks sick,” Oliver repeated.
“But…” Bluebell was almost talking to herself. “How? I just don’t understand how.”
“Maybe you ought to sit down,” Oliver said. Ewan nodded, and pushed a chair forward. Officer Chadwick looked deeply confused.
“No. We need to go upstairs, to the chimney!”
“What’s in the chimney?” Oliver looked confused.
“The real clue, the clue that will solve everything!”
*****
Chapter 10
The Real Clue
“Well, you were right!”
Half an hour later, a soot covered officer excitedly bought out a dirty teddy bear from inside the chimney. “Here it is! The teddy bear is simply covered with coal dust,” Officer Chadwick said. “But it’s just like you said, Bluebell, it’s there!”
Murder At The Coven: A Witch Cozy Mystery (A Bluebell Knopps Cozy Mystery Book 3) Page 5