Moving up to the glass, she peered inside. Through the branches and leaves of the habitat, she tried to find the snake.
The three men also crowded in, all searching for the animal.
“Well, where is it?” Bert asked.
“Just a moment,” Kay insisted, scanning the little cage. His eyes darted back and forth more frantically until they leveled on something behind one of the rocks.
“Did you find it?”
He didn’t answer directly, at least not right away. His skin broke out in sweats and his breathing quickened.
“What is it?” Pastor Chimney urged.
“The trap door at the back. It’s open.”
“What?” Karson exclaimed loudly, his voice bouncing off the concrete walls.
“The cage is empty.” He swallowed hard about what he was about to say next. “The black mamba is gone.”
CHAPTER 8
* * *
The three of them were quickly shuffled out of the front gate as zoo went on emergency lock down. “What are they thinking?” Karson snapped, looking back through the gate at the scurry of nighttime employees running about.
“We have a dangerous animal out of containment. The dendroaspis polyepis, also known as the black mamba snake. I repeat, we have a dangerous animal out of containment,” the voice echoed over the loud speakers.
“That snake isn’t in there. It’s out here somewhere, in the city,” Karson yelled.
“Now, you believe me?” Bert asked.
Karson turned to her and gave a firm, and somewhat aggravated nod. “What other explanation is there for everything that’s happened?”
“We really should get back to the church and make sure no one is still hanging around,” Bert urged, thinking of all those kids.
“She’s right. If anything, we’d feel more comfortable with you at the church,” Pastor Chimney agreed.
Karson looked back at them and nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”
* * *
Riding back in the pastor’s car, Bert was surprised to still see flashing lights in the parking lot as they pulled in. Additionally, she felt her heart begin to beat into her throat as she watched multiple families still hanging about.
As they parked and Bert climbed out of the passenger seat, she realized that there was a cop car with its flashers on. Standing near it was an all too familiar face—Detective Harold Mannor.
“I’m going to get to work making sure these families go home safely. You see what the police want,” Pastor Chimney instructed.
“Got it,” Bert agreed, watching him run off toward the closest family. As Karson got out of his own animal control vehicle, he too began ordering people to clear out and head home. She could also see him giving orders to the two men he’d left behind to watch the site while he ran the errand at the zoo.
“Detective?” Bert shouted as she headed over.
The older gentleman, with silvery hair and wearing a long tan trench coat, eyeballed her with a curious gaze. “Mrs. Hannah? What, may I ask, are you wearing?”
She looked down and gasped, having completely forgotten about her Halloween costume. She’d been running around like a complete idiot in a pink space suit all night. “T-This? It’s my Halloween costume.”
Mannor looked her up and down. “The Star that Killed a World, am I right?”
Bert’s jaw dropped wide open. “You’ve seen it?”
“Yeah, I remember it airing on TV when I was a kid. I liked that kind of stuff, I guess.”
Bert was too dumbfounded to speak. Staunch, stick-in-the-mud Detective Mannor enjoyed cheesy sci-fi movies. Who knew?
“And, just what are you doing here?” he asked, finally getting over the shock of the costume and moving onto the main point.
“This is my church. We were having a trunk-or-treat tonight.”
“Trunk-or-treat? What the heck is that?”
Sometimes, Bert wondered if the Detective ever got-out, did something for fun. “It’s when everyone in the congregation parks around the lot and hands out candy from the back of their cars.”
“I see.”
Bert twisted one curious eyebrow up at him. Wasn’t Detective Mannor part of the city’s homicide division? She couldn’t fathom any feasible reason for him to be there at her church. “What are you doing here, Detective?”
He folded his arms. “My supervisor heard that there was an animal attack here tonight. He thought it would be a good idea for me to look into it, what with it being Halloween and all.”
Bert was still confused about his presence and continued to push the issue. “But, this wasn’t a homicide. No one’s died. It was a tragic animal attack, pure and simple. Right?” She was fishing for information, wondering if there was some deeper or hidden reasoning for his presence.
Mannor pursed his lips, breathing out through his nose as he narrowed his eyes on her. “Trust me. In my line of work, you just never know what kind of strange things may happen during this last week of October.”
Bert couldn’t help but bite her lips and furrow her brow, expressing her confusion.
“Don’t you worry. I’m just here as an observer for the moment, to make sure everything is safe and in order.”
“Oh? A homicide detective who is just here to have a look around?”
“Believe me. If my supervisor hadn’t insisted on me checking this out, I wouldn’t even be here.”
Bert hated to admit it, but having him around did make her feel safer.
The detective watched as families were rushed to their cars and instructed to head home by the animal control workers. His brow was furrowed in confusion. “I thought this was a snake bite incident?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then why is animal control acting like there is a wild bear in the area?”
Bert was nervously wringing her hands, glancing toward the dark wooded area where she’d seen the incredibly long, incredibly dangerous, black mamba slither off.
After two murder investigations, both of which Bert had been a key witness, Detective Mannor had learned to read Bert. In an instant, he could tell there was something she wasn’t sharing.
“You better tell me what’s happened here.”
Swallowing the growing lump in her throat, Bert stepped closer, looking into his eyes. She didn’t know how much the families were being told, but she didn’t want to scare anyone either. In a low whisper, she answered. “I was the only one who saw the attack. The snake was in the back of one of the car trunks.”
He grunted in surprise at this. “Well, that’s one little detail my supervisor forgot to mention. I knew my boss sent me out here for some reason that wasn’t just a simple animal attack.” He slowly stroked his chin. “It’s a little odd, don’t you think?”
She agreed with a nervous nod of her head. “At first, I thought nothing of it. I considered that perhaps Peter had put a real snake in his trunk, maybe a pet, to scare the kids.”
“Peter? What’s his last name?” Detective Mannor asked, digging into the pocket of his coat and pulling out the same tattered notepad he used for every investigation.
This action was an indication to Bert that perhaps Mannor suspected foul play. Clearly, his supervisor thought it was a possibility. Why else would he send a homicide detective out to the scene of the crime?
Bert hadn’t seriously considered it, but as she took a step back from the night’s events and thought about the situation, it seemed more and more likely. After all, it was hard to believe that a very rare and exotic snake had simply found its way into the trunk of its own accord without first being noticed by someone.
One option indicated that the snake had simply escaped the zoo and found a safe place to hide in the car, but why had it waited to strike until that very moment? Had it been asleep, or had someone planned it that way?
She shook her head as a headache started to come on.
“Bert? Can you answer my question please?” Detective Mannor reiterated, tapping
his pen on the pad.
Bert realized she just been standing there in silent thought. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“Peter? What is his last name?”
“Peter Doorwall. He always completely decks out his car for Halloween.”
“He decorates his car?”
Bert tilted her head, feeling she’d already explained this point. “For the trunk-or-treat. Everyone always decorates the backs of their cars so the whole thing feels more festive. Peter is always the guy to beat, though. He usually has the best decorations.”
“And how did he decorate this year?” Mannor asked, slightly amused by this odd Halloween tradition, but also considering each aspect of the situation.
“He chose a sort of jungle theme. You know, vines, fake bats, plastic snakes.”
“But there was a real snake in there?”
The lump started to reform in Bert’s throat again, and she swallowed, trying to get rid of it. “Y-Yes.”
“And it struck one of the women here at the event, correct?”
“Talia Grundy. It bit her three or four times, I believe.”
“And what sort of snake was it? Rattler?” the detective asked.
Bert hesitated, taking in a deep breath before answering. “Animal control now strongly believes it was a black mamba which escaped from the zoo. The pastor called it the kiss of death.”
Detective Mannor paused, as if trying to figure out what she had just said. “The black mamba? Isn’t that some sort of African snake?”
She nodded. “It is, and one of the deadliest in the world.”
Mannor puckered his lips and blew out an airy whistle. “No wonder my boss sent me out here.” He eagerly scribbled down a few notes. “You said it escaped from the zoo?”
“We confirmed it just minutes ago with Kay Corral, the snake handler at the zoo.”
“Kay Corral, you said?” he asked, jotting the name down.
“That’s right. He’s also a member of this congregation.”
Taking notes, he flattened his lips. “Interesting. I’ll need to talk with him, of course.”
“Y-You don’t seriously think this was a murder attempt, do you?” she asked, not willing to accept this fact just yet.
“I’m going to certainly find out,” he noted.
A heavy breathing interrupted their conversation. Carla ran up to the two, her face looking sickly with worry.
“Carla? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Talia.”
Bert gasped, already able to guess what harrowing news her friend had to offer. “What about Talia? What happened?”
“She’s dead.”
CHAPTER 9
* * *
“He doesn’t seriously suspect me, does he?” Peter gasped, sitting on one of the pews in the church still wearing his jungle costume.
Bert shrugged. “I don’t think he suspects anyone, not yet at least.” She’d offered to help Karson by doing one final sweep of the building to make sure no one was left. It was a small chance that the snake had gotten into the building, but it was simply better to get everyone out until animal control could declare the area secure.
She’d stumbled upon Peter sitting in the chapel, his head low with sadness about what had happened to Talia. Carla had told him the harsh news first about Talia’s death. He’d been devastated. She had taken it upon herself to give him fair warning that Detective Mannor was on the prowl.
“I sure hope he doesn’t think it’s me, just because the snake happened to be in my car. I had no idea it was in there. How could I?” He sat hunched over, his head in his hands.
Bert slid onto the pew next to him. “We all know that, and I’m sure Detective Mannor will realize it too.” She gently patted him on his back.
“I don’t even know anything about snakes. How could I possibly get a rare and poisonous breed like the black mamba into my car? I’d be dead, number one. Number two, why would I risk standing next to my own car all night if I knew the snake was in there?”
“Peter, look at me.”
The man, his eyes red and weepy, glanced up at her.
“No one is accusing you of anything. We don’t even know if it was murder yet. For all we know, the snake escaped from the zoo and simply found its way into your car.”
Peter placed his hands on the pew in front of them and gripped it. “But it doesn’t make sense, Bert. Why had the snake gone into my car? I mean, I was in and out of that trunk all night. Why wouldn’t it have noticed me and attacked then? Why wait until Talia was standing around?”
Bert had to admit, it was an intriguing list of questions. Nothing was adding up.
“Maybe . . .” he paused, licking his dry lips with a strange uneasiness.
“What?”
“Can snakes be trained? Like dogs?”
Bert stuck out her lower lip while she thought. “Honestly, I have no idea. I mean, you could ask Kay. He’d be the one who knows that answer.”
“Kay,” he whispered, mostly to himself than anyone else. Clearly, there was some train of thought running through his mind.
“What is it?”
He bit his lower lip, his eyes wandering upward and looking at the ceiling. “Maybe she went after Kay, too.”
“What in the world are you talking about, Peter? Who went after Kay?”
He brought his eyes down and looked her directly in the eye. “Talia.”
Now Bert was getting more and more confused. “Talia? What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Sighing, he clasped his hands together in his lap. “It gives me no pleasure to have to share this information. I was hoping to keep it all quiet, but now that’s she dead . . .”
Scooting closer, she turned her body towards his, commanding an answer. “Peter, you better tell me, now.”
He swallowed, his face becoming pointed with pain. “Talia. She . . . she tried to make a pass at me.”
Bert didn’t say anything right away, trying to completely comprehend what it was he’d just said. “Talia did what?”
“Made a pass at me, tried to, you know, seduce me.”
Bert shook her head. “But you’re married, Peter.”
“I know that. She knows that. It didn’t stop her.”
Bert folded her arms, feeling like a scolding mother to this younger man. “You better tell me everything, from the beginning.”
“Okay, but it isn’t going to be comfortable.” He shifted along the bench to face her. “So, last weekend she called me up and said that she was having some trouble with her plumbing. I guess her kitchen sink wasn’t running properly.” He held out both hands and shrugged. “Well, you know how I am, always jumping at a chance to help someone in need.”
“I know. You’ve come and helped out with my yard a few times since Howie passed.”
“Then you see exactly where I’m coming from. I’m sort of the resident fix-it man, especially for those who can’t do it themselves, or don’t have anyone like Talia.”
“Are you saying her broken sink was all a ruse?”
“Maybe. The sink was actually broken when I arrived to work on it for her. I suppose she could have broken it herself, you know.”
Bert nodded. “Just tell me what happened.”
“Well, I got to work fixing the thing up, and she said she was going to go into the bedroom for a minute to work on putting laundry away.”
“She was doing laundry.”
“Yeah. At least, that’s what she said.”
“What happened next?”
“Well, it was an easy fix. The little rubber gasket in the U trap was beginning to fail, kind of rotting away and all. Luckily, I had a spare in my toolbox, so I pulled it out and popped it on. It only took me about a half-hour to finish it.”
“I see.”
“I called back to the bedroom that I was done. She told me to wait so she could give me some cookies she’d baked that morning, so I did.”
Bert gave a little half-smile. “You never
could resist baked goods. Chocolate pie was always your favorite.”
“Those mini pumpkin pies sure were good, too.”
“Now, what happened when she came out of the room?”
Peter’s eyes wandered nervously. “She walked out of the bedroom into the k-kitchen.” He paused, his breathing growing shallower.
“And?”
He struggled to get the next sentence out. “S-She was only wearing her underwear.” His palms were visibly sweaty as he rubbed them together, a nervousness taking over his whole body as he recalled the memory. “You know, it was that fancy kind and all.”
Bert realized her jaw was hanging wide open. She realized she didn’t know Talia that well, but it hardly seemed believable. On the other hand, she’d never known Peter to be a liar.
“She tried to get me to go back to the bedroom with her, but I refused. She got mad, so I left as quick as I could.”
“And that was the end of it?”
“I wish. The next day she called and left me a message saying she was going to tell my wife and the pastor that I had tried to seduce her unless I paid her money.”
Bert shook her head. This whole tale was just getting harder and harder to believe, and Bert couldn’t decide what was true and what wasn’t. When Claudia had made the same accusations earlier, she didn’t put any stock in it. However, now that Peter was saying it, she was doubting her first impressions.
“Did you pay her?”
“I told her I would,” he admitted.
“You can’t be serious, Peter.”
“I wasn’t actually planning on doing it, but I was hoping it would keep her from spreading any rumors.”
“I see.”
“I had agreed to meet her after the trunk-or-treat tonight. I hoped I could talk some sense into her.”
Bert nodded. “So, that’s why you two were talking earlier, when she was bitten.”
He nodded. “I was scared. I didn’t know what she might do, or what might happen if she started telling people lies about me, but I would have never killed her—especially not with a snake. Like I said, I have no experience with snakes or anything like that.” His lower lip was quivering and his eyes reddening.
Killer Halloween Pie (Pies and Pages Cozy Mysteries Book 3) Page 4