The Curious Case of the Cursed Dagger (Curiosity Shop Cozy Mysteries Book 3)

by Constance Barker

  He shook his head. "A little nausea is all I can muster."

  “No sign of a dagger, either,” Edgar said.

  "I don't feel much like attacking Egypt yet either," I said. "Not even if Pompey the Great is there gloating over his escape. I’m feeling lazy, but we haven’t done enough yet, apparently. Any other ideas we can try?"

  Just then Billy Walker came in with a new stack of papers. "Sorry, but I need more signatures," he said. "We got quite a backlog and the last mayor never got around to signing any of them before... We are about three administrations behind in our work."

  "Is this a paying job?" Edgar asked.

  As he slid the stack across my desk I had a thought. "You are having me sign a lot of papers."

  "These are things the council has been trying to implement but require your signature, the mayor's signature."

  "I'm not really savvy about town government, Billy, but obviously my signature has a legal status.”

  “Sure. Anything the council approves needs your signature.”

  “But what about my own ideas?”

  “I don’t get you.”

  “How would I enact something that I wanted; how would I implement an idea of my own?"

  "Well, you are part of the council—the head of it. So you would present things to the city council and they'd vote on it. Then you’d sign it. Why?"

  "I just had some thoughts... ideas."

  "Now that you are in office and things are on track, the council is taking a short break. They won’t be back in session for another two weeks. That gives you plenty of time to draft whatever proposals you have in mind and put the items on the agenda. I'd be happy to help you get those into proper formats."

  That didn’t sound good. “Those laggards,” I said.

  “What?”

  “That process seems awkward. Presenting, discussing, voting... that’s a lot and it’s far too slow for us to do what’s necessary to put this town on the map. Isn't there a faster way to do things?"

  Billy looked uncertain. “Well, the mayor does have a certain amount of executive power for doing things that don’t cost money, and there is even a small discretionary fund for pet projects."

  That sounded promising. Already I’d gone from no resources to some. That was progress. "Excellent. How quickly can you get me a description of those powers?"

  His eyebrows went up. "You want to learn to be mayor... a proper mayor?"

  "I want to know what the job is about, and what powers I'd have. Some of my ideas are simple and there is no reason to waste two weeks. Besides, I could be murdered at any moment. My legacy could be fragile."

  "That's true enough. Okay, I'll get that list for you. And somewhere around here is a copy of the duties and powers of mayor you can read. I can have them on your desk in the morning."

  "That's great, Billy." I was feeling strong—I think the word for it was empowered. Now I'd find out what I could do and then learn what it took to flex a little of my political muscle. As Billy turned to leave, a thought struck me and I stopped him. "Billy, are there any grain stores in town?"

  "Grain stores? Not that I know of. They have some grain at the co-op and then, of course, there's the feed store. They might have some grain."

  "No, I mean storehouses where you keep the grain for people—the food supplies the government can pass out in case of famine."

  He pursed his lips. "Not since... well, never as far as I know. Famines have been few and far between lately. So silos... they're kind of rare. The Federal government has some..."

  "Any nearby? We could commandeer them."

  He scrunched up his face. "I think I saw one a few miles south of town, but that was a while ago."

  "Billy, I just saw you make an odd face," Clarence said. "Any particular reason for that?"

  He rocked his head from side to side before answering. "It's just that the last mayor asked where the grain stores were too. Just before... Is there some reason you asked, Cecelia?"

  "I was just curious," I said. "A mayor needs to know how well the empire, I mean the town is prepared for a famine or a siege or other dire event. Or there could be a time when we needed to placate the poor. They have so little and look to their leaders to sustain them.”

  “I see,” Billy said, clearly not seeing at all. That was okay. He was a manager. They didn’t need to be visionaries and he was useful.

  “That the other mayor and I both asked is probably just a matter of great minds thinking alike and all that."

  “Uh oh,” Edgar said.

  A sheen of sweat appeared on Billy's forehead. "Okay. Well, if you can sign these for me by tomorrow, I'll bring in the things you want and we can exchange them."

  "He was in a hurry to leave," Edgar said.

  “He has work to do, carrying out the will of his mayor.”

  “I think he’s more thinking of a quick drink at the tavern,” Edgar said. “He went downstairs, not back to his office.”

  "Well, it seems you've done one thing at least one previous mayor did; too bad that we don't know why he did it. Is there a connection to Caesar?"

  I racked my brain for stuff I might've retained about that era. Unfortunately, I'd studied more about Greece than Rome. "I can't recall the specifics, but I know the distribution of grain was a big political football. Around that time the slums were growing and the cost of subsidizing grain for the poor was getting out of hand. Julius tried to reform the dole."

  "Well, that's not illuminating."

  "No." But it was exhausting. And the worst of it was that we didn't even know if we were getting closer to our goal. We didn't even know for certain that any of these murders had anything to do with Caesar. "I wonder if any of this is helping at all? I don't see a black cloud hanging over your head yet, Clarence."

  "I don't feel any different, but then I don't think we'll see an incremental change. We probably need to do more."

  Edgar sat on my desk and looked at some of the papers Billy had left. “Do you two realize you are rooting for a major conflict?”

  "That’s the point, Edgar. But I think I'm fresh out of historical trivia related to Caesar," I said. "I mean, I suppose I could raise an army and go to Egypt for a while after all if you like, but I doubt that would help much."

  Clarence was frustrated too. "With that little tidbit from Billy, I thought we were on the right track finally. There must be other things we can do. We should check out the town library. We need to identify more common things among the deceased mayors."

  "Maybe it's the killers that have the common thread," Edgar said. "Maybe we need to find echoes of Brutus in them, not of Caesar in the mayors."

  "That's a good point," Clarence said. "I hadn’t noticed anything but we didn't examine them as closely yet."

  “That sounds a lot like the plodding kind of work best left to staff or servants.”

  “Alas, as of yet, we have neither.”

  My brain seemed to be splitting into two components. Part of me didn’t understand where my comment had come from. So I did the logical thing and made a joke of it. "Dang. A girl never gets to have any fun around you two."

  “So we can do that tomorrow?” he asked. “The town hall doesn’t open until ten so we will have time after I get my donuts.”

  Clarence was right that the library would have additional information on the town and the people involved in the murders from before they happened. All we had read was about the murders themselves and reading about the people would be good. Plus, while we were there, I could look at town council meeting transcripts and letters in the newspaper. That would give me a chance to learn about the town's politics, find out who might be useful in building my own power base. If I knew what causes, what hot buttons each of the council members had, I could form my alliance.

  "Okay. We need to do something more and that seems the best shot. We can go over the news reports again tonight. In the morning we can meet at the library."

  Clarence picked up a card of local in
formation the hotel put in each room. “Looks like we better meet at the diner," Clarence said. "The library is only open in the afternoons due to budget cuts."

  That struck me as wrong. The library was important to me and my people. When I checked my powers I'd have to see if I had access to enough funds to change that. If I did, well, it would win hearts and minds and would be my first improvement to this lovely town. Perhaps I’d even expand the library, add a wing that honored my contribution. “I wonder if the town has any sculptors,” I said. “Can you check on that for me.” I was beginning to see the Cecelia Parish wing of the library vividly now.

  “Sculptors?”

  “I might want to commission a bust of the mayor.” I saw how they were looking at me. “For the library,” I said.

  “I see,” Clarence said. I was rather sure he didn’t. I wasn’t sure I did.

  Chapter Seventeen

  "Why bother going into the office tomorrow?" Clarence asked as we made lists of the killers, listing their backgrounds and what we knew about their actions around the time of the murders. “I thought you finished signing all the papers Billy had stacked on your desk.”

  "Why? Two reasons. One, if I’m not there, the artifact stays hidden. We should pop in and see if there is anything to see. The second is to get the list of my powers that Billy Walker is preparing for me. I have to see if I can start a couple of projects I have in mind." I didn’t think that spelling out my ideas would be a good idea. These two were rather skeptical.

  “This fake job is turning into a lot of work.”

  Edgar swallowed a laugh. "A list of your powers? Like being able to leap tall buildings with a stumble or two? Or the ability to trap cursed objects inside cursed boxes that you put in a cursed room and call it a good thing?"

  "Listen, I am the mayor of this town and in that capacity, I have a certain amount of executive authority. It's limited but it's there. If I’m going to help this town I need to know what I can do, so Billy is making a list of the things a mayor can do without worrying about getting approval from the town council. He promised to have it on my desk first thing."

  Clarence looked unhappy. I could tell this was upsetting him. "Why in the world do you care about that? It isn't like you are a real mayor."

  "Not a real..." His words stung, and I saw that he actually meant it. To him, this was just a charade. I took a moment to try and see it from his point of view, but it didn't help much. I couldn’t get myself to think that way. "Clarence, even though I took on the job as a way of triggering the artifact, my application was accepted in good faith. I don’t intend to waste my tenure."

  “What else are you going to do, Cecelia? You’ve already signed enough documents to keep the archivists in the State capitol fully employed.”

  “That’s Madam Mayor, please. And there is a lot I could do for this town. As long as I am officially mayor, I think it is my duty to ensure I have a positive effect on this community. With the council in recess for the next two weeks, I need to find other ways to enact my plans. There is so much to be done."

  "Oh my," Edgar said.

  Clarence wasn’t pleased with my platform for progress. As I thought it, I decided I needed to remember that. Platform for progress was a catchy slogan.

  "Your plans?” Clarence said. “Your plans should be about finding the artifact."

  "This town needs me, Clarence. You'd do exactly the same thing in my place, I know you would. It's just too bad about the council. I mean what an unnecessary obstacle they are. Even if they were in session..."

  "Cecelia, the town council is in place because they don’t want the mayor to be a dictator. You can't decide what is good for this town on your own. You don’t know what they need. You don't even live here."

  "That is a picky, and very minor, detail, Clarence. My ideas will help the town grow."

  "Then you should talk to the people and tell them your ideas. Maybe they like things the way they are. Without talking to them you can’t know."

  I thought about that. While it was true that the council wasn't in session and that would slow down any actions I might want to take, this town, like the State and the Federal government, was a democratic republic. The elected officials were sworn to uphold the will of the people, not necessarily do things in a certain way. That gave me options. "Clarence, that’s brilliant. I think you're absolutely right."

  "I am?"

  "Absolutely, you are. You’ve made me think of an old saying that fits this situation perfectly. 'He who becomes a Prince through the favor of the people should always keep on good terms with them.' How can I be on good terms with people who don't know anything about me? I'll appeal to them, reach out to them through a town hall meeting."

  Clarence looked relieved. "Thank goodness."

  Edgar cleared his throat. "Umm, you know that cute little saying you just remembered and like so much...”

  “Yes.”

  “You know that it came from Nicolo Machiavelli, right?"

  It was true. I wasn't sure exactly how I knew that, but I did. I just wished Edgar hadn't mentioned it. “If it’s true, it’s true. What’s your point?”

  “Nothing at all,” Edgar said, drifting over to stare out the window. All of a sudden, Clarence didn't seem nearly so happy.

  BILLY WALKER WAS A great help to me. The next morning, after donuts and coffee at the diner (the donuts were fresh and tasty) we went to the office and found he had the list ready as promised. “Do you need anything else before I bring in more documents for you to sign?” He looked embarrassed. “My secretary found another small cache of them.”

  “I was thinking of holding a town hall meeting,” I said, watching his face carefully.

  He gave me a cautious smile. “What on earth for? Nothing is going on.”

  “Just a meet and greet. I think the people might want to see their new mayor, put a face to the title. That’s all.”

  The wattage of his smile grew. "I like it. We can do it today if you like.”

  “Is there time?”

  “We are pretty laid back here. If I make a call now, the local radio station will make an announcement this morning on the current events program, folks will hear about it. We can have it this afternoon. Nothing else is going on."

  "So soon?"

  "Sure. It’s perfect timing. The fact is, that some people have asked me when they could meet this mystery woman we just made our mayor. Doing this right away makes it seem less sneaky. So sooner is better, I'd say."

  And so that became the plan. When I met Clarence at the library and told him, he seemed amused. "You are really going through with this aren't you?"

  "With what?" The question surprised me.

  "With trying to actually be the mayor, when we should be focused on finding the artifact."

  "I don’t see any reason not to do both. I have to play the part, so I might as well do something good while I’m at it. After all, they made me mayor because they needed someone at the helm, so the least I can do is steer the ship. They don’t know or care about the artifact, just the ship of state."

  "That’s a lovely metaphor," Edgar said.

  "Thank you."

  He snickered. "That's probably why it has been so dramatically overused by everyone under the sun."

  "A good metaphor can hold up to heavy use."

  "Yes, Madam Mayor. Just keep that ship off the rocks."

  Despite his cheap shots, I felt good. "Madam Mayor... I do like the sound of that," I said.

  Clarence poked me with his elbow. "Even when it's said by a sarcastic ghost? He was teasing you, you know?"

  "Even then, Clarence."

  "So at this town hall meeting... what do you intend to tell your followers?"

  I smiled at him. It was best if Clarence didn't know the details. He wasn't a big thinker, in fact, I was learning that big ideas frightened him a bit. "It's a meet and greet, right? I'll tell them about me and a few things that I'd like to do to improve the town. I’ll see if they ca
n get behind them."

  "I suppose that sounds reasonable," Clarence said.

  I certainly thought so. "Of course it is. People will want to hear my vision for them, for the town."

  "Your vision?"

  I was going to have to watch my choice of words around Clarence. “Don’t read anything into that. It’s just a way of putting all my ideas and thoughts in one pot.” I saw an unease in Clarence. It seemed that he didn't understand the opportunity facing us. Well, talking about it now wasn't going to make much of a difference. He would need to see the way my plan gathered momentum before he's convinced himself to get on board. But he would. The future never looked brighter.

  CLARENCE WAS SURPRISED at the size of the crowd that showed up for Cecelia's hastily arranged town hall meeting. It was only about fifty people, but under the circumstances that was a pretty good turnout. That many people created a buzz, and Cecelia was excited. The question was whether this much interest in the new mayor was a good or bad thing. In some ways, Cecelia seemed to be taking this job more seriously than he’d like to see. She was taking it as a challenge. That made him uneasy. It seemed to him that they had enough on their plate with just beating Bel to the artifact and getting it put out of harm’s way in one of the boxes they’d gotten from Beatrice and Albert. They’d brought several with them, just in case.

  Now he looked out at the crowd and wondered what they expected. Waiting, they looked bored to him. Almost listless. That made sense to Clarence. After all, they had to know that, under the best of circumstances, mayors came and went all the time, and in this town, they went more quickly than planned. Why get to know someone who wouldn't be around long?

  Still, he thought Cecelia's idea was right and she probably needed to get into the part if they were going to find the artifact, make it show itself.

  Billy introduced her to the crowd with appropriate hyperbole about how great it was that such an incredible person was taking on the office at such a ‘difficult’ time. Good word, difficult, Clarence thought. It covered anything from the town having budget trouble to the actual serial killings of mayors without alarming anyone.