by Krista Davis
“What’s all the fuss about?” With a fluid movement, Dash used one hand to push back his hair. A stalker he wasn’t.
Nina slammed her hand over her chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“What are you doing here again?” Dash didn’t bother to hide his annoyance.
For a split second, I thought he was talking to Nina and me, but then I realized that Karl Corbin clutched Maggie in his arms and was murmuring something soothing in her ear.
“Didn’t you see the vampire?” Karl asked Dash.
Dash pushed past Karl into the house, and Nina and I quickly followed.
“So what? It’s the night before Halloween and some kid ran down the street in a vampire cape. Maggie, you will be the death of me yet.” Dash sucked in a huge breath of air and distorted his stunning features by vigorously rubbing his face with his hand. He disappeared into the kitchen, leaving us with Karl and Maggie, who held her hands over her nose and mouth.
She stretched her arms out to me. “I’m so glad you’re still alive! I thought I would never see you again, well, unless you came to bite me.” She lifted my hair off my neck and examined it with a gorgeous smile.
“Karl, honey, would you be a lamb and open a bottle of wine?” Maggie stroked his upper arm. He smiled at her and headed toward the kitchen.
She showed us to the living room and invited us to have a seat.
Dash stalked in, looking angry. In a low tone, he said, “Maggie, how many times have I warned you about Karl?”
She actually batted her eyelashes and preened. “We’re divorced now, baby. You don’t get to tell me who I can see.”
“Karl is going to be the same kind of disastrous nightmare that Patrick was. Why do you insist on surrounding yourself with pathetic losers?”
Unfortunately, Karl had stepped in, carrying a bottle of red wine, and overheard Dash’s comment. His expression remained the same, calm and irritatingly placid, just as it had the day he tried to shut down the haunted house and take Blake home. “Who is having wine? How many glasses do we need?”
When he’d returned to the kitchen, Maggie whispered, “Do you think he heard? I’d hate for Karl to be offended. He’s been such a help to me.”
I thought Dash might go through the roof. “Of course he heard! I want you to get rid of him, and Frank, too.”
Maggie lifted her shoulders in a coyly pleased motion and grinned at us. “Don’t you just love a jealous man?”
I watched Dash and Maggie carefully. There were stranger things going on between them than between Mars and me. I rushed to change the subject before Karl returned. “Maggie, did Patrick ever say anything about a guy named Leon?”
“The one who worked for him? The man was a nightmare. I know it’s hard to find good help, but Patrick had nothing but problems with him. Patrick couldn’t even get away for lunch when Leon was working because he couldn’t trust Leon to be there alone. And when he let him go! Oh!” She threw her hands into the air. “Leon actually came back to the shop one day and threatened Patrick.” Her eyes opened wide. “You think he’s the vampire! Of course! The police asked me about Leon.”
Dash had settled into a cushy chair and crossed his ankle over his knee. “Were you there when Leon threatened Patrick?”
“You never trusted Patrick.” Maggie blinked uncomfortably. “Yes, as it happened, I was in the store at the time.”
Karl finally returned carrying a tray of wineglasses and the wine bottle. He poured the wine, handed a glass to each of us, and said, “Salud!”
Dash eyed him. “Aren’t you having any?”
Karl’s unchanging expression with the pleasant smile unnerved me. “Not with the vampire on the loose.”
Was he joking or serious? I couldn’t tell, but he didn’t pour a glass of wine for himself, and I noted that Dash refused to drink his. Moving fast to stop Nina, I accidentally knocked her glass sideways and it spilled all over her.
“Sophie!”
“I’m so sorry. What a mess.”
Dash brought Nina a towel.
She dabbed at her trousers. “Ugh. I think we’d better go. I’m sopping wet.” She glared at me and lifted her lip in a playful growl.
“It’s getting late. Maybe we should all head home. Can I give you a lift, Karl?” Dash looked him in the eyes.
“Thanks, but I’ll help Maggie clean up.”
If Dash had been a cartoon character, the top of his head would have opened and steam would have poured out. He accompanied Nina and me out the door. It shut behind us, and he looked back at it, his mouth tight with anger. “Just so you know, Maggie was lying about being there when Leon threatened Patrick.”
“How do you know that?” asked Nina.
“She won’t go into that building.”
“You’re right!” I should have realized. “She refused to come into the haunted house. But why would she lie about it?”
Dash laughed, albeit somewhat bitterly. “So I wouldn’t be right about Patrick. He lied to her all the time, and she’s beginning to figure that out, but she won’t admit it yet. You’ve seen her at her worst, but she can be a strong-willed and stubborn woman.”
“And what was with not drinking the wine?” I put Dash on the spot, but I didn’t care.
One corner of his mouth turned up and the other one turned down. “I make it a rule never to drink if the host isn’t having any from the same bottle.”
TWENTY-TWO
Dear Natasha,
I’ve been trying to think of something different for a Halloween party with mostly preteen boys. Over the years, other moms have served spaghetti brains and grape eyeballs. What can I do that would be fresh?
—Wicked Hostess in Bloody Corners, Ohio
Dear Wicked Hostess,
Throw a mad scientist party. Drape a table with black fabric. Buy beakers and test tubes to use for drinks. Add some curling tubing to mix cranberry juice with blueberry juice. Decorate with microscopes. Set up a cauldron of dry ice to waft over the table and set the mood. Hire a magician or friend to dress as a mad scientist and perform tricks as entertainment. And don’t forget to hand out safety goggles to each guest as he comes in the door!
—Natasha
Nina gasped and gazed at her wet trousers. “You think he poisoned the wine?”
“Nah. He couldn’t explain away that many dead bodies. I don’t trust him, though. He, ah . . . well, you don’t need to know the whole sordid history.”
He started to walk, but I grabbed his sleeve. “Yes, I think we do need to know. Could he have killed Patrick?”
“My history with Karl has nothing to do with Patrick.” If I had learned one thing about murder, it was that everything, every tiny detail, was important. How could I get Dash to talk? “I understand his family owned your car dealership at one time?”
Dash bent his head forward and stared at the ground, which I was beginning to recognize as his pensive mode. “It was in his family for generations. His grandfather and great-uncle started it. Karl practically grew up there because his father took over from them. I guess it all seemed preordained to him. He thought the business would go on, and the money would keep flowing in, and all he had to do was cash a paycheck. But when the economy slowed, Karl’s dad realized that he hadn’t raised a businessman.” Dash inhaled deeply. “Maggie and I got very lucky. We had started a used car lot a long time ago. That was how I met Karl’s dad. He liked me, I guess because I came from the school of hardscrabble, and when he saw that the family business needed more than he could give it at his age, he made me an offer”—he held his palms up in a helpless gesture—“that I couldn’t refuse. As part of the deal, I took Karl on as a salesman. As you might expect, he was childish and drove customers away, so I had to let him go. He always was sweet on Maggie, though. I’ve warned her about him.”
Dash grunted. “Maggie doesn’t get it. She thinks I’m being possessive when I caution her about the men who flock around her. They’re after her money, but she
can’t see that. She’s vulnerable and an easy target. The only silver lining in Patrick’s murder is that Maggie won’t be marrying him.”
“I had no idea they were engaged,” I said.
“Oh, yeah. Blake was incredibly upset about it. We knew Maggie was nothing but a meal ticket to Patrick. Now I have to figure out how to protect her from Karl.”
“What happened to Karl’s wife?” Nina buttoned her jacket and turned the collar up.
“She took off with her share of the money from the sale. It’s a real shame she left Heather with her dad.”
“Her mother left her?” I could hardly believe my ears. Heather had been so cruel to Vegas about her missing mom. Who would have thought it? Heather knew what would hurt Vegas because she was experiencing the same feelings of loss.
“Excuse me.” Dash’s eyes narrowed as a vampire rushed us from behind, veered, and ran into the street.
Dash leaped after him and gave chase for half a block. “That guy has some moxie!” Nina beckoned to me and started to jog after him.
I had little choice but to follow. Of course, three of us would be better able to restrain the killer than just Dash alone. I pulled out my cell phone to call Wolf but only got voice mail.
Ahead of me, Dash tackled the vampire at the edge of the sidewalk. A third man emerged from the shadows and leaped on top of them. A fourth shadowy person ran across the street and joined the melee. They fell in what appeared to be a painful manner. By the time I reached them, Dash had stood up. He pulled the vampire away from the other two and shoved him behind his back.
Bernie and Humphrey lunged toward Dash until the vampire, who was an entire head shorter than Dash, peeked around at them. The person in the vampire cape was none other than Blake. He bit his upper lip and waited behind his dad, as though he expected his father to yell at him.
Panting, Bernie and Humphrey stared at Blake.
Dash asked him calmly, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Blake shifted from foot to foot, almost in a rocking motion. “I thought if Mom saw a vampire when you came to the door, that she would fall into your arms. I didn’t know stupid Karl would be there.”
Dash pulled his son to him in a bear hug and leaned his head against Blake’s. When he released Blake, Dash ran a fatherly hand over his son’s mussed hair. “The next time you pull a stunt like that, tell me first so we can work out the details.” Although Dash smiled, his eyes conveyed sorrow. He waved at us. “Sorry if this scamp scared you. I’d better get him home.”
“Hold it!” Bernie tried to catch his breath. “I’ve been following Sophie for days. The killer has been tailing her, too. How do we know Blake isn’t following her?”
“You?” Humphrey frowned at Bernie. “I’ve been tailing Sophie.”
“Looks like you two have been chasing each other.” Dash wrapped a protective arm around his son’s shoulders and started toward their car. I heard him ask, “Feel like tacos tonight?”
Nina wiped her nose with a tissue and sniffled. “How sad was that? And Dash was so sweet! If I weren’t married, I’d be chasing him!”
“Which one of you followed us to Hart Wine tonight?” Both Humphrey and Bernie raised their hands.
“And which one of you followed me to the haunted house this afternoon?”
Humphrey cleared his throat. “That would have been me.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “You’ve had me so scared! Why didn’t you tell me and walk with me?”
Bernie cocked his head. “You’re sort of independent.”
“You would have objected,” said Humphrey.
They were right. They were so right! “From now on, no sneaky following me, okay?”
Nina was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. She waved both of her hands in front of her face. “I’d like to change clothes and get some dinner. Who’s up for a drink?”
The four of us started for my house.
“Soph,” said Nina, “you don’t think Dash killed Patrick, do you?”
“I’d have to say he’s on my list of suspects. Did you see how jealous he was of Karl tonight?”
“I was afraid you would say that. So there’s Ray, who is clearly sharper than he looks. He could have pulled it off. And then there’s adorable, chubby Leon, who fought with Patrick about something. Whether he stole from Patrick or Patrick blackmailed him doesn’t really matter, I guess. They had an altercation and there was clearly residual anger.”
“Don’t forget Frank and the licorice and his affair with Maggie,” I added.
Humphrey cleared his throat. “I’m not sure we can eliminate Maggie herself. I don’t wish to appear prudish, but does it seem to anyone else that she is involved with a lot of men? Patrick, then Frank, who is married by the way, and now apparently Karl, too?”
I couldn’t help coming to Maggie’s defense. “Just because we’ve seen her with them doesn’t mean she’s, um, involved with all of them.” I wanted to honor Dash’s request that I not blab about her sanguivoriphobia. “I think she’s afraid to be alone. Your point is well taken, though, Humphrey. It does appear that she might have been seeing Frank prior to Patrick’s death.”
Bernie chimed in. “I hate to say it, but I guess we have to include little Blake. That performance tonight was touching. He really wants his mom and dad to reunite. That’s a pretty powerful motive.”
I nodded. “And we know he was in the area when the murder was committed.”
“I guess that wraps it up. Did I leave anyone out?” asked Nina.
“Only all the men at the party who were dressed as vampires. Rats! I meant to ask Maggie about Ray tonight.”
Humphrey took a detour to his car, and the rest of us walked up to my front door and let ourselves in.
The wintery scent of burning wood filled the air, and Daisy bounded to me, her tail circling like an airplane propeller. I wrapped my arms around her neck for a doggie hug and continued patting her as we walked into the kitchen.
Jen sat at the kitchen table, and Mars was poking the fire, but Vegas prowled like a caged tiger.
“Hi.” It was a feeble thing to say, but I wasn’t sure what we were walking into. Something was afoot.
“Maggie is a vampire.” Vegas handed me a photograph. In it, Maggie wore an off-the-shoulder dress with a wide red belt and a voluminous skirt. She posed in front of my dining room fireplace with Viktor Luca, who wore the bat necklace Officer Wong had told us about.
Nina peered at it and exchanged glances with Mars and me. “Where did you get this?” she asked.
Jen squirmed. “It was upstairs in one of Faye’s old boxes.”
“I hope it was okay to let them snoop around up there.” Mars placed the brass wood poker in its stand.
I nodded. “Of course. I just don’t understand this photograph. It’s clearly old.” I flipped it. “No writing on the back. This is the guy June said was Viktor Luca, right, girls?” I passed it to Bernie.
“We called Gramma June. She’s on her way over.” Jen picked up Mochie and head-butted with him.
Mars elbowed me. “Gramma June. Isn’t that great?”
Nina sniffed the air. “I’m starved. I don’t smell food. Did you eat?”
“I could eat again,” said Jen. “Natasha invited me to dine with them.”
Uh-oh. No wonder she was hungry. “What was on the menu?”
“Sea urchins on weird toast, and black ink squid pasta. I think you should invite Vegas over here more often for real food.” Jen wrinkled her nose. “I really don’t like seeing a creature’s legs and stuff when I’m eating it.”
I couldn’t blame her because I felt the same way. “How about mac and cheese?”
“Yes! With a little bacon?” When we laughed at him, Mars forced himself to sound more mature. “I mean real mac and cheese, not one made with sea urchins or cilantro or wine.”
“Real mac and cheese,” I assured him, filling a pot with water for the elbow macaroni.
Vegas licked h
er lip. “Can we eat it in our pajamas?”
What was with these two? “Of course.”
Jen and Vegas flew out of the kitchen and up the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants. Daisy galloped along behind them.
Mars tried to be subtle, edging toward the foyer and the stairs.
“You brought pajamas?”
“That was the deal, remember? I’m staying here to watch out for you.” He shot out of the kitchen and up the stairs, no doubt to avoid my response. Ready to ditch my witch costume, I followed them and changed into Halloween pajamas.
When I returned, a soft tapping sound came from the kitchen door. Humphrey peered in at us, and Nina waltzed over to let him in.
“It’s freezing out there tonight!” He placed a bundle on the fireside chair and held his hands toward the fire to warm them.
“Let me guess. Are those pajamas?”
“Why, yes. Where will I be sleeping?”
“You have a choice between the third-floor bedroom and the sofa bed in the family room.”
“I’m feeling rather left out.” Bernie laughed.
“It seems most logical that I would sleep on the first floor to intercept intruders,” said Humphrey.
I walked into the foyer and shouted up the stairs. Jen appeared on the third-floor landing, looking down at me. I asked her to bring fresh linens for the sofa bed and returned to the kitchen, where I laid strips of bacon in a frying pan. The heavenly scent wafted up to me immediately, reminding me that I hadn’t had dinner.
Nina handed Humphrey the picture of Viktor and Maggie. “Here, genius. Figure out how Maggie can be in this photograph.”
“I’m not sure he knows Maggie.” I popped cheeses into the food processor to shred them so they would melt quickly.
Humphrey took the photo and studied it. “I don’t know her well, but we have met. My mortuary is handling the arrangements for Patrick.” He flipped the photo over. “Is this some sort of trick? I’m told one can do almost anything on a computer. Although I don’t believe they make this kind of photo stock anymore. It was popular when I was a child.”