by Krista Davis
A crash blasted through the dead air. I shot along the hallway to the back of the house. In the sunroom, Vegas and Blake clutched each other but stared in shocked silence at shattered glass littering the floor. Cold air blew through a gaping hole in a panel of glass in the sunroom.
Vegas screamed like she’d seen Viktor.
On the opposite side of the gaping hole, a vampire bared his teeth at us. I recoiled. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that the vicious mask looking in at us was the very same one I had seen on the vampire who fled the scene of Patrick’s murder.
The vampire turned and ran into the dark recesses of my backyard. Daisy barked at the door to be let out. I considered chasing the vampire, but the recollection of my previous encounter came flooding back. The last thing I wanted was to be attacked again. “Nina!”
“Right behind you, darlin’.”
“Would you please corral Daisy and Mochie in a bedroom until we get this cleaned up?”
She coaxed Daisy away. My heart pounded as I raced through the house, looking for the suspects. Ray was offering to drive Wanda and June to the hospital so they could be with Madame Poisson. Outside, Wolf had arrived and appeared to be questioning Karl. Dash comforted Maggie in the kitchen, and Leon asked me for a dustpan. So much for the list of suspects. Karl had to be right. The only person not accounted for was Frank.
I returned to the sunroom, where Bernie, Mars, Leon, and Humphrey were busy cleaning up glass shards.
Bernie handed me a plant. “We’re supposing this was thrown at the window. The shards of its pot are scattered about the floor.”
The plant bore one flower of three delicately striped leaves and a podlike stamen in the center. “Is this an orchid?”
Maggie’s voice came from behind me. “Dracula vampira .” She refused to touch it. “It’s a vampire orchid.”
“It had to be Frank. I’ll be right back to help clean up this mess.” I carried the flower to the front door. The ambulance pulled away, leaving Wong and Wolf on the sidewalk in a discussion. I joined them and turned the flower over to Wolf, explaining what happened. “I guess Frank is the killer after all. Everyone else was here. I’m positive that the person who hurled this through the window was wearing the same mask as Patrick’s vampire. There are probably lots of those masks, but what are the odds that someone would wear an identical mask to commit a random act of vandalism and pick my house?”
Wolf studied the flower, but I could see that he was deep in thought. “If Frank poisoned the absinthe, why would he come back here and throw a vampire orchid at your house? I hear you’re one of the witnesses who saw Frank pouring a liquid into Karl’s flask?”
I nodded. “Mars, Bernie, and me.”
Wolf sighed. “Mars is always in the picture, isn’t he? I should have come to this party. I’ve never been to a séance.” He leaned over to kiss my cheek. “I’m heading up to Frank’s house. This should be interesting.”
I spent the next fifteen minutes saying good night to everyone. Maggie seemed disappointed that Karl was driving her home. Dana and Dash split the job of delivering Jen’s young friends to their homes. Natasha put her foot down and insisted Mars accompany her to their house. By the time I shut the front door and locked it, only Jen, Vegas, and Lilly remained. They dragged off to bed, exhausted.
I puttered around the kitchen, cleaning up and thinking about what Wolf had said. If Frank poisoned Karl, why would he come back and throw a flowerpot at my house? Wouldn’t he have the good sense to stay away and wait for the phone call that Karl was in the hospital or dead? I peered out the window in the hope Wolf might come back to tell me what had happened. At three in the morning, though, I just didn’t have enough steam left in me to stay up and wait. I checked to be sure all the doors were locked and went up to bed with Daisy and Mochie.
THIRTY-TWO
Dear Sophie,
For Halloween, I was planning to simply hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. My new stepchildren insist their mother always bakes a cake in the shape of a pumpkin. Where do I buy the cake pan for that?
—Wicked Stepmother in Satan’s Kingdom, Massachusetts
Dear Wicked Stepmother,
You probably already have the pan. Bake two Bundt cakes. Turn one upside down and glue it to the other one with icing. Frost with pumpkin-colored icing. Use a flat-bottom ice cream cone for the stem and cover with green icing. Voila! Pumpkin cake!
—Sophie
We all slept late on November first. I lounged in bed for a few minutes, until I heard faint cackling. I didn’t know how Madame Poisson had accomplished that the night before, but I couldn’t take chances. There might be someone in the kitchen.
I walked down the stairs, trying to avoid the creakier parts. Peeking in the kitchen, I didn’t see anyone except Daisy and Mochie. I made a quick tour of the downstairs. Nothing was out of place.
I made a pot of strong tea, and when I was pulling eggs out of the fridge to make a hollandaise sauce for eggs Benedict, the cackling began again behind me. I whipped around. Mochie sat beside the cackling bowl. When it stopped, he gingerly inserted a paw into the bowl, just far enough to make the hand move and set off the cackling again. I swung him up in the air, laughing, then nuzzled his face.
Looking up at Faye’s portrait over my fireplace, I said, “Well, that was some party last night. If you were there, I hope you had fun.”
Carrying a steaming mug of tea, I accompanied Daisy to the backyard. She snuffled where Mars, Bernie, and I had hidden behind the potting shed, as well as by the gate, where Frank had poured poison into Karl’s flask. I returned to the kitchen and added shallots and white wine to a pot to reduce, but no matter what, my thoughts returned to Frank. Had he really been so obsessed with Maggie that he felt compelled to kill his rivals? He’d attended Natasha’s party dressed as a vampire. He must have stashed the mask somewhere that night, or dashed home to get it. The girls and I had the bad luck to come upon him right after he murdered Patrick. He took off and returned later to attack me. He must have feared I could identify him.
But why had he claimed that he’d been attacked? Why had he jumped into the casket at the haunted house and adhered a leach to himself? That seemed peculiar. Had he thought it would throw suspicion on someone else? Wouldn’t he have been afraid of suffocating in the casket? It didn’t make sense that he returned to throw the vampire orchid through my window, either. And what about his conversation in my yard with Karl? Did he see Bernie, Mars, and me watching? If that was the case, why did he pour the poison liquid into Karl’s flask? Why wouldn’t he have said he didn’t have any or made some other excuse?
I separated three eggs into bowls and whisked the yolks. There were too many things that didn’t make sense. The more I thought about it, though, the more I concluded that someone wanted to scare Maggie. Even Blake had thought he could use a vampire costume to frighten his mother back into his father’s arms. Whoever killed Patrick and left the bite on his neck must have known about Maggie’s fear of vampires. “He certainly didn’t love her, though. It was cruel to manipulate Maggie through her fear,” I muttered.
Jen yawned as she entered the kitchen. Daisy ran to her, wagging her tail. Jen petted Daisy but made a point of wrapping her arms around me. “Thanks for the party, and for not sending me away. This was the most exciting birthday I’ve ever had! Some of the kids who were here last night have been texting about the séance and the poison. Everybody thinks I’m really cool.”
“Tea? Are Vegas and Lilly still asleep?” I poured tea into a mug for her.
“Yes, and it’s a good thing. Vegas is going to be plenty mad when she gets up.”
“Did something happen?”
“Heather texted everyone about Blake kissing a flapper bimbo in the sunroom last night. I don’t know why she’s so mean. She’s pretty and smart and has everything. Vegas says she’s the kid that sets the trends all the others copy at school—you know, designer clothes and all that stuff. She could have any boy she w
ants, except for Blake.”
I grinned since Jen and I were both wearing comfy, antidesigner flannel pajamas. “Sometimes appearances are misleading. The truth is that Heather’s father didn’t inherit the business he thought he would receive. It was sold, and Heather’s mother took half the money, divorced Karl, and moved away. Karl pretends to be a doting dad, but Heather is alone a lot, sometimes all night long. We really ought to feel sorry for her. I suspect that she’s often mean to get attention.”
Jen frowned at me. “That’s so sad. You’d think she’d be nicer to Vegas, instead of calling her names.”
I let out a little gasp and removed the pot from the stove. “Wait a minute. If Heather saw Blake kissing Vegas in the sunroom, then maybe it was Heather who threw the vampire orchid at the window last night.”
“Yeah! She would have been plenty angry. Except where did she get a vampire orchid—or the mask?”
Pieces of the puzzle fell into place so fast that my head spun. “From the killer—her father. Karl didn’t dispose of the mask! And he’s been using props, like Heather’s Dead dolls, to scare Maggie and me. I bet that vampire orchid was going to land at Maggie’s front door to frighten her. But last night, Heather was angry and hurt. She went home and got her father’s precious orchid and the mask, and came back here intending to smash the plant in front of him to get his attention. But when she saw Vegas and Blake kissing, she became angry and threw the orchid at the window.”
“So you think Heather’s father killed Patrick? I feel horrible for her. Her mother ditched her and now her dad’s going to jail?”
Footsteps thundered on the creaky old stairs on my foyer. “The other girls must be up. I need to call Wolf and tell him it’s Karl, not Frank!”
Jen twitched her mouth around, making faces. “When I came in, didn’t I hear you say that someone who loved Maggie wouldn’t be so cruel?”
I dialed Wolf’s number and placed my finger on my nose like we were playing charades. “Exactly. But you see, Karl never loved Maggie. He didn’t care if he hurt her. He wanted to scare her into needing him. Dash had Karl pegged right all along. What Karl really wanted was control of Maggie’s share of the car dealership—the one his family used to own.”
Jen picked up Mochie and paced toward me. “So he might have murdered Maggie eventually, too.”
I stared at my young niece, surprised by her intuitiveness. “Perish the thought, but I bet you’re right.”
My call rang through to Wolf’s voice mail. I left an urgent message, saying that I thought Karl had murdered Patrick.
When Lilly and Vegas joined us for breakfast, I made a point of changing the subject, but it was impossible. The girls bubbled over about the events of the night before.
Lilly sat on the banquette cross-legged. “That was the most exciting night of my life! Wait until the kids at school hear about your birthday party, Jen. That séance was awesome.”
“I wish I went to your school.” Vegas poured herself a cup of tea. “Then I wouldn’t have to deal with Heather. She’s so mean! I’ll get her back, though.”
I set a plate of eggs Benedict in front of Lilly. “Vegas, wouldn’t it be better to turn the other cheek? The more you respond to Heather, the more you egg her on. She’s trying to upset you, so when you retaliate, you’re pleasing her. That means she hit home and hurt your feelings.”
Vegas sat down but drew herself as erect as Natasha would have. “I can’t stand by and let her abuse me. I’m tired of her calling me ugly names. This time I’m getting her good.”
“Uh-oh.” Jen cut into the soft egg on her plate. “What are you going to do?”
Vegas smiled. “You’ll see.”
At one o’clock exactly, Lilly’s mother arrived to pick up Jen and Lilly. There was a flurry of good-byes, and Jen whispered, “Call me tonight and tell me what happens with Karl.”
“I’ll be calling all right. Your poor parents won’t believe what happened, and now that they’re back I don’t want them hearing it from Lilly’s mom.”
When the car pulled away, Daisy and I walked Vegas home. Mars answered the door and said in a voice so loud that I knew he wanted someone to hear him, “Sure! I’d be happy to walk Daisy!”
Vegas barged past him into the house, and Mars whispered to me, “Wanda brought Madame Poo Poo home. I can’t take one more minute of all that psychic stuff.”
“I’m sure Daisy would be most pleased to rescue you. She could use a good long walk.”
Unfortunately, he grabbed a jacket and left, walking down the street with Daisy and me, just like old times.
“Was Madame Poisson really poisoned?” I asked.
“Apparently so. She’s lucky she didn’t drink more of that stuff. Now that she’ll be okay, I think they’re conjuring up some sort of spell to make me marry Natasha.”
I laughed. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Probably not.”
Wolf rounded the corner from the side street and walked toward us. Once again, he kissed me with a fervor that surprised me. I hated that I thought it was for Mars’s benefit and not because Wolf had missed me. “You two going someplace?”
“I just took Vegas home, and Mars wanted to walk Daisy. Have time for a cup of coffee while I fill you in?”
Mars perked up. “There’s been a development? Daisy wouldn’t mind if I had a cup of coffee first.”
Wolf didn’t seem all too happy that Mars accompanied us back to my house.
I whipped up mocha lattes in no time and shared my new theories about Karl and Heather.
Wolf leaned back in his chair. “That would explain why we didn’t find the mask in Frank’s house. His wife claims they’ve never had any orchids. I tend to believe her because I didn’t see a single plant anywhere in the house. They’re not the houseplant type, I guess.”
Stroking Daisy’s head, Mars said, “Wow. So Karl was the killer, and last night when Madame Poisson fainted, he switched it around fast. Frank didn’t try to kill Karl out of jealousy over Maggie; it must have been the other way around. Karl wanted Frank out of the way, so he tried to kill Frank using the dry ice in the casket.”
“I’ll bet anything that Frank lied to us when we found him in the casket. He claimed he didn’t remember anything, but I bet he knew perfectly well that Karl tried to kill him. That’s why he meant to poison him last night.” I shook my head. “That was a close one.”
Mars scratched behind Daisy’s ears. “Frank probably thought he had to kill Karl, before Karl could make another attempt on Frank’s life.”
Wolf scowled. “He should have come to the police.”
“He couldn’t,” I said. “Karl would have turned in Frank’s bootlegging absinthe business. That’s how he was making a living. Not with his legal but overpriced wines.”
Wolf rose. “Sorry to run, but I have a lot to do. No time for lounging at the moment.” He squeezed my shoulder affectionately. “I promise I’ll make time for us when this is over.” Wolf stepped out the kitchen door. Through the window, I could see him making a phone call and walking with great haste.
“Sherlock, I believe you’ve cracked the case,” quipped Mars. He latched Daisy’s leash onto her collar. “Ready for our run?” She wagged her tail and led him to the door.
The phone rang as the door closed behind them. “Aunt Sophie? It’s Jen. Remember how Vegas said she would get even with Heather? Well, Vegas sent out a text this morning”—her voice rose in pitch—“from my phone saying that her dad is a hero, not a murderer disguised as a vampire. She must have heard us talking about Karl this morning because I didn’t tell her.”
I dropped the phone and ran to the door. “Mars!” I motioned to him to come back, and returned to the phone. “Sorry about that, sweetie. I’m glad you called to let me know. Did your parents make it home okay?”
She assured me they had. Hanging up, I said to Mars, who had just entered, “Vegas might be in trouble. She sent out a text accusing Heather’s dad of being th
e murderer.”
Mars blanched. He turned around and ran across the street with Daisy before I could grab my jacket. By the time I climbed the stairs to his front door, he was already in the foyer yelling for Vegas.
Natasha emerged from the dining room. “Mars! We don’t shout like heathens in this house.”
“Where’s Vegas?”
“Probably in her room. I sent her up there and told her to do any homework due tomorrow.”
Mars handed me the leash and raced upstairs.
Natasha cast a displeased glance at Daisy. “Would you mind waiting outside?”
Mars’s wild dash up the stairs reminded me of the night the kids went missing. I wasn’t about to budge. I looked Natasha squarely in the eye and said, “Yes, I would mind waiting outside.”
She drew back as though I’d said she resembled a wartcovered toad. “Really, Sophie! There’s no reason . . .”
I tuned her out when Mars reappeared at the top of the stairs. He shook his head.
I turned right and, over Natasha’s objections, scouted out the living room, dining room, kitchen, and powder room with Daisy. By the time we’d finished, Natasha had raised her voice like a heathen, and Mars had checked out the lower level.
“She’s not here.” Worry rang in Mars’s tone. “Think, Natasha, did she say anything?”
“Please don’t tell me she sneaked out to meet Blake again.”
I hoped her absence meant something so innocent. “Did you return her phone to her?”
Natasha sighed. “No!”
“Her computer!” Mars ran upstairs again and returned in seconds. “Heather posted on Facebook that she’s meeting Blake where the vampire sleeps.”
“The haunted house.”