Once Upon A Murder

by D E Dennis

  “I didn’t lie about going out that night,” he shouted. “How many times do I have to tell you, I was here?”

  “Until you invent a way to be in two places at once,” Monica threw over her shoulder. “You were seen on the security tapes leaving the community that night.”

  He flinched. He wasn’t expecting that.

  Lance abandoned his food on the counter and advanced on Monica. She slowly turned to face him.

  “I didn’t go into the woods,” he insisted. “I didn’t see Preston at all that night. We—”

  “We know.”

  “—didn’t even speak...” He stopped, his rant running out of steam. “Wait, you do?”

  “Yep. We know who Preston met in the woods and it certainly wasn’t you.”

  He screwed up his face. “Seriously? Then why are we talking about this? Isn’t the case closed?”

  “We’re talking about this because you still lied to us. Whatever secret you are harboring was important enough that you had to keep it, even if it made you a suspect. Why is that?”

  His face closed off. “No reason,” he said, going for nonchalant. “It just wasn’t anyone’s business.”

  “That is not how it works in a murder investigation.”

  “Well, I don’t care about your stupid investigation. Preston wasn’t my friend, not really, and I had nothing to do with his death, so why should I let you go snooping through my life?”

  “Why haven’t you asked who it was?” Michael suddenly said.

  Lance lifted his brow. “Oh, he speaks?”

  A smile stretched across Michael’s face as he repeated the question. “Why haven’t you asked us who Preston met in the woods? The person is supposedly the one who killed him, but you’re not curious.”

  He did a hair-flip shoulder-shrug combo that oozed carelessness. “I don’t know. I assumed you couldn’t tell me.”

  “Is that it? You just said you were innocent, and Preston wasn’t your friend, so you have no reason to care about the outcome of this case, but that is not true is it? There is someone involved in this case that you do care about.”

  A slight tightening around the eyes was all Lance gave away, but for Michael it was enough.

  “Preston was using her. Mistreating her. When someone turns up dead, the first thing we do is look at the lover for a motive and Preston gave Abigail plenty. You’d think you would be on pins and needles waiting to hear that the girl you liked was cleared of suspicion.”

  “Abby didn’t do anything. She would never hurt anyone.”

  “I wonder how you’re so sure about that.”

  “I know her!”

  “Maybe,” Michael said lightly. “Or you saw her.”

  Monica sat up a bit in her seat. Michael could tell by her expression that she was picking up on his line of thinking.

  “Is that true?” Monica asked. “Did you see Abigail the night Preston died?”

  “No.”

  Michael heaved a sigh of relief, shaking his head. “Good. I was worried you were going to give her a false alibi, because it was Abby who went to meet him that night. She was the one who bashed Preston over the head with a rock.”

  “That’s a lie!” Lance exploded. He got right in Michael’s face, his fists balled. “Abby was nowhere near him!”

  “How would you know?” Michael replied calmly. “You said you didn’t see her that night. So, were you lying then or are you lying now?”

  Michael could see the battle raging inside of him. “I just know she wasn’t there,” he insisted. “She wouldn’t—”

  “Testaments to her character don’t hold up in court, Lance, only evidence does. We have evidence placing her at the scene and the police are going to arrest her the moment the warrant comes through, so if you know something that could clear her, now is the time to share.”

  Something other than anger flashed across his face. It was fear.

  He backed down, looking between the two of them. “Evidence? What evidence? That’s not possible.”

  Monica nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

  “But she wasn’t in the woods!”

  “Then where was she, Lance? Tell us.”

  He shook his head. “Abby told me not to tell anyone.”

  Michael sighed. “Still clinging to your secrets? Well, I hope you feel good about that while she sits in prison.” Getting to his feet, he gestured at Monica. “Let’s go, sis. It’s almost time for dinner anyway.”

  They had just stepped into the front room when they heard thunderous footsteps advancing on them fast.

  “Wait!” Lance cried. “Stop. I’ll tell you.” He skidded to a halt in front of them and Michael waited. “She wasn’t in the woods. She couldn’t have been because...” He paused to suck in a breath. “She was with me.”

  “With you?” Monica asked.

  He nodded. “Yes, she was with me, as in with with. All night.”

  “No,” Michael said. “Abigail was at the movies that night. The police saw the paystub and the ticket person confirmed he gave tickets to identical twins.”

  “She bought the ticket and she went in,” Lance confirmed. “But twenty minutes in, she texted me to meet her behind the theater and she snuck out.”

  “Why didn’t either of you tell us this before?”

  “Because we didn’t want people to know we had been hooking up behind Preston’s back. We thought it would look bad even though neither of us had anything to do with it.” He lurched forward. “And you have to prove that, Grimm. Abby was with me. Whatever evidence you have is wrong.”

  “Alright,” Michael said slowly. “I’ll do my best to prove Abby wasn’t the one in the woods, but if I’m going to do that, I need you both to stop lying to us. I need to know the truth about everything.”

  He nodded fervently. “Yes, fine. Whatever you need to know.”

  “Okay. First, you can tell me what you know about azaleas?”

  He screwed up his face. “Azaleas? The flowers?”

  “That’s right. What do you know about them?”

  “Uh, they’re pink and Mom has the gardener grow them in the front yard. What about them?”

  “Ever heard of mad honey disease?” he asked, ignoring the question.

  He shrugged. “Yeah, I have. Heard about it this week in science class actually. People go insane and die when they accidently ingest poisoned honey.”

  Michael hummed. “And did you know that Preston kept a stash of alcohol in his desk?”

  “You asked me that already,” Lance said, rolling his eyes. “I told you I didn’t know about the alcohol in the student council room. Preston decided not to share which isn’t surprising because the guy didn’t share anything.”

  “I didn’t mean the school. Preston also hid alcohol in his desk at home.”

  “I didn’t know about that either.” He waved his hand through the air. “Look, what does this have to do with anything? How are you going to help Abby?”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” Michael stepped around him and continued his march to the door. “She won’t go down for something she didn’t do.”

  They stepped outside, walking until they were far enough away from the house.

  Monica jumped on him the moment they heard the front door slam shut. “Michael, that was genius,” she exclaimed. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “You had him about to wet himself with that ‘Abby is the killer’ routine. He gave the whole affair up like a desperate man confessing his sins.”

  “Thanks,” Michael replied, his head lolling. “I got lucky though. He could have just as easily called his parents and had the full weight of the CRPD and his fancy lawyers bearing on us.”

  “No, it was like you said. He’s been holding it all in for a while. He wanted to come clean.”

  “Well, now he did, and we know Abby lied about that night. Expertly too, I didn’t for a second think she wasn’t where we thought she was.”

  “True, but it’s not like it
matters now. Their alibi for when Preston was in the woods is irrelevant. It’s all about Swashbuckler’s Whiskey now and our good friend Lance claims to not know anything about it, but who knows if he’s telling the truth now. Honestly, the only one I feel we trust in this case is Ella. I’m going to start getting shifty-eyed around Luscious next.”

  Michael chuckled. “I can’t blame you. There’s something sinister about that animal.”

  They shared a short laugh but quickly sobered. “Speaking of Ella,” Michael said. “It’s almost time to pick her up. We should get going.”

  “You go.” Monica backed up, pointing to the house. “You’re just going to come back to Fairy Tails anyway and even though we had to make a dramatic exit, I still wanted to chat with Gracie some more. She seems a bit down.”

  Michael nodded. “Okay, I understand. I’ll text you on the way back.”

  Monica gave him a salute and strode away.

  MICHAEL WAS ON ELLA's doorstep at six o'clock that evening. She answered within seconds of him ringing the doorbell.

  "Hello, Michael," Ella said. "Come in. I'm still getting ready."

  Michael stepped over the threshold and followed her into the living room. Adalynn and Delilah looked up from their seats on the couch.

  Michael blinked at the sight.

  Adalynn wasn't in her robe. She had on a plain shirt, pair of jeans and her hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes were clear, and they narrowed when they rested on him.

  "Mr. Grimm," she said, the words clipped.

  Michael hovered over the couch. "Hello, Mrs. Ino. I hope it's okay that I'm here. I can wait outside if I'm not welcome."

  She sniffed but her gaze softened slightly. "No, it's fine. Ella told us how hard you're working to prove she had nothing to do with that boy's death, so you're welcome anytime. I just don't like that you've convinced her to tell Miss Gudmor about the shoes."

  "Adalynn, I told you. No one put me up to it. It was my choice. I have to do the right thing."

  "It's not your fault you lost them. That boy attacked you!"

  Michael took note of the refusal to say Preston's name.

  "I'm going to explain that to her. Hopefully she'll understand. I'll lose my job for sure, but maybe she won't have Detective Reddy arrest me."

  "She can't do that," Delilah piped up. "Just tell her that you'll repay her for the shoes." Delilah spun on her mother. "We'll help Ella pay for the shoes, right, Mom?"

  Adalynn hesitated but only for a moment. "Yes, we will."

  Delilah nodded. "I'm not as swipe happy as Abby is, so I've got some money in my account."

  "I can't let you guys do that," Ella protested. "This is my mess. I have to clean it up myself. I'll take on more shifts at work and—"

  "You're already working yourself to the bone. You can't handle any more shifts and the money you've got saved up is for college. You're going to be the first in the family to get into Castle Rock University, we can't jeopardize that."

  Ella blinked at her with genuine surprise on her face. "F-family?"

  "I'll take care of the cost," Adalynn said. She didn't seem aware of what she just said or the effect it was having on Ella.

  "And I'll go with you to talk to Gudmor," Delilah offered. "You should have someone there to support you if you're going to talk about what Preston did."

  It didn't bother Michael that he wasn't considered support. "My sister, Monica, will be there as well," he said. "So, Ella won't have to do this alone. We both want to help her however we can."

  "See," Ella said. "Monica will be there. I'm going to finish getting ready."

  Ella left the room and then it was just the three of them.

  Delilah sneered at him. "If you want to help then find the real killer and stop the cops from harassing Ella. I don't even know what you're doing here. You have no idea what Ella is going through!"

  Michael kept his face impassive. "But you do?"

  "What?" she said, flinching. "I didn't say that. I just meant Ella needs—"

  "—patience and understanding," he finished.

  She crossed her arms. "Exactly."

  "Have you all been giving her that?" Michael asked.

  "Of course, we have," Adalynn said, pursing her lips.

  "I'm glad to hear that, Mrs. Ino," Michael said. "I admit I was worried about her going through this alone."

  Delilah screwed up her face. "Why would she go through it alone?"

  Michael shrugged lightly. "Because you”—he latched onto Adalynn—“spend your days passed out on the couch, high as a blimp, and you”—Delilah was next—“are just not a very nice person."

  "Now just a minute!" Adalynn screeched, leaping to her feet. "Who do you think you're talking to?!"

  "Please sit down, Mrs. Ino," Michael said calmly. "There's no reason to be upset. I'm not judging you or trying to insult you. That you were under the influence of something the first day we met was obvious to everyone in the room."

  Adalynn was redder than a maraschino cherry. "I was getting over a flu. I had too much cough medicine that day. That is all."

  Michael looked at her steadily. "You don't have to lie to me, Adalynn."

  Adalynn's indignant expression began to crack under his gaze. She slowly retook her seat.

  Michael turned to Delilah. She gazed back at him defiantly.

  "I thought I had you pegged the moment I met you as well, but your sudden shift in feelings toward Ella has surprised me."

  "What's there to be surprised about? Preston attacked Ella," she yelled, eyes bugging out. "He forced himself on her. Hurt her. You think I'm some kind of monster that I would mess with her, after she's gone through something like that."

  "No, of course not," he admitted. "Not a monster, but like I said, not a very nice person."

  She reddened.

  "Or at least that's how it appeared with you pretending Ella doesn't exist one minute and then referring to her as 'Cinderella' the next. You've excluded her, ignored her, insulted her... but now you're fiercely protective of her, even willing to pay to cover her debts."

  Delilah was shaking, glaring at him so harshly he was thankful heads couldn't actually explode from dirty looks.

  "Why did learning Ella went through such a horrible ordeal change the way you felt about her? Why are you being the sister to her now that you weren't willing to be before? Why did you refuse to go to that party at Preston's house?" Michael took a deep breath and said softly, "And why do you always look so sad, Delilah?"

  Delilah tried to hold on to her glare, but it fell away as her face crumpled like tissue paper.

  "That is enough! Leave her alone!" Adalynn cried as she threw her arms around her sobbing daughter.

  Ella burst into the room. "Michael, I'm ready to g—" She skidded to a stop. "What's wrong? What happened?"

  Michael picked himself off the couch. "I'm sorry," he said as Ella rushed to comfort Delilah. "I truly am."

  MICHAEL WAS SITTING on the porch, arms resting on his knees, when Samira came out of the house. She sat down next to him.

  "How did it go?" he asked without looking at her.

  "You were right to call me. I'm afraid your suspicions were correct."

  Michael put his head in his hands.

  "She and her sister went to a classmate's party four weeks ago. There was a lot of alcohol going around, and Delilah woke up next to Preston with no memory of what happened the night before." He saw her ball her fists through the spaces between his fingers. "He actually laughed about it. Said 'oops, wrong twin.’"

  Michael let out a few choice words in response to that.

  Samira nodded in complete agreement. "Poor Delilah has been going through it alone. She never told her twin, her mother, no one. She didn't tell anyone what happened."

  "I really wanted to be wrong this time," said Michael.

  "I wish you were." He felt a hand on his elbow. "Where's your sister?"

  "She's on her way back from Fairy Tails. I fig
ured Ella wasn't planning on going into work tonight."

  She shook her head. "No, she called Miss Gudmor and told her she wasn't coming in. She still wants to confess to stealing the shoes though. The girl has integrity, I'll give her that."

  "She's a good egg. That is why I owe it to her to clear her name."

  "We will, Mikey. We'll find the real killer."

  "We?" he repeated, raising his brow. "I thought we couldn't work together anymore?"

  Samira shook her head. The hand on his elbow traveled down his arm and slipped into his own. "We'll always be together, Michael."

  Michael didn't disagree. He didn't stop her from threading their fingers together. Nor did he stand up to leave. He just did what he did best. He sat there in silence and together they watched the wind tickle the trees and dance through the azalea bushes.

  Chapter Ten

  Monica looked up from her desk when Michael trudged into the office almost two hours later.

  He frowned. "What are you doing here? I told you to go straight home."

  "I knew you would come here, so I'm here. How are you?"

  "I'm fine."

  "And Delilah and Ella?"

  "Samira took over after I called her, but she said she's going to help. Give Adalynn the name of some people the girls can talk to, support groups, things like that. I want to go back and talk to Adalynn. It was too much tonight, but in the morning, I’ll swing by."

  “If she doesn’t slam the door in your face.”

  “There is that possibility.”

  “Well, I’ll be with you, so we can do this together. What do you want to talk with her about?”

  “I just want more background on the twins. This whole day has shown me we haven’t had a clue about what they’ve been going through. Maybe Adalynn can fill in some of the blanks.”

  “That would be nice. We’ll go after breakfast,” she said.

  That settled, Michael reclined in his seat and tilted his head up to gaze at the ceiling. Motives and alibis danced through his mind for the rest of the night.