by Morgana Best
“Sure, we just have to ask,” he said. “Anything else at all?”
“No, nothing. It was all over quite quickly.”
“We’ll have the police vehicle make more frequent patrols from now on,” Anderson said.
“Could it have been an attempted burglary?” Lucas asked them. Without waiting for an answer, he turned to me. “There was an attempted burglary at the winery today, in broad daylight.”
“Did they get anything?” Aunt Agnes asked him.
“Not as far as I know. The managers were home when it happened and they didn’t see or hear anything, but considerable damage was done to some of the equipment.”
All the aunts gasped, and their hands flew to their throats.
“Don’t worry, ladies,” Detective Anderson said. “Like I said, we’ll increase the patrols past your house. It was likely vandalism, not an attempted burglary, at the winery.”
“Will you still be able to produce your wine?” Aunt Agnes asked Lucas. Before he could answer, she continued. “First your wine scientist is murdered, and now your equipment is smashed. And of course your uncle died. Could he have been murdered, too? Someone is going to great lengths to shut down your winery.”
Detective Anderson held up his hands. “Now, Miss Jasper, let’s not jump to any conclusions. There have been burglaries all over town in the last week, mostly jewellery, small stuff.”
“But you just said it wasn’t a burglary as such,” I pointed out. “You said it was vandalism.”
“Quite so, quite so, but Mr O’Callaghan’s managers haven’t had a chance to go through the inventory. As far as we know, nothing of any significance was stolen. Anyway, the uniformed officers are looking into that.”
“But surely it’s part of the homicide investigation?”
He did not appear annoyed by my question. “If it is, then the uniformed officers will pass the information along to us and we will duly investigate.”
“Do you have any new information on Talos Sparkes’s murder?” Lucas asked him.
“We’ve analysed the hair we found around the base of the tree,” the detective said.
“That reminds me,” I said after I sipped some hot chocolate, “I saw Marius Jones patting a large grey dog today. He mentioned he pats that dog every day on his daily walk. It was quite a hairy dog, and I noticed he had hair all over his clothes.”
The detective did not appear interested, but nevertheless scribbled in his notepad. “Could you please describe the dog? What breed was it?”
“I think it was an Irish Wolfhound,” I said. “I can’t be sure. It was very tall and shaggy and sort of had the body shape of a greyhound only much bigger and taller, with lots of hair.”
“Thanks for that.” The detective shut his notepad.
“Does that description match the dog hair found?”
The detective shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t divulge that information. I can, however, tell you that we checked all dogs in town and haven’t found a match for this particular dog.”
It was then the penny dropped, and I felt like an awful fool. Of course the hair was from the Yowie. How could I have forgotten that fact? Call it shock, I suppose, but really I should’ve put two and two together. They had found Yowie hair, of that I was fairly certain.
Detective Anderson spoke. “Detective Banks and I will have a look outside, so don’t be disturbed if you see lights out there. We’ll say our goodbyes now, but we’ll have a look around outside before we go. So it was that window there?”
I had already told him that, but I nodded. “And what were you doing again when you noticed the man looking at you?”
“I was making hot chocolate,” I said. “I couldn’t sleep, what with everything that’s happened. I had a full cup of hot chocolate, and was going to my room when I saw him looking at me. I got such a shock, I dropped my cup.” I’d already told him that, but I suppose detectives like to ask several times to cross check their information.
“What are you doing here, sir?” Detective Banks asked Lucas.
“I heard Miss Jasper scream,” he said.
“None of the other guests heard her scream,” Banks said evenly, “or if they did, they didn’t respond.” He fixed Lucas with a look that could only be interpreted as accusing. I wondered if he suspected Lucas was the one looking through the window.
The detective turned to me. “How long after you screamed did Mr O’Callaghan arrive?”
I shook my head. “I can’t be sure, but my aunts got here first and then Mr O’Callaghan.”
“I couldn’t sleep either,” Lucas said. “I had fallen asleep watching TV, and then woke up in my chair. I got up to turn off the TV and as I did, I heard Miss Jasper scream.”
The detective nodded. He appeared to accept the story, but I for one didn’t. There was an obvious hole in the story. First of all, he said that he couldn’t sleep, but also he said he had fallen asleep watching TV. It was impossible to do both. Was I just being overly picky because I didn’t like the man? Sure, I had a crush on him, but that didn’t mean I liked him.
The detectives walked out the back door, followed by Lucas. I looked at Aunt Agnes, but she shook her head. She walked over to me and patted me on my shoulder, and said loudly, “You’ve had quite a few shocks since you arrived here, dear.” She leaned closer and said in a hushed tone, “Don’t say a word about what you saw until we know the detectives have gone.”
I was on my second cup of hot chocolate before the lights from the detectives’ torches stopped flashing around behind the house. Aunt Agnes went to the front window to make sure they had driven away.
“It’s all clear now,” she said upon her return. “Did you see a person or a Shifter, Valkyrie?”
“A Shifter for sure,” I said. “There was no mistaking it. It was tall and hairy, and had the face of an animal and a face of a human at the same time.”
The aunts exchanged glances. “Why wouldn’t someone snoop around in human form?” I asked them. “I mean, Yowies can hardly be common, so you wouldn’t think one would risk being seen, even if no one would believe the person who reported seeing it.”
“I’m afraid that whoever it is knows we would recognise him in his human form,” she said. “And it could well be a female. You can’t tell the difference between a male and a female Shifter just by looking at their faces.”
I was suddenly deathly afraid. “Do you think it knows you have its accomplice locked up in your house?” I asked her.
“No, definitely not,” Aunt Agnes said, although I could sense uncertainty in her voice. “This all revolves around Lucas O’Callaghan.”
“Sure,” I said. “I figured that out for myself. It seems fairly likely now that Lucas’s uncle was murdered, and the murderer threw the victim at his feet moments after he arrived in town, and now his wine making equipment is vandalised. That means that someone’s trying to shut down his winery. At least, that’s how it’s beginning to look to me.”
All the aunts nodded. “That’s what we’re thinking too,” Aunt Dorothy said. “The werewolf is looking for his or her partner in crime, and looking all around here for any clues, but has no idea that the three of us were the ones who captured the Shifter. After all, they think we’re just harmless old ladies.”
I had always thought they were harmless old ladies, but now I wasn’t so sure. The three of them sat there, clicking away with their knitting needles, reminding me of the three Fates of ancient Greece who spun, measured, and cut threads to determine the fortunes of humankind.
“Are you able to make the Shifter tell you who it is?” I asked the aunts.
“We’ve been trying,” Aunt Agnes said with a sigh of exasperation, “but this one is quite resilient.”
“What do you mean this one?” I asked her. “Have you had other Shifters locked up there before?”
Aunt Agnes’s eyes flickered from side to side. “That’s a conversation for another time, dear.”
I rubbed my templ
es. She had said that to me more than once, and it was a little frustrating. It was like being told things would be explained to me when I grew older. I’d had enough of that as a child.
Something else occurred to me. “I don’t think Lucas O’Callaghan could have heard me scream from there. Do you think he’s the Shifter?”
“Of course not. We’ve told you that before. O’Callaghan is not a Shifter,” Aunt Agnes said firmly.
“But how can you be so sure?” I asked her. “If you have powers to detect Shifters, then surely you could find the partner of the one you have locked up.”
All three shook their heads. “No, we don’t have those powers,” Aunt Dorothy said. “It would be good if we did.”
“So how do you know Lucas isn’t a Shifter?” I asked them.
“I told you, dear,” Aunt Agnes said patiently, “that’s a conversation for another time. Meanwhile, I’ll ask you to take our word for it that Lucas O’Callaghan isn’t a Shifter.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “Okay then, you win—I will. But how do you explain that he heard me scream? That seems impossible.”
“Sound carries strangely in this area,” Aunt Agnes said. “He doesn’t have special Shifter hearing, if that’s what you’re thinking. Plus, we’ve already told you that Shifters don’t have special hearing.”
“If you say so,” I said. “I think I need some Advil.”
“You don’t need some Advil,” Aunt Dorothy said over the top of her knitting. “You need some of the special wine from the Ambrosia Winery.”
“I’m not used to drinking so much alcohol,” I protested.
“Nonsense, my dear,” Aunt Agnes said brusquely. “This family has a high tolerance for alcohol, and besides, as we’ve already told you, this wine is very low in alcohol. It is, however, very high in vitamins and minerals, and exceptionally high in iron. It’s just what you need. And have you ever heard of people drinking stout for their health?”
“This isn’t stout, is it, though?” I asked her. “I thought stout was some sort of beer.”
“Yes, of course it is,” Aunt Dorothy said. “That was just an example. This is special wine which is more like a vitamin and mineral supplement in liquid form.” She poured me half a glass of wine and watched me while I drank it. “It’s medicinal,” she added.
I did drink it, but I wondered how I would get out of drinking so much alcohol in the future. My three aunts seemed to be heavy wine drinkers, and it couldn’t be good for them. I certainly didn’t want to head down that road. Nevertheless, I had to admit that I always felt immeasurably better after drinking the wine. Perhaps there was some truth to their words after all.
“Yes, this must be a horrible shock for you, Valkyrie. Now as to your earlier question, we’re working on getting that Shifter to tell us where his accomplice is.”
“Can’t you use Compulsion Oil, Bend Over Oil, or something like that on him?” I asked them.
“Yes we’ve done all that, and Tell the Truth Oil, too,” Aunt Agnes said. “We’ve gone through quite a lot of liquorice root and calamus root.”
“We won’t be safe until the other Shifter’s caught, will we?” I asked them.
They did not respond, and that was an answer in itself.
Chapter 15
I was sitting at a local cafe. The aunts had shooed me out of the house, saying they thought I should get out and drink some coffee to wake me up, but I didn’t trust them, not one bit. I knew they were up to something, but what?
And so I sat at the café, drinking a long black, trying to wake up after my lack of sleep the previous night, and wondering what my aunts were doing in my absence.
I started to feel a little human after my double shot long black, so I ordered a sandwich. I looked around the cafe. It was entirely decorated in pink. All the chairs were pink; the walls were pink, and the fake plastic flowers on every table were pink. Clearly, pink was someone’s favourite colour. As I continued to look around the room, I caught the eye of Linda Williams. She shot me a smile and walked over.
“May I join you?” she asked me.
“Sure.” I gestured to the chair opposite. She was still smiling; I didn’t know why. She had certainly not been overly friendly to me previously.
“Paul said you saw an intruder last night,” she said, wasting no time coming to the point.
“Yes, I did. How did he know?”
She shrugged, and looked unconcerned. “No idea, I didn’t ask him. Did you see who it was?”
I shook my head. “I could tell it was a man, that’s all. I only got a brief glimpse.”
The waitress came over and deposited my sandwich in front of me. She shot Linda an enquiring look. “Have you moved to this table, Madam?”
“Yes,” she said, not even looking at the waitress. I wondered why she was turning her charm on me. Clearly, she wanted something. I decided just to wait and play it by ear. Sooner or later, she would show her hand.
“So you said you moved to Lighthouse Bay to help your aunts in the business,” she said, eyeing me speculatively.
“Yes.”
She arched her eyebrows. “There wasn’t anyone else they could ask? I mean, with your degree in, um, what was it in again? English literature? Journalism?”
“Classical Literature,” I supplied.
She nodded. “Quite so. Wasn’t there anyone else they could ask?”
I shook my head. “It’s a family thing, I’m sure. They wanted me to move in with them, and I’m the only family they have. They’re the only family I have.”
She drummed her fingers on the table, a gesture of impatience, or so I thought. Her face was impossibly pale and she hadn’t used blush. I wondered if she normally lived in a cold climate. “I hope you didn’t have to leave a good job.” She said it as a statement rather than a question.
I answered, anyway. “No, I didn’t have a job at all,” I said. “That’s why I jumped at the chance to move here.”
“And how awful for you witnessing a murder on your very first day.”
“Well, I didn’t actually witness it,” I said, eyeing her warily. I didn’t know where these questions were headed. Still, she seemed to relax and I wondered what I could possibly have said to put her mind at rest.
Her food arrived, a huge steak. She cut into it greedily, and I saw that it was rare. She must have noticed me looking, because she gave an apologetic laugh. “I’m afraid I have a ferocious appetite. My husband always lectures me about it. I can eat a large juicy steak faster than most men can.”
I tried to laugh, but it came out more as a choking sound. Come to think of it, Marius Jones had eaten five steak topped pizzas all by himself. Was he a werewolf? Were they both werewolves?
I sat there watching her devour her steak, while I nibbled delicately at my cheese and lettuce sandwich.
The waitress returned to ask if we would like more drinks, and we both declined, but as she turned away, I saw her face freeze and then she broke out into a smile. I followed her gaze, and it alighted on none other than Lucas O’Callaghan.
She rushed over to him. The movement was enough to draw Linda’s attention, and at once a scowl covered her face.
I watched as another waitress walked over to Lucas. They spoke for a moment and the two waitresses left. He walked over to our table. “Good morning, ladies.”
We both nodded. “I hope you had no more trouble last night?” he asked me.
I shook my head, wondering if I had lettuce stuck to my teeth. “No, none,” was all I said, covering my mouth with my hand in an attempt to look pensive rather than looking like I was hiding stray bits of lettuce.
“Mrs Williams, did you hear anything last night just after midnight?” he asked Linda.
She shook her head, and then sawed viciously at her steak. He smiled tightly and walked away. I watched him as he ordered at the register, and realised he was getting takeaway.
“I hope you don’t think I’m prying,” I said, not really caring
whether or not she thought so, “but I’ve noticed that you don’t seem too fond of Mr O’Callaghan.”
Linda chewed her mouthful, her eyes darting around the room. She seemed to be deciding whether or not to tell me something. “Well, it’s like this. I dated his uncle some years ago, and it didn’t end well.”
“Really? Do go on.”
She hesitated, and again shot me that speculative look. “I’ve been coming to Lighthouse Bay on vacation ever since I was a teenager. I used to come with my parents. I didn’t stay at Mugwort Manor; I stayed at various places, all of which have now closed. Did you know I only met my husband five years ago?”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t know.”
“I met Henry Ichor about fifteen years ago,” she said. “I had a mad crush on him, all the girls in town did. He had some sort of animal magnetism. I could hardly take my eyes off him.” She lowered her voice, and nodded in Lucas’s direction. “He looks so much like him. He’s very attractive, don’t you think?”
“He’s good looking, all right,” I said, “but he seems awfully conceited and arrogant.”
She nodded. “Henry was the same. He told me at the beginning, when we started dating, that it wasn’t going to be serious, that he had no intention of marrying me. I should’ve listened to him, but I thought I would be the one to change him. He made it clear that he was not interested in settling down, but he was just so attractive.” She stopped speaking and shook her head.
“So you broke up?” I prompted.
“Yes. I was furious. That man broke my heart. And to add insult to injury, I knew he dabbled in the stock market, and I asked him for a tip. He told me he was currently investing in invisibility technology.”
“Gosh!” I said, rather too loudly. It was all too much—first werewolves, and now invisibility? This was nuts.
Linda laughed. I noticed she had rather long, pointy teeth. “Nothing paranormal, I can assure you. It’s all done with cameras, a series of cameras and monitors woven into a cloak. The cameras are shooting what’s behind you, and that’s displayed on monitors in the front of the cloak. It’s not real invisibility, but it’s enough to fool the naked eye.”