“When I got back I was just told that they had stopped in. They were supposed to come back the next night. Wanda said they’d been nervous when they asked for me. Wanda’s a ghost. They wouldn’t talk to anyone but me. I don’t know why. I’m not especially trustworthy or special,” said Peter. “You might be wondering how we get visitors down here. Well, I know better than to reveal that!”
If Pep and Grant’s facial expressions were anything to go by, none of us had been thinking about that, but I didn’t bother to say so.
“I don’t know why you say that when you want us to believe you’re being honest now,” Dorian pointed out.
Peter grumbled something that none of us could hear. I leaned forward and he whispered in my ear, “Sharp and annoying that one. I’m telling the truth, though.”
“You had no idea what they wanted to talk about?” I asked him. “Were you surprised to hear from them?”
“Sure I was. It’s not every day that a Deadly wants to get in touch with you. I’m not especially popular in general. I don’t wait around for people to make appointments with me. Usually I don’t have appointments, actually,” he went on.
“I would still like to stick to the point,” said Pep.
“Everyone is going to think we killed the brothers,” said Peter.
“Why would everyone think that?” I asked.
Peter threw up his hands in exasperation. “Because we’re a bunch of criminals and apparently the last ones to see them alive.”
“When you lay it out like that, you sound awfully guilty,” said Dorian, a dangerous edge to his voice.
Peter glared at him. “See what I mean? Now there are all kinds of problems.”
“Are you saying that you didn’t do anything wrong?” Grant asked.
“No more wrong than usual,” Peter grumbled.
“No one thought you had,” said Pep.
Peter looked like he was about to fall out his chair. “Are you serious? All of this is from nothing? You didn’t come down to confront me? What a waste of emotions,” he cried.
“On the contrary, I have found it rather instructive,” said Dorian.
Peter gave him a reproachful look. “Very well. I have still told you everything I know. There’s nothing else to say. I didn’t know why they wanted to see me in the first place. I don’t know what happened to them, either,” he insisted.
When no one said anything, he continued.
“I suppose I should also apologize,” said Peter.
“For killing my brothers?” Dorian demanded.
Peter yelped and glared at him. “We’ve already established that I had nothing to do with that. I mean it. I’m not that stupid.”
Something about that struck me. Peter thought it would be stupid of him to kill the Deadly brothers. All of the evidence pointed to him, except that we hadn’t suspected him. We had suspected the Root of All Evil.
Who was the killer counting on us to suspect?
“What do you have to apologize for?” Dorian demanded. He seemed to be the only one who could stick to the point.
Peter looked awkward and stared at his desk. “What I should apologize for is what’s about to happen. You see, I knew you were coming, Jane. I didn’t know that Dorian and Pep were with you. Now of course that changes the calculation. Also his Majesty of Magic. Nobody wants to mess with him. Be that as it may, I thought you were coming to arrest me.”
“If she was coming to arrest you, why would she let you know in advance that she wanted to meet?” Pep demanded.
“I didn’t say it was logical,” Peter complained.
“Good. Because it’s anything but,” Pep sniffed. She clearly wasn’t happy with the hapless skeleton.
“Anyway, that’s what I thought would happen. So I took steps,” he trailed off.
Suddenly a cold prickled down my spine.
“What did you do?” I asked him quietly. I glanced around his small office. Was an army of rats about to appear? Had he bought an enchantment from Cookie that would turn us all green and smelly? I wouldn’t put it past her to sell it to him. Money was money, after all.
Peter was a skeleton, so he couldn’t go pale. He did, however, looked very guilty. “I told the rest of the residents of Down Below what was going to happen. They’ve taken steps to protect me from harm. At this very moment they’re hacking at a gas pipe. The whole basement will be filled with hot smoke in a matter of moments. Then they plan to chase you down with weapons,” he said.
Grant started toward Peter. I grabbed him and he stopped, which was a relief, because there was no way I could hold him against his will. Luckily, my touch was enough to draw some sense back into him.
Pep glanced at Dorian as if in challenge. Try it, buddy, she seemed to say with her eyes.
“What are they going to do with us if they catch us?” I demanded.
“Nothing serious. We’re friends, after all. I just didn’t want to get arrested. I told them that it was going to happen and the plans got out of hand. I promise they weren’t going to hurt you.”
Grant turned toward me. We were very close together, because I had just stopped him from throttling the skeleton. “We have to get out of here. Now. Jefferson Judge’s room?”
“I didn’t want to throttle him or anything, but you should have let me anyway,” said Dorian to Pep.
She rolled her eyes. “Really, you’re as bad as the rest of them,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said.
Grant was already moving toward the door.
“Are we still friends?” Peter called after me.
Dorian was closest to the door, but he stood aside so that Pep could get there first. Grant stepped to the other side and waited for me to go ahead of him. I glanced back at the skeleton. “I’m pretty sure it depends on whether we get out of here alive.”
“You’ll get out of here alive. I think,” he said.
Grant was in no mood to wait another moment, so I hurried out of the door after Pep. She was already moving toward where she had visited Jefferson Judge with me in the past. She knew the way. The four of us hadn’t gotten five steps from Peter’s office door when there was a wrenching explosion.
Chapter Thirteen
We went dashing through the darkness. Fear flashed through me, but I wouldn’t quit. My legs pumped as I was propelled forward. We just had to get to the trap door in Jefferson Judge’s room. If we did, we could make it outside. At least, I hoped we could. Given the thick gray steam and fog chasing after us, I wasn’t so sure.
“You’re running too slowly,” said Dorian.
I looked around. At first I thought he was talking to me, then I realized that he was talking to Pep.
“Do you see how short these legs are?” she huffed. “You’d be running slowly too.”
“I have noticed your legs,” he acknowledged. It was too dark and we were in too much danger for me to be able to tell whether he was kidding.
I nearly slammed into one of the stone walls as I tried to turn a corner.
A strong hand gripped my arm, steadying me. I knew instantly that it wasn’t Grant.
When I looked back in the confusion and darkness I saw Dorian’s steel eyes blink out of the darkness.
“Which way?” he asked.
“This way,” I said.
I turned on my heel and headed for the Judge’s room. His door was closed, and no light came from underneath it. I tried handle and the door opened.
Judge had recently told me that there was no point in locking his door anymore, since he lived with a bunch of lock picks.
We hurried inside. The room smelled like books. The storm door was across the way and we rushed toward it.
Grant went first. He performed several enchantments, to no avail.
“I thought this thing would be easier to open,” he gasped.
“Let me try,” said Dorian.
He too failed to achieve a result.
There came the sound of stampeding feet from down the
hall and I felt a whiff of heat against my neck. The steam that had filled the tunnels had made its way here. With it came a bunch of crazy supernaturals.
“We have to get out of here, now!” I cried.
“There’s no use for it,” said Dorian. “The enchantments on this door are impressive.”
Just then there came the sound of clanging from above our heads. One of the sides of the door fell open and a rush of cold air slammed into my face.
A crinkled old face lined with night peered down at us.
“Need a hand?” Cookie wondered.
We tumbled out of Down Below to the sight of Cookie looking her usual smug self. She was busily eating a rather large piece of cheese, just as if nothing very important was going on. Behind her the sky was black and moody, with only a handful of stout white stars visible.
The four of us ended up on our backs on the cold earth. Dorian’s eyes were on my grandmother.
“You judging my late-night snacking habits?” she demanded.
He was breathing hard and took a moment to answer. “My mother does it too,” he said at last.
Pep shoved herself onto one elbow. “Sorry, if I had known you’d be hanging out with us I would have warned you that Cookie asks everyone that question when she gets a chance.”
“Trust me when I tell you that if I had known I’d be hanging out with you, I would have done some things very differently as well,” Dorian said.
Cookie moved over to slam the door closed behind us. “It’s cold out here. Let’s go inside by the fire.”
We followed her to one of the sitting rooms, where a large fire was burning. Usually we went all the way to the library, but Cookie had no intention of traveling that far through the dark and drafty mansion. We clustered around a table filled with tea and snacks. Dorian kept trying to get the grass stains off his black clothing, but he eventually gave up.
“Where’s Joel?” he asked Cookie. She didn’t reply, but he got his answer in person.
“We’re right here,” said Lark, storming into the study just as I was lifting a biscuit to my mouth. “Cookie locked us in the Magenta Dining Room.”
“I didn’t even know that room had locks,” said Pep.
“It didn’t until about half an hour ago,” Cookie offered. As usual she didn’t look the least bit remorseful. She nibbled a biscuit, appeared satisfied, and then bit into it in earnest.
“What did you do that for?” I asked her.
“I had to save the day,” she said.
“Couldn’t you have done that with us along?” Lark demanded.
“We will never know,” said Cookie. “Anyway, stop being a killjoy and come sit down. What’s done is done.”
Lark and her companion obeyed, but I had a feeling that it was only because they didn’t have a choice.
“You okay, boss?” Joel asked.
“I’m fine. Did you have a chance to call the family?”
“Sure did. They’re waiting to hear from you,” Joel answered.
“What did Peter say?” Lark asked.
We all started talking at once, then stopped in confusion. Finally Grant started telling the story, and we let him. The conversation was brief. Cookie did not appear that interested. It was almost as if she had known he wasn’t involved.
“Peter must know something about why your brothers wanted to speak with him,” said Pep, looking straight at Dorian.
“I’m not sure I find that part of the story credible either,” Dorian agreed.
“I’m honestly too tired to think about it any more tonight,” said Lark. Her hair had gone frizzy and there were dark circles under her eyes.
“Trying to free yourself from a locked room really took it out of you?” Cookie asked sympathetically.
“Yes, Grandmother, as a matter of fact it did,” Lark growled.
“No need to be hostile about it,” said Cookie.
Lark stood up. “I’m going to bed. Who is with me?”
“I’ll sleep by myself thanks,” said Joel.
Dorian rolled his eyes. “Let’s reconvene at breakfast. There’s not a lot we can do right now, and my impression is that I can’t make a move without the Garbos’ say-so anyway. We might as well compare notes and then try to decide what comes next.”
“You’re a quick study, you are,” said Cookie.
As everyone got up and headed for the door, Grant somehow found a way to be next to me. As we neared the foyer he said in a low voice, “I didn’t like your being in danger tonight. We’re going to have to talk about that. I thought I could handle a girlfriend detective,” he said.
“Can’t you?” I demanded, a sudden fear shooting through me.
“Of course. I’m just going to need to prepare myself. I didn’t know how upset I would be. I’m going to have to think about it,” he said.
Utterly baffled by what he might mean, I merely nodded. I had to admit that I didn’t like his being in danger either. At least he hadn’t been weird about it during the excitement in the basement; he had been simply, straightforwardly efficient. We had to get out of there and we did.
And that brought me back to the bigger picture. What would happen next? There was a killer on the loose and a very angry Deadly brother in the mansion, and I had no idea how to solve either problem. But I was too tired right now; I couldn’t even begin to think straight about it until I got some sleep.
“At some point tomorrow I need to talk to you alone,” said Grant. “I know we’re in the midst of an investigation, but we have to find time.” For once he looked very tired. I had thought he was impervious to fatigue, but even he looked like he needed to go to bed.
I told him we’d talk, then watched as he headed for the front door. I felt eyes on me and looked around. Standing at the top of the stairs was Dorian, watching us intently.
Chapter Fourteen
The first thing I wanted when I woke up was the local paper. We usually didn’t take much interest in it, but with two murders and no arrests, I wanted to see what the police knew. The problem was that I hated doing anything in the morning before coffee and breakfast. Driving all the way to town wasn’t an option.
When I reached the kitchen, the only ones there were Audrey and Cookie. “Good morning,” I yawned.
My grandmother appeared to be stirring a large bowl of batter, which was odd. Audrey usually didn’t let her anywhere near the ingredients for baked goods.
“There’s a fresh cup of coffee waiting for you,” said Audrey.
I poured myself some, sat down, and asked, “Cookie, are the enchantments to make already existing objects appear difficult?”
Cookie set down her spoon. “Of course they’re difficult. But there are any number of them, and some are easier than others. Depends on what you want.”
“I want something that already exists. It should be in town. I just want it to be here without having to go and get it,” I explained.
“Don’t worry. I’m having a morning paper delivered. It should be here any moment,” she said.
“Who’s bringing it?” I demanded.
“Chief Gray,” she said.
I nearly choked on my hot coffee. “What is he coming here for?”
“He called to say that he had a few more questions for me. Something about when I went into town recently and bought a bunch of decorations. Not the time I went with you all, but the time before,” she said. “To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t entirely listening.”
I shook my head.
The next instant the doorbell rang and I got up to go answer it.
As I walked past Audrey she whispered, “Don’t worry, when she finishes stirring, that batter is going in the trash. I just needed to keep her occupied. She’s been more insufferable than usual this morning.”
Cookie followed me out of the kitchen, but I got to the front door first. Chief Gray did indeed have a paper under his arm, and he smiled as he handed it to me. “Special delivery.”
“Thank you,” I said.
/> Cookie pushed right past me, but the chief was perfectly cordial to her, too. “Good morning,” he said.
“Good morning to you as well,” said Cookie. “Shall we begin?”
“I was hoping to ask you a few more questions,” he said. “In private.”
I didn’t like that at all. At the best of times my grandmother needed a chaperone. With two murders in the span of a day, this definitely wasn’t the best of times. But my wishes were apparently not going to be consulted.
“This way,” said Cookie, turning to lead the chief to the library. As she reached the door she glanced over her shoulder at me and said, “Now you go eat breakfast. This won’t take long, I’m sure.”
Chief Gray smiled at me as he followed my grandmother into the library. I did as I was told, mostly because my stomach was rumbling and I wanted to be the first to look at the paper. My mother and my aunt would already be out working, and the supernaturals were well hidden during the day, and no one else had arrived downstairs yet, so I had a precious few minutes to be productive on this case by myself. I planned on taking a vantage of them.
Audrey had put breakfast out on a side table, and I intended to fill my plate with eggs and buttered toast in a moment. But first I wanted to see what was new in the investigation.
I spread the paper out on the table. Of course, the murder was the big headline. The two victims were now identified as brothers. They apparently worked in sales and had been visiting Shimmerfield on vacation. So, all lies about who they really were. They had come alone, and as far as anyone knew they had no friends here. No family, either. There was nothing to indicate who they were or what might have brought them to Shimmerfield.
It wasn’t until the end of the article that I got worried. There was something strange at the very end of the column, a paragraph reporting that a guest at a local inn had heard the two men arguing, but not with each other. They were arguing with a woman. When the woman left, the nosy inn guest had peered out her window. The woman was walking away from the inn, so the guest had only seen her from the back. But she had seen enough to know that the woman was quite old.
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