Cosplay Killer

by Dahlia Donovan

  “Joel Brown.” Evie leaned into him, keeping her voice low. “Remember? The husband of the young woman who died in the accident? Roland mentioned he keeps trying to get an investigation opened into her death.”

  “What sort of investigation? She died from injuries caused by an accident.” Dannel watched the man trudge down the pavement out of view. “Who does he want them to go after?”

  “Osian. Gemma. Abra. A few other first responders.” Evie caught his shirt to pull him into the police station. “Don’t worry about it. Roland said he comes in at least once a week. They have no reason to investigate.”

  “Why didn’t he tell me?”

  “Because you worry.” Evie shrugged. “They’ve no reason to investigate. Did you honestly need the added stress? No, you didn’t.”

  “Well, I’m stressed now.” Dannel kept his gaze on the doors, watching for Wayne. “What if all the fuss brings their attention back to Ossie?”

  “Not sure their attention ever actually left him.”

  Dannel covered his ears with his hands. “You are not helping.”

  Evie nudged him with her elbow. “Inside voice, Dan. Let’s not draw the detectives’ attention back to us.”

  Breathing through the sudden rush of anxiety, Dannel closed his eyes and hummed through a few bars of his favourite song. He tilted his head against the wall. Evie interrupted his attempt to find calm after a minute.

  “What?”

  “Wayne’s here.” She whistled sharply, drawing the solicitor’s attention. “The detectives will be glad to get going with their questions.”

  “I was trying to forget.”

  “Better face the firing squad and get it over with.” Evie pushed him off the wall. “Let’s go. Detectives get grumpy when you make them wait.”

  “Glad you called.” Wayne joined them, taking the lead. He led them down the hall past the reception toward where the two detectives were having a whispered conversation. “We’re terribly sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “Mr Dankworth. What a surprise.” Detective Inspector Powell ignored the hand he’d held out.

  “Rude not to shake hands.”

  “Says the bloke who hates touching strangers.” Evie shook her head at Dannel. “You’re not helping yourself, mate.”

  The detectives led them deeper into the station into one of the interrogation rooms. Dannel’s anxiety went up drastically. He remembered to breathe when Wayne placed a hand on his shoulders.

  “We just have a few questions for you.” Detective Inspector Khan took a seat across from him. He quickly set up the digital recorder in the room. “Are we ready to begin?”

  The detectives asked him basic questions at first. All related to what Dannel remembered from the day of the murder. He kept his answers simple in the hopes of avoiding his mind shutting down on him.

  “Do you think your boyfriend is capable of murder?” Detective Powell’s query came in a lull in the conversation and caught Dannel off-guard, which had definitely been the point.

  Dannel sat up straighter in his seat. He ignored the hands both Evie and Wayne placed on him, likely hoping to calm him down. “Osian dedicated his entire existence to preserving life. He’d never kill anyone.”

  “Maybe he blamed the victim for the loss of their patient and the end of his career?” Powell pressed him further.

  “What?” Dannel clenched his jaw tightly. He couldn’t stop the bitter laugh at the idea of Osian placing the blame on someone other than himself. “You—”

  “Dan.” Evie cut him off.

  He shook his head at her. His gaze firmly focused on the empty coffee mug on the table in front of him. “He suffers from post-traumatic stress related to Ms Brown’s death. Wakes up screaming from nightmares some days even now. Through every painful, gut-wrenching moment, he’s never once blamed anyone but himself. No matter what I tell him, no matter how completely illogical it is. He would never have hurt Gemma. And he certainly had no motive or grudge against her. Go fish somewhere else.”

  “Dannel.” Wayne rested a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from getting up out of the chair. “Are there any other questions, Detectives? Or have you done enough for one day? Perhaps you might want to look into the CCTV footage from the event more closely? I have it on good authority that Noah Rose was there despite your earlier statement to me that he claimed to be out of the country.”

  “We’re aware.” Detective Inspector Khan moved his attention over to the solicitor. “Maybe you should keep out of our investigation?”

  “And maybe you should stop harassing my clients unnecessarily?” Wayne smiled while also managing to glare at the detective. “Haider? How long have we known each other? You’re wasting your time with these two.”

  “Are we?” Detective Inspector Khan reached out to stop the recording after a glaring match with Wayne. “How the hell have you gotten access to the CCTV footage when we haven’t gotten our full report back yet?”

  “I asked nicely. You might try the technique. It’s a useful one.” Wayne got to his feet. He gestured for Dannel and Evie to join him. “I hope you both have a pleasant day, Detectives.”

  The walk out of the police station went a lot more quickly than the one into it. Wayne kept a firm grip on Dannel’s and Evie’s elbows, practically propelling them out of the building. He only released them when they arrived at his Range Rover parked across the street.

  Dannel released a hysterical laugh and bent forward with his hands on his knees for support. “I feel faint.”

  “I believe they’ll leave you and Osian alone for now.” Warren patted him gently on the back. “You did brilliantly.”

  “I feel faint,” Dannel repeated.

  “It’ll pass.” Warren hunted in his pockets for his keys. “Hop in. I’ll give you a lift home.”

  13

  Osian

  Osian got a text just as he and Abra were nearly home. “Bugger. They’re on their way home.”

  “Why don’t they meet us for supper to debrief our day?” Abra grabbed his phone to text for him. She peered over at him when he froze. “Oz?”

  He stared at a man standing at the end of the street. “I….”

  “Oz? What is it?” She spun around, trying to see what had spooked him. “Oh my god.”

  “It’s him, isn’t it?” Osian hadn’t seen the man in months—not since the inquiry into the aftermath of the crash. “Joel Brown.”

  “Yes, but why is he here? And what the hell is he glaring at you like that for?” Abra finished with his phone and handed it over. “Let’s go.”

  “He might want to talk.”

  “You don’t need to hear anything he has to say.” She grabbed him by the hand, forcing him down the pavement in the opposite direction. “Wayne’s turning around. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  “Abs.”

  “Not happening, Oz. Sometimes, my job is to save you from yourself.” Abra continued leading him far away from the spectre of his worst nightmare. “He might be a grieving husband, but it doesn’t mean you have to take his vitriol.”

  “I deserve—”

  “No, you bloody don’t. We’ve all had patients code on us, Oz. I have. Everyone has. We can’t save everyone. We’re not miracle workers. You did your best, end of,” she insisted. “When will you realise there was nothing you could’ve done?”

  With a half-hearted shrug, Osian walked along beside her without responding. He didn’t have an answer. It would always eat at him, no matter how illogical.

  Wayne showed up in his flashy Range Rover, cutting off Abra’s argument. “Fancy a lift?”

  They clambered into the back, squeezing in beside Evie. Osian reached forward to the front to squeeze Dannel’s shoulder. He had no doubts the visit with the detectives had been stressful for him.

  “Why don’t we grab a takeaway and swing by my office? We can sit and talk over the next few steps.” Wayne waited for everyone to agree before pulling into traffic. “Pizza or something
less greasy?”

  Letting the others decide, Osian leaned back in the seat. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. It was hard to not remember the bitter hatred in Joel Brown’s face.

  “Ossie?”

  He opened his eyes when a hand grabbed his. Dannel had twisted around in the front seat and stretched his arm back toward him. “I’m alright.”

  Though Dannel didn’t seem to believe him, he left it alone. Osian knew they needed to talk about Joel Brown. He didn’t think now was the time; some things were Dannel-only conversations.

  For London traffic, the drive to the law offices went fairly quickly. Osian held back while the others trooped inside. Dannel waited with him.

  “How—” Osian didn’t get to finish his question. Dannel rushed him, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “You okay, love?”

  “Good.” Dannel squeezed him forcefully. He rested his head against Osian’s. “Fine.”

  “Want to go home?” Osian would always put Dannel’s comfort above anything else, even his curiosity at what happened at the police station. “We can easily get an Uber.”

  Shaking his head, Dannel stepped away from him. He grabbed Osian by the hand, though. They continued through until they found Wayne waiting in the doorway of what appeared to be a conference room.

  “My office is a little small for all of us to fit.” Wayne waved them inside. He shut the door and motioned for them to take one of the empty seats around the large table. “So, who wants to go first?”

  Over a late lunch or early dinner, Wayne briefly recapped the conversation with the detectives for Osian and Abra. He paraphrased better than anyone else. Osian wondered if a law degree involved lessons in being concise.

  “Chris sent over the full CCTV footage.” Wayne wrapped up his brief speech. “Love to know how you convinced him to go through it so fast.”

  “Chris has a crush on Abra,” Osian sang, with a grin at his best friend. She glared at him. “And Abra has one on him. It’s adorable. Kind of like you and Rolly.”

  “Osian.” Wayne glared at him.

  “You are such a child.” Abra kicked Osian under the table. “I asked nicely, and Chris decided to be kind.”

  “They exchanged numbers.” Osian slipped his legs out of the way, so she kicked the chair instead. “So, here’s what we know—”

  “This isn’t one of your podcast cases. As your solicitor and your friend, I’m telling both of you to leave this to the professionals.” Wayne set his fork down. He tapped his finger against the table, practically glowering at Osian, who smiled at him. “I’m serious, Oz. The detectives have moved their attention elsewhere. Why put yourself back in their purview?”

  “Purview.” Osian snickered with Dannel before turning more seriously toward Wayne again. “Look, man, we appreciate your dropping everything to help us. Especially when I know you’re not going to let me pay for your time—again. We’ll keep our noses well away from the detectives.”

  “I’ll pretend your deflection made me feel better.” Wayne shook his head. “Have you considered Joel Brown had motive? He blamed Gemma and you in equal measure for his wife’s death. Maybe he’s tired of trying the legal route for revenge?”

  The name hit Osian like a punch to the head as it always did. He held a hand up to stop Wayne from continuing. His breathing took several minutes to return to normal.

  “Motive, maybe? But opportunity? Doubtful. We’d have seen him on the CCTV footage. I scoured every minute from the time Gemma went into the room. I never saw him. Granted, we’re missing five seconds here or there when the camera turned too far in one direction or the other to see the entrance. Could someone have snuck in and out in so short of a time?” Osian grabbed the nearest bottle of water, trying to drown the lump in his throat. “And would he know how to use a defibrillator? Whoever did this knew how to override every security measure.”

  They had three suspects. One had the motivation but no access or knowledge. The other two had questionable motivations however they’d been at the convention and knew defibrillators intimately.

  “We need to have a chat with Noah and Ethan again.” Dannel shifted his chair closer to speak quietly to Osian.

  “You need to allow the detectives to do their job.” Wayne spoke before Osian could respond. “I’ll bring his name up to them.”

  “Right, of course.” Osian nodded while reaching out to take Dannel’s hand. “You’re completely right.”

  “And you’re going to investigate anyway.” Wayne slouched into his leather chair. “Fine, fine. But I’m billing you for any hours of work directly related to you two getting yourselves in trouble.”

  “Sounds fair.”

  After cleaning up, Wayne escorted them out of the office. Abra and Evie decided to head out together. Osian got an Uber for him and Dannel to go home.

  They’d had enough of an adventure for one day.

  Even if Osian hadn’t, Dannel certainly had. He’d been quiet the entire ride home. Osian hadn’t pushed him for idle conversation.

  “Want a bath?” Osian waited until they’d made it into their flat to ask. “I’ll run one for you.”

  Dannel shrugged.

  “I’ll run a bath.” Osian made his way down the hall into their en suite. He got the water going and sat on the edge of the tub for a second. What an absolute shite day. “Dannel?”

  Dannel wandered into the bathroom a minute later. He’d already stripped down to his boxers. “Join me?”

  “We can squash up.” Osian ran his fingers through the water, making sure it was running at the right temperature. “Enjoy the warmth. The closeness.”

  “Ossie.”

  “What?” He smiled impishly at his long-time partner. “I’ll even keep my hands to myself.”

  14

  Dannel

  The next two days had been filled with work and podcasting. Dannel had convinced Osian to continue with his regular schedule. It served no purpose to take a break.

  Each day Dannel found it increasingly difficult to drag himself down to the station. Firefighting had lost any spark for him. He wanted a change.

  Needed a change.

  He simply couldn’t figure out how to make the change.

  “You should talk with the Oz-man.” Evie plopped down on the bench beside him. She’d already showered and changed into her street clothes. “You know he’ll support whatever you want to do.”

  “Evie.” He hushed her, glancing around the room anxiously. “And I’m the one everyone is telling to use their inside voice?”

  “You don’t modulate your volume—and you asked me to remind you,” she reminded him. “Besides, everyone else is still cleaning out the engine. What are you afraid of?”

  “Not having a job? Being homeless? Starving?”

  Evie tossed the towel in her hand toward the large basket in the corner of the room. “First, you don’t have to pay rent. Your uncle isn’t likely to kick you out on your arse. Second, the podcast is starting to bring in ad revenue. Third, you have friends and family who will do anything to help you. Also, maybe don’t immediately jump to the worst-case scenario?”

  “Podcasting isn’t my dream job.”

  Evie twisted around to lie on her back on the bench. “What is your dream job?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, maybe you should figure out what you want to do with your life? It might be good to know before you have an existential crisis about starving to death.” Evie flailed when he shoved her off the bench. “Oi.”

  Dannel ignored her and continued lacing up his trainers. “Never quit a job before you know what you’re doing next.”

  “Not sure it’s pithy enough for a fortune cookie but not bad.” Evie hopped up to her feet. She dusted off her trousers. “Whose turn is it to mop up in here?”

  “Yours?” Dannel pointed to the board on the wall, which tracked the cleaning schedule. “Pretty sure you were supposed to do it yesterday.”

  “Damn it.�
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  “Have fun.” Dannel got up, shut his locker, and started toward the door. He laughed when Evie grabbed the back of his shirt. “Want help?”

  “I’ll buy you a milkshake.”

  “Ortea.” Their chief officer called to him from the doorway. “You’ve got a visitor.”

  “Not again.” Dannel handed the mop back to Evie. “Guess I’m not helping.”

  “Typical,” Evie muttered.

  Dodging out of the way of the mop handle, Dannel grew anxious following Chief Officer Wilson. He had the distinct fear it would be the police again. Would Wayne be up this late in the evening?

  They were going to wind up giving him hazard pay at this point. Or maybe Roland would take him out on a date. Wayne might prefer it to a monetary bonus.

  Dannel found himself wishing it was the detectives when he found his dad waiting for him. “Myron.”

  “Son.”

  Chief Wilson rested a hand on Dannel’s shoulder. “I’ll leave you two alone, shall I?”

  Dannel shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at his dad’s chin. “To what do I owe the pleasure of two visits in a month?”

  “Your mother informed me I had no one to blame but myself for the distance in our relationship.” Myron sounded uneasy, though Dannel didn’t really know for sure. “How do we bridge this gap?”

  “Did you get some terminal illness?”

  Myron stared at him for several seconds before finally laughing. “I didn’t need a brush with death to reconsider my life choices.”

  “You sure?” Dannel shifted on his feet. He stepped back, trying to put some distance between the conversation and himself. “Ossie and I, we’re a package deal. You don’t like him.”

  “I don’t.”

  Dannel hated dealing with intense conversations with anyone, especially family. “How do you imagine our up-and-down relationship changing if you can’t be in the same room with Osian without belittling him?”

  “He gives as good as he gets.”