Cosplay Killer

by Dahlia Donovan

  “Not sure a hostile interrogation would help.”

  Dannel shook his head. “It’s worth a shot, right?”

  “Probably.” Osian went back to the computer. “We’ve got three more videos. Why don’t we scan through them quickly and then see if Abra wants to go out with us?”

  They were on the last one when they found yet another piece of the puzzle. At the time the detectives believed Gemma had been attacked, Noah was storming out of the Olympia. Osian seemed as surprised as Dannel.

  “I was so convinced the smarmy prat did it.”

  “That’s what we get for judging a book by its cover.”

  “Smarmy book,” Osian grumbled.

  The detectives were happy to have proof of Noah’s innocence. Yet another suspect off their list freed up time to focus on the others. They didn’t seem as suspicious of Chris’s presence as Dannel and Osian were.

  Detective Inspector Khan tried to deter them from reaching out to Chris. “I’d prefer it if you allow us to follow up on our leads without your interference. Why don’t we have Constable Ortea give you a lift home? I believe he’s almost at the end of his shift.”

  Dannel stared at the detective inspector, who walked off down the hall. He tried not to take the dismissal personally, glancing over at Osian. “Right. Are we going to visit Chris?”

  “Of course we sodding are.” Osian crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re not children. We’ve helped them with their case.”

  “They can sod off. We’re going to chase Chris down.”

  “You’ve changed your tune,” Osian teased.

  “He sounded so much like Mum when she’s trying to convince me not to do something. As though I’m incapable of taking care of myself.” Dannel had always held a little resentment for his mum’s overprotectiveness. She hadn’t behaved that way with Roland. I’m as capable as Roland. “How are we avoiding Rolly? He’s not going to take us to the Olympia to see if Chris is at work.”

  “We could bribe him into it.” Osian grabbed his hand while they walked toward the exit. “Maybe.”

  Dannel had zero confidence in their ability to talk his brother around. “Yeah, not a chance. My baby brother won’t change his mind for anything.”

  “Well, how about we avoid the problem all together? I’ll text Abra to meet at our place. Rolly takes us home. We wait for him to leave, then we grab an Uber to hunt down Chris.” Osian kept his voice low when they walked by the front desk. “I am a genius.”

  “You’re something.”

  27

  Osian

  “Are we certain this is a good idea?” Abra fished another chip out of her packet. She’d brought a late lunch for all of them. They’d decided to wait an hour or two before heading out in case Roland decided to check on them. “Chris has made it obvious he’s not interested in talking with any of us.”

  “He’s our friend.” Dannel struggled to believe Chris had done anything truly awful. “We should wait until we have the entire story.”

  “Hard to do when he won’t talk to us.” Osian dragged one of his chips through ketchup. “He might be the key to solving this mystery.”

  “He might be the killer,” Abra stated bluntly. “You can’t pretend it’s not a possibility. He’s been there right after all the bad things.”

  “Bad things.” Osian lifted his fingers to make quotation marks. “Sounds like a Doctor Who episode title.”

  “Nerd.” Abra flicked a chunk of food at him. “Why don’t you see about getting us a ride?”

  Leaving Abra and Dannel to clean up, Osian focused his attention on pulling the right app up on his phone. They’d have about fifteen minutes. He wondered if perhaps they should take the detective’s advice, but his curiosity was too strong to ignore.

  “Do we even know if he’s working?” Dannel’s question came in the middle of their ride to the main office for the security company. “He might be at a stadium or another location.”

  “He’s at the head office. He’s there half the week.” Abra met their curious looks blandly. “What?”

  “I thought you’d moved on from your crush already?” Osian swallowed down his laugh. He had a feeling Abra had Chris’s schedule memorised. “I’m more worried about what happens if he refuses to speak to us.”

  “We can’t force him.” Dannel had his earbuds in to dampen the sounds around them. “Pretty sure torture’s illegal.”

  “Also, we don’t know how to torture someone,” Abra pointed out. She grinned when their driver gave them a worried glance. “We’re joking.”

  Osian leaned closer to her and lowered his voice. “You could use your wily ways.”

  Abra pinched his ear to force him away. “We’ll threaten him with your karaoke skills.”

  “Rude.”

  Their driver seemed overly thrilled to be rid of them. Osian decided they’d hunt down a regular cab for the return trip. They’d wind up being banned from the Uber app at this rate.

  “Well? What now?” Abra broke the silence that had fallen after they’d all climbed out of the car. “Are we going to stand here all afternoon? I’m sure Chris will eventually find us.”

  Shaking his head, Osian strode forward, leaving the other two to follow him. He reminded himself they had nothing to fear. Chris had made his career helping people—not trying to hurt them.

  Unless he’s actually the killer and we’ve all been fooled.

  Too late to be cautious now, isn’t it?

  He was reaching for the handle for the door when it swung open to reveal three people on their way out. “Chris.”

  Chris froze mid-conversation with one of his co-workers. “Oz.”

  While Chris stared blankly at the three of them, his colleagues seemed equally curious. They nudged him a few times for an introduction. Chris rushed through one before telling them to head out without him.

  “What are you doing here?” Chris, Osian noticed, was studiously avoiding Abra. “I’m busy.”

  “Busy? Really?” Abra snapped at him. “Is that why you bailed on our date without even the courtesy of a text?”

  Chris dragged his fingers roughly through his hair. He answered without turning in her direction. “I am sorry. I— Things got out of my control. I never intended to hurt you.”

  Abra elbowed Osian in the side. “Changed my mind about the interrogation.”

  “What are you talking about? What interrogation?” Chris stepped forward, allowing the door to close behind him. “Why don’t we grab coffees at the Starbucks across the street? I haven’t eaten yet.”

  “Can I make him eat my fist?”

  “Abs.” Osian looped an arm around her shoulder. “Practice forgiveness.”

  “Practice it yourself.”

  “We’ll go down the street to grab sausage rolls.” Dannel caught Abra by the arm to lead away. “You do the interrogation bit.”

  Chris watched them go before turning to Osian. “What interrogation? Why are you all tracking me down at work?”

  “Maybe if you responded to text messages or calls.” Osian had to walk quickly to catch up to Chris when he began to move away from the building. “And I can’t believe you ghosted Abra.”

  “I didn’t have a choice.”

  “Care to explain? How do you have no choice to stand someone up?” Osian knew he had other questions. Abra’s slightly dented heart mattered more to him. “Not sure you understand how much she liked you.”

  “Liked?”

  “You stood her up, you wanker. Not sure she’ll give you a second chance.” Osian forced himself to take a depth breath. “Who were you talking to the day Gemma was murdered?”

  Chris paused, twisting around to glare at him. “I worked security that day. I spoke to probably close to a hundred people. Want to be more specific?”

  “Someone in a hoodie.”

  “Someone in a hoodie? Out of thousands of people? Do you know how many of them were probably wearing one?” Chris made an excellent point. “Why are you eve
n asking me?”

  “The detectives asked us to go through all of the videos they’ve received from the Comic Con attendees. We happened to notice you speaking with someone in a hoodie. It’s not the first time we’ve come across a hooded figure.” Osian realised how much of a reach their suspicious might sound without the scope of everything. “You manage to show up at exactly the right moments whenever we’re in danger.”

  “Most people would say thank you.” Chris shoved Osian in the shoulder. “And you’re—are you actually accusing me of being part of Gemma’s murder?”

  “Chris.”

  “I can’t deal with you right now.” Chris jogged away from him, leaving Osian staring after him.

  Well, that went well.

  I didn’t even get any real answers from him.

  Osian turned around to head in the direction Dannel and Abra had gone. He found them sitting outside of Greggs. “Did you get me some?”

  Dannel held up a paper sack. “Where’s Chris?”

  “Either I hurt his feelings with my questions or he took off to avoid answering them. Or maybe both?” Osian sank down on the bench next to Dannel. He had a large bite of the sausage roll, brushing off the flaky pastry pieces from his shirt. “What now?”

  “Isn’t it strange he ran off when you asked questions?” Abra bit angrily into her roll. She definitely hadn’t forgiven him for standing her up yet. “He couldn’t even look at me.”

  “Maybe he feels awful about it?”

  “I certainly do,” she retorted. “I need to head home. Want to share a cab with me?”

  With more questions than answers, they returned to their flat. Osian hoped to sneak in without anyone realising they’d gone anywhere. He stepped out of the cab and immediately noticed a figure standing in an alley across the street.

  Not again.

  I’m seeing evil around every corner.

  “Hello, darlings.” Ian poked his head out of his flat to greet them. “You had a food delivery earlier. Were you expecting one?”

  “Food delivery?” Osian exchanged a worried glance with Dannel. “When was this?”

  “Oh, thirty minutes or so ago. I can’t be bothered to keep time, dear. They came from Nandos, I believe. You weren’t here, so I accepted it for you.” Ian rested a hand on his chest. “I couldn’t resist, so I may have eaten a piece or four.”

  “Ian.”

  “I am sorry.” He pulled a handkerchief from his blazer pocket to dab his forehead. “I saved the rest for you. In fact, why don’t you take it with you? The smells are turning me off.”

  “Ian.” Osian darted forward to catch him by the arm when he wavered on his feet. “Dannel.”

  “Already dialling the number.” Dannel had his phone to his ear, giving their address and explaining to the dispatcher they had a potential poison case. “I’ll ask them to notify Detective Inspector Khan or Powell, as well. This has to be connected.”

  “I’m just hoping he’s not going to pay the price for us.” Osian walked Ian into his flat and got him to sit on the couch. He leaned him back against a cushion. “You’re going to be all right. I promise.”

  “Never imagined I’d be playing out the full extent of Romeo this far into my youth.” Ian’s fingers gripped weakly at Osian’s arm. “You are both delightfully handsome rescuers.”

  “Ian?” Osian shifted closer when the man’s eyes drifted shut. “Tell them to hurry up, Dannel.”

  “I am.” Dannel had his phone clutched tightly in his hand. He rushed out the door. “Grabbing Evie. She should have her kit with her.”

  “Make sure the door’s open.”

  “Stanley’s waiting out front for the ambulance,” Dannel shouted over his shoulder on his way out of the flat.

  “Just keep breathing, Ian. Keep breathing.”

  28

  Dannel

  When the paramedics arrived, Dannel went in the back of the ambulance with them. They hadn’t wanted Ian to go alone. Osian had remained behind to fill in the detectives.

  In retrospect, Dannel wondered if maybe they should’ve switched places. Osian might’ve done better at the hospital. He had more medical knowledge, at least.

  “What were you thinking?”

  Dannel frowned at his brother, who was rushing down the hospital corridor toward him. “I’m currently thinking you need to lower your voice before the nurses come after you.”

  “You two were supposed to stay home.”

  “How about you focus on Ian?” Dannel ignored his brother’s dramatics. “Did the detectives take the leftover Nandos?”

  “They do know how to do their job.”

  “Don’t be shirty because you’re aggravated with me, Rolly.” Dannel focused his attention on the doctor who’d come out from behind the curtain where Ian was being checked out. “Is he okay?”

  Since they weren’t family, the doctor gave them limited information. They’d purged Ian’s stomach. He was going to be okay.

  With Dannel’s uncle and auntie arriving, he decided to leave Ian in their capable hands. They’d do better arguing with the nurses, since Ian had no family to speak of. He convinced his brother to give him a lift home, where Osian had stayed to help the detectives.

  Crime scene tape covered Ian’s door. Dannel hoped they were allowed to remove it before he came home from the hospital. He could only imagine how hideous Ian would consider that specific shade of yellow.

  “Ossie?” Dannel entered their flat to find Osian seated on the sofa with his head in his hands. “Ian’s going to be fine.”

  “Is he?” Osian shot off the sofa. He rushed over to throw his arms around Dannel. “Detective Inspector Powell claimed they had tracked down the person who brought the food. She wouldn’t give us any further information aside from saying they believed the suspect used a food delivery service.”

  “Clever.” Dannel rested his cheek against Osian’s. “Too clever. Were they trying to kill us or make us sick?”

  “I doubt the detectives will tell us.” Osian eased away from Dannel. “I’m not sure I want to know.”

  “If we don’t know, we’ll assume the worst.”

  “Let’s focus on the good news. Ian’s going to be fine. He’ll be insufferable while he recovers.” Osian tried to insert some humour into the situation. “We’ll have to go out of our way to soothe his nerves.”

  “Why don’t we distract ourselves by finishing up work on the next podcast?” Dannel knew the best way to take Osian’s mind off an issue was researching an episode. “Did you figure out what crimes to cover?”

  After making a few sandwiches and brewing a pot of tea, they sat at their kitchen table. Osian had jotted down a top-ten list of crimes of the week. They preferred highlighting recent cases in the hopes of finding witnesses to help the police investigation.

  “Why don’t we do the top ten on Friday? And then we can do our own case on Monday?” Dannel firmly believed their audience would find their personal murder mystery fascinating. People tended to be more morbid than they wanted to admit. “Do we have any requests in the inbox?”

  “I’ve been afraid to check.” Osian grabbed his laptop to drag it closer. “What if we get another stalker message?”

  “We call the detectives.” Dannel knew they’d reached a point where they had to take the threatening emails seriously. “We should’ve already contacted them.”

  “Probably.” Osian typed in the password and sighed a few seconds later. “We’ve got another one. And this proves they’re definitely connected in some way.”

  Dannel shifted his chair closer to Osian to read the email. He saw the subject line. “Nandon’t? I usually appreciate a good pun. Not so much this one.”

  “I’m texting Haider. He gave me his personal number.” Osian grabbed his phone from the table. “Damn.”

  “What?”

  “Joel Brown was released a few hours ago. They couldn’t hold him without arresting him, and there was insufficient evidence. Haider was already on his
way over to warn us.” Osian tossed his phone onto the table. “Wonder if he’d let us interview him for the podcast?”

  “Ossie.”

  “No harm in asking is there?” Osian made a note at the top of the page. “We’ll ask him later. Maybe Detective Inspector Powell would be interested as well.”

  “Doubtful.” Dannel shook his head at the mess they’d made of the table. “If we’re having guests, we should straighten up our mess.”

  “They go to crime scenes for a living. Pretty sure our table covered with notebooks, pens, and laptops isn’t going to shock them.” Osian dutifully gathered up everything. He stacked the notebooks carefully. “How are you doing? Do you need musical silence?”

  “I’m fine.” Dannel waved off his concern. He’d definitely want time to decompress later when they weren’t expecting the detectives. “Rolly’s going to be pissed we didn’t tell him about all the emails.”

  “Rolly’s permanently annoyed with us. It’s what happens when you’re the youngest sibling.” Osian shrugged.

  “Olivia doesn’t throw tantrums.”

  “Olivia could rule the world riding a unicorn with a tiara on her head.” Osian picked up his stack of notebooks and carried them over to the bookshelf. “And she doesn’t have a complex like Rolly does.”

  The detectives arrived an hour later. They were both grumbling about traffic and the weather. The skies had opened up yet again; not a surprise given they lived in London.

  They’d brought one of their technicians to check out the laptop. She quickly bagged it up, insisting on taking it to her forensics lab. Osian surprisingly didn’t protest when she disappeared out the door with his precious computer.

  “Hope you cleared your web browser history,” Dannel teased.

  “Nothing on the internet is ever completely deleted.” Detective Inspector Khan shook his head at them. “How long have you been getting these messages?”