by R K Dreaming
“And then you realized you had dropped the murder weapon?” I asked. “So you broke into the castle to get it?”
“Lorcan did that,” she said. “That poltergeist Greedy had a crush on him. She thought she was letting him in for a prank.” She glared at a slumped Lorcan and hissed, “This is all his fault! As soon as we realised he’d dropped the weapon, we tried to go back for it. But we heard Dele rummaging around in the garden tidying things up, so we had to run before she spotted the body and us.”
My mouth twisted in disgust. “And then you went back to Oberon and told him a pack of lies. You made him believe he’d killed someone he loved.”
Oberon looked stunned with disbelief. “I can’t believe you killed her,” he whispered.
He was staring at her like she was a stranger.
“Don’t you dare look at me like that,” she said. “Don’t you dare! I did it all for you, you idiot! I did it because I love you!”
Oberon stood up and backed away from her. He shook his head.
“You did it for you,” he said. “You always said Lily didn’t belong in our group. You did it for you.”
She wept and screamed and raged as officers came to handcuff her and take her away from the room.
Lorcan and Paolo didn’t say anything as they went. They were hanging their heads in shame. They knew it was all over now.
Oberon reached out to take my hand. He still looked grief stricken, but it was different from how tortured he had looked on the beach. That haunted expression had gone from his eyes.
“Thank you,” he said.
Allegra and Jasper just looked at me. They could not believe we had done it. And they had put their trust in me. That meant more to me than anything else.
“You guys,” I mouthed at them silently. Best cousin in the world, and maybe a best new friend too.
23. An Ending
I slept peacefully that night. Sort of. It still took me a while to drop off, my body still wanting to stay awake in the night time hours. But I was determined more than ever to stick to the routine of a normal person. Because that’s who I was. Because that’s who I was determined to be again.
When I woke up the following morning, the first thing my brain thought of was sunscreen. In a panic I looked towards the curtains. The slightest crack was in the middle of them, and a bright line of sunlight had splayed over my duvet. My heartbeat started racing, until I suddenly realised that I didn’t have to worry about it anymore. Or at least, I hoped not.
I stretched out my hand tentatively towards that ray of sun, and watched it play over my skin. It didn’t do anything. The spell was holding strong. It was reflecting all the sunlight away from me. And the best part was the enchantment was entirely invisible. I looked entirely normal.
I was filled with a newfound elation.
Feeling immediately bouncy and cheery, I sprang out of bed and ripped the curtains open. Light flooded in. The world outside was big and bright and full of possibility.
“Yow!” I said, punching my fist into the air.
I could see the garden and the line of trees in the distance, beyond which was the cliff and the beach. And oh how I wanted to go down to it. And I could! Nothing could stop me.
I flung both arms into the air. “Oh what a beautiful morning!” I found myself spontaneously singing out loud. And then laughed at myself.
When I went into the bathroom I was so excited about not having to spend all that time drenching myself in sunblock and rubbing it in. My supply of it was nearly finished, but it no longer mattered. I wouldn’t have to go into town like a criminal during the hours of darkness and stock up on a huge stash, and worry that the shop assistant was making a note of my guilty purchase.
By the time I went downstairs, I was humming to myself, “If you say, ‘Come with me down to Brimstone Bay Beach’…”
I was hoping that Aunt Adele would indulge me with a late brunch.
I was filled with energy. I didn’t need Captain Villain here to tell me that Lily’s spirit had been laid to rest. I felt it in my heart that it had to be true. I had felt it when I saw that horrible guilt fade away from Oberon’s tortured face. He was at peace now too. And I had helped make that happen.
I arrived into the kitchen to find Aunt Adele already whipping up a fresh batch of cakes, and she wasn’t alone.
Greedy was following her around, peering over her shoulder and dipping her poltergeist finger into the various batters and icings, making Aunt Adele slap her hand away at intervals.
“But I just want to look,” Greedy protested.
“Look with your eyes, not with your fingers,” insisted Aunt Adele.
I chuckled. So did Jasper and Allegra, who were sitting at the kitchen table drinking cups of tea.
“What are you two doing here?” I said, my voice high with excitement.
Allegra patted a large picnic basket sitting on the table between them.
“It’s time for that picnic we said that we would do. Now that you’re up out of bed, lazy bones.”
She smiled at me. It was our little secret. She knew why I was out of bed so late. She knew now why it was hard for me to sleep at nights.
And she knew why I hadn’t been able to go to the picnic last time I had been asked.
It warmed my heart that she knew my secret and she was smiling at me anyway.
Jasper was looking curiously back and forth between the two of us.
“What?” he complained. “I don’t like this cousinly-secret-glances-being-exchanged thing. It’s making me paranoid. What’s going on?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” said Allegra, throwing him an arch look.
“I would. That’s why I asked,” he retorted. And tweaked her nose.
She squealed, looking horrified.
He laughed.
I sat down in the chair next to him, right in the sunny spot I had always avoided.
Leaning in close, I crooned into his ear in a husky voice, “If you really must know about our secret… Last night Allegra and I had the most interesting conversation…”
She leaned over to take hold of his hand lovingly in both of hers. She nodded at him intensely.
“We think you’re so magnificently wonderful,” she purred at him.
I threw my arms around him. “We think you’re the most delicious man that ever lived.”
“And I know that I told you this picnic was a surprise for Esme,” purred Allegra, “but actually it’s a surprise for you. We’ve decided were going to share you.”
“Share me?” he croaked. And then a gleam came into his eyes. “Yeah, you can share me.”
I burst into laughter and slapped him on the shoulder.
“You wish,” I said.
“Young love,” trilled Aunt Adele, floating over to pour a cup of tea for me. “Isn’t it wonderful?” She clasped her hands together and tilted her head and gazed at the three of us longingly.
“Don’t even think about it,” I said to her. “No more matchmaking, Aunt Adele. Promise me.”
She sniffed. “I will promise no such thing.”
She went away to tend to her cake batters again.
Greedy had floated over and was looking at us with great interest.
Last night Aunt Adele and Primrose had both had a word with Greedy about letting Lorcan into the castle. Greedy had been tearful, saying it was before she’d even met me, and that he’d duped her. She’d had no idea what he’d been up to, and promised to not do it again. Primrose had taken it as a personal affront and had promised to keep a closer eye on her.
Greedy seemed to have forgotten all about her tears of the previous night.
“So who likes who then?” she asked excitedly, bouncing on her toes. “Which of you three is going to have a fairy-tale romance? She pointed at Jasper. “I know that you’re definitely one. But which of these two lovely ladies are you going to pick?”
“None of us,” I said briskly. “Men don’t pick us Westbrim ladies. We pick
the men.”
“Darn right,” said Allegra standing up.
She scooped up the basket, and glared at Jasper when he tried to take it from her.
“Hey! I’m carrying a basket here!”
“Yes, ma’am!” he said, putting his hands up in the air.
As we followed Allegra out of the kitchen, Jasper asked me, “How did you know it was all of them?”
“No questions until we get to the beach,” said Allegra firmly.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “I’ve already asked this one.”
“Okay then,” she agreed.
I chuckled at her bossiness.
“It’s because they were all sneaking around the house,” I explained. “First Captain Villain said that he saw Lorcan Hardwick in the house in the middle of the night. And then I found Paolo wandering around, pretending that he’d been looking for the toilets. And then Petra pretended to fall on top of the murder weapon so she could wipe the prints off. And suddenly, when we were in that interview room, I just thought it has to be all of them. They have to have been in on it together.”
“Huh,” said Jasper, looking a bit put out. “I never thought of that.”
“That’s because you, Mr Handsome, don’t have Esme’s brains,” said Allegra proudly.
“Did you just call me Mr Handsome?” he asked her, grinning widely.
“No,” she said. “If you had been listening properly you would have heard I was saying that Esme has the best brains.”
“So long as you’ll admit that I’ve got the best brawns,” he retorted.
She snorted. “You are so full of yourself.”
We headed out through the café which was empty for now, but which would be filling up to the brim within the next couple of hours, just the way Aunt Adele liked it.
We got outside to see Agent Constantine walking up the path.
I stared at him in surprise.
“We’ll leave you both to it,” said Allegra quickly, grabbing hold of Jasper’s arm and dragging him away.
“What are you doing here?” I said to Chris. And then I groaned. “Oh shut up! You know what I mean.”
He couldn’t stop his smile this time. “Do you mean ‘What are you doing here, Special Agent Constantine, now that your murder enquiry is all wrapped up?’”
“No,” I said, seriously. “I mean ‘What are you doing here, Hollywood hunk Chris Constantine, in the small town of Brimstone Bay, somehow assisting the police even though I had no idea that you had any previous experience in the field of law enforcement?’”
Instead of glowering at me for being so cheeky, he merely raised his eyebrows, and said, “So long as Chief Raine — er, Hardwick — knows what my credentials are, that will have to be enough for you.”
I had a very strong urge to tell him that him being in town improving the view was more than enough for me on its own. But now that there was no longer a drug running through my system, there was no excuse for me to run my mouth off and say silly things.
So I said nothing. I only smiled at him.
“Well, agent?” I said. “How can I help you today?”
“How do you know it’s you that I came to see?”
I stepped out of his way promptly.
“Aunt Adele will be happy to see you,” I said. “She’s already whipping up another batch of your favourite double chocolate fudge cake.”
He closed his eyes briefly and a look of anticipation came onto his face. It was absolutely adorable. It made me want to pinch his cheek. But I refrained from doing it. I didn’t think he was going to appreciate it.
I started walking away, but he reached out to grab hold of my hand.
I hadn’t been expecting it. It completely threw off my inner balance, making my stomach lurch with the kind of butterflies I had not felt in a long, long time. I stared at him in astonishment.
He dropped my hand quickly and he flushed a little.
“I came to tell you that we’ve released Oberon Junior. I’ve written up in my report that when he fought with Willie he acted in self-defence.”
“Thank you!” I said, my heart leaping. I had been worried about what they would decide. “Will Chief Hardwick go with that?”
He shrugged. “He won’t be happy about it, but it is my recommendation, and I have witness statements from Lorcan and the others to back it up. The chief isn’t going to accuse his own cousin of lying. He’s got enough troubles to sort out.”
“And Oberon Senior?” I asked. “What about him seducing Lily and putting her under his Mesmerism?”
“We can’t prove it,” he said with a sigh.
“That’s too bad,” I said, my eyes narrowed, wondering if there was some other way to make him pay for his crimes.
“Just let it go, Esme,” Agent Constantine said. “I’ll be keeping my eye on him.”
“So will I,” I said stubbornly. And added, “Why did you let me go from prison the other night? Allegra thinks you did a deal with Oberon Senior…?”
I looked at him questioningly.
He nodded, and shrugged one shoulder. “I wasn’t going to be able to hold him on a charge for attacking an officer for long, because he hadn’t done me any harm. Since I was going to have to let him go anyway, I thought I’d offer him a deal to get you free. It worked. Staying a night in prison was beneath his dignity.”
I bit my lip. He had no idea how much that had meant to me. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“Is telling me about Oberon the only reason you came here?”
He looked a little awkward now. He cleared his throat, and said gruffly, “I wanted to thank you.”
My mouth dropped open. “You? You’re thanking me?”
He nodded, and adjusted his hat a little uncomfortably.
“This case was more complicated than I thought,” he admitted. “And people were unwilling to talk. It seems the townspeople haven’t taken a shine to me.”
“Yet,” I said.
He nodded. “Yet. I hope.
“There is hope for you,” I assured him. “Not everyone would have had the nerve to arrest Chief Hardwick’s cousin. But you did. And the townsfolk will appreciate that.”
“I hope I’m around long enough for that. Chief Hardwick might not be in the mood to renew my contract these days.”
He didn’t stop long enough to give me time to be disappointed.
He continued, “As I was saying, while I don’t appreciate you running around talking to all my witnesses and everything else, you helped me. So… Thanks.”
My face lit up. “You’re welcome, officer.” I winked at him. “And you know where to find me if you ever have a problem case again.”
He scowled a little. “That’s not an invitation for you to get involved in anything like that in future,” he said. “I don’t want you to —“
“Put myself in danger?” I said raising my eyebrow. “I’ll have you know that I value my own life far more than you value my life. I have no intention of putting myself in danger. I like being alive.”
“Glad to hear it,” he said.
“And so I’m not such a stupid woman after all?” I said.
“What?” He genuinely looked confused.
“The first night we met,” I reminded him. “That werewolf you were chasing got away. You told me I was a stupid woman for getting in your way.”
A dark red flush stained his cheeks. It was very attractive.
“Sorry,” he said gruffly. “I didn’t mean that. I was tired… and frustrated…”
He looked mortified.
I laughed. “I forgive you. So long as you admit that Esme Westbrim is the smartest woman you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.”
“Maybe,” he said grudgingly. “A little bit.”
“Gosh wow! That makes me feel almost warm and fuzzy inside. And for your information,” I added. “I’m not as inexperienced in criminal matters as you might imagine.”
He raised one cynical eyebrow. “Becaus
e you’re a crime writer?” he asked.
I gaped at him. “Ooh! Look who’s been looking me up.”
He nodded. “I always look up my suspects. But internet crime writing is not the same as dealing with real criminals,” he insisted. “In future I expect you to stay out of it.”
I thought now was not a good time to mention to him that my recent anonymous blog post about an almost-fictional crime in Brimstone Bay had received far more views than anything else in my career ever had. Last night I had written up an anonymised outcome of the Lily murder investigation, and even just overnight it had had thousands of views. It was a promising start. I had already decided to try my hand at turning it into a mystery novel.
I shrugged. “So long as no crime comes to find me, then I won’t go looking for it,” I promised him.
And then I reached across and I did something that I would never ever normally have done. Perhaps it was because I was so ecstatic with my new lease on life. I threw my arms around him and gave him a warm hug.
“Welcome to Brimstone Bay, Chris Constantine.”
And then I walked away really fast before he could reply.
I hurried down the cliff path after Allegra and Jasper. She heard me coming, and they both stopped to wait for me. She smirked when she saw the big grin on my face.
“Are you going to stay in Brimstone Bay?” was the first thing she said when I caught up with them. “Now that you’ve got a reason to stay?”
She poked me playfully with her finger.
“What reason?” I said archly.
“You know exactly what reason,” she said. “Don’t keep me waiting. Are you staying here or not?”
“Maybe,” I said with a smile.
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And find out all about that other time Esme got accused of murder…
