Love, Art, and Murder: Mystery Romance

by Kenya Wright

  “But you did the rest?” Alvarez raised his eyebrows.

  “What? No. I-I. . .” Hex turned to me as if I could save him, when I was really hoping to hear the answer myself.

  A skinny blonde woman walked down the hallway towards us. We all became quiet.

  “Yes, Vivian.” Alvarez turned to her. “How can I help you?”

  “There’s a man downstairs who refuses to leave the front door unless a woman named Ellie comes out.”

  “Oh my God. That’s Michael.” I covered my mouth.

  “Take him to our study,” Alvarez ordered.

  Chapter 26

  Alvarez

  I stormed down the stairs. Elle and Hex trailed behind me.

  Michael came right on time, right when I wanted to shove my fist into the center of a person’s face. It was like magic. With grandma cutting vaginas out of dead women and whatever Hex had done to destroy the crime scenes, I was fed up with it all. Everything. Part of me tried to calm my anger down and take each problem one step at a time. The other part screamed to run off with Elle and leave them all behind. I had a decent bank account. It didn’t reach the size of Hex’s savings of course, but it would tide Elle and me over, if necessary.

  And then Michael stormed onto my family’s property demanding to see his Ellie.

  Well, she’s not your Ellie anymore, Michael. She’s my Elle, and if you touch or try to hurt her again I’ll have my grandma ruin you.

  I laughed at the thought of Grandma splashing him with one of her stinky spells. Someone tapped my shoulder. I figured it was Elle. That luscious fragrance drifted near me the whole time I stomped down the stairs.

  “Alvarez? Are you listening to me?” she asked.

  “No. I already told you I want to talk to him.”

  “I can do it by myself. You have other things to worry about.”

  “I thought you were going to have a discussion with Hex, the possible murder suspect.” I glanced over my shoulder and noticed Hex flinch.

  “Don’t say that,” Elle said.

  “Sorry. I don’t have any patience today. It all left once my grandma told me she was the one cutting out women’s vaginas for stupid spells and then you informed me that we didn’t have a future together. And finally Hex has God only knows what in the studio and keeping that guilty expression on his face each time I ask him about it.”

  “I didn’t say we didn’t have a future. I just needed to not start anything with you now.”

  I rounded the corner to the other flight of stairs. “Well, my patience is gone and Michael is the exact person I should see right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I love you, Elle. And I love Hex, and my grandma, but I can’t put my hands on any of you in order to get you all to do what I want, but I surely can—”

  “No. You can’t.”

  “If he says something remotely disrespectful or hurtful to you, I’m going to choke him.”

  She grabbed my arm. “Alvarez, please stop.”

  I paused and glared at her.

  “I don’t want you fighting him or anybody else. It’s barbaric and stupid. You both are grown men and I can deal with my problems on my own.”

  “Then I’ll be there for support.” I headed down the last flight of stairs.

  “I don’t need support.”

  “Well, you have it anyway.”

  We made it to the end of the stairs. Elle had no idea where the study was so she was forced to follow me to the east wing. In no time, all three of us entered the space together.

  Michael sat in the huge leather chair in the far back under a painting of a couple making love in a dimly lit forest. In the image, tigers peeked their heads up through the grass to witness the scene.

  The few times I’d seen Michael from gallery showings or on television interviews, he appeared bigger. In that moment, he looked thin and weak. His black hair stood in a mess of waves over his head. His wrinkled clothes hung off his skinny frame. Without saying anything to me or Hex, Michael directed all of his attention to Elle.

  “Ellie.” The word came out of Michael’s mouth in a pained whisper. His fingers shook as he held a cup of violet liquid in his hands. “Ellie.”

  “Michael, what are you doing here?’ Elle stepped in front of us. I got up next to her, scared to give her too much space away from me. Did I think she would leave with him? I wasn’t sure. I just knew I wouldn’t let her go with him or anyone else. I couldn’t. Regardless of what Michael had to say, I would make sure he left alone. Regardless of what Hex had to say about the stuff in his studio or even whatever occurred with these murders, Elle would not leave this castle alone.

  I’m leaving with her whether she wants me to or not, whether there are hundreds of things here to finish. I’m going wherever she goes.

  Michael rose from his chair and finished whatever was in his cup. “Can we talk by ourselves?”

  “No,” Hex and I said in unison. We exchanged weird glances, but continued to keep our stance in front of Michael.

  Elle cleared her throat and got everyone’s attention. “Michael, just say whatever you have to say and then leave.”

  “You cut your hair.” He frowned. “Why?”

  “I didn’t need it.”

  “I liked it long.”

  “I like it short.” She combed her fingers through her hair with pure defiance swimming through her eyes. “What do you want? Surely you didn’t come here to talk about hair.”

  He gazed at her with watery eyes on the verge of tears. “Come back to me, please. I’m so sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?” Elle asked.

  “For everything.”

  “Like what?”

  Michael dug his hands into his pants pockets. “For the times I insulted you.”

  She placed her hands on her hips. “That’s it?”

  He slumped his shoulders forward in defeat. “I’m sorry for all the women and blame. The mean things I used to say to you. The terrible games I played with your head. All those times I left you alone crying into your pillow. And most of all I’m sorry for telling you that your light was gone. You’re not the reason I haven’t been inspired. I am.”

  Elle nodded her head. “Thank you. I just wanted to finally hear you say sorry for something. Now please leave.”

  Michael changed his expression from apologetic to angry within seconds. It was the oddest thing. In one moment, his lips mimicked a frown and he stared at the ground. In the next, he lifted the right side of his lips into a sneer, clenched his fingers into fists, and practically snarled at Elle.

  “I’m not going anywhere unless you’re next to me.” Michael scowled at her. “You had your little fun while we were separated. I don’t even want to know what you’ve been doing here, but now you get your shit and come with me!”

  Elle shook her head. “I knew you couldn’t be apologetic for longer than a few seconds. Either way, the answer to your question is no.”

  “It wasn’t a question, you bloody crazy woman! Get your—”

  “No.” Elle dropped her hands from her hips. “We’re done. I already told you in my letter. I don’t want to see, hear, or be near you again. I’m done modeling for you and as far as being your girlfriend again, that will never happen.”

  “And so you will model for the enemy? Is that mature? Is that the right thing to do? You’re better than this, Ellie.”

  “What I do is none of your business anymore.”

  A mocking smile broke out on my face. I couldn’t help it.

  “You think you can do anything you want?” Michael asked. “That’s not what my contract says.”

  Elle’s confident face faltered. “You don’t have any works in progress. I have every right to work with someone else when—”

  “I’m given the chance to match whatever price you’re being paid,” he finished. “And believe me right now, I’ll match whatever price they come up with. I’ll break the bank to have you back in my house. I’ll get loans and
put up mortgages on the houses. Get your bags and come on.”

  “You’ll never be able to match this price. I guarantee it.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Who are you?” he asked me.

  “I’m Hex’s manager and Elle’s new boyfriend,” I replied and dared him to react.

  Elle cleared her throat. “And it doesn’t matter, Michael. I’m not going to go back and forth with you on contract details when the fact of the matter is, I don’t want to be with you. You don’t have to get loans or try to match a price. I quit. I no longer want to be your model.”

  “If you quit, you still don’t get to model. There’s a two year non-compete clause in the contract. If you quit, you can’t model for two years. What will you do, Ellie? Do you even know how to read?”

  “Fuck you.” She spat the words at him. Hex looked back at me with a worried expression on his face.

  “I’ll be fine whether I can model or not,” she said.

  “Where will you go?” Michael asked.

  “She’ll be with me.” I tossed him a smile that said say something I don’t like and I’ll beat your face to a pulp.

  “You’ve barely been away from me for a week and have already spread your legs? You dirty little whore.” Instead of Michael stomping my way, he headed to Elle and raised his fist.

  Whore? I don’t think so.

  I charged for him. Hex met my pace. We both crashed into Michael before he even realized what happened.

  Elle shrieked. “Guys! Wait! He wasn’t going to hit me.”

  It was already too late. Hex and I wrestled him to the ground. Michael screamed as we shoved him on his back and kept him down. His shirt tore in the front. Hex got a smack in. I wrapped my hands around Michael’s neck, doing my best to not give in to the urge to choke him to death as Hex smacked him some more.

  “Alvarez! Hex!” Elle hit my back. “Let him go. He wasn’t going to hit me.”

  “Then what was he going to do?” I asked through clenched teeth.

  “Get in my face and try to bully me, but he wouldn’t put his hands on me.”

  I gazed into Michael’s eyes and tightened my hold on his neck to make sure he understood how serious I was. “In my family, if we see a man getting in a woman’s face and yelling, the guy would be lucky to have his balls by the end of the hour. Do you like your balls, Michael? My grandma can slice them off in two seconds, so clean you’ll think your balls were never there to begin with. Would you like to meet her?”

  He shook his trembling head. “Let me go.”

  “No.”

  “Please.”

  “Don’t ever get in Elle’s face again.” I loosened my grip. “And get the fuck off my property.”

  “And don’t call Elle names either.” Hex smacked him. “You talentless hack.”

  “I have talent. You’re the one who tried to steal her so you can milk off my fame, you devil painter.” We let him go, and Michael flipped his middle finger at Hex as he struggled to get away from us.

  “I didn’t have to steal her. She contacted me.” Hex let him go completely. “And if you think you’re going to stop my painting of her and any other works from coming out, then I’ll see you in court. Meanwhile, I’ll tell the media how you’re scared to have me release my work of your model because you know it will surpass all the ones you’ve already done of Elle. That is the truth, right? You’re scared I painted her better.”

  Michael came closer to Elle, too close for my comfort. I grabbed him by the arms.

  He looked at me. “What? I won’t touch her and no, Hex. I just don’t want to share her, you psycho. Knowing you, Hex, you probably surrounded her with bloody skulls and corpses.” Michael turned to me. “Can you please let me go? I won’t yell at Ellie again.”

  “Say sorry to her.” I shook him a little, glanced at Elle, and caught her giggling under her hand.

  He sucked his teeth. “Sorry, Ellie.”

  I released him. “Elle stays here with us for as long as she likes.”

  “No.” Michael straightened his shirt.

  “You have a contract that binds her when it comes to modeling, but you don’t have any contract over her heart. Pick up your dignity and go home.”

  “No.” Michael glared at Elle. “Hell no. Our love has lasted ten damn years. That’s too much to let go. We belong together. We complete each other.”

  And then black liquid spilled out of Michael’s mouth. Shrieking, he extended his hands, as if grabbing for air.

  “Michael?” Elle attempted to rush over to him.

  I seized her before she could touch him. “No. Don’t. The spell might transfer over to you.”

  “Spell?” she screeched.

  “It looks like Michael did get to meet Grandma after all.” Hex leaned against the wall and laughed.

  “What’s happening to me?” Michael swayed, stumbled back, and fell to the floor as his eyes rolled in their sockets and revealed only the whites.

  I held Elle closer to me as she shivered. “Hex, call Grandma and tell her to get back in here. Knowing her, she’s hiding or something. Find out what she gave him.”

  When in the hell did she get in here to give it to him? She must’ve seen him heading to the castle somehow and got to him first.

  Hex laughed. “Are we sure it was Grandma? Maybe it’s all of the crap he’s full of slowly dripping out.”

  “Not funny. He could be seriously hurt.” I looked at Elle.

  She shook her head. “What kind of spell is it?”

  “I have no idea.” I shrugged my shoulders. “But he’s fine. Grandma would never kill anybody.”

  At least that’s what I try to tell myself.

  “What the hell happened?” Elle asked. “He was talking and now black stuff is. . . oh my God.”

  Michael groaned and rolled back and forth. “Oh God! The pain! Help me!”

  Hex pulled out his phone and went into the hall.

  I let go of Elle, walked over to Michael, and kneeled by him. “What happened when you got here? Did you talk to anybody?”

  “The maids.” Michael’s lips quivered. He blinked his eyes as he hugged himself. “Oh God. The pain. It’s like fire in my stomach.”

  “You only talked to maids?” I asked.

  “Yes. A young one and an old woman.”

  “Old woman?” I raised my eyebrows, knowing that all of our staff was in their early twenties or thirties. “Did she have gray hair and was really short?”

  “Yes. The nice one. She gave me the punch.” Drool leaked out of Michael’s mouth as he screeched. “Fuck! What was in that punch?”

  Only Grandma knows.

  Michael’s body shook, riding erratic spasms. Ignoring my warning, Elle got on his other side and held his hand until the shaking stopped and Michael seemed to drift off to sleep. “What can we do for him?”

  “Nothing. Grandma has to fix it,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” She waved my apology away. “You didn’t do anything. If anything, you’ve been nothing but defending me the whole time.”

  “You’ve been here for less than a week and have seen a dead girl, a séance with people dressed in blood, whatever was in Hex’s studio, and your ex-boyfriend drugged. This is a regular week for me, but you must be ready to race out of here on the next plane.”

  She formed her lips into a smile. “You’re forgetting that I saw some of the most amazing art installations in the world, hung out at a marvelous party with magicians, circus performers, awesome jazz band, and mind-blowing fireworks. Hex inspired me the one time we painted and made me rethink what life meant to me. Don’t forget I met a spectacular man with two hearts and the need to give me one of them. This week has changed my life.”

  I almost sighed, but instead I held it in. “A man with two hearts, huh?”

  “Yes. I think he said he was Cuban.”

  “Possibly. I’ve heard they have two of them.” I directed my gaze to the floor. “And what are you going t
o do with the man’s extra heart?”

  “He didn’t give it to me yet.”

  “Trust me. He did.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “I—”

  I should have let her finish, but I just couldn’t hear her back out of our relationship. “I don’t want a break or time out. I don’t need time to handle this stuff here. I don’t want you to leave without me or fix whatever you need to fix without me. I have to be with you. If that means getting on the plane with you tonight and leaving all of this behind, I will.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “Who said you asked?” I touched my chest. “Not me. I’ve made my decision. It’s you.”

  She opened her lips and then shut them as if unsure of what else to say.

  “I love you, Elle.”

  She looked down at the sleeping Michael. “You can’t love me already.”

  “If I’m not in love, then I’m halfway there. It’s unavoidable now, like a hurricane spinning my way and there’s nowhere to run or hide. And you know what? I don’t give a damn if the hurricane carries me off to destruction.”

  She grinned. “My love is like a hurricane?”

  “Your love is bigger. I can’t even comprehend it.”

  The door opened behind us.

  “Hex! Let me go! I won’t fix him! He’s a bad man,” Grandma yelled as Hex pulled her small body into the room. “He wants to take her away from here and that would hurt Alvarez. I protect what’s mine.”

  I jumped up. “Hex, go ahead and let her go. Grandma, what did you do? Black goo leaked out of his mouth, and then he shook for a while and passed out.”

  Grandma huffed and rolled her eyes. “Is he taking her?”

  “We didn’t get to that.”

  “Then when he wakes up and decides to be a good man, I’ll give him the antidote.”

  “You’ll give it to him regardless,” I demanded.

  “Wait a minute.” Hex raised his hand. “Maybe he could sign a contract releasing Elle from her work with him.”

  I waved him away. “You’d better be joking. We’re not going to bully a man into this.”

  “Why not?” Hex shrugged. “He’s bullying Elle into not modeling. Why not seize the opportunity?”