A Maze of Murder

by Kate Krake

  “I can only think Jenkins might be enjoying the extra business since Langdel’s gone,” Conri said.

  “That’s a bit ghoulish, don’t you think?” I said. Though I secretly thought the same thing. He had won the maze catering gig in Kenny’s place, after all.

  I steered us away from a seat near Abbi Flannagan and headed for the corner, the only patch of weak sunlight on the terrace. We sat opposite one another, and Conri buried his face in a menu. I looked around. Disaster. I had accidentally chosen a seat next to Camille Arden.

  Camille looked right at me, then to Conri, and then back to her lunch. If Conri had seen her, he hadn’t shown any sign of it.

  What had happened between them? I wondered. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t with Camille if he was asking me out on a date. Though I wasn’t there for a date, I kept telling myself. It was purely an opportunity to secretly interview a suspect.

  Camille hurried away from her table, her lunch half-eaten. The seat was soon taken by a middle-aged man wearing dark shades, a black suit, and a long overcoat. He reminded me of the sleek SUV I’d seen earlier. Like the car, a man dressed like that stood out in Blackthorn Springs. Maybe he was a business developer or something, come up from the city. I looked up and down the street, seeing the black car parked not far away. He definitely wasn’t Rowan Jackfort or anyone I recognized from the coven. That was a relief, but not so much that I could completely relax.

  “How’s your cat?” Conri asked suddenly.

  “He’s a lot better,” I said. “He sleeps, mostly, but that’s not unusual for him. Actually, the truth is I’ve barely been in since I brought him home, so I can’t really say.”

  “Running errands?” he said.

  I nodded and sipped my glass of water. Errands, or investigating a murder in which you’re the prime suspect. Whatever you want to call it.

  “Yes, errands,” I said.

  We ordered from the menu. I chose a tuna on rye and a green tea since I had never been that much of a fan of Jenkins’s coffee unless I really needed the caffeine. Conri ordered a cola, a burger, fries, and onion rings, and pie and ice cream for dessert.

  “I have a big appetite,” he explained.

  “It doesn’t show. You’re in great shape,” I said. My face and neck flushed with brilliant heat. What a thing to say. Now he would think I was hot for him, or something equally ridiculous.

  Conri smiled. “Look, I believe in being straight with people. So, I just have to be straight with you right now, okay?”

  “I guess,” I said.

  “I like you,” he said. “And I think—I mean, I would, I do want to get to know you, like in a way not about your cat.” His voice croaked at the end of the sentence, and he took a drink of water.

  “You do?” I said. Was he serious?

  He nodded, clearing his throat, not looking at me.

  “You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” I said.

  “I know, I’ve got…” He took another sip of water. “I could be better at talking to people.”

  “Yeah, you could,” I said.

  It was endearing to see him so nervous, and I silently admitted his discomfort did make me feel kind of dominant. But he couldn’t be interested in me like that. The idea was ridiculous.

  He stared, waiting for me to speak.

  “Um… okay,” I said. “I just didn’t expect it, is all. I mean, from you. From anyone, really. To be honest, up until now I thought you were kind of a jerk.”

  “I get that a lot,” he said and smirked. I wasn’t sure if it was cute and charming or annoying and smug.

  The first two face-to-face interactions I’d had with the man had been less than good, but this third was softening me too much, more than I expected or wanted. Third time’s the charm, I thought, then remembered the charm I was supposed to be casting on him.

  The waiter brought over our food. This was my chance. I held my fingers in position, underneath the table so Conri wouldn’t see, and tried to mutter the magic words.

  “What did you say?” he asked. “What are you doing?”

  “Er, nothing. I’m fixing my belt,” I said, scrambling for an excuse. Damn.

  So, if I couldn’t cast a spell on him now, I’d have to do this the old-fashioned way and talk an answer out of him.

  “So, I saw you over at Kenny’s when… you know, it happened.”

  “Yeah, grim stuff. You just don’t expect something like that to happen in a town like this.”

  “Something like what?” I prodded.

  “Something like finding a dead body in the street. A sad, unlucky thing to happen, I s’pose.”

  “Did you know him?”

  Conri shook his head. “Nah. Well, I ate there—damn fine food he had. But I didn’t ever talk to him. Most people weren’t fans, or so I hear. A total ass, apparently.”

  “Yeah, you could’ve been good friends. You have that in common.”

  Conri shoved the massive hamburger into his mouth, taking a huge, dripping bite. He licked sauce off his thumb, and I didn’t want to admit it, but watching his tongue move was kind of arousing.

  “I’m sorry. I know I get angry, especially when animals are concerned,” he said, taking another bite and speaking with his mouth full. “I’m working on it.”

  “Oh yeah? How so?” I said, thinking his table manners could also use some work.

  “It’s going to sound dumb.”

  “Try me.”

  “I’m learning meditation, that kind of thing, to calm my mind and not fly off the handle like I do. I’ve actually just come back from a retreat thing up in Grey Mountain. It’s a bit silly—intense hiking and survival stuff, as well as drum circles, chanting and the rest of it, but you probably think I’m a nutcase now, so I should probably shut up.”

  My mind latched onto his words like a dog with a bone. Grey Mountain was a peak about six hours’ drive from Blackthorn Springs, deep in the wilderness.

  “That doesn’t sound silly at all,” I said. “When did you say you got back?”

  “I had just gotten back into town and gone for a takeout breakfast when I saw the crowd around BrewHaHa.”

  “And how long were you away for?”

  “Four weeks,” he said. “That’s actually why I was so out of sorts when we first met. Again, I’m sorry I gave you a bad first impression. I was beat and maybe had post-vacation blues or something.”

  It couldn’t have been him. He had been far away for a long time when the curse would have been set.

  He still had something to do with magic, though. Drum circles in the woods might have been hokey, but they stemmed from ancient magical rituals. Did his so-called meditation retreat have something to do with the charm he was wearing? It was plausible, but why hide it? And why had he been so prickly when I’d commented on it, only to be so open about the retreat now? And why had he been looking up spells on the internet before he went away?

  I was about to probe him more, searching for the right way to ask the dozens of questions I had without scaring him away, when Hattie Winthrop approached our table.

  “Belinda. Fancy seeing you here.”

  “Fancy,” I said. “In a town this small, funny you should see someone at the only place open for lunch, at lunchtime, up the street from where they live and work.”

  The old woman seemed oblivious to my snark. “I meant, fancy seeing you here, together.” She wagged her finger between Conri and me.

  I ignored it and gave her my best polite smile. “Is there something you need, Hattie?”

  “Oh, I just spoke to Neville. He told me about the hedge. It’s poisonous? That couldn’t be right, is it?”

  “Afraid so.”

  “That’s not acceptable. Has anyone spoken to Edie about it? She needs to be held responsible. It’s an outrage.”

  “I will have a chat with her about it.”

  “Well, I think she deserves more than a chat. This has cost the town thousands, and it will cost us all far more if the
maze doesn’t go ahead because of her negligence.”

  “We’ll straighten it out, Hattie. Don’t worry.”

  Hattie left in a huff, still wringing her hands and talking aloud to herself about Edie’s negligence.

  “I guess we’ve been caught,” Conri said. “We’ll be all over the town paper tomorrow.”

  “I think it means you graduate into a full-fledged local once Mrs. Winthrop starts gossiping about you,” I said.

  Conri laughed, more relaxed now. He met my eyes and held my gaze. “I would like to really give them something to gossip about.”

  I took a mouthful of tea. It was far too hot and I burnt my tongue, but I took another sip anyway. I didn’t know where to put my eyes, or my hands. I shuffled my feet under the table.

  “Do you have any family?” he said. I was grateful for his change of subject. Had he noticed how embarrassed I was? That possibility made me all the more nervous. Any upper hand I’d had slipped away.

  “I had a brother,” I said. “I mean, I have a brother. It’s complicated.” My brain and my mouth were operating on two different channels. Why was I telling him about Quentin? Why was I telling him anything personal at all and turning into marshmallows whenever he looked at me with those damned eyes?

  “What about you? Do you have family?” I said.

  “It’s complicated too,” he said.

  “Okay, let’s try an easier question. Why did you become a vet?”

  “Because I love animals,” he said. “Standing up for the ones who can’t stand up for themselves. We swear an oath when we graduate: do no harm and help as much as it takes. I’ve always been drawn to that ideal, but I guess I don’t like people enough to want to be a human doctor.”

  “Do no harm” was also an oath of a lot of witch circles. Was Conri a witch?

  Again, I met his eyes and we looked into one another.

  He was a murder suspect five minutes ago, I chanted to myself. He’s into some kind of strange magic. Don’t be so foolish, Belinda. He’s an angry man with secrets!

  “And why do you own a bookstore, then? Is that by chance?”

  Our eye contact stayed strong.

  “I love books,” I said. “Mysteries in particular.” I smiled, and Conri smiled back.

  11

  It was a dreary day, but I left the cafe as though I were dancing through the sweetest summer afternoon. Even so, that little voice in the back of my head couldn’t be silenced.

  What was I doing? Getting a crush on Conri? Since when did I go around getting all steamy about a man I barely knew? Especially one I had actively hated twice in the last forty-eight hours. I wasn’t like that. I had my head on straight and was logical, not emotional when it came to relationships. But another voice was speaking a lot louder, reminding me that a good-looking man who loved animals was clearly interested in me. A good-looking man who I could cross off the suspect list. Probably.

  Crossing the street, I stopped. All thoughts and worries about Conri plummeted out of my head like lead weights.

  Rowan Jackfort leaned against the low brick wall in front of the hair salon next door to my shop, hands in his pockets.

  My heart thundered. My legs were water.

  “Hey, Bella,” he said.

  Rowan looked exactly as I’d remembered him: lanky and dressed in skintight black jeans, heavy boots and a leather jacket. His greasy hair hung to his shoulders, his pasty white skin dotted with sores. His eyes were almost as black as his clothes.

  “What are you doing here, Rowan?”

  “Isn’t life amusing sometimes?” he said. “I know you don’t believe in coincidences, but here I was a few weeks back, visiting family, walking down the street as I’ve done in this little hamlet since I was a boy, and who should I see but my very own Belladonna Drake?”

  “Don’t call me that,” I said, trying to hide the waver in my voice.

  Jackfort had ties to Blackthorn? The thought made me sick. I couldn’t have known. It was a cruel twist of fate.

  “So, I ask around town, and there you are, playing house, selling books—you always did like to read, didn’t you? What a beautiful little life you’ve set up for yourself here.” He leered at me, scratching a scab near his ear. “My Belladonna, the little girl who said she had no interest in growing any real power, sets herself up with a new little life in Blackthorn Springs of all places. Tell me that’s a coincidence too.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “No witch moves to Blackthorn by chance. Even fake witches with no real power.”

  I tried to step past him. “I came here because it was small, quiet, and a long way from you. Or so I thought.”

  He moved in front of me, blocking my path. “That’s hilarious on so many levels. For a supernatural, Blackthorn Springs is anything but quiet. This place is dripping with magic, and it often does some pretty weird shit. Tell me you haven’t noticed that. It’s one of the reasons I love it here. That and I keep coming back to visit the old folks. Family is so important to keep in touch with.”

  Was he lying? Was that why I had been drawn to the town the first time I’d visited it?

  “And speaking of keeping in touch with family,” Jackfort said. He stepped close and placed a finger on my cheek. His touch was like a disease. “Where’s Quentin?”

  “I have no idea. He vanished. So whoever that suit guy is you’ve got driving you around in that black SUV, you can tell him you’ve wasted his time too.”

  “Suit guy? Black SUV? I don’t get around in an SUV. Do you know how dangerous those things are? Not to mention their massive carbon footprint.”

  My confusion flared. “Then whose car is it?”

  Jackfort shrugged. “Maybe you’ve got another secret admirer. Can we get back to the point now? Where’s our boy Quinny?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, trying not to yell. “Leave me alone!”

  He moved even closer, pushing his body against mine. I smelled his sweat, the mildewy funk in his clothes, sour and nauseating.

  “I can hurt you, you know, in all sorts of ways. How is Hemlock doing, by the way?”

  “You sent those lilies to hurt him on purpose, didn’t you? Did you kill my neighbor too?”

  “Your neighbor? I haven’t killed anyone,” he said. “Ever.”

  No, he got other people to do his killing for him.

  “But you did try to kill my cat.”

  Jackfort leered. “It’s amazing how many people who own cats don’t know how such common, harmless, even beautiful things can kill them in a couple of hours. I heard he’s had some first-class veterinary treatment. I guess you lucked out, finding a vet like that. And one who does after-hours consults, too, by the looks of it.” He gestured across the street to where I had been with Conri. “Tell me, is that part of the service, or are you just finding an alternative way to pay him? You’d better be careful, Bella. Some guys can be real dogs if you know what I mean.”

  My eyes narrowed. I wasn’t going to stand there and be insulted by the most despicable person this side of hell. “Get out of here Rowan, or I’ll call the sheriff.”

  Rowan laughed, showing off a row of small discolored teeth. “How is Dalt? I don’t see him as much as I used to when I was a kid. He’s an old friend of the family’s, so I should call him. I’m trying to make more of an effort to keep up with the important people from the past”—he stepped closer again—“but some of them just won’t let me in anymore.”

  I didn’t let him force me to step away. “You’re poison, Rowan, and there’s no doubt everything weird happening in town lately is somehow connected to you.”

  He looked at me squarely. “It’s Blackthorn Springs, Bella. This place was founded on weird.”

  He touched my cheek again while his other hand moved to my breast. I slapped it away, wishing I could break his arm in half. He laughed.

  “I’ll be seeing you around,” he said.

  Jackfort strutted away, leaving me stan
ding in the street, trembling and wondering if I would throw up or pass out, or both.

  * * *

  Lila was straightening the shelves when I returned to the shop. It was indeed a day of mixed surprises.

  “How was your date?” she said with a sly grin.

  “Oh, Lila, it was nothing like that. Don’t be silly,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. Struggling with the zipper on my bag, I didn’t look at the fairy.

  “I see. So you were just interrogating the suspect?”

  I stowed my things and gave Hemlock a hello pat. My hand trembled.

  “You seem tense,” Lila said. “Did something happen with Conri?”

  “It’s nothing,” I said, trying to smile. I had to push Jackfort back down deep where he belonged. He thrived on any attention he could get, negative or otherwise, and I wasn’t going to give it to him. “Conri and I shared a nice meal and some interesting conversation.”

  “Interesting? Like sexy interesting?”

  “Oh, Lila, don’t be ridiculous,” I said, feeling the blush rise and suddenly remembering the exact shape of Conri’s mouth as he licked his fingers. “I was there to work. He’s been out of town in Grey Mountain. Only just got back. It couldn’t have been him.”

  Lila bit the side of her mouth as she often did when she was trying to figure something out.

  “I guess it’s plausible. Unless he was able to project it somehow.”

  “But then couldn’t we say the same thing about the Yarrows in Alaska?”

  “Alaska is a long way away. Grey Mountain isn’t that far. And close enough he could have come up and back in half a day.”

  “So, you’re saying we can’t trust him yet?”

  Lila bit her lip again. “I’m saying… I’m saying I’ve never investigated a murder before and have no idea what I’m doing.”

  “That makes two of us,” I said.

  Worry swam around me. A wave had let me up for a breath as I considered Conri’s innocence (and a few other things about him), but now it pushed me back into the murky depths.

  I was in over my head. These were dangerous circumstances, and now that Jackfort was around, it was getting deadly. I wanted to put it all aside and go back to my normal life. But how could I look the other way now? I’d come too far. Someone had been killed in an intentional act of violence so terrible it couldn’t go unpunished.