“Will you put that away?” I asked her, pointing to the gun. “Let’s not rush into anything.”
“Marley’s right,” Annie said. “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“I agree,” Cora said, nodding her head so her short blond ponytail bounced around. “Put the gun away, Penny.” She stood by the sink and eyed the dead body with distain. Usually, Cora is very cheerful, but messes make her cranky, and the bathroom was really a mess, given the dead body and all the water splashes on the floor. “I really don’t think you should have a gun at a retreat center that’s all about healing, anyway,” she added in a motherly tone. Cora’s in her early forties, and though she’s not really old enough to be Penny’s mother or mine, she usually feels comfortable acting the part. She recently gave birth to triplets, so I guess she’s pretty much an expert at being a mom.
Azure, the newest member of our coven, agreed with a nod. “Let’s just think about this for a few minutes,” she said. She twisted a strand of her electric blue hair, and then rolled up the sleeves of her fashionable silver sweater as she turned to Penny. “Why did you bring a gun to the meet and greet anyways?” she asked. “Were you expecting some foul play like this?”
We all looked at Carlisle’s dead body, which was getting grayer by the minute.
“I had a feeling something like this was going to happen,” Penny said, “so I decided to pack heat.”
I sighed. “Penny, we’re witches now. We can use spells to defend ourselves. We don’t need guns.”
“Maybe you don’t need a gun,” Penny said, eying me. “But I still like to have mine around sometimes. I’m not the quickest with spell work, you know.”
Cora piped up. “Yes, but you're not the best shot, either.”
“I’ve been practicing,” she said, lifting her chin. Her curly brown hair swished across her shoulders. I was happy to see her tuck her gun back into her bag. “Whatever,” she said. “If you guys don’t want to shake up the wifey, we don't have to. Marley, this is your call. What do you think we should do?”
“I like Azure’s idea,” I said. “We should just pause and gather ourselves. We need to be really sure about our next steps before we move forward.”
With that, we all fell into silence, and continued to stare at the body. I stayed just outside of the room so that I could eat. As I nibbled food and sipped wine, I thought over Carlisle’s words. Then I spoke. “Carlisle’s ghost said that he wants me to figure out who killed him,” I said. “And if I don’t, he’s going to write a terrible review of this place.”
Everyone groaned.
“That would be entered into the records—permanently,” Annie said, with a shake of her head.
Cora frowned. “Which would be really bad,” she said.
“Yeah,” I said. “A total disaster. I really don’t want that.” I eyed the bathtub, and the pink hairdryer within. Someone tossed it in there—knowing that it would lead to Carlisle’s demise, I thought. But who?
I continued, “And, to be honest, I do want to know who did this to him. They’re probably a guest here, right? Or at least, even if they’re not a registered guest, they’re definitely magical, because we put a magical barrier up. So it can’t be that some human from town snuck in and did this.”
“Makes sense to me,” Penny said.
The others nodded.
I sipped my wine, thinking. Then I said, “That means we have a pool of twenty-five suspects to work with. You guys... I think I might actually be able to do this. I might be able to figure out who killed Carlisle and save this weekend—if I have some help from you guys.”
I polished off the last of my glass of wine and brushed a few crumbs from my lips. Then I stepped into the bathroom. “We just have to narrow down our list of suspects. I think the hairdryer, which is our murder weapon, can help us with that. If that hairdryer isn’t Carlisle’s—”
“Which it probably isn’t,” Penny said, eying it too, “seeing as it’s pink and looks very feminine.”
“Right,” I said. “Plus, he told me he didn’t own one. So, if it isn’t Carlisle’s, it means that someone entered his room with the express purpose of ending Carlisle’s life.”
“Wicked,” said Azure.
“Totally wicked,” I echoed. “If we focus only on beings who had motive to want Carlisle dead, that’ll narrow our list. And of those, we’ll figure out who had a chance between 3:10, when I dropped him off, and 4:10, when I found him dead.”
“That will definitely narrow down our options a bit,” said Penny.
I was starting to feel excited. “Okay, so we have a few things going for us. We’ve got the murder weapon right here. We’ve got just an hour time window in which the attack occurred. And we also know that whoever killed Carlisle probably entered the room with a plan. Otherwise, why would they have the hairdryer with them?”
Azure grinned. “You’re good at this, Marley,” she said.
I smiled, too. “Thanks.” Then I looked out at the ladies who were gathered around me. “To understand who would have had motive to kill Carlisle, I think we have to learn more about him.”
Annie nodded. “You said you could see his ghost,” she said. “Why don’t you ask him a few questions? Find out about any enemies he may have had.”
I pointed to her. “Good idea,” I said. “I will, if I can track him down again. He left before I went downstairs to get you guys, and I’m not sure where he headed.”
Cora put up her pointer finger. “Speaking of downstairs...” she said. “All of our guests are still down there at the meet and greet.”
“And the killer might be among them,” Azure said.
Penny got a goofy look about her. “Hi! Nice to meet ya! I’m so and so—werewolf, father of two, and oh yeah—did I mention I’m a murderer? Hey! Is that bacon-wrapped scallops? Let me get some of those!”
“Yikes,” I said, imagining the scenario. “We’d better get down there, hm?”
Azure pulled a little twig from her sleeve. She was the only one of us who carried a wand. “You guys go,” she said. “I’ll work some magic and transport this body up to the portal gate so that the authorities can get him home. The last thing this retreat center needs energetically is a dead body on the third floor, hanging over everyone’s head—literally -—for the entire weekend.”
I wasn’t so sure. It seemed to me that the last thing our center needed was a disgruntled, opinionated ghost in the mix, or worse yet, a violent killer, but I didn’t say so. Besides, if Azure wanted to deal with the body, that was fine by me. The rigid, gray, naked form of Carlisle was not something I wanted to deal with at the moment.
I waited for Penny to snap a few pictures of the crime scene, and then I led the way to the door. My witch sisters followed me downstairs, and soon we were back on the first floor, amidst the still-chatty crowds, the floating appetizers, and the sparkly pleasant atmosphere. It almost felt like the horrors we’d witnessed upstairs were merely a dream, but I knew otherwise. Carlisle was really dead; we couldn’t ignore that fact.
I felt it was only fair to be honest with my guests about what had happened. If I was staying at a hotel in which someone had just died, I’d want to know about it. I wanted to make an announcement, but first, I had to tell Beatrix and Alyssa. I didn’t want them to find out about Carlisle’s death along with everyone else.
It didn’t take me long to locate them.
Beatrix had cornered Neil the Strongman and was chatting his ear off. Alyssa was slightly behind her mother, quietly listening and occasionally fluttering her lashes in Neil’s direction.
“Excuse me,” I said to the little group.
Neil looked grateful for the interruption. “Marley, there you are!” he said with relief. “Is it time for my welcome speech?”
“Almost,” I said. “But there’s something else that’s come up, too. It’s sort of an emergency. I’ll make an announcement about it just before you speak. But before that—Beatrix, Alyssa, can I have a w
ord with the two of you?”
Both ladies nodded. I guided them away from the lobby. I figured it would be best for us to have some privacy, and since I wanted the two of them to have chairs to sit in while they received the news, I led them through the spa into the crystal cave.
“Take a seat, please,” I said.
The floors of the cave were made of sand, and the walls glistened with sparkling gemstones. Alyssa and Beatrix looked hesitant to sit, but I waited patiently, and finally they followed my orders and climbed onto two of the big, padded chaise lounge chairs.
“What’s this about?” Beatrix asked.
“Why are you singling us out?” Alyssa said in a sour tone. “We were having a nice conversation with Neil.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Both women drilled me with unhappy stares.
If one of them is the killer, I thought, she’d know what this conversation is going to be about.
I examined Beatrix’s face and then Alyssa’s, looking for signs of veiled awareness.
Unfortunately, the room was dimly lit, and both women wore gobs of makeup. I felt like I was looking at two shadowy masks. It was impossible to discern what they might be really thinking.
I cleared my throat. In my old line of work, massage, I never had to announce a death to anyone. I wasn’t quite sure how to begin.
“Beatrix, Alyssa,” I said. “I have some really unfortunate news to share with you. I just went up to Carlisle’s room, and I found him in his bathtub... deceased. He’s no longer with us. He died, due to a pink hairdryer that was thrown into the tub with him. I think he was murdered.”
I knew it was a lot to throw at them at once, but I was just trying to be honest.
I was also trying to stir up a reaction in them.
It worked.
Beatrix sat forward. Her sculpted brows popped up on her brow. “What?” she bellowed. “Dead? That’s crazy! My husband can’t be dead.”
“Oh, Dad!” Alyssa gasped softly. She covered her mouth with one trembling hand. “Dad, no!” she said. Despite the dim lighting, I could see her cheeks begin to burn. It seemed odd to me that she’d flush like that due to sadness or shock. It seemed to be more of a blush of shame or guilt. Then again, I’d never told anyone that their family member had been murdered, so maybe her reaction was normal. I just didn’t know.
“I want to be very honest with you both,” I said. “I saw a vision of him. I believe it was his ghost. He said that he was killed. He asked me to figure out who did it. I’m going to try my best to do just that.”
“You mean, he doesn’t know who killed him?” Alyssa asked. Her voice wavered.
I shook my head. “He does not,” I said. “He was very upset, obviously, and demanded answers.”
“That is so Carlisle,” Beatrix said bitterly, with a shake of her head. “He could be so demanding.”
“I’d like to get an answer for him,” I said. “In a way, I feel responsible for this. I want to get some closure for you two, as well. I know this can’t be easy for you.”
“Carlisle made everything difficult,” Beatrix said with a shake of her head.
I was picking up some serious vibes from her, and they weren’t very nice. On top of that, she didn’t seem all that sad that her husband was dead. She wasn’t even crying!
I turned to Alyssa and saw her wipe away a tear. At least she was crying. “Mom, don’t be so hard on him. He’s not even here to defend himself,” she said.
“Oh, not yet,” Beatrix said to Alyssa. “But you heard this hippy chick. He’s around in ghost form, and I’m sure we’re going to hear from him sooner or later. Though none in our family can see ghosts, he has plenty of friends who can see apparitions and will be happy to take down messages. Ugh.” She pressed herself up off of her chair. “I’m going to call our lawyer to make some arrangements,” she announced. Then she looked at Alyssa. “Alyssa darling, are you coming?”
Alyssa wiped her eyes again and then looked at me. “You said you’re going to find the killer,” she said. “Do you have any idea who it might be?”
I shook my head. I had leads, but it wasn’t the time to discuss them with Beatrix or Alyssa. I simply wanted to let them process the news.
“Not really,” I said. “I just want you both to know how very sorry I am. I hope that you’ll stay for the weekend. I’ll keep you informed as the investigation unfolds. My friend, Azure, is handling transport of the body. Carlisle’s form will be back in the Air Realm waiting for you, once you return and decide what kind of funeral service to do.”
Beatrix began heading for the crystal cave’s exit. Alyssa got up off of her chair and followed her mother. “We’ll stay,” Beatrix said. She reached the door, tugged it open, and then turned to me before stepping through it. “You should know... this isn’t your fault. Carlisle was a very difficult person to get along with, and he had his fair share of enemies. Please don’t take on a sense of responsibility for his death.”
It struck me as an uncharacteristically nice thing to say. I felt grateful. I met her eye, and she gave me a curt nod. “We’ll help you with the investigation if we can, won’t we Alyssa?”
Alyssa didn’t meet my eye. She nodded, but I felt she was hiding something. She slipped out through the door. Beatrix followed.
I was left alone in the crystal cave. I eyed the chaise lounge chairs. I wanted badly to flop down in one and let the crystals cleanse my aura. However, I knew that I didn’t have time for that. There was a lobby full of guests out there who needed to be informed about Carlisle’s murder. I sighed. Aura-cleansing would have to wait.
When I reached the lobby, I climbed up to the landing between the first and second floors. The platform was wide, and from my position, I could look out over the mingling crowd. Candlelight flickered. The sky above was even darker now.
“Attention, friends,” I called out above the murmur of conversation and the ambient music.
Faces turned to me. The room hushed.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’d like to welcome you all to the Greene Center for Magical Living.”
There was a round of applause, and I waited for it to die down before I continued. “This weekend is all about our inner athlete, and using that aspect of ourselves to make our magic stronger. I’m going to let Neil the Strongman tell you more about that.” I motioned to Neil, who was climbing the stairs to join me on the landing. He knew that he was up next.
“But first,” I told the crowd, “I have some very sad news to share. Many of you know—or at least know of—Carlisle Crimson, the renowned writer for the Record Keeper Reviews. He was here earlier today, and I’m very sorry to announce that just a few moments ago he was discovered dead in his room.”
A murmur of surprise rose up from the crowd below me.
I pressed on. “It’s not a great way for us to start out this weekend together,” I said, “but there’s no way around it—Carlisle is dead, and it looks like foul play was involved. I just want to be honest with all of you. If you feel that you no longer want to participate in this weekend's events, I want to honor that. You’re free to go, of course. I’ll arrange transportation and a full refund.”
I sighed. This was really tough to say. “I just can’t believe this is happening,” I admitted. “Believe me, it’s not how I wanted things to go. Of course, my friends and I are going to investigate his death, and if you stay, I ask you to cooperate with us in that regard.”
“When you say foul play—what do you mean?” someone called out.
My shoulders slumped. I knew what I had to say, but I didn’t like it. There was just no way around it. “He was murdered,” I said.
Now the murmur of surprise became louder, and more animated.
“I’m out of here!” I heard someone say.
“He was killed!” another exclaimed.
“And they don’t even know who killed him,” the vampire man I’d spoken to earlier grumbled.
“Let’s go, honey,” his vampire wife said.
“If they don’t know who killed him, it means that a murderer is on the loose!” Doreen the banshee said. “Eeeeiii!” Her shriek was loud and piercing, and a few guests covered their ears.
“A murderer on the loose!” the blond merwoman I’d spoken to earlier repeated. “That is the opposite of relaxing!”
“Come on,” said her pink-haired friend, “let’s go pack our bags.”
The floor below began to clear as guests migrated toward the stairs. I saw them pushing up toward me in one big stampede. It seemed that everyone was eager to get to their rooms, pack, and then get the heck out of dodge.
“Hold on!” Neil the Strongman, who was now on the landing next to me, spoke up in a booming voice.
The crowd stopped.
Neil turned to me. “Can I say a few words?” he asked.
“By all means,” I said miserably. Neil didn’t need to be told twice. He looked down at the mass of beings and started talking without any further prompting.
“Lots of people ask me how I got a body like this,” he said, while holding up an arm, bent at the elbow and showing off his bulging biceps. Then he pointed down the stairs. “You want to know how? You’re here because you want to know how—isn’t that right? You want to know how I got strong, and you want to be able to apply my secrets to your own life.”
Silence.
“Is that right?” he prompted.
A weak murmur of agreement rose up from the little crowd. “I’ll tell you my biggest secret,” he said. “When you want to quit—you don’t. You keep going. All of you want to quit on Miss Greene here. She’s invited you all to her beautiful new center for healing. She’s opened the doors to you. You signed up for this, yet now you hit the first little inconvenience, and you want to run away?”
“It’s not a little inconvenience,” the vampire man said. “There was a murder.”
“Obstacles come in all shapes and sizes,” Neil said. “I don’t care what form the obstacle takes. You've got to look it in the face and persevere. You think I look at a rack of weights and say to myself, ‘that just looks too heavy, I think I’m going to skip it today, quit, and go do something easier?’ No. I walk up to those weights, and I—”
The Strongman's Spell Page 5
