Grenache and Graves

by Sandra Woffington

  Max sipped, swiveled, and contemplated. “If Gregor killed Gunner, then he called the police as a ruse, to make it appear like someone else had done it. If he stood behind Gunner and cut his throat, he could have stayed clean. But Crystal said they’d thought about forming a new circle. It sounds like Gregor was finally ready to cut ties with Alizon. Plus, he’s waited forever already. Why kill Jared now? What was the catalyst? Or Gunner?”

  “Maybe it was already too late to change course. Or it was spontaneous. Or Crystal did it as some kind of misplaced loyalty, and Gregor’s helping her cover it up?”

  Max swiveled back and forth, deep in thought. “Drew, Alizon, and Ruby are family. The only reason one of them would kill Jared would be betrayal. But what kind of betrayal would lead one of them to kill Jared? And Ruby was in a trance at the time—not that she couldn’t have killed him. And why kill Gunner?”

  “Everyone closed their eyes at Ruby’s command, though,” reminded Joy. “Pretty convenient. What if Jared left the circle? Would Ruby feel as jilted as Haley? Would she see Jared as shallow, superficial, and a user? Would she kill him?”

  “Priest and priestess, a perfect couple,” said Max. “Not exactly a happy family.”

  “The god and goddess,” added Joy. “Balance and harmony. Not so much in this case.”

  Max shot forward in his seat. “The perfect couple. What if they aren’t the perfect couple? Think about it, Joy. Gunner’s apartment. It’s not about what we found. It’s about what we didn’t find.”

  Joy stopped to ponder. “I think I see where you’re headed. But a reason for murder?”

  Max stopped swiveling. “If it is, there are only two possibilities, but I know where I’d put my money.”

  Joy huffed. “How do we prove it?”

  “We have one shot. We can put pressure on them,” said Max. “Get them all in one room like the blue diamond case. Get the murderer to crack.”

  Joy rose to her feet. “It’s time to gather the circle.”

  Max stood on his feet too. “And call down the killer.”

  Max called Captain Knight.

  “Detective King. How can I help you? I couldn’t locate any of Gunner’s friends.”

  “I understand, captain. We have a lead on the case. We’re pretty sure that we know why Gunner was killed.”

  Captain Knight paused.

  “I just have one more question for you.”

  Max called Ruby Moon. He asked if he and Dr. Burton could come by to see her, Drew, and Alizon. He called Gregor and asked that he and Crystal meet them at Ruby’s house. They set the time at ten o’clock, because Gregor preferred to wait until he’d closed the store at nine.

  When Max and Joy pulled up and got out of the car, the moon shone full and bright. Night critters cricked and warbled. The creek behind the house eddied and rippled. A gentle breeze blew the leaves

  Max knocked on the door. .

  Alizon swung the door open. “Everyone is here, as requested.”

  “Thank you.” Max followed Steele and Joy into the green and white living room.

  Alizon, Ruby, and Drew sat on the sofa. Gregor and Crystal occupied arm chairs.

  Max, Joy, and Steele stayed on their feet. Max began, “Thank you for all being here. Jared’s death was not an accident. It was murder. So was Gunner’s.”

  “Murder.” The word escaped from mouth after mouth.

  Drew protested, “You arrested Valerie. Did she kill Jared too?”

  Joy’s eyes shot him an emphatic assurance. “No. Valerie is innocent. She didn’t commit either murder.”

  Max added, “We know who killed them, and the murderer is here among us.”

  Muffled complaints, reservations, and objections rose up and soon after died down. Each of the guests peered at the others.

  Max paced the floor. “Let’s start with you, Gregor. Ruby began producing her own tonics and ointments, cutting into your store profits. All was well when she just made them for her patients, but Jared helped her create Over the Moon and her internet sales took off.”

  Joy continued, “You’re in a town where there’s only one circle—Ruby Moon’s. And while customers might drift into your shop out of curiosity, any competition cuts into your sales.”

  Gregor challenged them both. “I admit, at first, my sales dropped. But it prodded me to reinvent my marketing. Like Ruby, I advertise holistic, natural remedies—not just products for members of the circle. So many people are sick today. And the pharmaceutical companies—well, their drugs are truly toxic poisons. While it cures one ailment, it gives you suicidal thoughts or destroys a vital organ. A side effect might be death. And even if what you said was true, isn’t that a motive for me to kill Ruby, not Jared?”

  “But you wanted to be high priest,” said Joy.

  Gregor gasped. “Not enough to kill for it! I can be a high priest anytime I want.”

  Max turned to Crystal. “Crystal. You have a history of stalking and committing property damage. You used binding spells on Jared and Gunner and you cast black magic.”

  “Not anymore!” Crystal’s eyes dropped and she began to pick her cuticles. “I don’t hate myself anymore. Most days.”

  Joy stood before her. “You liked Jared, but he rebuffed you. You liked Gunner, but he, too, rebuffed you.”

  Crystal pouted, “Jared was married. And Gunner was a mess. I have to love myself first. I know that now.”

  Gregor reached over and took Crystal’s hand to stop her from picking. “Leave her alone. She didn’t kill anyone.”

  Max drove his point home. “Crystal, they rebuffed you for an even better reason. Gunner was a mess because he watched his best friend blown to bits in Afghanistan. And we all know how close Jared and Gunner had become.” Max paced in front of the group. “But there’s more to the story. Dr. Burton and I searched Gunner’s apartment. He had pictures in his nightstand. Army buddies. He and Brandon, arms locked in a macho pose for the camera.”

  Joy continued, “Even a picture of you, Ruby—of Jared and Gunner and you—and in that order. With Gunner in the middle.”

  Ruby fidgeted. “Gunner had become both our friends. I miss him too.”

  Max piped in, “Sometimes what you don’t find is more telling than what you do find. Know what we didn’t find, Ruby?”

  Ruby’s eye shot to Max’s. “What?” The word squeaked out.

  “I think you know what.” Max shot an index finger into the air. “Not one picture of a girl. Not one!”

  Alizon protested, “He was in the military—I know there are women there now—but how many in combat?”

  Ruby’s shoulders sagged and she cut off eye contact.

  Joy raised her voice a notch. “You missed the point, Alizon. But Ruby didn’t. Gunner is gay! Brandon and Captain Knight were his lovers.”

  Drew’s face turned pale. “That’s impossible! Why didn’t he tell me?”

  Alizon protested, “No one cares about that anymore!”

  “Actually,” said Max, “some do care. Captain Knight was a fling, but when Gunner met Brandon, they fell in love. They were to finish one last mission before returning home. They planned to get married and settle down.”

  “I don’t understand.” Drew asked, “What does that have to do with Jared’s death? Did Gunner kill Jared? Why?”

  Joy explained, “We had considered that two souls like Gunner and Jared, struggling with pain and loss, would, in fact, make a suicide pact.”

  Max added, “Gunner moved here, as Crystal noted—a mess. He had PTSD, chronic back pain, and was hooked on Oxycontin and anti-depressants. He fought back though: he tried therapy, medications, acupuncture, counseling. And then he found Gregor’s shop, wandered in, and found alternative healing. Gregor introduced Gunner to the circle.”

  Gregor acknowledged the compliment. “I had no idea he was gay. I don’t know why he never told me.”

  Joy said, “Gunner had learned to keep silent about it in the military. He began to heal. He began t
o deal with Brandon’s death.”

  Max added, “Not just heal. Gunner fell in love again. With Jared, who is also gay. Isn’t that right, Ruby?”

  All eyes fell on Ruby, who kept her eyes on her lap.

  “You see,” Max continued, “Valerie had a sister—Haley Valdez—known by her magician’s name Haley the Hypnotic.”

  Joy interjected, “She fell in love with handsome and kind Jared. They married, and they set out on tour. They performed the dangerous ‘bullet catch’ trick. Jared had told Haley from the start that he didn’t want children, and Haley agreed, but five years later, when Jared was twenty-nine and Haley twenty-seven, she announced her pregnancy.”

  Max jumped in. “Jared broke it off with her—not out of spite nor because he didn’t want a child—but because he’d finally figured out that he was gay. He confessed to Haley.”

  Joy continued, “Haley had lost her father. And now, the father of her child, and Jared the Judge—the hunky male in her show—and her husband. Jared did love Haley all he could. But to Haley, she’d lost everything.”

  Max paced as he filled in the details. “For the first part of the trick, Jared fired a round into a target, and an audience member performed an inspection and assured the crowd that the rifle had discharged a real bullet. The chosen member of the audience then marked a new bullet, which Haley never touched. Jared dropped the round into the rifle’s chamber, but he would actually exchange it, palm the marked bullet and hand it to Haley, who would keep it in her mouth and make it look like she’d caught it when Jared the Judge fired the weapon a second time.”

  “With the flip of a switch, the trigger mechanism would not fire that round,” said Joy. “Instead, it would fire a blank from an add-on, a second chamber, just below the barrel. With a pop and a poof of smoke, Haley would throw her head back like she’d caught the bullet between her teeth. As a secondary precaution, a specially marked hollow round with no gunpowder was placed in the chamber. Only Haley had switched this out for a real round, markings and all. When Jared pulled the trigger, the blank round failed to fire, and a real bullet shot out of the rifle and killed Haley. Jared killed his wife and child. According to the report, a stagehand witnessed Haley messing with the rifle before the show. She told him she was ‘fixing it.’ Since she had last touched it, no charges were filed against Jared. Haley had knowingly used a malfunctioning weapon, and Jared knew nothing of it. It was deemed an accident.”

  Max added, “Valerie’s mother also told her it was an accident, but Haley’s mother died recently, and Valerie found a letter from Haley explaining she took her own life because Jared was leaving her and their baby. Valerie came here for the sole purpose of killing Jared.”

  Drew and Alizon, Crystal and Gregor mumbled. Ruby said nothing.

  Crystal shouted, “That was the fight I overheard between Val and Jared. Right?”

  “Yes,” said Joy. “Val decided to confront Jared. She found Jared alone. She’d brought a gun with her.”

  Max added, “But Jared could never forgive himself. He begged Valerie to shoot him. He thought about Haley and his baby every day.”

  Ruby piped up, “I knew about Haley. Jared saw Haley’s face every day. That’s why he took sleep remedies and anti-anxiety remedies and Ayahuasca. He struggled to live with her death. And the death of his son.”

  Drew said, “All the more reason to presume Valerie killed him or he killed himself, rather than thinking one of us killed him.”

  Joy shook her head. “Valerie did not kill Jared. She saw that he had suffered too. She forgave him for Haley’s death.”

  “Drew,” said Max. “You prepared a concoction before the ceremony, mugwort tea and absinthe. Only someone slipped Jared Xanax and Oxycontin—two medications in Gunner’s medicine cabinet.”

  Ruby’s brows knit in confusion. “Dad handed us cups. He filled them. No one else touched them.”

  Drew’s jaw hung open in horror. “I didn’t drug my son-in-law! If I’d put something in the tea, we’d all have taken it. I didn’t know Jared was gay, but that’s not a reason to kill someone.”

  Max wagged a finger. “But—Alizon knew.” Max stood before Alizon. “You filled in for Crystal the night of the Ayahuasca ceremony. You overheard Gunner and Jared joking outside about Gunner having found love again. Val chickened out and stayed sober. She and you assisted Gregor with Jared and Gunner. Gunner had a particularly bad trip, so Gregor and Val focused on him. You cared for Jared, Alizon.”

  Joy added, “Valerie said that Gunner professed his love for Jared. He reached out for him. Jared whispered something they could not hear. Valerie thought he said ‘I love you’ back. Under the influence, Jared divulged his love for Gunner. Under the influence of Ayahuasca, he told you, didn’t he?”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Alizon affirmed.

  Max added, “Gunner told us he’d fallen in love again. He was leaving the circle, and I suspect the love he spoke of was for Jared. The night of the Ayahuasca ceremony, you removed some pills from Gunner’s medicine cabinet, Alizon. Then and there, you plotted Jared’s murder.”

  Alizon protested, “Everyone here has been to Gunner’s apartment. Val was there that night too! And she’s been arrested. You must have had good evidence against her.”

  Ruby raised her head. Her forehead furrowed with a memory. “More honey next time. That’s what Jared said to Dad when he drank the tea. Mom said her tea was bitter too, but mine tasted fine.”

  “And mine,” said Drew.

  Alizon lashed out at her consort. “Drew made the tea! Drew passed out the cups! Drew poured the tea into the cups. I didn’t touch them!”

  Drew froze. “Alizon! What are you saying?”

  Alizon calmed down. “I’m saying that I didn’t touch the tea! That’s all.”

  Max pressed her. “The drugs in Jared’s system would have taken effect by the time you all stood before the obelisk. As you stood in the circle, everyone placed their hands on Jared or Ruby. You all closed your eyes. No one noticed that one of you had picked up the knife. No one would have noticed the dagger slipped under Jared’s cloak and shoved into his heart. Jared was too dazed to stop the attack, and he had his eyes closed too. And in the cover of night and black cloaks, Alizon slipped away, dashed the few feet to obelisk, gave it a push, and screamed to warn Ruby and the others.”

  Joy added, “But Jared stumbled to his death before the granite even touched his back.”

  “Thank goodness I opened my eyes. I saved everyone! Jared is my son-in-law.” argued Alizon. “I loved him.”

  Drew defended her. “You can’t seriously think Alizon killed Jared?”

  Alizon huffed, “Maybe you think Ruby killed Jared to protect her circle. It’s just as absurd.”

  Ruby agreed. “Mother wouldn’t kill Jared. Why would she? It makes no sense.”

  Max boasted, “Dr. Burton and I did a little research.”

  Joy drove the point home. “While there are new emerging pagan groups that are more open, many are not open to non-heterosexuals. Kind of odd when you think about it—that even pagan groups sexually discriminate.”

  Alizon’s face twisted with rage. “That’s true! God and goddess—male and female. That’s the true path. The historical edicts bear that out. Male and female—blade and chalice. If Jared was gay, he had no place in the circle—but that doesn’t mean I killed him.”

  “Mother?” asked Ruby.

  Alizon exploded, “Jared lied to you, Ruby. He lied to all of us!” Alizon peered around the room to gain sympathy, but she met stony glares.

  Ruby countered, “Jared never lied to me, Mother. We lied to you. Jared was my best friend. I knew he was gay.” Ruby paused. “So am I.”

  “What? No, that’s impossible.” Alizon’s brows furrowed.

  “I was leaving the circle when I met Jared,” said Ruby. “But he made it worthwhile to stay. He’d been crushed by Haley’s death. I helped him heal, and he helped me heal. Why do you think we hid it from you? You
raised me in the circle. Calling the goddess into me always seemed natural—she’s a woman. Together, Jared and I built a trusting circle, a healing place. He told me about Gunner. The day of the Mabon ceremony, he saw Gunner. They both decided to leave. Start over. I was happy for them. I gave Jared my blessing to go in peace.” Ruby’s face twisted in confusion. “What did you do?”

  “Me? You’ve lost your way, Ruby!” shouted Alizon.

  Drew exploded, “You’re the one who’s lost her way, Alizon! Ruby is still Ruby, our daughter. In a circle or out. Gay or straight.”

  Max intervened, “Alizon, you killed two people to protect your own honor and reputation?”

  Ruby rose to her feet. “It’s the twenty-first century, Mother. There’s the Dianic tradition for all women and others.”

  “Feminist corruptors!” Alizon waved her arms around. “Valerie has been arrested. She threatened to kill Jared—even held a gun to him. She did this—not me!”

  Joy caught Alizon’s wrist as it flew by. “Steele, hold her wrist. Don’t let her move.”

  “Let go of me!” shouted Alizon.

  Steele gripped her wrist. “Lady, if you don’t stay still, I’ll throw on the handcuffs.”

  Joy dove into her pocket for a pair of gloves. She slipped them on. She gripped the sides of a large silver ring and slid it off of the middle finger of Alizon’s right hand. It had rune-like markings in a circle around a black center stone with a scorpion carving. Joy eyed the ring carefully. She grabbed the top and popped it open. “A poison ring. This is how you slipped the oxy and Xanax into Jared’s tea. You crushed them up. With one simple distraction, all you had to do was flip your hand upside down over Jared’s cup. The lab will test this for oxy and Xanax and match the combination to the levels in Jared’s system.”

  “Then we’ll tear this place apart. And your car,” said Max. “You could not have left Gunner’s without trace evidence. We’ll find it.”