A Hint of Magic

by Alaine Allister

  “I was wearing these earrings earlier today. I remember having them on when I was investigating Shane,” she said, recalling the way her big, heavy earrings had swung back and forth as she had stood at the top of the stairs eavesdropping.

  That got Parker’s attention. “You’re saying you lost your earring at the Klassens’ house?”

  She nodded. “I must have. I didn’t think anyone saw me there, but apparently I was wrong. What if this is Shane telling me he knows I was there, he knows I’ve been snooping? Parker, what if Shane knows I’m closing in on him?”

  “This is bad. This might be a threat…at first I thought it was a weird note from one of your friends but it sounds like a threat. You could be in danger,” Parker said, voicing her worst fears. “We need to go to the police with what we know now,” he decided.

  “But it could jeopardize the case,” she protested.

  “I’d rather jeopardize the case than jeopardize your safety,” he declared without hesitation.

  Had Clarissa not been so shaken, she’d have found that endearing.

  “What do we do now?” she asked, grateful she had someone to talk things over with. When she had first met Parker she had dismissed him as an entitled, arrogant idiot, but she had been wrong. She knew he had a good head on his shoulders and she valued his opinion.

  “Let’s go down to the station and see if we can talk some sense into the cops,” Parker suggested. “If we can’t persuade them to look into Shane more closely, then I’ll see if I can pull some strings and get a Green City police officer to look into the matter.”

  “Wouldn’t the Sugarcomb Lake police have jurisdiction over the investigation?”

  “Yes. If a Green City officer got involved, it would be strictly off the record,” Parker confirmed. “Unlike the so-called police in this town, the ones in the city are mostly competent. They’re always insanely busy in the city, but maybe I can persuade someone to do me a favor.”

  She sighed. “This isn’t how I wanted things to play out.”

  “Me neither. But cheer up,” Parker said, obviously trying to do his best to reassure her. “This will all blow over soon, I’m sure of it. In the meantime, I don’t think you should be alone.”

  Clarissa nodded. She liked to be independent and tried to pretend she was fearless. But the unexpected mail delivery had her really shaken up. She was putting on a brave face as best she could, but inside she was frightened.

  This was one of those times she wished she had a housemate to keep her company. Preferably one who, unlike her cat, wasn’t afraid of shadows and didn’t hiss at the mirror. Unfortunately, she was all alone.

  “Do you want to stay at my condo until this gets resolved?” Parker offered. “I know it’s not the same as being at home but for what it’s worth, my sister says the bed in the guest room is really comfortable.”

  “I want to say yes,” she admitted, finally letting herself be vulnerable. “But I have deadlines…”

  “Ah yes, the newspaper,” he nodded. “Is there any way you can work from my place?”

  “Not really,” she sighed. It would be far too much trouble to move everything.

  “Okay.”

  When Parker didn’t argue or try to tell her to forget about her newspaper, Clarissa could have hugged him. It was so refreshing to have somebody in her life that understood and could empathize when it came to being a workaholic.

  The cat chose that moment to cause a distraction.

  It sauntered around the couch like a little diva, completely ignoring Clarissa. It thwacked Parker on the ankle with its tail, which insofar as Clarissa could tell, was an act of approval. Then it hopped onto the couch and plopped down on Parker’s lap for a snooze.

  “Am I going to have to share my bed with the cat?” Parker asked good-naturedly.

  “Your bed?” she repeated, not following.

  “If you’re not leaving your house, then I’m staying here with you,” Parker announced matter-of-factly. “For the foreseeable future, this couch will be my bed. Unless you have a spare room?” he added hopefully.

  “Sorry,” she told him apologetically. “I’ve been meaning to buy a new mattress and get a guest bedroom set up, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. All I’ve got is the couch. And it’s sort of lumpy,” she added with a grimace.

  “No worries,” he reassured her. “If it’s good enough for the cat, it’s good enough for me.”

  “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” she told him.

  “I want to,” he said firmly.

  “Okay.” She didn’t protest. Secretly she wanted him there, and it was only partly because she was developing a massive crush on him. Truthfully, she was also pretty nervous about being home alone after receiving the earring and ominous note in the mail.

  “When we get done at the police station I’ll take you out for pie and a nice strong cup of coffee,” Parker offered. “What do you say?”

  “You had me at pie.”

  Chapter 17

  “Well that was a waste of time,” Parker grumbled a couple hours later.

  He had been outside on his phone having a private conversation with a police officer he knew in Green City. Clarissa, meanwhile, had been inside attempting to make the couch less lumpy. Her efforts basically consisted of folding up a couple of duvets and hoping for the best.

  “It can’t have been worse than all the time we wasted at the local precinct,” Clarissa replied.

  She and Parker had gone down there and attempted to tell the police what they knew. Their concerns about Shane had been dismissed. Clarissa had been disappointed by the reaction – or lack thereof – but she couldn’t say she was terribly surprised.

  “My buddy said he’s far too swamped to do any off the record police work at the moment,” Parker sighed. “He did check to see if Shane has a criminal record – he doesn’t. But beyond that, we’re on our own.”

  “Maybe I should find an excuse to go over there and pay Shane a visit,” Clarissa suggested. “We have to get more evidence. If he already knows I’m onto him, then what’s the harm in ringing his doorbell and trying to get him to talk? Maybe he’ll slip up.”

  “Right now you’re reminding me of a kid I knew who poked a hornet’s nest with a stick.”

  “Why would anyone do that?” she asked.

  Parker shrugged. “He wanted to see what would happen.”

  She winced. “I don’t suppose I need to ask what happened.”

  “I developed a lifelong fear of hornets,” Parker admitted sheepishly.

  “The kid was you?”

  He nodded and pulled out his car keys. “Let’s go talk to Shane.”

  “Okay. Let me put on my shoes.”

  As Clarissa knelt down to tie her sneakers, Parker began to laugh. “What’s this?” he asked, gesturing to the folded duvet on the couch. He pulled it up to reveal that underneath it was a second folded duvet. He was thoroughly amused.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Should I start wearing a tiara?” he snickered.

  “Huh?”

  “It was a reference to The Princess and the Pea,” he explained.

  “Ah. You laugh now, but you’ll thank me in the morning.” Clarissa paused and took her earrings off. She slipped them into her pocket. Then she slipped on her jacket. “I’m ready if you are,” she announced.

  “Not wearing your earrings?”

  “Nope, they’ve caused enough trouble for one day. Besides, why give Shane the satisfaction of seeing me react to his creepy threatening letter? I’m going to pretend I didn’t even get it,” Clarissa announced.

  “Sounds like a good plan to me,” Parker replied.

  “Come on, Princess,” she said, linking her arm through his. “Let’s go catch a killer.”

  ***

  “What should we say?” Parker asked a short time later. They were parked outside the Klassen residence. They were about to go confront a young man who had murdered his own br
other in cold blood. Making sure they were on the same page with their story seemed like a good idea.

  “Let’s play the reporter card,” Clarissa suggested. “We’ll tell him we want an interview. I’ll say I’m working on a human interest piece about the effect violent crime has on victims’ families. I’ll say I want to see how the Klassen family is coping and make sure Greg isn’t forgotten.”

  “Heh, like anyone in this town would forget about Greg? I think his murder is about the only thing anyone is talking about these days,” Parker observed wryly. “But your idea is a good one,” he added. “Let’s do it.”

  They walked up to the front door and rang the bell.

  After a moment, the heavy, reluctant thud of footsteps could be heard on the stairs.

  The door opened and none other than Shane himself stood there looking at them.

  He appeared dazed and there were potato chip crumbs on the front of his sweatshirt. Maybe it was a bad thing that Clarissa could instantly recognize potato chip crumbs on a sweatshirt. Or, maybe all her late night binges had been preparing her for this very moment…she preferred to look at it that way.

  Shane appeared confused at first. Then, as he looked from Clarissa to Parker and back again, recognition came over his face. His demeanor didn’t change, though. There was no nervousness or agitation. He remained completely stoic, if not somewhat distracted.

  “My mom isn’t here,” he said. Then, without being asked for more information, he volunteered, “Aunt Linda took her to the spa for a couple nights. I have the house to myself until then. Do you want me to give my mom a message when she gets back?”

  “No thanks,” Parker replied.

  “Okay, well my mom isn’t home,” Shane reiterated.

  “That’s okay,” Clarissa assured him quickly. “Actually, we’re here to talk to you.” She hastily took a step forward and stuck her foot out so that Shane couldn’t shut the door. It wasn’t the time to be a shrinking violet. Right now, she needed to be assertive.

  Thankfully, her cat had taught her how to be bossy and demanding.

  “You’re here to talk to me?” Shane asked in confusion.

  “Yes. We’ve been thinking about you and your family a lot. The whole town is concerned,” Clarissa said – and it was the truth. “If I could have a few minutes of your time, I’d love to discuss writing an article about your family in the newspaper.”

  Shane appeared to be thinking it over. “I don’t know…”

  Clarissa decided to try harder. “All too often, the families of victims are overlooked. I don’t want that. Look, you and I are both from Sugarcomb Lake. You know we have good people here. Everyone wants to help. What do you need?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What does your mom need?” Parker piped up, getting onboard.

  “I don’t know,” Shane admitted. Then he remembered, “She needs someone to clean the rain gutters. My brother went up on the roof and took a look around. He said they’re full of leaves and stuff, but it’s too big a job for him. He has vertigo,” Shane explained.

  “Ah, that’s bad. That means he and heights don’t really mix, huh?” Parker asked.

  “Right,” Shane nodded. “And I’m scared to go up there…”

  He really didn’t seem like a fighter. If anything, the kid was a bit of a coward.

  “I’m scared of heights too,” Clarissa said, trying to establish some common ground. “What if I mention in my article that volunteers are needed to help around the yard?” she suggested. “I’m sure folks are willing to come out and pitch in.”

  “They’d really do that?” Shane asked.

  “You bet. Do you mind if we come in?” she asked. “We can discuss it more.”

  “Maybe it’s something you should talk to my mom about,” Shane replied. “I mean, it’s her house. I just live here until I finish up my online degree. She’ll be home tomorrow if you want to come back then.”

  “Why not surprise her?” Parker suggested. “Let’s do the legwork for her.”

  Shane hesitated and appeared to be thinking it over.

  “What do you say?” Clarissa prompted gently. As she spoke, she edged forward.

  “I dunno. I’m kind of busy,” Shane mumbled.

  Despite his protests, he stood back and allowed Clarissa and Parker to basically push their way inside. Shane didn’t strike Clarissa as a take-charge sort of guy. Was he the weak little brother who had finally reached the end of his rope and snapped? Or was everything she had thought she knew wrong?

  “This won’t take long,” Parker promised once he and Clarissa were in the house.

  “Okay,” Shane agreed reluctantly. “But I need to get back to my game soon.”

  Parker shot Clarissa an incredulous look.

  She knew what he was thinking. He was thinking it was absurd for a boy whose brother had recently been murdered to be playing video games. But Clarissa wasn’t so sure she agreed. She knew the games provided a sort of escapism that could come in handy during troubling times.

  The more she looked at Shane, the more she began to doubt that he was the killer. The kid was sweaty simply from coming down the stairs. He was passive, unassuming and laid back. He was no cold-blooded, calculated killer. No, he was far from it. He was an out of shape, unassuming video game nerd who probably wasn’t cunning enough to get away with murder.

  So what was she missing?

  Shane led Clarissa and Parker into the kitchen. He and Parker sat down at the table.

  Thinking fast, Clarissa excused herself to use the washroom. She didn’t actually have to use the facilities; she merely wanted to look around some more. At least this time would be less stressful, as she hadn’t broken in.

  Clarissa stepped into the bathroom so as not to evoke suspicion. She took a peek inside the medicine cabinet but found nothing more sinister than over-the-counter cold medicine and painkillers. Then she crept down the hall to see what else she had yet to inspect.

  She found a laundry room that contained, well, laundry. A few piles were arranged neatly on the floor, waiting for attention. Unfortunately there was no bloodstained grim reaper costume in there waiting to be laundered! That would have made life so much easier.

  Next Clarissa discovered what appeared to be a craft room. Or at least it had been a craft room.

  A sewing machine was still visible in one corner and a box of thread, tape measures and needles sat on a shelf above the desk. But the entire desk was covered with health supplements, steroids and protein bars.

  Men’s clothes littered the floor – clothes that were too small to fit Shane’s portly frame. Off in the corner were handheld weights. Up against the wall was a pull-out bed. The sheets were disheveled, as though someone had slept there recently.

  Clarissa took a step closer.

  “What are you doing in here?” a deep male voice suddenly demanded.

  Startled, Clarissa gasped and spun around, her heart racing. She had been caught!

  Chapter 18

  “What are you doing in here?” Ted demanded again.

  When Clarissa saw it was the eldest Klassen son, she felt somewhat relieved. It wasn’t Shane. It was the ‘good’ son, the one who did yard work for his mom and acted like the family rock. He struck her as someone who was level-headed and reasonable.

  Plus now she had an opportunity to talk to both of Greg’s brothers. That was good news.

  “I uh…was looking for the washroom,” Clarissa fibbed. “I must have gotten turned around.”

  “It’s that way,” Ted said with a jerk of his thumb. He was giving Clarissa an odd look, as if he was suspicious of her motives. She didn’t like it. It made her squirm. It made her think he was fully aware that she had been snooping to find proof that his kid brother was a killer.

  “Thanks,” she said, hoping to smooth the situation over. “I didn’t know you were here.”

  “I just got here,” Ted said.

  Looking down, Clarissa noticed he was holding
several garbage bags in his hand. “What are those for?” she asked.

  “I’m cleaning out Greg’s room,” Ted replied. “You know, so my mom doesn’t have to.”

  “Oh. This was his room?”

  “It was my mom’s sewing room,” Ted corrected her. “Greg was just sleeping in it.” He walked over to the sewing table and opened one of the garbage bags wide. Then he tossed each and every one of the bottles there inside.

  “Those look expensive,” she commented. “You’re throwing them all out?”

  “They’re garbage,” Ted replied. “It’s best I throw them out so Shane doesn’t help himself.”

  “He really idolized Greg, huh?”

  Ted seemed annoyed by that. “All Greg ever did for him was give him bad advice. I told Shane if he wants to lose weight, hit the gym and swear off the potato chips. But Shane wants a quick fix. He thinks he’s going to get results by smoking and taking diet pills and steroids.”

  “That doesn’t sound healthy.”

  “He’s a good kid, but gullible. No way am I letting him take steroids. I saw what they did to Greg.” Ted sounded disgusted now, and his temper appeared to be flaring. He took a couple of deep, calming breaths before speaking again. “What are you even doing here?” he asked.

  “My um…colleague and I are here to interview Shane. And you, too, if you want,” Clarissa added. “We’re writing a piece about how the family is doing in the aftermath of Greg’s passing. Don’t worry,” she quickly assured him. “I’ll make sure it’s tasteful.”

  Ted shook his head. “No thanks, I don’t want to be interviewed. Actually, I don’t think you and your colleague should be here at all. I’m sure your heart is in the right place and I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But what my family needs now is privacy and time to heal.”

  “Okay. It’s time for Parker and me to leave anyway. We told your brother we wouldn’t take up too much of his time – he seems eager to get back to his video game.” Clarissa hesitated and then asked, “Ted…is Shane alright?”