The Pink Pumpkin Party

by Vella Day

  He disconnected and huffed. “She isn’t saying.”

  “That stinks.”

  “I know.”

  “Did we ever learn what these three men were wearing at the Halloween party after the murder? Steve or Misty took everyone’s photo.”

  “Why does it matter?” he asked.

  “It would be nice if someone remembers talking to them while they were dressed in these final costumes. Here’s my theory: Suppose all three arrived wearing a Spiderman costume, and then when the lights went out, one of them murdered Peter. A second man helped lift the body into the casket while the third man threw the switch to cut the power. Then, in the chaos, they left.”

  “Wouldn’t the Tiki Hut bartenders have seen them leave?” he asked.

  “Without any lights?”

  “The fire under the cauldron outside might have given off a glow.”

  I didn’t even think of that. “Good point, but those two bartenders looked pretty busy to me. They probably weren’t watching who came and went.”

  “You might be right,” he said.

  “These three men could have changed into different costumes they’d stashed at the side of the building and then put their Spidermen costumes in the car,” Iggy said, chiming in.

  “I thought you said you didn’t remember what they were wearing,” I said.

  “I didn’t, but it’s a theory.”

  I had to smile. We were tossing out theories right and left. He had every right to have his own. “You could be right, but I’m thinking it makes more sense that they’d change in their car—not in the open alleyway.” Too bad we had no video cameras out there.

  “I don’t think so,” Iggy said. “Maybe I was wrong in what I saw.”

  “Why don’t you call your aunt and see if she can ask Pearl about these men and their costumes?”

  I understood that if I asked Steve directly, he’d know I was going against his orders not to investigate. “Can do.”

  I called her and explained our request. “What reason should I give her for wanting to know about their outfits?” my aunt asked.

  I had the phone on speaker, so I looked up at Jaxson hoping he’d have a suggestion.

  “Tell her you remember talking to a few men when Peter was discussing something with Steve. You want to follow up with them,” Jaxson said.

  That was a good idea. I nodded.

  “Okay. I’ll call her and let you know.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Fern.”

  I disconnected. “Doesn’t this case seem like all we do is wait for others to find the answers?”

  “That’s what sleuths do.”

  “No, it isn’t. Sleuths do leg work to find the answers themselves.” The office door opened, and Rihanna came in. “Hey,” I said.

  She stopped and studied us. “What happened?”

  “Nothing, why?”

  She shook her head and slung off her backpack. “Don’t lie to me.”

  I looked over at Jaxson, hoping once more he’d know what to say.

  “Why don’t you change and then come out here. We have something to tell you,” he said.

  “That’s better.”

  Rihanna was quick to freshen up. On her way out, she grabbed a drink and then joined us. “What happened? And please don’t sugarcoat it. I’ll know if you do.”

  “Fine. Someone was mauled to death by two werewolves today,” I announced.

  Her face paled. “Who was it?”

  We explained that we didn’t know. “Hunter thinks the victim was a werewolf.”

  “Was he one of the men at the party?” she asked.

  “Again, we don’t know.” I told her about Steve asking the gossip queens to narrow down the party list. They were familiar with all but three people. The good news is that we’ve learned where they live.”

  Jaxson chugged his drink. “It’s why we want to stake out the three men, in part to see if all three are alive. If one doesn’t show up, he might be the murdered man.”

  Or there could be another plausible explanation. Ugh. I hated all of this uncertainty. It made me reconsider my career choice.

  Rihanna’s eyes shone. “I can help.”

  “No,” he said.

  “Why not? I promise not to get out of my car. I’ve done other stakeouts for you. I know enough to leave if I see trouble.”

  Jaxson hesitated. He turned to me. “What do you think?”

  He was the one who didn’t want Rihanna to go in the first place. I wonder what had changed his mind, but I’m glad he was considering it. “We could use the help, and she hasn’t been caught yet while on stakeout.” Rihanna had helped twice in the past.

  “Okay, but I want us to be in constant communication, and you must keep your car doors locked at all times, Rihanna.”

  My cousin grinned. “Of course.”

  “Please realize that if they see you, they might kill you.” I wanted to scare her.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll use my 300mm lens and stay far away. If I balance it on the car window, I’ll get great pictures.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Just to be sure, what is our goal? Merely to take their picture?” she asked.

  Good question. “We partly want to see if all three men show up at home tonight. If one of them doesn’t, we might conclude two of them killed the third man.” I held up a palm. “I know it’s a stretch. There could be other werewolves wandering the forest, but it wasn’t a full moon last night.”

  “I believe these men were responsible for killing Peter Upton,” Jaxson added. “No proof. Just gut.”

  “Good enough for me. When do we leave?” Rihanna asked, more excited than I’d seen her in a while.

  Chapter Ten

  We had Rihanna follow us to the first house we’d checked out. It belonged to Travis Knowlton. There were fewer homes in this neighborhood, but it was the best area of the three.

  During our drive, I stayed in contact with Rihanna. She had her cell on speaker so we both could communicate with her. Once she parked, we pulled up next to her, and I rolled down the window. “That’s the house.”

  “Yes, you showed me the video.”

  So I had. “If you see anything suspicious, leave.” I know I sounded like her mother, but she was my responsibility.

  “I’ll be okay.” She patted her fancy camera that was cradled in her lap.

  “Call us anytime.”

  She smiled. “I’ll be fine. Go.”

  Jaxson chuckled as he pulled away. The next apartment complex was about a mile away. It only had four units, and George Fredericks had rented Unit A. There were two cars in the lot, but we didn’t know if one belonged to him or not. If only Steve had been more forthcoming with his information, we would know more.

  If the man showed up—which I suspected he would—Jaxson planned to duck down to avoid suspicion, while I would pretend to be waiting for someone.

  “Should we check in with Rihanna?” I asked less than a half hour later.

  Jaxson glanced over at me. “She is an adult who can handle herself.”

  He didn’t have that opinion when we were at the coffeeshop, but I didn’t comment on it. “She’s only eighteen. I should have gone with her.”

  The rumble of an engine neared, and Jaxson glanced up at the rear view mirror. “Heads up,” he said.

  I lifted my phone, ready to take his picture. He might be George Fredericks, and he might not be. When the new arrival got out of his blue truck that he’d parked close to the apartment, I snapped a picture of the back of his bald head. So much for being able to photograph his face, but his lack of hair might help identify him. He walked up to Unit A, opened the door, and went in. My breath caught. “It’s him.”

  “I’ll make a note of his license plate number.” Jaxson was always cool under pressure.

  “Good.”

  Then we waited. For what, I wasn’t sure. When he didn’t come out in the next five minutes, I had to ask Jaxson why we were still here. “Are you exp
ecting him to do something?”

  “No. I wanted to give him a minute to settle in. It would look obvious if we left right away.”

  “Got it.” I had a lot to learn about stakeouts.

  After another minute or two, we left to check out the second man, Tony DeLorenzo. He had a job at the grocery store, so there was no way to know what hours he worked. Considering he lived in a two-story apartment building, we might learn nothing. I suspected a lot of people would be coming and going in this large complex. Not only that, we didn’t know what he looked like, which put us at a disadvantage. At some point, I might have to beg Steve to look at the photos of these three men.

  Knowing how long these stakeouts could last, I’d brought a cooler with some drinks and snacks. I pulled out a water. “Want one?”

  “Thanks.”

  We’d been there maybe ten minutes, when my cell rang. When I saw it was Rihanna, my heart immediately plummeted. I answered quickly. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, but some guy in a blue Toyota truck with a red stripe down the side just pulled up to Travis’ house. He just went into the house with some other guy. The good news is that I recognized the one who wasn’t the driver. I remember him from the party because of his red hair.”

  That was good information. She was on speaker, so I looked over at Jaxson. He didn’t say a word. Instead, Jaxson started the car. “We’ll be right there,” I announced before disconnecting. “If George is at Travis’ house with a partygoer, those three must be friends.”

  Jaxson nodded. “The question we need to ask ourselves is whether their connection has anything to do with Peter’s death. They could have heard about the Halloween party and gone together.”

  “It’s always possible.” I hoped not though. “Otherwise it might mean Rihanna and Levy were back in the spotlight. It would also mean that whoever killed Peter, would have to be someone the Witch’s Cove community knew and trusted.”

  “That would be a real shame,” he said.

  After a short drive, Jaxson pulled up next to Rihanna. Yes, he’d stopped in the middle of the road, but there weren’t any cars, so we’d be fine for the moment—assuming no one was watching us. I rolled down the window. “Anything new?” I asked her.

  “No.”

  Jaxson leaned across me. “We’ll pull in front of you and park.”

  “I can handle it,” Rihanna said.

  “I know, but Glinda is too nosy to leave,” he said without asking me. That was okay. It was the truth.

  She smiled. “Got it.”

  Once Jaxson shut off the engine, we settled back to wait. The house lights were on, and I’d occasionally see someone move inside. Was Travis having an afterwork party? Or were they plotting something together? I know, I know. It wasn’t fair to assume these guys had harmed anyone without proof, but gut instincts didn’t lie.

  “Maybe we should head out,” I said. “I imagine Rihanna got some good shots of the two men going into his house, which is probably good enough to prove the three of them are friends. Steve will be able to tell us if the man with George is Tony DeLorenzo.”

  “I agree. We just don’t have any proof they are guilty of anything. Call and tell her we need to head out,” he said.

  I dialed Rihanna and told her we were leaving. These men might be there all night, and she had school tomorrow.

  “I thought you believed these guys had something to do with Mr. Upton’s death.”

  “We did think that, but since they all seem to be alive, I don’t think these are our murdering werewolves.”

  “Something’s been bugging me,” Rihanna said.

  “What’s that?”

  “Where is Mr. Knowlton’s car?” she asked.

  I had assumed it was in the garage, but when I looked, the house didn’t have one. “Good question.”

  Before I could ask Jaxson, the front door opened, and two men came out carrying two suitcases each. What the heck?

  “Take their picture quick,” Jaxson said. He ducked down so I could get a clear shot, even though Rihanna would be doing a better job.

  The men tossed the suitcases in the back of the blue truck and then returned inside. “What do you think they are doing?” I asked.

  “I’m not about to ask them.”

  “This is a bit out there, but maybe they killed Travis and now want the landlord to think the guy moved.”

  He nodded. “That seems reasonable.”

  My cell rang. “Yes, Rihanna?”

  “What are they doing?”

  “I’d like to know myself. Why don’t you head back? I don’t want them to get suspicious that there are two cars parked in front of the house.”

  “Okay.” She disconnected.

  I hadn’t expected her to react like that. Fearless Rihanna must be scared. She pulled next to us, looked over, and then continued. For a change, I didn’t say anything, but I had a feeling this Travis guy might be dead.

  Fifteen minutes later, the men carried out a couple of trash bags, full of what I didn’t know. “Maybe we should call Hunter.”

  “Who will call Nash. Are you okay with Steve knowing that we interfered?”

  “It won’t be anything new. I think we are a bit over our heads on this.” I never liked admitting something like that, but in this case, it was true. These men might be werewolves after all.

  “This could be innocent, you know.”

  “I don’t get the sense these men are the type to pack up a friend’s belongings.”

  Jaxson stilled, his gaze nowhere in particular. “Travis could be inside, directing them.”

  “Maybe. I’m calling Hunter. If these guys leave town, we may never catch them.”

  “What if Travis is already in Montana waiting for his friends?”

  “He would have packed his own things.”

  “Maybe he had an emergency, and his friends volunteered to pack for him,” Jaxson said.

  Ugh. “I could call his employer and ask if Travis showed up to work today. I could say I was his girlfriend and was worried about him. The boss would know if there had been an emergency in his employee’s life.”

  Jaxson checked his phone. “Travis worked for a painting company. They’ll be closed right now.”

  I didn’t want these guys to get away with something—assuming they were guilty. “Then I’ll call Hunter and ask him what he thinks.”

  “Fine, but be fast. These guys may not be here for long.”

  I made the call. “Hunter, it’s Glinda. Hear me out before you say anything.” I detailed the series of events leading up to us watching what I guessed was the final clearing out of Travis Knowlton’s house. “It is probably a stretch, but what if George and Tony killed Travis and are packing up to make it look like he left town?”

  “Give me the address.” Hunter sounded highly focused and didn’t ask me any questions or tell me I shouldn’t be there.

  I gave him the information. “Should we follow them to see what they are going to do with the stuff?”

  “No. You guys go home. I’ll ask Nash to help. What kind of car are they driving?”

  I gave them the details and the license plate number. “Let me know what happens.”

  “Will do. And Glinda?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you and stay safe.”

  “We will.” I then nodded to Jaxson. “Time to go.”

  “The men are leaving. I hope Hunter and Nash can find them.”

  The timing was bad, but it couldn’t be helped. “If they think they are being followed, they won’t go where they’d planned anyway.”

  “Which was where?” he asked.

  “I have no idea, but if I’d killed my friend, I’d try to get rid of his things. Having his possessions would incriminate me.”

  “True. Text Hunter and tell him they are headed north toward Seminole Boulevard.”

  “Will do.”

  There were a lot of blue trucks on the road, but not many with a red stripe down the side. After
the two men were out of sight, we took off. I wanted to look in the windows, but Jaxon thought it better that we not.

  “It’s been three hours,” I whined.

  “Hunter said he’d call when he learned anything.”

  “If he and Nash never located them, he would have called already, so the lack of contact might be a good thing.”

  “Which means they did find them and are now on stakeout,” Jaxson said.

  Rihanna walked in from her room. “Maybe we should call Steve and ask him.”

  “I’m sure Nash mentioned his little side trip to our sheriff, but on the off chance he didn’t, I want to wait,” I said.

  Rihanna shrugged. “Okay.”

  “Do you want to do a little slideshow for us of your photos?” I was sure her pictures were much better than mine.

  “Sure. I’ll get my computer.”

  She returned a minute later, connected a cord to her camera, and pressed play. Rihanna had a few videos. One was of the two men arriving and then of them entering the house.

  “Is it me, or didn’t they even knock?” I asked.

  “They didn’t knock,” Jaxson confirmed. “They clearly knew their friend wasn’t home.”

  “Play it again,” I told Rihanna. “How are they getting into the house? I shudder to think they are as talented as our other warlocks who could open doors with their minds.”

  Jaxson leaned closer and then stopped the video. “There. He has a kit in his hand. It’s what he used to pick the lock.”

  “Interesting.”

  We watched the rest of the video, but I didn’t remember seeing them at the party. They must have had their faces covered for most of the time. When Steve, Nash, and Misty were interviewing everyone, I was guarding the door. Besides, the large crowd made it difficult to see much anyway.

  My cell rang, causing my heart to almost stop when I saw the caller ID. “Hunter?”

  “Glinda. It’s bad.”

  My hands shook as I put my cell on speaker. “What happened?”

  “Nash and I followed the men to the woods and then lost them.”

  That was disappointing for sure but not terrible. “They have to come out of the woods eventually.”