Dead and dusted, p.5
Dead and Dusted, page 5
Luckily for me, Brady beat me to the punch. As if he had eyes in the back of his head that saw me coming, he turned and fixed me with an unsettling smile. “Suffice it to say I don’t think the reporter will be a problem for us.”
“Oh. What did you say to him?”
“That’s not important. What matters is that he knows where he stands and what he should and shouldn’t be doing for the rest of the weekend,” Brady said, giving me chills. If he was this eager to bully a journalist, what else was he capable of doing?
“Well, that’s good, I guess?”
“Yes, it is. Very good.”
“What are we going to do about the bathroom?” I asked Blair, and she shrugged.
“I suppose we’ll just have to block it off until the police—”
“We aren’t calling the police, remember?” Brady interrupted, a bit too quickly for my tastes. I understood his reticence to get the cops involved, but I couldn’t help wondering if there was something more to his reluctance. Was he just trying to cover up his own mistake or was it something worse?
“I didn’t mean right away,” Blair said a bit testily, not that I blamed her. I couldn’t imagine how she must feel during all this. Any death on the inn’s property would be catastrophic for business, but the death of Starfall Valley’s biggest name just might be a blemish we’d never recover from — especially if, Lilith forbid, the public thought we had anything to do with it. “Anyway, I’d better check on the other guests and get them to their rooms. Selena, would you help me, please?”
“I’ll be there in a second, but I want to talk to Mr. Payne for first,” I said, and both of them looked at me suspiciously, though Blair seemed to know exactly what I was doing. “Thorn and Jadis can help. I think they’re in the office with Kiki.”
“Good idea,” Blair said and left me alone with Brady to hunt down them down. Brady eyed me, then turned his gaze to Evie, who sat watching us intently like he might attack me at any moment. I wasn’t as afraid of him — or at least not for that reason — but I didn’t blame Evie for being suspicious.
“I can only imagine what nonsense she fed you,” Brady said while staring so defiantly back at Evie that she got flustered and bolted from her seat to flee the room. He chuckled and shook his head at her as she disappeared through the door. “What a little drama queen.”
“That’s rude of you. Her boss just died. So did yours,” I chided, and Brady cleared his throat.
“Believe me, I’m aware, though I’m in as much disbelief as everyone else. I was right outside…”
I looked at him and raised a brow. “Were you?”
Brady scowled at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means nothing; it’s a question I’d like you to answer. Were you really outside the restroom?”
Brady’s expression twisted, and he opened his mouth to say something but changed course as a realization struck him. “Wait a second, what did she tell you?”
I shrugged. “That you have a habit of wandering off.”
Brady’s face flushed red and slowly shifted to purple as rage pressurized inside him. “I swear to Lilith…” he hissed, and for the first time I felt legitimately afraid of him — a feeling that wasn’t helped by the fact I was in a dimly lit room alone with him. “I don’t wander off.”
“Then what exactly have you been doing when you abandoned your post all those times?” I asked, my confidence surprising no one more than me. I should’ve been trying to get away from Brady as quickly as I could, but there I was playing hardball with him like an investigative journalist or something.
Brady glared at me, but all I could focus on was the vein throbbing in his right temple. “I normally wouldn’t tell anyone this, but given the circumstances, it’s relevant. I have a chronic health condition,” he said and pushed up the sleeve of his robes on his left arm, revealing a grey, scaly wound that seemed to grow up and down his arm as if it were spreading. “It’s from a gargoyle attack about a year ago. One of them swiped me, and it probably won’t be much longer before I turn into one myself, but until then, flare-ups with pain require me to step away for a while.”
Even though I didn’t know how that stuff worked, I deflated with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I just—”
“Went on what that little cauldron stirrer told you,” Brady completed my sentence. “Yes, I figured that out already. But let me tell you something: Evie Church doesn’t know half as much as she thinks she does, despite all her eavesdropping and gossiping.”
“So, I take it that means she doesn’t know about your health?” I asked, still feeling like the biggest jerk in the world for assuming the worst of Brady.
Brady shook his head. “No one does — except for Mr. Marth. When my, erm, illness took hold, I handed in my resignation letter immediately because I knew I couldn’t provide Mr. Marth the same level of security he’d hired me for, but he refused it on the spot. He told me he still trusted me with everything, even his life, and didn’t think he’d ever find anyone to replace me. He promised me he’d keep it our secret, and he kept his promise, unlike me…”
My head spun listening to Brady’s story. I didn’t have a clue any of this was going on — and never would’ve guessed judging from his intimidating presence — but that just went to show that I could never really make assumptions about others or what they were going through. Which made me wonder, was Brady internally blaming himself for what happened to Leland? If I were in his robes, I probably would’ve done the same thing, even if it wasn’t true at all.
“Anyway, to answer your question — as ashamed as I am to say it — no, I wasn’t really outside the restroom,” Brady said, and my heart jumped into my throat. “I had a flare up I couldn’t ignore, so I stepped away for a moment to take care of it, but when I came back and found Leland still hadn’t left the bathroom…” he trailed. So, he really had lied, but at least now I knew he had a perfectly good reason to do so. “But Jorah was there the whole time, and he swore to me that no one went in or out of the restroom. I have no reason not to believe him.”
“So, we’re back to the letter then?”
Brady nodded. “Exactly.”
“You’re Mr. Marth’s head of security, so I assume you know about all his potential threats. Do you have any idea who or where that envelope might have come from?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think the deal that’s at the center of this weekend has something to do with it. Ever since rumors started swirling about Starforce Tech negotiating with the government for the land on Mount Starfall, the threat level for Mr. Marth has gone up dramatically.”
I jolted as a thought struck me. “Do you think this could’ve been someone’s way of trying to sabotage the deal?”
“I think that’s exactly what this was. Whether they meant to kill Mr. Marth is another issue, but they definitely wanted to stick a wand in the gears.”
I sighed. “Well, mission accomplished. You have any ideas about who might have wanted to do that?”
Brady hesitated for several moments. “I don’t have any proof, but I think Ms. Chamberlain has plenty of motivation. What better way to win a contract than to take out your competition?”
I wasn’t sure I was ready to jump to that conclusion, but based on Zadie’s cutting attitude, I had to admit she definitely seemed like the type to do whatever it took to win. But would she really go that far and do it so brazenly? If she wanted Leland dead, wouldn’t it have made more sense for her to make it happen before she and Leland were under the same roof? I knew nothing about Zadie’s financial situation, but if she was bidding for a contract for public land, I had to assume she could’ve afforded to hire someone to do her dirty work for her.
“She seems way too smart to have done something so sloppy.”
“Maybe, but this also could’ve been an impulse. She may not have planned it.”
“I guess, but how did she get her hands on fairy dust?”
Brady shrugged. “It’s not that difficult, especially if you have access to the resources that she does.”
“All that just to win a business deal? It seems like a stretch.”
“It would’ve been more than just a business deal for her,” Brady said, looking at me with a conspiratorial twinkle in his eye. “There’s more to the history between Mr. Marth and Ms. Chamberlain than you probably know.”
I’d gotten the sense that the two of them had a story, but it hadn’t occurred to me until now that that might matter. “Like what? Did they date or something?” I asked, though I couldn’t picture the two of them together.
Brady chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, dear Lilith, no. Ms. Chamberlain used to be an employee at Starforce Tech. In fact, she was Mr. Marth’s right-hand woman. He trusted her with everything, and he was grooming her to be his successor.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a big ‘but’ coming?”
Brady smiled. “Because there is. Things were going great between the two of them, but Mr. Marth fired Ms. Chamberlain abruptly when he suspected she was stealing his secrets. Shortly after, she started her own company — in direct competition with Starforce’s new initiative in emerging sources of energy. That’s exactly why we’re here this weekend.”
My jaw almost hit the floor. Zadie struck me as a no-nonsense, ruthless businesswoman, but I never would’ve guessed she’d stick a knife in Leland’s back like that — who would dare double cross someone so powerful? It certainly explained the fireworks between the two of them at the table. “How did Mr. Marth find out what she was up to?”
“He hired someone to pose as an interested investor and she played right into the trap. Told him everything.”
“So, she had a vendetta.”
“Possibly, but I don’t know what she has to be so angry about. Her business has been wildly successful. The woman’s a genius presenter; I don’t think she’s met an investor or potential business partner who’s been able to say no to her.”
“Except for Mayor Nash, apparently.”
Brady nodded. “Which is probably why she took the first opportunity she could to get him alone,” he said, and I thought back to how quickly she left the room with Mayor Nash during Evie’s meltdown. I’d underestimated just how cunning Zadie was. Where were the two of them now, and what were they talking about? Now that Leland was dead, did that mean Mayor Nash and the property he held were hers for the taking, assuming she could convince him to let it go?
“What do we do now?” I asked Brady because I was at a loss. Leland was dead on the property, and though we had no proof that any of the other guests had anything to do with his death, we couldn’t let them leave. If we did, any of them could tell someone what happened, and as much as things had already gotten out of control, that would make the situation infinitely worse. Then again, we couldn’t expect everyone to stay at the inn forever — nor could we afford to keep them that long.
“I’ve made a few phone calls, including a contact I have over at the FBI who I trust,” Brady said, and I did a double take. I didn’t realize the FBI operated in both the magical and non-magical realms. But really, I knew next to nothing about the organization anyway, so maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise that they knew about the existence of magic and kept it a secret from everyone who didn’t.
“Wait a second, I thought you said you didn’t want the cops involved?” I asked, confused.
“You’re right, I don’t. That’s where the fairies come in.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
Brady looked at me like I was the silliest person he’d ever met, but little did he know how new I was to the magical world. “Don’t act so surprised; the word is in their name: the Fairy Bureau of Investigation,” he said, and it took everything I had to nod like I had a shred of a clue what he was talking about. “Anyway, if anyone could track where a batch of fairy dust came from, it would be a fairy — and the only one I fully trust is Agent Gemwood. She and I go way back to my time in Moon Grove.”
“O-okay… So, an FBI agent is coming here?”
“She’ll be here first thing in the morning. That’s why I asked Blair for more time.”
Things just kept getting better. I couldn’t tell Brady to call off his cavalry, but I didn’t see how inviting an FBI agent would help anything, especially once Blair got word of it. The weekend had already blown up in her face, so I could only imagine what she’d say when a fairy investigator turned up in her foyer to poke around.
And then there was poor Thorn, who’d already convinced himself that all this was his fault and taken it upon himself to fix it. I didn’t know how I’d tell him that come the next morning, the story would officially be out of everyone’s control, but I’d have to do it somehow — because I doubted we’d be able to keep news of the FBI’s involvement a secret, no matter how hard we tried.
Even if I hadn’t been having nightmares, something told me I wouldn’t be sleeping well for the foreseeable future.
Chapter 6
I left the reception room in a daze. I’d always known that the weekend was going to be a wild ride, but I never could’ve expected it to be this wild. The sight of the restroom just across the hall surrounded by Leland’s warlock security didn’t make me feel any better because it reminded me what was on the other side of the door.
I didn’t understand how this could’ve happened. As far as I’d seen, Leland didn’t go anywhere without at least a few guards — except for the bathroom. Then it hit me: Whoever was behind his death must’ve known that the only times he was alone were in his private quarters and in the restroom, which meant that the culprit must’ve been pretty familiar with Leland’s routine and security detail.
That didn’t exactly narrow things down, though. Aside from maybe Kade and the rest of the Kindred Spirits staff, any of other guests would’ve known that or probably could’ve figured it out. Zadie used to work with Leland, so she definitely would’ve known, and Mayor Nash no doubt talked to and worked with Leland all the time, so he probably knew too. Of course, as the head of the security team, Brady was intimately familiar with all the details, and as his personal assistant, Evie had to have an inkling.
Frustrated, I shook my head and continued down the hall toward the foyer, but froze when I heard raised voices coming from inside the office behind the front desk. Intrigued, I stepped around the front desk and paused just outside the door to get a better idea of who was inside. Though I couldn’t make out what they were saying, I distinctly heard Blair, Mayor Nash, and Zadie exchanging words, and none of them sounded thrilled with the others. So much for getting everyone to their rooms.
After taking a few breaths to prep myself, I knocked on the door. “Blair? It’s Selena,” I called and the conversation inside died instantly. Blair’s boots clicked across the floor inside and the door popped open, revealing Blair’s flustered face.
“Hi, Selena. Everything okay?”
“Not really. How are things going in there?” I asked, leaning around her to peek inside. Mayor Nash paced the small room with his chin gripped tightly in one hand, and Zadie sat on the table against the wall and staring at the ceiling.
“You might as well come in. Maybe you can help me talk some sense into them,” Blair said and ushered me in before taking a cautious glance around the foyer and hurriedly closing the door. Mayor Nash halted and fixated on me, while Zadie took one glance at me and rolled her eyes.
“I don’t care how many people you trot out playing the same old lines, I’m not staying here,” Zadie said. “I’m not about to be the next one to get dusted in a place like this. Talk about a tragic death.”
Mayor Nash whirled on her. “Now’s really not the time for that kind of humor.”
Zadie shot him a withering look. “I wasn’t being funny.”
“I understand your concern, Ms. Chamberlain, but I also need you to understand that this is a very fraught situation. For the sake of the evidence, we can’t afford to let anyone leave right now,” Blair said.
“That’s absurd and you know it! Why haven’t you called the police yet? I’d be happy to do it for you if it means getting to leave.”
“I’ve told you: Mr. Marth’s security team has asked us not to yet.”
Zadie scoffed. “Yes, and they’re clearly so competent that we should continue listening to them. They let their boss die on their watch, remember?”
“The cops aren’t coming, but the feds are,” I said, and all three of them jerked their heads in my direction.
“What?!” they shouted in unison.
“Brady just told me. Apparently, he has a contact at the FBI, someone he trusts, and they’re coming first thing in the morning to investigate.”
“Oh, for Lilith’s sake!” Blair shouted and threw her hands in the air. “This is a nightmare that never ends!”
Mayor Nash’s expression softened, however, as he thought it through. “Actually, this might be a good thing. The bureau has a lot of resources the local cops don’t, and they’re much better at keeping a lid on their investigations. It’s interesting though that Brady can just dial up an agent.”
“When you work security for the richest and most powerful guy in town, maybe it’s not such a surprise,” I said, and Nash smiled.
“Ah, yes, the lifestyles of the rich and famous,” he quipped, and I couldn’t help snickering. “But in all seriousness, this makes me feel a lot better.”
“When has a visit from the bureau ever made you feel good?” Zadie asked him, and Nash shrugged.
“They don’t happen often, and I’d prefer to never have to deal with them, but that’s not the way the wand waves sometimes.”
“So, what then? We’re supposed to just camp out here overnight and wait for the fairy to tell us what they’ve found at some point tomorrow? I have a business to run! You can’t keep me sequestered here.”
“Quit being so dramatic, Zadie,” Nash said. “Like it or not, we’re all stuck in this mess. I think Blair’s right. The less we move around and stir things up, the quicker we can actually leave, especially now that the bureau has gotten involved in some capacity. Besides, you already agreed to be here all weekend, so the plan hasn’t really changed, has it?” he asked, and for the first time since she arrived, Zadie didn’t seem to have anything to say. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest, rolled her eyes, and let out the longest, most passive aggressive sigh possible because she knew she’d lost the argument. “So, now what?” Nash asked Blair and me.
