Deadly Magic (17 page)

Bor
ed, Belle hopped off the desk she was sitting on. “Well, that solves that mystery.”

“
No, it doesn’t,” Kyle said. “We still don’t know who was here.”

Belle tossed her video camera to Kyle.
“Fine. Start recording. We’ll come back tomorrow and see if anyone shows up.”

“
We still have to set up the trap,” he said, picking up the rope he had brought with him to the attic.

Grace shook her head.
“No. No traps.”

“
But—”

“
No!” Grace dropped the blanket on the floor. “Besides, I don’t think anyone’s going to show now. You probably scared them off.”

Belle breath
ed a sigh of relief. “Good,” she said walking to the entrance. “I’m getting out of here. This place gives me the willies.”

Grace was just about to follow her
, when she felt Kyle touch her arm.

“
So, when are you going to confront Daniel about his affair with the magician’s assistant?” he whispered.

“
I was afraid you heard that.” Grace walked toward the exit.

“
Do you think they were in on it together?”

“
I don’t know. Why would they want to kill Lily? What could they possibly gain from killing her?”

He brush
ed past her and headed for the stairs. “I don’t know? Why don’t we ask him?”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Grace raced after
him. Unfortunately, he was too fast. By the time she made it down the stairs, Kyle had already waylaid Daniel as he walked down the hallway.

Kyle stepp
ed in front of the other man. “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

Daniel looked up at him in surprise. “Of course. You’re Kyle, aren’t you?
” He looked at the younger man curiously. “You know, you look so familiar—”

“We ran into each other last week. Downstairs at the toy store. You were talking to Jackie.”

Daniel smiled in remembrance. “Now I remember. Were you the one who waxed the store floor with car wax?”

“Yeah,” Kyle
admitted, self-consciously tugging on his ear.

Grace watched in sympathy as Kyle’s face turned five different shades of red.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, how’s Bourget’s head?”

“
Better.” Kyle turned to Grace. “It wasn’t the whole floor. Just one side. I thought it would be nice if we created a little skating rink.”

Daniel reached out and clapped his hand on Kyle’s shoulder. Ever the team builder, Daniel launched into a morale booster that would make any human resources officer giddy with delight. “That’s what this company needs. People willing to test boundaries. It’s so great to have you on our team. Grace has had nothing, but good things to say about you.”

Grace automatically nodded, despite the fact she hadn’t spoken to Daniel in a week.

“Now, I want you to know that even though she is your direct supervisor, my door is always open. In fact, don’t even think about her or me as your supervisors. Think of us as a family. Our goal at the Straker Toy Company is to make this a happy and enjoyable place to work.”

Grace stifled a yawn and resisted the urge to look at her watch.

“One where everyone is free to think and act creatively, from the product managers to the assistants—who are an integral part of this business—without fear. Now, you said you have a question. How can I help you?”

Kyle opened his mouth.

Daniel smiled. “Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Remember, this is your new home.”

Kyle reflexively smiled back. “Well, I was curious . . .”

“Ah, curiosity! That’s excellent. You’ve only been here for less than a week and you’re already thinking creatively. I just want you to know that any ideas you have—and no idea is too dumb here at the Straker Toy Company—will be warmly accepted with an open mind.”

Grace had been
alternately staring at Kyle’s dumbfounded expression and the floor, but something in Daniel’s tone caused her to look up. Was that sarcasm she detected? Odd. Daniel was usually such a happy toy soldier of Straker’s army.

“Don’t be afraid to run your thoughts,
concerns, or issues by me or Grace. There are no dumb ideas. What’s dumb is not sharing your ideas. Any idea you have. It doesn’t matter. No matter what it is, we will devote the necessary time and expense in making it a reality.”

Kyle stood still, waiting for Daniel to continue. When it appeared the other man was finally silent, Kyle blew out a breath. “Well, I
. . . I . . . I . . .” He shrugged, suddenly at loss for words. He looked at Grace in helpless confusion.

Daniel’s smile grew wider. “What’s great about this company is that we don’t have to answer to shareholders. We are free to experiment. Test the limits of toy design. Go places the big companies are afraid to go. Why don’t you set up an appointment with Ellen
? We’ll sit down and have a nice chat about your future here at our company.” Daniel patted Kyle’s shoulder again.

Kyle stammered for a bit before
indicating Grace with a curt nod, “Actually, Ms. Holliday is the one with the questions.”

Daniel turned to her expectantly.

“
Thanks, Kyle.” She shook her head and turned to Daniel. “Can I speak to you? Privately?”

Daniel recognized the warning in her voice.
She watched as his smile faltered. He looked at his watch and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, Grace, can it wait? I’m meeting Louisa—”

Grace took a deep breath. Might as well jump in.
“I saw you and Tabitha Eddington outside my apartment last night.”

Daniel went pale. He gripp
ed her arm painfully, only letting go when Kyle pushed his hand away. With a harsh nod of his head, he motioned for them to follow him. He led them down to the small hallway between the bathrooms.

“
I don’t know what you think you saw—”

“
Don’t bother lying to me. I saw you both kiss. How long have you and Tabitha been having an affair?”

“
You don’t understand.”

“
No. I think I understand quite well. I saw you sneaking around behind the stage during the magic show, too.” Grace guessed. “I bet Lily did as well. You were meeting Tabitha.”

Daniel
crossed his arms. “I love my wife.”

“
It was you back there. You and Tabitha,” she insisted.

He glar
ed at her. “Yes. She and I ran backstage for a few minutes.”

“
So, you two have been having an affair?” Kyle asked.

“
It’s really none of your business what I do,” he said coldly.

“
Actually, I think it is,” Grace said. “What were you two doing back stage, Daniel?”

“
What do you think?” He looked at her in surprise. “Wait. Do you think I had something to do with Lily’s death?”

“
It’s crossed my mind.”

“
Why would I kill her?”

“
You two weren’t very discreet. If I saw you back there then Lily might have to. Perhaps, you were probably afraid she would tell Straker.”

“
Yeah, if it came out you were cheating on the boss’ daughter you might lose your cushy position here,” Kyle said.

Daniel laugh
ed bitterly. “Cushy? You have to be kidding me. Do you see what I deal with on a daily basis? Between Straker’s penchant of making enemies wherever he goes and my wife’s penchant for drinking and gambling the profits away, we’re barely surviving.”

“
Still . . .”

“
Still nothing. First of all, Straker is a businessman—granted not a very good one, but still, he is a businessman. He’s ruthless, but he’s not foolish. I’m the only thing keeping us afloat. He knows that. Secondly, Lily is the one who introduced Tabitha to me. She wouldn’t have told Straker.”

“
Why would she do that to her own daughter-in-law?” Grace asked aghast.

“
She hated her. Lily was convinced that Louisa was trying to sabotage her marriage and she was right. Louisa was.”

“
What was she doing?”

“
Oh, the usual. Sending anonymous letters to her father, warning him of his wife’s cheating ways. Making little insinuations. Trying to make Franklin paranoid. After so many stepmothers, Louisa’s gotten rather good at it.”

“
That sounds rather cruel,” Kyle said.

“Dangerous too,” Grace said. “How far was Louisa willing to go to break up Lily and her father?
”

“
Louisa wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Daniel said emphatically. “Neither would I. I especially wouldn’t hurt Lily.”

“
What makes her so special?” Kyle asked.

“
Lily was a sort of ally. She actually had a good head for business. We were slowly turning this company back from the brink with the addition of the magic shop and some extra funds she brought into the company.”

“
Where was she getting this extra money?”

He shrugg
ed. “I don’t know. Her family’s rather well off. I assumed she was getting the money from them.”

“
Do you have any idea who could have killed Lily?”

Daniel look
ed uncomfortable. He shook his head while giving half of a shrug.

“
You were backstage. You must have seen something Daniel.”

“
You were back there too.”

“Yeah and I saw you and Tabitha.
So, what did you see?”

His eyes glanc
ed back and forth between Kyle and Grace before finally settling on Grace. His eyes bore into hers. “I really can’t say what happened to Lily.”

She got the message.
“Fine.”

Daniel smiled. “Well, if that’s all—”

“No, actually I still need to talk to you about my ideas for some new board games.” She turned to Kyle. “Can you go get me the board game you found earlier? I want to show it to Daniel.”

Kyle look
ed between her and Daniel. “Why don’t we all go back to your office?”

“No. That’s not necessary. Bring the game to Daniel’s office,” she order
ed.

Reluctantly,
Kyle turned around and slowly walked down the hall.

As soon as he was out of
earshot, Daniel closed the distance between them. Standing as close as possible, he whispered, “I didn’t kill Lily, but I know who did.”

Keeping her voice low, she whisper
ed back, “Then go to the police.”

“
I can’t. It’s too dangerous. If I say anything, I’m a dead man.”

They pull
ed away from each other, when Allen turned around the corner. Passing them, he nodded quickly and continued on his way.

“
Daniel, the only way for you to be safe is to talk to the police.”

“
You don’t understand. I have no proof. It could easily be turned around and blamed on me. If nothing else, I’m an accessory after the fact now.” He shook his head sadly. “If it was just me, then I would go to the cops, but it’s not.”

“
Then why are you telling me this?”

“
I don’t know what my father-in-law is up to, but you’re in danger, Grace. If you don’t stop asking questions you’re going to end up dead like Lily.”

“
If I’m in danger then you need to tell me who from.”

He look
ed over his shoulder. Michael and Harcourt turned the corner. Harcourt was berating the younger man about something. Michael looked at them curiously, as he passed by and continued down the hallway. “Look, don’t trust anyone. Just keep your head down and do your job.”

He start
ed to turn away. Grace grabbed his arm and brought him back around. “And let Lily’s killer get away?”

“
I promise you, Grace, that’s not going to happen. I just need some time to clear some things up. Once I do, I’ll go straight to the police. Just stay out of it until then.”

The click clack of high heels sound
ed throughout the hallway. They both stepped further away from each other as Belle rounded the corner. Belle’s eyes lit up when she saw Grace. “There you are roomie. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing here?”

“
We’re just going over the mystery board game. Daniel thinks we should rethink the whole thing.”

“
Right,” Daniel quickly agreed. “I think you should turn it into a bloodbath.”

Grace groan
ed. She really should have compared stories with him before saying anything.

“
So, you think there should be more deaths?” Belle asked.

“
Absolutely.” He looked between Belle and Grace before glancing at his watch. “Well, I’m sorry, but I’ve got a meeting to go to . . .”

Belle fell into
place next to him. “But I thought you all were meeting in your office?”

“
You ran into Kyle?” Grace asked, wondering how much Kyle said to the soon to be Mrs. Straker.

Belle nodd
ed. “He thought you would want me there.”

“
And we do,” Daniel said, “but I think we have everything worked out. You have some great ideas. I’d get started on fleshing out the designs right away.”

“All of them?” Belle ask
ed.

Grace start
ed to shake her head, when Daniel said, “Absolutely.”

Persistent, Belle ask
ed, “Even the zombie game?”

Daniel star
ed at them for a few seconds before quickly agreeing.

They really should have gotten their stories straight first,
Grace thought, a bit unhappily, as she fantasized about the next few months being deep into zombie research.

“
Well, things sound great. I better get to my meeting.” Daniel turned away and walked down the hall to his office.

Grace turn
ed to Belle. “Where’s Kyle?”

Belle
shrugged. “He was still in your office when I spoke to him.”