Deadly Magic (18 page)

They both walk
ed down the hallway. Belle excitedly chattering away about her idea for the magic board game, while Grace thought back to Daniel’s warning. “Belle, I forgot I need to speak to Valerie about something. Could you go and tell Kyle that we’re not meeting Daniel? I’ll meet you both in my office.”

Grace watch
ed as the other woman practically skipped down the hallway with a cheery, “see you soon,” thrown back at her.

Opening the door to Straker’s
outer office, Grace found, Valerie sitting at her desk, typing into the computer. She looked up as Grace entered.

“
What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly. “You look pale.”

Grace sank down in the chair next to Valerie’s desk.
“Daniel just told me that he knows who killed Lily and that I’m next if I don’t stop asking questions.”

Shock
ed, Valerie sat there with her mouth hanging open. Snapping her mouth shut. “Then stop investigating.”

“I can’t do that, Val. This is where I work. Whether I like it or not, I’m stuck here and as long as I’m here
, I’m going to try to find out who killed Lily. I’m not going to let someone scare me off.”

“Grace . . .” Valerie sighed. “What exactly did Daniel say?”

Still reeling, Grace related the story back. When she got to the part about Lily helping keep the business solvent, Valerie snorted. “He’s lying.”

“
That’s what he said.”

“
I don’t care what he’s saying. I can show you the books right now. Lily has taken money out of the company’s accounts. She’s never put any in.”

“
Why would he lie about that?”

“
I don’t know,” Valerie shrugged. “Oh, by the way, Ethan called and left a message.”

“
Why didn’t he call Kyle and leave a message?”

Valerie smil
ed. “Have you tried calling your assistant?”

Grace shook her head.

“Try it sometime. If he doesn’t accidently hang up, he’s leaving you on hold and then forgetting about you.”

Grace jumped to his defense.
“Well, the system is rather difficult to use. There’s all those buttons.”

Valerie look
ed at her.

“
I have trouble with it myself. Kyle’s new. I’m sure he’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Valerie lean
ed back in her chair. Her lips began to curve up.

“
What?”

She shook her head.
“Nothing. I’ve just noticed that you tend to get rather defensive when anyone, but you, criticizes your new assistant.”

“
Oh, I do not.”

Valerie laugh
ed.

“
Whatever. What did Ethan want?”

“
He’s coming by to take you to lunch at . . .” Valerie checked the clock on the computer, “well in just about ten minutes.”

“
Good. I’m starving. You want to come with us.”

“
Actually, yeah. I wonder what he’ll say about Daniel’s warning.”

“
Let’s not tell Ethan about what Daniel said just yet.”

“
Are you worried he’ll get upset?” Valerie smiled. “He seems to care about you a great deal.”

“
I just think we should be careful about what we say right now. The whole ‘you’re in danger, Grace’ thing has kind of upset me.”

“
I know. Me too.” Valerie leaned over the desk. “You know. I think he’s falling in love with you, Grace. I don’t think he’d be happy hearing that you’re next on the killer’s hit list.”

“
Which is why we shouldn’t say anything, yet.”

“
All right. I won’t tell, but you’re going to have to tell him eventually.”

“
Eventually,” she agreed as she walked out the door and down the hallway.

Grace open
ed the door to her office. Kyle and Belle were sitting on the floor. Papers were strewn across the room. Her new designs were lying in pieces on the floor between them.

Normally
, Grace would have been upset, but considering she felt like ripping up the designs and starting new many times the day before, she couldn’t really muster up the anger necessary to get upset. Besides, telling someone that they were next to be killed tends to put things into perspective.

When they didn’t speak, she walk
ed the rest of the way in and sat at her desk. They watched her from their position on the floor. Waiting for her to say something.

“
I take it you two would like to start over.”

Belle and Kyle look
ed at each other for a moment before rapidly speaking at once.

“
Wait. One at a time.”

Kyle
nodded at Belle, who nodded back.

Belle shook her head.
“You found it, you tell her.”

Kyle got to his feet. Nervously
, he ran his hand through his hair. He pointed to the papers scattered on the floor. “I didn’t do this.”

“
Who did?”

“
I don’t know. I came down here to pick up the game just like you asked me to do and I found them like this.”

Grace look
ed at Belle, “Why didn’t you tell me what had happened when we met in the hallway?”

She rais
ed herself to her knees. “I had no idea.”

“
No. We ran into each other outside the door. She never came inside until just a few minutes ago.”

Standing up, Grace walk
ed around the desk and looked at the drawings. Sitting back on her haunches, she surveyed the scene. Most of the drawings and outlines were ripped up, except for one. The sketch of Marshal Penelope Grant was still in one piece, but with some new editorial enhancements. A bull’s-eye had been drawn in the center of her forehead and her name had been scratched out and replaced with Grace's. She looked up at Kyle and down at his ink stained hands.

“I swear. I didn’t do this.”

Belle touched her shoulder. “Grace, I think you should be worried.”

♣ ♦ ♥ ♠

Grace shut and locked the door to her office. It was noon. Ethan would be here any second and she didn’t want him to see her office. At least not yet. She needed to find Straker and let him know what had happened. Kyle and Belle had wanted to call the police, but Grace stopped them. She wasn’t sure that it would do any good. No, she needs to talk to Straker before she did anything else. Maybe he could talk to Daniel. Get the truth out of him.

She reach
ed for Kyle’s phone and dialed Straker’s office. Once Valerie transferred the call, she explained to Straker what had happened.

“
Sounds like corporate espionage. Clearly our competitors are getting worried.”

“
I very much doubt our competitors care one bit about what we do. It was a message from Lily’s killer.”

“
Don’t be ridiculous. Why would Lily’s killer care about your game designs?”

“
I’m sure they don’t. It was a message for me to stop asking questions,” she said, describing the bull’s-eye on the picture with her name.

“
Excellent! That’s perfect.”

“
Perfect?”

“
Absolutely, you must be making the killer nervous.”

“
Good. Because he’s making me nervous. I think we should call the police.”

“
No. They’re not going to do anything about a couple of torn pictures. Look, you just keep doing whatever you’re doing and keep me informed.”

“
I don’t think . . .” she paused. There was just silence on the other end. “He hung up on me.”

Grace sigh
ed as she replaced the phone receiver back in its cradle. She glanced behind her shoulder. Belle was hovering behind her. “Where’s Kyle?”

“
I . . . I think he went to get something to drink.”

Grace look
ed at Belle’s worried face. “Everything’s going to be fine, Belle.”

“
But the bull’s-eye—”

“
Just someone’s idea of a sick joke.”

“
I think you should take it seriously.”

“
I am.” Grace turned the corner and walked down the hall towards Straker’s office. “Trust me. I am.”

Belle follow
ed close behind. Just as they reached Straker’s office, Valerie ran out in a rush almost knocking into them.

“
Have you two seen Daniel?”

At her stricken look they ask
ed her what was wrong.

“
Louisa’s been hurt. She’s being rushed to the hospital.”

Worri
ed Belle asked, “Where’s Franklin?”

“
He just left down the back stairs,” she said dashing down the hall.

Grace and Belle follow
ed her towards Daniel’s office. They ran into Kyle on their way. One look at their faces must have clued him in that something was wrong.

Grace and Belle quickly fill
ed him in on what they knew, as Valerie quickly knocked and entered Daniel’s office. She quietly closed the door behind her.

“
Do you have any idea what happened?”

Grace shook her head.
“It must be bad. I’ve never seen Valerie so upset before.”

Belle twirl
ed her hair around her fingers. “How awful.”

“
Do you want me to go with you to the hospital?” Grace asked.

Belle stopp
ed twisting her hair. “Me? Why would I need to go?”

“
Because your fiancé’s daughter is in the hospital?”

Belle look
ed at her blankly for a moment before saying, “Right. Yes, of course. I mean, no, you don’t have to come. I’ll be fine.”

Kyle interrupt
ed. “Actually, I think someone should go with you.”

She look
ed ready to protest, but then suddenly agreed. “I think I left my jacket in the conference room. I’ll go get it.” Grace watched as she dashed down the hall towards the conference room.

Within seconds, Daniel thre
w open his office door. He was shrugging into his suit coat. “How bad is she?”

Valerie was trying to help him get his arm in his coat.
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t say.”

Grace watch
ed, as they turned the corner and walked out of her sight. The elevator dinged as the doors opened. She took a few steps forward. She could see Valerie leaning against the wall.

“Excuse me.” Ethan’s voice.

“Oops. Excuse me. Would you watch where you’re going?” Allen’s voice.

“I’m sorry. I need to get past,” Daniel said, his voice sounding strained.

“Hey, Val.” Ethan’s voice.

“
Oh, hey, Daniel, I really need—” Allen’s voice.

“
Excuse me.” Ethan again.

“
Not now Allen,” Daniel said gruffly.

“
But I really wanted to talk to you about my new designs. I think you’re really going to like—” Allen said.

“
I said not now!” Daniel shouted.

“
Can I just get past—” Ethan sounded irritated.

Grace took a
nother step towards the elevator. “Someone should go with Daniel. Kyle, why don’t you go with Belle?”

A few seconds later, Allen passed down the hallway, his face flushed.

She felt Kyle’s hand wrap around her upper arm and pull her back. She looked up at him in surprise. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You might get hurt.”

Before Grace could respond, the elevator alarm sounded.
She looked back towards the hall. Valerie was still leaning against the wall. Only now, her eyes were opened wide and her hand was covering her mouth. She dropped her hand and screamed as she slowly slid down the wall.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

Ethan
reached Valerie
first. He gently laid her down on the floor.

Grace knelt down next to them.
“Is she okay?”

“
I think so.” He lifted her wrist and checked her pulse. He slowly blew out his breath in a relieved gush. “I think she just fainted.” He gently patted Valerie’s face and called her name until her eyelids began to flutter.

Grace clos
ed her eyes and took a deep breath, as she silently sent a prayer of thanks.

“
What happened?” Valerie asked weakly.

Instead of answering, Grace look
ed up at Kyle and Belle, who was just emerging from the conference room, sans jacket. “Can one of you go get her some water?”

Neither one respond
ed. They just continued to stare at Valerie. Grace tried again.

Belle start
ed to turn away only to have Kyle yank her back and shake his head. To Grace’s surprise, Belle just looked at her and shrugged.

Irritat
ed, Ethan snapped at them. “Never mind. Just get out of the way.” He easily lifted Valerie up into his arms and carried her into her office where he gently laid her down on the couch. Grace laid her hand on his arm. “What happened?”

“
I have no idea. She just screamed and passed out.” He looked utterly bewildered.

Turning to Grace, he told her to stay with Valerie and he would get her a glass of water.

Grace knelt by the couch. “Are you okay?” she asked worriedly. “Do you want me to call for an ambulance?”

“
No. I think I’m okay.” She sat up slowly. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I just got dizzy all of a sudden.”

“
You didn’t get dizzy,” Kyle said a bit too forcefully. “You were scared. You saw something.”

Valerie shook her head slowly.
“I skipped breakfast. I think my blood sugar just dropped.”

Grace didn’t particularly like how Kyle had said it
, but she had to agree with him. Valerie saw something that terrified her and now she was making excuses. “What did you see, Val?”

Valerie let out a small, embarrassed laugh.
“Nothing. I’m just tired.” Unsteadily, Valerie rose to her feet. “I’m just going to freshen up a bit.” Grace followed her into Straker’s office, not to subtlety closing the door on Belle and Kyle. Once behind closed doors, Grace sank down into the chair in front of Straker’s desk.

Opening the door to his private bathroom, Valerie splash
ed some water on her face. When she came out, she had lost that sickly pale look and was beginning to get some color in her cheeks. She sat down next to Grace.

“What happen
ed?” Grace asked, concerned.

“
Grace, you’re never going to believe me.” Her face started to lose its color again. She pushed her bangs out of her face and rubbed a hand across her eyes. “No one is.”

“Just start from the beginning.”

Valerie laughed, softly. “Oh, it’s just so ridiculous. When Daniel gets back, we’ll ask him what he saw.”

“
What is it, Val? What made you faint?”

Valerie’s face turned red.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but . . . I think I saw a ghost.”

♣ ♦ ♥ ♠

Ethan walked into the office carrying a bottle of water. He motioned for Grace to follow him out into Valerie’s office. Kyle and Belle were standing outside the door. Ethan started to say something when Belle suddenly grabbed the water bottle from Ethan’s hand and walked into Straker’s office.

They all watch
ed as Belle kneeled next to Valerie’s chair, opened the bottle, and handed it to Valerie. Valerie reluctantly took the water and then set it down on the desk in front of her.

Shaking her head slightly, Grace wonder
ed, what was wrong with her friend. She turned her head, when Michael walked into the room and came to stand next to her. He awkwardly cradled one arm, as he craned his neck to see past Grace.

“
Something’s wrong—” Ethan took her elbow and whispered into her ear.

“
What’s wrong?” Kyle asked.

Ethan
straightened. In clipped tones, he said, “The elevator’s stuck between two floors.”

Michael finally stopp
ed trying to catch a glimpse of Belle and focused on Grace. “They’re trying to force open the doors now.”

Rubbing a circle with his hand on her back,
Ethan said gently, “I’m going to see if I can help.”

Grace took his arm.
“I’ll go with you.”

Kyle
pushed Michael out of the way and went to her other side. “Me too.”

Ethan
softly shook his head. “Great.”

♣ ♦ ♥ ♠

Grace leaned against the wall. Rolling her shoulders, she tried to work the kink that was beginning to form out of her back. She looked to her right and then her left and sighed. Kyle stood on one side while Ethan stood on the other.

They had been standing in the same place for over an hour. Neither man had spoken to each other
. All comments and questions had been directed solely at her. She was starting to get a headache.

“
Can you see what’s going on now?” Kyle asked her.

Grace didn’t bother pointing out that at
five foot five she was at a slight disadvantage compared to his six foot one frame. Instead, she asked Ethan who was standing closer to the elevator doors and had a slightly better view than she had.

“
They’re prying open the doors now.”

“Why isn’t Daniel saying anything? Why hasn’t he made a sound?” Grace asked. A pit of dread was forming in her stomach.

She glanced back and forth between the two men. Sighing, she motioned for Kyle to follow her down the hall. Once they were away from everyone else, she pivoted around and confronted him. “What did you mean that I could get hurt?”

“What?”

“Right before Valerie fainted, you grabbed my arm and said that I shouldn’t go. That I could get hurt.”

His clear blue eyes clouded. “Someone’s targeting you. I don’t think you should be alone. That’s all I meant.”

Sounds reasonable, she thought. She looked past his body at the crowd gathered at the elevator. “Come on. Let’s go back. Surely, it can’t take much longer.”

Grace
walked back down the hallway. She stood next to Ethan, who smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Kyle took up his place at her other side. His arm brushing hers as he leaned back against the wall.

Across the hallway sat Michael, who was unsuccessfully trying to make his sleeves longer. She look
ed down at the floor where he was sitting. A few drops of red were splattered on the floor. She pushed herself off the wall and weaved her way around the other onlookers until she was next to Michael. She slid down next to him and asked him if he was okay.

“
Yeah. Sure, why do you ask?”

Grace point
ed to his wrist. A small trace of blood appeared on his sleeve.

“
Oh I was working on a disappearing sword trick and accidentally nicked myself.”

“
Is it bad?” she asked, reaching for his wrist.

Michael shook his head.
“Just a nick.” He stood up suddenly. Standing on his toes, he looked over the shoulders of the men in front of him. “I think they’ve got it open finally.”

Just
then, a police officer shouted that everyone should move back.

Ethan
and Kyle were back at her side. Their faces were grim.

“
What?” she asked worriedly. “What’s going on?”

Ethan
shook his head.

Kyle lean
ed down and whispered in her ear that Daniel was lying on the floor of the elevator and he wasn’t moving.

Grace bent down and peer
ed through everyone’s legs. It was true. Daniel was lying on his stomach. A dragon’s head dagger sticking out of his back.

“
I’m going to see if I can get any closer.” Kyle weaved his way past Allen and Ellen who were standing on their tiptoes, looking over the emergency crew’s shoulders.

Ethan
tapped her on her shoulder and beckoned her to follow him into the conference room. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you since Saturday. I found this in Belle’s apartment when I was helping her move. He handed her a picture of a young Belle. Maybe, thirteen or fourteen years old. Her head leaning on a blond-haired, blue-eyed Michael Talon’s shoulder. Standing behind the two teenagers was a woman. Someone had cut the picture in two, cutting the woman’s head off, but Grace knew it was Lily. A gold dragon pendant with an emerald green eye was fastened to the woman’s coat.

♣ ♦ ♥ ♠

Grace sat in Straker’s office waiting for him to appear. The police had left with Daniel’s body hours ago, but were still questioning everyone that was at work that afternoon. They had been tight-lipped. So far, she had learned nothing new. Only that Daniel was dead.

The door open
ed and Grace turned around. Straker stood in the doorway. She could just make out Kyle and Valerie sitting on the couch behind him. He softly closed the door.

“
What are you doing in here?” he asked gruffly. “Shouldn’t you be out there questioning the witnesses?”

“
The police are doing that. How’s Louisa?”

He grunt
ed. Sitting down behind his desk, he leaned back in his chair. “Fine. She’s at home right now.”

“
Home? She was released from the hospital?”

“
She was never at the hospital. There was no accident.”

“
So, someone used that excuse to get him into the elevator.”

“
Seems like it.”

“
What happened to him?”

“
Someone stabbed him in the back with some type of fancy knife. They think he stopped the elevator himself by accident, trying to reach the call button.”

“
But there was no one else in the elevator when they opened the doors?”

“
Not a soul.”

“
Do they have any idea, how . . .?”

“
They probably think it was a suicide.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Why would someone kill Daniel? He’s so boring and dull. He’s like you.”

“
Thank you.”

“
Mr. Letsallgetalong. Why kill him?”

“
Because he knew who killed Lily.”

“
You sound awfully certain of that.”

“
I am. He told me right before he died.”

Straker lean
ed forward. “Who?”

“
He wouldn’t say.”

“
That’s not very helpful. What else did he say?”

Grace repeat
ed what Daniel told her, only leaving out the part about Louisa sabotaging his and Lily’s relationship.”

“
So, he was running around on my little girl with that magician’s assistant, huh? You didn’t tell the police that, did you?”

“
Yes, I did.”

Straker swore.
“Next time, come to me first before you start tattling to the police.”

“
What next time? I’m hoping this is the last time. The police will have to reopen the investigation into your wife’s death now. Let’s let the professionals handle this. They’re probably over there questioning Ilya Dragovich as we speak.”

“
Why him? He wasn’t here today.”

“
I recognized that dagger. I saw Ilya holding one just like it—”

“
No good.”

“
But I saw him playing with it just this past Saturday.”

Straker shook his head.
“I recognized the knife. Lily had given him a pair of dragonhead daggers for his birthday this year. One had eyes made of rubies for his daughter and one with blue sapphires for his son. I told the police and they told me that he had reported the one with the sapphires missing the night Lily died. Guess which one ended up in Daniel’s back.”

Suddenly the doors flew open. Wild
-eyed, Louisa rushed into the room. “Where’s Daniel?”

Imm
ediately, Straker got out of his seat and walked over to his daughter. “Louisa just calm down.”

“
Calm down? My husband has been murdered and you’re telling me to calm down. I want to know what they’ve done with his body.”

“
They’ve taken it away—”

“
I have a right to see.”

Valerie came up behind Louisa. She gently steer
ed the other woman to the leather couch.