The Diva Haunts the House (25 page)

Dash had settled into a cushy chair and crossed his ankle over his knee. “Were you there when Leon threatened Patrick?”

“You never trusted Patrick.” Maggie blinked uncomfortably. “Yes, as it happened, I was in the store at the time.”

Karl finally returned carrying a tray of wineglasses and the wine bottle. He poured the wine, handed a glass to each of us, and said,
“Salud!”

Dash eyed him. “Aren’t you having any?”

Karl’s unchanging expression with the pleasant smile unnerved me. “Not with the vampire on the loose.”

Was he joking or serious? I couldn’t tell, but he didn’t pour a glass of wine for himself, and I noted that Dash refused to drink his. Moving fast to stop Nina, I accidentally knocked her glass sideways and it spilled all over her.

“Sophie!”

“I’m so sorry. What a mess.”

Dash brought Nina a towel.

She dabbed at her trousers. “Ugh. I think we’d better go. I’m sopping wet.” She glared at me and lifted her lip in a playful growl.

“It’s getting late. Maybe we should all head home. Can I give you a lift, Karl?” Dash looked him in the eyes.

“Thanks, but I’ll help Maggie clean up.”

If Dash had been a cartoon character, the top of his head would have opened and steam would have poured out. He accompanied Nina and me out the door. It shut behind us, and he looked back at it, his mouth tight with anger. “Just so you know, Maggie was lying about being there when Leon threatened Patrick.”

“How do you know that?” asked Nina.

“She won’t go into that building.”

“You’re right!” I should have realized. “She refused to come into the haunted house. But why would she lie about it?”

Dash laughed, albeit somewhat bitterly. “So I wouldn’t be right about Patrick. He lied to her all the time, and she’s beginning to figure that out, but she won’t admit it yet. You’ve seen her at her worst, but she can be a strong-willed and stubborn woman.”

“And what was with not drinking the wine?” I put Dash on the spot, but I didn’t care.

One corner of his mouth turned up and the other one turned down. “I make it a rule never to drink if the host isn’t having any from the same bottle.”

TWENTY-TWO

Nina gasped and gazed at her wet trousers. “You think he poisoned the wine?”

“Nah. He couldn’t explain away that many dead bodies. I don’t trust him, though. He, ah . . . well, you don’t need to know the whole sordid history.”

He started to walk, but I grabbed his sleeve. “Yes, I think we do need to know. Could he have killed Patrick?”

“My history with Karl has nothing to do with Patrick.” If I had learned one thing about murder, it was that everything, every tiny detail, was important. How could I get Dash to talk? “I understand his family owned your car dealership at one time?”

Dash bent his head forward and stared at the ground, which I was beginning to recognize as his pensive mode. “It was in his family for generations. His grandfather and great-uncle started it. Karl practically grew up there because his father took over from them. I guess it all seemed preordained to him. He thought the business would go on, and the money would keep flowing in, and all he had to do was cash a paycheck. But when the economy slowed, Karl’s dad realized that he hadn’t raised a businessman.” Dash inhaled deeply. “Maggie and I got very lucky. We had started a used car lot a long time ago. That was how I met Karl’s dad. He liked me, I guess because I came from the school of hardscrabble, and when he saw that the family business needed more than he could give it at his age, he made me an offer”—he held his palms up in a helpless gesture—“that I couldn’t refuse. As part of the deal, I took Karl on as a salesman. As you might expect, he was childish and drove customers away, so I had to let him go. He always was sweet on Maggie, though. I’ve warned her about him.”

Dash grunted. “Maggie doesn’t get it. She thinks I’m being possessive when I caution her about the men who flock around her. They’re after her money, but she can’t see that. She’s vulnerable and an easy target. The only silver lining in Patrick’s murder is that Maggie won’t be marrying him.”

“I had no idea they were engaged,” I said.

“Oh, yeah. Blake was incredibly upset about it. We knew Maggie was nothing but a meal ticket to Patrick. Now I have to figure out how to protect her from Karl.”

“What happened to Karl’s wife?” Nina buttoned her jacket and turned the collar up.

“She took off with her share of the money from the sale. It’s a real shame she left Heather with her dad.”

“Her mother left her?” I could hardly believe my ears. Heather had been so cruel to Vegas about her missing mom. Who would have thought it? Heather knew what would hurt Vegas because she was experiencing the same feelings of loss.

“Excuse me.” Dash’s eyes narrowed as a vampire rushed us from behind, veered, and ran into the street.

Dash leaped after him and gave chase for half a block. “That guy has some moxie!” Nina beckoned to me and started to jog after him.

I had little choice but to follow. Of course, three of us would be better able to restrain the killer than just Dash alone. I pulled out my cell phone to call Wolf but only got voice mail.

Ahead of me, Dash tackled the vampire at the edge of the sidewalk. A third man emerged from the shadows and leaped on top of them. A fourth shadowy person ran across the street and joined the melee. They fell in what appeared to be a painful manner. By the time I reached them, Dash had stood up. He pulled the vampire away from the other two and shoved him behind his back.

Bernie and Humphrey lunged toward Dash until the vampire, who was an entire head shorter than Dash, peeked around at them. The person in the vampire cape was none other than Blake. He bit his upper lip and waited behind his dad, as though he expected his father to yell at him.

Panting, Bernie and Humphrey stared at Blake.

Dash asked him calmly, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Blake shifted from foot to foot, almost in a rocking motion. “I thought if Mom saw a vampire when you came to the door, that she would fall into your arms. I didn’t know stupid Karl would be there.”

Dash pulled his son to him in a bear hug and leaned his head against Blake’s. When he released Blake, Dash ran a fatherly hand over his son’s mussed hair. “The next time you pull a stunt like that, tell me first so we can work out the details.” Although Dash smiled, his eyes conveyed sorrow. He waved at us. “Sorry if this scamp scared you. I’d better get him home.”

“Hold it!” Bernie tried to catch his breath. “I’ve been following Sophie for days. The killer has been tailing her, too. How do we know Blake isn’t following her?”

“You?” Humphrey frowned at Bernie. “
I’ve
been tailing Sophie.”

“Looks like you two have been chasing each other.” Dash wrapped a protective arm around his son’s shoulders and started toward their car. I heard him ask, “Feel like tacos tonight?”

Nina wiped her nose with a tissue and sniffled. “How sad was that? And Dash was so sweet! If I weren’t married, I’d be chasing him!”

“Which one of you followed us to Hart Wine tonight?” Both Humphrey and Bernie raised their hands.

“And which one of you followed me to the haunted house this afternoon?”

Humphrey cleared his throat. “That would have been me.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “You’ve had me so scared! Why didn’t you tell me and walk with me?”

Bernie cocked his head. “You’re sort of independent.”

“You would have objected,” said Humphrey.

They were right. They were so right! “From now on, no sneaky following me, okay?”

Nina was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. She waved both of her hands in front of her face. “I’d like to change clothes and get some dinner. Who’s up for a drink?”

The four of us started for my house.

“Soph,” said Nina, “you don’t think Dash killed Patrick, do you?”

“I’d have to say he’s on my list of suspects. Did you see how jealous he was of Karl tonight?”

“I was afraid you would say that. So there’s Ray, who is clearly sharper than he looks. He could have pulled it off. And then there’s adorable, chubby Leon, who fought with Patrick about something. Whether he stole from Patrick or Patrick blackmailed him doesn’t really matter, I guess. They had an altercation and there was clearly residual anger.”

“Don’t forget Frank and the licorice and his affair with Maggie,” I added.

Humphrey cleared his throat. “I’m not sure we can eliminate Maggie herself. I don’t wish to appear prudish, but does it seem to anyone else that she is involved with a lot of men? Patrick, then Frank, who is married by the way, and now apparently Karl, too?”

I couldn’t help coming to Maggie’s defense. “Just because we’ve seen her with them doesn’t mean she’s, um,
involved
with all of them.” I wanted to honor Dash’s request that I not blab about her sanguivoriphobia. “I think she’s afraid to be alone. Your point is well taken, though, Humphrey. It does appear that she might have been seeing Frank prior to Patrick’s death.”

Bernie chimed in. “I hate to say it, but I guess we have to include little Blake. That performance tonight was touching. He really wants his mom and dad to reunite. That’s a pretty powerful motive.”

I nodded. “And we know he was in the area when the murder was committed.”

“I guess that wraps it up. Did I leave anyone out?” asked Nina.

“Only all the men at the party who were dressed as vampires. Rats! I meant to ask Maggie about Ray tonight.”

Humphrey took a detour to his car, and the rest of us walked up to my front door and let ourselves in.

The wintery scent of burning wood filled the air, and Daisy bounded to me, her tail circling like an airplane propeller. I wrapped my arms around her neck for a doggie hug and continued patting her as we walked into the kitchen.

Jen sat at the kitchen table, and Mars was poking the fire, but Vegas prowled like a caged tiger.

“Hi.” It was a feeble thing to say, but I wasn’t sure what we were walking into. Something was afoot.

“Maggie is a vampire.” Vegas handed me a photograph. In it, Maggie wore an off-the-shoulder dress with a wide red belt and a voluminous skirt. She posed in front of my dining room fireplace with Viktor Luca, who wore the bat necklace Officer Wong had told us about.

Nina peered at it and exchanged glances with Mars and me. “Where did you get this?” she asked.

Jen squirmed. “It was upstairs in one of Faye’s old boxes.”

“I hope it was okay to let them snoop around up there.” Mars placed the brass wood poker in its stand.

I nodded. “Of course. I just don’t understand this photograph. It’s clearly old.” I flipped it. “No writing on the back. This is the guy June said was Viktor Luca, right, girls?” I passed it to Bernie.

“We called Gramma June. She’s on her way over.” Jen picked up Mochie and head-butted with him.

Mars elbowed me. “Gramma June. Isn’t that great?”

Nina sniffed the air. “I’m starved. I don’t smell food. Did you eat?”

“I could eat again,” said Jen. “Natasha invited me to
dine
with them.”

Uh-oh. No wonder she was hungry. “What was on the menu?”

“Sea urchins on weird toast, and black ink squid pasta. I think you should invite Vegas over here more often for real food.” Jen wrinkled her nose. “I really don’t like seeing a creature’s legs and stuff when I’m eating it.”

I couldn’t blame her because I felt the same way. “How about mac and cheese?”

“Yes! With a little bacon?” When we laughed at him, Mars forced himself to sound more mature. “I mean real mac and cheese, not one made with sea urchins or cilantro or wine.”

“Real mac and cheese,” I assured him, filling a pot with water for the elbow macaroni.

Vegas licked her lip. “Can we eat it in our pajamas?”

What was with these two? “Of course.”

Jen and Vegas flew out of the kitchen and up the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants. Daisy galloped along behind them.

Mars tried to be subtle, edging toward the foyer and the stairs.

“You brought pajamas?”

“That was the deal, remember? I’m staying here to watch out for you.” He shot out of the kitchen and up the stairs, no doubt to avoid my response. Ready to ditch my witch costume, I followed them and changed into Halloween pajamas.

When I returned, a soft tapping sound came from the kitchen door. Humphrey peered in at us, and Nina waltzed over to let him in.

“It’s freezing out there tonight!” He placed a bundle on the fireside chair and held his hands toward the fire to warm them.

“Let me guess. Are those pajamas?”

“Why, yes. Where will I be sleeping?”

“You have a choice between the third-floor bedroom and the sofa bed in the family room.”

“I’m feeling rather left out.” Bernie laughed.

“It seems most logical that I would sleep on the first floor to intercept intruders,” said Humphrey.