Peggy, Ava, Delilah, and I were gathered in my living room. We had decided something needed to be done to keep the remaining members of the art commune safe.
Peggy put her phone in her pocket. “Gemma just drove by the commune. Tad’s car is gone.”
“Perfect!” crowed Ava. “Now is the time to strike. Call over there, tell them to pack up and head for the B&B. I have a luxury family suite reserved with three queen beds. That is plenty of room for all of them.”
“Yeah, we need to hurry,” I added nervously. “We don’t know when he is coming back, and also, Quinn will get released in the next few hours if Teddy and Meiser can’t find enough evidence to hold him.”
“We have to keep them calm, but get them out of there,” urged Delilah. “We should call one of them and tell them the plan. Also, I doubt this is legal, but I have those small little security cameras that I keep at the gallery. I’d feel better about putting one somewhere in their room—they have the family room and kitchen area in the suites—there is no audio but then we could use our phones to check in on them to make sure they are safe—what does everyone think? I can run over there right now and do it since we paid for the suite. The footage goes to a website we can access from our phones so we can check it any time.”
Ava put her hands up in caution. "Okay, hold on a second. Putting a camera inside a hotel room is really illegal."
"So we shouldn't?" asked Delilah.
Ava took a breath and thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. Our safety might be worth it. But we would have to swear to keep this a secret. I could lose my PI license over this."
We all looked at one another.
"Also, if we did see anything on the camera, it would be inadmissible as evidence in a court of law. It wouldn't help put the killer behind bars."
We sat quietly for a moment, weighing the costs and benefits.
“I say go for it,” Peggy said. I nodded.
“I’ll install it once we’re finished here,” Delilah said.
“We have Alyssa, Poppy, and Lahiri’s phone numbers from the class application form. Which one of them are we going to call?” wondered Ava.
“I’d call Alyssa,” I said.
“No way!” said Ava. “She’s out of the running in my book. That stunt she pulled the first day of class was immature. She can’t be trusted. And Poppy’s compromised because of the whole thing with Darla. I vote Lahiri.” She crossed her arms over her ample bosom and stuck her chin out at me.
“I have to agree with Ava,” Delilah said. “I have hung out at that place a lot, and Lahiri is a really sincere, sweet kid who wants what is best for the group. She’s the one.”
“No,” I persisted. “Alyssa is trustworthy. I really think it was Tad’s fault. We all know how he is. And she is already not happy with him. I get the feeling she had some idea about the affair. She probably doesn’t really trust him.”
“I’m sure she’s trustworthy,” agreed Peggy.
At this, Ava nodded in reluctant agreement.
Delilah shrugged. “Okay, let’s give Alyssa a call. I’m heading to the B&B now to get the camera in place.”
I dialed her number. She picked up almost immediately. “Hey Alyssa. Ava and Deh—” I stopped myself, “and Peggy and Gemma, the women from the shops, and I are worried about you. There’s something we have to tell you that might be difficult to hear.” I took a deep breath. “We think Quinn and Tad might be in on the murders together.”
I let a few beats of silence pass to allow her to process this news. This was her boyfriend, after all. “We’re worried you are in danger if you stay at that house. We want to put all of the girls up in the bed and breakfast in Leavensport for a few nights to keep you safe. How does that sound?”
“Tad? You think Tad?” she stuttered. “He can be a jerk and an idiot sometimes, but … all of this? No way.”
“Are you sure?” I asked gently. “Hasn’t he been acting strange lately? In your heart, don’t you know that something isn’t quite right?” Alyssa fell silent. I could hear her breathing on the line.
“I don’t know anything right now,” she said finally. “But what you’re saying makes some sense.” She sighed. “And if you’re right and more of my friends get hurt or killed because I couldn’t swallow my pride and see things for how they really are … okay. Tell me the plan." Alyssa agreed, telling me that she would talk to the group and text us back soon.
Forty-five minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of Make Yourself at Home Bed and Breakfast. I saw the ladies from the commune getting out of a car and pulled in next to them. Ava was in the car with me, but Delilah was in Dee mode, and had driven separately to get the camera set up, and with the plan of staying in the room with the girls in order to keep a close eye on them.
We all stood in the parking lot for a moment. It had begun to drizzle and everyone seemed crabby. Who could blame them? This whole thing was awful.
Delilah got out and popped her trunk, pulling out her duffel bag and looping it over her shoulder. “Hi guys, I heard what happened. I can’t believe Mod is gone.” Delilah’s eyes filled with real tears. “Anyway, I was hoping I could stay over here with you since the house is … you know … the danger zone.”
“Um, how did you say you knew we were over here, at this bed and breakfast?” Alyssa’s voice was sharp and her brow furrowed.
Delilah blanched at the cross-examination. “I … uh … drove by the house and ran into … the police guy, what’s his name?” she stuttered unconvincingly. “He said you were staying here. For safety.” She looked flustered.
“Speaking of the house,” I said, trying to distract everyone, “are Linzie and Allison on their way?”
“No, they aren’t coming,” Lahiri said. “They refuse to believe that either Tad or Quinn could have anything to do with the murders and insist that they are perfectly safe at the commune. We tried and tried but they won’t give in. They’re staying there.”
I shook my head and sighed, then pulled my phone out and texted Teddy, telling him the plan and the fact that there were two girls staying behind at the commune, asking if he could send a patrol car around every few hours to check on them. Tad would be back soon, and Quinn would be a free man in just a few hours unless the police could find some reason to keep him. I shuddered at the thought.
Ava, Peggy, Gemma, and I all helped the girls with their bags, and we checked them in. We took the stairs up to the second floor of the charming bed and breakfast to find the three-bedroom suite. Since Linzie and Allison wouldn’t be there, there was plenty of room, even with the addition of Dee.
“Wow,” gushed Lahiri, “this place is really nice!” The girls threw their bags down and began exploring. The rooms had a Medieval feel with tapestries on the walls and arched doors and windows matching the castle design of the building.
I excused myself and went into the restroom. I washed my hands, checking my hair in the mirror. I felt better knowing that at least these three girls were safe. I tried not to think too hard about Linzie and Allison. As I turned to go back out into the suite, I tripped over someone’s bag on the floor, launching the contents across the tile.
I gasped. The mask! Tangled in a pile of socks and T-shirts was the upside-down mask! Whose bag was this? I dug through it. It was all pretty common stuff. A few medium shirts, a few large, some one-size-fits-all pajamas. This bag could belong to any of the girls out there.
Which meant one of them was Picasso’s Peril. One of them was behind all of this. Or was covering for the killer? Or the killer slipped the mask in her bag? My mind immediately leaped to Tad and Quinn.
I suddenly sensed that I had been in the bathroom for too long. I pulled my phone out and quickly texted Delilah. Make an excuse. You can’t stay here tonight. I’ll explain later. We have to go.
When I emerged, the girls were talking casually about room service, deciding what to order for dinner. Delilah’s eyebrows were high on her forehead. She grabbed her phone.
“Oh! That’s unexpected. My aunt just texted and said my cousin is in town tonight,” Delilah ad-libbed. “I haven’t seen her in years. I should probably go.”
“Oh,” Alyssa said icily, “yes, you probably should.”
“Dee” gave Lahiri a quick hug and grabbed her duffel bag.
“Yeah, we ought to head out, too,” I agreed. “So, you gals are good to stay here until everything calms down?”
“Yes, and thanks so much for getting us these rooms,” Poppy said, smiling. “I feel much safer now.”
“Okay, text us if anything crazy happens,” I reminded them.
Ava, Delilah, Peggy, Gemma, and I headed down the stairs. Once we hit the parking lot, the other four reeled on me.
“What the heck was that? Spill!” demanded Ava.
“We need to get back and add to our I Spy Slides—also, it was smart to put that camera in there—we need to keep an eye on them tonight,” I said, my voice shaking. “We were completely wrong. One of them is in on it. I don’t know who. Look what I found.” I opened my bag and showed them the upside-down mask.
“Hey, how is that four-top coming along?” Ava yelled into the kitchen.
I shook myself. I had been in dreamland the entire shift. I plated the dishes and transferred them to a big tray, dinging the bell to signal to Ava that they were ready to go.
I knew in my heart, for the safety of the people of Leavensport, that I needed to tell the police—preferably Meiser, preferably in person, and preferably with his arms around me—what I knew about the mask.
Unfortunately, I got up late and barely made it to work on time. Then it happened to be one of the busier days I had ever worked, and I hadn’t even had time to think about it, let alone confer with Ava on what our plan of action ought to be. She wasn’t exactly level-headed either, running around with trays, her eyes wild and her hair getting puffier by the minute.
But shifts end, as they always do. I will admit that Carlos’ silhouette in the doorway of the kitchen was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. We exchanged pleasantries as I did the last few dishes, and I headed out.
Ava and I walked home together. She turned to me when we got to her door. “Are you going to call him?” she asked.
“As soon as I get inside,” I assured her. “Did the commune girls contact you?”
“Nope.”
“Me either.”
“Okay, get some rest. Message me if anything changes.”
“Will do.”
I unlocked my door and was met by hungry cats. I fed them and petted them, then dug my phone out. I checked the camera at the B&B. They were just doing normal things, sleeping, watching TV.
Are you busy? I have something you need to see, I messaged Meiser.
Less than a minute later: What is it? Can I come over?
Please do.
Fifteen minutes later, I heard a knock on my door. It was just long enough for me to change my shirt, fluff my hair, and brush my teeth. Just in case. You never knew.
“What’s up?” He scooped me into his arms as he asked. I melted into them, struggling to remember why I had called him over in the first place. He pulled himself out of the embrace first.
“What did you want to tell me?” he asked. I shook myself. “You first. What have you found on Quinn?”
“That kid.” Meiser shook his head. “That kid is slick. We searched the whole commune, all three houses. We took fingerprints, a ton of samples. We even found the famous herbal tea that he was giving Mod. Nothing. No berries, no toxin. No evidence.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Nope. I mean, there are definitely Daphne bushes growing in the area, but nothing in the house. Not a trace.”
“Do you think he didn’t do it?”
“No, I think he did it, I just think he is really good at cleaning up after himself.”
“Pretty smart,” I mused.
“Actually, after having talked to him, I don’t think he really is. His family has a lot of money, that’s for sure. They already have a high-priced lawyer skulking around. Honestly, he comes off as an uneducated, entitled, spoiled little brat. He is good with his hands, though. He has an iron forge in that little shed next to the house at the commune, did you know that?”
“Someone said something about it, but I didn’t get a chance to actually to look at it.”
“Yeah, he made that iron sign at the entrance to the commune.”
“Wait,” I gasped. “The murder weapon! An iron stake! I bet Quinn made it!”
Meiser sighed heavily. “Yeah, he made it. Admitted it from the beginning. It was part of a new sign he was working on. He showed me the plans.”
“That sounds pretty smart to me.”
“It just sounds like he thought it through,” Meiser grumbled. “Anyway, he said someone took it from his room the day of the murder. He said his fingerprints would be all over it.”
“Perfect cover story,” I muttered.
“It really is,” agreed Meiser. “Although we checked the stake for prints and it was wiped clean.”
“I wonder why he bothered admitting it, then?”
“Who knows?”
“Maybe he knew you’d find out eventually and wanted to get ahead of it.” I theorized.
Meiser shrugged. “All I know is, Teddy runs that department, and his brain is powered by facts, not hunches. You won’t get anywhere on a gut feeling with that man. That is part of why he and Tabitha don’t always see eye to eye. She has worked with people, been a therapist, seen inside people’s minds, besides working for the FBI. She gets feelings about people based on their behavior. She looks at the psychology behind it all.”
“And what is her hunch about that group?” I asked, already halfway knowing the answer.
“That there is a kingpin, a manipulator in the group, moving pieces around on a chess board. Probably Quinn, maybe Tad.” Couldn’t agree more. “What did you want to tell me?”
“Two things.” I looked at him nervously. “The first thing you aren’t going to like.”
“Well?”
“Um, well, we put a camera in their hotel room—FOR SAFETY–” I said, seeing the expression on his face. “And it’s a good thing we did.”
Meiser took the longest, slowest breath I have ever heard.
“Do you have any idea how illegal–” He stopped for another extremely long breath. Good heavens, this man must love oxygen. “Just … why on earth … would you do that?”
“Because of the second thing I wanted to tell you!” I said brightly. “I found this in one of the girl’s bags at the hotel room.” I pulled the mask out of my bag.
I thought Meiser’s jaw was going to keep dropping until it hit the floor.
“Locating that has been at the top of the priority list since day one,” he whispered. “and you found it. Where was it?”
“In one of the girls’ bags,” I replied. “I have no idea whose, the contents were pretty bland.”
“But it was either Poppy, Alyssa, or Lahiri,” he confirmed. He pulled out his phone.
“One of those three.”
“Okay. Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to add that camera to the search warrant. It’s called a sneak-and-peek. But this is between you and me, because warrants are supposed to be in place,” –he glared at me–“before the camera is installed.”
“Yes, sir,” I said meekly.
He stared hard at me for three or four seconds. Then he walked slowly toward me and put his hands around my waist. He leaned toward me and kissed me hard.
“Whew!” I said, fanning myself. “At least I know how to get you going—hand you clues on a murder case.”
Meiser cracked up laughing. He was so hot when he laughed. His brown eyes crinkled up and he flashed a brilliant, sultry smile. “Of course, you know that we won’t be able to pull a fingerprint off of that mask, since you and everyone you have ever met has touched it.”
“Yeah, I know.” I arched an eyebrow at him. “Coming up with an excuse for losing already?”
“Oh, are we still doing that? I had forgotten.”
“You can’t back out now, ‘The game is afoot!’” I quoted my favorite mystery author.
“So, if you find the culprit first …” He nuzzled my neck. I closed my eyes.
“I … choose the prize …”
“And if I win, I choose the prize?” he murmured into my hair.
“Sure …” I whispered, forgetting what I was agreeing to.