The bloodstain was huge and her blouse was saturated. Esmeralda tried to speak but only a gurgle came out. Oh no!
Adrenaline pumped through me big-time. My voice and lungs combined to emit a thunderous out-of-body roar that threatened to awaken the dead in the nearby cemetery.
“Help! Somebody! Call nine-one-one! He-lp!”
I turned my phone light to illuminate Esmeralda’s face, spotlighting the fear in her shocked eyes. She blinked and I flinched, jarring a vague recollection, again, that I had known her in a previous life. I immediately redirected the beam to the ground, noticing a footprint in the dirt as I did so, causing me to flinch once again. I was no expert, but it sure looked exactly like the footprint left near Milo’s car. I shuddered with dread. I clicked the camera on my phone and took a couple of shots before turning my attention back to Esmeralda. She seemed to acknowledge my presence with an ever-so-slight movement of her head.
I leaned in closer and whispered, “Oh my God, Esmeralda, who did this to you?”
A raspy, guttural utterance that was indecipherable escaped from her barely parted lips.
With the only light coming from my phone, I panned my surroundings, squinting at the hedges in the semidarkness and listening to a rustling in the hedge. My whole body trembled and the possibility that the killer was still lurking in the bushes did nothing to quell my tremors. The rapidly growing crimson stain on Esmeralda’s white blouse discouraged me from moving her for fear I might make matters worse. The unnerving sight of the knife sticking out of Esmeralda’s chest didn’t help either. My only consolation, the killer was no longer armed. Hopefully.
My shrieks had effectively raised the alarm. The maze buzzed with activity and voices were approaching. Help was on the way. I tried to comfort her by gently stroking her face. Her eyes focused beyond me in an earnest stare. I nervously turned around to see if someone was behind me. No one was there. Her lips barely moved as she tried to speak. But the effort was too much for her. Her chest heaved, once, twice, three times, as if she were expelling her own soul. Her last breath escaped as a loud rattle, signaling the end. She went still. The realization she was gone hadn’t yet sunken in as the crunch of gravel made me aware of the group of people now gathering around me in the tight space.
Ashley broke through the crowd, aghast at the sight of Esmeralda’s body. “Are you all right? Is that Esmeralda? Oh my God, she’s not . . . ?”
My eyes brimmed with tears as I nodded. “I think she is.”
Ashley wrapped her arms around me in a comforting hug. The handsome stranger I’d encountered near the maze earlier was right on her heels. He steered both of us over to a clearing to make room for the line of firefighters trotting behind him. I then realized how lucky we were to have Santa Sofia’s entire emergency response team in attendance at the special event. Some were off duty and in business casual attire for the event, but others were on duty and dressed accordingly, their flashlights shining on the scene.
Adrian pulled up the rear. He bent his head to consult with the firefighters attending to Esmeralda for a moment before he started to bark orders at two of his fellow police officers to cordon off the area and not let anyone in or out of the Hidden Garden and Secret Maze.
He came over to me, resting a hand on my shoulder. “I take it you were the one who found her?”
I nodded.
“Epic scream, by the way.”
“Um, thanks?” I’d been called many things before but epic screamer was a first.
A long whistle escaped Adrian’s puckered lips. “Another murder?”
I dipped my head in assent.
“And in the maze again?”
A multitude of emotions festered inside me—fear, sadness, shock, and anger. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep it all together. Finally, words erupted from me as hot and intense as lava flowing from a volcano. “Why does everyone I encounter keep dying?” I was beginning to feel more like the Grim Reaper than a landscape architect.
He jerked backward. “You knew her?”
“She just read my fortune about ten minutes ago.”
“No way.” He shook his head and his shock registered for a second longer before he returned to his professional demeanor. “So, tell me what happened. Take it from the top.”
Ashley had been stewing silently next to me, listening to my interchange with Adrian. She pushed her face in front of Adrian’s. “Tory screamed bloody murder because that’s what she saw. She’s probably in shock. Poor thing attracts trouble like a magnet.”
“Um, hello. I’m right here, in case you forgot. I can hear what you’re saying.” I might have been a bit in shock, but these two and their wisecracks told me I wasn’t the only one acting strangely.
Ashley’s eyes kind of crossed as if she’d just heard what she said about me. “God, sorry, Tory. I didn’t mean that.” She whispered to Adrian, “But it’s kind of true.”
Adrian flashed his palm in a stop gesture. “Take it easy, Ash. I wasn’t judging her. I’m trying to get the facts straight.”
Ashley swayed. “It’s just that I’ve never seen an actual murder victim close up like this before.” Her voice was shaky and she started to stagger to maintain her balance.
Adrian blinked with concern, and he put his arm around her waist to prop her up. “You need to sit and take some deep breaths.”
She dropped to the ground and followed his instructions. After a few minutes of Lamaze-worthy deep breathing, she seemed back to normal.
Satisfied Ashley was okay, Adrian faced me. “What were you doing in the maze?”
“I was taking a shortcut to get my car at the valet parking near the lobby.”
“Kind of early to leave, before dinner, wasn’t it? Were you alone?”
I paused.
Ashley perked up and got to her feet, chiming in before I could respond. “She was with me first. But then I needed to get back to the event. The dinner service was starting.”
“So you were in the maze earlier? Before using it as a shortcut. Why?”
I got his subtext—why would I ever want to use the maze again after what had happened to Milo here. “Because I had my fortune told by Esmeralda earlier this evening and she told me I could find a clue about Milo’s disappearance here.”
Adrian raised his eyebrows and stared at me quizzically. “All right. What did she tell you exactly?”
“That the answer to Milo’s disappearance lies in the Secret Maze.”
Ashley’s eyes widened. “Oh my God. Did she predict her own death? Because technically, she’s lying in the Secret Maze.”
I turned to Ashley. “You think Esmeralda is the answer to Milo’s disappearance? How does that even make sense?” My thoughts were in turmoil. “I honestly think if that was the case, she would have avoided the maze, don’t you?”
Adrian shifted his weight. “Did she know Milo?”
Before I could answer, Ashley responded. “Anyone who reads the Sentinel knows about Milo. I’m sure that’s where these so-called fortune-tellers get their info for these charitable event readings. There are always well-known philanthropists and society types at these events. All she had to do was read up on the latest scandal or self-promotion.”
“I believe I can shed some light on this.” The stranger I’d almost forgotten about handed Adrian his business card. “Jake Logan. I’m a private investigator.”
“Please. By all means, enlighten me.” Adrian could barely hide his contempt.
“I don’t know for certain whether Mr. Spinelli and Madame Esmeralda actually knew each other. But I’m certain Madame Esmeralda knew Ms. Benning.”
Heat flashed to my face. “What are you talking about? I never even knew Esmeralda existed before tonight. And how do you know my name?” I threw him a withering glance, wondering whether he was one of those guys with good looks but an ugly personality, and hoped he wasn’t going to ruin my impression of him by continuing to mansplain to me about what individuals I did or didn’t know.
Jake opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off before he could.
I took a deep breath. “Okay, to be honest, she did look familiar. But I swear, tonight was the first time I ever laid eyes on her.”
Jake turned to me. “Actually, that’s not true. Her real name is Josephine Benning. And I believe she’s your aunt.”