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The hotel was quiet, and there were only a handful of people in the lounge. Most would probably be out for dinner. Nobody was at the reception desk, and I gestured at Nick to follow me. Mr Field was probably in his office, awaiting our arrival. Hopefully he wouldn’t do anything rash.
I narrowed my eyes as we headed through the corridor. Was I imagining this? Smoke drifted up from under the door. It was definitely real. I froze. Nick bumped into me.
“Look,” I said.
“Crap,” Nick said as we both ran to the office.
I took off my cardigan and wrapped it around my hand. I tried the door handle. It was locked. “What do we do?” I said, my voice high with panic.
“I’ll call 999.” Nick moved away as he dialed while I kicked the door. If only I had my lock pick set with me.
“Then what?” Detective Black asked. “What difference would that make? It’s clearly already too late. And you don’t know if he’s in there. It’s possible he wants you to think that.”
I shushed him, trying to think. Nick was still on the phone, so I moved back and tried to kick in the door, but all I managed to do was hurt my leg. I tried again. And again.
“Stop, stop, stop.” Nick grabbed me and pulled me back.
The smoke was getting thicker, and I started coughing.
“The police and fire department are on their way, come on.” Nick pulled me away, and just then the fire alarm went off.
The fire department and police showed up quickly; even Alistair was there. We had been escorted outside and waited while they tried to put out the fire. Undoubtedly, Alistair would come and talk to us, knowing it was probably related to the murder of Victor, and my nosing around.
“Are you okay?” Nick rubbed my back. He had put his jacket over my shoulders at some point, I hadn’t even noticed until now.
“Yeah, I just hope nobody got hurt,” I said in a soft voice.
“Me too.”
People had come to see what was going on, and Eddie found us in the crowd. “What happened?” he asked.
“There’s a fire that started in Mr Field’s office,” I said, my eyes on the building.
“When will this nightmare stop?” Eddie muttered. “Come on, let’s go to the pub.”
“They’ll probably want to talk to us,” I said.
“So? They know where to find you. You could both use a drink.”
“He’s right,” Nick said. “You’re shivering.”
Can you blame me? “Okay, one drink won’t hurt.”
The Rose was quiet since most people had gone over to the hill to speculate about what had happened at the Pembroke. They would probably blame the curse, and maybe they were right. Maybe the place was cursed to attract nothing but trouble. It was a shame since it was such a beautiful building.
Callum showed up at our table. “What is all the fuss about? Nobody can tell me anything.”
Nick filled him in so that I didn’t have to.
“Blimey,” he said. “A fire? What is going on with people?”
“It could have been an accident,” I said, not believing that for a second.
“Maybe,” Eddie said and patted my hand.
“That’s too much of a coincidence,” Callum said. “I’m surprised to hear you say that. Aren’t you trying to solve this?”
“Okay, Callum. That’s enough.” He waved him away.
“Fine, fine. I get the message,” Callum said as he returned to the bar.
Nick ordered us drinks as Eddie distracted us by talking about a new shooter game he was playing with Brian. I was only half-listening and kept an eye on the door.
After what seemed like an eternity, it opened and Alistair walked in. He strode over, his professional attitude dripping off him.
Eddie yawned. It was almost nine o’clock.
Alistair sat down next to Nick and opposite Eddie. He didn’t take out his notebook. “So,” he started. “Any reason why you two were at the Pembroke tonight?”
“Is Mr Field okay?” I asked.
He stared at me. There was something like sympathy in his dark eyes. “No. He’s dead.”
My heart raced. “Was it an accident?”
“We don’t know yet,” Alistair said. “Now, what were you two doing there?” He was addressing us both, but only looked at me.
Nick looked at me. I knew that if I lied right now, he would cover for me. “We had an appointment with Mr Field. I rang him earlier, and told him I was coming over. He didn’t pick up, so technically he didn’t confirm the meeting.”
“And why did you want to meet him?”
“Talk about books?” I said in a high voice.
“Maggie,” Alistair said calmly, to my surprise. “I didn’t bring DC Daniels, and I don’t have my notebook out. Right now I’m just a friend. Tell me why you wanted to meet him.”
“When I stayed the night at the hotel I uncovered a few things,” I said.
“Like?” he asked.
All three of them were staring at me, and I shifted in my seat. I told them about the pictures and the fact that Mr Field had been spying on his wife and Victor.
“You climbed out of a window?” Eddie asked. “What the—I mean, are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine. I was terrified, but I got over it. The point is, anyone else could have climbed out of that window as well. If the fire originated in his office, they could have left that way. Unseen,” I said to Alistair.
“The fact that he was killed also implies that he did know something. Maybe someone overheard the message you left him, or he told someone,” he said.
“Either way, the first person you need to talk to is Mrs Field. She needs to be notified, of course, but it’s also a good opportunity to ask her some questions. She seemed a bit off.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “We have reason to believe that Mr Field blackmailed Victor.”
“What? Really?” Eddie said. “It’s always the quiet ones.”
“He probably wanted him to stop seeing his wife. That could have been what Victor wanted advice for,” I said.
“Exactly. And that could mean that Mr Field killed Victor when he realised he wasn’t going to listen and instead asked for help. It could mean that the fire was an accident and the case is now closed, but honestly, I’m not sure. I am, however, glad you are both okay.”
“Me too,” Nick said.
“Does this mean I can go home now?” I asked.
“If you don’t mind,” Alistair asked Nick. “Can I walk her home? I’d like to discuss some things with her.”
Nick and Alistair looked at each other for a moment, then Nick turned to me and raised his eyebrows.
“Sure,” I said.
“Okay, then. I’ll see you soon.” Nick leaned over the table and gave me a kiss on the lips, warming my cheeks. I was too shy to look over at Alistair.
“Bye,” Eddie said and gave me a hug.
Alistair got up to pull back my chair, and we left the pub just in time for the crowd that had been staring at the hotel to come in. They’d be gossiping all night.
It was darker now and Alistair put a hand on my lower back as he escorted me back to my flat. I didn’t mind. In fact, I kind of liked the comfort it brought. There was no point in hanging on to any anger, even if I did have to decide what I wanted from him. Did I want to be friends? To be ignored? What was my plan?
The idea of not talking to him made me uneasy. I liked him too much, even after what he did.
“I’m sorry about my behaviour,” Alistair said. “I hope one day you can forgive me, though if you can’t, I don’t blame you.”
“I just need some time.” We stopped at the back of my shop. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I guess I was just surprised by what you made me feel, and I wanted to keep that feeling. It was selfish and cowardly. Obviously I have some figuring out to do.”
I was too afraid to ask him if he really liked me or just the idea of me, so instead I smiled at him. “I also think you should talk to Patricia.”
“What? Why?”
“I found the mushrooms in her shed. Also, Beth said something that made me think she’d overheard something, and I know Patricia visited her on Sundays for a while.”
“Beth? Beth is still alive?”
“Yes,” I said.
“How old is she?”
“Hundred-and-two and kicking.”
“Wow, impressive. But let’s circle back to the mushrooms in the shed. You broke in?”
“No, it was open. Before that I broke into her house, though.”
Alistair’s eyes widened.
“I found a DVD that was used to make it appear as if the hotel was haunted. I know it’s circumstantial, but I figured I might as well mention everything now.” And let’s hope he doesn’t arrest me.
“He won’t,” Detective Black said.
Alistair sighed. “That was dangerous.”
“Nick was on the lookout.”
“So Nick is your partner in crime now?” he asked.
“Problem with that?” I folded my arms and stared him down.
His shoulders tensed. “I appreciate you telling me, but you have to be careful with these things. If someone reported you, you could have been arrested. You do realise I have to do what my boss says, right?”
“Your boss who used to be buddies with Victor and who is still chummy with Patricia, you mean?”
Alistair bit his bottom lip. “I know, that bothers me too. But even if he wasn’t friends with her, we still need evidence. We’re the police, that’s how it works. We can’t just go around accusing people and hope for the best.”
“I realise that, so perhaps we can work together. I just gave you a tip about Patricia’s shed, maybe you can check it out?”
Alistair stared at me. “Perhaps. Just keep me posted, okay? Don’t do things on your own. Or with Nick.”
I smiled. “But he’s such a good kisser.”
He made a face as if he smelt something foul, then adapted a more neutral expression. “I’m going to go now.”
“Uh-uh.” His heels clicked on the cobbled street as he moved farther away from me.
As much as I didn’t want it to be true, he still did something to me.
“Maybe the Pembroke isn’t cursed,” Detective Black said. “Maybe your love life is.”
––––––––
THAT NIGHT WAS THE first night I slept well. Knowing that Alistair was listening to me, made me feel like I could breathe a bit. He was on it, and I could enjoy the feeling that I had helped. I didn’t have to do everything alone, nor did I have to prove myself to anyone.
I spent the morning writing and doing some household chores. With my attention on the murder I had neglected my flat a bit, and the dust bunnies were almost becoming actual bunnies, with a similar reproduction rate.
Before lunchtime I went downstairs and chatted with Nancy briefly before returning to my shop. Christina was working hard and had been looking up information on a few new books, doing her best to pitch them to customers, so they’d buy them. I appreciated her proactive attitude and wondered what I would do when Susan returned. If she returned. It was entirely possible that she didn’t want to stay here anymore. She had moved to this village only three years ago, and I could imagine that she would want a fresh start.
Christina clearly wanted to be my friend regardless, and I decided that would be good. It would help me get over Alistair, and I wanted to be friends with him.
“Good luck with that,” Detective Black said.
“Hello, pretty lady,” Nick said as he came in with a bouquet of wildflowers.
I beamed at him. “That’s so sweet. Thank you.”
“Do you want to have lunch?”
“I would love to. Why don’t we go upstairs, and I’ll make us a sandwich.” I headed through the back and up the stairs to my flat while Nick followed.
“Are you feeling better? The fire was quite a shock, wasn’t it?” he asked.
“Yeah, I just didn’t see it coming. I also feel a bit guilty,” I said as we went into the kitchen where I put the flowers in a vase.
“Why? You weren’t responsible for this.” He frowned.
“I can’t help but think that our visit was the reason for the fire, even if it might as well just be an accident.” I really hoped that was true. It would be so much simpler if it was.
Nick touched my cheek. “Don’t think like that. You are not responsible for other people’s actions.”
I smiled. “What kind of sandwich would you like?”
“Anything you can make is fine.”
“So a sandwich with soap and carrots?”
Nick chuckled.
“Or a sandwich with post-its?”
Nick grabbed me and nuzzled my neck. “You think you’re funny, huh?” He started kissing me.
I laughed and started tickling him. I could get used to this, which is also why I was scared. In the past there had always been something that went wrong, and I didn’t want that to be true now. The worst thing I could think of was that he was in cahoots with the killer, or that he had a family back home. It was what my mind always did, and it took me considerable effort to keep those dark thoughts away.
“Okay, you win,” Nick said and held up his hands in defeat. “You are an excellent tickler.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
We had our lunch on the sofa instead of at the breakfast table, and the more time I spent with Nick, the more I realised I didn’t want him to go back home. He made me laugh, and he was a good kisser. It also didn’t hurt that he was handsome.
After our lunch I showed Nick the blueprints of the hotel and told him in more detail what had happened that night I broke into Mr Field’s office. I left out the parts with Alistair in it. Even if the two deaths were in Alistair’s hands for now, I still wanted to share this particular puzzle with him. It was fascinating, though creepy.
“See, this indicates that you have to twist the wooden markings on the side of the fireplace and it will open one of the rooms.” I refused to call it a death trap, which is what it really was, but I didn’t want to spoil the mood.
“You’re discussing the layout of a murder house,” Detective Black said, rolling his eyes. “Why can’t you just make out with him like a normal person?”
I ignored him and showed Nick a few more examples of what I had uncovered.
“Wow, this is so interesting. Knowing the history of that place, I’m surprised there aren’t any ghosts.”
“Not that many people died there, actually, and my aunt is good at cleansing places. She probably scared the ghosts away,” I said with a chuckle.
“Yes, I have heard that she can be quite intimidating.”
“Definitely, but she’s a softy on the inside. I think.”
Nick laughed and pulled me close. “I’m glad you had someone like her looking after you.”
This time I kissed him, and I didn’t stop for a long time.