Deadly Magic (14 page)

“
Who knew she would be performing that particular trick that night?”

“Just me, my father, and Tabitha.”

“What about the stage hands?”

Belle shook her head.
“Tabitha usually performs that illusion. They thought it was her.”

“
Tabitha was the girl we ran into right before Lily died, wasn’t she? Did you find out why she was crying?”

“
She wouldn’t tell me. I had a feeling it had to do with her fiancé, but she wouldn’t say. She just kept crying. I haven’t seen her since she quit.”

“
When did she quit?”

“
A few days after Lily died.”

“
That seems rather suspicious.”

Belle shook her head.
“No. She had been planning to quit for a while. She and her fiancé were planning on eloping. She’s probably in Belize like she planned. I just wish she would call me.” Belle wrinkled her forehead. “She promised to keep in touch, but I’m getting kind of worried about her.”

“Hopefully, she’ll contact you soon. If she does, I’d like to talk to her.” Out of the corner of her eye, Grace caught a flash of white race out of Belle’s room. “What do you want to do about your room?”

Belle, carefully sat down on Grace’s folding chair. Taking a carrot out of her purse, she softly called the bunny’s name. “We’ll just wait until next weekend. I can get a blow up bed until then.”

Grace sigh
ed. She really wanted to see Ethan tomorrow, but, she looked over her sparsely furnished room with crates and folding chairs, she couldn’t let her new roommate sleep on a blow up bed for an entire week. After all, that wouldn’t be right. She excused herself and called Ethan, with any luck he’d be agreeable to shorting their date.

To her
surprise, he was thrilled. “That’s great!”

“Okay,” she said disappointedly.

“I’ll come and help.”

“
No,” Grace said quickly to reassure him, “I wasn’t asking for you to help.”

“
Nonsense. This is a perfect opportunity to investigate. I’ll be there first thing in the morning,” he said before hanging up.

Saturday
, December 10th

CHAPTER
TWELVE

Grace follow
ed Belle
into the Straker Magic Shoppe, past the glass topped counters, crystal gazing balls, assortment of cards, various colored velvet hoods and silk handkerchiefs, gilded bird cages, masks, ribbons, fake hands, and black cabinets and boxes, toward the back door marked
Staff Only
. Belle briskly knocked on the door. Without waiting for an answer, she pushed open the door and entered the room unceremoniously with a breezy, “knock, knock,” thrown in for good measure.

Michael was standing at his
workstation, his long black hair pulled back into a knot at the nape of his neck. Grace was surprised to see he added a bit of color to his normally all black attire. A blue topaz earring in the shape of a coffin hung from one lobe. He smiled as soon as he saw Belle. To Grace, he simply nodded.

“
Are you ready?” Belle asked excitedly.

He made shushing sounds as he look
ed over his shoulder. “Harcourt is here,” he whispered. “He’s not too happy about my leaving today.”

Belle roll
ed her eyes. “You get a day off.” She looked at him with a mixture of pity and anger. “You shouldn’t let him treat you like this.”

Michael shrugg
ed one shoulder. He reached for his bag under the table. “What are we doing first?”

“
I’ve rented a truck. I figured we could go to my old apartment first and pick up my bedroom set and dining room furniture.” Belle lifted the sheet covering Michael’s workstation up high enough to peer underneath.

“
Is your dad going to be there?”

“
No, not today.”

Michael look
ed between Grace and Belle. “Just the three of us?” he asked doubtfully. “I’ve seen your bedroom furniture Belle. It probably weighs a ton.”

“
My friend Ethan,” Grace said, “is going to help. He’s driving the truck.”

Belle dropp
ed the sheet. “I asked our new assistant, Kyle, to help too, but he didn’t show up today. So, it’s just us four.”

Grace couldn’t help but notice that some type of silent communication passed between the two.
Belle stared at the young man intently as Michael gave her a strange look before finally nodding imperceptibly.

“
After we get that delivered, we’ll head over to the Dragon’s Lair and pick out a sofa and a couple of chairs.” Belle turned to open the door.

A look of fear cross
ed Michael’s face as he held out a hand. “Your father—”

Belle interrupt
ed with a wave of her hand. “It’s all right. Why are you so afraid of him? I already told him what we’re going to do and he said that it was fine. We’re just going to go in and go right out. It’ll take less than thirty minutes.”

“
Thirty?”

“
Well, I want Grace to pick out which sofa she would like to take.”

To Grace’s surprise, Michael began to breath heavily. He shook his head violently.
“Why don’t you and Grace go to the Dragon’s Lair? Pick everything out, and I’ll go with Grace’s friend to get your furniture. It will be quicker that way.”

“
Michael,” Belle said annoyed. “If you would just sit down and talk—”

Harcourt threw open the door to his office.
“What is going on out here? It’s bad enough you’re leaving me shorthanded today, but must you waste so much time nattering away?”

Michael ran his hands thr
ough his hair, loosening a few strands from the hair tie. “He’s right, Belle. Maybe it would be better if I stay here.”

“
Good.” Harcourt thumped his cane against the floor. “Get back to work.”

Belle grabb
ed Michael by the hand. “Can I speak to you privately, please?” she asked almost plaintively. She tugged him out the doors and into the magic shop.

Unsure of
what to do, Grace smiled at the old magician still leaning on his cane.

He smil
ed back, his sculpted left eyebrow arching above one black eye. “You’re rather brave.”

“
How so?”

H
is smile turned cryptic.

Michael walk
ed back through the doors, sans Belle.

“
Are you coming?” Grace asked.

“
Belle’s going to call her father,” he answered simply. “Hopefully, he’ll let you pick out the furniture and then see if one of his stage hands will move it out front for me to pick up.”

“
You’re that afraid of Ilya Dragovich?” Grace asked in disbelief.

“
Ha!” Harcourt thumped his cane against the floor. “And, here I thought you didn’t have any sense at all. Of course, he’s afraid. You should be, too.”

“
Why?”

“
I wouldn’t want to surround myself with a bunch of cold-blooded murderers.”

“
Oh, don’t be ridiculous!” Michael snapped. Turning to Grace, and with as much bravado he could muster, he said, “I’m not afraid. I just know when I’m not welcome.”

“
Really?” Harcourt asked with a disbelieving look plastered on his face. “Are you sure about that?”

Grace turn
ed to Harcourt. “What makes you think Ilya Dragovich is a cold-blooded murderer?”

Harcourt shrugg
ed. “Isn’t it obvious? He killed Lily.”

“
There are a lot of people that could have killed her,” Grace pointed out. She still wasn’t sure who, but she assumed there were others that could have killed her besides Dragovich.

“
Are you accusing me?” Grinning, he lifted a hand and rubbed his chin. If Grace didn’t know better, she would say he was enjoying the idea of being accused. “I was sitting in the audience. Ask Michael over here, he was right next to me.”

Michael didn’t say
anything.

Harcourt glar
ed at him. “Or that weasel, Allen. He can vouch for me. So you see, I have an alibi. Airtight I believe it would be called.”

“
So does Dragovich. He was on stage.”

Harcourt snort
ed. “That means nothing. It was him. Also, I don’t have a motive. Lily and I were friends,” he said still grinning. “Besides, who else knew she was going to be there. I heard that it was supposed to be a surprise.”

“
You knew,” Michael said with a small smile. “I overheard you and Louisa talking about it before the show began.”

“
I didn’t know,” he insisted. “I figured she would show up for his birthday—”

“
Did you know she was going to perform that night?” Grace asked.

“
I assumed she would when I heard Straker’s party was going to be at the Dragon’s Lair. Predictable stunt. That’s the problem with Ilya. He used to be good, but now he goes for the easy illusions.”

“
Why would Ilya Dragovich kill her?” Grace asked Harcourt

“
He wouldn’t!” Michael said harshly.

Harcourt ignor
ed him. “I’m sure it was a crime of passion. They fought all the time. They had a big blowout a year after his wife died.”

“
They did not fight all the time,” Michael countered.

“
Were you there?” Harcourt snapped. “I was. I witnessed it with my own eyes. I witnessed one of their embarrassing screaming matches during the Blackpool Magician’s Convention one year. It was so unprofessional. Quite embarrassing for them. It was a good year for me though.” Harcourt puffed out his chest. “I won that year.”

Michael dropp
ed the bag he had been holding back on the floor and crossed his arms. “That’s because Ilya wasn’t performing.”

Harcourt’s face flush
ed angrily. He turned to Michael and pointed a long bony finger in his face. “What does that have to do with anything? When I was in my prime, I could out-perform him any day of the week. I still could.”

“
He won five years in a row.”

Sputtering
, Harcourt spat out, “He cheated five years in a row.”

“
He sells out every show he’s involved in.”

“
That’s because he is a sellout.”

Grace
held out her hands. “Gentlemen. If we could get back to the subject at hand. What happened between Lily and Dragovich?”

Michael
bent down to retrieve his bag. “I’m not listening to this anymore. Ilya Dragovich had nothing to do with Lily’s death. You’re just a hateful, evil old man.” Michael slung his bag back over his shoulder and stalked to the door. He slammed the door behind him.

Harcourt clucked his tongue and shook his head.
“So dramatic.”

“
So, what happened in England?”

“
I don’t know, but I found them arguing in front of their hotel room in the middle of the night. They were trying to be quiet, but I could hear them from my room four doors away. They were both, how should I put it, rather déshabillé. I heard him tell her to stay away from his son.” Harcourt shrugged. “Lily came out of retirement that weekend. I felt sorry for her and asked her if she would like to work with me.”

“
Well, whatever the problem was, it couldn’t have been that serious. They stayed friends. He let her perform with him for Straker’s birthday.”

Harcourt shook his head dismissively.
“That was just for that one night. He came out of retirement the year after Lily left him in England. Lily was still working with me at the time. She was all prepared to leave me and go back to being his assistant.” His thin lips sneered. “But he wanted nothing to do with her. She came crawling back to me.”

“
She never said what the fight was about?”

“
No, but it had something to do with that boy of his.”

“
How long did she work for you?”

“
Only for a few years. She left me high and dry during a performance in Paris one night.” He shook his head, angrily. “I’m about to go on stage and she runs off.”

“
Did she say why?”

“
It had something to do with a stalker she picked up. A deranged young man who fancied himself in love with her.”

“
What was his name?”

“
I don’t know. Unlike Dragovich, I like to keep a strictly professional relationship with those that I work with. If their personal life doesn’t affect their work, then it’s none of my business. I only found out about it when she refused to perform that night.”

“
Was her stalker arrested?”

“
I don’t think so. I think he killed himself. Suicide.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, but it’s not important. What’s important is the fact that Ilya Dragovich is a killer and you, young lady, have just invited his daughter to share your apartment. I doubt he’s too happy about that. If I were you, I’d sleep with one eye open.”

♣ ♦ ♥ ♠

Grace shifted in her seat nervously. She looked around the empty auditorium, wishing she had gone with Belle and the others. After they left Harcourt, it was agreed that Grace would go ahead to the Dragon’s Lair and pick out the furniture, while the others moved Belle’s bedroom and dining room set to the apartment. At first, that seemed like a great idea. Not only did she manage to avoid the heavy lifting, she could take her time choosing the furniture she would like to have. It seemed like a good idea, but that was before she realized how empty the Dragon’s Lair was on a Saturday morning.

She glanc
ed over her shoulder. The theater was empty. She rubbed the back of her neck. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Standing up, she walked to the stage and faced the rows of empty seats.

It’s fine, she thought. Dragovich will be here soon.
Of course, that wasn’t exactly a reassuring thought. Harcourt could be right. She leaned her head back and looked up to the ceiling. Would he really kill someone in front of his audience? In front of so many witnesses? Would he take the chance? And, if he did, how did he pull it off? Straker said he got a text only a few minutes before she died. They found her phone on the scaffolding. Someone had to be up there. They texted Straker and then wrapped the silk rope around Lily’s neck and pushed her off the ledge.

She rais
ed her head and looked toward the empty rows. Almost everyone was accounted for when Lily died. Only Allen was missing. Harcourt, Michael, Louisa, Daniel, and Straker were all sitting in their seats. Dragovich was on the stage. Belle was walking her to the waiting room backstage. Tabitha had just passed them, crying.

Tabitha
.

She w
ouldn’t have had enough time to text the message to Straker, push Lily, and run downstairs before Lily ended up in full view of the audience.