Murder Games (12 page)

“If there was anything to find,” Laura replied.

“Like you said, he or she,” Grace added for Laura’s benefit, “must have hidden the body in the snow.”

The loud snap of a log burning in the fireplace caused Grace and Caroline to flinch in surprise.

They turned just as Ivy re-entered the library, carrying Grace’s robe triumphantly in her hand above her head. “Here it is!”

“Where did you find it?” Grace asked.

“In your room, darling. It was lying on the floor next to your bed.”

“My room?” Grace asked, taking the robe from the other woman’s hands. “That’s not possible. The killer pulled it off of me on the staircase.”

Ivy took Grace’s hand gently in her own, before wrapping an arm around Grace’s waist and pulling her away from the window. “Now, now. I’m sure it was nothing more than a nightmare.” When Grace looked ready to argue again, Ivy held up her hands. “Darling, everyone is accounted for.”

“Not everyone,” Grace said with a shake of her head. “Where’s Erica?”

“Oh, darling,” Ivy said. She clucked her tongue and gave Grace a pitying look. “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably in California, by now.”

“
Who’s Erica?” Laura asked quickly.

Ignoring Laura, Ivy
took Grace’s hand in her own and patted it gently. “Listen, I have no doubt that you just had a nightmare. Happens to me all the time.” She smiled sweetly. “I’ll go make some tea to settle your nerves. You’ll see, tomorrow, everything will be much better. We’ll have a good ole laugh about this. You’ll see,” she said brightly as she walked out of the room.

Grace walked back over to the window, her eyes searching once again for Kyle.

“Jerry thinks it’s just part of the mystery,” Caroline said quietly.

Grace watched as the men
made their way back to the Manor. “What do you think?”

“I’m afraid.” Caroline turned from the window
and sank into the nearest chair. “Who were you talking about a few minutes ago?”

“
One of the actresses didn’t show. I think that’s who I saw being dragged out of here.”

Laura took Caroline’s position at the window.
“One of the actresses?” Laura repeated, and then again for emphasis. “Don’t you see? You were meant to see that. It’s part of the mystery.” Laura looked at her in disappointment. “I wish I had seen it. You probably missed a ton of vital clues.”

“Sorry,” Grace said sarcastically
, “speaking of clues, have you found your missing notebook?”

“No
, but it’s not necessary. I remember everything that I wrote.”

“What exactly did you write in that journal?” Grace asked.

Laura smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“A
nything about the woman in the pond?”

Laura rolled her eyes.

“You spoke to the person who pulled her out of the pond, didn’t you?” Grace asked patiently.

“Yes,” Laura said with a chuckle, “but I doubt her killer came all the way
out here to steal my notebook. After all, I’m sure the deputy taking the guy’s statement wrote down the same thing I did. In fact, he got even more information out of the guy after he noticed me standing there taking notes.” She scowled. “The deputy yelled at me and made me leave.”

At the sound of the front door slamming shut, they turned away from the window.

Jerry stood at the door to the library. He stamped his feet, dislodging the snow covering his pants onto the floor. “Well that was disappointing,” he said, peeling off his coat.

Caroline wasted no time in jumping to her feet. She crossed the library in a matter of seconds. As soon as she got within reach of her husband, she latched onto his arm and pulled him from the room.

Sabrina yawned. “I’m going back to bed.” She looked over at her sister. “Are you coming?”

“I guess it’s all over for tonight,” Laura said
, dejectedly as she walked to the door behind Sabrina. “It’s not fair. I should have been the one to see the body being dragged down the stairs. I certainly wouldn’t have acted like a fool, demanding to call the police.”

Shushing her sister,
Sabrina quickly glanced over her shoulder at Grace. She smiled apologetically before dropping her voice to a whisper, “It was probably just a nightmare. Some people are just overly excitable. Sad, really.” She smiled at Kyle standing at the door. “Night.”

Kyle nodded back at her before
shrugging out of his coat and hanging it in the coat closet. Too tired to put away his hat, scarf, gloves and boots neatly, he wearily tossed them onto the floor of the closet and shut the door, before joining Grace in the library. He did a double take next to the loveseat. “Where did you find her?” he asked, indicating Molly with a jerk of his head.

“She was here all along.
Did you find anything out there?”

Grimacing, Kyle
rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “I can’t wait to get back into bed. It’s freezing out there.”

Noticing
that he avoided her question, Grace said, “Kyle, I swear, I didn’t imagine this.”

“I believe you.” He rubbed her arms gently.

Sensing the hesitation in his voice, she asked, “But?”

“
It’s just . . . we’re playing a mystery game, Grace.” He leaned against the edge of the desk. “Let’s think about this logically. We know there’s a fake murderer running around. What you saw was the killer disposing of one of his pretend victims.”

“
That’s not possible.”

“
Why not?”

“Because
, I’m the one that is supposed to be knocking everyone off in this game. And the only person who was next on my hit list was you.”

CHAPTER Eleven

Kyle jerked back
in surprise. “You’re the killer?”

Grace nodded somberly. “I’m supposed to seduce you
, get Ivy’s will, and then kill you.”

“I don’t believe it. Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Ivy stole my trust fund and wrote me out of her will. And depending on what script we are operating on, she also stole my boyfriend. She was a horrible mother. Frankly, I was a tad bit miffed,” she said with a small smile. “Next on my list after you, was my annoying lush of a little sister, Daisy, then finally, Uncle Cal and Aunt Clara. They never supported my dreams to be an acrobat.”

Kyle snorted.
“What?”

“I had already gotten rid of my father and I planned on having
Murder Manor all to myself. I was supposed to plant evidence on the doctor to make it seem like she’s the killer, but frankly, I haven’t been able to do it yet. I’m pretty sure Laura would make a citizen’s arrest if I got within five feet of her. Somehow, she knows that I killed Ivy.”

Rubbing his hands across his eyes, he chuckled.
“I had no idea. I was convinced the murderer was Hazel. Well, I guess it’s game over for me then . . . Hang on,” he said, as the smile dropped from his face. “What happened to the seduction part?”

Sighing, Grace crossed h
er arms. “Kyle, focus.”

“There was no seduction. I
remember you telling me goodnight and going to a slumber party with Molly.”

“A slumber party?
” Grace asked with a raised eyebrow. Listening to Molly bawling her eyes out over a man she just met was not her definition of a party.

“
No, no, no.” Grinning, he grabbed her about the waist and pulled her against his body. “This isn’t fair. You can’t skip over the seduction. If those are your instructions then—”

“
Kyle, would you just listen to me?”

He
stubbornly shook his head. “You can’t kill me yet. I refuse to die. I demand to be properly seduced first.” He leaned into her. “We can start now if you like.”

“Kyle!” She
pulled his hands away from her waist and gripped them tightly. “Think for a second. If I’m the killer—the only killer in this game—then who chased me up the stairs?”

His
grin slowly began to fade as he considered her words.

“Someone
killed that woman they found in the pond, and I don’t think that was some act or show to kick off the murder mystery weekend. I think it was real, and whoever killed her is here right now.”

Kyle shook his head.
She could tell he was torn between believing her, and believing that everything she had seen was just part of the mystery. He leaned back against the desk. “Okay, let’s suppose you’re right. What do you want to do about it?”

“Call the police.”

“And tell them what, exactly? That we’re here at Murder Manor playing a mystery game, and you think that there’s a real killer lurking about. They’ll think you’re insane. One, we have no body. Two, no one is missing,” he said ticking the numbers off his fingers. “Three—”

“Three, I
saw someone dragging a dead body down the stairs and then the killer came after me.”

“In the middle of the night. They’ll assume you were dreaming. That it was some nightmare brought on by this creepy old house. You also don’t have a mark on your body. The killer obviously didn’t try very hard to catch you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Grace said sarcastically. “Next time, I’ll run slower, so I’ll have proof.”

“Aw, come on.
You know I believe you. I just think that maybe one of the actors here was trying to scare you. We signed all sorts of release forms today to come to this thing and they promised all sorts of frights and chills.”

Grace wrapped her arms around his neck. “I expected cartoon frights and chills, not a reenactment
of
Halloween
with me in the starring role.”

“What sort of instructions did you get?”

“Not much. Just a list of clues I was supposed to drop, secrets I was supposed to expose, and a list of characters I was supposed to get alone and
knock off
.”

“Have you spoken to Rupert and Ivy about your role?”

Grace shook her head. “No, there didn’t seem to be any need. The instructions were pretty straightforward. Just basically, don’t tell anyone I’m the killer and to have fun.”

“Then you don’t know if there
’s another killer running about?”

“Why would there be two?”

“There’s always a twist in these things.” He tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. “Tomorrow morning we’ll talk to Austin. He’s played this game before, maybe he can fill us in on how it works.” He glanced to the door. “Has anyone seen him, yet?”

Nodding, Grace
quickly filled him in. “I doubt he’ll even remember Ivy and me waking him up tomorrow. He was completely dead to the world.”

Kyle indicated Molly lying
on the loveseat near the desk with a jerk of his head. “Much like sleeping beauty here.”

“Yeah,” Grace said
. She turned around and walked over to the end table next to the loveseat. She picked up the prescription bottle. “Must be pretty strong stuff. She hasn’t moved since we found her lying here.”

“Is she all right?”

Setting the bottle back down on the table, Grace shrugged. “I think so. She seems to be breathing all right. I wonder if she gave any to Austin.”

“I don’t know. I know
Sabrina handed her some pills to give to him in the sunroom, but I just assumed it was aspirin.”

Yawning
, Grace walked over to the fireplace at the end of the room. The adrenaline that had kicked in earlier had long since petered out, leaving her feeling drained. She flopped down onto the nearest sofa and stared, transfixed at the few remaining embers snapping against the log. Too exhausted to move, she let Kyle lay her down on the sofa and snuggle against her back. Seconds later, she was sound asleep.

*  *  *

“Good morning, sunshine,” Ivy said brightly.

With a great deal of
difficulty, Grace pried her eyes open. She squinted against the harsh sunlight shining through the windows to see Ivy leaning over the back of the sofa. She looked around for Kyle briefly, before turning back to the obscenely cheerful woman. “What time is it?”

“Morning time, sleepyhead. Breakfas
t is served in the dining room.” Ivy waved a plate of food in front of Grace’s nose. “We have eggs, pancakes, blackberry jam—a personal favorite of mine—bacon and sausage. Everything your little heart could desire.”

Suddenly feeling
nauseous, Grace pulled herself up into a sitting position. “Wonderful. Where’s Kyle?”

“Upstairs,
checking on his rabbit. Cute little thing. I asked him if he was going to make hasenpfeffer for us today. He didn’t seem to think that was funny. I’m sure he’ll be down soon. Now you better hurry. They’re all in the dining room discussing my murder. So far, everyone’s leaning toward Will Cheatum being the culprit, but I’m sure that will change very soon,” Ivy said with a wink. “Laura, on the other hand, is seriously pushing for you hard. She’s convinced that you’re the killer. Now, don’t worry.” Ivy wrapped an arm around Grace’s shoulders and led her to the library door. “I see this every time. They always suspect whoever isn’t in the room with them at the moment. You just go in and convince them that you're as innocent as the driven snow.”

Grace
placed her hand on the door and faced the other woman. “You know I’m the killer, right?”

Ivy chuckled. “Of course, dear.”

“Am I the only killer?”

Ivy hesitated. “Well
. . . Let’s just say, there’s always a plan B in the works.”

Just
then, the door to the library opened and Molly walked in. “Oh Grace, you’re awake. I was just coming to get you. You’re missing all the fun, Jerry’s about to give his summation,” she said taking Grace’s hand and dragging her into the foyer.

“He’
s solved the mystery?”

Smiling, Molly shrugged. “We’ll see.”

“Well, you two have fun. Let me know if they’ve solved my murder,” Ivy said, ascending the staircase with her breakfast.

Grace tugged her hand away. “Hang on a sec
, Molly. Let me go freshen up. I must look a fright.”

Molly grabbed her hand again. “
You look fine. Come on, you’ll miss everything.”

Com
bing her hair out with her fingers and hoping that she didn’t look as bad as she felt, Grace reluctantly followed Molly into the dining room. Relieved that no one gasped in horror at her appearance, she slipped into the seat next to Molly. She looked past the girl at Austin who looked like he could drop off to sleep at a moment’s notice. He propped his head up with one hand while his eyes stared, unfocused, at his plate. He slowly reached out and picked up his fork. Next to him sat Laura. Her eyes darted from Austin to Molly suspiciously, before finally settling on Grace.

Grace averted her eyes
. She smiled at Caroline who sat directly across from her. Caroline weakly smiled back. Grace noticed that the thick concealer under the woman’s eyes barely covered her deep, dark under-eye circles. Stifling a yawn, Caroline slowly dropped five sugar cubes into her coffee. Next to her was Sabrina, looking as chipper and carefree as ever. Her maid costume having been replaced by a beautiful red sweater and grey slacks. She was staring up at Jerry who had taken position at the head of the table. A flip board and easel stood next to him, and outlined on the flip board was a childlike drawing of the dining room.

Using a butter knife, Jerry tapped at the paper.
“As I’ve demonstrated, there is only one logical explanation.”

“Well then
, who did it?” Sabrina asked, practically bouncing up and down in her chair.

Jerry puffed out his chest.
“The killer is none other than . . .” He paused for dramatic effect.

“Who?”
Sabrina shouted.

Jerry placed his hands behind his back.
“Let’s start from the beginning. I first suspected something—”

“Who?”
Sabrina, Laura, and Molly shouted at once.

“
Sweetie,” Caroline said, buttering her toast, “you're losing your audience. Get on with it.”

Jerry gave his wife a snide look
, but capitulated. “The killer is none other than . . .” He swung around and pointed a finger at Rupert. “. . . the butler, Rupert . . . uh . . .” He looked confused for a second. “What is your full name?”

“
Rupert Smith, sir.”

“Smith?” Jerry shook his head. “Rupert Smith, ladies and gentlemen. He’s our killer.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Laura snapped. “The butler? That’s your theory?”

“Laura
is . . .” Molly winced. “Uh, sorry . . . I mean Dr. Nightcourt—”

“Shade,” Laura said through gritted teeth
, “Nightshade.”

Molly closed her eyes. “
Right.” She sighed lightly. “Dr. Nightshade is correct. There’s no way. What’s his motive?”

“He’s been stealing from Ivy for years,” Jerry said. “She found out
, so he slipped a little something in her drink during dinner.”

“That’s a bloody lie,” Rupert shouted. “I loved Ivy. I worshipped her. She was everything I’ve ever wanted. If it was anyone
, it was her boy toy.” He pointed a long bony finger at Austin.

Austin,
who had just taken a bite of sausage, inhaled too quickly and began to cough. Jerry reached over and helpfully pounded Austin on the back.

“We all know he’s only after her money,” Rupert said.

Jerry still pounding on Austin’s back despite the other man having recovered said, “Don’t try to throw suspicion on an innocent man.”

“Thanks,”
Austin said, trying to evade Jerry’s hand. “I think I’m okay now.”

“Rupert can’t be the killer,”
Sabrina argued.

“Why not?” Jerry asked.

“Because he didn’t steal any money,” Sabrina said. “It was a loan, which he paid back. I know because I was a witness to the transaction.”

“Oh,” Jerry said. He leaned over toward
Sabrina, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“See, no motive,” Molly said.

Jerry grinned. “Oh well
.” He turned to his wife. “I was sure I had it.”

Smirking, Caroline nodded. “Yeah, you were
a regular Clouseau.” She glanced over at Grace. “How are you feeling, Grace?”

“Tired,” Grace admitted.

“Yeah,” Molly said, “I heard there was some excitement last night.”

Grace reached for the orange juice. “That’s putting it mildly.
”