Deadly Magic (10 page)

“
Or Belle. Is that why Belle is here? She was there that night, too.”

Straker smil
ed. “It’s not Belle. She would never have hurt Lily. Lily was like a mother to her after her own mother died. No, I trust Belle implicitly.”

She pick
ed up another file. “Did they have any other suspects?”

“
One was convinced that you killed her.”

“
Me?” she asked in surprise. “Why?”

“
He thought you may have sent the letter to Lily in the hopes that you could have me for yourself. He thought your being part of the act was suspicious, too.”

“
That’s ridiculous.”

“
That’s what I thought. You’re actually the only one I believe wouldn’t have killed her, Holliday.”

“
I’m flattered, but may I ask why?”

“
You’re from Iowa.”

Grace sat back in her chair. Before she could ask what that could possibly have to do with anything
and point out that she was from Colorado, Louisa walked in.

T
uesday, December 6th

CHAPTER
NINE

Grace
sat in
her office and stared at the rain coming down in sheets past her window. She had spent all night thinking about her new job duties. She had no idea how to proceed. Lily hadn’t been the friendliest of people. If she was anything like her husband, she probably had enemies lined up outside the door, but she couldn’t see anyone from the office sitting around plotting her death.

She reach
ed for her phone. Maybe Valerie could help. She quickly dialed her extension and asked her to come to her office.

Tearing off a large sheet of paper and throwing it in the garbage, she le
aned over her design board. She drew a rough sketch of the theater. By the time she finished drawing a couple of rows of seats, Valerie had arrived.

Valerie stood next to her.
“What are you doing?”

“
Where was everyone sitting when I was doing my impression of Alice in Wonderland?”

Valerie look
ed at her curiously, but didn’t comment.

“
The last time I saw Lily must have been right around the beginning of the second intermission. You had a good view of everyone. Do you remember where everyone was after the first intermission and before the second?”

A half-smile played around her lips.
“Let’s see. After you left me, I went into the theater and sat next to Straker. All of the toy shop employees were sitting in their seats.” She gazed down at the crude drawing of the theater. With her index finger, she pointed out everyone’s position. “Allen, Michael, and Harcourt were sitting together in your row.”

“Did any of them leave?”

Valerie shook her head. “Only Allen. He ended up being called to the stage. You should have seen it, Grace. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen. I was thinking, we should get together and pay Dragovich to teach us how to hypnotize Allen. He was like a completely different person on stage.”

“
What did he do after he left the stage?”

“
Nothing. He came back and sat down . . .” Valerie tilted her head to the side. “I think he left sometime after that. You know, I don’t remember seeing him after you disappeared in that chest.”

“
What about Louisa and Daniel?”

“
Louisa was sitting next to Straker. She showed up in the middle of the first intermission and fell a sleep a few seconds later. Daniel showed up a few minutes after you did.” Valerie grimaced and shook her head.

“What?”
Grace asked, wondering about her friend’s strange expression.

“She woke up after you went up on the stage. It was horrible. They sat there bickering the whole time until Straker told them to
be quiet.”

“What were they fighting about?”

“I don’t know, but Louisa was furious. She kept asking him, where had he been? What had he been doing? If he got Straker’s surprise all ready, like a good son-in-law. She just would not shut up.”

“So, they weren’t paying attention to my great performance. I’m shocked.”

“They weren’t the only ones. Harcourt was just as bad.”

“
Why? What did he do?”

“
You know Sidney. He spent most of the night criticizing the show. He wasn’t exactly quiet about it, either.” She pointed to their position on the drawing. “He was sitting next to Allen in your row.” She tapped at the drawing. “No. I’m certain Allen wasn’t in his seat. I don’t think I saw him for the rest of the night.”

“
What about Ethan?”

Valerie smil
ed. “Poor guy. He just sat there looking for you. If I thought Straker would have let me go, I would have been happy to keep him company.”

Smirking, Grace wrote his name in the space provid
ed. “Besides Allen, did you see anyone else leave after I got dragged up to the stage?”

Valerie softly shook her head.
“Now that I think of it, Michael left too, but he was only gone for a few minutes. He was definitely back in his seat when Lily fell. It was so strange.”

“What was?”

“His reaction. At first, we all thought it was part of the show, but when they closed the curtains, everyone in the audience started to talk at once. Several people screamed. People started to stand. Others got up and walked to the stage. Michael just sat there, staring at the floor. It was just strange. He had no reaction at all.”

“That’s interesting.”

Valerie laughed. “I wouldn’t say that. I wasn’t paying that much attention to him. I was trying to watch over Straker. Michael may have just been in shock for those few seconds I was watching him.”

“
Still, it was strange enough to get your attention.” Grace put a question mark next to Michael’s seat. “So, everyone, but me and Allen were sitting in the audience when Lily was murdered—”

“
Wow, you are really taking this seriously.” Valerie laughed. “Ah, I know what you’re doing. You’ve been deputized.”

Grace look
ed at her in surprised. “Straker told you?”

“
No. I just guessed. I hate to break it to you, but you’re not the first. He’s already made Allen the new house detective in charge of office security.”

“
House detective? Allen? Well, that explains why Allen was questioning me about my whereabouts, yesterday.

“
Hmm. I got the third degree, yesterday, too. I don’t think I was much help.” Valerie smiled. “Allen’s very proud of his new title. So, what kind of title did you get?”

Grace shook her head.
“Nothing.”

“
Well, don’t feel bad. I didn’t get anything either. Honestly, Grace. Everyone thinks she committed suicide. The police detectives, the private investigators Straker hired. Everyone.”

Grace quickly fill
ed her in on what she learned from Straker. “I agree with him. Someone killed her and they’re going to get away with it if something isn’t done.”

“
Well, if she was murdered, then my money’s on Belle. I think she’s just a little too much like Lily.”

“
Belle’s a sweetheart,” Grace protested.

“
I think it’s an act. I think she killed Lily, so she could have Straker.”

Grace burst out laughing.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she spat out between big gulps of air.

Valerie smil
ed. “Stranger things have happened. Besides she was acting very strange yesterday.”

“
What happened?”

She disappear
ed for an hour while you were having lunch with Ethan. I caught her and your new assistant in the hallway closet near the elevator.”

“
Kyle? What were they doing?”

“
They
said
they were looking for Christmas decorations.”

“
Maybe they were.”

“
In the dark?”

“Was this before or after he blew the breaker?”

“Before.”

Grace had to admit that was a bit strange.
“Maybe the light was broken.”

“
I don’t think so.”

“
They just met yesterday morning.”

Valerie shrugg
ed. “She’s a very friendly girl.”

“
Hmm. Belle couldn’t be the killer. She was standing right next to me when Lily fell from the scaffolding. You know, Ethan suspects Ilya Dragovich.”

“
He’s my second suspect. Lily and he have been having an affair for years, maybe they had a lover’s quarrel, and he killed her.”

“
Straker believes that someone was trying to set her up. They sent her letters accusing Straker of having an affair, too.”

“
Straker’s letters may have been a lie, but hers were not. Grace, I’m telling you, she was having an affair with Ilya Dragovich and it had been going on since Straker married her. She didn't even try to hide it. I can prove it, too.” She motioned for Grace to follow her out into the hallway.

Kyle was sitting at his desk, playing with a hula dancing Santa. The
multi-colored lights of over a thousand Christmas lights surrounded him, giving him an almost ethereal glow. He waved and smiled at her as she passed by.

Once they reach
ed Valerie’s office, she held up her finger to her lips and tiptoed to her filing cabinet next to her desk. Valerie thumbed through the drawers before bring out a folder marked Lily’s Expenses. Opening the folder, she showed Grace five checks, written from Lily Straker to Dragovich.

“
Over fifty thousand dollars in the last year,” she whispered, looking over her shoulder at Straker’s office.

Picking up the last check
, Grace narrowed her eyes. “Her writing is atrocious. I can’t tell if that is a three or a five.”

“
That’s not including the men’s jewelry she’s bought.” Valerie brought out a receipt for a twenty thousand dollar watch.

“
I guess this wasn’t for Straker.”

“
He wears a cheap knock off he got off the street. Paid five dollars for it. Brags about the thing.” Valerie pushed the papers around. She handed a few more to Grace. “Look at these. Armani. Dolce & Gabbana. Hugo Boss. You see what the man wears every day. He has three suits. Two of them have been here longer than we have. Combined.”

“
How are you getting all of these receipts?”

“
I have to take care of their personal bills, too. See here is her credit card statement. Look at these purchases.”

Grace glanc
ed down at the statement, not sure what she should be looking for. Most of the purchases were at restaurants throughout Europe. “Okay.”

“
Now look at the dates and the places.”

“
All right, what about them?”

Valerie
sat down at her computer. With a couple of keystrokes she brought up Dragovich’s tour dates, but for a couple of exceptions, the dates and places matched the dates and places on Lily’s credit card statement. Just in the last six months alone, Lily was in the same city and at the same time as Ilya Dragovich at least fifteen times.

“
Does Straker know about all of these purchases?”

Valerie look
ed sadly at Grace. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s not like she was trying to hide her affair. She was brazen about it.”

“
Hello.” Grace looked up to see Ethan standing at the door. Water dripping from his hair and his face. She glanced outside. It was pouring. Streams of water covered the window and a flash of lightening lit up the sky.

Grace dropp
ed the receipts down on Valerie’s desk, as she returned his greeting. “What are you doing here?”

“
I had some free time. So, I thought I’d ask you to lunch. Are you busy?”

“
No,” Grace quickly reassured him. “Not busy at all.”

“
You two seemed like you were involved in a serious conversation.”

Valerie pick
ed up the folders and stuffed them back into the filing cabinet. “We were just talking about Lily Straker.”

“
Ah. The case.” He rubbed his hands together excitedly. “Anything new?”

Grace fill
ed him in on her new position within the company.

Ethan
laughed. “So, you’ve been promoted to house detective.”

“
No, technically Allen has that title.”

Thunder crash
ed overhead, as the lights dimmed and finally went out, plunging them in darkness.

Ethan
walked over to the window. “The street lights are still working.”

Grace joined him at the window. “
The slightest little thing knocks the electricity out.”

Craning his
neck, he looked towards the buildings across the street. “No one else’s is out. Don’t you have a generator?”

“
Don’t worry. They’ll come back on soon.”

Ethan
looked around at the darkened office. “How long does it usually last?”

Grace shrugg
ed. “A few minutes to a few hours. It just depends.”

“
Well, that means you’re free for a while. Why don’t we all go over to my office? We’ll order lunch in.”

Valerie brought out a couple of candles and set them on the desk.
“Our boss has a very practical outlook on electricity. As long as it's daylight and we have candles, we can still work.”

“
If it was good enough for Abraham Lincoln, it’s good enough for us,” they both said in a gruff imitation of Straker’s voice.