Ghastly Glass (21 page)

The entire Village was covered in fake spiderweb. It glistened in the streetlights and moved with the breeze. In some spots, it was too heavy to walk through. Visitors and residents would need scissors to get around in the morning.

“This is spooky.” Bart pulled up his hood. He tested the spiderweb against his scythe. “It’s good and strong,” he added when it didn’t pull down.

“Looks like a giant spider from hell or Mars visited,” I remarked.

“It would have to be hell,” Chase said. “Mars would be sci-fi. We don’t do that here.”

We said good night to Bart and started across the King’s Highway. “This is gonna be a mess for maintenance,” Chase said. “It sucks to be them.”

I agreed. “Who do you think is making all these choices? ”

Merlin ran by us (at least as far as the spiderwebs would let him). His robe flashed in the breeze. “Isn’t it wonderful? Don’t you love it? ”

We watched him continue skipping and running through the webbing. I didn’t have to wonder for long who’d decided we needed giant spiderwebs all over the Village. Now that I knew about Merlin being Adventure Land’s founder, I knew who to blame for everything.

“Any ideas yet on what you plan to do to get even with Rafe? ” Chase asked as we walked past Eve’s Garden at the far end of Mirror Lake.

“Not yet. I’ve kind of been busy thinking about Mary and Roger, and now finding out who killed Ross.”

“I have an idea.”

“Does it involve pain and suffering? ”

“Not really. I thought about emptying his wine casks and filling them with vinegar.”

“Too easy.” I walked beside him, dodging webbing. “You know, this looks like a trailer for a bad Spiderman movie.”

“You think so? ” He looked around us at the spiderwebs, which connected every stationary object inside the Village wall. “I like the spider-from-hell scenario best.”

“Maybe. I suppose visitors will love it.”

“And want to have their pictures taken wrapped in it.”

I slipped my arm through his. “Maybe we should just get up late tomorrow.”

“That works for me.” He grinned. “You are really
hot
in that outfit.”

“You already told me that, remember? When you took it off right after I put it on the first time.” I smiled, thoroughly enjoying the way he was looking at me.

“That was before I saw you fight Roger. Believe me, there wasn’t a knave or king in that room who didn’t want you. You have great legs, Jessie.”

“Yeah. You probably say that to all the armor-wearing babes in the Village.”

We’d reached the dungeon and Chase had his hand on the door. “Besides you, that only leaves Daisy. I don’t think that’s happening.”

“But maybe not because you don’t
want
it to.”

We both laughed and he opened the door. Laughter turned quickly to groaning when the stupid banshee started wailing again. Chase swore and hit the sturdy dungeon door with his fist. “I don’t understand this. I ripped everything out of here
twice
. Who keeps putting it back? ”

I glanced at the inside of the dungeon door as Chase stalked into the darkness to remove the banshee again. One of the stuffed scarecrows from the hatchet-throwing booth was pinned to the door with the same blood red words scribbled across its chest:
Death shall find thee
.

“Chase.” I swallowed hard on my fear. “If Bart is right, his brother’s killer just paid us a visit. Again.”

C
hase and I both slept at Debby’s that night. We had very little with us, but Chase had managed to take back my two-way radio before we left the dungeon. It wasn’t much fun, but at least it felt safe. I got up sometime during the long night and went to check on Chase, who was sleeping in the living room. Debby’s sofa (really a love seat) was big enough for only part of him. Most of him was either sticking out in the air or on the floor. It didn’t look very comfortable. I felt guilty for taking the soft bed. But considering Debby was in the bed, too, I guess I didn’t feel
too
bad.

I went back to sleep, and when I woke up at eight, he was gone. No note. No two-way radio. I felt a little less kindly toward him. He could’ve left me something. My ankle felt better though. I was glad for that.

“Where’s Chase?” Debby asked, coming out of the bathroom.

“He had to go to work,” I made up. “He’s really busy.”

She nodded. “I know. With all this stuff going on in the Village, I’m surprised he gets to sleep at all. It must be superexciting to be with him, huh? ”

I assured her it was more superexciting than she could imagine, then went to take a shower. The hot water was gone (big surprise) so it was a really quick, cold shower. I put on the bustier and the black leather pants. The blouse made the outfit look decent enough, but I couldn’t wear it again. Later, maybe at lunch, I’d wander down to see Portia and return my Joan of Arc costume. If I was lucky she’d have something else for me.

The Village was a mess after the giant spiderweb fiasco of last night. The webbing was damp from the morning’s drizzly weather, and much of it had fallen down on the ground like big white strings of polyester taffy. Everyone was jumping over it or ducking under it. Twice I saw some of it slide from a shop roof into the street. It was going to be a huge cleanup job for maintenance, as Chase had predicted.

I stopped at Sir Latte’s and listened to the endless speculation by residents about what was happening. Most people thought the red lettering was a joke or something the Village was doing as a Halloween promotion. A few were scared because of the phrase’s connection to Ross’s death. Many were completely unaware anything had happened.

I ate my muffin and drank my mocha without adding to the speculation. I might have been in the middle of what was going on, but I had no idea why it was happening, and what little I knew seemed better kept to myself.

I finished my breakfast and headed out into the damp day. Hopefully the early morning drizzle would give way to sunshine. The weather at the coast often starts out rainy but clears up by noon. Of course, this time of year was serious hurricane season. Maybe by lunch, none of us would be here.

I didn’t realize until I was standing outside of the Glass Gryphon that I was dreading seeing Roger again. Oh yeah, I’d been flip about it last night when I was beating him at fake swordplay. And maybe he wouldn’t be upset because I
had
reunited him with Mary in a big way. He might even be grateful. Or he might tell me to get lost.

I opened the shop door just before the main gate was due to open on the other side of the Village. Roger was not at his workbench. Henry looked up from whatever he was creating but didn’t say anything. Did that bode well for my return to glass art?

“Good morning.” Roger came down the stairs from his apartment. He was dressed in his usual white shirt and brown leather jerkin. “Are you ready to get started? ”

My heart jumped a little. I was really looking forward to continuing my apprenticeship. At least I didn’t have to beg to have my workbench back. “You bet. My little dog wants a body.”

He laughed. I stared at him. It was a
real
laugh, not some snide precursor to a remark that was going to irritate me. I couldn’t believe it. Then Mary came downstairs, twisting her red scarf around her head. Suddenly, I understood.

I walked over to my workbench and lit up the torch. At least I remembered how to do that much. I could feel everyone watching me. I put on my glasses and looked up at them. “What? ”

Mary shook her head. “Putting that girl next to fire is
not
a good idea. Be careful, Jessie. That thing can give you a lot more than a cut on the finger.” She kissed Roger good-bye and sailed out the front door toward Wicked Weaves across the street.

“So you’re working on a dog?” Roger looked at my project from several different angles. “Good job! I’m sure it’ll take shape. Don’t forget, it’s all about controlling the heat. You need part of the glass to move into shape, but you want the other part to be stationary.”

I was holding my nine-mil glass tube in the flame from the torch as he was speaking. It was the perfect size for my dog’s body. Unfortunately, it drooped over on the bench like a big blob of marshmallow in a camp fire. We both stood there staring at it.

“Don’t worry,” he cheered me on. “You’ll get it. Henry did, and he’s not as bright as you.”

I glanced at Henry and could see he wasn’t loving that remark. I wondered if the two had argued about the duel last night. Had Roger tried to coerce Henry into going to save face? I wasn’t really worried about it. I could’ve taken Henry more easily than I had Roger. At least Roger had learned how to fake sword fight like the rest of us. Henry didn’t even have that knowledge.

After the main gate opened, the Village quickly filled with visitors. In fact, it was a lot busier than a typical Monday should’ve been. I was wondering why when the door to the shop opened and Lilly Hamilton entered, complete with camera-toting assistant.

“And this is one of the many shops located here in Renaissance Faire Village that will be affected by a police shutdown of the popular tourist attraction.” Lilly spoke directly to the camera, her normally squinty brown eyes wide open. “After yesterday’s remarks by the Myrtle Beach Town Council and chief of police, it seems the trendy Village may not last as long as its Renaissance namesake.”

Lilly cued her cameraman, a thin, young man who looked a lot like Peter Parker before he became Spiderman. He was barely able to hold up the camera. After making sure her adoring public wasn’t watching anymore, Lilly turned to Roger.

“I remember you from yesterday. You and that girl were almost hit by the sign, right? Would you like to say a few words? Everyone wants to know what’s going on here.”

Roger couldn’t seem to muster one word much less a few, so I jumped in. “What’s going on is you not being here while visitors are coming in,” I told her. “You’re not exactly in costume and you’re carrying modern-day devices.”

“I checked with Adventure Land,” she replied with way too much confidence and perkiness. “They said it would be fine for me to be here just as I am, complete with camera.”

“Kind of like TV-Reporter Barbie, right?” I imitated her princess voice the best I could. Only part of my brain that allows me to speak worked with me on that one.

Lilly stared hard at me. “Oh! You’re that girl that almost died yesterday. I could talk to
you
.”

“Did you forget your contacts?” I squinted at her, then smiled. “You could talk to me, but I probably wouldn’t answer.”

“Now, ladies.” Henry stepped in and slipped an arm around Lilly’s waist. “I can see this interview won’t get you anywhere. I’ll be glad to give you the whole story. Would you like to step out back? ”

Lilly giggled (obviously good fairy/wraith material) and went outside with Henry. Her cameraman heaved a huge sigh and followed them out the back door.

“What just happened? ” Roger asked.

“Lilly Hamilton said Myrtle Beach might close down the Village,” I explained. “I guess we’re too much trouble for the police.”

“I’m going to kill Henry,” he vowed.

I picked up a thick, sage green glass rod, but it was too big. Nice color, though. I grabbed a six-mil red rod (my dog needed eyes) and stuck it in the torch. “Just don’t do it on Village property. I wonder if Chase has heard anything about this.”

I
had to wonder only until lunchtime when Chase stopped by the shop. Lilly was long gone, probably interviewing and annoying dozens of other people in the Village. Henry had come back inside with a satisfied smile on his face and showed me a slip of paper that supposedly had her phone number on it.

Like I care
. Anyway, Chase caught me at the right time. I’d just killed my fifth glass dog. Pretty soon we’d have to open a glass pet cemetery just to keep up with me. I’d managed to burn my hand as well, but it wasn’t bad enough to go see Wanda.