Maisie reaches across and squeezes Mina’s knee.Something is going on here that I don’t understand.
“You know … a few months ago, the Argleton Village Tourism Board commissioned a special interest piece in the paper about castles in the area,” Maisie says.
“I told you, tourists love castles. At least that’s one idea of mine that Counsellor Durant couldn’t disagree with.” Komal munches on her second doughnut. No one has touched Beth’s muffins.
“Yes, thank you, Ms Tourism Board Chair. So, anyway, I had to go through the archives to find photographs of BlackCrag to include. I found a portrait of the Lord Valerian from 1798. He looksexactlylike your boss. Like, it’s uncanny. I’ll show you.” Maisie whips out her phone and scrolls through her images. “Here.”
I stare at the scanned newspaper article, pinching my fingers to zoom in on the grainy picture.
Okay, so that stuffy old lorddoeslook an awful lot like Alaric, and if I didn’t know better, I swear he’s wearing the same coat Alaric wore the night we met at the pub. If I didn’t know it was a painting from the 1700s, I’d swear that was him.
“That’s Alaric’s ancestor,” I say. “It makes sense that there would be some family resemblance.”
“There’s family resemblance and then there’s ‘I’ve haunted this castle for four centuries without the love of a human woman and now I have the sweet, innocent organiser trapped in the tower’,” Maisie says.
“I’m not trapped in the tower. And he gave me a fancy candelabra so I can run away in the night if I need to, just like this lady.” I hand Maisie back her phone and point to one of the novels on the floor, whose cover shows a woman in a white nightgown, clutching a very similar candelabra and fleeing in terror from a creepy manor. “Besides, he can’t be a vampire. I keep finding crucifixes everywhere, and his butler loves cooking with garlic.”
Another odd look is exchanged between the women. Mina makes a slashing motion across her throat.
“Vampire or not, there issomethingabout those old-fashioned clothes he wears,” Beth pipes up.
“And that something is sexy,” adds Komal.
“Agreed,” I say, and instantly want to clamp my hand over my mouth.
What has gotten into me?
Dora glares at everyone. “Remember, there’snothingsexy about vampires who murder innocent men.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?”
“You mean you haven’t heard?” Komal slaps her knee. “Of course, you’re not on the book club group chat. We’llhave to remedy that. And if Alaric is the murderer, he wouldn’t exactly tell you about it. I found Danny O’Hare’s body behind the Rose & Wimple the other day, and he was last seen alive at the pub the night before, having an altercation with Alaric over a woman.”
That’s me. The woman is me.
My stomach lurches, even though I haven’t had any sprouted mung bean muffins.That’s why the police were so on guard when they questioned Alaric.“Just because Alaric was talking to this guy doesn’t mean he murdered him. I don’t know,obviously, but maybe he was helping this mystery girl? Maybe the dead guy was bothering her and Alaric shooed him away.”
With his lips.
His cool, kissable lips that I’m absolutely, definitely not thinking about right now …
My hand flies to the small graze on my neck where his teeth scraped my skin.
“Wesaw him in the pub that night,” Isis exclaims. “He was looking all broody at the bar with his glass of red wine. He’s been coming into the pub a bit lately.”
“Do we think he’s the murderer?!” Beth exclaims.
“No.” Dora flashes Isis a look. “Remember? You had that vision which showed you it couldn’t possibly be Alaric.”
“Oh, yes! That’s right.” Isis’s face twists into an unreadable expression. “Alaric’s not the murderer. I know because I am a skilled psychic. I just … forgot before. Winnie’s right – he was probably just shooing Danny away.”
“I’d believe Winnie’s version of events,” Maisie says. “Danny O’Hare was a local builder, sort of a jack-of-all-trades, and he practically had his own barstool down at the Rose & Wimple. He was also a first-class wanker. Every woman in this room has had to fend off his overzealous advances. Oh, and that horrifying fact I want to tell you? Danny was exsanguinated.”
The whole room gasps, myself included. “That’s the horrifying fact you wanted to tell us? That wasn’t in your articlein the paper! If a vampire is running about, sucking people dry, then the village should know about it,” Isis declares.
“I can’t write that the murder was committed by a vampire,” Maisie says. “Don’t you remember the last time we had a vampire murder and the whole village went nuts stealing holy water from the church and keeping stakes in their handbags?”
Sorry, what?
