Once you were dead, that was the end of it. We all wanted to live forever, but that was impossible. Even the elves that watched with their dead glass eyes probably knew that. Zelda had said that they saw, and they probably did—watching all of us behave like children. Watching while Lemon and Luis spat, while Traylor lied to his wife, and while Tex pretended that he hadn’t killed his own Sable.
Tex.He didn’t know that I knew about his wife, did he? He watched Roan with curious eyes, nodding and agreeing to everything that he said, but was it all an act? Were there two different criminals that I was dealing with? The one who’d murdered Zelda and the one who’d rigged the knife? Was it the same knife that had been used on Zelda? Where was the weapon now?
Roan had been in charge of it after I tossed it onto the floor. Had he tucked it away for safekeeping? Surely he had. Roan never would have let such an important piece of evidence get away from him.
“I guess I’m in,” Tex said, pulling on his socks. “I’m all for helping us find Zelda’s killer.”
Lemon scoffed. “Of course you are. You had nothing to do with it.” She lifted her head and glared at Roan. “Fine. I’ll go along with this preposterous plan also.”
“And me,” Luis said. “You’re not going to agree to it without me being there.”
Lemon blew him a kiss. “Don’t be afraid, Luis. I’m sure Mother won’t strangle you from the beyond.”
“Very funny,” he said sharply. “You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t wrap your hair extensions around your own neck and pull tight.”
Lemon gasped.
“Oh, go eat a pickle,” Luis said.
Ruth murmured to me, “Such a wonderful family. I wonder what Christmas will be like? Think we should come back for it?”
I bit down a laugh. “No. As soon as the front doors unlock, I’m out of here. Forever.”
She grinned. “Can’t say I blame you.”
Roan spoke to Traylor. “What do you think? Are you in?”
Traylor glanced at Luis and then Lemon. “Are you doing this for the truth and not just for spectacle?”
“I wouldn’t have this any other way,” Roan said. “We want the truth, and it’s about time we got it. We should have done it earlier, but Blissful was lied to, by your wife, regarding the helmet.”
Lemon rolled her eyes. “Everyone is so picky. Say one wrong thing about an object and it gets blown out of proportion.”
I scoffed. “It was one wrong thing said very much on purpose—to get me out of here.”
“Did you do it so that you could kill Zelda without the medium here?” Luis asked bitterly. “Or were you simply jealous because you have never had one ounce of the talent that your mother did?”
“I will claw your eyes out,” Lemon screeched. “I helped Mother however I could. You’re the one who was sucking her dry.” She flicked her hand toward him. “You and all your sashaying. Do you think for one moment that you’ve fooled me? I know who you like, and it isn’t my mother’s type.”
Luis brought his hand to his neck in a clutch-pearls gesture. “You are an ungrateful little girl.”
Roan clapped his hands. “That’s enough. We’re never going to get anywhere if we don’t get this show moving.” Everyone paused. Roan took a deep breath. “Now. I want this room cleared out, and I want the chairs set back up around the table. I also need candles lit.”
No one moved to do anything, so Roan roared, “Now!”
That got folks scurrying. People darted like lightning, dashing here and there, doing everything that he asked.
Roan draped an arm over my shoulder and studied the group with satisfaction. “Wow. I never thought I’d get them to work that fast.”
Lemon whisked chairs under the table at triple speed.
“I guess they all think the other person did it. Once the truth is out, the terms of the will may change.”
He nodded. “Agreed. Oh, let me help get the couches out of here.”
Tex motioned to his back. “I’d love to lift it, but I can’t hardly move. Too old, I guess.”
As they worked, I noticed a flash of movement outside of the room. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Lucky floating in the hallway.
