The Girl and the Clock Tower Murder: Pandemonium Cozy Mystery #2

Chapter 4

Mahogany went to the refrigerator, grabbed the milk jug, and drank deeply from the bottle. Bazgul, who had been sunning on his cat tree near the bank of kitchen windows, hopped down, scampered up Mahogany's leg, and perched on her shoulder.

Lost in her a swirl of irritation, Mahogany didn't notice Bazgul's attempt at comforting her until the weight on her shoulder changed.

Bazgul's scratchy tarantula hairs had softened, become almost plush. Startled, Mahogany reached up to brush the hairs from her cheek and discovered that Bazgul had shifted his form. Instead of a massive spider, he had taken the shape of a fuzzy squirrel with huge mandibles.

He placed a tiny, clawed, human-like hand on Mahogany's cheek and sniffed her ear with his wiggling, wet, whiskered nose.

Mahogany shrieked in surprise and batted Bazgul off her shoulder.

The rust-colored squirrel hit the kitchen floor and slid several feet before stopping.

"Gods, Bazgul. What are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?" Mahogany shivered and rubbed at the lingering touch left behind by Bazgul's paw-hand. If picnicking in the park had taught her anything about squirrels, it was that they were fierce beasts who would go to any lengths to steal your pb&j on whole wheat.

Bazgul sat back on his furry haunches and gave Mahogany a defeated look before vaporating into a red-orange mist and floating upstairs.

"Bazgul, I'm sorry," Mahogany called, her voice filled with regret. Giving a heavy sigh, she placed the milk back in the fridge and pinched the bridge of her nose. If Bazgul was trying to get her attention, he did a great job. She only wished he would tell her what was wrong. Maybe she could have Guy speak to him. Where the heck was Guy anyway? He'd been gone before she got up, and she hadn't seen any sign of him all morning.

Evelina knocked softly on the kitchen door connecting the apothecary to the house. "You don't think Detective Sawyer would arrest us for sleuthing?" She stood on the threshold between the two rooms, not daring to enter.

Mahogany nodded. "She didn't appear to be joking this morning when she warned me off." She squeezed her eyes shut and turned to face Evelina. "Do you know what time the police think Matt was murdered?"

"Between 9 and 1 last night," Evelina said, biting her lips to keep from smiling.

"I may have been tipsy when I got home, but the compass was quiet until this morning." She shook her head. "He was alive until around midnight."

A sparkle lit Evelina's eyes, and she nodded. Realizing that Mahogany's eyes were still closed, she said, "So we weren't across the street when he was murdered? Thank the gods."

"Nope," Mahogany's eyes flew open. "No, I'm not interested. I'm not getting involved." She turned on her heel, which wobbled, and Mahogany nearly tripped. She was going to have to see the cobbler and soon.

From the apothecary, the brass bell over the door tinkled. "Well, hello, Tony. We haven't seen you around here lately." Neema's smoky voice carried a hopeful tone. "And who's your friend." The floor creaked as Neema came around the counter to greet the new arrivals. "I'm Neema, and welcome to the Haughty Hemlock."

"Nice to meet you, Neema. I'm Blair, Tony's fiancée."

Evelina's mouth dropped open, and her eyes grew to the size of saucers, locking on with Mahogany, and the pair stared at one another, speechless.

On the outside, Mahogany had zero reaction. Her umber complexion belayed no sense of the drama taking place internally. At the word fiancée, two things happened. The first was a sense of vertigo as if the world had suddenly dropped from under her. Her stomach clenched, and she felt her coffee rise in her esophagus. The second was a growing understanding as if a darkened part of her mind were flooded with light.