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

Chapter 14

"All right, you need to catch me up. What do you know?" Tony took a bite of his blooming onion. The trio sat in Evelina's small apartment, munching on dinner from Tipsy O'Lush's as they studied the modest murder wall.

"Matt Hader was murdered at the clock tower on Tuesday Night sometime after midnight," Mahogany said. "When I went to bed, the bone-needle compass was quiet. When I got up the next morning, it was spinning."

"He was murdered with a wrench used to fix the clock. First, Matt was hit over the head and then strangled with the wrench," Evelina said, picking at her pizza toppings.

"That means the murderer didn't have to be large or strong. Matt wasn't overpowered. He was probably surprised by the blow to the head, and then the murderer used the wrench to cut off his air supply," Tony said.

"I hadn't thought of that," Evelina said. "Saree is looking better and better for Matt's murder."

Mahogany pictured the diminutive Saree Fenquoth. At only five-foot-two and 100 pounds, fully dressed and after a big meal, Saree wouldn't have been able to strangle Matt with her bare hands, but with an instrument like a large, heavy wrench and her body weight, she could have murdered her husband.

"I just wish we knew what Lilac told the police and what evidence they found when they searched her house," Evelina said, tearing a bit from her pizza slice in frustration.

"What about Guy?" Tony asked.

"What about him?" Mahogany said.

"Well, he was pretty helpful during the last investigation. Could you ask him to snoop around the station for us?"

Tony had a point, but Guy had been missing in action for the last few weeks. She had no way of knowing where he was, but maybe.

"Bazgul, please come," Mahogany said, projecting her voice into the small apartment and hopefully beyond.

A second later, a red-brown mist materialized on Mahogany's plate, and started munching on her half-eaten piece of pizza.

"Hey there, buddy." Mahogany scratched the massive spider's bulbous body. "Do you have any idea where Guy might be?"

Bazgul raised his head, and four sets of glittering black eyes focused on Mahogany as if to say, was that the only reason you summoned me? Bazgul chittered, and Mahogany nodded.

"When you're finished eating, would you mind heading to the cemetery and asking him to pop by for a chat?"

Bazgul bobbed on his eight harry legs and chatted again.

"Thanks, buddy." Mahogany hand-fed Bazgul a bell pepper slice.

"Yeah, Thank you, Bazgul," Tony said.

Bazgul hopped and faced Tony, chittering menacingly at him before dissipating and drifting through one of Evelina's open windows.

"Well, I think he told you," Evelina giggled.

"I don't get it. Why does Bazgul hate me?" Tony shook his head and popped more deep-fried onion into his mouth.

"Beside Saree and RW, Ace Hitchen was a good suspect, but he was playing poker at the time of the murder. And, wait, is that it? Are those all of our suspects?" Mahogany said, astonishment coloring her tone.

"I think so," Evelina said, her shoulders slumping.

"Well, what about Lilac?" Tony said. "She was in a relationship with Matt before marrying RW. Why isn't she a suspect?" Tony said. He got to his feet to better inspect the meager collection of suspects and clues on the quickly shrinking murder wall.