A Hint of Magic (9 page)

“Did you know him well?”

“Unfortunately I didn’t,” she admitted.  “I didn’t actually know he had an older brother.”

“Yeah well I didn’t really advertise it.”

“No?”

“You know how high school is.  Greg wasn’t the sort of kid you wanted to be associated with, sad to say.  He got picked on a lot,” Ted recalled.  “At first I tried to tell him he brought it on himself.  But after a while, I just tried to distance myself from him,” he shrugged.

“I hear Greg did well for himself after high school though,” Clarissa remarked, hoping to pull Ted into a conversation.  She was still trying to get a read on Greg’s older brother.  He seemed like a doting son and nephew.  But what she really wanted to know was what his relationship with Greg had been like.

“Depends on your definition of doing well,” Ted replied.  “He certainly transformed his physical appearance, if that’s what you mean.  Hitting his macros and going to the gym took over his whole life.”

“It sounds like he was really dedicated,” Parker observed.

“Dedicated is one way to put it,” Ted agreed.  “But, I mean, you don’t get muscle definition like that from just being a gym rat. 
I’m
in decent shape and I sure don’t look like that!  He hit the gym hard, yes.  But he hit the steroids pretty hard, too.”

“Oh?” Parker asked. 

“I don’t recommend it,” Ted advised.

“No?  Are you speaking from personal experience?” Parker inquired, attempting to engage him.

“Nah…that junk messes with your head,” Ted said with disgust.  “I’m a bit of a fitness junkie myself, but I don’t touch that stuff.  It isn’t worth it.  I’ve seen completely normal guys go off the rails once they went down that road.”

“Did the steroids mess with Greg’s head?” Clarissa asked.

“Let’s just put it this way:  he didn’t have issues with aggression back when we were kids.”

“But he did as an adult?” she pressed.

“We didn’t keep in that close of touch,” Ted confided.  “But when he moved back in with our mother I saw a huge change in him.  I’m guessing it was a side effect from the steroid use.  But what do I know?  I’m no doctor.”

“Can you tell us about the change you saw in Greg?” Parker asked.

“He was banned from the Sugarcomb Lake gym for unruly, disruptive behavior.  So he started going to a gym in the city.  You know the one over on Fifth Avenue?  Nice place.  Anyway, just last week he got in a fight with some guy down there.”

“What was the fight about?” Parker asked.

“Something stupid,” Ted replied.  “Greg wanted to use the machine he was on or something.  The other guy ended up having to get stitches.”

“Wow,” Clarissa said in disbelief.  That wasn’t at all the mild-mannered Greg she remembered from high school.  The steroids he had been taking to transform his physical appearance must have really done a number on his mental health as well.

The phone rang, interrupting the conversation.

“I’ve got to take this,” Ted told them.  “Would you two mind showing yourselves out?”

“Sure.  And again, we’re very sorry about your brother,” Parker said.

Clarissa and Parker exited the house.  Shane was still out there smoking…and wheezing. 

“Are you okay?” Clarissa asked him.

“Yeah,” he coughed.  “It’s just my asthma acting up.”

“You have asthma?”  Parker asked.  “I’m not sure smoking is such a good idea, buddy.”

“Uh huh, we all know about the horrors of nicotine,” Shane said dismissively.

“Sorry,” Parker apologized immediately, obviously not wanting Shane to shut down.  “I didn’t mean to sound like some condescending know-it-all.  And I understand that this is a very stressful time for you.”

“It’s not that bad,” Shane shrugged.  “The cigarettes are to help me lose weight,” he added.

Parker raised an eyebrow.  “Why not just cut back on calories?”

“This is easier,” Shane said.  “And Greg said it would make me lose weight
and
look cool.”  He paused then and thought about what he had said.  “It’s weird that my brother is gone,” he announced, looking a bit like a lost puppy.

“Were you and Greg close?” Clarissa asked gently.

“I dunno.  He moved away and kind of forgot about us all,” Shane replied.  “Then he came back and moved back into his old room.  I went from not seeing him for months and months at a time to having him back living under the same roof as me.”

“That must have been nice,” she remarked, watching carefully for a reaction. 

“We started hanging out sometimes.  We’d play video games and stuff.  I was supposed to start going to the gym with him next month.  I wanted to, you know, get buff the way he did when he was my age.”

“Why did Greg move home?” Parker asked.

“To save money, I think.  He got fired from his job,” Shane revealed.

“Why?” Clarissa pressed.

“He didn’t get along with his boss or something.  He didn’t get along with his last boss either.  I think he had trouble holding down a job because he could be kind of intense sometimes,” Shane shrugged.  “So then he ran out of money, couldn’t afford his rent and had to move back home.”

“I saw you at the Halloween party, didn’t I?” Clarissa asked, changing gears.

“I was there for a while, yeah.  But it wasn’t really my thing,” Shane added, pausing to push his glasses up.  “I didn’t really know anyone.  I was hoping Greg would introduce me and like, be my wingman,” he admitted.  “But that didn’t quite happen.”

“What did happen?” Parker wanted to know.

“Greg saw some girl he had a thing for in high school and spent the whole time trying to impress her.  I eventually got fed up and left,” Shane explained.  He stared off into the distance with unseeing eyes.  “That was the last time I saw him alive.”

Clarissa winced.  “That’s awful.  Again, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks.”

“Was Ted at the Halloween party?” Parker inquired suddenly.

“Ted?  No, he wasn’t there.  He’s like, twelve years older than me.  He’s too old to party.  No offense,” Shane said before beginning to cough.  Once he caught his breath, he tossed his cigarette on the ground and snuffed it out with his shoe.  “I need to go upstairs and get my puffer,” he wheezed.

“Are you okay?  Do you need help?” Clarissa asked anxiously, choosing to overlook the fact that Shane had sort of implied she and Parker were old.

“Nah, I’m fine.”  With that, Shane turned and retreated into the house.

“That kid really shouldn’t be smoking,” Parker remarked as they walked back to the car.

“And it sounds like Greg encouraged him to do it,” Clarissa replied in disbelief.  “He said it would help Shane lose weight.  I mean, I want to lose weight as much as the next person, but taking up smoking?  No thanks!”

“You don’t need to lose weight,” Parker informed her.  “You look good.”

She cleared her throat.  “So what do you think?” she asked as they got into the car.

“I think I need a strong cup of coffee,” Parker replied. 

“I could use one too.  And a chocolate chip cookie.”

“Yes ma’am,” Parker said, offering a mock salute.  Then he drove toward the coffee shop.

The picturesque coffee shop on Main Street was a busy, bustling little place.  It boasted a laid back atmosphere, great coffee and even better baked goods.  It was a hub of activity in the sleepy small town. 

Or rather, it was a hub of gossip. 

After parking on the street out front, Clarissa and Parker walked in.  Immediately every eye in the place was on them.  That was simply what happened in a town the size of Sugarcomb Lake.  Curious glances, raised eyebrows and hushed whispers were the norm. 

Even so, Clarissa couldn’t help but feel flustered.  She knew every person in the coffee shop was wondering if she and Parker were dating.  Couldn’t anyone ever just mind their own business?

“Hi,” Clarissa murmured, nodding cordially at a table of women she recognized.

Truthfully, she knew a lot of people in the coffee shop – almost all of them, probably.  Even the ones she didn’t know by name still looked vaguely familiar.  She had likely seen them around town before. 

Over by the window were The Pearl Clutchers.  The middle aged, excessively prude ladies were busybodies who took pleasure in judging those around them.  Even now, they were staring down their noses at Clarissa, their lips pursed in expressions of blatant disapproval.

They were probably thinking she was dressed like a slob.  Or maybe they didn’t like the shape of her nose or the way her hair was cut.  With those ladies, everything was fair game.  And they were notoriously hard to please.  Clarissa had stopped caring what they thought a long time ago, as the mental gymnastics were far too exhausting to bother with.

“I’ll get the coffee,” Clarissa told Parker.

“Okay,” he said, pulling out his wallet.

“No, put that away,” she ordered.  “You bought last time.  It’s on me.” 

She snuck a glance over her shoulder at The Pearl Clutchers. 

The old fashioned, highly critical ladies were within earshot.  They were, of course, listening intently.  Clarissa felt a strange sense of satisfaction at the looks of horror and disapproval on their faces when they heard that
she
was buying.

She smirked to herself and sauntered up to the counter as Parker went to find them a booth.  She had accepted long ago that it was impossible to keep a low profile in Sugarcomb Lake.  It was a town where everyone knew everyone else’s business. 

So if she couldn’t keep a low profile, then she was at least going to have a little fun at the busybodies’ expense.  Actually, it would be fun to play a little prank on The Pearl Clutchers sometime, provided they pushed her far enough.

Clarissa wouldn’t do anything too terrible, of course. 

She didn’t want to actually hurt anyone.  She simply wanted to entertain herself a bit.  As she stood there at the counter waiting for the coffee, she couldn’t help but daydream about ways she could use her magic powers to have a bit of harmless fun. 

She wondered if there was a spell in her aunt’s book of potions to turn them into toads – that would be awesome!  But really, she would also settle for bestowing the “gift” of a long-lasting bout of hiccups.  Was that too cruel?  Or was it just cruel enough?

Realistically, Clarissa wasn’t actually going to do anything to the women.  She wasn’t quite that spiteful, and they weren’t treating her any differently than they treated everyone else.  But she nonetheless liked knowing that she had the power to do something to them if she was so inclined.

“Here you go,” the coffee shop owner said, sliding two coffees across the counter.

“Thanks,” Clarissa smiled. 

She located Parker at a booth by the front window and carried their coffees over.  He was just ending a phone call.  She sat down across from him and waited patiently as he finished up his conversation.  When he hung up, he looked pleased.

“I called the gym Greg used in Green City,” Parker informed Clarissa.  “I spoke to a very nice, very chatty employee.  She verified what Ted told us.  Greg got in a fight there about a week ago.  It was over something minor – equipment or something – but it escalated quickly.”

“So Ted was telling the truth,” Clarissa concluded, unsurprised.  It fit what everyone else had been saying.  Besides, she couldn’t imagine Ted badmouthing his deceased brother without good reason.  That would be awfully callous. 

“Greg hadn’t been using that gym for long but had already earned a reputation as a hothead.”

“What about the other guy?” Clarissa asked.

“He’s a long-time regular at the gym.  He’s a nice, normal professional who likes to stop in to work out on his way home from the office.  He’s never had any issues with anyone – until Greg.  The gym employee I just spoke with said he’s a great guy.”

“So he’s probably not Greg’s killer,” Clarissa sighed in disappointment before taking a sip of her coffee.  For a moment there, she had gotten her hopes up.

“You never know,” Parker mused.  “He doesn’t sound like the type to seek revenge after losing a fight though – he’s a professional with a lot to lose.  And drowning someone is a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” she agreed.

“If I had to guess, I’d say he’s not our guy.  At the very least, I’d say there are other suspects we need to rule out first.”

“I think so too.  Let’s go over what we know so far.”

“Okay, well our first suspect is Amy,” Parker said matter-of-factly.

“What?” Clarissa retorted, nearly spitting out her coffee as her old high school friend’s name came up.  She shot Parker a dirty look, appalled that he would name her as a suspect.  “She didn’t kill Greg!”

“She acted weird,” Parker pointed out.  “I know she was a friend of yours back in high school, but I also know you’re a journalist first and foremost.  And you saw the way she behaved as clearly as I did.  Can you honestly sit there and tell me she wasn’t acting suspicious?”

Clarissa hesitated.  “Okay, maybe she was acting a little nervous,” she admitted reluctantly.  “But she’s not the killer and you know it!  We saw her standing there watching the fight,” she reminded him.  “And we also saw the guy Greg was fighting.”

“Well, we saw his costume.”

“I know we didn’t see his face, but we saw his build underneath the costume.  He had to be tall.  Maybe even as tall as you,” Clarissa speculated.  “He was at least six feet tall.  And I think it’s safe to say it was a male.”

“That’s true,” Parker nodded.  “It was a man and it was someone strong.  Greg was a fit, muscular guy but even so, the person he was fighting ultimately overpowered him.”

“Although we don’t know how many drinks Greg had at the party,” Clarissa realized.  “If he’d had a lot to drink then I expect he would have been easier to overpower.  But,” she continued, “I think the point still stands that the assailant had to have been in decent physical shape.”

“So not Shane,” Parker said wryly. 

“He
is
tall,” Clarissa pointed out.

“So are at least a hundred other guys in this town.  That doesn’t prove anything.”

“Shane isn’t exactly athletic,” Clarissa said.

“Exactly what I was getting at,” Parker replied.  Then he shook his head in disbelief.  “I still can’t believe Greg told his asthmatic kid brother to take up smoking.  It sounds like Shane looked up to Greg, even if they weren’t overly close.  And then Greg went and told him
that
.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what happened,” Clarissa sighed.  “I know I shouldn’t speak poorly of the dead, but it sounds like Greg turned into a real jerk after high school.”

“What about Sam?  He’s tall
and
fit.  And he was dressed in a cowboy costume.  I think it’s a safe bet to say it was his lasso tied around Greg’s wrists.  I know that doesn’t prove anything, but it certainly helps shape a rather compelling circumstantial argument.”

“Hmm…”  Clarissa drummed her fingertips against the tabletop as she pondered that.  “We know Greg was apparently carrying a torch for Amy.  He spent all night at the party trying to get her attention, trying to talk to her.”

“Maybe Sam saw Greg was hitting on his girlfriend and flew into a jealous rage,” Parker theorized.  “Maybe he’d had one drink too many and what started as a fistfight got out of hand.  Or maybe Sam is just a possessive jerk who likes to solve problems with his fists.”

“Speaking of hotheads who like to solve problems with their fists, we can’t forget about Zack and Mikey,” Clarissa said.  “They’ve always been big dumb jerks with superiority complexes.  They acted that way in high school and I think it’s safe to say they haven’t matured since then.”

“But we saw them.  They wouldn’t had have time to kill Greg.”

“We saw two of the three imbeciles, yes.  Russ is still unaccounted for – he’s a big tall guy too.  I didn’t see him at the party but back in high school, those three were inseparable.  Maybe he was there in costume.”

“Like what, a grim reaper costume?”

“Possibly…who knows, maybe the three of them were in on it together.”

“What would their motive be though?” Parker wondered.

“Jealousy,” she said immediately. 

“Oh?”

“They used to be hotshot football stars back in high school.  Now they’re pathetic has-beens with sad little lives.  Greg showed up at the party looking all toned and fit.  I expect that got him a lot of attention.  It probably made the has-beens jealous.”

“Hmm, I suppose that’s a possibility,” Parker conceded.  “Maybe they even tried to pick on Greg and he stood up for himself.”

“I can totally see that happening.”

“So we need to find out if Russ was actually there.”

“We should follow up with that guy from the gym too,” Clarissa suggested.  “I know the gym employee you spoke with had nothing but good things to say about him, but we shouldn’t just take her word for it.”

“That’s a good point.  But to be honest, Sam is the one I’m the most curious about,” Parker admitted.  “Something isn’t sitting right with me.  If Sam wasn’t involved, then why was Amy acting so weird?  I think she knows something.”

Clarissa grimaced.  “Amy’s an old friend.  I hate to even consider that she could be involved with the murder.  But as for Sam…I don’t know the guy, so I can’t say.”

“I didn’t see him anywhere during the fight, did you?” Parker asked.

“No.”

“Does that strike you as a little odd?  He’s new in town and went to a party where presumably, the only person he knew was his girlfriend.  And yet when we went into the backyard, he was nowhere to be seen.”

“It’s not as though he has to be glued to his girlfriend’s side the entire night,” Clarissa pointed out.  “For all we know, he might have been talking to someone else or in the bathroom.”

“That’s true,” Parker agreed.  “But Greg’s hands were tied with a lasso.  Sam was dressed as a cowboy.  That’s awfully incriminating, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Clarissa agreed.  “But it wasn’t a cowboy that was fighting with Greg,” she reminded him.  “It was a grim reaper.”

“It wouldn’t have been too hard for Sam to change into a grim reaper costume.”

“That would require some planning though.  It doesn’t really fit with your theory that Sam killed Greg in a fit of jealousy.  If Sam had the foresight to change his costume, it suggests there was an element of premeditation.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.  I just know we have a lot more investigating to do.”

“Yeah,” Clarissa agreed.  “We need to look into Sam, Russ and the guy from the gym.”

“I’ll stop by the gym tomorrow and see if I can talk to the guy who got into the fight with Greg.  Maybe you can use your connections to look into Sam?  See if you can get Amy to talk,” Parker suggested.  “She seems like she might crack under pressure.”

“Okay,” Clarissa agreed reluctantly.  “But I really can’t see Amy being involved.”

“People do crazy things for love,” Parker reminded her.  “If she’s head over heels for this Sam guy, then maybe she’ll do anything she can to cover for him.  I’m not saying she’s involved in Greg’s murder, I’m just saying don’t be too quick to rule her out.”

Clarissa sighed.  As much as she hated to admit it, she knew Parker was right about everything.  Amy
had
been acting suspicious and the evidence seemed to point squarely at her boyfriend.  The fact that Greg had been bound with a lasso was especially compelling.

Although Clarissa desperately wanted to believe Amy was innocent, she had a job to do.  It was her duty to investigate and report.  She knew she couldn’t let her personal feelings get in the way of finding the truth.  All she could do now was gather facts and connect the dots. 

“I’ll arrange to meet with Amy tomorrow,” Clarissa vowed.  There was a growing sensation of dread in the pit of her stomach.  If her old friend knew more about Greg’s murder than she was letting on, then Amy could be in big trouble.  She could potentially even face criminal charges.

“Didn’t you want something to eat?” Parker said.  “What would you like?  It’s my treat.”

“No,” Clarissa stopped him.  “That’s okay.”  Suddenly she was no longer hungry.