Murder at Blackwater Manor (6 page)

“No, I’d love to.”

Anabelle pointed her over to a sofa set behind some bookcases and disappeared through a door. When she emerged again with a pitcher of homemade lemonade and two glasses, Sage had already made herself comfortable on one of the sofas and was leafing through a newspaper that was left on the small coffee table before her. The front page announced the brutal murder of Mr. Blackwater, but the accompanying article didn’t seem to provide any detail that Sage didn’t already know.

She took the glass of lemonade and sipped, giving Anabelle the chance to speak first.

“It’s so strange to read about a crime in the paper and know you were right there to witness it,” Anabelle said.

“I know, especially when you knew the victim so well.”

“Exactly. It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that such a close friend is now gone.”

“Were you?” Sage asked innocently, “Close friends, I mean.”

“Not as close as he and my husband were, but sure. The Blackwaters may have been among our closest friend couples.”

“But you are so much younger…” Sage said, hoping she wasn’t being too obviously nosy.

“I married late. My husband, Alex, and Philip were high-school buddies. They practically grew up together and when Alex and I got married, it was only natural for us to get close, too. We spend almost every weekend at the Blackwaters’ estate and we play cards at least once a week.”

Anabelle went suddenly silent. She was probably contemplating how their lives were going to change now that Philip was gone.

“Did you go to the station already?” she asked Sage in a while.

“No, not yet,” Sage lied, “Did you?”

“Yes, I went early, right before work. I can’t afford to leave the library closed now that the school year’s started.”

“How did it go at the station?” Sage asked casually.

“Oh, it was pretty routine I think. Not that I’ve ever been interrogated for murder before… You know, Sheriff Greene asked about what happened, who was where, where I was when the screaming started. Things like that.”

“I remember we all came in from the terrace after people finished their cigarettes,” Sage said, hoping she’d prompt Anabelle to share her own memories, “It was right around eleven, because the standing clock was chiming the hour.”

“That’s right. It was eleven, I remember that. Then you and Prim left for the bathroom and Thea went to check on her maid’s progress with the tea. She also said she was going to fetch Philip from upstairs, so we could start the game. That’s when we heard her screaming. It’s so strange. It seems impossible that any of us could have done it. It must have happened so fast and we were all practically together the whole time.”

“Were you in the game room when you heard the screaming?” Sage asked and noticed that Anabelle furrowed her eyebrows, so she knew she needed to be more careful. She’d started to sound like an interrogator herself.

“No, actually,” Anabelle said finally, “I’d just gone out to get some fresh air. It was rather hot with that fireplace if you remember. I was going to tell Thea to ask the maid to do something about it later. Then I heard the scream and ran right back inside and saw everyone climbing the stairs, so I joined them. It was awful to hear that piercing scream…”

Sage thought that it was pretty strange that Anabelle needed fresh air just minutes after she’d been out for a smoke, but decided to keep the thought to herself. Anything that she said now would sound like an accusation, so she needed to change the topic quickly, before she’d antagonized the librarian.

“Actually, Anabelle,” she said, “I’m here on business. I don’t know if you know that I’m a biology professor in my other life. Long story. I wanted to open an account at the library as it looks like I’ll be staying in Rosecliff for a while. I haven’t checked any biology journals in so long, I feel practically cut off from the world, my world that is. Do you think you can help me?”

“Oh, of course! That’s my job, isn’t it?” Anabelle smiled and revealed a charming full-toothed smile that only made her face more attractive. Sage wondered what this beautiful woman found in the old Mr. Bluebird. It was probably money, she concluded, though Anabelle didn’t look like the gold digger type. “Follow me,” the librarian said and walked over to the desk.

“I’d also like to check some old local paper issues, if that’s okay. I’m sure there must be something about the local ocean fauna in there. It’s my specialty actually.”

“That’s interesting,” Anabelle said and judging by her tone, she found it no more interesting than picking lice off a toddler’s head. “I doubt there would be something of value, but you can always look. We have the older issues archived in electronic format, so you can use the computer in the left wing. Here’s your card and your password.”

So, there is a computer
, Sage thought optimistically as she walked through a corridor lined with bookcases that led to the left wing. There was no one else in the library and she was glad she didn’t need to make small talk. Something buzzed in her jeans pocket. It was her phone.

Sage took it out and stared at the screen. She didn’t recognize the caller’s number, which was more than bizarre, since it was a new number, one she’d got after she moved to Rosecliff, and the only people who could possibly call her were Prim and her family. It wasn’t any of them obviously, so it took her a while to make the decision whether to pick up. Whoever was calling seemed extremely persistent, so Sage finally gave in and pressed the green receiver button.

“Hello?” she said with an uncertain tone.

“Hi, Detective,” a familiar voice came through.

“Dan?”

“You’re quick. Yeah, it’s me. Hope I’m not catching you in the middle of a shoot out.”

“No, no,” Sage stuttered, still confused, “I’m at the library.”

“Listen, I was wondering if you had any plans for tonight.”

Sage had an almost physical reaction to the simple question. Was he about to ask her out? If so, that would be the first such question she’d got in forever and she was already trying to come up with a good excuse. She wasn’t ready for a night out with anyone, much less with Dan. They already had a nice friendship going and now he was about to ruin all that.

“No. I mean, yes,” she said dumbly, “How did you get my number?”

“How do you think?”

Right now Sage wasn’t thinking anything apart from how to say no to what was coming.

“I’m busy, Dan. Sorry.”

“I don’t think you are too busy to eat.”

“I… I’m…” Sage said and mentally cursed herself for sounding like a two-year-old.

“Let’s have dinner. I have something in mind. I don’t think you’ve done anything like it in the city.”

“I’ve done
plenty
in the city,” Sage said indignantly, “I told you. I’m busy. Could you ask someone else?”

She heard his hearty laugh through the line.

“You are hilarious, aren’t you? If I wanted to ask someone else, I would have, Sage. So, are you coming or not?”

“Is it going to take long? I told you. I’m really busy,” she said, but it didn’t sound too convincing any more. Curiosity had managed to make its way through her protests.

“No, Sage,” he said sarcastically, “It will be a minute. Of course it will take some time, but it will be worth it. Are you in or out?”

Sage went silent for a moment. She considered what she had to lose. Worse come to worst, she wouldn’t show her face in the Cheshire Cat any more and lose her most vital source of caffeine in Rosecliff. But if she said no in the first place, she wouldn’t feel any more comfortable going in there ever again.

“Fine. I’m in.”

The old computer’s processor slowly whirred into life and Sage’s fingers automatically pressed the relevant buttons to navigate to the town’s paper archive. Her mind was still dissecting the odd call she’d just received.

Sure, she’d thought there might be something between her and Dan, but she suspected it was one-sided. Getting a confirmation that he might like her too only made the situation seem dangerous. Whatever happened, she’d never allow herself to be in the same vulnerable position she was in with Derek. The pain from her ex-fiance’s betrayal still stung deeply.

The newspaper archive was conveniently organized with the front pages posted as images and a list of the main stories found under each one. It was going to take a while. There seemed to be years upon years worth of publications. She’d just started the daunting task of going through each issue, when she noticed the tiny search bar.

“Great,” she muttered under her nose, “Let’s see now. B-l-a-c-k-w-a-t-e-r.”

She hit Enter and a list of article sprang up before her eyes. There seemed to be a whole lot of content about the old family and their estate. Mainly, the news items were related to auction or charity event announcements, the generous donations the Blackwaters had made to the local community, or awards the estate had received for its library and gardens.

Nothing spicy. Nothing scandalous. Nothing she could work with.

Sage looked at her watch and realized she didn’t have too much time left. There was a five-minute walk back to Main Street and the Mirror, Mirror salon.
Just a few more,
she promised herself and kept scrolling. It was addictive and she felt that the minute she gave up, she’d be missing out on something that could shed light on the murder.

There. Finally something that could be useful.

Scandal! Large investment scam lures hundreds of people in the area. Prominent local figure James Blackwater believed to be at the bottom of the illicit organization.

Sage read on hungrily. The old-looking, seemingly mild and pleasant younger Blackwater brother seemed to have quite the sordid past. Not only was he involved in the scam, which left him owing thousands of dollars to local investors, but he also had a history of gambling and illegal trade with hunting trophies.

Sage remembered that Dan had mentioned what people were speculating after they’d learned of Philip’s death. His brother James had brought great shame to the family and it was strange that he wasn’t the one dead. Sage thought back to the evening they’d had at the Blackwaters and couldn’t recall anything that spoke of conflict between the two brothers. The newspaper story dated back to seven years ago, which was plenty of time for family members to forgive each other.

That was probably all she had time for right now, so she jotted down some notes on the article in her small notebook that she carried everywhere now and hurried out of the library. She noticed Anabelle Bluebird giving her an odd look after they exchanged goodbyes and when Sage turned back to look at her one last time before she went through the doors, she saw the beautiful librarian quickly heading towards the left wing.

Sage wondered if Anabelle could possibly trace what she’d been looking at on the computer and regretted she hadn’t covered her steps better. She should have had at least one biology-related thing open on the screen before she left.

There was no time to worry about that now. It was almost five o’clock.

CHAPTER NINE

Mirrors and a New Hairstyle

The Mirror, Mirror beauty salon was located right next to The Cheshire Cat and when Sage approached, she crossed her fingers that she wouldn’t run into Dan. But then, if running into him now seemed impossibly embarrassing, what could she expect later on when it was just the two of them at a dinner table? She winced at the uncomfortable thought, but she’d already agreed. She’d think about it when the time came.

As soon as she opened the door to the salon, Sage entered a completely different world from the general serenity that characterized most of Rosecliff. Music was blasting inside and there was a cacophony of voices, each fighting to be heard above the others.

The place was small, but it looked even smaller with all the salon furniture and equipment stuffed inside and the small crowd that somehow managed to coexist inside. There were two large massage chairs with two young girls seated in them, one getting a pedicure and the other one a foot massage. A woman was bent over a narrow table overflowing with nail polish jars, holding the hand of an older lady and meticulously applying a top coat over her bright pink nails.

Alongside one of the walls were three hairdresser’s stations with mirrors, tables, shelves with brushes, hairdryers and a myriad of shampoos and hair masks, and chairs. They were all currently occupied and Sage immediately recognized Cecile sitting at the far end of the row, getting her bangs trimmed.

Lost in their own beauty procedures and animated chats, neither employees nor customers paid much attention to Sage, so she crossed the cramped space towards the bottom of the room and cleared the stacks of beauty magazines from an ottoman in order to sit down. From this spot, she was only inches away from Cecile who was already enthusiastically recalling the details from last night’s murder. Beauty salons were seriously the best place to get updates on what was going on in any town.

Sage was just in time. She settled down more comfortably and took out her small notebook, hoping to inconspicuously write down some keywords to later remind herself what she’d heard.