When Magic Is Murder (Sky High Pies Cozy Mysteries Book 4) (11 page)

CHAPTER
23

I called Dina as soon as I was back
in the car. She didn’t answer, so I left a quick message telling her that I
suspected John Doe’s real name was Alec Halstead. I was getting ready to share
the rest of what I’d learned in Boulder when my other line beeped. It was Zack,
so I asked Dina to call me later. Then I clicked over to the incoming call.

“Hey, handsome!”

“Hi, gorgeous!”

“What’s for dinner?”

He groaned. “I’ll be eating from
the vending machines at the Salida Days Inn. Although I’d rather be with my
favorite girl.”

“Salida? For work?”

“Yeah,” Zack explained. “It’s a
last-minute deal. One of Gretchen’s favorite freelancers is writing a piece
about the San Isabel Forest. She wants me to drive down and shoot some images
for a splashy piece on the
Gazette
’s website.”

“Aren’t there any photographers in
Salida?”

He laughed. “I’m sure there are,
but you know how Gretchen can be. And when the editor makes a
really
firm request, I know it’s not a battle worth fighting.”

“Uh-huh. We
both
know how
she can be. How long will you be gone?”

“Just overnight,” he said. “I’d
heard that Caleb was writing about the San Isabel, but I didn’t know Gretchen’s
dad once worked as a forest ranger. That’s why she wants to rev up the story a
little.”

“Vroom-vroom,” I purred into the
phone. “I’m gonna rev you up when you get back.”

Another warm chuckle came over the
line. “I’m counting on it, babe. And I’m sorry about tonight.”

“That’s okay. I’m still in Boulder
anyway. If you’re heading to Salida, I might poke around a little bit more up
here before I head home.”

“What’s in Boulder?”

“Remember the guy from the gazebo?”

“Yep. The John Doe.”

“Well, he isn’t a John Doe anymore.
I just finished talking to his sister. I’m pretty sure his name is Alec
Halstead.”

“His sister?” Zack said quietly.
“How’d she take the news?”

“First of all,” I began, “it
wouldn’t be my place to tell her something like that; it should come from Trent
or Dina or someone else with the Crescent Creek PD. And, second, until the ME
makes an official identification, the guy is still a John Doe as far as the
case goes.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Yeah, it may sound like splitting
hairs, but I really couldn’t say anything to the sister.” I paused, reflecting
on my conversation with Geneva Halstead. “My mission today was to try and get a
name to put with the face. And I accomplished that; the business card that Alec
gave Becca brought me to Boulder and his mailing address eventually directed me
to his sister.”

“I’ll take your word for it, Katie.
I just want you to be safe.”

“Always,” I said. “I’m thinking
about making one more stop before I head for home.”

“Is it Sweet Cow?”

I smiled at the mention of the
popular ice cream shop. Zack and I had visited it a few weeks earlier during a
Sunday afternoon road trip.

“No, that’s not it. But I’ll add it
to my list if you need some Mojito Sorbet.”

“Yes, please.” He’d switched into
the squeaky robot voice that usually accompanied such requests. “Many, many
scoops. And a pretzel cone in a separate sack.”

I giggled. “I’ll see what I can do,
handsome. In the meantime, drive safely to Salida. I’ll text you later when I
get back to Sky High.”

“That’s a deal,” Zack said. “And
don’t forget the most important thing.”

When he said the three little words
that always made me smile, I wanted to be in his arms and savor the warmth and
strength of his embrace. But that would have to wait until the next day.

CHAPTER
24

I spotted Jenna’s salon the instant
I turned onto Tremont Street. The bright pink awning had the name of the shop
emblazoned in jet-black ink:
From Hair to There
. I giggled at the silly
pun, found a parking spot in the next block and walked quickly to the front
entrance. When I pushed against the glass door, I heard a cowbell clang on the
other side.

Not very ladylike
, I
thought.
But it’s a personal choice, so
—

“Hey, there!”

A bright, cheerful voice came from
somewhere to my left. I swerved my eyes in that direction and landed on a woman
with vivid blue hair, heavy eye makeup and a leopard-print tube top. Her body
was slim and toned; the type of physique featured in fitness magazines and
television commercials.

“I’m looking for Jenna,” I said
with a hearty smile. “Is she in today?”

The woman spread her arms wide.
“She’s in
every
day!” An ample grin revealed teeth as white as fresh
meringue. “How can I help you?”

“You’re Jenna?”

She hopped down from the stool
where she’d been sitting and came around the counter. She was wearing tight
black jeans, bright yellow flip-flops and enough perfume to choke a herd of
horses. I guessed her age to be thirty-five or thereabouts.

“Yes, I’m Jenna Burton!” The chirpy
tone seemed to be her normal speaking voice. “We’re closing up pretty soon. Did
you want to make an appointment for another day?” She leaned from side to side,
studying my hair. “I could do something really fun and sexy for you. How about
a wedge? Or something asymmetrical would be
awesome
! Maybe buzzed real
short on one side and layered in waves on the other?”

I smiled. “Or maybe not,” I said. “I’m
not here about my hair.”

“Okay. Then…maybe some product?”
She swept one slender hand toward the nearby displays of shampoo, conditioner,
gel and pomade. “We’ve got a new one from Paris that is
so
crazy! It smells
like roses and sprinkles your hair with small glittery flecks of real gold
leaf!”

My smile wavered. “That
is
crazy,” I agreed. “But I’m here about Alec Halstead.”

The woman’s face froze for a few
seconds. Then one eye twitched slightly and her lips quivered. And then she
disappeared right back behind the fizzy, bubbly, perky façade she’d greeted me
with a moment before.

“Alec?” She walked back behind the
counter. “What about him?”

“He’s your ex-husband, right?”

“That’s correct. But the emphasis
is on
ex
. I haven’t talked to Alec in a
very
long time.”

I nodded. “You didn’t have an
argument with him last week?”

Her smile shuddered. “Who told you
that?”

“Maybe they were mistaken,” I said.
“But I heard that—”

An icy voice suddenly cut into my
remark.

“Jenna?”

It was one of the stylists, a short
woman dressed in black.

“Yeah, hon?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the woman
said. “But my client can hear everything y’all are saying, so…”

Jenna patted the woman on the arm.
“Got it,” she said. “Sorry about that.”

The woman glared at me briefly
before walking away.

“Maybe we could step outside?” I
asked.

“Or maybe not,” Jenna said,
lowering her voice. “I don’t have anything more to say about Alec.”

“Okay, sure.” I turned so my back
was facing the stylist and her client. “And I’m sorry that I bothered you,
but—”

“You didn’t
bother
me,”
Jenna said. “I’ve just got nothing to say about my ex-husband.”

“Did you know he was down in
Crescent Creek this week?”

Her eye twitched again before she
looked over my shoulder at the woman dressed in black.

“I’m sorry to say this,” she
whispered. “And I hope you don’t think I’m being rude. But do you mind leaving?
I really don’t want to disturb Liza while she’s cutting Mrs. Sherman’s hair.”

“Look, Jenna,” I said quietly. “I’m
sorry to trouble you, but I’m trying to—”

“That’s enough,” she hissed. “You
need to leave, please.”

I knew it was time to go. And I
suddenly felt foolish and clumsy; the approach had been all wrong and I’d shown
my hand far too soon.

“You’re right.” I smiled, attempting
to look genuinely repentant. “And I’m so very sorry that I bothered you.”

As I walked back toward the door,
catching a quick glimpse of a pastel pink cowbell, I heard the muted
slap-slap
of her shoes. One glance over my shoulder confirmed what I suspected; she was
following me outside onto the sidewalk.

“Did
he
send you?” she
demanded. “Or was it one of his married girlfriends?”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Miss
Burton. I didn’t mean—”

“Well, you
did
!” She was coming
toward me with one finger held out like a switchblade. “You came into
my
shop! And you had
no
right to ask…” Something suddenly changed in her
expression; the blistering rage was gone and her gaze was flat and lifeless.
“Okay, listen,” she said after catching her breath. “I don’t know who you are.
And I don’t know why you came here today. But I don’t want to hear about Alec
Halstead
ever
again.”

“I’m sorry,” I said as she pulled a
phone from her back pocket. “I made a mistake.”

She sneered at me, swiped angrily
at the phone and then pressed it against her ear. As I turned to walk away, I
caught something she said that was almost too quiet to hear.

“I just had a visit from some chick
asking about Alec!” There was a brief pause as she heaved a gravelly sigh. “And
this kind of surprise is
not
what I paid for, Dallas! Not. At. All.”

CHAPTER
25

Since Zack was in Salida for the
night, I decided to stop and visit Connie Larson on the way home. I could see
how she was holding up and share what I’d learned in Boulder during the
afternoon.

When I slipped through the front
door at Crescent Creek Lodge, two women were behind the reception desk. I’d met
one before, but the other was unfamiliar. She appeared to be in her early
twenties, with curly dark hair and a round face.

“Hi, Stephanie,” I called to the
first woman. “Is Connie busy?”

“She’s in the office,” Stephanie
answered. “Do you want me to call her for you?”

The other woman stepped forward. “I
was actually heading that way with a delivery,” she said. “I can walk you back
if you’d like.”

Before I could decline the offer
and explain that I was familiar with the location of Connie’s office, the woman
was by my side with her arm extended.

“I’m Lana,” she said. “I’m a huge
fan!”

I shook her hand. “Oh, really?”

“Yes!” she gushed. “I just
love
the omelets that you guys make! I swear they’re the fluffiest eggs
ever
!”

“Oh! You’re talking about Sky
High!”

She laughed. “Yeah, I guess I
didn’t make
that
very clear, huh?”

We made our way across the lobby
and into the corridor that connected the reception area with the hotel’s
offices and meeting rooms. Lana’s walk was bouncy and rapid; after the long day
and sitting in the car for the past ninety minutes, I was having trouble
keeping up.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, noticing
my slower gait. “I’ve been drinking coffee all afternoon and it’s got my engine
cranked up!”

When I was beside her again, we
resumed walking to Connie’s office. The door was closed, so Lana knocked softly
and waited. She was raising her hand to knock again when the door flashed open
and Connie appeared. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her face had the puffy
look of someone who had been crying for an extended period of time.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said in a
fragile voice. “I was on the phone and…” She noticed the FedEx envelope in
Lana’s hand. “Is that for me?”

“Yes,” Lana said, giving the
package to Connie. “It was delivered about ten minutes ago.”

Connie offered a soft smile and
Lana headed back down the hallway.

“How are you?” I asked as we
stepped into the office.

“I’ve been better,” she said,
dropping into one of the guest chairs and gesturing at the other. “Jasper’s out
on bail, but I’m still a complete basket case.”

I sat down and reached for her
hand. “Listen,” I said, giving it a firm squeeze. “Everything’s going to be
fine. It’ll just take a while for Dina to sort out the circumstances and find
whoever is responsible for Alec Halstead’s death.”

“They identified him?”

“Well, not officially,” I said, regretting
the disclosure. “But I suspect that’s the name of the man who was found in the
gazebo.”

“How did you get his name?”

I briefly explained the path that
had taken me from Becca Hancock’s store to Paolo’s Pizza in Boulder. I told
Connie that the pizzeria was owned by a woman named Geneva Halstead and her
brother worked as a magician known as The Dynamic Dimitri.

“And that’s why he was dressed in a
tuxedo?” she asked.

“Yes, the second-hand one that he
bought from Becca.”

“Okay, so if that’s his name,”
Connie said, “why was he here at the Lodge?”

I reached into my purse for the
notes I’d made after leaving Jenna Burton’s hair salon.

“His sister said that Alec
entertains at private parties and corporate events,” I said, flipping through
my notepad. “And she told me about his website, which I looked at when I was
still in Boulder.”

Connie sat up in her chair and
reached for the bottle of water on her desk. “Was he down here for work?”

“He was,” I said. “According to the
Dynamic Dimitri’s online calendar, he was scheduled to appear at a private
party in Crescent Creek the night he died.”

“Then we should tell Dina!” She put
down the bottle without taking a drink and reached for her phone. “She needs to
find out who hired him and then maybe that will help identify who killed him.”

I waited until she finished. Then I
told her that I’d already informed Dina about everything I’d discovered in
Boulder.

“But what about the magician’s
performance that night?” Connie said, one hand hovering above her phone. “Do
you know where it was going to be?”

“The website doesn’t give any
details about who hired him to perform,” I answered. “And when it’s a private
party, there’s nothing about the actual location. It just lists the name of the
town where he’ll appear and the fact that it was a private event.”

“What about hacking it?” Connie
said, lifting the receiver. “Couldn’t some computer person find a way to get
into his files or whatever?”

I shrugged. “Possibly,” I said.
“But that would require a warrant. And I imagine that before Dina takes that
step, she’ll follow the new leads out of Boulder.”

“And so…what? Jasper’s just
supposed to…
wait
?”

“That’s really all he can do.
Between Dina’s investigation and whatever else I can learn, I hope it won’t be
too much longer.”

Connie put down the phone and
buried her face in both hands. “This is
so
hard, Katie,” she said
through her fingers. “People are already gossiping about Jasper. I had a guest
ask me about it this afternoon when they were checking in.” She lowered her
hands and swept away a few tears. “Somehow the news got out around town that my
cousin was in trouble with the law when he was younger. So now everyone’s
rushing to judgment and deciding that he’s guilty of murder.”

“Sadly, that happens all too
often,” I said. “And there’s not much you can do about it. People are people;
they love to talk about things before they know the facts.”

She looked at me hopelessly; her
hooded eyes and discouraged frown revealed the doubt and anxiety that she’d
certainly kept from her staff and hotel guests.

“I simply don’t know what to do
next,” she whispered.

The room was still. Someone walked
by on the other side of the door, talking in quiet voices followed by laughter
that clashed sharply with the tension in Connie’s office.

“Where’s Jasper?” I asked finally.

She took a deep breath and pressed
back against the chair. “He’s at home,” she said. “His parents drove in from
Billings to post bond. They’re going to stay through the weekend in the hopes
that things will be resolved.”

“Have you talked to Dina today?”

She answered with a blank stare and
silent nod.

“And how about you? Are you
eating?”

She shook her head. “Nothing sounds
good,” she said. “And what I ate this morning didn’t stay down long.”

“I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

She looked over and managed a
smile. “You’re a good friend, Katie.”

“Same as you,” I said. “If I was in
a rough spot, you’d do whatever you could to help.”

“Yeah,” she said with a gentle
laugh. “But I don’t know the first thing about being a private investigator.”

“Well, I’m doing what I can. I also
asked Dina to keep me in the loop as much as possible.”

“What do you mean ‘as much as
possible’?”

“Since I’m not actually on the
official investigative team, she won’t necessarily let me know about everything
they uncover. But we have a very good relationship. And I respect her a great
deal, so I hope she’ll keep me updated as much as she can.”

“I think the feeling’s mutual,”
Connie said.

“Meaning?”

“Dina respects you, too. I can tell
from the way she talks about your work in Chicago. I never realized how
dangerous some of your cases were, Katie.”

I shrugged. “Comes with the
territory.”

“And the big city, right?”

“To some extent,” I agreed. “But
that’s just a matter of the population density. There are some pretty unsavory
characters in our part of the world, too.”

Connie laughed again; significantly
more robust and lively than before. “Tell me about it,” she said. “You wouldn’t
believe some of the weird phone calls I’ve had since the news got out.”

“People offering tips?” I asked.

“And their random comments about
why John Doe was killed at the Lodge.”

“Like what?”

She smirked and shook her head.
“I’m not even going to bore you with it. One guy started going on about flying
saucers and ancient native spirits.”

“It takes all kinds,” I said.

Connie reached for the water again.
She took a drink, recapped the bottle and slowly stood up.

“As much as I’d love to hide back
here,” she said, smoothing a few wrinkles from her skirt, “I should get back
out into the real world. We’ve got a birthday party tonight and they hired a
jazz trio. The group’s rider includes a particular kind of breath lozenge, so
I’ve got to make a quick trip to CVS and see if they sell ’em.”

I got up from the chair, grabbed my
purse and gave Connie a warm hug.

“Hang in there,” I said. “And let
me—” I stopped, thinking about what she’d just said. “Hey, you had two birthday
parties scheduled the other night, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, but we moved them
to Café Fleur and the VFW Hall.”

“Do you know if either one had an
entertainer coming?”

Her eyes widened. “Like the
magician?”

“Bingo!”

“Not that I remember. But the files
should be in the catering office. I can check them and give you a call. Would
that be okay?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “When you mentioned
the jazz group, I had that thought; maybe Dynamic Dimitri was at the Lodge
because he was scheduled for one of the birthday parties.”

Connie’s smile was wider and
brighter. “And that could be an important clue, right?”

“Possibly,” I said. “Call me
whenever you have a chance to see if it’s in the file. Then we can share the
information with Dina.”

“Or she might already have it,”
Connie said. “She made copies of the files and event order sheets from that
night.”

“Even better,” I said. “But either
way, let me know what you find, okay?”

“You got it,” Connie said, opening
the office door.

As I crossed the room, another
thought popped into my mind.

“And one more thing?” I said.

Connie smiled. “What’s that?”

“Can you find out what Eloise was
working on that afternoon?”

“She was doing appetizers and
desserts for the three private events,” Connie answered without hesitation. “Do
you need more detail than that?”

I nodded. “According to Alec
Halstead’s sister, he’s been plagued by severe allergies for years. And if a
food allergy had something to do with his death, I’m sure Dina will want to
know exactly what Eloise and Jasper were preparing that day. There’s always the
outside chance that he made a stop in the kitchen and sampled something that he
isn’t supposed to eat.”

Connie tapped the nail of one
finger against her lips. “I’m sorry that I don’t remember all of the details,
Katie. It was an insanely busy day. Probably best if I check the event sheets
for that, too. I can also email copies if that would work.”

“That would be perfect!”

She came closer, grabbed my hand
and held it tightly. “Thanks again, Katie! I don’t know how I could get through
this without you.”

I accepted the compliment with a
modest smile and followed her into the corridor. When she turned right to head
for the catering office, I went left. My feet were throbbing, the back of my
neck was sore and my stomach was beginning to growl. It was time to check in
with Dina again before I got in the car and returned to Sky High Pies. After a
light dinner and a hot bubble bath, I planned to tuck myself into bed with a
glass of wine, a pair of day-old cookies and a good book.