Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Alibis and dead ends
Gideon
A couple of hours later, I kissed Declan goodbye at the door to his room.
If it was up to me, I would have kept him right there in bed with me for the rest of the day, but he’d promised Elwood he would help him get some things ready for the next day’s festival.
Plus, it was time for the festival to be over for the day, and while Elwood had seemed to be fine with me and Declan being together, I doubted he wanted to come home in the middle of the afternoon and catch me leaving his grandson’s bed.
Not to mention the fact that I had a business to run, and I’d already been away for most of the day, something I’d been making a habit of here lately. I entered through the back hallway prepared for chaos, but that wasn’t what I found at all.
Everything was running smoothly. A number of guests were sitting around eating and drinking beer. There were a few locals I recognized, but mostly out-of-towners who were probably there for the festival.
I really needed to give Sable a raise. She had Gabe, a flirty wolf shifter, waiting tables, and she was behind the bar looking out over the place like it was her kingdom, and she was the queen.
She looked over to see me walk in. She didn’t comment on the fact that I’d been gone all afternoon; instead, she just smiled at me. “Afternoon, boss.”
“Afternoon. How are things going?”
“Good. You should try the Scottish meat pie today. Alvin outdid himself.”
I sniffed the air and, sure enough, the dense, smoky-sweet aroma of beef and bacon steeped in stout mixed with onions and carrots filled the air. The fact that I didn’t pick up on it right away showed how distracted I was, because it smelled delicious.
“No wonder it’s so quiet in here. Everyone’s too busy eating to talk.”
“That’s a benefit for sure.”
It looked like she had everything under control so this would be a good time for me to go talk to Leon.
I hated to leave Declan out of it, but I didn’t think he could be objective where Leon was concerned.
He really wanted Leon to be the bad guy.
I understood why. He was protective of his grandfather and didn’t appreciate Leon pointing his finger at him.
Back in my pack days, I’d known men who killed. Some out of anger and some in a quest for power, and I didn’t think Leon had it in him to kill anyone. Still, though, I had to admit it was all a little suspicious.
He hated Winston, and he just happened to be outside after the meeting in time to see Elwood. That seemed convenient. I didn’t know why he might have wanted to kill Jim, but Declan was sure the dagger that killed Jim had been on his table earlier that day, so there was that as well.
“Are you good here? I have a couple things I need to take care of if you’re good.”
Sable looked up at me, concerned. “Oh, are you heading back out?”
“Not if you need me here.”
“No, we’re good here. I just wondered if it was about Jim’s murder. Everyone’s worried.”
“I’m sure Grady is going to catch whoever did it, but I am looking into it, as well.”
She nodded. “Good. Grady’s a nice guy and all, but truth is, he’s too nice. He’s no match for a killer.”
“And I am?”
“I didn’t say that. I just said I was glad you were helping.”
I left Sable to her kingdom and crossed the street, the late-afternoon sun slanting low enough to turn the windows of Leon’s shop into squares of gold.
His apartment sat above it, and sure enough, I spotted him in the window before I even knocked.
He came down after a minute, wiping his hands on a rag like he’d been polishing something delicate.
“Gideon,” he said, voice wary but not unfriendly. “What can I do for you? Is there a problem with the festival?”
I gave him a smile that was meant to settle him, though I let enough weight sit in my tone that he knew I wasn’t here for pleasantries. “No, no problems. I just wanted to clear up a few things. Mind if we talk a minute?”
He hesitated but finally nodded, stepping aside so I could enter.
I followed him through the shop to the steps that led to his second-floor apartment.
His place smelled faintly of polish and old wood, and the air was cooler inside.
Leon gestured me toward a chair but stayed standing, arms crossed like he was bracing himself.
“I’ll get right to it,” I said. “You and Winston. Everyone knew you didn’t care for him.”
Leon snorted. “Didn’t care for him is putting it mildly. But that doesn’t mean I killed him.”
“Then you’ll understand why I’ve got to ask if you have an alibi.”
His eyes flicked away, jaw tight. “Not really.”
“Not really,” I repeated, leaning forward a little. “That’s not the kind of answer that clears things up.”
“I know.”
“But you said you saw Elwood that night, after the meeting.”
“I did.”
I let the silence stretch before I asked, “So you were outside?”
“No. From my window.” He gestured vaguely toward the street. “I wasn’t out there.”
That sat wrong in my gut. “So what were you doing, sitting at your window in the dark?”
His cheeks flushed. “I was… online. Bidding on something.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Didn’t want to say because it’s—well, it’s embarrassing, all right?”
I raised an eyebrow but kept my tone even. “Embarrassing how?”
He muttered, “It was a porcelain cock. Don’t ask.”
I almost smiled but held it back. If Leon had a thing for collectible cocks, that was his own business. “So you were on the computer all night?”
“Yeah, I was watching the clock tick down on an auction. That’s when I saw Elwood—through the window.”
“An online auction? For cocks?”
“Roosters, Gideon. Porcelain rooster figurines. They’re very collectible,” he said defensively.
I held up my hands in a sign of surrender. “Okay.”
He’d said it was embarrassing, so I’d assumed he had some obsession with phallic-shaped porcelain figures, not chickens. I don’t think I could be blamed for that assumption.
“Look, I was anxious after the festival meeting because it didn’t go so well. I swear, it’s like no one understands how important it is that these festivals succeed. The economic success of the town depends on it.”
“We all appreciate all the hard work you put in on those, Leon,” I said, hoping he could tell I meant it. None of us wanted to take the job on.
“Well, no one acts like it.” He grumbled. Then he cleared his throat. “Anyway, as I was saying, I was stressed, and when I get stressed, I go online and look for roosters to add to my collection.
“You have a collection? Of roosters?”
“Yes, Gideon, that’s what I was saying, weren’t you listening. It’s a competitive market, and I didn’t dare take my eyes off the screen. I’d just got the notification I had the winning bid when I looked outside and saw Elwood rushing down the sidewalk.”
I studied him a moment longer. “Did you see anyone else?”
“Just that silly girl, the one always fussing with those weird coffee flavors. She saw me sitting here and knocked on the door to ask me about the value of Beanie Babies, of all things. Ridiculous. That’s it.”
I nodded slowly. “Did you know your dagger was used to kill Jim?”
His head snapped up. “What? That’s impossible.”
“Someone says they saw a dagger just like it on your table the day you were setting up.”
“I didn’t sell any daggers this weekend, so if it was one of mine, someone must have stolen it off the table.”
“We’ll have to check.”
“Oh, believe me, I’ll be looking, and if someone took it, I will be having a long talk with the company providing security. Besides, why would I use my dagger? I’m not stupid.”
“Of course not. But maybe you thought that would be a good defense.”
“Hold on, when do they think Jim was killed exactly?”
“We don’t know exactly, but Grady thinks it was sometime in the afternoon when everyone was setting up for the festival.
“Well, there you go. I couldn’t have killed Jim.
I was busy dealing with festival issues all day that day.
You can ask anyone. I barely even managed to get my own booth set up.
I spent most of the afternoon running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
I swear, if people came to events like this prepared, so many issues could be avoided.
“Who comes to a festival with a cotton candy machine and doesn’t say they need a power outlet? I mean, magic is wonderful, but it doesn’t power the motor on their doggone equipment. I had to beg people to switch spots with them, and it was such a hassle.”
“So I assume there are people who were at the festival when Jim was killed who can attest to you being there?”
He rolled his eyes. “Great Goddess, I could give you a list. Everyone was so needy yesterday.”
I leaned back in the chair, watching him. He hadn’t liked being questioned, but for all his bluster, there wasn’t a hint of guilt in him.
Finally, I stood. “All right. Thanks for your time.”
He followed me to the door, relief and irritation written across his face in equal measure.
Back on the street, I drew a long breath. Everything in me said Leon wasn’t the killer. He might’ve had reason enough to hate Winston, but he didn’t have murder in him, and Jim’s death rattled him just as much as anyone else.
I hated the thought of telling Declan, though. He’d been so sure Leon was the villain in this story. I was sure he was going to be disappointed that he wasn’t.
I was about to go find him and tell him when my phone buzzed with a text from Mellgren.
Mellgren: Do you have a few minutes?
Mellgren pretty much never asked for anything, so I was a little surprised, but if he needed something, I would do what I could.
Me: Sure what’s up?”
Mellgren: I’m struggling. There is so much going on with the murders and the festival.
I started to reply, but I could see that he was still texting. It took a few seconds where I saw him text and delete and text and delete, but then the text finally came through.
Mellgren: And the blood. There was so much blood. I don’t want to bite anyone. I hate the taste. Ew. But I have this little voice that says you might like it now. I’ve been doing all the things, meditating, drinking beet juice for the iron, I even warmed it up, but I just wanted to talk to someone.
Me: That’s what we are here for Mellgren. Do you want me to come to you or do you want me to call a meeting?
Mellgren: A meeting would be good.
Me: I’ll make the call and I’ll meet you there.