Shamrock Shenanigans (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 19) (3 page)

“So what now?” I asked.

“Let’s head back to the castle to find something to pick the lock. The next time we take Charlie out we’ll be prepared.”

“It’s a good thing we have Charlie with us,” I commented. “No one is going to question why we’re going in and out all the time.”

The rain began to pick up as we made our way back to the castle. Charlie was covered in mud, so I gave him a quick bath while Zak looked for something to use to pick the lock. I was just mopping up the puddle on the bathroom floor with the last towel when there was a knock on the door.

“Good day, ma’am,” the maid I’d seen when we’d arrived said. “I ran into your husband downstairs. He said you would need additional towels.”

“He was right.” I accepted her offering.

“What an adorable dog.”

“His name is Charlie. Come on in. Charlie loves meeting new people.”

The girl, who walked with a limp even though she appeared to be a few years younger than I was, hesitated, but then continued on into the room. I shut the door behind her. Charlie loved her immediately, which was indication enough for me that she wasn’t the killer. Charlie was an excellent judge of character.

“My name is Zoe.”

“I’m Liza.”

“Have you worked here long, Liza?”

“Since I was a wee girl. My father died when I was young, so my mother got a job working for Lord Dunphy. She continued to work here until she passed. It’s hard to get by without a man.”

“Yes, I suppose it is.” I didn’t necessarily agree, but everyone had a unique situation.

“She wanted me to be able to take care of myself, considering no man would marry me due to my gimp leg, so she got me a job here as soon as I was old enough. I’ve been here ever since.”

“You think no man will marry you because you limp?”

“’Tis true. Men around here are looking for women who can bear their children and help work their farm.”

I frowned. I was about to make a comment about life in the twenty-first century but decided to let it go. I really wasn’t familiar with the Irish culture, so what did I know about what men would find as desirable traits in the women they courted?

“Are you an only child?” I wondered.

“Am now. I had a brother, Danny. He was a soldier. He died fighting for what he believed in a few years back.”

“I’m so sorry. I know it’s hard to lose someone you love.”

“Yes, ma’am. It is. More than you can imagine.”

I decided to change the subject before we were both in tears. What I really wanted to know about was the other employees in the castle.

“So if you’ve worked at the castle since you were young you must know Lord Dunphy fairly well?”

“Yes, ma’am. He is like family. Almost like a father since my own papa passed.”

“And the other employees: have they all been here for a long time as well?”

Liza smiled as Charlie licked her cheek. “Bonnie, the cook, took over when my mom passed about three years ago. She brought Byron, the server, with her when she came. He only works when there are guests to tend to. Liam, the stable hand, has only just started. In fact, this is his first week on the job. The old stable hand had been here for over thirty years before he retired. I miss him quite a lot.”

“Stable hand? I thought Liam was a butler or something.”

“No, ma’am. Liam tends to the horses. He has a room out in the stable.”

“I guess I just assumed he was one of the indoor staff because I saw him upstairs last night.”

Liza frowned. “The man who tends the stable rarely comes into the castle when there are guests. He even eats in his room in the stable. I don’t know why Liam was here last evening.”

“So he would have been out in the stable the entire time we were having dinner and meeting in the parlor for drinks?” I verified.

“Yes, ma’am. That is where he should have been. The horses tend to get skittish when there is a storm such as this. Liam would have been on hand to calm them.”

Which meant he could easily have killed Brent. If he was never in the castle, then he wouldn’t have had to be indoors and then go out, risking being seen.

“I really should go,” Liza announced. “Thank you for letting me pet your Charlie.”

“The pleasure was all his. Stop by any time to say hi if you’d like.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I’d like that very much.”

I spent a few minutes cleaning up the room after Liza left. I piled all the dirty towels in one corner, wiped out the tub, and straightened the rugs that had been placed on the stone floor. By the time Zak returned Charlie was clean and sweet-smelling and the room had been returned to order.

“Did you know that Liam was the stable hand and not the butler?” I informed Zak.

“No. I assumed he worked in the house because we found him there last evening. Do you think the fact that we were mistaken is significant?”

“I spoke to Liza, the maid, when she brought the towels. Thank you for sending her up, by the way. Anyway, she said Liam has a room in the stable and he rarely comes inside when guests are here. It seems he even eats in his room. Which makes me wonder why he was not only inside the castle last night but upstairs where the guest rooms are located.”

“Good question.”

“Liam is also the person Lord Dunphy sent out to the cottage to check on the body this morning. If he’s the killer, he either could have lied about it being gone or he could have moved it when he was supposed to be checking on it. I have no idea whether Liam has a motive to kill Brent, but he seemed to have both the opportunity to kill the man and to move the body without drawing suspicion based on his movements.”

“Okay, so what do you suggest? It would be suspicious if we headed back outside again so soon. Everyone knows I just came back from a walk, and several people know you just gave Charlie a bath.”

“True. But we can head back to the cottage when we do go out again, and we might want to swing by the stable as well. In the meantime we should move Liam to the top of the suspect list.”

“We have a list?”

“Not yet, but we need one. Did you bring a notepad in your computer bag?”

Zak unzipped his bag, took out a pad, and handed it to me. The Internet, like the phones, was inoperable, which was too bad because I had a sudden urge to do background checks on everyone on the property.

I began to make a list of suspects. I put Liam on the top. Then I thought about the other employees. Liza didn’t seem the type to be a killer and Charlie liked her, so I was pretty sure we could eliminate her. The cook had been in the kitchen the entire previous evening, so I doubted she would have had the chance to shoot Brent. Likewise, Byron had moved over to the bar after he’d finished serving the meal, so I didn’t believe it could have been him. Lord Dunphy had left to go upstairs, so in terms of opportunity, it most definitely could have been him. Plus, he’d been in charge of inviting everyone. If he did have a motive to want to kill Brent, the party could very well be nothing more than an opportunity for him to get Brent to visit the castle. He had seemed surprised when he was informed that the body was missing. I put him on the list, but I didn’t consider him a strong suspect. There were easier ways to kill a man than to throw a party for twelve people.

As for the guests, I knew Zak and I hadn’t done it, so that left ten; nine when you eliminated Brent because I doubted he’d shot himself in the back. Piper had left the group early, as had Armand, Luke, and Susan. I put all four of their names under Liam’s. I furrowed my brow, trying to remember the movement of the other guests. Jessica had been chatting with Sam. I couldn’t remember either of them leaving, at least not while Zak and I were still downstairs. Millie had been chatting with Cassandra and Drew, and she’d left to go to the ladies’ room at one point. I hadn’t noticed she’d been away an inordinate amount of time, but I added her to the list anyway. I was pretty sure Cassandra had never left the room, but I wasn’t so sure about Drew.

“Do you remember if Drew left the room last night?” I asked Zak.

“It does seem like she left and then returned. I was tired and not paying that much attention, so I can’t say how long she was gone.”

I put her on the list just in case. “So this is who I have: Liam, Lord Dunphy, Piper, Armand, Luke, Susan, Millie, and Drew. All of them were out of the room for some period of time. Millie and Drew were only away for a short while, so I sort of doubt it could have been either of them, but Lord Dunphy, Piper, Armand, Luke, and Susan all left us shortly after dinner and never returned, and Liam was never in the room with us. Or at least he shouldn’t have been. That gives us six strong suspects. I suggest we begin there.”

“Begin how?” Zak asked.

“I’m not sure. I guess our first step should be to get a look at both the cottage and Brent’s room. If there really is a card game later, maybe we can uncover alibis for some of the others and whittle the list down a bit. The fewer suspects the easier it will be to figure this out.”

Zak and I decided to join different tables for the card tournament, which would give us the opportunity to engage in conversation with twice as many people. Our plan was to participate in the tournament until we felt we’d learned all we could and then lose a sufficient number of hands to be eliminated. Losing was going to be easy for me because I’d never played the game they’d chosen; it was going to be staying in long enough to find out what I hoped to discover that was going to be the problem.

“I’m fairly certain I had a visit from Birte last night,” Piper informed me and the three other people sitting at our table. “I can’t be certain, but I felt a definite energy in the room after I retired for the evening.”

“There has been a disturbance in the overall energy in the castle,” Millie added. “In my opinion we should expect the spirits who reside here to be restless.”

“I’m certain my robe was moved last night,” I contributed.

“Are you all serious about this ghost stuff?” Susan asked. “It seems a little far-fetched to me.”

“I agree with Susan,” Cassandra joined in. “I’m fascinated by the notion of ghosts in the castle, but I’m afraid the whole thing is poppycock. In fact, Aunt Jessica is beginning to think the entire weekend is nothing more than a ruse.”

“A ruse?” I asked.

Cassandra glanced toward the table occupied by Zak, Jessica, Sam, Armand, Drew, and Luke. “She thinks the ghosts are as phony as the murder.”

“Jessica thinks Brent isn’t actually dead?” Piper asked.

“She does. I mean, really… What proof do we have? No one has seen the body. Sure, he hasn’t been around, but this is a big place. He could be hiding out in another part of the castle.”

“Zak and I saw the body,” I countered.

“Yes, so you say, but what if the two of you are in on it?” Cassandra insisted.

“I assure you, we aren’t.”

“Maybe. But Aunt Jessica has been asking around. I think she’s spoken to pretty much everyone in the castle and on the grounds and no one other than you and your husband has seen the body. Not even Lord Dunphy. The whole thing seems suspicious to Jessica and me.”

I looked toward the other table, wondering if Zak was fielding questions about Brent Silverwood’s demise just as I was.

“Cassandra has a point,” Susan jumped in. “You and Zak are the only ones to have seen the body. How do we know you aren’t lying?”

“I already told you, we aren’t.”

“Then maybe you’re the killers. It does seem odd that the body just disappeared into thin air.”

“You heard the body disappeared?” I asked Susan. I wasn’t aware Lord Dunphy had made that bit of news public.

“Sam found out somehow. I’m not sure who told him, but he’s been nosing around and he assures me his sources have confirmed that the body, if there ever was one, is simply gone.”

If nothing else, this conversation confirmed what I suspected: the other mystery solvers
were
investigating the murder, the same as Zak and me.

“I haven’t seen the body,” Millie chimed in, “but I can sense that a death has recently occurred. My instinct tells me the newest spirit in the castle isn’t haunting us and most likely won’t appear, though he hasn’t moved on.”

“Brent’s spirit is here in the castle?” I asked.

“Yes, I believe so. Although…” Millie frowned.

“Although what?” I prompted.

“Something is off.”

“Off how?” I persisted.

“The spirit I’m picking up is all wrong.”

Okay, this was getting confusing. “Wrong how?”

“Maybe Brent is just having a hard time with the afterlife,” Piper suggested.

Millie closed her eyes, then hummed and rocked her body back and forth. Eventually she opened her eyes. “No. It’s more than that. Either the spirit I’m picking up isn’t Brent, or Brent isn’t Brent.”

“That is absolutely ridiculous,” Susan said. “You don’t all actually believe this nonsense?”

“I for one believe in the presence of ghosts among us,” Piper asserted. “I’ve seen them. More than once.”

“I’m with Susan,” Cassandra countered. “This whole conversation is absurd.”

Everyone glanced at me. It was obvious Millie believed in the undead; was I supposed to be some sort of tie breaker? “I’m open to the idea, but as of this point I haven’t had any proof of the existence of those who have passed residing in our realm.”

“Maybe we should just focus on the card game.” Susan sighed. “This discussion is giving me a headache.”

It took me only a few more hands to lose my way out of the tournament. I felt as if I’d learned all I could and I was anxious to compare notes with Zak. It took him a little longer to lose in a way that didn’t seem contrived because he was actually a savant of sorts when it came to card games, but eventually he managed to serve himself enough bad hands to join me in our room, where I was waiting.

“Let’s head out and we can talk while we compare notes,” I suggested. A glance out the window showed that the rain had slowed to a drizzle. It had been that way since we’d been there. It would rain cats and dog and then slow, only to pick back up a short time later.

“Good idea. Just give me a minute to change my shoes.”

Charlie was running around the room wagging his tail. It was obvious he was more excited about the walk than either of us. I did feel bad that he’d spent so much time in the room, although we’d been here less than twenty-four hours. Seemed longer.

Charlie took off chasing imaginary rabbits the moment his little feet hit the wet dirt. There was no doubt about it; Charlie was going to need another bath when this walk was over.

I began by filling Zak in on my conversation with the women at my table, including the fact that Millie thought Brent’s energy was off. Whatever that meant. I was pretty sure Zak sided with Susan and Cassandra on the whole ghost thing, but he’s polite and didn’t say as much.

“So how about you?” I asked. “Did you pick up any juicy tidbits?”

Zak scooped me up in his arms and carried me through a giant puddle that would have topped my boots but only covered his much higher boots about halfway. “The conversation at my table wasn’t nearly as lively as yours,” he began as he deposited me on the far side of the puddle. “Still, I did learn a few things.”

“Such as?” I asked as I grabbed Zak’s hand and continued to follow Charlie.

“It seems to me that Sam and Jessica might be working together. Or at least sharing information. Neither volunteered any information but both asked a lot of questions. And they kept glancing at each other. As if to gauge the reaction of the other regarding what had just been said.”

“I had a feeling the first time we met them that they might know each other from before. I guess it makes sense for them to share information if they’re both interested in solving the murder.”

Zak veered to the left to avoid a section of ground that was completely flooded. If Charlie wasn’t careful he was going to end up having to swim across some of the larger puddles. Of course Charlie had grown up at the lake and was an excellent swimmer, so although I kept an eye on him, I wasn’t worried.

“And the others?” I asked.

“It seems Drew was brought to the castle by Lord Dunphy to write a series of articles about the murder mystery weekend that was supposed to take place. According to Drew, the castle is in a bit of a financial bind and Lord Dunphy hoped people would be willing to pay big bucks for a weekend such as the one Drew was going to write about.”

“So he planned to host the murder mystery weekends as a tourist-based business?”

“So it seems. There’s a rich investor who wants to buy the castle and the land it sits on in order to develop a high-end resort and is threatening to buy the loan that was taken out against the property by Lord Dunphy’s father. Lord Dunphy of course wants to save the castle that has been in his family for centuries. The murder mystery weekend was the only thing he could come up with.”

“Wow, I guess a real murder on the introductory weekend is going to put a damper on his plans.”

Zak stopped walking when we came to the edge of the bluff. There was nothing but ocean for as far as the eye could see. It really was beautiful. I could see why a developer might think this a good location to build a high-end travel destination.

“If I had to guess,” Zak answered, “Lord Dunphy is probably pretty devastated by the way things have worked out, but Drew is thrilled. She came here to write a boring promo story and instead she lands right in the middle of a pretty spectacular murder. I mean, think about it: a Hollywood star is killed in the middle of a major storm in a haunted castle during a murder mystery weekend. It’s gold and she knows it.”

“Who exactly is Brent again?” I asked. “I know he was introduced as a movie star, but I can’t think of a single thing I’ve seen him in, not that I go to that many movies.”

Zak frowned. “I’m not sure what he’s been in. I guess Dunphy never said. The name sounds familiar, though.”

“Does it? I mean, Brent Silverwood sounds like a Hollywood sort of name, but can you really connect the name with anything Hollywood?”

“No, I guess not. I wish the Internet was up; I’d Google him.”

I watched as Charlie changed direction and headed back toward us. As beautiful as it was overlooking the sea, I really wanted to check out the cottage, so I suggested to Zak that we head there.

“So, did Armand and Luke have much to say?” I asked as we walked toward the cottage.

“Luke didn’t say a word, but Armand did share some of his adventures with us after Drew asked. He’s lived a very interesting life. Not only has he taught at some of the top universities in the world, he’s traveled extensively collecting rare artifacts.”

“Lord Dunphy introduced him as a relic hunter.”

“Yes, he did say that some of the items he has collected first had to be found and recovered. It really would be fascinating to travel the world in search of lost items from the past.”

“I imagine it takes quite a bit of background knowledge to know what to look for and where to look for it,” I commented.

“The man has definitely done his homework. He has an extensive education and it seemed obvious he’s well read. He even knew quite a bit about the history of Dunphy Castle.”

I stopped to call Charlie back. He’d seen something in the bushes and had taken off chasing it. “Tell me about the castle.”

“It was first built in the fifteenth century by Aengus Dunphy. Most of the land in this part of the country belonged to him. He had seven sons, and the land was divided among them when he passed. His eldest son, Cronin, inherited this castle and the land it sits on. It seems the brothers didn’t really get along and there ended up being centuries of feuding among Aengus’s descendants for one reason or another. Armand didn’t go into a lot of detail because we were supposed to be concentrating on a card game, but I take it that the wealth and influence of the Dunphy family dwindled in modern times to one lone castle and the few hundred acres it sits on.”

“It would be interesting to do an in-depth study of the background of the place,” I said as we approached the cottage. “If there are ghosts haunting this place and it’s been around for six hundred years, you have to wonder how many ghosts actually reside here.”

“Armand did say that there’s been chatter over the years in some circles that Cronin Dunphy once haunted the place. Armand doesn’t necessarily believe in the existence of ghosts, but Cronin was beheaded in the courtyard by his brother Malachi, who had fallen in love with Cronin’s wife and challenged him to a sword fight.”

“Ew. How awful.”

Zak shrugged as he worked the lock of the cottage door. “It was a rougher time back then.”

“Did Malachi take over as lord of the castle?”

“For a while. Cronin had several sons by the time he was beheaded. His eldest son, Orin, beheaded Malachi in an ambush several months after he moved in. Orin took the castle back, and it was Armand’s belief that the current lord is directly descended from him.”

The door gave way and Zak stepped aside. “After you, my lady.”

I took my boots off, picked Charlie up, and stepped inside. I didn’t want his footprints on the recently cleaned floor. That alone would make it obvious we’d been there.

I stood in the middle of the room and looked around. The cabin was clean and tidy. Too clean. The table surfaces weren’t even dusty, which they would have been if someone hadn’t wiped the dust away within the last day or so. Liam was correct; someone had not only moved the body but cleaned the place as well.

“Where should we start?” Zak asked.

“I’m not sure.” I handed Charlie to Zak and then bent down to kneel on the floor in the spot where we’d left the body. The floor was made of stone, easily cleanable, and Brent had already bled out by the time we came across him. Whoever moved him had done an excellent job cleaning up after themselves. There was absolutely no evidence that anyone had been here.

“I still keep coming back to the question of why Brent was here in the first place,” I commented. “It was pouring rain, so I doubt he was out for a stroll. He must have been meeting someone, but who and why here?”