“Tessa?” The deep, flinty sound of my name broke through my thoughts. I almost ducked behind the hedge. Derrick didn’t sound pleased, and he’d be less so if he caught me wandering on my own for the second time. Damn him and his stupid rules.
He called my name again, and this time, I heard the hint of alarm. I remembered the look of concern in his eyes when he’d asked about my visions. That look had unnerved me in ways I didn’t want to identify. I’d have to tread lightly. Telling him about my vivid death hallucinations and a suspicious man’s threat to “find” me was bound to get me sidelined and thrown back on boring interview duty.
“I’m over here,” I shouted, stepping from behind the hedge.
Derrick strode across the courtyard, his features morphing between anger and relief, as erratic as a child plucking petals.He loves me, he loves me not…Unfortunately, he ended on not, halting with a deep frown.
“Were you looking for me, Detective?” I injected extra sweetness into my tone.
He didn’t buy it. In fact, it only made him grouchier. His arms crossed like steel bands across his chest, and I dropped the act fast to point to the hedge.
“There was a man peeking through the branches. I tried to get a closer look, but he disappeared.”
“What was he wearing?” Derrick’s hard gaze left mine and searched the grounds.
“It was difficult to tell. I could only see a portion of his face. He appeared to be late twenties, early thirties. And fast. He didn’t want to be followed. It was probably a servant who ran off when I caught him snooping.” A rush of guilt tightened my insides. I knew I shouldn’t keep the strange man’s words a secret, but there was too much at stake, and I couldn’t risk telling Derrick the truth.
He gave up his search. “It’s possible. The king ordered the crime scene off-limits. I’m sure curiosity is rampant. Come with me, there’s a witness I want you to meet.” He ushered me past the fountain and down the stone walkway.
“Has the fountain been dredged?” I asked, remembering Ella’s desperate thrashing beneath the surface.
“It has. There was nothing of consequence, though we did find a thin strip of leather in the grass. It could be unrelated. There’s no telling how long it’s been there, but we’ve collected it as evidence along with the wine stem.”
“Wine stem?”
He steered me around a marble bench, where I noticed the faint glitter of glass shards. A few more were scattered across the tile, and one glinted beneath a giant rose bush.
“We found the wine stem here.” Derrick pointed to the base of the bench. “It had shattered on the walkway, but a portion remained intact.”
I nodded, my attention focused on the rose bush. “The roses aren’t the same. The ones in your office are a different strain from the ones planted here.”
“Good catch. You’re right, the rose wasn’t cut here. The palace plants a breed of tea rose, but the roses left by the killer appear to be an unknown strain. We haven’t located the source.”
We kept moving, approaching an older gentleman wearing a scarlet jacket and charcoal gray pants. Gold buttons the size of coins gleamed down the front of his coat. He bent at the waist in a curt bow, revealing a balding spot on top of his head.
“Tessa, this is Bradford, the King’s steward. He encountered Miss Lockwood shortly before midnight.”
“That’s correct, Detective.” Bradford smoothed a puff of white hair near his ear. “Miss Lockwood was acting strange, swaying a bit, and I saw her stumble. She was alone, carrying a glass of wine, so I attempted to offer assistance. Many of our guests had too much to drink that evening. She declined and said she needed some fresh air.”
So, she’d had a little too much to drink. I frowned in thought as the man went on.
“I helped her through the crowd, but she stumbled again and spilled her wine on my jacket. She was so embarrassed, she ran off before I could tell her it was all right. I lost sight of her in the crowd. A short time later, she was found in the fountain.” He paused, and a somber look hardened his features. “I was in charge of selecting the two vintages we served at the ball since my skills as a sommelier are unrivaled. In the rush of the moment, it didn’t seem important, but given the tragic nature of Miss Lockwood’s demise, I should tell you that when she spilled the wine on my jacket, it smelled off. Looking back, I believe it had been altered in some way.”
Had Ella been poisoned? My mind raced with the implications. It could explain her disorientation and also suggested the killer had premeditated the act.
“There’s been so much upheaval in the palace, I didn’t recall the discrepancy with the wine until yesterday, and unfortunately, my jacket has been cleaned.” Bradford hung his head as if he had single-handedly lost the case.
“What about the wine stem?” I asked Derrick. “You said you collected it as evidence?”
“We did, but it was broken. There wasn’t any wine left for a sample.”
“Not to the naked eye, no, but to a witch?”
Shadows played over his handsome features when Derrick lifted a brow. I grinned, suddenly feeling a rush of excitement.
“Fetch the wine stem, Detective. It’s time I showed you just how much mymumbo jumbo, as you call it, is worth.”
Chapter 12
