“Excuse me, miss. I knocked, but you didn’t answer. I thought you might still be downstairs, and madam asked me to check the guest rooms. Is everything all right?”
I looked up to find one of the housemaids staring at me. In her hands was the soiled gown I’d draped over the chair.
The maid’s gaze shifted to look over my shoulder, and her eyes widened, mouth opening in terror. She stumbled backward, and a scream bubbled from her throat as she raced from the room.
A strange floating sensation washed through me as I realized I’d just been discovered standing over the body with a cut on my hand and bloody clothes in my room.
Mae was right. The crystal apple was a bad omen, and things were about to go from bad to worse.
Chapter 10
Someone inside this house was a killer.
After the maid alerted everyone to Mae’s murder with her screams, Derrick had cordoned off my room to investigate the scene, and now, we were all gathered in the parlor. The servants lined the wall, the two remaining housemaids dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs while the men stood stoically, hands clasped in front of them. Derrick’s parents and Edward were near the fireplace, and the Snows had congregated near the window.
Nobody spoke, but accusation hung in the air, and it wasn’t difficult to guess who they believed was responsible.
Outside, the storm continued to rage, making the roads impassable until the snow died down. Help wasn’t coming, and no one could leave. The mood was thick with the dawning realization we were spending the night trapped with a killer.
My mind raced as I tried to put the limited pieces together. Were my accidents somehow related to Mae’s murder? I had trouble believing they were a coincidence, but nothing seemed to fit. Why kill Mae? And who had retrieved the crystal apple from the snowdrift? Unless their motive was to make everyone think I had something to do with it—which, if that was the case, well done! From the looks I was receiving, it appeared I was the number one suspect.
There was one connection I’d made that explained why the doors had crashed open in the conservatory. My balcony was directly above and to the right of that section of the house, meaning the person who found the apple had likely entered through those doors, tracking the snow across the floor before heading up to my room.
Unfortunately, that knowledge didn’t point to anyone specific since there was no telling exactly when someone had entered through that area. Everyone had dispersed after dinner, going their separate ways. Given the amount of water on the floor, it could have been a span of a few hours.
“I can’t believe this is happening. Who would do this to Mae?” Cynthia wrung her hands, and worry deepened the lines around her forehead.
Harold wrapped his arms around his wife’s shoulders and pulled her to him. “We’ll sort this out, I promise.” His gaze flickered to me, and suspicion lurked in the depths of his eyes. “Son, I think you should take the lead. We’ll need to question everyone and get their statements.”
Derrick nodded. “We also want to establish who was the last person to see Mae alive.”
“I sent Mae upstairs to turn down the guest rooms after dinner,” Cynthia said. “I’m not exactly sure of the time, but it would have been around seven.”
“Did anyone see Mae after that?” Derrick asked. When no one answered, he continued, “All right. Did anyone go up to the third floor after dinner? Or see anything suspicious?” Again, he was met with stone-faced silence.
The servants bowed their heads, seemingly afraid of implicating any in their ranks whether on purpose or accidentally, and the Snows were tight-lipped.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Derrick sighed. “Fine. If nobody will talk, we’ll do this individually. No one leaves this parlor until I have questioned everyone.”
Isabelle broke her silence and pushed out of her seat. “I don’t see why you should bother questioning anyone. It’s obvious Tessa is guilty. The housemaid found her standing over Mae’s body. And what about the bloody gown in her room or the injury on her hand? How did you get that, Tessa? Did Mae fight back before you bludgeoned her to death?”
“Enough, Isabelle!” Derrick snapped. “Tessa didn’t kill Mae.”
“Then explain why the housemaid found the gown Tessa was wearing earlier covered in blood,” Isabelle sneered, balling her hands into fists.
“I wasn’t covered in blood! I cut my hand on the broken glass in the conservatory. Andrew was with me—he can confirm there was glass everywhere.” I turned to Andrew for validation, but he shook his head, giving me an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, Tessa. I didn’t notice you’d injured yourself. You seemed fine to me.”
“Because I didn’t notice it right away! And naturally, I found Mae’s body—she was in my room, but that doesn’t mean I killed her. I have no reason to want her dead.”
“She’s a witch!” Isabelle cried. “We can’t trust her.”
The room erupted into chaos, and I felt myself losing control. This was absurd! How had I gone from accident victim to murder suspect over the course of a few days? There had to be some way to prove my innocence—except I couldn’t think of anything. I was as good of a suspect as anyone. More so considering the evidence. But I had no motive. Couldn’t they see that? Or were they so blinded by my presence as a witch that it didn’t matter?
Harold held up a hand and tried to bring the room back to order. He addressed Derrick. “Son, I think everyone would be more comfortable if we confined Tessa to one of the lower rooms until you’re finished conducting your interviews.”
“Absolutely not!” Derrick moved in front of me and took my hand behind his back. “Tessa is not responsible for Mae’s murder, and I will not lock her up for it.”
