Page 81 of Always Murder

“Did you cast a spell?”

Apparently, Bobby knew by now to wait me out.

“Charm Person is only first level,” I said, “but it’s super effective.”

For someone wearing a fur aviator’s cap, Fox had zero compunctions about coughing, “Nerd.”

“I’m serious, Bobby.You can tell me.I won’t breathe a word.”

“Lies,” Fox said.“He’d tell everyone as soon as he could.Just like how he told everyone about the time you kissed him and there was a full moon and he felt atingle.”

“I never said tingle!I’m a grown man.I don’t tingle!”

“That sounds like a medical problem.”

At that point, Bobby went back to his phone.

A bit out of breath, Indira slid into the seat we’d saved for her.

“Everything all right?”Fox asked.

“Last-minute costume emergency,” Indira said.“All set.”

“Wait a minute,” I said.“You knew about this too?”

“Knew about what?”

“He thought this was the family pageant they did in their living room,” Fox explained.

“What about last year?”I asked.“Why didn’t I hear about this last year?”

“Millie wasn’t in the pageant last year,” Indira said.

“And you were busy ‘solving’ a murder,” Fox said.And they even made the air quotes with their fingers.

“I was busy solving a murder today!”I protested.

And, of course, that was when the entire audience—uh, congregation?—went silent.

I mean it: all of them, all at once.Even the Archer clan.

My words rang out in the stillness.

And then Mr.Cheek, who was very much a Bobby Mai fan and very muchnota Dashiell Dawson Dane fan, leaned over to Mr.Ratcliff and stage-whispered, “I told you he’d find a way to bring it up.”

“That’s not—” I tried.“I didn’t—I was—”

“Everyone knows what you were doing,” Christine snapped into the microphone.She was standing on the stage now, hand on her hip, staring at me like she was having fond memories of the time she’d spanked Ryan and Paul in public.“If it’s not too much to ask, maybe you could let someoneelsehave the spotlight for five seconds.”

“But—”

With the clipped pronunciation of someone at the end of her rope, she said, “We aretryingto have an uplifting holiday experience.”

I sank down into my seat.

Christine waited a few seconds to make her point.I got the impression that I might have helped Millie and saved Paul and uncovered a murderer, but none of it was going to make up for ruining Angeline’s chance to marry a lawyer.

Then Christine broke into a cheery smile.“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Hastings Rock Community Church’s annual nativity pageant.I’m Christine Naught, and I want to thank you all for coming.I have one announcement, and then we’ll begin: due to a family emergency, we’ve had a slight change in tonight’s cast.”

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