Page 20 of Crossroads Magic
A toilet flushed and the bathroom door opened. Ghaliya dropped into the chair next to it with a heavy sigh.
“When was my mother found?” I asked.
Marcus nodded. “Six a.m., yesterday morning. She was last seen alive at eleven, the night before.”
“But you didn’t phone me until late yesterday afternoon,” I pointed out.
Marcus looked uncomfortable. “I couldn’t find your mother’s address book. Not for a long time. It wasn’t where I thought to look, at first.”
Mom had refused to use a cell phone. She had used the landline here at the inn. I’d always had to ask for her, when I phoned, and wait for her to come to the phone.
I swiped at the photo on Marcus’ phone, to look at the next one, which had been taken from further away, and showed more of the road around my mother. It was clearly the intersection I had just driven through. I couldn’t imagine leaving her lying there for a day and a half, either. But surely the police would arrive soon? In L.A., they would have been there within minutes. Surely, even in upstate New York, the police responded faster than this?
Yet, they were still not here.
I studied the photo. “Where is the knife that is in the photo?” I said sharply, only just now noticing the long, slim blade that lay about twenty inches from my mother’s side.
“We don’t know,” Marcus said, his tone flat.
“Do you recognize it?” I asked him. “Do you know who it belongs to?”
“Oh, yes,” he said. “It’s mine.”
My lips parted. “Excuse me?”
“It’s my knife,” Benedict Marcus said calmly.
“Holy shit…!” Ghaliya breathed, from behind us.
I took a step back from him. It was purely involuntary.
Marcus raised his hand, palm out. “Someone took it from my kitchen,” he said quickly. “My house is close to the crossing. It was convenient for whoever it was.”
“They broke into your house and stole the knife?” I asked, disbelief making my voice rise.
“They didn’t break in,” Benedict Marcus said with near-maddening calmness. “I don’t lock my doors.”
“Really.” I didn’t bother hiding my incredulity.
“Really.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a grim smile. “No one does, here. As you’ll find out, Ms… Anna, Haigton Crossing is different.”
Chapter Seven
I was aware of Benedict Marcus trailing me as I stalked into my mother’s sitting room. “Where is the damn phone?” I demanded.
“It really won’t do you any good at all,” Benedict repeated.
“Mom, listen to him!” Ghaliya called after me.
“Iamlistening. He’s telling me the police have waited over thirty hours to tend to a homicide! I’m damn well phoning them and putting a cracker under their ass!” I whirled to face Marcus. “Phone!” I demanded.
“It’s in the bar,” he said, with the tiniest of shrugs.
I rolled my eyes and moved to the door out of the apartment, then down the stairs, around the newel post and down the main staircase to the ground floor. I could hear the two of them thudding down the stairs behind me.
I strode into the bar, aware that proverbial steam was rising from me.
The three men who had been sitting about the table by the fire were still there, and all three of them turned to examine me as I moved toward the bar. They’d clearly been filled in on who I was. Right then, I didn’t give a damn. I faced the barman, Hirom. “Where is the phone?” I demanded.
