Watching Aidan, Logan and Van Camp, Mo thought Purbeck was no fool. Yes, it was a social setting, but no one there could stop talking about what had happened.
They all scanned the menu and ordered. When the waitress left the table there was silence for a minute. “Where did you get your costumes for the Haunted Mausoleum?” Aidan asked, bringing the conversation back to what was on everyone’s mind. “You said that you thought the killer was one of your actors, Ron, but wouldn’t you know which costumes were yours? I’m assuming you have a count?”
“We do, but we have several cloaks for a grim reaper, and a number of men’s trench coats and frock coats. People have to substitute for one another sometimes, or we have to bring in a new actor to replace someone we’ve lost, and not everyone takes the same size. The attraction has existed for over a decade now, so we’ve accumulated a pretty decent wardrobe selection,” Ron told him.
“But you’d know something was missing if you went in there and counted?”
“Well, of course. We keep an inventory list,” Ron said.
“Most people get out of their costumes before they leave,” Phil put in. “But some people wear them home. They’re trusted to bring them back.”
“You still know who does and doesn’t change on the premises, right?” Aidan persisted.
“I know exactly who wears what. And if you take it home, you’re responsible for getting it back,” Ron said.
Their food arrived.
“What about that tunnel?” Van Camp had been quiet. After the waitress delivered their food, he suddenly spoke up. “Who knew it was there?”
Mo shook her head. “I didn’t.”
“I never thought about it,” Grace said. “We hear so much, we learn so much—as guides, I mean—but we never used the tunnel, we never took people there. Technically, the business could do what it wanted with the property, but...it’s historical. It’s maintained with integrity. Okay, maybe the Haunted Mausoleum doesn’t seem like it has a lot of integrity, but that’s for fun.”
“Yeah, and it helps support a lot of the ‘integrity’ through the rest of the year,” Phil pointed out. “There’s not always a lot of tourism here. Some months are lean.”
Van Camp turned to Aidan. “I’ll go with Ron and find out if anything’s missing from their costume supply. I don’t need to be at the task force meeting. You can bring the officers up to date.”
“I’ll head out with Lee and Ron, take a look around the site. I haven’t seen it yet,” Logan told him.
“Ah...can we go, too?” Phil asked, gesturing at Grace and Mo. “Maybe you’ll need us for something.”
“Mo and Rollo should stick with me,” Aidan said. “Rollo will be a real asset. The officers sometimes trust a dog more than they do a federal agent.”
“Feds! They’re suspicious people. I mean, we all love the FBI—and we’re all suspicious of it!” Phil said, and nodded knowingly, bringing a laugh from everyone around the table. It felt good to laugh.
“It might help more if we have Mo and Rollo with us. Let’s meet back at the Haunted Mausoleum when you’ve finished with the task force meeting. I doubt you’ll be that long.”
Mo studied Aidan, waiting for his reaction. She almost smiled—but managed not to.
He didn’t like her being away from him now, she thought. Was he worried about her?
Whatever the reason, it was nice.
“Okay,” he agreed with obvious reluctance. “I’ll go over the facts and tell the officers what they need to be looking for out there.”
“I think it is smarter if I go with Logan and Detective Van Camp,” Mo said. “I was there last night, walking around the mausoleum where Sondra was beheaded.” She paused for a minute. “Ron, do you think she could have been killed because of something she knew? Something she’d discovered?”
“Like what?” Ron asked her.
“When you were doing my makeup, remember? She came by and talked about how she’d like a research assistant. She mentioned the Continental currency that had disappeared before the Civil War. She thought it made for interesting history—and that it would be worth a fortune.”
“But she didn’t know where it was. If she’d found it, yes, that might have been a motive. But she hadn’t...”
“Interesting,” Aidan murmured.
“Continental currency?” Ron asked, still skeptical. “I really doubt it.”
“People kill for money often enough,” Aidan said with a shrug. “Mo, that’s something you could research.”
“I can try. It’s a story I haven’t heard before.”
“But you have a good library, with lots of old books. Maybe we should follow up on that.”
She nodded. “I will,” she said. “But for now, I’ll go with Detective Van Camp and Logan and the others.”
“I’ll keep an eye on everyone, and we’ll be surrounded by cops,” Logan said.
Aidan got to his feet. “Fine. Let’s go, then. I’ll meet up with you there.” He hesitated. “We’re already losing daylight.”
“I can get all the houselights and the floodlights up,” Ron assured him.