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“So that’s how the killer did it,” said Gran. “I knew there had to be a logical explanation for that darned locked door.”

It appeared there was nothing more they could do, so they returned to their respective rooms and back to bed. It took a while for Odelia to find sleep again. And as she finally drifted off, she dreamed of secret corridors and secret rooms and silent killers who moved through the house like the wind.

Chapter 34

The next morning, Odelia was awakened when a hand shook her. She reluctantly opened her eyes and muttered,“Need. More. Sleep.”

When she saw Chase’s serious expression, all thought of sleep was immediately wiped from her mind. She sat up with a jerk. “What’s wrong?”

She saw Uncle Alec had also entered the room. He looked equally grave.

“There’s been an accident,” said Chase.

He gave her a look of significance and she instantly clapped a hand to her mouth.“Not…”

He nodded.“Shauna Shostak. You were right. She was one of the maids. She was found early this morning at the foot of the basement stairs, her neck broken.”

“Was she…”

“She could have fallen down the stairs,” said Uncle Alec, “or she could have been pushed. Too soon to tell.”

“We did find a brick next to her head with blood on it, and she has a nasty wound on the side of the head,” said Chase.

“So she could have been shoved down the stairs than finished off by smashing her head in with the brick,” said Odelia.

Uncle Alec nodded.“Which was unnecessary. Cause of death is a broken neck. Could be that she hit her head on the way down, of course. Like I said, it’s too soon to tell.”

Odelia had gotten up and quickly got dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. A glance at her phone told her it was early. Seven o’clock.

“Who found her?”

“A cook,” said Uncle Alec. “Just after six. She called it in and I called Chase.”

The cats, seated at the foot of the bed, intently listening, were wide awake.

“What can we do?” asked Max seriously.

“Yeah, how can we help?” asked Dooley.

She thought for a moment.“Keep doing what you did yesterday. Put your ear to the ground. Listen to the chatter.” To Chase and her uncle, she added, “If Shauna saw something, maybe she told others—or maybe one of her colleagues saw the same thing and hasn’t come forward yet.”

“We’re interviewing all of them,” said Uncle Alec.

“So you’re not treating this as a suicide anymore?”

Uncle Alec hesitated.“The thing is, so far all we have to go on is the word of Kimberlee’s dog. Not enough to open an official investigation, I’m afraid.”

“So we’ll keep on digging,” said Odelia determinedly. “Shauna gave her life trying to tell me what she knew. We owe it to her to stop this killer.”

“So you think Shauna was killed by the same person who killed Kimberlee?” asked Uncle Alec.

“I do. Shauna must have seen something or heard something and was going to reveal it to me. The killer must have found out and couldn’t let her go through with it. Doing the right thing cost the poor woman her life.”

“Why don’t we let Odelia talk to some of Shauna’s colleagues?” Chase suggested. “They might open up to her. Like I told your mom last night, some people don’t like talking to cops.”

“Good idea,” said Alec.

Together, they made their way down the stairs. On the way, they met a distraught-looking Abbey.“So it’s true? Someone else died?”

“It’s true,” Odelia confirmed.

“This place is quickly turning into the castle of doom!” said Abbey, though she had the excited air of a person eager to be in the thick of things. She joined Odelia as she descended the stairs. “So what happened?”

“One of the maids fell down the stairs and broke her neck.”

“A maid?” Abbey seemed mildly disappointed. When Odelia nodded affirmatively, she said, “You know what? I think I left something in my room.”

She’d clearly hoped for a more juicy story than a maid falling down the stairs. Odelia watched her leave with mixed feelings. Even though she kinda liked Abbey, she was one of her suspects. Shaking her head, she quickly hurried to catch up with her uncle and Chase.

She followed them into the kitchen, and then to the smoker’s room where Shauna had asked her to meet. Seated there, smoking and looking distraught, was a woman with a white cook’s uniform, her eyes red and puffy.

“This is Sylvia,” said Uncle Alec. “She’s the one who found Shauna. And this is Odelia,” he introduced Odelia. “She’s my niece and she’ll ask you a couple of questions if that’s okay with you.”

The woman glanced up at Odelia.“Of course. Anything to help.”

Odelia took a seat across the table from Sylvia and Chase and Alec left, closing the door behind them. The room smelled to cigarettes, and Odelia wondered why Emerald would keep a smoker’s room in the house.

“Poor Shauna,” said Sylvia. “She was just the sweetest little thing.”

“You knew her well?”

“I did.” She took a cigarette from a pack on the table. “Want one?”

“No, thanks,” she said. “I don’t smoke.”

“Neither did Shauna. She spent an awful lot of time in here, though.”

“Why was that?”