Page 60 of Witch and Tell
“Don’t worry about it. We know now.” Lalena drew the curtains as I called up the database and typed in Byron’s name. I scored right away—an article from theBaltimore Sun:
Tyrone Beaudrie and Byron Marshall sought for questioning in a homicide. The two men were seen leaving Marvin’s TV and Appliance Tuesday night at approximately 11:30 p.m. Proprietor Marvin Chang was found dead of a gunshot wound when employees arrived the next morning.
Honey,” Lalena said, her arm on Ian’s shoulder. The engagement ring still sparkled from her finger. “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back.”
“Did you know Tyrone?” I asked.
“No. Never heard of him.” He shook his head in amazement. “I’m not surprised about Byron, though.”
“This explains why they left town.” I closed the laptop. “Although it doesn’t explain why Byron would have killed Tyrone.”
“The murder might not have been planned,” Ian said. “Maybe this guy Tyrone wanted to turn himself in, and Byron wouldn’t stand for it.”
“Maybe Byron pulled the trigger,” Lalena pointed out. “He would have had more to lose.”
Now I saw my conversations with Tyrone in a completely different light. “I’d buy that. When I talked to him, Tyrone seemed to be intent on changing his life. Maybe Cliff—excuse me, Byron—didn’t share those views.”
“It could have been anything,” Ian said. “I tell you, Byron is a dangerous man. Once I saw him break a man’s finger on a bet.” He made a snapping motion with his hands and flinched at the memory.
“It’s not enough to go on,” I said. “The police would be very interested to know Byron is here, but that won’t prove he killed Tyrone. It won’t clear my name.” I drummed my fingers on the kitchen table. “As far as we know, Byron, calling himself Cliff, has no idea anyone has caught onto who he really is.”
“We should delay telling the sheriff. Is that what you’re getting at?” Ian said.
“It wouldn’t be for long,” I said. It couldn’t be. Between the hunt for me and Aunt Beata’s magical efforts, every minute that ticked by worked against me. “How can I prove he killed Tyrone, that I didn’t do it?”
“You mean,weprove. You’re not doing this alone,” Lalena said.
My heart warmed, and I wanted to cry. “Thank you.”
Ian dropped a hand to pet Sailor’s head, but it was clear his mind was somewhere else. “If Byron found out I was here….” He shook his head. “I don’t want to think about it.”
There were two of us in hiding now. Me from the sheriff, and Ian from Byron. We all stared sullenly at random spots in the room.
I let out a long breath. “Let’s walk through the night Tyrone died. Maybe there’s something we’re overlooking, something that could nail Cliff. I mean, Byron.”
“Something the sheriff’s department missed?” Lalena said. “What makes us better than they are? They have labs and whole teams of specialists.”
“We know about Byron, and they don’t. Besides, they think they have their suspect.” I didn’t need to add “me.”
“Okay. I’m listening,” Ian said. “I’m happy to brainstorm ideas, and I want Byron locked up. I can’t risk him knowing I’m here.”
“Hang on a minute,” Lalena said. She plugged in the window unit air conditioner. “So no one overhears us.”
I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection from the window and flinched at my hair and pink velour get-up. I moved to the couch and drew up my legs. “Tyrone died sometime the night before last. How did it go down?”
Ian turned his chair to face me, and Lalena took the opposite end of the couch. Ian spoke first. “Tyrone was found in the woods. It seems unlikely that Byron killed Tyrone in town and dragged his body up the hill and into the forest. He must have met him somewhere, and they walked there together.”
I nodded. “I saw Byron on the trail a few days ago. He might have been scoping a place to hide Tyrone’s body.” A grisly thought. I gulped from my glass of water. “But back to that night. Tyrone had left the guest house early that evening. I know, because I’d received a note to meet him. I looked for him at the guest house and the café, but he wasn’t there.” The note had disappeared. Undoubtedly Beata’s work. The note may not have even been from Tyrone in the first place, but a trick so I’d be seen asking around for him.
Lalena picked up the thread. “Byron took him to the woods and strangled him with a zip tie.”
“How did you know that?” I asked. I’d seen Sam with the zip tie, but I hadn’t known it was conclusively the murder weapon.
“Marjorie at the sheriff’s office gets her hair done by Candace, who passed it on to Patty, who told me at the café this morning.”
Good grief, there were no secrets in this town. “You’d think with this kind of intelligence, the murderer would have been caught practically before he struck.”
Lalena continued. “They found keys, but no wallet on the body. That’s why they assumed the dead man was Ian. They didn’t have a reason to think otherwise.” She rose and pecked him on the cheek before returning to the sofa.