Perilous Pranks (Renaissance Faire Mystery) Read Free Page A

from the blood on the bracelet too.
    I stopped in at Merlin’s Apothecary, which was uncomfortably close to the First Aid Station where Wanda would normally be. Her cottage was only a few hundred feet from there too. Chase was probably there, talking to Detective Almond about her death.
    Merlin could be a little wacky sometimes, but he was a good friend. His purple wizard’s robe had a tendency to fly open, even when there was no breeze. Most of the ladies in the Village knew to look away. He also wore a large, pointed hat that matched his robe.
    His apothecary was full of stuffed birds, jars of bugs and worms. He sold colored powders and liquids, magic tricks, and wands. It was one of the most visited shops in the Village, though I couldn’t say why. Maybe it was the name.
    The first thing anyone saw as they walked inside was a motley moose head Merlin called Horace. It was disgusting, but kids loved it.
    “Lady Jessie.” Merlin bowed regally to me as I entered. He held his pointed hat on his scraggly gray hair. “To what do I owe the honor?”
    What most people didn’t know, even those who’d lived in the Village for a while, was that Merlin was the CEO of Adventureland. I wouldn’t have known either, but Chase told me. Merlin lived here because he said it helped him keep up with his work.
     I knew better. The man loved the weird .
    “I have a big problem I need to discuss with you.”
    “That sounds serious. I could make an appointment for day after tomorrow.”
    “It has to be now. Wanda is dead, and it looks like I might’ve killed her. I didn’t. But it looks like I could be guilty.”
    His blue eyes widened comically above his gray beard that didn’t look too much better than Horace’s fur. “That is quite a problem. Have you told the Bailiff yet? Has anyone called the police?”
    We sat down in his shop, and I spilled everything—from the blue dye prank to finding her coming out of the shower.
    “Well, the prank was a long time coming after she glued your gown to the chair at the Lady of the Lake Tavern,” he mused. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to get her back—that maybe you were too caught up with the wedding plans and the museum. That part I understand.”
    “This was more than a prank. It looked like the killer caught her right after the dye had come out of the showerhead. It was awful.”
    He nodded in what I suspect should have been a wise manner. Instead his hat almost toppled from his head. He came close to falling out of his chair as he tried to catch it.
    “And what can I do for you in regard to this matter?” he finally asked.
    “I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Wanda’s life that might be helpful. Was she seeing anyone? Had she broken up with someone? Blades are used in crimes of passion, Merlin. Was there someone she felt passionate about?”
    He stroked his beard again and gazed toward the ceiling. “It seems to me that she was seeing someone. Yes! A younger man, I believe. Shakespeare had some words to say about that. I remember hearing them argue night before last. They were divorced, you know.”
    “Yes. I knew they’d been married.” Maybe Shakespeare had killed Wanda and set me up. The prank made me look guiltier than anyone else I could think of, including him.
    “Well, then you may also know that Shakespeare was paying Wanda alimony, unheard of in this day and age, but apparently he’d strayed during their marriage and had no choice but to pay up.”
    That was news to me. No one in the Village made much money. How could Shakespeare afford to pay Wanda alimony?
    Maybe he couldn’t. Her death would mean the end of that extra expense. It was a strong motive.
    “What about the younger man?” I asked. “Do you know his name?”
    “No. I might know him if I saw him. He works here—a knight, I believe.”
    “Thank you, kind sir.” I got to my feet and sketched him a slight curtsy when I noticed visitors coming into the