Murderous Matrimony(18)

“Manny?” I answered cautiously. “Why don’t you ask him about his background?”

“Because as soon as we got him to the station, his lawyer took him away, and now we can’t find him. Any ideas?”

“Well, I know he had a background check. Adventureland requires it. I couldn’t hire him until they’d finished with it.” Manny got a lawyer—smart! “As far as a crossbow, I can’t help you. If you’re looking for the one that’s missing from the antique weapon museum, you’ll have to talk to someone else.”

“Have you seen a photo of it or anything? Because right now, I’ve got zip.”

Chase had probably told him about the missing crossbow and bolts. “You know it can’t be the murder weapon, right? The crossbow is too old, and the bolts that go with it are warped. I don’t think even an expert marksman could hit a person with it.”

“Who told you that? It wasn’t mentioned in the report on it.”

“Uh.” Think fast, Jessie! Master Simmons doesn’t want to be involved. “I saw it. It’s valuable because of its age and history, but that’s all.”

“What about another crossbow?”

“Sure. They sell them all around the Village. Anyone could own one.”

“But these bolts were specific to this crossbow, right?”

“I didn’t see the bolt that killed Dave. Do you have a picture of that?”

He did, as a matter of fact. He pulled it up on his phone. There was still a spot of Dave’s blood on it. “There you go. Recognize it?”

It was definitely one of the antique bolts that went with the crossbow Master Simmons had on his wall for many years. “It looks straighter. I think someone must have fixed it so it could be used to kill Dave.”

Detective Almond’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at children playing on the swan swing, and throwing rubber frogs against the wall at the frog catapult.

“Why would someone go through so much trouble to use that bolt if they could pick one up with a crossbow anywhere?” he asked.

I thought about it. “To make it look like someone else killed Dave?”

“Someone who owned the antique crossbow?”

“No.” I backed away quickly from that position. Whatever trouble Master Simmons had been in, I didn’t want to be responsible for bringing it back to haunt him again. “I don’t know. Sorry.”

“All right.” He nodded, and took a deep breath. “This place drives me crazy.”

“I know.”

“Well, for now, we need to find those records on your assistant, Jessie.” He showed me a piece of paper Manny had filled out. “There’s no trace of a man named Manawydan Argall. He doesn’t exist. I even checked with the Feds. He has no driver’s license, no social security number. Nothing. Why do you think that is?”

“Because your computers aren’t working right?” I knew Manny was real. “We have that information. I hired him. Adventureland may seem like a crazy place, but they require personal information and they do a thorough background check. Maybe you’re not looking in the right place.”

“Okay. Show me the information you have on him, and I’ll take it from there.”

I wasn’t sure that was legal. Wasn’t he supposed to have a warrant or something?

Maybe Bart would know! I was going to take a chance on it. I didn’t want to get Detective Almond even more set against Manny.

“The information is stored at the castle on the computers. I’m sure someone could print up a copy of his employment records for you.” Or Bart could turn down the request.

“Let’s go.” His eyes watched mine warily. “I don’t know how his lawyer got him out of my hands so quickly, Jessie, but I still want to talk to him. If you know how to arrange a meeting, I suggest you do it right away.”

“Like you said, he doesn’t have a cell phone. I don’t know how to get in touch with him.”

“He doesn’t have a vehicle registered to him either.” His voice was starting to sound impatient. “Does he live here in the Village or off site?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I’ve never noticed.”

Detective Almond put his hands on his hips. “Are you holding back on me?”

“No. I’m telling you that I’ve been too busy to check where my assistant was living. You can alert Chase so he and the security people can look for Manny around the Village. Otherwise, I really don’t know what to tell you.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “Let’s start with the castle. I’ll call Chase on the way. You better hope Manny’s information is in the system.”