Beach Blanket Homicide (Lucy McGuffin, Psychic Amateur Detective 1)

“Did you see him later?”

“Who? Sebastian or your father?”

“Sebastian.”

“No. He probably got called away by a parishioner or something.”

What’s he trying to get at?

“Let’s go back to Friday at lunch. Viola Pantini has gone on record as saying that Miss Delgado and Sebastian seemed at odds with one another. Something about an exorcism she wanted him to perform?”

I swallow hard. “I don’t remember that.”

“Gus Pappas also recalled an exchange between the two of them and it’s very similar to Ms. Pant

ini’s version. Apparently, Miss Delgado threatened to go to the bishop?”

“It was lunchtime, and we were busy, so I really can’t… Hold on. You don’t think Sebastian had anything to do with Abby’s death? Just because she was upset with him on Friday and then you’re not sure where he was on Saturday during the celebration? Are you insane? Did you ask my brother where he was?”

“He says he was hearing a confession, but he won’t tell us whose it was.”

“You should know he can’t tell you that. Besides, Abby wasn’t killed during the rec center celebration. She died on Friday night or possibly early Saturday morning before the celebration began.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s simple. Abby told me on Friday that she was going to be dressed as Annette Funicello, but she wasn’t wearing a costume, which means she never went to the celebration. Plus, her body was cold. I mean, like really cold and stiff. I just didn’t put it together until now.”

A flicker of admiration flashes across his face. Have I actually managed to impress Officer Know-It-All?

“You’re right. The coroner puts her time of death between midnight and two a.m. According to the security footage, Abby entered the building around midnight, but she never came out.”

Security footage? I had no idea there were cameras around the building. Then I remember that Gus mentioned something about security issues.

“And your brother was seen entering the building thirty minutes later,” Travis adds.

“My brother? Are you sure about that?”

“Positive. He even admits to it. Only he refuses to tell us what he was doing at the rec center in the middle of the night. He only says he saw Abby, stayed in the building a few minutes, then left.”

“Okay, well, there you go. He was probably counseling her.”

“In under five minutes? Maybe. Except the footage doesn’t show anyone else entering or leaving the building. Which means that Sebastian is the last person who saw Abby alive.”

The little hairs on my neck start to dance.

Is Officer Fontaine lying to me? I study him closer. His last statement wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth either. He’s hiding something from me, only I’m not sure what purpose it serves.

“I thought Rusty said she fell. Do the police think someone killed her?”

“I never said that,” Travis says cautiously. “But we need Sebastian to tell us exactly what happened and we’re hoping that you can convince him to do that.”

“Well, I’ll certainly try.”

“Can you talk to him today? It’s important we wrap this up as soon as possible.”

I nod woodenly because even though I’ve just told him I’ll try, I doubt Sebastian will tell me anything. Not if he feels that it will somehow betray a confidence.

I wait till Travis leaves, then I slump into my living room couch. My head is spinning. What on earth was Sebastian doing in the rec center in the middle of the night with Abby Delgado?