“No. I think Billsdon is right in that they are just lazy and don’t want their world rocked by scandal. Having to deal with something like this would mean a heck of a lot of work, worry, questions, and reports. I think they are just incompetent, but that is for the law to decide. For now, we are going to focus on catching the killer.” Moss told Clementine everything else he knew about the mushrooms.
Clementine looked tearfully at him. “Why didn’t we think of that before?”
Moss grinned. “Because we had no idea how the victims had truly died. It all makes sense when you think about it.”
Clementine didn’t protest when Moss stood up, tugged her out of her seat and drew her closer. He held her with a fierceness that matched hers. She slid her arms around him and savoured his strength while she wondered what on earth was going to happen next.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Ahem.” Cameron sauntered into the kitchen ten minutes later and slammed to a stop when he caught his daughter wrapped securely in Moss’s embrace. “Is there something I should know?”
Clementine purposefully ignored her father’s askance look but could do little about the fierce burning in her cheeks. “Someone has tried to kill Moss, father.”
“What?” Cameron dropped the bag he held at his feet and stared at them.
Moss quietly told him what had happened with the poisoned cake.
“Good God, will this never end!” Her father cried, outraged at the thought that the killer had almost struck again.
He hated to have to do it, but Moss looked hesitantly at Clementine. “I think it might be best if you drew up a list of everyone you have been in contact with over the last couple of days.”
“Do you think they are all in danger?” Clementine’s horrified gaze flew to her father.
“I think we have to warn them not to eat fruit cake,” Moss sighed. “It is the best we can do for now.”
“What about the Fair Committee? They are all in danger too,” Clementine gasped.
“Unfortunately, we have to consider that the killer is one of them. Therefore, we cannot tell any of them to watch for the fruit cake because we will invariably alert the killer to the fact that we are on to them. I am afraid that, for now at least, we have to carry on as if we have no clue about who is doing this, how, or why.”
“But we don’t know who is doing this,” Clementine reminded him.
“For now.”
“How do you want to go about trying to catch the blackguard?” Cameron demanded.
“We are going to set a trap,” Moss informed them quietly. “It is a trap that is going to be very carefully set, in a way that means nobody is going to be put in any more danger. But I need your help.”
“You can count on me.” Cameron then paused and looked doubtfully at his daughter.
“I am not going to be left out of it,” she snorted.
“I shouldn’t even contemplate leaving you out of this,” he promised.
Clementine returned his smile but was prevented from saying anything by a heavy knock on the front door.
“Are you expecting visitors?” Moss asked, rising out of his seat to hurry out of the room to see who it was.
Clementine shook her head. “Not today, no,” she called after him.
“Do you want me to get rid of them?” Cameron asked. “Are we to avoid all visitors for the time being?”
“No. It will look too suspicious. Life has to carry on as normal,” Moss replied. He turned to look out of the window only to find the Captain grinning at him. Moss rolled his eyes.
“Let him in,” he muttered ruefully.
Cameron was already on his way to the front door.
“Oh God,” Clementine moaned when she saw the Captain’s face.