After Ramon stepped down, Alexis said, “Reinette’s guilt is clear. I demand that judgment be made immediately.”
“You are not in a position to demand anything,” Stella said. “I will make my decision when I am ready, not one second before.”
The two vampires locked eyes, but it was Alexis who finally relented.
For once, Mark was grateful for the pissing contest.
Then Stella said, “Mark, do you wish to call further witnesses?”
He flipped through the blank pages of his pad, trying to come up with something. He wasn’t a trial lawyer, and this was like no trial he’d ever seen, anyway. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage. “Your Honor, I would like to make an observation, if you will allow it.”
Stella raised one eyebrow, but nodded.
“Ramon’s testimony suggests that no human could have entered Geoff’s bedroom, but there are far more vampires in residence than humans.”
“Geoff, Ramon, and the girl were the only ones with keys,” Alexis pointed out.
Mark said, “Locks can be picked. All that is required is a set of easily obtainable picks and a person with good hearing, a steady hand, and patience. I think that would apply to any of the vampires here.”
There was a great deal of murmuring until Stella said, “We will have quiet.”
“Since any of the vampires could have picked the lock,” Mark went on, “any of them could have opened the curtains.”
“How?” Alexis wanted to know. “None of us woke until dusk. The only vampire awake before then was you.” She bared her teeth. “Are you confessing?”
Mark didn’t dignify that with a reply. He was still trying to find some way to prove that somebody else had been in that room. Could he be wrong about Reinette? Could she have casually insulted him after killing Geoff? He looked at her again, but still didn’t believe it. The only thing that had been on her mind was jewelry. Jewelry…
“Your Honor,” he said, “Geoff gave Reinette apiece of jewelry each month on their anniversary, and she told me he had brought along this month’s gift wrapped in a velvet bag. I request that a search be made to find that gift.”
Stella looked uncertain, but Alexis threw up her hands and said, “If it will speed this charade, then find the creature’s bauble.”
“I will allow it,” Stella said. “Ramon?”
Ramon, grinning of course, picked two other vampires as witnesses and sped away. In just a few moments, they returned, with Ramon triumphantly holding a black bag. He handed it to Stella, who turned it upside down. Only a sprinkle of dust emerged.
Mark asked, “Ramon, was there anything else in that room that could have been this month’s gift?”
“Nothing,” Ramon said.
“So?” Alexis said. “We have only Reinette’s word that there was anything in that bag in the first place.”
“But we do know that tomorrow was their anniversary,” Mark countered, “and that Geoff was meticulous about providing gifts.”
Alexis scoffed. “Then Reinette took it. She probably has it on her now.”
“I do not,” Reinette said. “You can strip me here if you want!”
Ramon leered. “Anything to please a lady!”
“Ramon!” Stella admonished. “Come here, child.” She wasn’t overly rough with Reinette, but she was thorough. “There is no jewelry on her.”
“She must have hidden it,” Alexis said.
“When?” Mark asked. “She hasn’t been alone since Geoff’s remains were found.”
“She hid it before raising the alarm.”
“Then I request a search of the house to find it.”
Now there were sounds of anger from the gallery.
“That could take days!” Alexis sputtered. “Your Honor, I object most strenuously.”
Stella looked at Mark. He knew she wanted to know if he was stalling, but he didn’t move a muscle-if she could be a stickler for procedure, so could he.
Then she said, “With the jewelry missing, you have adequately established the possibility that a vampire could have gotten into Geoff’s room and taken it, but unless you can provide a viable suspect or suspects, I will have to make my decision.”
Mark wanted to kick something extremely hard, but he didn’t dare show doubt, or Reinette was doomed. Maybe she already was. All he had was an empty bag that could have contained jewelry, and a dead vampire’s arm. Alexis had means and opportunity on her side, and one of the best motives imaginable: greed. Mark had managed to cloud means and opportunity a little, but he had nothing for motive. Unless…
“Mark?” Stella asked.
“Your Honor, I call Vilmos to the stand.”
Mark heard gasps, and even Ramon looked appalled. But Stella said, “Vilmos, will you take the stand?”
Mark had been expecting haughty indignation, but instead Vilmos was chuckling as he sat. “Of course. Who am I to argue with genius?”
Mark took a deep breath. “Vilmos, it is my understanding that you made an offer for Reinette’s services as a concubine.”
“I did. Under the circumstances, I count myself fortunate that I did not succeed.” He chuckled again.
“I also understand that the bids were unusually high.”
“We got caught up in the moment, I fear. No woman is worth that much money.” He twinkled at Stella. “No human woman, that is.”
“In other words, you bid more than you could afford?”
“I would have honored any promises made,” Vilmos said stiffly, no longer affable.
“Presumably Geoff felt the same way.”
“Geoff would not have shamed me by failing to meet his obligations,” Alexis said.
Mark was sure that he had the answer now, but he needed one last thing to prove it. The question was, how far would Stella be willing to play along? “Your Honor, I again request a search of the house.”
Alexis jumped up, furious, while Vilmos laughed out loud, and said, “A genius!” But Mark looked only at Stella. He’d told Reinette that having Stella as judge would give them no advantage, but he was hoping he’d been wrong. It all came down to one question. Did she trust him enough to risk loss of face in front of her fellow vampires?
It didn’t matter to him what anybody else did.
Finally she spoke. “I will allow a one-hour recess for a search. No more. Ramon, you may choose assistance as needed.”
Mark said, “May I make a private suggestion to Ramon?” He whispered his thoughts to Ramon, who looked at him as if he were making the joke for once, but nodded before enlisting a trio of vampires.
Stella left the room, but Mark and Reinette remained as the rest of the vampires and humans speculated wildly. It was all he could do to keep from pacing, but preventing Reinette from going into hysterics kept him distracted.
Stella came back into the room five minutes before the hour was up, and Mark could tell she was as anxious as he was. Half the people were watching the clock, while the others were watching the door. One minute before the time was up, Ramon came into the room, grinning widely. “I believe we have the missing item,” he said. His assistants came behind him pushing Geoff into the room ahead of them, still alive, but with only one arm.
Mark turned to Stella, who was smiling at him, and neither of them noticed that Reinette had fainted again.
“IT was the joke of a lifetime!” Ramon said admiringly.
“Perhaps not so funny to Reinette,” Stella said.
They had gotten the whole story out of Geoff. It was a classic case of buyer’s remorse. After signing Reinette’s contract for far more money than he should have spent, he’d had to meet the terms even as the economy drained his pocketbook. As Mark had verified with a quick audit, Geoff was fast approaching bankruptcy, and the monthly gifts of jewelry were the last straw.
So he’d staged his own death, spreading around the dust he’d brought in the velvet bag Reinette was so covetous of and cutting off his own arm to add the right touch of horror.
“Because he’d rather lose his arm than lose face,” Mark said.