Chapter 20

To attract buyers, paint with colors that work with cabinets, flooring, and carpets.

With just enough time before my appointment to have lunch, I called Nita to invite her to join me at Vocaro’s.

“We’re going to do what?” Nita was incredulous when I told her about my appointment that afternoon with one of Monica’s clients. “But Monica is your least favorite person in the whole world. Why would you do that, especially when she is going to prison and her business will be closed anyway?”

I explained to her about my conversation with Sister Madeleine—how she wanted me to help save Monica’s business. “And it’s not what we are going to do, it’s what I’m going to do. I didn’t commit you to this.”

“Of course I’m going to help. Monica was my classmate as well. Besides, I could use all the brownie points I can get with Sister Madeleine. If it wasn’t for her, Guido and I wouldn’t be married.”

“What?” First time I’d heard that.

“Never mind. I’ll explain someday—maybe.”

I was beginning to believe Sister Madeleine had her finger in every pie in town.

When they called the number for our lunch order, I went to the counter to pick it up while Nita read our horoscopes in a newspaper someone had left nearby.

I placed our lunch on the table and sat down. I was hungrier than I realized and took a generous bite of the spinach quiche I’d ordered. “What did our horoscopes predict for today? Anything interesting?”

“Mine wasn’t worth getting out of bed for. But yours was interesting. It said Capricorns should beware of people from their past adding to their already heavy burdens.”

I tossed a stack of paper napkins at her. “You made that up.”

Nita caught the napkins and laughed. “Would I misrepresent what the stars are predicting? Seriously, with all you have on you, you can only do so much to help Monica’s business.”

“Tell Sister Madeleine that.”

We ate quickly so I could get to my appointment on time. “When we helped your niece the other night, she said she had provided admin support to Damian at the college. Do you think she could give us any more information about him?

“We could ask her. What do you want to know?” She took a sip from her coffee and then coughed, probably realizing where this was leading. “Laura! You aren’t buying Monica’s story that someone else stabbed Damian, are you? And please tell me you aren’t getting involved in trying to find out who did.”

“Frankly, I don’t know what to believe. Sister Madeleine is convinced Monica is telling the truth. It’s driving me crazy wondering who else would have wanted Damian dead.”

Nita shook her head several times. “You are such a sucker for helping the downtrodden.”

“You should have seen Monica in that visiting room. All I could think about was what it had been like for Tyrone when he had been accused of a crime and put in jail.”

“If you get involved in this case, you wouldn’t be doing it because you want to, but because Sister Madeleine believes Monica and not four eyewitnesses—you being one of them.”

“I know, but as she pointed out, none of us actually saw Monica stab Damian. If we had, that would be a different story. Not that I believe it, but what if Monica is telling the truth? I’m just trying to puzzle it out.”

“Just be careful. Everyone has secrets they don’t want revealed, whether they are connected to Damian’s death or not.”