Chapter 3

While the pies were baking, Ella Mae and Liz took glasses of mint iced tea out to the patio garden.

Surrounded by blooms and the industrious buzz of honeybees, Liz seemed to relax a little. As the two women chatted, Ella Mae learned that Liz’s husband, Brady, was a chemist. Liz also told her how she and Brady left Sweet Briar right after they were married.

“I couldn’t wait to get out of that place,” Liz said. “Brady and I aren’t high-society types. We live in a suburb outside Atlanta. I work part-time for a florist who’s also my best friend. Our family hangs out at soccer and baseball games, movie theaters, and parks. We have a rabbit, a turtle, and a goldfish named Cheeto.”

“So why the camellia decal?” Ella Mae asked. “I would have expected a stick figure family.”

Liz chewed her lip. “I’m not supposed to display that decal because I’m not a club member, so I guess it’s an act of rebellion. Totally juvenile, I know. And now, with my mother’s passing . . .” She breathed deeply through her nose and then exhaled slowly through her mouth before continuing, “I stole a bunch of those stupid stickers before driving off into the sunset with my new husband. It was a childish thing to do, but I was angry because Mama didn’t care that I was leaving. As long as she had the Camellia Club, she had what mattered most, so I violated the rules by slapping that flower on every car I owned. I even put them on our trashcans.”

Ella Mae suppressed a smile. “Did your mother ever notice?”

“If she did, she never let on,” Liz said. “She wouldn’t give me the satisfaction. Besides, there was no risk of another club member seeing my car because I never returned to Sweet Briar. Mama and Daddy visited us, but we weren’t invited to their home.”

Hearing the pain in her voice, Ella Mae gave Liz’s hand a squeeze. “I think you should scrape off that decal. It might help you say good-bye. Not just to your mother, but to some of your bad memories too.”

Though Liz’s eyes grew moist, she nodded in agreement.

After checking the oven timer to make sure the pies wouldn’t burn, Ella Mae retrieved a sharp knife and a bottle of glass cleaner from the kitchen and met Liz by her blue minivan.

It didn’t take long to remove the sparkly flower. When it was gone, Liz sprayed the entire rear window.

“I bet your kids would love to vote on which decals best represent your family,” Ella Mae said.

Liz smiled broadly. “I don’t know if anyone makes a sticker that combines three different sports, Star Wars, Boy Scouts, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but you’re right. My boys would get a kick out of it. By the time they’re done, the entire window will be covered.”

Pleased to see that Liz’s mood had improved, Ella Mae led her back into the kitchen. They removed the pies from the oven and placed them on cooling racks. While Liz assembled two take-out boxes, Ella Mae wrote down the recipe for her Charmed Chocolate Mud Pie, a favorite among the children of Havenwood.

Finally, it was time for Liz to be on her way. She hugged Ella Mae and thanked her for her kindness. When she was gone, Ella Mae cleaned up the kitchen and sat on the stool for a long moment before picking up the phone and dialing Officer Hardy’s number.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, “but Liz Fisher just spent over an hour with me and she told me some interesting things about Mrs. Burbank. I thought I’d better share them with you.”

“Go on,” Hardy said.

Feeling a tinge of guilt, Ella Mae repeated what Liz had said about the Camellia Club.

“She mentioned the club to me as well.” Hardy sounded unimpressed. “Bake sales and napkin folding and that sort of thing, right?”

“I think there’s more to it than that.” Remembering that Hardy was operating on very little sleep, Ella Mae tried to be patient. “Liz said in all seriousness that women would kill to be elected the next club president. What if someone helped Bea finish her term early?”

Hardy grunted. “Are you implying that one of these women committed murder just to be in charge of this club? And that this woman followed Mrs. Burbank to Havenwood because she needn’t worry about being recognized?”

“It’s possible,” Ella Mae said, refusing to back down. “It couldn’t hurt to examine the resort’s guest list. Cross-reference the names and make sure none of them have been falsified. Because if someone from the Camellia Club did drive here from Sweet Briar, it’s because she possessed certain knowledge about Mrs. Burbank. This fact, which Bea would have probably tried to hide as she saw it as a shortcoming, would have been a very useful piece of information for a murderer to have. Especially since Bea was staying at a lakeside resort.”

“I’m not following you, Ms. LeFaye, and I’m very busy. Please get to the point,” Hardy said testily.

“Bea couldn’t swim,” Ella Mae said. “Liz told me that her mother never learned. What if someone from the Camellia Club followed Bea as she walked on the dock, or near the lake’s edge, and pushed her in when no one was around to witness the act?”

Hardy was silent for a moment. “We’re already checking the names on the hotel registry, but in light of this news, I’ll get my hands on a list of current club members as well.” He paused. “I wonder why Mrs. Fisher didn’t mention the fact that her mother couldn’t swim.”

“I think she was running on autopilot in the police station. She was just trying to survive and get out of there.”

“Did she say anything else?” Hardy asked. “Anything that might indicate her mother had issues with alcohol or other substances?”

Ella Mae recounted how Bea’s weaknesses seemed to center on her inability to sustain familial relationships. “It sounds like she was too much of a control freak to indulge beyond a glass of wine.”

“We’ll see about that when the lab results come in.” Hardy thanked Ella Mae for the call and hung up.

Ella Mae locked The Charmed Pie Shoppe and drove home. After playing with Chewy for a while, she searched the gardens for her mother. She found her in the greenhouse, watering trays of seedlings.

“You’ve been gone for ages,” Adelaide said, turning off the water.

“I ended up spending time with Bea’s daughter.” Ella Mae thought about how Liz had never been close to her mother, and felt an overwhelming rush of affection not just for her mother, but also for Reba and her aunts. These women had all played a part in raising her, and whenever something unsettled her—and Bea’s death had certainly unsettled her—she wanted to be surrounded by her family.

Her mother must have sensed her need. “Should we have everyone over tonight? We can share a meal under the stars.”

Ella Mae smiled. “That sounds like the perfect way to help me move forward after this strange, sad day.”

*   *   *

“Didn’t I tell you?” Reba cried when Ella Mae told her about Bea’s death that evening. “My radar went off the second she stepped in the pie shop. And now she’s in a drawer in the morgue. Good thing you can’t get involved with her now.”

“Reba!” Aunt Dee scolded softly, pulling the sleeve of her filmy blue blouse over the puckered burn scar on her forearm.

“Why do you hide those from us?” Aunt Sissy asked her sister. “You’re our beautiful Delia. Those scars could never diminish the real you.”

Aunt Dee shrugged. “It’s become a habit. I see people staring at my arms when I’m at the bank or the grocery store, so I try to cover as much skin as I can. Not because I’m ashamed. I don’t care about the scars, but I don’t want to make other people feel uncomfortable.”

“Too bad for them!” Aunt Verena shouted. Verena, who didn’t possess an indoor voice, had a firm opinion on every subject. “It’s not like you chose to be locked inside a burning barn.”

Dee opened her mouth to protest, but Adelaide changed the subject by asking Reba and her sisters what they wanted to drink with dinner.

“I’ll guzzle some vino while I’m fixin’ the pasta. After all, the recipe calls for wine.” Laughing, Reba disappeared into the kitchen.

The rest of the LeFaye women went outside to set the table.

Ella Mae spread a white cloth over the patio table and Sissy distributed plates and silverware. Verena put out wineglasses and then went back inside to retrieve the two bottles of white Bordeaux that Adelaide had purchased to accompany Reba’s spaghetti puttanesca. Adelaide snipped pink and purple clematis flowers from a nearby trellis and sprinkled them haphazardly over the surface of the table. Dee lit dozens of tea light candles and placed them on top of the flowers. The effect was magical.

After the table was set, the women rejoined Reba in the kitchen, where they prepared a large tossed salad and two loaves of garlic bread. The room filled with steam, noisy chatter, and laughter. It was the exact balm Ella Mae had been looking for to help her recover from an emotional day.

By the time Reba appeared on the patio carrying an enormous platter of pasta, the rest of the women were already seated. They applauded loudly and raised their glasses to toast the chef, but Reba waved off their compliments and told them to eat before the food grew cold.

“Did you know that, in Italian, puttane means the ‘lady of the night’?” Sissy asked in a stage whisper. “As in, prostitute?”

“My all-time favorite pasta recipe,” Reba said, piling a large helping onto her plate.

Ella Mae grinned. “It’s true. I remember reading an article about the origin of the dish’s name. The strong aroma is meant to symbolize the perfume of the women who lured men into their houses of ill repute.”

“Here’s to saucy Napolese sirens!” Verena cried and raised her glass.

Adelaide shook her head in wonder. “I never thought we’d drink in honor of sirens. After all, the only siren we know is Loralyn Gaynor, and she’s still our enemy.”

Dee shot a nervous glance at Adelaide. “The LeFayes and the Gaynors have declared a truce. You’d better not call Loralyn an enemy in front of the Elders. Verena will overlook it because she’s your sister, but the others may not.”

A strained silence followed. Eventually, Adelaide dipped her chin in acquiescence and raised her glass. The women clinked rims and sipped their wine.

“Speaking of the Elders, I have a proposition for you!” Verena pointed her fork at Ella Mae.

Ella Mae experienced a strong sense of déjà vu. Suddenly, she was back in The Charmed Pie Shoppe with Beatrice Burbank, listening to Bea describe the Camellia Club’s annual retreat.

“Are you all right?” Dee asked softly.

Shaking her head as though to clear it, Ella Mae said, “Yes.” She took a large swallow of wine and looked at Aunt Verena. “What kind of proposition?”

“The Elders would like you to be an ambassador, for lack of a better word. There isn’t a person on earth who hasn’t heard that you found an object of power and sent it back to Scotland, where it was used to restore a ruined grove.”

“A magical person, you mean,” Ella Mae corrected.

Verena shrugged as though this detail were unimportant. “Now every community hopes to find such an object. Other descendants of Morgan le Fay and Guinevere are joining forces and pooling their knowledge. Wonderful things are happening because of what you did, Ella Mae.”

“People are setting out on quests,” Sissy said, picking up her sister’s narrative. “It’s very exciting. We might be witnessing a new age of heroes and legends!” She threw her arms wide, nearly knocking over both wine bottles. Luckily, Sissy’s dining companions were used to her dramatic gestures and grabbed the fragile items within her reach. “First, King Arthur’s sword was brought to light. What will be discovered next? The Holy Grail? The philosopher’s stone? The Book of Thoth?”

“Hold it.” Ella Mae raised her hand to stop her aunt from continuing. “I’m not involved in that world anymore.”

Dee studied her carefully. “And I’d understand if you never wanted to be immersed in it again. Do you remember how you offered me the opportunity to be completely healed and I refused to accept?” At Ella Mae’s nod, Dee went on. “I wanted to keep my scars as a reminder of what I’d lost the night of the fire. Despite that loss, I’m doing all I can to move forward. I’m working again. I’m also involved with a kind, generous, and loving man. As are you. And yet what did all those people say the last time you left the grove? After your magic was gone?”

Ella Mae had to pause for a moment before she could answer. The memory was still so powerful that it brought tears to her eyes. “They said, ‘You will always be one of us.’”

“Which is precisely what the Elders are trying to convey!” Verena exclaimed. “They want you to be involved.”

“I’ll think about it, okay?” Ella Mae told her aunt. “Right now, I just want to enjoy this beautiful night and the present company.”

Adelaide refilled Ella Mae’s glass. “You didn’t relax much today. Maybe you should let Jenny open the pie shop tomorrow so you can sleep late.”

“I’m hoping that Jenny will be too tired from her double date to open for me,” Ella Mae said with a smile.

Reba wriggled her brows. “Well, if she can’t figure out what to do with that hunky carpenter, she can send him my way. I like a man with a tool belt.”

“You like all men,” Sissy pointed out.

“Not true,” Reba argued. “I never found Jarvis Gaynor attractive.”

At the mention of Loralyn’s father, who was safely locked up in a federal penitentiary, Ella Mae turned to her mother again. “How is Opal?”

Adelaide averted her gaze. “She hasn’t been the same since Loralyn left. It can’t be easy for her to have no idea where her daughter has gone.”

“I think there’s more to it than worry,” Dee added. “Opal has always been the picture of health, but when I last saw her, she was alarmingly thin. She might be ill.”

“That’s terrible,” Ella Mae said and marveled over the fact that everyone at the table was genuinely concerned for Opal’s welfare. Once, not too long ago, they might have been immune to her suffering. But those days were over. The descendants of Morgan le Fay and Queen Guinevere were no longer enemies. Adelaide LeFaye and Opal Gaynor were now neighbors in the truest sense of the word, and Ella Mae felt compelled to see how she was doing.

“I can whip up some chicken noodle soup while I’m preparing chicken potpies tomorrow,” she said. “I’ll bring her a container after work.”

Adelaide looked concerned. “If you drop by, Opal is bound to solicit your help in finding Loralyn.”

“How could I be of any use?” Ella Mae was confused.

“By accepting the Elders’ offer,” Verena answered. “If you located another object of power, Loralyn would undoubtedly turn up to seize it. That girl never could resist a piece of bling.”

Ella Mae recalled a promise she’d made to Opal Gaynor earlier that spring. She’d promised to bring her daughter back to her. To deliver Loralyn unharmed. And she’d failed to keep that promise.

“If she asks for my help, then I’ll give it to her,” Ella Mae said. “Isn’t that what friends do?”

Though her aunts nodded in silent agreement, her mother looked troubled. Her fingertips pressed against one of the clematis flowers on the tablecloth and the petals began to curl inward. Within seconds, the petals had shriveled and turned into pink dust.

Reba swept the flower detritus off the table and shoved her chair back. “Come on, gals! Aren’t we supposed to be havin’ fun? Drink whatever’s left in your glass because I’m goin’ inside for another bottle of wine. It’s the unofficial start of summer. The best time of the year! This is when men wear the fewest clothes. Shorts. Tight T-shirts. Or no shirts at all. Can I get a hallelujah?”

Aunt Verena tossed a balled-up napkin at her. “No, but I second your motion for more vino. What did Horace say? That the Muses smell of wine?” She leaned over and sniffed Sissy’s neck. “My little sister is a muse, and since she smells like garlic bread, you’d better get two more bottles!”

*   *   *

The next day, Ella Mae felt as though the balance of her world had been restored. She dropped off Chewy at Canine to Five, tarrying long enough to kiss Hugh in the privacy of his office, and then entered The Charmed Pie Shoppe.

Ella Mae was always the first to arrive, but this morning, Jenny was waiting for her in the kitchen, coffee cup in hand.

“What’s this?” Ella Mae asked. “Is there a midweek wedding I don’t know about?”

“Nah. I wanted to talk girl stuff with you before the rest of the staff got here.” Jenny poured a fresh cup of coffee and put it on the worktable. “I finished the opening chores, so you have a few minutes to relax.”

Ella Mae reached for the jug of cream. “How was last night?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. About Finn.” Jenny’s mouth curved into a smile. “Lord, Ella Mae. I didn’t want to like him because he had a thing for you. He swears that he doesn’t anymore. He says that he admires you and that he wants to be your friend, but that’s all.”

Hearing this, Ella Mae felt a surge of relief. “That’s good news, right?”

“I guess.” Jenny shrugged. “The truth is that I want to believe him because we had a really great time. He had me laughing for most of the night—and you know how important a sense of humor is to me. On top of that, he’s sweet, smart, and incredibly cute.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Not that I let him know that, of course. I was surprised by how much I liked being with him. And I think he was too.”

“Didn’t you realize that your brother was setting you and Finn up?”

“No! Had I known, I would have slugged the jerk.” Sparks danced in Jenny’s eyes and Ella Mae made a show of leaning away from her. Both Upton siblings could exhibit fiery tempers when they were upset. “Calvin said we were going to a party at Finn’s place, so I expected to be hanging out with a bunch of people, but when we got there, it was just Finn.” Jenny smiled again and the angry glint in her eyes vanished. “Still, it was never awkward. While Calvin was snuggling on the porch swing with Suzy, Finn and I just picked up a conversation we’d been having the last time I stopped by WoodWorks to see what Calvin was making, and the time flew by.”

Ella Mae took a sip of her coffee and released a contented sigh. “There’s a glow about you this morning—you’re even more electric than usual. I think this is wonderful. For both you and Finn.”

“You do?” Jenny exhaled noisily. “I was hoping you’d say that. But a small part of me worried that it would make things weird between us. Me having a crush on the guy that had a crush on you.”

Ella Mae laughed. “That’s life in a small town. Why do you think Reba’s always itching to get out of Dodge for a few days? She needs a fresh supply of men.”

“I heard that!” Reba shouted from the dining room. She had a key to the front door and had let herself in while Ella Mae and Jenny were speaking.

Giggling, Ella Mae and Jenny stood up, tied on their aprons, and got to work.

*   *   *

That afternoon, Ella Mae biked over to Rolling View, the Gaynors’ estate. Though the Georgian manor house, stables, and the sprawling grounds were as meticulously maintained as ever, Ella Mae sensed an emptiness about the place. No one was walking horses or trimming bushes, and Ella Mae waited a full minute before someone responded to the doorbell.

Finally, a middle-aged woman with short, dark hair and a no-nonsense expression cracked the door and peered out at Ella Mae. “May I help you?”

Because the woman was not dressed in the maid’s uniform Opal usually insisted upon, Ella Mae was instantly suspicious. “I’m Mrs. Gaynor’s neighbor. Who are you?”

“Her nurse. Terri Valdez,” the woman replied without opening the door any wider. “Mrs. Gaynor is sleeping right now.”

Ella Mae was stunned. Why did Opal require the services of a nurse? How sick was she? “She’ll want to see me when she wakes up. I can wait in the library in the meantime. Also, I made her some chicken noodle soup and cheese biscuits.”

“Come in,” Terri said, a trifle reluctantly. Taking the food from Ella Mae, she headed off in the direction of the kitchen.

Ella Mae shut herself in the library and immediately sent a group text message to Reba, her mother, and her aunts, informing them of the situation. She then busied herself looking for books on objects of power but found nothing. She suspected Opal had hidden the rare and unusual items in her collection prior to Terri’s arrival. However, she did locate a book on legendary weapons and managed to read two chapters before Terri entered the library.

“Mrs. Gaynor will see you now.”

Terri led Ella Mae to a second-floor sitting room filled with soft furniture, floral fabrics, and pastel hues. Opal sat in a wing chair by a floor-to-ceiling window with a view of the back gardens. In the afternoon light, the skin of her face looked as fragile as tissue paper. She was frighteningly thin—a fact she tried to conceal by dressing in a billowy robe—but one glance at her bony wrists and gaunt cheeks, made it clear that Opal had lost an alarming amount of weight.

“Why haven’t you told anyone that your illness was this serious?” Ella Mae asked gently.

Opal flashed a wry smile. “Still acting the queen, are we?” She indicated the chair opposite hers. “Thank you for coming. And for making me soup. That was very thoughtful. Unfortunately, as you’ve undoubtedly noticed, I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Can I do anything to help you?”

“Unless you’ve found a cure for cancer, you can’t help. No one can,” Opal said. Ella Mae was struck dumb, but Opal nodded as though she’d spoken and continued, “It took me by surprise too. I thought I had a late-season flu. A very long-lasting flu. I was tired all the time and my body ached.” She made a circular motion across her torso. “But the source of my discomfort is tumors. Apparently, they’re everywhere.”

Ella Mae’s eyes filled with tears.

“Don’t do that,” Opal protested sternly. “Don’t make me wish we were enemies again.” She beckoned to Terri. “Would you get Ms. LeFaye a glass of water, please?”

The distraction allowed Ella Mae to master her emotions, and by the time Terri returned with the water, she was able to speak calmly. “When did you find out?”

“About a month ago. It’s a damned nuisance too. I have so much to do.” Opal flicked her wrist dismissively, as though cancer were a fly she might shoo away. But then, a shadow passed over her face and her shoulders sagged. Dropping all pretense of bravado, she clasped her hands in a plaintive gesture. “I want to see my girl. Will you find her for me? I want to make peace with Loralyn before I die.”

Ella Mae started to object, but Opal shushed her. “There’s no time for platitudes. Look at me.”

There was such naked fear in Opal’s eyes that Ella Mae could do nothing but nod.

“Good.” Opal leaned back in her chair, obviously exhausted. Terri took a step toward her, but Opal asked her to leave the room for a few minutes. Once she was gone, Opal stared intently at Ella Mae. “I knew you’d keep your promise. Do you remember what you said?”

“That I’d do everything in my power to bring Loralyn back to you.” Ella Mae’s voice was solemn. “However, as you know, I no longer have any power.”

Opal smirked. “While that is unfortunate, you do have influence. Your fame is widespread and you can use your celebrity statue to find Loralyn and bring her home to me.”

She held out her hand, silently imploring, and Ella Mae took it in her own.

“You once said that love is stronger than magic,” Opal whispered. “I love my daughter, and I’d trade every ounce of power I possess to see her once more. Tell me. Is there any hope?”

“There’s always hope,” Ella Mae said, gently squeezing Opal’s hand.

At that moment, Terri returned and declared that Opal should rest. Ella Mae said that she’d show herself out and quietly left the room.

As she biked home from Rolling View, tears blurring her vision, Ella Mae prayed that she could keep her promise to a dying woman.