Chapter 7
Cora sat with Jane and Ruby in the living room, waiting on Lena.
“Any word from Cashel about Zee?” Jane asked.
“Not really,” Ruby said. “You know how tight-lipped he is about his cases. Maybe Cora could get some info from Brodsky.”
“Yeah,” Jane said. “You two are pretty tight.”
It was true that Cora and Detective Thomas Brodsky had become friends, but Cora wouldn’t say they were tight. And she’d not want to take advantage of their friendship. Still, if this silence continued, she’d plan to act. She found it more and more difficult to concentrate on the retreat plans because her mind wandered to Zee in jail.
Cora fussed with the hem of her skirt. “I will give him a call this afternoon if we don’t hear from anybody.”
“It’s horrible to be accused of murder when you didn’t do it,” Jane said. And she would know. She was accused of killing the school librarian shortly after she and Cora moved to Indigo Gap. It was a nightmare.
“Someone said he was stabbed,” Ruby said. “I can’t see Zee overtaking him like that. I mean, she’s small and old,” she said, and grinned. “Like me.”
“You did say she has a mysterious past,” Jane prompted.
Ruby’s head bobbed in agreement. “Not one of crime, one of music. She was in show biz, had quite the successful career from what I understand. Then mysteriously gave it all up and retired early.”
“That’s not mysterious,” Cora said.
“Why would you give up fame and fortune and retire to Indigo Gap?” Ruby said.
They sat in silence a few beats.
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter,” Jane said. “Who killed Stan? And what possible reason could they have to hurt him?”
Ruby harrumphed. “I never liked him.”
Cora didn’t like him either. She always hated herself for not liking someone, especially when she couldn’t pinpoint the reason.
“Casting couch?” Jane joked.
Ruby chortled. “No, I’m afraid not.”
“Then what could you possibly have against him?” Jane said.
“That’s a story for another day,” Ruby said. “It’s getting late. Should someone check on Lena?”
“Here I am!” she said with a flourish as she entered the room. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
Entirely made up, and better resembling the woman in her photos, Lena now wore a silk tunic and leggings. A necklace with one huge bead draped down her neck. Her hair was silver-pink, which seemed to be the rage with a particular population, such as young hipster sorts or older women trying to maintain their youth or give an artsy-fartsy vibe. Cora decided she’d pluck her grays instead of dye them when the time came.
“What a fabulous bead,” Jane said as they all stood.
“Thank you,” Lena said. “It’s not one of mine. A student gave it to me. She’s gone on to a fabulous career in the bead houses in England.”
Bead houses in England? Hmmm. Cora made a mental note to check that out. She never lacked for content for her blog because there were so many fascinating stories about crafting—culture, business, community.
Together they walked along the cobbled streets of Indigo Gap. Azure. Lapis. Sky Blue. The names of the main streets in town were all shades of blue. Most people found it cozy. Cora thought it a bit too quaint. Even so, she found herself loving her new home and town more and more each day. They passed by the Blue Dawg Diner.
“That’s a perfect place for breakfast,” Ruby said.
“Today we’re going to a new café, called the Blue Lily,” Jane said. “We haven’t been there before, but we’ve heard great things about it.”
“Lovely,” Lena said, as she took in the town.
She was a woman whose age was tough to guess. Certainly, she was older than her publicity photos. She was gifted with a timeless beauty, with glowing healthy skin, and only a few wrinkles. Cora thought it was a shame that she made herself up so heavily.
Maybe once Lena caught on to the laid-back vibe of the retreat, she’d lay off the heavy makeup.
At least Cora hoped her retreat would be laid-back. A group of mostly stay-at-home moms soon would be descending on Kildare House. She had no idea what to expect—this had all been Jane’s idea. “I love London, but after spending a whole summer with her at home, I sort of feel as if I’ve been through a war,” she joked one day. “I’m wondering if we could do a retreat for moms after the kids go back to school in the fall.”
Cora loved the idea. It was worth trying. Almost anything was. They were still a new craft retreat, making a name for themselves, and barely a profit.
They had made a reservation, so the Blue Lily had a lovely place set for them. The four of them sat and ordered.
Cora’s phone buzzed and generally she’d ignore it. This gathering was an important occasion. She wanted to make sure all teachers were on the same page before the retreat started.
Since the call was from Cashel, she couldn’t ignore it.
“Excuse me,” she said. “I have to take this.”
Jane caught her eye and lifted one eyebrow in curiosity.
“Hello, Cashel, what’s up?”
“Cora, bad news,” he said. “It looks as if Zee will be detained at least another day.”
Cora’s heart raced. “Really? How can that be?”
“I can’t get into the details right now. I just don’t have the time,” Cashel said. “I’ll stop by later. In the meantime, Zee has some guests at the Blue Note and she wonders if you’d help out.”
“How can I do that?” Cora said. Had Zee forgotten that Cora’s retreat was approaching and that she herself was almost at full capacity?
“If you could just swing by there and check them out at two P.M. today,” he said. “And there is a roster on her desk with names and phone numbers of people coming in tomorrow. If you could call them and cancel?”
“Cancel? Where will they go?”
“Surely, there are other places you could offer? Maybe research some other hotels or B&Bs?”
“Why can’t you do it?” Cora asked.
“I offered, but she asked for you,” he said.
Cora bit the inside of her cheek. “I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will,” he answered. “I’m sorry to impose this on you, but Zee said you’d know how to manage all this. I know you’re busy.”
“It’s okay. I have Jane and your mom and it will be all right,” she said. “They can pitch in.”
Yes, they could. The retreat wasn’t all hers to manage.
But still. Why did she feel as if she’d be letting them down?
“Thanks so much. This will give her peace of mind,” Cashel said.
“No worries, Cashel, but I do expect you to come by this evening and fill us in,” she said.
He harrumphed. “I’ll do my best.”
Cora hung up the phone. The three other women at her table were sipping at their mimosas and chatting about the art deco décor.
“So, what did my son want?” Ruby said.
“Zee has asked me to help with some things while she’s being detained,” she said.
“Well, that’s ballsy,” Ruby said, before she took another sip and smacked her lips.
Cora and Jane locked eyes in a moment of embarrassment.
Lena elbowed Ruby and snorted. “Ballsy! I haven’t heard that word in a long time.”
Cora managed a smile. This weekend retreat was going to be a riot, murder or not.