Chapter 23

Dear Sophie,

I’m working with a limited budget and trying to make my bedroom look Victorian. What items do you think would have the most impact? I can’t afford a four-poster bed.

In Love with Victoriana in London, Ohio

 

Dear In Love with Victoriana,

Go for a palette of shades instead of contrasting colors. Paint always brings the most immediate results for the money. Use a calm shade on the walls. It doesn’t have to be dark. An eye-catching chandelier doesn’t have to bust your budget. Prowl secondhand shops and be ready to gild an old one with gold paint. Check clearance sales and eBay for lush curtains. Remember to mount them at ceiling height, not right above the window. And with your last dollars buy a few velvet pillows for your bed.

Sophie

On the other side of the Dumpster, where they couldn’t be seen by anyone who stepped out of the back door of The Laughing Hound but where they were in full view by me, Bernie was deep in conversation with the tall woman who’d had dinner with Tate the night he died. The very one who showed up at his memorial service but none of us had known who she was.

Daisy pulled toward Bernie, eager to see our friend. I tightened my grip on her leash.

Bernie knew Daisy well. She would give our presence away. Fortunately, they were so engaged in their discussion that I thought they hadn’t seen me. I instinctively backed up, out of their line of view, coaxing Daisy along because Bernie would recognize her immediately. My heart pounded and I could feel the flush of shock rushing into my cheeks. I had trusted Bernie. Of all the people in the world that I knew I could rely on, he was in the top ten, along with most of my family, Nina, and Mars. How could this be? I felt like he had punched me in the gut.

Hugging the rough brick wall of the building behind me, I felt like a spy as I slowly rotated and leaned my head out just enough to peer into the alley behind the restaurant again. They were still there, looking serious and unhappy. I squinted. Could I read their lips? Hear what they were saying? No. Nothing.

The woman abruptly got into her car and drove toward me!

I whirled around, seeking a refuge where I wouldn’t be seen. If we ran across the street in any direction, she would surely notice us. We doubled back and entered the first door we came to. I pushed it open with my back while watching the street.

The glass door closed. Looking out, I fumbled in my purse for sunglasses and slid them on without taking my eyes off the street. Her car turned left, away from us.

“No dogs! Get, get, get!” an angry voice shouted.

I whirled around to find Natasha behind me. She literally pushed me out the door onto the sidewalk. I half expected her to say, And take your little dog with you. But she surprised me. “Good grief. What are you wearing?”

I looked down at my blouse and twill skirt. There was nothing wrong with them. No spills I hadn’t noticed.

“Honestly, Sophie. Anyone could drive by and see me with you. How embarrassing.”

I was still reeling from Bernie’s betrayal. Natasha’s words weren’t clicking with me.

“Sophie,” she said in a chiding tone. “A skirt and a blouse do not an outfit make. I’m telling you this as your best friend. You look like you’re going to take a bunch of kids hiking in the outback. Just because you’re short and tubby doesn’t mean you can’t dress well.”

That came through my Bernie fog loud and clear.

“And just because you are tall and beautiful does not give you the right to be unkind.”

“Now don’t be offended. You are my very best friend and I’m just trying to help you by being truthful. Who else would tell you?”

I turned and gazed at the door she’d shoved me out of. “What is this place?”

“It’s going to be my new CBDelicious store. Well, if I get it. Someone else is interested, too. Isn’t it darling? There’s a huge commercial kitchen in the back.” She gasped. “You could work for me. You could leave your sad little job and come to work for me! You would have to bake according to my recipes, of course. None of your plain-Jane boring cookies. But you could do that, couldn’t you?”

I stared at her big brown eyes. She was smart. I knew that. So how was it that she could not understand that I had built a business of my own?

“We would have so much fun. Of course, you couldn’t bring that with you.” She pointed to Daisy.

Was there any point at all in explaining? Probably not. Natasha’s biggest problem was that she thought she was smarter than anyone else. Coupled with her inability to see anything that didn’t impact her directly, it resulted in a skewed vision of the world.

I simply said, “No, thanks,” and marched off, but I heard her shout, “I’ll see you later. Put on something decent.”

Natasha was the least of my worries. I had bigger problems. For the very first time, I wondered if Bernie could have actually murdered Tate. I desperately wanted to rid myself of that notion. How could I think such a thing? Bernie was kind and thoughtful and had saved his own mother! That wasn’t someone who murdered. But why had he lied about knowing the tall woman?

I trudged on, reasoning with myself. Bernie could never harm anyone unless it was in self-defense. Oh no! That was worse! I shuddered as possibilities ran through my mind. Were he and Tate both seeing the same woman? Was it a horrible triangle that had ended in death? Had he and Tate fought over the tall woman with the big eyes?

I had to be wrong about that. Maybe he had a good reason for not admitting he knew who she was. I grasped for anything, desperate for a satisfactory explanation. He wanted to spare Bobbie Sue the pain of knowing her husband was having an affair? Or had the tall woman murdered Tate, and Bernie was misguidedly trying to make sure Nina and I didn’t follow up and discover that she had killed him?

Good heavens! Was Bernie willing to go to prison for her?

I barged into my kitchen. Not even attention from sweet Mochie could calm me. He cuddled in my arms, the top of his head against my chin.

I clutched him, listening to his soothing purrs as long as he tolerated it, but in a matter of moments he had recovered from my absence and was more interested in seeking a spot in the sun for lounging. I set him down and contemplated my options. I could confront Bernie. Maybe that was the best route. He wouldn’t be able to lie to me then. Not to my face when it was clear that I knew the truth. Or I could tell Mars what I had seen. Would he be able to get the truth from Bernie?

I needed to think this through. A peek in the refrigerator reminded me that I had bought loads of blackberries and had better use them before they went bad. With all the talk about cheesecake, I thought I would try a new recipe. One that didn’t have to be baked. A truly summery no-bake blackberry cheesecake.

I washed the blackberries and patted them dry, thinking about Eli. The proximity of his apartment to the spot where Tate had been murdered seemed almost too good to be coincidental. Was he jealous of Tate because of Marsha? That didn’t seem likely since he was also involved with Eva. Who would know more about Eli and his relationship to Tate?

By the time I slid the blackberry cheesecake into the refrigerator to set, I knew what I had to do. An accidental glimpse in a mirror reminded me of Natasha’s rude comment about my attire. I didn’t see anything wrong with it. It was too hot to add a jacket, but I added coral earrings, a chunky coral bracelet, and fun coral thong sandals. Wearing my trusty oversized sunglasses, I was set to go.

I walked down to The Laughing Hound, considering what kind of excuse I would make up if Bernie saw me there. A late lunch would be a decent cover for my true intentions. And it wouldn’t really be a lie, either, which was more than I could say for him and the tall woman.

The restaurant was blissfully cool. I had arrived in the slow hours between lunch and dinner. I waved at the hostess and made a beeline for the bar. It was my lucky day. Shane was working. Exactly the man I wanted to see. I took a seat at the far end of the bar.

Shane arrived promptly. “Hi, Sophie! What can I get for you?”

“How about an iced tea and turkey on rye with lots of lettuce and a little mayo?”

While he placed my order, I gazed around at the nearly empty bar. I couldn’t have timed it better.

Shane set an iced tea on the bar in front of me.

“Is Bernie around?” I asked casually.

“Maybe. Should I check his office?”

“No! That’s okay. I don’t want to disturb him. Actually, I came to see you.”

Shane cocked his head. “Need a bartender for an event?”

“Not today, but I’ll keep you in mind. I thought you might be able to help me with something.”

He grinned and flexed a bicep. “You, my mom, and my sisters. All the ladies need a hand moving furniture. Am I right?”

“Um, not this time. I need a spy.”

He leaned against the bar. “Now that sounds intriguing.”

“Do you know Eli Dawson?”

His eyebrows shot up. “Sure.”

“Tell me about him.”

“There’s not much to tell. He’s a nice guy. He used to work here. Excuse me, let me get your order.” He walked to the other end of the bar and returned with a sandwich that made my mouth water. Sliced turkey was piled high, on top of that crisp lettuce peeked out between the slices of bread, and a red drizzle gave away the presence of cranberries.

“Who is Eli dating?” I bit into my sandwich.

He smiled broadly. “Ahh. You’re going to have some competition.”

“Not for me!”

“Oh. Well, he’s caused a little buzz around here.” He lowered his voice. “We were pretty certain that he was dating Marsha Bathurst, the manager over at Blackwell’s Tavern, but rumor now has it that he’s seeing our very own Eva Rosales, which, if you ask me, would be my personal choice between the two.”

“I thought you didn’t like Eva.”

“It’s not that I dislike her. She’s a tough boss. I’ve got a sister like that. She’s so tiny you could put her in a teacup, but she bosses all of us around. You don’t say no to her.”

I smiled and took another bite of my sandwich.

“But now if it came to looks, I’d date Eva over Marsha any day. So what do you want with Eli?”

“Tate was killed right outside of Eli’s apartment.”

He shrugged. “So?”

“I thought Marsha had a thing for Tate.”

Shane stared at me. “Oh man! I see where you’re going with this. Okay, listen. Blackwell’s is supposed to be opening back up tonight. I pulled the early shift today, so I’ll go down there and hang around the bar and chat up Eli a little after I get off work. How’s that sound?”

“Terrific.” I dabbed my mouth with a napkin. “One other thing. I noticed a very tall woman here recently. Well dressed, large eyes—”

“I know who you mean.” He grinned. “She’s hard to miss.”

“Who is she?”

“I don’t have a clue. She’s only been here a couple of times. Never alone. She usually looks like she’s having a business meeting. You know what I mean—she wears suits like she’s going to the office, not sexy to impress a date.”

“Was she here this morning?”

“If she was, I didn’t see her.”

I had finished my sandwich and was sorry to see that I had devoured every last delicious crumb. Would I ever learn to eat half of something? Probably not.

I paid my tab, thanked Shane, and was walking home feeling perplexed when I happened to spy Spencer sitting on a garden bench. His legs stretched out in front of him, and his head leaned back like he was looking at the sky. I tiptoed into the garden. He heard me anyway and turned his head to look at me.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Sure.”

“You know this is someone’s private garden?”

“It’s okay. It’s my best friend’s house. They’re at the Outer Banks. I’m supposed to check on the house while they’re away.”

“That’s nice of you.”

“Everybody is gone. I wish I were, too.”

“It will get better.”

Spencer stared at the house. “Nothing will ever be the same again.”

He was right about that.

And then he said, “I can’t undo anything I did.”