Bead of Doubt (7 page)

“Let her try.” Ginger fussed. “I’d like to have a reason to rip those skin tight clothes off her.”

“Can you do it when I’m around?” Sean laughed, but no one laughed with him. “Fine, I’m leaving. But can I have my eight dollars back?”

“NO!” The Divas yelled in unison.

Chapter Nine

A little more calm than before, I pulled the Focus up the cabin driveway. If I’d only gone to the Divas with this information first, we probably would’ve been to the shop and found it by now.

I was startled by headlights coming up the drive behind me.

I thought it was Sean, but it wasn’t. It was Marlene.

Damn!

“Are you just getting home?” She was out of the car and up to my car door before I could get out. “It’s pretty late.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying not to sound uncomfortable in front of her. But my nerves were on edge.

“Agnes needed some maple syrup for her pancakes in the morning and I ran into Jim at the store. He said something about the Divas getting together and told me where you lived. Plus, I wanted to discuss some design ideas for my Spinet.” Marlene continued to talk as we walked.

I didn’t even hear most of what she said, but I managed to get the gist of it.

“Willow?” I hollered inside the door. She always had to go pee when I came home from somewhere. And since she’d been there a few hours alone, I was sure she had to go now. “Willow?”

I didn’t hear any little hooves.

I looked down at Marlene’s heels and wondered if Willow heard them.

“Stay right there. Willow hates you for some reason and I bet she’s hiding.” Thank God there were no unders where she could hide. If there were, she’d just have to stay under there until she came out.

But she wasn’t. She was lying on the floor next to the bed, not moving.

“Willow?” I put my hand on her little body. Her stomach seemed to be hard.

I had read that pet potbellies can get distended bowls if they ate the wrong thing. And Bernadine doesn’t help matters. Whenever she’s around, she gives Willow any and everything. That’s why Bernadine was Willow’s favorite Diva.

“Oh, no!” I grabbed Willow and took off toward the door. “How fast can that car go?”

Marlene ran behind me.

“Fast as we need it to.” She clicked her key fob, making the car doors unlock. “Plus the roads have been plowed, so we are good. Where we going?”

“Doc Johnson’s just down the road from Agnes’s house.” I kissed Willow’s nose. “And step on it.”

It normally took me ten minutes to get to Agnes’s house but we made it in five.

Marlene laid on the horn. I jumped out with Willow, and Doc Johnson already had the door open.

“What’s going on out here?” He was putting his glasses on. He was in his pajamas, and his hair was tussled. “Why, Holly Harper, what’s wrong with Willow?”

I charged in the door. Doc Johnson ran his veterinary business out of his home. He was used to clients showing up at all hours of the night. No wonder he never married. No woman would put up with a life with no sleep.

“I’m not sure. I ran a few errands and came home. She hasn’t eaten since this morning.” I conveniently left out the part where I had lost Marlene’s diamond that cost more than my life, and didn’t notice until now that Willow had been sick all day.

“Anything out of her norm today?” He took her from me and put her on the metal table that sat in his kitchen.

“She took a walk in the snow. And I opened my shop today.” I racked my brain for anything different. I should’ve called Bernadine to see if she fed Willow anything.

Damn!

Another time a cell phone would’ve come in handy.

Doc Johnson listened to Willow’s heart not taking his eyes off Marlene.

I looked over at her.
When did she put lipstick on?

She was looking at Doc just as intensely as he was looking at her.

“Do you mind? This is about Willow.” I whispered through my gritted teeth.

“Doc?” Marlene’s sexy accent came out like it always did around potential mates.

“Call me Clint.” He winked.

I rolled my eyes. There was no way this was happening. I was in the freaking twilight zone.

“Clint, can you tell what’s wrong?” Marlene might be hiding some things, but cleavage was definitely not one of them.

“There does seem to be some labored breathing.” He finally looked over at me. “Holly, I’m going to do a quick x-ray and see if anything shows up.”

I nodded and grabbed a tissue from the Kleenex box sitting on the counter. He took her out of the room. Marlene wrapped her arms around me.

“It’s going to be okay.” She hugged me tighter. “Think good thoughts, honey.”

I tried not to inhale too much of the Chanel Number Five that she must have poured on. I pulled away.

“I know. Good thoughts.” I said trying to smile through the tears.

Marlene was there for me and she barely knew me. She asked me to keep her precious jewel safe and I couldn’t even do that.

I sobbed some more. Some from worry about Willow, and the other from guilt. I should tell her.

“Marlene.” I touched her arm.

“Ladies.” Doc Johnson came back into the room. He put the x-rays up on the light box.

I wasn’t sure whether I should kiss him for interrupting me and stopping me from telling Marlene, or smack him from coming in and making me lose my courage to tell her.

There was all of Willow’s insides were right there in black and white.

“This is Willow’s stomach.” He pointed to her cute little round image. “There seems to be something lodged in there.”

Marlene and I stepped closer to the light box. I squinted to see what it could be. But I couldn’t make it out.

“Holly, where is my Spinet?” Marlene asked while still looking at the image.

“At the shop?” It sounded more like a question than answer.

“No, I think it’s in that swine of yours.” Her acrylic nails jabbed at the x-ray. “I’d know my Spinet anywhere.”

I squinted more. Surely Willow didn’t eat the jewel.

I smacked my head. She was the only person in the room other than Bernadine, Sean, Flora and Cheri.

But how?
How did she get the Spinet? It was in the drawer.

Asshole!

I recalled walking in on Sean with Willow in his lap. He did say he had to shut the drawer, and she’s one quick swine. I bet she’d snatched it up without Sean even seeing it.

“That little pig really does hate me doesn’t she?” Marlene eyes were ablaze.

“I will need to operate to get it out of there.” Doc Johnson looked over top his glasses. “Is that a real Spinet?”

He looked at Marlene with more interest.

“You know what a Spinet is?” Her eyes turned sweet and gentle along with the accent.

“Of course I do.” Doc Johnson winked again and disappeared into the other room, preparing to take out the expensive gem.

Marlene fanned herself.

“A man after my own heart.” She sat back in the chair. “Did you know my precious gem was missing?”

I knew I was caught. Now that the mystery was solved, I knew I could tell her the truth.

“That’s why I called you.” I told her the entire story, including how the Divas thought I was crazy.

She laughed the entire time.

“It’s funny now, but if you hadn’t found it, then we would’ve had a problem.” She said.

Marlene was right after all. She was growing on me, leopard print and all.

“After all, we Divas take up for each other, right?” She questioned.

I smiled. Marlene was a Diva whether we wanted to accept her or not. She was going to fit in just fine.

“That’s right.” I hugged my new friend. “How can I make it up to you?”

“I wouldn’t mind having a part-time job.” She said. “Agnes just doesn’t have enough for me to do. And you need to get my Spinet wrapped and finished.”

“Fine.” I said, giving in.

I’m not sure what I’ll have her do, but I do owe her.

“Oh, and I wouldn’t mind a date with Doug Sloan.” Slowly a smile crept across her face. “You’ll need to clear that with Ginger for me.”

“Let’s do one thing at a time.” I patted her leg, and waited for my Willow to come out of surgery.

Yes, my relationship with Marlene Dietrich was going to be one thing at a time.

Excerpt

Strung Out To Die

Chapter One

“She is going to be the death of me,” I grumbled, wondering why Marlene had left the empty bead boxes stacked up next to the front door.

The front door rattled the thin shop walls as I slammed the door shut with my foot, sending empty boxes tumbling to the floor. At least I thought they were empty until I heard glass beads trickling on the hardwood. Frantically, I pushed them out of the way and walked on my knees to stop the sparkly gems from rolling under the shelving unit that my stupid ex-husband had put up. Sean had had a brilliant idea—or so he thought that if he screwed the shelves up on the wall, it would make an excellent display, leaving a two-inch gap at the bottom.

Idiot.

I think he did it on purpose. He knows I hate to clean, especially under the beds, couches or anything that has an under. These shelves are hung with just enough space for the dust bunnies and loose beads to find a home.

“Ugh.”

The under.

With my butt stuck up in the air, which was not particularly my best attribute, I squeezed my eyes and shoved my hand into the depths of the unknown. I’m not very fond of putting my hand in the under, much less a dark under.

Head on the floor, peeked into the dark abyss. I couldn’t see a thing.

I stood up and adjusted my waist band. Yes, since my divorce from dumb ass, I’ve gained a few extra pounds eating one too many pieces of Agnes Pearl’s homemade fudge. The spry eighty-five wealthy widow pays Marlene in room, board, and fudge to take care of her. Because Marlene likes to stay the same size six and brings the delightful chocolaty treats to me and the other divorced divas.

I glanced around again looking at the unswept floor and all the bead boards lying on the table still had wire clippings and crimp beads that needed to go in the trash. Obviously she didn’t get to any of the closing duties, which surprised me since I saw her in the parking lot of The Livin’ End when I was leaving.

After work last night, I went to grab a quick drink at the bar with my best friend Ginger Sloan Rush. I left Marlene to finish up the night chores, which included checking off the new inventory, cleaning the bead boards, and taking out the trash. She hadn’t said a word about not finishing her work at the shop, just eager to get into the bar.