Diva 02 _ Diva Takes the Cake, The (15 page)

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Authors: Krista Davis

Tags: #Winston; Sophie (Fictitious Character), #Mystery & Detective, #Fiction, #Women Sleuths, #General, #Mystery Fiction, #Women Cooks, #Large Type Books, #Cookery, #Mystery, #Divorced Women, #Cooking, #Divorced Women - Crimes Against, #Weddings, #Crimes Against, #Sisters

BOOK: Diva 02 _ Diva Takes the Cake, The
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Wolf didn’t turn to look. “Mordecai watching us?”
I shivered in spite of the heat.
“He’s just a lonely old man.” He glanced at Mordecai’s porch. “Something happened to him long before I came on the force and he’s been a recluse, afraid of the world ever since.”
“That explains the clothes from another era.” Suddenly I wished I’d been nicer to him. It wouldn’t hurt me to spend some time with a sad old guy.
“He calls the cops a lot. Always afraid someone is breaking into his house. Some of the guys hate responding because of the tales about him. People have no shame. They don’t know the facts, but that doesn’t stop them from making up stories.”
My throat constricted. The bitterness in his voice suggested that he wasn’t talking about Mordecai anymore. Finally, the subject I’d wanted to know more about but hadn’t been able to bring up. I had to handle it carefully. Lightly, I said, “Like the stories about what happened to your wife?”
“Exactly.”
I hoped he would elaborate, but he didn’t.
“If you get a handle on Craig’s location, I hope you’ll pass it along to me.”
“I’m hoping he’ll stay away and I’ll never see him again. But I’ll let you know if I hear anything. Does that mean he’s definitely the killer?”
“Not at all. Innocent people don’t usually run away, though.”
“Wolf,” I said softly, “thanks for sending me over to the B&B.”
“I don’t want to see Hannah end up like Emily.”
My heart melted. He cared about people, even about my sister, who was acting like a pill. I wanted to get together but at this point I didn’t know what we would do next since so many guests had already arrived. “Maybe when all this is over . . .”
A male voice called Wolf’s name.
He could have discreetly brushed my hand, but instead he said, “When this is over, I think we ought to talk.”
Oh no! Not talk. I knew what that meant. The big kiss-off was coming.
He walked toward the officer who had called him. Our little chat had seemed to be going well, but that last bit sounded ominous. With a deep sigh, I returned home.
Hannah leaned against the kitchen counter, talking with Mom, Dad, and Humphrey. When Hannah saw me, she defiantly raised her chin and made a beeline for the sunroom.
“Not so fast.”
Hannah drifted to a halt and turned. Her chin still set in anger mode, she lifted a hand and admired her fresh manicure.
“Craig isn’t a doctor anymore,” I announced.
Hannah closed her eyes, and I knew she wished I would fall through a trapdoor and vanish.
“And he had a heart attack.”
Dad swung around to face her. “Is this true?”
Her mouth twitched, and she edged back toward us. “He had the heart attack before I met him. But he doesn’t want people to know. It’s a matter of pride. He’s too young to have had a heart attack. When they told him it would be too stressful for him to continue his practice, he had to find something else to do, and he’s been very successful.”
Mom collapsed into a chair. “So what does he do now?”
“He sells vitamins over the Internet. He has his own brand and puts out a health newsletter called
Dr. Craig’s Nutrition News
.”
“He’s that Dr. Craig?” Humphrey sounded impressed. “A woman at the funeral home swears by his vitamins.”
“When were you going to tell us this?” asked Dad.
Her elbows on the table, Mom rested her head in her hands. “It doesn’t matter anymore. None of this matters. Craig killed Emily and left.” She lifted her head and looked straight at Hannah. “I’m sorry, honey. You have to face facts.”
“This is all Emily’s fault.” Hannah clenched her fists. “If she hadn’t shown up, none of this would have happened. Craig would be here now, and we would be getting married tomorrow.”
I slumped onto the window seat next to Mochie. Poor Emily. Why had she come? She must have known how Craig felt. Must have realized that he could harm her.
Mom massaged her temples, and I felt terrible for her. The roller-coaster ride we’d been on had taken a toll. “I’ll call all the vendors to cancel, but Natasha will have to notify the people she hired.”
Hannah wiped her eyes. “No.” Her head hung low as she walked to the door, and I couldn’t help feeling sad for her in spite of her reluctance to be realistic.
Both of my parents looked like they wished the nightmare would end. Since Craig was gone, probably for good, I didn’t bother telling them about Emily’s use of the name Lina Kowalski. At least creepy Craig wouldn’t be a member of the family.
Humphrey gazed around at us, then jumped to his feet and followed Hannah out the door.
I helped myself to a brownie from a platter on the table, and Mom didn’t notice. I munched on it without guilt. No need to wedge myself into a bridesmaid dress or lose weight to be slender for Wolf.
Mom clicked her fingernail against a coffee mug. “I didn’t expect this. First a death and now a missing groom. Do you think he left because he was afraid his family would find out he’s not practicing medicine? They’re very proud of him for being a doctor.”
“Maybe he left because he’s afraid of his dad,” I said between bites. “Did you notice how distant they act?”
Dad slid his hand over Mom’s. “I knew something like this would happen.”
“We don’t know what happened,” she muttered. “After all, his ex-wife, someone he once loved, died yesterday. He must be very shaken. Much more than we thought. Think about the horror this must be for him. We’re all focused on the wedding, but his ex-wife died.”
“She wouldn’t have if he hadn’t killed her.” I was sorry the moment the words left my mouth. I’d been fascinated by Craig’s relatives, but they’d lost someone dear to them. And Darby seemed like fun. I hated that she’d lost her friend.
By five o’clock in the afternoon, things around my house had settled to a dull roar. Most of the wedding guests were headed home. A few planned to stick around the rest of the weekend to visit the Smithsonian and enjoy a mini-vacation. Phoebe and the rest of the bridesmaids invited Hannah out to dinner and, instead of a bachelorette night on the town, a lucky-he-left-me night on the town.
I opted out of Hannah’s fun since she still wasn’t speaking to me. She needed time to recuperate, and her friends were the best medicine I could imagine.
While Mom and Dad entertained the few stragglers, Daisy, Mochie, Jen, and I holed up in the tiny den and I made the phone calls I should have made the day before to cancel everything. The florist, musicians, minister, rental house, ice sculptor, photographer, and caterer all took the news well. And why shouldn’t they? They would all be paid anyway. I marked them off one by one after calling.
Mochie rode on Jen’s shoulder while she danced in and out of the den to the sunroom and back. “Somebody’s in the shed.”
“Uh-huh.” I punched numbers into my calculator, sick over the wasted money.
“They must be looking for something.”
“What?”
“Somebody is in the shed looking for something.”
Someone looking for the knife he’d left in there last night? I flew through the sunroom and out the door. My Keds thudded softly against the grass as I ran across the lawn. I jerked open the door to the potting shed and found Hannah wrapped in a man’s arms, engaging in a hot smooch—the kind I longed to share with Wolf.
NINETEEN
From “THE GOOD LIFE”:
Dear Sophie,
Unlike the brides I see on TV, I’m on a budget. How do I get the most bang for my buck in reception decor?
—Not Rich in Northlakes
Dear Not Rich,
Table linens go a long way in adding a punch of color. Avoid all the fancy toppers and gauzy overlays that drive up the price. Votive candles don’t cost much, but they’re used at expensive weddings because they’re versatile and effective. Buy simple glass votives on eBay or at your local craft or dollar store. Group four or five together for maximum impact.
—Sophie
The man embracing Hannah had hair so blond it verged on white.
I slammed the door shut. Humphrey? And Hannah? It took a minute to get used to the idea. Could be worse. Wasn’t Craig. Wasn’t Tucker. I couldn’t help giggling.
Half my relatives ran across the lawn toward me, Jen and Daisy leading the way.
A chorus of “What is it” and “What’s going on” pelted me.
“Nothing. Everything is fine.”
But cute little Jen persisted. “Who’s in there?”
When I felt pressure on the door behind me, I gladly moved aside to let Hannah suffer the consequences.
She stepped out, her hair mussed. Humphrey followed, and for the first time in my adult life, I saw rosy color in Humphrey’s face.
The little crowd of relatives stared at them in silence until Dad began to chuckle. “At least it’s not Tucker.”
The pressures and ups and downs of the last two days were finally released as everyone broke into spirit-cleansing laughter. Tears ran down Mom’s face as she guffawed. A stranger walking in on us would have thought we’d all gone mad.
“It’s cocktail hour,” I announced. We had an abundance of ingredients for Wedded Blitz Martinis to use up.
Near the shed, Dad, more relaxed than I’d seen him all weekend, embraced Mom and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
I swung an arm around Jen and walked back to the house with her. In the kitchen, we found Phoebe staring daggers at Joel.
“I wondered where everyone went,” said Phoebe. “I hope you don’t mind that we let ourselves in. All the girls are coming over here to get dressed. You know, to distract Hannah a bit.”
It seemed to me that Hannah was plenty distracted. “Hannah just got caught playing kissy-face with Humphrey out back.”
Phoebe sputtered. “Humphrey? Oh, she’ll regret that.” She tossed her purse, a dress bag, and a small duffel onto the chair next to the fireplace and ran outside.
“Everything okay?” I asked Joel, as I took food from the refrigerator.
He stopped midway out the door. “Phoebe’s mad at me because I said everything turned out for the best. It’s a good thing Craig showed his true colors before they tied the knot.”
“I think so, too.” He ambled off, and I sliced chicken breasts into chunks and tossed them in fiery Jamaican jerk spice. While I cut a pineapple and red peppers, Jen threaded pieces onto long skewers. I dropped fresh tomatoes into the food processor and added basil from my garden, sweet Vidalia onions, jalapeño peppers, a red pepper, garlic, and lime juice. It whirled into a crimson salsa in minutes. Jen dumped organic white and blue corn tortilla chips into baskets that we loaded onto a large wooden tray along with the bowl of salsa. When Nina arrived with Hermione, I immediately enlisted her help in bringing the food outside.
She elbowed me as I arranged food on the patio table. “Is that adorable?”
I followed her line of sight to Mars. He was perched on a chair with Daisy between his knees, talking with Joel, who rolled a ball for Hermione. It was a cute scene, and I knew it made Nina happy to see Hermione wag her tail and bravely bring the little ball back to Joel. But I didn’t understand why Mars kept turning up at my house. It wasn’t as though I wanted to throw him out. Our divorce hadn’t been acrimonious. Nevertheless, a person like my mom could get the wrong idea. She was already watching Hannah and Humphrey with a gleam in her eye.
Nina and Phoebe offered to carry out beer, and as the three of us returned to the house, Nina said, “Phoebe and Joel are having a spat.”
“It’s more than that.” Phoebe’s fair complexion turned rosy. “He’s been so weird since we got here, ignoring me and hanging out with the guys. I thought this would be a romantic weekend, but all he’s interested in is the Civil War and guy stuff.”
She wasn’t the only one who mistakenly thought the weekend would be romantic.
I’d just finished pouring a tray of Wedded Blitz Martinis when Hannah’s bridal party arrived in full force. They pounced on the martinis, shrieking and carrying on. I mixed more as they thundered up and down the stairs between the bathrooms and Hannah’s large attic room, getting dressed and made up for their evening out.

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