Invitation to Murder (Book 1 in the Candlemaking Mysteries) (20 page)

Lillian didn’t accept that for an answer.
“That’s part of the reason I’d like to see them, to examine them
closely enough to see if they differ in any way.” Pam said
skeptically, “You writers sure are something else. Hang on a
second.”

“
Could you ask your sister
to bring her earrings too?” I said before she could
disappear.

“
Sure, I’d be glad to.”
Pam was gone a few minutes then returned without her sibling, but
with two identical sets of earrings. “She’s still not dressed yet,
but she told me it was okay if you wanted to look at hers,
too.”

There were four earrings in the collection,
and I knew we’d hit another dead end. “And everyone in the wedding
party got the same earrings?” I asked. “Absolutely. Well, everyone
except Tina. She didn’t have pierced ears. Can you believe it?”

“
So she didn’t get any at
all?” Pam frowned. “No, she got some, but they were slip-ons. That
poor thing.”

“
Were you two close?” I
asked.

“
Back in school we were,
but she went off to college, and my sister and I stayed in town. It
doesn’t take long to drift apart.”

“
Do you have any idea who
would want to kill her?” asked.

“
The sheriff asked me the
exact same thing the other day. Tina was a fun girl, you know what
I mean? The only thing that might have gotten her into trouble was
poaching another girl’s boyfriend. She loved a challenge, least she
did in high school. Who knows, though? Maybe she changed. Goodness
knows, enough of our friends did when they went off to college.”
Another girl joined us, identical to the one sitting with us. “It’s
about time,” Pam told her sister. “We’re going to be
late.”

“
You can’t hurry
perfection,” the girl said. “No, but you’re not it,” Pam said. She
turned to us and added, “Sorry to rush off like this, but we’ve got
to get to work.”

“
We understand
completely,” I said as I stood. “It is nice meeting you, Pam.” I
turned to the other sister and said, “And you, too,
Camellia.”

“
Oh, please, everybody
calls me Cam,” she said, “Sorry I couldn’t help, but Pam knows
almost everything I do.”

“
More, I’d say,” her
sister protested as they got into a compact car and drove
away.

I turned to Lillian. “That’s not fair. I
missed it completely. Pam and Cam. Can you believe that?”

“
Dear, I’d believe
anything. I was tutoring at the grade school before you were born,
and there was set of twins in attendance. You’re not going to
believe me, but their legal names were Snook and Rook. Since then,
nothing has surprised me.” She glanced at her watch, then said,
“Should we tackle that last name on our list before lunch or
after?”

My stomach rumbled. “Why don’t we grab
something quick so we can get back to the shop?” I added, “I’m not
reneging on the bet. You choose the place and I’ll pick up the
check.”

She pretended to think about it a moment,
then said, “Since Darby’s is closed for lunch and The Chateau is on
the other side of town, why don’t we go to The Lunch Box?” Darby’s
and The Chateau were two fanciest places in all of Rebel Forge,
while The Lunch Box was a local hangout where construction workers
and doctors ate side by side.

“
I think I can afford
that,” I said as I drove to the diner. The parking lot was nearly
full, but I managed to squeeze my Gremlin in between two
SUVs.

The Lunch Box was hopping, but I spotted two
stools together on the continuous roping bar. Then were no
conventional tables inside, just a serpentine ribbon of counter and
stools with a single break for Savannah Jones to whisk in and out
from the kitchen with trays of food. Her daughter Charlie helped
too, and Savannah’s husband Pete worked the grill in back. In all
the years I’d been going there, I hadn’t heard Pete say more than a
dozen words altogether, but Savannah and Charlie more than made up
for it. As we walked to our seats, Savannah said, “Look at that,
the Shane ladies are playing hooky. Jennifer, I thought you had a
new business to run.”

“
We still have to eat,
Savannah. Everybody knows your hot dogs are the best in this corner
of the state.”

Savannah laughed as only she could, loud
enough to shake the rafters and even interrupt some of the
conversations going on around the pit. “You folks need to listen to
her. She speaks the truth.”

As we slid onto our stools, Savannah put two
sweet teas in front of us, mine with lemon and Lillian’s without.
“What if I’ve changed my mind and want lemon today?” my aunt asked
her.

“
Did you?” Savannah asked
simply. Lillian smiled. “No, of course not. I was just wondering
what you’d do.”

“
I’d say you’re sour
enough as it is.” The two had been friends since grade school, and
they loved nothing more in the world than to tease each other about
anything they could find. Lillian said, “Yes, you’d probably be
right.” Savannah stepped closer. “Lillian, are you all
right?”

“
I’m fine,
why?”

“
Woman, in all the years
I’ve known you, you’ve never let me get away with a zinger like
that.” Lillian just smiled, then said, “I believe I’ll have my
usual house salad, and Jennifer would like a hot dog all the
way.”

Savannah walked back to Pete to give him the
order instead of shouting it like she usually did. I whispered,
“What was that all about?”

“
I just wanted to see what
Savannah would do if I went limp on her. You have to admit, it’s
got her rattled, doesn’t it?”

“
Now Lillian, play nice
with your friends.” My aunt frowned at me, then said, “If I must.”
In a few minutes, a subdued Savannah brought us our food. “There
you go.”

Lillian stared down at her plate and pointed
to the salad. “This isn’t right.”

“
It’s just like you always
have it,” Savannah said. “What’s wrong with it?”

“
It’s missing something. I
believe I’ll have a hot dog with my salad today,” she said. “Why
don’t you throw a couple of lemons on the side while you’re at it,
and be sure to get one for yourself, too.”

Savannah whooped with laughter, though I
didn’t think my aunt was all that funny. There were so many inside
jokes between the two of them that I rarely understood the humor in
their exchanges. “You serious about that dog?” Savannah asked.
“What do you think?” Lillian said as she had her first bite of
salad.

“
I think that last shred
of sanity you were hanging on to just broke.”

Lillian grinned. “You may be right.”

As we ate, I saw that Charlie looked just as
bewildered as I was by the conversation.

We were just about finished when Grady
Farrar walked in. As he took the stool beside me, I asked, “When
did you start leaving the hardware for lunch?”

“
Shh,” he said with a
smile, “I don’t want Martha to know I’m goofing off. I had to make
a delivery to Betty Olmsted’s place, and this was right on my way.”
I took a sip of tea, then said, “Betty Olmsted’s house is on the
other side of town. Grady, you had to pass your hardware store to
get over here.”

“
Well, I was out making
the delivery in the truck anyway,” he said.

Charlie approached him and asked, “What
would you like, Mr. Farrar?”

“
I’d like you to start
calling me Grady,” he said.

“
I wish I could, but it’s
awfully hard.”

“
Let me tell you what’s
hard, young lady. I may look like an old man, but inside I’m still
in my twenties. Can you imagine what it does to my spirit to haw a
pretty young lady like you call me mister?”

Charlie smiled brightly, and I could swear I
saw the hint of a blush on her cheeks. “Okay, if it will make you
feel better. What would you like to eat, Grady?” Savannah was
walking past and swatted her daughter with the bar towel in her
hand. “Girl, I raised you better than that. You speak to Mr. Farrar
with respect.”

Grady said, “Now Savannah, I asked her to
call me Grady. Demanded it, in fact. Shoo, woman, we’re having a
conversation here.”

I felt a chilled hush fall over the place.
Nobody, not even her husband Pete, challenged Savannah in her
restaurant. I stopped in mid-bite, waiting to see what would
happen. Savannah’s eyes narrowed for a second, then she started
laughing. “You quit flirting with may little baby, you hear
me?”

Grady looked shocked by the accusation.
“Why, she’s young enough to be my granddaughter. I was just being
friendly.”

“
I’m pulling your leg, you
old coot. Now quit jabbering and tell Charlie what you want to
eat.” After he ordered, I said, “You’re taking a real chance
sniping at Savannah that way.”

“
Not as much as you’d
think. I used to chase that girl out of my orchard every weekend
for stealing apples.”

I couldn’t imagine Charlie being that bold.
“I can’t believe Charlie would ever do that.”

“
I’m not talking about
Charlie; I mean Savannah.” He looked at me a second, then said, “It
looks like I’m not the only one playing hooky. Why aren’t you at
your shop?”

“
I’m running an errand for
business, too,” I said. I had the invitations in my purse, and I
had asked Donna about them, so it wasn’t a complete lie. “And who’s
running things while you’re gone?”

“
I shut the place down,” I
admitted. Grady took a sip of coffee, then said, “I’m not trying to
tell you how to run your business, Jennifer, but you can’t sell
anything if you’re not there.” How could I tell him that there was
something more important at the moment than selling handmade cards?
My life was on the line, and the threats were getting more direct.
I was afraid if I didn’t unmask the killer soon, there wouldn’t be
anyone around to run my shop ever again.

I patted his hand. “Thanks, I appreciate
your advice.”

“
But you’re saying, ‘Mind
your own business, old man’? Is that it?”

I swiveled slightly on my stool. “I wouldn’t
have used those exact words.”

“
But the sentiment is the
same. I understand, and of course you’re right.” He leaned forward
so he could make eye contact with Lillian. “You’re pretty quiet
down there,” he said.

“
I’m sorry, were you
talking to me? I was lost in thought.” Grady grinned. “Good for
you.”

Lillian said, “They might think you’re
amusing, but I don’t.”

He shrugged. “Hey, every rose needs a
thorn.” We were nearly ready to leave when Grady asked, “Is
something going on with you, Jennifer?”

“
What do you mean?” I
asked, hoping that the grapevine around town hadn’t gotten hold of
my connection with the murder. I knew tongues had started wagging
as soon as Tina’s body had been discovered, but I’d hoped to avoid
any connection to it, at least until Bradford found the
killer.

“
Well, I don’t mean to be
nosy, but I was walking past your place this morning on my daily
routine and I saw a deputy sitting in his truck watching your
apartment. At least I had to figure it was you he was keeping an
eye on.”

“
Did you happen to see
which deputy it was?”

“
It was Wayne
Davidson.”

“
Are you sure?”

He looked at me a second before answering.
“There’s no mistaking his vehicle, or his profile. What’s going on,
kiddo?”

I thought about telling him the truth, but
even whispering anything in The Lunch Box was a guarantee that
before I got back to my shop, all of Rebel Forge would know about
it. Blast it all, if my brother was going to have his men watch me,
they were going to have to be more discreet about it. “I think he’s
sweet on me,” I said, that being the first thing that popped into
my head.

“
Well now, who could blame
him? Do you have a young man at the moment?”

That was absolutely a conversation I was
going to avoid. “Well, I had my heart set on an older man, but he’s
married.”

Grady looked serious. “Jennifer, I’m not
your father, but I must say, it’s bad news whenever you get
involved with a married man.” I couldn’t take his somber demeanor.
I wrapped my arm in his and said, “Then I’d better move before
people notice us.”

“
Us? What?” He started to
stammer when he caught my grin. “Jennifer Shane, you are
incorrigible.”

“
Gosh, I sure hope so,” I
said. Lillian said, “If we’re through here, we really should be
going.” She grabbed her purse, and I put a hand on it. “This is my
treat, remember?”

“
I won’t fight you for the
check, dear. I just planned get the tip.”

“
You can plan all you
want, but if a single penny leaves that purse, you’re in trouble.
Do you understand?”

Lillian shrugged. “I offered; you refused.
The case is closed as far as I’m concerned. Thank you for
lunch.”

“
You’re most welcome,” I
said. As I left a tip and grabbed the bill, I said, “Have a nice
lunch, Grady.”

“
Thanks, it was good
seeing you.”

“
And you.”

I paid Savannah, then Lillian and I left the
restaurant. “So what should we do now?” I asked. “Well, what are
our options?” “We could go back to the shop, or we could tackle
Beth Anderson. She’s the last-minute substitute maid of honor. I
was torn between my desire to talk to Beth and my need to be at my
card shop. I wouldn’t have felt nearly as guilty if Lillian had
stayed behind, but that wasn’t fair to my aunt, either. I knew she
wanted to be out tracking down clues just as much as I did.