Miz Scarlet and the Bewildered Bridegroom (18 page)

It was tough enough
when she thought she was the only one at the inn being pursued, but
the physical attacks on Bur and Lacey this morning must have
triggered an attack of conscience. Was she feeling guilty that two
people she cared about might be targets because of something she
had done before she came to the Four Acorns Inn? It was time to let
her off the hook. I washed my hands and dried them on a linen dish
towel, trying to decide how best to address her
worries.
When in doubt, embrace
the positive spin.
I looked her
straight in the eye and plastered a smile on my face, one that
exuded more confidence than I actually felt. After all, we still
didn’t really have any real answers, did we?

“We don’t think you’re
the target, honey.”

“You don’t?” That lower
lip trembled. It was obvious to me that she wanted to believe my
words. The frightened child within wanted to believe everything
would be okay.
Heck, I want to
believe that too.

“Come here.” I gave her
a hug, wrapping my arms gently around those quivering shoulders. I
could hear her sniffling into my shoulder. “It really isn’t
personal. You’re not in any danger.”

“But how can you be so
sure?” she asked, composing herself. Her fingers dabbed at her wet
cheeks.
Think, Miz Scarlet. Don’t
try to fool her with phony reassurance. She’ll see right through
you.

“I can be sure for one
simple reason,” I replied. “Do you really imagine that if Kenny
thought for one minute that you were in real danger, he’d let you
stay here?”

“What do you
mean?”

“He’d spirit you away
to some safe location, out of harm’s way.”

“He would?” she asked,
surprised.

“And do you imagine
that Larry and Max would let Edna and Ruth come and stay at the inn
if they thought they were putting the ladies at risk? They’re both
experienced homicide investigators, Jen.”

As soon as I said that,
I suddenly understood why she wanted to know if Max would be
staying at the inn. He helped to stop a killer last December by
pretending to be a stroke victim in a wheelchair. Maybe she thought
he’d do an encore performance tonight. It was time to work some
magic and make her feel safe again.

“Kenny and his Mercer
Security team think this is about the inn itself.”

“They
do?”

“Yes. They’re exploring
several promising avenues of investigation. Too bad you missed the
discussion we just had. It turns out Dr. Van Zandt is apparently a
bit of a mystery buff.”

Slowly but surely,
Jenny began to pull herself together. How could she not? As we
stood there talking, we could hear laughter in the living room. If
the older grownups weren’t worried, why should Jenny
be?

“Thaddeus is a man of
common sense and logic. You know, since you’re studying to be a
nurse, Jen, you might benefit from getting to know him better.
You’ll be working with doctors and he’d be a good resource for
you.”

That little change of
subject seemed to do the trick. It got her thinking about something
other than the baffling events unfolding at the
inn.

Just after six, I
carried a plate of stuffed figs and prosciutto-wrapped melon into
the living room and set it down on the table, along side a bowl of
spiced walnuts. “Anyone care for a cocktail?”

“I thought you’d never
ask,” Dr. Van Zandt smiled wanly. “I could use a stiff one. It’s
been a challenging day.”

“Too true. Make mine a
double,” my mother instructed me. “I want to go to bed tonight and
wake up believing this has all just been a bad
dream.”

“Amen to that. I’d tell
you to make mine a triple, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to stand
upright if I do, and I’m really looking forward to that lasagna.”
Lacey groaned, stretching her shoulder tentatively. “That bastard
bruised my arm when he grabbed me. You can see his finger marks on
my skin.”

Raising the sleeve of
her white cotton blouse, she gave us all a good glimpse of the
damage just above her elbow.

“You know what the
worst part was?” She shivered, remembering. “I could actually
imagine him flinging me over the railing.”

“Poor Lacey. I’m so
sorry he did that to you.” My mother reached over and took her
cousin’s hand as it hovered above the figs. “Come sit next to me
and tell me all about it. You must have been very frightened,
dear.”

“I was,” said the
senior citizen, plunking herself down. “I was sure I was a goner.
The one thought that flashed into my mind was that I didn’t want to
die that way. It just seems so wrong. I mean, I want to go out in
style, kicking up my heels and wearing something memorable --
certainly not in a sensible cotton nightie and without makeup. I
want people to talk about how dazzling I looked right up to the
moment I took my last breath.”

Twenty minutes later,
the doorbell rang. In a flurry of hugs and laughter, the Googins
girls were reunited with the Queen of Clean. As Edna was introduced
to the doctor, I pulled Larry aside.

“Stay for dinner. It’s
your favorite,” I cajoled her.

“I can’t, Scarlet,” she
told me softly, trying to prevent eavesdroppers from catching the
plan. “Kenny wants me out of here right away, in case someone’s
watching the inn. We don’t want to tip our hand. Can I have a rain
check?”

“Any time.” I saw her
to the door.

“Listen, if things seem
to be going badly, don’t hesitate to call me. Kenny and Max like to
take charge, but I’m the one who still has the power to arrest the
bad guys. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” I
smiled.

“I mean it. I can be
here in less than five minutes.” Her dark eyes fastened onto me and
wouldn’t let go.

“I know. I appreciate
that, especially given that Jenny’s so
apprehensive.”

“Poor kid. This is the
last thing she needs after what she went through.”

“Too true,” I agreed. I
was about to give her a hug, but she warned me off.

“Snoops might be
watching.”

At quarter after seven,
while we were gathered in the living room having coffee and
dessert, the doorbell rang.

“She’s here!” Lacey
announced. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“I’m sure she’s
lovely,” my mother decided. “How can she not be? Max is such a
wonderful man and she raised him.”

“We’ll see,” Edna
remarked, preparing herself for the inquisition. She smoothed her
skirt, fluffed up her hair, and adjusted her glasses as she
resettled herself in her chair. The newest guest at the Four Acorns
Inn was about to get grilled.

“Be nice,” I instructed
them sternly. “We don’t want to frighten her.”

On my way to the
vestibule, I tried to picture Aunt Ruth in my mind. My best guess
was a short, plump, sweet-tempered woman, probably with gray hair
and pink lipstick. Since she had raised Max, I assumed she had a
maternal streak a mile wide.

I peeked out the
peephole, squinting to catch a glimpse of the visitors. Max was
there, chatting amiably with a dark-haired, beady-eyed, bird-like
woman, with a beak of a nose and thin, undecorated lips. I could
see the Weingarten family genes were strong. This was no
wallflower. She looked like she could spit nails.

I put my hand on the
knob and gave it a turn, pulling open the door. “Welcome to the
Four Acorns Inn. You must be Aunt....”

“You can call me Ruth,”
said the no-nonsense woman in the SAS comfort loafers, navy slacks,
and crisp, white cotton blouse. “I’ll take a stab at this and say
you must be Scarlet Wilson. I was just studying your
dossier.”

“My
what?”

“You’ll pardon me,”
said Max, giving me a wink. “I must be going. Call me if you need
me.”

“I will,” I
replied.

“He was talking to me,”
Ruth Weingarten informed me.

“Ah, actually I meant
that for both of you,” said the security expert
diplomatically.

“Goodnight, Max.” I
picked up Ruth’s black, soft-sided suitcase from the floor where he
deposited it, and stepped aside to let the older woman pass
me.
Boy, this ought to be some
meeting. Larry’s going to have her hands full with this
lady.
Edna, who demonstrated all
the flexibility of a brick wall and felt compelled to offer her
views on every subject, whether they were welcomed or not, was
about to meet her match. Did Max really think Ruth and Edna would
turn into tea-sipping pals or was that just wishful
thinking?

“Would you prefer to
see your room first or meet the other guests?” I asked, leading
Ruth down the hallway.

“I’ll see the room, if
you don’t mind. Is there any chance you could scrounge up a cup of
coffee for me? Black, one sugar. I don’t want to fall asleep before
my shift is over.”

“Your shift?” I looked
at her blankly.

“Yes, I’m doing the
eleven-to-seven detail.”

“Detail? You sound like
a cop.”

“That’s because I was.
I’m retired now.”

“Holy mother of pearl!”
I uttered a shocked reply. “I had no idea.”

“Obviously.”

“A cop,” I said again,
still amazed. “When I heard you raised Max, I was picturing someone
quite different.”

“What, some
cookie-baking, apron-wearing, do-gooder without a brain in her
head?” she retorted.

“Whoa! Back to charm
school for you!” I blurted out, stunned at the rebuke. “You are
definitely not ready for the diplomatic corps!”

For a moment, Ruth’s
stern visage seemed to tighten, the deep lines of her face
noticeable. Her dark eyes narrowed until they looked like slits in
her face. I thought about apologizing for my outburst, but then
decided she didn’t deserve one. After all I had been through, I
wasn’t about to take any crap from anyone, not even Max’s favorite
aunt.

“Maxie told me you were
a tough cookie. I wanted to see for myself whether you could handle
controversy.” She nodded with approval. “The last thing we need in
a case like this is a nervous Nellie imagining there are murderers
and thieves lurking around every corner. Now, how about getting me
that cup of coffee?”

“Have you had
dinner?”

“Grabbed a bite on the
road, but I could use a little nosh.”

“Cheesecake, ice cream,
banana cake, chocolate chip cookies....” I recited my list of
available sweets. Ruth gave me a big grin.

“I think I’m going to
like this joint.”

Chapter Fourteen --

Making my way down the
back stairs, I headed into the kitchen. I could hear the animated
conversation in the living room. Edna was regaling the crowd with a
story about her brother, Ernest, who met a woman online who turned
out to be a gold-digger. I placed a couple of thin slices of banana
cake on a small plate, scooped some vanilla bean ice cream on top,
and grabbed a dessert fork from the drawer. Lacey intercepted me
while I was pouring a mug of coffee.

“So?” Those eyes
twinkled as she leaned in conspiratorially. “What’s she
like?”

I was about to tell
her, but changed my mind. Why spoil the surprise? “I’ll let you
make up your own mind when you meet her.”

“When might that
be?”

“Soon. Very soon.” I
pulled out a small serving tray from the cabinet and set Ruth’s
snack on it.

“Well, now I’m really
curious,” said Lacey, studying me carefully. “I’ve never known you
to clam up, Scarlet Wilson. It makes me think you’re hiding
something important.”

“Oh, I’m not hiding
something,” I grinned. “I assure you. I’m looking forward to the
first face-to-face between Edna and Ruth. It promises to be a
doozy.”

“Intriguing. If you
were going to place a bet....”

“That’s easy. My
money’s on Ruth.”

“Is this going to put
the kibosh on the Rivera-Weingarten romance,
Scarlet?”

“I doubt
it.”

“There must be
something you can tell me about the woman!” With hands on her hips,
the senior citizen sounded exasperated. “Just one little tidbit,
something I can savor....”

“She’s a retired
cop.”

“Get out!” The wide
eyes, the open mouth, the gasp -- Lacey’s reaction was priceless.
“No way!”