Raisin the Dead (27 page)

The sun was up when I pulled up in front of Dottie's house. I'd just gotten back from taking my parents to the airport to catch a flight to Fort Lauderdale. Between the shock of Jill's arrest, the library expansion issues, and the elation of Serafina donating to the library expansion project, my mother was badly in need of some time off. My father agreed, and had booked them on a three-week cruise to the Bahamas. I was surprised, given that my father was rather busy at work, but he did the right thing. Sean had offered to come with me, but he was still recuperating. I hadn't wanted to drag him from his sleep at four a.m.

Sean had decided the same thing about us, so with Olivia's and Chief Carly's blessing, we were heading to his parents' house in the Poconos in a few days for a week of relaxation, and further recuperation for him. I missed his parents, so I was looking forward to seeing them again. I wasn't sure about the horseback riding, but I'd be fine lounging around for the week. No dead bodies, please.

I scooped up the paper and went upstairs. Noelle was still asleep, so I poured myself some cereal and pulled
The Destiny Trumpet
from its casing. I turned to the front page, where the headline almost had me choking on my breakfast. No, it wasn't another murder.

HIMMELSTEIN'S PRINCE CHRISTOFFER SWEEPS WOMAN OFF HER FEET

The picture below showed a beaming Felicia next to a smiling, perfectly tanned, blond, well . . . princely looking guy. Himmelstein? I'd never heard of it and I'm pretty geographically savvy. I'd certainly never heard of Prince Christoffer. Who was he? What was he doing here? Our town was becoming a magnet for the rich and famous. Not to mention murderers, so I won't. I continued reading.

Prince Christoffer of Himmelstein arrived Tuesday at the behest of Serafina Alessi, an old friend. Like Ms. Alessi, he is staying at Castle Shore, where he met another guest, Felicia Adams, with whom he was immediately smitten. As he tells this reporter, “I have to thank my friend, Serafina Alessi, for bringing me here, so I could meet this fantastic woman. Felicia is perfect. It is, as the saying goes, love at first sight.”

“Good luck with that, buddy,” I mumbled. I read on.

I also got a chance to get the lovely Ms. Adams's reaction to meeting Prince Christoffer. “The prince and I are going to be so happy together. I can feel it. Now that my ex-brother-in-law, Detective Sean Corsino, is going to be okay, I can rest easy. I'm eager to leave here with Christoffer and see his royal castle.”

I burst out laughing, even though I was alone. I imagined she was indeed eager to leave here and explore his . . . um . . . royal castle. I'm sure in her world a prince in a castle trumps a detective in a small town. This was so perfect. Serafina was the best. She was leaving later today and I was so going to miss her. I couldn't wait to show Sean this. I hoped the lovely couple would be happy. Far away from here, that is. Maybe Prince Chris would make Felicia his princess. At least I was off the cover of the paper again.

My laugher had awakened Noelle, so I fed her and then cleaned up my own bowl. When she was done, we took a nice, long walk together, and when we got back, I called Serafina.

***

“I may open a shop here in Destiny.” Serafina peered at me from behind her Ralph Lauren supersized sunglasses. At least I assumed she was peering at me, I couldn't exactly tell.

“What? You really want to open a store here in our hick town, even though we're a bunch of rubes who don't know a thing about bagels?” Surprised doesn't begin to adequately describe my feelings.

We were sitting on the large back deck at Castle Shore. Noelle was napping in the sun. I leaned back on the dark green cushion of the chaise lounge I'd claimed and breathed in the freshly cut smell of grass and the crystal-clean smell of the lake. I could stay here all day, but Serafina was taking off soon.

She leaned back on her own chaise lounge. “Maybe I was a little hasty. It's not a horrible place. I wouldn't want to live here, but I can tolerate it for a few days, here and there. The lake is nice, the homes are cute, I guess, and aside from murder, Destiny seems safe. Everyone's friendly. Besides, you and I need to do some shopping for you, remember?” She turned towards me again, then propped her sunglasses on the top of her head and flashed me a grin. “With a little help, your bagels may reach the edible stage one day. Yes, I really am considering opening a shop here. I'll find someone to run it for me, someone who loves small towns.

“I'm thinking of calling it the Green Cucumber. I can sell my perfumes, and I've been thinking about branching out into skin products. There are a couple of nice-looking places on Main Street for sale. Why not? I'm coming back in a two weeks to look at them, along with some other places. I do need to go home first and catch up on some work. My poor assistant has probably quit by now.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Wait a minute. Seriously, Serafina? The Green Cucumber? Where did that come from? Honestly, I don't like it.”

She clapped her hands together. “That's it! I love it!”

“Love what?”

“The name! Seriously Serafina. That's it. It's perfect, even better than the Green Cucumber. Thank you!”

“No! No, no, no. I don't like that one, either. It's not you. It's not the Serafina brand.”

She frowned. “You don't know from bagels, but you're a branding expert? Exactly what is the Serafina brand?”

“Sophisticated, glamorous, stylish, fashionable, upscale.”

“That's true,” she acknowledged. “You have something in mind. I can tell.”

“S period.”

“S? That's it?”

I nodded. “
S
, with a period after it.” I held up my hands as if I was framing a piece of art. “I'm seeing a thick, black
S
, like a swipe of paint.” I painted it in the air for her. “A little rounded, but not too rounded. For Serafina, obviously. Cher is Cher, right? I don't even know what the woman's last name is. Madonna is Madonna. P!nk is P!nk. Bono is Bono. Beyoncé is Beyoncé.”

“I get it. I get it. You can stop now.”

“You can be just S period.”

She closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the sun. A few seconds later, they popped open. “I love it. It's genius. Thank you, Molly. A pink
S
.”

“You're welcome. You're really going to use it?”

“I am. And I meant thank you for everything. Without you, my great-uncle's murder may have never been solved.”

“If Sean hadn't been in the hospital, he would've solved it, no doubt. Sergeant Jacoby didn't do a bad job.”

“Whatever he got done, it was with your help. The town paper said so. I'm glad Sean's going to be okay.”

I smiled at her. “Yeah, me too. Thanks again for introducing Felicia to Prince Christoffer and getting her out of my hair. I'm never going to be able to repay you for that one.”

Her lips curved in a satisfied smile. “I know. I thought you could use the help. If I hadn't stepped in, Felicia would've waltzed away with Sean. Christoffer should keep her happy for a while. I don't think she'll be a problem anymore.”

“Where is this Himmelstein? Is that even a country? I've never heard of it.”

She examined her pink nail polish. “It's tiny. No one cares about it. They've got lots of forests and castles.”

“Is he really a prince?”

“Yes, but the important thing is he has tons of money, is drop-dead gorgeous, egotistical, vain, shallow, and big on the international jet-setting scene. That's what a woman like Felicia really wants. I know the type. I used to be the type. See how fast she abandoned Sean? Christoffer really is taken with her. They'll make a lovely couple.”

“What about you? Are you big on the international jet-setting scene?” I didn't even know what that meant, exactly, but it sounded glamorous.

“Not so much. I love to travel, yes, but Serafina Perfumes is my life.”

“My mother told me what you did, donating the money for the expansion, and giving your uncle's house to the library. That's quite a gesture.”

She shrugged. “It was nothing.”

“It was something, Serafina. Thank you. I know my mother is really happy. You did a good thing. I can't wait till you come back.”

“Please.” She held a hand up. “Don't get all emotional. I hate sentimental slop.”

I tried not smiling and failed. “And what about Jesse?”

Her expression darkened. “What about him?”

“Are you going to call him?”

She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “You sound like my mother. All she cares about is my making up with Jesse. The woman adores him.”

“Something tells me you do, too. A good man is hard to find.”

Her eyes flew open. She gave me her best scowl. “Really? Like I haven't heard that before. I expect better clichés from you.”

I shrugged. “It's true. You said so yourself he's a great guy. If you can find one who puts up with you, you'd better not let him get away.”

Her face softened and she broke into laughter. “I might call him, okay? Here's to new beginnings.”

We clinked our glasses together. I
was
already looking forward to her next visit.

***

“I'm still having a hard time digesting Jill as the killer,” I told Sean as we picked at our dinner later that night. I'd made chipotle bean burritos and raspberry iced tea. I'd offered to get him a nice steak that I'd even be willing to attempt to grill for him; after everything he'd been through, he at least deserved that much. He'd declined. Neither one of us was that hungry. I had the lights dimmed, candles in mismatched candlesticks flickered on the table, various dishes from both of my great-grandmothers' good china were out, and rain was pitter-pattering against the windows. The dogs were sleeping in the living room. It was the perfect picture of domesticity. I wanted this to last, definitely forever. I was sleepy and drunk with warmth and happiness. “Daniel would have made more sense.”

“The last thing murder makes is sense.”

“So true. When I think of my mother working with a killer, it makes me ill; a killer who tried to frame her, no less.” I stretched my hand out across the table.

He laced his warm fingers through mine. “I'm glad it's over. You did an awesome job. I'm so proud of what you did.”

“It was nothing.”

“Babe, it was not ‘nothing.' Because of your help, Destiny's safe, and thanks to Serafina, Felicia's gone. Please thank her for me when you speak to her again. I owe you a long, overdue apology. I'm sorry about the Felicia thing. I feel like a jackass thinking that Jordan was back, then letting Felicia worm her way into my life.”

“I'm surprised you remember.”

“Anthony told me I thought Felicia was Jordan. I think he wanted to punch me. In my defense, I did have a concussion.”

“That was pretty bad. I can't say I wasn't a little upset, but you were rather out of it, so lucky for you, you're off the hook. Luckily, it's a happy ending for all. Felicia has her prince and I have mine.”

“I love you. Don't doubt that. Jordan is gone. I loved her once, but you're my future. I don't want you wondering about that.”

“I don't. I'm glad everything is back to normal. I miss Serafina and she's only been gone a few hours.”

“She'll be back. There's always Facebook and texting. Don't forget, you and I have a well-deserved vacation coming up; that'll keep you occupied.”

“I can't wait. I wish we were there already.”

“Me, too.”

“Do you think we could visit Anthony in New York? He's sent me pictures of his bistro, but I'd like to see it in person.”

“We can do that, sure. We'll see my parents first, then take a ride to the city.”

I sighed in contentment. I really didn't care where we were, as long as we were together. And I hoped murder wouldn't be on our itinerary.

You know what they say, right? Be careful what you wish for, or some such thing.

A huge gigantic thank-you to my agent, Frances Black, who planted the seed that became the Bread and Batter series, and the same to my editors, Robin Barletta, Bethany Blair, and copyeditor Carla Benton, who did a wonderful job of making this series so much better. Thanks also to the following people for their contributions to my inspiration and knowledge and other help in creating this book: Mary Allaine De Cicco, R.N.; Braxton DeGarmo, M.D.; Lee Lofland; Sergeant Allan Whitesell; Leesa Freeman; Brooke Smith; Sheila Whitesell. I'd like to also acknowledge Karen, Laurie, Kim, Jennifer, Ileane, Jerina, Yvonne, Sherri, and the rest of the real-life Connecticut divas, who inspired the Destiny Divas!

Karoline Barrett
 is the author of the Bread and Batter Mysteries, featuring 
Bun for Your Life
. She was born in upstate New York and now lives in Connecticut with her husband. When she's not writing, she likes to read, spend time by the water, and travel.

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