She flinched, and embarrassment swept across her face. My satisfaction with my snarky retort disappeared when the pain and humiliation flashed in her eyes. She recouped quickly though, and a hard, determined glare replaced the weakness. “It would do you a world of good to keep your nose out of where it doesn’t belong.”
“I’ll make you a deal. I will if you tell me what’s really going on.”
She angled her body to the side and turned her head toward me. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
She watched a group of teenagers walk past, their heads permanently bent down to stare into their cellphones. “We never got these early release days. Seems like most of the time kids aren’t even at school.”
“Magnolia, if there’s something going on, maybe I can help.”
She twisted around in her seat to face me, and that same humility and embarrassment sat in her eyes and on her face. She sighed. “You can help by pulling that listing off the market.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
She spoke with a tone that said we’d been good friends for years. “Well, honey, if you don’t, then you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you and your husband planning to do something more to my listing?”
Her eyes met mine, and then she looked away as Millie set my sandwich on the table. I thanked her and pushed it aside.
Magnolia’s eyes darted around the restaurant and she took a quick glance at the entrance before whispering out of the corner of her mouth, “Meet me at the dog park tonight, seven o’clock. We can talk there, but you can’t tell anyone we’re meeting. Do you understand that? Not a soul.”
I swallowed. “Uh, yes, okay.”
She got up to leave, but before she did, she said. “I’m serious, Lily. Tell no one.”
I stared at my sandwich, but the desire to eat had disappeared. I didn’t know what she wanted to talk to me about, but the sense of urgency and fear when she spoke made me sick to my stomach.
Knowing what the evening held made the rest of the day drag slower than molasses. I busied myself back at work, even reorganizing both my desk and Belle’s. She hated when I did that, but at least I’d learned not to throw anything out. One time I tossed something I thought was garbage, an old matchbook from a bar in Atlanta. Belle never smoked, and we didn’t have any candles in the office, so I saw no need for it, but she pitched a fit when she saw it missing. She’d been at that bar years ago, saw Darius Rucker, and he’d signed the inside of it for her.
It took me two hours to find it in the six bags of garbage in the dumpster behind our office.
Lesson learned.
It was finally late enough that I could pick up Bo at day care and head over to the park. The front desk girl told me about his day and said he’d sleep well that night.
“He played so hard today. Harder than I’ve ever seen.” She opened the door to let him out into the reception area and he wandered over to me with absolutely no enthusiasm.
“Wow, Bo, you’re beat, aren’t you?”
“I think he’s got a girlfriend.”
I raised my eyebrows and patted him on the head. “Really?”
She nodded. “He spent the whole day flirting with a German Shepherd. Every time he’d do something, he’d rush over to her like he wanted to check if she saw.”
I squatted down and kissed his nose. “Aw, you’re a little stud, aren’t you?”
“He definitely is.”
“Luckily he’s fixed, but I bet they’d be cute puppies.”
Bo laid down on the ground next to my feet.
“Oh, bless his heart. He needs to go home and relax,” she said. “It’s rough being so charming.”
He was tired, and I actually felt bad that we weren’t going straight home. I assumed he was hungry, too. In the car I promised him we wouldn’t be at the park for long. I also had a bag of treats with me—I always carried an extra bag just in case—and promised several of those at the park, too.
We arrived to a parking lot half full of soccer mom SUV’s and parked near the path leading to the dog park. Bo scarfed down his treats and with renewed energy and excitement, galloped straight to the park. I caught up and let him inside the gates. We had the place to ourselves, and Bo feasted on the smells surrounding him. My first thought was that Magnolia had something up her sleeve, but she didn’t have that kind of power, and I needed to stop overreacting. I played spider solitaire on my phone to distract myself while I waited for her to show up.
I checked my watch twice, and finally, at a quarter till eight realized Magnolia wasn’t coming. I should have known she wouldn’t show. Bo had finished his tour of smells thirty minutes before and was lying by my feet, so we headed home. He was so beat he stayed glued to my side on the way back to the car.
That shepherd had worn him out but good.
After we got home and settled, Bo nestled next to me on the couch. An entire day of play and a full belly, and he was down for the count.
I flipped through the channels on my TV but nothing interested me. I was annoyed that Magnolia didn’t show, but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered about the reason.
She’d tried to pull off confident and sassy at Millie’s, but couldn’t. Confident people don’t keep checking their surroundings. They aren’t embarrassed or afraid, but that’s exactly how Magnolia had acted. I honestly believed she’d planned to meet me, so why didn’t she? It just didn’t make sense.
Because Magnolia Cleveland was afraid.
I watched two crime dramas I’d recorded, but didn’t pay attention enough to follow the plot because I kept thinking about Magnolia. Something wasn’t right, I just knew it.
I left Bo snoozing on the couch, threw on a pair of yoga pants and an extra-large University of Georgia sweatshirt and flipped on the small light over the sink for Bo. I tapped in my code to arm the security system Dylan had installed for me a while back, grabbed my keys, and headed out the door.
I did a slow drive by Magnolia’s house. Her car was in the driveway, but the house was dark. A few houses up I did a three-point turn, and as my car crawled past her house, the lights on her car flickered, and two people dressed in all black walked out and climbed into the car. I quickly pulled into the next driveway and turned off my ignition. I watched as the car headed my direction, and after a few seconds, followed it.
Why would someone take Magnolia’s car so late at night like that, and in all black? I stayed back, hoping the driver wouldn’t catch on that I was on his tail, but I didn’t need to follow him. Bramblett County wasn’t big enough that I couldn’t figure out where they were headed–to the development. When he turned onto 369, I passed him and drove there first, calling Dylan on my way.
“Before you lecture me, I didn’t plan to actually do anything, it just sort of happened.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“There’s two men dressed in all black headed to the development. They’re in Magnolia’s Mercedes.”
“Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m fine, I’m at development. I beat them here so they wouldn’t know I followed them.”
“Lily, you’re not making sense.”
“Just trust me, get someone to the development and have them look for Magnolia’s car.” I disconnected the call before he could say anything else and tossed it onto my passenger’s seat. I didn’t want to be distracted and discovered because of it.
The retail section closed hours ago, and except for a few cars, the parking lot was empty. Whatever those men had planned, they wouldn’t park in the well-lit retail lot, so I drove over to the townhomes and pulled into a guest spot for a residence a few down from Carter’s. I turned off my car, kept the keys in the ignition, and scooted down in my seat far enough to let me still see out the window.
Magnolia’s car inched slowly along the main road into the private residence section and stopped a few feet away
from me. I ducked down in my seat and held my breath. A few seconds later I heard someone running and the lights of the car flickered past mine. I snuck a look out my window as the car drove away and watched one of the men run behind the end of the row of homes and disappear.
I didn’t risk following the driver for fear he’d catch on, and following the guy on foot wasn’t an option either, so I stayed put until Matthew and another deputy showed up.
“That way.” I pointed the direction the man ran. “One of them took off on foot that way.”
The other deputy barked into the microphone attached to his shoulder and hopped back into his car and left.
“What about the driver?” Matthew asked.
“I don’t know. He went down the main road, but I lost sight of him.”
He nodded. “Good. Okay, we’ve got two vehicles in the lot, so we’ll get him.”
But they didn’t. The car was long gone, and the man must have seen the deputies’ cars and taken off, too.
Dylan arrived and gave me the lecture I’d tried to avoid earlier. I attempted to justify my decisions but failed miserably.
“Why would you even drive by her house, Lily? She’s already threatened to have you arrested for stalking.” He removed his cap and ran his hand through his short hair. “And she’s got cause.”
“I’m not stalking her. We were supposed to meet at the dog park at seven o’clock, but she never showed up.”
“So you decided to drive to her house at almost midnight to find out why?”
“No, of course not. She’s afraid of something, Dylan, and I was worried something happened to her. You had to see the look on her face. She wanted to tell me something, I know it.”
“So, maybe she changed her mind?”
We leaned against the side of my car. “I don’t think so. I think something’s going on. I think her husband’s done something to her.”
He faced me, and I knew he didn’t agree. “Honey, she probably had no intention of meeting you in the first place.”
“I don’t think so. And what about her car? Why did they use her car?”
He sighed. “I don’t know, but I can definitely have someone look into that.”
“You promise?”
He nodded. “Now go home, please.”
That time I did as he requested.
* * *
I got up early enough on Tuesday morning so I’d have enough time to get dolled up for the Women of Society meeting. I scoured my closet for something I could pass off for persnickety and uptight, knowing most of my clothing wasn’t up to par. I hoped adding a broach and a scarf would do the trick, but the pickings were slim. I tossed three cardigan sets onto my bed, finally deciding on a pale green one to go with my black silk pants. My hair clip drawer lacked the traditional Women of Society necessities; floral clips, ribbons, bows, and anything dangly and feminine. Giving up, I wrapped my hair in a ponytail band, sprayed it with a blast of hairspray, and twisted it into a bun, securing it with a small clip, and letting a few strands hang out. I stuck my finger with the broach three times before finally getting it on right, and my neck itched from the faux silk scarf wrapped around it.
Satisfied with my choices, I slipped into a pair of black pumps
Bo sniffed my pants and licked my shoe, which I considered approval.
Dylan had promised he’d take Bo to daycare, and when he showed up, he let his eyes wander over me for longer than usual. “Well, Lily Sprayberry, you are definitely a Woman of Society. There aren’t any men in that club, are there? I don’t want to have to arrest someone for unlawful gawking at my fiancée.”
I rolled my eyes. “That was bad.”
He laughed. “I’ll try harder next time.”
“Thank you.” I checked my makeup in the reflection of my microwave glass. “I really don’t want to do this, but I think it’s best for my reputation.”
“That’s what you want me to believe, right?”
I blinked. “Why Sheriff Roberts, whatever do you mean?”
“Just don’t do anything I’ll regret, okay?”
“I promise to try really hard not to.”
He shook his head, kissed me on the top of my head, and then headed toward the door. “Come on Buddy, we got dogs to play with.” He narrowed his eyes my direction and pointed his finger at me. “And you…you be nice to Magnolia.”
I arrived at the trendy café a few minutes before the brunch. I’d hoped my back up, Belle would be there, too, since she was the one that decided we’d join the club in the first place, but she backed out at the last minute. An issue with our cabin came up and she’d gone to meet the contractor instead. At least I still had Caroline, the hot mess she was.
I watched from my car as the women all arrived and walked into the café, all but Magnolia Cleveland. At a quarter after nine, she still hadn’t shown up, and tired of waiting to make my grand entrance, I went on in.
My grand entrance didn’t end up that grand after all. In fact, no one realized I was even there for the meeting until Caroline acknowledged me. My reception wasn’t well received, either.
“What is she doing here?” Fannie Noble asked.
Emma Crimmins said something unkind, too, and that kind of surprised me. The other members of the club agreed.
“Ladies, please. Y’all got to settle down. This is not the way Women of Society treat new members,” Caroline said.
Caroline had pulled herself together better than I’d expected. She’d covered up the bags under eyes—I’d have to ask what miracle makeup she’d used to do that—and tied her hair up in a red ribbon that matched her red and pink dress and cardigan. Her lipstick even matched the cardigan. I was impressed, especially since she’d been a train wreck when I saw her last. I smiled at her as she spoke.
“Lily is here because I asked her. I’m invoking my right to allow members into the fold, and I’ve picked Lily.”
Emma Crimmins crossed her arms over her chest and snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding. Lily Sprayberry?” She shook her head. “She’s not even close to our standard.”
I guess she’d used her allotment of kindness when I stopped at her house the other day.
Caroline tilted her head back and laughed and then stared Emma Crimmins straight in the eyes. “Unlike some of our current members, Lily Sprayberry exceeds our standards, and I believe she would be a wonderful addition to the club.”
“But you can’t just—”
Caroline cut Emma off. “Actually, I can. Read the club covenants. Section seven, part two.” She opened the binder in front of her, searched for a page, and when she found it, she flipped the binder around and pushed it toward Emma, pointing at the specific section. “Right there.”
Emma glared at her.
“Go ahead, Emma. Read it to the group so everyone knows.”
Reluctantly, Emma read it, and the next thing I knew, I was a Woman of Society member whether I wanted to be or not.
I didn’t pay attention during most of the meeting. I knew they talked about the coming dance, and shared the updates for their plan, but if they quizzed me, I would have gotten a big fat F. My eyes were glued to the entrance, waiting for Magnolia to show up.
“Hey, why isn’t Magnolia here?” I finally asked, not realizing I’d interrupted a member while speaking.
Emma Crimmins coughed. “Lily, dear, a lady must never interrupt someone when they’re speaking.” She tapped her fingers on the table. “Must we honestly allow this…this person into our club? We have a reputation to uphold.”
I kept my mouth shut because what I’d wanted to say wasn’t something a lady would ever say in public.
Caroline pressed her lips together into a straight line, and I straightened in my seat.
“Emma, etiquette aside, Lily has a point. Magnolia RSVP’d, so she should be here.”
Emma’s face softened. “When I spoke with her yesterday she said she’d see me at the meeting today.”
“When did you speak with he
r?” I asked.
“Around three, maybe three-thirty.”
“What exactly did she say?”
Emma raised an eyebrow and snarled before saying, “That’s between me and Magnolia, Lily Sprayberry.”
There wasn’t anyone else in the restaurant, but I found myself speaking barely over a whisper. “Magnolia asked me to meet her at the park last night, but she never showed. When I talked to her earlier, she seemed,” I paused, searching for the best way to explain it. “Concerned, I guess. I’m not sure, but she seemed worried and maybe a little afraid.”
Emma laughed, her tone stained with condescending tolerance. “Well, we all know that’s a lie. Magnolia would never willing meet with you.”
“And she doesn’t even own a dog,” Fannie said. When she bit her lip and shifted her eyes my direction, I knew she was concerned.
Caroline tapped on her cell phone. “I’ll call her. I’m sure she’s fine and just got caught up with something and forgot.”
Caroline held her phone to her ear and waited. “It went straight to voicemail,” she said, and then left Magnolia a message. “Hey Mags, you missed the meeting this morning, sweetie. Give me a call, and I’ll tell you what happened. We’re assigning duties for the dance, k? Love ya girl, bye.” She disconnected the call. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
From the looks on everyone’s faces, none of them believed that.
We finished the meeting, and Caroline walked with me to my car. “What’s going on? Do you think something happened to Magnolia?”
I told her about following the car to the development and the man running behind the townhomes.
“But that doesn’t mean something’s happened to Magnolia, does it?”
“I don’t know, but it proves her husband’s involved in the vandalism, don’t you think? And Emma Crimmins told me Magnolia’s just pretending to not want the growth in town. Maybe she was doing it for Dominic and changed her mind, and they fought, and he did something to her.”
“I’ve never really liked her husband.”
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