by Dana Moss
“We’ve talked enough. You know your way out.” He walked back to the window and stared into the distance until Taffy let the door close behind her.
She made her way back downstairs, assessing Lorne’s situation with each step: Victim’s best friend, a dark and troubled soul, clearly keeping secrets and possibly harboring urges for self-harm. But had Lorne gone so far as to kill his best friend? He did seem distressed, but was that coming from grief or guilt? She would have to do some more digging.
She considered going back to the kitchen to talk to Anya again, but crossing the lobby—under Greg’s watchful, worried gaze—her phone buzzed for what seemed like the millionth time. Did Macy and Cher have the attention span of fruit flies? Frustrated, she finally looked at her messages and was surprised to see that only two were from Macy and Cher. Taffy had missed at least three calls from Maria.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Taffy called Maria back as soon as she got to her car. She probably shouldn’t mention that she’d been to the resort again.
“How did things go with Veronica?” Taffy asked.
“Interesting.”
Taffy thought she heard Maria switch her phone from one ear to the other before adding, “Very interesting.”
“Is she beautiful and formidable?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Just something Lorne said— ”
Oops.
“Lorne? You weren’t talking to him again? Taffy, I— Oh, thanks, Zoe.”
“Um, no I…”
“Sorry, there’s a lot going on down here—Zoe, give this file to Malcolm—What were you saying, Taff?”
“Nothing.” Maybe it was a good thing Maria was distracted. “Nothing. Any new developments? You were about to say something about Veronica.”
“Yeah. Her. I’ll get to her in a minute. I called to tell you that my officers have been going through more of the inventory from the yacht. They found a new will on board, signed and dated only two days before Blake died. It allots a significant portion of his estate to Macy.”
“Really?”
“I’m not sure it’ll be considered valid, but I need to find out if Macy knew about it. You said you wanted to be helpful, so I’m hoping you can ask her.”
“Sure. I can ask her.”
“Okay, great. I’ll wait.” Maria said a few words to someone else in her office and then returned to Taffy. “Are you there? What did she say?”
“Uh, I’m not at home.”
“Where are you?”
“Um… picking up croissants?”
“Wait a minute. Did you just say that you saw Lorne?”
Darn it. “Mmmhmmm.”
“Where exactly are you?”
Taffy sighed. “I stopped by the resort to inquire about massages, that’s all.”
Maria’s voice dropped a notch. “Listen, Taffy. If I find out—or more to the point—if the chief finds out you’re conducting your own investigation, I could get in some serious trouble. Veronica threatened to sic her lawyers on us already. We’re just trying to decide what to do.”
“Why? What did she say?”
Maria kept her voice low. “It’s crazy. She’s crazy. She wants us to drop the case and sign off on a natural death.”
Taffy’s stomach flipped. “Seriously? How could that possibly—”
“I can’t talk about it from here. Can you meet me at the Magpie later this afternoon?”
“I’m supposed to take the girls to the factory.”
“Fine. Then meet me for a drink at Ted’s later after I get off work. Then I’ll explain.”
“Just tell me what this is about and—”
Maria interrupted her to speak to someone else. “Oh, hi, Chief. Yes, I’ll be right in.” To Taffy, she said, “I’ve got to go.”
Instinctively, Taffy whispered, even though she didn’t have to. “Why do you have to keep me hanging?”
“Because I can’t talk now. But there’s more to this. And it might turn out to be good news for Macy. Or it might not mean anything. In the meantime, try to find out about the will.” Maria hung up.
Taffy was perplexed. “Good news for Macy” sounded like good news for Taffy. But she’d have to wait to find out how good this “good news” really was.
On the drive home, Taffy tried to put Maria’s call out of her mind as best she could. Which wasn’t really possible.
Veronica Reese wanted to shut down the case? She didn’t want to find out who killed Blake? How odd. What had happened in that meeting? But if it might lead to the case being dropped… That was a good thing, wasn’t it? Could it mean that maybe Macy and Cher would be on a plane to New York before the week was out?
“Or,” Maria had said, “it might not mean anything,”
Taffy tapped the steering wheel. Patience was not her greatest virtue.
* * *
When Taffy pulled into her driveway, she saw Macy and Cher sitting on the front step pouting like two lost little puppies. They’d been given too much time to “get ready” and so they were overdressed and overly made up. Cher’s skirt was very short and her heels very tall, and Macy’s jeans were super skinny and her blouse exceptionally low-cut to expose her superficially enhanced cleavage. But Taffy didn’t really care if they wanted to go to the factory dressed as if they were going clubbing.
They pounced on the bag of pastries while Taffy made them each a coffee. She also pointed out the cereal, milk, yogurt, fruit, and eggs already in the fridge.
“I know you prefer room service but really, it’s not like you’re going to starve here.”
Taffy glanced around the house. It looked as if they’d had another party in the short time she’d been out this morning. They’d pulled out even more from Taffy’s closet and rifled through every item in their own suitcases and left all of it strewn about the house.
“We’ve been soooo bored,” they whined. “There’s nothing to do here.”
In addition to the remaining glasses, dishes, clothing, shoes, and cosmetics, Taffy saw several sheets of doodle-tainted paper scattered about. “What are those?”
“Oh!” Cher’s features switched from bored to excited. “While you were out, we decided we should all get tattoos when this is all over, to mark this as a unique bonding experience.”
“Being murder suspects is a unique bonding experience?”
Cher nodded happily. “After you and Maria sort it all out, you know, when we’re all off the hook, then we’ll do it.” She grabbed a few sheets of paper. “These were some of our ideas. Do you like them? We were thinking of the wrist or calf maybe.”
Macy said, “Or that little spot on the back that lines up with the heart.”
“Why do you assume this is going to be so easy to sort out?” It’s as if Cher thought it was just an inconvenience. An unexpected delay in an otherwise entertainment-filled life. Macy, on the other hand, looked up nervously at Taffy’s comment.
“You think it won’t be? You think…” She gulped.
Taffy didn’t want Macy to panic. “Don’t worry. Cher’s right. Things will sort themselves out soon.”
They then showed Taffy the matching tattoos they already had on their lower spines from the time they got invited backstage during a Taylor Swift concert.
“Is there a tattoo parlor in Abandon?” Cher asked seriously as she tucked her top back into her tight skirt.
Taffy didn’t know, but she wouldn’t be surprised to find that there was one after learning about the brothel.
Macy looked at Cher. “It would be Taff’s first tat so maybe she should decide where it should go?”
“Good idea.”
“Honestly,” Taffy said. “It sounds like a very bad idea.”
“A little pair of handcuffs might be cute. What do you think?”
Taffy took a slow, steadying breath. She just had to get through one day at a time.
She led the way to the car as Macy and Cher argued about butt cheeks and inner thighs.
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* * *
In the car, Taffy tried to point out the natural beauty around them—the forests, the sea views, the occasional sightings of wildlife.
Cher sneezed from the back seat. “I don’t know how you can stand it. Give me Times Square any day.”
“Are you allergic to nature too?” Taffy glanced at her in the rearview and saw her pulling at the overgrown ends of her pixie cut.
She shrugged. “I seem to be allergic to everything.”
From the passenger seat, Macy said, “Remember that time we had oysters with Kyla and you nearly suffocated?”
“Don’t remind me,” Cher groaned.
Macy perked up. “But I don’t mind this place. I don’t think being here is any worse than those weeks at summer etiquette camp.” She turned to Taffy. “And I can see why you might appreciate a change from the big city. But I do agree with Cher. I couldn’t imagine it as my only life.”
Taffy sighed. She was tempted to admit that she’d been struggling with that very thought for months, but she was afraid her friends would gobble up that news as fast as the pastries, and then they’d never stop bugging her to go back to New York.
Macy added, “And this is where Ethan lives, so I understand why you’d consider giving everything up for love. I’d probably do the same.”
Cher leaned forward, poking her tiny, upturned nose between the two front seats. “Ethan? Love? What about Luke? I saw you blushing this morning. You’re not over him.”
“Are you?” Macy asked. “Because, you know, if there’s even the slightest twinge of attraction you should—”
“Okay, I admit it was nice to talk to him today but more like with an old friend.”
“I tell you what,” Cher said, leaning back. “It’s Ethan who seems more the ‘old friend’ type.”
“You and Luke were hot together!” Macy said. “As a couple you made all heads turn. And I really think he’s outgrown his sowing-oats phase.”
“Speaking of oats…” Cher groaned from the back seat. “I’m used to eating gluten-free. Those pastries are now killing me.”
Macy turned toward the back seat. “I’m going to have to go on a juice detox when we get home.”
“We should go back to that place in Miami.”
“Can’t afford it now, Cher-Bear. I’m just worried about staying out of jail now.”
Cher grumbled from the back seat. “Why did Blake have to go and die on us?”
Macy looked out the window. “What I don’t understand is, why his ex-wife has to identify the body? I was his girlfriend.”
“His fiancée,” Cher quipped.
“Right. Almost.” She looked down at her bare ring finger. Blake hadn’t had the chance to propose. But according to Lorne there was a ring somewhere. Taffy wondered if the officers had found it among the contents of the boat yet.
“He wasn’t technically divorced, remember?” Taffy said. “And it’s more than identification. Next of kin has to be notified and sign papers to trigger the rest of the legal process. He didn’t have any other family besides Veronica, legally speaking.”
“What legal process?”
“The settling of the estate and all that.”
“And dealing with the will,” Cher said, leaning forward.
“Speaking of Blake’s will…” Taffy cleared her throat. “Macy, were you aware that he’d recently drawn up a new one?”
Taffy took her eyes off the road to watch Macy’s reaction.
She turned toward Taffy with a quizzical look. “What will? What’s to know?”
Taffy said, “The police found it with other papers on the boat. In it, Blake leaves a significant portion of his fortune to you.”
“Really?” Macy laughed with delight. She turned to Cher in the back seat. “So maybe we can go to Miami after all!”
Taffy gripped the steering wheel more tightly. “Don’t get excited. I don’t think it’s valid.”
“So no spa?” Macy pouted.
“Macy, listen to me. Did you know he was thinking of changing his will? Before you got on the boat?”
“No, of course not.”
“Count that as a good thing. Because if you knew about it, and you really are in the financial straits you’re in, the police can argue that it gave you a strong motivation.”
“Motivation for what?” Macy blinked innocently. Taffy couldn’t believe she was really that clueless.
Cher groaned. “For murder, honey. Motivation for murder.”
Macy gasped. “But I didn’t do it! I keep telling you all!” Her words wound up to a wail.
Taffy reached over to pat her arm and calm her down. “Relax. It’s just one more thing we have to clear up. You didn’t know about it. That’s a start.” And Taffy could tell Maria that this was one more thing she believed about Macy. She didn’t do it. She wasn’t motivated to do it.
Macy slouched in her seat after that, and Cher started talking about Luke again and how much he was working out at the gym and how he was getting serious about joining his family’s business. Taffy let her prattle on as they cruised up the ridge road leading to the candy factory.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Up on the bluff above town, where the Sweet Abandon Candy Factory perched, Taffy pulled into the staff lot and parked in her VIP spot. Under the VIP letters was a small sign that read “Vanilla Icing Pop.”
“Cute,” Macy said.
Both girls seemed impressed with the well-maintained garden in front of the factory, and they grinned to see the shiny candy-apple-red main doors.
Once inside, they were given a wide-eyed welcome by Aubin Terkle, the receptionist.
“Come in lovelies,” Aubin said, lifting her fleshy arms and opening them widely. “Oh, you’re both just as pretty as Taffy. And so”—she gave them a quick head-to-toe appraisal—“fashionable.” She came out from behind the counter grinning.
“We’re so honored to have you visit our little town and factory! It’s not often we get such special visitors.”
Taffy caught the girls sharing an eye roll at Aubin’s effusiveness, but thankfully Aubin herself didn’t see it because she was reaching into her pockets to pull out two lollipops, which she offered to the girls.
Just then Ellie burst through the paneled door that looked like a bar of chocolate. “You’re here! I’ve been dying to show you around.”
She was all smiles and twinkly eyes as introductions were made.
Taffy said, “Ellie pretty much runs things around here. Don’t know what I’d do without her.”
Aubin patted Taffy’s arm. “And we don’t know what we’d do without this godsend.”
Ellie nodded in agreement. “Your friend is truly remarkable. Thanks for letting her slip away from New York to be here with us.”
“Well, as a matter of fact—”
Taffy interrupted. “Macy and Cher have never been in a candy factory before. I thought we could show them around.”
“Did you tell them they’d have to pass the sweetness test first?” Aubin waggled her eyebrows and tried to keep a straight face.
For a second the girls looked confused, until they realized Aubin was joking. Then Ellie said, “Of course they pass the test. Just look at them. If I took a bite, I’d get a toothache. They’re perfect.” She beamed admiringly.
Macy and Cher smiled back, but as soon as Ellie turned to push open the big chocolate-bar door, saying, “Let’s show you gals around,” they shared another private glance.
Taffy hoped they’d make an effort to be friendly and polite. Though Ellie’s enthusiasm might make up for all of them.
Aubin stayed back at the receptionist’s counter and ta-ta’d to them as they pushed through the chocolate-bar door. Walking down the hall, Macy made some effort at conversation.
“Did you always want to work in a candy shop?” she asked Ellie.
Cher added, “Aren’t you worried about gaining too much weight?”
Ellie blinked, but she was still smiling and
seemed oblivious to the potentially critical remark. “It’s a minor hazard, but I’d say the benefits outweigh the risks.” She smoothed down her jacket and tucked a strand of her frost-tipped hair behind one ear.
Then Cher said, “Where do you get your hair done?”
Ellie patted the bottom curls of her bob cut. “Chrissy’s Cute Cuts and Colors. Why?” The girls shared another look. “Nothing. It’s ‘cute’ is all.” They shared another look.
Ellie might have been a bit naïve, but she was not insensitive. Yet rather than be affronted, Taffy watched Ellie making an extra effort to win over her New York friends as she guided them down the halls toward the candy-manufacturing rooms.
“You girls have gorgeous hair. Of course, I’ve never been able to get my hair done in a place like New York or even Portland for that matter. In a small town, we have to make do. But tell me about your experiences. What’s it like to get an updo in the Big Apple?”
It was like asking a kid about a favorite toy. Both Macy and Cher starting talking and arguing about their favorite stylists. Pretty soon they were making plans to take Ellie home and give her a full makeover. Ellie practically sparkled with the attention they gave her, which all stemmed from her fawning over them. Did Ellie have a knack for this or was she genuinely desperate to become friends with Macy and Cher? Or—and Taffy didn’t like to consider this option—was she sucking up to them for Taffy’s sake?
In the chocolate-dip room, Taffy pulled Ellie aside. The girls had been momentarily distracted by Nolan, who was running the supply of maraschino cherries through their liquid-sugar and chocolate-dipping process, and Cher had claimed that she could tie a cherry stem into a knot with her tongue, and Macy had challenged her to prove it. So Nolan, gazing admiringly at the girls, especially at their legs, had removed a stemmed cherry from the vat and handed it over to Cher. Several sugar elves had gathered to watch her closely while discussing the impossibility, or at least grave difficulty, of it. No one mentioned its pointlessness.
In hushed tones, Taffy said to Ellie, “You don’t have to pretend you like them for my sake. They can be selfish and obnoxious at times.”