I smiled. “Oh, they’re both good,” I said and stepped into the house as she opened the door wide and motioned for me to come in. “I heard the terrible news about Pamela, and I wanted to stop by and offer my condolences.”
“Oh, yes. It’s a shame isn’t it?” she said without emotion and led me through the foyer and into the living room. My eyes took in the dark carved wood on the spiral staircase and crown molding. I couldn’t imagine living in a house as grand as this, and I wondered how Sharon had felt when she first married Edward and moved in here. Sharon came from middle-class roots and I imagined this was very different from anything she had ever experienced before.
“How are you and Mr. North holding up?” I asked her.
“I’m fine. How did you hear about it?” she asked and motioned toward a sofa in the middle of the room.
“Well, I was the one who came across her car yesterday morning,” I explained and took the seat she offered. The sofa looked like something straight out of the late 1800s with its dark curlicued hand-carved wood frame and gold velvet fabric. It was pretty, but I couldn’t imagine it holding up long in my house with Maggie, my blue tick hound dog jumping on it.
“Oh. I’m sorry you had to see that,” she said and sat on a matching sofa across from me. A dark walnut coffee table separated the two sofas. “I’m just glad Edward doesn’t have to identify her body. He’s in New York City right now, and he’s trying to get a plane back home. I told him not to worry about it and finish his business. But he insisted on coming home.”
Don’t worry about it?
“I don’t blame him for wanting to come home immediately,” I said. And then I looked down at the basket of muffins in my lap. “Oh, I’m sorry, I made these muffins for you. I know it isn’t much, and I know it doesn’t help with your loss, but I wanted to make you something.”
“That’s sweet of you, let me get us some coffee and we’ll have one.” She left to get the coffee, and I looked around the room. Although I didn’t know anything about art, the paintings hanging on the walls looked expensive. The floor was covered in a large red and purple floral Oriental rug. I was sure it was genuine and not a cheap knockoff. The room was a feast for the eyes and I did my best to take it all in while she was gone. I couldn’t imagine living in a house like this. I would be too worried I would spill something on the rugs or furniture.
It wasn’t long before Sharon was back with a tray that held a small silver coffee pot, two cups, sugar, and cream. “Help yourself, Rainey,” she said, setting the tray down and motioning to the coffee.
“Thank you,” I said and set the basket of peach muffins on the table. I could smell the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves I had liberally added to the batter and my stomach growled. The scent of rich coffee hit my nostrils, and I inhaled. “That coffee smells wonderful.”
“Oh, it is. Edward has it imported directly from Colombia at a price that would make caviar blush.” She chuckled and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Oh,” I murmured, eyeing the pot. I was afraid of wasting Edward North’s money, but this was probably the only chance I’d ever have to taste coffee more expensive than caviar.
“I heard you moved back to town and were working at Sam’s Diner. Are you also writing a cookbook? It seems like I heard that. You have got to be one of the best cooks around. Are you doing all the cooking down at Sam’s?” she asked as she helped herself to a muffin.
“No, Sam is still at the grill. But he does let me try out different dishes on the customers. I need the feedback for the cookbook, so I try to make different things each week,” I said and bit the bullet and poured myself a cup of coffee. I stirred sugar into my cup and inhaled the heady aroma of coffee that probably cost more than an entire week’s worth of groceries for myself. I liked coffee, but I wasn’t willing to spend that kind of money on it.
“Well, I need to stop in, then. I haven’t been to Sam’s in ages,” Sharon said, taking a delicate bite from a muffin.
I hadn’t spent a lot of time with Sharon since she had married and it seemed as if she had almost taken on a new persona. Gone was that loud, funny woman I remembered from the flower shop, and in her place was this low-key, demure woman I barely recognized.
“Sharon, can I ask you where Pamela said she was going Friday night? Does she have a job?” I asked her.
She snorted. “Pamela? Work? No. That girl would never have had to work if her father had anything to say about it,” she said bitterly. “I don’t know where she was. She came and went as she pleased. I figured she was at a party somewhere.”
“I guess she was old enough to do what she wanted,” I agreed. “Sharon, where does Pamela’s mother live?” I couldn’t remember if I had ever heard anything about Pamela’s mother, and I wasn’t even sure if she was alive.
“When she and Edward got divorced, she moved to Europe. Some place in France I think it was. She hadn’t had anything to do with Pamela since she was four. She was a terrible mother, all she wanted to do was drink and party. Edward finally had enough of it and kicked her out.”
“I had no idea,” I said and poured cream into my cup of coffee. “I can’t imagine leaving my child. Do you think Edward will get in contact with her to let her know what happened?” I had a hard time understanding someone that could leave her child behind.
She shrugged. “We haven’t really discussed it yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t. He’s never really forgiven her for not loving Pamela enough. But, Pamela was a difficult child to love if you want to know the truth. I suppose that’s partly Edward’s fault. He spoiled that girl. Gave in to her every whim.” She took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes, enjoying the flavor. “Well, at least I don’t have to put up with all the pink.”
“Pink?” I asked, puzzled.
She snorted. “Yes, Pamela was obsessed with pink. Every pageant gown she ever wore was some shade of pink. Light, dark, in between. Always pink. You’d have thought she would have grown out of it, but she said it was her signature color and never wore anything besides pink in pageants. I mean, never. Can you imagine?” She laughed and took another sip of her coffee.
I wasn’t sure what to say about all of this. Pamela certainly appeared to have everything any teenaged girl could ever want, zipping around town in that expensive sports car and competing in beauty pageants. The pageants alone allowed her to wear expensive, fancy gowns and have her hair and makeup done professionally. What girl wouldn’t love that? I remembered Natalie mentioning her from time to time when she was still in high school. Pamela was the most popular girl in school and was envied by many.
“I know this has got to be heartbreaking for Edward,” I finally said and took a sip of my coffee. I closed my eyes and savored the coffee the way Sharon just had. I couldn’t help it. This really was the best coffee I had ever tasted. Smooth, rich, and bold without being bitter. I didn’t know coffee like this existed.
“It will be impossible for him to get over this. He lived for that girl,” she agreed. “Every time he went away on a business trip you’d have thought he was leaving behind a piece of his heart.” She took another bite of her muffin. “These are so good. So moist.”
“Losing a child has got to be the hardest thing in the world,” I said.
“Let me tell you something, Rainey,” she said, pointing at me. “The girl was a thorn in my side ever since I met Edward. Whatever she wanted, Edward gave her. If I wanted to do something and Pamela didn’t, you can bet that we didn’t do it. I’m sorry she’s dead, but I’m not sorry she’s out of my life. My life is going to get a lot easier.”
I stared at her wide-eyed. How do you respond to something like that? “I’m sorry there were issues,” I said dumbly. It felt like a completely inadequate reply, but I was a little stunned at what she had just said.
She nodded. “Now, I have no doubt she would have made it to Miss America. The girl had had acting lessons and what she called ‘poise’ lessons since she was three. She could ma
ke anyone believe she was anything she wanted them to believe and those judges would have been sucked in, just like everyone else in her life. But I wasn’t fooled. I knew the truth about her. It would have been the best thing for us, her winning the Miss America pageant, since she would have to go on tour with the organization and we would have been rid of her for a year. But there were other people she showed her true self to, other beauty contestants and anyone she deemed beneath her. I’m pretty sure she made a lot of high school girls’ lives miserable.”
I nodded slowly. I hadn’t expected Sharon to be so forthcoming with information about Pamela. “I guess I can see where someone that has never been told ‘no’ wouldn’t know how to get along with other kids. Especially if they weren’t inclined to give in to her whims,” I said, making mental notes to discuss all of this with Cade.
She leaned back on the sofa and took another bite of muffin. “This is really good Rainey. I don’t know how you learned to bake like this. If Edward didn’t expect me to fit into a size four, I’d inhale the whole basket right now,” she said with a dry laugh. “I’m sorry, I suppose I shouldn’t talk about Pamela this way, but the fact is she was an unpleasant girl. And it breaks my heart that my husband is going to be devastated by this loss, but I’m not going to miss her.”
“Some people are just difficult to get along with,” I said weakly. I didn’t remember Sharon being the sort of person that couldn’t get along with others, so I felt like what she was saying had to be true about Pamela. And if it was, it was a shame. Because someone that got everything they wanted usually ended up being miserable and made everyone else miserable.
“That detective said Pamela was murdered. Doesn’t surprise me. Beauty pageants are cut-throat affairs. The older the girls get, the worse they get. Those girls would stop at nothing to win, especially when we’re talking about qualifying for Miss America. If I were that detective, I’d have my eye on her competition. And her biggest competition is, or was, Chrissy Jones.”
“Really?” I said thoughtfully. Chrissy had been a friend of Natalie’s in grammar school, but the two had gone their separate ways when they entered junior high. Natalie had been devastated. “I know Chrissy. Or I did know her.”
She nodded. “And if not her, then Pamela’s boyfriend, Ryan Sparks. He’s always been jealous of the attention she got from other boys. And not just boys, but grown men. Makes me wonder how hard he’s grieving right now. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he wasn’t grieving,” she said and then snorted. “It wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of people aren’t grieving.”
“Ryan Sparks?” I wondered, trying to place him.
“He works at Sparrow Garage as a mechanic and goes to the junior college. Honestly, it’s not like Pamela was going to date him forever. Edward had a fit about her seeing him. He wasn’t good enough for his little girl. And he really wasn’t. The kid had been the quarterback on the high school football team and that was what attracted Pamela to him, but since graduating high school, he’s done nothing with his life,” she said, setting her cup of coffee down. “I’m surprised they stayed together after they graduated.”
We made small talk for a few more minutes and then I excused myself.
This was a lot to think about. A jilted boyfriend and a jealous competitor. Not to mention a resentful stepmother. I was going to have to talk to Cade, and soon.
Chapter Six
“I just can’t believe someone killed Pamela North,” Natalie said, wrapping her arms around herself.
“It’s really sad,” my sister Stormy said. Stormy and I were identical twins. A lot of identical twins change as they grow older and don’t look nearly as identical as they had when they were little, but not Stormy and I. People still had problems telling us apart. The fact that we wore our long blond hair styled the same didn’t help matters.
“It was a terrible way to go, too,” I said as I pulled up to Michelle’s dress shop. I had wanted to buy Natalie a new outfit or two for when she went away to college next month. Natalie had told me Chrissy Jones worked at Michelle’s, so I thought I may as well take her shopping there and kill two birds with one stone.
I parked the car, and we got out and headed to the shop.
“I appreciate you buying me new clothes, Aunt Rainey, but you really don’t have to do this,” Natalie said.
“Yes, it’s very sweet of you,” Stormy agreed.
“I just want to buy you a few things,” I said and held the door open for them. “And that’s what I intend to do. You’re going on a new life adventure in a new place, and I want you to have some nice clothes to take along with you.”
Michelle’s dress shop was one of the best clothing stores in Sparrow, so it didn’t surprise me that Chrissy Jones worked there. There were only two other customers in the store when we entered and I spotted Chrissy hanging dresses on a rack. She was a beautiful girl with long auburn hair and peaches and cream skin. Her hair and makeup were perfect. She was someone you noticed.
I was sure her parents had put an awful lot of money into all of those pageants she had competed in. My eyes went to Natalie who stopped at a rack of tops and started looking through them. She had a fresh-faced All-American look that was different from the ultra made up look the pageant girls sported even when they weren’t on stage. I thought Natalie was prettier, but I may have been biased. She didn’t seem to notice Chrissy, and I wondered how she felt about her now. It had been six years since she and Chrissy had had a falling out.
“Is there anything in particular that you want?” I asked Natalie, keeping one eye on Chrissy.
“I think I’d like to get a new pair of jeans and maybe a couple of tops,” she said picking up a hot pink blouse with sparkles down the front.
“You don’t have to pay for everything, Rainey,” Stormy said, looking through a rack of jeans. “I’ll pay for some of it.”
“It’s okay, I want to get her several things. That’s cute,” I said, looking at the next top Natalie held up. “Natalie, if you want to get more than just one pair of jeans, don’t hesitate. It’s not every day that my oldest niece goes away to college.”
She smiled and looked up at me. “I appreciate that so much, Aunt Rainey.”
“Thanks, Rainey,” Stormy added.
“That’s Chrissy Jones over there isn’t it?” I said, lowering my voice and watching as Chrissy went to help one of the other customers in the store. I knew it was, but she had changed so much since I had last seen her, I wanted to make sure.
“Yes it is,” Natalie said without looking at her.
“I’m sorry, Natalie,” I leaned in and whispered. “Maybe this is the wrong place to bring you to shop?”
“It’s fine, Aunt Rainey,” she said, still not looking at Chrissy. “It’s been six years. It’s her loss that she didn’t want to be my friend anymore, and I’m over it. Some people have no class or taste when it comes to other people.” She giggled, but it was obvious it was forced.
“Just be glad you found out her real character when you did,” Stormy murmured to her daughter.
“Did she and Pamela North have a rivalry?” I whispered to Natalie.
“They hated each other. The two of them were both sure they were going to be the next Miss America, but I really don’t think Chrissy had as much of a chance as Pamela did. Pamela’s parents had more money to spend on pageants. It was disgusting if you want to know the truth. All the two of them ever talked about were pageants, expensive dresses, and getting their hair and makeup done. After a while, you would think they would have wanted to talk about other things, but it didn’t seem like they ever did.” Her mouth made a hard line as she continued looking through the rack of tops and my heart hurt a little for her. How do you tell someone they are worth more than what’s on the outside?
“I guess those pageants are very competitive,” I mused. “We should have put you in some when you were little. You were the cutest thing ever, and you’ve only gotten prettier as you’ve grown.”
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br /> She looked at me and rolled her eyes. “I am so glad you didn’t do that to me. I have more interests in my life besides what I look like. I do have a brain, you know.”
“Yes, you do,” I said, “and I’m so glad you do. If I had to sit around and discuss nothing but clothes and makeup with you, I think I’d be sick.”
“My brainy girl,” Stormy said affectionately and gave her daughter a quick squeeze.
Natalie laughed and moved on to another rack of tops. When Chrissy finished with the customer she was waiting on, she headed over to a display case that held nice costume jewelry. With Natalie and Stormy looking through the clothing racks, I decided it was time for me to talk to Chrissy to see if I could find out anything useful regarding Pamela’s murder.
I went to the display case and peered in at the jewelry. It was very pretty and from what I could see of the few price tags that were visible, pretty pricey for costume jewelry. Chrissy put a silver bangle bracelet back into the display case and closed the door.
“Hi, Chrissy?” I said tilting my head and looking at her.
She looked up at me, puzzled for a moment, and then smiled. “Oh, hi Rainey,” she said and her eyes went to Natalie, then back to me. “How are you doing? It seems like it’s been ages since I’ve seen you.”
“I’m doing very well,” I said, giving her a smile. “Natalie’s getting ready to go to college in California and I told her I’d let her pick out a few outfits to take with her. How about you? Are you headed off to college this fall?”
“No, I’m taking a year off before college to pursue pageants. I know I can earn more scholarship money to help pay for college, and of course, I desperately want to compete in the Miss America pageant. If I win Miss America, I’ll have to make a lot of appearances and I didn’t want to interrupt my studies, so I thought I’d wait.”
“Miss America?” I said acting surprised. “I had no idea you were going to be in the Miss America pageant. How exciting!”
Barbecue and a Murder Page 3