Trick or Deceit

by Shelley Freydont

  She went straight to her office and began hanging up her clothes.

  “You must be tired,” Ted said. “You don’t normally let Janine get to you like that.”

  Liv turned on him. “I don’t know how you stand it. We work our butts off with practically all volunteers. We’ve tripled festival attendance and pulled this contest out of a hat. And they’re not even nice. No ‘thanks, Liv and Ted, for letting us have a stupid idea and then making it work.’ Hell, we could have raised money raffling off a car or something simple. But no, we had to oversee judging of a hundred houses, and what do we get?”

  “Nice work? If you can get it?”

  “Not funny.” Liv leaned against her desk. “Sorry. But there’s a lot riding on this next weekend and I don’t need the mayor and his hench . . . woman stirring up panic.

  “It’s bad enough that Lucille Foster was murdered. I’m sorry about that. But Jon and Amanda already knew all about it. I could see that Jon is already waffling. He was asking all kinds of questions about the murder. If we blow this . . .” She bit her lip.

  “Liv,” Ted said. “What are you up to?”

  “Nothing. I don’t know. Something. I’ll figure it out.”

  Chaz pulled away from the doorframe that had been holding him up. “Stay out of it, Liv.”

  “Out of what?”

  “Don’t be dense. You spend your energy charming your city boy and let Bill take care of the investigation.”

  Liv stared at him. “If I said what I’m thinking right now, Ted would be shocked.”

  “I doubt it,” Chaz said. “But spare us. I can imagine. Stay out of it.”

  “Fine.” Liv reached over the desk and closed her laptop, pushed away from the desk, and stood. “Good night.” She lifted her coat and messenger bag off the coat rack and left the room.

  Rufus, Jeremiah, and Roscoe were still standing at the end of the hall talking. They looked up as Liv came out of the office. She raised her hand and hurried toward the door to the street.

  She knew she was reacting out of proportion. It was so unlike her. Cool under pressure was her middle name. But for some reason, tonight she’d just had enough.

  For some reason? Liv thought she knew the reason, though she didn’t want to admit it. Seeing Jon had been like a shot of excitement from her past life. She’d been tired of the constant stress of that life; that’s why she took the job in Celebration Bay.

  Normally she loved her job, but sitting at lunch today dressed in country corduroys with Jon in his designer suit made her wonder if she was losing her touch.

  She crossed the street more slowly, the anger and the aggravation dissipating and leaving her feeling limp.

  She cut through the park on her way home. She hardly ever brought her car to work. Walking was a surefire de-stresser, reinvigorator, helped to sever the work frustrations from her home life.

  Tonight it wasn’t working.

  She slowed as she reached the middle of the park where all the paths converged. To her right, store lights were just beginning to go dark. To her left at the far end of the park, the band shell was lit by a Victorian streetlamp on each side and one security light on the stage.

  What had happened between Friday night and Saturday morning? Instead of going toward home, Liv veered toward the band shell. Several benches were placed facing the band shell, though most people sat on the grass on lawn chairs brought from home. There was a narrow strip of pavement where folding chairs could be placed if needed.

  Liv sat on one of the benches. Imagined the scene Friday night. Everyone had been there. Where had Lucille gone after she left the square? Why hadn’t she just gone home with her husband?

  An extra ten thousand dollars. It had seemed like manna from heaven. Now it might be snatched away. The whole effort to house a new community center could be killed by one slash of Jonathon Preston’s pen.

  “Ugh.” She covered her face with her hands. She needed to fix this and she didn’t have a clue how.

  “Can anybody join this pity party or is it a private affair?” Chaz stood over her, hands in his pocket, looking serious.

  Liv slowly looked up.

  Chaz exhaled. “Whew. I was really afraid I’d caught you with red eyes and a runny nose.”

  “Ha. What would you have done?”

  “I’d have had to loan you my sleeve because I don’t carry a hanky.” He sat down.

  Liv sniffed. “And it isn’t a pity party. I’m pissed.”

  “At Janine? At the mayor?”

  “That somebody trashed all of Barry’s hard work, jeopardized the community center’s future, and murdered one of the judges.”

  “Oh, is that all.”

  “Grr.” Liv started to stand up.

  Chaz pulled her back down. Put his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’m not making a pass; I’m just making sure you stay put while we have a little chat.”

  “About what?”

  “Are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”

  “Do I need something else?”

  “I thought maybe you were worried about your grant rep.”

  “I am. If we look like a bad investment, they’ll bail. We’ll become the pariah of the not-for-profit world.” She slumped against him. “And I was sure I could get it.”

  Chaz smiled.

  “What?”

  “Ted said he came in early. You had lunch with him.”

  “And the Marlton-Crosbys. So?”

  “And you’re having dinner later this week?”

  She gave him a look. “What are you, my social secretary?”

  “Ted told me. Said he was very distingué.”

  “He is.”

  “Missing your old life just a little bit?”

  Liv frowned at him.

  He shrugged. “Thought so. It’s only natural. But don’t let him lure you back to the city.”

  “Everyone’s lives would be a lot easier without me. Yours certainly would be.”

  “Yeah, but it would be so boring.” He moved a little closer.

  “Lure,” Liv said distractedly. She turned abruptly to face him. Jumped back when she found herself nose to nose with him. “Do you think maybe someone lured Lucille to Barry’s museum?”

  Chaz sank back to his side of the bench and started laughing to himself. She knew he was laughing because his breath was making like puffs in the night air.

  “Think about it,” Liv said. “We all thought she went home with her husband, but he says he wasn’t at the ceremony. So either he’s lying or she didn’t meet him. But maybe she met someone.”

  Chaz stood up, pulled Liv to her feet. “I give up. Let’s go over what happened Friday night.”

  “We went up to congratulate the finalists and winners.” Liv walked toward the stairs at the side of the band shell. Chaz followed her. “Everyone was gathered at the front, talking. I went to thank Amanda Marlton-Crosby and you went to flirt with Lucille Foster.”

  She cut him a look.

  “Really, Liv, I did not lure her to her death.”

  “I wasn’t thinking that.”

  “Were you jealous?”

  “Annoyed.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “Amanda met Rod. Exit stage left. And the mayor and I went over to Barry, Lucille, Janine, and the others.”

  “Maybe Janine lured Lucille to her death.”

  “Get serious.”

  “I am serious. And if we got rid of Janine, your life would be calmer; mine certainly would.”

  “I was standing about here with Ted. You were there between Lucille and Janine. Two really well-dressed women, though Lucille had it over Janine by a long shot. I would practically have killed her myself for those Louboutin heels.”

  “Definitely hot. I’m envisioning
you in the four-inch red soles and nothing else but lipstick to match.”

  “Don’t you ever get tired of giving me grief?”

  Chaz’s mouth twisted. “Alas, that’s not what I was thinking about giving you. “

  “Friday night?”

  “I was standing talking to Lucille and Janine.”

  “Looking like you just hopped off a freight train.”

  “I did not.” He shrugged. “Then Ernie got testy and stormed off, knocking into Lucille—”

  “And knocking off her shawl.”

  “Did he?”

  “Yes, you guys were all so busy fawning over Lucille, and yelling at Ernie, nobody noticed it lying on the ground. It was beautiful, pashmina wool, really beautiful. I handed it back to her.”

  “I remember. She called you hon. I thought you were going to deck her.”

  “It was rather dismissive. But—wait a minute.”

  “What?”

  “Shh.” Liv thought back. “Saturday morning. I remember running to see why Marla Jean screamed. I could see a bit of Lucille’s off-white trench coat and I knew it had to be her. Everyone moved back, and Ted knelt down to check her pulse. I didn’t notice at the time that her shoes were missing. Other people were in the way. But I did see her face and shoulders. There was no shawl there.”

  “She might have been lying on it.”

  “Possibly. Or she left it in her car.”

  “Which was found on the other side of the square,” Chaz said.

  “But her shoes weren’t in her car. And I’m sure Bill would have said something if they’d found the scarf. His words were, ‘Nothing.’”

  “But she was wearing it when she left?”

  “Yes, she threw it over her shoulder and the mayor asked if she needed a ride and she said, ‘No, there’s Carlton.’ She waved and hurried off that way.” Liv pointed to the south side of the park.

  “But Ted said— Where is Ted? Is he okay? I’ve never seen him lose it in a meeting before.” Actually she’d only seen him lose it once before and it had been a frightening experience. “Is he still upset?”

  “He went to the play rehearsal. Now, can you please focus?”

  “Right. Ted pointed out that Lucille said, ‘Oh there’s Carson,’ but we didn’t actually see him. Did you see him?”

  Chaz shook his head.

  “You know . . .”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “We’ve all been thinking that Lucille’s murder was because of the vandalism. But what if it was something different altogether?”

  “Like she wasn’t meeting her husband, but rather a lover?”

  “Ted said she had affairs but no one ever talked about it.”

  “Pretty much true. Either out of respect for Carson or because he holds the lien on the house or business of half the people in town and they’re petrified of offending him.”

  “So is she having an affair with someone now?”

  “How should I know?” He took her elbow and maneuvered her away from the band shell.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Preventing you from going off on another tangent without following through on the information you need.”

  “Which is?”

  “Was the scarf at the crime scene or not?”

  “Oh, right.” She reached in her messenger bag and pulled out her cell. Called Bill. The call went to voice mail and she left a message for him to call her back.

  Chaz took her arm. “Let’s go.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’m walking you home.”

  “You don’t have to,” Liv said.

  “Fine. You can walk me home.”

  • • •

  Chaz walked her home. They didn’t talk much and Liv hoped it was because he had his investigative reporter brain on and not because he was thinking of provocative things to say to her once they came to her door.

  Fortunately, she’d have to stop at the sisters’ to pick up Whiskey and they would put the kibosh on any of Chaz’s ulterior motives. Not that Liv didn’t want someone to have ulterior motives on her, but she didn’t know how she’d ever even go on a date around here, knowing the eyes of Celebration Bay were on her and second-guessing the outcome of the evening. She loved her new hometown, but it was hard to have a social life when the residents had their ears to the ground and their CB radios.

  At least Jon was from out of town.

  Miss Edna came to the door when Liv rang the bell. Chaz had followed her up the steps. She didn’t understand why he was being so overbearing. It wasn’t like she was in any danger. At least none that she knew of.

  “Well, come on in,” Edna said. “Ida,” she called. “We have company.” She opened the door and Whiskey came trotting out of the parlor to say hello. Liv stepped inside and turned to see if Chaz was coming in.

  “You, too, Chaz,” Edna said. “Ida made some of her apple spice raisin cookies this afternoon.”

  Chaz gave Edna an over-the-top smile. Clean-cut boy in a grubby newspaperman’s body. The smile he turned on Liv as he passed her was very close to a smirk.

  She followed behind him and said under her breath, “You are so annoying.”

  Miss Ida patted the wisps of hair that invariably floated around her face. “We weren’t expecting company. But we’re so glad you came,” she added hastily. She pushed to her feet. Liv noticed she was wearing fuzzy bedroom slippers with her heather tweed sweater and skirt. “Would you like tea or coffee?”

  “Chaz would like a beer and Liv will join us in a glass of wine,” Edna said.”We’ll be right back. Come along, Ida.”

  Whiskey followed the sisters to the kitchen and Chaz and Liv were left alone. They’d been alone at the park and then walking home, but sitting in the Zimmermans’ parlor waiting for homemade cookies just felt awkward.

  And Liv knew why. The Zimmerman sisters loved Chaz, even though Edna had been known to call him a demon and hell on wheels. She always said it fondly.

  Liv knew both sisters thought she was just the woman to make him settle down and be a productive, model citizen of Celebration Bay.

  Liv was afraid they were going to be disappointed.

  The sisters never did anything by halves and they returned with a tray of cookies, plates, cut-glass wineglasses, a bottled beer, and an uncorked bottle of red wine. Ida had changed into her daytime shoes. It made Liv want to hug them both.

  “Let me take that tray for you, Miss Ida.” Chaz jumped up from the chair he’d been sprawled on and took the tray from Ida. He placed it carefully on the coffee table while Ida smiled at him. Edna looked amused but gratified.

  They were indulgent with the energetic, inquisitive, and sometimes troublesome boy they remembered from their teaching days. He in turn seemed very attached to the two retired teachers.

  He’d been through a lot since leaving Celebration Bay, seen things he’d probably like to forget as an investigative reporter in Los Angeles and if he chose to put on an air of blithe nonchalance, it seemed to work for most people. But Liv had seen some of his darker moments and knew there was a lot more to Chaz than the façade he showed to the world.

  “What?” he said, frowning at Liv.

  “Nothing,” she said and reached for a cookie.

  Edna poured the wine and beer and sat down next to Ida across from Liv and Chaz.

  Whiskey, considering his best vantage point for snagging crumbs, posted himself by Chaz’s chair.

  “Now, how is the investigation going?” Edna asked.

  Chaz groaned.

  Liv shrugged. “I haven’t seen Bill since . . .” Had it only been that morning? It seemed like days ago. “Since this morning. They found Lucille’s car.”

  “So we heard,” Ida said.

  Chaz looked at the ceiling.

 
“They don’t seem to have any suspects yet,” Edna said.

  “The first forty-eight hours has come and gone,” Ida added.

  Edna nodded seriously.

  “I’m sure Bill is following all the leads,” Chaz said.

  “Oh, we’re sure he is, but Bill is needed all over the county. I’m beginning to agree that it may be time for Celebration Bay to have its own police force right here in town rather than out on the highway that we have to share with the rest of the county.”

  “But Edna,” Ida said. “We know Bill and we don’t know what we might get if we had to hire someone from the outside.” She put her fingers to her lips. “I don’t mean you, Liv.”

  “It’s okay, I’ve had my share of that this evening.”

  “Yes,” Chaz said. “Our big tough forty-karat-word event planner is feeling a little fragile tonight.”

  “I am not.”

  Ida perched forward on the edge of her seat. “Oh my, what happened?”

  “Janine,” Chaz said, before Liv could repeat that it was nothing. “But Ted let her have it,” he continued.

  “I don’t believe it,” Edna said. “Ted never gets angry.”

  “Tonight he did.”

  “Unusual times,” Edna said.

  “It’s this murder,” Ida said. “Who do you think did it?”

  “And why?” Edna added.

  Chaz held up his hand. “Stop right there, ladies. If you’re determined to pursue this—and for my sins, I know you are—you don’t start with guessing. You taught me that if I ever wanted to be a good reporter I had to remember who, what, where, when, and how. I added the last one myself.”

  “We did teach you that.”

  “You were always so bright.”

  “Hmmm. Then start with what you know.”

  “What do we know?” Ida asked.

  Liv’s cell rang. “Excuse me.” She went out to the hall to answer it. It was Bill Gunnison and he had no good news. They hadn’t found Lucille’s scarf with the body or in her car or in the vacant lot.

  “So do you have any ideas about where it might be?” Liv asked only half expecting an answer.

  “Unfortunately, no. Where are you?”

  “At the Zimmermans’.”

  “Is Chaz there?”

  “Yes. He walked me home.”