Serving Up Suspects

by Emmie Lyn

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that, Sue Ellen.” I didn’t dare tell her my plan. I wasn’t sure what she’d think when she found out that Alice was willing to pay anything for the quilt.

  I turned away from Sue Ellen just in time to catch Luke peeking inside one of the boxes. “Hey. Those are for tonight!” I said to him. Fortunately, Rudy had distracted Sue Ellen with a question about where she wanted him to stand later, and she was off in a tizzy of swirling fabric to help him.

  “Just one? Because I helped carry everything in?” Luke’s dreamy eyes pleaded for a treat.

  I couldn’t really blame him when I saw he was drooling over the blueberry whoopie pies. After all, I’d stolen one too, before it even had the filling. “Just don’t let Sue Ellen see you,” I whispered in his ear.

  Before Sue Ellen could rope us into any other chores, I whistled for Pip, and headed out the door with Luke on our tails. “I’ll drop my Honda off at the diner and meet you at Sea Breeze. “Are you coming to Rose’s now, too, Lily? Or do you have to get back and find Maggie?”

  Lily pulled a few loose strands of hair off her neck. The day had taken a toll on the sleek braid that bounced around her shoulders first thing this morning. Not that Lily looked bedraggled. My best friend could swim through a mud puddle and come out looking like a beauty queen. “She’s on her own,” she said sounding a bit weary though. “Drop me off at my car and I’ll follow you to Sea Breeze.” Luke waved goodbye and walked to his truck. Once he was out of earshot, Lily said, “Are you sure I won’t be in the way? I see how you look at that hunk.”

  “We’re just friends, Lily.” Of course, I’d be happy if we were more than friends, but I’d take what I could get.

  “Okaaay, if you say so.” Lily slid onto the passenger seat and patted her legs for Pip to jump in for the short ride to the Little Dog Diner.

  Happy that my Honda made it back without incident, it was a relief to park it and get into the MG. With the top down, my curls twisted into a ponytail, and my elbow resting on the door, I pretended I was a movie star as I drove through town with Pip as my copilot. I even smiled and waved to a few people I didn’t know, laughing at the confusion on their faces as they tried to figure out who I was. Maybe they wondered if Pip was the movie star, and I was the chauffeur. That would be okay, too. All Pip needed was a pair of sunglasses strapped around her face to keep the wind out of her eyes, and she’d look the part.

  Both Lily and Luke beat me to Sea Breeze and were inside with Rose by the time Pip and I entered.

  “Who the heck were you waving at?” Lily asked. “You were poking along like a sightseer, so I left you in my dust.”

  I felt heat prickle up my neck into my cheeks. I hadn’t noticed Lily’s car. “Oh,” I flicked my wrist dismissively, “no one you know.”

  Lily stared at me, then laughed a big belly laugh. “You were doing that, let’s pretend we’re movie stars thing we did when we were teenagers, weren’t you?” Her laughing escalated and Pip added some yips of her own.

  “So what if I was?” I said defiantly. “Pip was really into it.” I noticed that Luke turned away from me, but I could see his shoulders shaking. At least he had enough sense to pretend he wasn’t laughing at me.

  “You know,” Rose said, “I have a hot pink and orange silk scarf that Pip could wear the next time you two are in the car together.”

  I held my hands up in defeat, knowing I was outnumbered. “I promised Pip a walk on the beach, anyone care to join us?” I looked at Luke hoping he hadn’t changed his mind.

  “Yup,” he answered. “I never pass up an opportunity to spend time with Misty Harbor’s famous movie star.”

  I pulled the elastic out of my hair, tossed my head, and fluffed my curls with my fingers. I wasn’t going to live this down so my best defense was to own it like a star. “Where’s that scarf, Rose? I think Pip needs to look her part while she’s on the beach with me.”

  “Be right back.” Rose hurried upstairs.

  Luke shook his head. “Maybe I shouldn’t come. I’m not sure you’ll want to be seen with a commoner like me.”

  I looked at Luke who, at one time, was the love of my life and maybe, with time, we’d get back there. His windswept hair, with blond streaks from all the time he spent in the sun, and his tanned face with a few wrinkles to give him depth and character, could grace the cover of any magazine … in my opinion. “I don’t mind slumming it a little today.”

  Lily pointed her finger at Luke. “Ooo, bet you didn’t see that coming.”

  Rose returned and plopped a black felt beret on Luke’s head, her brightly colored scarf around Pip’s neck, and a floppy lime green hat for me. “There. And don’t forget your sunglasses. You can go anywhere incognito now.”

  Lily roared with laughter. “Dani will do her wave regardless, even if it’s only to the seagulls.”

  I looped my arm through Luke’s. “Let’s go. Rose and Lily are having way too much fun at my expense.” I did reward them with one of my signature waves, though, which brought on another bout of laughter.

  Pip dashed down the steps to the beach, the ends of her colorful scarf rippling behind her. “You know,” I said to Luke. “I’m really lucky to have the three of you in my life … well, four. I can’t forget Pip.”

  Luke didn’t say anything, but when he squeezed my arm close to his body, I knew he was happy, too.

  We walked in comfortable silence. I savored Luke’s company while the wind blew my hat off and whipped through my hair, the waves lapped at our feet, and Pip was the only one of us who acted the part of a movie star.

  She was a natural.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sue Ellen had some talents but estimating crowd size wasn’t one of them. I circled the parking lot when we arrived shortly after five. Eventually, I found a spot and then we waited in line to squeeze through the doors because the normally quiet library buzzed with activity that threatened to burst the walls from the enormous crowd of people that showed up.

  I wore my mid-calf, brightly colored sleeveless dress, while Pip was still adorned with her orange and pink scarf plus a purple leash. Rose dressed as elegantly as usual in a lime green skirt with a white silk blouse that complimented her silver hair perfectly. She’d exchanged her floppy straw hat for one woven from soft purple cotton. Lily insisted on her favorite form-fitting royal blue sheath to set off her spun gold crown of hair she had piled on her head.

  As we moved through the crowd, I felt a hand on my arm. “Can you believe this?” Sue Ellen asked. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I never in my wildest dreams expected this building to be filled to overflowing.” She lowered her voice. “Do you think they’ve come because of the murder?”

  “Let’s assume everyone is here as a way to remember and honor Judith,” I said. “Her quilt represents her dream and the money raised,” I saw dollar signs floating through the air, “will make a huge impact for the library. Be proud of this, Sue Ellen.”

  “I am,” she said, “but sad too that Judith isn’t here to feel the love.” Sue Ellen sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with a white handkerchief that magically appeared from inside her dark red tunic.

  To change the subject to something more cheerful, I asked, “When does the bidding start?” I helped myself to a glass of champagne from a tray that floated by on the hand of a waiter dressed in black and white.

  “At six,” Sue Ellen said, her micromanaging eyes seemingly everywhere. “Barry was planning to present information about the history of quilts first. He said it was Judith’s idea, but I don’t want to give him the platform and make him look like he’s a grieving husband. Do you think I’m being petty? I really don’t like the man.”

  I shrugged; what could I say? “It’s your event, tell him no.” I sipped my champagne and decided I’d better nurse this glass slowly, so it didn’t rush straight to my head.

  “I think I will. Thank you, Dani. I needed someone to tell me it was okay.” Sue Ellen raised he
r hand. “Yoo-hoo. Over here, Rudy.” She leaned close to me. “I want to be sure he gets the two of us together in his video.”

  Pip pawed at Sue Ellen’s leg. “Of course, Pip. You’ll be in the shot, too.”

  I ran my fingers through my unwieldy mass of curls. With all the silly joking about pretending to be a movie star, I should have taken more care about how I looked for the auction. My quick change into my summery mid-calf dress after our walk on the beach might be a bit too casual. I wished Sue Ellen had given me a heads up about the filming.

  “Don’t worry,” Luke’s breath tickled my neck. “You look as gorgeous as ever.”

  Heat traveled up my neck into my cheeks as I turned to him. He definitely cleaned up well. He had exchanged his jeans for sharply creased gray slacks, a crisp blue button-down shirt and a matching gray vest. “How did you know what I was thinking?” I said, resisting the urge to brush a wayward curl off his forehead and maybe stroke his handsome face.

  “My superpower?” He clinked his glass against mine. “I’ve just been chatting with Barry. He sure is a jerk.”

  Rudy planted himself between us, which put an end to the million questions I had for Luke. I didn’t even know he knew Barry, but with his blueberry farm, he probably knew just about everyone in town.

  “Over here, Dani.” Rudy interrupted my thoughts. “And you two are complimentary with your colors, too. Sue Ellen in your signature red and you Dani, I love that swirl of color with the splashes of white. These images will pop in the video.” He winked at both of us.

  Sue Ellen squeaked in delight, apparently forgetting the role Rudy may have played in her missing coin. “Oh, Rudy, you are such a flirt. Now, I don’t want to hold you up, but since I have Dani’s attention, I wanted to be sure you got us together. With this crowd, you may not have a chance to film us together for the rest of the night.”

  “Don’t forget about Pip.” I picked her up and, to my surprise, she posed quietly in my arms. I couldn’t help but wonder why Sue Ellen all of a sudden seemed to regard me as a close friend. Was it the Judith connection? Or was she just a super friendly person?

  In the long run, it didn’t really matter.

  Rudy took forever to place us just so before he took his shots. Pip loved the camera on her and posed shamelessly.

  “That should do it,” Rudy said after circling around us and capturing us just being ourselves. “I got some great shots.” He left with Sue Ellen hanging on his arm and chattering away about all her ideas for the rest of the video. I shook my head. Between Rose and Sue Ellen’s enthusiasm, Misty Harbor’s promotion was in good hands. I was glad someone wanted to do it.

  A gentle touch on my shoulder made me turn to see Luke smiling behind me. The fact that he’d waited for me during the filming, sent little butterflies fluttering in my gut. He always had that effect on me. I sighed and leaned close inhaling his earthy sandalwood scent. “I promised I’d bid on the quilt for Alice Cross, but I’d love a break from this crowd until then. Is there a quiet corner we can hide in until the auction starts?” I asked.

  “Follow me.” He held his arm out for me to hold while he led Pip and me through the throng of people.

  At this point, I would follow Luke anywhere, preferably out the door and back to the quiet peacefulness of Sea Breeze. If I hadn’t promised Alice I’d win the quilt for her, there would be nothing keeping me at this event. I had made my obligatory appearance but, alas, I also had a promise to fulfill.

  “Where are we going?”

  Luke grinned. “You wanted a quiet out-of-the-way spot, right?”

  “Uh-huh, but I know this library like the back of my hand and every nook and cranny must be filled with the overflow of people who couldn’t fit into the main room.”

  “Not every nook,” he said giving me a sly wink. With my hand held firmly in his, Luke whisked me through intimate groups of guests discussing the murder and the quilt. Unfortunately for Alice, I overheard many people express serious interest in the work of art.

  Finally, Luke squeezed through a narrow space between the wall and a bookshelf, pulling me behind him.

  “Amazing,” I said. “How did you find this quiet cubby? And why is it even here?” The space was barely big enough for the two of us, but I didn’t mind sharing it with Luke. He pulled a chair out from the desk that was pushed into the corner and gestured for me to sit. Pip curled up at my feet.

  “I found it when I accidentally pushed a book through from the other side of the shelf and came back here to retrieve it. Why is it here? I have no idea, but isn’t it a great hiding place from the crowd tonight?” Luke was obviously pleased with himself for his discovery and for saving me from having a panic attack in the midst of the crowd.

  “Interesting.” I could almost imagine we were alone in the library. The noise dulled to a muted background hum, mostly absorbed by the books and the carpeting.

  “You know what I think?” Luke asked, always ready to come up with a theory. He rested one hip against the desk.

  “What do you think?”

  “Someone ordered too many desks and the extra one had to go somewhere out of the way. Maybe the librarians use this spot for themselves when they need a break and don’t want to be found by an annoying patron.”

  I spun the swivel chair around so I faced the desk and the computer and hit the power button. I typed in the name, Rudy Genova, just for fun.

  Luke watched over my shoulder.

  After a few clicks, Rudy’s name popped up connected to several articles. I clicked on one that referred to Rudy’s videography work and skimmed through the words.

  “He’s a legit movie maker according to this, Luke. And it even mentions in his background information that he’s in a group of avid coin collectors.” I sat back and looked at Luke. “I wonder if he ever mentioned that valuable dime to his collector buddies.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. But anyone from out of town would stick out like a sore thumb, right?”

  “I suppose so and the fact that Rudy doesn’t really have an alibi certainly is suspicious. He said he was walking around town until he went to Sue Ellen’s house, but unless someone corroborates any of his movements, it’s meaningless.”

  “And Sue Ellen’s neighbor is positive she saw Rudy?”

  I nodded. “Sort of. Her description of who she saw matched Rudy. It’s possible someone else could have been wearing similar clothes, have a similar haircut, and body size, right? Possible, but how likely?”

  “The way he dresses? In this town? Not very.”

  I moved to another article on the computer, leaning closer to the monitor. I tapped my finger on the screen. “Is that his coin group? He gave a talk about his coin collection.”

  “That’s what they do—pool their collections, travel around and give talks. If that’s what he’s doing, he’s pretty serious about this stuff.” Luke crossed his arms. “If he wanted that coin, let’s consider that Rudy did go to Sue Ellen’s door at four like he insisted. What happened next? He said he left, but did he?”

  The chair squeaked as I shifted my weight. “What happened next? Well, what I noticed earlier when I went to Sue Ellen’s house was that from the front door, someone could see into part of her big living room. If Rudy was so set on having that coin, he could have looked in, decided no one was home, taken a chance, and gone in to steal it.”

  “Okay, he didn’t know Judith was there, since no one answered his knock, but she caught him in the act, and they struggled.”

  “Right. Since the quilt had been pulled off the wall, I think that’s where the struggle happened and it was convenient to hide her inside the Persian rug, grab the coin, and disappear,” I said.

  “What about all the delivery people? It was risky at best to try to steal something with all that activity.”

  I swiveled the chair to face Luke. “And that makes me wonder about Johnny Wilker, the kid who delivered the champagne.”

  “And bolted from Detective Crenshaw.�
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  “Exactly. The whole scenario I described for Rudy could just as easily have been Johnny. He decided to look around, saw the coins, struggled with Judith, and he’s the one who hid her body rolled inside the rug,” I said.

  “You don’t think the murder was premeditated?” Luke asked.

  “Not if it happened like we just said. Poor Judith. She was trying so hard to get the quilt hung perfectly, which put her in the wrong place at the wrong time. But one more thing we can’t forget.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Whoever rolled up that rug left traces of brownie behind. Sue Ellen said she brought brownies for Judith, so there were some in the room. But would a thief stop to eat a brownie while stealing a coin and murdering someone?” I chewed on my lip. The murder scene held too many possibilities.

  “Probably not.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Luke held his hand out for me. “Do you think it’s time to get back to the event, so you don’t miss bidding for the quilt?”

  “Unfortunately, I suppose it is.” I took his hand, savoring the warmth along with the tingle it sent to my heart. “Did I tell you that Alice gave me no limit? She wants the quilt regardless of the price.”

  “Interesting.”

  A noise from the other side of the bookshelf made both of us stiffen.

  The hair along Pip’s back bristled.

  We turned toward the small opening that led into the private cubby. A head popped around the shelf. “Oh. Sorry. I thought everyone was in the main room.” He looked at the desk. “I’m looking for a book I think I forgot here on Friday.”

  I exhaled and held Pip’s leash so she had to stay close to me. “Nothing here.”

  Luke laughed. “I thought you had the same idea as us—getting away from the crowd. How is it going down there, Barry?”

  “A madhouse. Everyone is champing at the bit for the bidding to start.” He nodded to me but steered clear of Pip, who’d started to growl. “Didn’t Judith do an exquisite job designing that quilt?”