‘Just one today,’ I said to Marisol, the hostess/model/actress while I self-consciously pulled at my wrinkled sundress. I really needed to care more about my appearance or less about what people thought of me. This environment wasn’t good for what little self-esteem I had.
As she led me through the spacious dining room, which was also in the process of being decorated for the Halloween party in two days, I wondered again why Devon was with me when there were gorgeous creatures such as Marisol roaming the earth.
No sign of the Beckleys. Oh, but, look at the banyan tree! As the centerpiece of the dining room it’d always been an interesting feature but now it was simply stunning. They’d wrapped strands of tiny gold and white lights around the branches and hung candle lanterns from some of them. It was beautiful.
‘Elle!’
I turned my attention away from the tree. Beth Anne, Violet and Whitley were sitting at a round table by the window, waving me over. Perfect. If I couldn’t find Cali, these ladies would be the next best thing: full-time residents who’d grown to be more than just clients to me. Also, always on top of Moon Key gossip.
‘Come have lunch with us.’ Violet pulled out the chair beside her. Her Weimaraner, Ghost, pushed himself off his cushion to nudge my hand as I took the offered chair.
‘Thanks. Hello, boy.’ I stroked beneath his silvery chin and his eyes closed in appreciation. He was such a sweetheart. Then I noticed the bottle of champagne on ice. ‘Are we celebrating something?’
‘Yes!’ Violet declared, her smile igniting her green eyes like a switch had been flipped. ‘The success of my newest lipstick, Cinnamon Crush.’ She signaled to the waiter, who was always fluttering over the tables like a genie hummingbird, ready to grant your every wish in the blink of an eye. ‘Glass for our friend, please.’
I knew Violet had made her original fortune through her own organic makeup line – and her still-creamy complexion well into her fifties was a great testament to her products – but that was as much as I knew about makeup in general. ‘Congratulations. Forgive my ignorance, but how does a lipstick become successful?’
‘When a millionaire talk show guru recommends it as one of the hot new must-have items of fall,’ Whitley offered, adjusting her glasses. She’d gotten a new haircut and her silvery hair brushed her shoulders in a modern, slightly layered bob. Reaching up, I touched my own pile of hair self-consciously. It felt dry. Maybe I should get a trim? Or a new style? ‘And hard work, of course,’ she added with an eye-roll as Violet shot her a disgruntled look.
‘To luck and hard work then.’ Beth Anne lifted her glass after the waiter returned with mine and expertly poured the bubbly.
‘Cheers,’ we all said over the sound of clinking crystal.
I hesitated, still weary of my hangover, then took a sip. Hair of the dog and all that.
The waiter took our orders and then flitted off to fill them.
‘Do you know when classes will be resumed, Elle?’ Beth Anne asked. ‘Shakespeare’s about to get on my last nerve. He needs his doga.’ Despite her annoyed pretense, she glanced down beside her – where I knew her little shih tzu was curled up – and her dimples punctuated an affectionate smile. These ladies loved their dogs and that’s what put me on common ground with them. I couldn’t relate to paying cash for a Mercedes but I could relate to a dog stealing your heart.
‘Well, Rita hopes tomorrow morning.’ I had my fingers and toes crossed. ‘You’ll be getting a call later tonight to let you know for sure.’
‘Until then, we have champagne.’ Violet raised her glass and then suddenly put it back down. ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you what Maddox’s costume is for the party. He’s going as a William Wegmen photograph!’
‘How on earth are you going to do that?’ Beth Anne fingered the tiny diamond snowflake nestled in the dip of her throat. It kept catching the light and was mesmerizing.
I pulled my attention away as I thought of something. ‘Wait!’ I held up a hand and then immediately closed it and slipped it under the table. No use bringing attention to my raggedy, bitten nails. ‘Actually, I’m not sure I should know ahead of time about their costumes. Rita’s asked me to be a judge for the costume contest and I don’t want to have any bias.’
They all looked at me and then Violet laughed, her eyes glowing with amusement under her glossy, spiked red hair. ‘Good Lord, Elle, you’re too honest. But we’ll respect your wishes.’
‘Thanks,’ I said, suddenly distracted by the fact that Selene, Cali and M.J. had just walked in. The only color in their ensembles besides black was the purple streak in Cali’s bangs. Did they dress that way because they were still in mourning or because it was so fashionable? I watched Marisol lead them to a bistro table under the tree.
Beth Anne followed my gaze and then groaned. Ducking her head, she moved her hand to play with her ponytail and whispered, ‘Poor Selene. I wonder when the police are gonna let them back in their house. I can’t imagine losing my husband and then being kicked out of my own home.’
‘Are they still here?’ Violet turned in surprise. ‘What in the world are the police looking for? Didn’t they already arrest the maid?’
‘Really? That little dark-haired maid with the killer figure?’ Whitley asked, turning to glance at the Beckleys as if she were there with them.
‘The police think she was having an affair with Michael.’ Beth Anne was still whispering even though there was no way the Beckleys could hear her from across the dining room.
Whitley stared at Beth Anne for a moment, her gray eyes narrowing behind the wire frames as she processed that juicy little tidbit. ‘Huh. Makes sense, I guess. I saw them running together a few times last year around the golf course.’ Then she sighed and waved it off. ‘Well, I wouldn’t blame him if he did, the way Selene and that trainer carry on.’
‘Can you blame her?’ Violet snickered.
‘No wonder you’re not married,’ Whitley retorted gruffly, but her lip quivered as she fought a smile.
‘One of many reasons, my dear friend.’ Violet winked at me over her champagne glass.
I decided this would be a good time to butt in and get some answers. ‘So, do you guys know why Michael was in the process of cutting Cali off from the family fortune?’
‘Well, yeah!’ Beth Anne said. ‘Don’t you ever read the paper, Elle?’
‘You mean the tabloids?’ Violet smirked and fed Ghost one of the sweet potato treats the waiter had brought to the table.
‘It’s not gossip.’ Beth Anne’s expression briefly flashed annoyance. ‘It’s fact. Cali accepted a million dollars for a tell-all story about her family and said some pretty damaging things about them personally, along with stuff about the Beckley Foundation. Why she would put hundreds of millions of inheritance in jeopardy for a measly one mill is beyond me.’
A measly one mill? My throat dried up. I reached for my water.
‘Well, she does have some mental health issues,’ Whitley offered sympathetically in a low tone.
‘Guess everyone has a limit though. Even a guy as easy-going as Michael is … was.’ Violet cringed and glanced over at Michael’s family.
Mental health issues? Is that what she was taking medication for? I tried to be as nonchalant as possible when I asked, ‘So, do you think Cali would be capable of harming Michael?’
But apparently I’m not really good at nonchalant because I suddenly had three sets of eyes scrutinizing me. Their combined, focused attention was unnerving. I took another sip of water to cool off my now-burning face.
Beth Anne tapped a hard nail against her crystal champagne glass. ‘Elle, do you know something we don’t?’ Her voice was soft but her focus was intense. She may look like a sweet southern belle with her long, honey-highlighted hair and petite frame, but when she smelled gossip it was like a shark smelling blood.
‘No, no.’ I shook my head, feeling my messy bun sliding down the side of my head. I reached up and readjusted it. Glancing up from beneath my lashes
, I saw they were not going to let this go. ‘Fine. It’s just after that terrible fight we all witnessed between Cali and her dad … I wonder if they aren’t looking at the wrong person.’
‘All right, spill it, Elle,’ Violet said, unconvinced. She folded her arms and leaned them on the table. ‘What aren’t you telling us? Did your PI boyfriend get some kind of inside scoop?’
I glanced at the door. I could make a run for it but they’d just hunt me down like a pack of Versace-clad she-wolfs. ‘No. It’s just Breezy, the maid they arrested; she’s my friend Novia’s sister. Novia’s asked Devon to help prove Breezy’s innocence, so I’m just trying to see if I can help piece anything together.’
They all shook their heads at me.
‘What?’ I said, a bit more defensively than I meant to.
‘You’re one of those girls who likes her lessons with lumps and bumps, eh?’ Violet leaned back as the waiter placed something in front of her that resembled a brown rice volcano with carrot strings as lava.
‘Yeah,’ Whitley chimed in and then waited a beat until after her soup was served to continue her remark. ‘Your last foray into trying to figure out the truth behind a murder didn’t turn out so well, remember?’
‘Oh, leave the girl alone.’ Beth Anne jumped in with a sympathetic glance my way. ‘She’s just trying to be loyal to her friend.’
‘You may need some new friends.’ Violet eyed her food volcano like she was trying to figure out the best way to eat it.
‘She does have some new friends.’ Beth Anne looked indignant. ‘Us.’
‘No,’ the other two women said in tandem.
Ignoring them, Beth Anne’s eyes brightened and glowed gold as she smiled at me. ‘We’ll help you.’
They groaned.
‘Whoa, whoa, slow your roll there, Miss Marple.’ Violet shook her head at Beth Anne and then turned to me. ‘No offense to your friend, Elle, but we think the police probably know what they’re doing. After all, they’re the ones trained in investigating. We wouldn’t know the first thing about proving someone did or didn’t murder someone else.’
‘No offense taken,’ I mumbled as I pulled the wine-soaked carnation petals off my shrimp salad. No matter how trendy this fad was I just couldn’t bring myself to eat flowers.
‘We don’t have to have any training,’ Beth Anne huffed. ‘We just have to keep our eyes and ears open for anything that could help Elle and Devon.’
We were all staring at Beth Anne now. Her face was flushed and she had a glow beneath her sunless tanner.
‘Now we know how you look after a good romp in the sack.’
‘Violet!’ Whitley shot her a half-amused half-chastising glance. ‘Look, Elle, it’s not that we don’t want to help your friend …’
‘It’s fine,’ I tried to say.
‘No, it’s not fine.’ Beth Anne was getting mad now. ‘We’re all going to keep our eyes and ears open. Period. End of discussion.’
There was a silent stare-off between the three women. Then Violet held up her hand. My gaze snagged on the giant emerald rock on her ring finger, the same shade as her eyes. I wondered if that was a gift from one of her boy toys or if she’d bought it for herself. Sheeze. I reached up and rubbed the tiny diamond yin-yang symbol on the necklace Devon had won for me at an auction: my one and only piece of diamond jewelry. I would be afraid to wear the jewelry these women wore so casually without bodyguards. Then again, who was going to mug them on Moon Key?
‘Fine. We’re going to keep our eyes and ears open. Happy?’
Beth Anne nodded once and shot me a victorious smile. ‘Yes.’
When we wrapped up lunch, I made sure to walk by the Beckleys’ table. They seemed to be just finishing up, too. As I was hoping, M.J. stopped me.
‘Elle, right?’
I smiled, watching Cali out of the corner of my eye. ‘Yes, hello, M.J.’
‘How’s your …’ He made a motion with his finger around his mouth, a look of concern in his eyes.
‘Oh.’ I touched my lip. ‘It’s fine. Practically as good as new.’
‘What happened?’ Selene asked, suddenly looking interested.
‘Athena the devil dog happened.’ M.J. frowned. I noticed his own nose was raw and his eyes were bloodshot. He must be taking his dad’s death hard. Or he had some killer allergies.
‘Seriously, Mother, I think this one is meaner than Athena the second.’ Cali shook her head and laughed harshly.
‘Athena the second?’ I asked, trying to size up Cali, who seemed agitated as she wriggled in her chair. Her eyes darted about like two little bees unable to land. Was this how she responded to grief? What was normal for her? Was she capable of killing her own father? I wished I’d met her before this happened so I knew what her normal was.
M.J. glanced at his mom disapprovingly. ‘Mom didn’t think Yiya would be able to handle losing the first Athena. She was having heart problems when the dog got cancer. So Mom replaced Athena when she passed. Twice.’
I blinked, processing. ‘So Athena isn’t really twenty-seven or … even really Athena? And Flavia doesn’t suspect that at all?’
‘God, no.’ Selene laughed. ‘But I practically had to scour the planet to find two older Chihuahuas with the same brown spot. I’m done. When this one’s ticket is up … it’s up. No more Athenas.’
I didn’t know what to say. Was it admirable or devious to replace someone’s dog to save them from grief? It did scream of someone willing to go to extreme lengths for their family. I snuck another glance at Cali, who was biting her already chewed nails. I could relate. Would this family also go to such extreme lengths to protect one of their own from a life in prison for murder?
‘I trust our little secret is safe with you, Elle.’
I moved my attention back to Selene. Her eyes were doing that glittering-staring-through-your-soul thing that rich, powerful women do so well. I had to learn that trick. ‘Secret?’ My heart dropped like a stone. Then I remembered she was talking about Athena, not Cali. ‘Yes, of course.’ But my flight or fight response had kicked in. Cortisol was flooding my body. Thanks to my therapist thinking I’d feel more in control if I knew the mechanics of a stressed body, I recognized the signs. I felt jumpy and my heart rate was up. Time to go.
‘Well, Selene, I hope doga will resume tomorrow if you’d like to bring Chloe again. Looks like they’ll be finished with the floors tonight. You’ll get a call. Oh, and hope to see you all at the Halloween party Saturday night. There’s sure to be some wild pet costumes. I’m one of the judges for the contest so you should bring Chloe there. Also …’ A Butterball turkey would be the perfect costume. And I was rambling. I pressed my lips together and inwardly cringed as my bottom teeth hit my cut.
‘Yes, we’ll be there. We couldn’t keep Yiya away unfortunately,’ M.J. cut in quickly, saving me from my own social awkwardness.
I smiled gratefully at him.
ELEVEN
Friday morning I awoke with a renewed sense of hope and excitement. Doga classes would resume today, I finally felt recovered from my tumble and Devon would be picking me up tonight. I was also getting excited about the Halloween party. Some fun was definitely in order after this stressful week. I pushed away the little niggling thought trying to mock my new sense of peace and happiness. Cursed. How silly. Everyone has a bad day … or week once in a while. I had so much more to be grateful for. No use focusing on the few little bad things that happened. No, every day was an opportunity to start fresh. Today was a new day. A curse-free day.
Classes resumed and went smoothly. Well, fairly smoothly. In the morning Beth Anne looked suspiciously like she was trying to eavesdrop on the other ladies’ conversations. The woman was obsessed with helping me. I guess I should be grateful for her snooping. She was way more plugged in to the social scene on Moon Key than I was. Maybe she would find out something that would help prove Breezy’s innocence, and I could feel like I helped without putting myself in danger.
Th
e midday class was mostly dogs new to doga, so it was a bit of a challenge. Ranger, a young feisty yellow Lab, insisted on playing tug with his owner’s block as she tried to use it beneath her forehead in child’s pose. And Elaine, who’d brought three Peekapoos to her first class, became overwhelmed ten minutes in, so to help her out I used Cinderella, her youngest one, to teach the class. Buddha didn’t seem to mind. He got in an extra nap. By the time the four o’clock class was done, so was I.
As I waited outside the Pampered Pup with the dogs for Devon to come, I noticed the cold front was announcing its arrival. The wind had picked up and was shaking the palm trees like pom-poms. The sound was soothing though the sky was a bowl of menacing, fast-moving dark clouds. I shivered in my tank top and yoga pants. It suddenly felt like October, and I desperately needed to go get some warmer clothes from Mom’s house.
When Devon’s Jeep came whipping around the fountain, however, my insides warmed like the sun had come out. As he jumped out and strode over to sweep me up into his arms, I finally let myself acknowledge how worried I’d been about him and how relieved I was he’d come back unharmed.
He held my face in his palms for a moment, looking into my eyes. Despite his smile, I could see the toll whatever he’d been through this week had taken on him. He was tired and sad and he smelled stale and faintly of grease. Then he kissed me deeply, his arms moving to encircle me and held me like I was his lifeline. He didn’t ease up his grip until Petey decided he’d been patient enough and jumped up on him, nudging us apart with his blocky head.
Chuckling and finally releasing me to pet Petey, he nodded. ‘All right. Let’s get home.’
Before we got to the driveway, Devon said, ‘Hope you don’t mind, I’ve brought Quinn back just for the night. Figured we could give him a proper meal. The lad’s been livin’ on fast food.’
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