The Look of Love

by Mary Jane Clark

  Suddenly Piper felt very, very tired.

  She fell asleep, resolved that she would go to both the Abernathys and the police in the morning.

  Chapter 92

  As dawn broke, news vans with satellite dishes and throngs of reporters and camera crews were gathered outside the gates of Elysium. Hudson drove up, slowing and rolling down the car window. Microphones were instantly thrust through.

  “Who are you?” asked a reporter.

  “My name is Hudson Sherwood.”

  “Are you a guest, or do you work here?”

  “I’m the assistant director of Elysium.” Having to identify himself with the diminished title irked him.

  “What do you know about Lillie Ulster’s murder?”

  “Not a thing,” said Hudson. “I’m just getting here.”

  “Will someone from Elysium come out and give us a statement?”

  “I would imagine so,” said Hudson. “But I think it’s fair to say that everyone at Elysium is devastated. We will be giving the police our full cooperation.”

  As Hudson drove away, he made an effort to keep the smile off his face.

  Chapter 93

  Jillian hadn’t slept all night. She lay in the bed in her father’s house, the coverlet pulled up to her chin as she worried.

  If she’d been asleep in her cottage last night, she would have been killed. It was clear that someone was out to get her. Esperanza had been maimed and murdered because of that. Now Lillie Ulster was dead, too.

  As the morning light trickled through the crack beneath the window shade, Jillian made her decision.

  Nobody should get married under such a black cloud. She was going to call off the wedding.

  Chapter 94

  A police car and a dark gray sedan were parked in the driveway. As she walked up to the house, Piper reasoned it was probably for the best. She’d be able to tell the Abernathys and the police at the same time.

  Irene Abernathy opened the door. Her face was without makeup, and her skin looked pale. She didn’t appear happy to see Piper.

  “Oh, dear, this isn’t the best time,” said Irene, self-consciously smoothing her messy hair.

  “I know,” said Piper. “And I hate to bother all of you right now, but there’s something I have to tell you.”

  “Well, the police detectives are here,” said Irene. “It will have to wait until later.”

  “No,” said Piper. “They need to hear it, too.”

  Irene looked uncertain but opened the door wide for Piper to enter.

  Vernon, Jillian, and Ben were at the dining-room table. Two men in suits sat across from them. One was taking notes. Through the window Piper could see a uniformed officer standing outside on the patio.

  She stood in the doorway, listening and waiting for her chance to speak.

  “Well, as far as the fire is concerned, our investigators know it was arson. It appears somebody tossed a couple of Molotov cocktails through the window.” The detective looked at Jillian. “Is there anyone you can think of who would want to hurt you, Miss Abernathy?”

  Jillian closed her eyes and shook her head. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been through this,” she said. “I couldn’t think of anyone when Esperanza was attacked with acid or when she was murdered. I can’t think of anyone now.”

  “What about you, Dr. Abernathy? Do you have any enemies? Any unhappy guests, patients, or employees?” The detective consulted his notes. “At the time of the acid attack, you mentioned a disgruntled employee that you’d fired.”

  Vernon nodded. “Hudson Sherwood, but he’s working at Elysium again. I don’t think he’s a threat.”

  “You never know,” said the detective. “He could still be holding a grudge.”

  “Daddy,” said Jillian, reaching out and touching her father’s arm, “with everything that’s happened, I forgot to tell you that George Ellis came to my cottage last night. He’d been drinking. The poor man is very bitter.”

  The detectives exchanged glances. “Who is George Ellis?” one asked.

  “He’s the father of one of our patients,” said Vernon.

  Irene walked behind her husband and put her hands on his shoulders. “His daughter’s surgery didn’t go well. Vernon just had to let her know over the weekend that there isn’t anything he can do to repair the damage.”

  “Well, we have a couple of good leads. Let’s see where they take us.” The detective closed his notebook. “We’re thinking the same person who started the fire killed Lillie Ulster. Whoever it was is pretty damn vicious. Whatever was used to bash in her skull sure did the job. Brutally.”

  As the detectives stood up, Piper stepped forward. “Wait,” she said. “There’s something else you should know about.”

  She explained what Anastasia had suspected about Kyle Quigley’s sleep treatments. “When he wouldn’t give her a treatment, Anastasia asked me to try,” Piper finished. “I went to Kyle with a hidden camera to record him, but he said I wasn’t a candidate. After that, Anastasia asked Lillie Ulster to do the same thing. She’d had the treatment before, and afterward she had a really ugly bruise but couldn’t remember where she’d gotten it.”

  “Did Miss Ulster get anywhere with the secret camera?” asked one of the detectives.

  “I don’t think so,” said Piper. “But before Anastasia left Elysium, she told me that she thought Kyle had something to do with Lillie’s death.”

  The detectives turned to Vernon. “We’ll need your permission to search the premises. In particular, Kyle Quigley’s treatment room.”

  Vernon looked stunned. “Of course,” he said quietly.

  “Good,” said the detective. “And we’ll get a search warrant for Quigley’s home.”

  Piper began to follow as Vernon and Ben escorted the detectives out of the kitchen.

  “Wait,” said Jillian. “I need to talk to you, Piper. Can you stay for a few minutes?”

  “Sure,” said Piper, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

  “How about a cup of tea?” asked Irene.

  “That would be great. Thank you,” said Piper. She turned and looked expectantly at Jillian.

  “There’s not going to be a wedding, Piper,” she said. “With all that’s going on, this just isn’t the time.”

  “Oh, Jillian,” said Piper. “I am so, so sorry. But I totally get it. I really do.”

  Irene put a teacup in front of Piper. “So you won’t need to make the wedding cake,” she said.

  “Of course not,” said Piper.

  “You’re still welcome to stay here at Elysium for as long as you want,” said Jillian. “But I can’t imagine you’d enjoy being here now, with this nightmare going on.”

  Piper felt deflated and very sad as she walked back to the main building. So much pointless destruction. Esperanza Flores and Lillie Ulster were dead, while Jillian and Ben’s wedding plans had been blown to bits.

  How was it all connected? That was for the police to figure out now. Jillian was right: There was no reason for Piper to stay at Elysium any longer.

  As she got to the courtyard, her plan was to go inside and check the flights back to Newark. But while she was walking through the lobby, her phone rang. It was Gabe.

  “They loved you, doll. You got the part!”

  Piper stopped in her tracks. “You’re kidding me. I don’t believe it.”

  “Believe it, babe. They’re shooting the commercial on Friday morning.”

  Piper cocked her head, not comprehending. “But I did such a bad job at the callback.”

  “You simply don’t know your own talent, Piper,” said Gabe. “They said you were delightful, and I have absolutely no doubt you were.”

  When the phone call ended, Piper remembered what Lillie Ulster had said when she’d given her the pep talk just yesterday at the poo
l.

  Everything’s bad until it’s good.

  Chapter 95

  Jillian wrote the e-mail herself.

  DEAR FRIENDS AND FAMILY,

  FORGIVE US FOR SENDING YOU NEWS LIKE THIS IN SUCHA SEEMINGLY IMPERSONAL WAY. FOR REASONS THAT YOU CAN EASILY SEE ON TELEVISION OR READ ABOUT IN THE NEWSPAPER, HAVING A WEDDING NOW JUST DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT.

  WE ARE HEARTBROKEN ABOUT CANCELING OUR MARRIAGE CEREMONY ON SATURDAY. WE APOLOGIZE TO ANY AND ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN INCONVENIENCED, BUT WE KNOW THAT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE DOING THIS.

  WE ASK YOU TO KEEP ESPERANZA FLORES, LILLIE ULSTER, AND THEIR FAMILIES IN YOUR PRAYERS.

  LOVE,

  JILLIAN AND BEN

  She read the message over and hit the SEND button.

  Chapter 96

  Mother Mary Dominic called Sister Mary Noelle to her office.

  “Yes, Mother?”

  “Sit down, Sister.” Mother Superior looked grim.

  As she lowered herself into the chair opposite Mother’s desk, Sister Mary Noelle saw the newspaper lying on the desk.

  “What is it, Mother? Is something wrong?”

  “I’m afraid there is, Sister.” The older nun passed her the newspaper.

  Sister Noelle gasped at the headline.

  ACTRESS DEAD AS FIRE BURNS ELITE SPA.

  There were tears in Sister Mary Noelle’s eyes after she finished reading the account of what had happened the night before at Elysium. Immediately, she asked herself if things would have been different if she’d gone to visit Jillian as she let her sister think she might. After Jillian’s phone call, Sister Mary Noelle had thought about it and decided not to go. It was one thing to go out into the world to do the external work of the convent, but it was quite another to sneak out without Mother’s permission.

  “I’m sorry, Sister,” said Mother Prioress.

  “Thank you, Mother. May I ask your permission to go to Elysium? I want to be there for my sister and father.”

  Mother Superior shook her head, and Sister Mary Noelle closed her eyes as she felt immediate disappointment.

  “What you may do,” said Mother Mary Dominic, “is ask your family to come see you here. Then you can all pray for God’s mercy together.”

  Chapter 97

  After Vernon and Ben left to go to their offices in the main building, Jillian and Irene sipped tea in the den. Irene repeatedly clicked the remote control, surfing channels to catch noon news accounts. The Elysium story was getting major play.

  “Turn it off, will you, Irene?” asked Jillian. “I can’t look at it anymore.”

  Just as the television screen went to black, the phone rang. A few moments later, the housekeeper came in to say that Sister Mary Noelle was on the line.

  “Oh, Nina!” cried Jillian. “It’s so horrible!”

  Irene could hear only Jillian’s side of the conversation.

  “Yes, I’m all right. . . . Daddy’s so upset. I’m really worried about him. Elysium is his life. . . . No, no, don’t worry about not getting here last night, Nina. After a while I figured you weren’t able to get out. And that’s probably what saved my life. I went for a drive to clear my head, and then I met Ben and his friend, so I wasn’t there when the cottage was set on fire.”

  Jillian was quiet for a few moments, listening and nodding. She finally said, “Yes, that’s a good idea. I’d like that. But I don’t think Daddy will come. He’s up to his neck, dealing with the police, the insurance companies, and the media.” After a few more moments, Jillian said, “Oh, no! I completely forgot about it. Poor guy. What a miserable way to spend your birthday.”

  When the call was over, Jillian turned to her stepmother. “In all the craziness, we’ve forgotten Dad’s birthday.”

  “I didn’t,” said Irene. “I bought him the most beautiful cashmere sweater weeks ago at Canali. It’ll bring out the blue in his eyes.”

  “Good,” said Jillian. “And you know what? I’m going to ask Piper if she can make a little birthday cake.”

  Irene looked skeptical. “I don’t think he’s going to feel much like observing his birthday.”

  “Maybe not,” said Jillian as she stood up. “But it’s more important than ever that he feels loved.”

  Chapter 98

  There were three messages from her father. All of them announced that Vin and Terri wanted Piper to come home immediately. She didn’t want to return the calls, but she knew that her parents would be beside themselves with worry.

  When she reached her father, Piper led with the good news.

  “I’m perfectly fine, Dad,” she said. “And guess what? I got a commercial! It’s shooting on Friday.”

  “Well, then, check out of Elysium and stay someplace else,” Vin insisted.

  “Look, Dad, I couldn’t be safer. This place is swarming with police now.”

  It was also crossing Piper’s mind that she didn’t want to spend her limited money on a second-rate hotel when she could stay free at luxurious Elysium. She assured her father she would check in frequently.

  “Well, you know how I feel now, Piper. But you’re a grown woman, and you’re going to do what you want.” Vin sighed. “Will you at least leave your phone on, lovey? It drives me crazy when I get that damned message.”

  As Piper promised, she heard a beep signaling another call. This time it was Jillian, asking if Piper could make a birthday cake.

  “Something small,” said Jillian. “It will only be my father, Irene, Ben, and me.”

  “Sure,” said Piper. “Do you have a preference for cake, icing, colors, theme?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” said Jillian. “Surprise us. I’m sure whatever you come up with will be fine.”

  Chapter 99

  Booking on such short notice, Jack had paid a fortune for the plane ticket. He was stuck in a middle seat, between a woman with a baby and a guy who smelled like he hadn’t showered since Christmas. He hoped Piper would appreciate the heroics it had taken him to get to her side.

  Jack was grateful his new boss was such a mensch. On extremely short notice, he’d agreed to letting Jack take today as a sick day and the following few days as annual leave. That was going to give Piper and him four whole days together. Jack hoped that when they came back east, they would have worked things out between them.

  He’d debated letting Piper know he was coming but decided against it. Surprising her would be much more romantic—and he didn’t want to give her a chance to tell him not to come.

  Even if the romance didn’t work out, this trip was not a waste. Jack wanted Piper to be safe. He didn’t like her being in the middle of the mess at Elysium. The situation there had danger written all over it.

  Chapter 100

  Why had he even come to work today? He should have skipped out when he found the camera in Lillie Ulster’s bag. How stupid he was. He’d walked right into this.

  Kyle watched while the police searched the treatment room. As each drawer and cabinet was opened, he held his breath, praying that they didn’t find his own secret camera. Folded towels and sheets were shaken open and thrown onto the floor. Bottles, jars, and tubes were tossed aside. Canisters of cotton pads, balls, and swabs were emptied.

  “What have we here?” asked a cop, holding up a syringe and a bottle.

  “Bag it,” replied the detective.

  As the search continued, Kyle began feeling hopeful that maybe they wouldn’t find the camera after all. But when the detective’s phone rang, Kyle sensed that the news wasn’t going to be good. He wanted to smack the smug, self-satisfied expression off the dick’s face as he listened to the caller.

  “Oh, Kyle, Kyle, Kyle. What have you been doing, you naughty boy?” asked the detective when the phone call ended. “I hear you like going to the movies, don’t you? My buddies just found a very interesting little video library at
your apartment, you freakin’ pervert.”

  Chapter 101

  Grabbing the parcel containing her baking and decorating supplies, Piper exited her suite and took the elevator down. As she walked through the lobby on her way to the kitchen, she saw a crowd gathered outside in the courtyard. She went closer to the windows to get a better look at what was happening, but the people blocked her view. She went out the door, maneuvered through the onlookers, and managed to find a spot to stand.

  Five police cars were parked, with lights flashing. A dozen officers stood waiting near the cars. Their eyes were fixed in the direction of the path that led to the skin-care center. Piper followed their gaze. Kyle Quigley, flanked by two more police officers, was walking toward the courtyard. His hands were behind his back, and his head was down.

  The door of the first police car was opened. Before he got into the rear seat, Kyle looked up and scanned the crowd. Piper felt a chill as his eyes rested on her.

  She knew her mother’s chocolate cake recipe by heart. Piper made a list of the ingredients and showed it to the chef.

  “Oui,” he said. “We have everything you need right here.”

  Within a few minutes, she stood in front of a worktable covered with all the cake makings. In a large bowl, she sifted together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Then, with an electric mixer, she blended in eggs, milk, canola oil, vanilla extract, and sour cream. After dividing the batter into cake pans, she slid them into the oven.

  While she waited, Piper thought about how she would decorate the cake. Her mother used vanilla buttercream icing when she made the cake for The Icing on the Cupcake patrons. It was always a big seller. Might as well go for the surefire hit.

  Her phone rang. It was Anastasia. Piper was apprehensive as she answered.

  “The police just called. They want to come over and talk to me about Kyle Quigley. Anything you want to tell me, Piper?”