“Me neither, dear.” Ellie tapped her daughter’s arm with teal-polished fingertips. “You seem so distracted, Livie. Surely you can count on Del to resolve this troubling murder. In time, that is.”
“That’s my worry, Mom. Del is a great cop, I know that. He’s careful and thorough, which takes time. Only we don’t have much of it left. We need to resolve this mess soon for Stacey’s and her kids’ sakes, and also for ours.” Olivia told her mother about the gavel cookie cutter she and Maddie had found at The Gingerbread House, stuffed in a kitchen drawer. “We could get added to the suspect list, too, along with who knows who else. And here I am, too busy and flustered to think straight. My mind is so crammed with bits of information, and I can’t make any sense of them.”
As Olivia reached up to run her hand through her hair, Ellie’s quick, strong arm grabbed her wrist and forced her to stop. “You will figure it all out, Livie. There’s no need to ruin your hairdo.”
Olivia laughed in spite of herself. “I forgot to brush my hair before we left. Maybe I should leave it tangled more often. Besides, tangled is what my mind feels like.”
“Oh, Livie, you are too close to the details. As your father used to say, data collection is essential, but at some point you must stop and look for the connections. Maybe you need to step back to perceive what is truly important.” Ellie tucked an errant wave under the pale yellow ribbon that held her hair away from her face. “Now, I believe I will select a cookie and mingle a bit. I see that Herbie Tucker has kindly brought his aunt Lenora to the party. I’m sure Lenora is devastated by Trevor Lane’s death. I’ll go chat with her…if you are okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom. You go mingle. Let me know if you learn anything interesting.” Olivia followed her mother to the cookie display, where she chose a yellow tulip with lavender sprinkles.
Ellie picked up two identical daisy shapes, grape purple with bright yellow outlined petals. “I might as well bring an extra for Lenora,” she explained. “If I only have one cookie, those sad, hungry eyes will con me into giving it to her.”
“She reminds me of Spunky,” Olivia said.
“I suppose that’s why we love her.”
“Speak for yourself.” Olivia bit off a chunk of her yellow tulip. “Wow, this is good. I wish I could take credit, but Maddie is the real genius behind her own wedding cookies.” Ellie didn’t respond. “Mom?” Olivia followed her mother’s gaze to one of the restaurant’s small gardens. She saw a man in tan slacks and matching sweater, possibly cashmere, over a white shirt. His back was to Olivia, but she recognized the broad shoulders that stretched the sweater across his back.
“I’m rather surprised to see Dougie Adair here,” Ellie said.
“I’m stunned,” Olivia said. “I thought for sure he’d be on a plane headed for Los Angeles. Is it possible that Lenora talked him into coming?” She searched the terrace and found Lenora, with her nephew Herbie beside her, talking to Maddie and Lucas.
“This is quite fascinating,” Ellie said. “I’ll go chat with Lenora now.”
“Report back, okay? Mom?” But Ellie’s powerful little legs had already carried her out of range. Olivia considered tagging along behind, but she saw her stepfather barreling toward her like a confident bull.
“Mission accomplished,” Allan said, a shade too heartily.
“Let’s move out of earshot.” Olivia took two more cookies and led Allan to an isolated table close to the restaurant, where they could keep an eye on the crowd. After they sat down, she handed him one of the cookies.
“Is this my reward?” Allan took a bite. “Yum. Almost as good as money.”
“Glad you think so. What did you find out from Howie?”
“Fascinating young man,” Allan said. “Sociopathic, of course, but in the right environment, that would be a plus.”
“I think I’d be happier not knowing about that,” Olivia said. “It sort of makes my skin crawl.”
Allan threw back his head and guffawed. “You and your mother,” he said, “two peas in a pod. That’s a compliment, by the way.” He bit off a large chunk of cookie and made appreciative sounds as he chewed.
“So what do you think? Could Howie create an anonymous post?”
“With his eyes closed,” Allan said. “Mind you, a real expert could probably track the path, but that boy has impressive computer skills. Back in the day, I’d have been tempted to hire him, if he weren’t so…” Allan frowned as he searched for the right word.
“If he weren’t so sociopathic?”
“Hm? No, that’s not the problem, though I’d sure keep an eye on him. He’s too arrogant, too certain of his own genius. Not to say he isn’t a genius, he surely is, but…Well, there’s such a thing as too much confidence, if you know what I mean.”
“I know what you mean.”
* * *
An hour later, the engagement party was in full swing, and Olivia felt as confused as ever. She’d been so focused on helping the festivities run smoothly, she’d barely spoken to anyone but the restaurant staff. The time had come for her to mingle. She hung her apron on a hook in the restaurant kitchen and returned to the patio. She ought to check in with Bertha and Jennifer before abandoning her post.
Olivia waved to Bertha, who was restocking the cookie supply. Bertha motioned Olivia to join her. Seeing the concerned look on Bertha’s face, Olivia hurried to her. “Is something wrong?”
“I hope not,” Bertha said. “It’s just that I haven’t seen Jennifer in some time. She agreed to keep the cookie platters filled, but I found them all practically empty.”
“Thanks for stepping in,” Olivia said. “I’ll see if I can find her.” Olivia remembered she’d seen Jennifer wearing brown slacks and a beige sweater. She was average height but pretty enough to stand out, even in a well-dressed crowd. Olivia walked through the kitchen and restaurant, looked over the crush of guests on the patio, and examined the open gardens in back. There was no sign of Jennifer. Was this another of her disappearing acts? Olivia was about to give up when she spotted movement through a break in the trees behind the gardens. She remembered her early morning visit to that very spot—was it only last Tuesday?
Olivia decided not to investigate. An amorous couple had probably escaped to the woods to “get to know each other better,” and she cringed at the thought of interrupting them. Olivia was about to give up on finding Jennifer when a figure emerged from the woods. The slight figure wore a long sweater coat, large sunglasses, and a brown scarf covering her hair. She looked similar in size and build to Jennifer Elsworth. When the woman paused to slip something into her pocket, Olivia immediately thought of a cell phone.
Olivia spun around and quickly scanned the guests for cell-phone users. She saw one man gesticulating and pacing while he talked on his cell. No one appeared to have just hung up. Howie Upton was chatting with a young woman in a short, tight skirt, who wobbled on her stilettos. Olivia couldn’t find Dougie Adair in the crowd. Maybe he had left already.
Olivia lectured herself about jumping to conclusions. The young woman might be a loner by nature, someone who needs to escape from people on a regular basis. But Olivia’s gut told her she was right, that the figure approaching the restaurant was Jennifer, and she seemed to be trying to hide her identity.
With exquisite timing, a familiar voice spoke from behind Olivia. “I should get engaged more often,” Maddie said. “Isn’t this fun?”
“Maddie, am I glad to see you. Come on, we have to talk.” Olivia led her around the patio and toward Bon Vivant’s packed front parking lot. Luckily, the PT Cruiser was easy to spot.
“Are we running away?” Maddie asked.
“Conferring.” Olivia unlocked the car, and they slid into the front seat. “In private.” For the next few minutes, Olivia sped through a summary of what she’d learned from her stepfather and what she’d observed on her own. “Mom suggested we step back from the details to determine what’s really important. I know you’ve been too busy to—�
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“In fact,” Maddie said, “I had a chance to chat with Dougie. Although it was more chatter than chat. I wanted to disarm him…you know, make him think he’s getting information from me when I’m actually watching his reactions. That sort of thing.”
“Does that actually work?”
“It does for me,” Maddie said. “You’d never be able to pull it off. You’re too mature.”
“Thank you…I think.”
“So here’s the scoop: I mentioned Jennifer, and I let it slip that I wondered why he and Trevor had really come to Chatterley Heights.”
Feeling squeamish, Olivia said, “I hope you didn’t give him a reason to skip town.”
“Livie, you have no faith in me. But I’ll let that go because it underscores how good I am at babbling. I told him that, though we all love Lenora, I couldn’t understand why he and Trevor would want to keep in touch with her, let alone visit. Anyway, then I told him something Ellie told me—she wanted me to pass this information along to you, by the way, so this is a ‘two birds with one stone’ thing. I told Dougie that Lenora had chattered all over town that he and Trevor were coming to visit her. Dougie didn’t look surprised by that, but I guess it’s important.”
“I don’t get why this is significant,” Olivia said.
“Okay,” Maddie said, “I’ll back up. Ellie told me to tell you that Lenora visited every business on Town Square to spread the news that Trevor Lane and his buddy, Dougie Adair, were coming to Chatterley Heights expressly to visit her.” Maddie paused a moment, looking confused. “Ellie said you’d understand. She didn’t want to elaborate because there were so many people around.”
“Didn’t she say anything else at all?” Olivia asked.
Maddie frowned in concentration. “I think she said something about looking for the threads. Does that mean anything to you?”
Olivia relaxed against the back seat of her PT Cruiser. “I think she’s referring to what I relayed to you earlier…you know, about stepping away from the details. The threads…” Olivia massaged her forehead. “This case is so complex, and we haven’t time to figure out which details are important.” She closed her eyes and released her mind to follow its own path.
When Olivia had been silent for more than three minutes, Maddie asked, “Livie? Are you having a catatonic seizure or something?”
Olivia’s eyes popped open. “I think I understand what Mom meant,” she said. “Several unexplained events have taken place in or near Chatterley Heights, all in the last week.” Olivia began counting on her fingers. “First, Jennifer showed up at the store and wanted a job. Second, there were break-ins at Lady Chatterley’s and the bank. Third, I overheard a mysterious, angry phone call in the woods here at Bon Vivant. Fourth, Trevor Lane and Dougie Adair showed up in Chatterley Heights. And fifth, Trevor Lane was murdered. Have I missed anything?”
“What about those rumors in Binnie Sloan’s hateful blog?” Maddie asked.
“The rumors…I think you’re right, Maddie. Those rumors have escalated to the point where it’s hard to imagine Binnie creating them. They started the same time as the break-ins.”
“And right after Jennifer began working for us,” Maddie said. “So where does this get us?”
“I’m not sure,” Olivia said, “but let’s assume these events are all related, which would mean they are all related to Trevor Lane’s murder.”
“Yes!” Maddie bounced on the car seat. “So I repeat, where does that get us?”
Olivia felt herself wilt. “Not a clue. However, I know what Mom would tell us.”
“To have a cookie?”
“To keep the threads in mind and see where they join together,” Olivia said. “Or words to that effect.”
“Your mom is very wise,” Maddie said. “Although she doesn’t always make sense.”
* * *
By late afternoon, the crowds began to thin. Toasts had been offered and wine had been drunk, at times to excess. The rose-petal cookie cake rested on a wheeled cart draped with a linen tablecloth. Olivia had assumed guests would break off pieces throughout the party, but every organic rose petal remained intact. The Bon Vivant staff had given it a place of honor at the edge of the patio, with the gardens and hills for a backdrop. The guests had admired the lovely creation but thought it too gorgeous to consume.
As the late afternoon sun drifted behind a ridge of fluffy white clouds, cameras appeared among the remaining guests. Maddie and Lucas had decided against hiring professional photographers, due to the expense. They’d counted on friends and family to fill the void. Olivia’s stepfather, among many others, welcomed the challenge with enthusiasm. Olivia relaxed at a patio table, her sore feet resting on a chair, to watch the photo session.
When Maddie and Lucas posed beside the rose-petal cookie cake, the clicking of cameras commenced. After a time, Maddie wheeled the cake aside and led Lucas into the early rose garden for another round of photos. Maddie’s wild hair had cooperated for once. The curls jumbled together as if a stylist had spent hours arranging them just so. Lucas looked relaxed and happy with his arm around his soon-to-be-bride. Within minutes, the sun reemerged, and the cameras disappeared. A group of muscular, and perhaps less then sober, male employees from Heights Hardware called to Lucas to join them. Maddie waved him away. Lucas kissed her and followed his coworkers. A few women stayed to chat with Maddie amid the roses.
Olivia began to feel impatient. She glanced toward the restaurant, where she saw Jennifer conferring with Bertha and a Bon Vivant staff member. Olivia made a mental note to corner Jennifer when she was alone and ask point blank if she’d slipped away to the woods earlier.
Olivia’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Her caller ID told her Del had sent a text. Olivia thought about leaving it, making him wait. He had now missed nearly the entire party without explanation. Yeah, Del was sheriff, investigating an unsolved murder, but jeez…He could at least tell her if he was hot on someone’s trail. In case he was doing just that, Olivia opened the text. It read, “Got a lead. Hope to be there soon.” Olivia snapped her cell shut with unnecessary force.
No dramatic breakthrough in the case had come to Olivia, and she was close to giving up. She’d find some other way to help Stacey and her kids. Or maybe Del was on the verge of arresting the killer, and all would be well.
Olivia looked around for her mother and saw her chatting with Lenora and Herbie Tucker. To Olivia’s surprise, neither Dougie nor Howie had left yet. Howie checked his watch. With a tight expression, he glanced toward a patio table where Jennifer was clearing empty plates. Olivia had the impression he knew her and was perhaps waiting to take her home. Yet he hadn’t spoken to Jennifer during the party, at least not to Olivia’s knowledge. In fact, she had never seen Howie speak to Jennifer.
Dougie Adair joined Lenora, Herbie, and Ellie, though he didn’t participate in their conversation. His attention shifted from the gardens to Howie and then, suddenly, toward Olivia. When she held his gaze, Dougie broke away from his group and strolled toward her table.
“I’ll be flying out tomorrow morning,” Dougie said as he dropped into a chair next to Olivia. “The sheriff knows how to find me.” When Olivia didn’t respond, Dougie gazed out at the rose garden. “Maddie looks lovely and happy,” he said. “Lucas is a lucky man.”
Dougie, Trevor, Howie, Jennifer…all connected to one place, Twiterton, and to one person, Melissa Nortenson. “Who do you think killed Melissa Nortenson?” Olivia hadn’t meant to ask the question so bluntly, but she was glad she’d done so. Her peripheral vision told her Dougie’s body had tightened. Moments passed in silence. Olivia fully expected him to bolt, but he didn’t.
“Not me,” Dougie said finally.
“Trevor?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t think so.”
“But you gave him an alibi, didn’t you?”
Dougie shrugged. “We were buddies, of a sort, remember?”
“And he repaid you by having an affair wi
th your wife and driving her to suicide,” Olivia said.
Dougie jerked in his chair as if he’d been poked with a sharp knife. “Trevor also destroyed Wade Harald’s football career and possibly his life, and he relentlessly tortured Howie Upton.”
“Why did you and Trevor come to Chatterley Heights?” Olivia asked. “And don’t say it was to visit Lenora.”
“No comment.”
“Do you know who our clerk, Jennifer Elsworth, really is?”
Dougie laughed. “Well, that was obvious, at least to us. She grew up and dyed her hair, but those eyes are unmistakable. Her sister Melissa had the same green eyes.”
“How well did you know Melissa?” Olivia asked.
“Not as well as Trevor did. I’m not proud of our treatment of Melissa. Her mind might have been slow, but when it came to boys, we’d never known a faster girl. It was just too tempting.” Dougie shifted in his chair. “I should point out that Jennie was the one who went in search of her after she disappeared. That had become her job, searching for her sister when she’d run off.” Olivia felt a sudden surge of sadness. She wasn’t convinced of Dougie’s innocence, but she was tired of asking such awful questions. She spotted Maddie in the garden and waved. Maddie waved back and pushed the wheeled cart, which held the cookie cake, out of the rose garden and onto the patio nearer to Olivia’s table. Maddie ran back to the garden to pick a rose. Olivia began to feel more relaxed.
The sound of raised voices drew Olivia’s attention. She was surprised to see Jennifer and Howie walking down a path between two gardens, engaged in a heated discussion. Jennifer pulled away from Howie and headed toward Bon Vivant’s kitchen, leaving him alone on the path. As he watched her leave, Olivia came into his field of vision. She turned away, but not soon enough.
Transcend the details, Olivia thought. All the suspects are connected to a past crime: the death of Melissa Nortenson. They all converged on Chatterley Heights at about the same time, give or take a few days. One of them, Trevor, was subsequently murdered. Olivia jerked upright with a sudden realization. Trevor’s accused killer, Wade Harald, had gone to Chatterley Heights high school. It was likely he’d never even met Melissa Nortenson.
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