by Unknown
I scoff at the thought as Everett and I enter the front of the bakery and I pull out a couple of empty pink boxes from under the register and hand one to Everett.
Lily is working with a couple of customers, but for the most part the bakery is almost bare of people. And considering we’re closing soon, I’m okay with it.
“I wish I had never brought Evie with me to that stupid party.” I hand him a tissue and we both start filling the boxes with cookies to take across the street. “And when you get right down to it, the real blame lies with Cormack and Cressida. It was their ridiculous love your selfie party.”
“Believe me, I’m having one serious talk with the both of them. Evie said the B&B was hot pink.”
“And it’s not called the B&B anymore.” I pause a moment, holding one of my conversation heart cookies that says I think you’re cute and wag it in front of Everett while biting down a smile.
“And I know you’re beautiful.” He lands a searing kiss to my lips.
I make a face. “Thank you. But my mind is still stuck on whose fault that fiasco was. You know if you pull the curtain back far enough it was Wiley who caused this tornado to come barreling through our lives.”
“True. But I doubt that a change of venue would have stopped Verity Prescott from being killed. Someone was gunning for her. Verity’s days were numbered no matter where she was that night.”
“Maybe, but what I wouldn’t give to not have dragged Evie into the thick of it.”
We button up our boxes, and I look up at my handsome husband.
“Are you ready for this impromptu book signing?”
“As long as I’m with you, I’m ready for anything.”
I steal a kiss from his lips and the baby gives a kick that sends him backing up with a laugh caught in his throat.
“I think we have a bookworm tucked in there. Let’s go buy this baby a book or two.”
Everett and I make our way through the snow and across the street, each with a box of sweet treats in hand. We bypass the snake-like line that makes its way clear down Main Street and head into the shop where more than a couple dozen women sport pink T-shirts on over their sweaters that read A Whole Lotta Troublemakers on the front and Carlotta’s Captives across the back.
Wonderful. Carlotta has brainwashed the masses into doing her bidding. First, the Vermont best-sellers list, next—the world.
Inside the quaint bookshop, the walls are painted mint green and the bookshelves that line the majority of the expansive shop are snow white. Large pink signs orient the customers to each of the different sections—romantic literature, historical, contemporary, paranormal, and so on. The floors are white with iridescent sparkles, and the scent of vanilla is igniting my senses right up until I realize it’s coming from the box I’m holding.
“We’ve got to set these cookies down before I eat them all,” I say as Everett and I thread through the bodies in an effort to get deeper into the shop. To the right there are three tables set out with Carlotta on one and Bambi Bailey on the other, and snug in between them is my mother. Both Carlotta and Bambi have impossibly long lines, and my poor mother is twiddling her thumbs with not even Wiley in sight to keep her company.
“Whoa”—Everett nods behind me, and I turn to find a hive of people all clamoring to get someone’s attention—“I think that’s Evie in the center of that commotion. I’d better go check it out.”
“Oh my goodness,” I huff at the sight. “What in the world has she stepped into?”
“Lottie!” Mom calls out and I make my way over—more like waddle my way over. “Oh, Lottie, this is a nightmare,” she wails as she tosses up a pen. “Nobody is interested in my beach fiction.” Her hair is neatly coiffed and she’s donned a bright red dress with glittery ruby earrings. She looks all dolled up, and not a soul seems to have noticed. “Nobody is interested in my steamy romances either. And would you look at this?” She hitches a thumb to both her left and right. “They can’t get enough of these two.”
My eyes drift over to Bambi’s book on display with its cherry red cover and a picture of Bambi herself pretending to lean over with her hand to her cheek as if she was about to spill the world’s biggest secret. And with a title like Bambi Tells It Like It Is, I bet she’s about to do just that.
Tonight, Bambi is dressed in a red plaid dress and her bright red hair is spilling every which way in curly waves. Her strong lantern jaw rides up and down as she laughs, and she seems to be interacting with each and every person who comes her way.
Boy, what I wouldn’t do to get ahold of her book.
There’s just something about celebrity gossip that hits the spot once in a while when it comes to reading. And Lord knows I’m craving a little gossip about someone else for a change. It seems I’ve been standing in the Honey Hollow rumor mill spotlight for far too long. It’s hot and lonely at the top of this dunghill and not at all where I envisioned I’d be while standing at the doorstep of thirty.
I glance back to my poor mother.
“Here,” I say, putting the box of cookies down and opening them up. “Free fresh cookies!” I shout, and within ten seconds they’re all gone and the cookie vultures that grabbed them have gone back to their respective lines—to the right and left of my mother. “I’m sorry.” I wince. “Where’s Wiley?”
“He’s still working at the B&B. Cormack and Cressida are very strict about leaving early. It’s grounds for termination.” She gives a solemn nod. “I got a pass since it was my book signing, but only because I promised to give them a sliver of my sales. Lottie, what am I going to do? I risked it all in hopes to make it as a writer, and now look what’s happened? Carlotta is the one taking readers captive.”
“There is so much I want to tackle,” I seethe. “I’m furious with Cormack and Cressida. I can’t believe they’re treating you so poorly. And threatening to terminate you? The next thing you know they’ll be kicking you out on the street.”
“Well, if I’m not careful—”
“Don’t you even dare tell me they implied it.” An angry growl streams from me just as a crowd encroaches from Carlotta’s side and I’m forced to step closer to my mother’s table. “Geez,” I say, nodding over at a cluster of women furtively putting on one of those signature pink T-shirts over their clothes. “It’s like Carlotta is unstoppable,” I say just as Carlotta waves to me from between the women crowding around her table.
“Hey there, Lot Lot!” Carlotta stands for a moment and cups her hands around her mouth. “Everyone! This here is the real life Leona Lemon I wrote about in my book!” she hollers while pointing my way. “I had to keep her identity under wraps so she wouldn’t sue me and whatnot. Didn’t I tell you she was knocked up but good? The baby daddy is still a mystery, though. I wouldn’t bother poking around for clues if I were you. But the pool is still open if you want to place bets on either Moxy or Sexy.” She shrugs my way. “You can’t disguise sexy, Lot Lot.”
She’s got a point there.
A blonde waves my way as she makes her way over and it’s Sugar Hartley, the very suspect I’m here to question. She’s donned a pink chiffon dress that floats behind her in an ethereal manner. Her hair is pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and her eyelids are dusted in metallic green eyeshadow. Her right arm is lined with those gold bangles—just like the one I found in the snow—and there’s something fairy-like about her in general. But perhaps the best accessory she has on is one she’s not even aware of, or at least I hope not. It’s that cute fuzzy little koala named Teddy dangling from her neck.
“Lottie!” She laughs as she makes her way over. “Can you believe this circus? If anything, this book signing has put Head over Heels on the map.”
“Hello, Lottie,” Teddy trills in her high-pitched voice as she swings from Sugar’s neck. “I’ve had the best time with my sweet girl. Did you know I could eat?” There’s a touch of surprise in her voice, as there should be. I’m not sure why, but the abilities of the dead are somehow tied to the
growth of my own abilities.
The dead weren’t always able to eat in my neck of the spiritual woods. In fact, I couldn’t even hear them in the beginning, but as my powers grew so did theirs, and soon they could talk, move objects in the material world, and now they can nosh on anything to their heart’s content. I don’t quite know what happens to the food once they gobble it down, but then I suppose there are some things that are simply not my business.
Mom sighs as she shakes the cookie box for crumbs. “Too bad this isn’t putting me on the map.”
“Oh, Miranda,” Sugar wails. “How about I make it up to you? I’ll host just you on another night and that way you’ll get the entire spotlight all to yourself.”
“That’s my Sugar.” Teddy gives Sugar a strangulating hug. “Always kindhearted to everyone she meets. How I’ve missed her.”
I’d have to agree. She does seem kindhearted.
“I suppose.” Mom doesn’t look convinced. “On second thought, I’d better not. It’s humiliating enough to have an empty table with two other popular authors next to me. But I couldn’t bear an empty table with a shop full of customers. I don’t think my ego can handle any more torment.” She looks as if she’s about to put her head down on her desk just as her eyes widen. “Lainey, Meg!” She springs from her seat as both of my sisters make their way over to her.
Lainey has Josie in her arms and Meg looks like the biker chick she is with her mop of long dark hair, her eyes ringed heavily with kohl, and equally dark lipstick smeared over her lips.
Sugar tosses her hands in the air. “Looks as if she found a couple of fans after all.”
“Two of her biggest fans. Those are my sisters.” I shrug over at Sugar. “But at least she’s happy now. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone you love suffering.”
“I’ll say.” Her lips flicker. “It was horrible watching Verity the other night writhe around in pain that way. You know, a female detective stopped by this afternoon and let me know that Verity didn’t pass from natural means.”
“You don’t say.” I do my best to sound surprised as the sound of lively conversation picks up all around us. “What did she say she died from?”
“Botulism.”
My mouth rounds out as I have at my second attempt to feign surprise. But I already knew that bit about the botulism. Noah told Everett and Everett told me. It was sort of a murderous game of telephone we were playing.
“That must be why they tested my bakery this morning,” I tell her. “But they cleared me to open up this afternoon, so I’m guessing they didn’t find anything.”
Teddy swings a furry arm my way with her button eyes and elongated velvety nose.
“Is that so?” the tiny terror trills. “I’ll be sure to stop by right after. I’ve had a hankering for those raspberry tarts ever since I had one the night Mean Verity bit the big one.”
Did she just call her Mean Verity?
Huh.
Verity obviously loved Teddy or she wouldn’t be here, but it breaks my heart that Teddy might have been mistreated in her care.
“I’m glad about that.” Sugar gives a pained smile. “I’ll be honest, I hesitated going that way after the detective told me about the poisoned dessert. But you can bet I’ll be there tomorrow. Those raspberry tarts were to die for!” She gasps at her own oversight. “Please excuse me. That was a terrible thing to say. Anyway, Detective Fairbanks—that’s the woman who was essentially grilling me—she all but accused me of somehow landing that botulism in Verity’s stomach. I guess she thinks someone laced her food with it. Or I suppose it could have been a drink, or even her lipstick. I have no idea how that works. But do you want to know the kicker?”
“What’s that?” I turn my ear her way as if the better to hear her.
“She said she found one of my bangles in the snow next to a half-eaten raspberry tart. Apparently, they were able to identify Verity’s shoe prints in the snow. There were other shoe prints there as well, but they were too muddled for them to pin anything on me. Can you imagine? She all but told me I wouldn’t be getting away with it.”
Leave it to Ivy to ruin my investigation. Everyone with half a brain knows you don’t go around accusing a suspect until you have hard evidence that they’re the killer. For all she knows, Sugar could leave the country tomorrow, and if she really is the killer, then Verity’s case will never get the justice it deserves.
“What did you tell her?” I lean in. “How did the bracelet get out there?”
Teddy looks my way. “Oh, she takes them off all day. It’s a bit of a habit I’m finding out.”
“Nervous habit,” Sugar confirms even though she didn’t hear Teddy. “I pluck them on and off nonstop. I’ve done it for as long as I can remember. That’s half the reason I wear these things. I need something to fidget with to keep me calm.” She gives the jewelry on her arm a quick jostle, and I note that not one of them even comes close to sliding off her hand. In fact, it looks as if she’d have to contort her fingers just to get them off in general. There’s no way one of them slid off her wrist haphazardly that night.
“Were you out in the snow that night? You know, where Ivy—I mean, Detective Fairbanks found the bangle?”
Found the bangle my foot. I spotted that bangle myself.
“No.” Her eyes round out. “I went as far as the back door, but that was just to catch some fresh air. There was so much perfume in the room that night my allergies were going off.” Her bottom lip wavers.
Teddy pats her on the arm. “There, there.” She gives a lazy glance my way. “Her lips tend to quiver like that when she’s not quite telling the truth. Most likely she’s just let a little fib slip through.” Teddy gasps. “Oh dear. You don’t think my sweet Sugar is the killer, do you?”
I don’t know. But I’m determined to find out.
“Sugar”—my voice lowers a notch—“it wasn’t just the perfume that drove you to get some fresh air, was it?”
Her cheeks darken a shade as she shoots a quick look to Bambi signing books as fast as her fingers will allow.
“I was stressed out, I’ll admit it. I was supposed to be having a book signing that night, right here. It would have been my grand opening, like I had mentioned, but once Verity and Bambi canceled on me, I knew I might as well throw in the towel, at least for that night. And, well, here we are.”
A warbling sound escapes from Teddy. “Oh, that’s not all, Lottie. I heard Sugar telling her mother that she tried to stand up to Verity and told her that she thought of holding the grand opening anyway, but that Verity just laughed and told her not to embarrass herself. She told Sugar not to bother opening the shop until her schedule cleared and she could come in.”
“Sugar”—I say her name softly as I step in close—“Verity seemed to have a very strong personality. Sometimes people like that can be hard to get along with. Did Verity have a few rough edges?”
“The roughest.” Sugar looks relieved that I was able to point that out. “She lost her father when she was very young. He fell from a ladder, I think. Then her mother got sick and she lost her, too. An aunt took her in, and they lived not too far from where I grew up. Anyway, her aunt was very poor and she wasn’t all that kind to her. And, in turn, Verity had a bit of a mean streak to her. Sometimes I think she took pleasure in watching others suffer. But she was able to pull herself out of poverty. Too bad she wasn’t able to pull herself out of her need to be cruel.”
Teddy shakes her head. “It’s true, Lottie. I witnessed so much of it while I was with her.”
“We’ll talk,” I say just under my breath.
“What’s that?” Sugar leans my way.
“Did Verity ever talk about not getting along with anyone?”
She cranes her neck toward the exit. “Verity didn’t get along with anyone.” She glances to the signing tables once again. “Bambi and Verity were best friends for a time, but as you witnessed that night, things went south for them at some point.”
“You don’t think Bambi did this, do you?”
Her lips twitch side to side. “Honestly, deep down, Bambi is a nice person. Don’t let that persona she’s donned fool you. But poisoning? I doubt Bambi would risk her livelihood just to off someone she wasn’t friends with at the moment. Both Bambi and Verity’s careers depended on a certain level of drama, so a part of me thought that it was a part of an act. But Juliet?” She hitches her thumb in the direction of the knit shop. “Whatever she and Verity were arguing about felt genuine. I’ve never seen Verity so charged. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Juliet that charged either.”
“How well do you know Juliet?”
“We’re just acquaintances more or less, but she’s a gentle soul. That’s why watching them argue really caught me off guard. Bambi and Verity? Not so much.”
Someone calls for Sugar from the registers.
“I’d better go. Please stay and have a good time, Lottie. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“You bet,” I say as I snatch that furry little koala off her shoulder as she takes off. “I think someone has been avoiding me.”
“Never.” Teddy waves me off. “I just can’t get enough of my sweet Sugar. You do realize Verity snatched me away from her much the way you just did.”
“Are you saying Verity stole you?” I keep my voice down, but the noise level in the room is pretty high in general and those intermittent bouts of laughter are ear-piercing.
“That’s exactly what she did. And she threatened to harm Sugar’s reputation and break the heart of Sugar’s parents if she tried to take me back. Sugar lived in fear of the girl. And so did everyone else who came in contact with her. The girl was a pill as her aunt used to say. So was her aunt.” She groans as if reliving the memory. “And by the way, Lottie, Sugar mentioned you to her mother as well. She said you were married to a judge who’s about to go to prison. She said there’s a rumor going around that your boyfriend set him up. Oh, you’re the talk of the town. Isn’t that wonderful? You’re what Verity used to call popular. Verity said there was nothing more important than being popular. And she said it was equally important to do whatever you needed to do to get there.”