by Leona Fox
Trunk Show Murder
A Seagrove Mystery Series
Book 2
Leona Fox
Copyright © 2015 Leona Fox
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher
Chapter One
Sadie Barnett, owner of Timeless Treasures, the best antiques and treasures shop in three states, set down the heavy box she’d lugged up the stairs and turned to her best friend. “Is that everything?” she asked.
Lucy Shylock, blond, round, jewelry salesperson extraordinaire, and BFF to Sadie, mentally counted boxes. She came to the correct total and smiled. “Yep,” she said, “that’s it.” She leaned against Sadie’s kitchen counter and worked on catching her breath.
“Thank God for that,” Sadie said, slumping down in one of her old country wooden kitchen chairs. “I’m about to expire from heat. Let me throw a cloth over the dining room table and we can get started setting up.”
Lucy handed Sadie a glass of water and got a glass down for herself. They’d been friends for so long that it didn’t even occur to her that she was making herself at home in Sadie’s kitchen. She always did that. Sadie’s kitchen was one of her favorite places to be. Besides her own kitchen, of course.
Sadie had just gotten up to rummage around for a table cloth when there was a pounding on the downstairs door. She tossed the cloth to Lucy and trotted down the inside staircase with Mr. Bradshaw, her tiny Jack Russell, on her heels. Marjorie Rumstocking, the town Mayor was on the sidewalk outside her shop; when Sadie opened the door she barged right in and Mr. Bradshaw had to back away quickly or get trampled.
“Sadie,” Marjorie said without stopping her forward momentum, “I simply must see the goods before the party tonight. I’m in such a rush.” She was rushing straight for Mr. Bradshaw, who ducked under an end table covered with knickknacks and growled under his breath.
“Mr. Bradshaw, there will be none of that.” Sadie wagged her finger at her dog and then continued after Marjorie.
“Uh, wait?” Sadie started, but Marjorie was already headed up the stairs. “Well that’s not rude,” Sadie muttered under her breath and followed Marjorie up the stairs. She wasn’t more than half way up when Marjorie started badgering Lucy.
“Come on, Lucy, I simply must see the jewelry before the party starts. I’m going to be a smidgeon late and I don’t want to miss anything. I’ll help you set up.”
When Sadie rounded the corner into the dining room, Lucy and Marjorie were playing tug-of-war with a box.
“Marjorie!” Sadie used her best “mom” voice. “You know Lucy could lose her job for that. Show my Sparkle has very strict rules, she’s not allowed to show items until the party starts.”
“Well if you put it like that,” Marjorie said letting go of the box. “You don’t have to make me out to be such a bad guy. I certainly don’t want Lucy to lose her job. But I’m very disappointed all the same and now I have to get here early.” She started back down the stairs, “I hope you don’t start without me.”
Lucy started to say “I can’t promise,” when the door to the shop slammed shut, jangling the bell. Lucy turned to Sadie, “What in the world has gotten into her?”
“I don’t know, but if she’s doesn’t stop acting like the queen of the universe she’s going to end up with more enemies than she already has. I heard Willow Jones say she’d like to wring her neck, the other day, and Willow Jones is about the sweetest person you could ever meet.”
“If she wasn’t the richest woman in this town,” Lucy said, “I wouldn’t invite her to these things. She definitely brings the tone down.”
“Well maybe she won’t come back and the tone will stay up - she said she was busy,” Sadie said.
“I wish,” Lucy said.
Two hours later it looked as if Lucy’s wish had come true. Sadie took another look through her apartment, but Marjorie hadn't shown up. Wine was flowing and the jewelry was getting snapped up like gold doubloons at a pirate party.
“Is it my imagination, or are you selling more than normal?” Sadie asked Lucy.
“Not your imagination. Shannon told me she is so thrilled to see pieces that Marjorie hadn’t already had her mitts on everything that she’s buying double what she planned – just in case this opportunity never comes again,” Lucy said.
“She does seem to be accumulating bling,” Sadie said. “Which is also good for you. So I’m all for it.”
“I’m revising my sales strategy. I think I’ll invite Marjorie to maybe a quarter of my parties just to remind people what it’s like when she comes. The rest of the time we’ll do it without her,” Lucy said. “I’ll be able to live a month on this sale.”
Sadie felt self-satisfaction wash over her. The only reason she held trunk parties was so that Lucy could make a living. She liked the women well enough, but she wasn’t interested in modern jewelry. It was the old stuff that attracted her. Her shop, Timeless Treasures, was full of great jewelry from seasons past. When she wanted new jewelry, she just walked downstairs. Not that she wore jewelry that often, her lifestyle was far too busy.
She left the party for a moment and went downstairs to the shop’s back room to check on Mr. Bradshaw. He’d dragged his bed under her desk and was curled up with his back to her. He was sulking. She knew because normally he would have jumped up and met her at the door. Mr. B. knew perfectly well she was in the doorway, he was just punishing her for excluding him from the party.
“I’m afraid those drunken women will step on you,” she said. “And you know you don’t like it when strangers try and hold you.” He didn’t move so she shrugged mentally and went back upstairs to her guests.
Shannon Sinkwater caught her by the arm as she came in the door. “Best party ever,” she slurred. “No Marjorie to buy up all the good stuff. I’m buying it instead.” She giggled. “So much fun.” She wandered off.
Lois Hall patted the spot on the couch next to her. “Sit down with me Sadie,” she said.
Sadie sat and gave her full attention to Lois. She was another rich socialite who liked to get her own way.
“I think you should keep an eye on Shannon,” Lois said. “She’s had too much to drink. She’ll be in trouble if she tries to drive home.”
“She just lives across the park,” Sadie said. “She’s not driving.”
“She lives in one of the old money mansions on the other side?” Lois asked. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. She sure flashed her money around enough. But somehow I thought she was new money.”
Sadie didn’t know or care, who was new money and who was old. As far as she could see, the more money someone had, the more obnoxious they felt entitled to be. But it was the rich women of Seagrove that were paying Lucy’s bills so she tried not to get snarky.
“Would you like another glass of wine?” she asked Lois. “Or a cup of coffee?”
“Is there any more of that lovely Zin left?” Lois asked. “I’d love another glass of that.”
Sadie refrained making a remark about Lois driving home and went to get the Zinfandel. She’d be calling a cab for anyone who wasn’t walking anyway. Lucy had collected everyone’s keys as they came in the door.
Sadie refilled Lois’s glass and Lois motioned Sadie to come closer.
“Someone should speak to Shannon,” she said quietly. “And it is your party.”
“What does she need talking to about?” Sadie asked. She stifled a sigh, this was one aspect of these parties she dreaded. Wealthy snobs tattling on other wealthy snobs. Ugh.
“She’s smearing the mayor’s name. Someone is bound to notice and tell the mayor. If there is one person in this town that you don’t want to get on the bad side of, it’s Mayor Rumstocking. She’ll get her kicked out of the sailing club if it gets back to her that Shannon has been bad mouthing her.”
“Shannon is bad mouthing the mayor?” Sadie asked. “What is she saying?” She immediately regretted asking, but the words were out of her mouth and she couldn’t very well let Lois know that she didn’t want to hear.
“She’s saying how Marjorie always comes to these things early and gets all the good stuff, even though it’s clearly against the policy. She didn’t say whose policy. I should ask her about that. Don’t you think?” Lois asked.
Sadie said something non-committal and made an excuse about needing to circulate. “Hostess duties and all that, you know.”
Policies were all very well and good, but there was such a thing as taking things too far. She went in to check on Lucy, who was at the table writing up invoices and collecting money.
“Need anything,” Sadie asked.
“Nope,” Lucy said. “I’m good.”
Sadie noticed that Lucy’s wine glass was untouched. That was unusual, but then the atmosphere of this party was unusual too. It seemed more than normally snarky, and there was an air of desperation, like this was the last chance any of these women would have to buy jewelry. And that just wasn’t true.
Tracey Starkey walked up to Sadie wearing multiple pieces of jewelry – necklaces, bracelets, rings – the only place where she was tripled up was her ears. She only had one set of holes.
“Sadie,” Tracey said. “Look at this.” She held out her hand. She had ten rings on. “Aren’t these gorgeous? I just love these trunk parties. Thank you so much for inviting me. My big problem is going to be choosing which pieces to wear.”
“Looks like you hit the jackpot, Tracey,” Sadie said. “I hope Joe doesn’t have a conniption.”
“Oh, Joe.” Tracey waved a hand as if to shoo him away. “I kicked him out months ago. I finally can spend my money the way I want.”
“Oh.” Sadie didn’t know if she should console or congratulate Tracey. Luckily, Tracey turned to talk to someone else and she was spared the embarrassment. She poured the last of a bottle of wine into an empty glass and downed it. This party was fraught with potential faux pas.
The room was becoming unbearably warm so Sadie opened the door out onto the balcony, but she slid a small table across the opening so no one went out and fell over the railing. She glanced over at Lucy, but she was still elbow deep in invoices. If the number of rings on Tracey’s hand and the pile of invoices was any indication, Lucy was making out okay. Which made all this worth it.
It’s not that she was a party pooper, it was just that these women weren’t her kind of people and this wasn’t her kind of party. She’d much rather be getting drunk with a bunch of junk dealers.
Mara, a little blond with a huge voice swapped out the piano music Sadie had playing in the background for some big band swing. She grabbed Tracey and started spinning her around the floor. Unfortunately, Sadie’s living room wasn’t big on square feet and they kept bumping into people. Some of the women didn’t seem to mind, but Sadie caught the sour looks on Shannon and Lois’s faces. She wondered what she could do to diffuse the situation.
Lucy stood up. “Ladies,” she announced, “It’s time to draw for the door prize.”
At that moment Mara spun Tracey out of control and she landed on the couch and tipped it over backward. The couch had been occupied. Sadie put down the wine bottle she’d been holding and rushed over to the pile of women. They were giggling and Tracey was having trouble finding a safe place to put her hands so she could push herself off Lila Thompson. Sadie took Tracey by the upper arm and helped her up.
Lila was laughing so hard she couldn’t get up off the floor. Susie and Jenny got up and pulled her up off the floor. She sat back down on the couch.
“Oh my God,” she said and gestured to where Shannon and Lois were sitting. “Did you see those stuck up bitche’s faces? I’ve never laughed so hard.”
“Right,” Sadie said, hoping Shannon and Lois hadn’t just heard themselves being called stuck up bitches. “I believe Lucy was going to do a drawing.”
Lucy, correctly gauging the atmosphere made sure everyone went home with a little trinket as a prize.
Lucy caught Sadie by the arm and dragged her into the kitchen.
“What is going on? I’ve never had a party that felt so out of control.” Lucy said.
“I don’t know. But something is off. I think we should get back in there before a cat fight breaks out.”
Tracey was pulling on her sweater when Sadie and Lucy returned from the kitchen.
“I’d better be going,” Tracey said. “Thank you for a lovely time.”
“I’ll come with you.” Mara joined her at the door. “We can walk across the park together.”
Lucy handed the two women their bags of merchandise and thanked them for coming. Sadie walked them down the stairs and let them out the front door. She was halfway back up the stairs when the screaming started from outside. She turned around and rushed through the shop and out the door. Mara and Tracey were standing with their backs against the building. Tracey had her hands over her mouth and Mara was crying. They were looking at a pile of rags on the ground between two cars parked nose in on the street.
Sadie stepped off the sidewalk to toe the pile of rags, only it wasn’t a pile of rags, it was Marjorie Rumstocking. Sadie sucked in a breath and bent down to feel for a pulse. Marjorie was dead.
The door to the shop opened and the party spilled onto the street, everyone talking.
“What’s wrong?” “Who is that?” “Is that a person?” “I know CPR.” “How can I help?” “Is that the mayor?” “Marjorie?”
“Do either of you have a cell phone?” Sadie asked Mara and Tracey. Mara nodded.
“Then call 911 and report a suspicious death.” Sadie turned to the others. “The rest of you stay back.” She spotted Lucy at the back of the crowd. “Lucy!”
“Back here, Sadie.” Lucy waved a hand in the air.
“See if you can get them to all go back inside, would you? Make them some coffee,” Sadie said. She waved a hand at the women who’d discovered Marjorie. “Mara and Tracey too.”
They seemed only too happy to file back inside, and then Sadie was distracted by the lights and sirens of the Seagrove PD. The officer in charge was Jude Weston and when she saw Sadie on the sidewalk, she pulled out her cell phone and made a call.
Ten minutes later Chief Zachary Woodstone drove up in his personal car, a battered Jeep of indeterminate age, and joined Sadie on the sidewalk. Sadie was a little surprised, Chief Woodstone was clearly not on duty, not only was he driving his jeep, but he was wearing jeans and a button down shirt. He looked relaxed.
“You okay?” he asked tucking a stray piece of hair back behind Sadie’s ear.
“I’m fine,” she said. “A lot better than Marjorie Rumstocking.”
“That’s Mayor Rumstocking?” He sounded shocked.
“Yeah. I thought that’s why they called you in,” she said. “Didn’t Jude tell you?”
“What Jude told me was that there was a suspicious death outside Sadie Barnett’s. I didn’t wait around to hear anything else. Stay here.”
The Chief went to talk with Jude Weston. Then he stooped to look at the body. He spoke to Jude again then the medical examiner showed up with an ambulance and Zack came back to Sadie.
“Did you find her?” he asked.
“No. I was hosting a trunk sale for Lucy. Two of the women who came to the party found her. Mara Jones and Tracey Starkey.”
“They still here?” he asked.
“Yes. I sent everyone back upstairs with Lucy,” she said.
“Do you know what happened to her?” she asked, nodding in the direction of Marjorie’s body.
“Can’t tell f
or sure. We’ll need to get statements from the women at your party. I’m not on the case, but I’ll come up with you for moral support if you like.”
“I would like that if you don’t mind.”
“Not a problem,” he said.
Chapter Two
Sadie trooped up the stairs with Chief Woodstone right behind her. Behind him were Jude Weston and two officers she asked to help with questioning. Sadie got the impression they were used to working together and she wondered if they were a discreet team in the Seagrove P.D.. She made a note to ask the Chief about it later.
The women were stuffed into the living and dining rooms, standing in subdued little groups. Jude gathered them into larger groups, sent one group downstairs to be interviewed. The other two groups she split between Sadie’s bedroom and the living room.