Invitation to Murder (Book 1 in the Candlemaking Mysteries)

by Tim Myers

  Trying to keep a hint of triumph out of my voice, I said, “I found out where that earring came from we found at the house with Tina. Anne Albright gave every woman associated with the wedding party a pair. All you have to do is see who has just one.”

  Bradford let out a burst of breath. “That’s all, huh!

  So let me get this straight. You want me to go to this woman and demand she give me a list of who all she gave earrings to, then visit them one at a time to see who lost one? Let me ask you something, Sis. Is there any chance these earrings were a custom job, made just for the wedding?” “I doubt it,” I said.

  “So they’re for sale in probably two or three places in Oakmont Avenue alone. Should I get a list from them, too, just in case I get bored with all of the regular police work I have to do?” I didn’t appreciate his tone at all, especially since he was my brother. “I’m sorry. I thought you wanted solve the murder.”

  “Of course I do,” he snapped at me. “Give me something more concrete to go on and I’ll follow up on it. As it is, I can’t burn the manpower to track down a dozen women and check their earring trees.”

  “You might not be able to, but I can,” I said. “Jennifer, stay out of this.”

  “Sorry, you’re breaking up,” I said. “I’m going to—” and then I hung up. Lillian was shaking her head. “What?” I said. “That’s the way to kill a conversation believably. Hang up on yourself while you’re talking, and nobody will ever believe it was deliberate.” “I seem to remember a few conversations with you that were terminated exactly like that.”

  “Hey, those were legitimate. You know cell phone reception is terrible in these mountains.” Lillian let that slide. Instead, she asked, “So what happened at your apartment last night?” I wished I could avoid telling her, but I didn’t see how. After I relayed the news of the wig and its accompanying warning, Lillian said, “So you’ve managed to poke the bear. Any idea who she might be?” “Not a clue, but my list just narrowed. How would you like to run the shop by yourself today?” “Let me guess. You’re going to try to find the murderer. Do you honestly think that’s wise?”

  I grabbed my purse. ““Do yen think it’s better if I wait for her to some after me?” I started for the door, then grabbed the invitation Mrs. Albright had commissioned. “Where are you going with that?”

  “It gives me a perfect excuse to butt into these people’s lives. I’m going to ask their opinions about the invitation. Then I’m going to find out if they each have a complete set of earrings. When I find the one who’s short, I’ll tell Bradford.”

  “And what happens if she discovers what you at a doing, and decides to stop you once and for all?”

  I wasn’t willing to admit that possibility. “Don’t worry. I know how to be subtle about it.”

  “I need to go with you,’ Lillian said. “She won’t try anything if there are two of us.”

  “And who’s going to run the shop while we’re running around all over Rebel Forge?” I asked.

  “The shop can circle the drain, for all I care. We’re talking about a dangerous situation here. Surely that’s worth closing for the morning. Honestly, if you walk out that door alone, I’m going to make a call. You’ll have a police escort before you can make it to the Gremlin, and no one’s going to talk to you with your brother waiting outside in his squad car.”

  “You wouldn’t,” I said.

  “Try me.”

  I thought about it for ten seconds, then finally said, “Okay, I give up. You can come, but you have to promise me you’ll let me do all the talking.”

  Lillian smiled brightly. “My dear, you won’t know I’m there.”

  “Hi, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” Donna Albright said as she extended her hand to me on the front porch of her home. “Mamma’s told me what a great job you’re doing on our invitations. We so appreciate you bumping us to the head of the line. Donna Albright was nothing like I’d expected her to be. And that was a very good thing, considering my impressions of her mother. Donna was a slightly pudgy blonde, and I wondered if it was from too many trips the dessert bar or if her condition was already starting to show. I was willing to admit that I was being pretty harsh judging her at first, but in just a few seconds she won me over with her open warmth. “This is my aunt Lillian,” I said. “She’s been helping me with your order.”

  “Then I should thank you, too, Ma’am,” Donna said.

  Lillian just smiled, so far abiding by her promise to keep her comments to herself. Goodness, I hadn’t meant she couldn’t speak, but perhaps that was a good thing.

  “Mamma’s not home right now,” Donna said. “Is there something I could do for you?”

  “I was hoping to steal a minute of your time,” I said, angling to get in the door.

  “Of course. Where are my manners? Would you like to come in? I just made a fresh pitcher of iced tea.”

  “That would be great,” I said, following her inside. I could suddenly see where Anne Albright had gotten her taste for wedding invitations. The sitting room where Donna led us was modern, full of chrome and shades of black with accents of red splashed everywhere. Unwittingly I’d designed a throwaway card that had somehow managed to meet the woman’s odd tastes and preferences.

  As Donna left us to get the tea, I told Lillian, “You could have at least said hello.”

  “Did you hear that? She called me ma’am,” Lillian said through clenched teeth.

  “She was just being respectful,” I said, defending her.

  “Of her elders,” Lillian added. It was really a good thing I’d made her promise to keep quiet. Who knew where her line of questioning might lead?

  When Donna came back with a tray holding a pitcher and three glasses, I said, “You have a lovely home,” not meaning a word of it.

  “Please, Ms. Shane, I know my mamma’s flair for the dramatic better than anybody since my daddy died. Personally, I like simple lines and earth tones myself.”

  I reached into my purse and brought the invitations out. At the last second, without really knowing why I’d included the other two I’d made. “Have you seen the one your mother picked?”

  I handed her the modern one, then said, “I had a few other choices for her, but that was her favorite.”

  Donna barely glanced at the offerings. “I assure you, whatever you two decided is fine with me.”

  “You’re certainly easy to get along with,” I said, “Don’t mistake my agreeable disposition for weakness,” she said with a sudden firmness in her voice that had been missing before. “Frankly, I don’t care what the invitations look like, what kind of food we’ll be serving, or which band plays at the reception. The only thing that matters to me is that I’m marrying Larry. We had a bit of a disagreement about the situation at first, but everything’s right on track now.”

  I took a sip of tea and found it almost too sweet for me, though I was a big fan of the sugary drink. “It’s funny, but most Southern women I know dream about their weddings from the time they’re little girls.

  “Well, I’m not most women. It’s a formal ceremony I don’t need, but Mamma is insisting, so Larry and I are going along with it.”

  “I met your prospective mother-in-law. She seems charming.”

  Donna’s face lit up. “Isn’t Melinda wonderful? She already asked me to call her Mom.”

  “How does your mother feel about that?” I asked, despite the question’s being off track from my intended line of questioning.

  Donna took a sip of her tea, smiled, then said, “As long as she’s my only ‘mamma,’ she doesn’t care.”

  Okay, enough idle curiosity. It was time to get to the real purpose for our visit. “Melinda had the most darling earrings on when she came by the shop this morning. She said she got them from you.”

  “That was another one of Mamma’s ideas. I thought it was sweet. How like Melinda to wear them in town.”

  “Have you worn yours yet?” I asked.

  ‘“He
avens, no. I hate earrings. No, I promised I’d wear them on my wedding day, but not until then, and certainly not after.” I glanced at her ears and saw that they were unadorned. She had no jewelry on whatsoever, with the exception of a modest engagement ring. “That’s lovely,” I said.

  “It’s not much, but it was exactly what I wanted, momma wanted to upgrade it, if you can imagine that. I’m not marrying Larry for his money. I love him.”

  ”About the wedding,” I said. “I’m so sorry about losing your friend.” The sun finally left Donna’s face.

  “Poor Tina. We grew up together, and I felt kind of obligated to make her my maid of honor, but things were strained between us. I’d been hoping that the wedding would make us close again.”

  Donna started to tear up as the doorbell rang. I said, “Should I get that for you?” She dabbed at the corner of one eye. “No, I’ll answer it.”

  As she left the room, I whispered, “Is there anything else I should ask her?”

  “See if she’ll show you the earrings so you’ll know b still has them both.”

  Of course. I didn’t know how I could have missed such an obvious request. “Thanks.”

  Lillian patted my hand. “Don’t worry. You’re doing fine.”

  We heard Donna’s squeals from the next room. “Larry, I’m so happy you’re here.”

  She came in a minute later, a beaming smile on her face and a young man on her arm. Larry Spencer was a tall, gangly young man with the beginnings of a scruffy beard that matched his longish chestnut hail. He looked uncomfortable in the spotlight, and I wondered about how the poor guy would fare under the scrutiny due him on his wedding day.

  “Larry, this is Jennifer and Lillian.”

  Larry offered us his hand as he said, “Do you run the card shop, by any chance?”

  “I do,” I said. “I’m pleased you’ve heard of it.”

  “Are you kidding? My mother is nuts about card making all of a sudden. She hasn’t been this happy since she took up soapmaking.”

  “She’s delightful,” I said. “Donna, we need to get back to the shop, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”

  “Anything,” she said, her gaze still on Larry.

  “I’m thinking about getting a pair of earrings like Melinda had, but I’d love a closer look. Would you mind if I took a peek at yours?”

  “Of course not. I’ll be right back.” She kissed Larry; on the cheek and added, “Don’t you go anywhere.”

  “I won’t,” he said as she left.

  “So, are you excited about the upcoming nuptials?” Lillian asked, breaking her pledge at last.

  “I guess,” Larry said.

  “It was too bad about Tina Mast, wasn’t it?” I asked, trying to make conversation with him.

  Larry looked at me as if I’d just shot him. The look of shock and raw grief hit his face in an instant. “Excuse me,” he said as he bolted for the door Donna had left through.

  “What did I say?” I whispered.

  Lillian started to reply when Donna came back into the room. “Here they are. It took me forever to find them.” She handed me a pair of earrings identical to Belinda’s and the single one I’d found at the crime scene. One edge of the cardboard they were mounted n was bent, and there was an odd crease in the top corner, but both earrings were there.

  “Where did Larry go?” Donna asked. “He didn’t leave, did he?”

  “He had to go to the restroom,” I said, guessing that was exactly where he’d headed. I handed the earrings back to her and said, “Donna, could you tell me who all is in your wedding party? I’m particularly interested in the girls involved.”

  “Now why on earth would you possibly want to know that?”

  I hadn’t expected her to ask me to justify my question, and frankly, I was stumped. Lillian spoke up, saving me. “I’m thinking about writing an article for the Rebel Forge Gazette,” she said. “I thought your wedding might make a good story.”

  Donna said, “Mamma would love it. Hang on a second.” She was gone for an instant, then came back with her purse. “Here’s everybody involved with the ceremony. Mamma is so organized, sometimes I could just scream.”

  I took the list from her and said, “Thanks so much for your time. Congratulations again on your wedding, tell Larry we wish him all the best, too.”

  “I’ll do that,” she said, looking over her shoulder, no doubt wondering what her fiancé was up to. Once we were outside, I said, “Did you see how green his gills turned when I mentioned Tina Mast’s name?”

  “Perhaps he’s just a sensitive young man,” Lillian said. “At least I might think that if I hadn’t spotted something else interesting about him. Did you see it, to?”

  I racked my brain trying to figure out what she was talking about, but I didn’t have any luck. “I give up. What was it?”

  “He was sporting an earring himself, one just like his mother wore.”

  “But Tina kept saying ‘she’ on the phone with me. If it had been Larry, surely she would have said something different.”

  “You’re probably right, but I do find it most interesting, don’t you?”

  “I don’t know what to think yet,” I admitted. “Right now I’d like to talk to the rest of the young women on this list.”

  Chapter 14

  So, should we tackle the bridesmaids, or should we go after the new maid of honor first?” Lillian asked. I noticed that the bridesmaids were sisters living at the same address. “Let’s take care of these two first, maybe if we get lucky, they’ll both be there.” As I drove to the address, Lillian said, “I can’t help wondering if these two young ladies happen to be twins.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “‘Camellia’ and ‘Pamela’ are a dead giveaway, don’t you think?”

  I risked glancing over at Lillian to see if she might joking, but she was absolutely serious. She must have been able to sense my concern, but she left me hanging in the wind. She said, “Tell you what, why don’t we bet on it? The loser has to buy lunch. You say they aren’t twins, and I say they are.” I suddenly got suspicious. “Hey, you haven’t met them before, have you?” Rebel Forge wasn’t huge, but it was no small town, either. The place, especially the outskirts of the downtown area, was large enough that I didn’t automatically know everyone, though it was a rare place I could visit without running into at least one person I knew. “I assure you, I’m going strictly by their names.”

  “Okay, then, it’s a bet.” I began to wonder if my aunt was just trying to buy my lunch and allow me to keep my self-respect when we pulled up to the house. I rang the bell, holding the wedding invitation in my hand as a way of introducing myself. A pretty young redhead barely out of her teens answered the door wearing a floral-print sundress and a pair of sandals that matched. “You must be Jennifer,” the girl said. “Donna just called and said you might be coming. Come on in. My sister’s getting ready for work, but we can spare you a few minutes.”

  Lillian and I followed her inside as she said, “By the way, I’m Pam.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Pam,” I said, scanning what I could see of the house for her sister.

  “Now what is it you’d like to know?”

  Lillian jumped right in. “As Donna told you, I’m I thinking about doing a story for the newspaper. When I write, I like to focus on one particular item to use so my readers can relate to the mood I’m trying to convey.”

  “You mean like a metaphor?”

  “Certainly,” Lillian said, obviously glad for any excuse that made her story a little less flimsy.

  “So what are you focusing on?”

  “I found it fascinating that each of the women in the wedding received pierced earrings,” Lillian said. “May I see yours?”

  “If you’ve seen one pair, you’ve seen them all.” They’re identical.”

  Lillian didn’t accept that for an answer. “That’s part of the reason I’d like to see them, to examine them closely enou
gh to see if they differ in any way.” Pam said skeptically, “You writers sure are something else. Hang on a second.”

  “Could you ask your sister to bring her earrings too?” I said before she could disappear.

  “Sure, I’d be glad to.” Pam was gone a few minutes then returned without her sibling, but with two identical sets of earrings. “She’s still not dressed yet, but she told me it was okay if you wanted to look at hers, too.”

  There were four earrings in the collection, and I knew we’d hit another dead end. “And everyone in the wedding party got the same earrings?” I asked. “Absolutely. Well, everyone except Tina. She didn’t have pierced ears. Can you believe it?”

  “So she didn’t get any at all?” Pam frowned. “No, she got some, but they were slip-ons. That poor thing.”

  “Were you two close?” I asked.

  “Back in school we were, but she went off to college, and my sister and I stayed in town. It doesn’t take long to drift apart.”

  “Do you have any idea who would want to kill her?” asked.

  “The sheriff asked me the exact same thing the other day. Tina was a fun girl, you know what I mean? The only thing that might have gotten her into trouble was poaching another girl’s boyfriend. She loved a challenge, least she did in high school. Who knows, though? Maybe she changed. Goodness knows, enough of our friends did when they went off to college.” Another girl joined us, identical to the one sitting with us. “It’s about time,” Pam told her sister. “We’re going to be late.”

  “You can’t hurry perfection,” the girl said. “No, but you’re not it,” Pam said. She turned to us and added, “Sorry to rush off like this, but we’ve got to get to work.”

  “We understand completely,” I said as I stood. “It is nice meeting you, Pam.” I turned to the other sister and said, “And you, too, Camellia.”

  “Oh, please, everybody calls me Cam,” she said, “Sorry I couldn’t help, but Pam knows almost everything I do.”

  “More, I’d say,” her sister protested as they got into a compact car and drove away.