Drape Expectations

by Karen Rose Smith

  Soon she pulled into a small parking lot at the rental company, where she chose furniture for her stagings. Minimalist Illusion was a tricky theme, though she thought she knew exactly what she wanted to do. Concentrating on staging that house would put Ace’s problem in the background for now. She’d let what she’d learned simmer until she knew exactly how to handle it.

  A half hour later, Caprice walked up and down the aisles, a list on her electronic tablet of what she needed to rent. Ralph’s Help Yourself Rental was just that. She could pick out what she wanted and have it delivered the same day. Customers here could find everything from giant coffeemakers to ranges, tables to sofas, TVs to computers. As usual, Caprice searched for the unusual, the pieces that would claim her theme, something expensive that could be rented for a pittance. Ralph was a great help because he let her into the back warehouse, where new items had come in and old ones were being shifted to another store. He had another warehouse in Philadelphia and one in Baltimore. Caprice sometimes spent hours going through his inventory online. But she much preferred to choose it in person. Right now, choosing furniture for her staging could keep her mind off Ace, Len, and Alanna.

  The house she’d be staging had been designed with glass on three floors. The sun shone in most of the day. She wanted to use that brightness to her advantage. Blinds were enclosed in the windows and an electric mechanism opened and shut them. She found an octagonal black enamel bookcase, a Lucite desk, and white enamel lamps that could seem suspended in midair on glass tables. She added all to her list. Because of Alanna’s open house, Caprice was behind on designing and planning, and she was determined to get caught up.

  She was filling out paperwork when her phone played its Beatles song. She plucked it from her pocket. Just what would she say if this was Ace calling? Why would he be calling? She was getting paranoid.

  Glancing at the screen, she smiled. It was Grant.

  “Hi,” she said, maybe a little too breathlessly.

  “Hi, yourself. Remember that self-defense course you promised me you’d take?”

  “I remember. I’ve been watching for one, really I have.”

  “I have, too,” Grant assured her. “I had a discussion with a client this morning, one of those should-a-woman-carry-a-gun discussions.”

  “And what did you and your client decide?”

  “That’s not important. What is important is that she told me she signed up for a class at Green Tea Spa that starts next week. Her tae kwon do instructor’s giving it. I thought you’d want to know.”

  “Is it once a week?”

  “She said it’s a condensed course. There will be three two-hour sessions next week—Monday, Tuesday and Friday. I know you’re busy, but this is really something you need to do.”

  Yes, it was something she needed to do. But there was a lot to think about. She and Lady were still bonding, and she didn’t want to leave her alone too often.

  As if he read her thoughts, he said, “If you’re worried about Lady, I told you I’d pupsit. She and Patches have a good time together.”

  “That would tie you down.”

  “Only for a couple hours at a time. I’m okay with it, Caprice. Think about it seriously. The instructor has credentials. She’s given the course before. And Green Tea’s in Kismet. You don’t even have to travel to York or Harrisburg to take advantage of the class.”

  “You’re right. It’s something I should fit into my schedule.”

  “Just call the main receptionist at Green Tea, and she’ll give you the information. Oh, and by the way, my schedule is clear for Sunday. Do you still want me to come along for your family dinner?”

  Caprice’s heart fluttered a little. “Of course, I do.”

  “What time should I be there?”

  “How does five sound?”

  “It sounds good. Is there anything I can bring?”

  Grant had attended family dinners before, but she couldn’t ever remember him offering to bring something. Maybe because Vince always asked him at the last minute?

  “I know you usually have the food covered,” he went on. “What about if I pick up a basket of fresh fruit.”

  “That sounds good. I’m going to go over early and cook up my version of chicken cacciatore. So if you want to come before five, that’s okay, too.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Grant said, and he sounded as if he really was.

  Were they turning some kind of corner on their friendship?

  When she arrived back home, Caprice was still smiling.

  Lady barked when Caprice removed the pet gate and greeted her. Even Sophia ambled to the kitchen as if she were glad to see her.

  “My two best buddies. How about a snack before I let Lady out?”

  “Snack” was a word that both Lady and Sophia recognized. Lady barked and Sophia hopped up onto a chair at the table.

  Caprice laughed, glad she had these two animal friends in her life. She couldn’t imagine a house without them.

  The following morning, Caprice worked in her office. She e-mailed new clients, scheduled Skype consultations, and examined the layout for the Minimalist Illusion house and the furniture that she’d rent. As Sophia dozed on top of the printer and Lady lounged at her feet, Caprice’s cell phone beeped.

  She picked up her phone and saw the text from Roz, Are you too busy for lunch? Can I bring takeout around noon? Thai?

  Caprice smiled and texted back, Sounds good. Anytime. She and Roz talked as often as they could, but face-to-face get-togethers were sometimes rare. She knew she’d be seeing her Sunday. After all, she and Vince were dating. She was sure her brother would be bringing her to Easter dinner. But it would be nice to catch up before that.

  A half hour later, Caprice was feeding Lady and Sophia their lunch when the doorbell rang. Caprice answered it and hugged her high-school friend. “I was glad you texted. We need some girl chat.”

  Roz, always model-perfect in hair, makeup, and clothes, wrinkled her nose. “You just want to know what’s going on with me and Vince. I know your bottom line.”

  Caprice laughed. “You got me.”

  Dylan danced at Roz’s feet, and Caprice stooped down to talk to the little dog, whom she’d once rescued as a stray. He was part Shih Tzu, part Pomeranian, and all exuberant energy. When Roz had stayed with her after her husband’s murder, her friend had fallen in love with Dylan and now they were a pair. When the little dog yipped, Lady came running from the kitchen, Sophia not far behind. Dylan and Lady touched noses as they usually did; then they rounded each other. Lady was already much bigger than Dylan, but she seemed unaware of that as they bobbed against each other and then trotted into the living room.

  “We’d better eat in the kitchen,” Caprice said. “With all these little paws around, someone might get the idea they want to try our Thai. It will be easier to guard it if it’s on the table.”

  A short time later, Sophia lounged on the chair beside Caprice, every once in a while lifting her nose to take a whiff at what was on the table. Dylan and Lady sat between Roz’s and Caprice’s chairs, hopeful they’d drop something, or have a bite left over.

  But Caprice said to them now, “Too spicy, kiddos. I’ll give you each one of your cookie treats when we’re done.” Perky Paws had the best peanut butter cookie treats, and both dogs loved them.

  Sophia meowed and Roz just raised her brows.

  Caprice told the feline, “Fine, an extra dollop of cream for you.”

  Roz shook her head. “Vince says we treat them like kids, and he’s right.”

  “He protests a little, but I bet you one day he’ll have a dog or a cat, or maybe the two of you will,” Caprice slipped in slyly. “How’s it going?”

  A slight blush colored Roz’s face. “It’s going. We sure do have fun together.”

  “Dating prerequisite number one.”

  “And what’s number two?” Roz asked warily.

  “That you both have the same idea where you’re going.”


  “That’s the tough one, because we don’t know. It’s only been a year since Ted died. Not even.”

  That anniversary was coming up for Roz, and Caprice knew it would be a difficult one. She stayed quiet and listened.

  “I don’t know if I feel guilty because I’m moving on with Vince, or because I made such a mess of my first marriage and don’t know if I ever want to try that again.”

  “Does Vince know where you’re coming from?”

  “He does, but he’s never been married. I don’t know if someone who hasn’t been married can understand all the implications of it.”

  Caprice thought about her and Grant. He’d been married. She hadn’t. Then she considered Seth. He hadn’t been married, but he was married to his work.

  They were digging more deeply into their Thai food when Caprice’s cell phone played.

  “I’d better check this,” she said to Roz. “Juan is at the house we’re going to be staging and he might have run into a problem.”

  But when she glanced at the screen, she saw Ace’s face. Uh oh, just what was she going to say to him? She swiped the screen and put the phone to her ear. “Hi, Ace. What’s up?”

  “Caprice . . .” Ace’s voice sounded strained and very strange. “I’m at Alanna’s house,” he continued, sounding as if there was something wrong with that.

  She was sure he’d been at Alanna’s house a lot lately. “Does Alanna need something?”

  “No, she—” There was silence ... absolute silence.

  “Ace? What’s going on?”

  “Alanna’s here, Caprice, but the thing is—she’s not breathing. Her eyes are wide open. She has no pulse. I think she was strangled!”

  Chapter Five

  “Ace? Are you there?” Caprice was afraid Ace had passed out, shut down, blanked out.

  “I’m here,” he said in such a low voice she could hardly hear him. “I called 9-1-1. But I can’t remember what the operator told me to do. I hung up. I probably shouldn’t have. . . .”

  He was in shock. She knew how finding a body had rocked her world, and if he really loved Alanna . . .

  “Ace, listen to me. Back away from the body and step out of the room, but stay put until the officers or detectives arrive. Do you understand?”

  “I don’t want to leave her.”

  “Ace, you have to. That’s not Alanna anymore. I’ll call Grant and we’ll stay outside the perimeter and wait for you. If you feel the police are asking questions other than what you saw and heard when you came in and found Alanna, say you want a lawyer. Just call me back and I’ll be there with Grant or somebody to help you. Do you understand?”

  “I should call you if they ask questions other than what I saw and what I heard?” he repeated.

  “If you feel the police think you’re a suspect, call me. I’ll be outside.”

  She heard a long, in-drawn breath. “Okay.”

  As Ace ended the call, Caprice hoped he could hold together. She hoped Detective Jones wasn’t the detective who would appear to take his statement. Detective Jones could be confrontational. Knowing Ace, Caprice realized, he’d be confrontational right back.

  “What happened?” Roz asked, knowing something was amiss from Caprice’s side of the conversation.

  Caprice quickly told her, then pushed her chair back. “I have to call Grant.”

  Roz said, “Vince is tied up in court. I hope you can reach Grant.”

  When Grant picked up, she said, “I need you.”

  Before he could misinterpret those words, she went on to explain Ace’s predicament.

  With his cool, professional, usual composure in circumstances like this, he assured her, “You gave him the right advice. Are you on your way?”

  “I’ll stay here with the animals,” Roz said. “I have my laptop in my car. I can go over purchase orders. You go.”

  “Thank you,” Caprice said gratefully; then she answered Grant, “I’m leaving now. I’ll meet you at Alanna’s place in fifteen minutes or less.”

  Almost fifteen minutes later to the minute, Caprice parked at the edge of the property line leading to Alanna’s mansion. Patrol cars zigzagged across the boundary of the property. An ambulance held a prominent position, too, but Caprice was afraid it wasn’t necessary. She was sure the coroner was on the way, as well as the county forensics unit.

  Before she could open her car door, Grant pulled up right behind her and hurried to her car.

  She rolled down the window.

  “Stay in your car,” he said. “I’ll get in with you. It could be for a while and the wind is picking up again.”

  She didn’t think Grant had ever been in her car before. After he opened the passenger door and slid in, he adjusted the seat to accommodate his long legs. His head practically touched the ceiling.

  Their eyes met and that unusual awareness that occurred when they were this close in a confined space unsettled her. Yes, they could have a long wait.

  Together.

  One of the officers standing guard came over to the Camaro.

  Before he could tell them they couldn’t be here, Grant said, “I’m Ace Richland’s attorney. If he asks for me, please tell whoever is on this case that I’m here.”

  Caprice couldn’t see the officer from her side of the car, but she heard him say, “Stay in the car.”

  “Got it,” Grant answered, cooperating.

  Again, a heart-thumping awareness overtook the two of them. As always, when she felt disconcerted, she made conversation. “What did you do with Patches?” Since Grant had adopted the pup, he’d been mostly working from his home, taking Patches to his office in the building with Vince now and then.

  “Don’t worry. My neighbor’s taking care of him. What about you?”

  “Roz was having lunch with me. She’s going to stay awhile. . . .”

  “Did you call Vince before you called me?” Grant asked. There seemed to be an underlying message there. They had both done legal work for Ace.

  “No.” For some reason, she added, “Roz told me he’d be in court all day.”

  “She’s right,” Grant confirmed. “They probably know each other’s whereabouts most of the time now.”

  Making conversation, Caprice said, “Vince has been less obsessive about work since he’s been dating her. He tries to leave the office at a decent time so they can have dinner together.”

  “That’s what finding the right woman will do. Work just doesn’t mean quite as much.”

  She blinked. Grant’s work had seen him through a difficult time. Did Grant feel work didn’t mean as much as it once did for him, too?

  “Vince needs to have a life as well as his work,” she agreed. Then she added, “You do, too.”

  With one of his shrugs, he confessed, “Patches has saved me from eighty-hour weeks. When I worked in Pittsburgh in corporate law, there were sometimes hundred-hour weeks. That’s one of the reasons—” He stopped abruptly.

  “One of the reasons what?”

  Looking out the window toward Alanna’s house, he was silent for a while, and she thought he was going to ignore her question. But then in a gruff voice, he answered, “Work was one of the reasons I wasn’t paying enough attention when Sally died. I hadn’t taken parenting classes. I hadn’t had enough experience. I didn’t realize a dad has to be there as much as a mom, for all the everyday things as well as the birthday parties. My ignorance cost us our child.”

  She turned toward him. “Oh, Grant, you can’t blame yourself.”

  After a moment, he responded, “I don’t blame just myself. Naomi and I were both to blame. But if I’d have been awake at the wheel, I could have prevented it.”

  She doubted that. Sometimes tragedy couldn’t be prevented, no matter how much you wanted to think otherwise.

  This was the first time Grant had ever talked about what happened to his little girl. This was not where Caprice would have expected him to do it. But she wasn’t going to stop him if he was willing to share.
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  It seemed, though, that this little bit had been quite enough of sharing because he turned away toward the house again and his mouth grew tight. She knew from the straightness of his shoulders and his erect posture that he didn’t want to say more.

  A little sharing was better than none.

  Two officers were running crime scene tape around the property—up the driveway and across the front lawn. Although she couldn’t see them, they’d most likely wrap it around the side veranda and across the backyard, too. Crime scene techs from the York County Forensics Unit would let no square inch of the grid they devised go unturned.

  A half hour passed and no one came to the car again, though Caprice had seen Detective Brett Carstead arrive and go inside. Roz had texted Caprice, telling her that Lady and Sophia were fine. Grant received a similar text from his neighbor.

  “So Donna’s home from school this week for spring break?”

  Grant’s neighbor was a secretary in the Kismet public-school district. The week before Easter was considered spring break.

  “Donna’s not taking care of Patches. Simon is. He’s really good with him.”

  Caprice had met Donna when Grant’s neighbor had given a home to two stray kittens, who had ended up in Caprice’s care. Grant had recommended her and her little girl; and after a visit with Caprice, Caprice had okayed the adoption. But since then, she’d wondered exactly how close Grant and his pretty, divorced neighbor were. Simon Treadwell, his neighbor on the other side, was retired and liked dogs, too.

  “Ace just came out,” Grant suddenly told her, opening the car door.

  They both climbed out.

  Ace made a beeline straight for Caprice’s yellow Camaro.

  Running his hand through his already-disheveled hair, he explained, “They want me to go to the police station. The detectives are going to question me further there. I thought I should have a lawyer with me.”