Lisa looked around with a frozen smile on her face and sidled toward the food. Carly came with her.
“This is not what I expected,” Lisa whispered to Carly as she loaded a scoop of sour cream and onion dip on her plate. “I was thinking more like chill on the couch watching mindless TV and eating chips with my best friend.”
Carly waved her hand at the bowl of chips next to the dip. “We’ve got chips. And TV and friends,” she said. Her smile wavered. “I’m sorry. Was this the wrong thing to do? I just wanted to make you feel better. You’ve seemed so stressed out lately.”
Lisa set her plate down and put an arm around her friend. “No, it’s great. Thank you.”
Carly grinned at her. “Ok, good. Now go mingle!” Carly slipped away to do more hostess duties, leaving Lisa to engage with her party.
She could feel Lou and Olivia’s eyes on her from their dark corner. They were sitting on a sofa — no, a love seat. She cringed at the thought of the two of them picking a love seat of all things, and turned the other way.
One of the guys from the plumbing supply was talking to Gideon near the back door. She wandered over to say hello, and suddenly realized the man she’d assumed was middle aged was actually one of their high school classmates. She gave them a thin smile and a quick hello.
“Hey, Lisa. Boy, did Jake hate to hear what you’ve been saying about him,” the man, whose classmate status she remembered but whose name escaped her, said. “I’ll bet he sues!”
He dissolved into the kind of laughter that suggested he’d already been into the beer cooler a few times since the party began. She smiled and nodded, and moved in the other direction.
Brett stood next to Penny, looking like he felt out of place at the party. He was one of the few that hadn’t grown up in Moss Creek, and didn’t have the built-in advantage of at least recognizing everyone. Then she saw his salesman nature kick in, and he started talking to the couple next to him, easily producing a pair of pristine business cards out of a suit pocket and handing them out.
Lisa chuckled to herself at this display of dedication to his profession. Still, she could understand having a passion for houses. Every time she looked at the Folly, she was filled with emotion. Sometimes those emotions were difficult and complicated, but it never failed to rouse something deep inside.
Penny walked over to her daughter and gave her a social hug. “Lisa, darling, I know it’s a surprise party, but if I’d known what you would be wearing I would have given you a warning call.”
“Thanks, Mom. You look lovely tonight.”
Penny smiled at the compliment, then frowned at the couple in the corner made up of her sister and her ex. “It’s important to put your best face forward. Do you have an appropriate outfit for tomorrow night?”
“For my dinner with Brett? Of course I do, Mom. I’m only dressed like this because I thought it would be just me and Carly hanging out watching TV. I wanted to be comfy.”
“I’ve always found that comfort is overrated.” Penny sniffed. “Unlike some people.” She turned and walked away just as Lisa felt a tap on her shoulder.
She turned around to find herself enveloped in a big hug, with fringed batik sleeves flapping around her. She stiffened and pulled away from her aunt. Lou stood behind Olivia, looking worried.
“I can’t believe you two are here together,” Lisa whispered.
“No more secrets,” Olivia said. “We want everything to be out in the open.”
Lisa frowned. She didn’t know which was more annoying, her mother’s insistence on appearances or her aunt’s insistence on openness. They were both bad. She turned to her father.
“And you. Were you hoping you could spring this on me in public? Disappointed that my aunt ruined the surprise?”
His face settled into stern lines, the kind she’d seldom seen at home as a child but that were legendary in the band rehearsal room at Moss Creek High. “That’s enough, Lisa.”
A former classmate came up to them. “Hey, Mr. Chance, how’s it going?”
“Nice to see you,” Lou said, shaking hands.
The classmate grinned. “Left foot first!” he said, heading for the beer cooler.
“Band kids,” Lou said.
“I’ll leave you to catch up with your other admirers,” Lisa said.
“Honey—”
“Hey, everybody!” Carly yelled.
Gideon flashed the lights off and on again a couple of times until the room grew silent.
“We’ve got a special surprise!” Carly continued. “We have a bona fide TV star in the room with us tonight!”
Lisa’s stomach clenched.
“I have it on good authority that during tonight’s episode of CSI: Boston, CBS played a commercial — a national commercial, meaning everyone got to see it, coast to coast — starring our own Lisa Chance!”
“Oh, no,” Lisa whispered. “Please, no.”
“We recorded that episode, so gather round the TV and let’s watch her in action!”
Gideon dimmed the lights and turned on the TV. The TV screen, paused on the CSI: Boston logo, took the focus of everyone in the room.
*
Lisa put her hands over her face. This couldn’t be happening. Gideon hit Play.
The CSI: Boston logo faded and Lisa’s face appeared on the screen. People in the room cheered, then shushed each other as she started to speak.
“I used to be ashamed of my Type Two Herpes,” on-screen Lisa said as the camera slowly pulled back from her face to show her walking on the beach.
“But then I discovered Zephymyx. Zephymyx lets me live my life.” The camera pulled back further, to show on-screen Lisa holding hands with a handsome actor. Smiling and laughing, they ran together into the crashing surf.
A voiceover came on and listed precautions and side effects of the drug as Lisa and the actor splashed in the waves.
Finally, front and center on the screen, a close-up on Lisa’s face. “Don’t let Type Two Herpes hold you back. Talk to your doctor about Zephymyx today.”
Lisa’s commercial ended and an ad for a fast-food restaurant came on. Someone turned off the TV, then turned on the lights.
Lisa felt everyone in the room turn to look at her. A couple of people clapped, and several more joined in for a half-hearted chorus of applause. She felt her face go bright red.
The clapping died away and Lisa wished the floor would open up beneath her. A national commercial was a big deal for a struggling actor, as it came with a hefty paycheck and the possibility of more in the future if the ad was played enough. Right now, she hoped the company would never show the ad again.
“Hey, turn the music back on,” someone called across the room. The stereo turned on and the uncomfortable silence fell away into the ordinary conversations of a party.
Carly walked over and hugged her. “You looked really good on screen,” she said.
Lisa groaned. “Is the herpes girl better or worse than the murder girl? Reputationally speaking, I mean.”
“I don’t know. Sorry, hon.” Carly gave her another squeeze before heading for the kitchen.
One of her former high school classmates came over and looked her up and down. He raised his beer in a salute. “You were very convincing,” he said.
Brett came up beside her and led her away, stepping out the back door for some fresh air.
“Don’t let them get you down,” he said.
“Thanks.”
They gazed out at the horizon, where stars were beginning to freckle the sky.
“You know, it’s funny, it’s not like I didn’t know it was a national commercial, or what that meant. I just, I don’t know, I guess I figured it would play late at night, on channels nobody I knew watched.”
“You didn’t expect a viewing party for it?”
“You could say that.”
“So, that was the work that paid you the money you used for the deal?”
She nodded. “That’s the worst part about it. If
I owned the Folly, I guess I would feel different about everybody seeing my commercial. Like, yes, that’s what I did to get here. Or something. I don’t know.”
“It’s a beautiful property.”
She sighed. “Yeah.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about how that went down.”
“Yeah.”
Her phone rang in her pocket. “Uh, let me just check this in case it’s business stuff,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I was just going to try some of that seven-layer dip, so I’ll be in there.”
She nodded as he went back inside. She pulled out her phone. It was Dr. Morris. Before she could answer the call, it went to voicemail.
The sliding glass door opened and Carly poked her head out. “Hey, lady, hiding from your own party?”
“No, no, just getting some air,” Lisa said, waving her phone and then slipping it back into her pocket. “I hear good things about the seven-layer dip.”
Carly grinned. “I tried a new recipe. You’ll never guess what layer three is.”
They went in together, and Lisa browsed through the hors d’oeuvres, loading up a plate with bits and bites of everything.
“I looked into Jake Peterman,” Lisa said.
“Gideon mentioned that,” Carly said before stuffing a mini quiche into her mouth.
“He’s got an alibi. Everyone’s got an alibi except me.”
Carly shook her head. “Can’t be everyone. Unless you think it was a suicide.”
“Nah, he didn’t seem the type.”
“And didn’t you say the wife looked guilty?”
“She’s got an airtight alibi for that night.”
“Oh.” Carly chomped on a carrot stick and thought. “Maybe you actually did do it and you don’t remember.”
Lisa elbowed her. “Enough of that, goofy.”
“Well, you do have a criminal record. Better call your lawyer.”
Lisa stopped and stared at her. “What did you say?”
“Better call your lawyer? Ha-ha? It’s just a joke.”
“No, I had forgotten. The lawyer. Roland’s lawyer. Jim Johnson. He was super shady when I tried to talk to him about the paperwork, and when I called the Lucky Horseshoe they made it sound like he’s skipped town.” She turned to Carly with excitement. “What if he knew about the scam, killed Roland for my money, and then disappeared with it?”
Carly looked impressed. “Whoa, go, Sherlock.”
“This means if we can find him, maybe we can find my money, too.”
“Ooh, this is exciting! You should call Toby.”
“Ugh, they took him off the case. Besides, I already called him to try to get him to put out an APB on the lawyer’s car.”
“An APB?”
“Yeah. Like, be on the lookout. You know, like they do on CSI: Boston?”
“Oh, I don’t really watch that show, except for tonight.”
Lisa cringed inside at the memory of the whole party watching her commercial.
Gideon came up and put his arms around Carly from behind. “How are the two loveliest ladies at the party doing?”
“Hey, honey, we’re doing great. Lisa might have just solved the case!”
“That’s wonderful. Honey, are we out of beer? The cooler has like one can of Coors Light left in it.”
“Did you check the fridge in the garage?” She waved a finger at Lisa as they went to deal with the beer situation.
Chapter 25
Lisa ate a few bites and listened to the music. It was amazing how, at most parties, you could pinpoint what year the host or hostess graduated high school from the music selection. She knew the songs were over a decade old, but they still sounded fresh to her and most of the guests, who had been teens when the songs topped the charts.
Across the room, Olivia had her phone to her ear, and her face grew more and more agitated as she listened, tried to talk, then listened some more. When she finally hung up, she made a beeline for Lisa.
“Not again,” Lisa muttered. “Please, this is not the time or the place, Aunt Olivia.”
“This is about the business,” Olivia said, taking Lisa’s arm and pulling her toward the back door. “We need to talk.”
Lisa allowed herself to be led outside, then pulled away and crossed her arms. “Well?”
“What were you doing today?” Olivia said, sounding angry.
“Besides dealing with the fact that my dad and my aunt are running around together?”
“Did you go and accuse Jake Peterman of murder?”
Lisa shifted her weight. “Uh… not exactly. I might have asked a few questions about where he was that night, but…” She shrugged.
“And you thought that was a good idea? You didn’t think that would come back to bite you?”
“What are you talking about? It’s not like I went up to him in the middle of the street and yelled ‘J’accuse!’ at him or something.”
“You might as well have,” Olivia hissed. “I just got off the phone with him and three other clients. They all called to cancel their mobile coffee service because of the insult to Jake Peterman!”
“What? That’s insane. Why would anyone turn down great coffee because I asked about Jake Peterman’s alibi?”
“Really? You think you can ask people for an alibi, when you are not the police, and expect them to be ok with it? People aren’t even ok with it when the person asking is the police, but at least they know it’s their job.”
“I don’t understand why he’s so bent out of shape. He has an alibi for that night. He’s cleared of suspicion. Shouldn’t he be glad?”
Olivia shook her head at Lisa. “Innocent people don’t feel glad to be cleared of suspicion, they feel insulted to have been suspected in the first place. Which you ought to know. Or aren’t you an innocent person?”
Lisa’s mouth dropped open. “That is a low blow. You know I didn’t kill anyone.”
“How should I know that? You seemed to think I might have.”
“You were acting so shady! How was I supposed to know your big secret was just a regular kind of juicy scandal?”
“First of all, it’s not a scandal for two adults to see each other. Second, everyone has secrets. That doesn’t mean they’re guilty of anything, they’d just rather keep the private stuff private.”
Lisa thought of how she felt as everyone stared at her after watching the commercial. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
“I wish you would have thought of that before. With these cancellations, we’re in trouble.”
“How much trouble?”
“Two of them were particularly large, profitable orders.”
“How much trouble?” Lisa repeated.
“I don’t know for certain, but we might be dipping below the breakeven point.”
“Oh, no.”
“Those large orders have a better margin than the small ones, when you factor in the time and cost of delivery. We don’t have a lot of wiggle room before we start losing money on this venture.”
Olivia’s phone rang, and they both stared at it a moment before Olivia picked up.
“Hello? Yes, it is. I— And you— We’re really— I understand. Goodbye.” She looked at Lisa and shook her head.
“What is it?” Lisa said.
“Another cancellation.”
“Because of Peterman?”
Olivia nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
Lou opened the sliding glass door and came outside to join them. “Is everything ok?”
Lisa went to her dad and opened her arms. He gathered her in for a long, warm hug. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I messed up our business,” she said into his chest. “Every chance I get, I seem to mess it up.”
“Hey, don’t talk like that. You’ve had a run of bad luck, sure, but that can happen to anyone.”
“No, it’s me. I’m a jinx.” A tear seeped from her eye and soaked into the fabric of his sh
irt.
“Nonsense. Whatever’s wrong, you can fix it. Unless you killed someone. You can’t really fix that.”
She laughed and sniffled. “At least I’ve got that going for me. But Dad, I was trying to investigate the murder to clear my name, and now our clients are cancelling their orders.”
He gave her a squeeze and let her go. “What do those two things have to do with each other?”
“Jake Peterman was one of my suspects. When he heard I was asking about him, I guess he didn’t like it.”
“Ah, I see. Jake always was thin-skinned. In school, he blew the final shot of the big game when an opposing player razzed him about something. Some people never change.”
“But what am I going to do?”
“You’ll find new clients. Or Jake will get over himself and come back. Or maybe you’ll get your building and create the café of your dreams.”
“That would be pretty great.” Lisa brightened. “I might have a lead on getting my money back, which would go a long way toward getting the café open.”
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart. Want to tell me about it?”
“No, I want to make sure it pans out first.”
“Ok.” He paused and looked her in the eye. “Are we ok, you and me?”
Lisa sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I never thought of you and Mom as a couple that could split up. You were a unit. Indivisible.”
“No couple is proof against the possibility of splitting up. Sometimes people’s lives just move in different directions.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I know. I’m sorry for that.”
“And I still think you and Mom make more sense than you and Aunt Olivia.”
“Agree to disagree?”
“Fine,” she grumbled.
Lisa’s phone beeped with a message alert.
“We can talk about the cancellations in the morning,” Olivia said. She and Lou went inside.
Lisa hit the button on her phone to listen to the message.
“This is, uh, Dr. Morris. Um, call me back, or come by the office. During regular hours,” he yawned before continuing. “Sorry. I had a late surgery arrival tonight or I’d be at your surprise party. So, uh, call me or come by or whatever. Ok, bye.”
Lisa looked at her phone. Another mysterious message from the handsome veterinarian. Couldn’t he just spit it out and leave the info on a voicemail like a normal person? She shook her head. She could talk to him in the morning when she made her coffee deliveries. Worry crept into her mind. What if something had gone wrong with the mama cat? She hoped it wasn’t that. He’d said the treatment went well and she would need some time to recover, but it had sounded like recovery was definitely in the cards. Maybe she was recovering faster than expected and was ready to come home. Would she be ok to live in a house instead of roaming wild and feral? Lisa hoped she would. She made a mental note to bring the cat carrier with her in the morning when she made her rounds.
Last Chance for Murder (Lisa Chance Cozy Mysteries Book 1) Page 14