* * *
Missy felt strange working on the Gala, now that Allivia’s death had overshadowed the project, but the funds that it would generate for the Children’s Home were too important to shelve the event, and the simple fact of the matter was that too many things had already been set in motion to stop it from happening now. Deposits had been paid, venue selected and merchandise ordered. Like it or not, the show would go on, even in the face of murder. So, awkward or not, she was headed to Muffy Benton’s gracious home to discuss her progress on the donor lists.
Missy checked the clock on her dashboard when she pulled into Muffy’s circular drive. Perfect, it was nine o’clock, on the dot. Grabbing her notebook for the meeting, she hurried to Muffy’s door, hoping that the new chairman of the committee didn’t mind that she had brought some crackers and water with her to get her through the morning. Desperately wishing that she could have a cup of fresh, hot coffee, Missy rang the bell.
After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, she glanced at her watch and rang again. A few seconds later, she heard footsteps clattering across the marble tile in the foyer. Muffy opened the door, wearing an expensive velour bathrobe, her hair mussed, with an overly-bright smile on her face.
“Missy, what a lovely surprise,” she said shrilly, color rising in her cheeks.
“A surprise? I hope I haven’t gotten the date wrong, but we were supposed to meet this morning to talk about the donor lists, weren’t we? Oh gosh,” Missy began to panic, hoping that pregnancy hormones hadn’t fogged her brain and caused her to mark the wrong date in her calendar.
“Was that today?” Muffy’s eyes went wide. “Wow, I’m sorry, I’ve been really busy lately and it must’ve slipped my mind. Umm…I hate to ask, but, can we do this later today?”
“Oh, uh, yes, of course,” she agreed, perplexed. “What time will work for you?”
Muffy glanced behind her quickly, then pasted a smile on her face again. “Why don’t I just call you when I get my bearings?” she suggested.
“Oh, okay, sure,” Missy nodded. “I’ll talk to you later then,” she smiled and headed back to the car.
“Great, we’ll talk soon,” Muffy replied, closing the door before Missy even climbed back into her car.
“Well, at least it wasn’t me who was absent-minded this time,” she chuckled to herself and pulled out of the drive.
She had gotten several blocks away when realization hit.
“Oh, if I leave my list with Muffy, we may not even have to meet today,” she murmured aloud, making a left turn to head back toward Muffy’s house. “That’ll be great. Now I won’t have to bug her and I won’t have to find a babysitter.”
Pleased with her problem-solving skills, she rounded the corner onto Muffy’s street and saw an unfamiliar car backing out of Muffy’s garage. The luxury car turned in her direction, and when it passed by her, she was astonished to see who was driving.
“Chester Dunham?” she whispered, waving at him.
He turned his face away and sped by without acknowledging her.
“Oh my,” Missy murmured, chewing her lower lip while she thought. “I’m not going to stop by Muffy’s after all,” she blew out a breath, coming to a decision. Driving past the mini-mansion, she headed directly for the police station.
**
Muffy Benton was as nervous as a mouse in a roomful of cats when she took a seat across the desk from Chas in his office at the police station.
“It’s so nice to see you again, Detective Beckett,” she spoke quickly. “I must say, I was really surprised to hear from you, I mean, I talk to your amazing wife all the time. She’s so fun to work with and so understanding,” Muffy rambled, seeming unable to stop the flow of words falling from her mouth.
“I’ll get straight to the point, if you don’t mind,” Chas broke in, not waiting for her to take a breath.
“Oh,” she seemed startled, clutching her designer purse in her lap. “Okay, yes, of course. What can I do for you?”
“Are you having an affair with Chester Dunham?” he asked boldly, going for shock value. It worked. Muffy gasped.
“Detective! I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Muffy dropped her gaze to the desk top, her face flushing an alarming shade of red.
“I’m not here to judge you, Mrs. Benton. I have a witness who saw Mr. Dunham leaving your home quite early this morning,” Chas stared her down.
“I…Oh my goodness,” she refused to look up.
“Mrs. Benton, are you having an affair with Chester Dunham?” the detective asked again.
Muffy took a shuddering breath, then looked up with a touch of defiance. “What difference does it make? We’re consenting adults, it’s not like it’s illegal,” she clenched her teeth, trying her best to sound tough.
“Actually, it’s a second-degree misdemeanor, but that’s beside the point.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” she faltered, blushing again. “But, why do you care? You’re not seriously going to arrest me for that?”
“We’ve got much bigger fish to fry, Mrs. Benton.”
“Oh?” Muffy frowned and fidgeted.
“Your alibi on the night of Allivia Dunham’s murder was that you were at home alone.”
“Yes, I was. So?”
“Mr. Dunham’s alibi is that he was home alone that night as well.”
Muffy glanced away.
“What a coincidence,” she murmured uncertainly.
“A coincidence that could potentially lead to conspiracy charges,” Chas suggested mildly.
Muffy was aghast.
“You certainly don’t think that I had anything to do with Allivia’s murder, do you? That’s preposterous! She and I weren’t exactly chummy, but murder? No, no, no,” she protested, shaking her head so vehemently that a lock of hair fell across her brow and she blew it out of the way.
“Did Mr. Dunham visit you on the night of the murder?”
Muffy hesitated, then sighed. “Yes.”
“What time did he arrive and leave?”
“He came over around eight o’clock, after he’d had dinner at the Club. He left about an hour later because he had to be up early to travel the next day.”
“So, he left around nine o’clock?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see him the next day?”
“He spent the night at my house because his house was still being processed for evidence.”
“Did he say anything to you about the murder?” Chas probed.
“Just that it was going to make things inconvenient for a while,” Muffy’s color rose.
“Inconvenient? That was the word that he used?”
“I know it sounds cold, but Allivia was not nice to him at all,” her tone was defensive.
“And that bothered you? That she wasn’t nice to him?”
“It certainly didn’t make me respect her,” Muffy hedged.
“So, let’s see…Allivia didn’t want you to be her co-chair, wasn’t nice to you, or your lover, and was married to the man with whom you’re having an affair. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t suspect you of murder,” Chas proposed.
“Because I didn’t do it,” Muffy insisted, looking scared.
“Then who did?”
“How should I know? Whoever it was did me a favor, for sure, but there are so many people who hated Allivia that it could’ve been anyone,” her voice trembled.
“So, you wanted her dead?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you’re glad that she is.”
“Glad is a strong word.”
“Did Chester kill his wife?” Chas asked.
Muffy stared at him, her eyes filling with tears. “I don’t know.”
**
“So, the husband could’ve eaten at the Club at that night, dropped some of his wife’s jewelry off in front of Larry Burnside’s nose before he left, to frame him, then visited his lover for an hour before coming home to kill his wife?” S
pencer summarized what Chas had just told him.
The detective nodded.
“No one would’ve thought anything unusual about Chester being at the Club. He had access to his wife’s jewelry, and when the insurance company sent him the catalog of her jewelry, he knew which pieces were missing,” Chas pointed out.
“Which means, he either kept close track of all of his wife’s assets, or…he killed her and tried to frame a homeless guy. He could’ve taken Larry’s clothes out of his backpack while he slept, and dressed his wife in rags as both a final insult and as a means of framing Larry. Whose DNA was on the clothes?” Spencer asked.
“Larry’s.”
“So that would make sense,” Spencer nodded. “But then again, the son looks good as a suspect too. He knew Larry, so he’d have access to his clothing, and he had a habit of stealing jewelry and giving it to Larry to sell. If he stole his mother’s jewelry, who’s to say he didn’t kill her as well?” Spencer asked.
“Or pay Larry to kill her,” Chas suggested.
“Wouldn’t Larry have skipped town if that were the case?”
“Who knows? He’d look far less guilty if he stuck around.”
“We’re not going to be able to crack this case until we find Brant Henderson,” Spencer mused. “Janssen and I are making that our focus. We’ll find him,” he promised.
“And in the meantime, I’m going to have a little chat with Chester Dunham,” Chas vowed grimly.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
* * *
“Joyce!” Blaze Sutton sang out when he entered the bookstore. “I loved all the Cozy Mysteries that you suggested, and I’m back for more. Now where is that lovely boss of yours?” he asked, glancing about.
“I’m glad you like them,” Joyce Rutledge chuckled, loving his enthusiasm. “There are some new ones in your favorite series over there,” she pointed toward the Mystery section. “You go check those out and I’ll get Miss Echo for you,” she said, heading for the back office in the adjoining candle shop.
Joyce returned shortly, with Echo and a tray of tea and cookies.
“Books, cookies and beautiful women, all of my favorite things in the same spot,” Blaze teased as Echo gave him a hug. “It’s a banner day.”
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Echo observed. “Let’s go sit on the couches and talk. Joyce, are you okay managing both stores for a few?”
“I think I can handle it, but it’s going to cost you some cookies,” she grinned.
“I left a whole package of them for you under the register,” her boss confided with a chuckle. “We’ve gotta stay fortified.”
“I love my job,” Joyce laughed, heading to the front of the store.
“She is just a delight,” Blaze noted.
“She really is,” Echo agreed. “She’s single too,” she added in a singsong voice.
“Keep your matchmaking at bay please, I’m old enough to be her parent,” Blaze protested lightly.
“There’s a significant age difference between Kel and I and that’s worked out wonderfully,” she pointed out.
“Noted,” he said graciously.
“Now,” Echo poured them both some tea. “What brings you to my humble stores all full of sunshine?”
“Well, I’m not one to dance on graves, but since Allivia’s untimely demise, I’ve met with the other board members and have received unanimous authorization to change the theme and the entire concept of the Gala,” he confided.
“Oh wow, is Muffy on board?” Echo’s brows rose.
“Absolutely! She hated the circus concept.”
“But…haven’t there been a ton of things ordered already?” Echo worried.
“Yes, and we’ll still be able to use all of them. I’ve come up with a plan that can incorporate everything that’s already been ordered.”
“Wow, that’s fast,” Echo was impressed. “So, what’s the new concept?”
“Well, for one thing, the Children’s Home Gala will actually be partially a party for the kids who live at the Children’s Home,” he announced.
“Oh, that’s great! I found it a little strange that the children hadn’t been included.”
“Exactly my thought,” Blaze nodded. “So, the Gala will start earlier, at six o’clock. There will be a fancy high tea for the kids, with kid-friendly foods. A local department store is donating new clothes for all of them to wear to the party. After they eat, there will be games and a magic show, then they’ll go back to the shelter, with parting gifts from a national toy retailer. Then, there’ll be an adult magic show, followed by dancing and a silent auction. What do you think?” the artist asked, clearly pleased with himself.
“Oh Blaze, I love it,” Echo clapped her hands together. “So, what’s the new theme?”
“The Magic of Childhood,” Blaze said proudly. “I thought it was far more appropriate.”
“I agree,” Echo was thrilled. “So, what’s going to be auctioned off?”
“Actually, I was hoping you’d help with that,” he confided. “It’s going to be largely an art auction. I mean, we’ll have trips and tickets to events and things like that as well, but I’ll have a collection of my work there, and I was hoping that you might be able to convince your talented hubby to donate a few pieces to the cause?”
Echo nodded. “What a great idea! I’ll definitely ask him. It’ll depend on what he has in his local inventory. We won’t have time to ship in any of his international pieces.”
“We’ll take anything that we can get. I’m going to need to coordinate with Muffy and Missy on this, because we’ll need their help in auction donations as well as funding donations. Muffy is entirely supportive.”
“I’m sure Missy will be too, she loves kids and art, so this one will be right up her alley,” Echo smiled fondly, thinking of her best friend.
“Perfect. I have new design boards for you to take a look at. Your copies are out in my car, so I’ll be happy to bring them in for you before I go.”
Echo was amused. “Well, I appreciate that, but really…now that Allivia doesn’t need me as a watchdog, won’t you just be doing whatever you need to do from a design standpoint?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want your opinion and support,” Blaze assured her.
“Well, I’m pleased and flattered, and will be happy to continue as a member of the design duo,” Echo stood.
“Wonderful. Thank you for the cookies and tea, dear lady. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to gleefully waste your manager’s time by chatting with her about Cozies before I leave,” he hugged her lightly.
“Not at all,” she chuckled. “I’ll be over in the candle side if you want to drop off the design boards there.”
“Perfect,” Blaze grinned and made a beeline for Joyce.
Echo smiled a knowing smile and hoped that her matchmaking might be working.
**
Missy was in the kitchen baking for an event at the high school, when Beulah, who had been watching the front, came back to talk to her.
“There’s a young lady out front, asking for you, and if you ask me, I think she’s got a scary look in her eyes, Miss Missy. You be careful now,” the elderly woman warned.
“I’m sure it’s fine, Beulah,” Missy sighed, worn out from being on her feet all morning, and slightly annoyed at the interruption.
“I’ll take over back here,” Beulah said firmly, bringing Kaylee into the kitchen with her. The sweet little tot had been her constant companion this morning while Missy baked.
The look on Kendra Henderson’s face was a bit dark, Beulah hadn’t been exaggerating.
“Kendra, what a surprise,” Missy tried to smile, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. “What can I do for you?”
“My business is ruined. You left for no good reason, Echo Kellerman left because she’s your little lap dog, then everyone else left. My husband is still missing and your apparently incompetent husband can’t find him,” the young woman fumed.
Missy’s fear boiled over into anger as soon as the words left Kendra’s lips, and, fueled by hormones, she responded without even taking time to think about it. Face like a thundercloud, she stepped toward her former daycare provider.
“Now you listen to me, and you listen good,” her voice was low, her eyes narrowed. “You can say whatever you want about me personally, but don’t you ever come into my place of business spewing ridiculousness about my husband or my best friend, and don’t you even think to question my decision-making when it comes to my daughter. I won’t have it. Now you get out of my shop and get out now, before I throw you out with my bare hands,” she took another step closer to the younger woman.
“How dare you threaten me, you spoiled, rich…”
Fortunately for Kendra, the front door burst open before she could finish her statement, and the comforting figure of a hulking Marine stepped into the entrance.
“Everything good here, Mrs. Beckett?” Janssen asked, levelling a warning gaze at Kendra.
Missy was so mad that she was shaking, and she hated the sound of her own voice. It sounded weak and tremulous in her ears, and what she felt toward this woman was anything but weak. She was utterly furious, and was a bit terrified as to what she might have done if Janssen hadn’t shown up when he did.
“Everything’s fine, Will. This impudent wretch was just leaving,” Missy muttered, her teeth clenched.
Janssen opened the door and stared at Kendra, who made an angry sound and whirled around, heading for the exit.
“You haven’t seen the last of me,” she snarled.
“Don’t bite off more than you can chew, sweetheart,” Janssen warned in a low voice that caused the young woman to falter.
“You have goons protecting you? Makes me wonder why you need them,” Kendra took a parting shot.
“Oh, make no mistake, darlin’,” Missy smirked. “The one who just benefitted from his presence right now, is you.”
Kendra ignored the veiled threat and beat a hasty retreat, with Janssen watching her to make sure that she was really leaving.
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