“What is this?” Nora exclaimed.
“It’s your I-Just-Got-Out-Of-Jail Party!” Tina cried. “It’s also your bachelorette party, so Harvey, you’re going to get chucked out of here very soon.”
“Aw, man. I never get invited to the fun stuff,” Harvey groaned. He kissed Nora on the cheek. “Have fun. I’m going to eat a bunch of this delicious food, and then go home and take the longest nap possible.”
“You need it, too. I don’t think he’s slept for the last 36 hours,” Karen said. She gave Nora a hug. “You look so much happier now that you’re out.”
Maynard, who had been a good boy so far, leapt up and covered Nora’s face with wet kisses, sending her a step backwards into Harvey’s arms.
“Now there’s a good wingman.” Harvey grinned. “Good boy, Maynard. Very good boy! You wanna come out for a walk with me? You do, don’t ya?”
Maynard gave a joyful woof, and turned around in a circle three times. Then he ran off to the other room, where they could hear the noise of a basket overturning. Within seconds, he was back with a leash in his mouth, his thick tail wagging insistently.
“Look at that,” Harvey said. “Looks like the food will have to wait. Come on, boy. Let’s go.” He was escorted out by the ecstatic dog, while the others looked on.
Nora was hustled to the dining table, and for a few minutes, so many questions were being thrown at her that she couldn’t make much sense of any of them. Mrs. Mullally finally quietened them all down by clearing her throat and clinking a spoon against a glass.
“A little early for a wedding toast,” Simone teased, but was silenced by a glare from the venerable lady.
“Right,” Mrs. Mullally said. “First and foremost, Nora, not a one of us believe that you were in any way responsible for this poisoning. I’d like you to know that your community is behind you. Even May Almand, who you’ve had some tough words with in the past, has said she’s going to do everything she can to make sure you don’t have to go to jail.”
“Sean was being stupid anyway,” Karen said. “The most you should get is a civil penalty or fine, if that.”
“Well, let’s forget Sean for a moment,” Mrs. Mullally said. “The point is, the diner. I’m sure you’re worried sick about it, but as soon as Sean gives us word, we’re going to throw a huge party and reopen the diner. Believe me, you’ve earned a good reputation in this town, and it isn’t going to be destroyed so easily, no matter what your enemies might try.”
“Thank you,” Nora said, feeling a lump rise in her throat.
“Secondly,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Your wedding.”
“What about it?” Nora asked.
“Well, it’s only a week away. We were planning to use the diner for catering, but since that doesn’t seem possible at the moment, we’ve decided to have a potluck wedding dinner. Simone’s generously agreed to create a brand new ice-cream flavor for you. Karen, Tina and I are coordinating the various courses.”
Nora gave a little gasp as she looked at the dishes on the table with renewed interest. “Is that what this is?”
“Well, we couldn’t manage to throw together the soup and salad,” Mrs. Mullally said, “But yes. For starters, we have pizza quiche and camembert sourdough twists.”
“I made those,” Karen said proudly. “Tina showed me how, of course, but it was still quite some work.”
“When did you even get time!” Nora exclaimed, tears rushing to her eyes. “I’m overwhelmed, guys. This is… this is incredible. Thank you!”
“Oh it’s nothing.” Tina whipped off the next dish. “The entree will be your favorite. Lemon Chicken with baby asparagus covered in a maple glaze, as well as roasted chili potatoes with sour cream.”
“Wow!” Nora exclaimed. “Tina!”
“…and so that Harvey doesn’t feel out of place, I’ve added his favorite too. Roast lamb chops with parsley and thyme, with a red wine jus, served on a bed of jasmine rice.”
“Tina...” Nora sniffled, and wiped away her tears. “I… well, I don’t know why I’m getting so sentimental. This is really amazing.”
“You haven’t even seen desert yet!” Simone exclaimed.
She whipped away a towel that covered a rectangle, and Nora gave a little yelp. “Is that!”
“It is.” Simone laughed.
It was a new ice-cream, packaged in Simone’s signature bright boxes, with one difference - instead of polka dots, the package was covered with little figurines that were clearly meant to be Nora and Harvey. Nora gave a squeal as she picked it up. “It’s amazing!” she said.
“A little wedding present.” Simone curtsied and giggled.
“I love the name too!” Nora said. “The New Newberry!”
“It suits you fine,” Simone said. “You’re going to be a brand new Nora Newberry once you’re married. But with the same you still inside.”
Nora gave Simone a bone crushing hug, and followed it up with more of the same to Tina, Karen and Mrs. Mullally. “All right,” Nora said. “If you guys are any kinder to me, I’m going to really start crying. Trust me you don’t want these waterworks to start.”
“Crying? Not when we’ve got a fun bachelorette planned.” Tina smiled. “We didn’t want to make it too complicated, so it’ll just be dinner in Jackson Hole, and maybe some drinks after at Simone’s place.”
“I’ll bow out.” Mrs. Mullally smiled. “All I want for dinner is dry toast and soup. I’m saving up my appetite for the big day.”
“Aw, won’t you at least have some of my ice-cream?” Simone asked.
“Hey, before that, we should tell Nora everything we uncovered,” Karen said.
“I’m not sure now is the right time,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Maybe tomorrow?”
“No, I’d rather know,” Nora said. “That way, I can forget about it and enjoy dinner.”
While Karen and Simone told her about their experience at the Sheriff’s office, Nora sat finishing off the last bits of the deliciously cool strawberries and cream ice-cream Simone had made for her. She heard them both out, though her eyes were looking away in the distance. When they’d finished, Nora was staring at the ice-cream package, wondering why a vague sense of unease was climbing up her spine.
Something that one of them said had set an idea off in her brain, but she just couldn’t quite figure out what it was. Was it something Deputy James had said about Eliza’s suicide SMS? Or did it have to do with something Matt had said? Whatever it was, lead had settled in the bottom of Nora’s stomach. A conviction that she was close to figuring out who it was, and at the same time, far from it.
Tina’s phone rang, and she smiled at the screen. “Sam’s calling. Probably missing me already.”
“Or maybe he’s watching yet another Season of Game Of Thrones without you!” Simone teased. “He told me all about that.”
“Oh, hush.” Tina laughed, and picked up the phone. Almost immediately, the laughter slid off her face.
“When?” She asked in a strangled voice. Then, after a pause. “Are you sure?”
When she turned to look at them all, Nora already knew. Something bad had happened. She took a deep breath, waiting for the worst.
“It’s Bret,” Tina said in a small voice. “They’ve found him. They want me to come down to the station and identify him.”
“You’re not going.” Nora sprang up. “You’re pregnant, and that’s the last thing you should be doing. I’m going down there.”
“I’ve barely started showing yet,” Tina said. “I’ll be fine.”
“Tina, this is an order,” Nora said. “I can identify Bret. You are going to sit here and wait for Sam to come pick you up.”
“All right,” Tina said weakly. “I do feel a bit sick.”
“Poor guy.” Karen sighed. “So he was in on it somehow, and he got killed for his efforts?”
“I’m not so sure.” Nora frowned. “I have another theory… just the glimmer of one, but I have one anyway.”
*****<
br />
Chapter 20
Death Visits Again
Harvey drove Nora back down to the station, and made sure to hold her hand every step of the way. Entering the morgue was always unpleasant. The abundance of metal and plastic made it feel cold and sterile, almost inhuman. Nora breathed through the surgical mask she’d been given, and averted her eyes almost as soon as the body was shown to her.
“It’s him.” Nora nodded. “No doubt about it.”
“Sorry we had to make you come identify the body,” Sean said. “We’re having a tough time locating his parents. I don’t think he had any.”
“Where did you find him?” Nora asked.
“His body was found in the woods by a hiker,” Sean said. “Someone threw him off a cliff, and he landed in a river, which then took him further in. That’s our guess.”
“So he’s been dead since… since that night at the Diner?”
“That’s right.” Sean nodded. “We haven’t found his phone yet, but we’ve got permission for GPS enabling, and hopefully we’ll find it in a few days.”
“Any leads?” Harvey asked. “I mean, are you planning to arrest anyone?”
“I can’t tell you that,” Sean said. “Ongoing investigation and all.”
“Right, of course.” Harvey sighed. “I wish we could help somehow, Sean.”
“Well, you could apply to be deputies,” Sean said seriously. “I’d happily let you work with me. Both of you.” He looked at Harvey.
Harvey gave him a nod. “I’ll consider it, but don’t hold your breath.”
“How was he killed?” Nora asked.
“Frosting,” Sean said in a grim voice. “The person who killed him force-fed him poisoned frosting.”
Nora trembled. Her heart began to beat loudly, and she began to feel strangely dizzy.
“Nora!” Sean exclaimed, but it was Harvey who caught her before she could fall to the floor.
“I’m fine,” Nora said. “I’m really fine.”
“No you’re really not.” Harvey seated her on a chair, and got her a drink of water. “Are you all right?”
“I’m… just horrified.” Nora sighed. “Poor Bret. He was such a talented guy. So young.”
“I’m going to find out who did this,” Sean said. “Don’t you worry about that.”
“The statuettes,” Nora said. “I got the idea when I saw the ice-cream.”
Sean looked confused. “What ice-cream? Nora, maybe you need to lie down?”
“No, the ice-cream. It had our faces on it, Harvey.”
Harvey looked alarmed too. “O-kay?” He said, giving her a concerned look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Nora took a deep breath. “It’s Matt!” she blurted out. “Matt was so eager to see the cake, remember?”
Sean nodded. “He said he’d overheard Bret and Eliza talking about a prank.”
“Yes, but he had no way of knowing what the prank was about,” Nora said. “Timmy Jr. will confirm that for you. The two of them were together smoking outside, and according to Timmy, they only heard that there was going to be a prank. They didn’t hear what the prank was going to be!”
Sean gaped at her. “You’re right!” He exclaimed. “Of course you’re right! Matt had no way of knowing the prank was going to be related to the cake topper.”
“It’s amazing that we didn’t see it before,” Harvey said. “You’re a genius, Nora!”
“It’s that eye for detail she has,” Sean said, patting her on the back. “Of course, I’m hoping he’ll confess, but catching him in a lie is a pretty big deal.”
“I’m almost certain that it was him who snapped the heads off the statuette,” Nora said. “Unfortunately, Bret isn’t around, but I’m willing to bet he lied to Bret, and told him Eliza wanted the cake. Bret thought it was part of whatever prank they were playing, and let Matt wheel it outside. When I asked him about the cake, he told me Eliza had wheeled it out, thinking I wouldn’t worry if it was the bride’s sister.”
“The cake cart had Matt’s fingerprints on it,” Sean said. “So you’re almost definitely right. I’ll confront him with it. He’s sure to crack.”
“Poor Bret,” Nora said. “I just wish I’d been able to save him. If I’d only reached there earlier...”
“If you’d reached there earlier, maybe you would be dead too,” Sean said. “We can’t save everyone, Nora.”
“I know,” Nora said heavily.
“Wait, but there’s still a few loose ends,” Harvey said. “How did Matt ever get near the diner?”
“I don’t think he did,” Nora said. “I think he poisoned the cake when he took the cart outside.”
“Well, then, how did the poison frosting end up in your diner?”
“I wish we could ask Bret that,” Nora said. “If I had to guess? Matt might have dared Bret to put some inside the freezer. Maybe he told Bret it was something else, and Bret only realized it was poison afterwards, once Eliza was dead.”
“That sounds right.” Sean nodded. “We found three tupperware containers of frosting in your fridge. One of them, the poisoned one, had no fingerprints on it, while the other two had all of your fingerprints.”
“We only had two leftover containers of frosting,” Nora exclaimed. “That third one isn’t ours! I could have told you that ages ago!”
“Well, I suppose I should have asked.” Sean smiled. “All right. Get going, you two. I’m going to be really busy chasing after Matt. Hopefully, we get a confession by tonight!”
“As for us, hopefully we get some rest tonight,” Harvey said, kissing Nora on the forehead.
As they exited the station, Nora saw Charlotte and Jeremy again, as they sat waiting on the metal chairs in the lobby. They stood up as they saw her, and Charlotte gave her a hug.
“They’re about to release Eliza’s body to us,” Charlotte said sadly. “We’re planning her funeral now.”
“Once again, I’m so very sorry for your loss,” Nora said.
“You should be,” Jeremy said, a little forcefully. “If you’d had better security in your diner, she’d still be alive.”
“Jeremy, it isn’t her fault,” Charlotte said.
“I’m not so sure.” Jeremy glared at Nora. “There’s a very real chance she had a hand in what went on. She must hate me, you know, because of what Ashley did. She thinks I’m responsible for Raquel’s death.”
“I don’t think anything like that,” Nora said. “Believe me, Jeremy. I wouldn’t have agreed to cater your wedding if I’d thought that.”
“Or maybe you did deliberately attend,” Jeremy said. “So that you had a chance to kill me. Only it backfired, and you got Eliza instead. All thanks to that horrible prank.”
“We’re getting out of here,” Harvey said, drawing Nora away. “As for you, Jeremy, you better stop running your mouth off, or I’m going to do something about it.”
“Oh sure you will,” Jeremy jeered. “Just try and stop me! I’m going to tell everyone in town that this is her fault, and I’m sure a lot of them will agree with me.”
*****
Chapter 21
Confessions
Nora woke up feeling strangely relaxed the next day. Despite what Jeremy had said, her heart felt free. Once Matt confessed to the murders, all that would be left to do was plan the wedding. She hadn’t checked her email in so long. From the photographer to the flower-deliverer, she had a lot of people she still had to talk to. She still had to pick up her wedding dress from the boutique in Jackson Hole, and then there was the spa treatment she and Tina had planned to do a day before. Oh, the gift baskets!
Feeling the usual panic that she always felt without her to-do list, Nora sprang out of bed, and prepared to tackle all the tasks coming her way.
The first email she saw was from Janina Engle, and it set off a new panic in her mind.
Dear Norah,
We regret to inform you that due to circumstances beyond our control, the Legrand Manse sh
all be closed for the next month. As you are aware, we have received your payment in full for the wedding that was to take place here next week. As we were unable to honor our commitments, we are offering to refund you in full, as well as offer you two gift cards to be redeemed as you see fit. Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay.
You may pick up your check at the inn any time.
Regards,
Janina
Sighing, Nora decided to go meet Janina as soon as she could. Maybe if she told her that the case was close to being solved, Janina would relent and let them use the venue. Then again, Nora asked herself, did she really want her wedding to take place at the very same location where Eliza had been murdered? Maybe the best thing she could do was take the check and try and hunt out another place that could accommodate everyone…
The guests! Nora wondered with horror where all the guests would stay. There were high school buddies of Harvey who were coming all the way from California, excited to see him again after all these years. Harvey’s Aunt and Uncle, who lived in London, were planning to fly down too. Her own friends from college and her time as a chef in NYC… all of them were supposed to have stayed at the Legrand Manse!
She’d try and persuade Janina to at least let their rooms remain uncanceled, Nora decided. It would be a total nightmare relocating guests otherwise.
Her mind was so occupied that at first she didn’t notice the sad state of the Legrand Manse. The police warnings had been taken out, but several of the bushes in the garden had been trampled, and in one place, a little bit of the garden had even been dug up. Poor Janina. No wonder she was heartbroken. Nora could sympathize. She’d felt so terrible when she saw the yellow tape across her precious diner. But at least there had been no damage done. Soon, she hoped, the tape would be gone, and with police clearance, she could restart the diner.
“Nora!” Janina exclaimed. “I heard you were… I heard you had a terrible time.”
She was sitting alone at the reception desk, typing something on the computer. She took off her reading glasses as Nora came in, and put them on the desk. “Poor dear,” she said. “Can I get you something to drink?”
The Milburn Big Box Set Page 87