I didn’t ask any more questions after that. I thought whoever had chosen azaleas to make poison out of was pretty smart. Vicki was pretty smart.
13
The next morning, my first stop was at the groomer. I hoped they had some magical shampoo to wash the pink out of my puppy’s fur. This morning when he woke, I noticed some pink dye had rubbed off on my white down comforter. My bedding was an easy fix, but if the stains started showing up on my couch and clothes, then I was going to have a problem. I wasn’t sure what could be done for his ridiculous drawn-on eyebrows, but I was up to letting them try. Captain Jack looked at me like I was a traitor when I dropped him off, but I promised him a special treat if he was a good boy. He didn’t look happy. He sure wasn’t going to like it when I took him to the vet.
Next up was a trip to the pharmacy for my monthly girl-supply run. I found that it was best to always be prepared where your period was concerned. Maybe if I was feeling extra brave this month, I’d try out a pair of those fancy-shmancy period panties. I heard they were quite amazing. But until then, I hit up the candy aisle first. Chocolate bars were buy two, get one free. Who could pass that up? I was after all, a proud member of the twelve-step chocoholic program. You know, never be more than twelve steps from chocolate? Let me tell you, that was a good motto to live by. I added six bars to my basket and kept on shopping. Ice cream was on sale too. Both were necessities in my book. I added two pints to my basket, promising I’d save one for Finn. Maybe.
And then the drama happened.
There I was, perusing the tampons and panty liners when I heard a voice that I would recognize anywhere, even if she was dressed incognito. I peered around the end cap and spotted Justine talking one-on-one with a pharmacist. Her cheese-doodle hair was tucked under a baseball cap, and she was sporting tight jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. This was about as undercover as she’d ever been. Something was definitely up.
I walked down the next aisle to get a better look.
Justine pushed up her sleeve, revealing a nasty, blistering rash on her arm. It was the same one my other clients had been sporting, only hers looked much worse. I had two conflicting thoughts in that instant. One: Justine must’ve gotten some of the poison ivy sap on her when she was tampering with my products; or two: Justine had been using my products and thus was another victim. I liked imagining her as the perpetrator versus the victim, by far. Either way, it explained why she didn’t want to be seen. She’d either be admitting her guilt or that she’d been using my products. I stood there wondering what I should do. Do I want Justine to see me, or do I want to let her think I’m still in the dark?
My reflexes made up my mind for me.
Justine turned from the pharmacist and headed my way. I whipped around so fast that I crashed right into the family planning end cap. Pregnancy tests, condoms, and personal lubricants toppled onto the floor. One of the bottles rolled under my heel, tripping me up and sending me falling onto my butt. I sat dumbfounded on the tiled floor for a second, looking at the mess around me. Whoops.
Miraculously, Justine didn’t see me. My bet was she was eager to get out of there and didn’t want to be seen any more than I wanted her seeing me. I stood up and rubbed my back end, apologizing to the sales associate who ran over to help me. I looked around, but Justine was already gone. What is she up to now?
I couldn’t spend all morning thinking about Justine. Not when I had a murder to solve, and a realtor to meet up with. Today was the day that I was set to sign lease papers on my new storefront. Part of me felt guilty, as I hadn’t fessed up to Mrs. DeVine about what happened at the farmers market, and she was my financial backer. The other part thought that I had everything under control and once I had Justine on the hook, I’d have her make a public apology and that would be the end of that. I might not be able to win those customers back, but hopefully I could stop the bad press and potential lawsuits.
I pulled in front of the vacant storefront. It was wedged between a day spa and a shoe store. I couldn’t have asked for a better location, well unless a spot next to Sweet Thangs opened up. But in terms of product placement, this was the best. I was hoping to naturally pick off some of my neighbors’ clients. I had already thought of offering a ten-percent discount to either of their customers if they showed me a recent receipt. I peered inside at the wide-planked pine floors and white shelves just waiting to be stocked. The only major addition it needed was a washing station on the side somewhere. A place where people could try out my exfoliators and soaps. I could picture it in my mind, a white porcelain farmhouse sink with a brushed nickel faucet. I was hoping Finn would give me a hand with the plumbing part. He was, after all, good with his hands. My phone buzzed in my pocket and snapped my mind out of the gutter. I was hoping it was my realtor, Cassandra, saying she was on her way. Seeing the time made me realize she was already ten minutes late.
But it wasn’t. It was Aria. I was starting to dread her calls. How awful was that?
“What’s up, love?” I asked.
“It’s gotten worse.”
“I was afraid of that. What’s going on?”
“I had Christina check in with the caterer, because I’m paranoid like that now, and turns out the last party they did, a bunch of people got sick.”
“Sick? Like how?”
“Food poisoning.”
“Oh gross.” Throwing up rated right up there with watching people cry. Then again, maybe I’d rather throw up.
“So, now I’m stuck. I’m not sure if I want to just chance it or if I should rush out and try to book someone else.”
“What did Vince say? Oh wait, never mind. But you should seriously probably clue him in to what’s going on. I’m sure he’d want to know.”
“I know. He comes home tonight. I’d love to have this all straightened out beforehand though.”
“I hear ya.” After all, I wanted to do the same thing with Mrs. DeVine and my business drama.
“So, what do you want to do now?”
“I guess I’m going to keep the caterer on the line and make a few calls. See if there’s anyone else even willing to take on a wedding with this short notice. What are you doing?”
“Supposed to meet my realtor, but she’s not here yet. Let me give her a call and see what’s up. I’ll call you back. Maybe we could meet for brunch?” I was thinking we could both use a mimosa right now. Maybe two.
I hung up with Aria and tried to reach Cassandra. No luck. I left her a message telling her where I was and reminded her that I was ready to sign the lease. Hopefully, she’d call me back in a hot second and we could meet up to the sign the papers, but five minutes went by without even a text. I took it a step further and sent her an email pretty much saying the same thing and then called back Aria and told her I’d meet her in ten.
I was sipping my mimosa on the outside patio of Le Crêpes Café when Cassandra called back. Our waiter had just delivered our crepes—strawberry, chocolate, and cream cheese for me; spinach and feta for Aria—but I left it untouched, eager for some good news.
“Hey girl, thanks for getting back with me. I thought we were supposed to meet up this morning?” I said.
“And I thought you didn’t want the property anymore. Something about your products being contaminated?” Cassandra sounded unsure.
“What? Said who?” I hadn’t spoken to Cassandra since my birthday. I knew news travelled fast in a small town, but not fast enough for a realtor to back out of a commission.
“Said you, in your email, Sunday night.”
“I never emailed you.”
“Well, that’s weird.”
I had another word for it, but instead I said, “You have no idea. Listen though, I still want to rent the space. Is it available?”
“I’m not sure. I know there were a couple other interested parties. Let me pull it up and see where it’s at and give you a call back.”
Ugh. Great. “Okay, thanks. Let me know as soon as possible. I want to get it on loc
kdown.” I hung up with Cassandra and stared at my crepe, not even hungry anymore.
“What was that all about?” Aria asked.
“Girl, let me tell you, that’s my life right now. You know how your wedding is going to hell? Well, so’s my business.” I filled Aria in on my missing shipment and what the realtor had just said.
“It’s definitely like someone’s messing with us,” I said.
“But who?”
“You know who I’m going to say.”
“Justine.”
“Of course.”
“But, why would she mess with me? And my wedding? She usually just tries to make only your life miserable.”
“I know, right? I don’t know. Maybe she’s kicked her craziness up to a new level?”
“You mean since her ex is your new boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Oh, come on! Get over yourself and your weird aversion to titles. How many days do you go without talking to him?”
Well, let’s see. He’s been out to sea since Saturday, so, “three.”
“When he’s not working?”
My silence told her all she needed to know. Truthfully, Finn and I talked or texted several times a day. More than I talked to Aria lately.
“And I know you’re with him all the time. Trust me, Christina’s already reminded me a million times how much more she’s helped me with this wedding than you.”
I started to protest.
“Not that you’re not busy. Trust me, I get it. I’m not worried about us, just quit trying to dismiss your relationship with Finn. He’s a good guy. Don’t scare him away with your issues. He’s not Todd.”
“I know. Todd was a jerk.” Todd: my ex-fiancé who cheated on me with at least one other girl and then tried to blame me for it.
“He was much worse than a jerk.”
“I was being polite.”
“I like Finn. You like Finn. Don’t screw it up.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Aria flipped me off. See? We were just like sisters.
I changed the subject, even though Aria’s words stuck with me. She was right. I knew that. I just didn’t need her to know that, not yet. I was just coming around to the idea myself.
“Speaking of Todd…” Aria trailed off.
I cringed at his name. “I’m not sure I even want to know.”
“No, what I was going to say was, do you think it’s possible he’s the one messing with you?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Um, because you keyed his car and it was a Porsche?”
I smiled at the fond memory. “Okay, that may be true, but he had good insurance, so it’s not like he had to pay for it. I mean, besides his deductible.”
“I highly doubt it’s the money aspect of it that ticked him off.”
Aria might have a point. He did love that car. “Well, he totally deserved it.”
“I agree, but who knows, maybe he’s been quietly waiting to get his revenge.”
Ugh. Aria was on a roll today. I blew out a big puff of air while I thought about it. “I don’t even know where he is.”
“Ah! But I do.”
“Of course, you do.” Aria signaled for another round of drinks. I was thinking I should switch to vodka, considering where this conversation was headed.
14
It turned out Todd was working on Whip’s campaign, which I guess shouldn’t have surprised me, since they both looked full of themselves. Todd had appeared with Whip at Vince’s most recent who’s-who shindig, and Aria got the scoop from her husband-to-be. “Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer,” she reminded me. I knew that was true, but I didn’t want to be anywhere near Todd.
As Aria was Vincent Delgado’s fiancée, we were more than welcome to attend the campaign luncheon. Well, she was. I was still crashing. I was sure Todd would have me out on my derriere if he spotted me. I had planned on posing as the wait staff, but this change in plans required a serious wardrobe change. Aria’s closet was probably the best place to shop anywhere. You know those closets in the movies with a ridiculous number of mirrors, shoes, jewelry and dresses? Yeah, that was Aria’s closet.
I chose a nude-colored, form-fitting satin dress. It hugged my curves and gave the girls just a little extra oomph. Nothing too ridiculous or revealing. Not going for Kim Kardashian here. Just enough to remind Todd of what he lost, you know, in case I ran into him. Putting the dress on reminded me of the shoes I was going to buy as soon as I solved this case. They would’ve looked awesome with this dress. As it was, I had to settle for a pair of nude-colored pointed heels with only a two-inch heel. I shrugged. It worked, but the gold sandals would’ve looked better.
We took Aria’s little red sports car to Ivy’s, where the luncheon was being held. This type of event required a classier ride than my pickup. I was done asking Aria when she was going to sell her late husband’s ride. Just as she was done pretending that she didn’t love it.
“I’ve never been to one of these things. What do we do?” I asked Aria. As she was marrying into money again, I was confident she had campaign luncheons on lockdown.
Aria waved her hand to dismiss my concerns. “You know, smile, chit chat, pretend that you care what the candidate has to say.”
“Got it. So pretty much like Vince’s shindigs and Mrs. DeVine’s gatherings, minus the business opportunities.”
“Exactly.”
We pulled in front of Ivy’s and got out to have the car valeted. Several other people dressed to the nines were already in front of us. Aria immediately spotted someone she knew, and the questions about the wedding flowed. Aria smiled and talked about how excited she was. Only I noticed that she started to scratch her upper arm and tug on her dress. I had a feeling her mind was wandering to the current mess her nuptials were in. We’d have to tackle that next.
We quickly realized that the entire restaurant had been reserved for this afternoon’s events. Port Haven was a small town, but it had quite a few residents with money, and they appeared to all be present. Maybe this will be a business opportunity after all. Aria left to get us a cocktail and I started working the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the same reporter slash detective guy from earlier in the week. The man was wearing the same tan trench coat and fedora, doing a poor job of hiding out behind a fake tree. He raised his phone and snapped a couple pictures before darting back out the door. What in the world?
I dropped that thought when goosebumps surfaced on my skin. I looked around to find out what was giving me the creepy crawlies only to see Whip eyeing me up. He licked his lips and shot me a wining grin, complete with a wink when I made eye contact. I fought the urge to say oh gross! Believe me, it wasn’t easy. But I wanted to play my cards right. Yes, he totally thought he was all that, but now I had an invitation to go over and introduce myself. He didn’t give me a chance.
With his chest puffed and his long stride, Whip was at my side in less than a minute. “Why hello,” he said, taking my hand. I meant to give him handshake. He raised it to his lips instead. “Let me introduce myself. Whip. Whip McGovern. But you already knew that, didn’t you?” he said with a boisterous laugh.
Oh brother. I pulled my hand away, not letting it linger, and nonchalantly wiped it on the back of my dress.
“I always enjoy meeting a beautiful face, wouldn’t you agree?” Whip turned to the side so I could see his profile. Sure, he had a strong nose and square jawline, but I could see there wasn’t much between the eyes.
“Sure, yeah, I like meeting people.” It didn’t really matter what they looked like though.
“You should come to all my campaign events. Wait until you hear my speech. You’ll love it.”
I doubted that.
“Back when I was at Yale, I gave an excellent presentation on the economic hardships facing the South.”
“I bet that was amazing.” Only problem was, he never went to Yale. From what I’d learned, he had on
ly played two seasons of lacrosse at the community college before dropping out.
It looked like Whip didn’t know sarcasm when he heard it either. “Oh, believe me, it was. I was a real presidential scholar.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond. At that moment, my ex stopped over to whisper something in Whip’s ear. That’s when Todd spotted me.
He stopped dead still. Our eyes locked and the color drained completely from his face. I guess I didn’t have to worry about him throwing me out. He was dumbfounded. I smiled, as it was the polite thing to do (my mother would be proud) while he continued to stare like an idiot. I hoped he would take a breath soon. I didn’t need him keeling over. Who needed that type of bad karma? The mayor episode had already used up all the good graces I had stored.
Whip didn’t catch it as Todd was standing behind him.
Aria rejoined me and raised a glass of champagne at Todd. “Hi Todd, how are you?”
He still didn’t speak, and I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to say something. The words, “Excuse me,” tumbled out of his mouth as he turned tail and scurried away.
“Yes, excuse us. I would love to continue our chat and meet…”
“Aria. Aria Delgado.” My friend shook the egoist’s hand, giving him the same once-over I had.
It was Whip’s turn to raise his eyebrows. Delgado’s name did that to people.
“Or, it will be by Friday,” she added.
“Yes, well then it really is a shame, but I assure you I will look for you ladies when I’m done with this speech business.” Whip did look disappointed, which told me that he didn’t truly care about Port Haven and being Mayor as much as he cared about himself.
He said goodbye and Aria turned to me. “Are we waiting around?”
“Heck no. Whip is totally ridiculous.”
We skedaddled out of there as quickly as possible without seeming like we were running away, and waited until we were back in the car to debrief.
“So, Todd,” Aria said and then we both started laughing, because honestly, his reaction was priceless.
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