Lipstick and Lies (Murder In Style Book 2)

by Gina LaManna

  “Matt.” I elbowed him. “Tell him what happened. You haven’t even told me. You’re innocent. There’s no evidence to prove you did anything. You’re not arresting him, are you Cooper?”

  Cooper just looked at Matt. There was something going on between the two men.

  “What in the world is going on?” I asked, turning to Matt. “You don’t have anything to hide, right? Tell me I’m right.”

  “I know her—knew her,” Matt corrected. He cleared his throat, ran a shaky hand over his forehead. “Her name was Shania Boot.”

  “The girl on your patio?”

  Matt nodded miserably. “We—” He stopped, coughed. “We used to date.”

  “Oh.” I took in the information, processing my surprise. “Again, that doesn’t mean you killed her.”

  Matt looked away. “I didn’t kill her.”

  Cooper’s gaze flicked to mine, then back to Matt’s. “Tell me exactly what happened. Start from when you woke up this morning.”

  Matt took a deep inhalation, gave a slow nod. He seemed to be regaining some of his mental clarity. Apparently, he’d need all he could get if this case was as personal as it was beginning to sound.

  “I woke up around six thirty,” Matt said. “I got up, went to the kitchen. I made some coffee and breakfast—”

  “Alone?” Cooper interrupted.

  “Yes.”

  “I came over,” I added. “But it was a little later.”

  “Jenna came over,” Matt agreed. “I burned a few waffles because we’d gotten to talking.”

  Cooper’s pen scratched extra hard on his notepad. He bored holes in the legal pad with his eyes. “I see.”

  “We had some coffee, chatted a bit. Then Jenna was going to head home.”

  “Back to bed,” I added. “Matt sent me home with a cup of coffee. That’s important because it’s part of the reason I’m here now.”

  “Matt,” Cooper clarified. “Please continue with your story.”

  Matt gave me a grateful smile, then squeezed my hand before withdrawing it to lean forward, elbows on his knees. “I cleaned up, made some actual edible breakfast. Brewed another pot of coffee, read the paper and digested for a bit. Around—it must have been nine thirty or so—I went outside for a run.”

  Cooper looked up, squinting at Matt as if trying to dissect truth from lies. “Anyone see you while you were out running?”

  Matt shrugged. “Not that I know of. I went out the front door, but I swung around back. Headed to the path behind the woods. It was quiet this morning. Not many people out on a Friday morning.”

  Cooper turned to me. “Can you confirm, Jenna?”

  I pressed a hand to my chest in shock. “Me? Running? Have you seen my shoe collection?!”

  Cooper looked like he was trying hard not to roll his eyes. “I meant did you see Matt—either leaving or returning from his supposed run?”

  “No,” I said. “Though I’m sure it wasn’t supposed.” I added air quotes along with my sarcasm. “I was busy.”

  “Busy?”

  “Busy,” I confirmed with a nod.

  “Doing what?” Cooper asked.

  I cleared my throat. “Do you need to know?”

  He looked mystified. “It would be helpful, seeing as this is now a murder investigation.”

  “Well, I was getting my beauty sleep,” I blurted. “I went home, drank my coffee, thumbed through Cosmo, and fell asleep until... I don’t know, thirty minutes ago?”

  “I was already home by that time,” Matt said. “She wouldn’t have seen me.”

  “I can do the math,” Cooper said sharply. “What did you do once you got home?”

  “I...” Matt frowned in thought. “I got a glass of water in the kitchen first thing. Drank that. Plopped on the couch, putzed on my phone for a few minutes. I’m sure you can check my search history somehow.”

  Cooper didn’t comment.

  “Then, I went upstairs and took a shower,” Matt said. “That probably took me... I dunno, a good twenty minutes? I shaved after, dressed, threw a load of laundry in. I was just having a normal Friday morning doing the chores I always do before work.”

  Matt ran a hand through his hair. He was beginning to sound exasperated. I could relate. It was exhausting and frustrating having to defend oneself for something they didn’t do.

  It’s not like he’d asked to find a dead body. Though the little tidbit of information about the victim being a woman he used to date did add a layer of mystery to the already convoluted events of the morning.

  “When did you find the body?” Cooper asked.

  “When did you come over?” Matt looked at me. “It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before that. Around eleven?”

  I nodded in confirmation.

  “So, the basic timeline,” Cooper said, perusing his notes, “is that you woke up around six thirty. Made breakfast for two, even though you didn’t have plans for guests.”

  “He didn’t say it was for two,” I interrupted.

  Cooper looked up. Matt shrugged.

  “She tends to wander over here in the mornings. When I see her coming, I put on the coffee and pull out the waffle maker. Or the frying pan. Whatever.”

  Cooper made a noise in his throat.

  “For the record, I can make my own coffee if I really want to,” I said. “I just prefer Matt’s blend of coffee.”

  “I’m sure that’s it,” Cooper said dryly. Before I could snark back at him, he plowed ahead. “Jenna, tell me about your morning.”

  “Me?” I squeaked. “You can’t think I’m involved in another murder. Seriously. I never even met the girl!”

  “It’s fine, Jenna,” Matt said quietly. “Nobody thinks you did anything. I’m sure he just wants to match up your morning with mine. Tell him the truth.”

  I glanced at Cooper to see if Matt was correct, but the chief’s hard face was back in place, and I knew I wouldn’t be getting anything out of him other than terse conversation about death.

  Cooper was looking at me expectantly, so I crossed my arms and leaned back against the couch. “Well, it’s pretty much like Matt said. I woke up early today and came over here—”

  “Would you say it’s typical behavior for you to walk into your neighbor’s place at seven a.m. on a Friday?”

  I scowled. “You’re trying to be annoying.”

  Cooper gave a funny sort of snort that he quickly covered up with a frown. “If that’s the case, being annoying is my job. I’m trying to understand which actions are patterns and which behaviors are out of the ordinary.”

  “Well, yeah, if you’re so intent on being nosy,” I said. “I tend to come over to Matt’s house more mornings than not. I know he works early on Wednesdays, so I don’t usually come over then.”

  “How would you describe your relationship with Matt?”

  “None of your business.”

  Cooper fluttered his eyes. “Am I going to have to separate the two of you for questioning? You can come down to the station if you prefer, Jenna.”

  “We’re friends,” Matt said softly. “Nothing more.”

  I glanced over at his slouched figure, a hint of something in his eyes that looked like resignation. I thought back to our moment of closeness this morning and wondered if he’d been disappointed by the outcome.

  I nodded. It wasn’t a lie. I’d told both Matt and Cooper that I wasn’t interested in any sort of relationship, and that had been the truth. Just because my intentions were feeling a little squirmy with confusion didn’t mean I had to expose every last detail to the police. More specifically, to the police officer who’d kissed me on more than one occasion.

  “Fine,” Cooper said, sounding less than convinced. “Please continue with your morning.”

  “Like I said, I came over to Matt’s. He made me breakfast.”

  “Tried to,” Matt said, cracking a smile.

  He swayed against me, playfully bumping his shoulder against mine. It would have felt
normal under any other circumstances, but it felt a little like I was sitting on the couch naked, every inch of my movements being scrutinized by Cooper Dear. I flashed Matt a weak smile.

  “Matt’s a great cook,” I said. “I must have just distracted him.”

  That didn’t seem to help Cooper’s mood. He scratched on the paper some more.

  “Anyway, after the burnt waffles, I took a to-go cup of coffee back to the house and did like I said.”

  “Took a nap?”

  “Must you rub it in?” I said. “Yes, it’s obvious I’m unemployed and not being productive with my life. Can you leave that out of your professional report?”

  Cooper gave another low sort of laugh. “You didn’t see Matt come or leave for his run?”

  “No,” I said, letting the annoyance out in my voice. “Like I said, my new Louis Vuittons aren’t exactly conducive to pounding my poor feet through gross woods.”

  “Right,” Cooper said, while Matt turned away this time, trying to hide a smile. “And you woke up...”

  “I don’t know, a little after ten thirty. I showered and stuff, changed my clothes. Then I came over to Matt’s.”

  “Did you have plans to come over to Matt’s?”

  “No.”

  “He didn’t know you were coming?”

  “No,” I repeated. “He didn’t. I came over because—”

  “She was hoping to mooch lunch off me.” Matt winked in my direction. “Ain’t that right, Jenna?”

  “No.” I scowled. “I wanted to return the mug you gave me.”

  Cooper looked between me and Matt.

  “Fine,” I said, crumbling under his gaze. He had a magical police stare that made me feel guilty at the slightest white lie. “I don’t have any food in my house, and I was sort of hoping Matt would make me one of his famous grilled cheeses.”

  “Famous grilled cheeses,” Cooper echoed under his breath. “I see.”

  “But when I arrived at his house, I knew something was off. The front door was partially open.”

  Cooper’s gaze went back to deadly serious. “His front door?”

  “I’d gone out front,” Matt said. “Took the garbage out. Left the door open for some fresh air.”

  “The screen door was closed,” I added. “So, I poked my head inside.”

  “Did you find it strange the front door was open?”

  “A tiny bit,” I admitted. “But I just moved here not too long ago, and it’s been freezing the whole time.”

  “Matt?”

  “It’s Blueberry Lake,” Matt said wryly. “Usually, not locking or shutting my front door is the least of my problems.”

  “You poked your head inside,” Cooper continued, “and then what?”

  “I called his name a few times. When Matt didn’t answer, I let myself in.”

  “Do you have the key to Matt’s place?”

  “No. The door was open, I told you that.”

  “Do you make it a habit of letting yourself into his place?”

  “He usually greets me at the front door.” My teeth were clenched. “It’s not usually an issue.”

  “So, you let yourself inside. Something you’d never done before.”

  “Yes.”

  “What did you find?”

  “I went to the kitchen first and set the mug on the counter. I kept calling Matt’s name, but there was no answer.”

  “What did you think when there was no answer?”

  “I thought it was a tiny bit odd, but I thought maybe he was upstairs in the shower,” I said. “Or out in the backyard. Actually, I felt a breeze. That’s what made me go through the kitchen.”

  “And the breeze was coming from...”

  “The backdoor was open.” My voice grew quieter. “At first, I didn’t see everything. I just saw Matt standing in the doorway looking frozen.”

  I glanced down at my hands. The room seemed to have gone perfectly still. Sounds from the crime scene filtered, muted, into the living room while the two men waited for the rest of my testimony.

  “I walked up to him. I don’t remember exactly what I said—I think I tapped your shoulder?” I glanced over at Matt for confirmation, but he gave a limp sort of shrug. “That’s when I saw her. I sort of freaked out. Threw up in the garbage can. I backed away. I’m not a fan of dead bodies.”

  “By her, you mean the victim,” Cooper said.

  I nodded.

  “Had you ever seen her before?”

  I considered, wincing as I pictured the body. “Absolutely not.”

  Cooper jumped all over me with that answer. “How can you be sure? From the sounds of it, you barely got a glimpse of her. Not to mention, she was facedown. Her hair was covering most of her facial features.”

  “But her shoes are gorgeous,” I said. “She’s got those Melissa Monroe heels from the latest catalogue. If there were someone living in Blueberry Lake with that sort of style, I think I’d have heard about it.”

  Matt’s gaze flicked over toward me.

  “I’m right, aren’t I?” I pressed. “She didn’t live here.”

  “She’s from Butternut Bay,” Matt said. “She works in a salon over there.”

  “What’s the name of it?” I asked. “If they hire hair stylists with that sort of taste in shoes, I want to be a part of it.”

  Cooper’s lips were parted in surprise.

  “Right, I digress,” I said. “But seriously, I would like the name of the salon once this mess clears up.”

  “Just a few last questions.” Cooper pursed his lips, took another look at his paper, before giving an almost apologetic glance at Matt. “You’ve mentioned that you have a history with the victim. Can you be more specific?”

  “Shania,” Matt said. “Shania Boot was her name. She lived in Butternut Bay when we were dating—”

  “Which was when?”

  “We broke up about a year ago.”

  “How long had you been together?”

  “A little over a year,” Matt said. “We parted ways just after our anniversary.”

  “How’d you meet?” I asked.

  Both men looked at me.

  “What?” I retorted. “He can ask questions, but I can’t? I feel it’s relevant.”

  “Her cat climbed up a tree,” Matt said wryly. “She called the fire department, and I got the call.”

  “Oh, that is so cliché. Wait until I tell Allie about this,” I said. Again, I felt both glances on me. “Right, I won’t tell her about that. Probably. Crime stuff. Got it.”

  “I’ll handle the questioning,” Cooper said easily. “Whose idea was it to break things off?”

  “Mine,” Matt said evenly, all emotion hidden from his voice. “I called things off.”

  “Was it amicable?”

  Matt’s voice grew tenser. “As far as breakups go, I’d say it was amicable. Shania is—well, she was a nice girl. It wasn’t personal.”

  I scoffed. Loudly. “All breakups are personal,” I said. “That’s such a man thing to say, Matt. Was she heartbroken?”

  He made a funny noise in his throat. To my surprise, Cooper echoed my question with a silent stare.

  “She didn’t want the relationship to end,” Matt said. “But it was hardly a surprise.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Sure. That’s what they all say. My ex said his dumping me shouldn’t have been a surprise either. Spoiler alert, it was.”

  “Was it really?” Matt fixed his stare on mine. “There were no warning signs?”

  I gave a limp flick of my wrist, tipped my nose to the skies, and turned back to Cooper. “I’m not on trial for murder, here. Chief, continue your questioning, will you?”

  Cooper’s smirk was hidden as he scratched at his cheek, giving a half-hearted yawn. “Did you keep in contact with Shania after the two of you parted ways?”

  “Here and there,” Matt said. “Not regularly.”

  “Who stayed in touch more?”

  “She tended to stay in touch more.
”

  “Would you say it was ever over the top? Excessive?”

  “No.”

  “When’s the last time you talked to Shania?”

  Matt’s jaw tensed. “I don’t remember. It’s a small town. We ran into one another.”

  Cooper nodded. “A few weeks? A few months?”

  “Not sure,” Matt said.

  “Can we wrap this up for now?” I pressed. “I think I speak for both of us when I say we’re tired. We didn’t ask for any of this. There’s no proof that Matt had anything to do with Shania’s death, so if we could just head out—”

  “Do you have any idea why Shania might have been on this side of town?” Cooper asked. “Or who she might have been with?”

  “No, I don’t,” Matt said. “And I think Jenna’s got a point. Do you have anything you’d like to arrest me for?”

  Cooper stood. “I’m sure I’ll have more questions for both of you.”

  “Are you going to tell us not to leave town?” I asked. “I know how this works. I styled so many episodes of—”

  “NCIS, we know,” Matt and Cooper said together.

  I gave a harrumph. “Fine. Well, are you gonna say it?”

  The chief gave me a thin smile. “You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

  “How are you so sure about that?”

  “Because your mother asked me to help fix your garden tomorrow.” Cooper winked. “You’re here to stay.”

  I muttered something low and growly and stomped toward the front door. “Well, Matt volunteered to help me, too. So, the pair of you can work together.”

  Matt raised a finger. “There was a stipulation on my volunteer hours. No Bachelorette Ball, no greenhouse.”

  I already had my shoes on. “Come on, Matt. You can’t stay here while the cops are doing their thing. You can come to my place for a bit.”

  Cooper watched as the two of us got ready to leave. Once we were all ready to go, Matt glanced back at Cooper.

  “I’ll be next door for a while if you need anything else,” he said. “Lock up before you go. I won’t be back here tonight.”

  Cooper’s eyebrow raised, but he merely nodded. I followed Matt down the steps, watching his tall figure as he lumbered, somewhat hunched over, toward my house.

  “Did you just invite yourself for a sleepover?” I asked.

  He cracked the slightest of smiles. “I’m not coming over, Jenna. I’m going to head to June’s. I’m not dragging you into this mess.”