by Lyndsey Cole
Annie shrugged. “He was finishing up some business stuff. I thought he’d be home but he must have gone out.”
Camilla parked. “Let’s get inside. We’re both gonna need a glass of wine while you hear what I found out at Dazzle Design.”
Camilla pushed Annie inside. Closed and locked the door. Roxy danced around their feet. Annie fished a treat from her pocket, made Roxy sit, and rewarded her. “Okay, Camilla, what the heck is going on?”
Camilla went straight to the cupboard and grabbed a couple of wine glasses. She carried the glasses and an already opened bottle of wine, that Annie started earlier with Harold and Scarlet, to the coffee table in front of the sofa. “Sit down,” she ordered. She poured two glasses of wine, offered one to Annie, took the other, and sagged onto Jason’s comfy recliner.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Camilla said after she drank half the wine in her glass.
The doorknob jiggled. Camilla and Annie both turned and stared. Roxy ran to the door, tail wagging. “It must be Jason,” Annie said. She put her glass down and opened the door.
It wasn’t Jason standing in the open doorway.
Scarlet, with her shoulders sagging and her eyes dull, stood motionless in front of Annie.
“Can I come in?”
Chapter 14
Annie moved out of the way. She pulled Scarlet’s arm. “Of course. Come in.”
Before she sat down, Annie carried a third wine glass to the table. “You look like you might want to join us.”
Camilla and Scarlet stared at each other.
“Oh,” Annie said looking from one woman to the other. “You two haven’t met yet? Scarlet, meet Camilla.” She pointed to Camilla. “Camilla bumped into Trisha after you quit and she got hired to work at Dazzle Design today.” She pointed at Scarlet. “Scarlet was Trisha’s manager before she discovered that Trisha planned to steal her dress designs.”
They nodded at each other but didn’t smile.
“Camilla took the job to spy on Trisha. You can trust her, Scarlet.”
“How do we know we can trust Scarlet?” Camilla asked, keeping her gaze trained on the newcomer. “If I learned anything today, it’s that Trisha Fitch can manipulate anyone to do anything for her.”
“Exactly,” Scarlet said, as she sat up straighter on the couch. “She could even manipulate you, I bet.”
Camilla threw back the rest of her wine. “Ha! I don’t think so. I knew exactly what I was doing when I agreed to work there.” Camilla looked at Annie. “Did you show Scarlet the papers I smuggled out in your Dazzle Design bag? I’m proud of that maneuver.”
Annie nodded. “Scarlet saw those papers.”
“That’s right. I went to the store to demand that Trisha give me back my sketch pad. She was furious. I don’t know what she was going to do before you came into the store and got me out of there, Annie.”
“You certainly have a habit of up and disappearing, Scarlet,” Annie said as she studied Scarlet’s face carefully. “What are you doing here now?” Annie settled comfortably into the corner of the couch, her feet curled under herself and Roxy resting her head in Annie’s lap.
Her phone rang.
She checked the number. “Darn, it’s The Enchanted Florist. I’m supposed to be there now.” Annie explained to Posey what happened and agreed to be there as soon as possible. “Let’s cut to the chase with what’s going on with Trisha. I have flowers to see to for my wedding.”
Camilla eyed Scarlet. “Okay, maybe you can help us put the pieces together.” She poured herself another half a glass of wine which emptied the bottle. “I found boxes of dresses packed up in the back room. At first, I thought there was nothing wrong with that. I had some time, so I was planning to unpack them. You know, hang them up before they got too wrinkled.”
Scarlet sat on the edge of the couch, her eyes focused intently on Camilla’s face.
“Thorne came in and screamed at me with his arms waving and flapping, ‘Get away from those boxes. It’s none of your business.’ It was kind of scary, to be perfectly honest. He’s big. And muscular. And he has that creepy thorn tattoo winding up his neck. Yuck.” Camilla finished her wine, sighed deeply, and continued, “Anyway, he started to push me out of the room but I managed to see the name on the boxes. It didn’t say Dazzle Design.”
Scarlet jumped up. “I bet it said SF Fashion, right?”
“How did you know?” Camilla asked, also sitting up straighter in the recliner.
“I finally put it together myself.” Scarlet sat back down on the edge of the couch. “Steve said he was trying to help me get another job, right?” She glanced at Annie. “I already told you that. Well, SF Fashion? SF must stand for Steve Fitch. He wasn’t going to help me get another job; he wanted my designs for himself. He was trying to cover his own butt before Trisha dumped him.”
“If that’s the case,” Camilla wondered, “how did those boxes end up at Dazzle Design?”
Scarlet shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that someone at Dazzle Design figured out that he was stealing dresses and shipping them to his own shop and wanted to put a stop to it.”
Annie drained her glass. “Wow. That sort of fits with what Milly told us when she came to the café to try to get Leona’s gown. First it was Trisha wanting the trade, then Harold, then Milly. They’re all in on the act.”
“Trisha wants that gown,” Camilla said. “I heard her talking to Thorne about it. She told him to do anything necessary to stop you from wearing it. Maybe it was him who whacked you on the back of your head when you were waiting for me.”
“What?” Scarlet’s eyes popped wide open. “Someone ambushed you?”
“You could describe it that way,” Annie said as she took a quick glance at Scarlet’s shoes. Sneakers, not anything that would have made the click clack sound on the pavers. She rubbed the back of her head. “It’s already feeling better. He could have done a lot more damage. Maybe it was a warning.”
“You were lucky to get a warning,” Scarlet said. “I doubt if Steve was that fortunate.”
Annie stretched her legs out before she stood up. “It’s so comfy here but I better get to The Enchanted Florist and find out what Posey needs advice about.”
Camilla cleaned up the glasses and empty wine bottle. “I’ll give you a ride back to town since your car is still at the Cove’s Corner parking lot.”
Scarlet stood up but didn’t head to the door. “I don’t have anywhere to go. I had that room at the Heron Inn but I don’t feel safe there. What should I do?”
“Um, I guess you could wait here until I get back. Jason might be home soon anyway,” Annie said. “Roxy will be glad to have the company.”
Scarlet’s face broke into a wide smile. “Really? I can hang out in this gorgeous place? Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll sit on the porch and enjoy the view.”
“Okay then,” Annie replied. “I shouldn’t be gone for too long.”
Annie double checked that the door was locked after she walked out behind Camilla, leaving Roxy outside with Scarlet.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Camilla asked once they were both in the car and away from any possibility of Scarlet hearing their conversation.
“It would be pretty dumb on her part to take anything. She’d be the most obvious suspect. Besides, what would she take?” As soon as the question was voiced, Annie remembered Detective Christy Crank’s comment about watching out for the silver if Scarlet was around. She shook her head to dislodge that thought. Scarlet wasn’t the type to steal someone’s silverware. Was she?
Camilla dropped Annie off next to her car and said she had to get home and shower away the grunge from working with Trisha and Thorne. She shuddered. “I hope my spying at Dazzle Design proves to be worth something in the end besides getting a bad case of the cooties!”
Annie laughed, hopped out of Camilla’s car, and opened her car door. A small, pink, striped package was sitting on the driver’s seat.
She smiled. She recognized the bag from the upscale women’s store Leona loved to shop in. Inside, she lifted out a sexy pair of panties—white with blue lace trim. A note dropped out—Camilla gave you something new, my gown is something borrowed, and now this is something blue. Annie shook her head. Of course Leona would make sure she wore something blue along with Camilla’s new hair clip and Leona’s borrowed wedding gown. She still needed something old to round it all out.
Annie stopped in front of The Enchanted Florist and wondered what Posey needed. All the flowers had been selected weeks ago and, besides, Annie trusted Posey’s flower sense if changes had to be made. Annie’s flowers would be a simple bouquet of light and dark pink peonies with a touch of seeded eucalyptus.
The door jingled as Annie entered. Beautiful aromas filled the shop. She inhaled deeply, letting the wonderful scents work their magic.
“Ah, there you are,” Posey said from behind the counter. “I’ll be right out when I finish this arrangement. Look around while you wait.”
Annie couldn’t help but admire the potted orchids that filled one corner of the shop and she bent down to smell the big white oriental lilies. “You’re so lucky to be surrounded by all this beauty,” she told Posey.
“Yeah, it has its pluses and minuses. Just like anything else. There are days that I can’t wait to shut the door and head home to a quiet soak in my tub.” She joined Annie. “That’s why I asked you to stop in. I had a customer this morning that gave me the creeps.”
Annie’s skin prickled. “What does that have to do with me?”
“Well,” Posey led Annie to a back room, “he was asking all about your wedding—what time it was starting, the location, when I was delivering the flowers. Even what you were wearing and where you live. It was odd. He said he wanted to buy some flowers that would match your gown and surprise you with them. He even wondered if I knew when you would be home.”
Annie felt her hands turn to ice. “This guy, what did he look like?”
Posey held Annie’s arm. “That was the creepiest part. He was friendly and all, but he had this weird tattoo on his neck. It looked like thorns. That’s why I asked you to stop in. I wanted to tell you face to face and not over the phone.”
Annie’s heart raced. What did this mean? Why would Thorne ask all those questions about her? What was his plan?
Chapter 15
Annie couldn’t shake the dread settling in her stomach as she headed back to Cobblestone Cottage. She was deeply relieved to see Jason’s car in the driveway. He could help her sort things out.
She walked inside to find a quiet house. “Hello? Where is everyone?”
Jason clomped down the stairs. No smile. “Did you forget to close the door when you went out?”
Annie’s eyes did a quick search of the downstairs—no Scarlet and no Roxy. “I’m positive I closed and locked this door.” She pointed to the door leading out to the driveway. “I double checked. Where’s Roxy?”
“I imagine she took herself for a walk since the door was open when I got here.”
“What about Scarlet?”
“What about her, Annie? What does she have to do with our house?”
Annie ran her fingers through her strawberry blond curls. She walked to the doors leading to the front porch overlooking the lake. “I had to run over to The Enchanted Florist and I told her she could stay here until I got back. She was inside when I left.” Annie looked at Jason. “She didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Okay. Let’s think this through. You left a virtual stranger in our house, someone you barely know. Someone who could be a murderer. How long were you gone?”
“Maybe a half hour or forty five minutes. She said she was going to sit out on the porch, not in our house.” Annie looked through the porch door as if by magic Scarlet would suddenly appear.
“Well, she’s not here, as you can see. And the porch door wasn’t locked.” Jason’s voice was controlled but had an edge to it. “I have a lot of important information in my office. You can’t just let strangers come in like that.”
“Did she take anything?” Annie’s voice fell to a whisper. She was horrified that she didn’t even consider the effect Scarlet could have on Jason if she turned out to be untrustworthy.
“Nothing looks like it was disturbed in my office. Fortunately.”
Annie turned and ran upstairs. She let out a yelp. “Leona’s wedding gown. It’s gone. She took the gown.”
Annie flew back downstairs, her phone in her hand as she called the police station. “Tyler. We think someone broke into Jason’s house. The door is open. Roxy’s gone. Please come quickly.” She hung up. Her whole body shook. She looked at Jason. “Tyler’s on his way.”
“Calm down, Annie. Scarlet won’t get far,” Jason said, his voice soothing instead of accusing as it was minutes earlier.
“If she’s the thief. I’m not convinced.” Annie paced back and forth between the porch doors and the dining room table. On her next pass, she saw Roxy waiting on the porch to come in.
Annie cuddled her precious terrier. “Where have you been? What happened? I wish you could tell us something.”
While Annie was sitting on the floor with Roxy, Tyler arrived. “Are you all right, Annie? What happened?” Concern laced his voice.
Jason answered for her. “I got home to find the door open and the house empty. Annie said she was gone for about a half hour, but when she left, Scarlet LaFave was here.” Jason glanced at Annie. “We think she stole Annie’s wedding gown.”
“Who stole Annie’s gown?” Scarlet stood just inside the porch door, her eyes wide with confusion.
Annie, Jason, and Tyler turned as one and stared at her.
Tyler walked toward Scarlet and took her arm. “Sit down. I’ve got some questions for you.” He pushed her into a chair at the dining room table.
Scarlet tried to shake off Tyler’s hand. “What’s going on?”
“Where’s Annie’s gown?” Jason demanded.
Scarlet looked at Annie. “What’s he talking about? I took your dog for a walk after you left. When we turned around, Roxy ran ahead and beat me back here.”
“Let’s all sit down and fill me in from the beginning,” Tyler said, obviously trying to calm the tension in the air. “Unless Ms. LaFave hid the gown or threw it in the lake, maybe we can figure out something else that happened to Annie’s gown.”
Annie sat next to Scarlet on one side of the table, Jason sat at the end, and Tyler sat across from Annie. “Okay,” Tyler began. “Maybe Leona or Mia took the gown for an alteration? Is that a possibility?”
Annie shook her head. “No. Martha did all the alterations and I picked up the gown from her house yesterday. It’s been hanging upstairs. No one I know would have taken it without telling me.”
Tyler jotted down some notes. “Can you think of anyone else who would take it?”
Annie leaned forward toward Tyler. “Trisha Fitch.” She spit out the name. “She’s been after me to get that gown since she arrived in town. That’s where you need to look. I wouldn’t be surprised if she murdered her husband, too.”
Tyler’s eyebrows shot up. “That sounds like a leap. What do Steve Fitch’s murder and your gown have to do with each other?”
Annie pursed her lips. She saw Jason’s and Scarlet’s heads turn in her direction. “Have you even looked into Trisha’s business yet? Her marriage to Steve? He was stealing her dresses to start his own business. Have you found any clues yet?”
Tyler slammed his notebook closed. “Did you call me out here to pick my brain because of some old dispute between Leona and Trisha?” He stood up. “This is pretty low, even for you, Annie.”
Annie felt her mouth drop open as she watched Tyler walk to the door.
With the door open and his hand still on the doorknob, Tyler said, “When you called me, I thought someone was hurt, or worse. I dropped everything to help you. In case you forgot, I have a murder to solve, and I don’t see how the disapp
earance of your wedding gown ranks anywhere near the urgency of that. If it’s actually even missing.” Tyler slammed the door.
“I think Tyler still has some issues with us getting married, Annie. He’s not going to help.” Jason stood up and stood behind her chair, massaging her shoulders.
“What now?” Annie asked. “The gown is definitely connected somehow.”
Jason stared at Scarlet. “You’ve been awfully quiet. Did you let someone in when Annie left? Do you have an accomplice?”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Annie said, turning toward Scarlet. “Were you helping someone get the gown? Helping Trisha save her business?”
Scarlet shook her head. “Not on your life. Trisha is only out for herself and she would discard me with the trash as soon as I was no use to her.”
Annie stood up and paced around the room again. Her eyes fell on the envelope with the sketch pad, half hidden under a magazine. Fortunately, Scarlet didn’t know she had the sketches and she was glad her intuition had warned her not to tell Scarlet about it. She might need to use it as the bargaining chip to get her gown back. And uncover Steve’s murderer at the same time. If she played her cards right. Once everything was solved, she would return it to Scarlet. Now, she needed to focus on a more immediate mystery.
“Here’s what I found out from Posey at The Enchanted Forest: some guy came into the store asking her a ton of questions about me, the wedding, where I live; creepy stuff. The description matched Thorne. It’s not hard to miss that ugly tattoo on his neck.” Annie talked as she paced, letting the narrative take on a life of its own.
“Why would someone like that make himself so identifiable?” Jason asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Annie spun around and pointed her finger at him. “Exactly what I thought until now. He wanted to be creepy enough so Posey would call me and get me to the store so he could break in here and steal the gown for Trisha. If Scarlet hadn’t left with Roxy, he might not have come in,” Annie shivered, “or he might have hurt Scarlet.”
