Handbags & Homicide

by Anne Marie Stoddard

  "Wow." Jamie uncrossed her legs and leaned forward in her chair. "Was there anything interesting inside?"

  "Interesting is an understatement." I propped my elbows on the desk and leaned forward. "I found a receipt from a drugstore in Atlanta. Val bought a home pregnancy test the day before she arrived on the island."

  Jamie's jaw dropped. "Are you for real? She was preggers?" She blew out a low whistle and shook her head, a pained expression stretching across her face. "Holy crap. That's terrible."

  I held up a hand. "For all we know the test could have turned out negative," I said. "So it could be nothing." I met her gaze. "But I can't help but wonder, you know? I mean, did you actually see Val drink anything when we were at the club on Thursday night?"

  Jamie thought for a moment, her thin brows knitting together. "I don't remember," she said, frowning. "I assumed so at the time, but I wasn't really paying attention to her."

  "Same here." I sighed. "Anyway, that's just the first crazy thing that happened this morning. I bumped into Freddy and Will outside the Loco Moco Café earlier, and they invited me to join them on the patio for breakfast. Bryan was there, and I figured that maybe I could get his alibi."

  "Do you think he knew about the pregnancy test?" Jamie watched me, unblinking. She was hanging on my every word.

  I shrugged. "I didn't get a chance to find out. Tom would barely let me say a word to Bryan—but I did find out something else. Bryan and Tom left the table for a minute, and Freddy started telling me about this guy who'd been stalking Valentina back in Atlanta."

  "She had a stalker?" Jamie's freckled nose crinkled. "Ew. Creepy."

  "No kidding." A little shudder worked its way down my spine. "Freddy said he was the one who told Bryan about the guy. Bryan claimed he would deal with the creeper—but when Freddy asked him about it later, Bryan shut him down. He wouldn't talk about it." I straightened in my seat. "Now, I'm grasping at straws here, but what if Val was romantically involved with this overzealous fan of hers? Or, rather, what if Bryan thought she was?"

  "Is Bryan the jealous type?" Jamie asked.

  I nodded. "He didn't like it when I so much as looked at other guys—go figure he's the one who wound up cheating on me. But he also cares more about his image than the women in his life. If he thought Valentina was being unfaithful and that people knew about it, it would have made him really angry."

  "Angry enough to kill her?" Jamie's expression grew troubled.

  I shrugged. "I honestly don't know." Another shudder ran through me as I considered that I'd once been married to a man who could turn out to be a murderer.

  "But could he have done it if he knew she was pregnant?" Jamie questioned. "It takes a pretty sick person to do something like that."

  I swallowed. What if that had been what they were arguing about the night she was killed? If Val had confessed to an affair that led to her pregnancy, could Bryan have been enraged enough to kill her and the baby? "No," I said finally. "Bryan's a jerk, but he's not a monster." If he'd even had an inkling that she might have been pregnant, he wouldn't have hurt her. But if he didn't know…

  I drew in a breath and blew it out, eager to switch gears. "Then there's Coco," I said, flicking a gaze toward the door. "She was jealous of Valentina, and we already know she followed Val and Bryan at The Lava Pot just before Val was killed."

  "So, hypothetically, Coco may have caught up to her out on the beach," Jamie supplied. "Maybe they fought over Bryan and things got out of hand." Her lips parted, and her eyes grew wide. "What if she knew about Valentina's baby? That would mean a long-term commitment between Bryan and Val. Think Coco's twisted enough to have offed her squad mate anyway?"

  "I don't know." I frowned. "I think for now it's best if we don't mention the pregnancy test to anyone else, though—especially since we don't know for sure if Val was actually pregnant. For now, my next step is to try to find out for sure where Coco went when she left The Lava Pot. I doubt I'll ever be able to get her to open up to me, though."

  Jamie's mouth quirked. "Oh, we'll find a way." She hopped up from her chair and beckoned for me to join her. "Come on."

  We returned to the sales floor to find that Aunt Rikki and Harmony had emerged from the stock room and had joined the others in front of the changing stalls. Rikki looked up as we approached, her brown eyes twinkling with excitement. "Ku'uipo, you didn't tell me we had the honor of dressing your friend for her wedding."

  "It's sort of last minute," I replied, leaning in to give her a hug. "Thanks for bringing my stuff," I added, reaching into my bag to hold up my spare keys and passport. "I'm not sure if I'll ever get my purse back from the police. I should probably cancel all my cards and order replacements."

  Rikki squeezed my arm. "If you need money in the meantime, please don't hesitate to ask."

  "Your aunt is such a sweetheart," Em called from inside one of the changing room stalls. "She just offered to give me the employee discount on all of our dresses."

  "That's so generous of you," Mia added, beaming at Rikki.

  "It's my pleasure." My aunt bowed slightly. The sound of a ringing phone filtered down the hall. "Oh! That could be Nani," she said. "I asked her to call me at the shop today so we could schedule my next ukulele lesson. Excuse me." Rikki turned and sprinted toward the office.

  "Sheesh," Coco muttered, glancing at the tag on the dress she was holding. "She'd better be giving us a discount—these prices are highway robbery." She met my gaze, sneering. "I always knew you were a crook, Kaley. You probably only married Bryan for his money."

  Harmony snorted. "Oh, I like her," she said, smiling wickedly at me. "Finally, someone else who sees through your whole Little Miss Perfect facade." She stepped forward and held out her hand to Coco. "I'm Harmony Kane."

  Coco's eyes narrowed skeptically as she sized up the tall, raven-haired woman with her supermodel physique, and I could practically see the jealousy burning behind her expression. After a moment, though, her face relaxed, and she smiled as she took Harmony's hand. "I'm Nicole, but you can call me Coco." She pointed to Harm's soft pink, off-the-shoulder blouse. "I just love that top," she gushed. "You've got great taste—unlike some people." She gave my pale blue, ruffle-hemmed shirt a pointed look.

  "Great," I mumbled to Jamie. "They're twin terrors."

  Jamie nudged me with her elbow. "This might be the in with Coco that we're looking for," she whispered back.

  I frowned at her for a second, confused. When Jamie subtly inclined her head toward Harmony, I caught on. "Hey, Harm, your lunch break is coming up soon, right?" I asked, pasting what I hoped was an innocent smile on my face. "Why don't you join us over at the resort spa?"

  Harmony's gaze snapped to me. "What's the catch?" she asked, her tone filled with suspicion.

  "I booked six mani-pedi appointments for noon," I explained. "We've got room for one more in our group if you'd like to come. It's already paid for." I decided not to mention that the open appointment belonged to a dead woman.

  The door to one of the dressing rooms opened, and all heads turned toward Emma as she stepped out in an elegant, sleeveless white linen dress.

  "Em, you look gorgeous," I breathed.

  The other girls echoed my sentiment, nodding their heads in enthusiastic approval.

  Emma beamed at us. "Thanks. I think this is the one!" She turned her attention to Harmony. "Kaley's right—you should come."

  "Say yes!" Coco chimed in, not sounding the least bit mournful that Harmony was replacing her fallen cheer mate. She grabbed my coworker's arm. "Come on. It'll be fun."

  Harmony glanced my way again. "And I don't have to pay you back?" She still didn't look convinced.

  "Nope." Not with money, anyway.

  Harm squinted at me for a few more seconds. Then she cracked a grin, seemingly satisfied. "In that case, I'd love to. Thanks."

  Emma returned to the dressing room to change while Rose ushered Mia and Coco into the other two stalls to try on the dresses that the bride had
picked out for them. As soon as Coco was out of earshot, I gripped Harmony by the wrist.

  "Hey!" she protested when I pulled her into the hallway, Jamie following behind us.

  I held a finger to my lips to warn her to keep quiet. "Okay, look," I said in a low voice. "You don't have to pay anyone back for the trip to the spa, but I do need a favor. A big one."

  Harmony scowled. "What kind of favor?" She wrenched her wrist out of my grasp and took a step back. "Favors for you usually lead to trouble."

  "No trouble," Jamie said breezily, stepping in front of Harmony. "We just want you to sit next to Coco and chat with her while you're having your nails done." Her lips quirked. "And if you're short on conversation topics, maybe you could try finding out where she was when her friend was killed the other night."

  "Oh, I see what's going on here." Harmony looked from Jamie to me and folded her arms across her chest. "You think this chick had something to do with that murder over on the beach. You want me to get her alibi."

  Gee, nothing gets past you, Harm. I stifled an eye roll and nodded. "All you have to do is dish with her a little and see if she'll open up to you." I knew Harmony couldn't resist a chance to hear some good gossip.

  She studied me for a few seconds, frowning as she weighed her options. "If I help you, what's in it for me?"

  "Besides the free mani-pedi?" I bit back a sigh. "How about this? If you can get Coco to tell you her alibi for the time of Valentina's murder, then I'll swap shifts with you and cover mornings at the store for a week, starting next week. And," I added, holding up a finger as she began to shake her head, "I'll throw in my green, strapless Dolce & Gabbana dress."

  Harmony's perfect brows reached for her hairline. Though she loved to pick apart my wardrobe, I'd caught her admiring the dress the few times I'd worn it at the resort. Harm had an affinity for high-end fashion, but she'd recently fallen on some hard financial times, making it difficult for her to afford the designer threads she adored on her retail salary. "You're serious?" she asked, her tone disbelieving.

  "Yep. The dress is yours—but only if you get Coco's alibi."

  Pleasure flickered across her face, but she quickly forced it back. Harmony lifted her chin. "Well, your dress will definitely be too big for me, but I suppose I can pair it with a belt to cinch the waist." She nodded. "Okay. You've got a deal. I'll just go let Rikki know that I'm taking my lunch break now." She stepped into the office and closed the door behind her.

  "Is she for real?" Jamie scoffed, looking me up and down. "Why on earth would she think a dress of yours would be too big for her?"

  I glanced down at my size four waist and rolled my eyes. "Let her get her digs in. At least she agreed to help." I met her gaze. "That was a great idea, by the way. Harmony and Coco are kindred, rotten spirits. If she'll spill her alibi to anyone, Harm's probably our best bet."

  Jamie bumped my fist. "I've got your back. I just can't believe you agreed to give her that Dolce & Gabbana dress." She shook her head. "It must have cost a fortune."

  I grinned. "It's a knockoff."

  Jamie's eyes widened a fraction. Then she smirked. "Well, that's a twist I didn't see coming."

  I winked at her and held up a finger to my lips. "Our little secret."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Jamie hurried toward the front counter to assist a customer who'd wandered in as Coco and Mia walked out of their changing stalls, wearing twin pink and teal floral dresses. Rose thrust a matching garment into my hands. "The bride wants to see how you all look in these before she makes a decision. I have one in Jamie's size as well, whenever she gets a chance to come try it on."

  Emma emerged from her own dressing room, back in her robin's egg blue capris and frilly white top. I took her place in the stall and quickly slipped out of my clothes and into the dress she'd picked out for me.

  "Kaley, you look adorable!" Em cooed when I stepped out to model the outfit. "I think these will be perfect."

  Tonya, our afternoon cashier, arrived to relieve Jamie for her lunch break just in time for her to try on her own bridesmaid garb. When we'd all changed back into our normal clothes, Emma grabbed her credit card and walked up to the front counter to have Tonya ring up the outfits. Rose followed and tried to up-sell her with some necklaces and bracelets.

  Harmony rejoined our group as we headed for the front door. "All ready," she said. "Rikki's giving both Jamie and me an extended lunch hour. She wants us to enjoy ourselves."

  "Awesome," Jamie exclaimed.

  Harmony made a face. "She thinks it's great that we're bonding," she told me dryly.

  I choked back a laugh. Bonding? With Harmony? Yeah, right. If it made Rikki happy, I'd let her think what she wanted. "Come on," I said, motioning for the women to exit the store as Emma grabbed her purchases. "Our appointment is in five minutes."

  Emma excused herself to run back to the room and drop off the dresses while the rest of the girls followed me to the Aloha Lagoon Spa, which was located down the hall from the lobby and across from the employee locker room. Chanel, a French-Canadian woman with cherry red hair, checked us in at the front counter before allowing us to browse a collection of nail polish bottles. Once everyone had selected their color of choice, we were seated in a long row of chairs and each served a glass of champagne.

  For the next half hour, I sat between Emma and Jamie and indulged in a good old-fashioned pampering session, complete with a foot soak, massage, and a fresh coat of Cerulean Daydream on my fingers and toes. I turned my mind off and lost myself in blissful relaxation while the manicurist worked away on my piggies. I gradually became aware of the conversations around me as the woman began applying a clear top coat over my toe polish.

  To my left, Emma hummed to herself as she browsed a magazine. Mia was chatting with Jamie from two seats over on my right. "This is heaven," she said dreamily. "That was the best foot massage I've had in my entire life. I might have to come back here again before we leave."

  "You're in good hands with Marta," Jamie agreed, nodding at the spa employee who was painting Mia's toes. The woman smiled bashfully up at them.

  "I was so sorry to hear about your friend, Coco." Harmony's voice cut through the idle chatter, and my ears perked up. I glanced past Emma to the two chairs at the end of the row where Harm and Coco were seated. It sounded as if Harmony was keeping up her end of our bargain. "What was the poor girl's name?" she asked, her voice filled with sympathy. "Valencia?"

  "Valentina," Coco corrected. She glanced down at the manicurist kneeling at her feet. "Can you add one more coat to my big toe? The color looks a little uneven."

  One of the resort employees came over to refill their champagne flutes. Harmony pursed her lips and flicked a glance my way. I nodded encouragingly. She sucked in a breath and shifted her focus back to Coco. "Were you two very close?" She casually sipped her drink.

  Coco had already drained half her glass. She gave a dismissive wave. "We cheered together, but I wouldn't say we were the best of friends. Val was too competitive. She had to have everything and everyone she wanted." Coco dropped her gaze, and even from my seat a few chairs away, I could make out the jealous look on her face.

  "Oh, I know a girl like that here, too," Harmony said breezily. She cut another look my way. "She thinks she's so hot just because she somehow managed to trick one of the sexiest guys at the resort into going out with her. I don't know what he sees in her—especially when there are much more attractive women on the island."

  I ignored the barb. It was no secret that ever since Noa had returned to the islands looking like sex on a surfboard, Harmony had set her sights on him—so she wasn't exactly thrilled when he and I started seeing each other. If she had to gain Coco's trust at my expense, then so be it. Finally finding out whether or not the cheerleader was a coldblooded killer would be worth it.

  "It sounds like maybe Val moved in on your man?" There was a question in Harmony's tone.

  Coco finished her glass of champagne and gave a tiny h
iccup. "Something like that, although the other night, I—" Her words cut off as she seemed to catch herself. "I think this stuff is going to my head," she said with a nervous giggle.

  "Relax," Harmony said. "You're on vacation, girl. It's okay to unwind a little." She held out her own glass. "You want some more?"

  "Thanks." Coco took the glass and held it to her lips, sipping more slowly this time. "I do deserve to let loose, don't I?"

  Harmony's plan seemed to be working. Damn, she's good, I thought, impressed by her tactics. I leaned slightly forward in my chair, eager to hear what Coco would say next.

  "You're all done!" the young woman at my feet chirped, and I nearly jumped. She rose and handed me a pair of foam flip-flops. "Put these on so you don't ruin your nails. Let's get you set up under one of the heat lamps so the polish will dry faster."

  I tried to hide my disappointment as I was ushered into another room before I could hear the rest of Coco's conversation with Harmony. Emma was brought into the room a few moments after I sat down. "What do you think of my wedding nails?" Em asked, holding out her fingers to show off the gorgeous opalescent white polish. Her ring finger on each hand was painted the color of the ocean. "That's my 'something blue,'" she said, grinning.

  "I love it," I gushed.

  Emma's eyes grew misty. "You really saved the day, Kaley. My wedding would be ruined without you."

  "You'd have done the same for me," I replied, squeezing her shoulder. I stared at her for a few moments as she settled into her chair and placed her hands and feet under the lamps. On a hunch, I asked, "Hey, Em—you didn't happen to notice anything off about Val on Thursday night, did you?"

  Her brow furrowed, and she turned her head so that she was facing me. "What do you mean?"

  I shrugged. "There's just something that's been bothering me. At the club, did you happen to notice how much Valentina had to drink?" If she even drank at all, I added silently. "Did she take the shot you bought her when we first got there?"