“Hey, Case,” Sammy said, stopping next to me. He picked up that I was staring at someone and looked to see what it was. “Isn’t that one of your people?”
I shushed him, which was ridiculous because they couldn’t hear anyway. “I’d really like to hear what they’re talking about,” I said.
“Why don’t you just go over and say hello,” he offered. “You can invite them to watch us rehearse.”
“No on all of that,” I said. “I’d like to hear what they’re talking about without them seeing me.” Sammy seemed confused and I reminded him that one of my people had died in a weird way that seemed like murder.
“That’s right,” he said. He apologized for being so self-absorbed. “Let me help you.” He instantly stepped in front of me to act as a shield and then turned to face me.
“How about I back toward them, keeping you hidden?” he offered. Sammy was taller than me and with his bigger build it would work. I stepped close to him and he carefully backed toward the next bank of chairs. I stole a glance around him and the pair seem oblivious to us.
Sammy kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t going to trip or hit anything. “Case, this is exciting being part of one of your investigations. I’ll listen too,” he said as we got as close as we could and he stopped. I strained my ears to hear.
“You shouldn’t have come,” he said.
“I know you said it wouldn’t look good for us to be seen together, but if anybody says anything, I’m an old friend just here to comfort you,” Elizabeth said. “Nobody knows I’m here anyway.”
“That’s a good story, but I don’t want to take any chances. We really shouldn’t be seen together for now.”
Elizabeth started to say something about Vanessa, but she’d dropped her voice and I leaned into Sammy, hoping to be able to hear more. Just then I sensed someone had stopped next to us. A very tan man in white pants and a white polo shirt was peering at us.
“Folks, I was just wondering if I could see your room key, or if you haven’t registered yet, I can check your reservation for you.” His tone was all friendly, but there was an edge of authority to it. He might be dressed casually, but the earpiece and cord gave away that he was security.
Sammy didn’t miss a beat. “I’m the Amazing Dr. Sammy and this is my assistant. We’re the entertainment for the Bigelson anniversary party. We’re here to do a run-through.” Sammy turned to me. “Case, show him your costume.”
I nudged Sammy and whispered that I had it on under my dress. Meanwhile the security guy had leaned down and picked something up. I recognized the sparkly disk as having come off the romper. Oh, no, I was shedding, too. I snatched it from his hand and apologized. He turned to speak into something on the collar of his shirt and after a moment turned back to us. “Sorry. We can’t be too careful. I don’t know who said you could rehearse here. I can show you the room the Bigelsons have, but it’s in use now.”
I was still trying to listen to Elizabeth and Michael. I couldn’t very well shush the security guy and was leaning to one side to hear them better. But in the end all I heard was Elizabeth saying something about seizing the moment and changing her life.
The next thing I knew we were being whisked down a corridor with carpet so thick it felt like I was walking on pillows. The man with the earpiece opened a door and let us look inside. A crowd of people were lined up at a long buffet table. Round tables with lavender tablecloths were scattered around the room. “Seen enough?” the man asked. Apparently, he also answered for us as he shut the door, making us pull back.
We were on our own going back down the hall. There was no chance we’d get lost, as I’d left a trail of sparkly disks on the way in. When we got back to the lobby Michael and Elizabeth were gone.
“Sorry you couldn’t listen longer,” Sammy said. “Did you hear anything incriminating?”
“Maybe not incriminating, but certainly suspicious.” I glanced around the lobby. “Talking about looking suspicious—maybe we should get out of here.” I looked down at the floor and saw that the sparkly disks had started falling off in droves and were gathering around my feet.
“Your outfit probably has bald spots,” Sammy said with a worried look. “We better replace it.” But I had a better idea.
Sammy was upset that we hadn’t gotten to rehearse, but I reminded him that spontaneity was part of the act’s charm.
“Case, you are absolutely the best.” He gave me a thank-you bear hug and we both went to our cars. Actually, he followed behind me, picking up the trail of sparkly disks.
I didn’t much notice the scenery on the ride back. I was too busy thinking about Michael and Elizabeth. Was she just moving in on him now that Vanessa was dead, or were they working as a team to begin with?
Chapter Twenty-two
I pulled the yellow Mini Cooper into my driveway. Julius was waiting on the back stoop. “I hope you’re staying out of trouble,” I said as I climbed the two steps. He looked up at me and blinked a few times.
He waited until I opened the door and then followed me in. He did a few figure eights around my ankles and then headed for the refrigerator with a plaintive meow. I didn’t have to know cat language to get what he wanted. I dropped my stuff and opened the refrigerator.
“One dab of stink fish coming up,” I said, pulling out the plastic bag and automatically holding my nose. It took multiple unwrappings to get to the actual can, which had a plastic lid on it. When I released the lid, the smell hit me despite my holding my nose and I made a face. “Why couldn’t your favorite be something like chicken,” I said, doling out his spoonful of the fish. He was lapping it up with joy as I left the room.
I changed back into my jeans and turtleneck and threw the romper on the bed. “I’ll attend to you later,” I said, throwing the handful of discs Sammy had picked up on top of it.
I felt guilty for not going with the group and thought I would assuage it by bringing fresh cookies for the afternoon workshop. I had just turned on the oven to preheat it when the landline started to ring. I grabbed the phone.
“Hey, Feldstein,” Frank said. “I had a minute and needed a little entertainment. So how’s your weekend going? Found the perp yet?”
I chuckled inside. Frank was always acting like he was doing me a favor to talk to me, but I knew inside he was really interested in what was going on. “No,” I said regretfully.
“Tick tock, Feldstein. Not only are most suspects rounded up in the first forty-eight hours, but you’ve got the added problem that they’ll all be leaving.”
“Thanks a lot,” I said with a groan.
“I’m just trying to be helpful. It’s tough this time because the suspects are all people you know, right?” he said.
“Maybe.” He was probably right, but I hated to admit it. “But I might be on to something,” I added quickly, both for him and for myself. I told him about seeing Elizabeth and Michael and they’re history. In an attempt to lighten the moment I said, “I think the whole group would like to murder Elizabeth since she’s pushed us into doing the stupid ball routine for the talent show.”
I heard Frank laugh. “I don’t suppose there will be video available.”
“Not if any of us can help it. Particularly Blair,” I said. I realized he didn’t know who she was and explained her late arrival. “Maybe I should count her as a suspect.”
“Feldstein, you’re dithering. I get it—you’re trying to stay away from the obvious. Mr. Romantic Kiss in the Moonlight.”
“It was a kiss in the rain,” I corrected.
“Whatever,” Frank said dismissively. “He’s the oddball in the mix. That story about a mysterious invitation . . .” His voice trailed off and I imagined Frank shaking his head.
“He told me he thought Vanessa had invited him.”
“That’s convenient since she’s not there to confirm or deny.”
“I think she could have invited him. He said they had a previous connection and, well, she said she w
as on the lookout for husband number three and she wanted someone accomplished this time.”
Frank made a disbelieving noise. “I’m telling you—cherchez l’homme.”
“Since when do you speak French?” I asked. I had sliced the cookie dough as we were talking, put the discs on the baking sheet and had put them in the oven. I looked at the timer and saw they’d be done soon.
“I have a lot of talents you don’t know about.” Then he grunted. “I see what you’re doing. Evading the subject isn’t going to change things.”
Is that what I was doing? Maybe I did have a soft spot for Zak and was avoiding making him the prime suspect. The timer went off and I took the sheets out of the oven. As I did it, I remembered something. “Aha, I know it wasn’t him,” I said.
“This ought to be good, Feldstein. I’m all ears.”
“I just thought about something that happened the night of. After my trip to the hospital, I had a look around Vanessa’s room. It was really weird—her suitcase appeared to have been packed up. But that’s not the point. Vanessa’s purse was on the floor.” I gave him the lowdown on the designer name along with the price tag.
“Are those relevant details?” he asked.
“Not exactly. I was trying to give you a little color. The point is that the purse was with Vanessa when the bomb scare happened. So, the killer must have taken it when they shot her up with the air. And a guy wouldn’t have wanted to carry a purse. It might look kind of obvious.”
Frank seemed confused. “Why did the killer bring the purse to her room?”
“I’m guessing because her room key was in the bag,” I said.
“It’s kind of a weak excuse to eliminate Mr. Romance. But there’s a bigger point here,” he said. “Why did someone want the key in the first place?” Frank was starting to sound impatient. “C’mon, Feldstein. Do I have to spell it out for you?”
Suddenly I got what he meant. How could I have missed something so obvious? I wasn’t going to admit to it though. “No,” I said with just a touch of attitude. “They wanted the key so they could get in her room and look for something.” I used a singsongy tone, as if it was no big revelation.
“Bingo. Now you just have to figure out what it was.” I heard the squeak of his chair and I pictured him leaning back in it.
“You’re working Saturday afternoon?” I said, and I mentioned hearing his chair, thinking it showed off my detection skills.
“The chair sounds, huh?” he said. “Wrong assumption since I have the same chair at home.” He paused a beat. “But actually you’re right. I am at the office about to go on a surveillance. Thank heavens for cheating husbands and wives that want to catch them. You can figure this thing out, Feldstein. Remember, you were trained by the best.” Then he hung up.
Really? He didn’t train me. When I worked for him, he just gave me a list of people to call and told me what information I should get out of them. I figured out how to do it on my own.
I packed up the cookies and headed across the street. The van that had taken them to the winery tour was going up the driveway, having let everyone off. When I neared the Lodge, I saw Lucinda standing outside with several canvas bags holding wine bottles.
“Let me help,” I said, picking up my speed. “It looks like somebody had a good time.” I eyed her purchases, taking one of the bags out of her hands.
We started to walk toward the Sand and Sea building. She looked around and saw that we were on the path alone. “Lots of weird stuff went on,” she began. “Elizabeth said she had a headache and wasn’t going. But something was up, she was wearing mascara.”
“I know she didn’t go and what she was up to,” I said before sharing what I’d seen at the Inn.
“That seems suspicious to me. Maybe all that whining about being single and complaining about him marrying Vanessa was an act,” Lucinda said as we walked up the slope toward the Sand and Sea building.
I agreed that it was certainly a possibility and then asked about the others. “As you can figure, they were on their phones as soon as they got a signal. The winery had WiFi and Courtney had her laptop. She seemed particularly frantic and practically came unglued after she got a couple of calls on the way back.”
I was almost afraid to ask about Zak, but Lucinda volunteered the information before I had a chance to ask. “He spent the whole ride there typing something into his phone. He had what I’d call a self-satisfied smile. And Lauren,” Lucinda said with a disbelieving shake of her head. “She simply disappeared.”
“What?” I exclaimed and asked for more details.
“We started out at the tasting room and restaurant. She was there for lunch, but when the wine trolley came to take us to the vineyard and processing area, she was gone. I glanced around the mini mall the restaurant was in, but I didn’t see her. But when the trolley brought us back, she was just suddenly there.”
“Good work,” I said, wishing I knew what any of it meant. We’d reached the building her room was in and I thanked her for acting as host. “This was supposed to be a weekend for you to kick back and all you’ve done is help me out and play host. Oh, and get hooked into the nonsense with the balls.”
“I think I’ve discovered something about myself,” she said with laugh. “I don’t like kicking back, really. There is no way I could enjoy just sitting around during the meals. I like to be the one making sure everyone has what they need. And I’m always thinking about the restaurant.” She held up the cloth carrier of wine bottles. “Even this is for the Blue Door.” The bottles of wine she’d gotten were for Tag and her to try out. If they liked them they’d order cases for the restaurant. “However, coming to the retreats does give me a chance to sort of air out my mind. I always go home less bothered by Tag’s fussiness. At least for a little while.” She chuckled.
I insisted on carrying the bag all the way to her room. When we got to her door I handed her the bag and was almost ready to leave when I thought of my phone call with Frank. Lucinda’s room was right next to Vanessa’s. I told her about finding the purse in there and my theory about how it got there. “The killer could have been in there when you came back to your room after the all-clear on the bomb.”
Lucinda’s eyes darted back and forth as she tried to think back. “You know, I did hear the door open and close and then some footsteps in the hall.”
“I wish you’d peeked out your door,” I said. “Then we’d know who killed her.”
Chapter Twenty-three
“Hi,” I said in surprise. I had expected to find the meeting room empty, but Madeleine was sitting at the table. The huge red knitting needles clacked as she worked with the three strands of yarn. She looked up at my greeting.
“I’m afraid I’ve missed a lot of knitting time, so I came early.” She held up her work and had to untwist it to show me how much she’d done. “Look at how long it is already. These big needles are the best.” She went to rearrange the three balls of yarn so they wouldn’t get tangled and then straightened the scarf in progress again. In the process, she skewered it on the tip of one of the needles and I had to help her get everything untangled.
I added the tin of cookies to the coffee and tea service. The fire was going in the fireplace and it seemed like a typical workshop, except I was focused on trying to figure out a way to unmask the killer before time ran out.
Lieutenant Borgnine stuck his head in the door, and when he saw Madeleine his expression darkened and he stepped back outside, waving for me to join him. “I’ll be right back,” I said to Madeleine. She was engrossed in her knitting and I didn’t think she’d even noticed the lieutenant’s arrival.
Theo, as he asked to be called when he was doing the meditation thing, was pacing. His grim expression was a contrast to his casual clothes, but then his bulldog looks made him always appear like he was in a bad mood. I noticed he was massaging his temple, which made me think he was getting a headache. He’d had that reaction when dealing with me in the past.
; “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this ridiculous plan,” he said. “All this airy-fairy stuff hasn’t gotten me anywhere. I still say I should switch to my usual approach. None of this tell me about yourself stuff. More like where did you go during the bomb scare and who can vouch for it?”
I thought of offering again what my mother had brought up—suggesting that he inquire if his meditation students had anything to do with needles—but I didn’t think he would take it well.
“You just have Zak left, and if you have time you could offer someone a second session. Why not stick with the meditation thing for them and then tomorrow, if nothing turns up, you can use the last workshop to grill them. Have you thought about motive?” I asked and he gave me a steely glance.
“Do you know something you haven’t told me?” he asked.
I considered telling him about Michael looking for some fast money in a settlement, but after seeing him with Elizabeth I wanted to see if they were working as a team before I said anything to the lieutenant. I wondered if I should tell him I’d figured out that someone had gone into Vanessa’s room that night and whatever they were looking for must have had to do with why she was killed. But then he’d want to know how I knew, which would require me to admit that I’d been in her room. It could only lead to trouble for me, so I mentally shook my head and diverted his attention by suggesting he have coffee and some cookies while he waited for everyone to arrive.
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