Mascara and Murder (Murder In Style Book 3)

by Gina LaManna

  Ryan cast a wry smile at me. “You must not know Emma Lou very well. I think you’re giving her way too much credit.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning she can’t plan one step ahead, let alone frame someone for attempted murder.”

  “Unless that’s just it,” I said. “Maybe she did plot ahead. Maybe she plotted so far ahead that this whole ditzy thing is part of an act. She could be making herself look flighty on purpose to fulfill a role. Because she thinks Hollywood sees her as an airhead, maybe she’s giving them what they want. Maybe everything about her is actually calculated.”

  “But...” Whatever Ryan was going to say never came out. He put a hand on his hip and cocked his head upward, glancing toward the sky. “That’s insane.”

  “Is it?”

  “I just can’t believe that’s true. I’ve known her for...”

  “How long?” I pressed. “How long have you really known her? Did she appear after you got some big movie roles?”

  “You think she was trying to use me,” Ryan said. “You think she wanted fame.”

  “Did she get this role on the movie before or after you met her?” I asked. “I mean, did you cast her or did your casting director?”

  He shifted uneasily. “I might have put in a good word for her.”

  “And how’d you meet her?” I asked. “Mutual friends or...”

  “She came up and introduced herself to me.” Ryan raised his eyebrows. “At my own party. I wasn’t even sure how she’d gotten there, now that you mention it. I asked her, but she dodged the question.”

  “I’m guessing you’d just broken up with Sierra when she came around?”

  He looked uncomfortably in my direction. “Sounds about right. I’m sorry about Sierra, by the way. That was a mistake.”

  “It’s fine. I’m not mad about it.” When his eyebrow raised, I quickly amended, “Okay, I’m not mad about it anymore. And I do apologize for dumping out your favorite whiskey. But I was a little bit mad at the time.”

  He grinned. “A little bit? Granted, I deserved it.”

  “You did,” I agreed very nicely. “But I’m still sorry.”

  “I just can’t believe I was played so badly,” he said. “If it’s true, then Emma Lou knew exactly what she was doing from the very start. The ditziness could actually all be an act.”

  “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it’s one theory,” I said. “And it raises a few questions about why she asked you to grab her purse from the car.”

  “She might have planted it there to frame me,” he said, finally catching up to where I’d been all along. “And it worked, didn’t it? I mean, a little bit.”

  “It almost worked,” I said. “Lucky thing you’ve got me on your side.”

  “What tipped you off to it?”

  “Something that Kiernan or Emma or Cassidy said. It seems like you guys have a confusing sort of relationship. What happened there?”

  “I wonder if she didn’t plan the whole thing now. Start to finish.”

  “What whole thing?”

  “Kiernan, Tennison, and I were friends when this whole movie began filming. We started shooting a few scenes out in LA. We’re only here for a couple of scenes in the middle of the movie.”

  “Thanks to your fabulous location scout.”

  He gave a short laugh. “I suppose you could say that.”

  “Then when I broke things off with Emma—”

  “Why did you break things off?” I asked. “Was she surprised?”

  “She was really caught off guard. I felt a little bit bad about it,” Ryan said. Then he saw my face. “Okay, I felt a lot bad. Apparently, I suck at breakups.”

  “You should work on that,” I said. “Or, you know, just find a girl that you want to date and not break up with.”

  He cast a hopeful look at me, searching, and then turned his eyes to the ground. “Right, working on that.”

  I shrugged off the uncomfortable silence. “Anyway, you were saying?”

  “We weren’t working out. It’s starting to add up, in retrospect,” he said. “I caught Emma lying a couple of times. About little things, stupid stuff, but I didn’t understand why. I guess subconsciously, I got the feeling that she didn’t like me for me. She liked me for my name and status.”

  “Go figure. Someone trying to date a movie star for their name and status.”

  “It’s harder than you think to find someone who won’t do that,” Ryan said. “Why do you think I scouted a location all the way in Michigan just to see you again? You’re not like that, Jenna.”

  “Minnesota.”

  “What?”

  “You guys are lucky you got plane tickets to the right place,” I said. When he still looked confused, I waved him off. “Never mind. So you broke up with Emma. Then what?”

  “She was upset. Understandably so,” he added quickly, with a glance at me. “Unfortunately for her, my whiskey had already been dumped out.”

  “Ha-ha.”

  “I think she went to Tennison to get back at me, though I didn’t realize it at the time.”

  “How did you find out they were together?”

  “Emma Lou let it slip. Well, I thought she let it slip,” Ryan said. “But again, looking back, I have to wonder if it wasn’t calculated. Tennison and I had a meeting to go over some of Kiernan’s revisions to the script on the Saturday morning before we left to come here. I showed up at his house, and her car was there.”

  “Emma’s?”

  He nodded. “Parked out front. She skedaddled out the back just as I knocked on the front door. At the time, I thought it was related to filming. You know, maybe she’d had a meeting with Tennison or something. But then I thought, why would she be meeting with Tennison? He’s not really a producer or anything. We were just meeting because he was my friend, and I wanted his advice.”

  “But that wasn’t the case.”

  “Things started clicking for me then,” Ryan said. “Little things from the past week or two. I put it all together and realized she’d spent the night at Tennison’s house. I thought she was trying to be respectful sneaking out like that, you know, so I didn’t notice. Maybe they’d overslept or something. But I’m not so sure anymore.”

  “Did you say anything to Tennison?”

  “What would I have said?” Ryan shrugged. “Nah, it was easier to just ignore it.”

  “And what, you went ahead with your meeting?”

  “Yep. I pretended not to have noticed anything. But she left her toothbrush there, in his bathroom. He lives in a one bed, one bath. She’d have known I would see it.”

  “That means they were definitely dating,” I said. “Okay. Well, that’s something. What about Kiernan? The three of you were buds?”

  “Well, a few days before we flew here, things sort of blew up.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I confronted Tennison. He was late for a shoot one day, and it cost us some cash. Guess who was also late that day?”

  “Emma Lou.”

  “Bingo,” he said. “I was pissed. The director was pissed. So I confronted Tennison. He admitted they were dating. I told him I didn’t have a problem with that so long as it didn’t interfere with filming. He told me he understood, then he apologized.”

  “That doesn’t really sound like a fight. Sounds like business.”

  “Things didn’t escalate until Emma called me that night.”

  “Emma called you? Why?”

  “She called me and asked if we could talk. Said it was urgent. She insinuated that it was about the movie, so I agreed to meet up. We met at Yogurt Lab.”

  “You went and got FroYo with your ex-girlfriend?”

  “I thought it was business, okay?”

  “Fine. What’d she want to talk about?”

  “Well, it wasn’t business like she’d said,” Ryan said. “Instead, when I got there, she gave me a lecture for confronting Tennison. She said some stuff about how I was trying t
o break them up.”

  “You weren’t?”

  “No, I’d dumped her. We were done.”

  “You hadn’t changed your mind?” I cocked an eyebrow. “It’s been known to happen before.”

  “No,” he said. “And that’s only because I realized I made a huge mistake. The only mistake I made with Emma Lou was dating her in the first place.”

  “Again, I don’t quite see how this gets you and Tennison and Kiernan mad at one another.”

  “We were all out at a bar a few nights later, and Tennison had had a little too much to drink.” Ryan blew out a long, slow breath. “He accused me of trying to steal Emma Lou back. He found out we’d met for FroYo, and he was pissed.”

  “But that wasn’t your idea.”

  “Exactly,” Ryan said. “I told him that, and he got even more upset. He thought I was lying.”

  “But really, Emma lied to him?” I wondered. “You think Emma told Tennison it was your idea to meet?”

  “I guess so,” he said. “I think she was setting it up to look like I wanted her back, just to get Tennison upset with me.”

  “How does Kiernan play into this?”

  “He’s always been close with Tennison. Tennison must have told Kiernan he was pissed at me, and it filtered over. Kiernan still avoids me.”

  “Well, that’s a lot to digest.”

  “You’re telling me.” Ryan ran a hand through his hair again, ruffling it into a chaotic mess. I just figured out my last relationship was a fraud.”

  “You don’t know that for a fact,” I said. “It’s just one theory. There are plenty of others.”

  “Yeah, well...” He shook his head. “Maybe I’m better off alone. Dating has only gotten me in trouble. Anyway, I guess I should get you home. Can I call you a cab, or...?”

  “I’m actually just a few blocks away,” I said. “I’m going to walk home.”

  “Should I—”

  “I’m good on my own,” I said. “Thanks, though.”

  “Are you—”

  “I’m sure,” I said. “Thanks for the offer.”

  Ryan and I did an awkward one-armed hug before parting ways. As I was walking toward my house, my phone rang. I picked it up when I saw my mother’s name on the screen.

  “You had a date with Cooper Dear?” My mother was obviously working hard to keep her voice level. “I thought you canceled. Does this mean... are you official? What about poor Matthew Bridges? You know, I was always rooting for the chief, but now that it seems he’s pulling ahead, I do feel bad for Matt. He’s always been such a nice boy.”

  “Mother—”

  I stopped talking because at that moment, I rounded the corner in front of Angela Dewey’s house and came to a stop before my driveway. There, in front of my house, was Cooper’s truck. The man himself stood outside of it, leaning against the hood.

  “I’m gonna have to call you back, Mom,” I said quickly, hanging up before she could argue.

  “What are you doing here?” I hurried across the street and stopped before Cooper.

  He grinned at me, then nodded toward the phone in my hand. “Who was that?”

  “My...” Before I could answer, I felt a smile turning up the corners of my lips. “That was my mother.”

  “Interesting,” he drawled. “I wonder who might’ve called her?”

  Cooper looked around me. I followed his gaze. Across the street, Angela Dewey’s light shut off a little too quickly.

  “Fine,” I said. “You win.”

  “About that nightcap,” he said. “I understand if you’re exhausted, but—”

  “I’m not tired at all.”

  He laughed. “How do you feel about me redeeming my reward?”

  I led the way to my house, unlocked the front door, and gestured for Cooper to come inside. “How does red wine sound? Because it’s either that or coffee.”

  Cooper inhaled sharply. “Not that I don’t trust your coffee-making skills, but I think it’s best to stick with wine.”

  Chapter 17

  Cooper and I were two thirds of the way through a bottle of wine before I finished catching him up on my conversation with Ryan. I poured us both one more glass and simultaneously peeled off my sweatshirt because I was suddenly feeling like I’d walked through the Sahara Desert.

  The chief’s eyes watched as I peeled it off and dropped it on the floor next to the couch. When I was finished, I took another sip of wine, and he did the same.

  “It’s hot,” I said. “Probably the wine, huh? It’s been awhile since I went for a third glass of wine.”

  “You don’t have to be nervous.”

  “I’m not nervous,” I said. “We’re just talking about murder. Why would that make me nervous?”

  Cooper inched so that he was a little farther away from me on the couch, and he pulled my legs into his lap. He ran his fingers gently over my bare calves, and I leaned back and closed my eyes as he did.

  “That’s pretty nice,” I said. “And for the record, I’m not nervous.”

  “Not even a little bit?”

  “A little bit,” I admitted. “But I’m only telling you that because of the two glasses of wine.”

  “Why are you nervous?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “You’re the chief of police.”

  “Okay,” Cooper said. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re accomplished. Professional. Freaking handsome.” My eyes flashed open. “I mean—”

  “You don’t have to take it back,” Cooper said lightly. “I’ll accept it.”

  I wanted to melt into the couch, but I also didn’t want to move because his hands felt amazing on my legs. When we’d come inside, I’d run upstairs and changed into comfy shorts and my cute new Elizabeth Barley sweatshirt and matching tank, the former which was now on the floor.

  “And what about you, Jenna?” Cooper asked softly.

  “Look at me,” I said. “I’ve got a credit-card bill bigger than my bank statement. I sort of work for my mom’s shop. I’m a mess.”

  Cooper continued to rub my legs for a long moment, and when his eyes came up to land on mine, it felt like he was looking through me.

  “You’re looking at it all wrong,” he said eventually. “I don’t see a mess at all.”

  “What do you see?”

  “I see a woman who was hurt by her ex-boyfriend. But instead of crumbling because of it, she was brave enough to start a new life. Generous enough to help her mother build her dreams and selfless enough to put her own career on hold to do it. A woman who’s got her own dreams”—his eyes flicked toward the greenhouse—“that are slowly coming together. A woman who cares enough about her family to try to renovate this old place, so it’ll sparkle with the life your gran had given it.”

  “That’s... a lot.”

  “It barely scratches the surface,” he said. “I see a woman who knows everything there is to know about shoes and feathers and lipstick. Who’s also smart and savvy and funny. A woman who doesn’t care about fame or money. A woman who’s working hard to find her footing in this crazy new town.”

  “You’re sweet.” I pulled my legs down and snuggled up next to Cooper. “I still feel like I don’t deserve to be with you.”

  “Well, hopefully I can change your mind.” Cooper tipped his lips against mine. “Because you’re the only thing that I want.”

  He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me, and this time, Mrs. Maybelle wasn’t there to stop us. His fingers tangled through my hair as his other hand held my waist. For a moment, the world stopped, and all that existed was me and Cooper.

  “Stop,” I said, taking a breath. “I mean... don’t stop. But... time out.”

  Cooper’s eyebrow raised. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, you did many somethings right. Too right. We just started dating today.” I slid off his lap. “Can we talk about murder again? Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll do something I’d regret.”

  “I suppose.
”

  “Sorry,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. “It’s just a little soon...”

  “Got it,” Cooper said. “Murder it is.”

  I sighed with relief. “What do you think about my conversation with Ryan?”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “By any of it?”

  “Not really,” Cooper said. “I’ve been doing a little digging around on my own. Turns out, Emma Lou is quite the serial dater.”

  “Really?”

  “I found sources who said she’s had fifteen ‘boyfriends’”—Cooper added air quotes—“in the last year. Seems like she latches on to the newly famous and hangs on to them for as long as it takes for her to get some contacts. In this case, she got cast for a movie produced by Ryan. The twist was that he dumped her instead of the other way around. I’m guessing she wasn’t done with him.”

  “Do you think she could’ve really shot Tennison?” I asked. “I mean, on purpose?”

  “I think it’s very possible,” Cooper said. “But we’ve got no proof. What’s her motive for wanting Tennison dead?”

  I chewed on my lip, trying to think up what Tennison might’ve done that had gotten Emma Lou so ticked. “Maybe he was going to dump her? They did have a fight the night before. I think Tennison was sick of sneaking around, but Emma Lou wanted to keep their relationship a secret. Or, at least, sort of secret.”

  “Is that enough to shoot someone? Seems to me like Emma Lou didn’t care much about Tennison except for using him to get back at Ryan. Would she really go through the risk of shooting him?”

  “Maybe she really didn’t want to be dumped by him?” I shrugged, though the idea felt a little hollow. “Or maybe she actually wanted to frame Ryan to get back at him for dumping her? You know, maybe she didn’t shoot Tennison for herself. Maybe he was just another pawn in her game to get back at Ryan.”

  “But then, why would she pull the plugs on him?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “To change the charges from attempted murder to manslaughter?”

  “I suppose it’s possible.”

  Cooper and I sat in silence.

  “There’s one more thing,” Cooper said finally. “I’m not sure I should be telling you this, to be completely honest.”