by Tonya Kappes
“I’ll be right back.” I told Sean and followed them out to Bernadine’s truck.
The night was black as coal, and there was a new chill in the air. Soon, the night fog would be rolling in and it would be nearly impossible to drive in. Sean and I could talk, and I’d have Bernadine drive me to the shop in the morning before her yoga class.
“Don’t say a word to anyone about what we saw here tonight.” I had to sort through what I knew about Marlene and try to piece some things together.
“I knew Marlene was no good from the moment I set eyes on her. I bet she offed my brother too,” Ginger said, looking angry.
“Uh-huh.” The divas all agreed with Ginger.
It was no secret that Marlene wanted Doug any way she could get him. But did she really want him dead?
They didn’t have to say it, but I know they were curious about why Sean, who left a very bitter taste in my mouth, was making himself all too comfortable in the cottage.
I didn’t stay to watch them pull out. I was freaked out enough and wanted that night to be over. Sean was sitting on the couch with Willow curled up next to him, snoring. She didn’t mind all the ruckus as long as she could sleep.
“What were you divorcees up too?” He drug out the word he secretly hated.
When we were going through the divorce, he’d never say it. He thought “split-up” sounded better—better for his lying, cheating heart.
“It’s really none of your business.” I said. “How did you get in here?”
He flipped my spare key at me. “Pig’s mouth.”
Damn, I forgot that I’d had to call him from the shop a few weeks ago and asked him to let Willow out. She was recovering from a bellyache, and taking care of a sick pig was just as bad as taking care of a sick kid.
“Why are you here, Sean?” I opened the door, went outside, and put the key back in the ornamental concrete pig’s mouth. I was going to have to find a new hiding spot, but this was not the night for it.
“So, are you trying to frame me, Hol?” He asked.
I hated when he used that shortened version of my name. Especially when the lighting in the cottage was making his green eyes sparkle more than usual.
“Well?” He asked again. “Are you?”
Frame him?
“You really think I’d be stupid enough to kill someone in my own shop, using my own inventory? And you don’t have the right to call me Hol anymore.” I rolled my eyes at his stupidity. “Now, you, on the other hand, have many reasons to have killed him in my shop with my beads.”
“Why is that?” He stood up and crossed his arms.
I rubbed my waistband again. Every time he looked at me, I felt him judging my appearance.
“You weren’t getting any jobs that weren’t clean-ups from Doug’s messes. If he was out of the picture, you’d get all the jobs.” I stormed over and stood nose to nose with him. “Second, if I was in jail, you wouldn’t have to pay alimony.”
He threw his head back and laughed hysterically.
“Why is it that you never take me seriously? You never did when we were married, and now that we’re both suspects, you think it’s a big joke.” I poked him in the chest. “Listen. We are all we got, whether we like it or not.”
“You’ve watched too many episodes of this.” He picked up a Veronica Mars DVD case off the top of the TV. “I think I’ll leave it to the police.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone rang. I checked the clock. It was after eleven and no one ever called that late.
“Who could that be?” Sean peeked out the window like someone was watching us.
Chills washed over me and I began to shiver.
Letting out a little moan, I cautiously answered the phone in a soft tone, “Hello?”
“Oh my God! Someone has destroyed the shop!” Cheri screamed through the phone, sounding panicked.
I stood speechless for a moment, replaying what I’d heard in my head.
“Hello? Holly?”
Sheer fright swept over me. There was definitely someone after me. So much for a relaxing night after such a crazy day.
Chapter Sixteen
“Do you know who could’ve done this?” Noah asked.
I had called the police on the way over. I’d need a report to file an insurance claim if something was missing or damaged or dead. Just by luck, Noah was on duty.
“Did you do this?” Noah asked me and then turned to Sean.
I was starting to become annoyed with his accusations.
“Yeah, Noah. I took everything I’ve worked to create and just decided to trash the place.” I gestured around the shop.
Sean let out a loud sigh and rolled his eyes. That might’ve been the first time he and Noah had come face to face since the fight that ended their friendship. I never found out what the fight was about. I made a mental note to ask Sean about it.
It wasn’t as bad as Cheri had made it out to sound. The front window was busted out and the tables and chairs had been flipped over. They obviously didn’t want to do more than cause me a headache, because all the beads were left hanging and in the bead bins.
“It just looks suspicious, you know.” He wrote away on the pad of paper like he was really taking notes.
That damn notepad. I secretly wished I could take a look at it.
He glanced up quickly and then looked back down. “To try and throw me off the trail. We find a dead body, and then someone breaks in. It makes it look like you’re trying to clear yourself.”
“When do you think you’ll have the report? I’ll need it to send to my insurance company,” I said.
I wasn’t going to let his accusations bother me. The awning over the shop’s broken window was flapping in the wind, and I wrapped my arms around my body to shield it from the cold night air.
“It’ll be ready tomorrow.” Noah continued to write whatever it was he always wrote on his little pad. “Come by the station around noon.”
Glass crunched under his black shoes as he left. He didn’t bother stepping around it like any normal person would’ve done. I shook my head and wondered if there was any inventory missing. Of course, this would happen the one time I didn’t check the items off the packaging slip.
“Dang,” I muttered as I walked back to the office, hoping Marlene had left the slip sitting on the desk.
I barely caught myself as I tumbled over something.
“You okay?” Cheri asked me.
Sean was outside, sweeping the glass off the stoop.
I flipped on the office light, praying that I didn’t just kick another dead body. Shards of glass glistened all over the desk. I picked up the brick I had tripped over and removed the note that was attached by a rubber band.
“Yes.” I hesitated, wondering if I should tell them about this note. I yelled back, “I’m fine. Just a lot of glass.”
I shut the office door and flattened the note out. If Marlene and the two women had something to do with Doug’s murder and were trying to frame me for it, I wanted to know why. Doing it on my own might be the only way to clear Sean and me.
I read the note slowly, making sure I didn’t miss anything. “I want the bead. What you did tonight only made matters worse.” What bead?
I folded the note up and slipped it into my back pocket. I tugged my elastic up on my jeans and grabbed the extra broom from the storage closet. This was not going to make me close the shop. I was going to remain open no matter what. I didn’t have a choice.
“I went ahead and put up some really strong plastic across the window.” Sean pointed to the front of the shop.
Thank God, he was still at my house and drove his work truck. He always carried the craziest stuff in that truck. “Never know when you’re going to need something,” he’d say. And he was right tonight.
“Great. The office window has a little hole too. Do you think you can put some of the plastic on it?” I asked.
I was careful not to look at him. He was always able to
read me and I didn’t want to have to lie about the brick and the note. Marlene had been my friend from the time she joined the Divas and I didn’t want to believe she had something to do with this.
“Too bad you don’t have a security camera,” Sean said.
“Yeah, too bad.”
Maybe it was time I invested in a little more security. Not only for the shop, but also for myself. I admit if someone came up behind me, they’d be able to take me down. Granted, with my extra pounds I could possibly hurt them by falling on them, but I’d much rather be able to protect myself.
“Cheri, are you still taking that karate class at school?” I held the dustpan while she swept the broken glass into it.
“It’s not karate. It’s self defense,” she corrected.
Karate, self defense, it’s all the same when you want to do damage to someone.
“Are you interested in coming? We’d love to have you,” she said and looked up.
I thought for a second about all the college kids in there and then me. I laughed.
“Can you imagine me in a self defense class when I can’t even save myself from a few doughnuts?” I pulled on the elastic waistband, let go, and let it smack my pooch.
“As a matter of fact, I’ve really toned up since taking it. We do more than just defense moves. We start out with all sorts of muscle building exercises,” Cheri said, and started doing some of the exercises involving all sorts of squat sequences.
I definitely needed some training in case my life really was in danger, but I had to say, losing weight at this point was pretty important too.
With Sean out of the way, I’d be able to discuss everything going on with Cheri and possibly talk a little more about the self-defense class.
“So, do you think the two women at the lake tonight had anything to do with this?” Cheri asked.
Slivers of glass were everywhere. Even The Under was glistening, and there was not a chance I was going to deal with that tonight.
“Yes.” I pulled the note out of my back pocket and waited while Cheri read it.
Her eyebrows rose and fell with every word. She pulled the beret off her head. Her long dark hair flowed down to her shoulders.
She stomped around in a circle like a child. “No way! It has to be Marlene. What did you do to her?”
That was my first question, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I’d done nothing but be her friend.
“Here’s the deal. I don’t want any of the Divas to know, especially Ginger. She was too much on her plate as it is.”
Plus, I don’t think Ginger really believes that Sean it is innocent. Yes, I’ve painted him as a bad, bad man to the Divas and he was—to me–but I know he isn’t a killer.
I let Cheri in on a few of the details about the two plump women who had come into the shop a few times when I’d been there alone. Although, the last time was when Sean was there. I told her how they never buy anything or ask any questions. They just walk around and stare or try to peek in the back of the shop where the office and storage is.
“Plus, Marlene has access to all the beads; what bead is the note referring to?” Cheri glanced around.
“I don’t have any expensive beads.”
I did recall a time when Marlene wanted me to get these rondell beads that have real crystal instead of glass, but they were too expensive. Is that enough to make her mad at me, kill Doug, and then frame me?
She’d been trying to get her claws into Doug for a long time, and on several occasions, he’d turned her down. Was she just killing two birds with one stone?
“Has Marlene ever shared anything with you about her past?” I asked Cheri, looking for any clue.
“Nothing she hasn’t shared with the Divas.” Cheri took the last pan of broken glass and dumped it in the trash.
“I’m still going to have her work here and see if there’s anything out of the ordinary.” I checked the back door and made sure it was locked. “I still want to host the divorcee group next weekend”
“I have an idea,” Cheri said. “We can play a game about our ex’s and whoever wins gets a fabulous prize. But what could we use as the prize that won’t be too expensive?”
“I can give a free private beading class of the winner’s choice. They’d get everything for free.”
Who wouldn’t want that? Especially Marlene. The only reason she helped stock was so she could get free things.
Chapter Seventeen
I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like ever since Doug’s murder, there were more customers than ever. I was barely able to keep up. I was seeing new faces all the time, and some who had never picked up a bead in their lives. Going back to the basics made me remember how much I love to string the single, simple glass bead.
Sometimes I get too caught up in beading new and complex designs, but that week brought me back to the basics. Still, every time I walked over Doug’s dead body spot, I shivered at the thought that someone hated me enough to frame me for murder.
Noah Druck was no closer to finding the killer than I was. He still came around with that damn notepad and pencil I wanted to grab and break in half.
Every night after work, Bernadine and I met at the pier and walked around the edge of the lake. It must have been working, because the waistband indentions weren’t as deep as they were at the beginning of the week.
That day, I was meeting with Margaret and her mom to try to get some final designs on her bridesmaids’ accessories.
Throughout the week, I had been putting together a variety of designs that included different color schemes for Margaret to pick from and to give her an idea of what I was thinking would work.
They were going to arrive at the shop any minute.
“Don’t forget about tonight.” Cheri popped her head in after she got home from her classes to remind me of my first self-defense class.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be there.” Whether or not I wanted to go, I’d made a commitment and I was sticking to it.
One by one, I carefully carried out the designs for Margaret McGee on bead boards from the storage room. None of the necklaces were strung because she hadn’t actually requested a certain style. This would also allow Margaret to switch out beads she didn’t like.
The crystal antique, pink Swarovski element with the diamond rondelles were by far my favorite pick if Margaret was going for a soft, romantic look. The pink was very light, almost clear. When the sun hit them, they glistened. From what I remember, Margaret was having an outside wedding, making that necklace a perfect choice.
The two-toned Czech glass bead design was on the other end of the spectrum. The dark aurora borealis beads are edgy and eye catching. The brown seed-beads between each Czech really screamed for attention.
I had also created a few other designs that I considered “safe.” Ultimately, it was Margaret’s decision and I hope she decided to hire me.
I had been planning for this consultation for days and wanted to make it hard to leave without Margaret signing a contract. I even bought champagne and tea cookies to set a bridal mood.
When Margaret walked in, I handed her a fluke of bubbly, and offered her a couple of cookies. She was clearly pleased. I wanted to give Margaret an experience that would make her want to recommend The Beaded Dragonfly to her single, rich friends.
I would have done about anything right then to keep her business so I could gain more.
She walked up and down, looking at the designs I had laid out for her. I gave her a brief overview of the different designs. She spent a lot of time looking at the white lotus pearl.
“What if we did this pearl with the pink four-millimeter pink Swarovski crystal between them?” She held a few of the beads in her hand to show me her idea. “And one of these on each side.”
I looked into the palm of her hand. Lotus pearl, two-millimeter sterling silver ball, four-millimeter pink Swarovski crystal, two-millimeter sterling silver ball, and Lotus pearl. It was a very pretty combination.
She laid the design out on one of the bead boards and grabbed a strand of pearls. She looked in the mirror that was hanging on the wall and draped the strand around her neck. Her long, brown hair cascaded down and made the pearls look elegant against her olive skin.
“I’m going to wear my hair down.” She turned, looking at herself at all angels in the mirror. “My dress is strapless with a pink undertone.”
Margaret McGee was going to be one beautiful bride with or without one of my designs.
“Stunning.” I stood behind her, looking into the mirror at her image. “You look really beautiful in pearls.”
I was so glad that at the last moment, I had come up with a design with pearls. Most of the time, I stay away from them because I love color.
Margaret smiled. She could’ve been a model in a teeth-whitening commercial, her teeth were that white.
“Well?” I held my breath. My business really depended on landing this project.
“Momma is going to be so happy that I’ve decided to go with the pearl design.” She went back to the table where she laid out the design for her mother. “I want the one we designed for me, and the one you designed for the bridesmaids.”
“Great choice, Margaret.” I got a sales slip and a piece of paper, and I sat down at the table.
Quickly, I drew up the matching earrings and bracelet that would go with each bridesmaid so she could have a visual.
“I’m going to need each bridesmaid’s wrist size.” I explained to her that each bracelet was designed to fit, but the necklaces would be the standard sixteen inches in length.
I let out a sigh of relief when Margaret finally signed the contract, realizing that my dream was coming true.
Now, all I had to do was prove my innocence in Doug’s murder, and if I could, Sean’s innocence too.
Chapter Eighteen
“Beaded Dragonfly.” I said as I answered the phone, hoping it was a call asking about the shop’s hours of operation and not a beading question, becauseI didn’t have much time to get across town to the Moose Lodge for my first self-defense class.
