by Krista Davis
“Oh?” I watched him with Veronica, my heart sinking.
“Jacquie Liebhaber!”
Chapter 32
“I can’t wait to meet her. You like her books, too, don’t you, dear?” asked Mom.
“Yes. I do.” My head was spinning. How on earth did Veronica get involved with Delbert’s roommate? And Jacquie’s stepson, no less. He had been nice enough to Bob and me the day we paid them a surprise visit. But I couldn’t forget that he had also been going out with Helen.
“Florrie, would you take these appetizers to the guests, please?”
“Sure.” I picked up the platter and carried it outside. I greeted Mr. and Mrs. Spratt.
Veronica said, “Scott, this is my sister, Florrie.”
“Hi, Scott. We met before at your house. How’s Lance?” I asked.
Scott’s sandy hair was almost the same shade as Jonquille’s. Just like Bob had said, it stood up on the top of his head in a wave from his forehead. Both sides were cut close. He wore a short mustache over a pretty mouth, but he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. It was a popular look. Very trendy, but not my style.
“The poor guy lost his job for good. He’s a mess right now. If Delbert were still alive, he might be tempted to do him in.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. He seemed like a nice guy. I hope he lands on his feet.”
“Who is this you’re talking about?” asked Norman.
“My roommate.” Scott helped himself to a crostini with pancetta on it.
“And I was horrified to hear about your stepmother. You must be worried sick.”
Scott swallowed a bit of the crostini. “We tried to keep it quiet, but she missed a couple of engagements and word got out.”
“What happened?” asked Veronica.
“We don’t know where she is. But she has done this before. My dad says all fiction authors are prone to drama. Hopefully she’ll show up again soon.”
“Your private investigator hasn’t turned up any leads yet?” I asked.
He stopped eating. “What private investigator?”
“You didn’t hire one? He came by asking if we had seen her. A lanky guy with a narrow face?” I watched Scott’s expression change to concern. “I can’t recall his name, but I have his business card at home. I could call and let you know.
“I’d appreciate it if you did that. It’s somewhat worrisome. I think Dad would have told me if he had hired someone.”
Mrs. Spratt edged over toward us. “Your mom says your little romance with the police officer didn’t work out, Florrie.”
Veronica tilted her head. “You said there was nothing going on.”
Ugh. How many times would that lie raise its ugly head again? “There isn’t anymore,” I said through clenched teeth, hoping Veronica would get the message.
“She’s not ready to date anyone else yet,” Norman informed everyone.
Dad looked uncomfortable. He was probably worried someone would say the wrong thing and my lie would be exposed.
“I hear you live at the Maxwell mansion,” said Scott. “Must be a beautiful place.”
Thank heaven he changed the subject. “Actually, I live in the carriage house in the back of the property, not with the high society in the mansion.”
“My stepmother, Jacquie, is always talking about the grand parties they used to have.”
“I can imagine. My mom said everyone knew about the Maxwells when she was growing up.”
And then Norman edged closer to me.
I passed the platter to Norman to hold and excused myself, saying, “Looks like Dad needs some help at the grill.”
He didn’t, of course, but I was relieved to get away from Mrs. Spratt and Norman. When we sat down to eat, I made a point of helping serve so that I could see where the Spratt family was sitting before I joined everyone.
I should have brought Jonquille. For the next hour, I dodged Norman, who swapped seats with his dad to be closer to me. Meanwhile, Veronica beamed and snapped selfie after selfie of herself and Scott. I wanted to think he was a nice guy, but I couldn’t help worrying about his relationship with Helen. It sounded like he had dumped her but I wasn’t sure.
When I cleared the table, I noticed that Scott had walked deeper into the yard to take a phone call. He put his phone away and rushed back, his face ashen.
“Excuse me for leaving early. There’s a problem with my dad.”
Veronica stood up. “Is he all right?”
He appeared to be at a loss. “I don’t think so. Please thank your mom for me.” He left at a jog.
Veronica stumbled after him in those impossible heels. “Scott! Wait up.”
We all heard him say, “Maybe Florrie can give you a ride home. I need to go straight to his house and possibly the hospital.” He planted a quick kiss on her and then he left Veronica standing there, watching him go.
She took off her shoes and walked back to the table barefoot and looking dejected. “I hope everything is okay with his dad.”
Mrs. Spratt said, “My, but you girls have melodramatic relationships. Florrie, you will be so much better off with Norman than with that policeman.”
I smiled as sweetly as I could. Veronica was the actress in the family, not me. But I had read enough books to know how to do a fairly decent Scarlett O’Hara type. “I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to love again after Eric.”
Mom scowled at me.
Veronica seemed surprised. “I can’t blame you, Florrie. Sergeant Jonquille is very cute.”
Mrs. Spratt’s nostrils flared. “Norman has a new haircut. Isn’t it handsome?” She bestowed a loving smile on her son.
Veronica’s eyes met mine. I had to look away quickly before I broke into uncontrollable laughter.
Happily, the torte was a huge success. Light and sweet, the perfect ending to our meal.
I slipped into the kitchen to wash dishes when the Spratts were departing. I didn’t think I could take any more of Norman.
He ruined my plan by sneaking into the kitchen and planting a smooch on my cheek. It was more slobbery than Frodo’s kisses. I danced away from him, holding up my soapy hands to defend myself. “Goodnight, Norman.”
“I’ll call you.” He waved and left.
When Mom returned to the kitchen, I said, “We have got to find Norman a girlfriend. That’s the only solution.”
“I understand now why you don’t want to date Norman. Honey, the next time you lie to spare his feelings, I promise I’ll back you up. Just let me know in advance so we’re all on the same page.”
Veronica handed Mom the dessert plates. “Did you take your pearls to the jeweler I recommended?” asked Mom.
“He’s stringing them now.”
I was afraid to ask, but I had to know. “What happened?”
“It was so embarrassing. My pearl necklace practically exploded. I didn’t know they could do anything like that. Pearls sprang and rolled all over the floor.”
“They’re supposed to be double-knotted so that won’t happen,” said Mom. “The most you’ll lose is one pearl. All I can think is that they weren’t strung properly to begin with.”
Dad joined us in the kitchen to ask about my safety. I told him about Jonquille and Cody setting up cameras, and how I had installed new locks. I didn’t mention that Jonquille was sleeping over nights. Even if he was staying downstairs on the sofa, I figured it wasn’t the kind of thing one’s father probably wanted to hear.
My mother had other concerns. She smiled at me doubtfully. “Maybe you can bring that nice Sergeant Jonquille with you next time?”
I tried to act casual. “Maybe.”
There was no mistaking the hope in her eyes. “Did Veronica send you the selfie she took with Scott? They make such a nice couple.” Mom picked up her phone and flipped through pictures. “Your dad gets mad at me when I say things like that. They haven’t been seeing each other long, but one of Veronica’s relationships has to finally work out, and Scott is adorable.�
� She held out her phone to me.
Veronica always took a great photo, even close up in a selfie. I hoped Scott wouldn’t end up hurting her.
Chapter 33
“Florrie! Is something wrong?” asked Mom.
“A little bit.” I emailed the photo to my phone. “I met him once before. He was Delbert’s roommate.”
“The dead boy?”
“The very same.”
Mom looked over my shoulder at the photo. “How sad for Scott to lose his roommate.”
I wasn’t sure how much to tell her. It would come out eventually. “Would you be sympathetic about his other girlfriend? He’s been seeing Helen, too.”
Mom clapped her hand over her mouth. “What a scumbag! Veronica will be devastated.”
“I think I have to tell her, don’t you?” I handed Mom her phone. “He hasn’t called Helen in a couple of days, so maybe he chose Veronica over her.”
Mom hugged me. With a sad expression, she said, “Veronica has to know. Maybe it won’t be so bad. They’re not married or engaged. I don’t even know if they have a mutual understanding yet.”
She knew as well as I did that Veronica would be crushed if Helen were still in the picture.
To make matters worse, I was mighty irritated with my sister because she hadn’t mentioned that she was dating Delbert’s roommate.
I hated to leave Frodo with my parents, but he was their dog, after all. I might have kept him longer if I hadn’t seen how much he loved being home. I went to hug him and thank him for being my sidekick for a few days, but he was already sacked out in his dog bed, snoring.
I would have gladly stayed longer once Norman was gone, but as it was, I had to close the store. Armed with a cooler filled with more leftovers than four people could possibly eat, I hopped into my car and Veronica joined me for a ride home.
I tried to keep the annoyance out of my tone when I asked, “How come you didn’t mention that Scott was Delbert’s roommate?”
“I didn’t know until tonight.”
“How is that possible?”
“Who is Sergeant Jonquille’s roommate?”
“He doesn’t have one.” At least I didn’t think he did. Had he said that he lived alone?
“Then that doesn’t count,” said Veronica. “I didn’t interrogate Scott about who he knew.”
“Seems like he might have mentioned that his former roommate was just murdered. That has to be a pretty traumatic event. You never went to his house?”
“Not yet. He usually picks me up and takes me somewhere when we go out.”
“Speaking of which, thanks for the information about how to dress for Club Neon.”
“Did you have fun?”
“It’s not exactly my kind of place.”
“Florrie, you can’t always stay home and draw or read a book. Besides, that’s where I met Scott, so now that Jonquille isn’t working out, maybe you should go once in a while. You might meet someone nice, too.”
“Were you there Saturday night a week ago?”
“I think that was the night my pearls exploded. Can you imagine how hard it was to find them on the floor in that dark place?”
“Did you see Delbert there that night?”
“I wouldn’t know Delbert if he came up and said hi.”
The muscles in my jaw relaxed. I hadn’t realized that I had been clenching my teeth in fear. “You never met Delbert?”
“Not that I know of.”
She wasn’t the woman Sonja had seen at Club Neon. What a relief. “So who was the guy who sabotaged you at work?”
“Ugh. Why did you have to bring him up again? I’ve been trying to forget Berto Woodley.”
“Are you kidding me? What did he look like?”
“You think you know him?”
Good grief. Now I felt sick to my stomach. “Possibly.”
“I don’t know. He had a strange face.”
“Strange how?”
“I don’t know. Just different. Why are we talking about him anyway? He’s out of my life forever.” She switched on the radio.
My thoughts were all jumbled. I needed my sketch pad to help me make sense of everything. All I knew for sure was that I didn’t want Veronica to have been involved in Delbert’s murder and that I felt incredibly guilty for even thinking she might have been.
The local news came on the radio.
The car of beloved local author Jacquie Liebhaber has been located partially submerged in the Potomac River. Liebhaber, author of dozens of bestselling women’s fiction novels, has been missing for over a week. Tragically, upon hearing the news of the discovery of her car, her husband collapsed and is now in serious condition in a local hospital.
Veronica screamed.
I almost drove off the road. It was a good thing I-66 was clogged with Sunday afternoon traffic as residents returned to town, so I had been driving slowly.
“Which hospital? Did they say?” asked Veronica.
“I don’t think so.”
Veronica pulled out her cell phone. “I’m texting Scott right away. I can’t believe I let him go alone. I should have gone with him.”
All I could think was that Jacquie’s fears came true. The people she was running from had found her.
Tears welled in my eyes. It was my fault. I had promised Jacquie that I wouldn’t say anything about seeing her. But if I had, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe Jonquille and the police could have helped her.
It was a brutal lesson. Sometimes keeping promises was a bad idea. I didn’t want to learn this lesson. Not this way. Not at Jacquie’s expense. What had happened to her after she left the carriage house? I hoped she hadn’t suffered. How stupid of me. Of course she had. She had been so afraid, and now her fears had come to fruition.
“Veronica, I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’m just going to come right out and say it.”
“Oh no. This is a lecture, isn’t it? You are not the boss of me, Florrie.”
“Scott is dating Helen.”
“Why would you say something like that? Is this some kind of weird sibling jealousy? That was just hurtful.”
“I’m so sorry, Veronica. I know how much you like Scott. But it’s true. Even Mom agreed that you have to know.”
“You told Mom?” she screeched. “That was so mean. Now Mom and Dad will hate him. Let me out of the car.”
“Don’t be silly. I can’t let you out on the highway.”
“How would you feel if I told you Jonquille was seeing someone else?”
“It wouldn’t make me happy. But I would be glad I knew the truth about him.”
“Oh sure. That’s easy to say when it’s only hypothetical. Did Helen tell you this?”
I felt slightly better. She was beginning to consider that it might be true. “Yes.”
“You know she doesn’t like me. I don’t know why you would believe her. Scott has been a perfect gentleman. Everything I could ask for in a man.”
Veronica was still seething when I dropped her off. Nevertheless, I asked her to keep in touch about Scott’s dad.
The roads were horribly congested, so I took back roads to Key Bridge. When I pulled into the mansion driveway, Jonquille was there waiting for me.
I was running late. I parked and stepped out of the car. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d walk over to the store with you.”
I couldn’t help smiling like a fool. Maybe this would turn into a relationship after all. We rushed over to the store, and I completely forgot to keep a vigilant eye out for anyone sinister. On the way over, I filled him in on Scott, Jacquie Liebhaber’s car being found, and Scott’s dad collapsing.
We hurried up the steps to the front door and walked inside just in the nick of time. The music had been turned off. Bob and Helen were getting ready to leave. Both Bob and Helen wondered why I had come. I had to fudge a little bit.
“It was recommended that we change the alarm password after Delbert’s murder
. After all, someone broke into the mansion, as well. We didn’t know if the killer would come back here. If I’m the only one who knows the code, you guys are in the clear if anything else happens.”
“Are you saying that we’re suspects in Delbert’s murder because we knew how to disarm the alarm?” Helen was indignant.
“The person who killed him knew how to cut it off. As it happens, the password was fairly well known, so that theory didn’t really pan out,” I explained, hoping to sooth her.
“This is all so annoying.” Helen grabbed her purse. “Excuse me. I’m in a rush. I barely have time to change before I meet Brian.”
Brian! Scott had used a different name with Helen. “Just a second, Helen.” I looked for the selfie of Veronica and Scott on my phone and handed it to her.
Helen’s mouth opened, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t take her eyes off the picture. Finally, she choked, “What is Brian doing with your sister?”
Bob peered over her shoulder and muttered, “Uh-oh.”
“So that is Brian? Your Brian?” I asked just to be absolutely certain.
Jonquille took it all in, his brow furrowed.
“Why is he posing with Veronica?” Helen’s delicate skin had flushed with anger.
“His real name is Scott Southworth. It looks like he’s been dating both of you.”
“No! No, no. Why are you doing this to me? There’s no date on this picture. It could have been taken months ago.”
“I’m sorry, Helen.”
She shot me a dirty look and stormed out of the store. But she turned around and came right back. “Bob, do you have plans for tonight?”
“I thought I’d get a pizza.”
“How would you like to help me get to the bottom of this?” Helen smiled at him.
“When did you hear from Scott last, Helen?” I asked.
“Around three this afternoon.”
“I think he’s at a hospital with his dad.”
“Which one?” she asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Come on, Bob,” she ordered. “Brian . . . Scott is going to need a hospital when I’m through with him.”
Good-natured Bob jumped at the chance. He handed me the bag of cash to be deposited at the bank and grinned like his wishes were coming true. Wiggling his eyebrows, he said, “See you tomorrow morning, Florrie.”
