Deadly Décor (A Caprice De Luca Mystery)

by Karen Rose Smith

  As always, after her father gave thanks, dinner around the De Luca table was boisterous and lively—and downright funny at times. The food they all made was a unifier, a reason to sit together, satisfaction they could share. Her mom and Nana knew dinner was a blending experience, and that’s why they always expected them all to be here. Family dinners were a tradition that Caprice and her siblings could rely on in rough times, in tumultuous times, and in sad times, as well as in happy times.

  As Seth sat beside her and dug into everything on his plate with enthusiasm, finished his pie, and enjoyed the coffee, she felt something so right about his being here.

  When dinner was over, the guys drifted toward the TV and the sports channel. They could be more of a hindrance than a help in the kitchen, and the women knew it, so they didn’t complain as they cleaned up, stowed away food, and made packages of leftovers for everyone.

  Caprice was slicing a piece of peach pie for Seth to take home that night when Bella tugged at her arm. “The kids are wrapped up in a board game. I need to talk to you. Come outside with me, okay?”

  There was a sound of desperation in Bella’s voice, and Caprice wondered how long she’d been holding in her emotions. She’d been quieter than usual during the meal, speaking only when spoken to. That certainly wasn’t Bella. She had an opinion on everything under the sun. But now, it seemed that she didn’t want to share an opinion with Caprice, but instead wanted to spill something.

  It was quite easy to slip away. Caprice called to her mom, “We’re going outside for a few minutes to check the tomatoes.”

  Nothing unusual about that. At this time of year, they had just begun to get big and ripen.

  As soon as she and Bella slipped outside, Bella led her down an incline into the lower part of the garden. She really didn’t want to be overheard. By Joe? Or by everyone else? Now Caprice was really getting worried.

  She stopped beside a row of yellow tomatoes. “What’s wrong?”

  “So much that I don’t even know where to start.” Bella’s voice was a little high pitched, and she was obviously close to tears.

  Caprice wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulders. “Come on. Tell me.”

  “Joe didn’t come home until after one last night, and he reeked of smoke. I pretended I was asleep because I don’t know what to say to him anymore.”

  “You didn’t question him about it?” Caprice tried to keep her tone as calm and reasonable as her question. She couldn’t imagine why Bella hadn’t asked him where he’d been.

  “You just don’t get it, Caprice. Maybe you have to be married to understand, but I’ve asked him before and he wouldn’t tell me. I couldn’t see that it was going to be any different now, and I just didn’t want another argument.”

  If Bella wanted real answers, Caprice had a suggestion. “Have you gone through his pockets?”

  Her sister actually looked shocked and slowly shook her head. “That seems like such an invasion of privacy.”

  “You can’t have it both ways. If you won’t ask him, you’re going to have to find out another way. If he won’t tell you, then maybe you need to invade his privacy.”

  Bella looked a bit embarrassed. “I did check his phone for any odd numbers, ones I didn’t recognize. But I couldn’t find a one. Anybody who called was one of his friends.”

  “What about text messages?”

  “You know we’re trying to cut expenses. Joe won’t pay for the text function. But that’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you. I . . .” Her sister confided, “I had coffee with Bob.”

  “You seriously did that? Bella!”

  Her gasp of outrage had been a mistake. If Bella sensed that she was judging her, she’d clam up. Caprice took a deep breath and warned herself to go easy. “Okay, so you had coffee with Bob. Did you reminisce about old times?” Those memories could put distance between Bella and Bob, or bond them together more closely.

  “Not so much. He really knows how to listen, like he really wants to know what I have to say. When I talk to Joe, it’s like I’m talking to a door.”

  Right now a very closed door, Caprice suspected. “So what did Bob listen to?”

  “I told him I want to sell the costumes I design on the Internet. He didn’t laugh at me like Joe did. You know what he said?”

  Caprice didn’t like that excitement in Bella’s tone one little bit. Excitement like that could be dangerous. “What?”

  “He told me I always was talented, and I shouldn’t give up on what I want to do. I’m going to see him again.”

  Bella’s tone almost sounded defiant, and Caprice knew she had to be careful as she pulled out more details. “I can imagine having someone listen to you felt good, and that’s why you want to see him again.”

  “You’re exactly right. He has a board meeting at the community center next Sunday. I’m going to see him after the meeting. He’s really involved there—painting murals on the walls with teens helping him after school. I already talked with my neighbor about watching the kids if Joe’s not around.”

  “What if he is?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll deal with that on Sunday. But he’s there so rarely. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”

  “Can I tell you what I honestly think without you getting all upset?”

  “I don’t know because I’m probably not going to like it.”

  No, she probably wouldn’t. “I think you’re heading for trouble. What if Joe finds out you’re meeting Bob?”

  “Maybe he should find out.”

  The rebelliousness in Bella’s tone signaled that she’d like Joe to be jealous, that she’d like him to show her he cared, that she wanted to know she was still loved. But, on the other hand, Caprice didn’t believe Bella would really want to see the fireworks if Joe discovered her plans.

  “You realize you could be purposely damaging your marriage?”

  Suddenly, Bella’s chin rose an inch or so. “I’m tired of feeling sad and bearing the brunt of Joe’s resentment about my pregnancy. And I’m beginning to think . . .” Her voice trailed off as she got choked up, showing Caprice the hurt that lay beneath all the rest of her emotions.

  “What are you beginning to think?” Caprice asked gently.

  “I’m beginning to realize Joe married me in the first place because he had to, not because he wanted to.”

  Caprice was trying to decide the best way to respond when she suddenly saw the tomato plants jiggle. Bella saw the foliage move and heard the rustle too.

  “What is it? Do you think there’s something in there?” She sounded almost panicked, as if a squirrel hearing their conversation would cause a scandal.

  The tomatoes rustled more earnestly now. Before Caprice could part the plants, two buff-colored paws appeared, then a wet nose and a scraggly head. It looked like a bedraggled cocker spaniel.

  She automatically hunkered down. “Oh, my goodness. What are you doing in there?”

  The dog was panting now, panting more than it should be.

  “I don’t believe this,” Bella said mutinously. “We’re having a serious conversation and we’re interrupted by a . . . a . . . dog. You’re a stray animal magnet!”

  “Bella, I can’t help you right now, but I can help her. She looks scared and dehydrated. Could you please get her a bowl of water while I see if she’s okay?”

  Caprice held her breath, hoping Bella wouldn’t explode.

  Chapter Three

  Minutes later, Seth was the one who carried a bowl of water outside.

  Bella hadn’t exploded . . . simply stalked inside. Caprice shouldn’t be surprised Seth had come to her aid. After all, a doctor was a doctor and . . . he was the kind of man who cared.

  He spotted Caprice with the buff-colored cocker and hunkered down beside her, slipping the bowl in front of the dog. “She was under the tomato plants?”

  “For cover and protection, I guess. Look at her. She’s so thirsty.”

  “You’ve already d
ecided this is a girl?” he asked with a smile, knowing that with the dog crouched down like that, they wouldn’t be able to tell.

  “She looks like a girl, and she feels like a girl. I mean her aura or something does.”

  He laughed. “That’s a scientific approach if I ever heard one.”

  The cocker looked up at them with soulful, dark brown eyes, and Caprice knew the dog would be staying at her house tonight. In the garage, though, so Sophia and the house didn’t get infested with fleas. She knew the drill after taking in as many stray animals as she had.

  “How old do you think she is?” Caprice asked.

  “I’m no vet, but I’d say over a year and under five.”

  “She looks like Lady from Lady and the Tramp. That’s my favorite Disney movie,” Caprice confessed.

  The dog stopped drinking, and Caprice reached out her hand so the cocker could smell it.

  When it came to animals, Caprice followed her instincts.

  The dog smelled her hand and then licked it as if she understood she’d found someone who could help her.

  “Bella seemed out of sorts when she came in,” Seth remarked.

  “Our conversation was interrupted. But that might not have been a bad thing. Bella’s headed in a direction I don’t approve of. I’m trying not to judge her, but she doesn’t want to give any thought to my suggestions, so there’s nothing I can really do to help.”

  “Except listen.”

  “Yeah, I know. And I will. Still, this isn’t the place to have the conversation we were having, not when someone is liable to come outside at any time.” She looked toward the house, worried about Bella, yet knowing she couldn’t help her at the moment. Maybe later, when her sister was in the mood to take advice.

  Caprice checked her watch. “I’m going to call my vet. He has a small practice and often goes in to feed the animals himself on weekends. Maybe I can catch him.”

  “You’re good friends?”

  “After all the animals I’ve taken in, I’d say so. He’s done me favors and I’ve done him a few. Sometimes somebody will drop off a stray at his practice. When he can’t find them a home, he calls me. Let’s see if she’ll come out of the tomatoes so I can look her over.”

  Caprice stretched out her hand toward the dog again. “Come on, girl. We won’t hurt you. Let’s see how big you really are.” She gently smoothed her hand over the dog’s head, and the cocker didn’t flinch from it. That was a good sign. She ruffled her ears, made more soothing noises, and took a step back, encouraging her.

  Seth apparently understood one person at a time was enough for a frightened animal and quietly stepped back too. It didn’t take long until Caprice had her arm around the dog. Soon she was running her hands over her, looking for problems other than the obvious.

  “It’s a she,” she said with a grin.

  “She looks like she’s been outside for a while.”

  Caprice slipped her phone out of her lime-green Capris, scrolled through her contact list, and hit Call. She was grateful when she heard Marcus Lang’s deep tone ask, “Hi, Caprice, what’s up? Something wrong with Sophia?”

  “Nope, she’s good. But she may be in for a visitor. I found a dog.”

  “Of course you did,” he said with a hearty laugh.

  She could envision Marcus’s black face in a wide smile, his laughter reaching his almost black eyes. He was big and burly but had gentle hands and a deep respect for animals. He’d earned his degree at Colorado State and come back to Pennsylvania to practice. His family lived in York, but he’d decided to open his Furry Friends Animal Clinic in Kismet. There was another clinic in town. However, there, animals were treated more like numbers. Marcus treated them like people.

  “What kind of dog?” he asked.

  “A cocker. She looks like she’s been outside for a while.”

  “I’m at the office now, catching up on paperwork. Do you want to bring her in?”

  “That would be wonderful. You’re wonderful.”

  “You and my mother think so,” he said in a wry tone. “See you as soon as you can get her here.”

  After she ended the call, she asked Seth, “Do you mind dropping me and the pup at the vet’s? If you get called away, Nikki can always come pick me up.”

  “No problem. Do you have any ideas on how to get her into my truck?”

  “My guess is, she’s starved. I’ll find something inside, and we’ll lead her with that. What do you think?”

  “I think you’ve done this before.”

  “A few times,” she admitted. “She looks like the kind of dog who should belong to someone. Marcus can check for a chip.”

  “A chip?”

  “A computer chip that’s inserted under the skin. Some owners have it done in case their dog or cat runs away. If someone takes the animal to a vet or shelter, they can scan for it. It connects animals to their owners. Hopefully she’ll have one. Can you stay with her while I find something innocuous for her to eat?”

  “And if she tries to run off?” he asked.

  “You’ll think of something.”

  He laughed.

  Caprice’s easy banter with Seth was one of the reasons she liked him so much. They could be light and funny and playful with each other, yet that spark was there. Roz had remarked that Caprice lit up like a Christmas tree when he was around. That lit-up feeling was so enjoyable, she didn’t want to ever lose it.

  Five minutes later, as she searched her mom’s refrigerator for something for the cocker, like leftovers from the night before, Caprice’s cell phone played from her pocket. She checked the screen. Eliza.

  Eliza was one of those demanding clients who expected Caprice to be at her beck and call.

  “Hello, Eliza.”

  “Where’s Bob?” her client demanded to know.

  “Bob? He was supposed to finish painting your house this afternoon.” When it came to home-staging, Sunday could be a workday like any other. Caprice tried to keep the morning for church, and once a month or so she had dinner with her family, but most Sundays she was working in her office or scrambling to finish a project. Bob was one of those painters who didn’t take any days off, though his crews did.

  “You haven’t heard from him?” Caprice asked.

  “No, I haven’t. What are we going to do?”

  She’d planned to complete the staging tomorrow—have the furniture delivered from the rental company, move around what was already there. She’d also added hanging drapes, changing a few light fixtures, and mounting sconces to her to-do list. But in order for all that to be done, the painting had to be finished.

  One of her main jobs as a home-staging professional was to quiet her clients’ fears and anxieties, as well as get the job done. She said calmly, “We have plenty of time before the open house next Sunday. I’ll try to call Bob. But if I can’t get hold of him, I have someone else in mind who can help me in an emergency.”

  And this was an emergency if Bob was missing in action. Monty Culp, Roz’s former gardener, had helped her in a pinch before, and she hoped he could help her again if she needed him.

  After she ended her call with Eliza, she found Bob’s number. But her call to him went to voice mail. She left a message for him to contact her as soon as he could, and then she hung up. If he didn’t get back to her later tonight, she’d be on the phone to Monty. Getting Eliza’s painting finished couldn’t wait.

  Her phone back in her pocket, Caprice found leftover chicken in the fridge. Minutes later Seth was leading the cocker to his truck. She’d already said good-bye and hugged everyone inside. They knew the drill with animals. The fewer people around, the better. She and Seth waved to her family, who stood on the porch watching as they drove away, headed for the veterinary clinic.

  The cocker she’d found was pregnant! In a month or so she’d have a litter of pups to care for along with their mom . . . if she didn’t find the dog’s owner.

  Caprice stood in her fenced-in backyard and tossed one of
the balls Dylan had left behind. It landed near a bed of fuchsia and white vinca plants that were thriving in the July heat. When the August humidity really set in, they’d be bushier and a few inches taller. Clumps of Shasta daisies bookended the vinca and gave Caprice an idea.

  “I have a name for her,” Caprice suddenly told Seth, who was working on cutting down a huge cardboard box so she could use it for the cocker’s bed.

  “I’m sure that, coming from you, it’ll be original.”

  Caprice gave him a sideways glance and saw that he was complimenting her. She was used to Bella talking about her uniqueness as if it were a disease.

  “She’s sort of the color of my Shasta daisies. I’m going to call her Shasta. What do you think?”

  “As I said—unique. I like it. I don’t know any other dog with that name.”

  “Do you know any other dogs?”

  He smiled and stood, holding the carton that was now about six inches high on the sides. “No, but I’m sure you’ll introduce me to a few . . .” He stopped.

  What had he been about to say? If he stuck around? If they continued seeing each other? If the stars lined up in their favor? But Seth didn’t elaborate. In fact, he looked serious for a moment, but then the expression passed.

  “I’ll line this with those rugs you stacked in the garage.”

  “A towel on top,” she reminded him.

  “A towel on top. That garage is going to look like Shasta’s own apartment soon. A good thing, too. After her pups are born, she’ll need one.”

  Marcus had given her the rundown on everything she’d need in order to care for Shasta and deliver the pups. He was going to help with some of it. He knew a client who could lend her the right size whelping box, where the pups would be born.

  She and Seth had moved any tools that could fall over and hurt Shasta into the shed in Caprice’s backyard, where she kept her mower, a small hand tiller, and a step ladder. Caprice had some extra feeding dishes on hand, and she had laid down a place mat and put two bowls on it. Then she arranged a couple of old throw rugs and tossed toys onto them.

  “This probably isn’t how you expected to spend your night off,” she said to Seth, as they started for the garage.