Were it not for his sold alibi, Max would have Linwood stuck as suspect number one. Instead, he added the names Gabe Ashcroft, Sally Hamilton and Peggy LeRoux to his interview list. “Thank you for coming in, Mr. Jameson. I’ll let you know if I have more questions.”
“No problem.” Linwood stood, showing himself to the door, while Max stared at the notes he’d made on the notepad.
* * *
Linwood Jameson:
Married: Peggy LeRoux (12 years ago; divorced 7 years ago) & Valerie Jameson (7 years ago; divorced 2 years ago)
Affairs: Sophie (during Peggy marriage) (8 years ago?)
Hannah (during Valerie marriage) (4 years ago)
Annie (during Valerie marriage) (3 years ago)
Eleanor Dodson (affair) (last year)
Katherine (dated for last 2 years) (1 fight, at least one affair each)
* * *
Cameron Pringle:
Married: Carolyn Dodson Pringle (12 years ago)
Affairs: Hannah (10 years ago), Sophie (??), Katherine (3 years ago), Annie (ended things 2 days before her death)
* * *
Rick Hamilton:
Married: Sally Hamilton (12 years ago)
Affairs: Lisa Washington, Eleanor Dodson, Hannah Ransom, Nancy Elizondo (5-6 years ago), Katherine Buckingham (last year)
* * *
Vaughn Humphries: (mommy issues?)
Hannah Ransom (high school) (16 years ago)
College ?? (see what I can dig up)
Eleanor Dodson (off and on beginning 10 years ago)
Valerie Jameson (during split with Eleanor 3 years ago)
Sophie Durning (during split with Eleanor 2 years ago)
Emma Elkins (during split with Eleanor 1.5 years ago)
Bexley Hart (currently dating)
Annie Dodson?? (depends on who you believe)
* * *
Staring at the list, Max couldn’t help believe the answer was smacking him in the face. And he still couldn’t see it. He grabbed a couple of Tylenol from his desk and went to get a glass of water. He had a headache.
Chapter Eighteen
“Every woman in town is freaking out after Katherine Buckingham’s murder,” Nan said. She spoke matter-of-factly, like she was composing her next story for the paper.
Bexley couldn’t close her eyes without seeing Hannah Ransom, the way she’d looked when they brought her body out of the woods at the country club. She could see Katherine that way now…imagine all those horrible wounds on the woman who had been so alive and full of chatter at the dinner party. “I can’t stand thinking about it,” she said. “She seemed so nice.”
“She was.” Nan stood behind Bexley with a curling iron, working on her hair, while Bexley did her make-up. They were cramped inside her bathroom, the single one in her apartment, getting ready for her date with Vaughn. The bathroom had a tub/shower combination Bexley had spruced up with a gold shower curtain, a pedestal sink, and a tall linen closet, painted white, and standing right behind where Nan stood.
“Did you know Katherine well?” Bexley asked.
“You know me,” Nan said. “I’ve got the full scoop on everyone.”
“And what is the full scoop?”
“Katherine moved to Grosse Pointe about three years ago, after going to work for Linwood Jameson as his executive assistant.” She sprayed a curl down the middle of Bexley’s back, picking up another strand of hair and wrapping it around the iron. “Lin was going through his divorce from Valerie then, and Katherine started off having an affair with Cameron Pringle.”
“Ew,” Bexley said. “What on earth do women see in him?”
“I know, right?” Nan paused long enough to make a face. “Anyway, after Lin’s divorce was final, Katherine made the wise choice to cast Cameron aside. She and Lin have been an item ever since, except for one brief break-up last year, when Katherine caught him screwing Eleanor Dodson. And that, my dear Bexley, is the real reason Vaughn broke up with Ellie.”
“Is that right?” Bexley started to laugh, nearly poking herself with the mascara wand. “Funny, Vaughn never mentioned that. And neither did you. You might have said something about it sooner, you know.”
“And have you thinking Vaughn was on the rebound? Or that you were somehow his second choice? No way, Jose. I know how much you’d underestimate yourself if I let that happen.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. See? I’m always looking out for you.” Nan stepped away from Bexley’s hair, unplugged the curling iron, and gave the back of Bexley’s head a light spritzing of hair spray. “There. That looks perfect.”
“Oh, it does.” Bexley admired the long ringlets through the mirror Nan held up behind her. “Nan, you are a genius.”
“True.”
“And what about Katherine’s brief break-up with Linwood? Did it last long? Did she date anyone else?”
“She sure did. Rick the Dick Hamilton. It didn’t last long, though. Less than a week before Lin sweet-talked her back into his bed.”
“Sweet-talking must be a special class they teach guys in Grosse Pointe.”
Nan laughed, turning off the curling iron and setting it on the sink to cool. “It is. Now I’m going to make myself scarce before Vaughn gets here.”
“Thanks, Nan. I love it.”
“Good. Now, remember, Vaughn may be a catch, but so are you.”
Walking her friend to the door, Bexley felt like she was floating on air. Katherine had no involvement with Vaughn. Not in any way, shape or form. Ever. Vaughn couldn’t possibly be the Country Club Ripper. So take that, Carolyn and Eleanor.
“Thanks for all your help.” She hugged Nan good-bye, then stood at the door, watching her get inside her car and pull away from the curb. By the time Nan reached the end of Somerset and turned toward the City, Vaughn had pulled his Mercedes up to the curb, so she continued to stand at her open front door while he parked, shut off his car, and made his way up the porch steps to where she stood.
“You look lovely,” he said, reaching her.
“Thanks.”
After a quick kiss, they went inside her apartment. It was the first space she’d worked on after moving here and displayed her love of all things bohemian…with Persian rugs spread across wood floors, an art-deco era floor lamp, and a coffee table with a carved bamboo elephant base – trunk up – and tempered glass placed over the top. Bexley led Vaughn inside, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she walked.
“You’re in a particularly good mood today,” he said.
“I am.” Pushing aside a thick stack of design books, she made space available on the sofa…a wide piece of furniture with generous, coral-colored cushions. “I think I’ve finally settled on something that showcases my style as a designer, and one that Mrs. Fuller will like,” she said.
“You mean you don’t simply do whatever your client wants?”
She chuckled. “Within reason, yes. Generally though, people hire a designer because they don’t know what look they want or how to achieve it. So they go to someone who has a reputation for delivering a certain level of style. And I’m happy to incorporate different elements of design that a client likes, but Mrs. Fuller keeps asking for open concept Victorian. Two more incongruous styles, I cannot imagine. That said, I think I’ve figured out a way to marry the two.”
“Marry them? Hmm…why does that word give me honeymoon-type thoughts?”
He wrapped his arms around her waist. His breath, blowing against the back of her neck, provoked a shudder in her thighs. She could almost feel him inside her in the space of time that it took his breath to caress her skin and her body to respond. “Mmm.” She placed her hand over his, moving it lower, until he cupped the mound of her womanhood. For a moment, they stood there, both of them breathing hard.
“Are you feeling what I’m feeling?” he asked.
“Uh-huh.” Closing her eyes, she held her breath while he unbuttoned the front of h
er yellow skirt, letting it fall to the floor. This was perfect. Every time she’d let herself believe something this close to bliss could be achieved, she’d been let down. But this time would be different. Vaughn was hers. And he wasn’t going anywhere.
Her phone rang then, slicing into the nirvana she’d been on the brink of.
“You going to get that?” Vaughn asked.
She shook her head. “Not a chance.”
The phone stopped ringing, but only for a few seconds before starting in all over again.
“Somebody really wants to talk to you,” Vaughn said.
“Apparently.” Glancing down at the coffee table, she saw Valerie’s number flash on the screen. She hit decline, and seconds later, the phone started ringing again.
“You better take that,” Vaughn said. “Valerie’s definitely the type to just keep calling.”
Picking up the phone, Bexley sighed and hit ‘Accept.’ “Hello.”
“Bexley! Hi.” Valerie sounded like a long-lost BFF…one who hadn’t just called three times in a row before getting her call answered. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. Thanks. How are you?”
“Oh, you know, just dealing with all of Lindy’s activities and spending time at the gym…wishing I had some me time so I could find a second husband.”
“I’m sure that must be hard.”
“You have no idea.” Valerie let out a loud breath. “I mean, obviously, I want to re-marry. But finding a man who’s as good-looking as Lin, with a similar income, who’s also single and lives nearby so Lindy doesn’t have to change schools…well, you can just imagine how tough that is.”
“I’m sure.” Bexley didn’t know what else to say. She wasn’t even sure why Valerie was telling her all this. It wasn’t like she could set Val up with a potential husband. And if she could, she’d be doing Nan that favor first anyway. “Maybe you just need to find the right place to look, I guess.”
“Exactly! So you know why I need a girls’ night out.”
Bexley looked apologetically at Vaughn, shrugging her shoulders. “I think we could all use those every once in a while.”
“I’m so glad you understand. How about Friday night? We could get dinner at the Hill and then head over to Rustics.”
“I’m afraid I can’t on Friday. Vaughn and I already have plans.”
“Oh.” Valerie sounded totally deflated. “I see.”
“We can do something in the future,” Bexley offered.
“Okay. Sure. I’ll give you a call the next time I have a free night. I’m sure Vaughn needs a night out even more than I do after being questioned by the police again.”
“What?” Her heart stalled right then, almost stopping before kicking into overdrive. When it restarted, it pounded so hard she could scarcely hear her own thoughts. That sick feeling – the one she’d had when she found out Vaughn had dated Hannah and Sophie – and then had even worse when Eleanor had accused him of being their killer – twisted itself back into her heart. And it nearly knocked the breath out of her.
When she looked at Vaughn, she saw his brows pulled together and knew her thoughts; and the sick feeling bolted into her gut must be written all over her face.
“Didn’t he tell you?” Valerie was asking. “I saw him leaving the police station when I was driving down Kerby earlier today.”
“Of course he told me.” She sounded defensive even to her own ears. “I’m not sure why that means he needs a night out though.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Valerie talking now in that exaggerated tone she sometimes used, and which Bexley took to mean exactly the opposite of whatever Valerie had just said. “I’m sure they’re talking to lots of people right now.”
“I’m sure they are too.”
“Anyway, let’s definitely plan a night out soon.”
“Okay, Val. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Ending the call, she turned to Vaughn. “You talked to the police again today?”
He moved the design books off her sofa, setting them on the coffee table before sitting down. “For like two minutes. They just wanted to confirm a few things Lin had told them.”
“I see. Well, you know Val. She likes to make everything sound extra interesting.”
“Exactly.” Passion gone from his eyes now, his voice had gone cold.
“I’m just surprised you didn’t mention it,” she said, thinking now she sounded both defensive and suspicious.
“Like I said, it was no big deal. Hardly worth mentioning.”
“Unless you’re Valerie.”
That made Vaughn laugh, and for a moment, it seemed like that would be the end of it. He must have thought so too, because the fire returned to his eyes when he looked at her. “Well, I think we’ve let Valerie intrude on our night long enough, don’t you?”
He stood back up, moving behind her, pushing her hair away from her neck, his mouth finding that sensitive area just below her ear. Bexley shivered, wanting everything Vaughn said to be true…to believe that his being questioned by the police was no big deal, and Valerie was just wanting to make her gossip sound worthwhile. It had to be a few routine questions, just like Vaughn said. After all, why on earth would he kill Katherine?
“As awful as it is about Katherine,” he said. “That’s one more victim I was never involved with. I think Carolyn and Eleanor can finally cross me off their suspect list.”
And if he was really the killer and worried about being a suspect, what better way to throw everyone off his trail?
She hated the thought as soon as it occurred to her…tried so very hard to un-think it…but couldn’t. She stopped Vaughn’s hand from traveling any further. “Unfortunately, I think we’d better get going, or we’ll be late for our reservation.” She stooped down, grabbing her skirt off the floor, pulling it up over her hips.
“You know, they’re not that hard and fast on reservation times at the club.”
She couldn’t blame Vaughn for the skeptical stare he gave her, but she couldn’t be intimate with him now. Not after the horrible thought that crept into her brain. “I guess that’s true, but I have a lot of work to do tonight to prepare for my meet with Mrs. Fuller tomorrow. We should probably get going.”
“Okay then.”
God, but he sounded disappointed.
She wanted to slap Eleanor for making her doubt him. Valerie, too. And she wanted to slap her own self even more for not knowing whether or not to trust him.
Chapter Nineteen
Air conditioning inside the bar made the late Friday heat bearable. Two hours past sundown, and according to her phone, the temperature still hovered near ninety. Emma Elkins shoved her phone back inside her purse, shaking her head at Carolyn Pringle and Sally Hamilton. “Still no call from Todd. I guess he really means it.”
Drowning her sorrows in her third shot of tequila, she thought of all those hours spent driving across town in rush hour traffic for the last year; because Todd hated Grosse Pointe and thought Birmingham was a million times better. Then there was Vaughn’s final break-up with Eleanor Dodson, coming right after she and Todd started dating. If there was ever a time to snag Vaughn Humphries, that might have been it. Sure, he’d broken things off with her before, but maybe he was more ready to settle down now. Anyway, she’d taken a pass at trying to get back with Vaughn because she was dating Todd. And Todd had told her hands-down, he was looking to get married, which was exactly the opposite of what he said tonight, when he broke things off. She hated him more with every second that ticked by.
“You dated Vaughn a while back,” Sally said. “You should give him a call. He’s single again, isn’t he?”
Sitting next to her, Carolyn spit out her cabernet. “Really, Sally? Vaughn? The guy my sister’s been dating on and off forever?”
Emma nearly laughed. The Dodson sisters could always be called upon to look out for each other’s interests – unless they were the ones infringing upon them. Eleanor hadn’t said a word the ent
ire time Annie was screwing Cam. And she’d definitely known about it.
“I’m sorry, Carolyn.” Sally spoke quietly. “I thought Vaughn and Eleanor were done for good this time. I mean, didn’t she vow to never, ever get involved with him again after that thing with Annie?”
“Please,” Emma said. “Let’s not argue about Vaughn and Eleanor. I’m not looking for an immediate replacement boyfriend, and Vaughn’s not really available anyway. He’s cozying up to Bexley Hart right now.”
The ice in Carolyn’s stare still not defrosted, she picked up her wine glass off the bar. “I wouldn’t worry about that lasting too long. I can’t see him marrying a woman like her…a nobody from some hick town in Texas. Mrs. Humphries would have a melt-down if that ever happened.”
Sally shook her head, no longer looking at Carolyn. “I forgot about Bexley. Rick says Vaughn’s seriously into her. Rick’s never seen him this far-gone before. But hey, is it too soon to suggest Linwood? He’s unattached again.”
Emma’s stomach lurched. “Yes. It’s too soon.”
“Sorry, Em, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Emma stared into her half-consumed margarita. “I think I’d rather break up Vaughn and Bexley if those are my two options.” She felt someone breathing over her shoulder as she spoke, and turned to see Valerie Jameson standing right behind her. “Valerie, hey.”
“Hi, ladies. How are you? What a great night for a girls’ night out, eh?” Valerie set her purse down on the bar, and squeezed into the small space between Emma and some hefty guy in the chair next to her. “You know, I was supposed to do this with Bexley Hart, but she had a date with Vaughn that she didn’t want to break. So here I am, Friday night, and I’m all by my lonesome.”
Sally gave her a dismissive look. “It was a great night for a girls’ night out.”
“We were just leaving,” Carolyn said, grabbing her purse off the bar, sliding off the stool, and slipping a twenty dollar bill beside her half-full glass of wine. “C’mon, Sally, let’s head over to the club for a nightcap.”
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