Terror in Taffeta

by Marla Cooper

  He shook his head vigorously. “We got into a fight, but I didn’t kill her, if that’s what you’re trying to imply.”

  “I’m not trying to imply anything. I’m just trying to find out what happened.”

  “Nothing happened,” he said, enunciating each word. “We did get into an argument the night of the rehearsal dinner, but Naomi was with me the whole time.”

  I weighed my words carefully. I wanted to believe him, but there was only one way to be sure. “I’m sure Naomi will be able to verify all of this?”

  Trevor’s face darkened. “I told you, Naomi’s not here right now.” He got up from the table and thrust the garment bag into my hand.

  “When will she be back?”

  No answer.

  “Trevor, look, I believe you,” I said, following him to the gate, “but we have to find out what happened, and it would be really helpful if I knew for sure that Naomi was with you the whole time.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “Do I need to get a lawyer?”

  It didn’t take a seasoned police officer to figure out that this interview was winding up, so I tried to end on a light note. I attempted an airy laugh, but it came out as a nervous cackle. “Of course not! I’m just trying to help the Abernathys understand what happened.”

  He walked to the gate and swung it open in what was not a subtle hint.

  “Can I just talk to Naomi?” I persisted. “I can come back”—I checked my watch—“whenever. You tell me.”

  He opened the gate wider and waited for me to use it. “I’m afraid not.” His words had a definite air of finality.

  “Okay, well, can you have her call me, or…?”

  He stared at me intently. “Naomi is gone.” There was that frost again.

  “You mean…?” I hugged the garment bag closer to myself as if it offered some sort of protection.

  “She’s gone home.”

  “But you were supposed to fly back together. I’ve got your flight information in my binder.”

  “Sorry, I don’t know what to tell you. We got into a fight and she left.”

  Kind of like you and Dana got into a fight?

  A tingle went all the way up my spine and back down again as I stepped through the gate and onto the sidewalk.

  “Thank you for returning my tux, and give the Abernathys my regards,” Trevor said. Right before closing the gate firmly in my face.

  CHAPTER 10

  “He did what?” Brody asked, squinting in the late afternoon sun. When I’d returned from the villa, I’d found my friend lounging by the pool in my absence, enjoying an icy drink Fernando had concocted for him.

  “I’m telling you, he shut the gate right in my face. Is there alcohol in that?” I asked, pointing at his beverage.

  He nodded. “You want a sip?”

  “No, that’s okay.” I stared longingly at the glass. “Is it passion fruit?”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, just take it.”

  “Well, if you’re not going to finish it,” I said hastily, grabbing the glass.

  “So anyway,” he continued, “what does your gut tell you?”

  “That we need another round.” I scrambled to my feet, noisily vacuuming up the remnants at the bottom of the glass with the straw. Before I could even take two steps toward the kitchen, Fernando appeared out of nowhere.

  “Buenas tardes, Kelsey. Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.

  “Wow, that’s service. Can I have one of these … whatever this was?”

  “Of course,” Fernando said, taking the empty glass from me.

  “Better make it two,” said Brody.

  “Better make it a pitcher,” I added.

  Brody got up from his lounge chair and waded into the shallow end of the pool. “You know, when you asked me to stay, I thought I was being selfless. But this doesn’t suck at all.”

  I walked to the edge of the pool, dipped a toe in, then lowered myself onto the ornate tiles, dangling my feet in the tepid water. “I’m glad at least one of us is getting a chance to enjoy it,” I said, stirring my feet around idly.

  “Grab your suit,” Brody said, gesturing toward our rooms. “A swim will help you clear your mind.”

  “That’s okay. I’m having dinner with Evan later, so I don’t want to get my hair wet.”

  “You’re missing out,” he said, floating lazily on his back. “So what do you think? Is Trevor our man?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “Honestly, I felt bad for the guy, but the whole Naomi thing was just so weird. One minute he was opening up to me, but then he clammed up when I asked to talk to her.”

  Brody paddled over to me and hung off the edge of the pool, kicking his feet behind him. “So do you think she really left?”

  “Either that or he really doesn’t want me talking to her. But you should have heard the tone in his voice. When I pressed him on it, he sounded almost … menacing.”

  “Sounds like he’s got something to hide.”

  “Well, right now he’s hiding his date. And I really want to talk to her.”

  “What about calling her? Do you have her cell?”

  “I tried that, but it went to voice mail.”

  I jumped at a sudden noise behind me, but it was only Fernando, returning with our afternoon refreshments. God bless him, he’d even thrown in some chips and guacamole.

  “Thank you, Fernando,” I said. “You’re a lifesaver.”

  “You’re most welcome. I hope you enjoy it. It’s a family recipe,” he added, gently unloading his tray onto the table. “May I ask … We have other guests arriving on Friday. Do you know how long you’ll be staying?”

  I laughed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “That’s a good question, Fernando. I wish I knew.”

  * * *

  After having my way with the chips and guac, I wasn’t exactly ravenous for dinner, so when Evan came by to get me, I suggested we take a walk and enjoy the sunset before heading off to eat.

  “You want a sunset?” Evan asked, offering me his arm. “Right this way.”

  Knowing that cobblestones and heels don’t mix, I’d left anything even vaguely resembling date shoes back in San Francisco. It was a good thing I had, because our evening stroll involved a vigorous climb up a steep hill that left me fairly winded and wanting to shower all over again.

  Oh, but the view.

  From El Mirador, the lookout point at the top of the hill, we could see the rooftops of San Miguel de Allende stretching before us. The historic center lay at our feet, with the spires of La Parroquia dramatically punctuating the landscape. The soft light bathed the reds, oranges, and yellows of the adobes and their tiled roofs in a glow that was matched only by the riot of colors streaking across the sky.

  For a few dizzy moments, I leaned back against Evan, pondering what exactly would be so wrong about relocating my business to Mexico. He nuzzled my hair as we stood in silence. I was falling in love. With San Miguel, that is, although Evan was seriously scoring some points.

  The sun finally dipped below the horizon, breaking the spell.

  I sighed, drunk on the view, and maybe a little bit on that passion-fruit thingy Fernando had made me. “Okay, let’s get down to business.”

  Evan looked surprised. “Right here? In the park? All right, although it’s a little public for my tastes.” He laughed and pulled me in for a kiss. “Or we could go back to my place.”

  Flirting. I’d kind of forgotten how much fun it could be. “I’m talking about that other business,” I said, blushing at least a little. “Did you get in touch with your friend at the police station?”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, I went by today and talked to him. He wasn’t able to tell me a lot since he’s not actually in homicide, but he was able to find out a little bit about the case.”

  “So?” I asked eagerly. I loved the prospect of having an inside source. “What did he say?”

  Evan took both my hands in his. “Well, for one thing, they aren’t looking at any
other suspects right now.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I said, pulling away abruptly. “They have to keep looking! Zoe didn’t do it. They’re not even trying to investigate other possibilities?”

  Evan shrugged. “He said they thought they had the right person.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Why? Based on what?”

  “When they searched Zoe’s room, they found something.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh, come on. What could they have possibly found? A deadly bridesmaid’s bouquet? An incriminating amount of eyeliner? They don’t even know what Dana died from.”

  Evan crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Actually, they think they do.”

  I braced myself, knowing I wasn’t going to like whatever was coming next.

  “They found what looked like poison in her room. The lab’s going to run a tox screen to see if it could be the cause of death.”

  “But that’s not possible!” Evan went to put his arms around me, but I was in no mood to be hugged. I wriggled out of his would-be embrace, my mind spinning with this new information. “What kind of poison?”

  Evan held his hands up in the air. “He didn’t know. Does it even matter?”

  “Yes! I mean, how do they know if it even is poison? It’s not like they tasted it!” Okay, so not exactly a great rationale, but it was all I had at the moment.

  “Kelsey, they’re the police. If they think it’s poison, it’s probably poison.”

  I stormed off down the hill. The brilliantly colored sky had started to turn dark, the clouds nothing but black wisps.

  “Kelsey, wait!” Evan called after me, but I was too agitated to slow down and listen to him. He caught up and grabbed my elbow, whirling me around to face him.

  He took me by the shoulders and looked me in the eye. “Kelsey, listen to me. I know you believe your friend. But I have to ask you, how well do you know this girl?”

  I shrugged. “Not best-friends-since-first-grade well, but well enough to know she isn’t a killer.”

  “You’ve known her for, what? A year? Six months?”

  “Something like that,” I said, my righteous indignation starting to falter.

  “And you’ve spent how many hours together during that time?”

  “More than you’d think. These weddings don’t plan themselves, Evan.”

  “Come on, Kelsey, she isn’t even your client. So you sat through a couple of dress fittings together. That doesn’t mean you know the girl.”

  “True, but…”

  But what? My convictions were getting harder and harder to cling to in the face of actual evidence. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to wait for the autopsy. Maybe it will exonerate her.”

  “Sure,” he said diplomatically. “Maybe it will.” He pulled me in close and kissed me on the forehead.

  Damn it. I’d already let this whole situation throw my work life into chaos, and now it was putting a serious damper on what could have been a gloriously romantic evening. I vowed not to allow my impromptu murder investigation to infringe on my evening any more than it already had.

  I sighed. I felt bad for berating my inside source, especially since he was also my dinner date.

  “You hungry?” I asked.

  “Starving,” Evan replied, cupping my face in his hands before pushing me up against a wall and kissing me deeply. The adobe was still warm from the sun, which was only partially to blame for the sudden flush I felt spread over my whole body. I officially declared myself off duty for the night as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed back.

  Dinner would have to wait.

  CHAPTER 11

  The next morning I woke up just before dawn. I was a little disoriented at first, which you get used to when you travel a lot, but instead of the usual “What country am I in?” moment, I had an “Okay, seriously, where am I?” moment. I quickly assembled the clues: the striped bedspread confirmed that this was not my room at the villa. My dress draped over a chair told me I hadn’t made it home last night. And the snoring coming from the next room provided the final piece of the puzzle. Evan. Mystery solved.

  It had gotten late, so I’d stayed over in his guest bedroom. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that it was morning, I wished I’d gotten myself tucked into my own bed to avoid suspicion.

  Maybe if I hurried, I could make it back to the villa before everyone woke up and save myself the raised eyebrows. I crawled quietly out from under the covers and quickly got dressed in last night’s clothes—once again thankful I hadn’t been wearing super-obvious high heels.

  Cómo se dice “walk of shame” en español?

  The streets were deserted at that hour, and the sun wasn’t even fully up as I slipped through the gates of the villa, praying I could make it back to my room without being noticed. I carried my flats in my hand and padded softly across the courtyard, which was mercifully quiet. Whew. Thank goodness no one was up. I could relax.

  “Late night?” The voice cut through the silence, making me freeze in my tracks.

  Busted.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Abernathy,” I called across the courtyard. “I couldn’t sleep and went out to search for coffee.”

  “I’m sure Fernando could have made you some.”

  “I didn’t want to bother him so early. See you at breakfast!”

  As I darted down the hallway, I could have sworn I heard a tsk.

  I took a long, hot shower, replaying the events of the night before in my head. I’d definitely needed a distraction from everything that had happened, and more importantly, I’d needed a reminder of what it was like to have a personal life. Even though I was surrounded by romance on a more or less everyday basis, I seldom had time for dating back home, so it felt good to indulge in an evening out.

  I wanted to go tell Brody all about it, but that would have to wait. Now that I’d had a shower, I had to strategize my wardrobe: change into fresh clothes, which would confirm to Mrs. Abernathy that I’d spent the night out? Or put on my dress from the night before and act like it was perfectly normal to show a little cleavage at breakfast?

  Either way, I lose, I thought, as I pulled on a pair of khakis and a cotton top. Might as well be comfortable.

  I still had some time before breakfast, so I spent a while returning e-mails and writing up a proposal for a bride who wanted a Disney-themed wedding. I padded the cost to the point where I might as well have put “all the money in the world” for the total, because that’s how much it would take for me to want the job. Princesses are a definite job hazard, and experience has taught me that they’re just not worth it. Then I sent my assistant, Laurel, a lengthy to-do list that included last-minute tasks for Tamara Richardson’s upcoming nuptials, as well as booking tickets for a site visit to Hawaii next month.

  It felt good to be back in wedding-planner mode. I needed to remember that this was temporary and my life would be returning to normal soon. Although I was enjoying my time with Evan, I really couldn’t wait to be back in the land of champagne and happy endings and away from this world of poison and uncertainty.

  After I caught up on my e-mails, I went down to the breakfast room, where I found Mrs. Abernathy, the newlyweds, and Brody already gathered around the table. When I saw Fernando heading toward me with a pot of steaming hot coffee, the words “Yes, please” were no sooner out of my mouth than Mrs. Abernathy arched an eyebrow at me and smiled. “More coffee? Why, dear, you’re going to be all a-jitter if you keep this up. Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer decaf?”

  I blanched at the thought of skipping my morning brew just to save face, but Brody jumped to my defense. “Kelsey’s frequent-flier points are nothing next to her Starbucks rewards card. She drinks at least five cups a day.”

  Bless him, looking out for my caffeine intake like that. He might have exaggerated the quantity, but if I don’t have at least sixteen ounces by about eleven A.M., I start feeling like someone shoved a fork into my right eyeball.

  F
ernando filled my cup, and Mrs. Abernathy moved on to a different subject. “I see you changed clothes,” she said.

  Well, damn it. I poured some cream and ripped open a packet of sweetener. “I think it’s supposed to rain later,” I mumbled.

  “It’s probably best you changed. I told Zoe you’d be by to visit her this morning, and you don’t want to cause a scandal down at the station.”

  Nicole and Vince stared at Mrs. Abernathy, confused. “Did we miss something?” Nicole asked.

  “Nothing at all, dear,” she replied as Fernando returned with a tray of food. “Oh, goody—waffles!”

  * * *

  Properly fueled, I was more than happy to bid adios to Mrs. Abernathy and head to the police station to see Zoe. I’d endured enough of Mrs. Abernathy’s veiled comments for one morning. What business was it of hers if I wanted to spend the night somewhere else? I was a grown woman, not a promiscuous teenager. Besides, it wasn’t like I was on the clock twenty-four hours a day. I wasn’t even on the clock at all, was I? Mrs. Abernathy wasn’t paying me for this extra-credit assignment, although she seemed to think I should be grateful she was covering my expenses for the extra days at the villa. Kind of like a paid vacation, right? Ha.

  “Kelsey, you came!” Zoe looked happy to see me as she was escorted into the visitation room, although “happy” was a relative term under the circumstances. The harsh lighting did nothing to enhance her wan complexion.

  “Hi, Zoe, how you holding up?”

  “Oh, okay. As well as you’d expect,” she said, pulling her plastic chair up to the worn wooden table. I could tell from her dejected expression that she was just being brave.

  “I can’t even imagine what you’re going through,” I said.

  “I won’t lie. It pretty much sucks. I think my bunk might have bedbugs,” she said, scratching absently at her shackled arms.

  “Ugh, that’s terrible.”