Silenced in Sequins

by Debra Sennefelder

Why did she have to find the certificate?

  * * * *

  The next morning, before the boutique opened, Kelly drove over to her uncle’s house to check on Summer in person. The front door opened, and the housekeeper greeted Kelly. Miriam maintained a stoic, unshakable demeanor at all times. Her intense observation unsettled Kelly; it was as though she was being appraised or judged.

  “Mrs. Blake is in the kitchen.” Miriam closed the door and led Kelly through to the large kitchen. “She has a visitor. The police.”

  Kelly paused and pressed her lips together. Shoot. The dark sedan outside had to have been Detective Wolman’s vehicle. She sighed when she caught a glimpse of the visitor. She was right. The vehicle belonged to Wolman.

  Seeing the detective first thing in the morning was becoming a habit.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt.” Kelly stepped into the kitchen as Miriam continued to the laundry room. “Good morning, Detective.”

  Wolman nodded and then returned her focus to Summer, who sat across from her at the table. “When I have more information, I’ll be in touch. Thank you for the coffee.” She gathered her notepad and pen and stood.

  “Do you know what caused the accident?” Kelly asked the detective.

  Wolman walked toward the doorway and stopped in front of Kelly. “Yes, we do. And it’s now a police matter, which means that what I said regarding the Delacourte murder now applies to Mrs. Blake’s accident.” She flashed a warning smile, then walked past Kelly and disappeared out into the hallway.

  “Police matter? What on earth is going on?” Kelly moved farther into the room and toward Summer, who had Juniper on her lap.

  Summer was dressed in a pale pink hoodie and matching French terry pants. Her hair was braided, and she wore minimal makeup. She looked years younger without the heavy makeup she normally applied.

  “Someone cut my brake lines. Someone sabotaged my car. Thank goodness, Juniper wasn’t with me. I can’t imagine what I’d do if anything happened to my baby girl.” Summer sniffled as she fought back tears, and her chin quivered.

  Kelly set her tote bag on a chair. She extended her hands to Juniper, and Summer relinquished the baby to Kelly. With Juniper in her arms, Kelly walked over to the French doors that led out to the spacious patio to give Summer a moment to compose herself. Several inches of snow covered the stone patio. Kelly pointed, and Juniper looked outside. “Soon you’ll be building snowmen and making snow angels.”

  Juniper giggled, and Kelly’s heart lit up. The baby was magical.

  “I can’t believe my brakes were tampered with,” Summer said with a hitch in her voice.

  Kelly turned back to Summer, who looked uncharacteristically vulnerable. Seeing her like that was a first—and uncharted territory for Kelly. Juniper giggled, and Kelly ran her hand over the baby’s soft blond curls.

  “Where were you before the accident?” Kelly paced with a bounce in her step because Juniper liked the motion and it made her giggle more.

  “At the day spa. I had a massage.” Summer reached for her cup of tea and took a sip. “The detective suspects that’s when my car was tampered with. She’s looking into whether the spa has surveillance cameras on the property.”

  “You didn’t see anyone suspicious?”

  “There? Of course not. What kind of place do you think I go to?” Summer shook her head as she reached forward and plucked a strawberry out of the fruit bowl on the table.

  “Have you received any threats?” Kelly made a silly face, and Juniper’s eyes widened with amusement.

  “No. This doesn’t make sense. Why would someone want to hurt me?” Summer bit into the strawberry.

  Juniper flailed her chubby little arms out and closed them again on Kelly’s face and giggled harder. Slapping her cousin seemed to delight the baby. Kelly gingerly removed the little hands from her face and kissed the baby on the forehead before settling her into her high chair.

  Juniper fussed, prompting Kelly to give her a pacifier. With the baby settled for a few minutes, Kelly pulled out a chair at the table and sat across from Summer.

  “I don’t want to alarm you any more than necessary, but I can’t help but think that what happened yesterday could be connected to the show. Maybe you should reconsider pursuing the vacancy.”

  “What you’re suggesting isn’t possible. You’re being ridiculous.”

  “No? Diana was murdered and now you’re being considered to fill her spot and your brake line was cut.”

  “Pish. There has to be another explanation.”

  “Until there is, please consider removing your name from consideration.”

  “Absolutely not. Being on the show means my Pilates studio will have national exposure. I could expand.”

  “Yes, it’s a great opportunity, but is it worth risking your life?”

  “At this point, we have no proof the show and my accident are connected. And I don’t want you to go around town saying they are.” Summer cast her eyes downward for a moment, and when she set her gaze back on Kelly, she looked determined. “This is an opportunity I can’t pass up. Do you understand?”

  Kelly nodded. “The decision is yours, but I think it’s a bad idea.” She glanced at her watch. “I need to get back to the boutique.” She gathered her tote bag and stood. She kissed Juniper on the head and walked past Summer, whose determined look had slipped away. Back was the worried look Kelly had seen a few moments earlier.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kelly arrived back on Main Street with enough time to dash over to Doug’s Variety Store. It was official; she was addicted to the Holly Jolly blend. She was able to get in and out of the variety store in record time and started on her way back to the boutique. With her gloved hands wrapped around the cup, she passed the Gull Café, where morning diners leisurely ate their breakfasts.

  Kelly’s mom took her two girls to breakfast at the café during school vacations as a treat. Kelly spotted Paulette pouring coffee and stopped. She remembered how the café’s longtime waitress had made a fuss over her and Caroline. The memory reminded Kelly to call Caroline, touch base with her, and ask if she wanted to join in on girl’s night with Liv and Ariel.

  A face appeared after a menu was lowered, and Kelly recognized Nanette and the other woman at the table. What were Janine and Nanette doing together? Kelly’s spidey senses pricked up again. Why would the housekeeper of a murder victim be having breakfast with a woman who could be a suspect in the murder?

  “What are you doing?”

  Kelly jumped at the unexpected voice; she spun around and found Liv had come up behind her. “Geez, you startled me.”

  “What were you looking at?” Liv peered into the café’s window. “Janine Cutter? Kelly! She’s reported you to the police.”

  “I’m not following her. I was on my way back to the boutique from Doug’s.” She lifted her coffee cup. “And I saw Paulette and then those two.” She pointed to Janine’s table.

  “Who’s the lady she’s with?”

  “Nanette Berger.”

  “Diana’s housekeeper?” Liv moved closer to the window and stared into the dining room. Kelly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. “Hey!”

  “Don’t stare like a weirdo.”

  “I wasn’t . . . really.”

  “Walk with me. I’m freezing.” Kelly walked away from the café with Liv in tow, and they crossed the street. “I was at my uncle’s house, and when I arrived, Wolman was there.”

  Liv frowned.

  “Exactly how I felt. Anyway, she said someone cut Summer’s brake lines.”

  “No! Sabotage? Why? Who?”

  “Summer has no idea. But my gut tells me it’s connected to LIL and Diana’s death.”

  “Come on, Kelly. That’s a pretty big leap.” Liv tightened the collar of the army green parka around her neck.

 
“Possibly. But if I’m right, then Summer is in danger. If I’m wrong, then it was a freak accident.”

  “I’m sure Wolman will sort it all out.” Liv stopped walking. “I wanted to tell you I found Marvin Childers.”

  “You did? Where?”

  “He still lives here in Lucky Cove, on Glendale Road.”

  “Wait, did you say Glendale Road?” When Liv nodded, Kelly was certain the old man outside the equally old cottage before Diana’s meticulously maintained home was Marvin. “I can’t believe he’s Marvin.”

  “Who? Do you know Marvin?”

  “No, I don’t. It’s a long story, and I have to open the boutique. Thanks for the information. Talk soon!” Kelly dashed to the boutique and opened up with seconds to spare. There wasn’t a mob of customers clamoring to get in, but she liked to be consistent with store hours. Too many small businesses played fast and loose with their hours and ended up annoying their customers.

  Annoyed customers shopped elsewhere.

  With the boutique opened and Breena on the sales floor, Kelly busied herself with photographing items for the website. Pepper had the day off, and Kelly hoped she would rest and get over her nasty cold—that was, if Pepper would stay still for an entire day. Kelly worried that, at Pepper’s age, a simple cold could turn into something more serious.

  Kelly raised her camera to her eye and focused on the blue cable-knit sweater, not Pepper’s illness. She pressed the button and took a flurry of shots of the sweater.

  The space she’d carved out for the photo studio was tight but functional, and now it was starting to look professional, thanks to the backdrop she’d ordered. The heavy-duty vinyl backdrop was designed to look like old, weathered white wooden boards; through the camera lens, the look was very realistic. A background stand for the backdrop had been part of her order. Both items were within her budget, and she was confident they’d up her online sales game.

  She’d steamed the garments she wanted to sell online, hung them, and snapped dozens of photos. She removed the sweater from the setup and took it off the hanger, refolding it and setting it on the table. There was one item left to photograph, a floral print flounce skirt, and her inner merchandiser told her the skirt needed to be shown on a body, not on a hanger. She could traipse out to the storeroom and drag in a mannequin, or she could slip the skirt on and take a few photos.

  Short on time, she chose the latter. Within a few minutes, the camera was set to a timer to take photos, and Kelly was posed in front of the backdrop. She’d set the angle so only the lower half of her body would be photographed. With the remote discreetly placed in her hand, she continued to take more than a dozen photos before she checked the camera.

  “What are you doing?” Breena had poked her head into the photo studio. “Cute skirt.”

  “Thanks. I’m finishing up photos for the website. I have an errand to run. Can you hold down the fort while I’m out?”

  “Duh. Sure can. Where are you going?” Breena entered the room and browsed through the items Kelly had photographed. “We’re getting so many nice pieces lately. How’s the edit event going? Have you set a date? I can make flyers, and I can write up a press release and post it on social media. I like managing the social media for the boutique.”

  Having a marketing student for a part-time employee was a big win for Kelly. Breena was eager to build her skills. The downside was Breena’s inexperience. Mistakes were bound to happen. Kelly accepted the risks because she herself was inexperienced when it came to owning a business.

  “You’re doing a great job, and yes, I’ve set a date. When I get back from my errand, we can go over what I have so far. And we can review what ideas you have to promote the event. Sound good?” Kelly shimmied out of the skirt and pulled on her jeans and boots.

  “Don’t be too long then. I want to get a plan into place. This is the busiest time of year for women, and we want to get onto their calendars asap. I want the event to be successful.” Breena swung around and left the room.

  It looked like Kelly and Breena wanted the same thing: success. Kelly shut off her camera and rehung the skirt. Before heading out to the Senior Center, she wanted to do a little of her own digging into Marvin Childers. She set the camera down on the table and then swiped up her phone and, against her better judgement, typed in a website address she vowed never to visit ever again: Lulu Loves Long Island. While it seemed gossip was its bread and butter, the website did report on the achievements of prominent members of the community. It took some searching, but Kelly eventually found a few articles on Marvin Childers. Liv had been right about him being an illustrator. Kelly found an article about his last showing and learned he’d been a widower for over a decade and had one son and two grandchildren. The few photographs of his work impressed Kelly. She huffed. She didn’t want to like his work. She sighed. Now she was being childish.

  Kelly closed the website and switched off the light as she exited the photo studio. She had answers to find.

  * * * *

  Kelly opened the door of the Lucky Cove Senior Center. While photographing garments for the boutique’s website, her mind had churned over what to do about the marriage certificate she’d found. While a part of her wanted to shred the document, it wasn’t the right thing to do. With Marvin Childers located, she needed to get information on the Las Vegas trip. Had her granny been a part of the annual trip and married Marvin then? Or had granny and her beau secretly run off on their own—had they eloped? The pit in her stomach deepened. She feared the worst-case scenario of losing everything she loved.

  She stepped into the vestibule and shook off the cold. There was a large bulletin board covered with flyers advertising activities for local senior citizens. Beneath the bulletin board was a narrow table covered with brochures for services from home care to low-cost home fuel for seniors. After she wiped her boots on the mat, Kelly pulled opened the second door and entered the center.

  The large open space was divided into areas for various activities. One area had round tables for dining, and another had comfortable seating and a television for relaxing; a small cluster of computer desks were arranged in the back corner for web surfing.

  In each area, there were a few clients, and they all looked up when Kelly entered. Their gazes turned from her to each other, and they whispered before returning to their activities.

  Feeling like the new kid in school, Kelly approached the lone desk in the corner of the space. The desk’s location gave the director, Harriet O’Neal, a clear vantage point to see all and hear all. The name plaque on the desk confirmed that the gray-haired woman—buttoned-up in a blouse with a crisp tie at its high collar and with a pair of reading glasses perched on the bridge of her nose—was the woman Kelly was looking for.

  The woman looked up from the document she was reviewing, over the rim of her glasses, and cast a dubious stare on Kelly. “May I help you?”

  “I hope so.” Kelly had followed Liv’s advice and brought a box of two chocolate frosted cupcakes for Mrs. O’Neal. Her long strides put her in front of Mrs. O’Neal’s desk before the woman could change her mind and not help her. While in the bakery, Liv’s aunts had told her Harriet was more than just a little ornery, as she’d been cautioned earlier. She was a town employee who followed the rules, no exceptions.

  “I’m Kelly Quinn. Martha Blake’s granddaughter.”

  Harriet O’Neal’s stern look softened. “Terrible loss. She was a pillar of this town. Beloved by many.” However, her tone didn’t convey sincerity.

  “Thank you. I’m hoping you can shed some light on a trip to Las Vegas that the center organized five years ago last March.”

  Mrs. O’Neal’s stern look returned, and she looked like she was about to tell Kelly to take a hike.

  “I brought these for you. German chocolate cupcakes.” She placed the box on the neatly organized desk.

  “My favorite.�
� Mrs. O’Neal lifted the lid of the box, and a smile emerged from her frown. “What a tasty little treat. What do you want to know about the trip?” She lifted a cupcake out of the box and set it on a tissue she plucked from its box.

  Feeling victorious at passing the first hurdle, Kelly relaxed and settled on the chair in front of the desk. “My granny went on the trip. Was it organized? I mean, was there an itinerary set for the group, and was the trip chaperoned?”

  Mrs. O’Neal crossed her arms on the desk. “There was an itinerary for the trip. There was some time in the casinos, shows to go to, and some sightseeing. We had guides with us, but no chaperones. This was a group of seniors, not wild teenagers.”

  Mrs. O’Neal might want to rethink the policy because two seniors on her watch had run off and eloped on a whim.

  “What was on the sightseeing agenda?” A drive-thru wedding chapel? As tempting as it was to ask the question, Kelly left it unsaid.

  “Due to their age, we had to limit sightseeing because it can be challenging for our members to get around. We went to the Hoover Dam. In fact, one member wanted to go to Carson City.”

  Kelly’s eyebrow arched. Carson City was home to a very popular ranch for adult activity.

  “That trip, in particular, was very challenging for me. I had to keep my eye on Marvin.”

  “Marvin Childers?”

  Mrs. O’Neal nodded. “Do you know him? Well, if you do, you know he’s quite a character. Though he doesn’t come here as often as he used to. Why are you interested in the trip?”

  “I found a note my granny left about it, and I was curious.”

  “He and your grandmother were good friends.” Mrs. O’Neal leaned forward. “I think they were sweet on each other.”

  Enough to marry? Kelly opted to keep that question to herself too.

  “Thank you for your time.” Kelly walked away from the desk. She reached the exit at the same time Dorothy Mueller arrived. Mrs. Mueller had been one of her very first customers when she took over the boutique. Unfortunately, Mrs. Mueller’s purchase hadn’t been what she expected, and she’d returned it. Since then, she hadn’t come back into the boutique.