Tart of Darkness

by Denise Swanson

  “Wuss,” Kelsey laughed as she released her hold and they sat down. She spotted the pitcher, grabbed the handle, and poured for them both. “Nectar of the gods!”

  “I’m so glad you were able to meet me.” Dani smiled at her friend. “It’s been so long, and it’s really good to see you.”

  “I’m sorry I keep having to cancel.” Kelsey twisted her ponytail around her finger. “The kids seem to pick up every bug that goes around, and then they give it to me.”

  “Thank goodness for texts and emails.” Dani sipped her drink, feeling her shoulders relax for the first time since Mikeloff burst into her kitchen. “How are the hubs and the little ones right now?”

  Kelsey signaled the server. “For one brief shining moment everyone is okay.” Turning to the waitress who arrived at their table, she said, “Bring us a pound of your naked wings with hot sauce.” When the woman left, Kelsey continued, “The kids are healthy and Toby’s next business trip isn’t until the fall.”

  “Awesome.” Dani knew how hard it was on Kelsey when her husband was traveling. “How’s the writing going? Are the hero and heroine cooperating?”

  “Good.” Kelsey chugged half her drink, then added, “With the kids in daycare half a day, I’m actually making some progress on my opus. If the hero puts on his big-boy briefs, the couple might actually have sex in the next chapter.”

  “Shouldn’t he be taking off his underwear?” Dani giggled at her friend’s imagination.

  Kelsey wrote romance novels, and the last time they’d chatted, her heroine had been reluctant to sleep with the hero. Unlike the characters in her friend’s books trying to take over the story, Dani was thankful that the ingredients for her recipes never tried to take over the dish.

  “Enough about me.” Kelsey topped off each of their glasses. “Tell me about Ivy’s uncle.”

  “That’s what you got from everything I said when I called you?” Dani raised a brow. “You don’t want to hear about the detective that went berserk in my kitchen or that I may be arrested for murder?”

  “We’ll get to that later.” Kelsey waved her hand. “First, the good stuff about this Spencer.”

  “Okay.” Dani nodded. “Well, to start with, I was shocked when instead of the fifty- or sixty-year-old tubby ex-cop I was expecting, I found a gorgeous thirtysomething man sitting at my table. Spencer Drake is nothing like I’d expected.”

  “Does he have a good bod?” Kelsey asked, then licked the salt from the rim of her glass.

  “More like perfect.” Dani frowned, her hand smoothing over her generous hips. “Muscles that have to take hours of hard work in the gym to maintain.”

  “So he’s not sitting around collecting a pension,” Kelsey teased.

  “No.” Dani inhaled sharply. “And when his dark-blue eyes locked onto mine, there was a flash of heat that nearly burned off my panties.” Dani shivered. The memory of his striking good looks stole away her breath. “He’s the devil’s candy and I couldn’t stop fantasizing about eating him up.”

  “Did he seem to realize how he was affecting you?” Kelsey asked.

  “Maybe.” Dani shrugged. “When he took my hand to introduce himself, he held it a beat too long.”

  “And?” Kelsey prompted.

  “And the feeling of his fingers wrapped around mine was more erotic than all of Kipp’s kisses and caresses combined,” Dani admitted. “I was sorry I hadn’t bothered to put on makeup, fix my hair, and worn something a little more flattering than old jeans and a T-shirt. Of course that was before he started asking a lot of probing questions about my old job. Then he didn’t seem quite as attractive. You know that’s the last thing I want to relive.”

  “Why was he asking about your job?” Kelsey’s green eyes widened. “Did he know about the ‘incident’? You didn’t break the confidentiality agreement, did you?”

  “I would never talk about it.” Dani shook her head. “I never want to even think about it. You know that whole affair was horrific.”

  Before having her kids and starting to write romances, Kelsey had been a practicing attorney. She had represented Dani during the mess at Homestead Insurance, so she was one of the few people who knew the whole story.

  “Then, I repeat, why did Ivy’s uncle ask you about your previous job?”

  Dani summarized Mikeloff’s accusations, then said, “Unfortunately, the girls’ memories were a little too good and they repeated verbatim the detective’s allegations and threats to Spencer.” Dani shook her head. “Mikeloff could have been referring to any one of a hundred hiring or firing decisions that I made, and the last thing I need is a guy like Spencer intent on exhuming one of the worst experiences of my life. Especially if it has no relevance to the detective’s motive for harassing me.”

  “Well”—Kelsey wrinkled her nose—“that was the nastiest situation you dealt with; ergo, it should be the one you consider first regarding the issue with this Mikeloff.”

  “I can’t let that particular cat out of the bag. It would claw my soul to shreds to relive that awful experience, and as you know, Homestead would sue me for everything I owned if I failed to uphold the NDA.” Dani paused as the server slid a tray of hot wings onto their table and passed out plates and napkins. Once the woman left, Dani said, “Therefore, even if Spencer has chiseled cheekbones to die for, he’s bad news because he doesn’t seem like the type who’s going to let this go.”

  “You can’t be sure of that,” Kelsey reasoned. “And it isn’t every day you meet a hot guy.”

  “True.” Dani picked up a wing. “But even with the long drought in my love life, let’s not forget that I’m being accused of murder.”

  “Then you kicked Spencer to the curb?” Kelsey served herself from the platter in the middle of the table and began to gnaw on a wing.

  “Not exactly,” Dani confessed. “Actually I made him tea and served him cupcakes.”

  “Not your famous special mocha cupcakes?” Kelsey licked her fingers.

  “Uh-huh.” Dani’s cheeks reddened. “And when he bit into one, he groaned in a way that isn’t normally heard outside the bedroom. I could barely breathe.”

  Kelsey raised her brows until they almost disappeared into her hairline, then accused, “You do like him.”

  “Maybe,” Dani sighed. “Every time I glanced at him and caught him looking at me, I could almost see the electricity zinging between us. It took all my willpower to keep a composed expression on my face and answer his questions in a tone that indicated I was the one in control and intended to remain that way.”

  “How did he take that?” Kelsey grabbed another chicken wing and sucked the meat from the bone.

  “Let’s just say that if he’d raked his fingers through his coal-black hair one more time, there would be a bald patch on the top of his head.” Dani grumbled, “He was frustrated with my non-answers and it was clear that he wasn’t used to having a woman say no to him, but I didn’t have a choice. There’s a legally binding document keeping me mute.”

  “Maybe he’ll give you a pass on that.” Kelsey emptied the rest of the pitcher into their glasses.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Dani drew rings in the condensation on the table’s faded laminate top. “No matter how intense the attraction is between us, Spencer isn’t my type. I’ve always steered clear of men who are too handsome. I’m not in his league. Kipp wasn’t even that good-looking and he had someone on the side. I’m not risking it with Spencer. I’d never be able to keep his attention for the long run.”

  “Not that I agree with you, but even if that were the case for some guys, I’ve never seen you this interested before.” Kelsey took Dani’s hand. “If he makes you go weak in the knees, it could be time to give in to the temptation and make sure that when you fall, it’s into his arms rather than to the ground.”

  “It’s a moot point for now.” Dani squeezed her fri
end’s fingers. “The murder has to come first.”

  “At least Spencer didn’t automatically take the cop’s side, and he’s willing to look into Mikeloff’s behavior.”

  “True. But that’s because he’s concerned about Ivy. It has nothing to do with me.” Dani bit her lip. “I have to protect myself. The fact that Mikeloff is either just plain crazy or crazy with a sprinkling of revenge on top is a huge problem because, either way, he seems pretty darned intent on sending me to prison for Regina’s murder.”

  “Spencer might be able to help you with that,” Kelsey suggested. “He is head of campus security, so he has to have some pull with the local cops.”

  “But Mikeloff’s second choice of suspect is Ivy.” Dani frowned. “I’m not sure why the detective has it in for her, unless it’s because she’s close to me, but if it came to his niece or me, I’m certain that Spencer would throw me under the bus in a heartbeat. Which means I can’t totally trust him.”

  “Mmm.” Kelsey tapped her fingernails on the table. “So what’s the plan?”

  “Once Spencer left, I started making a list of who at the party had acted oddly toward Regina.” Dani scowled. “But I only wrote one name—Vance King—before the doorbell interrupted me.”

  “Who was it?” Kelsey’s tapping increased.

  “My ex.”

  “Shit!”

  “Exactly.” Dani grimaced and related her encounter with Kipp. “What an ass.”

  “Why in the world did you even go out and talk to him?”

  “He heard that I quit my job and started cooking for people and somehow figured out that I hadn’t told my father yet.”

  “I told you that would come back to bite you in the butt,” Kelsey said.

  “Et tu, Kelsey?” Dani scowled. “Must you always speak your mind?”

  “Hey.” The redhead shrugged. “It hurts too much to bite my tongue all the time.”

  “Anyway,” Dani sighed. “I really didn’t need Kipp popping back into my life.”

  “Definitely not!” Kelsey slapped the table. “I knew he was a creep. I should have never let you date him.”

  “I probably wouldn’t have listened to you if you had tried to stop me,” Dani said, trying to comfort her friend.

  “You probably wouldn’t have.” Kelsey checked the time. “We better wrap this up. It’s always an early morning at my house.”

  “Mine too. The girls seem to think they should have breakfast before they go to class.” Dani rolled her eyes in mock exasperation.

  After paying the check and hugging goodbye, Dani headed home. As she drove, she felt a shiver of fear. What if Regina’s killer was targeting college girls? What if her murder was just the beginning?

  If Mikeloff was convinced that Dani was guilty, he wouldn’t be looking for other suspects. The only way Dani would ever clear her name and protect other possible victims was to find the killer herself.

  Now all she needed to do was figure out how to investigate a crime.

  Chapter 9

  Tuesday morning arrived entirely too early—especially since a conga drum was playing “Babalú” inside Dani’s skull when she woke up. She blamed her throbbing temples on the weather front that had moved through during the night, bringing uncomfortably high humidity and the threat of rain. She refused to believe that a couple of margaritas could cause such a bad headache, because if she admitted that she had a hangover after two measly drinks, it would mean that she was officially old. And she wasn’t even thirty yet.

  After swallowing a couple of Advil, Dani threw on a pair of cargo shorts and a T-shirt before gingerly walking down the stairs to the first floor. She was usually the first one up, but judging by the raised voices that greeted her in the hallway, the girls had beaten her into the kitchen.

  Ivy, Starr, and Tippi had varied tastes in their cups of joe, and Dani had ruled that whoever made it to the coffeepot first got to choose. Evidently, espresso was not a popular choice among Tippi’s friends.

  Facing the squabbling coeds, Dani rubbed between her eyes and said, “Settle this now or stop by Starbucks on your way to school. Because I seriously need an inoculatte and the first cup is mine.”

  “Inoculatte?” Tippi’s heart-shaped face scrunched in confusion.

  “Coffee taken intravenously,” Dani translated. “Because you can’t wait for the caffeine to hit by drinking it the usual way.”

  Ivy studied Dani’s face and said, “You look awful. Are you all right?”

  “Thanks. You look cute too.” Dani scowled. “My head is pounding, but the lunch-to-go sacks won’t fill themselves. So whose turn is it to help me with them?”

  “Mine.” Starr raised her hand. “But none of us could sleep, so we checked the menu and got all the ingredients out on the counter for you.”

  “Thanks, sweetie.” Dani hugged her. “Why couldn’t you all sleep?”

  “Maybe because the asshat of a detective accused you of murder and we’re worried about you?” Tippi put her hands on her slim hips.

  “Uncle Spence will straighten him out,” Ivy said. Her tone sounded confident, but Dani could see the worry in her face. “He’ll take care of it.”

  “I’m sure he will.” Dani hoped by agreeing with Ivy, her prediction would come true.

  Although she planned to look into Regina’s death herself, there was no reason for the girls to know that right now. They’d find out soon enough, when Dani started talking to suspects.

  Once the four of them were caffeinated, and Ivy and Tippi headed to class, Dani flipped on the overhead fluorescents and flinched when they flickered to life. The coffee and ibuprofen had tamped down her headache to a dull thud, but the bright lights still hurt her eyes.

  Starr shot her a sympathetic glance, then they both got busy making the food for the lunch-to-go sacks. In her original plan, Dani wasn’t going to name the daily specials, but when she was training the girls, Tippi had looked at an overflowing sirloin sandwich and called it the Beef of Burden. Soon the others were competing to come up with clever monikers like Lox of Love and Jean Claude Van Ham.

  Today’s choices were the Ides of March, a Caesar chicken wrap, and the Chucky Cheddar, roast beef and cheese on sourdough. As they worked, Dani asked her helper about Regina’s friends. Hoping Starr wouldn’t catch on that Dani was investigating the murder, she started with a few casual questions.

  “Did you know many of the people at the luau?” Dani concentrated on cubing the sweet potatoes for the healthy options side dish.

  “Not really.” Starr’s attention was focused on expertly folding the whole-wheat tortillas around the chicken filling. “That’s not really my scene.”

  “Why did you agree to work if you weren’t interested in attending the party?” Dani asked, then immediately answered herself. “Because it meant a lot to Ivy, right?”

  “Uh-huh.” The beads on Starr’s braids clicked gently as she nodded. “But I have to admit that Ivy talked about them so much I was curious.”

  “You, Tippi, and Ivy have been friends a long time,” Dani said carefully. “Did you feel rejected that Ivy was so set on becoming a part of Regina’s crowd?”

  “Nah.” Starr’s fond smile creased her round cheeks. “With her being a couple of years younger than us, she’s always had a hard time with the whole boy/girl thing. Add her super-high IQ to the mix, and dating has been, let’s say, awkward for her. But Regina was an expert at the social scene.”

  “Are you saying that Ivy was studying her?” Dani moved on to packaging the triple chocolate chip bars for the decadent lunch. “That she thought of Regina and her friends as lab rats in an experiment?”

  “Maybe not quite that cold.” Starr bit her plump bottom lip. “But yeah.”

  “Wow.” Dani blinked several times. “I knew Ivy was hoping to meet guys by hanging out with Regina, but that’s…that’s�
��” Dani threw up her hands. “I don’t know if I’m impressed with her thoroughness or appalled that she’d invade someone’s privacy.”

  “She didn’t manipulate them,” Starr objected. “She only observed them.”

  “I guess.” Dani frowned.

  She couldn’t put her finger on what bothered her about the situation, but it sure as heck didn’t feel right to her. Maybe it was the age gap. Although Dani was only nine years older than Starr and Tippi, the explosion of the internet’s popularity in the past decade had created a disconnect between them. Her boarders’ generation was used to their whole lives being documented on social media, while Dani’s still tried to retain a tiny bit of their privacy.

  Starr must have sensed Dani’s continued unease because she added, “And if you knew Regina’s clique, you’d realize that they were so egotistical and self-absorbed, they’d think it was cool that Ivy considered them the ideal research subjects for how to be popular.”

  “Why do you say that?” Dani asked.

  She’d gotten a little off target for her original goal, but sometimes it was best to let the conversation take its own direction. And her patience was now rewarded. Starr’s comment was the perfect introduction to figure out if one of Regina’s pals or her fiancé might want her dead. It was possible that a random stranger had bumped off Regina, or even that it had been a serial killer after college girls, but from all the mysteries she’d read and watched on television, it was much more likely Regina had been murdered by someone close to her.

  “Well, there’s Bliss Armstrong, Regina’s best friend.” Starr finished with the wraps and moved on to the roast beef sandwiches. “That girl does whatever Regina tells her to do.” Starr spread horseradish sauce on slices of sourdough. “Ivy said they were both members of a sorority, but Regina did something and was asked to leave the chapter, and she made Bliss move out of the house too.”

  “That’s pretty major.” Dani wrinkled her brow. She knew how traumatic getting kicked out of a sorority could be for a girl. So much of college existence centers around their membership—friends, social life, and sometimes even who they date. “Why would Bliss do that for her?”