Tart of Darkness

by Denise Swanson

  Tendrils of fear shot through Dani’s body, and she blurted, “There are lots more people with better motives to kill Regina than me.”

  “Oh? Who do you think killed her?” Mikeloff pounced. When Dani didn’t immediately respond, he added, “Let me assure you that even though your suspicions might be completely wrong, it’s important that you let me know about them. No one you tell me about will ever know it was you who brought them to my attention.”

  Dani squirmed in her chair, her pulse pounding in her ears. Evidently, innocent until proven guilty wasn’t working for her. She hated to do it, but surely she wasn’t telling the detective anything he didn’t already know.

  “Who do you think might have killed Regina Bourne?” Mikeloff prodded, his voice whining through Dani’s skull like a dentist’s drill.

  “I really have no idea.” Dani twitched her shoulders. “But a lot of people didn’t like her. Her own fiancé had some pretty harsh things to say about her. Plus, she pulled some really mean crap on her friend Bliss and her professor Trent Karnes. And her ex, Vance King, was obsessed with trying to talk to her at the party.”

  Dani watched the detective jotting down what she’d said and immediately felt guilty for throwing the others under the bus. Still, she wasn’t saying anything but the truth. It wasn’t even gossip. And Mikeloff needed to focus on someone other than her or Ivy.

  “Which one would you put your money on?” Mikeloff asked watching her closely.

  “I don’t know any of them very well, but I have to think that Bliss might have the most compelling motive.” Dani chewed her bottom lip. “Regina sent a nude picture of her to Laz and all their friends.”

  “I see.” Mikeloff stared into space. “But who do you think would have the best opportunity to get the insulin into the victim?”

  “It’s really hard to say because I don’t know where it was injected.” Dani nervously tapped out a jazz rhythm on the tabletop. “If it was an arm or leg, almost anyone might be able to do it, but a more concealed place, then it would have to be someone with whom she was more intimate.”

  Mikeloff leaned forward until his nose nearly touched hers, then he said so softly she almost couldn’t hear him, “Can you think of any other way that Regina might have overdosed on insulin?”

  “No.” Dani frowned, considering what little she knew about the medication. “Is there a form of insulin that isn’t injected?”

  “No. I don’t believe so.” Mikeloff narrowed his eyes. “What was your first reaction when you found out that Regina was dead?”

  “I couldn’t believe it.” Dani stared at her hands. “I mean, she was so young.”

  “But like you said, she wasn’t a very nice person.” Mikeloff’s nicotine-stained fingers played with the edge of the file folder. “Maybe the killer did everyone a favor.”

  “No!”

  “Come on,” Mikeloff coaxed. “Can you really tell me that it never crossed your mind? Even if it’s not something you would actually condone?”

  “Never.” Dani sucked in a breath. “Regina was young. She could change.”

  “Well, here’s the thing,” Mikeloff said. “I’ve talked to all the people you mentioned. I’ve gone over all of the evidence. And”—the detective’s voice oozed satisfaction—“it all comes back to you.”

  “What?” Dani pushed her chair back from the table. “No! It wasn’t me.”

  “The medical examiner finished the report and sent it to us today.” Mikeloff’s smile reminded Dani of a great white shark—hungry and relentless. “And guess what? Regina wasn’t injected with insulin, which means the only way for her to get an overdose was to consume it.”

  “You mean eat or drink it?” Dani tugged at the neck of her T-shirt. “Is it even possible to die by ingesting insulin?”

  “A single therapeutic dose wouldn’t kill her, but with the amount Regina ingested and the fact she was taking ulcer medication that neutralized the stomach acids and enzymes that would normally destroy the insulin…” Mikeloff’s grin widened. “And who was it that prepared the food that night? And left trays of goodies just for Regina?”

  “But…but…” Dani stopped and shook her head to clear it. “There were wrappers from foods other than mine found around her body. And anyone could have added insulin to the stuff in her kitchen after I went home.” Getting to her feet, Dani said, “Now, I’d either I’d like a lawyer or I’m leaving.” Although she was shaking inside, she looked the detective coolly in the eye. “Your choice.”

  • • •

  Twenty minutes later, clutching her purse to her chest, Dani wobbled into the hallway outside of the detectives’ suite of offices. She felt lightheaded and sick to her stomach. She needed to sit down, but before she could do that she had to get as far away from Mikeloff as possible.

  As she stood in the corridor, unsure of where to go, warm hands encased her upper arms and a familiar voice asked, “Are you okay?”

  Confused, she looked up and demanded, “What are you doing here?”

  “A little bird told me that Mikeloff had you in an interrogation room.” Spencer’s expression darkened. “How did that happen?”

  “What little bird?” Dani wondered if she was making any sense. After all that had just happened to her, her brain might have jumped its tracks.

  “I had a meeting with the chief. Her daughter, who was playing receptionist, is apparently keyed in to all the PD gossip and is in a state of teenage rebellion. She left a note thumbtacked to the admin’s door informing me that Mikeloff had brought you into the station and was taking bets that he’d get you to confess.”

  “Oh.” Dani drew in a deep breath to stop herself from falling apart. “Well, he didn’t succeed, so I hope she bet against him.”

  “I’m sure she did.” Spencer smiled. “Do you need a ride home?”

  “Yeah.” Dani swayed. “That would be great. I feel a little dizzy.”

  “Stress.” Spencer wrapped an arm around her and guided her to the elevator. “Let’s get you out of here and you can tell me all about it.”

  Silently, he led her through the station and out to his truck. Helping her in, he buckled her seat belt and headed toward her house.

  They didn’t speak until they were seated at her kitchen table drinking tea and nibbling on the leftover lunch-to-go peanut butter s’mores bars.

  “Tell me everything you can remember from the moment Mikeloff showed up to the minute you walked out of the interrogation room.” Spencer ate his cookie in two bites and stared expectantly at her.

  “Mikeloff said that if I didn’t go with him to the station, Ivy would spend the night in jail.” Dani hesitated. Did she trust Spencer enough to believe that he’d still want to help her if she revealed that his niece continued to be the detective’s second choice of suspect? Taking a fortifying sip of tea, she quickly added, “But it was a trick. I don’t think Mikeloff has any real interest in Ivy.”

  “Go on.” Spencer took a pen and notepad from the inside pocket of his suit coat. “Once he got you to the station, what happened?”

  Dani described her wait in the chilly interrogation room, then repeated as much of the detective’s questions and her answers as she could recall. Finally, she said, “So after I demanded to leave or to have a lawyer, he stormed out of the room. It took forever, but he eventually came back with my purse and let me go.”

  “So what Chief Cleary wasn’t willing to share with me was the lack of injection site. She must have known that Mikeloff would use that as an excuse to fixate on you.” Spencer relayed the rest of his conversation with the chief.

  “So.” Dani clutched her cup. “Even though she suspects that Mikeloff is a bad cop, the chief can’t, or won’t, take him off the case?”

  “That about sums it up.” Spencer gently peeled Dani’s fingers from the mug. “Chief Cleary is sympathetic and would love
it if we turned up any evidence against Mikeloff, but the union would fry her if she tried to remove him without cause.”

  “So we’re still going to keep going with our own investigations?” Dani’s shoulders slumped.

  “Yes.” Spencer kept his hands covering hers. “But we now know that the insulin wasn’t injected. We just need to discover which of our suspects knew that Regina would eat all that food after the luau.”

  “I may have some insight on that.” Dani pulled away from Spencer’s grasp. “Last night, after I finished cooking for the Karneses’ dinner party, I found Regina’s housekeeper by the side of the road. The Bournes had fired her, and when she tried to leave, she got a flat tire. While we waited for help, she admitted to me that Regina was bulimic.”

  “Which means we need to figure out who knew about her disorder.” Spencer’s eyes gleamed. “Certainly her fiancé would know.”

  “And probably her ex and her best friend.” Dani sighed and pursed her lips.

  “So we still have three possible suspects.” Spencer reached for another dessert bar.

  “More than that.” Dani pushed the plate closer to him. Seeing anyone enjoy her food always warmed her heart. “While I was preparing dinner last night, I overheard the Karneses and their guests discussing the reason Regina was kicked out of her sorority.”

  “Oh?” Spencer chewed and swallowed. “I didn’t know she had been.”

  “She stole one of the pledge’s manuscripts.” Dani repeated the conversation she’d heard.

  “We need to get that girl’s name,” Spencer said as he jotted down a note.

  “Any idea how?” Dani asked. When Spencer didn’t answer, she said, “I have one more person for our suspect list: Professor Karnes.”

  “Did he have an affair with her?” Spencer’s eyebrows went up.

  “Not exactly.” Dani described the recorded kiss and the identity theft.

  “It seems as if Miss Regina has been a very naughty girl,” Spencer drawled. “It’s going to be hard to find out who hated her the most.”

  Dani crossed her arms. “Well, like I said to the detective: I think Bliss has the best motive. At least, the most recent best one.”

  “True.” Spencer tapped his chin. “And who would know more about Regina’s bulimic habits than her best friend?”

  Chapter 18

  A few hours later, as Dani loaded the van with the food and equipment for the football booster dinner, she scowled at the memory of her telephone conversation with Kipp. Her ex had thrown a hissy fit when she’d told him that she hadn’t yet found his book.

  Dani had explained that she would look for it on Friday and that her Thursday schedule had been disrupted—although she didn’t tell him it was due to a police interrogation—but he didn’t care. At first he’d tried to charm her, but when that didn’t work, he’d just stated in that annoying you-have-always-disappointed-me tone that he would be at her house first thing Saturday morning to pick up his book. He’d then hung up without giving her a chance to respond.

  Tomorrow was back-to-back gigs. The usual lunch-to-go would occupy her morning. In the afternoon she had a hundredth-birthday celebration at an assisted-living facility; in the evening, she had a personal chef engagement for a new client. Dani had no idea when she’d be able to go through all her boxes, but she wanted to get Kipp out of her life for good, so she’d have to carve out some time.

  When she’d packed for the move, Dani thought she’d been smart to put a few books in each box so no one carton would be too heavy. Now she wished that she had been a bit more organized and labeled the boxes with something more descriptive than the word stuff.

  Pushing her irritation with Kipp aside, Dani checked the last item off her list and climbed into the van. Ivy, Starr, Tippi, and Spencer were meeting her at the venue. While the girls were helping to plate and serve, Spencer’s presence was due to his desire to talk to Vance King and Bliss Armstrong.

  When he and Dani had decided that Bliss was their prime suspect, they’d discussed the best way to approach her. Spencer had said that something casual, like running into her, would be best, and Dani had pointed out that Bliss was bound to accompany Vance to the football dinner.

  The event was a gathering of the coaches, top current players, their girlfriends, and the boosters who had donated the most money to the team. It was being held at the Normalton University Union. Dani’s contract called for no more than a hundred guests and included a table of cold hors d’oeuvres for a social hour that started at six.

  The boosters could help themselves to prosciutto crostini with lemony fennel slaw, mango shrimp in endive leaves, and red pepper and goat cheese crisps with radicchio while mingling with the players and reliving their own glory days. Dani had been a little surprised that the organizer hadn’t wanted pigs in a blanket and hot wings, but she’d been given carte blanche for the menu. Now all she could hope for was that her more sophisticated food choices weren’t a mistake.

  When Dani pulled behind the building, Spencer and Ivy were already there, waiting at the back entrance. They helped her haul the food and equipment into the service elevator and rode with her to the union’s top floor. This level was rented out for meetings and private events, and the football dinner was being held in a suite of rooms connected to a small kitchen.

  Once the three of them had everything from the van spread out on the counters, Dani pushed through the swinging doors to inspect the party space. As she had specified, there was a long table covered in a white linen cloth on either side of the room. And the two bars were set up on the opposite walls, which should solve the issue of any one food or beverage station being mobbed.

  Next, Dani scrutinized the dining area. The team colors had been used to decorate. Spaced evenly around the floor were twelve round tables covered in red cloths and set with white napkins, black-handled utensils, and goblets bearing the image of the school’s mascot, the red-tailed hawk.

  Returning to the kitchen, she found Spencer and Ivy speaking in low voices, but as the swinging door swished open, Spencer turned and said to Dani, “I’ll go move your van and park it in the lot.”

  “Thanks.” Dani dug into the pocket of her chef pants and handed him the keys. His fingers brushed hers and her cheeks heated with the flicker of electricity that shot up her arm.

  The minute Spencer disappeared from the kitchen Ivy spun around and, with her lips twitching, said, “So, you and my uncle, huh?”

  “Me and your uncle what?” Dani busied herself unpacking her gear.

  “Seriously?” Ivy yelped. “You’re going to pretend that you’re not interested in him and that he’s not interested in you?”

  “Why would you think that?” Dani asked, unwilling to admit her attraction since nothing was going to come from it.

  “Let’s see.” Ivy snickered. “He can’t take his eyes off you. You blush every time he touches you.” She paused. “And he’s here.”

  “The first two are purely your imagination.” Dani loaded the trays of appetizers on a rolling cart. “And he’s here to help figure out who killed Regina and keep your butt out of jail.”

  “More like to keep yours out.” Ivy began filling a second cart with small china plates, utensils, and napkins. “That awful detective is obsessed with you, not me.” She leveled a stare at Dani. “And as soon as you left the kitchen, Uncle Spencer started grilling me about you.”

  “What did he ask?” Dani frowned. Her trust issues flared. She didn’t like being the subject of their conversation.

  “Did your ex show up again?” Ivy recited. “Did you seem okay after being hauled into the police station?” Tossing a smirk at Dani, Ivy added casually, “Was I sure that you weren’t currently seeing anyone?”

  “I’m sure that was professional interest,” Dani said quickly. “You know, to find out if there’s someone else who might be involved, with what�
�s been happening with the murder and all.”

  Not waiting for Ivy to respond, Dani wheeled her cart into the dining room and nodded at the two bartenders setting up their stations. She pushed thoughts of Spencer aside and concentrated on arranging the platters on both of the serving tables.

  When Dani glanced up from what she was doing, Ivy had followed her. The girl had a knowing smirk on her face and was tapping her foot.

  Dani wanted to mention Spencer’s girlfriend but bit her tongue. Ivy would jump to the wrong conclusion if Dani brought up his love life. “Your uncle is just helping me because of you. There’s no reason to read anything more into it.”

  Ivy opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the first wave of people flowing into the room. They rushed toward the bars, but Dani knew that as soon as they had their drinks, they’d head for the appetizers. Staring at the huge men, she hoped she had enough food.

  As she and Ivy quickly finished putting out the hors d’oeuvres, Dani studied the guests. It was easy to spot the current players, muscled young men in their late teens or early twenties with petite, blond, animatronic-like women clinging to their massive arms.

  Conversely, the boosters seemed to fall into two groups: nice-looking men in business suits who obviously still frequented the gym, and more casually dressed guys whose bodies had begun to show the effect of too much beer and not enough exercise. However, all their wives looked like older versions of the players’ girlfriends.

  As Dani and Ivy hurried into the kitchen to work on the meal, Dani pondered the difference. Were men less concerned with their appearance? Or maybe it was more a matter of societal expectations.

  Before she could decide, Spencer returned from parking the van, returned her keys, and asked, “Do you need any help in here?”

  “I’m good,” Dani assured him. “I saw Bliss out there with Vance, so this might be the perfect opportunity to get her alone for a conversation.”

  “Great.” Spencer smiled. “I’ll text you to join me if I’m able to corner her.”