Tart of Darkness

by Denise Swanson

  Ivy shot Dani an I-told-you-so look but kept her mouth shut. Dani was in full chef mode and she appreciated the girl’s restraint. She was too focused on the food to take the time to deflect Ivy’s teasing.

  She and Ivy had just finished plating the wilted radicchio, endive, and asparagus starter when Tippi and Starr appeared. Seeing that it was ten to seven, Dani sent the girls out to place the salads on the tables and turned her attention to the pork tenderloin with Italian tapenade.

  While Dani frantically finished up the main course and sides, she realized that in the future, she would need more help for a seated dinner of this size—someone to assist her with the cooking, as well as an additional server. She’d thought that by prepping most things at home it was doable, but she was in the weeds for most of the meal.

  As Ivy, Tippi, and Starr rushed in and out of the kitchen, they kept her informed as to what was happening in the dining room. Ivy reported that Bliss never left Vance’s side and that Spencer was still watching for a chance to talk to their suspect.

  Finally, as Dani added the last touches to the coconut shortcake with strawberry-lime compote, her cell vibrated. She snatched it from her pocket and read the message.

  Bliss and Vance just had a big blowup. She is headed to the bathroom and he just walked out. I’m going after him. Ladies’ room is a good place for you to accidentally run into her.

  Dani threw down her cloth, and as Ivy entered the kitchen, Dani said, “Make sure the desserts get out to the guests.”

  Pushing through the swinging doors, Dani ran toward the women’s restroom but skidded to a stop at the entrance. What on earth would she say to Bliss? Hey, knowing Regina was bulimic, did you put an overdose of insulin in your BFF’s junk food stash?

  Her mind blank, realizing that she’d just have to make it up as she went along and hope for the best, Dani took a deep breath and walked into the restroom. It smelled of hairspray and expensive perfume. Pausing, her gaze swept her surroundings.

  As ladies’ rooms went, this one was pretty nice. To her left was a trio of oval vessel sinks and to her right were three partially open white, wooden doors leading into the toilet cubicles. No metal stalls with barely functioning locks for the folks who rented this space from the university.

  Straight ahead, somewhat obscured by a half wall, were two armchairs and a small sofa. Curled up crying on one end of the couch was Bliss Armstrong.

  Stepping around the wall, Dani sat in one of the chairs that faced the weeping girl and waited until Bliss’s sobs had subsided. Once there was only an occasional sniffle, she reached into her pocket and handed the distraught young woman a packet of tissues.

  After Bliss had wiped her eyes and blown her nose, Dani said, “I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Dani Sloan, a friend of Ivy’s.”

  “You own that cool mansion that Ivy and her friends live in,” Bliss said, her voice still raspy from her tears. “You’re the caterer.”

  “That’s right.” Dani smiled. “In fact, I cooked tonight’s dinner.”

  “It was really yummy,” Bliss said. Then her breath hitched and she added, “At least until Vance…until Vance.” She buried her face in her hands. “I can’t say it. It’s too awful to repeat.”

  “I understand.” Dani patted the girl’s shoulder. “But sometimes it feels better to talk about it and get it out in the open.”

  “I’m probably just being silly.” Bliss dabbed at her eyes with a wad of disintegrating Kleenex. “My mom always tells me that I’m a drama queen. She says that no one wants to hear my first-world problems.”

  “Well…” Dani searched her mind for the right response. “I’m sure your mother means well, but I have to disagree with her on this. Just because your troubles aren’t life-threatening, doesn’t make them trivial.”

  “Don’t you have to get back to the kitchen?” Bliss stared down at her pretty dress. She attempted to smooth the wrinkles from the pale-green gauzy fabric. “I mean you’re probably too busy to just sit and talk to me.”

  “It’s fine, sweetie.” Dani would have comforted Bliss even if she weren’t trying to investigate Regina’s murder, but guilt still coated the back of her throat like a swallow of milk that had gone sour. “Dessert was being served as I left, so I’m all yours.”

  “Really?” Bliss asked, and when Dani nodded, the tiny redhead licked her lips and said, “Did you know that Vance dated Regina before he and I got together?”

  “I think Starr may have mentioned that after Regina’s party,” Dani said, hedging, unwilling to reveal just how much she’d discovered about their group. “Did Vance still have feelings for her?”

  “Feelings?” Bliss snickered, then blew out a scornful breath. “No. Vance was definitely not still in love with her. Regina and Vance were never”—she paused, clearly searching for the right way to explain the couple—“in an emotional relationship. And Vance knew from the beginning that Regina and Laz would eventually get back together, because neither of them was willing to go against their parents’ wishes and risk their trust funds.”

  “Oh.” Dani was again astounded at the whole idea. It was practically an arranged marriage. She’d had no clue that sort of thing still happened.

  “Believe me. Vance didn’t want Regina back in his life.”

  When Bliss didn’t continue, Dani asked softly, “So what did he want? He seemed extremely anxious to talk to her at the luau.”

  “That’s one of the things that we were arguing about at dinner.” Bliss wrapped her arms around her waist and rocked back and forth on the couch. “He won’t tell me exactly what was going on that night. He just says that Regina had some things of his she wouldn’t return.”

  “Other than his persistence in attempting to have a conversation with Regina, was Vance’s behavior different than usual at the party?”

  “He drank more.” Bliss stopped rocking and started nibbling on her thumbnail. “I mean, although he always has liked his beer, he usually stops before he gets totally wasted.”

  “But not that night?” Dani recalled Vance’s staggering walk and glassy eyes.

  “And ever since.” Bliss twisted the gold signet ring on her pinkie.

  Dani saw that it bore the letters of her sorority. Evidently, when Regina was kicked out and she made Bliss leave the house too, Bliss hadn’t entirely disavowed her affiliation.

  Before Dani could think about that significance of that fact, Bliss said, “Our fight started when I tried to get him to slow down on the booze.” She shook her head. “His coach was glaring at him and some of the boosters were starting to notice.”

  “So you quarreled about his drinking and about his refusal to give you details about why he wanted to talk to Regina.” Dani leaned forward. “Was that it?”

  “Yes.” Bliss closed her eyes. “I should have just done what he wanted.”

  “I doubt that would have been a good idea.” Dani recalled what Spencer had said about the football player’s sexual preferences. “It’s almost always best to go with your gut in those situations.”

  “Maybe.” Bliss sighed. “But I’m not sure how much longer I can hold out.”

  “If he pressures you to do something you don’t want to, he’s not the guy for you.” Dani wondered how she’d gone from interrogator to pseudo-parent. “You’re a smart, beautiful girl. You don’t need him.”

  “I really do.” Bliss stared at the ceiling. “I’m graduating this year in the most useless major ever created. The only job I’ll be able to get with a B.A. in fashion design is retail sales.” She sucked in a lungful of air. “The plan has always been to find the right husband, and Vance is perfect. He’s good-looking, his family owns a successful religious supply company he’s being groomed to take over, and he needs a wife for the position.”

  “Still…” Dani paused, gathering her thoughts. “You want to be with someone because yo
u love them, not because you feel trapped.”

  Bliss ignored Dani’s words and said, “All I have to do to get that diamond on my left hand is to let him into my dead best friend’s house, allow him to paw through her stuff, and then look the other way when he removes whatever he’s afraid someone will find there.” Bliss’s pretty face twisted, showing her struggle with the intimate facts she’d just revealed. Then, in a bitter voice, she added, “Oh, and not ask any questions.”

  Chapter 19

  “Wow!” Dani wasn’t precisely sure what Vance wanted from Regina’s house, but she had a pretty good idea about what he wanted to keep secret. However, before she said anything, she needed to get some more information from Bliss. “I can see why you’d be reluctant to give in to your boyfriend’s demands.”

  “Exactly.”

  They sat in silence until the sound of a toilet flushing made them both jump.

  Bliss clutched her chest. “I thought we were the only ones in here.”

  “Me too.” Dani got up and checked the stalls. “They’re all empty. The automatic flush mechanism must be out of whack.”

  At least, Dani hoped that was the explanation because the last thing she needed was a ghost popping into her life. Thinking that they both needed a breather, Dani walked to the bathroom’s entrance and opened the door.

  Miraculously, the hallway was empty and all she could hear was the rattle of cutlery and, over the PA system, the guest speaker. He was an alumnus who had gone on to play professional football and was droning on and on about his illustrious career as a defensive linebacker for the Louisville Lions.

  She’d have bet money that by now someone would have come to use the facilities, but so far, so good. While providence was smiling on her, Dani hastily returned to where she’d left her suspect and sat down.

  “I’m confused. How are you supposed to let Vance into Regina’s house?” Dani figured she might as well start with the easier questions.

  “I have a key to her place,” Bliss answered. “Regina wasn’t the most organized person. A lot of times she’d forget something she needed for class and send me over to pick it up.”

  “That was nice of you.” Dani tucked away the fact that Bliss had just admitted that she had access to Regina’s food and could be the killer.

  “Not so much nice as a requirement.” Bliss tugged at her necklace.

  “What a pretty pendant.” Dani noted that the Greek letters were from Vance’s fraternity. If she understood the process correctly, wearing a guy’s lavalier was something akin to being pre-engaged.

  “Thanks!” Bliss touched the tiny ruby at the end of the epsilon. “Vance gave it to me when he picked me up tonight. I can’t wait to show my sorority sisters and have my candle ceremony.”

  “Congratulations.” Dani’s smile was skeptical. Vance’s timing was sure convenient. Bliss yearned for a fiancé and her boyfriend had just presented her with a carrot to get her to do what he wanted.

  “Thank you.” Bliss’s own smile dimmed. “I can’t believe our evening started out so wonderfully and ended up this way. I’m such an idiot. I should have just agreed to take him to Regina’s.”

  “Aren’t her parents home from their trip?” Dani asked, refusing to give in to the impulse to point out that if Vance treated Bliss this way now, chances were he would only get worse once they were married.

  “Actually, no.” Bliss continued to finger her necklace. “The day after she was killed, Mrs. Carnet told me that they had informed her that since the police weren’t releasing Regina’s body, they didn’t see any point in rushing back.”

  “That’s…” Dani was at loss. What kind of parents would continue their vacation when their only daughter was lying dead in the morgue?

  “Yeah, hard to believe isn’t it?” Bliss puffed out her cheeks. “In a way, her parents’ behavior makes me feel a little better about myself. I’ve always been sort of jealous of Regina. She was beautiful, smart, knew that Laz would marry her, and her folks are filthy rich.”

  “But you can’t compare yourself to someone else.” Dani tried to reassure the girl whose self-confidence was so low she was ready to marry an obnoxious jerk like Vance because she didn’t think she could do any better for herself. “You have no idea what that person’s life is really like.”

  “Look.” Bliss waved off Dani’s words. “I know that I’m pretty, but I’m not drop-dead gorgeous like Regina.” Bliss heaved a heavy sigh. “And I’m intelligent enough to make it through college, but Regina was majoring in creative writing and acing all her classes.” Bliss shook her head. “Not to mention that my parents are comfortable, but I certainly don’t have a trust fund.”

  “I can see how Regina’s life would cause some envy,” Dani said. “And I imagine it wasn’t always easy being her best friend.”

  As she learned more about Regina, Dani still disliked her, but she certainly felt a lot sorrier for her than she had previously. No one chose to be bulimic. And working in HR, Dani had come to realize that everyone had a story, and most didn’t have a happily ever after. Which is exactly why she liked to read romances. At least with those books she was guaranteed a heartwarming ending.

  “Regina was well aware of the advantages associated with being her friend.” Bliss’s expression was thoughtful. “And she certainly demanded equal compensation in return. But it was worth it.”

  “What did she make you do?” Dani asked. “Besides run her errands.”

  “Whatever she said.” Bliss crossed her arms. “She expected absolute loyalty.”

  “Like not living in the sorority house when she was kicked out?”

  “Definitely.” Bliss glanced at her ring. “She wanted me to quit the sorority completely.”

  “But you didn’t,” Dani guessed. “How did you manage to go to meetings and stuff? I understand there are certain required activities.”

  “Instead of quitting, I deactivated, which is like a leave of absence.”

  “Now you can go back,” Dani murmured.

  She knew there was something she should ask Bliss while they were on the subject of the sorority, but she couldn’t come up with it.

  “Uh-huh.” Bliss bit her lip. “Vance wants me to do it right away.”

  “Of course he does.” Dani couldn’t keep the sarcastic tone from slipping out. But having just thought of what she needed to find out from Bliss about the sorority, she quickly asked, “Is the girl who Regina stole the manuscript from still living in the house?”

  “As you can imagine, although the sorority handled the incident perfectly, Gail left before she finished pledging.” Bliss made a face. “I bet she doesn’t have too many fond memories of her time in Alpha Beta Delta.”

  Bingo! Dani kept the elation off her face. Now all she needed was a last name. Could she ask Bliss for it?

  No. Dani didn’t want her to feel like she was being interrogated and there was no casual way to get that information. She’d have to hope Gail was enough.

  Now on to the next issue. Which would be the most innocuous? Vance’s reason for needing to get into the Bournes’ house or Regina’s bulimia?

  Dani widened her eyes as if she had just thought of something and said, “You know, I almost forgot that I heard something about Vance that might give you a clue as to what he needs to get from Regina’s.” She reached out and squeezed the girl’s hand. “But I should warn you, it may not be something you want to know.”

  “Who told you?” Bliss pursed her lips. “A lot of people are jealous of Vance.”

  “This person claimed it was from her own personal experience.”

  “Her!” Bliss screeched. “This was from a woman? A woman he dated?”

  “I don’t think they were exactly dating.” Guilt stung Dani, but truly Bliss would be better off without a guy like Vance. “Do you want to know?” When the girl nodded, she continued,
“He and this person had a sort of”—Dani searched for a nice way to put it—“a professional arrangement. While Vance was involved with Regina, this woman supplied him with sex.”

  “Why?” Bliss tipped her head. “I know for a fact Regina put out for him.”

  “Maybe not in the way he wanted her to do it.” Dani hesitated, but Bliss absolutely needed to be aware of her boyfriend’s true tastes regarding sex before she married him. “From what I understand, he was into BDSM—bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism—and Regina must have something that shows his participation in that lifestyle. You said his family owns a religious supply company so I’m pretty sure that’s not something he’d want made public.”

  “I… That can’t be true… He never… We never…” Bliss’s freckles stood out in stark relief as her face lost all color and she collapsed against the couch. “He’s been strictly…uh…you know…normal with me.”

  “Maybe Regina reacted so badly when he told her, he decided to keep that part of himself away from his girlfriends,” Dani offered.

  “That makes sense.” Bliss rested her head against the sofa back and said, “I can’t imagine her allowing anyone to tie her up or beat her.” Bliss’s tone was thoughtful. “Although she might enjoy it the other way around. I mean, if she were the one in control and the guy was handcuffed to the bed.”

  “You know,” Dani said carefully, “Regina refusing to give him whatever proof she had of his unusual inclinations could make Vance really desperate. Did he know that Regina was bulimic?”

  “No!” Regina glared at Dani, clearly understanding what she was suggesting. “Regina would never have told him. She was too ashamed.”

  “But if they dated, he could have figured it out for himself.”

  “Regina stopped binging and purging after she was kicked out of the sorority. She always thought that was part of the reason they made her leave.” Bliss stood up. “She was only fasting and exercising when she and Vance were together.”

  “When did she start binging again?” Dani asked, holding her breath.