Blake shakes his head. “She’s no killer.”
“She certainly killed your good mood last night.”
“Why would Aubrey kill the mayor? She doesn’t even know him.”
I shrug. “She has a screw loose. And she’s probably perpetually angry because she doesn’t eat. I can’t imagine it was fun for you to hug that bag of bones.”
Blake glares at me. I knew he wouldn’t even begin to consider my theory on Aubrey, but something is up with that girl. Maybe she’s not a murderer, but she definitely has an agenda.
Changing the subject, I ask, “Bethany, what about you? Did you get us some good info?”
Bethany sighs. “Yes, but it’s awful news.” She pauses dramatically. “Bret is seeing someone.”
Blake throws his hands in the air and starts pacing.
I take a kinder approach. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Did any of the women you spoke to have any information about the mayor?”
She shrugs. “Only that some guy named John Barnes was seen going outside with the mayor.”
Blake stops pacing, and he and I share an uneasy glance.
“Is she sure it was Barnes she saw?” he asks.
Bethany shrugs. “She said she recognized the guy as a friend of her dad’s.”
“Anything else?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No. Um, you guys, would you mind too much if I ditch you? I’m not feeling so good.”
Poor thing. Bethany normally is oblivious to a brush-off, but this one seemed to get through to her. I give her a hug. “No problem. We appreciate your help. Feel better, okay?”
We all get into our vehicles and exit the parking lot. Blake says, “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it’s time for dinner with our families.”
“Ugh. You’re sure we can’t skip it?” I whine.
He reaches over and squeezes my knee. “It’s going to be excruciatingly uncomfortable, but we need to talk to them.”
“Especially Aubrey.”
He frowns. “You need to let that go. She didn’t do it.”
“Why do you keep defending her?” I snap. “She’s been nothing but awful to you.”
“I appreciate that, but I know her. Besides, I don’t want you going and picking a fight with her. She plays dirty.”
I highly doubt I could get bested by a dim-witted, entitled socialite, but I choose to let his comment slide. I steel myself for another cringeworthy encounter between our two sets of parents.
CHAPTER NINE
We walk in the door to Blake’s house and hear no screaming, so that’s a good start. Blake’s parents, brother, and bitch ex-fiancée are in the living room, talking and laughing as if nothing was amiss. Jacqueline and Aubrey are even sitting next to each other on the sofa, smiling and chatting like old pals. I can’t get over the fact that Blake’s mother is so warm with her and so…not with me. If someone dumped my kid, they would become my mortal enemy, even if they started dating my other kid. I choose to bypass this mess, finding my own parents hard at work in the kitchen.
“Hey, Mom and Dad,” I say, wearily climbing onto a barstool near them.
They both give me a tired “hello” and continue taking pans in and out of the oven and stacking food on plates.
Puzzled, I ask, “What are you guys doing?”
My mother brushes her hair out of her eyes, griping, “Jacqueline very graciously invited us over here for dinner, but little did we know we’d be the ones serving the damn food!”
Ooh. Mom’s pissed if she’s using “the D-word,” as she calls it.
She continues, “What does she think we are? Her servants?”
“Well, you did offer to help,” my dad points out.
“Help, yes. Be the help, no!” she cries.
I thunk my head down on the granite countertop. I swear, if one more thing goes wrong this weekend, I’m going to tie a big rock to my ankle and jump in the pool.
My dad comes over and gives me a pat on the back. “I thought you’d be feeling better now that Blake’s been set free.”
I lift my head up. “I am, but… I don’t know. Everything is just…wrong. Blake could still be in trouble with the law. You guys don’t get along with Blake’s parents. He’s mad at his brother for bringing his ex-fiancée here. This weekend should have been fun, not torture.”
My mother’s face is white with shock. “That girl is the one who left Blake at the altar, and she’s now seeing his brother? That’s shameful!”
“I know, right?”
Changing the subject, Dad asks, “Well, were you and Blake able to have a relaxing afternoon together?”
“Um…yeah,” I lie. “We…um…went to the photographer to see the pictures from the party last night…and then we…went for a walk…and then we met my friend Bethany for ice cream.” I might have left out a few parts, but what they don’t know won’t hurt them.
“Good,” my mother says. “I don’t want you doing any silly investigating. There’s no way you can figure out a crime better than the police.”
Between my mother’s dig and not being able to quit thinking about stupid Aubrey, I feel my blood begin to boil. I know what I need to do. “Right. I’ll be back. I need to use the restroom,” I lie again as I slip off the stool and out the door.
When I get into the living room, Blake and Aubrey are conspicuously missing. “Where are Blake and Aubrey?” I ask tightly.
Jacqueline smiles frostily at me. “They’re having a private discussion in the study. I’m sure they don’t want to be bothered.”
Oh, they’re going to get bothered all right! I stomp over to the study and fling the door open, finding Aubrey standing way too close to my fiancé, with her hand on his arm. Blake jumps back from her, a guilty look on his face. I slam the door behind me and stare the two of them down. Aubrey is trying for a haughty expression, but I catch a glimmer of fear in her eyes.
“Why are you really here?” I ask her.
“Lizzie, please don’t do this,” Blake says.
I ignore him, my eyes still trained on Aubrey. “You knew showing up at our engagement party of all things would cause nothing but trouble, yet you did it anyway. Are you just so sick that twisting the knife turns you on, or do you have some sort of foolish plan to try to win him back?”
She sneers at me. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“Maybe not, but you owe Blake an explanation. And probably Luke, too, if my hunch is right.”
Aubrey spits back, “What do you know? You’ve probably never even set foot outside this redneck town. You don’t understand how the world works.”
“I understand plenty, but what I can’t understand is what was going through your head when you left this man.” I look at Blake and smile. “He’s loving and thoughtful, brave and loyal, funny…and sexy as hell.” Blake walks over and takes my hand, smiling down at me sweetly. Turning back to Aubrey, I add, “You screwed up, and I can’t thank you enough for that. But it’s time to cut the crap.”
When she glances from me to Blake, her face falls. “You really do love each other, don’t you?”
Blake puts his arm around me and gives her a puzzled look. “Of course.”
A single tear escapes and runs down her cheek. “Then there’s nothing more for me to do here.”
Son of a bitch. This skank was trying to steal my man all along. I say, “Although I can’t wait to see you go, you still need to answer one thing—why were you seen coming out of this room during the party last night?”
She shrugs. “I came in here intending to leave Blake a note telling him how I felt, but I was afraid you’d find it, so I changed my mind.”
My anger barely contained, I ask, “And maybe you were also hiding the murder weapon that killed the mayor?”
Aubrey’s jaw drops. “No! How can you accuse me of that?”
“Well, you did kind of drive several hours to come down here to steal my fiancé. Forgive me if I don’t exactly see you as trustworthy.�
��
She wrinkles her brow. “The murder weapon was hidden in here?”
Blake replies, “Yes, although it wasn’t exactly hidden. The police said they found it on top of my desk—”
Aubrey cuts in, “Wrapped in a cloth napkin!”
“Yes, but how did you know—”
Gasping, she says, “I saw it! I saw a white napkin right there!” She points to the top of the desk. Her eyes grow wide. “And one of the help…he came out of this room right before I came in!”
These people and “the help.”
“Who was it? What did he look like?” Blake asks.
“I don’t know, except that it was a man. I wasn’t really paying attention. It didn’t strike me as strange until now.”
I ask, “What was he wearing? The caterers were in white and the valet staff all had on red.”
“White…I think.”
Blake pulls me aside. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
I’m still thinking about how much I despise Aubrey, so probably not. “Maybe. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking the server who faked an injury and left early last night might be our guy.”
“Oh, yeah. I was definitely thinking that, too.”
His mouth pulls up in the corner. “I think we have a party to crash.”
I take his hands. “I think you need to have a talk with your brother first.”
“Right,” he sighs.
Aubrey pipes in, “Um, actually I think I should speak to Luke first, if you don’t mind.”
There’s a knock at the door, and my mother pokes her head in, smiling ear-to-ear. “Lizzie, dear, you have a visitor.”
“Who?” I ask.
She replies excitedly, “Your old flame, Lee.”
CHAPTER TEN
“Lee? I wonder what he wants.”
My mother frowns slightly. “He’s brought along a girl, but he seems very adamant about seeing you. You shouldn’t keep him waiting.” My mother had always loved Lee. Now that I think about it, she probably loved him more than I did.
Leaving Blake and Aubrey, I head for the front door. Lee is standing there with the pretty blonde he was flirting with last night. I can feel my mother hovering behind me, listening to our every word.
He says, “Hey, Lizzie. I’m sorry to barge in here, but it’s important. This is Amber DeLong, by the way. Amber, this is Lizzie Hart.”
Amber and I shake hands. She says, “Hi, Lizzie. Lee has told me all about you.” Ooh. It’s not normally much fun for your date to tell you “all about” his ex. She doesn’t seem particularly bothered, though.
Lee says, “I know you and Blake are trying to talk to people to find out what you can about the mayor’s murder, and Amber—”
“You’re what?” my mother cries, coming to stand beside me. “I thought you said you weren’t trying to investigate the mayor’s murder!”
I turn to her, and with great effort to stay calm, I reply, “Mother, I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself, and if I want to speak to people about a certain subject, I’m going to do that.”
“What you’re going to do is get yourself killed!”
By this time, my dad, Blake’s parents, Luke, Blake, and Aubrey have all come into the foyer to find out what all the yelling is about.
“What’s going on out here? Everything okay?” asks Gregory.
“Hart family discussions get spirited sometimes,” I reply dryly.
Amber waves in Blake’s direction. “Hi, Blake.”
Blake seems startled. “Hello, um…”
“Amber,” she supplies for him, looking a little miffed. “We went out on a date once, remember?”
I roll my eyes. Blake was a bit of a Lothario before we started hanging out together, thanks to Aubrey. After she broke his heart, he went on a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” dating rampage. You can’t swing a cat in this town without hitting a former love interest of his.
“Blake, darling, aren’t you going to introduce your friends?” his mother asks.
“Oh, please. Let me,” I reply. I gesture to Lee and Amber. “This is Lee, my ex-boyfriend, and his date, Amber, who evidently once went out with my fiancé, Blake.” I gesture to Blake and Aubrey. “Blake was once engaged to Aubrey, who is now dating his brother, Luke. Sloppy seconds, anyone?”
The awkward silence is punctuated by my red-faced mother hissing, “Elizabeth!”
Lee snickers. “You’ve got to admit, Mrs. Hart, that’s kind of funny.”
My dad takes my mother’s arm. “Well, dinner is ready, so I say we old folks go and eat and leave these young folks to work out…whatever it is they need to work out.”
“Agreed,” says Gregory, steering Jacqueline toward the dining room.
Aubrey tugs on Luke’s sleeve. “Can I speak with you alone?”
Luke nods, following her into the study.
Lee chuckles. “I’ve missed your mom, Lizzie.”
“I haven’t,” I reply. “So, what’s up?”
“Amber told me something earlier that I think you need to know.”
Frowning, Amber rubs her forehead. “I really don’t want to get my friend in trouble, but if he did something wrong…and Blake could be blamed for it…”
“Did you see something happen last night?” I ask gently.
Her eyes fill with tears.
Lee puts his arm around her. “It’s okay. Go on. Tell them what you told me.”
She raises her head. “My friend despises the mayor. I don’t know exactly why. All he’ll say about it is that the mayor did something unspeakable to his mother. He’s had this vendetta for a while, and last night, when the mayor yelled at him over a drink, it was the last straw.”
Our eyes wide, Blake and I stare at each other.
Amber continues, “My friend was so angry. I’ve never seen him get like that. I saw him sneak outside, and I was going to go out there to see if he was okay, but Mia stopped me on the way and insisted I go clean up a spill in the dining room. Only it wasn’t just a spill. Someone had dropped an entire glass of sweet tea on the wood floor. There were shards of glass and sticky tea everywhere. By the time I cleaned everything up and got the guest a new drink, my friend was back inside, and he said he was fine after having time to cool off.”
“Did you tell this to the police?” I ask.
She hangs her head, admitting quietly, “No. When we heard the mayor had been found dead behind the house, I feared the worst. I went and talked to my friend, but he swore to me he didn’t do it. He has a record, so he was afraid the police would arrest him on the spot if they found out he’d even set foot outside. He begged me not to tell them what I’d seen. I told the police I didn’t know anything, but maybe that wasn’t the right thing to do.”
Blake snaps, “Ya think? What’s your friend’s name?”
Amber’s face crumples, and she begins to cry.
“Amber,” I begin gently. “Is your friend’s name Bret Howell?”
She gasps. “How did you know?”
I turn to Blake. “We need to talk to Bret again. I don’t think we got the whole story.”
***
You can cut the tension inside this car with a knife.
I whisper to Blake, “I’m not so sure this was your best idea.”
Aubrey says icily from the back seat, “You know I can hear you, right?”
I roll my eyes. We’re in Blake’s parents’ car, on our way to the library to crash a party being thrown by the Friends of Liberty Library. Blake decided we should take Aubrey with us to ID the staffer she saw coming out of the study. Luke stayed back at the house because he’s not talking to Aubrey now that she’s come clean about her true intentions. I can’t say I blame him. Anyway, as to the planter of the murder weapon, my money is on Bret, but Blake still has his suspicions about the guy with the injury. If it’s neither of them, we’ll have to move on to interviewing the valet staff. The more we learn about the murder, the less it makes sen
se.
Blake changes the subject. “I thought I remembered Mason talking about being on the library board, so I gave him a call earlier and told him how much we’d love to attend tonight. He’s going to make sure we’re on the list as his guests. I’ll probably have to make some kind of donation to the library, but at least we don’t have to actually crash the party.”
Crap. I was sort of looking forward to the thrill of going somewhere uninvited. We get into the party with no issues, if you don’t count getting waylaid by our boss, Ronald Mason, the minute we set foot inside the library’s conference room where the party is being held.
“My favorite employees!” Mason gushes. We are so going to owe him one for getting us in tonight. And he’ll never let us forget it.
Blake shakes his hand heartily. “Mr. Mason, thanks again for the invite. We sure do love reading of any kind, right Lizzie?”
“Right.” This is so going to suck.
“And who’s this pretty lady?” asks Mason, looking Aubrey up and down.
“Blake’s cousin Mildred,” I blurt out. Mason does not need to know the truth, because he’d spend all night making jokes and introducing us as Blake’s old fiancée and his new fiancée. The man has no tact whatsoever.
Aubrey shakes Mason’s hand while throwing me a death glare.
All I want to do is get the hell out of here. I whisper to Blake, “Get Aubrey to make the ID. I’ll distract Mason.” Linking my arm through Mason’s, I pull him toward the buffet table, asking, “Is the food as good as it was at my party? I hear it’s the same caterer.”
As we walk away, Blake and Aubrey begin making their way through the crowd. They had better make it quick, because I’m not enjoying taking one for the team here.
Mason says, “I never seen such a spread as at your party. Top notch.” Grrr. Mason and his grammatical errors.
“Yeah. Too bad the party got cut short, and it’s such a shame about the mayor.”
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