Dying on the Vine

by Marla Cooper

  “What’s the good news?” Brody asked.

  “He realizes that this job has gone way past a simple day-of-wedding coordination job, and he wants us to send him an invoice so he can pay us for all the extra work.”

  “That’s great,” Brody said. “Right?”

  I nodded halfheartedly.

  “So what’s the bad news?”

  “Until we figure out what’s going on here, I don’t know if I want him anywhere near me.”

  When we got back into the city, Brody dropped me off at my apartment and made me promise to call him if I went anywhere, especially if it involved an investigative mission. My plans were to curl up on the couch with a good book—one with Babs Norton’s name on the cover.

  After changing into a comfy pair of yoga pants and making myself a soothing cup of French roast, I spent the evening poring over Babs’ datebook, going back through months and months of appointments.

  In addition to several meetings with Haley and Christopher, there were several more with just “SB”—further proof that the two had been having an affair. And I wasn’t the only one who seemed to be on to them: in the back of the book, I found a list in what I assumed was Stefan’s handwriting, detailing the dates and locations of each rendezvous. Stefan was obviously on to their secret meetings and possibly even suspected Mr. Bennett of more than just breaking his marriage vows.

  That may have been what got him in trouble, I thought with a shudder.

  Thumbing through the book, I found hundreds more pieces of information, but nothing else that really stood out. It wasn’t like on TV where they can ignore a houseful of clutter and zoom in on the one clothing fiber that shouldn’t be there. I had no idea what was significant and what wasn’t. Was it the “Publicity shoot at Higgins” on the twenty-second? The notes from the “Dream Wedding Planning Meeting” written out in Babs’ tidy hand? Or the list of florists in Sonoma County that was discreetly tucked into the back flap? Heck, for all I knew the phone number she’d jotted down of a handyman named George could turn out to be the key to the whole thing.

  I closed the book and set it on the coffee table, trying to decide what my next steps should be. As far as I was concerned, Haley’s dad and Lucas’ brother both had motives worth looking into. I didn’t know what more I could do on the Miles front, but there was someone I could talk to about Mr. Bennett. I picked up my phone.

  “Hello, Haley?”

  Our quick call confirmed that yes, she was available to meet the next day.

  Officially on the agenda? Going through the folder I’d found at Higgins and finalizing her wedding arrangements. My secret agenda? Learning more about Mr. Bennett and gauging his propensity for revenge.

  The next day, Haley showed up at my office at 10:00 A.M. for our working session with a handsome golden retriever by her side. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I had to take him to the vet this morning and didn’t have time to drop him off back at our house.”

  “No, I love meeting people’s pooches. He’s beautiful!” I leaned over and gave the dog’s head a vigorous two-handed rub. “What’s his name?”

  “This is Farley,” she said. “He’s our baby.”

  “Well, hello, Farley.” Smiling up at me, the dog wagged his tail with a gentle thump-thump-thump against my leg. “Is it just the two of us?”

  “Three of us,” she said, pointing at Farley, smiling. “He’s one of the family.”

  “Of course. Sorry, Farley.” I ruffled his head one more time to make sure there were no hard feelings.

  “But yeah, just the three of us. Christopher had to work today.”

  “And your dad?” I kept my tone nonchalant as I led them into my office.

  “Oh! I didn’t even think to ask. You probably need a check from him, huh?”

  “No, no, this is fine. We’ll get a lot more done this way.”

  Farley had wandered off to smell my trashcan, and Haley patted her leg to get his attention. “Farley, come here, sweetie.” Farley trotted back to Mom, his tags jingling. While she scratched his ear, his hind leg started scratching at the air reflexively.

  “Hey!” Haley sat up with a jolt of inspiration. “Do you think we could have Farley be in the wedding?”

  “Oh, that would be fun.” I hated to squash her enthusiasm, but I was guessing pets were forbidden under Miles’ dauntingly thorough rules and protocols manual. “I’ll see what I can do, but their rules are pretty strict.”

  Haley deflated in her seat. “Yeah, I know, them and their rules.”

  I idly wondered how Brody’s time machine was coming along. If he ever got it running, I’d go back and find Haley before she ever hired Babs. I’d keep Haley a million miles away from Higgins, and I’d keep her dad a million miles away from Babs.

  I shook my head to get the thought out of my mind before I mapped out a whole alternate universe.

  “The good news is, I was able to get hold of your file, and there are just a few things left to attend to before we get you guys married off!” I jumped right in, going down the list one item at a time and finalizing details both large and small. Fortunately, Stefan hadn’t canceled every contract; I guess by the time he’d canceled the caterer, florist, and wedding cake, calling off the lighting guy and the party favors had seemed anticlimactic.

  “I also wanted to go over the seating chart while I’ve got you here.” I pulled an oversized printout from the folder. “It looks like you and Babs got a good start, but we should review it and make sure it still works.” We went over the head table first, making sure it was in the classic boy-girl-boy-girl configuration. I tapped my fingernail on another table. “Which brings us to the parents’ table. Everything here look good?”

  She shrugged. “Yep, same old parents.”

  “Good. I look forward to meeting your stepmom.” I checked the chart and then glanced up at Haley. “Yvonne, is it?”

  “Yeah, we’re supposed to go shopping together later this week. I think she wants to talk to me about something.”

  “Oh, yeah? What do you think it is?” I couldn’t help but wonder if Yvonne knew about the affair.

  “I don’t know.” Haley giggled. “But I sure hope it isn’t the sex talk because, ewww!”

  “So are she and your dad … doing okay?” I had wanted to say still together, but that seemed a little forward.

  “Yeah, they’re good. They’re taking dance lessons so they can look good at the wedding.”

  “You didn’t tell me there was going to be a dance-off.” I smiled to cover my surprise. “Seriously, that’s really sweet.”

  “They’re great together. And it’s nice to see him so happy.”

  “You guys seem like you’re really close.”

  “Yeah, we are. Growing up without a mom was tough, but my dad always did the best he could. That’s probably why I’m such a Daddy’s girl.”

  “Have they been married a long time?”

  “It’ll be eight years this fall.”

  I stifled an urge to bring up the seven-year itch, and Farley started scratching his ear as if he could read my mind.

  “It had always been him and me, but then Yvonne came along, and for the first time I could even remember, he seemed so happy.” Haley stared out the window for a moment, lost in thought. “He told me once that the world had been black and white, but when Yvonne came along he was able to see in color again.”

  “Wow, that’s … something.” I couldn’t imagine how devastated she’d be if she found out he’d gone out and bought an even bigger box of crayons.

  It was pretty clear that Haley didn’t know about the affair—and I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to tell her. I decided to try one of the other topics on my hidden agenda.

  “Speaking of your dad … did he get a chance to talk to Stefan about getting the deposits back?” I made my voice as neutral and just-casually-interested as possible.

  “You know, I’m not sure if he did. I’ll have to ask him.”

&nbs
p; “Oh.” I tried not to sound disappointed.

  “I mean, he had set up a meeting with him, but Stefan didn’t show up.”

  “Oh?” This was news. “Do you know when they were supposed to meet?”

  Haley shrugged. “No, sorry, I don’t know. I think it was Thursday.” The same day I was supposed to meet him but found him in a wine cave instead. Had Stefan really not showed, or was that just what Mr. Bennett was telling people?

  “It seemed like your dad was pretty mad at Stefan when he found out about the contracts.”

  “Well, sure, we all were. It’s hard finding out that someone you trusted could do something so awful.” She looked pensive, but then her face brightened. “That’s why we’re so happy we have you! You’ve really helped save the day. It’s so nice to be done with all that drama.”

  I forced a big smile for her, but I felt terrible. Whatever drama she thought she’d experienced was nothing compared to what would happen if any of this got out. If it turned out her dad had killed Babs, it would destroy her. Part of me didn’t even want to know. I was ready to put my hands over my ears and sing “la-la-la-la-la” until we sent her and Christopher away on their honeymoon. But the other part of me had to know, and that part was a whole lot pushier.

  I really hoped for her sake that her dad hadn’t had anything to do with it, but I had one last piece of business that I had to cover: the keys I’d found on the floor of the wine cave. I’d asked Corey if they were Stefan’s, but he’d told me all of Stefan’s belongings were present and accounted for. Which meant there was a good chance that whoever they belonged to had been in the wine cave that day.

  “Oh, hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you…” I pulled the keys from my desk drawer and dangled them from my index finger. “I found these keys after you guys were here last. They’re not yours by any chance, are they?”

  Haley studied them and shook her head.

  “Or maybe Christopher’s?” Pause. “Or your dad’s?”

  “I don’t think so.” She held out her hand. “Let me see?”

  I tossed her the keys and she inspected them more closely, then pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. “I’ll ask them tonight.”

  My mouth hung open for a second. I hadn’t seen that one coming. If the keys belonged to her dad, he’d know exactly where I’d found them. And that was bad. I frantically tried to think of any excuse to ask Haley to delete the picture, but I couldn’t come up with a single one.

  Let’s just hope they’re not his.

  CHAPTER 27

  After Haley left, I spent the afternoon berating myself at regular intervals for handing the keys to Haley. No one knew I had them, they might be a clue in a murder investigation, and I really should have given them to the police in the first place.

  Later that evening, Stanley Bennett e-mailed me to say he would drop by the next morning so we could get caught up on the budget. I’d know the minute I saw his face whether it truly was just a friendly visit or whether he’d recognized the keys in Haley’s picture, but over e-mail I had no idea what to expect.

  Under no circumstances did I want to be alone with him, so the next morning before work I called to make sure Laurel didn’t have any other meetings and invited Brody to hang out with us until Mr. Bennett left. “C’mon, Brody,” I said. “I’ll even stop by that bakery on Fillmore and get those almond croissants you love so much.” They required a special trip and parking would be a bear, but I was desperate.

  “Um, that’s great, except you’re the one who’s obsessed with those, so I can’t help but doubt your motives.”

  “I thought those were your favorite breakfast treat!” I said indignantly.

  “Nope, still you,” he said, laughing. “Try to keep us straight.”

  In the interest of keeping the negotiations going, I resisted the obvious joke—that him being straight was a ship that had sailed long ago—and said, “Okay, fine, name your price. Venti mocha latte? Waffle on a stick? Green eggs and ham?”

  “I don’t need bribery, Sam I Am. I’ll be there, but I’m only doing it to make sure you’re safe.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re the best, Brody.”

  “It’s true. So I’ll see you in a bit?”

  “Perfect. Oh, and Brody?” I said before he’d had a chance to hang up.

  “Yeah?”

  “You won’t happen to be over by Fillmore, will you?”

  “What? I can’t hear you. You’re breaking up. I’m about to go into a tunnel. Byeeeeee.”

  “Liar,” I muttered. Even though he’d said he didn’t need bribery, I couldn’t help but feel like he would be disappointed if I didn’t offer up some refreshments, so I stopped on the way into the office and loaded up.

  A couple hours later, our stomachs full of almond croissants—which were delicious, as predicted—I paced my office while Brody and Laurel waited on standby as my impromptu security force, should the need arise.

  When the doorbell rang, I went over to the top of the stairs, nodded to Brody, who was checking e-mails from his laptop in our front office, and buzzed our guest into the building.

  Laurel stationed herself near the bookshelves outside my office, knitting her brows furiously as she searched for some imaginary missing tome.

  “Don’t overact,” I whispered. “Less is more.”

  A few moments later, our front door opened and Stanley Bennett entered.

  “Hello, Kelsey,” he said, smiling. “Good to see you again.”

  “Mr. Bennett,” I said, nodding politely. So far so good. If he’d seen the keys and recognized them, he wasn’t letting on—but I wasn’t going to let my guard down until he was gone, because that’s how they get you.

  “I brought my checkbook,” he said, “and I wanted to go over a few things with the wedding. I want to plan a surprise for Haley and I was hoping you could help.”

  “Sure!” I said, plastering a fake smile on to my face and gesturing toward my office. “Can I get you some coffee? I have some lovely almond croissants.”

  “That would be great,” he said. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go wash my hands. I took Muni to get here and there’s just not enough hand sanitizer in the world.”

  “Down the hall, third door on the left.” I pointed the way, then stepped into the kitchen, kicking myself for my eagerness to relinquish a pastry to a possible murderer. Stop that, I commanded myself as I pulled a plate from the cabinet. He’s not a murderer; he’s a client.

  Then again, there was no reason he couldn’t be both. I was just relieved that he didn’t seem to know I’d been asking about him.

  “You need help?” Laurel asked, appearing in the doorway to the kitchen.

  “Sure. You wanna get the coffee?”

  “Good call. Coffee’s my specialty.”

  We buzzed around the kitchen nervously, and I peeked down the hall to make sure we were still alone. “Quick,” I whispered. “Let’s talk about something so it’s not awkward.”

  “So…” Laurel paused, looking like a deer in headlights—one who’d just been handed a pop quiz. “Do you work out?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “Yeah, that’s not awkward at all.”

  Laurel shot me a slightly scowly look. “Well, you suggest something better, then.”

  “Hey, do you want to go on a site visit with me next month in Hawaii?” I asked.

  “Do I?! Of course I do!” She lowered her voice. “Wait, is this for real?”

  I nodded. “If I can work it into the budget. I think I’ll need backup, if you’re game.”

  Laurel was mid-squeal when an ashen-faced Mr. Bennett appeared in the door of the kitchen, breathing hard. His eyes darted wildly between me and Laurel. “What in the hell is going on here?”

  “Hawaii?” Laurel said. “I’ve always wanted to go.”

  “Maui, to be exact,” I said, as I desperately tried to figure out what he could have possibly overheard. In order, we’d talked about coffee, then worki
ng out, then Hawaii—none of which seemed particularly objectionable.

  “So I’m a murder suspect now?” His eyes flashed in anger.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did the police call you?” I was genuinely confused. We hadn’t said anything out loud about that, and unless he’d just gotten a call from Haley while he was in the bathroom or he was able to read minds—

  “I saw your little project down the hall.”

  The murder board!

  “You did?” I blurted. “But how?”

  “I opened the wrong door. I thought it was the bathroom. If you wanted to keep it a secret, you probably should keep it locked up.” His fists clenched by his sides as he spoke.

  “Probably the cleaning lady,” Laurel said meekly. “We just hired a new service.”

  “Now Mr. Bennett,” I said, frantically searching my mind for something super awesome to explain our actions that would make him laugh and say, Well, of course when you put it that way!

  “How could you think I could have hurt Babs? What happened between us was none of your business! And to put up on that board that we’d had an affair? What if Haley had seen that?”

  My mind scrambled to catch up. The Willows was new information and I hadn’t added it yet. “But I didn’t—”

  Laurel’s eyes turned big and she clapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry, Kelsey,” she whispered. “I updated it this morning.”

  Of course she had. She knew how much I appreciated it when she took initiative—dammit.

  “Is there a problem here?” Brody asked from the hall behind Mr. Bennett.

  “How dare you?” he said, ignoring Brody completely and glaring at me with a fierce intensity. “Do you really think I killed Babs?”

  “Mr. Bennett, I’m genuinely sorry. Of course I don’t think you killed anyone”—although if looks could kill, I wouldn’t be alive long enough to continue my thought—“but as part of the process of figuring out who did, we had to look at everyone who had motive.”

  “How is this even any of your business at all?” Mr. Bennett asked.

  “Fair question,” I said, holding up my hands. “Stefan accused me of murdering Babs, and now he’s in the hospital. I’m trying to clear my name, that’s all.”