“Will do.” The Admiral heads to the stage, and then Dylan takes out his phone and starts taking pictures.
Pete leans down and whispers, “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the sheriff because of the affair and all, but I saw some folks switch the name tags on those flowers. That’s how Tina ended up with the pink ones instead of Pattie. Probably doesn’t matter, but I figured you might notice the switch and wonder.”
The name tags are the least of my concern. “What affair are you talking about?”
“Tina’s.” Pete turns three shades of red. “I figured you knew. Tina gave him an ultimatum to leave his wife, or she was going to go public. If that isn’t a motive for attempted murder, I don’t know what is. I saw him switch the name tags too.”
My father has never married, so that’s not who Pete’s talking about. “Who was Tina having an affair with?”
Dylan reappears by my side and says, “Your Uncle Frank.”
Uncle Frank? Cheating with Tina? While she was dating Dad—until a week ago?
I turn to Dylan. “My mother once told me my aunt and uncle have a prenup with a cheating clause. If Uncle Frank cheats, my aunt gets three-quarters of everything my uncle has. I doubt he’d risk it.”
Dylan’s brows arch. “Maybe that’s why your uncle has been trying to gain control of the trust your mom left you. He’d lose a lot if Tina told your Aunt Carol everything.”
Tina telling my aunt about the affair would be a major motive for attempted murder.
Uncle Frank can be a real jerk, but could he actually try to kill someone?
Chapter 2
Dylan and his men are taking pictures backstage while I’m still rooted in my spot, processing the news about my uncle and Tina. He’s done some underhanded things to my family and me, but I can’t wrap my head around attempted murder. The thought sends a shiver up my spine.
Madge, our police dispatcher, arrives and snaps me out of my dark thoughts. Even though it’s barely November, she’s wearing one of her handmade year-round Christmas sweaters. This one has a tilted snowman on the front. Maybe Frosty had too much eggnog to drink.
The always-in-a-hurry brunette skids to a stop. “What the heck is going on? And why isn’t Dylan talking? The scanner said someone died on the way to the hospital.”
Died? Oh no. They weren’t able to save Tina after all.
My heart hurts for her family. “I don’t know what happened. One minute, Tina was helping with my dad’s trick, and the next, she was dead. Sort of.”
Madge’s forehead crumples. “Sort of?”
I quickly fill her in on Tina’s staring eyes, and then the affair. “I need to call my sister and ask about Tina’s condition, but first, I need to find my father. I want to know what Tina told him when she broke things off last week.”
Madge nods. “Yeah, Meg being a brain surgeon, she should be able to shine some light.” Madge lowers her voice. “If Frank did this, I hope he won’t find a way out of trouble like he always does, and he’ll finally get his due.”
“Me too.” My uncle makes my life so miserable sometimes. “But I wish Tina hadn’t had to die to make that happen.” Madge and I cross the backstage area, scooting around Dylan’s deputies working the scene. Would they be so busy if they thought it was a simple accident?
We’re almost to the rear door when Madge says, “Nice outfit, by the way. You should wear tight things like that more often. Might speed up whatever is happening between you and Dylan.”
I shake my head. “Dylan and I are keeping things casual for now.” Dylan would like to speed things up, but I’m still cautious with my bruised heart.
Speaking of my boyfriend, Dylan, looking cute in his uniform, appears before us and blocks the door. “Hold up, Nancy Drew and Miss Marple.” He lifts a hand. “I recognize the look in your eyes.”
Madge frowns. “Am I supposed to be Miss Marple in this scenario? She’s like eighty years old. I still qualify as middle-aged, thank you very much,” she harrumphs.
“Yeah,” I add, “and Nancy Drew is a teenager. We object to your characterization of our……characters.”
“Noted.” Dylan’s right brow pops. “What trouble are you two about to cause me?”
“We’re just looking for my father.” It’s hard to look too offended while sparkling in spandex, but I lift my chin anyway. “He’s covered in ice cream if the trick worked. Or bleeding if it didn’t work. Either way, he probably needs a towel.” I wave a hand down my body. “As you can see, I’m still on the job.”
“And yet, you don’t have a towel. I’ll join you. I’d like to ask Max a few questions too.”
Dylan is on to us. As usual.
He opens the door for us to pass by and whispers to me, “For the record, I like that outfit a lot better than your chef’s coat.” A corner of his mouth tilts.
“Noted.” I lead the way out the door while he and Madge troop behind. Dylan hates when Madge and I get involved with his cases, but this is personal. My family’s involved.
Dylan says, “Out of respect, let’s not discuss Tina’s death, ladies. We’re still trying to get ahold of her family.”
Madge and I both nod in understanding before we weave through the people surrounding a big cannon.
My father’s trick must’ve worked because he’s waving to the crowd, covered head to toe in vanilla ice cream. When he sees us, he climbs out of the plexiglass box he landed in and hurries toward us. “The mayor told me Tina fell. Any word on how she’s doing?” Dad wipes away the ice cream, still dripping from his chin.
Madge and I both look to Dylan to answer the question.
“Nothing I can report,” he says. “I hear you had some trouble with the bull’s-eye? Electrical problems?”
“That thing’s always been persnickety.” My dad waves a hand. “I wiggle the cords, and it falls in line.”
Dylan nods. “I’ve called an electrician to check it out. I’d appreciate it if you’d leave all your gear as is because of the accident. I’ll let you know when you can collect it.”
“Well, make it quick.” Dad crosses his arms. “I have a gig day after tomorrow. Some of us show up when we promise to do so.”
Oh, boy. That’s my cue to intervene.
I send Dylan an apologetic look before I turn to my father. “Dad, please. Can’t you just let it go?” Dylan had good reasons for not showing up for our planned wedding eight years ago. I found out much later he was protecting me from something Dylan’s father had done that might have ruined all our lives. Dylan did the right thing to keep me out of it. My dad just refuses to accept that.
“I’m not letting anything go until he marries you like he promised.” My dad lifts his chin. It’d make a stubborn two-year-old proud.
“He’s already asked me again. I said no.” I glance Dylan’s way again. “For now.”
“What?” Madge’s eyes grow wide. “How do I not know this? Deets, please!” Madge’s enthusiastic jumping makes the crooked snowman on her sweater jiggle too.
My dad’s hands fly to his hips. “A gentleman would’ve asked my permission first.”
Dylan closes his eyes and runs a hand down his face. “I asked you eight years ago, Max. You said when pigs fly. Remember?” He opens his eyes again. “Can we get back to the accident please?”
“I meant it at the time. You both were too young,” my dad grumbles. “But yes. Back to poor Tina. I feel terrible she got hurt by doing me a favor.”
I hope my face doesn’t give Tina’s death away. I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions, so I quickly say, “I didn’t ask before, but why did you guys break up? You’re obviously still on good terms.”
Dad smiles. “Yes, we’re still friends. I’m friendly with all my exes because I always let them break up with me.”
Dylan tucks his thumbs into his utility belt. “How do you manage that?”
“I go on very long road gigs.” Dad digs out a handkerchief from inside his suit coat that’s connecte
d to four more colored pieces of cloth until he gets to the end. He wipes the rest of the ice cream from his face. “By the time I get back in town, they realize that having a relationship with a traveling entertainer leaves them home alone on too many date nights.” Dad winks at Madge. “They always let me down gently.”
“I bet,” Madge says with a grin. “Why weren’t you happy with your relationship with Tina?”
Dad’s forehead crumples. “I wasn’t unhappy. But she said she’d met someone else and wanted to pursue it. She asked if we could stay friends.”
Because she was probably just using my dad as a beard for her secret relationship with Uncle Frank. Everyone in town knows Dad is charming and kind but isn’t one to settle down in one spot for long. My mom said she’d always love my dad, but she’d never marry him. And she never did.
I ask, “Did Tina say who it was she’d met?”
Dad shakes his head. “I didn’t ask. I figured it just wasn’t meant to be between us. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get out of this sticky suit.”
Dylan holds up a hand. “Just one more question, Max. How did the mayor end up helping you set up for the show?”
“Frank said I was creating a fire hazard. He’s a brute, and it was his muscle I needed to clear the entrance. Then, to my surprise, he helped me set up all the tricks. Odd, since he’s done nothing but make my life miserable ever since I met your mother, Sawyer.”
I nod in agreement. “He’s an expert at that.”
Madge leans closer. “Did the mayor help with the rewire of the bull’s-eye too, Max?”
“There was nothing as severe as that. Like I said, it was just a matter of wiggling the right cords. We got the trick running in no time.” He turns to Dylan. “Why are you so interested in my props?”
Dylan says, “Just making sure there isn’t an insurance issue for the community center.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d hurry up about it, Sheriff. See you at the house, Sawyer. You and I need to have a discussion about him when you get home.” Dad waggles his thumb in Dylan’s direction before ambling up the hill to my house.
Madge chuckles. “Max is staying with you? I thought he stayed over the bookstore when he was in town.”
I huff out a breath. “Only because I’m having the plumbing at the store fixed. It could be a long few days.”
Dylan says, “Especially if I have to impound his equipment. He’ll have to cancel his next show. He’s going to give me grief.”
“Wait a minute.” I scoot closer so others won’t hear. “Are you accusing my dad of something? My father would never hurt a fly. You know that.”
Dylan leans even closer. “I have to do my job. I’m going to the clinic now. Don’t let your dad leave town without talking to me. Okay?”
I whisper, “What about the mayor? He’s who you should be talking to.”
“Yeah!” Madge says as she inserts herself closer, making a human triangle.
Dylan gives me a quick kiss. “He’ll be my next stop after the clinic. I might have some more questions for your dad after that. If it’s close to dinnertime, I might be persuaded to stay.”
“Deal.” I give him a hug. “That way, my father might refrain from drilling me about why I turned down your proposal.”
Madge says, “I’d like to hear about that as well.”
Dylan and I both say, “No,” in unison before he walks away.
Madge looks like a rebuffed child, so I say, “No offense. We just agreed we wouldn’t talk about it with others. It’s hard enough living in this fishbowl of a small town as it is.”
“Oh. Okay. I understand.”
The pout on Madge’s face says otherwise, so I throw an arm over her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go call my sister. Maybe she can shed some light on what happened to Tina. It could still be just an accident.”
“I hope so. Because it just occurred to me that a suspicious sort might wonder if it wasn’t two scorned men taking revenge on Tina for playing them both.”
Madge isn’t wrong. That’s why I need to clear my dad’s name as soon as possible.
Madge and I clomp up the wooden steps to my “potential-filled” Victorian house. I’ve had people working on it since I inherited it, only because it’s one of the few things I’m allowed to spend money on from the trust my mother left me. My grandparents wanted to ensure my mom had a safe roof over her head.
“Wow.” Madge peers around me and smiles. “The front porch is looking……amazing!” She runs her hand over the freshly painted and carved wood. “It’s so fancy. And original looking.”
“That’s because I got Charlie out of retirement to recreate every detail. He likes a challenge, and my house is all that. It’s going slow because I can only pay him just under five thousand a month without my uncle’s approval.”
Madge nods. “At that rate, it’ll be done in, what? Ten years or so.”
“With any luck.” I unlock the front door, and my mini goldendoodle, Cooper, bounds out to greet us. He always acts like I’ve been gone for days rather than a few hours. “Hey, buddy.”
I give Cooper a rub all over his caramel-colored body before he moves on to his next victim, an always-obliging Madge.
She tickles Cooper’s white chin. “How is it possible that you get cuter every time I see you?”
“Because I’ve been dieting?” I joke and head for the kitchen to quiet my growling gut. “I would’ve tried harder to lose a few pounds if I’d known I’d be wearing this spandex getup in front of the entire town.”
“You look amazing,” Madge says, falling in beside me. “I’ve been on a diet too. I told Renee to hold the sprinkles on my cupcake yesterday.”
“Atta girl.” I poke the swinging door to the kitchen. My fifteen-year-old recently adopted sister, Brittany, is sitting in the nook eating ice cream. “Hey, there. I thought you were going to Raphe’s house for dinner.”
“I was,” Brittany says with her mouth full, “But then I took one look at Max and got a sudden craving for ice cream.”
“After this afternoon, that’s just what I need too. Want some, Madge? I’ll hold the chocolate syrup in deference to your diet.”
“Sold,” Madge says and slides in across from Brittany. “I love your hair, kiddo.”
When Brittany and I first met last spring, she had short black hair, dark nail polish, too much eyeliner, and she wore combat boots. In the past couple of months, she went back to her hair’s natural golden brown, and she’s growing it out. I think it looks great. And I hope it’s a sign that she feels comfortable here with me.
“Thanks, Madge.” Brittany scrapes her bowl clean. “I like your snowman sweater too.” Brittany takes her bowl to the sink. “Meg’s upstairs, Sawyer. With enough luggage to stay for a month. Good thing we have lots of bedrooms, or it’d be awful crowded in here with Max too.”
I set the ice cream and bowls on the table for Madge to serve herself, and then I ask Brittany, “Did Meg have a fight with Lance again?” Because my sister is married to Dylan’s brother, arguments between them haven’t always been easy on us. It’s tempting for me and Dylan to choose our own sibling’s side in disputes.
Brittany shrugs. “Something about camping being the last thing she’d do on a family vacation. Ever!”
“Ah.” I grab spoons and hand them to Madge. “Don’t be stingy with my portion. Be right back.”
I head upstairs to see why I have an unexpected houseguest. Something tells me there’s more to the story than just camping. But it’s an excellent opportunity to ask Meg about Tina’s eyes. And maybe it’ll distract her from whatever brought her here.
Cooper catches up with me. Heaven forbid he misses out on any potential fun. When we get to the top of the stairs, instead of turning toward my room, he heads straight for Meg’s childhood bedroom. How he knows my intended destination is a mystery. It’s as if Cooper knows what I’m going to do before I do.
I knock softly in case she’s taking an afternoon n
ap. “Meg?”
A muffled “Come in” sounds.
I crack the door open and step inside. My sister is propped up on the single bed with avocado on her face and cucumbers over her eyes. “You came here for a spa day?”
My sister lifts one of the cucumbers, revealing a dark circle under her eye as if she’s been up all night. “Hi, to you too. No.” She lets the cucumber fall back into place. “Lance and I had a fight. He thinks I work too much. That the kids need me home more.” She lifts the other cucumber. “Tell that to all my patients who need me to remove growths from their brains to save their lives.”
I sit on the side of the bed, and Coop snuggles against my leg. “So, the camping story you told Brittany was made up?”
Meg shakes her head. “I told Lance I’d take the whole week off and we’d go to Hawaii to make up for things. He said that wasn’t going to work and insisted we go camping so we could be together with no distractions. I pointed out I need cell service to consult with my partners if one of my patients needs me. He said I was a control freak before he took the kids and left for the woods.” The avocado on her forehead creases with a frown. “Am I a control freak?”
“Yes.” I pet Cooper as I consider the rest of my response. “But if I had a brain tumor, I’d like that about you. A lot.” My sister hates confrontation, but she’s a dedicated doctor. Lance gets stuck with a lot of the parenting responsibilities because he’s in IT and works from home.
“Ugh.” Meg tosses her cucumbers to Cooper and then sits up. “I’m really in the doghouse this time. So I wanted to be with someone who loves me no matter what. Do you mind that I dropped in unannounced?”
“No.” How could I be mad when she just said she needed me? “But I am a little upset you ruined my salad plans for dinner with your facial.”
Meg smiles. “Now who’s the control freak? You and your preplanned menus.” She hugs me. “I’ll walk down to the store and buy whatever we need.”
Bound To Be Dead: Cozy Mystery Bookshop Series Book 3 Page 2
