by Ellery Adams
“Absolutely,” Cooper said while she crossed her fingers.
• • •
“This has been the best day ever,” Ashley said. She handed a bottle of Wedding Belle Blues nail polish to the nail technician before settling into a chair and dipping her toes into the warm foot bath. “Thank you, Angela.”
“My pleasure, sugar. It’s the least I could do for the woman who whipped up a beautiful wedding for me in so little time. You’re a little dynamo, like your sister.”
“I’m sorry Mr. Farmer’s sister didn’t join us, Angela,” Ashley said.
Angela shrugged. “She’s a miserable person. I can’t fix that.”
Cooper glanced down at her own toes as they dried. The nails glistened with the same pale blue shade Ashley chose. It would go well with her bridesmaid dress—the one she hadn’t picked up yet.
“How about you, Cooper? Are you enjoying the day?” Mona asked.
“I’ve never had a spa day before,” Cooper admitted.
“Never?”
“I’m pretty low-maintenance. My sister got me hooked on pedicures. I blame Angela for this. I’ll never be the same again. How did I live thirty-five years without a sugar scrub? I’m not much into massages, but I really liked the seaweed facial. I’m going to have to hit Mr. Farmer up for a raise to keep me in the lifestyle that you gals have now made me accustomed to.”
Angela giggled. “Go ahead, ask away. I’ll nudge him along. A woman has certain needs. I’ll remind him how valuable you are.” She smiled blissfully as she sipped champagne and munched on fresh fruit in a fluffy white robe while her nails dried. “You know, they have couples spa sessions too.”
Cooper’s face warmed as she imagined short, round Mr. Farmer walking around in a fluffy white robe. “I’m going to pass.”
When the bridal party left the spa, Cooper headed to her car with Ashley. Their flip-flops slapped against the pavement as they crossed the parking lot.
“I’m so relaxed,” Cooper said. “I feel like a limp noodle. I’m going straight home to take a nap and pretend I’m a lady of leisure.”
Ashley pushed her wavy blonde locks over her shoulder and hiked her designer hobo bag higher. “Not me. Hannah is with Mama for the day. I’m going to get in some retail therapy. They’ve got a sale going on at my favorite boutique and you can never have too many whatever is on sale.” Ashley laughed.
Cooper only shook her head. Ashley’s disposable income was more than her salary at Make It Work! and she doubted birdhouse sales were going to narrow that margin.
Ashley’s remote chirped and Cooper glanced at the red Mercedes. “Is that a new car?”
“Lincoln brings me a new one every few months. The perks of having a husband who runs an auto dealership. He says it’s free advertising.”
“Tell him I’m happy to help. Anytime.”
“I’ll mention that.” She turned to Cooper. “You didn’t tell me how it went with the bridal shop. Is everything good with your dress and shoes?”
“Just fine.” She hadn’t fibbed. Everything was fine. The dress and shoes were safely tucked away at Monique’s Bridal, waiting for her. She’d have to find time to make yet another trip downtown before the wedding. Taking Jon up on his offer to pick the dress up for her was sounding better and better. Maybe she’d even let him drop off the birdhouses as well.
“That’s one more thing off the master list,” Ashley said. “I’ll give you a call tonight and we can discuss what’s left.”
“Sounds good,” Cooper said.
Careful not to smudge her nails, she got into the Jeep and looked for her phone. It had no doubt sunk to the very bottom of her tote bag. Cooper dumped the contents on the passenger seat and poked through her paraphernalia with a pen until she found the cell. Then she turned it on. Immediately, a call came through.
Quinton.
“Coop, where have you been? I’ve been calling you for hours,” Quinton’s frantic voice rang out.
“My phone was off. I was at Angela’s spa bachelorette party. What’s wrong?”
“Mindy Atwood has been arrested.”
“What?” Cooper tensed as her stomach dropped. “Quinton, why was she arrested?”
“The results came back from the canister in Loretta’s purse. Positive for nuts. Mindy’s fingerprints and DNA were on the outside.”
“But that could have happened by Loretta dropping it and Mindy retrieving it for her. Goodness, any of us could have our fingerprints on it, if she’d dropped the canister in front of us.”
“I know. It’s a reach. The good news is that the deputy city attorney agrees. So she’s out on bail. He says the charges are circumstantial at best and it will never make it to a trial.”
“Oh, poor Mindy. And to have her ex bail her out of jail. That’s humiliating.” Cooper’s mind raced. “This is terrible news for the inn. Who’s going to want to go to an inn a suspected murderer manages?”
“It gets worse. Dax Wilson is in the hospital. In a coma. It was a hit-and-run. It looks suspicious, and they think he was targeted.”
“Dax, who I was convinced was the perpetrator of all of these crimes? What a horrible person I am. Is he going to make it?”
“I don’t know more than that. Except that I’m going to have to repent for my thoughts about that man.”
“Quinton, how did you find out about Dax?”
“That nice Officer Mason. He and his wife stopped by for dinner. Turns out his wife is an amateur French cook, so we made dinner plans. They brought her sister, so it was sort of a blind date.”
“A blind date. That’s nice. When the dust settles, you’ll have to give me all the details.”
Quinton chuckled. “I’m not sure there are any details, except that it was a pleasant evening. Anyhow, after I served the gâteau à l’orange, we got to talking about the case, and, well, he called me to let me know about Dax. It happened last night.”
“This is terrible news. We need a plan and we need one fast,” Cooper said. “And later, you can explain gâteau à l’orange.”
“Orange sponge cake.”
“Sounds wonderful. I’m starving. Or I was. I think I just lost my appetite.”
“I’ll rally the troops and text you a message on when and where we’re meeting,” Quinton said. “And I’ll bring leftovers.”
“Sounds good.” Cooper worked to calm her racing heart. Things were rapidly coming to a head. They were down another suspect, and they still didn’t have any idea what was going on. She prayed it wasn’t going to get worse before it was over.
Chapter Fourteen
Cooper sat in Trish’s dining room staring at a painting on the wall. It was some sort of modern art that made no sense to her at all. At least the Deveraux paintings soothed the soul.
Ironic that a painting started this adventure. Now one woman was dead, and a man was fighting for his life. This had to end, soon.
“Has anyone talked to Mindy?” Trish asked.
“I called over there and she was resting. My sister, Ashley, went to spend the night with her.” Cooper shook her head. Grammy nearly had a fit that Ashley was going to the inn. It was all Maggie could do to calm her down and assure her that her great-grandbaby-to-be would be fine, and no one would be murdered in their sleep. Once Grammy got one of her ideas, she rode the train as far as she could.
“What exactly are the charges?” Trish asked.
“I’m not sure. Jon could probably tell us,” Cooper said. “Except I haven’t spoken to him.”
“Cooper, have you eaten anything?” Savannah asked. “Trish put out croissants and lunch meat, and Quinton brought some fancy orange sponge cake. Part of his Julia Child plan.”
“Oh, thanks, but I’m not hungry,” Cooper said. She kept thinking about poor Mindy, being booked at the police station and waiting in a holding cell, not knowing her fate.
“The suspect list certainly has narrowed,” Jake said. “I wonder who Dax crossed to get him run over.” He fisted his
hands. “Hit-and-run. That is a heartless and cowardly act.”
“I feel awful,” Cooper said. “I decided Dax was guilty long ago. That was so wrong of me to judge him without evidence.”
Jake patted her shoulder. “I feel for the guy too, Coop, but I suspect he’s no saint. You’ve heard of the saying no honor among thieves? I think Dax was right in the middle of things like Loretta was. Somehow everything went south, and the mastermind, probably Alice, turned the tables on him.”
“So who put the ice pick to our tires?” Bryant asked. “Do you think Alice made Helen do that?”
“I’m not sure,” Jake said. “But we’re running out of suspects.”
“Three suspects left,” Cooper said. “Alice and Helen and Tony.”
“Oh, you don’t still think it could be Tony, do you?” Trish said. “That man wouldn’t run over someone, and I don’t see him as the one who harmed Loretta.”
“We haven’t eliminated him, and he did have a motive. But you’re right. I get sick thinking that a nice family guy like Tony, a guy who’s worked hard and is ready to retire, could even be considered as a suspect. It’s as bad as pointing the finger at Mindy,” Cooper said.
“I’m still betting on Alice,” Bryant said. “She had the most to gain, and the biggest ax to grind.”
“I think we know what we have to do,” Jake said. “It’s time to consider Mona’s plan.”
“How do we provide the opportunity for them to take the second painting without endangering Mindy?” Savannah asked.
“A reenactment.” Cooper nodded as the idea came to her. “And a nanny cam.”
Quinton sat down in the chair across from her. “Reenactment?”
“Sure. Mindy puts out the word that the staff can make extra money, because the Sunrise Bible Study is returning to complete the soft launch in anticipation of the inn’s reopening. She invites all the players back. Kitchen staff, including Jon and Alice. A housekeeper or two. The housekeeping staff and kitchen staff leave after the evening meal, and Helen leaves at nine. Exactly like before.”
“Then what?” Bryant asked.
“Once Mindy has that in place, Mona will contact the dealer and tell him that an interested buyer wants both paintings.”
“That’s too much for any thief to resist,” Bryant said. “Where will the camera be positioned?”
“Second-floor balcony. It’s the only way out after nine p.m. The other doors are alarmed.”
“Mindy will be monitoring the camera feed, I take it?” Quinton said.
Cooper nodded.
“This could work,” Quinton said. “Do we tell Detective Olson?”
“How about if we keep him on speed dial,” Cooper suggested. “This is only going to work if the thief believes they can pluck a Deveraux off the wall again.”
“But how can we tie the thief to Loretta?” Trish asked.
“I don’t know that yet,” Cooper said. “So we’re going to have to be alert. The answer is out there. We just have to find it, or someone is going to get away with murder.”
“This could be dangerous,” Savannah said.
Cooper turned to her friend. “You’re right, Savannah. So if anyone wants to take a pass, now is the time to say so.”
The members looked around the table at each other.
“I’m in,” Trish said. “I’m doing this to clear Tony.”
“Count me in, too,” Bryant added. “I’m not going to let this coward get away with it.”
“What he said,” Jake put in. He looked at Savannah. “What do you think?”
“I’m not letting my friends do this alone. Maybe my finely tuned sniffer can be of some assistance.”
“You know I’m in,” Quinton said. “This inn should be open and I want to see Chef Eason in the kitchen.”
“It’s going to be important that none of us is ever alone when we’re at the inn, except when we’re in our rooms with the door locked,” Cooper said.
“We might be getting all worked up for nothing,” Quinton said. “Loretta’s death was caused by an allergic reaction. We don’t even know if they meant to kill her. Maybe they just wanted her out of the way so they could steal the paintings.”
“Still, desperate people do desperate things,” Jake said. “And Dax is in the hospital.”
“We absolutely should be alert and vigilant,” Trish said. “I’m bringing my pepper spray.”
“You have pepper spray?” Bryant asked. “Is that legal?”
“Using pepper spray for the purposes of self-defense is perfectly legal in the State of Virginia. I’m alone with clients in empty houses all the time. I have to be prepared for anything.”
“Smart woman,” Jake said.
“Okay,” Cooper said. “I’ll call Mindy and get the ball rolling for Saturday to Sunday and then, I’ll reach out to Mona, too.”
“Do you think this is going to work?” Savannah asked.
Cooper nodded. “We can only hope that whoever the thief is, they’ll see the opportunity this holds and fall for our little plan.”
• • •
Trish wheeled her expensive overnight bag across the foyer of Atwood Inn. Everyone else was already lined up at the reception desk. It was showtime. “It’s nice to be back here,” Trish said to Cooper. Her smile couldn’t be any brighter.
“Hi, Helen,” Cooper chirped. “Good to see you again.”
What have you been up to? Stolen any paintings or murdered anyone lately?
Helen offered a weak nod of acknowledgment as she glanced at the members of the Bible study. Her brows were knit together as she counted heads. “I have you all checked in.” She handed out room keys. “I’ll be at your service at the front desk until nine. Then you may reach Ms. Atwood on your room phone. We hope your stay is memorable.”
“Where’s Quinton?” Bryant asked.
“He went to Whole Foods to shop for snacks,” Cooper said.
“Welcome, friends.” Mindy Atwood came down the hall to greet them with a smile on her face. Though she was smiling, Cooper detected dark circles beneath her eyes that weren’t there before.
“Mindy, thank you for that warm welcome,” Savannah said.
“We’re thrilled you’re giving us another chance to make your stay memorable. Chef Mayberry is in the kitchen tonight, and Chef Eason has morning service.”
Cooper’s lips twitched at the words. Oh, it had been memorable last time.
“I’m so sorry about the painting,” Cooper said. “I read about it in the paper. I assume you’ve beefed up your security system to protect the other painting?”
“No need. The other painting is in the library. It would be quite a trick to get the painting out the sealed library windows.”
Cooper feigned interest in the wall sconce and snuck a peek at Helen, who listened raptly.
Behind them, the front door opened and Quinton came in carrying bags of groceries. “Look who I found at the store?” Trailing behind was Jon Eason.
“Chef Eason?” Cooper smiled. She admitted to some relief to have another person the group could trust on hand.
“We ran into each other in the organic fruits aisle,” Jon said. “What do you think about strawberries and French crêpes for breakfast tomorrow?”
“That sounds like a wonderful way to end our stay here,” Cooper said.
“Well, I don’t know about you folks, but I’m going to help Jon get these groceries into the kitchen,” Quinton said. “Then it’s nap time. I was on the golf course with my boss again, at zero-dawn-thirty. A fluffy duvet is calling me. I already called ahead and scheduled the masseuse right before dinner.”
“Splendid plan,” Trish said. “I’m going to unpack and then stroll through the rose garden and visit my favorite gardener.” She turned to Bryant. “Will you accompany me?”
“Absolutely, I’m always ready to smell the roses.”
“I’d like a cup of tea and some relaxation,” Savannah said.
“That’s on my lis
t too,” Cooper said.
The inn was remarkably quiet, which failed to soothe Cooper as she sat in the great room with Jake and Savannah and read another book Jake had offered. She couldn’t focus, and her gaze kept flicking to the mantel clock. Sunset was at eight thirty, and Helen was off duty at nine. It was four now. This was worse than waking early on a Saturday and waiting for Mama’s famous cinnamon rolls to rise.
By the time she changed for dinner and sat down with the rest of the group, she could hardly stand the unspoken tension in the room.
“How’s everyone doing?” Cooper asked.
“Not well,” Savannah said. “I keep jumping at any shadow in my periphery.” She leaned forward. “Do we know if Mona was successful in the delivery of her portion of our arrangement?” Her voice was a hushed whisper.
“Everything is in place,” Cooper assured her.
“The Sunrise Bible Study,” a familiar voice called.
Cooper looked up to see Chef Mayberry, or was it Wilson, approaching their table with a smile that made her plain features almost pretty.
“Chef, good to see you. Shall we expect French cuisine this evening?” Quinton asked.
“Alas, no. The usual Atwood Inn menu. This was short notice. However, I have prepared my special braised short ribs for the occasion. Chef Eason is my pâtissier this evening, and I am sure he will delight your taste buds.”
“That sounds like things are going well in the kitchen,” Cooper observed.
“Chef Eason recommended me for the position at the Richmond French Bistro. I am indebted to him. I might have been at Steak Haven forever without his kind words.”
“Gosh, that really was generous of him,” Trish said.
“Indeed. Your server will return momentarily to take your order. Bon appetit.”
“That was a surprise,” Savannah said.
“A pleasant one too. What a stark difference from the last time we were here. Do you think she’s putting on a show for our benefit?” Bryant asked.
“Who knows,” Cooper said. “But remember, we still have three suspects,” she whispered. “Until the evidence proves otherwise.”
