Julie. Thank goodness. Her closest friend from Bishop’s.
“I found a dead body,” she blurted out on speakerphone before Julie could say anything.
“What?! Are you okay?”
“No, no, I’m not.” The floodgates opened. She’d managed to hold herself together for longer than she expected. First, at the Rydell house, where she had to be strong for Bernadette. Then, back at the shop when she had to tell Liv and Pepper what happened. She needed to be calm and strong. After all, Pepper was her employee and Liv was a gentle soul who burst into tears at the news. But now, alone in her bedroom with her cat and her closest friend from Bishop’s on the phone, she lost her composure. “It was horrible. She was laying there in a pool of blood… Her own blood.”
“Who? Wait, was she murdered?”
“Yes. Maxine Lemoyne.” Kelly went on to recount the events in the shop and what happened at Bernadette’s house.
“I don’t believe it. Wow. They say the city is dangerous. You never find a murder victim here.” Julie had a valid point.
Not once had Kelly ever come upon a crime or been a victim of one in the years she lived in the city, but back home for a couple of months and she stumbled onto a crime scene and was questioned by the police.
Howard stood and walked toward Kelly. He climbed on her stomach and sat, staring at her.
“Ouch!” she exclaimed.
“Are you okay?” Julie asked.
“Yes.” Kelly shifted.
One of the cat’s back legs was pressing against her ribcage.
“Howard decided to sit on me. You have bony elbows,” she told him.
“You’re keeping the cat? Wait, never mind the cat. I called because I have a lead on some inventory for the boutique.”
Kelly’s shoulders slumped. “If today was any indication, I won’t be needing any inventory.”
“The gossip will pass. You’ll see. Actually, it’s creating buzz, and buzz is good for business.”
“Unless the buzz is about me selling haunted clothing in my boutique.”
“Well, you know you can always target a new market for your merchandise. You know, people who like haunted clothes.”
“Not helpful.” Kelly ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled a breath. “I thought I could do this, but I can’t. I’ve made a terrible mistake. I’m not ready to own a shop or a home. I’m too young. I’m too inexperienced. I don’t know anything about running a store.”
“Whoa. Slow down. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Go ahead, do it.”
Kelly closed her eyes. She thought it was silly, but Julie always seemed to know things. Like how to talk Kelly off the ledge. She took in a breath, filling her lungs with slightly musty air. A couple of years ago her granny began having difficulty climbing the stairs to the second floor, so she had rented a cottage a few streets away. She hired a cleaning lady to come in monthly to clean the apartment, but it’d been a long time since the windows had been opened. Kelly exhaled slowly and opened her eyes. Howard jumped off of her and curled up tightly at the foot of the bed.
“Feel better?” Julie asked.
“Yeah, I’m feeling better.” Kelly snuggled into her down pillows she brought with her from her city apartment. Even though her new residence was larger, she was forced to downsize because she couldn’t afford to hire movers. She was left with bringing only what she could fit into Pepper’s SUV. Luckily her two fluffy pillows fit, along with everything in her closet. Priorities, you know.
“My cousin Beth works at a boutique near Lucky Cove, and it’s closing. The owner is looking to liquidate, and they have merchandise leftover from their closing sale. It’s not consignment, but she’s looking for a fast sale, so she’ll give you a good price.”
Kelly chewed on her lower lip. Buying a lot of merchandise from a closing boutique would give her some breathing room to acquire consigned merchandise, but the price would have to be really good.
“That would be a lifesaver.”
“I’ll text you the deets. Beth is expecting to hear from you. I better get going. I have an early morning.”
An early morning, which was code for arriving at Bishop’s an hour earlier than the buyer Julie reported to. Kelly missed those mornings at Bishop’s. She missed passing through the employee entrance, chatting with security, and taking the elevator up to the top floor, where the offices were located. She missed her cubicle.
She powered off her phone and set it on the nightstand. She extended her arm to reach for the lamp but decided not to switch it off. Normally she didn’t spook easily, but after Bernadette’s vision and finding Maxine dead, she was beyond spooked because there was a murderer somewhere in Lucky Cove.
Chapter 5
Within minutes after her alarm went off, Kelly was on her computer with the graphics program opened, and she had a cup of coffee to fuel her creative juices. After her meltdown the night before and Julie’s pep talk, she woke up with the idea to create a flyer to hand out to every customer who came into the boutique. The flyer would remind customers she was looking for merchandise and they could make some extra money.
An hour later she had a colorful and fun flyer asking the ladies to go through their closets and look for items to consign. Satisfied with the final product, she printed one copy, but there was no way she was going through all the ink on her printer. Doug’s was the only place in town open early with a copier.
She dashed across Main Street to Doug’s Variety Store, which was a hodgepodge of all sorts of things you could ever need. Part diner, part newsstand, part mini-mart, and, thankfully for Kelly, part office supply store that included a color copier.
The multipurpose store filled the needs of year-round residents and tourists. Though, all Kelly cared about was the copier. She waved to familiar faces as she made her way to the back of the store and prayed no one would ask about the previous day’s events. She suspected Bernadette’s vision and the murder were the hot topics over many breakfasts.
The copier was tucked into a corner and, while the locals caught up over a cup of coffee, some late-season tourists dashed in for newspapers and lattes. Doug’s started selling fancy coffee drinks years ago and charged fancy prices for them too. Just as the final few copies printed off, she heard an all-too-familiar voice.
“Kelly!” Summer squealed as she rushed toward Kelly and air-kissed her on both cheeks.
Uncle Ralph’s third wife loved dramatic greetings, while Kelly preferred a simple wave, preferably a wave goodbye where Summer was concerned.
“I didn’t expect to see you here. Guess I’ll have to get used to seeing you around town since you’re back to stay.” Summer laughed, tossing her head back, and her long chestnut-colored hair bounced.
“Guess you will.” And Kelly had to get used to avoiding Summer on a regular basis. A beeping caught her attention. Her flyers were finished. Something was finally going right.
“Since you’re a full-time resident again, you’ll have to come for classes. Have you done Pilates before? I’ll give you the family discount. After ten classes, you’ll notice the difference.” Her deep green eyes scanned Kelly from head to toe. She wagged a finger. “Don’t slouch dear. It adds pounds.”
If Kelly hadn’t been insecure about her body before then, she was now. She and her uncle’s wife stood eye to eye only because Kelly was wearing four-inch heels. She glanced at Summer’s footwear. The former model turned Pilates guru wore leather sneakers. Summer had a dancer’s body, long and lithe with an elegant neck and perfect posture. Unfortunately, Kelly didn’t have the leisure of doing Pilates sessions all day long like Summer did at her studio.
Kelly removed the original flyer from the machine and gathered up the stack of flyers. But not fast enough.
“What do you have there?” Summer snatched one of the flyers from the stack.
They really needed to have a conversation about boundaries.
“Isn’t this cute? Homemade flyers for your shop.” Her condescending smile had Kelly counting to ten mentally. Then she upped it to twenty.
“Boutique,” Kelly corrected.
“Right. Boutique.” Summer flashed a smug smile when she made the correction.
Kelly added another ten to her mental count.
“Well, it was good seeing you.” Kelly was okay with Summer keeping the flyer as long as she could get away.
Summer returned the flyer to the top of the stack. “I heard what happened yesterday in your boutique.”
“You heard we had record shoppers?” And then the number plummeted to almost zero by the end of the day.
Summer shook her head and wagged her manicured finger again. “About Bernadette Rydell seeing a vision of murder when she tried on a dress. You know a thrift store attracts riffraff,” Summer whispered. Little did she know, several of her clients consigned at the boutique, which wasn’t a thrift shop. So that meant Kelly’s riffraff was also Summer’s riffraff. “This is the reason why your uncle wanted you to sell the business.”
No, Uncle Ralph wanted Kelly to sell because it would have been less work for him in the long run. Granny made him the executor of the estate to spite him. Granny might have been old, but she knew the score. Her bouncing baby boy grew up to become a greedy real estate developer, and she had no doubt, if she agreed to sell, he’d have found a way to make money on the deal on the sly.
“You know, I don’t want to keep you. I’m sure you have to get to the studio. Pilates doesn’t wait for any woman, right?” What the heck was she saying? Clearly, she needed more than just one cup of coffee.
“Right.” Summer’s head bobbed up and down. “You have to come to dinner soon. A family dinner. Ooh, ooh, ooh. Thanksgiving! You have to come to Thanksgiving dinner. It’ll be Juniper’s first Thanksgiving. You must come.”
Kelly managed not to roll her eyes. It was a huge accomplishment worthy of a new purse as a reward if she could afford it. She’d rather wear mom jeans and sensible shoes than go to a family dinner with Summer and her uncle. Though, visiting with their adorable bundle of joy would be a bright spot in any day. Juniper had just turned six months old, and she was the most precious creature Kelly had ever laid her eyes on. “Wow. Thanksgiving. You’re making dinner?”
Summer waved away the apparently silly notion. “Heavens no. It’s being catered.”
“Thank you for the invitation. These days are really busy for me.” You know, with the riffraff, but that went unsaid.
“Triple mocha with skim!” Doug called out.
Summer’s head swung around, and she raised her hand. “My coffee is ready!”
“Don’t let me keep you. Enjoy your coffee.”
“I will, but we must talk about what happened at Bernadette’s house yesterday. How unpleasant for you to have found a dead woman. But, dear, why on earth were you at her house? It’s been a while since you’ve lived here and you may not realize how important our family is here in Lucky Cove. You’re a part of the family, which means there’s an expectation of appropriate behavior.”
“A woman was killed.”
“I know, but your association with those type of people doesn’t put your family in a good light. Please keep what I’ve said in mind.”
“Triple mocha with skim!!” Doug called out again.
“I have to go. Don’t wait too long to sign up for classes. We can always change our bodies, but it gets harder the older we get and when we’re neglectful. Bye.” Summer scooted off to the counter to pick up her drink.
Kelly adjusted the strap of her crossbody purse over her shoulder and started toward the door. Her cell phone rang, and a chorus from Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” sounded from the inside pocket. She pulled the phone out and saw a text from Liv, who was already at the shop with Pepper. The message read:
911, need you here now
* * * *
It was déjà vu when Kelly entered the boutique. She inhaled a fortifying breath as she approached the sales counter, where Irene Singer stood with a hand propped on her hip and a scowl on her face. Pepper busied herself with some paperwork and barely made eye contact.
“I’ve come for my dress. The one Bernadette tried on yesterday.” Irene’s dark eyes weren’t teary like they were when Kelly left her house yesterday; rather they were hardened and cold.
Kelly dropped the stack of flyers on the counter, followed by her purse. “You told me you never wanted to see the dress again.”
Liv’s words, poking a bear with a short stick, repeated in her head.
“I’ve changed my mind. The dress is still mine.”
“This happens quite frequently.” Pepper looked up from her paperwork.
“I’m sorry, but the dress was sold.” Kelly shot a look to Pepper, who tilted her head, and her brows knitted in confusion.
“How can that be possible?” Irene dropped her hand from her hip and squared her shoulders. Kelly wondered how much more confrontational Irene was going to get. Which made her curious of Irene’s sudden change of mind.
“When merchandise is displayed properly, it sells.” Kelly was past skirting the truth. She was outright lying.
“Who purchased the dress?”
“I’m sorry, we don’t share customer information.” Kelly walked around the counter and joined Pepper. She glanced at the paperwork Pepper was filling out. It looked like a job application. Pepper must have noticed Kelly’s interest, because she quickly gathered the papers together and shuffled them into a folder.
Irene pivoted to keep Kelly in view. “Surely you can make an exception.”
Irene’s voice dragged Kelly’s attention from the folder Pepper was now stuffing into her tote bag. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
Irene huffed. “Fine. I expect my payment at the end of this week.”
Kelly’s stomach churned. She hated lying. She’d never lied, so why start now? “Of course.”
Irene gave a curt nod before she spun around and marched to the door. The bell chimed as she exited the boutique.
“Why did you lie about the dress?” Pepper asked over Kelly’s shoulder.
“Why are you filling out a job application?” Kelly stepped aside and turned fully to face Pepper. “I saw it, so you can’t deny it.”
Pepper’s head dipped. “I think my time here has come to an end. You girls are doing a great job. You don’t need an old lady hanging around.”
“Old lady? What are you talking about?” Kelly was bound to make mistakes as she found her footing back home, but she never thought she’d hurt Pepper. She never thought she’d made her feel like an old lady whose contributions weren’t valuable. She never thought her decisions impacted others. She had much to learn. “I need you.”
Pepper shook her head.
Kelly stepped forward and rested her hands on Pepper’s shoulders. “Hey, I need you. You have to believe me.”
“We’re not seeing eye to eye about the shop…boutique…see!”
Kelly smiled. “You’ll get used to saying boutique. If I didn’t have you, I’d be completely lost. Granny loved you and trusted you. I feel the same way about you. I need for you to trust me.”
“I love you too.”
“Well, I know that. I’m very lovable.” Kelly laughed. “Now, tear up the application and get to work. And do I smell apple cinnamon muffins?”
“Yes, you do.” Liv appeared, carrying a pastry box from the back of the boutique. “Freshly made this morning. She’s gone, right?”
“Yes, she is, you chicken.” Kelly flipped open the box and snatched a muffin.
“I’m not going to apologize. The woman is scary sometimes. Did you give her the dress?” Liv a set the box on the counter.
Pepper picked up a muffin
. “No, she didn’t. She told Irene the dress was sold.”
Liv’s forehead crinkled with confusion. “Sold? Was it?”
Taking a bite of the muffin, Kelly shook her head. She swallowed her bite. “No. I still have it.”
“Why didn’t you give it back to her?” Liv asked.
Kelly shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s hard to explain. I have a gut feeling something isn’t quite right.” Kelly stepped out from behind the counter with her half-eaten muffin and a small stack of the flyers. “I just need some time to figure things out.”
She grabbed her purse off of the counter and headed to the staff room. It seemed all of a sudden Irene wanted the dress back after Maxine was murdered.
Were the vision and Maxine’s murder connected?
Chapter 6
“Miss,” a delicate voice called out from the home accents department, housed in a bland, square addition to the house, as Kelly passed by.
Kelly veered into the room dominated by random home accents and small furnishings, though one large bookcase did block the only window in the room. She definitely needed that piece of furniture moved out to allow for some sunlight in the room. She approached the petite, elderly woman bundled up in a full-length gray wool coat with a checkered scarf tucked in the coat’s neckline and a red knit cap topping her white hair. She stood beside a chair Kelly had marked down by fifty percent, and Kelly said a little prayer it would sell.
The day after Kelly returned from the lawyer’s office where she officially accepted her inheritance, she’d done a walk-through of the boutique to see exactly what she was up against. She struggled to detach herself emotionally from the store and look at the merchandise objectively. Otherwise, the chance she could turn the store around and earn a decent living would be slim, if not impossible. Granny had crammed the room with so much merchandise it was no wonder why none of it was moving. Customers were overloaded by the sheer volume of merchandise. There were six coffee tables alone, covered with dusty knickknacks. It was as if Granny couldn’t turn down a consignment. Kelly crossed her fingers that a new customer would take one of these burdens off her hands.
Murder Wears a Little Black Dress Page 5
