She peered out to Main Street for a moment. The now-quiet two-lane street was gently lit by tall lampposts. Mid-October brought back the normalcy to Lucky Cove. Gone were most of the tourists, yet a few hearty ones stayed through to the end of the month. Late fall and winter could be harsh with frigid nor’easters, and power outages were a common occurrence. Which reminded Kelly, she needed to check the generator to make sure it was functional for the season.
The opening of the bakery’s front door across the street caught her attention. She scanned the shops on both sides of the bakery, and they all had harvest bounty decorations. Was her boutique the only business on Main Street that wasn’t decorated for the season?
She’d been busy settling the estate and diving into the preparation for the three-day sale. She’d completely forgotten about dressing up the outside of the building. Maybe a wreath on the front door and a couple of bales of hay would suffice until the Christmas decorations went up. Granny had holiday decorations, and she needed to find them.
She stepped back from the door and walked through the boutique, straightening racks and refolding some sweaters before she did a check on the dressing rooms. They also needed a little facelift, and she’d tackle that project after Halloween. At the last dressing room, she pushed the curtain to the side, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose at the sight of one of her flyers tacked to the wall with the words “Murder Dress. Does it fit you, Kelly?” scrawled in red marker across the sheet of paper.
She lunged forward and snatched the flyer off of the wall. She stared at the messy writing. Was it supposed to be scary? Or, was it supposed to be funny? Either way, it wasn’t cool.
A hand grabbed Kelly’s shoulder, and a surge of panic shot through her body. Screaming, she swung around, ready to fight or flee.
“Geez, you scared the daylights out of me,” Liv cried, her hand on her chest.
“Scared you? What were you thinking sneaking up behind me?”
“I wasn’t sneaking. Didn’t you hear me call out from the staff room? You left the door unlocked. I came over to see if you want to grab something to eat? Mom is closing the bakery, which means I’m free.”
“Well, I’m recovering from a heart attack.” Kelly walked past her friend.
“Dramatic much?” Liv followed. “Hold up. What do you have there?”
Kelly held up the flyer. “I found this tacked to the wall in the dressing room.”
“Kell, how awful. Do you think it’s some kind of threat?”
Kelly shrugged. “I have no idea.” She crumpled the flyer into a ball as she marched to the sales counter, and then tossed it into the trash can.
“Wait, do you think you should? Maybe you should call Gabe and report it.”
Kelly propped a hand on her hip. “What do you expect him to do?”
“Write a report.”
“For a flyer tacked up in one of my dressing rooms? Liv, it’s a not a major crime.”
“But what if it really is a threat? Maxine was murdered, and the person responsible for that is out there.” Liv pointed toward the street, and her eyes bulged with concern as her hand dropped to her side. “The murderer could have come into the shop today and left the flyer for you.”
* * * *
“You barely ate anything.” Liv followed Kelly out of Gino’s Pizzeria, carrying a pizza box of their leftovers, four slices of a vegetable pizza.
“I don’t have much of an appetite.” Kelly pulled her cashmere scarf tighter around her neck and reached into her tote bag for her suede gloves. They’d arrived at Gino’s an hour earlier and, because it was the end of the season, they didn’t have to wait for a table.
“You were doing fine until Camille came over asking about the murder.” Liv reached Kelly’s side under the restaurant’s striped awning.
Kelly shrugged. She thought she could enjoy a meal and celebrate her assignment for Budget Chic, but she was wrong. Their waitress wanted to know all about the murder dress, to which Kelly assured her there wasn’t such a thing. Camille darted over to the table and asked about Maxine’s murder, and when Kelly told her that she wasn’t at liberty to discuss the ongoing investigation, Camille frowned before sulking away. Gino himself approached them and asked about all the hoopla Kelly had gotten herself involved with since moving permanently back to Lucky Cove. Hoopla. The word sounded so much more fun than the chaos Kelly was living.
“I’m sorry I’m a downer. I know you wanted to celebrate my sale.” Kelly shoved her gloved hands into her wool peacoat’s pockets. The evening temperatures had started to dip lower and lower, and soon she’d be pulling out her cozy down coat. “It’s just been a crazy few days.”
“I understand. Sure you don’t want to take the leftover pizza home?”
Kelly shook her head. “No. It would go to waste.”
“Okay. I’m going to head home. See you tomorrow!” Liv turned and walked north on Main Street, toward her apartment over the floral shop. Up to a year ago, she’d shared the apartment with her sister Ana who moved out when she married. Before that, Liv’s oldest sister lived there until she married. Liv joked that maybe Kelly should move in with her and let the apartment do its love connection thing.
Kelly’s phone buzzed, and she pulled her hand out of her pocket to reach into her tote bag. She checked the message. “Lulu Loves Long Island? Who on earth is she?” She tapped on the link, and the website opened up.
She scanned the homepage, and her stomach clenched. “Good grief.”
Looking for something fashionably spooky to wear? Look no further than the Lucky Cove Consignment Shop. Yesterday local psychic Bernadette Rydell conjured up a vision of…wait for it…a man being murdered, while she was trying on a black lace dress! Now, if you ask me, it seems like the dress is haunted. Hmm…Halloween is just days away. A psychic. A vision of a murder. A black lace dress. Sounds like the perfect combination for Halloween. I wonder what other magical clothing the shop has?
More like a perfect storm for losing her business. Her grandmother’s business.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kelly muttered.
“What’s wrong?”
Gabe’s unexpected voice startled Kelly, and she nearly dropped her phone. “Why does everyone keep sneaking up on me?”
Gabe raised his hands. “Whoa. You okay?”
“What do you think?” She held out her phone to Gabe for him to read the post, and he whistled. Not a “hey, babe, you’re lookin’ good” kind of whistle. More like an “oh, crap, that’s a low thing to do” kind of whistle. “Just what I don’t need. Do you know anything about the website Lulu Loves Long Island?”
“I think it’s about events happening on the island. My mom reads it all the time.”
“She does?” Kelly pulled back her arm and looked at the website one more time. How many more people read the website? “This isn’t good for the boutique.” She was on the verge of breaking down into tears and giving up. She’d lost so much in just a few months, and now she could lose the shop. “It’s not good for me. What am I going to do?”
Gabe stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “Take a breath.”
Kelly pressed her lips together. She hated being told what to do, especially when the other person was right. Spinning out of control would be of no help. She needed to keep a clear head in order to figure out a way out of the mess Bernadette created for her.
She looked at Gabe. A nearby lamppost cast a glow, softening his firm jaw, and his crooked smile broke through her self-imposed feeling of doom. She inhaled a deep breath and expelled it, hoping it took all of the bad stuff with it.
“Feel better?”
“A little,” she admitted reluctantly.
“Are you going in or leaving?” He nodded to the front door of the restaurant.
“Leaving. I just had dinner with Li
v. Though, I didn’t have much of an appetite. All anyone wanted to talk about was Bernadette’s vision or Maxine’s murder.”
“You’re surprised? Be prepared for tomorrow because word really broke this morning about Maxine.”
Well, wasn’t he the bearer of good news. “Detective Wolman came by today. She pretty much said I killed Maxine by mistake.”
“She did?” He sounded surprised, which Kelly expected. She didn’t know much about how a police department worked but, from the crime shows she watched, the detectives didn’t keep patrol officers in the loop during investigations.
“Does she really think I killed Maxine?”
“Kell, I’m not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation.”
Ouch. He used her exact words to Camille on her. She sighed. “That’s what you tell reporters and nosy people. I’m your friend.”
“Doesn’t matter. Besides, you’re a suspect.”
Kelly’s eyes widened, and she pointed her finger at Gabe. “I knew it! I didn’t kill Maxine. How could you even think I could kill someone?”
“I don’t. But I’m not the detective on the case. She’s just doing her job, and that includes investigating everyone involved with Maxine and Bernadette.”
“Maybe she needs a little assistance.” How hard could it be to ask a few questions? She knew practically everyone in Lucky Cove. She didn’t doubt people would be willing to talk to her.
“Oh, no. Stay out of the investigation. It’s official police business. Let Wolman do her job. I gotta go, I’m meeting someone for dinner.”
“Date?”
“Dinner,” he corrected as he began walking to the restaurant’s front door. “Remember what I said. Stay out of our investigation.”
Kelly cocked her head sideways and considered Gabe’s advice as he disappeared into the restaurant. She shifted to face the other side of Main Street, and her boutique came into view.
She never thought in a million years she’d be the owner of a shop. Her career plan was to work her way up the retail buying food chain and sit front row at fashion shows in New York and Paris. Selling used clothing wasn’t even a consideration. Yet, there she was.
Chapter 8
Kelly planned to sleep in. After all, it was Sunday, and that was what she always did. Sleep late, meet a couple of girlfriends for brunch, visit flea markets, or scope out new boutiques and stop for takeout on the way back to her apartment, where she hunkered down until Monday morning rolled around. Yes, it was the perfect way to spend a Sunday.
But Howard had a different plan.
He pounced on Kelly bright and early and nearly gave her a heart attack. When she finally calmed down, her roommate was sitting at the end of her bed licking a paw.
Victory was his.
Wide awake and doubtful she’d be able to fall back to sleep, Kelly threw off her covers and began her day. Maybe a new Sunday morning routine wasn’t a bad idea since she had to open the boutique at noon.
She stretched and then folded herself over and let her arms dangle freely. Tension and stress had built up, and she needed to find a way to let go of all of it. Yoga came to mind, but yoga classes weren’t in her budget, and she didn’t feel like searching the internet for free workouts. No, this makeshift stretch was the closest she was going to get to unleashing her inner yogi.
She closed her eyes and willed her mind to empty. No work. No threatening flyers. No murders. Just peace. Just tranquility. Just a meow?
She opened her eyes. Howard had traveled to the edge of the bed and was meowing at her.
“What are you, hungry?”
He responded with a louder meow as he leaned forward and butted her with his head.
“Okay, okay. I’m at your service.” She straightened up, slipped into her cozy slippers, and pulled on a flannel robe then padded through the apartment. In the kitchen, she prepared a bowl of food for Howard and a pot of coffee for herself. Pumpkin spice was her selection.
There were a few rituals Kelly indulged in once the hint of fall was in the air. Nothing big or fancy. First, there was the annual reading of all the September fashion magazines. When the massive issues hit the newsstands, she snatched them up and hauled them home to read every issue like it was a novel. Then there was the first cup of pumpkin spice coffee of the season. Sure, people said Labor Day was too early for the hot beverage, but she told them she didn’t need that kind of negativity in her life and sipped unapologetically. Third, the first wearing of tall boots. She pulled them on over leggings and did a little happy dance. Fall was the fashion season she lived for and her most favorite to buy for—personally and professionally.
She pressed the brew button on her coffeemaker and waited impatiently for the aroma of pumpkin spice to fill the tiny yet functional kitchen. Even with its small square footage, it was more spacious than the kitchenette she’d had back in the city. She pulled a mug down from an upper cabinet and set Howard’s bowl down for him. He wasted no time diving into his food.
When he wasn’t terrorizing her by his unpredictable “attacks” while she slept, it was kind of nice to have a pet. And maybe, if he stopped being a jerk, they could really get along.
The coffeepot beeped, and she poured a hot, steaming cup of coffee. After adding a dash of milk, she savored the first sip, fortified to face whatever the day had to throw at her. And, seriously, could it get any worse than it had been? After a refreshing shower, she turned to her closet and chose a pair of black ponte knit slim pants and paired them with a raisin-colored V-neck cashmere tunic and tall riding boots. She pulled her blond hair back into a casual ponytail, leaving a few tendrils loose to frame her face, and added a pair of gold stud earrings. One last look in the mirror and she trotted downstairs to the shop.
She set her travel mug on the counter and flipped over the closed sign to open. A little earlier than noon, but since she was all ready to start work, why not? After she unlocked the door, she returned to the sales counter. She pulled out a notebook and took a drink of her coffee. She wanted to use the quiet time to brainstorm events to draw customers into the boutique. A few ideas popped into her head right away.
A Holiday Edit event. The curated event would be like a fashion magazine feature come to life for her guests. She jotted down a few notes about hosting a one-day event to showcase holiday attire and accessories. She should schedule the event for the Saturday after Thanksgiving, to tie in with Small Business Saturday. Which reminded her, she needed to contact Lucky Cove’s Chamber of Commerce.
Another thought was to hold private shopping parties a few times a month. The hostess could invite her nearest and dearest and receive ten percent store credit based on the total amount of sales for her party. Kelly jotted the idea down. The boutique would provide some wine, cheese, and music for the ladies to shop for a couple of hours. Who didn’t love a party? She could also have a Resort Edit at the beginning of January for mid-winter vacations.
She lifted her travel mug and took a sip just as the bell over the front door jingled, and she looked up. She choked on her sip of coffee when she saw who had entered her boutique.
“Hi, Kelly.” Ariel halted her wheelchair once she crossed the threshold and the door closed. “Long time.”
Kelly set the travel mug down with a thump and continued to cough.
“Are you okay?”
Kelly nodded because she wasn’t able to speak. She hadn’t expected Ariel Barnes to show up in the boutique. She also couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Ariel. It had to have been right before she packed up and her dad drove her into the city for her first semester at fashion school.
“Yeah, yeah…a long time.” Kelly stepped out from behind the counter and walked to her sister’s best friend. “It’s good to see you.” It wasn’t completely a lie. A part of her knew there’d be no avoiding Ariel since she was back in Lucky Cove permanently. But another p
art of her dreaded coming face-to-face with the biggest mistake of her life.
“I’m sorry about your grandmother. She was a great lady. She always baked the best apple pie.” Ariel’s face lit up with a big smile. She hadn’t changed at all. She still had that girl-next-door fresh face and boundless cheerleader energy.
“She did bake the best pie.” Kelly’s earliest memories of her granny were in the kitchen. Granny baked with practiced ease and always had something hot coming out of the oven when Kelly visited.
“Unfortunately I was away when she died and I couldn’t make it to her funeral.”
“It was sudden,” Kelly said.
They’d talked just days before Granny died. Looking back, she wished she’d said more meaningful things rather than prattled on about job interviews, her endless string of loser boyfriends, and Serena Dawson, the most fashionable witch on Seventh Avenue. She would have told her granny how much she appreciated everything she’d done for her and told her she loved her more than just once during the call.
“As soon as I came home I went to the cemetery and laid flowers.”
“Thank you. How thoughtful of you. Daisies?”
Ariel nodded. “Her favorite.”
“She always said they were the simplest flower.”
Ariel laughed. “She did.” Ariel’s laughter faded. “I miss her… I miss you.”
Kelly wasn’t prepared for Ariel’s visit or for her saying she missed Kelly. Her lower lip quivered. “It’s complicated.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” Ariel pressed the power button on her wheelchair and moved closer to Kelly. She looked to Kelly with big, brown doe eyes fringed with sleek bangs. “Look, I wanted to welcome you back home. I’m also curious to see what you’re doing to the shop. Are you really changing the name?”
The boutique was neutral territory, and Kelly could handle that conversation. “Yes, I am.”
Ariel arched an eyebrow. “Along with the new name, you’re adding haunted clothing to your inventory.” She flashed a wicked smile.
Murder Wears a Little Black Dress Page 7
