Murder Wears a Little Black Dress

by Debra Sennefelder

  “Funny. Real funny.” Kelly snorted a laugh. Embarrassed, she clamped her hand over her mouth. But she just ended up laughing harder, and Ariel joined in.

  “We’re not selling haunted clothes, I assure you,” Kelly eventually said once the laughter died down.

  “Not according to Lulu from—”

  “Lulu Loves Long Island. I know. I read her post last night,” Kelly grumbled.

  “It’s all everyone at Doug’s is talking about this morning. Lucky Cove is abuzz with the murder dress and Maxine’s murder. Did you really find her body?”

  Kelly nodded. “I did.”

  Ariel moved over to the counter. Kelly settled on the stool, and she told Ariel what she felt she could say about finding Maxine’s body. She wasn’t sure how much information Detective Wolman would want her to share, so she left out most of the details and only gave Ariel a summary of finding the body.

  “Wow. Talk about crazy. Did you know Maxine came here a few months ago from Chicago, where she was under investigation for fraud?”

  “How do you know?”

  “I’m working on a story about psychic scams.”

  Kelly tilted her head sideways. “I thought you worked at the library.”

  “I do. I’m a library assistant. It’s part-time. I love the work, but I’m also a freelance writer. Have been for years.”

  “I had no idea. Good for you.”

  Ariel’s head bobbed up and down. “I got into it a couple of years after the accident.”

  Kelly’s body tensed. The accident. In her mind, the fateful summer night flashed and she saw the faces of classmates, heard snippets of conversations, and felt Davey’s tug on her hand when she tried to go find Ariel.

  “I’m working on an article for Senior Spotlight magazine,” Ariel continued. “It’s not a big magazine, but the article is important and it pays well. Anyway, in my research for the article, I came across Maxine Lemoyne.”

  Kelly snapped out of her fog and caught up to what Ariel was saying. “Why did her name pop up?”

  “The article is about financial schemes. Maxine defrauded a whole bunch of people in Chicago, where she lived before coming east. It’s actually disgusting how she took advantage of them. Especially the elderly. In my research, I found they were bilked out of thousands of dollars, practically their whole life savings.”

  “Unbelievable.” Kelly suspected most people who claimed to be psychics weren’t legit, but she’d never thought about how destructive their scams could be.

  “Right after the accident, I got taken by a psychic. I wanted to hear that everything was going to be okay.” Ariel rolled her eyes. “The con artist posing as a psychic told me he could speak to my dead grandmother and she had a message for me that I could walk again.”

  Kelly’s shoulders sagged from the weight of guilt. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I was vulnerable and willing to believe anything. I should have known better. Hey…” Ariel wheeled closer to Kelly and reached out her hand and patted Kelly’s knee. “None of what happened was your fault. I think it was something I had to go through. And I’m a stronger person because of it. Now I focus on writing articles to help protect people.”

  Ariel always found the bright side, and Kelly admired her ability to do so. Maybe one day she’d find the bright side of causing the accident that put Ariel in the wheelchair.

  “A couple of weeks ago I went to Bernadette for a reading.” Ariel moved back a little bit.

  “You did? Why?”

  “It was a part of my research. I have to say, the woman is good. If I hadn’t known about Maxine, I would’ve fallen for Bernadette’s act.”

  “You don’t think she has any psychic abilities?”

  “Absolutely not. However, she’s very skilled at reading people and telling them what they want to hear.” Ariel glanced at her watch. “I better get going. Mom and Dad are hosting Sunday supper, and I don’t want to be late. Mom’s making her pot roast, and I’d promised to help.”

  Kelly stood. She was sad Ariel had to leave. Catching up with her was fun and not as awkward as she had anticipated. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

  “I am too.” Ariel backed up her wheelchair. “You should come by my house and I’ll show you my notes on Maxine and her scam. They might be some help to you.”

  “Help?”

  “I heard you’re a suspect. You might want to do some investigating on your own. Detective Wolman has a tendency to get tunnel vision. Bye!” She navigated her wheelchair out of the boutique just moments before Summer breezed in with a handful of brochures and a plastic caddy.

  “Was that Ariel Barnes I saw leaving here?” Summer approached the counter. Her stride was perfectly executed in four-inch rhinestone-studded ankle boots. Once a model, always a model. “Isn’t she the girl—”

  “Yes.” Kelly cut Summer off. She didn’t want to discuss Ariel or what happened. “Nice skirt.”

  Summer glanced at her tweed miniskirt. “Thank you.”

  “What are you doing here?” Among the riffraff, Kelly thought but decided not to say.

  Summer arrived at the counter, and her free hand reached out to the mini-pumpkin display Pepper had set up on the counter. “Cute little pumpkins.” With one sweeping motion, she pushed them aside and plopped down her display caddy and stuffed her brochures inside it.

  “What are you doing?” Kelly and her step-aunt definitely had to have a conversation about boundaries. Soon.

  “I had brochures professionally printed for my Pilates studio. They’ll probably just sit here and collect dust, but you never know. Your business may pick up.”

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Kelly said dryly.

  “That’s what family is for, honey.” She glanced at her blinged-out watch. How she managed to lift her forearm was a mystery to Kelly. Between the gold and the diamonds, it had to weigh a ton. “I’ve gotta run. Ralphie is waiting for me. Bye.” She wiggled her fingers in a wave as she spun around and dashed out of the boutique.

  Footsteps coming from the direction of the staff room caught Kelly’s attention. Pepper had finally arrived. She’d called earlier to let Kelly know she was running late. She had to drop off the loaves of bread and cookies she’d made for the library’s bake sale. Kelly told her not to rush, because she didn’t expect to have a flood of customers first thing. And she was right.

  “What on earth was she doing here?” Pepper joined Kelly at the counter. “What happened to my pumpkins?” She reached forward to the chubby little pumpkins and then noticed the brochure caddy. “What on earth are these?” She plucked out a brochure. Her lips set into a grim line. “Did you tell her she could leave these here?”

  “No. She just came in and plopped them there.” Kelly took the tri-fold brochure from Pepper and opened it. While Summer was a thorn in her side, she had to admit the studio was gorgeous. No expense was spared by Uncle Ralph to give his wife the perfect fitness studio. She looked around her boutique. No matter how much she cleaned and arranged merchandise, she’d never have the perfect boutique she envisioned in her mind without an infusion of capital.

  “Talk about nerve.” Pepper wasted no time in removing the caddy from the counter and rearranging her pumpkins. “Sorry I was late, but it took a little longer to finish my baking. There’s a loaf of apple cinnamon bread in the staff room.”

  Kelly sighed. Her willpower was weak when it came to baked goods. If she didn’t get a rein on her snacking, she’d have to start embracing elastic waistbands.

  “I know I should be strong, but I can’t resist your apple bread. I saw Gabe last night outside of Gino’s.”

  “He told me. You have some crazy idea of investigating Maxine’s murder.”

  “Not exactly. But I can’t just sit around and do nothing while Detective Wolman builds a case against me. Did you know Maxine was un
der investigation back in Chicago for fraud?”

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “Long story. I’ll tell you later.” She’d have to give Pepper a detailed account of her visit with Ariel after, because Kelly wanted to finish brainstorming store event ideas. They’d talk over a cup of tea and a slice of apple cinnamon bread. “Gabe told me you read Lulu’s blog.”

  Pepper’s face brightened. “Yes, I do.” Then she frowned. “Do you know what she posted yesterday?”

  “Yes. Who is this woman?”

  “She’s anonymous. Lulu is like a pen name. I can’t believe you haven’t heard of her before. She’s very popular.”

  “How popular?”

  “Well, the post she wrote yesterday got hundreds of comments and pretty much the same number of social media shares.”

  “Oh boy.” A wave of nausea hit Kelly’s stomach. “I need more coffee.” She began to step out from behind the counter when her cell phone buzzed. She pulled the phone out of her back pocket and found a message from Bernadette.

  Kelly, please come over as soon as you can.

  “Good grief.” Kelly stared at the message. “What now?” Kelly showed Pepper her phone’s screen, and Pepper shook her head.

  “Remember what happened the last time you went there?” Pepper warned.

  How could Kelly forget? Two days ago when she went to the Rydell house, she found a dead body and became a murder suspect. What could possibly top that?

  Chapter 9

  Before leaving the boutique, Kelly called Bernadette to find out what was going on, but all she got were sobs and mumbled words. Against her better judgment, Kelly got into her car and headed out. On the drive over to Bernadette’s house, Kelly made a few decisions in hopes of not repeating history. First, she wasn’t going to enter the house unless Bernadette opened the door and welcomed her in. The last time she entered the house on her own resulted…well, it wasn’t good. Second, she was going to stay out of the living room because the room would give her the creeps. She shuddered just thinking about finding Maxine’s body. Third, she wasn’t going to get any more involved with Bernadette than she already was. All she wanted was some answers.

  She parked her car in the driveway and grabbed her tote bag. As she closed the car door, a gust of wind hit her hard and stirred up a swirl of fallen leaves. Crunching noises off in the distance had her turning, and she spotted a squirrel bounding through a thick layer of leaves with a nut in its mouth. He was getting ready for winter. It’d been a long time since she’d spent an entire winter in Lucky Cove. The season could be long and brutal, especially on the tip of the island, where it was open to the Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Maybe she should start collecting nuts.

  She tugged her gray marled sweater coat tighter around her body to stave off the brisk air as she stared at the house and summoned up her courage to approach the front porch. Finding the courage was taking longer than she expected. When did she become such a scaredy-cat? Best guess was the day she found a dead body in the house in front of her. She gave herself a quick mental shake. She was being ridiculous. She’d ridden the subway late at night, walked down some questionable streets, and even eaten from street carts a few times. Those were all scarier than being there at Bernadette’s house.

  She pushed off and made her way to the porch. After she climbed the steps and was standing on the battered floorboards, sheltered from the harsh wind, she felt warmer but not safer.

  The front door swung open, catching Kelly off guard. Bernadette appeared, and she flung herself at Kelly, wrapping her arms around for a tight hug.

  “I’m glad you’ve come over.” Bernadette’s voice was shaky, and her hold on Kelly got tighter. “I don’t know what to do,” she wailed.

  Barely able to breathe, Kelly pried Bernadette’s arms off of her and freed herself from the most suffocating hug she’d ever been in. “How about we go inside? It’s a little chilly out here.” She guided Bernadette back into the house.

  Kelly closed the door and turned to face Bernadette, who seemed swallowed up by the entry hall. Her tall, lanky body looked frail in a loose black jersey-knit maxi dress. Her curious eyes were somber, and her shiny blond hair had lost its luster and was tamed by a beaded barrette.

  Bernadette did her best to pull herself together after dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “I’ve tried to talk to Maxine, but I can’t. I don’t know why I can’t reach her. I need to make sure she crossed over safely.”

  “Crossed over? What exactly happens?” Now if Kelly’s cousin Frankie was there with her, he’d understand Bernadette’s lingo. Frankie was into everything paranormal, from the Salem witch trials to Twilight. She could have used his expertise with her ghost whisperer.

  “There are many mile markers on the path to the afterlife.”

  “What? You’re telling me there are different stages of deadness?”

  Bernadette looked annoyed at Kelly’s unfamiliarity with how the ghost world worked. “When a person dies, they don’t necessarily cross over immediately to the other side. Sometimes they can’t see the light or choose not to cross over.”

  “They become ghosts?”

  “Spirits,” Bernadette corrected.

  Thanks for the correct terminology. “You think Maxine is still here? In this house?”

  Bernadette nodded. “I don’t know why she won’t talk to me. I’ve tried reaching out to her. Something’s not right!” She crumpled.

  Kelly rushed to Bernadette and led her to the kitchen. She tried to set the mournful psychic at the table, but Bernadette grabbed her hand and dragged her into the study.

  “I can’t find it,” Bernadette said as she and Kelly arrived at the desk. She pointed to the leather side rail blotter. “It was here. It’s always here.”

  “Take a breath,” Kelly said in a soothing voice. “What was here?”

  “The laptop. Maxine always kept it here.” She jabbed at the blotter.

  “You wanted me to come over because you can’t find Maxine’s laptop? I take my laptop with me all over the place. Up in my apartment, in the staff room, and even on the sales floor. The computer could be anywhere in the house,” Kelly reasoned.

  “No, it’s not. I’ve looked everywhere. Well, except the living room. I can’t go in there.”

  Kelly couldn’t blame her for not being able to enter the room. She herself was barely able to enter the house a few minutes ago. She tried to recall what she’d seen, besides Maxine’s body, two days ago in the living room. From the intriguing fireplace mantel to the worn area rug beneath the sofa and armchairs to the corpse. She didn’t remember seeing a laptop. Though, she was distracted at the time.

  “See.” Bernadette pointed to the plugged-in power cord and power adapter next to the desk.

  Kelly remembered because she’d tripped over the cord.

  “This is where Max worked. She was very particular. She said she liked the energy in this room.” She gave a small smile, which quickly faded. “Her computer is missing, and she won’t talk to me. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

  “Why won’t she talk to you?”

  “She could be angry with me. She may think I killed her.”

  “That would be a good reason to be angry with you. Did you kill her?” Kelly braced herself for the answer.

  “No! Of course not. She was my family. I’d never hurt her.”

  “Why did you want me to come over?” Kelly asked again.

  “Because Max’s not the only one who thinks I killed her. The detective does too. You should have heard the questions and wild accusations.”

  Kelly had a pretty good idea of what Detective Wolman had said. “She has a job to do, which means she has to ask hard questions.” And now Kelly was defending the detective, but she was a little relieved not to be the only one on the detective’s radar.

  “She shou
ld be looking for the killer, not interrogating me.”

  “Bernadette, why did you ask me to come over?”

  “I have to find the laptop, and I have to make sure the police look for my cousin’s killer.”

  “You think her killer’s information is on the laptop? You know, I’ve heard some things about your cousin.”

  “I’m sure you have. Some people don’t like what we have to tell them, and they get angry. Max was a good person. She didn’t deserve to die.”

  “You think her killer was someone who was a client, and all of her client information is on the laptop?”

  “That’s the only thing that makes sense,” Bernadette said.

  “Was Evan Fletcher here to see you or Maxine?”

  “Me. Do you think he killed Max?”

  Kelly shrugged. “I don’t know. Has he been a client for long?”

  “Not really. He just moved to town from Maryland.”

  “How did he find you?”

  “My website. He often seeks the assistance of psychics.”

  “There’s another theory.” A theory from Detective Wolman, but still a viable option, Kelly had to admit.

  “What’s that?”

  “You could have been the intended target. You and Maxine looked a lot alike. From behind, someone in a rage could have easily mistaken Maxine for you.”

  Bernadette gasped. “I… Now I understand why she’s not talking to me. I caused her death. It was all my fault. Who? Why?”

  Kelly was at a loss for how to console Bernadette. Luckily, before she could say something, a loud whistling sounded.

  “The teakettle. You’ll have a cup. I’ll be right back.” Bernadette spun and darted out of the room, leaving Kelly alone.

  She dropped her tote bag on the desk and looked around the room. A large oak tree just outside the window blazed in red hues. A leafy green vine wrapped itself around the thick trunk of the tree. Only a small section of what Kelly assumed was the original fencing, and if not, an early replacement of the first fence. Historic fences tended to mirror the motifs of their home.