Murder Wears a Little Black Dress

by Debra Sennefelder

  The voices of the other officials filtered through the hallway, and Kelly digested everything that had happened. Why couldn’t she just have left well enough alone and gone home like a normal person? Why did she insist on confronting DJ Brown?

  She made a move to stand up, but Gabe stopped her. “Whoa. You’re not moving. And I’ll call Caroline for you.”

  Kelly covered Gabe’s hand with hers and squeezed. It was good to have a friend. “Thanks. She did say I should have a lawyer present if I was questioned again. Was what I just said okay?”

  “You told the truth. That’s always okay.”

  “What about Bernadette?”

  “We’ll locate her and bring her in for questioning also.”

  “You know, DJ Brown had a motive for Maxine’s murder. He and his mother were swindled out of thousands of dollars by Maxine. He used a fake name when he booked his appointment with Bernadette the day Maxine was killed.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “Ariel. She’s working on a story for a magazine about psychic scams.”

  Now it was Gabe’s turn to look confused. “I didn’t realize you two had reunited.”

  “We have, and she’s been helping me. DJ Brown had a motive to kill Maxine. But who had a motive to kill him? I hate to think this, but Bernadette could have killed him out of revenge if she believed he murdered Maxine.”

  Sirens approached, Kelly’s ride to the county hospital for evaluation. She couldn’t believe Bernadette pushed her hard enough to knock her unconscious. How could Bernadette have done such a thing? She never thought the psychic was capable of such a violent act, and now she had to rethink her opinion of whether Bernadette was a killer or not.

  Chapter 17

  Kelly crawled out of bed slowly and unfolded her achy body one vertebra at a time. Even after a full night’s sleep, she was exhausted and sore. A wicked combination for any weekday morning. Back in the city working for someone else, she would have called out sick, dove back into bed, and pulled the covers over her head, but now self-employed, she didn’t have the luxury of sick days.

  A soft meow from the foot of her bed drew her attention. Howard had unfurled himself from the tight ball he’d contorted into after he joined her last night. He stretched out his long, lean body, and Kelly envied how easy it was for him.

  “Show off,” she grumbled as she took baby steps to the bathroom, all the while cursing her aching bones.

  She turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face, which was in desperate need of concealer, highlighter, and false eyelashes. Where to start? Liv had shown up last night, just as Kelly returned home from the emergency room, with a bag of takeout from the only Chinese restaurant in Lucky Cove. By the time they’d finished dinner, Kelly had gotten some good news and some bad news from Gabe.

  The good news was Kelly’s fingerprints weren’t a match for the prints on the knife used to kill DJ Brown. The bad news was Bernadette hadn’t been located and Detective Wolman had more questions for Kelly. Kelly drowned her sorrows in extra servings of chicken lo mein and beef with broccoli and was now suffering the puffiness of her indulgence.

  She pulled open a drawer in the vanity and took out a packet of anti-puffiness smoothing eye patches and applied them under her eyes. The box of six packets that cost over a hundred dollars, which used to be offset by her Bishop’s employee discount, was a splurge, but the eye patches did work miracles. And really, could you put a price tag on miracles?

  The eye patches took ten minutes to work their magic, then Kelly padded to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Howard joined her and rubbed his body along her leg.

  “You’re hungry?” Another rub and a loud meow told her she was right. She filled his bowl with food and bent over to set the bowl down for him. Every muscle fiber in her body hurt, making the movement slow and painful.

  Howard groused an urgent meow. He apparently didn’t understand the condition his new owner was in.

  “Impatient, much?” She finally put the bowl on the floor, and the return to straighten up was just as slow and painful.

  It was going to be a long, torturous day.

  Her cell phone dinged and alerted her to a new email. She snatched up the phone from her nightstand. Heather from Budget Chic. She swiped open the correspondence and read. Heather wanted another article. Kelly wanted to jump up and scream, but all she could muster was a smile. Smiling didn’t hurt. Two articles didn’t make a freelance writing career, but it was a start.

  She headed back to the bathroom and, after a hot shower, she felt a little better, but her mood was still dark. Her move back to Lucky Cove seemed to have been mired in death. First, her grandmother’s passing, and then two murders days apart. Maybe she should accept her uncle’s offer and move back to the city. At her closet, she perused her clothing, looking for something easy to wear. In the shower she’d decided on a dress, and now she had to choose which one to put on. Her fingertips landed on a gray wool godet-flounce sheath dress.

  Her next choice was footwear, and that was easy—a pair of black ballet flats. The only thing she had to wrangle herself into was a pair of tights.

  Dressed, the cat fed, and her travel mug filled to the brim with pumpkin spice coffee, Kelly made her way down the staircase to open the boutique with a small sense of accomplishment. The events of the day before still weighed heavily on her shoulders, but she had a business to run and an employee to make sure had a job come the next week. After a drink of her coffee, she set the mug on the sales counter and went to the front door to unlock. She flipped over the open sign.

  Back at the sales counter, she read through a note Pepper had left when she closed the shop yesterday. Two women had come in to consign clothing, and the merchandise was hung on the rolling garment rack. Kelly perked up at the good news. In light of recent events, even a sliver of good news was welcome. She went to the rack and found a dozen items hanging. Among the garments, there was a sequined bomber jacket and a long velvet skirt that together would be a cool, fashionable New Year’s Eve outfit paired with some sparkly jewelry. She continued to browse and liked what she saw. Back at the counter, she reviewed the deposit from yesterday and found it was a healthy amount. Maybe things were starting to look up for the business.

  When she was done with the deposit, she made a note to buy some fall decorations for outside the boutique at some point during the day. She also had to check out what Christmas decorations were on hand for the boutique. The bell over the door chimed, and Liv entered carrying yet another box from her bakery. Kelly’s first inclination was to refuse whatever muffin or pastry Liv offered but, considering what she’d been through, she shouldn’t be so hard on herself.

  “Apple walnut muffins hot out of the oven.” Liv placed the box on the counter and opened its lid.

  “You’re killing me.” Kelly plucked a muffin out of the box.

  “You deserve a treat after what you’ve been through.”

  “I know!” Kelly took a bite and chewed. “I had a near-death experience.”

  Liv cocked her head sideways. “A little too dramatic. I’ll take these to the staff room.” She swiped the box off of the counter just as the bell over the door chimed again. She looked over her shoulder.

  Pepper had pushed the door open and walked into the boutique.

  “What the…” Liv’s voice trailed off.

  “I…don’t…” Kelly almost dropped her muffin as her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Her grandmother’s best friend had morphed from oh-so-casual-bordering-on-bland to WOW!

  Pepper’s color-treated blond hair had been straightened and then styled into soft waves, and she’d traded in her straight-legged dress pants for snake-print leggings and topped them with a wine-colored tunic and pulled on a pair of over-the-knee black suede boots. She’d slid on a pair of black sunglasses that instantly gave her a cool vibe.

>   “Good morning, girls.” Pepper continued to the counter, where she dropped her black leather-studded hobo purse. “Feeling better this morning, Kelly?”

  All Kelly could do was stare at Pepper, who looked ten years younger. Just the day before, after returning from the hospital, Pepper looked like her old self. When did the transformation happen? That morning? Pepper just happened to have a pair of snake-print leggings hanging around?

  “Kelly, maybe you shouldn’t be working today.” Pepper took off her sunglasses. Her makeup had been revamped as well. Gone was the barely there eyeshadow and too-pink lipstick. In their place were perfect smoky eyes and shiny rose-colored lips.

  “No…no…I’m fine. Forget about me. You…you look amazing,” Kelly was finally able to say.

  “You do! You look freakin’ awesome!” Liv put the pastry box down again and dashed around the counter. She twirled Pepper to get a full look at her. “Freakin’ awesome!”

  Pepper blushed. “Thank you.”

  “When did all this happen?” Kelly was still wrapping her mind around the makeover. She had no idea Pepper wanted to have one done. She thought it was a great idea, but a little twinge of sadness hit her because she would’ve loved to have been a part of it.

  “I’ve been thinking about it for a few days. If I’m going to work at a hip, trendy boutique, then I need to be as cool as the shop. You kids do still say ‘cool,’ right?”

  Kelly and Liv nodded in unison.

  “Great. So, I look okay? Not too cougarish?”

  “No, no you don’t look like a cougar at all. You made a smart choice with the flat over-the-knee boots. If you’d chosen a heel, you’d be too Pretty Woman,” Kelly said.

  “Oh, dear, that wouldn’t look good on me at all.” Pepper laughed. “I really like these boots.” She lifted a leg and straightened it to admire her footwear. “They’re comfortable.”

  “And so fashionable. Looks like I’ve got some competition.” Kelly smiled and wrapped an arm around Pepper’s shoulders.

  Pepper was finally coming around to the changes in the boutique and, after a few very disastrous days, Kelly was finally smiling.

  Pepper gently patted Kelly on the cheek. “Never. You’re my inspiration.” She looked to Liv and reached out for her hand. “You too. Being around such beautiful, young women is good for this old lady.”

  They shared a moment of silence before Pepper disengaged from Kelly and Liv.

  “Enough of this. I’m gonna cry. It’s time to get to work.”

  For the next few hours, the boutique was steady with customers, so Pepper’s husband, Earl, offered to pick up the decorations for outside the boutique. Kelly was grateful because she didn’t think her body was in any shape to lift a bale of hay or a pumpkin. By lunch, the sales numbers were good, even though about half of the ladies who came into the boutique wanted to ask questions about the most recent murder. When Kelly picked up on the trend, she disappeared into the staff room and told Pepper to get her if it got too busy.

  Settled at the desk, she worked on the new article for Budget Chic, inspired by Pepper’s change of appearance and attitude. The article was about doing a makeover on a budget. Kelly brainstormed some ideas, visited some websites for items, and started writing.

  A ding alerted her to an incoming text.

  NEED YOU OUT HERE NOW!

  Oh boy.

  Kelly saved her work on the computer and stood, cursing her achy body. When she arrived at the sales counter, she found both Frankie and Summer.

  Double oh boy.

  Summer’s injected plump lips were pursed as she tapped her acrylic nails on the counter. Kelly guessed her step-aunt was perturbed because her fancy brochures weren’t displayed where she left them. She lifted her head and fixed an irritated gaze on Kelly.

  Kelly didn’t think Summer would come back into the thrift store so soon after her last visit. She wasn’t even sure what Pepper did with the brochures.

  “What’s up?” Kelly asked in her most even-toned voice as she braced herself for whatever onslaught Summer was about to unleash.

  “What’s up? Is that all you have to say?” Summer pulled her hands off of the counter and propped them on her hips.

  “I just wanted to check on my cousin. I heard what happened.” Frankie dashed to Kelly’s side. He pulled his hands from the front pockets of his dark-rinse slim jeans and hugged Kelly. “You could’ve been killed.”

  Kelly grimaced. Frankie’s hold around her torso was crushing. “I. Can’t. Breathe.”

  “Sorry.” Frankie let go of Kelly quickly. “My bad.”

  “Thanks. I’m okay. Sore, but I’ll survive.”

  “Good to hear.” Summer approached next and stood by her stepson. “Now, you can explain this.” Summer held her blinged-out phone to Kelly.

  As much as Kelly wanted to be annoyed with Summer for shoving the phone in her face, she couldn’t summon up the outrage because she was distracted by the pair of tribal earrings adorning Summer’s earlobes. Kelly drooled over those iconic Dior earrings whenever she saw them in a magazine, but they were out of her price range—forever.

  “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

  Summer’s sharp voice snapped Kelly out of her thoughts. Kelly focused her eyes on the phone.

  Lulu Loves Long Island. Not again. Kelly read as much of the text as she needed to understand what Summer was trying to show her. Lulu had breaking news about Dorothy Mueller’s lawsuit against Kelly’s boutique.

  “You sold her a haunted chair?” Summer lowered the phone and shoved it into the angled pocket of her red fitted double-breasted wool jacket. The pockets had exposed zippers, which gave the classic jacket a modern feel while the epaulets paid homage to tradition. In the neckline of the jacket, Summer had tucked a black faux-fur scarf.

  “Get out!” Frankie shouted, turning a few heads from customers in their direction.

  “Lower your voice,” Kelly said in a hushed tone. She wasn’t about to have another scene in her boutique. “Of course I didn’t. There’s no such thing.”

  Frankie raised a hand. “You don’t know for sure.”

  “I know for sure none of the merchandise in this boutique is haunted. That includes the chair Dorothy purchased. Good grief. I can’t believe we’re right back where we started. How did this Lulu chick find out?”

  “Probably the court.” Pepper returned to the counter with a handful of hangers.

  Summer did a double take at Pepper. “Pepper? You look…different.”

  Pepper touched her hair. “I gave myself a makeover.”

  “Good for you, Pep!” Frankie turned back to his cousin. “Are you sure you’re okay? You could have a concussion.”

  Summer was still checking Pepper out while Frankie started to wrap his arm around Kelly again. Summer turned her attention back to her stepson and step-niece. She waved a dismissive hand at Kelly. “Look at her, she’s fine.”

  “What medical school did you graduate from?” Frankie challenged.

  Summer rolled her eyes. “If she wasn’t okay, she wouldn’t have been released from the hospital.”

  “Must be nice to live in a bubble.” Frankie’s tone deepened, and his easy smile was slipping away fast.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Summer asked.

  Frankie put up a palm at Summer. “Never mind. I should get going. I have to go to the market. Call me if you need anything.” He gave Kelly a light kiss on the cheek and breezed by his stepmother without a goodbye.

  Summer squared her shoulders. “It’s been a long time since you lived full-time in Lucky Cove. Let me give you the lay of the land. Our family is prominent here. We have a reputation to uphold and you being connected in any way to two murders and this haunting nonsense is not acceptable. It’s time you get your act together, Kelly. You’re not a kid anymore.�
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  Pepper rushed around to Kelly’s side and was about to say something when Kelly grabbed her friend’s wrist. She didn’t want a scene. There were a few customers in the boutique, and she didn’t want to lose any more business.

  “Goodbye, Summer.” Kelly turned, prompting Pepper to join her, and together they returned to the other side of the sales counter.

  Summer huffed. Then she swung around and stalked out of the boutique.

  “You know she invited me to Thanksgiving dinner,” Kelly said.

  “It’ll be a bloodbath,” Pepper warned.

  “Yes, it would be.” Kelly leaned on the counter. “Who is this Lulu chick, anyway?”

  Pepper shrugged. “No one knows.” She stepped away from the sales counter when a customer approached with three dresses in her arms looking for the changing room.

  “I’m going to run out for a few minutes.” At the end of her rope with all the haunting craziness swirling around the boutique, Kelly was going to do the only thing that wouldn’t cost her money—plead her case to Dorothy’s lawyer.

  While she was at her desk earlier, she’d reviewed the legal document she was served and realized Mark Lambert’s office was just down the street. She dashed back into the staff room and grabbed the box of muffins Liv had delivered earlier. Since she’d eaten one, the muffins looked uneven. She took out one and set it aside. Now there were four muffins, and it didn’t look like she was regifting baked goods. She closed the box, grabbed her leather jacket and tote bag, and headed out, fingers crossed she could convince the lawyer to convince his client she was crazy for suing her over a haunted chair.

  Yeah, she’d have to rephrase her request.

  Kelly pulled open the boutique’s front door and stepped outside. She was greeted first by a cold wind and then a lovely autumnal vignette consisting of a bale of hay, three pumpkins in various sizes, and three potted mums. Earl had not only picked up the decorations, he actually decorated the exterior of the boutique.