He looked disappointed. “It seems like neither of us can get away from dealing with troublesome celebrities.” He leaned over the counter and kissed me warmly. “There’s more where that came from. We just have to find the time.”
* * *
I spent the rest of the day nervously awaiting happy hour. How odd. It was supposed to be the time of the day I got a chance to relax, and here I was all jittery about it.
The saving grace was that Dinah and I had made plans for a girls’ night afterward. I’d given Barry a heads-up so that he wouldn’t show up unannounced. Besides, I didn’t expect to have anything new to tell him anyway. And Mason had some hand-holding to do with a client, so I knew I wouldn’t see him, either.
I was in the yarn department when the group began to arrive. Dinah got there first and said how much she was looking forward to our girls’ night and that she had a lot to tell me about her conference with Commander. She seemed so energetic and upbeat, and it was like a tonic to see her. She always wore a long scarf wound around her neck. This one was white with sparkles that lit up her face.
CeeCee came up to us. “Any word if Rory will be joining us?”
She said the name with distaste, and I knew she didn’t approve of the younger celebrity. I said I thought she was coming and then added the news of the added requirements of our Make-and-Take rehearsal.
CeeCee began to fret. “I wonder if the powers that be told Rory what they expect of her.” She put down her tote bag. “Dear, I hope we have enough kits made up, because we ought to do a repeat of last night.” She discussed how she thought it would go for the actual show. “We’ll probably be in the background making our own Gratitude Circles and then Rory will be helping the Make-and-Take people.” She shuddered when she said it. “I can’t imagine her managing that with her current skill level. Even her slip knot was a nightmare. Maybe when she hears the Craftee people are coming to watch us, she’ll finally stop fooling around. She can’t seem to get it in her head that she has to crochet like it’s second nature.” CeeCee went to the head of the table. “At least we can all make a bracelet together tonight.”
When Elise arrived, CeeCee asked her if she had any kits left. Elise showed that she still had a bag full and put one at each person’s seat. I appreciated that she’d provided them for the Hookers, but she did have an ulterior motive. We were already talking about selling bracelet kits in the yarn department after the show taped, and Elise wanted to be our supplier.
“So, we’re going to try again,” Rhoda said, pulling out her chair. “I hope Rory shows up this time.”
Errol must have talked to Janine, because she seemed totally changed. She was hanging so close to Marianne now that she seemed like her shadow. She helped Marianne with the kit and took one for herself. I wondered if it had anything to do with her finding out we were going to be on a TV show. There was a good chance she was an aspiring actor working as a companion while she waited for her big break.
Marianne seemed withdrawn, and Janine nudged her. It took Marianne a moment to compute what the nudge meant, but then she nodded with recognition and offered a stiff greeting to the group and said how happy she was to be there.
We all watched when Rory made a stir coming through the bookstore. She stopped at least twice to do a Dance Break with a customer before she joined us. She was all smiles and seemed clueless that anyone was upset with her. Adele appeared just then, which made me think she must have been hiding out until Rory arrived.
“So, what’s happening, everybody?” Rory said, seeing the kits on the table.
CeeCee looked at me. “Why don’t you explain, dear. I’m sure you’ll be better at it than me.”
I knew what CeeCee was really saying—that I could manage to explain the upcoming rehearsal without casting aspersions. As I explained, I kept glancing at Rory, trying to read her expression. Did she already know about the rehearsal and was she worried about it? She seemed unconcerned, which had me worried.
“Let’s not waste any time,” Eduardo said, picking up his bag of supplies. Rory watched the rest of the group and didn’t make a move. I gave Adele a look, and she pushed Rory’s bag toward her.
“Why don’t you stand up, Rory,” CeeCee said. “Since you’re going to be the host.”
Rory reluctantly got up and looked around at the group. “Hey, let’s start off with a Dance Break.” I watched as the whole group half closed their eyes and shook their heads with dismay.
No one joined in Rory’s Dance Break, and the extent of her crocheting was holding a hook and walking around the table as the rest of us worked, adding what she called color. “That’s what they want me for,” she said when CeeCee gave her a sour look.
The bracelet making went fine with the old guard of the group, but Janine had to make Marianne’s. Rory only managed to make a slip knot. I shuddered. Could it get any worse?
* * *
“It’s time to put it all behind you,” Dinah said as we walked out of the bookstore together. We’d already decided to start our girls’ night by eating at a new place that had opened down the street. It was what now seemed to be called casual dining, which meant that you ordered at the counter. It was done to appear like a diner, and the food was all comfort items like meatloaf and macaroni and cheese. Dinah and I gave the woman at the counter our food order, and Dinah went to grab a table while I stood off to the side to wait for our dinner.
A moment later, Marianne and Janine came in. I was stuck behind a row of tall plants and they didn’t see me. Janine walked Marianne to a table and got her situated and then came back to the counter. She placed their order, and when she stepped away to wait, she saw me.
“It looks like we both had the same idea,” Janine said. She looked toward her charge. “Marianne wanted dinner out. I guess the person who had my job before me just did whatever Marianne wanted. Did you know her?”
I explained my dealings with Connie, which were minimal. “To be honest, none of us in the group knew what her relationship with Marianne was. Did they tell you what happened to her?”
Janine’s face grew serious. “Errol Freeman is the one who handled hiring me. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, though it’ll be better when they let me move into the guesthouse. I heard it was a freak accident and she got electrocuted. But getting electrocuted is like getting struck by lightning. It never happens in the same spot twice, right?”
I didn’t want to tell her that wasn’t exactly true for lightning and certainly not true for a freak accident. Before I could say either, Janine stuck out her foot.
“I wear rubber-soled shoes anyway.”
The counter person set some trays of food out, and we both looked to see if it was ours. When someone else stepped up to collect the food, we went back to talking.
“I suppose you know all about Marianne’s problem.” I said it as if I knew what the problem was, hoping Janine would feel comfortable talking about it.
She shrugged. “I didn’t ask and they didn’t tell me,” she said. “My job is mostly to make sure she takes her meds. Then it’s he said, she said. He wants me to be with her all the time. She wants me to give her some space.”
I thought about what Rory had said about having a companion. “I suppose you’re right in the middle of the affairs of whoever you’re working for,” I said.
“It’s kind of like you know stuff whether you want to or not. Like, with this one, I don’t really want to know why Errol Freeman’s wife seems so upset with Marianne.”
The counter man brought more trays of food. When I looked up to see if it was Dinah’s and my order, I noticed that Errol had come into the restaurant. He seemed to be watching his sister, and then he came over to Janine and fussed at her for leaving Marianne at the table alone and seemed concerned about the kind of place she’d taken his sister to.
“I’ll go sit with her until the food comes, get it packed to go, and then you can take her home,” he said. It was only then that he seemed to notice me and
offered me a curt greeting.
When he was gone, Janine looked perturbed. “I don’t like working with someone looking over my shoulder.”
Our food came up next, and I took it to the table. I’d barely had time to tell Dinah what was going on before we saw Janine head to their table carrying a shopping bag. It didn’t look to me like Marianne was that anxious to leave.
Dinah and I dug into our food and ate it with abandon. It was one of those meals where we threw health concerns to the wind and feasted on fried chicken, mashed potatoes with a pool of melted butter on top, and creamed spinach. We were too full to eat the apple pie we’d ordered and got it packed to go. Dinah followed me to my house and helped me deal with the pet brigade.
“Where’s Samuel?” she asked as I turned on the lights.
“He’s been a no-show a lot lately. I think that means he has a new girlfriend.”
Dinah glanced into the living room. “Look at all that space. And no snippy person finding fault with everything you do.”
“So your conference with Commander didn’t go well,” I said as I dished out dog and cat food.
“He had no idea what was going on. Cassandra is always pleasant when he’s around. He didn’t even know about the yoga classes. I had to tell him that his daughter was trying to paint me as a villain after her mother’s stuff.” Dinah threw up her hands in distress. “One of the reasons he moved to my place is that I didn’t want to live in the house he’d lived in with his wife, surrounded by all her things.”
We took Blondie on her walk together, glad to move around after the heavy meal. We made it home with no coyote encounters this time.
When we got back, we starting talking about the group. “Janine is certainly different than Connie,” Dinah said. “It’s funny how little we know about Connie, but then I guess her job was to stay in the background.” Dinah paused to see what room we were going to settle in. “What happened to that whole investigation of Connie’s death? There was that one short news article and then nothing. Did the cops close the case?” my friend asked as I led her into the den. Mine was much smaller than Marianne’s, but like hers, it had a view of the yard.
“They’re still investigating, but I don’t think they agree on what happened,” I said.
We both sat on the couch facing the built-in wall unit. There was a spot for a TV, but it had been built for the old-fashioned kind and I’d had to perch the flat-screen outside the boxlike housing. Dinah and I had played the Sherlock Holmes game just once on this case, and that had been mostly about Marianne. We really hadn’t talked about Connie’s death at all. I showered her with the information I’d gathered.
“Wow,” she said when I’d finished. “I’m surprised that you didn’t tell me any of this before. We usually shoot ideas back and forth.” She sounded almost hurt. “You sure seem to know a lot. Where are you getting your information? Mason?” Then she leaned closer. “Or was it Barry?”
I didn’t say anything and tried not to react, but she picked up on a flicker in my expression.
“So Barry’s giving you information? That seems odd, since he’s usually trying to keep you out of stuff. He seemed pretty friendly the other night.” She let it hang in the air, and I bit my lip.
Dinah knew me all too well and moved closer. “I know what you’re doing. You’re holding something back.”
“I can’t say anything,” I said finally.
“Aha! So there is something going on. Something with Barry.”
She saw me freeze.
“And it’s a secret.”
When I stayed mute, she said, “Okay, I get it that you can’t talk, but I can guess.” She was smiling, intrigued by the game and took a moment to think it over. “This is a crazy thought—but are you working with Barry?”
When I didn’t say anything, she laughed.
“How about you blink if that’s what it is.”
I blinked a number of times, and her face lit up.
“That Barry,” she said, shaking her head with a giggle. “He found the perfect way to keep spending time with you.”
“That’s not why he’s doing it,” I protested. “You can’t let on that you know.”
I got her to promise that she wouldn’t say anything if the three of us were together again. Then I told her that Detective Heather had decided what had happened but that Barry didn’t agree. Since Marianne had lawyered up, she wasn’t talking. He knew that I was friendly with her and thought she might drop some information in my lap.
“I was just supposed to give him information and he’d put the pieces together, as he put it. But you know me,” I said with a smile and a shrug. “I worked it out, so we’re putting together the pieces, together.”
“And Mason doesn’t know about it?”
“Barry swore me to secrecy. I think his biggest concern is that Detective Heather not find out that he’s looking for information that would prove her wrong. It’s just business between us, anyway. Though it is kind of neat being on the same side with him.”
We decided to have our pie while we watched TV. I let Dinah play with the remote and flip through the channels looking for something interesting.
“Stop,” I said when I saw Rory on the screen. Dinah put down the remote and we both stared at her image.
“She sure doesn’t mind showing herself in a bad light,” Dinah said as we watched Rory stumble into her kitchen with no makeup and rumpled clothes. We determined it was a repeat of the last reality show she’d been on—Rory in Real Life. She went to the counter and pulled out a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. Another women came into the frame, and as Rory picked up a knife, presumably to make a sandwich, the woman grabbed the bread and peanut butter.
“Look at her,” Dinah said, leaning closer to the screen. “That almost looks like—”
“It is,” I said interrupting. “That’s Connie Richards.”
Chapter Nineteen
The bookstore was bustling when I came in Friday morning. Adele was doing a special story time and the kids had already started to arrive. The mothers were making their way to the café as I headed to the information kiosk. I saw a number of them look at the sign advertising Missy Z’s upcoming book signing. Mrs. Shedd stopped me before I went into my so-called office.
“The Craftee people called a while ago. They said they’d be in this afternoon to see the Make-and-Take run-through. I assume you know what they’re talking about.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be until next week,” I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.
“The person I spoke with was very casual about it, as if they’re just coming by to observe the Hookers in action.” She began to pick up on my panic. “Am I to assume you’re not ready?”
I had to set aside my own nerves to calm her. I fudged a little and said that my biggest concern was getting something together in the afternoon.
It seemed to appease the store owner, and she gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. “I’m sure you’ll manage just fine. You always seem to come through.”
My mind was already clicking on how I was going to do what she seemed to think was so easy. I’d call some of the Hookers. Rhoda was usually free in the afternoon. I hoped that CeeCee would be able to come. Sheila worked down the street, so she could probably take a break then. Adele would be there, and I was sure Dinah would come if she didn’t have a class. I’d snag some customers from the bookstore to do the Make-and-Take. I was feeling reassured that we’d manage until I thought about Rory. I thought back to the last get-together and her nonexistent skill with a hook.
I knew Adele’s event was for younger kids and Rory had brought hers before. No adults other than Adele were allowed in when she was hosting the kids, but I was able to peek in. I saw that Rory’s two kids were sitting in the front, and I went to look for her. I found her sitting in a corner of the café holding court with some of the other mothers.
It was an effort to get her to step away from all the attention, but I fin
ally managed to pull her aside. “I assume the people from the Craftee Channel contacted you about a rehearsal of the Make-and-Take,” I said.
“Someone called this morning,” she said, seeming unconcerned. “I said I’d be there.”
I was stunned that she seemed to think that all that was needed was her presence.
“You do understand they want to see the bracelet making in action. They must be expecting you to take part in it.” I looked at her to see her reaction.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” She glanced at the table and made it clear she wanted to rejoin her admirers.
I suddenly remembered the previous night and seeing her old reality show. “Before you go,” I said. “Dinah and I were flipping through channels last night, and suddenly there you were on the screen.”
Rory seemed pleased as I went on about how brave she was to be on camera in the morning without any makeup. But then her expression changed as she seemed to think of something. I heard her mutter something like, “Oh, no, I had no idea they were still playing repeats.”
“Why didn’t you mention that Connie Richards worked as your companion?” I said, and she seemed to shrink back.
“Would you believe that I forgot?” she asked.
“No,” I said.
“Just please forget that you saw that and don’t tell anyone about it.” She abruptly started to pull away. “I never thought I would say this, but I hope nobody is watching me on those old shows.” Before I could react, she’d already gone back to her adoring fans.
* * *
The Hookers came through, and only Eduardo couldn’t make it. Marianne and Janine arrived early. Marianne seemed worried, but I told her all that was required of her was that she work on one of the bracelets.
Elise had brought the kits for the Gratitude Circles, and she acted as their custodian until we had some actual Make-and-Takers. When Dinah came to the table, I wanted badly to tell her about Rory’s odd reaction when I’d mentioned seeing Connie in the reality show, but there was no time. CeeCee arrived, seeming a little more put together than usual. She might have been playing the part of a participant in this, but she knew she was a celebrity and likely to draw more attention than the rest of us. Sheila and Rhoda came in together and sat down. Adele cruised into the yarn department looking like a crochet display. She was wearing a black sweater decorated with crocheted flowers in all different colors and designs.
Hooks Can Be Deceiving Page 15
