Better Off Wed (19 page)

After the police removed Dr. Donovan, barely coherent and mumbling about changing his name to Vanderbilt, I held court in my apartment. With a fresh new lump on my head, I figured I should be calling the shots. Leatrice and Kate sat on either side of me on the couch, taking turns holding the ice pack on my head. Richard had risen to the occasion, preparing an impressive display of cold hors d'oeuvres, considering the contents of my kitchen.

Detective Reese perched on the edge of my over-stuffed chair, taking small bites of a tomato and Velveeta canapé that Fern insisted he try. He wore a black knit shirt that stretched over the muscles in his arms. I concentrated hard on not noticing.

“Can you believe that Richard didn't want to use this perfectly good cheese? Those expiration dates are just guidelines.” Fern pointed a thumb toward Richard in the kitchen. Reese stopped in midbite and placed the
hors d'oeuvre on a lavender monogrammed cocktail napkin. Fern gave a loud sniff and retreated to the kitchen.

Kate tucked her legs under her. “I can't believe Dr. Donovan was the murderer.”

“He covered well, setting up his father-in-law.” Reese picked up his notepad from the table. He'd almost filled it when he arrived and questioned us. Now he was on the last page. “We would have discovered him eventually, though.”

I lifted the ice pack off my head. “You mean after he'd killed me, changed his identity, and moved to another country?”

“Don't excite yourself, dearie.” Leatrice pushed the ice back on lump number two.

“He'd have stayed put if you hadn't gone around stirring up trouble, Annabelle.” Reese folded his arms across his broad chest.

I forced myself to look a few inches north and meet his eyes, which seemed to turn greener as we argued. “You're saying it's my fault he tried to kill me…twice?”

Leatrice gave a nervous laugh. “I'm sure that's not what Detect…”

“If you hadn't stuck your nose in the investigation, he wouldn't have felt threatened enough to kill you,” Reese insisted.

“I can't believe this.” I sat up quickly, felt a pain in my head, and leaned back. “We solve this case and present the killer to you on a silver platter, and you still won't give us any credit.”

He nodded his head at Leatrice. “I'll give credit for the most creatively subdued suspect.”

I thought of the groom being carried out with clumps of mulch from Leatrice's shovel clinging to his face and tried not to smile. I wanted to focus on outrage!

Leatrice turned bright pink. “I just worked with what I had.”

Richard came out of the kitchen followed by Fern, who carried what appeared to be a plate of pinwheels made out of luncheon meat and something gooey. He gave a weak sigh as I eyed the plate Fern set on the coffee table. “This day has been one disaster after another.”

“There, there.” Fern put an arm around Richard. “Don't you worry about a thing. Try one of my yogurt pinwheels.”

Richard peeked through his fingers at the drippy hors d'oeuvre Fern held up. “Heaven preserve me.”

Kate raised an eyebrow at Richard, then leaned over toward Reese. “I can't believe the groom killed his own mother-in-law. We didn't have a clue before today.”

I noticed her blouse hanging open, and pulled her back next to me. “Actually we had plenty of clues. The victims being killed with prescription drugs, the tuxedo with the powder residue…”

“I guess you're right,” Kate jumped in. “Don't forget ‘Phillips' written in Mrs. Pierce's notebook and the missing diploma.”

“We didn't even make the connection that Dr. Donovan worked in the same office as his father-in-law,” I added. “It never occurred to us that the killer could be someone so charming.”

“Or so handsome.” Kate grinned at Reese. I
pinched her hard on the leg. She yelped, glaring at me, and I noticed Reese trying to contain a smile. I reminded myself that cocky policemen weren't my type. Reese caught my eye and gave me a small wink. I smiled at him in spite of my best efforts not to and felt my face get warm. Then, again, a little adventure in life wasn't bad.

“Sometimes it's who you least expect.” Leatrice cleared her throat. “Appearances can be deceiving.”

Kate shrugged her shoulders. “I guess all that glitters isn't mold.”