Murder Has a Sweet Tooth (28 page)

On top of all that, she’d had her own dress literally swiped right out from under her because she’d gone above and beyond to save my life. Talk about a best friend!

She insisted, so I left all my wedding worries in Eve’s capable hands and yes, I knew I was trusting a lot to a woman whose closet was filled with more froufrou then I’d ever owned or even knew existed. I had to. This was Eve, remember, and Eve had saved my life. She was my best friend.

Naturally, the whole best-friend thing got me thinking about Vickie and Celia and Glynis and Beth. And it got me thinking about their husbands, too. All the rest of that day and all that night, my brain spun with possibilities. I kept legal pads around for just such occasions and I filled their pages with scrawled notes, names, dates, times, and alibis. By the time the next day dawned, the brain power I’d expelled on the problem was rewarded—

I had a theory.

It was crazy, sure, but it was the only thing that fit. In fact, it was so improbable and outlandish, I didn’t dare explain it to Jim, Eve, or Norman. Turns out, I didn’t have to. I was cryptic. They were still game to help me out. After that, we worked together like a well-oiled machine. We decided the hours of Beth’s funeral service were the safest to do a little undercover work, I told them where they’d find the women’s hide-a-keys, and we put my plan into action.

Much to Norman’s dismay, we didn’t bring walkie-talkies. Instead, they each agreed to phone me during their searches. With any luck, it would be when they found what I hoped they’d find. I was already inside Vickie’s house and carefully poking around Edward’s study when the first call came in.

“Are you OK, Annie?” It was Jim, of course. Leave it to the love of my life to worry about me more than about the case. He’s a sweetheart.

“Of course I’m OK,” I whispered. Don’t ask me why. The family was at Beth’s funeral and the house was empty and quiet. Besides, Edward’s home office was straight out of every MBA candidate’s dreams, from the mahogany desk and bookshelves to the carpet so plush, I sank into it when I crossed the room. Even if there was someone around, I could probably talk at the top of my lungs, and I wouldn’t be heard. The place had that kind of Fortress of Solitude feel. Still, I wasn’t one to take chances, and I kept my voice down. “I’m just about to look through Edward’s desk.”

“Well, I’ve already looked through this Michael fellow’s desk.” I’d sent Jim to Beth and Michael’s. He wasn’t happy about what he called trespassing, but I convinced him it was all in the name of clearing Alex’s reputation, and bringing a killer to justice. “It seems you were right, Annie. I found—”

My phone beeped a call waiting. I told Jim I’d see him later. “Annie, you are the coolest PI since Mike Hammer!” It was Norman, who’d gone over to Celia and Scott’s. I knew from the tone of his voice that he’d found what I was looking for, too. “How did you know?” he asked. “I mean, really, Annie, you are the bomb! I’m thinking we’ll do an episode about you. You know, for the show. One night, it won’t be the Cooking Con, it will be the Cooking PI. You could do a special guest appearance and you could show people how to make—”

Good thing Eve’s call beeped in. It saved me from telling Norman
no way, no how
. Eve was at Glynis and Chip’s, and as soon as she purred a cheery hello, I knew she’d had success, too. “I’ve got it, Annie!” Eve said. “It’s right here, just like you said it would be.”

“Good. Now leave it there.” I didn’t have to mention this to Jim and Norman. They were conscientious enough not to forget that if we tampered with the evidence, it might affect the police case later. But it never hurt to give Eve a gentle reminder. “Get out of there,” I told her. “And don’t forget to lock the front door behind you. I’ll meet you back at Bellywasher’s.”

Feeling far more encouraged than I had since the day Alex first called to tell us he’d been arrested, I opened Edward’s desk, careful not to disturb anything.

But what I was looking for—what Jim, Norman, and Eve had already found—wasn’t there.

Discouraged and bewildered, I plunked down into Edward’s desk chair. The leather was as soft as butter, so I should have felt like I was sitting on a cloud. Instead, when something stabbed my thigh, I squirmed. It reminded me of the poke I’d felt the day before when that woman on the crowded Old Town street jabbed me with her purse.

Curious, I slid my hand down between the body of the chair and the cushion. My fingers traced the outline of an envelope. It was the corner of that envelope that had dug into my leg. I pulled out the envelope, examined it, and my mouth fell open. It was a greeting card addressed to Edward. Beth’s return address sticker, the one with her name printed right on it, was still stuck in the corner.

Two things occurred to me. One was that Beth had said she’d sent her blackmail letter to Edward inside a sympathy card. The other was something Tyler had told me—no one was stupid enough to keep a blackmail note, especially if that someone was planning to kill the blackmailer. But when I turned the envelope over in my hands, all was explained. At least all about why Edward had kept the card in the first place. It had never been opened. I pictured Edward bringing it into the office with the mountain of sympathy cards he must have received when Vickie died. He’d dropped this card, and it had slid down into the cushion and been forgotten.

Which meant Edward didn’t know about Beth’s demands. Not about how she wanted Jeremy to play soccer. Not about how she wanted Michael to get that big, fat promotion.

I tapped the card against my chin, thinking, and I should have been more confused than ever. Not so! Suddenly, everything made perfect sense. Now if I could only find what I’d come to find in the first place, I’d know I was on the right track.

Reenergized, I scanned the room, wondering where Edward might tuck something so incriminating. Michael, Scott, and Chip weren’t as careful, which was why Jim, Norman, and Eve had found their copies of Sonny’s newsletter so easily. Edward, I suspected, had more to lose.

After a couple minutes of thinking and a couple more of searching, I found it, finally, tucked under the desk blotter. Just as I expected, the newsletter was dog-eared and Sonny’s class schedule was circled in red. The words
Saturdays only
were underscored with heavy slashes.

I tucked the newsletter and the sympathy card back where I’d found them and hurried out of the house. I had one more stop to make and once I did, I’d have everything I needed to prove who killed Vickie and Beth, and why. For now, I had one piece of the puzzle, and it was a big one. I knew that Edward wasn’t the only one who knew his wife was stepping out on him. All of them—Edward, Michael, Scott, and Chip—every one of the husbands knew what his wife was up to on Tuesday nights.

OAKWOOD CEMETERY IN FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA,
is right off the Lee Highway. It didn’t take me long to get there, and I timed my arrival just right. I parked my car just as the service finished and the mourners were walking away from Beth’s grave.

Beth was much loved and the crowd was sizable. I saw Glynis and Celia standing to the side and crying, but I ignored them and hoped they didn’t see me. If I was right about what was going on, Beth’s funeral wasn’t the place for them to find it out. I sidestepped my way through the crowd of teary-eyed mourners and found Michael looking appropriately solemn in a black suit and an understated gray-and-black-striped tie.

“I am so sorry.” I didn’t have to pretend to be rushed and out of breath; it was a long walk from the car and over to the gravesite. “Oh, Michael! I can’t believe I missed the entire service. I had to stop at Ballston Common Mall in Arlington this morning and when I came out, my car had a flat. Doesn’t it just figure!” I threw my hands in the air in frustration. “My cell phone wasn’t working, either. The battery was dead. And have you ever tried to find a public phone these days? It’s practically impossible.”

He was distracted. Who could blame him? Michael had just seen his wife’s ashes interred. The emotional undercurrent of the situation was, of course, exactly what I was hoping to take advantage of.

His answer was a throwaway designed to dismiss me as quickly as possible. “There’s a public phone right there at North Glebe and Seventh Street North,” he said, and it wasn’t until the words were out of his mouth that he realized he’d given himself away.

This was no time to gloat, so I didn’t dare crack a smile when I said, “North Glebe and Seventh Street North. That’s the pay phone that was used to call in the anonymous tip about Vickie. You know, the one that led the police to her body. They had a theory that the murderer made the call. It’s funny that you’d know exactly where that phone is located.”

Michael’s face went as gray as the stripe in his tie. Right before a color like hot lava shot up his neck and into his cheeks. “It isn’t funny,” he growled. “It isn’t anything. It’s just a comment. It’s just a phone. And plenty of people know it’s there.”

“Of course.” I backed off. There was no point in doing anything else, at least not until I talked to Tyler and told him about everything I’d discovered that day. “It’s a public phone. On a public street. I only wish there was someone over at the mall this morning who knew where it was. Then I could have called for a ride and gotten here on time. You know, Michael, I really am sorry about Beth.”

His jaw was so tight, I was afraid it might snap, and besides, I’d found out all I needed to know. I turned and walked away.

By now, the crowd had dispersed. I saw Chip take Glynis’s arm. With one sharp look over his shoulder at me, Scott walked over to where Celia was waiting. I didn’t see Edward at all, and I figured he was already back in his car and headed home.

With that in mind, I took a moment to stop in the shade of a tall standing headstone to pull out my cell and give Tyler a call. Reception was terrible; I couldn’t get a connection. Determined, I skirted a newly dug grave gaping like a bottomless pit in the sunshine. I ducked under the low-hanging branches of a tree and walked another dozen yards, hoping for a better signal. When I didn’t get one, I told myself there was no hurry and turned back toward my car.

Edward Monroe stood directly in my path.

I sucked in a surprised gasp.

Edward took a step closer. “You’re not very good about following advice,” he said, his voice even, though there was a spark of annoyance in his eyes. “I told you—”

“To mind my own business. Yeah, I remember that.” My heart beat double time and I forced myself to take a few steadying breaths. Without making it look too obvious, I looked to my right and my left out of the corner of my eye, just to see who was around. Nobody was, not within yelling distance, anyway. I reminded myself there was nothing to be gained by trying to be a hero, and decided to play it cool. With that in mind, I offered Edward a quick smile. “I appreciate your advice. It’s always nice to have good friends watching your back. That’s what friends are for, isn’t it? They care about you.”

He took another step closer. His hands balled into fists at his sides.

Oh, yeah, there was a time to play it cool, all right. But there was a time to run, too. Since cool was getting me nowhere, I gathered my courage, told myself I could sprint with the best of them even though I knew it wasn’t true, and spun around.

Michael was standing not five feet behind me.

Even before I looked, I knew Scott and Chip would have my other opportunities for escape blocked. Scott was on my left, Chip on my right.

I was hemmed in and alone, and my only hope was to find a weak link and take advantage of it. This was no time to beat around the bush. “You knew your wives were stepping out on you. All of you knew.” I looked from one man to the others. “You can’t deny it. Not when you each have Sonny’s cooking class schedule in your possession. You knew there were no cooking classes on Tuesday nights.”

“Edward!” Chip stepped forward, but whatever protest he was going to offer was cut short by Edward’s scorching look.