“I learned a couple things from John Smith, too,' Mel said. 'Apparently she made Marguerite Rowe's wedding dress sometime back in the Dark Ages.'
“She claimed that, and Marguerite brushed her off,' Jane said.
“She also has an accountant in common with Eden's father.'
“What could that mean?' Jane asked.
“Almost certainly nothing,' Mel said. 'And she once had a sewing class that a Mrs. Hessling attended.'· 'You're just a wealth of information,' Jane said. 'But how does any of it help?'
“I'm not claiming it helps. Just reporting.”
“What about Dwayne? Did they find out anything about him?' Jane asked.
Mel decided the teenaged shoplifting charge wasn't something he should discuss. 'Not much. His boss was pretty closed-mouth about him. Whether he was concealing something the company didn't want talked about or he simply doesn't like the kid very well wasn't clear. He said Dwayne was going to work for Livvy's father and didn't express any regret at losing him.”
Shelley suddenly gasped.
“What's wrong?' Jane asked.
“The seam binding! We forgot to tell Mel about the seam binding!”
Jane nearly slapped her own forehead. 'How could we forget!' She explained to him about the fresh, non- dusty seam binding they'd found in the attic while he was out to dinner and their theory that it had been tied across the stairway to make quite certain Mrs. Crossthwait would take a serious tumble.
“Where is it now?' he asked in a low voice. 'I think we left it in the attic,' Shelley said. 'You haven't mentioned this to anyone else, have you?' Mel asked.
“Of course not,' Jane said.
“Then don't. Stay here. I'm going to call Smith and have him take a look.”
He got up and strolled away with seeming casualness.
“He's taking us seriously for once,' Jane said with surprise.
“What are you two plotting?' Eden Matthews said from behind Jane. Neither she nor Shelley had seen her approach and Jane wondered if she'd overheard any of their conversation.
“Nothing much,' Jane said. 'Just chatting about the plans for tomorrow.”
Eden took the chair Mel had been sitting in. She was still in her dinner dress, a slinky black number with a plunging neckline and what looked like a real diamond brooch to draw the eye to the extent of the plunge. She really was a gorgeous, voluptuous woman. 'Your boyfriend is very good-looking,' she said to Jane.
“I think so, too,' Jane said.
“Where's he gone?'
“I'm not sure. He didn't say.' Jane wondered fleetingly whether Eden was really asking if he'd gone to bed and intended to pursue him there. Rather than let herself follow this line of thought, she asked, 'How was the rehearsal dinner?'
“Wonderful. Excellent food. Nice surroundings, but not the best of company, I have to admit. Dwayne was in a bit of a rage about his room being messed up. He couldn't quit complaining about it. Didn't make for scintillating conversation.'
“That's too bad,' Shelley said. 'Was he blaming anyone in particular?'
“Oh, just about everybody in turn. Not blatantly enough for anyone to justify taking offense — quite. But he was very annoying. Set everyone's teeth on edge.'
“What does he do for a living?' Shelley asked.
“I have the impression he's been a very insignificant clerk in a very large mortgage company. Researches deeds or something boring like that. But he's coming into the family firm when he and Livvy get back from their honeymoon. I can't imagine what he can contribute.'
“Besides sons for Livvy?' Shelley said.
Eden grinned. 'It probably is just a ploy to keep him close at hand and under Jack's control. I never thought about it that way, but you're probably right. Keeps him under Jack's watchful eye and prevents him from advancing elsewhere and having a job if he even thinks about getting out of the marriage eventually. That's very perceptive of you.'
“Who do you think messed up his room?' Jane asked, inadvertently cutting short Shelley's appreciation of the compliment.
“I'd have done it if I'd thought of it, just to provide an irritant,' Eden said with a wicked smile. 'But I didn't. I don't know. His own chums are the best possibility. They're all a tad low-rent, don't you think? And it's such a male thing.'
“Actually, I'd guess they're all pretty ambitious,' Shelley replied. 'They're obviously in awe of Jack Thatcher and his successful friends. I think some of them harbor the illusion that one of these rich businessmen will recognize their sterling qualities and pluck them out of the abyss of lower management.”
Eden stared at Shelley for a moment with a look of surprise. 'Yes. Yes, I can see that. But who would that leave? Not me. Not you two. You don't want anything messing up the wedding.'
“The aunts?' Jane suggested.
Eden shook her head. 'No, they live for tidiness. Both of them have three-times-a-week cleaning ladies. And besides, why would they want to make him miserable?'
“Maybe just because they don't approve of him marrying Livvy,' Jane said, thinking this was pretty thin reasoning, but unable to come up with anything else.
Eden stirred in her chair and yawned. 'I guess we'll never know. I'm giving it up for the night. Have to get my beauty sleep.”
Jane and Shelley sat silently watching her leave. Then Shelley said, 'It's odd. Nobody seems to have much affection for Dwayne. Not even his own mother. And if Livvy is passionate about him, she certainly doesn't show it.'
“And at least one person seems to actively dislike him. The one who wrecked his belongings,' Jane said. After another few minutes of thought, she added, 'And it's very possible that someone in this wedding party is capable of murder. If I were Dwayne, I'd be worried. In fact, I
Sixteen
uncle Joe turned up about ten minutes before the bachelor party ended. He wandered into the side room where it was being held and wandered back out a moment later with a cold beer in one hand and a fistful of pretzels in the other. Jane wondered if he'd appeared just to show he was entitled to attend, but chose not to participate. Or had he just wanted a free beer? He sat down near Shelley and Jane, but not close enough to encourage conversation. Jane nodded at him politely and he nodded back.
Aunt Iva and Aunt Marguerite had been seated at the far end of the room, sipping sherry and holding an animated, but whispered chat, and now rose and approached Jane and Shelley. 'What is the schedule for tomorrow?' Iva asked.
“Breakfast from seven to eight. A light lunch at twelve and the wedding itself at two,' Jane said. She'd prepared and handed out this information, nicely printed out on pink card stock, to all the family members as they arrived, but apparently Iva and Marguerite had lost theirs or simply ignored them.
“We think we'll just stay on here for a bit after the wedding,' Marguerite said, poking ineffectually at her snowy white wig, which seemed to be slipping off center again. 'After all, the lodge will be gone soon and this is our last chance to stay here.”
Jane didn't know why they were telling her this or how she was expected to respond. They were free to stay until the bulldozers came up the driveway as far as Jane was concerned. She settled for a simple, 'I see.'
“We spent a lot of time here as girls, you see,' Iva explained. 'And we think we'd like some time to relive a few memories.”
“Take some nice walks in the fine weather…' Marguerite added.
Maybe they were just rehearsing their explanation to Jack, Jane speculated, and wondered if he was going to buy their story or pitch them out so
“That will be pleasant for you,' Jane said mildly.
Uncle Joe had finished his beer and pretzels. He left the empty beer can on a side table and walked
