subject while I searched for the right way to break the news about Mona.
“Mandy Beenerman’s bringing in her Lhasa Apso.”
I shook my head. “I can’t place her, but her name sounds really familiar.”
“She owns the fitness company, Mandy’s Place.” Darby continued to arrange and rearrange props as she talked. “Apparently Nietzsche has agoraphobia. Since your cousin has taken them on as clients, he’s gotten better, and this is his reward.”
“You’ve talked to Caro?”
Darby stood back and studied her masterpiece. “No. Mandy. But Caro did recommend me. I need to call and thank her. Unless you want to?” She grinned at me over her shoulder.
“You’re such a comedian.”
“So what’s going on?” she asked.
I walked over to one of the chairs she’d just positioned to picture perfection and sat, dropping my purse between my feet. “I’m taking the day off.”
She swiveled in my direction. “Why?”
Sometimes the direct approach was best. “Mona’s dead.”
Eyes wide open, Darby looked horrified. “What do you mean, dead?”
“Like someone whacked with her Fluffy’s Emmy. Gone. Dead.”
She tripped over the light stand making her way to me. “She’s been murdered? Are you sure?”
“Trust me, she’s dead. I’ve seen her.” I shuddered, remembering Mona’s awkward pose.
Darby shook her head, obviously confused. “When?” her voice cracked. I watched her normally effortless smile slip away.
“Last night. I took Fluffy home, and she found her,” I continued, “Mona was lying on the floor with the Emmy…” I pointed to my head.
Darby looked around the studio and zeroed in on Mona’s dog, sprawled out on the cowhide rug on the far side of the studio.
“That’s awful.”
“I certainly could have gone my entire lifetime without seeing it.”
Darby suddenly jumped up and nervously repositioned the lighting. “Do the police know who did it?” Her tone suggested it was an afterthought, but her sideways glance cast a hint of guilt for even being curious. It must be those midwestern manners that kept her from admitting she wanted more details.
“The police mentioned it may have been a robbery gone wrong. That she might have interrupted someone ransacking Fluffy’s room.”
She picked up her camera and thoroughly checked it out. “You saw her. Is that what you think?”
Missy trotted over with her rubber chicken, her nails clicking on the cement floor. She dropped the toy in front of me for a game a fetch. “It’s possible. The room was a mess.”
I tossed the chicken to where Fluffy was napping. Missy chased after it, slipping on a throw rug.
“What about Jo’s dream?” Darby asked matter-of-factly, snapping pictures of Missy’s antics.
I rolled my eyes, thinking about psychic Jo. “She
She lowered the camera and looked at me. “You don’t believe her?”
“No, I don’t believe for one minute Fluffy came to her in a dream to warn her about something. Do you?”
Darby shrugged. “I don’t know.” She checked her watch. “I don’t mean to rush you, but Mandy will be here anytime.” She clipped the camera back onto the tripod.
I stood up and slung my bag onto my shoulder. “I just thought you’d want to know what had happened.”
“I appreciate it,” she answered softly.
I waited until she faced me, then said, “I tried to call you last night.”
“Oh?”
“Around four-thirty. And then again two or three times after that. I left you messages. Why haven’t you called me back?”
She finger combed her curls until they sprung apart. “I-I must have been running errands and didn’t hear it… or maybe… I left it here,” she explained slowly as if she was making it up as she went along.
“Are you saying you lost your phone?”
“I haven’t needed it. I just assumed it was in my bag. I don’t charge it every night.”
I walked over to Darby, my best friend, so she had to look me in the eye. “You didn’t call Mona yesterday?”
She chewed her lower lip, eyebrows askew. “What?”
“There was a missed call on Mona’s phone. It was your number.”
She fingered the gold heart charm around her neck. “Maybe it only looked like my number.”
I pulled Mona’s phone from my purse. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s yours. She’s got your name programmed into her contacts-”
Darby reached for the phone. “Oh, my gosh. Where’d you get that?”
I pulled my hand away. “It was on her hallway table in the foyer.”
“Why is it in your purse?”
“I picked it up by accident. Stop changing the subject. Why did you call Mona?”
“I-I…” Darby’s cheeks flushed, and she seemed to change her mind about what she was going to say. “I thought Cliff left Fluffy without a leash, so I called to tell her to bring one,” her voice rose.
My stomach turned, knowing she was lying. I had Fluffy’s lead, and we both knew it.
“Darby, is there something going on I don’t know about?”
“No. What about you? You kicked Mona out of Bow Wow, after you tossed wine on her dress. You have to get rid of that.” She waved toward the phone. “Once the police find out about… your confrontations, they’re going to question you.”
I sighed at her accurate summarization. “They already know. I’m taking the phone to Detective Malone, but I wanted to talk to you first.”
She struggled as if wanting to ask me a question but not sure how. Or maybe she wasn’t sure if she should say anything. Either way, she stood frozen, staring at me like a mime with stage fright.
“What? What’s going on inside your head?”
“You’re going to take Mona’s phone to the police?”
“I have to. Unless you can give me a really good reason why not.”
She shook her head. “No. You have to hand it over.”
We stood in silence for a few minutes, both lost in our own thoughts. Missy brought back the chicken for another throw.
“They’re going to ask you about that call,” I said softly. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She waved away my concern with a shaky hand. “It’s not important. I didn’t even ask if you’re okay. I’m sure finding Mona was… disturbing.”
“I’ve definitely seen my fill of dead bodies. Once I turn over the phone, the police are going to want to know why you’re programmed as an emergency contact.”
“I swear, I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense. She made it perfectly clear she didn’t like me.” She looked away.
“Darb, it wasn’t personal. I don’t think she liked anyone or anything other than Fluffy. If you don’t know, you don’t know. Good grief, don’t go and make something up. We can’t always answer for other people’s actions.”
She looked at me, an emotion I couldn’t decipher swirling in her eyes. “Mona didn’t care who she hurt.” There was a hint of what sounded like betrayal in her voice.
“You’re right.” I called the dogs. Missy immediately dropped the chicken she’d been slobbering over and trotted towards us. Fluffy didn’t twitch. I rubbed Missy’s head affectionately then clipped on her leash. “Grey knows I have someone’s phone, he just doesn’t realize it belongs to Mona.”
“Is that bad?”
“Not for you.”
Darby sighed. “Mel, don’t lie to Grey because of me.”
I hugged my best friend. “I didn’t lie. Do me a favor. Take some time to get all your facts straight. If you need a lawyer, call Grey. He’ll refer you to someone.”
