Behind the Seams

us. There’s nothing like the support of a group when you’re feeling down.

Not everybody could make it. Sheila was tied up with her new job at Luxe. Eduardo had been keeping a low profile as far as the group was concerned and said he had some kind of meeting. All he’d said to the group was that he was in the process of making some changes in his life, and once it was all together, he’d tell us about it.

Rhoda and Elise came in and offered Nell supportive hugs before getting some drinks and joining us. Both of them had brought their crochet project bags and pulled out their work. Rhoda had some glittery silver yarn and was making an evening wrap, and Elise was making a black-and-white striped afghan. Dinah rushed in, having just finished teaching her class. She threw her arms around me and asked me how I was holding up.

“Managing,” I said, grateful for her moral support.

Adele drifted in from the bookstore and started examining what Rhoda and Elise were working on. Finally the door to the outside opened and CeeCee came in, and she wasn’t alone.

A man in a baseball cap was trailing her. Next to him, another man was holding a small video camera. The baseball cap put a shadow over the first man’s face so that I didn’t recognize him at first, but when he got closer, I saw it was Pierce Sheraton, the host of Entertainment Zone. More than host, he seemed to act as the main reporter. CeeCee really had made it back into the big time if the host of the entertainment show was following her. In the past, she’d always been worried about being caught by the paparazzi with poppy seeds stuck in her teeth, but those had been independent photographers trying to get a shot they could sell to one of the tabloids. Anything Sheraton got would end up featured on his show.

She was used to being noticed whenever she went out in public, which put a certain amount of pressure on her. She couldn’t just throw on any old thing and stick a scarf over her hair to run to the market. Particularly not now when, thanks to her hosting the reality program and the vampire movie, people like Pierce Sheraton had started latching on to her when their paths crossed.

CeeCee had been around long enough to be a true professional. She knew the rules of the game. Entertainment reporters needed her, but she needed them. She was all smiles as she mugged for the camera and talked to Sheraton. But she’d also stopped a good distance away from us.

I could tell by her body language she was trying to end their encounter, and maybe it would have been a success if Adele hadn’t jumped in. She saw reporter and camera and her eyes lit up as she grabbed Rhoda’s crochet project and joined CeeCee.

With her ample size and naturally loud voice, Adele was impossible to ignore. The outfit didn’t hurt, either. She had a lacy wine-colored shawl tied around her shoulders and large earrings crocheted out of black thread that moved whenever she swung her head.

“CeeCee, you’re here at last,” Adele said in a dramatic voice. “All your crochet buddies are waiting for you.” Adele did a grand gesture toward the table, dangling Rhoda’s silvery project from her arm. The reporter gave Adele and the crochet stuff a dismissive nod and took a step back. Nell pushed back her chair and rushed up to her aunt and threw her arms around her.

“Oh, Aunt CeeCee, it was awful going to the production office.” The reporter suddenly looked at Nell intently. I saw CeeCee’s head drop and the slightest of groans escaped her lips as the video camera recorded the moment.

“You’re the one from the Barbara Olive Overton show. The alleged production assistant who gave Robyn Freed the poisoned drink.” He looked at CeeCee and back at Nell. “CeeCee, how does it feel to have your niece be regarded as a person of interest in a homicide investigation?”

This was far worse than poppy seeds in her teeth.

I wondered how Sheraton had figured out who Nell was and made the connection to Robyn Freed. Then I remembered the entertainment report Dinah and I had seen a couple of nights ago. Off camera, Talia must have told him all about Nell and maybe even shown him a photo of her.

I stepped in and reminded him that they were on private property and asked them to leave. I was surprised when the reporter and cameraman did.

Only Adele wasn’t happy with the outcome. The rest of the table gave me a round of applause.

CeeCee sat down with what was becoming a characteristic sigh. “The damage is done, though. Now that they know Nell and I are related, the story is much more interesting.” I went to get CeeCee a party drink after her momentary ordeal. Bob knew that CeeCee was always supposed to be concerned about her diet and offered to use a fancy no-calorie sweetener, but I said I thought CeeCee needed the real thing under the circumstances.

By the time CeeCee had drained half the creamy drink, she’d recovered. “Molly, I don’t mean to pressure you, but now that Pierce Sheraton is going to hang on to this story like a terrier on a pant leg, you really need to step up your investigation and get the spotlight off of Nell.”

I wasn’t sure whose reputation CeeCee was more concerned about—hers or Nell’s—but either way, she was right. I just wasn’t sure how to do it.

Nell finished her drink by using the straw to vacuum up the last smidgens in the corner of the glass. “If it’s any help, I know where Robyn lives, uh, lived.”

CeeCee’s cell phone rang, interrupting us, and she fumbled in her purse to get it. Her ring was something like a royal flourish and seemed completely appropriate. She stepped away from the rest of us and turned her back as she took the call. Even with her facing away, I could hear the little shrieks she was making. An uh- oh went off in my head.

A few moments later, a pale CeeCee came back to the table. She put her hand on Nell’s for support and then turned to the rest of us. “That was my housekeeper. The police are there with a warrant to search Nell’s room. She called to find out what she should do.” CeeCee’s head hovered lower. “As if there was a choice.”

And here I’d been worried about telling her what Detective Heather had said about Nell being in their crosshairs.

CHAPTER 10

I USUALLY LIKED GOING TO CEECEE’S HOUSE. THE stone cottage was set far back from the street in a miniforest and had a fairy-tale-like feeling to it.

But not this time.

I pulled Nell’s car behind the two cruisers and black Crown Victoria parked at the curb. Mrs. Shedd hadn’t been pleased when I said I had to leave, but when she saw how flustered CeeCee and Nell were and I explained I didn’t think they should drive, she told me to go.

We all got out of my car and went through the open front gate. CeeCee’s housekeeper, Rosa, was standing outside the front door. Marlena and Talullah, CeeCee’s two Yorkies, must have been stationed just inside the door and sounded hoarse from barking.

CeeCee rushed ahead and asked Rosa if the cops were in the house. The housekeeper shook her head. “They only wanted to see Miss Nell’s room.”

CeeCee tried to hide it, but I knew she was relieved. I followed as she continued on around the outside of the house. I’d never noticed the garage before or that her property went all the way to the street behind. The garage was a separate building and the driveway went back to the other street.

CeeCee hadn’t mentioned the details of where Nell was staying, and now explained there was a small apartment above the garage she’d given to her niece. Nell rushed ahead to a stairway on the side of the building while CeeCee and I followed. Detective Heather and two uniformed officers were coming down the stairs.

Nell appeared wild-eyed and CeeCee had reached new levels of upset as they eyed the brown paper bag in one of the officer’s hands. Detective Heather gave me a dirty look and gave Nell a list of what they’d taken. Nell pushed it on me and ran up the stairs and went inside to see what damage they’d done.

Heather said something to the effect that they were done for now before they left. I glanced at the list.

“What did they find?” CeeCee sounded agitated.

“Dirty laundry. It says they took some items from the hamper. A denim shirt with something on the pocket.”

“Not that shirt,” CeeCee said with a sigh. “Nell and I had a big battle about it. The clothes those production assistants wear are so dismal looking and I wanted to give her something special. I bought the shirt and added a