“Be there in a minute,” he said, nodding toward Mr. Royal, who seemed to be perfectly happy making coffee drinks.
“Well?” he said to me in a worn voice.
Dinah had joined me and I was all set to grill him about the sweetener, but first I had to find out what was wrong. The obvious opener was to ask about his attire.
“I went to Robyn’s funeral,” he said. Not what I expected.
“You did?” D. J. said from the table. “Sorry, my eavesdropping habit,” he said. He got off his chair and joined our little circle. “I still can’t believe she’s dead. I just talked to her last week about my appearance on the talk show,” the author said.
I asked Bob for details about the funeral. For some reason, I’d thought it would be small and poorly attended. Maybe it had something to do with Nell’s complaints about her and what I’d seen with my own eyes. It turned out to be just the contrary.
“The chapel was full,” Bob said. “Barbara Olive Overton was there. I’m not sure who everyone else was, but I think they probably worked for the production company.”
“Was Talia Canon there?” D. J. asked. “I know the show must go on and all, but she certainly stepped into Robyn’s shoes quickly.” The author ruffled his hand through his dark hair. “I admit I was concerned with thinking how Robyn’s death was going to affect my appearance, but when Talia called to tell me she was in charge, I expected her to sound more distraught somehow.”
Bob didn’t know who Talia was and couldn’t say if she was there or not. I asked about Pierce Sheraton. Bob knew who the entertainment reporter was and nodded.
“Did he try to interview Barbara?” I asked.
“No,” Bob answered. “No cameras, no sticking his face in the middle of things. He didn’t even bother the movie-star couple. I almost forget they were there.” He thought a minute. “Becca Ivins and Derek Trousedale.”
I was surprised about the celebrity couple being there, but then I remembered the big board in the production office. Robyn was in charge of their appearance on the show. They must have come out of respect.
D. J. hung his head. “I probably should have gone, too.”
Bob looked toward the counter and started to separate himself from us, apparently assuming I had finished with whatever I wanted to talk about. Dinah and I exchanged glances and I followed behind him, while she stayed at the table. I heard her reassuring D. J. that it was okay about not going to the funeral.
Mr. Royal took off his apron and handed it and the counter back to Bob. As they made the transfer, Bob looked sideways at me, apparently assuming I was there about a drink. “Give me a minute and I’ll make you a red- eye.”
He looked at the empty cookie trays and opened the refrigerator. He’d left rolls of butter cookies ready to be sliced and baked. He set the oven and pulled out the cookie sheets.
I didn’t want to think he had anything to do with anybody’s death, but there was the glaring fact that the clerk had described him as the customer who bought a box of Nature’s Sweetie, and the store was the return address on the package. He could have picked up one of those business cards in the store and stuck it on the package as a return address.
I must have been breathing funny, because Bob looked up from his slicing. “Is something wrong?”
“I’m surprised you went to Robyn’s funeral. I guess you were more involved with her than I realized.”
He kept slicing the cookies and laying them out on the tray. “I wouldn’t say I was involved with her. When she started coming in, she noticed me typing on my laptop and asked what I was working on. I showed her a scene from my script.” Bob picked up the cookie sheet and slid it into the oven. “She really got the concept of a werewolf planet. She even suggested I might want to add some other kinds of aliens. Whenever she came in, I showed her another scene. She made some good suggestions, and I was hoping when I finished it, she might help me get it in front of the right set of eyes. I wanted her to keep coming in. So, I . . .” His voice trailed off and he looked guilty.
“So, you what?” I prompted.
“You won’t tell Mrs. Shedd, will you? I gave her free drinks.”
“I know about the Nature’s Sweetie,” I said finally. He put up his hands defensively.
“I bought it with my own money. It was the only kind of sweetener she would use.” He leaned behind the counter and pulled out the box to show me. He even handed me one of the weird little pyramid-shaped packets.
“How many boxes did you buy?” I asked.
“Just one. Are you kidding? That stuff is expensive,” he said. If he’d only bought one box, and it was here, then he didn’t send the tainted box to Robyn’s office. That is if he was telling the truth. I really wanted to believe him. Yes, I wanted to get Nell off the hook, but I didn’t want Bob to be a murderer. I hugged him and thanked him for the information.
He seemed uncomfortable with my sudden show of affection, and I certainly wasn’t about to explain. I let go abruptly and stepped back. I was still holding the packet.
“Keep it,” Bob said. “Try it in your red-eye.” He’d filled a cup with the day’s brew and pushed the button on the espresso machine.
“No, thank you,” I said, dropping it back in the box. “I only drink my coffee straight.”
As it turned out, it was a lucky choice.
CHAPTER 15
DINAH HAD VAMOOSED WITH AN APOLOGETIC WAVE as I picked up my coffee. I noticed that D. J. had retreated to his computer as I headed into the bookstore. Mrs. Shedd and Mr. Royal were standing over the best- seller table rearranging books. His hand brushed hers and she looked up at him. The look they exchanged was out of a romance novel and spurred me to action. Maybe I could stir up a little romance for Barry and me. I tried to avoid making personal calls at work, but I called Barry and told him about the square dancing Dinah had talked me into. “I thought it would be fun. Would you like to go?” I asked.
He laughed—in a good way. “Babe, I’m on the way to Santa Barbara to talk to somebody.” He didn’t have to say more; I got it. He was gone for the duration, and if I wanted to go, it would be alone. Or almost. I called Barry’s son and asked if he was interested. Jeffrey was, but there was a hitch. OMG, Jeffrey/Columbia had a girlfriend. Yes, I used the text talk I was always making fun of. What can I say—you have to move with the times.
When I stopped home, I finally got out of my dreaded suit and into a pair of khaki slacks and a white shirt. I folded up the jacket and put it into a shopping bag. Did I need my head examined? I’d agreed to let Adele add some crochet edging to it.
I took care of the animals and I was off to pick up Jeffrey and then his date. I tried to keep a straight face as I acted as chauffeur. I knew Barry had no idea about Autumn. That was her name, and they were just too adorable sitting in the backseat of the greenmobile. Jeffrey was so unlike the other boys his age. He was gentlemanly and sweet. He’d actually brought a flower for her, though I think he picked it out of a neighbor’s yard. I’d barely parked near the playground when he jumped out and came around to open the door for her. I was pretty much old news as he took her hand and they walked toward the recreation building.
They were already clear of the entrance as I got inside. It was hard to believe this was technically part of L.A.; the setup in the multipurpose room felt strictly small town. Bales of hay were spread around the edges for display and someplace to sit. There were streamers and balloons and a whole ice-cream setup at the back. Dinah and Commander were handling ticket sales at a table by the entrance. The small price of the tickets was going into a fund for the kids’ basketball team uniforms. Commander’s thick white hair stood out in contrast to the new-looking jeans and a red and white checked shirt. He even finished the look with a bolo tie. I think Dinah was a little embarrassed when she stepped from behind the table. Gone were the slacks and scarves she usually wore, replaced by a light turquoise dress with so many crinolines under it, it almost stood straight out. Her spiky hair made a funny contrast.
She apologized for rushing off and wanted to know what Bob had said. She was relieved to hear the explanation for his box of sweetener. “Look who I convinced to come,” she said, pointing toward the sundae station.
