It was an offer I wasn’t about to turn down. After my exchange with Clarissa, I wasn’t eager to end up inside her house, listening to her berate everyone. We helped Cece pick up the parts of her costume she’d scattered about the yard. I wanted to pull the arrows out of the front porch post and the wall, but I knew Coleman would never hear of it. He would leave that for the Columbus police.
I sidled up to Cece. “Do you know who your doppelgänger was?”
She hesitated. “Not really.”
“A guess?”
She shook her head. “Let me think about all of this.”
Before I could offer to call a ride, Rex appeared with the limo to get us all back to the inn. Either he was psychic or Tinkie had already called him. Tinkie and I piled up in the far back seat. She sighed. I could almost guess what she was thinking.
“Whoever shot at Clarissa had to know we were going to do the Robin Hood story,” Tinkie said. “They came dressed exactly like Friar Tuck. They had the crossbow. They knew where we were and the time we’d be there.”
“You’re right, Tinkie.” I’d already come to that conclusion. There was only one person who knew all of that. And she had a very personal reason to hate Clarissa Olson. “Darla?”
She nodded. “Yes. I don’t know that she’s involved in the earlier shenanigans, but this one, I’m willing to bet she’s in it up to her ears.”
“I know.”
“Her best friend is dead, and Clarissa was awful to Kathleen. I think this has driven Darla to madness. She’s been too calm. Too accepting of Kathleen’s death.”
“I know.” Everything Tinkie said made perfect sense, even though it hurt me to admit it. “I think that’s why Coleman didn’t want to tell Darla he was attacked outside the Bissonnette House. He was already suspicious. The evening Coleman was attacked, when I was outside, I felt like someone was watching me. Do you think Darla has someone helping her do these things?”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. Maybe Darla is at home and has plenty of alibis. She really seemed to have a headache. Wouldn’t that be great?” Tinkie brightened at the possibility.
“It would.” I smiled, too, but it was a false smile that only hid my deep concern.
We arrived at the B and B just as Darla pulled up in her car. She greeted us with a warm smile. “How about a nightcap? How did the holiday mumming go?”
She was a better actress than I’d ever assumed. “Fine. Where have you been?”
“I ran to get some cranberry juice and champagne.” She clicked her key fob and the trunk of her Lexus opened. Sure enough, grocery bags cluttered the back of the car. It looked like a member of the Donner Party had finally made it to a grocery store. There were at least thirty bags of groceries. We each grabbed a couple as we headed in through the back door. When we finished unloading the trunk, the counters were completely covered by sacks of food. It had to have taken Darla at least two hours to buy all of those groceries. Tinkie and I nodded at each other. Perhaps Darla did have an alibi.
“Where’s Coleman?” Darla asked once we had everything from the car in the kitchen.
“He stayed behind to talk to Clarissa.”
Darla’s eyebrows arched. “You left your man alone with that she-devil?”
Even though I trusted Coleman with my life, my gut took a little twist at her words. Clarissa knew no boundaries. She’d move on anyone’s territory no matter how many no-trespassing signs were posted. “Coleman can handle her. Besides, someone almost killed her tonight.”
“What?” Darla looked genuinely surprised. “Who?”
“Someone in a Friar Tuck outfit,” Harold threw in.
“I didn’t realize any of the other mummers were dressing as Robin Hood and the Sherwood Forest crew,” Darla said. “I picked that because I thought it was original.”
“Who else would know that was the theme you’d chosen?” Tinkie asked the question gently, but there was still bite in it.
“Anyone in town,” Darla said. “The costume shop is a din of gossip. Those theater types love to shuffle scandal around town. And of course I knew. And Kathleen. But anyone who wanted to know could have found out just by asking.”
“Between eight and ten o’clock, you were grocery shopping?” I asked.
She nodded. “Call Kroger. They know me in the store.” Her voice registered hurt. “A dozen employees saw me shopping, and then I stopped at the pet food store to pick up some more food for Gumbo.”
The cat appeared as if she’d been summoned—very un-catlike behavior.
“Ask the cat,” Darla said, moving the conversation to a more lighthearted plane. “If Gumbo could talk, she’d tell you.”
Even without the cat, Darla had a solid alibi. And I was relieved, but I had other questions. “Darla, what’s really going on in this town?”
“Clarissa and that crew have hurt a lot of people. Folks who were just trying to lead their lives, provide for their families. When you deliberately interject yourself in a relationship and blow it up, there can be all kinds of fallout.” She sighed. “I agree with Clarissa on the point that most humans can’t deny their animal nature. Put sex in front of them and they are going to go for it. But decent people try hard to follow a code of conduct.”
“Did they ever take a romantic interest away from you?” Tinkie asked her.
She stopped with a can of tomatoes in her hand. The cabinet door was open and the shelves were already packed with food. “No. But it could have been me easily enough. Clarissa, Tulla, Bricey—they’ve run roughshod over polite society. Someone has just had enough.”
Darla tried to close the cabinet door, but it was jammed too full. For someone who had canceled all of her future guests, she’d really forked out some bucks for food. “Who
