“Ah yes,” Nell says. “There’s nothing like future spin doctors in the making.”
“Carlotta.” I gasp. “Last night when you looked up Door-to-Door Gourmet, you said they were closed. But it says here they’ve undergone a name change.”
“Carlotta.” Nell’s tone is a touch scolding. “Why do you insist on not wearing your glasses?”
“Maybe I don’t like Little Ms. Know-It-All here calling me Four Eyes.” She points my way and I shake my head at her.
“I would never call you that. And I would never call my meal delivery service the Silver Dome. I think Door-to-Door Gourmet gets the point across a whole lot better. I think I’m going to talk to Ariella again and see if she knows who bought it.”
“Oh dear.” Nell looks around. “What if she was lying? She seemed a little cagey to me.”
“Me too!” Lil’ Mama riots it out in one angry bark.
A waft of that warm brown sugar perfume infiltrates my senses and I turn around, fully expecting to see Ariella, but it’s Cressida.
“Wait!” I grab her by the wrist as she’s about to pass me by.
Cressida rolls her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re in the mood to bruise my arm as well, are you?”
“I didn’t bruise Cormack, did I? Oh, never mind. What perfume are you wearing? It’s amazing.” Amazingly similar to the one Ariella is wearing.
She fans herself a moment. “It’s a touch out of a baker’s budget I’m afraid, but I’m sure Essex would be up for negotiating with you if you begged him for some.”
“I don’t have to beg Everett for anything,” I say.
Carlotta leans in. “But think of where the negotiations could take ya, Lot.”
“Oh, I am,” I say without missing a beat. “Cressida, what’s the name of your perfume?” Because if I’m right about what I’m thinking, it could turn this case on its ear.
“Enchanted by Vera Veragamo,” she says before stalking off into the crowd.
“I thought so,” I pant out the words as I turn back toward the entry. “And I think I know who the killer might be, too.”
Lottie
“Well, hubba hubba,” Carlotta says and I’m pretty sure she’s drooling, too. “I do believe Harry Nash is trying to lure me into a dark corner and make me do his bidding.”
I follow her lust-struck gaze, and sure enough, there’s Mayor Nash looking dapper in a well-fitted suit, a bright red tie, and a twinkle in his eye that I don’t want to know anything about.
Lil’ Mama barks. “What in heaven’s name could he be bidding you to do, Carlotta?”
“Dance,” I answer for her in hopes to stave off any details regarding my biological parents going at it. They may not have raised me, but I certainly don’t want to think of the chain of events that led to my being here today. In pain. In fake labor. With a killer on the loose.
Carlotta clucks her tongue. “I can tell by that gleam in his eyes that we’re about to do the bad boogie.”
Nell trills with laughter, and those miniature stars floating around her ignite a bright shade of blue. “It’s nice to know some things never change.”
Carlotta starts to take off, and Lil’ Mama flies into her path.
“You can’t leave now.” She barks. “Lottie needs to speak to the suspects until she winnows out the killer so I can go back to paradise and lick the face of my sweet Jazzy.”
Another contraction hits and I groan. “We’d better hurry. I’d better get Everett home so he can lick my face, too.” Although Noah is the man currently in my bed, and Lord knows he’ll do in a pinch. Actually, he might be the reason I’m in the pinch to begin with.
Nell floats before me and leans in to inspect my face. “Lottie, I do believe you’re in labor.”
I shake my head at her. “I’m not that lucky, Nell. I’ve already seen the doctor concerning this pesky and yet rather painful condition. She says my body is practicing the fine art of torment. Apparently, it’s all a part of the process. Both Keelie and Lainey had it, too.”
“I did as well,” she’s quick to answer. “But I don’t think that’s what’s going on.”
“You picked a fine time to morph into a scary ghost, Nell.” I suck in a quick breath as the contraction hits its pinnacle then slowly subsides. “There, that’s better. Now let’s talk to Ari—” I stop midflight with the sentence as I spot Ariella pulling Slater in by the tie and the two of them share a private laugh. “Suspicions confirmed,” I say, heading that way.
I make my way over with Nell and Lil’ Mama leading the charge, and Carlotta trotting alongside me while fishing her lipstick out of her purse.
“You can never look too good, Lot. I know I gave you good genes, but you should spruce up once in a while, too. And comb your hair. Sexy is used to the best of the best. You want to keep him on the hook, don’t ’cha?”
My stomach seizes again. “Oh, he’s on the hook, all right.”
No sooner do we get to the entry where Ariella and Slater are all but schmoozing than Cormack jumps over with her mummy duds that look as if they’re about to unravel in all the wrong places.
“I’ve solved the case!” she shouts with glee as she points to Slater. “I know who the killer is.”
Both Slater and Ariella straighten—with fear most likely.
“Cormack,” I hiss. “Maybe we should call Noah instead of bothering these kind people.”
Okay, so I don’t think they’re so kind, but the truth is, these are my suspects and I want nothing more than for Cormack to crawl back into the crypt where she came from. I’ve had it with her and with Cressida and their tacky hot pink shenanigans. Not that I have anything against the color outside of the fact they’ve cursed the B&B with it.
Cormack waves me off before looking
