“Everett isn’t stripping!” I shout back just as Cressida struts by with a laugh buried in her throat.
“Think again, Leanne. That man will do whatever I ask him to,” she says as she exits the room.
“Except leave me,” I shout after her.
What am I saying? Everett wouldn’t so much as pick up a pencil for Cressida after she robbed him of Evie’s childhood.
“Wait!” Sugar Hartley runs past me with her pale tresses glowing pink under the bizarre lighting taking over the B&B. “Isn’t that the hot judge? Don’t start without me!” she trills as she dives into the crowd outside the border of this room.
Great. The entire female population of Vermont is interested in seeing my husband bare it all.
And really? Could I blame them?
The room quickly drains, and don’t think I didn’t notice that Keelie hustled herself out of here without so much as a hello once that whoop of a siren went off in the next room. And I’m guessing that sound had more to do with an imminent strip tease than it did an imminent arrest.
Just my luck. It had better not be the hot judge doing the teasing, or else the hot judge is going to be in some serious hot water.
Teddy floats in front of me as miniature pink stars trail in her wake. “Say, Lottie, I think maybe Carlotta forgot to ask Juliet about that last conversation she was having with Verity the night of the murder.”
I nod her way. “Watch a pro take over,” I say as I make my way to Juliet as she works to collapse the folding chairs.
“Oh, you can just leave those,” I tell her. “All the more room to snuggle with.”
We share a warm laugh on the absurdity of it all.
Juliet leans in. “And did you get a load of all those stuffed bears?”
I nod. “It’s darn right creepy if you ask me.”
“I knew I liked you,” she teases just as her phone goes off and she glances to the screen. “Oh no. A customer accidentally trashed my store and the poor teenager I hired to help out is threatening to quit.”
“That’s terrible!” I jump a little at the thought as Teddy and I exchange a quick glance.
“Oh, come now, Lottie.” Teddy scoffs. “Carlotta was right. You really do like to play the blame game.”
I avert my eyes at that one.
“Juliet, I’m afraid that was me,” I confess with a sigh.
Her eyes flash my way. “You?”
“I stopped by to pick up a few skeins, you know, to give my mother in hopes she’ll turn them into something wonderful for the baby? And well, I may have knocked over a thing or twelve.” My hand pats my blooming belly and the baby gives a sweet lazy kick. “My sincerest apologies.”
“Do not worry about it at all!” She laughs as if it were suddenly funny.
“Whew!” Teddy pretends to faint as she floats off alongside me. “For a second there, I thought we were dead in the water. Carlotta called it. You really can be sloppy, Lottie.”
My mouth opens at the accusation—a false one at that.
I lean toward the suspect at hand. “Juliet, the night Verity was killed, she was set to debut a new song.”
Her eyes widen at the thought. “Oh goodness. Does this have something to do with those messages your daughter is getting? Sugar was just telling me all about it.”
“She was?” My brows furrow as I try to digest this.
“Yup. Sugar said Verity has been sending Evie private messages from the beyond.” She shivers when she says it. “I’m sorry, but that actually sends a chill up my spine.”
“How would Sugar know that?”
She shrugs. “Maybe your daughter mentioned it?”
“I’m sure she did.” Not. Everett, Noah, and I sat Evie down and told her that under no circumstances should she tell anyone else. Although she may have alluded to the fact the other night at the book signing.
Teddy moans, “How I wish my Sugar would simply stay out of this. For all the times I’ve heard her say she could just kill Verity Prescott, she should probably leave town in the event the sheriff’s department decides to arrest her.”
A breath gets caught in my throat. It sure sounds as if Teddy thinks Sugar is capable of murder.
Juliet nods as if she heard. “I know what you’re thinking, Lottie. Sugar was very good friends with Verity. But please don’t think poorly of her. She actually has a kind heart, even if it does get her in a boatload of trouble most of the time. Honestly, this is the exact kind of thing she would do—giving Evie Verity’s followers hoping that something good would come of the mess that Verity left behind, only to have Evie’s life upended and turned into a nightmare.”
“Boy, is it ever turning into a nightmare,” I say, looking out at the hall. Not sure I’m buying the fact Sugar would do something like that to Evie, though.
“The funny thing is, that’s the very situation Verity and I were arguing over the night she was killed. I thought it was low of Verity to force Sugar to move her grand opening date after Sugar had already spent so much money on it. Just because Verity was rolling in it, doesn’t mean the rest of us are.”
Teddy tips her head back and slaps her furry round belly. “So that’s what the big argument was about between the two of them. I guess that’s one mystery solved.”
Agree.
“That was nice of you,” I tell her. “Maybe I should talk to Sugar again about that whole grand opening debacle? I mean, her second attempt was more or less a hit, but maybe I can collaborate with
