“I can’t believe you’ve done this!” Kayla yowled. “You’ve ruined everything. That was my only memory of Jordan and it’s gone.”
“Slow down,” I said, trying to deescalate the situation.
“Yes.” Gamma slipped an arm around Josephine’s shoulder, seemingly in placation but really it was to keep her from acting out. “Why don’t you tell us what happened on the night of Jordan’s murder? When last did you two see him and each other?”
“On the night? Tuesday night?” Kayla frowned. “Why does that matter?”
“We were together,” Josephine said, rolling her eyes at her sister. “We spend every evening in my room reading. Or we used to before that man went and died. Now, Kayla won’t even look at me.”
“That’s because you never understood our relationship! It was delicate. Layered!”
“Relationships can’t be delicate or layered. They’re not doilies.”
“I’ll just—” Kayla jerked against my grasp, trying to lunge at her sister.
“Stop it, both of you,” Gamma commanded. “Now, you’re telling us that you were together all night on Tuesday?”
“Yes, of course. We were together from dinner until after… the police arrived at the inn,” Josephine said.
And Jordan had been safely in the foster center before dinner. I knew that because I was the one who dropped off his meals in the evening, and he’d been there. The twin sisters had an alibi, not that I’d expected anything less because of the suspicious circumstances of Jordan’s death.
But it was one avenue we could rule a line under.
If not Kayla and Josephine, then who?
And why had Jordan had the necklace containing the pill?
16
The following morning…
“I’m always sad when we have no one to cook for,” Lauren sighed, wiping her hands off on her apron.
The guests, including Kayla and Josephine Wart, had left the inn. Everyone was gone, and we had absolutely no bookings for the next two weeks. The guests had either canceled or not showed up. The Gossip Inn’s checkered recent past had finally caught up to it.
Gamma sat at the rough kitchen table, sipping her coffee and paging through the local newspaper. I didn’t know why she’d want to read The Gossip Rag after the negative things written in it about the inn. Maybe because it was better to keep your enemies close?
“Belle-Blue’s taken out a full-page ad in here for her inn.” Gamma tapped the page. “I wonder how many bookings she’s had.”
“I bet not that many,” Lauren said, though she sounded doubtful.
“You know, it’s probably that new husband of hers financing it. But why now? Jessie’s never expressed any interest in running an inn. How odd.”
I drank my coffee and kept my opinion to myself. In all honesty, I didn’t have much of one when it came to Belle-Blue. The necklace puzzle had occupied my brain power. Why had Jordan given it to Kayla? What had been in the pill? Why had someone taken it from Kayla’s bedside table then abandoned it in the library after removing the pill?
“I’m going to make us something to eat.” Lauren pushed up from the table. “I can’t sit here and do nothing. What do you feel like? Chocolate cupcakes? Omelets? Bacon and eggs? Chicken fried steak? Stuffed mushrooms?”
“Whatever you want,” Gamma said.
“Yeah.” I wasn’t particularly hungry. Funny how stress killed appetite.
The kitchen’s back door opened, and Brian entered, dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks wan. “Everyone in here?”
“Unless we’re in an alternate universe and I’m unaware of it,” Gamma said, turning the page without looking up at him. She’d been cold ever since the incident with the ring and the feedback that the NSIB had no plans to move closer and help us setup an operation.
At the beginning of this week, I’d desperately wanted freedom. Now, I had it in spades and the growing fear that Kyle would attack us for accompaniment.
“Mind if I join you ladies? Not much to do in the garden this morning.”
“Sure,” Lauren said, merrily. “I was about to make chicken fried steak and waffles.”
“Sounds great.” Brian took a seat next to me and squeezed my knee under the table. As the first caring contact we’d had in days, it was a little too late for my liking.
I gave him a forced smile in return.
“Calmed down, have we, Brian?” Gamma asked.
Of course, my grandmother was protective over me. She had been the one to encourage the relationship with Brian in the first place. I hoped she didn’t regret that decision. It had been my choice to start dating him.
And you weren’t ready. You shouldn’t have rushed into it. What’s going to happen when this is all over?
A knock sounded at the inn’s front doors, cutting off Brian before he could reply.
“Expecting somebody, Georgina?” Lauren asked, from where she stood in front of the counter, paging through her recipe book.
“Definitely not.”
Gamma, Brian, and I all rose from the table and moved into the hall. The inn’s doors, usually cast wide open to invite guests and bring that cozy feeling of home, were shut today. We walked to them and Gamma opened one a crack.
“Oh, Detective Crowley,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“Mind if I come in, Georgina? Better to discuss this inside.”
“Yes, of course.” She allowed him entrance.
“This won’t take long,” Detective Crowley said, glancing at Smulder. “I need to speak to Georgina and Charlotte alone, if you don’t mind.”
“Fine.” Brian shrugged and strode back toward the kitchen, his shoulders stiff.
“Would you like to take a seat, detective?” Gamma asked, even the polite hostess.
“No, thank you, Georgina, this won’t take long.” Detective Crowley ruffled his dark hair, his gaze softer than usual. “I’ve come to talk to you about something serious, but—look, the first thing I need to ask you both is where you were last night.”
“Here.” Gamma and I answered instantly.
“Has something happened?” I asked.
If it had, surely Crowley would question us separately.
“Yes.” Detective Crowley paused. “I’m only telling you this because of the circumstances and because it’s impossible for you two to have been involved but… Hannah Greerson is missing.”
“What?”
