They silently cut around a slow pedestrian, and Matt's arm brushed against hers. She sucked in her breath, feeling young and foolish. Not a bad feeling. Not at all.
Matt glanced at her. 'Are you finished at Mini Maize?'
'Probably today.' Should she tell him about the miniature bloody weapons and the tiny, painted stains on some of the furnishings? Wouldn't he know about them from the crime scene analysis? 'We found interesting things in the display cases. Weapons, fake blood on some of the furniture.'
He nodded. 'We assumed that was part of some crazy doll collector's scene.' Another grin. 'Charlie's prints were the only ones on them. They have nothing to do with her murder.'
'I disagree,' Gretchen said. What else was new? They disagreed on so much. Matt might send jolts of electricity through her entire nervous system, but his wattage wasn't entirely compatible with hers. Kind of like putting cables on the wrong battery terminals.
'Let's have your take on it then,' Matt said. 'As if I'm not going to hear it anyway.'
'I think she realized that she'd been poisoned and tried to make it to the door. She took the time to knock the display over as a clue, in case she didn't survive. There's something strange about the display. I can't put my finger on it though. Oh, I know-' Gretchen stopped, snapped her fingers as though she just thought of it. She waited for him to stop walking, too. 'Maybe it's because of the miniature peanut butter jar. You know the one? It was under her body.'
His jaw dropped open. 'Where did you get that information?'
'I know who I
They approached Matt's unmarked car. Daisy was nowhere in sight. She must be at the audition, if the audition was real. It was hard to tell what was reality and what was fantasy when it came to the homeless woman. Gretchen looked at Matt. She had thrown out a hasty theory, but it made sense. 'I'm sure you're right,' she said.
'The display case has nothing to do with Charlie's or Sara's murder. Nothing at all.'
'You can't fool me. I hear the sarcasm in your voice. I'm not your ordinary insensitive male, you know. I have feelings.' Matt opened the passenger door for her. 'Hop in.'
15
'Nina and I had breakfast at a dog-friendly restaurant,'
Britt said, laughing. 'Can you believe it?' Britt and Nina were back at work at Mini Maize. If you could call it work. Nina laughed, too. 'The restaurant had a patio with a fire hydrant fountain and our waitress served mutt muffins. Not to us, of course, but the dogs loved them. Britt and I had coffee and people muffins.'
'I'll be talking in my sleep again tonight,' Britt said laughing along. 'Or barking.'
'You really should see a hypnotist,' Nina relied. 'You have to be losing lots of sleep.'
Nina, Gretchen decided, could benefit from a little hypnosis herself. Her aunt put all her attention and affection into animals. She needed a male companion to ground her. Although she certainly looked content enough at the moment. Tutu and Nimrod played at their feet. Enrico watched from the safety of Nina's leg, peeking out beside her painted toenails, snarling a warning whenever the other dogs came too close.
April swung through the door, carrying her usual bag of subs. 'I lost another five pounds,' she announced, setting the bag on the counter.
'Five pounds a day is incredible,' Gretchen said, not really believing it was possible. But April
'Caroline can't come,' Nina said. 'She has a tip on a collection of antique dolls that's for sale. She's driving to Fountain Hills to look at them.'
The piles on the card table were still as they had been yesterday. After Gretchen's encounter with Ryan, all work on the room boxes had ceased for the day. 'Let's each take a room box,' she said, 'and see what we come up with. I think we can wrap this up in a few hours.'
They settled in. Gretchen was continually amazed at Charlie's gift for interior design with the tiny, detailed pieces, the unity of her composition, and the precision of the scale. Gretchen paused from her work on the backyard scene to watch Britt and Nina. Britt had chosen the Victorian bedroom scene, carefully placing each item where she thought it might have gone. By the hint of a smile on her face, Gretchen could tell she truly enjoyed working with the miniatures.
'I'm finished,' April called, proudly showing them the orchard and church scene. 'I found a blue velvet hat in my pile. I'm going to add it to the leftovers, since I don't know where it goes. I think it was made from a cardboard pattern. Isn't it cute?'
'Charlie used simple household supplies for many of her projects,' Britt said to April, who hung on every word.
'She was very creative.'
'Making minis would be fun, especially making the little dolls,' April said. 'I'd love to try it.'
'I'm starting a baby sculpting class soon. Why don't you sign up?'
'Count me in.'
'Here comes someone I'd like you to meet,' Britt called out, looking toward the door. 'My daughter, Melany.'
Britt's daughter was in her twenties, slightly overweight, and wore no makeup, not even mascara. She was frumpy next to her mother, who bustled over to give her daughter a kiss on the cheek. Gretchen couldn't see much resemblance-Britt with her tailored blouse and immaculate French twist, Melany in rumpled shorts and a top that was way too tight.
'Bernard's been taken to the hospital,' Melany said to her mother, an almost hostile expression on her face. 'I thought you'd want to know.'
'What happened?' Britt clutched her throat.
'A jar of bug juice exploded.'
Had Gretchen heard her correctly? Bug juice? It sounded like an insect killer, or a name for summer camp juice drinks.
'Bug juice is a concoction Bernard uses,' Melany said when she noticed the other women's lost expressions. 'It turns new wood a grayish brown. He uses it to age wood details for his dollhouses.'
'I warned him several times about mixing chemicals,'
Britt said. 'Is he going to be all right?'
'I think so, but his arm was injured.' The coldness was back in her voice. 'The bug juice hit like shrapnel from a bomb. I had stopped at his house to deliver the miniature orchid bouquet for a wedding display, and his neighbor told me what happened.'
'How awful,' Britt said.
'What is this bug juice made from,' Gretchen asked,
'that it has the capacity to explode?'
'To get the effect he's looking for in the wood, he uses an old-timer's recipe,' Britt explained. 'He puts rusty nails in a glass jar, then pours vinegar over them. He's supposed to put the lid on loosely and leave it for a few weeks. If the lid is too tight, it can produce a gas, and the pressure builds.'
'The poor old man,' April said.
Britt picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder.
'Melany and I will check on him,' she said. 'We'll let you know.'
After Britt and Melany left, Gretchen told Nina and April about the visit to Ryan's house.
'Do the police think he murdered his mother?' Nina asked.
'I don't know. We'll have to wait and see what happens, but I assume he's a prime suspect, especially because he's an addict.'
'Let's take a break and drive over to Joseph's Dream Dolls,' April said. 'I love that place, and Joseph could use some company. He was so distraught when he came by.'
Gretchen picked up a miniature lamp. 'Joseph was at the parade on Saturday, but he wasn't here at Charlie's.
