Diva 04 _ Diva Cooks a Goose, The (14 page)

“I gather you know each other?” I asked.

As though I was too dumb to live, Natasha sighed and explained, “His father is Tom Thorpe.”

“Of course! George’s handsome neighbor across the street,” said Mom. “You have your father’s smile.”

Hannah emitted a little snort. “You’re not the one they call Dasher, are you?”

“That would be my younger brother.”

“We met his ...” Mom stopped, at a rare loss for words. “... the mother of his child yesterday. Your family must be very excited about the baby.”

Tyler didn’t look excited. He seemed ill at ease, like a boy ten years younger who’d landed in a knitting class. He brightened up at the sound of Shawna’s voice.

“Do I look okay? I want Beau to see me as being totally together. My eyes are still puffy, though. Maybe he’ll think I was crying about his mom.” Shawna already wore her coat, which had been drying in the bathroom. She cocked her head at Tyler. “C’mon. Do you know where he is?”

They let themselves out. Hannah stared out the bay window and watched them walk to Tyler’s car. “There’s something odd about that boy. Did anyone else notice?”

Mom rinsed out her mug. “He grew up without a mother. Maybe he’s shy around women.”

“Hardly.” Natasha flicked her hand. “He worked for Bonnie. She liked everyone to think she was the driving force behind that organizing business, but Tyler did all the clever installations. If there was anyone who would benefit from her death, I suspect it would be Tyler.”

THIRTEEN

“Natasha! That’s so unlike you.” Mom looked at her in disbelief.

“You have no idea how wicked that woman was. Sweet as molasses on the outside, but underneath, she was conniving and manipulative. Like biting into a luscious truffle and finding it filled with a worm. A thick, nasty, snickering worm.”

“So much for not speaking ill of the dead,” muttered Hannah.

Natasha rose. “Goodness! I’ll have to bake something to take over there.”

“Are you kidding?” I cried. “You just said you hated her.”

“It’s still the right thing to do. Do you mind if Vegas sticks around for a while? You can send her home whenever you’re ready.” She lowered her voice to the tiniest whisper. “I could use a little time away from her, if you know what I mean.”

I didn’t know what she meant, but Vegas was more than welcome to stay. Jen was probably equally bored with all the adults and would appreciate someone her age to hang with for a while.

Mom saw Natasha out, gabbing about whether pound cake or ham biscuits were the better option to bring to Beau.

Mochie, still guarding the kitchen from the vicious kitten intruders, turned his head and focused on something in the other direction. Seconds later, I heard muffled voices, and Daisy trotted to the kitchen door, wagging her tail.

George opened the kitchen door and stepped aside for Laci, who scolded, “Don’t you knock first?” She staggered in, her arms loaded with shopping bags, followed by George, who carried just as many.

“It’s my sister’s house. I don’t knock for family.” George set the bags down and fell backward into a chair by the fire. “I’m beat. Shopping is murder.”

Laci lifted her eyebrows as though she thought it ridiculous that George was tired. “How’s Mom?” she asked my mother, who had returned from the foyer.

My mother responded in a matter-of-fact tone, “She got up, drank a cup of coffee, ate a piece of dry toast, took aspirin, and headed straight back to bed.”

“I’m so sorry about all this. Please don’t think ill of her. She’s not usually like this.”

Unfortunately, George chose that moment to snort.

“She ... she’s just had such a hard time dealing with the separation.”

Mom swooped down on Laci. “Honey, nothing could change how we feel about you. Now, what bargains did you find today?”

“The burglar may have done us a favor. I’m tempted to move Christmas down a couple of days every year. You wouldn’t believe the great buys we got. Everyone else was standing in line to return things, and we just dashed right in and found unbelievable deals. Fifty percent off on Jen’s camera!”

“Did you leave anything for the other shoppers?” asked Hannah.

Laci shed her coat and was pulling a purple top from a bag when Mom laid a hand over hers. “Have you spoken with your dad? Bonnie’s death must have come as a big shock.”

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to ask. Laci’s head drooped. Behind her, George waved his hands frantically, his eyes huge with alarm, he shook his head—
no!

“I called his cell phone yesterday when we were looking for Mom. He was ... agitated. I think he feels we all sided with Mom and ganged up against him.”

“He must feel very alone right now,” said Mom.

She was right, but George slapped his palms against his forehead. Clearly, the issue of Laci’s father was a sore spot.

A joyous look came over my mother’s face. An expression I had seen enough times in my life to know that I should run in fear. I glanced at George, who’d sat up straight in alarm.

Mom clasped her hands together under her chin, probably appearing angelic to anyone who didn’t know better. Hannah jumped out of her seat, shoving the table in her eagerness to leave the room.

But it was too late.

Mom’s words floated out of her mouth, almost in slow motion, like watching a car wreck. “We’ll invite Phil to dinner tonight so we can reignite the spark between him and Marnie.”

George leaped to his feet. “Mom, we should stay out of their relationship. Besides, I don’t think Laci is up to pulling off another family dinner on such short notice.”

“Don’t be silly, George. We wouldn’t put all that pressure on Laci. We’ll do it here. Everyone can pitch in.”

Now I love my family. I accept their quirks and their enthusiasm for some things that aren’t quite kosher—like snooping. Sometimes, though, they had higher expectations of me than I was willing to embrace.

I had to be rational. Point out the folly of this plan in a logical way. It was past noon. Not much time for lunch plus a trip to the store. “What were you planning to serve?” I asked it as sweetly as I could.

“The turkey we bought yesterday.”

Turkey? I’d forgotten that they’d bought another turkey.

Mom acted like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Hannah and your dad love turkey sandwiches so much and it’s just not the same with deli meat.”

I happened to be a fan of turkey leftovers myself. “Did you get ingredients for stuffing?”

“Of course!”

Laci burst into tears. “I feel like this is all my fault. I tried so hard but nothing turned out right,” she blubbered.

“That’s not true.” Mom flashed her an indulgent smile. “Your Red Velvet Cake was the best I’ve ever tasted.”

Laci sniffled. “It was good, wasn’t it? But look”—she held up her palms—“my hands are permanently pink from the red food coloring.”

I took a closer look. “That will wash off eventually, won’t it?”

“It hasn’t yet.” She looked completely miserable.

George chuckled—but in a nice way. He hugged his wife from behind. “The things that went wrong were outside of your control, Lace. Christmas dinner was great. You had fun shopping today, didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry to be such a mess.”

My mother, the micromanager, started issuing orders. “Laci, call your father and invite him. Then wake Marnie. After lunch take her to a beauty parlor or one of those day spas. She’ll feel much better.”

Aha
! Finally. A chink in Mom’s plans. “If you recall, Marnie came home last night in a Santa coat and elf shoes.”

Laci covered her eyes with her hands. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“The shoes would have been tough,” Mom conceded. “But you and Daisy found them. You don’t mind lending her clothes, do you, sweetie?”

Actually, I didn’t mind at all, though I was a good bit shorter and rounder than Marnie, so I had my doubts that she’d find much that fit her in my closet.

“George, you and your father take Jen and Vegas ice-skating this afternoon, and Laci will make a list of clothes for you to pick up at your house on the way back. There!” She dusted her hands off, clearly pleased with herself.

“Have you completely forgotten that you and Hannah volunteered me to take over Bonnie’s auction in two days? I’m sorry, Laci, but I have no idea how much work is involved. I really need to focus on that instead of a dinner party.”

Laci’s disappointed expression reminded me of Jen when she was told she couldn’t have something she wanted, like an ice-cream cone. I felt totally heartless.

Mom intervened quickly. “Sophie, hon, you can roast a turkey in your sleep. I’ll handle the stuffing, Hannah can be in charge of cocktails. It won’t be a problem at all.”

My mother had made up her mind, and to be perfectly honest, she was right. Roasting a turkey was almost a nobrainer. It was all the side dishes that required so much time.

After lunch, I took a mug of cinnamon-spiced tea back to the tiny study that served as my office. Daisy sprawled at my feet and Mochie curled up on the sofa, both probably fearful that if they stuck around the kitchen, they, too, would soon be assigned a task by Mom.

I didn’t have a lot of information about the Auld Lang Syne Auction, but I found the website, which filled me in on details. The only contact information was for Bonnie. It appeared she’d kept the business end of things close to the vest. I made a few phone calls to allay fears of cancellation. Bonnie had booked a well-known local venue for the auction. Long a cultural center in Alexandria, it had served as a hospital during the Civil War. Now a museum, the elegant building was still popular for lectures and weddings. Word of Bonnie’s untimely death had reached the facility coordinator, who expressed relief on hearing from me.

She had the name of the auctioneer, so I phoned him next. Within an hour, I had my bearings and confirmation from most of the significant people involved—but I had no idea where Bonnie kept the items being offered for auction. I was betting on a spare bedroom in her house or a storage room in her organizing business.

Whether I liked it or not, I would have to bring up the delicate topic with Beau. He didn’t answer his phone when I called.

I snapped a leash on Daisy and told Mom I was headed for Beau’s condo. She and Hannah packed up the cake and casserole they’d made for Beau, and readily walked over to his place with me.

Located near the waterfront, in the heart of Old Town, Beau’s condo must have cost him a small fortune. The new building, combined the typical redbrick exterior of colonial buildings with sleek, modern lines.

Shawna answered the door when I rang the bell and she accepted the food graciously. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought she was Beau’s wife. We followed her through a cluster of people that crowded the tiny apartment. She placed the food on a dining table and thanked us for coming.

“How is Beau holding up?” I asked.

“I think he’s numb. Everyone has been so kind, but there’s a lot to do, and he’s a little off his stride.”

Mom, Hannah, and I moseyed over to Beau to express our condolences. He said the same thing to each of us, “Thank you for coming.” His eyes blank, I didn’t think he saw any of us.

“Beau,” I said gently. “In honor of Bonnie’s memory, the Auld Lang Syne Auction will go on as scheduled. I’m stepping in to help, but I don’t know where Bonnie stored the auction items.”

His eyes met mine and showed a flicker of recognition. “I forgot all about that. I guess she has them at her office. If you could leave your address with Tyler, I’ll find a key and have it delivered to you.”

I thanked him, and though I wanted to urge him to hurry, it didn’t seem the right thing to do.

I wrote my address on a slip of paper and handed it to Tyler, who hovered at the dining table, helping himself to the vast assortment of foods Bonnie’s friends had brought. “It’s the house where you picked up Shawna. Beau’s going to have a key to Bonnie’s shop delivered to me so I’ll have access to the auction items. Were you involved with the auction?”