Full Bloom (22 page)

“I have to tell you something,” he said. “About Charles.”

Annie couldn’t hide her irritation. “I’m tired of talking about Charles, okay? I just want to get on with my life.”

“Donna Schaefer didn’t kill him, Annie. I think someone else came in after she left. Probably the same person who dragged him to the backyard and buried him.”

Annie felt a chill race up her spine. “Norm?”

“Could be. I want you to be careful. He’s already mad because I pulled him into the investigation, and because you made him look stupid at Jimbo’s. Erdle told me.”

“I can take care of myself,” she said.

“You won’t have to. Danny is so love-sick over you he’ll come running every time you call.”

“Danny is gone.”

Wes’s brows drew together. “Gone where?”

“He had a job offer in Charleston.”

“Where in Charleston?”

“I don’t know,” she said impatiently. “He just left, okay? I don’t have any way of reaching him.” She felt a lump in her throat. “Can we not talk about it right now?”

“Annie—”

“Look, I’m not mad anymore, okay? And I appreciate your giving me the heads-up about Norm. But I really have a ton of work to do, and I just need to be alone for a while.” What she needed was to be away from him. So she could think.

Wes nodded. “I’m, uh, on my way to Columbia,” he said. “Something came up with a case that I thought was over and done with.”

Annie felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. He was leaving. “I see,” she said, keeping her voice even.

“I’ll be back.”

“Of course.”

“I’m coming back because I don’t want to be away from you.”

She tried to look away, but she couldn’t let go of his eyes, and the thought of him leaving, even for a day, made her want to reach out to him and ask him to stay.

“My timing is probably way off, but I want you to think about something while I’m gone, Annie,” Wes said softly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet jeweler’s box.

Annie’s stomach dived to her toes and her lips went numb. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.” She looked at his face. “Is that what I think it is?”

He smiled. “Only one way to find out.”

Annie started to reach for it and then snatched her hand away. “Um, I don’t think—”

“Afraid?” he said gently.

All the air had been sucked from her body. She gulped in a mouthful. “Terrified,” she managed.

“Take a chance, Annie. Take a chance on me. On us.”

“It feels like things are moving so fast.”

“I think sometimes you just know,” Wes said.

She had heard those words before. Annie opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Why don’t you think about it?” He set the box on the table. “You know how to reach me.”

When Lovelle and Theenie came downstairs some time later, they found Annie sitting at the kitchen table staring at the box.

“Holy cow, is that what I think it is?” she said, echoing Annie’s own words.

“I think so,” Annie said, “but I’m afraid to look.”

Theenie put a hand to her mouth. “Wes asked you to marry him?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, what did you say?” Lovelle demanded impatiently.

Annie was prevented from answering when Destiny plodded down the last couple of stairs, groaning aloud. “I’m exhausted,” she said. “I was up half the night talking to Lacey, but I
finally,
after Lord knows how many hours, got through to her.”

“How did you manage that?” Theenie asked.

“Well, the name Fairchild kept popping up in my mind, and I kept getting a funny feeling about it, so I did a little research and discovered the Fairchild family lived in this area when the house was a bordello. I suspected Jonathan Fairchild was a customer. I managed to get a picture, and when I showed it to Lacey she became agitated. Finally, she pointed to the marks on her neck.”

“So he killed her?” Theenie asked.

Destiny nodded. “I don’t know why. Maybe he had a thing for Lacey and resented her sleeping with other men. Or maybe he just got rough with her. It’ll probably come to me later, but the good thing, once Lacey saw that picture, she suddenly realized she was dead. And
then
she remembered her lover being hanged, and she couldn’t wait to go to the light. I hope they’re happy, because I’m so far behind with my mail I’ll never get caught up.”

“You mean she’s really gone?” Lovelle said, sounding disappointed.

“Yup. Now I’ll be able to get some sleep.” Destiny sighed. “Damn, I’m good.”

“I’m going to miss her,” Theenie said. “It was so nice having a spirit in the house. And kind of sexy, too, what with her stealing our underwear.”

“Cotton underwear is not sexy, Theenie,” Lovelle said. “Face it.”

Theenie ignored her. “At least we know she’s finally at peace.”

“I need coffee,” Destiny said, “and lots of it.” She started for the coffeepot, paused, and looked at Annie. “You haven’t said a word. What’s wrong?”

“She’s contemplating,” Theenie whispered, stepping aside so Destiny could get a look.

Destiny crossed the room and stared down at the box. “Hmm, let me guess.”

“She’s afraid to open it,” Lovelle said.

Destiny frowned. “That’s nonsense. A jar of pickles is hard to open, a stuck window is hard to open, but we’re talking jewelry here. I can rip that lid off with my bare teeth from the other side of the room. Come on, Annie, give it up.”

Annie knew she would have to look sooner or later. She took a deep breath and lifted the lid. The ring flashed at her.

“Oh, my Lord!” Theenie said.

Lovelle sighed. “Boy-oh-boy.”

“
Very nice,
” Destiny said. “A full karat, great clarity, no visible flaws, perfect Tiffany setting. I take it Wes gave it to you?”

Annie nodded. Her heart was pounding so loud she was certain Doc could hear it next door. “I can’t think. I must be in shock.”

“It’s beautiful,” Lovelle said.

Theenie began picking her nails. “Yes, but it’s likely to snag on the blankets when she makes the beds.”

“So, does this mean you’re engaged?” Destiny asked.

“Um.”

“Not that I’m surprised,” Destiny said. “I’ve been having visions. Max and Jamie aren’t the only ones getting married in this house. I didn’t want to say anything on account I wanted it to be a surprise. When is the big event? No, don’t tell me; I already know. You’re going to be a May bride. Better start making plans.”

“I didn’t give him an answer,” Annie said. “He just left the ring here and told me to think about it.”

“At least try it on,” Lovelle said. “See if it fits.”

Annie was tempted. Finally, she pulled the ring from the box and slipped it on her left finger. All three women leaned forward to get a closer look.

“That’s one big rock,” Theenie said.

Annie nodded. “It’s a little loose.”

Destiny waved the remark aside. “It can be sized. I think you should wear the ring while you’re considering your answer, though. Do you get to keep it even if you say no?”

“Why would I do that?” Annie asked.

“You can always put it in a different setting. I should know these things after five marriages.”

Theenie looked at Lovelle. “If she marries Wes, we’ll have to move. You know how newlyweds are.”

Lovelle nodded. “They stay naked a lot.” She looked thoughtful. “That might not be a bad thing, seeing how Wes is so hot.”

Theenie’s mouth flew open. “Lovelle, I don’t believe what I just heard come out of your mouth!”

“Hey, old ladies have needs, too. That’s why they make adult toys.”

“I shouldn’t be hearing this.” Theenie pressed her hands to her ears. “La la la la la. Is she done yet?”

“Nobody is moving anywhere,” Annie said. “Besides, I can’t get married right now; I just buried my husband.”

Theenie nodded. “Oh yeah. You’re supposed to be in mourning.”

Destiny took a sip of her coffee. “See, that’s the thing about diamonds. They go with any color. Especially black.”

“Do you love him?” Lovelle asked.

All eyes went to Annie. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. “Yeah. I just need to think.”

Lovelle patted her on the back. “Well, now that things have settled down, your mind will be clearer.”

Annie and Destiny exchanged looks. Neither of them spoke. Annie went back to work. Destiny refilled her coffee cup and sipped in silence. Peaches stretched and yawned in one of the chairs and jumped to the floor. She walked over to her bowl and swatted it hard. Water sloshed over one side as the bowl sailed a good three feet. Nobody noticed. Peaches walked over to the cabinet, sat, and stared at Annie. Finally, Theenie and Lovelle disappeared into the sunroom to watch their favorite morning show.

Destiny sneezed. “Donna Schaefer didn’t kill him.”

Annie went on with her work but said nothing.

Peaches rubbed up against the cabinet, never taking her eyes off Annie.

“She only thinks she’s responsible for his death because he was alive when she ran out.” Destiny wiped her nose.

Peaches smacked the cabinet with her paw.
Bam, bam, bam.

Annie looked up and gazed out the window over the sink.

“Somebody came in afterward and did it. I just have to figure out who.” Sneeze, sneeze.
Bam, bam, bam.

Peaches took several steps back and hurled herself against the cabinet and then slumped to the floor, tongue lolling from her mouth.

Destiny gaped.

Annie glanced at the cat, turned, and continued to stare out the window. “She’s faking.”

It was late in the afternoon when Annie allowed herself to take a break. She poured a glass of iced tea and decided to drink it in the sunroom. As she made her way through the house, she smiled. Theenie had polished the antiques until they shone like a dime, and Destiny had run a damp mop over the wood floors and vacuumed the rugs. The tables in the ballroom wore crisp white tablecloths and were set just so, thanks to Lovelle.

Annie wasn’t sure how she would have managed without their help; she’d spent the entire day preparing hors d’oeuvres, baking traditional wedding cookies, as well as layers for the French pound cake that she would later frost and decorate. Salad plates, asparagus, stuffed cherry tomatoes, champagne, and wine were chilling in the restaurant-sized refrigerator at the back of the large walk-in pantry. She had wanted to get as much food preparation behind her so she could concentrate on the main course tomorrow. The two women she often hired for large occasions would arrive an hour before the food was to be served so that she would be able to concentrate on last-minute details.

Everything was under control.

Yeah, right. Her guts had not stopped shaking since Wes had arrived bearing an engagement ring and the latest news on Charles’s death.

She missed Wes. Her bed had been a lonely place without him the night before. She longed to have his arms around her because he made her feel safe and cared for, something she had only recently begun to realize that she’d spent most of her life craving. She missed his smile, the laughter in his eyes that told her he refused to take life so seriously. She missed the tender looks and kisses, and the taste and smell of him.

And she regretted sending him away that morning instead of admitting that somehow, in just two weeks’ time, she had fallen in love with him, too.

“Annie?”

She jumped at the sound of Theenie’s voice. “I didn’t hear you,” she said.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just trying to think of everything I need to do before tomorrow. Right now I’m on break.”

Theenie followed her to the sunporch, where they each claimed a chair. “You’re thinking of Wes.”

“He deceived me.”

“He was hired to do a job. Once he was convinced of your innocence, he began looking elsewhere.”

“He’s probably all wrong for me, Theenie.”

“That’s what I thought at first, but I’ve since changed my mind. He loves you, Annie. He’s sincere. Lovelle agrees.”

“It just happened so fast.”

Theenie patted her hand. “You can schedule dinner parties and luncheons and weddings, but you can’t put love into a time frame.” She suddenly frowned. “Where’s your engagement ring?”

“Huh?” Annie glanced at her hand. “Holy crap, it’s gone!”

“Okay, everybody calm down,” Destiny said an hour later, after all four of them had searched every nook and cranny for the ring.

“Calm down?” Annie cried. “What am I going to tell Wes?”

“It has to be here somewhere,” Lovelle said. “It didn’t just walk off.”

“Annie, think,” Theenie said. “When was the last time you noticed it?”

“I know I glanced down at it a number of times after I first put it on,” she said, “but then I got busy. What if it slipped off and fell down the sink?”

“That has been known to happen,” Destiny said. “Does Erdle know anything about plumbing?”

Annie nodded. “He makes most of the repairs around here. When he gets around to it,” she added.

“His car is in the driveway,” Lovelle said. “I’ll go get him.”

“Give me the box the ring came in,” Destiny said. “I’ll go into the living room where it’s quiet so I can concentrate. Maybe something will come to me.”

Annie grabbed the jeweler’s box and handed it to her. “Good luck.”

Erdle staggered in through the back door a few minutes later, followed by Lovelle. “He’s drunk, of course,” she said.

Annie gave an enormous sigh of disgust. “What else is new?” She looked at him. His clothes were badly wrinkled; his hair stood in tufts. Lovelle had obviously awakened him. He held a plumber’s wrench in one hand. His eyes widened at the trays of food sitting on the counter and kitchen table. “Wow!” He belched. “I’ve never seen so much food.”

Annie had already cleared the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink. “Did Lovelle tell you my ring may have slid off my finger and gone down the drain?” she asked.

He scratched his head and blinked several times. “She might have mentioned it.” He gazed back at the food. “What’s all that?”

“Stuffed grape leaves, Roquefort grapes, wedding cookies, and . . .” She paused, wondering why she was bothering to answer. “I’m in a hurry.”

“Why would anybody want to eat grape leaves?” he asked.