Murder Has a Sweet Tooth - By Miranda Bliss Page 0,81
venture out into Old Town Alexandria traffic with me, weaving, bobbing, and dodging to retrieve all that was left of my wedding dress? Who else would have tenderly carried those pieces of fabric to the nearest bus stop bench, then sat down next to me and cried right along with me?
Who else but Eve would have known that my disappointment was bound to morph into self-pity and chosen the exact right moment to vow (fist raised in the air like Scarlett O’Hara, but sans root vegetable) that, as God was her witness, she was going to do whatever it took to find me another dress in time for the wedding? And was there anyone else in the whole wide world who would move mountains to make sure it happened? Anyone but Eve? Absolutely not!
On top of all that, she’d had her own dress literally swiped right out from under her because she’d gone above and beyond to save my life. Talk about a best friend!
She insisted, so I left all my wedding worries in Eve’s capable hands and yes, I knew I was trusting a lot to a woman whose closet was filled with more froufrou then I’d ever owned or even knew existed. I had to. This was Eve, remember, and Eve had saved my life. She was my best friend.
Naturally, the whole best-friend thing got me thinking about Vickie and Celia and Glynis and Beth. And it got me thinking about their husbands, too. All the rest of that day and all that night, my brain spun with possibilities. I kept legal pads around for just such occasions and I filled their pages with scrawled notes, names, dates, times, and alibis. By the time the next day dawned, the brain power I’d expelled on the problem was rewarded—
I had a theory.
It was crazy, sure, but it was the only thing that fit. In fact, it was so improbable and outlandish, I didn’t dare explain it to Jim, Eve, or Norman. Turns out, I didn’t have to. I was cryptic. They were still game to help me out. After that, we worked together like a well-oiled machine. We decided the hours of Beth’s funeral service were the safest to do a little undercover work, I told them where they’d find the women’s hide-a-keys, and we put my plan into action.
Much to Norman’s dismay, we didn’t bring walkie-talkies. Instead, they each agreed to phone me during their searches. With any luck, it would be when they found what I hoped they’d find. I was already inside Vickie’s house and carefully poking around Edward’s study when the first call came in.
“Are you OK, Annie?” It was Jim, of course. Leave it to the love of my life to worry about me more than about the case. He’s a sweetheart.
“Of course I’m OK,” I whispered. Don’t ask me why. The family was at Beth’s funeral and the house was empty and quiet. Besides, Edward’s home office was straight out of every MBA candidate’s dreams, from the mahogany desk and bookshelves to the carpet so plush, I sank into it when I crossed the room. Even if there was someone around, I could probably talk at the top of my lungs, and I wouldn’t be heard. The place had that kind of Fortress of Solitude feel. Still, I wasn’t one to take chances, and I kept my voice down. “I’m just about to look through Edward’s desk.”
“Well, I’ve already looked through this Michael fellow’s desk.” I’d sent Jim to Beth and Michael’s. He wasn’t happy about what he called trespassing, but I convinced him it was all in the name of clearing Alex’s reputation, and bringing a killer to justice. “It seems you were right, Annie. I found—”
My phone beeped a call waiting. I told Jim I’d see him later. “Annie, you are the coolest PI since Mike Hammer!” It was Norman, who’d gone over to Celia and Scott’s. I knew from the tone of his voice that he’d found what I was looking for, too. “How did you know?” he asked. “I mean, really, Annie, you are the bomb! I’m thinking we’ll do an episode about you. You know, for the show. One night, it won’t be the Cooking Con, it will be the Cooking PI. You could do a special guest appearance and you could show people how to make—”
Good thing Eve’s call beeped in. It saved me from telling Norman no way, no how. Eve was at Glynis and Chip’s,