Murder And Salutations Part 15

She calmed down long enough to ask, "How's Sara Lynn?"

"She's pretty upset," I said. "She made me promise to find out who killed Eliza Glade, as if we haven't been trying to figure that out all along, anyway."

"Then we need to redouble our efforts," Lillian said. "And we will, just as soon as you take care of something else."

"What's that?" I asked, looking around the store. "Is there a customer I'm missing?"

"No, but we did have a visitor while you were gone.

Greg Langston was here, and he was determined to talk to you."

"Well, I'm not ready to talk to him," I said. One confrontation this morning was one too many, as far as I was concerned. Greg was just going to have to wait.

"Jennifer, you need to tie up this loose end so we can work without distraction," she said.

The bad thing was that I knew she was right. "Fine. I won't be gone long."

"I won't hold you to that," Lillian said.

"Trust me, what I've got to say can be handled in thirty seconds."

"It's not your opening statement I'm worried about," Lillian said. "It's his reb.u.t.tal."

"He's not talking me into anything else," I said. "I promise."

"Jennifer, you know how I feel about people making promises they can't keep."

"Just watch me."

I left the card shop and walked down to Greg's pottery store. If Greg wanted to talk to me, he was going to get more than he'd bargained for.

He was with a customer when I walked in. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he'd planned it that way just to defuse my temper. I didn't care how irrational that sounded, even in my head. I wasn't in the mood to have anyone cross me, including my own subconscious.

The customer finally left, clutching two of Greg's kiln salamanders like they were made of gold. Greg took the partially melted and twisted triangular cones used to gauge the temperature in his kiln, added a few features like legs and a face, glazed them, then retailed them to the public as small knickknacks. "I sell more of those than I have any right to, especially since they're basically free to create. Jennifer, I honestly tried to get to you last night, but your family wouldn't let me near you. I'm so happy you're all right." He gestured toward my wrist tenderly. "Are you all right? Were you scared?"

"What? No. Yes, of course I was. Listen, we need to talk."

"I came by your shop a little while ago," he said, "but your aunt told me that you were with Sara Lynn. How's she holding up?"

I shook my head. "Greg, right now we're talking about us. You and me, for the last time there will ever be a you and me. Last night was the biggest summation of our relations.h.i.+p that there could ever be. Anybody who thinks G.o.d or Fate or whatever Supreme Being they believe in doesn't have a sense of humor is insane. We can't even have a farewell dinner without it being interrupted by gunplay. If that's not a sign, what is?"

Greg stared at me a few seconds, then said, "I believe it was a sign, too. Just not the same one you think."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't think we should have ever broken up," he said, his words coming out in a rush. "Think about it, Jennifer. There's a reason we didn't finish this between us."

"Yeah, some lunatic took a couple of shots at me." My voice was shriller than I liked, but I couldn't help it. "Greg, we don't belong together, not anymore. I loved you at one time, I've never denied it, but there's no future in this relations.h.i.+p for either one of us."

He stepped closer than I would have liked, but I didn't back away. "Jennifer, look into my eyes and tell me you don't still love me."

I felt his presence, a strong aura that made my knees go weak. "It's no use," I said, but even I was aware of the lack of conviction in my voice. "I can't do this."

"You're right," he said, stepping even closer. "There's no use fighting it anymore."

It would have been easy enough to turn my cheek as he started to kiss me. I'd done it enough times in the past to be an expert at it. But I didn't even move, I'm sorry to say. Ten seconds into the kiss, I'd forgotten why I'd come there in the first place. I'd also forgotten my name and my birthday. Wow. I was about ready to give in completely, regardless of the consequences, when Greg's front door opened. As he pulled away from me, I caught a glimpse of Stephanie's back as she ran back out the door.

And then Greg gave me the only real answer I'd been expecting all along. If he was really interested in being with me, he would have at least said something to me before he raced out after her. Instead, all I heard were his pleas to Stephanie to stop. He didn't even look back at me as he bolted down the street after her.

I shook my head, trying to wipe the images I'd been entertaining out of my mind. At last I knew that whatever Greg and I had shared was finally dead. It still stung as I saw him race through traffic to catch the woman he loved. More than a little part of me was sad that I wasn't the one for him, though I knew in my head that he wasn't the one for me, either. There was no denying we had a physical pull between us, but that was all it was, and I refused to try to build anything more solid on just that. I needed more, and to be fair, I was sure that Greg did, too. It was finally time to move on.

I couldn't exactly lock his shop up, since I didn't have a key, but I did the next best thing. I flipped his sign to the closed position, then turned off all the lights. It would have to do until he got back. Waiting there for him was out of the question. I just hoped he understood what had transpired between us as clearly as I had.

I walked back into the card shop and Lillian was about to say something when she must have caught the look on my face. Without a word, she stepped up to me and wrapped me in her embrace. No doubt we looked ridiculous, with me towering over her and trying to bury my head in her shoulder, but I didn't care. I let my tears out, and the ferocity of the outburst startled me. After I'd cried for a few minutes, I pulled away. "Wow, I haven't cried like that in ages."

"You were past due," Lillian said. "I gather it didn't go as smoothly as you'd hoped."

"It was awful," I said, dabbing at my eyes with a Kleenex. "He kissed me."

"Was it really that bad?" Lillian asked, obviously surprised by the admission.

"No, that's the point. It was so good it curled my toes."

"So what's the awful part?"

"Stephanie caught us, and he ran after her without saying a word to me. It's over. It probably has been for a long time-I've known that in my head-but my heart's just catching up with the fact."

"I'm so sorry," Lillian said. "Give it some time, and you'll feel better. Would you like to go home early today?"

"No, thanks," I said. "As a matter of fact, I'd like something to throw myself into. Like a murder investigation."

"Jennifer, are you certain that's what you want to do?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," I said. "Let's get started."

Lillian got out our whiteboard and erased the day's specials we'd tried last week. Every day we'd offered a different discount on something, and it hadn't been worth the time it had taken to come up with the specials. Perhaps it would work when we had more foot traffic in the store, but it was a bust this time of year.

I took a soft cloth and erased the board so we could start fresh. I replicated the listings we'd done on her mirror at home a few nights ago.

"Do we have anything new to add?" I asked as I studied it.

"I'm not sure how the shooting fits in, or Bailey's mysterious stalker," Lillian said.

"I'm not, either. So who do we tackle first?"

She tapped the board under Addie's name. "Why don't we look at motives? She gets the shop. That's got to be worth a fortune. Is greed a big enough motive?"

"You'd better believe it," I said and wrote that single word under her name. I wished I had a green marker to write it in, but our St. Patrick's Day blowout had turned into a flop, and I'd killed the marker in the process.

"So how about the others?" I asked as I studied the list.

Lillian took a red marker and wrote love love under Luke Penwright's name. "And the others?" I said, gesturing to Polly Blackburn and Kaye Jansen. "I've got it," I said as I wrote under Luke Penwright's name. "And the others?" I said, gesturing to Polly Blackburn and Kaye Jansen. "I've got it," I said as I wrote envy envy down for them. down for them.

Lillian studied the list, then said, "We're covering our share of the seven deadly sins, aren't we?"

"One of them is usually behind every murder, wouldn't you say?"

"It's always a good place to start," she said.

I tapped the closed marker on my chin. "There's something that's been bothering me. Bailey said something about another man in Eliza's life, and I don't think he was talking about her ex-husband. Could this mystery man have killed her when he found out about Bailey?"

"It's possible, but who do we put down?"

I made a big black X on the board, and wrote love love under it. Lillian studied the addition, then said, "So let me get this straight. We know that one of these people probably killed Eliza, including our mysterious stranger. And we think we know the motive, but it's a multiple choice question instead of a true or false exam. Does that about sum it up?" under it. Lillian studied the addition, then said, "So let me get this straight. We know that one of these people probably killed Eliza, including our mysterious stranger. And we think we know the motive, but it's a multiple choice question instead of a true or false exam. Does that about sum it up?"

I threw the marker down. "It's hopeless, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't say that," Lillian said. "But we do have a way to go before we make anyone the least bit nervous."

"So what do you suggest?"

Lillian thought about it, and so did I. Finally, she said, "If we can eliminate one of our suspects because of logistics, we might finally get somewhere."

"Gotcha. I'll talk to Kaye and Polly to see if they've got alibis."

"Jennifer, I can do it."

"Honestly, I don't much feel like being around here right now," I said. I was afraid Greg would come back, and I didn't want to talk to him until he had a chance to get his emotions in check. "Please?"

"Fine, but be back here by three. I have something I simply must do then."

"I'll be back in plenty of time," I said. "So what's so important?"

"Jennifer, if I'd wanted you to know, I would have been a little more specific, now wouldn't I?"

"Be like that, then. I'm out of here."

As I walked toward Kayo's shop, I couldn't help wondering what my aunt was up to. It would be tough getting it out of her, since she could keep a secret with the best of them, but if 1 was determined enough, I'd find out sooner or later.

For now, I wanted to forget all about Greg and that kiss so I could focus on who killed Eliza Glade. I wished I had my Gremlin, but it was back at Whispering Oak, since Bradford had dropped mo off at work earlier that morning. It would be more trouble than it was worth to pick up the car. Besides, it was a beautiful day, and I needed the exercise. I walked along Oakmont, keeping my gaze down as I went past Greg's pottery shop. I thought about popping in on Sara Lynn, but I had nothing now to toll hot. Maybe I'd have more when I came back through. I found Kayo working the front cash register at the drugstore. She was busy helping a customer, and I doubted she'd even seen me come in. During the busy summer, I knew she always hired her niece to help out, but for now, it was a skeleton staff, with her up front and her husband coveting the pharmacy in back of the store. Thad was quite a bit older than Kayo, and it was rumored around town that her heart had been enamored more with his not worth than his love. Before my mother died, she'd always said that people who married for money earned every penny of it, and I hadn't really understood what she meant until years after she was gone. I'd h.o.a.rd that Kayo had been shocked to learn soon after her marriage that it was her father-in-law who really owned the place, and not her bridegroom. She was selling a tourist a digital camera as I walked in, but I noticed that she didn't ring up the sale. Instead, I heard her tell the customer, "I can't give you a receipt since our register's not working. But if you have any trouble at all, bring it back to me and I'll take care of you."

"Small towns," the man said. "You just have to love them."

After he was gone, Kaye saw me and asked, "Jennifer, what brings you here? Did you decide to contribute more to the fund? I'm still taking donations."

That was a cheap shot, clean and at the knees. I had to give her credit for so viciously attacking me with a smile on her face.

"Actually, I was hoping I could have half of it back," I said before I could stop myself. She looked stunned by my words. "I'm kidding," I added, but she still wasn't sure how to take it. Good. I wanted her off balance.

"So what can I do for you?" "I was wondering where you were just before Eliza was murdered. I didn't see you at your table, and I'd wanted to ask you where you got that dress you were wearing." That was nothing but a bald-faced lie. The only reason I would have asked her where she'd bought it was so that I would never shop there myself. It looked like a bridesmaid's dress with a hangover, with more ribbons and bows than a county fair. "I had it made for me exclusively," she said proudly.

No doubt by a blind seamstress. "So where were you?" I smiled as I asked her, but it didn't take the heat from my question. "I'm sure I was right there."

"And I'm sure you weren't," I said. "And that's what I'm going to tell my brother." Lillian would have been proud of me. She'd taught me that when they called your bluff, you raised over the top to drive them out.

"Let me see. Oh, yes, that's right. I'd stepped outside to have a smoke. You can ask Polly. She was there with me."

"Did anyone else see you two?" I asked.

"No, it was just the two of us. Jennifer, are you snooping around again? You know you shouldn't."

"We all have our vices, don't we?"

I left before she could get another jab in. I headed straight to Polly's realty office so I could ask her the same question I'd just asked Kaye.

Sure enough, she backed Kaye's story completely before she ducked out the door to show a house on Hickory Street. Fancy that. Either they were both telling the truth, or the two women had conspired to alibi each other. Did that mean they were guilty of anything more than a nicotine habit? I couldn't see them agreeing on where to eat lunch, let alone on killing Eliza Glade, but it was still a possibility. I'd managed to waste most of the day tracking down leads and taking a walking tour of Rebel Forge. I'd have to grab a quick bite before I headed back to the card shop, since Lillian had her mysterious errand to run. But I needed to see how my sister was doing first, and if that made Lillian late, then that was just too bad. After all, she had been the one drilling it into me from birth that family came first, and the whole world had to take second place.

I still felt a little uneasy going into Forever Memories. After all, I'd been working there part-time right up to the day when Sara Lynn had turned down my card-crafting idea and I'd walked out to start my own business. My job as a corporate sales rep peddling dog food had been completely unsatisfying, but working at Sara Lynn's with all those tools, stickers, papers and stamps had been my true love. It was wonderful that they all applied as much to card making as they did to sc.r.a.pbooking.

Sara Lynn's shop was well stocked with many of the same supplies I carried, but my sister had arranged things in a completely different way than I had. I liked a lot of her ideas, but I'd been hesitant to borrow her displays without permission, and I wasn't comfortable asking. I noticed she'd recently added a workstation where people could use a custom letter-cutting machine.

"That's new," I said as I saw Christy Keystone behind the register.

"The customers really love getting their hands on the equipment. We've sold more machines in the past two weeks than we did the four months before it."

It appeared that my sister didn't have the same compunction about borrowing that I did. I would have been stunned if she hadn't gotten the idea for the demonstration area from me. Maybe I'd return the favor and steal some of her better ideas. After all, at least we were keeping it in the family.

"It's so nice to have you back," Christy said. "I've missed seeing you every day."

"How are you, Christy?"

"Haven't you heard? I'm going by Chris now. It seemed silly for a woman my age to keep being called Christy."

"Chris it is," I said. "Is my sister around?"

She frowned. "No, she's gone for the day."

"Did something happen?" I asked.

"No, at least I don't think so. She said there was something urgent she had to take care of, and then she took off." Oh, no. I wondered if it had anything to do with her errant estranged husband. "Do you know if it involved Bailey?"

Chris looked shocked by the suggestion. "I didn't think so. No, I'm sure of it. This had to be something else."

"I'm calling Bradford anyway," I said. "Can I borrow your phone? The battery's low on my cell, so I turned it off."

"Sure thing," Chris said as she scooted the telephone toward me.

I dialed Bradford's cell number, and when he answered, he was out of breath. "Yeah?"