Broken Vows Mystery 03-In Sickness and in Death (15 page)

Cory remained speechless.

Leslie pointed to her hair. “It’s a wig. Celeste’s stylist said my hair needs a rest from all the dye and sun.”

I had a sneaking suspicion that her hair had been too thin to style, but I kept it to myself. “You look amazing. Ah-mazing.”

She hugged herself.

Cory hopped out of the car and hugged her, too. “Jo’s right. You look fabulous!” Fabulous for Leslie, that was. She still looked a bit horsy, but at least she was on her way to thoroughbred. Nevertheless, the transformation merited celebration.

I climbed out of the Ferrari. “How about I take everybody to an early lunch?”

We locked up and
headed across the street to the Coachman Inn, a historic village landmark. In addition to serving meals, the inn operated paddleboat dinner cruises on the lake and rented tastefully decorated rooms with comfy poster beds and gas fireplaces. It was perfect for a romantic weekend getaway in the Finger Lakes and a delightful spot for a celebratory lunch.

In the lamp-lit, pine-floored entryway, Leslie spotted the restrooms. “I’ll meet you at the table. I was so excited this morning, I forgot to whiz.”

Cory and I waited for the hostess to seat the two groups ahead of us. Apparently, everyone in town had decided to have an early lunch. While we waited, I spotted Celeste’s best friend, Mindy something, come out of the ladies’ room. She flew into the dining room so fast that I didn’t get a chance to say “hello.” I feared Celeste might be lurking nearby as well.

The hostess greeted Cory and me. We followed her to a table near the stone fireplace.

“Jolene Asdale.”

I turned to find Celeste and her friend Mindy sitting in a booth. Both wore skirts and blouses I swore had been on the cover of the most recent Talbots’ catalog. Mindy got her hair styled at the same place as Celeste. She even had the same style, although she was a brunette. I wondered if Celeste had to give that her stamp of approval. She’d certainly never given her approval on my marriage to Ray, not when she wanted him for herself. That was why she always called me Jolene Asdale instead of Parker.

Cory continued on to the table while I stopped to thank Celeste for transforming Leslie so beautifully.

Celeste examined my pants and blouse. “I think that blouse was supposed to go with black pants, not tan.”

I resisted the impulse to bump her table and upset her drink into her lap. “I’ll remember that next time. Listen, Leslie looks fabulous. Thanks so much for your help.”

“Ugh, it took a team, Jolene. My dentist opened up at six this morning to work on her.”

“Thank him for me, too. It was worth it. The change in her appearance as well as her confidence is miraculous.”

Celeste tapped her French nails on the table. “She’s an odd one, that’s for sure. In fact—”

I held up my hand and glanced over my shoulder to make sure Leslie wasn’t in hearing distance. “She’s joining Cory and me for lunch. We’re celebrating her makeover.”

She pursed her lips. “Don’t let her overeat. There’s not much room left in those pants.”

I fumbled in my purse for the DMV picture of Maury Boor, pulled it out, and smoothed it on the table. “You two know almost everyone in town. Do either of you know Emerson Maurice Boor, Maury Boor?”

Celeste and Mindy cranked their heads sideways to study his picture. Both shook their heads.

“He’s not too bad to look at.” Celeste leaned back. “Let me guess. He has something to do with Erica’s disappearance.”

“She may be with him. I’m not sure.”

Celeste exchanged a meaningful glance with Mindy. “We’ll keep our eyes open.”

From experience, I knew that was as good as my posting a sentry on every street in Wachobe to keep watch for my sister. Celeste had the whole town and beyond on her friends and family network.

The waitress appeared next to me with their drinks.

I stepped aside to allow her access to the table.

As she passed out their glasses, she glanced down at Maury’s photo on the table. “Hey, that’s a nice picture of Maury.”

I glanced up at her in surprise. “You know him?”

“Sure. He’s our linen rep. You know, the guy who delivers our tablecloths and napkins and uniforms and aprons and stuff. He comes here once a week, usually on Wednesdays.”

I couldn’t believe my good luck. “So you’re saying he’ll be here tomorrow?”

She shrugged. “He should be.” She said Maury worked for a company called In-house Textiles.

I tried not to dance with excitement over the new lead and excused myself to call Ray right away with the news. He didn’t answer. Impatient, I decided that if he didn’t call me back by the time lunch was over, I would call the company and see if I could locate Maury myself.

I joined Cory at our table and filled him in on what I had discovered about Maury.

A minute later Leslie appeared, her lipstick and hair retouched. When she spotted Celeste, she raced across the room, pulled Celeste from her booth, and drew her into an embrace. “You’re the best.”

She released a visibly shaken Celeste. “Look at me.” She twisted from side to side. “I’m a babe.”

Celeste gave her a weak smile. “Yes.”

“I’m going to ask him for a date when he comes to the farm tomorrow. I’ll wear the green and say exactly what you told me to say.” Leslie threw her arms around Celeste again and squeezed her so tight Celeste’s eyes bugged out.

“Good. Good.” Celeste’s voice sounded more like a squeak.

“Thanks again for everything, Celeste.”

As Leslie trotted over to join us, Mindy pointed at Leslie and leaned forward to speak to Celeste. I thought I heard her say, “That’s her.”

Celeste’s eyebrows shot up in response.

Was it my imagination or did I see gossip tendrils sprouting from both their mouths?

The dining room was beginning to fill up by the time Leslie sat down with us. “What a great girl she is.”

Cory winked at me. “Yep, that Celeste is one of a kind.”

The two glasses of champagne I drank to celebrate Leslie’s new look took the edge off the fact that Celeste and Mindy kept looking over at our table and whispering to each other all through lunch. I couldn’t imagine what the two of them were talking about, and I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know. My family had been “newsmakers” in this town for years. People loved to look at us sidewise like we were specimens under the microscope. I’d long ago decided that it was best not to ask too many questions. The answers were almost certain to depress me. This time their interest seemed to focus on Leslie. I couldn’t decide whether or not to be relieved.

Leslie drank three glasses of champagne. With her size, they didn’t seem to faze her a bit. She told Cory and me all about her visit to the hair stylist and the dentist’s office, and how excited she was to unveil her new look to her friends and family—all punctuated by exuberant gestures, much batting of the eyelashes, and multiple fluffs of her wig. Overnight, she’d transformed from a rough cowhand into a radiant flower. And no one was more excited about it than she was.

“Wait until Dr. Albert sees me.”

I looked at Leslie over my wineglass. “Dr. Albert? Dr. Simon Albert who has an office next door to the psych center?”

She nodded. “Do you know him?”

I set my glass down. “My sister has been a patient of his for a couple years now.”

Leslie forked her last bite of cheesecake. “I’ve known him about that long. We’re almost finished with our sessions.”

Cory lifted his eyebrow and looked at me. I knew he was wondering if I would be so bold as to ask Leslie what she was in treatment for.

I would. But as open as Leslie was, I hoped she’d just spit it out before I had to ask.

Her cell phone rang instead. She pulled it out of her black leather backpack and flicked it open. “Hello … okay, I’m on my way.” She pushed back from the table. “I am so sorry, Jolene, Cory. I have to leave. The milking machine is on the fritz and my brother is losing it again. Thank you so much for lunch and for everything. Y’all have been wonderful. It’s so nice to make some new friends.”

She hugged me and Cory in turn, smothering me with her breasts and cutting off my oxygen.

Halfway across the dining room, she turned and waltzed back to the table. “And I’m going to hold off on the Caterham for now. I’m going to use the ideas Celeste gave me instead.”

I wouldn’t ask what those were, not ever. It would be too much like shaking hands with the devil herself. But let poor innocent Leslie use whatever tricks she could live with to attract the man of her dreams. “Okay, good luck. Keep us posted.”

“Don’t you worry, I will.” With an excited wave and a couple funky chicken dance steps, she was gone.

Cory glanced at me. “Is it only me, or do you think she has some future in the theater?”

____

Cory headed for home while I sat at my desk in the shop and dialed Information for the number of In-house Textiles, which, come to find out, was based in Buffalo. When I asked their receptionist for Emerson Boor, however, she said he was no longer with the company.

“Since when?”

The receptionist sounded like a young girl. “His last day was yesterday.”

“Did he resign?”

“I can’t say. You’ll have to speak to Human Resources.”

“Did he get fired?” I could be so much bolder on the phone than in person. Hell, I hadn’t even given this girl my name.

“I really can’t say. Would you like to speak to someone in HR?”

I scrambled for a way to get more information, knowing HR would just hang up on me. “No, it’s just … he’s been dating my sister. If he hasn’t got a job anymore, I don’t think they should get married, do you?”

“Maury’s getting married? Does your sister … hold on, I have another call.”

I listened to the music while I waited for her to return.

“Hello, listen, I really can’t talk. I’m sorry.”

“But you don’t think my sister should marry Maury?”

“He’s not so bad. He brought me roses for Secretary’s Day.”

“So you think he’s an okay guy?”

“He brings lots of girls roses. He’s a little creepy. I have to go. Bye.”

A little creepy. That wasn’t news. That was the way Erica had felt about him in high school. She’d wanted to like him, because he’d always been so nice to her. But he was so persistent in his pursuit of her that he’d freaked her out.

It didn’t help me to know he wasn’t employed by In-house Textiles anymore, either. Now he wouldn’t be showing up at the Coachman Inn tomorrow, where I’d been hoping to meet him.

Maybe the manager of the Coachman Inn could help me. Maybe he knew more about Maury, like where he lived. I headed back across the street.

The hostess summoned the manager, who I knew ever so slightly from the Wachobe Business Association meetings. He and I both appeared at those meetings sporadically.

I explained about Erica’s disappearance and the connection to Maury.

“Gee, Jolene, I’m sorry, but I don’t really talk to the guy. He brings in our order and takes away the laundry. That’s about it. I don’t think any of the guys in the kitchen really talked to him. He’s in and out of here pretty fast.”

Another dead end. I thanked him for his time and stepped outside onto the sidewalk, holding Maury’s picture in my hand.

I tried to think of all the places in town that might utilize In-house Textiles’ services. The yacht club and a couple other upscale restaurants came to mind. Given the warm day and the sunshine, I decided to walk from place to place and ask about Maury.

By two-thirty, I had pink cheeks from the sun’s rays and no more answers than when I started. My last stop was The Lincoln House. I didn’t hold out much hope there, because Bernie, the owner and bartender, already said he didn’t know Maury. If he was delivering linens to the restaurant, surely Bernie would know him.

I took a seat at the bar and waited for Bernie to spot me.

“Hey, Jolene, are you here for lunch?”

“No, but I could use a Pepsi.”

“Coming right up.” He filled a glass and set it in front of me. “I haven’t seen or heard from Erica, if that’s what you’re here to ask. I hired a new girl to take over Erica’s shifts this morning. I haven’t seen that guy again, either.”