Sealed with a Kill (12 page)

The door opened again, and this time it was Suede and Julie and the quiet blond girl, Paula. Brenna and Tenley exchanged a look. This was more than either of them had expected.

“Are Zach and Lily joining us?” Brenna asked the group.

Jan and Dan exchanged an amused look, and Jan said, “They were otherwise occupied.”

It took Brenna a second to get it. “Oh. Oh!”

“Exactly,” Dan said, and Jan laughed and slapped him on the arm.

“Well, let’s go ahead and get started,” Brenna said.

The door pushed open again, and Brenna was surprised to see Siobhan enter the shop. She sauntered to the back of the room and sat at the worktable with the others.

“Hi, Siobhan,” Brenna said. “Can I help you?”

“I’m here for the class,” she said. “I went on the hike, so I get to join the class. Right?”

Her voice was terse, almost challenging, and Brenna felt a hot flicker of annoyance. “Well, since two of our group can’t make it, I suppose you can join in.”

Siobhan gave her a smug smile, as if she’d known all along that she’d get her way. Brenna wondered if Siobhan was always this abrasive or if it was just with her. She couldn’t imagine what she had done for Siobhan to dislike her so.

Brenna started opening the leaf presses she’d put on the table. As she removed each layer, she gently took out the freshly pressed leaves in rich hues of burgundy and cinnamon and gold.

“Those are lovely,” Paula said.

“Thanks.” Brenna smiled at her. “We’re going to use them on these breakfast trays mixed in with some papers to give it a collage effect.”

Brenna placed the tray she had made the week before for a different class on the table. She had painted the edges a deep chocolate brown and the bottom of the tray a mottled ecru; then she had taken an old yellowed piece of paper that she’d found in a cookbook she bought at a yard sale. It was a handwritten recipe for pumpkin bread. She glued the recipe along one side of the tray and then glued a variety of autumn leaves randomly across the tray, as if they’d been scattered by the wind. Once the glue had dried, she applied several coats of polyurethane.

“This is just one way to use the leaves on the tray,” she said. “Feel free to use any papers out of our cutouts box. Tenley and I are here to assist if you need us. You should each have a tray, a glue pot and brush, a bowl of water, and a brayer. I’ll be working on this tray if you want to watch and apply the same techniques to your own tray.”

Brenna took an empty seat at the table and began selecting her own leaves. Suede, the sullen teenager, put his earbuds from his iPod in and promptly slumped in his chair, shoved his hands in his pockets, and ignored the group. No budding Matisse there. His mother, Julie, frowned at him but then shrugged. In the pick-your-battles game, she was obviously not engaging in this one.

Jan and Dan decided to work on one tray together. They debated the leaves and the layout, and then found a paper cutout of a male and female cardinal sitting on a nest together. They put that in the center and then worked on placing the leaves around it. Brenna was impressed, not only with how well they worked together but with how comfortable they were in their coupleness. The single girl inside of her wondered if she’d ever know that sort of connection with another person.

“I’m not sure I’m doing this right,” Paula said. She was frowning at the tray in front of her. A gob of glue had puddled under one of her leaves, and it was beginning to wrinkle.

“No problem,” Brenna said. “First, use a damp cloth to swab up the excess glue.”

She handed Paula a rag, and the girl gently wiped up the glue around the leaf edges.

“Next, use this brayer to roll over the leaf. It’ll flatten it and squeeze out more of the extra glue.”

Paula did as instructed and then used the cloth to wipe up the glue again. She beamed at Brenna. “I love this.”

Brenna smiled back. “I do, too.”

“I don’t,” Siobhan snapped. “This is entirely too artsycraftsy for me. I thought you were a real artist. This is preschool stuff.”

Brenna felt her back teeth set. She was trying to like her new neighbor, really, she was, but the woman had the social skills of a stampeding rhino, and Brenna found herself longing for a tranquilizer gun.

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask Siobhan why she came to a decoupage class if she didn’t like arts and crafts, but as if Siobhan read her mind, she said, “There is nothing to do in this town.”

Brenna glanced at Tenley. This was her hometown, named for her great-to-the-fifth-power grandfather, and she did not take slights to it lightly.

“I guess that depends on what sorts of things you want to do,” Tenley said. Unless you knew her very well, it would be hard to detect the edge to her voice.

“What sorts of things do you do?” Siobhan asked Paula.

“I’m just here on vacation,” Paula said. Her voice was soft, and Brenna felt badly for her. “I really don’t have plans other than what the owners of the inn plan for us.”

“Well, that won’t do,” Siobhan said. “We single girls should all go out.”

Brenna sent Tenley a look that said, “When hell freezes over.”

“There’s a really hot bartender over at the Fife and Drum,” Siobhan said. “Let’s all go for drinks after class and see who can pick him up.”

Brenna had no doubt that the hot bartender to which Siobhan referred was Tenley’s boyfriend, Matt. She looked at Tenley to see if she was about to blow a fuse, but Tenley was smiling. It was a calculating smile, but it was still a smile.

“That’s a great idea, Siobhan,” Tenley said. “Let’s go after class. That means you, Brenna, and Paula, too.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t,” Paula began to decline, but Siobhan wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“What about you, Julie?” Brenna asked. “Care to join us?”

To Brenna’s surprise, Julie blushed a bright red.

“I can’t. . .” Her voice trailed off, but her son added, “She has a hot date with Dom Cappicola.”

“Tommy!” Julie hissed.

“What? You do,” he said. He was smirking, and Brenna noticed he didn’t correct his mother’s use of his given name.

“I’m sorry; I know you and he . . .” Julie’s voice trailed off and she looked helplessly at Brenna.

Brenna knew she felt badly about seemingly cutting in on Brenna’s territory, which was ridiculous. She and Dom weren’t like that.

“Don’t be silly,” she said. “We’re just friends. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time.”

If the words were stiff, that was too bad; it was the best Brenna could do.

“It’s settled, then,” Siobhan said. She abandoned any pretense of working on her tray and pulled a gossip magazine out of her bright green shoulder bag. She leaned back and put her feet up on an empty chair and began to flip through the glossy photos.

“Can I come?” Suede asked. He had been watching Tenley with a moony look on his face throughout the whole class, and Brenna knew exactly why he wanted to tag along.

“No,” his mother and the rest of the women answered at the same time.

He glared and lurched to his feet. He stomped off toward the bathroom in the back room, looking more like a petulant child than the man he wished to be seen as. Brenna felt for him; adolescence was just cruel.

The class put their projects on the designated shelf at the back of the shop to dry, and all but Paula headed back to the inn. Tenley and Brenna began to clean up the mess, and Paula pitched in to help, while Siobhan continued to read her magazine.

Brenna wanted to knock her feet off the chair on which they rested, but she resisted the urge. She was sure Tenley must have some reason for agreeing to this outing, although she was mystified as to what it could be.

“I’m going to freshen up,” Siobhan announced. She disappeared into the small facility at the back of the shop.

“Is it just me, or is she a tad rude?” Brenna asked.

“A tad?” Tenley asked. “I’ve met spitting camels with better manners.”

Paula chuckled.

“Oh, sorry,” Tenley said. “I suppose it’s impolite of us to talk about her just because she’s out of the room.”

“Ack, we’re turning into the Porter sisters,” Brenna joked.

“I get to be Marie,” Tenley called. She turned to Paula and explained, “They’re our resident gossiping spinster twins. Marie is the nice one.”

“Fine, I’ll be Ella,” Brenna said. She did an impression of Ella’s scowl and tried to imitate her thick Massachusetts accent, “John Henry thought you were me. He really loved me.”

Tenley put the back of her hand over her forehead and pretended to be Marie in distress, “He was the love of my life. It’s such a tragedy that we were forced apart just as the bud of our young sweet love began to blossom.”

Paula was doubled up with laughter. She took a breath and gasped, “I’ve met them! They were at Stan’s Diner. They were asking me all sorts of questions.”

“About the body in the woods,” Brenna guessed.

“Yes, how did you know?” Paula asked.

“Nothing happens in Morse Point that the Porter twins don’t know about or want to know about or will find out about,” Tenley said.

“Well, I’m ready,” Siobhan announced as she reentered the room.

“Can I just use the bathroom before we go?” Paula asked.

Siobhan let out an impatient sigh. “They have one at the Fife, you know.”

“I’ll be very quick,” Paula promised. She gave Siobhan a nervous look as she darted to the back.

Siobhan stood by the door and tapped her foot. Her irritation was plain, and Brenna got the feeling that pulling a sliver out from under her fingernail with barbecue tongs would be more fun than the outing they were about to embark on. Oh, joy.

Paula stepped out of the bathroom as Brenna grabbed their purses. Tenley locked the door behind them as they all walked out into the chilly evening air. The Fife and Drum was the best restaurant in Morse Point. It also hosted the only bar other than the Willow House, which was on the outskirts of town.

The four women entered the dark, crowded bar and found a vacant small round table in the corner. The restaurant beyond was noisy with the buzz of conversation and the clatter of plates. The bar was less packed than usual, but there was a decent crowd of regulars.

“Oh, there he is,” Siobhan said. “Yoo-hoo.”

Brenna glanced up, expecting to see Siobhan waving down Matt, but no, she was waving at Curtis.

She glanced at Tenley, who had her eyebrows raised in surprise. Curtis was tall, broad-shouldered, tan, and bald.

“He looks like Mr. Clean,” Paula said. Brenna and Tenley laughed while Siobhan looked annoyed.

“I think he’s cute,” she said.

“Puppies are cute,” Paula said. “I thought you were talking about the good-looking blond guy.”

“Matt?” Tenley asked. She looked pleased when she added, “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Of course he is,” Siobhan said. Her tone was mocking, and Brenna got the distinct feeling that she was putting Tenley down.

Paula must have gotten that feeling, too, because she glanced between them as an awkward silence blanketed the table.

Thankfully, a waitress arrived to take their order.

Siobhan ordered a shot of whiskey with a beer chaser. Paula ordered a glass of wine. Tenley ordered an iced tea, which caused Siobhan to sneer. And Brenna, whose head still hurt from her martini binge with Lydia Lester, ordered an iced tea, too.

While Siobhan sauntered over to the bar to chat up Curtis, Brenna excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. She was winding her way back through the restaurant when she heard someone call her name.

Lillian Page was sitting at a table with her husband, Frank. None of their five rambunctious boys were in sight. This made Brenna just the teeniest bit nervous.

Lillian must have guessed what she was thinking because she laughed and said, “Don’t worry. They’re all at home, tying up the babysitter, no doubt. This is our date night.”

Brenna smiled. “Good for you.”

“And we have a pact—we don’t talk about them over dinner. . . much,” Frank said.

“Are you here with Tenley?” Lillian asked.

“Yes, she’s in the bar with, well, a couple of new acquaintances.”

“Men?” Lillian asked, her eyebrows shooting up over her black-framed glasses.

“You’re as bad as the Porter sisters,” Brenna teased. “No, no men. One is a tourist from my leaf peeper group, Paula Marchesi, and the other is Siobhan Dwyer, my new neighbor.”

She gestured through the doorway to the table where Paula was seated with Tenley. While they watched, Siobhan rejoined their table.

Lillian glanced at where she pointed and then frowned.

“What?” Brenna asked.

“Oh, nothing,” she said, but her voice was hesitant.

“Out with it, Lillian,” Brenna said.

“Well, I can’t be sure, but the brunette in there, I’ve seen her before.”