Shear Murder (22 page)

She took a gulp of red wine, fortifying herself for what she had to say next.

“Uh, I didn't tell you about Griff.” Both Dalton and Brianna shot her questioning glances. “You know, Griff Beasley, the photographer from Boca who worked with Torrie and Hally. Please don't get mad at me, but I met him for drinks the other day. I wanted to ask him about Grant Bosworth.”

Before Dalton could admonish her, she rattled off what she knew about Rachel, the documents she'd received from the girl, and the connection between Griff and both victims.

“And you went to see him alone?” Dalton shouted, half rising from his chair. “Are you nuts?”

She held out a hand. “Relax. I didn't think he would do me any harm. Someone hit him on the head at the lagoon in Coral Gables, remember? Hmm, I seem to recall Alexis, Eddy's wife, telling us that's where they live.”

“Oh, no,” Dalton growled, his gaze boring into hers, “you are not going off by yourself again to interview Alexis.”

“Why don't both of you come with me then? I want to revisit Orchid Isle and talk to the staff. We need more information on that waitress who disappeared. And actually, it was Alexis who told us that she'd seen Jill washing her hands in the bathroom. That meant Alexis had left the party for an interval also.”

“I'd love to go to the park with you,” Brianna chimed in. “Can we go on Saturday? And speaking of activities, Marla, isn't there something you want to ask Dad?” She blinked meaningfully.

“Oh. Yes.” Marla beamed at Dalton. “Your daughter wants to take acting classes. I think it's a fun idea. She can learn all sorts of useful skills, including public speaking. Right, honey?”

“Sure, if you say so. My friend, Ashley, has signed up. The session starts in January at a studio in Davie.”

A frown creased his brows. “Dare I ask how much it will cost? And then there's the matter of transportation.”

Marla waved at him. “We'll work it out if you approve.”

“Please, Dad. I thought I might join the drama club next year, but I don't have any experience. All my other friends have more activities than me.”

“Let me think about it, okay?” He glanced at Marla. “In the meantime, let's go to Orchid Isle this weekend. I wouldn't mind scouting around while we're admiring the trees. But I'll draw the line at intruding on Eddy and Alexis at home.”

“Good, that's settled then.” Marla knew he'd come around. Scraping her chair back, she started collecting the dinner dishes.

“One more thing.” Dalton fixed his gaze on her. She knew that look. It heralded unpleasant news. “While you've been running around town for your friend's benefit, I've discovered something you're not going to like.”

Her heart sank. “What's that?”

“Jillian Barlow has a criminal record.”

“What?”

“This goes back many years, but she'd been arrested on a kidnapping charge. She abducted some guy's daughter.”

“I don't believe it.” Her throat tightened. She knew Jill kept secrets but surely not something as bad as this.

“Apparently, the man dropped the case, although I don't know why. My guess is they recovered the girl, and she was okay. But it gives Jill a motive for killing her sister if she didn't want her new husband to learn about it.”

“Then why murder Hally?”

“Because Hally found out what Torrie knew. It makes perfect sense. I hate to say this, but it's possible Jill could be the killer.”

“I'm going to prove you wrong,” Marla said to Dalton during the drive on Saturday morning. “Jill may have a shaded past, but she isn't a killer.”

Marla still smarted from his accusation, especially because she had her own doubts. Finding evidence to the contrary would confirm her faith. She knew Arnie would do anything for her, and she'd been his friend way before Jill had come along. She owed it to him to learn the truth. Yes, Jill was hiding something, but it wasn't murder.

At least, she hoped not. Loyalty might be one of her virtues, but it could also be her blind spot. Well aware she could be wrong, she focused on the task ahead.

Peering out the windshield, she rolled her shoulders that bunched with tension. Dalton drove with a relaxed look on his face as though he hadn't a care in the world. She resented his attitude. Why should she worry about every little detail when he could be so blasé? But perhaps that's what had drawn her to him. He provided the calm eye in the midst of her hurricane-force life. She needed his steady rudder.

“What?” He caught her glance in his direction.

She smiled. “Nothing. It just feels good to be out with you and Brianna. Once we're past the wedding, maybe we can enjoy more days off together.”

“Yeah, like that'll happen,” Brianna piped up from the back seat. She'd been texting messages on her cell phone. “You guys must be the busiest parents I know.”

“Would you rather I sit around the house, cook dinner, and clean all day?” Marla twisted her neck to regard the teen.

“Not really. You have a cool job. It makes you who you are.”

“Exactly.” She gave a nod of affirmation. She'd tried the housewife routine with Stan, and it hadn't worked for her. They had gotten their divorce less than a year later, for more reasons than one.

“Don't think I'm gonna want to go with you all the time,” Brianna added. “I have friends. Once I get my driver's license, you won't be seeing much of me.”

“God forbid.” Dalton raised his eyes to heaven.

“It's not that far off.” Marla poked him. “You'd better hire a driving teacher. I can't see you as her instructor.”

“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He hunched forward, clearly uncomfortable talking about his daughter's future behind the wheel. “So besides taking a nice walk today, what are our objectives?”

“You're the detective,” Marla replied, aware he'd blithely changed the subject. “You tell me.”

“Brody has already questioned the staff, so we need to approach this from another angle. You're good with people. What do you suggest?”

“Why don't we say we were at Jill and Arnie's affair, and we're thinking of renting the hall for our own occasion? Or else we're gathering info for my hypothetical friend who's getting married. I used that excuse when I went to see Philip Canfield, the florist. He supplies flowers for Falcon's house as well as the gardens here.”

“That guy gets around.”

“Leanne thinks very highly of him.” Hmm, he'd struck her as gay, but could she be wrong? Might Leanne's interest go deeper?

“So we're looking for details on Orchid Isle's history.”

Marla's thoughts jolted back to the present. “Plus, we want to know about that waitress, if anyone's heard from her again. And if any of the staff noticed someone in the corridor between the kitchen and the ballroom right before Torrie died.”

“Don't forget the napkin,” Brianna cut in. “There weren't any prints on the knife handle. The guilty party had to ditch the item he used to clean it off.”

“Did anyone take plastic gloves from the kitchen?” Marla sagged against her seat. “I imagine Brody has been asking the same questions.”

Dalton gave her a playful punch on the arm. “You manage to get answers where detectives fail. We're counting on you to use your feminine wiles.”

Her mouth lifted at the corners. “So be it. Wouldn't want to lose my reputation.”

They'd chosen to come after lunch, because weddings and other events tended to happen later in the day. Marla approached the ticket lady at the reception desk after they parked and meandered through the front entrance. It was the perfect day for strolling outside: warm, sunny, with low humidity. The parking lot was already full, but she hadn't noted any vans emblazoned with logos for photographers, florists, or musicians.

“Is anyone available from the catering staff?” she asked the thin lady behind the desk, who wore a blue smock. “We need to talk to someone about holding an affair here.”

The lady gave them a proud smile. “You're in luck. They're setting up for a benefit tonight. Ask to speak to Sandy. She's the sales director.”

“Great, thanks.”

After Dalton paid their fees, the lady handed them a park map. “Be sure to visit our new plant emporium. It's just beyond the greenhouse.”

They passed the booth and halted in front of a gift shop. “I need to go to the restroom first. Wait here,” Marla informed her companions.

On her way down the hall, she stopped abruptly. The bride's room was to her right. Had anyone thought to search in there after the murder occurred?

Hoping the door wouldn't be locked, she twisted the handle. No go. It was locked.

She took her time in the ladies' room, admiring the vase of flowers on the counter while she washed her hands. Orchids were among the blooms, making her wonder if Canfield supplied these as well. Why had Jill come into the restroom in the midst of her reception to scrub her hands? Had Alexis's observation even been valid? Or maybe Jill was afraid of germs. She must have shaken a lot of congratulatory hands that night.

Another thought struck, making Marla swallow convulsively. What if Alexis was behind the murders in an attempt to protect her husband? Perhaps she'd discovered Torrie had scandalous information on Falcon, and later that Hally knew about it? Had she done them both in? Remembering the woman's beefy arms, Marla figured she had the strength. Why hadn't she thought of this possibility before?

Rushing outside, she confided her notion to her soon-to-be spouse.

Dalton tilted his head, regarding her with a grin. “Good one, Marla. I hadn't thought of her as a suspect before. It's a stretch, though.”

“Let's go find Sandy and see what she says.”

They located her office off a small corridor that separated the kitchen from the ballroom. A bleached blonde, she glanced up at Marla's knock on the open door. Her face, overly made-up with crimson lipstick and copper eye shadow, reminded Marla of an aging movie star trying to hang onto her youth.

“Hi, may we have a few minutes of your time?” Marla stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. “We're scouting locations for a friend who is getting married, and Orchid Isle looks like the perfect setting.”

“Of course, please come in.”

“I'll be in the gift shop, you guys.” Brianna meandered off.

Dalton followed Marla inside, and they both took seats opposite the woman's desk.

“What's the date of your friend's wedding?” Sandy withdrew a blank form from a drawer. “I'll need to check the availability of our ballroom. I presume that's where she'd hold the reception?”

“It's the first Saturday in June. Her name is Nicole.” Marla noted Dalton's twitch of the lips from the corner of her eye. “She wants the ceremony to start at six, cocktail hour from seven to eight, with a sit-down dinner for the reception.”

“Okay. We have that date available, but she'll have to put down her deposit fairly quickly. June is a popular month for weddings. I'll give you a packet to bring to her.”

“That would be great, thanks.” Marla paused. “We're recommending this place because we were guests at Jill and Arnie Hartman's wedding. Your people did a wonderful job, up until that terrible tragedy. Such a shame their affair had to end that way.”

Sandy's eyes filled with sadness. “I know, and it was our grand opening weekend, too. Not a very auspicious start, huh?”

“How did Falcon Oakwood take it? Isn't he the park's owner?”

“He may be the developer, but he's not responsible for the day-to-day running of the place. Mr. Oakwood has many other projects in the Tri-County area.”

“It was very community-minded of him to turn this piece of land into such a beautiful attraction. What had been here before this?” Marla asked in a mildly curious tone.

Dalton sat twiddling his thumbs as though bored but she knew he'd kick in with the hard questions when ready. She got a swell of pleasure glancing at his broad-shouldered figure. Soon she could introduce him as her husband. A thrill rippled through her at the thought.

Sandy narrowed her eyes, regarding them both. “I think this place was barren before. There wasn't anything here.”

Dalton hunched forward. “I heard talk it was a dumping ground,” he said, his face impassive.

“If that's so, Mr. Falcon has done a marvelous job of reclaiming the land.”

“How do you know it was cleaned up?” His jaw tightened. “People wouldn't be too happy to hear this was a toxic waste site. I mean, I don't know that Nicole would want to have her event here unless the site was proven safe.”

Sandy bristled. “I'm sure the construction people would not have been allowed to break ground without having the proper permits. Now back to your friend's wedding—”

“Yes,” Marla interrupted, “back to the wedding. Tell us about your catering staff. Wasn't there some waitress the police wanted to question from Jill's affair? How well do you vet the backgrounds of these people?”

“I'm not responsible for hiring. You'd have to speak to the catering manager.” Sandy's mouth tightened.

“I see. Would we be able to take a look at the kitchen?” she asked sweetly. “With so many food-born illnesses going around these days, one can't be too careful.”

Sandy flipped the folder closed on her desk and handed it to Marla. “Here's the information for your friend. If you were already here for an event, you're familiar with the ballroom and patio facilities. Let me see if Samuel is in the kitchen. He can help you with the rest of your questions.”

Clearly eager to see them gone, she marched down the hall with Marla and Dalton in her wake.

“Excuse me.” Marla tapped her shoulder. “Isn't this the door into the ballroom?” She pointed to a closed door on her right. Examining the carpet underfoot, she noted a darker section that might have been a stain. Unfortunately, the wine carpet color hid many faults.

“Yes, and that's the kitchen entrance on the other side.” Sandy poised to push open the double swinging doors.

“And that exit at the far end goes outside?”

“That's correct. I'll go see if Samuel is available. Please wait here.” She left them alone.

Marla gave Dalton a meaningful glance. “Look, this door would have been directly behind the cake table. This has to be the spot where the murder took place. Or at least where Torrie was stabbed.”