4 Cupids Curse (11 page)

T
he idea of being a big sister both thrilled and terrified me. I’d longed for a sibling when I was a child, but there’d also always been a part of me that enjoyed being daddy’s little girl. I knew my father loved me and would always love me, but I also realized that with the return of my mother and the birth of my sister, the dynamic we’d always known would inevitably change.

Still
, to have my mom in my life, and to have a sister . . . Change had always been difficult for me, but in this case, I had to assume that the change would be for the better. Besides, I
really
was too old to play the part of the deserted elder child, in spite of any doubts that might linger.

After I changed
, Zak and I returned to his house and settled in at the computer.

“Okay, here’s what we know,” Z
ak began. “A local contractor by the name of Trent Everett was shot in the bear cage at Zoe’s Zoo. Zoe found a button that belonged to a man by the name of Anthony Martucci, who we believe killed Trent. Zoe quite unwisely went to speak to Mr. Martucci and found him dead in his motel room.”

“You went to his motel alone?” Mom looked shocked.

“I guess I didn’t think things through.”

“You could have been killed.”

“I thought of that
after
I found the body.”

“Anyway,” Zak continued, “
Zoe believes she saw Martucci come into Rosie’s while she was having lunch with Hank and Blythe. Blythe has stated that the man who came in and referred to her as Adriana wasn’t
the same guy, and Hank says he isn’t sure.”

“I guess the man in the photo and the
one who spoke to Blythe
could
be different people,” Mom said.

“Maybe
, but I’m pretty sure they’re not,” I insisted. “I hoped the cashier at Rosie’s would recognize the guy, but when I called to cancel lunch with Ellie she said she’d talked to Connie, who couldn’t be certain if the man in the photo was the man who came in that day. She confirmed that he had similar features, but she wouldn’t swear to them being the same.”

“So what now?” Mom asked.

“We need to find out everything we can about Blythe and look for a connection, if one exists,” Zak answered.

“Maybe
do a Google search?” Mom suggested. “At the very least, we should be able to find surface information such as last known address and professional affiliations.”

“Okay, give me a minute
.” Zak started typing.

“So
you’re having a girl?” I asked Mom while Zak worked.

“
She’s due in April.” Mom ran a hand over her stomach. “Do you want to feel her kick?”

I placed my hand on Mom
’s stomach. The entire situation was so surreal that I had to wonder if I was dreaming. I jumped when she kicked me.

“Did you feel her?” Mom asked.

“I did. I’m going to have a sister.” I smiled. “Do you have a name picked out?”

“I have a few I’m considering. Any suggestions?”

I’d never really thought about what I’d name a baby, but coming up with the perfect name intrigued me. I liked the idea of a name with meaning rather than just something random based on the popular soft drink of the moment. “Can I think about it?”

“Absolutely
. I want you to be a big part of this baby’s life. I have a lot to learn about being a mom, and I’m really going to need your help.”

“Like I know anything about being a mom
.” I laughed.

“Oh
, but you do. I’ve seen you with the animals. The way you care for and nurture them. You’re a mom every day. It’s just that your kids are a bit on the furry side.”

I laughed
again. I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt that my mom not only wanted me in her life but apparently
needed
me. My mind immediately jumped to the million and one things I had to do and learn before my very special little sister was born.

“That’s odd,” Zak said.

“What’s odd?” I asked.

“There are no fingerprints on
record for a Blythe Ravenwood. If she was a teacher, she would have been fingerprinted.”

“So maybe she really isn’t a retired teacher,” I speculated.

“Or maybe she taught under a different name,” Mom offered.

“
Maybe.” Zak continued to type. “It looks like Blythe Spalding married Tim Ravenwood in November 2010,” Zak informed us.

“She’s married?”
I gasped.

“No,” Zak answered. “
Tim passed away in February 2011. The couple lived in Denver, where Tim owned a chain of dry cleaners. Tim apparently died of a heart attack, although he was only forty-four.”

I hated to admit it
, but at that moment I actually felt bad for Blythe.

“Anything else?” I asked as my phone began to ring. “Hey
, Dad. What’s up?” I answered before Zak could respond to my inquiry.

Mom’s face furrowed in concern as I listened to my dad request
ing a get-together in an hour. I suppose she was afraid I’d blurt out the identity of Zak’s special guest, but she should have known me well enough to be sure I’d never do such a thing. The saddest thing was, the woman who gave me birth knew my boyfriend a lot better than she did her own daughter.

“An hour is fine
,” I answered. “See you then.”

Mom let out the breath she
’d been holding as I hung up. “Don’t worry,” I assured her. “I won’t say anything about, well, anything.”

“Thanks. I’m going to tell him. When the time is right.”

“Do you think that’s ever really going to happen?” I asked. “Do you think the time to share this particular piece of news will ever really be right?”

“Probably not,” she admitted.

“Dad wants me to come over so he can talk to me about something.”

“
You go and do that, and I’ll keep digging,” Zak said.

During the entire trip to my dad’s house, I kept playing over again and again in my mind the horror of his anticipated announcement that he was moving in with the woman I was certain was a cold-blooded killer. I tried to imagine a reaction he would listen to, but no matter how many scenarios I ran through, I came up blank. I suppose there was the very slight possibility that the
talk
he wanted to have had nothing to do with the evil stepwitch, but my luck hadn’t been all that great as of late, so the chances of a reprieve were slight.

“Dad,” I called as I let myself in through the front door. I’d decided to leave Charlie at home in case things
got ugly.

“In the den,” he called back.

I walked down the hallway with all the dread of a condemned prisoner making his journey to the death chamber. I loved my dad and didn’t want to say or do anything that would cause him to think less of me, but I knew in my heart that I’d never be able to accept Momzilla into my life.
I sighed in relief when I walked into the room to see Dad alone with his dogs, Tucker and Kiva.

“Thanks for coming so
quickly. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

“No
. Zak and I were just messing around on the computer.” I sat down on the chair opposite my dad. “What’s up?”

“Blythe is having her home fumigated and wants to stay with
me for a few days. I hoped that you could take Tucker and Kiva while she’s here. I’m afraid she’s not a big fan of the dogs.”

That’s it?
He wants me to babysit his dogs? Who has their house fumigated in the middle of winter?
Still, I was happy that the subject of our conversation wasn’t a more permanent arrangement between my dad and Blythe, so I let it go. I wanted to ask what he was going to do with the dogs he loved so much if he decided to make his living arrangement with Hagula permanent but decided not to push my luck.

“I’d be happy to,” I
said. “You know they’re always welcome at my house.”

“I really appreciate it. Blythe has assured me that we
’re talking two or three days at the most.”

“No problem.”

“Is there anything else on your mind?” I asked. Dad seemed nervous and fidgety, which was very undadlike behavior.

“No, that’s it.”

“So how was the movie?” It had been a long time since I’d struggled to make conversation with my dad. Up to this point, we’d shared an easy camaraderie.

“We didn’t go,” Dad admitted. “Blythe said she had a headache
, so I dropped her at her house and came home.”

Interesting.
“That’s too bad.”

“She’s feeling better now,
” Dad informed me.

“That’s good.” I began petting Tucker
, who had wandered over to say hi.

“I heard the movie didn’t really get very good reviews anyway.”

“Yeah, I’d heard that too.” I felt like I was speaking to a stranger.

“There are a couple coming out next week that look like they might be good.”

“Maybe you can reschedule your date.”

“Yeah, maybe.” This conversation
, I decided, was completely ridiculous. I decided to retreat before I broke into tears. “I guess I should get going.”

“Yeah, okay. And thanks again.”

“Call me when you want me to bring the kids home.”

“Okay. Will do.”

I stood up and started toward the door. I turned to hug my dad, as I always did when I left. He embraced me with stiff arms that felt completely foreign to the loving ones I’d known all my life.

“Are you ever sorry you didn’t have more kids
?” I asked.

“What?” My dad looked shocked by the question
, which I suppose was a normal response since my inquiry had come from out of the blue. “Why would you ask that?”

“No reason
.” I shrugged. “I guess I was just curious.”

His
face softened. “I would love to have had more children if they were all exactly like you. There are times the idea crossed my mind, but I’m not sorry it was just the two of us, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

I hugged my dad again and he hugged me back. A real hug
this time, not like the artificial ones we’d been sharing since Blythe arrived in our lives.

“I know this whole thing with Blythe is hard for you
, but I want you to remember that you will always be my number-one girl.”

“Thanks
, Dad. I love you too.”

As I loaded the dogs into the truck and started home
, I fought the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that genuine encounters with my dad were going to diminish if he married Blythe. Somehow I had to figure out how the shewitch was connected to the murders and then prove it.

Levi and Ellie both texted me several times during the day to ask if I wanted to get together that evening to work on the murder case. I couldn’t very well tell them that I’d been doing just that all day without hurting their feelings, and if I suddenly acted like the urgency I’d expressed the previous day had somehow evaporated, they’d find that suspicious as well. After discussing it with Mom and Zak—I can’t tell you how much I love any sentence that includes the phrase
Mom and Zak
—we decided I’d invite Levi and Ellie to the boathouse that evening and we’d work on the case together. We decided to take Charlie and Lambda with us and leave Tucker and Kiva with Mom.

“Thanks for coming,” I
said, greeting Ellie as she arrived ahead of Levi. “Zak and I needed some time to discuss a few things, but I’ve been anxious to get back to the case of my serial- killer stepmom-to-be.”

“Your dad and
Blythe aren’t actually engaged,” Ellie pointed out.

“I know
, but I have a feeling it’s only a matter of time.”

“So things are good? With you and Zak?”

“Yeah, things are good.” I smiled.

Ellie hugged me
. The one thing you can say about Ellie’s hugs is that they’re never artificial or less than 100 percent heartfelt. “I’m glad,” she whispered in my ear. “If there were ever two people destined to be together, it’s the two of you.”

“How about you?” I asked Ellie
as the hug ended and I took a step back. “Have you decided what to do with your brotherly love triangle?”

“I spok
e with Rick today. I explained that Rob and I were just friends at this point, but that I really liked spending time with him and would like the opportunity to see where, if anywhere, our relationship might go. He told me that he was fine with that. He said that his comment the other night was impulsive, and he realized we’d already had our time as a couple. He’s not looking for anything serious, so our relationship really had nowhere to go. He warned me that Rob
is
looking for a serious relationship, though, and he asked me if that was what I wanted.”