A Purse to Die For (9 page)

Chapter 14

"
Anyone feel claustrophobic like me?
"
Becki asked at lunch.
"
Gotta get out of here this afternoon.
"
Her sanity depended on it.

"
Me
too
,
"
Linda said.
"
Five days and the only other place I
'
ve been outside this house is the cemetery.
"

"
With all the rain we
'
ve had,
"
Jerry said,
"
the courses have been too wet to golf.
"

"
I got out jogging this morning. But look what happened
.
"

Ian chimed in,
"
I should never have come in the first place.
"

"
You got what you came for,
"
Reggie grumbled.

"
Maybe, but if it wasn
'
t for the stupid interview with the detective this afternoon, I
'
d be on my way back to Toronto in a flash
.
"

"
And a whiff of perfume.
"

"
For God
'
s sake, Reggie!
"
Mandy said.

"
Anyway,
"
said Becki,
"
I
'
ve got to get out of here. Even if it
'
s only temporarily. And on my drive into Langdon Hills, I saw this nifty-looking antique store. Anybody want to check it out with me? We could have an ice cream after
.
"

She looked around. Nellie, at least, seemed to have perked her ears.

"
Can Nellie come, Carla?
"

"
I
'
m taking her back to school this afternoon. She
'
s missed enough classes already, right kiddo?
"

Nellie pushed her plate away and slumped dramatically over the table.

"
I
'
ll see if I can find some little thing to bring back for you, Nellie,
"
Becki said by way of consolation.

Nellie was sitting in the car already. Up in their suite, Carla said goodbye to Reggie. Gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
"
Good luck this afternoon
.
"

"
Just need to get in there and get it done.
"

"
Be careful,
"
she said.

"
What
'
s there to be careful about?
"

"
It
'
s a
murder
investigation, Reggie. Cops want to pin it on somebody. Don
'
t make yourself into a suspect.
"

"
As if!
"

"
Dammit, you don
'
t look like the sweet and innocent type
.
Take me seriously for once
.
"

"
Baby, would you love me if I was the sweet, innocent type?
"

"
I
'
m just saying. And
…
"

"
Spit it out
.
"

"
T
here
'
s a chance you
'
ll recognize the victim.
"

"
What?
"

"
Nellie claimed she came to the house.
"

"
Who? The woman that died?
"

Did his face drain of all colour? Or was it her imagination?

"
Apparently, she came when we were gone and Nellie didn
'
t answer the door.
"

"
Well, if she didn
'
t answer the
g
oddamn door, how does she know who was there?
"

"
Shhh! No need to have a conniption. She peeked out the window.
"

"
Who
'
d she see?
"

"
The woman in the picture Dumont showed us.
"

"
And who was that?
"

"
Nellie doesn
'
t know. And since I
'
ve never seen her before, neither do I. But maybe you
'
ve met her. Maybe she
'
s come here before. Some saleswoman or something.
"

He
scrunch
ed
his face.
"
Hmm…doubt it.
"

"
Just warning you. Be on your toes. And on your best behaviour
too
. Don
'
t want Dumont taking a dislike to you.
"

"
Why the hell not?
"

"
Don
'
t tell me you
'
re that dense, Reggie
.
"

He jutted his chin forward, splayed his large hands in the air
.
"
What
'
s not to like?
"

Becki parked her car across the street from the antique store on the two-lane highway out of town. She climbed out. The sunshine on her skin felt glorious. Gina popped out of the passenger seat. Mandy and Linda climbed out the back.

In all likelihood, the building they were about to enter had once been a general store. It was painted red and white. It boasted a bay window and double glass doors with transoms above—all detailed with gingerbreading. On the wide, covered porch, Becki noted a Coca Cola cooler, a foot-pedalled sewing machine and a mannequin in vintage clothing. Out front sat a sandwich board
that
read:
Welcome to Gemma
'
s Antiques & Old-fashioned Ice-cream Shop—Shakes, Sundaes, Cones.

"
Looking for anything in particular?
"
Gina asked.
"
Anything for Beautiful Things?
"

"
What could she
possibly find here?
"
Linda peered
through
her sunglasses
.
"
This place looks like a thrift shop, not a fine antiques establishment.
"

"
Well, there
'
s this trend to simplify,
"
Becki
said
.
"
A return to basics. I bet I could pick up a gilt mirror or a wrought-iron bed. That kind of primitive element appeals to my clients in Black Currant Bay. The cottagers, at least.
"

"
Shabby chic,
"
said Mandy, nodding in agreement.

Linda nearly spit up.
"
Never put
shabby
and
chic
in the same sentence.
"

They crossed the road and entered the shop. Once inside, they all flipped their sunglasses to the tops of their heads. And in her characteristically disdainful way, Linda remarked the store
'
s interior smelled dank. Her language was colourful. Becki hoped the proprietor was out of earshot. Thing was, Linda was right, except when passing by west-facing windows, where they caught streams of fresh air and shafts of light that set silver teapots, fancy stemware and lamps hung with crystal pendants gleaming.

They separated paths through the sprawl, sometimes browsing alone, sometimes together. Their groupings changed from time to time. But no matter how much time they spent looking, only the one person who poked in, around and behind everything, came out of the store with something besides an ice-cream cone.

"
Don
'
t you love it?
"
Becki enthused. She turned a bone china teacup painted with pink roses in the sunlight.

"
A steal for
eight dollars
,
"
she said.
"
You
'
d pay
forty-five to fifty
in Toronto. Amazing what you can find when you dig.
"

A faint sound of cricket
s
chirped.

Gina reached into her purse.
"
Hello
?
"
She
turned away from the group and walked a few paces.
"
Yes…yes…that
'
s great. Oh, thank you. No, but I
'
ll be in next week to look for evening wear, so put something by for me. The opera gala, so maybe something retro, over-the-top. Thanks a mil, Leslie. Bye.
"

She reached into her purse for a pen and small pad, then quickly wrote two words.

"
Something important?
"
Linda asked.

"
Actually, yes. I
'
ve got to get back to the house. You girls stay here. I
'
ll catch a cab.
"

"
What
'
s up? Can you talk about it?
"
Becki was curious. Was this about Tony, or about the murder?

"
Tell you all at dinner.
"
Her hand flew up to catch the attention of the black and yellow cab across the street. It made a U-turn and stopped. She entered the back seat gracefully.

"
What was that all about?
"
Linda stared after her.

"
God knows.
"
Carla shook her head.
"
Television people are all nuts.
"

"
At least they have killer shoes,
"
Linda said with approval.

When Gina arrived back at the house, Tony was pacing the front porch.

"
Where did you go?
"
He seemed upset.

"
Shopping with the girls. Is Rob about?
"

"
In the study. Look, you shouldn
'
t go off like that without letting me know.
"
He followed her into the house.

She stopped and turned.
"
Why ever not?
"

Their eyes met and Gina reddened.

Tony looked uncomfortable. He glanced away.
"
It
'
s not safe. There
'
s a murderer about
. A
nd who knows what his motive is. At least let me know where you are.
"

So you can climb on your big white horse and rescue me,
she thought to herself
.
In spite of everything, she smiled.

"
I need to see Rob. Come with me—I have some news.
"

They found Dumont doing paperwork at the desk in the study. He was scowling. Obviously paperwork wasn
'
t a huge favourite on his work hit parade.

"
Can we come in?
"
Gina asked from the door.

"
Sure.
"
He brightened at the interruption.
"
Have a seat.
"

She sat down and leaned forward. Tony stood behind her.

"
Hilary Best,
"
she said with triumph.

"
Who?
"