Eggs Benedict Arnold (8 page)

“
Yes.
”
Missy
’
s voice was a soft whisper again.
“
It had.
”

“
What was the real reason?
”
Suzanne asked, although she wasn
’
t sure she
’
d get a straight answer.

But Missy surprised her. Biting her lip, twisting her
hanky around her thumb, Missy said,
“
A couple of months
ago, I kind of pressured Ozzie for a commitment.
”

“
Okay,
”
said Suzanne.
“
I can certainly understand that.
”

Missy let loose a deep sigh.
“
But Ozzie said he wasn
’
t
ready for marriage. That he preferred the status quo, as he
so inelegantly phrased it, and told me that maybe he wasn
’
t even the marrying kind.
”
Tears trickled down Missy
’
s face.
“
Why do men do that?
”
she wailed.
“
Why do they get all cozy and buy you little gifts and lead you on like that? Then, when you dare to broach the subject of marriage,
they turn completely squirrelly. What is it with this fear of
commitment?
”

“
It
’
s part of the male genetic code,
”
said Toni.
“
Like being unable to put the toilet seat back down.
”

“
Not all men are like that,
”
said Suzanne.
“
But let me guess. Sheriff Doogie asked if you were hurt and angry about Ozzie being so noncommittal?
”

“
He did,
”
said Missy.
“
In fact, he broached the subject a
couple of different ways. Just kept coming at me.
”

“
Were
you angry?
”
asked Toni.

Missy frowned and stu
died
her French manicure.
“
Yes.
”
Seconds ticked by.
“
Maybe a lot angry. Furious, I suppose.
”

Suzanne pressed on.
“
And Doogie thought that Ozzie
’
s
cool down
might have put you over the edge? Might have
served as an impetus to kill him?
”

Missy
’
s face turned harsh.
“
I think Sheriff Doogie
’
s convinced I
’
m one of those scorned, revengeful, stalker-type women.
”

“
You mean like in
Fatal Attraction!
”
asked Suzanne.

“
Except you
’
d never boil a rabbit in a pot,
”
pointed out
Toni.

Missy shivered.
“
No. Of course not.
”

“
And what exactly did Doogie ask you about Earl?
”
said
Suzanne.

“
Urn ...
”
said Missy.
“
Earl?
”

“
He asked if you
’
d been seeing your ex-husband, right?
”
pressed Suzanne.
“
Dating him?
”

“
Yes,
”
murmured Missy.

“
And you
have
been seeing Earl, isn
’
t that correct?
”
asked Suzanne.

“
Really?
”
said Toni
.
“
Earl?
”

Missy looked slightly sheepish.
“
Yes. Some.
”

“
Why would you do that?
”
asked Suzanne.
“
I thought you were through with him.
”
After Missy
’
s divorce was
final, she referred to Earl Stensrud as a cretin not fit to sell
watermelons by the side of the road.

“
I was lonely . . . and felt rejected,
”
said Missy. She
seemed embarrassed by her own admission.

“
I can see that,
”
said Toni.
“
When Junior left me . . .
the first time anyway
...
I thought I
’
d go berserk.
”
She
shrugged.
“
Now I
’
m getting used to it.
”

“
The thing with Earl,
”
said Missy,
“
is that absence re
ally
did
make our hearts grow fonder. And once Earl moved
back here, we kind of picked up where we left off and one
thing led to another.
”
She touched her hanky to her nose, sniffled, and continued.
“
A few phone calls, lunches out, a couple picnics, and suddenly, one night over a candlelit
dinner, Earl was telling me how sorry he was that we ever
got divorced in the first place.
”

“
Let me guess,
”
said Suzanne.
“
Earl proposed that the two of you consider making a go of it again?
”

“
We talked about that, yes,
”
said Missy.
“
But please un
derstand . . . after Ozzie sort of backed away from me, I
was utterly devastated. Very vulnerable. And Earl can be
quite charming.
”

Suzanne remembered Earl Stensrud as a man who picked
his teeth with a matchbook cover, but made no comment.

“
Anyway,
”
said Missy,
“
once Sheriff Doogie got wind that I was seeing Earl again, he was delighted to add Earl
’
s
name to his suspect list. Oh, and the sheriff also had the audacity to call me a two-timer.
”

Suzanne raised her brows as she regarded Missy.
“
Doogie mentioned something about Ozzie and Earl getting into
an argument last Friday night. What do you know about that?
”

Missy waved a hand dismissively.
“
That was nothing.
Just male turf war stuff.
”

Toni looked concerned.
“
Sheriff Doogie doesn
’
t think the fight was just a minor incident. In fact, I wouldn
’
t be
surprised if he concocted a theory that you two were in this
together.
”

Missy looked shocked.
“
Earl and I would never!
”
she sputtered.

“
I wonder what Earl
’
s alibi is,
”
Suzanne wondered out loud.

“
Hope he has a dandy one,
”
said Toni,
“
because Doogie
’
s on the warpath.
”

Sighing deeply, Missy said,
“
I
’
m just so heartsick and
nervous over this entire situation. And of course it couldn
’
t come at a worse time. Alchemy Boutique is slated to open
Friday afternoon and Carmen is driving me insane. She nitpicks absolutely everything I do! The other day I mis
takenly hung silk tank tops on the same rack as wool slacks
and she threw an absolute hissy fit. Shrieked at me. Told me I
’
d committed a dreadful fashion faux pas.
”

“
What a bee-atch,
”
said Toni. She harbored no love for
Carmen Copeland whatsoever, even if her books were con
stant best sellers in their Book Nook.

“
Suzanne?
”
Missy turned needful baby blue eyes on Su
zanne.
“
Do you think you could kind of look into things?
”

“
I don
’
t think that
’
s a good idea,
”
Suzanne responded hastily.

“
But you
’
re so good at sleuthing around and unraveling things,
”
said Missy.
“
Remember when Bobby Waite was
murdered? You were the one who ...
”

Suzanne gave a reluctant nod.
“
Yes, I know. But this ...
this is completely different.
”

“
No, it
’
s not,
”
said Toni, jumping in.
“
Missy
’
s in trouble
and she needs our help.
Your
help,
”
Toni corrected.

Moments passed as both women stared at her, then Su
zanne finally said,
“
Maybe I could just... I don
’
t know... ask around.
”

Leaning forward, Missy threw her arms around Suzanne
and gave her a big squeeze.
“
Thank you, thank you very much.
”

“
I
’
m not promising anything,
”
Suzanne cautioned.

“
But you
’
re tight with Sheriff Doogie,
”
said Toni.
“
So maybe you
’
ll have an inside track.
”

“
I don
’
t think Doogie ever gives anyone an inside track,
”
replied Suzanne.
“
But I
’
ll see what I can pry out of him.
”

Still looking shaky, Missy said,
“
I
’
d better get going be
fore your luncheon crowd comes swarming in and sees me
looking all red-eyed and awful.
”

“
Here, honey,
”
said Toni, handing Missy her handbag,
“
I
’
ll walk you out to your car.
”

“
Thank you,
”
said Missy,
“
and thanks for being such good listeners.
”
She started to stand, then sat down again,
a look of pain on her face.
“
Oh. I almost forgot to tell you.

There
’
s going to be a visitation for Ozzie tomorrow night at
Driesden and Draper. And then the funeral will be Wednes
day morning at Hope Church.
”

“
So soon,
”
murmured Suzanne.