Powdered Peril (14 page)

Maria laughed. “I imagine there are more than just your visits here. Now, you wanted to ask me a question.”

I looked back at the impatient patron. “You can get his food first, if you’d like.”

Maria shook her head. “He can wait another moment.”

“Okay. Grace and I were wondering if you know someone in town named Kaye Belson.”

Maria’s smile faded, if just for a moment. “May I ask why you’re interested in her?”

“We believe she might know something about Peter Morgan’s murder,” I admitted. I might dance around the truth with some people, but the DeAngelis clan deserved my honesty, and I was going to give it to them unless there was an extremely compelling reason not to.

She looked taken aback by the news. It was a rare stumble for her, and Maria quickly recovered. “It is Sophia you need to speak with.”

“She knows her, then?”

“They are best friends, much like the two of you,” Maria admitted, “though we sometimes worry about how close they’ve become.”

She hurried back to the kitchen, and I took a bite of pasta while I could. If Sophia got upset by our questions, we might have to make a quick getaway, and I wasn’t about to pass up a plate of their pasta as a sacrifice for our investigation. I would try to have both if I could.

Sophia came out a minute later, carrying the patron’s food on a tray. She served it a little haphazardly, and then took a seat at our table. “You wanted to talk to me?”

“I’m sorry. There’s no easy way to say this. We need to speak with Kaye Belson.”

Sophia’s expression clouded over, and I could see her mother in her just then. Of all the DeAngelis women, Sophia showed her emotions most openly. “What’s that got to do with me?”

“We heard you two were best friends,” Grace said.

Sophia turned to her. “The key word in that sentence is ‘were.’ It’s definitely in the past tense.”

“What happened between you two?” I asked, curious about what could split up such close friends.

“When she started dating Peter Morgan, I couldn’t tolerate her behavior anymore,” she said, not able to make eye contact with either one of us as she said it.

“It’s okay, Sophia. We weren’t married,” Grace said softly.

“Maybe not, but you were committed to each other, and Kaye knew it when she took up with Peter. I tried to tell her it was wrong sneaking around with him like that, but she wouldn’t listen to me. I really am sorry.”

Grace patted Sophia’s hand. “You don’t owe me any apologies. Is there anything you can tell us about her?”

“She’s pretty; there’s no question about that. Up until the past three months, Kaye had a really level head about it, but when Peter started showing her some attention, she changed. All it took were a few soft words, and she was lost to him.”

“Peter could be very persuasive,” Grace said. “Do you think Kaye will talk to us about her relationship with him?”

“Alone? Not a chance,” Sophia said.

“Would you come with us, then?” I asked softly. It was a great deal to ask, and I knew it, but we needed to talk to Kaye.

“Is it that important to you?” she asked, clearly reluctant to acquiesce.

“I wouldn’t ask otherwise,” I said.

“Let me talk to Momma,” she said, and stood abruptly.

When Sophia was gone, I said, “I’m not sure how this is going to go, so if you’d like a last bite, I’d take it right now.”

I did as I advised Grace, and we were finishing up when Angelica came out. A few diners tried to catch her gaze as she came out of the kitchen, but her attention was focused solely on us. “Suzanne, is what Sophia just told me true?”

How did I know exactly what her youngest daughter had just said? “We need her help. I’m sorry to ask, but there’s no other way.”

Angelica pursed her lips, and then asked, “This involves Peter Morgan’s murder, doesn’t it?”

I nodded. “It does, but I don’t think there’s any chance your daughter is in danger. If you’re not comfortable with her going with us, though, I completely understand.”

Angelica shook her head briefly. “Nonsense. The DeAngelis women don’t back down from danger, not for our friends. I just want your assurance that there’s no other way.”

“I can’t do that,” I said. “Grace and I haven’t even spoken with Kaye yet. We just have your daughter’s word that she won’t talk to us. We can try to see her ourselves first.”

“Sophia said that Kaye wouldn’t speak with you without her?”

“She did, but it’s fine,” I said as I stood, with Grace following. “Dinner was wonderful.” I took a twenty from my wallet and pressed it in her palm. “Thanks so much.”

I was nearly out of the dining room when Angelica caught up with us. “Suzanne, don’t leave. I didn’t say no.”

“You didn’t say yes, either,” I said. “Angelica, I get it, I honestly do. You have every right to look after your daughters.”

“Wait here,” she commanded us, and I didn’t have the nerve to disobey.

“How long do we wait?” Grace asked.

“As long as it takes,” I replied. There was no way I was going against Angelica’s order. Her friendship, not to mention her food, meant too much to me. Besides, I would never be able to face Jake again if I got us banned from our favorite restaurant.

Angelica came out two minutes later with Sophia in tow.

“She’ll take you to Kaye,” Angelica said.

“Are you sure?”

“Just keep her safe,” Angelica said.

“Momma, I’m old enough to watch out for myself,” she protested.

“I know you are, but indulge your mother,” Angelica replied. “And don’t linger. We need you here tonight.”

Angelica kissed her daughter’s cheek, and Sophia immediately rubbed the lipstick off.

Once we were outside, I asked, “Where should we start looking for Kaye?”

“We don’t have to look far,” Sophia admitted. “I know exactly where she is.”

CHAPTER 10

“Sophia, what are you doing here?” a pretty young woman asked as we walked into the Laundromat just down the street from the restaurant.

“You need to talk to these women and answer their questions, Kaye,” Sophia said.

“Why should I?” she asked as she looked at us. There was no recognition when she glanced at me, but the moment she saw Grace, her face reddened considerably.

“Because we used to be best friends, and Momma won’t be pleased if you say no,” Sophia replied. “Do you really want to risk being banned from our restaurant?”

Evidently the threat was taken to heart. “What do they want to know?”

“Ask them, not me,” Sophia said. She moved to one side, picked up an old magazine, and took a seat. The Laundromat was mostly empty, so we had privacy for our conversation.

“What can I do for you?” Kaye asked with a clear and confident voice.

“We need to talk,” I said.

“About Peter,” Grace added.

“I don’t know anyone named Peter,” she said in a tone that no one would believe.

Sophia coughed once, and Kaye looked over at her guiltily.

“Funny, we found out that you were dating him when he was murdered,” I said. “I’m sure the police would be happy to talk to you if you don’t want to have a friendly little chat with us.” It was an outright lie, since what Chief Martin did had nothing to do with my actions, but did Kaye know that? I doubted it.

“So, maybe we went out a few times. It was all just for fun,” she added, and then looked at Grace. “The truth is, he loved you, not me. I was just something for him to do on the side.”

I couldn’t imagine knowingly being anyone’s spare, and I was about to say just that when I remembered why we were there. I wasn’t trying to reform this girl’s character. I was looking for information.

“I heard you were a little more passionate about things than that,” I said.

Her lips formed two thin lines as she shook her head. “I’ve got a bit of a temper, and I show it too much sometimes,” she admitted. “I didn’t kill him, though.”

“Do you have an alibi for last night and early this morning?” Grace asked.

“I was home alone,” she said.

“That’s tough to prove,” I said.

She looked as though she honestly didn’t care. “I don’t have to. I didn’t kill Peter. He didn’t mean that much to me, and I sure didn’t care enough about him to go to jail over the guy.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that when Sophia spoke up. I hadn’t even realized that she’d been listening to us, but evidently she hadn’t missed a word. “Kaye, tell them the truth.”

Kaye looked at her former best friend with resentment clear on her face. She finally admitted, “Fine , have it your way. If you want the truth, I was with someone else.”

“We need a name,” I said.

“He’s married,” Kaye admitted. At least she appeared to be ashamed of the fact, but that did nothing to appease Sophia. She threw the magazine down on the floor, and then stormed up to her former friend. “Married? Seriously? Have you just made up your mind to be a tramp for the rest of your life?”

I thought Kaye might explode at the accusation, but instead, she nearly collapsed in Sophia’s arms. “I’ve been a fool, and I know it. What happened to Peter was awful. I never should have gone out with him, and I made an even bigger mistake right after that. Sophia, I’m so sorry. You were right, and I was wrong. I miss you so much. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?”

Sophia’s own anger dissipated like morning fog. She embraced her friend as she began to cry as well. “Hey, come on. Take it easy. You’re forgiven.” She pulled away a few seconds later, and then asked, “You’ve really changed? You’re finished with older men, and married ones, too, no matter how old they are, right?”

“I swear,” Kaye said.

“Okay,” Sophia said.

I hated to interrupt their tender moment, but I needed to know Kaye’s alibi. I was about to ask her for the man’s name when Sophia caught my gaze and shook her head subtly. I decided it could wait. “Thanks for your time. Let’s go, Grace.”

I led my friend away, who looked surprised by our departure. “Suzanne, she could have just as easily been lying to us.”

“I know that. Sophia will find out what we need to know a lot easier than we’ll ever be able to.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” she asked.

“If she doesn’t, we can ask Kaye ourselves later,” I said. “I’m afraid that if we push her right now, we might never find out who she was with.”

Grace was clearly unhappy with my answer, but she accepted it. “I know it’s getting late for you, but is there any chance we can make time to speak with Henry Lincoln since we’re in town anyway?”

I glanced at the dashboard clock. It was nearing seven, and getting closer and closer to my bedtime. I had to be up in seven hours, and we weren’t even in April Springs yet. Then again, what was a little sleep compared to my friendship? “Sure, why not?”

Grace nodded. “Thanks. I’ll make this all up to you someday. I promise.”

“Grace, you don’t need to thank me. We’re in this together. Let’s go see if we can find Mr. Lincoln and see what he has to say about Peter.”

It was not to be, though. Henry Lincoln wasn’t at his office when we checked his address in the telephone book, and his residence was unlisted. “We can pop back into Napoli’s and see if Angelica knows where he lives.” I yawned as I said it, though I’d tried to squelch it.

“No, it can wait until tomorrow,” Grace said. “You’ve got to get up early.”

“I can handle it,” I insisted, though my statement was broken up by another yawn.

“We’re going back to April Springs right now,” Grace said. “We’ve got a better chance of finding him tomorrow.”

“Okay, we can come back here right after I close tomorrow at eleven,” I promised.

*   *   *

The next thing I knew, Grace was shaking my shoulder. “Suzanne, wake up. We’re here.”

I looked up to see that we were parked in front of the cottage I shared with Momma. “When did we get back into town?” I asked as I unbuckled my seat belt. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“You were snoring,” Grace said with a smile. “You really are beat.”

“You know what? I’m suddenly refreshed. Would you like to come in for a bit? You shouldn’t be alone tonight.”

“I’m fine by myself,” Grace said firmly, and I knew not to push it.

“Call me if you need me, then,” I insisted.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be all right. See you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Grace.”

I stood there watching her until she drove away. She wasn’t that far up the road from me, but it might as well have been a thousand miles. I could tell that Grace needed to be alone, and I would respect that unless she called me. She’d been great with me when I’d needed time alone after my marriage to Max fell apart, and I was going to do the same for her now.

I thought Momma might still be out on her date, but I was surprised to find her in the living room when I walked in, reading her latest mystery. She was a huge fan of cozies, and was now ripping her way through a series of culinary mysteries.

“What happened, did you finally run out of crafting mysteries?” I asked with a smile when I walked in.

“No, but I thought I’d pick one of these up and see what all the fuss was about.”

“And what’s the verdict?” I asked as I sat down with her.

“I like it, but there’s just one problem.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“They all make me hungry,” she admitted. “If I keep reading them, I’m going to gain a hundred pounds.”

We both knew that my mother was exaggerating, since that would mean that she’d have to double her weight. Momma was slight in stature, but what she lacked in bulk, she more than made up for in sass. “I thought you had a date tonight.”

“I did, but Phillip was so preoccupied with Peter Morgan’s murder, I cut it short so he could get back to the office.”

“Has he found any leads yet?” I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as I could.

Momma laughed loudly. “Suzanne, you know the rules. If he wants you to know something, he’ll tell you himself.”

I had to smile. “Sorry. Old habits die hard.”

“How is Jacob these days?”

“Busy solving crimes,” I said as I reached for the light blanket we kept on the back of the couch. It wasn’t the least bit chilly, but I still liked having a little weight on me.