Krista Davis - Diva 01 _ Diva Runs Out of Thyme, The

Hannah clung to Craig. “I can’t believe this is happening. Do you think we’ll be on the news?”

Craig eyed me like a hawk, his face grim. His scrutiny made me want to squirm.

“Inga,” Dad said to my mom, “I suspect we’ll be a while. Wasn’t there a wedding store in Georgetown that you didn’t get to yesterday? And didn’t you want to show Craig the tux we saw?”

Dad knew exactly what to say to sell the trip to the wedding enthusiasts.

Mars’s brother, Andrew, chimed in, “No such luck, Mr. Bauer. We’re corralled in this hotel like a bunch of cattle. It’s stupid, if you ask me. If I’d wanted to kill Simon, I’d have done it two years ago.” He snorted. “I got my satisfaction, though. The money he stole from me won’t do him any good now.”

Vicki looked aghast. “Andrew! Don’t even joke about that. They’re likely to take you seriously.” She elbowed me and glanced around. “Do you think anyone heard that?”

“Only your family and mine.”

I’d spent a lot of time with Andrew and Vicki when I was married to Mars. Vicki had a rough childhood. She’d lost her parents quite young and been raised by a brother who had lived abroad as long as I’d known her.

Sometimes I wondered how Vicki and Andrew felt when Aunt Faye left her fancy house to Mars and me. I imagined quite a bit of tooth-gnashing went on privately when we divorced and I ended up with the house. Vicki and Andrew had bought a nice townhome in Old Town, an easy walk from my house, but it couldn’t compare in size or architectural charm.

I chalked up Andrew’s ill-conceived remark to his desperate desire to be important. It didn’t take a shrink to realize that Andrew longed for the kind of success and respect his brother, Mars, had achieved. Although Mars’s connections to the rich and powerful opened a lot of doors for Andrew, I’d seen more than one person with a panicked expression try to dodge him at parties. His reputation for financial disaster surrounded him like a barnyard stench.

“What is wrong with you people?” Natasha dabbed at her eyes. “A wonderful man has been murdered and you’re all just thinking about yourselves. I’m devastated.”

Andrew smirked. “Knock it off, Miss Prim and Proper. If I were Mars, right about now I’d be wondering why you’re blubbering about the death of a virtual stranger.”

My dad intervened. “Let’s settle down. We’re all upset, Natasha. Let’s stop this pettiness before people say things they’ll regret.”

The loudspeaker squawked and came to life with a piercing squeal. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Detective Fleishman of the Alexandria Police Department. I’m sorry to have to ask you to return to the ballroom for the time being. We’ll process everyone and get you out of here as quickly as we possibly can. Please relax. We’ve asked the hotel to serve additional refreshments.”

Emma shouted, “What about the contest?”

I wished I could see Wolf’s face.

“Uh, it’s up to the organizers to determine what to do about that but I can assure you that it will not take place today in any event. Thank you.”

After the requisite moans and groans, everyone headed back to the ballroom. Gossip ran rampant, though, and I could tell people were looking my way. They stared first but turned their heads quickly when I noticed them. I made a detour to the ladies’ room.

I felt as though my entire body was quivering. Water ran over my trembling hands, washing off blood. I splashed cold water on my face, heedless of the small amount of makeup I wore. The trauma of finding Otis still haunted me, and discovering Simon’s corpse shook me to the core.

For the sake of my family, I tried to pull myself together, patted my face dry, and took several deep breaths before returning to the ballroom. Mom and Nina brought coffee and bagels for Dad and me and we hunkered down behind my work counter. The hazelnut aroma had lost its appeal, though, and the dry bagel was nothing more than something to do. Dad wisely clamped down on us and forbade us to discuss the incident.

Hannah sulked while Craig went for refreshments. She slouched in her chair, her arms wrapped across her chest. “I had everything perfectly planned for Craig this weekend. Now my sister is a murder suspect and Craig is going to have to be interrogated by the police. Can you even imagine what he must think of us? I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t break off the engagement.”

Mom patted her arm. “Darling, this is a good time to see how he acts in the face of adversity. He’s an intelligent man. I’m sure he understands that this isn’t typical for us.”

“What’s with the pale sweater, Hannah?” I asked. She’d always preferred fuchsia and periwinkle to soft shades.

“Craig likes me in muted colors.”

I’d done my share of silly things for boyfriends, so I couldn’t fault her for trying to please him. Wondering what could be taking him so long, I stood to look for him. If he was in the ballroom, I didn’t see him. I did, however, see Natasha being escorted by a police officer, probably for her turn at being questioned. I wouldn’t be far behind.

Hannah pasted a smile on her face and sat up straight and I realized Craig must be on his way back.

Obviously pleased with himself, he handed out foam boxes containing French fries and roast beef sandwiches. He dug in his pocket and pulled out packets of ketchup. “Hope I got enough for all of us.”

Hannah and Mom gushed appreciation but I wondered where he’d bought the food. No one else in the ballroom held foam boxes.

A pink flush crept up the sides of his face and culminated in red cheeks reminiscent of someone who’d been out in the cold. He wore a black, long-sleeved polo and jeans, not enough to keep warm outside. I spotted the sleeve of his bomber jacket hanging from the pile of coats we’d left on a chair.

Hannah dug into the French fries. “Yum—they need salt, though. Sophie, do you have any salt in your cooking ingredients?”

Of course I did. I found the salt and offered it to her.

She sprinkled a heavy dose on her fries and took a bite. “Ugh. Are you trying to kill me, too?”

Dad’s face looked like it did when we were kids and didn’t know when to stop pushing his buttons. “Hannah, your sister didn’t kill anyone. You cannot say things like that. I don’t think you understand how serious this situation is for Sophie.”

“It’s always about Sophie. This weekend was supposed to be about me and Craig. Besides, taste this.”

Dad took one of her fries and bit into it. “Sugar.”

I shook out a pinch of salt and tasted it. Definitely sugar.

“Hey, Wendy,” I called, “do me a favor and taste your salt.”

“Oh, my gosh,” she cried, “it’s sugar. Someone was doing everything possible to sabotage the contest.”

Thinking that the saboteur wouldn’t have tampered with his or her own ingredients, I was tempted to demand a check of everyone’s ingredients. But a young police officer arrived to escort me to be questioned.

Not quite sure what would happen, I bent over my father’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry about me. You go shopping and I’ll meet you at home.”

I hated the fear etched on his face and as I walked away, I heard my mother say, “For heaven’s sake, Paul, they’re just going to ask her questions.”

Detective Kenner met me in the ballroom lobby and took me aside to grill me. Across the room, I could see Wolf questioning Natasha.

Kenner asked me the same questions in different ways. When I stuck to my boring story about finding Simon’s body and picking up the turkey with blood on it, Kenner’s nostrils flared.

I worked at remaining calm as his rage rose. His voice grew louder but I didn’t allow him to intimidate me.