machine from a Nina Morgan. Is she in?”
She looked a question at Leona, noted the way her brows rose in response despite the woman’s inability to hear any part of the phone conversation. “She is, she’s on the floor right now.”
“Oh.” The tone that had sounded rushed now adopted a hint of tension as well. “Are you the one who was at that birthday party the other night?”
“Yes. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“You can figure out which one of your friends murdered Ashley. Unless, of course, that someone was you.”
She felt her hand moisten around the receiver. “Miss Murphy, I’m sorry to hear about Ashley, I truly am.”
“Oh, give it up. You’re not sorry at all. None of you are.” A pause gave way to a secondary rush of words. “Look, I’m calling for one reason and one reason only. My bracelet.”
“Your bracelet?” She peered at Leona, the woman nearly falling out of her chair in her effort to hear as much of Tori’s conversation as humanly possible.
“Apparently this Nina person found a bracelet of mine on the library grounds. Her message said she saw the inscription on the inside and suspected it was me.”
Tori pushed her chair back and stood, her gaze skimming the top of Nina’s desk. Sure enough, a silver bracelet sat dead center with a sticky note bearing Regina Murphy’s name attached. “Oh yes, I see it right here.”
“Can I put you on hold for a moment, my dinner just arrived.” Without waiting for a response, the woman disappeared from the line, the sound of her footsteps in the background the only indication it was still an active line.
Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, Tori provided a name to go with the caller. “It’s Regina. Regina Murphy.”
“I got that, dear.” Leona’s eyebrows rose still further. “Shall we ask her which one of us she truly suspects of murder? Or do you think she imagines it was more of a group effort?”
“Shhh. Not now.” She pulled her hand from the phone and listened to the voices in the background. “She’s getting pizza,” she whispered.
Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Leona lifted her shoulders momentarily. “So tell me about this meeting with Milo’s girlfriend.”
“Milo’s ex-girlfriend, Leona.” She reached for the phone cord and wrapped it around her finger. “I guess Milo thought it would be good for us to meet.”
“And?”
It was Tori’s turn to shrug. “It was awkward at first, but then it got better. She showed me the six designs she’s just completed for Spotlight Fashions. And Leona? They’re amazing. The beaded detail on the skirts, the charmeuse waists, the ruched bodices—they’re incredible. I had no idea Beth Samuelson was such an amazing designer.”
“It matters naught as long as you keep the passion alive, dear, remember that—”
Breathing in her ear brought her focus back to the phone. “Regina?”
“One minute, I’m not ready yet.”
She moved her mouth to the side and made a face at Leona.
“Where’s this relationship-wrecker staying while she’s in Sweet Briar?”
Tori tapped her fingers on the desk, her attention caught between the breathing in her ear and the challenging set to Leona’s brows. “The Sweet Briar Inn, where else? But, really, Leona, what difference does it make?”
“She’s too close.”
Regina returned to the line. “I’m here now. My dinner arrived a full five minutes sooner than it was supposed to, otherwise we’d have been done with this charade of a conversation before it arrived.”
Charade?
“That’s fine.” She glanced back toward the bracelet on her assistant’s desk. “I was just saying that I see your bracelet right now. It’s on Nina’s desk.”
“Wonderful. I’ll send someone by to get it within the hour.”
“It’ll be here.” The click of the phone in her ear signaled the end to their call and she returned the receiver to its base. “There’s certainly no love loss there.”
Leona shrugged.
She looked a question at Leona, noted the way her brows rose in response despite the woman’s inability to hear any part of the phone conversation. “She is, she’s on the floor right now.”
“Oh.” The tone that had sounded rushed now adopted a hint of tension as well. “Are you the one who was at that birthday party the other night?”
“Yes. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“You can figure out which one of your friends murdered Ashley. Unless, of course, that someone was you.”
She felt her hand moisten around the receiver. “Miss Murphy, I’m sorry to hear about Ashley, I truly am.”
“Oh, give it up. You’re not sorry at all. None of you are.” A pause gave way to a secondary rush of words. “Look, I’m calling for one reason and one reason only. My bracelet.”
“Your bracelet?” She peered at Leona, the woman nearly falling out of her chair in her effort to hear as much of Tori’s conversation as humanly possible.
“Apparently this Nina person found a bracelet of mine on the library grounds. Her message said she saw the inscription on the inside and suspected it was me.”
Tori pushed her chair back and stood, her gaze skimming the top of Nina’s desk. Sure enough, a silver bracelet sat dead center with a sticky note bearing Regina Murphy’s name attached. “Oh yes, I see it right here.”
“Can I put you on hold for a moment, my dinner just arrived.” Without waiting for a response, the woman disappeared from the line, the sound of her footsteps in the background the only indication it was still an active line.
Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, Tori provided a name to go with the caller. “It’s Regina. Regina Murphy.”
“I got that, dear.” Leona’s eyebrows rose still further. “Shall we ask her which one of us she truly suspects of murder? Or do you think she imagines it was more of a group effort?”
“Shhh. Not now.” She pulled her hand from the phone and listened to the voices in the background. “She’s getting pizza,” she whispered.
Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Leona lifted her shoulders momentarily. “So tell me about this meeting with Milo’s girlfriend.”
“Milo’s ex-girlfriend, Leona.” She reached for the phone cord and wrapped it around her finger. “I guess Milo thought it would be good for us to meet.”
“And?”
It was Tori’s turn to shrug. “It was awkward at first, but then it got better. She showed me the six designs she’s just completed for Spotlight Fashions. And Leona? They’re amazing. The beaded detail on the skirts, the charmeuse waists, the ruched bodices—they’re incredible. I had no idea Beth Samuelson was such an amazing designer.”
“It matters naught as long as you keep the passion alive, dear, remember that—”
Breathing in her ear brought her focus back to the phone. “Regina?”
“One minute, I’m not ready yet.”
She moved her mouth to the side and made a face at Leona.
“Where’s this relationship-wrecker staying while she’s in Sweet Briar?”
Tori tapped her fingers on the desk, her attention caught between the breathing in her ear and the challenging set to Leona’s brows. “The Sweet Briar Inn, where else? But, really, Leona, what difference does it make?”
“She’s too close.”
Regina returned to the line. “I’m here now. My dinner arrived a full five minutes sooner than it was supposed to, otherwise we’d have been done with this charade of a conversation before it arrived.”
Charade?
“That’s fine.” She glanced back toward the bracelet on her assistant’s desk. “I was just saying that I see your bracelet right now. It’s on Nina’s desk.”
“Wonderful. I’ll send someone by to get it within the hour.”
“It’ll be here.” The click of the phone in her ear signaled the end to their call and she returned the receiver to its base. “There’s certainly no love loss there.”
Leona shrugged.
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