Diva 02 _ Diva Takes the Cake, The by Krista Davis Page A
Authors: Krista Davis
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Mystery, Mystery Fiction, Cooking, Large Type Books, Crimes against, Weddings, Sisters, Cookery, Divorced women, Winston; Sophie (Fictitious Character), Women Cooks, Divorced Women - Crimes Against
Ads: Link
major crime had been committed. Never mind that she’d replaced everything I had done in my dining room.
“Why would anyone remove a ribbon? Now it’s not balanced.” She reached over to adjust it.
Maybe she didn’t know about the brown bits on Emily’s neck. I’m ashamed to admit that I relished the thought of tweaking her. If she had left my flowers alone or if she had bothered to incorporate them, I might not be inclined to scare her. But I was.
“I expect Wolf took it to compare to the ribbon used to strangle Emily,” I said airily. Natasha’s perfect makeup couldn’t conceal the pallor that swept her face. Underneath her carefully applied foundation, I suspected she might be as pasty as Humphrey.
Her voice quavered when she said, “Strangle?” Before I could say more, she quickly added, “I wasn’t even home.”
I couldn’t help myself. “I’m sure you have a good alibi.”
Natasha appeared to stop breathing. She froze, and I don’t think her eyelids blinked.
Humphrey glanced at me before grazing Natasha’s arm in what appeared to be an aborted attempt to rouse her. He’d reverted to his timid nature, probably shy about touching the great beauty queen from our high school days.
Natasha twitched and brushed her arm, distaste on her face as though a giant fly had landed on her.
“Kevin,” she wailed, looking around the room for him. “I believe it’s time to go home,” she said wearily to no one in particular. “It’s been a rather trying day.”
What was she up to? Shouldn’t she be looking for Mars? Why had he told me where he was going, and why was Natasha hanging on to another man? Natasha planned her life as carefully as she planned a party. Was she preparing to dump Mars?
When Natasha trudged off to find Kevin, I found Humphrey watching me sadly. “At dinner tonight, you and Mars looked like you were still a couple. I feel rather the fool for thinking your relationship was over. I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable by being so forward.”
If he’d gotten the mistaken impression that I was still in love with Mars, I was willing to go along with it. “I hope we can be friends, Humphrey.”
In a completely uncharacteristic move, he kissed me on the cheek. I couldn’t help thinking it felt like the end of something.
By one in the morning, only a handful of Hannah’s best friends remained. They clustered under the tiny roof lights in the sunroom, retelling old stories about each other. Mom and Dad put Jen to bed and retired, leaving me to handle the bulk of the cleanup. Every last crumb of my Chocolate Hazelnut Torte and the Lemon Raspberry Cake had disappeared. But hunks of Natasha’s Rhubarb Ricotta Cake remained on her black plates. I put the leftovers into containers.
Phoebe wandered in from the sunroom. “Hannah’s a little tipsy at the moment, but in the morning she’s going to be upset about losing her engagement ring. I thought she might have left it on the windowsill.”
I rinsed the last of the martini glasses. “You know Hannah. She only does dishes if it will get her out of cleaning bathrooms.”
“Do you have any idea where it is? Craig is going to kill her.”
I almost dropped one of Natasha’s plates. “What do you mean?”
“It’s a very expensive ring. Joel’s family had a jewelry store on the Jersey shore for generations. He practically grew up in diamonds, and he says it’s a very pricey ring. One of the benefits of marrying a doctor, I guess.”
Mochie watched Phoebe from the kitchen table, his tail wrapped neatly around his paws, Egyptian cat style. I didn’t dare tell Phoebe, but I had a hunch that Hannah’s expensive ring might have seemed like a fun toy to Mochie.
“I’ll check around for it in the morning.” Under the furniture, where it probably spun when he smacked it. At the moment, I didn’t care how much the ring was worth; all I wanted was to crawl into bed.
Phoebe returned to the sunroom, and
“Why would anyone remove a ribbon? Now it’s not balanced.” She reached over to adjust it.
Maybe she didn’t know about the brown bits on Emily’s neck. I’m ashamed to admit that I relished the thought of tweaking her. If she had left my flowers alone or if she had bothered to incorporate them, I might not be inclined to scare her. But I was.
“I expect Wolf took it to compare to the ribbon used to strangle Emily,” I said airily. Natasha’s perfect makeup couldn’t conceal the pallor that swept her face. Underneath her carefully applied foundation, I suspected she might be as pasty as Humphrey.
Her voice quavered when she said, “Strangle?” Before I could say more, she quickly added, “I wasn’t even home.”
I couldn’t help myself. “I’m sure you have a good alibi.”
Natasha appeared to stop breathing. She froze, and I don’t think her eyelids blinked.
Humphrey glanced at me before grazing Natasha’s arm in what appeared to be an aborted attempt to rouse her. He’d reverted to his timid nature, probably shy about touching the great beauty queen from our high school days.
Natasha twitched and brushed her arm, distaste on her face as though a giant fly had landed on her.
“Kevin,” she wailed, looking around the room for him. “I believe it’s time to go home,” she said wearily to no one in particular. “It’s been a rather trying day.”
What was she up to? Shouldn’t she be looking for Mars? Why had he told me where he was going, and why was Natasha hanging on to another man? Natasha planned her life as carefully as she planned a party. Was she preparing to dump Mars?
When Natasha trudged off to find Kevin, I found Humphrey watching me sadly. “At dinner tonight, you and Mars looked like you were still a couple. I feel rather the fool for thinking your relationship was over. I hope I haven’t made you uncomfortable by being so forward.”
If he’d gotten the mistaken impression that I was still in love with Mars, I was willing to go along with it. “I hope we can be friends, Humphrey.”
In a completely uncharacteristic move, he kissed me on the cheek. I couldn’t help thinking it felt like the end of something.
By one in the morning, only a handful of Hannah’s best friends remained. They clustered under the tiny roof lights in the sunroom, retelling old stories about each other. Mom and Dad put Jen to bed and retired, leaving me to handle the bulk of the cleanup. Every last crumb of my Chocolate Hazelnut Torte and the Lemon Raspberry Cake had disappeared. But hunks of Natasha’s Rhubarb Ricotta Cake remained on her black plates. I put the leftovers into containers.
Phoebe wandered in from the sunroom. “Hannah’s a little tipsy at the moment, but in the morning she’s going to be upset about losing her engagement ring. I thought she might have left it on the windowsill.”
I rinsed the last of the martini glasses. “You know Hannah. She only does dishes if it will get her out of cleaning bathrooms.”
“Do you have any idea where it is? Craig is going to kill her.”
I almost dropped one of Natasha’s plates. “What do you mean?”
“It’s a very expensive ring. Joel’s family had a jewelry store on the Jersey shore for generations. He practically grew up in diamonds, and he says it’s a very pricey ring. One of the benefits of marrying a doctor, I guess.”
Mochie watched Phoebe from the kitchen table, his tail wrapped neatly around his paws, Egyptian cat style. I didn’t dare tell Phoebe, but I had a hunch that Hannah’s expensive ring might have seemed like a fun toy to Mochie.
“I’ll check around for it in the morning.” Under the furniture, where it probably spun when he smacked it. At the moment, I didn’t care how much the ring was worth; all I wanted was to crawl into bed.
Phoebe returned to the sunroom, and
Similar Books
