boasted a small foyer furnished with a narrow table and a brass lamp in need of polishing. The table was awash with letters, circulars and newspapers.
Madeline led Gigi into the living room, where an L-shaped sofa dominated the space. Madeline sat at one end and hugged a furry white pillow to her chest.
“I’m glad you’re here. I needed someone to talk to. I hope you don’t mind.”
Gigi shook her head.
Madeline gave a loud sniff and dabbed at her nose with the crinkled tissue. “I had a policeman come by work today”—she gave a sob that ended in a hiccough—“asking me where Hunter went the night of our engagement party.”
Gigi tilted her head and raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything for fear of staunching the flow of Madeline’s conversation.
“The terrible thing is . . .”
“Yes?” Gigi leaned forward eagerly.
“I don’t know where he went.” Madeline wailed.
“Did you ask him?”
Madeline nodded, and her hair, which was pulled back into a haphazard ponytail, bobbed up and down. “I did. He said he went to the hospital. Said he’d had a call that there was an emergency. That’s why he wouldn’t drink anything alcoholic at the party—in case he got called in.” She pulled her legs up close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I went to the hospital and talked to Amanda. She’s one of his colleagues. It was mortifying.” She wailed again. “Amanda said she hadn’t seen him at all on Saturday night. She assumed he was at the party.” Madeline swiped the back of her hand across her nose. “I had to make up some story about why I was asking. She must have thought I was a fool.”
She looked at Gigi with pleading eyes.
Gigi opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Madeline was talking again.
“I know everyone thinks Hunter is marrying beneath him. He could have any number of the lawyers at my firm, and goodness knows how many of his female colleagues are after him.”
“But he chose you,” Gigi reminded her.
“I know. It’s just that sometimes I don’t feel worthy, you know?”
Gigi didn’t say anything. Playing amateur psychologist was not her role. Besides, she’d struggled with those very same issues while married to Ted. Starting and succeeding at her own business had given her the confidence she had lacked back then.
“I suppose the police were just asking routine questions. There’s no need to be upset.”
“I don’t know.” Madeline twirled a loose thread from her sweatshirt around and around her finger. “Hunter told them he was at the hospital just like he told me.” She looked at Gigi and choked back a sob. “It won’t be long before the police discover he was lying.”
Chapter 9
Poor Madeline. She must be quite worried about the possibility of Hunter having a role in his father’s death. Gigi thought back to Saturday night and Bradley’s obnoxious remarks. It was easy to understand how they might have inflamed Hunter. Still, she couldn’t quite imagine him having anything to do with murder. The Hippocratic oath, after all, was about saving people, not killing them.
As Gigi drove back down High Street, she noticed a man in coveralls going into Bon Appétit. He had a stepladder slung over his shoulder. She supposed Evelyn was starting her renovations. Gigi glanced at the clock on her dashboard. Reg had been home alone for over an hour, and she still had to stop at Gibson’s Hardware for a curtain rod. She’d have to give Reg an extra treat to make up for it.
She parked in the lot between Declan’s and Gibson’s. The lot was fairly full—Bradley’s murder obviously hadn’t had an impact on Declan’s business. On the contrary, people were probably coming out of curiosity. Gigi shivered. She found that ghoulish. She didn’t even like having to cross the parking lot, and she carefully skirted the area where Bradley’s body had lain. There was no sign now of the violence that had occurred on Saturday night,
Madeline led Gigi into the living room, where an L-shaped sofa dominated the space. Madeline sat at one end and hugged a furry white pillow to her chest.
“I’m glad you’re here. I needed someone to talk to. I hope you don’t mind.”
Gigi shook her head.
Madeline gave a loud sniff and dabbed at her nose with the crinkled tissue. “I had a policeman come by work today”—she gave a sob that ended in a hiccough—“asking me where Hunter went the night of our engagement party.”
Gigi tilted her head and raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything for fear of staunching the flow of Madeline’s conversation.
“The terrible thing is . . .”
“Yes?” Gigi leaned forward eagerly.
“I don’t know where he went.” Madeline wailed.
“Did you ask him?”
Madeline nodded, and her hair, which was pulled back into a haphazard ponytail, bobbed up and down. “I did. He said he went to the hospital. Said he’d had a call that there was an emergency. That’s why he wouldn’t drink anything alcoholic at the party—in case he got called in.” She pulled her legs up close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I went to the hospital and talked to Amanda. She’s one of his colleagues. It was mortifying.” She wailed again. “Amanda said she hadn’t seen him at all on Saturday night. She assumed he was at the party.” Madeline swiped the back of her hand across her nose. “I had to make up some story about why I was asking. She must have thought I was a fool.”
She looked at Gigi with pleading eyes.
Gigi opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Madeline was talking again.
“I know everyone thinks Hunter is marrying beneath him. He could have any number of the lawyers at my firm, and goodness knows how many of his female colleagues are after him.”
“But he chose you,” Gigi reminded her.
“I know. It’s just that sometimes I don’t feel worthy, you know?”
Gigi didn’t say anything. Playing amateur psychologist was not her role. Besides, she’d struggled with those very same issues while married to Ted. Starting and succeeding at her own business had given her the confidence she had lacked back then.
“I suppose the police were just asking routine questions. There’s no need to be upset.”
“I don’t know.” Madeline twirled a loose thread from her sweatshirt around and around her finger. “Hunter told them he was at the hospital just like he told me.” She looked at Gigi and choked back a sob. “It won’t be long before the police discover he was lying.”
Chapter 9
Poor Madeline. She must be quite worried about the possibility of Hunter having a role in his father’s death. Gigi thought back to Saturday night and Bradley’s obnoxious remarks. It was easy to understand how they might have inflamed Hunter. Still, she couldn’t quite imagine him having anything to do with murder. The Hippocratic oath, after all, was about saving people, not killing them.
As Gigi drove back down High Street, she noticed a man in coveralls going into Bon Appétit. He had a stepladder slung over his shoulder. She supposed Evelyn was starting her renovations. Gigi glanced at the clock on her dashboard. Reg had been home alone for over an hour, and she still had to stop at Gibson’s Hardware for a curtain rod. She’d have to give Reg an extra treat to make up for it.
She parked in the lot between Declan’s and Gibson’s. The lot was fairly full—Bradley’s murder obviously hadn’t had an impact on Declan’s business. On the contrary, people were probably coming out of curiosity. Gigi shivered. She found that ghoulish. She didn’t even like having to cross the parking lot, and she carefully skirted the area where Bradley’s body had lain. There was no sign now of the violence that had occurred on Saturday night,
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