Terror in Taffeta by Marla Cooper Page A

you have her cell?”
    â€œI tried that, but it went to voice mail.”
    I jumped at a sudden noise behind me, but it was only Fernando, returning with our afternoon refreshments. God bless him, he’d even thrown in some chips and guacamole.
    â€œThank you, Fernando,” I said. “You’re a lifesaver.”
    â€œYou’re most welcome. I hope you enjoy it. It’s a family recipe,” he added, gently unloading his tray onto the table. “May I ask … We have other guests arriving on Friday. Do you know how long you’ll be staying?”
    I laughed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “That’s a good question, Fernando. I wish I knew.”
    *   *   *
    After having my way with the chips and guac, I wasn’t exactly ravenous for dinner, so when Evan came by to get me, I suggested we take a walk and enjoy the sunset before heading off to eat.
    â€œYou want a sunset?” Evan asked, offering me his arm. “Right this way.”
    Knowing that cobblestones and heels don’t mix, I’d left anything even vaguely resembling date shoes back in San Francisco. It was a good thing I had, because our evening stroll involved a vigorous climb up a steep hill that left me fairly winded and wanting to shower all over again.
    Oh, but the view.
    From El Mirador , the lookout point at the top of the hill, we could see the rooftops of San Miguel de Allende stretching before us. The historic center lay at our feet, with the spires of La Parroquia dramatically punctuating the landscape. The soft light bathed the reds, oranges, and yellows of the adobes and their tiled roofs in a glow that was matched only by the riot of colors streaking across the sky.
    For a few dizzy moments, I leaned back against Evan, pondering what exactly would be so wrong about relocating my business to Mexico. He nuzzled my hair as we stood in silence. I was falling in love. With San Miguel, that is, although Evan was seriously scoring some points.
    The sun finally dipped below the horizon, breaking the spell.
    I sighed, drunk on the view, and maybe a little bit on that passion-fruit thingy Fernando had made me. “Okay, let’s get down to business.”
    Evan looked surprised. “Right here? In the park? All right, although it’s a little public for my tastes.” He laughed and pulled me in for a kiss. “Or we could go back to my place.”
    Flirting. I’d kind of forgotten how much fun it could be. “I’m talking about that other business,” I said, blushing at least a little. “Did you get in touch with your friend at the police station?”
    â€œOh, that. Yeah, I went by today and talked to him. He wasn’t able to tell me a lot since he’s not actually in homicide, but he was able to find out a little bit about the case.”
    â€œSo?” I asked eagerly. I loved the prospect of having an inside source. “What did he say?”
    Evan took both my hands in his. “Well, for one thing, they aren’t looking at any other suspects right now.”
    â€œAre you kidding me?” I said, pulling away abruptly. “They have to keep looking! Zoe didn’t do it. They’re not even trying to investigate other possibilities?”
    Evan shrugged. “He said they thought they had the right person.”
    I put my hands on my hips. “Why? Based on what?”
    â€œWhen they searched Zoe’s room, they found something.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Oh, come on. What could they have possibly found? A deadly bridesmaid’s bouquet? An incriminating amount of eyeliner? They don’t even know what Dana died from.”
    Evan crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Actually, they think they do.”
    I braced myself, knowing I wasn’t going to like whatever was coming next.
    â€œThey found what looked like poison in her room. The lab’s going to run a tox screen to see if it could be the