“More demonstrations, more dancing,” several people called out.
Matt used the opportunity to mention the special they were running on lessons and that they were located just down the street. So far no one had brought up Mary Beth, so the mood stayed light. Then Matt described the free lessons the winner of the drawing would get.
“Are you going to teach?” Camille said, stepping forward from the crowd.
He diplomatically said something about it depending on his schedule before he reached in the bowl and picked the winner. A woman in the back jumped up, a jubilant expression on her face, while everyone else slumped in disappointment.
There was a rustle in the crowd as two people pushed their way through it. Roseanne got to the front, her face squeezed into an angry pose. “Have you given away the free lessons yet?” she demanded. Hal was a few steps behind. He had gone back to his semiwimpy manner, but he locked eyes with me and for a moment changed into the man I’d seen the other night.
Roseanne didn’t wait for an answer. “You’re not authorized to give away free lessons or special deals. I’m the owner now. You have to get my okay first.”
A gasp went through the group.
Matt tried to keep his voice low. He said something about that statement being premature and lawyers working things out. Then he turned toward the winner and said for her not to worry, she’d get her lessons. Roseanne started to object, but Matt countered that until things were settled he was in charge. Roseanne didn’t seem to care that she was making a scene, and the positive mood of the evening was going downhill fast. Nobody likes to be in the middle of an argument. I stepped in and suggested that Matt do a first dance with the winner and as an aside told them to save their conversation until they were in a private place.
Matt threw a dismissive glance Roseanne’s way and took my suggestion. Roseanne stood there for a moment, fuming, then grabbed Hal’s hand and pushed through the crowd toward the exit. I was curious about the argument and followed, barely aware that the crowd had started to dance.
It wasn’t hard to get Roseanne to talk. All I had to do was ask for her side of the story.
“It only makes sense. My sister Mary Beth inherited her husband’s portion of the estate and I’m her only family. Matt keeps saying Mary Beth was in the process of changing things so he’d have a bigger share of the business, but I don’t believe it. I am not going to be pushed aside anymore. Matt has always made a point that he’s an owner and we’re just employees. He has always told us what to do and how to do it. He needs to show me some respect now.”
Roseanne left in a huff. Hal followed behind, turning back just for a moment. He tilted his head toward the front window. I noticed the fireplug in a suit standing outside.
I had been so involved with talking to Roseanne I hadn’t noticed the music had changed to hip-hop. Not only that, but everybody had begun dancing beyond the confines of the event area. Couples were gyrating between the bookshelves, and people were spinning alone around the display tables. Matt passed me quickly, giving me a thank-you wave on his way out.
In all her purple-sequin glitter and doll-face makeup, Adele was on top of a table in the window grooving to the music—or trying to. She looked like she was having a fit. Nevertheless, people had gathered around and were mimicking her moves while waving their arms as though she were a dancing goddess.
I pushed through the group and tried to get her down. Above the music I heard a loud rhythmic thwack and suddenly the area outside the window was bathed in a blindingly bright spotlight. With lights flashing and sirens on, three cruisers stopped at the curb. I twisted toward the front of the bookstore just as the door flew open and someone on a bullhorn ordered everyone to lay on the floor.
Who knew Mrs. Shedd was going to drive by while Adele was doing her table dance and think she was a masked maniac taking over the bookstore?
As things were getting sorted out, Detective Heather and her partner came out of the café, both holding coffee. She glanced around the bookstore and then looked at me with a disparaging shake of her head.
When Mrs. Shedd finally got the whole story, she turned to me and said, “Molly, why didn’t you tell me? I love dancing.” She did a little spin. “When Mr. Royal was here, we went dancing all the time.” Her voice sounded wistful. All along I’d thought he was a pretend partner. It was the first time I believed he might exist.
Dinah walked in as the last police cruiser pulled away and everyone was streaming out. “Did I miss something?”
In all the commotion, I’d forgotten about the crochet piece. As I was getting ready to leave, I looked under the counter by the cashier stand. There was a large envelope with Catalina written across the front. When I opened it, a filet crochet piece slipped out. I spread it out on the counter and shook my head. It was in the same style as the one I had. But the motifs? They were all moons and stars and teddy bears.
This piece had been made for a child’s room.
CHAPTER 24
“THAT’S WHAT WE SNUCK INTO THE DANCE STUDIO for?” Dinah said as we both sat staring at the new piece spread out on her coffee table. It had been quite an evening and I needed to decompress. No way could I do that at home with the She La Las jumping around and running through their number just one more time. Instead, I had gone home with Dinah.
She kicked off her shoes and unwound her scarves and picked up the envelope the new crochet panel piece had come in.
“Maybe it has something to do with the baby the caretaker and the grocery clerk mentioned,” I said.
“Maybe, but I for one am disappointed.” Dinah rolled the piece up and put it back in the envelope. “I hope you have something better to share.”
“Actually I do,” I said and told her about the standoff between Roseanne and Matt. “There’s some disagreement about who gets the dance studios. Roseanne seems to think they are now hers, which brings up the question of what lengths she would go to get in this position.” I mentioned how jealous Matt had said Roseanne was of her sister.
“I bet Mr. Card Room hopes his wife is right,” Dinah said. She had made us some chamomile tea and filled two cups with the sweet-smelling liquid from a pot on the table.
“Okay, if Roseanne is a suspect let’s see how she fits in with what we know,” Dinah began. “We know Mary Beth was poisoned and poison is supposed to be women’s weapon of choice. The poison was in marzipan candy. Whoever did it had to know Mary Beth loved marzipan. If someone gave me a box of that stuff with a diamond ring stuck in one of the candies, I’d never find it. It’s cute the way they make little fruits and vegetables out of it, but the taste and texture make me gag.”
“Okay, so if somebody wanted to poison you, they’d have to use something else,” I said with a chuckle. “Since they were sisters, I have to believe that Roseanne knew Mary Beth’s candy of choice. But it isn’t a stretch to think Hal would, too. Matt said he knew about the almond-paste candy. Except . . .” I took a sip of tea while a problem circulated through my mind. “How does it fit in with the crochet piece and the diary entry?” I took the original crochet piece out of my bag and laid it out.
“She sure did nice work.” Dinah fingered the perfectly even stitches.
“That’s not the point.” I had my little notebook out and was flipping through the pages. I got to the notes I’d taken in Catalina and looked them over again for the zillionth time. Call it a matter of timing, but my eye went from the list under Purdue Silvers’s name to the panel with the vase of flowers and for the first time I made the connection. “Omigod, how could I have been so stupid?” I said, leaning closer.