—Pie Novice in Pearisburg
Dear Pie Novice,
Your first holiday feast with new in-laws isn’t the time to try your hand at pie dough. A graham cracker crust is just as tasty, much faster, and virtually goof-proof. To dress it up, pipe whipped cream around the edge. It will hide any uneven spots of crust and look gorgeous, too.
—Sophie
“She’s been advised not to say anything, not one thing, to Wolf or Kenner,” Mars said. “You need to do the same thing to protect yourself. They can twist the most innocent statement.”
“I’ve called a lawyer but I haven’t heard from him yet.”
“Mike Doyle?”
“How did you know?”
“That’s who’s representing Nat. He was at our party the night of the fire. Good grief, it’s been an awful week.”
Vicki pulled a BlackBerry from her pocket. “I have a text message from Andrew. Kenner is on his way up to interview Mars again.” She put the BlackBerry on the table and massaged her temples.
“Chill, Vicki.” If Mars felt any fear of Kenner, he didn’t show it.
“What about you?” I asked. “Are you talking to the police?”
“And take a chance on implicating Nat? No way.”
I pecked Mars on the cheek, said, “Be careful,” and hurried to the door.
Vicki threw her arms around me and held me close.
“Get some sleep,” I said. “Everything will work out. It’s only a matter of time until they find Simon’s killer and then they’ll leave us all alone.”
She smiled weakly. “I hope so. I pray Andrew can keep his mouth shut for once instead of spouting off about how much he hated Simon.”
Unwilling to risk a hostile run-in with Kenner, I took the stairs down to the ballroom level. Even though I knew Mars and Andrew well, Craig’s observation about the Winston brothers haunted me. Could Mars and Andrew have joined forces to kill Simon?
Nina waited for me in the ballroom lobby, barely suppressing her eagerness. “Andrew and I talked to the housekeeping staff. After the cops took down the yellow police tape, one of the housekeepers found a key card on the floor that the police missed. She turned it over to the cops and says they were very excited.”
“Who did it belong to?”
“She didn’t know. She doesn’t use the hotel computers for her job.”
“A lot of people crowded in that room when Simon died. Still, it could be a lead. Think Wolf will tell us about it if we ask?”
Nina appraised me. “Maybe if you flirt with him.”
I wasn’t going that route. But maybe I should reconsider. Flirting worked pretty well for Nina.
The sound of approaching footsteps sent me for the door in an effort to avoid Kenner but Nina lingered.
“Sophie,” she said, “look who it is. Hi!”
Dread welled in my stomach but I turned anyway.
Simon’s driver, Clyde, strode toward Nina.
“Didn’t you work for Simon?” she asked.
His eyes drifted toward me as I joined them.
“Hello, Sophie. Simon was more than a boss.” Clyde mashed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. “I can’t believe he’s gone. I’d only worked for him a little over a year but he was great. I traveled the world with him, first class all the way. He treated me like family. There’s nothing I wouldn’t have done for him.”
“The police must be keeping you apprised. What’s the latest on his killer?” I asked.
He snorted. “You’re a suspect. Don’t worry, I’m inclined to think it was Natasha. She’d taken private meetings with Simon before the competition.”
Aside from the implication that she might have been trying to sway his vote in the contest, it put her allegation that I had an unfair advantage in a whole new light.
Nina squinted at him. “What are you doing here?”
His eyebrows shot up and he smiled cynically. “I suppose I ought to ask you that question.” He inspected her head to toe, stopping to take in the huge diamond on her finger, just like Mrs. Pulchinski had.
“We came to visit someone,” said Nina in an irritated voice.
“If this is a contest, then I think I have you beat. I’m staying here.”
His mild amusement only served to further aggravate Nina. I thought I’d better intercede.
“You’re a lot like Simon, aren’t you?”
“I consider that a compliment of the highest order. Simon was a great guy, a good friend.” He looked down at the key card in his hand. “This has been very hard for me. I’m waiting for the police to release his belongings and the body so I can take him to England to be buried. We’d been living in London, you know. He loved it there.”
In spite of his little game with Nina, I felt terrible for him. He’d lost a dear friend and his job and had the unenviable task of seeing to all the funeral details.
I choked out, “I’m very sorry, Clyde.”
He nodded at us and walked away briskly.
Nina stuck out the tip of her tongue like she had a bad taste in her mouth. “What an obnoxious guy. I don’t like him one bit.”
She muttered about Clyde all the way home. When we parked in front of her house, I invited Nina in for a late lunch.
“Thanks, but I’d better get back to pretending I’m a perfect southern domestic goddess like Natasha.”
Poor Nina. “What’s for dinner?”
“Glad you asked—Veal Piccata with Angel Hair Pasta. Alfredo’s is delivering it to your house. Call me when it gets there.” She dug in her purse.
“My house? Why?”
“I don’t want the monster-in-law to know I didn’t make it. It’s already paid for but here’s money for the tip.”
I was on the verge of pointing out that her mother-in-law would probably notice the absence of a garlic aroma in the air, but when I stepped out of the car, I saw a strange man open the side gate to my property and walk to the back of my house.
“Hey!” I ran across the street and into my backyard.
A team of people dressed in uniforms were searching the ground. Most of them crouched or kneeled. Raising my voice, I said, “Excuse me? What’s going on here?”
Nina caught up to me at the same time Wolf appeared around the corner of the shed in the back.
He strode across to us waving a paper. “Sorry, Sophie. Search warrant for mushrooms.”
“I used them all yesterday.” I shouldn’t have said it. I knew I shouldn’t the moment it came out of my mouth. “That was a joke, Wolf.”
“You need to work on your comedy routine.”