“But she was angry too,” I said as gently as I could. “And the gold leaf on Freddie’s body must have transferred from Yolanda. She probably got it on her when she was moving your artwork that day.”
She shook her head, unwilling to accept my theory. “We were never apart for more than fifteen minutes. Wouldn’t she have had blood on her?”
I didn’t know what else to say, so I repeated my earlier words. “I’m so sorry.”
Minnie patted my arm. “I know you were just trying to help Mr. Nagy, Emersyn.”
Her forgiveness and understanding left me feeling worse than before.
She gave me a weak smile and wandered off down the hall, looking a little lost.
I returned to Rosario’s apartment, even less in the mood for a party now.
“This is delicious,” Bitty said as she sipped at her peachy cocktail.
“You might want to be careful,” Carmen advised. “There’s a lot of vodka in that thing.”
“Like my dear cousin Princess Diana once said, ‘Vodka is kind of a hobby.’ ” Bitty giggled and took another sip of her drink as she swayed off to talk to Mrs. Nagy.
“Wasn’t it Betty White who said that?” Jemma asked.
“It certainly was.” Leona joined our group, a red cocktail in hand. “Did I ever tell you about the time I gave Betty a ride to the airport when her—”
“Yes,” Carmen broke in loudly. “Many, many times.”
“What’s that cocktail you’ve got there?” I asked Leona in a desperate bid to keep the peace. She looked ready to gouge Carmen’s eyes out.
Fortunately, my attempt at distracting her worked.
“Bodie called it a sour cherry gin sling.” She took a sip. “It’s delicious. You should try one.”
Jemma elbowed me in the ribs. “Yes, Emersyn, go ask Bodie to make you one.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “And maybe ask for a little something more too.”
I rolled my eyes and didn’t budge.
“I’m popping back down to your place to use the washroom,” Jemma said.
“I’m sure you could use Rosario’s.” I glanced in that direction.
“Someone just went in there. I won’t be long.” Jemma set aside her empty glass and headed out of the apartment.
When I turned my attention back to my neighbors, the cherry garnish in Leona’s glass grabbed my attention.
The cherry shimmered with gold.
“Gold leaf?” My voice sounded vague, probably because my thoughts were so busy spinning.
Leona held up her glass so it caught the light streaming in through the nearby window. “Bodie said he uses it all the time when he works for that fancy catering company. People like bling in their cocktails. He sneaked a little bit home for us. Wasn’t that sweet?”
Her dangly diamond earrings sparkled in a beam of sunlight.
Two memories surfaced and clicked together.
I looked over Bodie’s way. He smiled at something Bitty said to him and then reached for his cocktail shaker. His gaze met mine from across the room. It took half a second, but then he grinned at me before getting back to mixing drinks.
I set my half-empty glass on a side table and slipped out of the apartment. My heart beat so fast that I felt dizzy and lightheaded. I leaned against the wall in the hallway to ensure I didn’t fall over.
When would Jemma get back?
