Perfect. It’s time to get some answers.
I maneuver my way across the lawn, champagne flute in hand, trying to look casual while positioning myself within eavesdropping distance of my prime suspects.
It’s time to grill a suspect—or two. And get a really cute pedicure in the process. If motherhood has made me anything, I’m a master at multitasking. Here’s hoping that one of those tasks is catching a killer.
CHAPTER 6
The salty tang of ocean air mixes with the heady scent of jasmine, nail polish, and raspberry champagne as ten pairs of perfectly pedicured feet soak in a bubbling paradise. Somewhere between the rhythmic splash of waves below the white deck of the inn and the mechanical hum of nail dryers, I’m surrounded by enough wedding drama to fuel a reality show for three seasons.
“Honey, pass me another mimosa,” Charlotte calls out from her throne-like pedicure chair, already on her third glass. “Wedding week stress is no joke.”
I settle into the chair next to Charlotte and Kiki, because nothing says cozy murder investigation like getting your toenails painted while interrogating suspects. The nail tech starts working on my feet, and I figure this is the perfect opportunity to pump these two for information without them realizing they’re about to be squeezed by a mind-reading boa constrictor.
“I’m so sorry about the loss of your friend,” I say gently, settling into the rhythm of casual conversation while watching Charlotte scroll through her phone with the dedication of a NASA engineermonitoring a space launch. I can hardly blame her. It is her business, after all.
“Friend?” Charlotte looks up from her screen, blinking as if I’ve just suggested she was besties with her accountant. “Oh, hon, Tessa and I weren’t friends. She was my wedding planner, sure, but it’s not like we were braiding each other’s hair and sharing secrets. The woman was all business, all the time.”
“Same here,” Kiki adds, examining her emerald green polish with the focus of a diamond appraiser. “I mean, it’s tragic what happened, but I barely knew the woman. We only met her a few times during the planning process.”
I stare at Kiki, wide-eyed.
This woman slapped Tessa at the wedding week kickoff luau, and now she’s acting like they were practically strangers?
I take her in for a moment. I’ll admit, Kiki is the kind of stunning that makes other women instinctively check their makeup—with her sharp cheekbones and glossy espresso-colored hair that falls in perfect waves past her shoulders.
Her emerald eyes match her nail polish with a coordination that suggests serious planning, and she’s got that corporate lawyer posture that screamsI could destroy you in court and look fabulous doing it.Everything about her is polished to a mirror shine, from her designer sundress to her flawless skin that might just require a team of professionals and serious dedication.
She’s beautiful in that intimidating, untouchable way that makes you wonder if she ever has bad hair days or gets food stuck in her teeth. Somehow, I doubt it.
Thank goodness no one saw what happened between us.Kiki blows out a breath with the thought.The last thing I need is people asking questions about why I lost it with her.
I definitely plan on finding out why she lost it with her.
Charlotte makes a face before taking another sip of her bubbly.Thank goodness Tessa can’t spill any of my secrets now.Charlottescowls at her phone with the thought.That woman knew things that could have ruined everything I’ve worked for.
The bride-to-be has secrets? Interesting.
“Still, it must be unsettling,” I probe on, “having something like that happen right before your wedding, Charlotte. I’m so sorry. Did you notice anything strange about Tessa lately? Did she have any tension with anyone?” It takes everything in me not to shoot Kiki the side-eye.
Charlotte shrugs as her attention drifts back to her phone. “She seemed fine to me. She was pretty professional, you know? Maybe a little stressed, but aren’t all wedding planners?”
Stressed is putting it mildly,Charlotte thinks to herself while checking her reflection in her nails.The woman was vibrating with anxiety every time money came up. Which was every other minute.
Well, if they kept a running tab with her as they are with me, I can see why.
“What about you, Kiki?” I turn to the dark-haired beauty who’s been suspiciously quiet. “You must have interacted with her during the planning process.”
Kiki’s jaw tightens a notch. “Not really. I tried to stay out of the wedding details. For obvious reasons.”
If only I could have stayed out of it completely.Kiki’s thoughts betray her calm facade.But watching him marry someone else... I had to try one last time to make him see reason.
What? Who’s marrying someone else? She’s not talking about the groom, is she? And if she was, what would that have to do with Tessa?
“So, how did you two girls meet?” I ask, genuinely curious about the dynamics here. “I mean, I know you mentioned something about college.”
Charlotte and Kiki exchange a look that’s part amusement, part awkwardness, and then they both burst out laughing.
“You mean you don’t know?” Charlotte giggles, pressing her hand to her chest. “Kiki is Piers’ ex-girlfriend! They dated for threeyears in college. Can you believe it? I’m getting my nails done with my fiancé’s ex!”
