I’m willing to take my chances,Sherlock replies with more than a touch of hope.Besides, we’ve both been nibbling on Chinese food for years.
Jasper settles next to me on the sofa, and we dig into the feast like two people who haven’t eaten a proper meal in days—which, considering our schedules lately, might be accurate.
“Can you believe we’re hosting a wedding?” he asks with his chopsticks poised midair. “Sorry about that, by the way. But Charlotte and Piers are really lucky that you were able to fit everyone at the inn with such little notice. I’ll find a way to make this up to you,” he says, dotting a kiss to my forehead.
“Jasper, these are your friends. I’m happy to do it.” I lean back to get a better look at him. “Charlotte’s family seems really loaded, though. I mean, she’s a well-known socialite in some pretty prominent circles. Where does the family wealth come from?”
“I asked Piers, and he said it was through medical supplies,” he’squick to answer. “He said her father invented a few life-saving devices, and the rest is multimillionaire history.”
“I guess we need to come up with a life-saving device.”
“I’ll get right on it,” he teases.
“So,” I say between bites of perfectly spiced chicken, “any news on the prints from the knife?”
“Forensics is still studying it, but so far there aren’t any usable prints,” Jasper says, twirling lo mein around his chopsticks. “Either our killer wore gloves or they wiped it clean.”
“Wow. Do you think it was a professional job or a lucky amateur?” I ask, stealing a piece of his beef.
“Hard to say. The angle of the wound suggests someone roughly the same height as Tessa, so we’re not looking for a giant. But the precision...” He pauses, considering. “Either they got really lucky or they knew exactly what they were doing.”
“Any of our wedding party suspects have medical training? Not that it matters, but maybe an anatomy class played a part in it. Or pure heated hatred.” Most likely the latter.
“Funny you should ask. Kiki did pre-med before switching to law, and Conrad’s got EMT certification from his college days. Something about wanting to be a hero to impress women.”
I snort. “Of course, he does. What about the groom and his future mother-in-law?”
“Piers claims he can barely handle a paper cut, and the bride’s mother, Bea, faints at the sight of blood, according to Charlotte. However, people tend to lie and cover for loved ones, especially when there’s murder involved.”
“Speaking of lies,” I say, “you should have seen the performance Kiki and Charlotte put on today. Both claiming they barely knew Tessa; meanwhile, I watched Kiki slap her at the rehearsal dinner.”
Jasper raises an eyebrow. “You didn’t mention that yesterday.”
“Sorry. I was still processing. Plus, you were busy being all official and detective-y. But get this—Kiki is still completely in lovewith Piers. Her thoughts were pretty much screaming it during our pedicure session.”
“Jealous ex-girlfriend,” Jasper muses. “So what’s her story? And why is she so chummy with Charlotte?”
“She and Charlotte really seem to get along, but according to Kiki’s twisted thoughts, it’s all a ruse to get closer to Piers. Apparently, she and the groom-to-be spent three years together in college. She basically did his homework for him, then he dumped her after graduation to find himself. His self-discovery led him straight to Charlotte’s social media empire.”
“And what an empire it is,” Jasper points out. “The woman’s got millions of followers.”
“Right, but according to Kiki’s twisted perspective, it’s all about Piers finding his way to Charlotte’s success and wealth via her trust fund. The irony is delicious in the most tragic way possible. He’s basically a gold digger. What does he do for a living?”
“He flips houses.”
“Apparently, not enough of them.”
Are you two going to keep talking about murder all night?Fish interrupts.Because some of us are trying to supervise a baby here.
We both look over to see Ella attempting to put a block in Sherlock’s mouth while he sits perfectly still, the picture of canine patience.
She thinks I’m hungry,Sherlock explains.I don’t want to hurt her feelings. Plus, it’s good training for when she can get her hands on a cookie.
You’re always hungry,Truffle points out from her perch on a pile of stuffed animals.
You’re a quick learner,Fish says with a chitter of a laugh.
“I’ll make sure you each get a treat before bed,” I say before returning to my food and to Jasper. “What about you? How was your day of official detective work?”
