could only shake my head. My family was certifiable. Both sides, the Fowls and the Hartwells. “Indeed.”
“Anyhow, Avery was angry and embarrassed, yes, but not tearful.”
I added a little sugar to my coffee, and gave it a swirl with a spoon. “Did she say why she’d crashed the party in the first place?”
Leaning against the counter, Eulalie took a dainty sip of her coffee, her pinkie finger in the air. “Avery said she didn’t know Patricia from Adam.” She frowned. “Or should that be Eve?” Waving a hand in dismissal of the query, she went on. “And Avery didn’t crash anything, Carly Bell. She had an invitation, the same as the rest of us. I know. I couldn’t help but see it as she waved it in front of Patricia’s face in defense of her presence.”
I cupped my hands around my mug, letting its warmth seep into my palms. My fingers probed the cracks that had been mended, finding the fissures oddly comforting. “She had an invite? You don’t say.”
“I do say.” Eulalie arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “And yet, when confronted with the truth, Patricia remained steadfast in ordering Avery to leave the premises immediately, declaring that she wasn’t welcome. Idella overruled Patricia, issued her deepest apologies to Avery, and escorted Patricia out of the powder room quicker than a sinner passes by a church.”
Patricia had never been one to admit when she was wrong or apologize. However, it seemed to me that she’d gone above and beyond to get rid of Avery Bryan.
Why?
“Avery promised she wouldn’t let Patricia ruin her night, but I never did see her again after I left the powder room. Patricia, either, until the unfortunate incident with Haywood Dodd.”
Unfortunate incident.
Only Aunt Eulalie could get away with calling a murder an unfortunate incident.
Speaking of Haywood, I’d bet my witchy senses that he’d decided to float over to his house without me to see what was going on with the break-in. If so, I’d see him soon enough. I was headed there as soon as Dylan arrived.
Tsk ing, she took another sip of coffee. “I think Avery knows him.”
“Him? Haywood?”
“Yes. He was standing in the hallway outside the powder room as though waiting for her to emerge.”
I recalled Haywood’s reaction at seeing Patricia and Avery arguing. He’d been disturbed by it, and until right this second I’d chalked up the way he’d behaved as deep embarrassment at the scene being made at a glamorous Harpies event.
But if he had personally known Avery Bryan . . . his reaction made perfect sense.
Aunt Eulalie might be onto something.
“And then the poor dear cried her eyes out all night long. Clearly she’s grieving .” Eulalie pointedly looked at me over the rim of her cup. “Do you think, perhaps, she and Haywood were . . . well acquainted?”
It was obvious what she was hinting. That perhaps Haywood and Avery were having an affair. A pretty younger woman. A handsome older man of means. It wasn’t out of the question; however, Haywood didn’t strike me as the cheating type, and I’d never read anything in his energy to support that theory.
But that didn’t mean it wasn’t true.
If Aunt Eulalie had so easily made a leap to an intimate relationship between the two, it made me question whether Hyacinth had witnessed the pair together and jumped to the same conclusion.
She’d already buried three husbands . . . all of whom died of natural causes.
Supposedly.
“Do you know of any bad blood between Patricia and Haywood?” I asked, then added, “It could be an old grudge.”
“There’s none that I know of unless there is a connection between him and Avery. Last night Patricia was madder than a wet hen in a paper sack, and I can absolutely see her taking out that rage on Haywood if he dared confront her about her deplorable behavior.”
I could see it too. “Do you know of anyone else who might hold any ill will toward him?”
“ I certainly hold a
“Anyhow, Avery was angry and embarrassed, yes, but not tearful.”
I added a little sugar to my coffee, and gave it a swirl with a spoon. “Did she say why she’d crashed the party in the first place?”
Leaning against the counter, Eulalie took a dainty sip of her coffee, her pinkie finger in the air. “Avery said she didn’t know Patricia from Adam.” She frowned. “Or should that be Eve?” Waving a hand in dismissal of the query, she went on. “And Avery didn’t crash anything, Carly Bell. She had an invitation, the same as the rest of us. I know. I couldn’t help but see it as she waved it in front of Patricia’s face in defense of her presence.”
I cupped my hands around my mug, letting its warmth seep into my palms. My fingers probed the cracks that had been mended, finding the fissures oddly comforting. “She had an invite? You don’t say.”
“I do say.” Eulalie arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “And yet, when confronted with the truth, Patricia remained steadfast in ordering Avery to leave the premises immediately, declaring that she wasn’t welcome. Idella overruled Patricia, issued her deepest apologies to Avery, and escorted Patricia out of the powder room quicker than a sinner passes by a church.”
Patricia had never been one to admit when she was wrong or apologize. However, it seemed to me that she’d gone above and beyond to get rid of Avery Bryan.
Why?
“Avery promised she wouldn’t let Patricia ruin her night, but I never did see her again after I left the powder room. Patricia, either, until the unfortunate incident with Haywood Dodd.”
Unfortunate incident.
Only Aunt Eulalie could get away with calling a murder an unfortunate incident.
Speaking of Haywood, I’d bet my witchy senses that he’d decided to float over to his house without me to see what was going on with the break-in. If so, I’d see him soon enough. I was headed there as soon as Dylan arrived.
Tsk ing, she took another sip of coffee. “I think Avery knows him.”
“Him? Haywood?”
“Yes. He was standing in the hallway outside the powder room as though waiting for her to emerge.”
I recalled Haywood’s reaction at seeing Patricia and Avery arguing. He’d been disturbed by it, and until right this second I’d chalked up the way he’d behaved as deep embarrassment at the scene being made at a glamorous Harpies event.
But if he had personally known Avery Bryan . . . his reaction made perfect sense.
Aunt Eulalie might be onto something.
“And then the poor dear cried her eyes out all night long. Clearly she’s grieving .” Eulalie pointedly looked at me over the rim of her cup. “Do you think, perhaps, she and Haywood were . . . well acquainted?”
It was obvious what she was hinting. That perhaps Haywood and Avery were having an affair. A pretty younger woman. A handsome older man of means. It wasn’t out of the question; however, Haywood didn’t strike me as the cheating type, and I’d never read anything in his energy to support that theory.
But that didn’t mean it wasn’t true.
If Aunt Eulalie had so easily made a leap to an intimate relationship between the two, it made me question whether Hyacinth had witnessed the pair together and jumped to the same conclusion.
She’d already buried three husbands . . . all of whom died of natural causes.
Supposedly.
“Do you know of any bad blood between Patricia and Haywood?” I asked, then added, “It could be an old grudge.”
“There’s none that I know of unless there is a connection between him and Avery. Last night Patricia was madder than a wet hen in a paper sack, and I can absolutely see her taking out that rage on Haywood if he dared confront her about her deplorable behavior.”
I could see it too. “Do you know of anyone else who might hold any ill will toward him?”
“ I certainly hold a
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