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Authors: Melissa Glazer
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I didn’t see Kendra when I first walked into Hattie’s Attic. Then I spotted a movement in back by the vintage clothing. Was she actually hiding from me?
“Kendra, come out here right now.”
Her nose poked out of the racks. “What do you want, Carolyn? I’ve got a customer coming any second to pick up an armoire. He’s bringing three of his friends to help him.” The woman was absolutely cowering.
I started walking toward where she was hiding.
“I mean it,” she shouted. “They’ll be here any second.”
“Then we don’t have long, do we? Kendra, you know this town better than anyone alive. I need your help.”
There was a ruffling sound in the clothes as she started to inch slowly forward. “What do you want to know?”
“Was Betty Wickline seeing anyone? I’m interested in a married man in particular.”
I saw a brief flash of a smile from Kendra, and I knew I had her. Even if she believed in her heart that I’d killed Betty, her desire to spread gossip was greater than her need for personal safety. “Why do you want to know?” she asked as she stepped free of the racks.
“Because I have to find out who killed Betty before I go broke. Nobody’s coming to my shop, and half the town won’t even speak to me.”
“So you’re going to try to find the killer on your own?” She sounded incredulous.
“I am, with a little help from my friends.” I choked back a breath as I added, “Like you.”
She approached me and held my shoulders with both hands. “Carolyn, I never doubted you. You can count on me.”
I think I liked her better when she was cowering in the clothes. “So, have you heard anything?”
“There have been rumors for the last few weeks, but I haven’t been able to pin anything down.”
“That’s too bad,” I said. If Kendra didn’t know, I had no idea how I was going to find out.
“Don’t give up that easily. I never had a reason to push for the information until now. Give me until noon tomorrow and I’ll have an answer for you. I’m so glad you came to me, Carolyn.”
I had to get out of there, and the stale smell of the place wasn’t the only reason. “Let me know as soon as you can, okay?”
“I will. You can count on me,” she said again.
I left, fighting the urge to run back to my shop. There was someone else I could talk to, but it would take the guts of a con man to do it. If I could speak with Tamra Gentry, I might be able to discover if she had a reason to want Betty Wickline dead.
Tamra’s mansion sat on the ridge full of maples our town had been named for. It was almost as if she was looking down on the rest of us from her lofty aerie. Lovely maples dotted the hillside, and in the autumn, their blazing leaves made the mountain look as though it were on fire. Her house was grand, a three-story colonial with massive white columns in front. I rang the bell, suddenly a little nervous about the way I was dressed. While my slacks, blouse, and jacket were good enough for everyday life, I felt more than a little underdressed at the moment.
To my surprise, an actual butler answered the door, and he managed to register his disdain for my interruption with nothing more than the slightest movement of his upper lip. “Yes?” he said, making the word sound more like an invocation than a query.
“I’d like to see Mrs. Gentry, please.”
“Is she expecting you?”
“No,” I said. I had to have some reason for calling on her. I mean, other than the real one. I said the first thing that came into my mind. “I’m here fundraising for the elementary school.”
“I’m sorry, but Mrs. Gentry is indisposed. Perhaps if you’d call later for an appointment.”
He was just closing the door when I heard Tamra’s voice. “James, who is it?”
Before he could answer, she brushed past him. I’d met Tamra a few times in the past, but our social circles didn’t exactly coincide. She was a striking woman, even without the cosmetic surgery.
I didn’t see Kendra when I first walked into Hattie’s Attic. Then I spotted a movement in back by the vintage clothing. Was she actually hiding from me?
“Kendra, come out here right now.”
Her nose poked out of the racks. “What do you want, Carolyn? I’ve got a customer coming any second to pick up an armoire. He’s bringing three of his friends to help him.” The woman was absolutely cowering.
I started walking toward where she was hiding.
“I mean it,” she shouted. “They’ll be here any second.”
“Then we don’t have long, do we? Kendra, you know this town better than anyone alive. I need your help.”
There was a ruffling sound in the clothes as she started to inch slowly forward. “What do you want to know?”
“Was Betty Wickline seeing anyone? I’m interested in a married man in particular.”
I saw a brief flash of a smile from Kendra, and I knew I had her. Even if she believed in her heart that I’d killed Betty, her desire to spread gossip was greater than her need for personal safety. “Why do you want to know?” she asked as she stepped free of the racks.
“Because I have to find out who killed Betty before I go broke. Nobody’s coming to my shop, and half the town won’t even speak to me.”
“So you’re going to try to find the killer on your own?” She sounded incredulous.
“I am, with a little help from my friends.” I choked back a breath as I added, “Like you.”
She approached me and held my shoulders with both hands. “Carolyn, I never doubted you. You can count on me.”
I think I liked her better when she was cowering in the clothes. “So, have you heard anything?”
“There have been rumors for the last few weeks, but I haven’t been able to pin anything down.”
“That’s too bad,” I said. If Kendra didn’t know, I had no idea how I was going to find out.
“Don’t give up that easily. I never had a reason to push for the information until now. Give me until noon tomorrow and I’ll have an answer for you. I’m so glad you came to me, Carolyn.”
I had to get out of there, and the stale smell of the place wasn’t the only reason. “Let me know as soon as you can, okay?”
“I will. You can count on me,” she said again.
I left, fighting the urge to run back to my shop. There was someone else I could talk to, but it would take the guts of a con man to do it. If I could speak with Tamra Gentry, I might be able to discover if she had a reason to want Betty Wickline dead.
Tamra’s mansion sat on the ridge full of maples our town had been named for. It was almost as if she was looking down on the rest of us from her lofty aerie. Lovely maples dotted the hillside, and in the autumn, their blazing leaves made the mountain look as though it were on fire. Her house was grand, a three-story colonial with massive white columns in front. I rang the bell, suddenly a little nervous about the way I was dressed. While my slacks, blouse, and jacket were good enough for everyday life, I felt more than a little underdressed at the moment.
To my surprise, an actual butler answered the door, and he managed to register his disdain for my interruption with nothing more than the slightest movement of his upper lip. “Yes?” he said, making the word sound more like an invocation than a query.
“I’d like to see Mrs. Gentry, please.”
“Is she expecting you?”
“No,” I said. I had to have some reason for calling on her. I mean, other than the real one. I said the first thing that came into my mind. “I’m here fundraising for the elementary school.”
“I’m sorry, but Mrs. Gentry is indisposed. Perhaps if you’d call later for an appointment.”
He was just closing the door when I heard Tamra’s voice. “James, who is it?”
Before he could answer, she brushed past him. I’d met Tamra a few times in the past, but our social circles didn’t exactly coincide. She was a striking woman, even without the cosmetic surgery.
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