I’d have to agree. She does seem kindhearted.
“I suppose.” Mom doesn’t look convinced. “On second thought, I’d better not. It’s humiliating enough to have an empty table with two other popular authors next to me. But I couldn’t bear an empty table with a shop full of customers. I don’t think my ego can handle any more torment.” She looks as if she’s about to put her head down on her desk just as her eyes widen. “Lainey, Meg!” She springs from her seat as both of my sisters make their way over to her.
Lainey has Josie in her arms and Meg looks like the biker chick she is with her mop of long dark hair, her eyes ringed heavily with kohl, and equally dark lipstick smeared over her lips.
Sugar tosses her hands in the air. “Looks as if she found a couple of fans after all.”
“Two of her biggest fans. Those are my sisters.” I shrug over at Sugar. “But at least she’s happy now. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone you love suffering.”
“I’ll say.” Her lips flicker. “It was horrible watching Verity the other night writhe around in pain that way. You know, a female detective stopped by this afternoon and let me know that Verity didn’t pass from natural means.”
“You don’t say.” I do my best to sound surprised as the sound of lively conversation picks up all around us. “What did she say she died from?”
“Botulism.”
My mouth rounds out as I have at my second attempt to feign surprise. But I already knew that bit about the botulism. Noah told Everett and Everett told me. It was sort of a murderous game of telephone we were playing.
“That must be why they tested my bakery this morning,” I tell her. “But they cleared me to open up this afternoon, so I’m guessing they didn’t find anything.”
Teddy swings a furry arm my way with her button eyes and elongated velvety nose.
“Is that so?” the tiny terror trills. “I’ll be sure to stop by right after. I’ve had a hankering for those raspberry tarts ever since I had one the night Mean Verity bit the big one.”
Did she just call her Mean Verity?
Huh.
Verity obviously loved Teddy or she wouldn’t be here, but it breaks my heart that Teddy might have been mistreated in her care.
“I’m glad about that.” Sugar gives a pained smile. “I’ll be honest, I hesitated going that way after the detective told me about the poisoned dessert. But you can bet I’ll be there tomorrow. Those raspberry tarts were to die for!” She gasps at her own oversight. “Please excuse me. That was a terrible thing to say. Anyway, Detective Fairbanks—that’s the woman who was essentially grilling me—she all but accused me of somehow landing that botulism in Verity’s stomach. I guess she thinks someone laced her food with it. Or I suppose it could have been a drink, or even her lipstick. I have no idea how that works. But do you want to know the kicker?”
“What’s that?” I turn my ear her way as if the better to hear her.
“She said she found one of my bangles in the snow next to a half-eaten raspberry tart. Apparently, they were able to identify Verity’s shoe prints in the snow. There were other shoe prints there as well, but they were too muddled for them to pin anything on me. Can you imagine? She all but told me I wouldn’t be getting away with it.”
Leave it to Ivy to ruin my investigation. Everyone with half a brain knows you don’t go around accusing a suspect until you have hard evidence that they’re the killer. For all she knows, Sugar could leave the country tomorrow, and if she really is the killer, then Verity’s case will never get the justice it deserves.
“What did you tell her?” I lean in. “How did the bracelet get out there?”
Teddy looks my way. “Oh, she takes them off all day. It’s a bit of a habit I’m finding out.”
“Nervous habit,” Sugar confirms even though she didn’t hear Teddy. “I pluck them on and off nonstop. I’ve done it for as long as I can remember. That’s half the reason I wear these things. I need something to fidget with to keep me calm.” She gives the jewelry on her arm a quick jostle, and I note that not one of them even comes close to sliding off her hand. In fact, it looks as if she’d have to contort her fingers just to get them off in general. There’s no way one of them slid off her wrist haphazardly that night.
“Were you out in the snow that night? You know, where Ivy—I mean, Detective Fairbanks found the bangle?”
Found the bangle my foot. I spotted that bangle myself.
“No.” Her eyes round out. “I went as far as the back door, but that was just to catch some fresh air. There was so much perfume in the room that night my allergies were going off.” Her bottom lip wavers.
Teddy pats her on the arm. “There, there.” She gives a lazy glance my way. “Her lips tend to quiver like that when she’s not quite telling the truth. Most likely she’s just let a little fib slip through.” Teddy gasps. “Oh dear. You don’t think my sweet Sugar is the killer, do you?”
I don’t know. But I’m determined to find out.
“Sugar”—my voice lowers a notch—“it wasn’t just the perfume that drove you to get some fresh air, was it?”
Her cheeks darken a shade as she shoots a quick look to Bambi signing books as fast as her fingers will allow.
“I was stressed out, I’ll admit it. I was supposed to be having a book signing that night, right here. It would have been my grand opening, like I had mentioned, but once Verity and Bambi canceled on me, I knew I might as well throw in the towel, at least for that night. And, well, here we are.”
A warbling sound escapes from Teddy. “Oh, that’s not all, Lottie. I heard Sugar telling her mother that she tried to stand up to Verity and told her that she thought of holding the grand opening anyway, but that Verity just laughed and told her not to embarrass herself. She told Sugar not to bother opening the shop until her schedule cleared and she could come in.”
“Sugar”—I say her name softly as I step in close—“Verity seemed to have a very strong personality. Sometimes people like that can be hard to get along with. Did Verity have a few rough edges?”
“The roughest.” Sugar looks relieved that I was able to point that out. “She lost her father when she was very young. He fell from a ladder, I think. Then her mother got sick and she lost her, too. An aunt took her in, and they lived not too far from where I grew up. Anyway, her aunt was very poor and she wasn’t all that kind to her. And, in turn, Verity had a bit of a mean streak to her. Sometimes I think she took pleasure in watching others suffer. But she was able to pull herself out of poverty. Too bad she wasn’t able to pull herself out of her need to be cruel.”
Teddy shakes her head. “It’s true, Lottie. I witnessed so much of it while I was with her.”
“We’ll talk,” I say just under my breath.
“What’s that?” Sugar leans my way.
“Did Verity ever talk about not getting along with anyone?”
She cranes her neck toward the exit. “Verity didn’t get along with anyone.” She glances to the signing tables once again. “Bambi and Verity were best friends for a time, but as you witnessed that night, things went south for them at some point.”