Authors: Nancy J. Cohen
Jill's gaze flew to hers, then slid away. “I can't say that I have.”
No? Then why did she send you a floral basket?
“Were you aware that Hally had a thing for Griff but so did Torrie? And that Torrie planned to leave her husband?”
“What are you saying?” Jill's pitch rose.
“Both Hally and Scott had possible grudges against your sister.”
“That's absurd. Hally is dead, and Scott wouldn't hurt his wife. I can't believe you suspect them.” Jill twisted her hands. “Maybe I made a mistake asking you for help. I only wanted your advice on what I should do with my property. I didn't mean for you to go into sleuth mode, sugar.”
Oh, so now I'm getting too deep into your affairs, am I? Friends can't maintain a relationship without trust.
“Marla, your eleven o'clock is here,” Nicole shouted from the outer corridor.
Marla swallowed her coffee in a large gulp, tossed away the cup, and rose. “I'm not sure what you expect me to do, Jill.”
“I'd hoped you would visit Uncle Eddy with me so I could be clear on the legalities of our lease. But I shouldn't impose when you have so much to do. Forgive me.” Standing, Jill collected her purse.
Marla put a hand on her arm. “I'll go with you.” Realizing Jill must be under tremendous strain, she cut her friend some slack. They could sort things out later. Marla couldn't resist it when someone needed her.
“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving,” Jill murmured, her head down. “What are you guys doing?”
Marla's tone brightened. “We made a reservation for the buffet at Palm Haven Golf Club. Normally, I'd have it at my house, but I can't deal with the chaos this year, not with the wedding so close.”
Kate and John were joining them, making seven people with Ma and Roger, plus she'd called Tally back and invited her and Ken.
It would be the only time they had to get together before the flurry of wedding activities began. Thank goodness Roger's son Barry was out of town. Her mother had tried to play matchmaker between them, but Marla had already made up her mind about Dalton. It would have been awkward to see the optometrist under the circumstances. When they met again, she'd be married.
“How about you?” she asked Jill.
“We're going to Arnie's parents.” Jill gave a wan smile. “I don't feel like spending the holiday with my relatives.”
Marla patted her arm. “That's understandable. When do you want to go see Eddy with me?”
“Can you get away on Friday morning? This is going to eat away at me until I get it resolved.”
Marla compressed her lips. Her day off on Monday would have been better, but she could empathize with Jill's anxiety. “Let's go up front. I'll check my schedule.”
She made a few calls and shuffled her clients around so that she had the morning free.
“I'll have to be back by one,” she warned Jill.
“No problem. Let's meet at Arnie's deli at nine. I'll let Uncle Eddy know we're coming.”
Time flew by the rest of the day. Marla finished her last client at six and then drove home to her townhouse, needing an evening to herself to relax and prepare for the family ordeal the next day. She'd barely flung her purse on the counter, scratched Spooks behind the ears, and refreshed herself in the bathroom, when the doorbell rang. Her stomach growled. She planned a quick frozen meal and then just wanted to crash.
She trudged through the foyer and peeked through the peephole. Her neighbor Kyle, a pet groomer nicknamed Goat because of his sparse beard and love for animals, greeted her with a silly grin. She flung the door open, noting his black poodle Rita straining on a leash.
“Hey, Marla. Wassup? Rita's been bugging me to play with Spooks but you guys haven't been around much lately.”
“I know.” Their doggy romance didn't have much of a chance, not when she'd be leaving permanently in a couple months. “Let me get him. We'll walk with you. He needs to go out anyway.”
She retrieved her pet, locked the front door, then strode beside Goat on the asphalt. The temperature was a pleasant seventy-four with a sweet scent in the air.
“So what's new with you?” She gave him an oblique glance. He wore a Cuban shirt over a pair of khakis. Scuffed sandals and a fur cap on his head completed his outfit.
“Ugamaka, ugamaka, chugga, chugga, ush.” He danced a little jig while Rita ignored him and squatted on the grass. “The bells are ringing. My heart is singing. The lady and I are swinging.”
Marla stood by while Spooks sniffed Rita's behind. “Stop that.” She nudged Spooks away before turning to Goat. His riddles made convoluted sense to her now. “I gather Georgia is flying in as scheduled?” When Marla's former college roommate had visited her earlier that year, she and Goat had hit it off. Being on opposite coastlines didn't help their relationship, though.
Goat squared his shoulders. “Yep, and I can't wait.” His expression sobered. “I've made a decision, Marla. I can run my mobile pet-grooming service anywhere.” He swept an arm toward his van parked in the driveway. “You know how I've always wanted a bigger place on acres of land for all my animals?”
She nodded. He'd been yearning to move to the country.
“Georgia has a dream of opening her own salon. I'm going to propose to her that we get a place together.”
Marla stared at him. “Why, Goat, that's wonderful. I hope it works out for you both.”
“I need a favor. When she's here, call me by my real name, Kyle?”
“Sure, Goat. I mean, Kyle.”
Taken aback by his news, she and Spooks had just picked up their pace when the door next to her townhouse opened. Her elderly neighbor, Moss, waved a paper in the air.
“Marla, come here. I've written a poem for your wedding.”
She heaved a deep sigh.
An hour alone, that's all I want. I love these guys, but I desperately need some space.
Plastering a smile on her face, she took the paper from the man's extended hand. He tipped his customary naval cap at her with a grin.
“Thanks, Moss. Is it okay if I read it later? I need to get Spooks back inside. By the way, how's your wife doing?”
He stroked his white beard. “She has her good days and her bad days. We miss your company. It's going to be quiet without you around.”
She chuckled. “Believe me, that's a good thing.”
After Spooks did his business, Marla scurried inside. She'd see her neighbors at the wedding, but they wouldn't have these private moments anymore.
In the kitchen, she kicked off her shoes, released Spooks's leash, and gave him a treat. She listened to the news during dinner, wrote down a list of things to do tomorrow, then crawled into bed. Exhaustion took her into a world of troubling dreams.
She woke up the next morning eager to get a head start on her chores. As long as she had the principals from the wedding together later, she wanted to review the final details.
So it was that after they were seated in the country club restaurant, their plates laden with food, she broached the subject.
“We've turned our song list in to the DJ,” she said to her family. “He'll coordinate with the violinist we hired for the ceremony.”
“It would have been nicer if you'd gotten a live band.” Kate took a sip of water. “I told you we'd pay for it.”
“Thanks, Mom, but we wanted to keep things simple,” Dalton replied between bites of grilled salmon. “This guy is very good. You'll like him.”
“If you say so.”
“Tell us about the rehearsal dinner,” Marla said to her almost mother-in-law. She'd put Kate in charge so she wouldn't have any complaints.
“Yeah, what's the menu?” Roger bellowed. Shoveling a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth, he regarded the stiff couple across the table. John eyed him back, his disdainful gaze traveling over the older man's orange-colored sport coat.
Marla tuned them out, nudging Tally on her right. Dalton sat on her left, next to Brianna.
“What is it you wanted to tell me so urgently?” she said in an undertone. “I'm sorry we weren't able to get together separately, but things have been hectic.”
Tally's clear blue eyes captured hers. “You've probably guessed it, but I'm pregnant.”
Marla shrieked, throwing her arms around her friend. “Congratulations, I'm so happy for you.”
Ken, her husband, grinned proudly. “I told her it would happen when we least expected it.”
“No kidding. That's wonderful.” Marla's spirits lifted.
Tally shared the news around the table, to a round of congratulatory remarks.
“You'll need to convert one of your rooms into a nursery.” Dalton's eyes twinkled.
Ken stroked his jaw. “We've been thinking about getting a bigger place with the housing bargains out there.”
“Kate and John have been looking for a condo. They can probably refer you to their real estate agent if you're serious.” Dalton drank his coffee.
“That reminds me.” Kate tapped Marla's arm. “I asked our Realtor about those guys in Miami like you wanted me to? She said Kevin Rhodes's name rang a bell. He'd been mentioned in one of those newspaper articles about mortgage fraud.”
Marla and Dalton exchanged glances.
“Is that so?” Marla said. “Maybe I'll ask his uncle Eddy about that when Jill and I go to see him tomorrow.”
Dalton gazed at her askance. “What?”
“Jill begged me to go with her.” She could exaggerate a bit, right?
“Didn't you say you would step back from these extracurricular activities of yours?” His brows drew together like a line of storm clouds.
“Yes, but—”
“And don't we have a ton of things to do still?”
A wide smile cracked her face. “Indeed, we do, but I have it all under control.” Rummaging in her purse, she withdrew a sheaf of papers. “Let's run down the list. First off, the flowers.”
Reviewing the details took the heat off her and kept the peace through the rest of the meal. Dalton especially kept his mouth shut when she asked him about his case and his PI friend from up north.
“Did you tell the bus driver what time to pick up the guests at the hotel?” Marla asked her mother, concluding their discussion. Anita had taken charge of coordinating the out-of-towners and planning a postwedding brunch on Sunday.
Anita nodded, giving Kate a smirk. Marla hated how this seemed to be a competition between the two women but realized it was more of a big deal for them than for her and Dalton. They should've just gotten married in Vegas and been done with it. Or she should have hired a wedding planner and avoided this grief. Oh, well. This would be the last time she had to deal with her own nuptials.
Interviewing suspects took on a brighter prospect compared to family events. By the time Friday morning rolled around, she was actually looking forward to accompanying Jill to Miami.
“Hello, girls,” Eddy greeted them at his corner suite in a high-rise building overlooking Biscayne Bay. Surrounded in his office by impressive legal tomes, he patted down his suit, tailored to fit his ample form.
“Thanks for seeing us. I know you have a busy schedule.” Jill gave him a polite peck on the cheek.
In Marla's opinion, her friend looked worse than she had on Wednesday. Jill's hair was tossed about her head as though it hadn't seen a hair brush. She wore a smidgen of makeup that did little to hide her sallow complexion. Even her clothing, a pair of navy pants and a pale blue sweater, wasn't up to her usual style. This property issue must have been taking more of a toll on her than Marla realized, unless other factors were at play. Factors involving Rachel, perhaps? Marla sensed a connection between the two but couldn't fathom what it might be.
They seated themselves facing Eddy's wide mahogany desk. Marla's gaze roamed his framed photos, cherry wood pen case, silver desk clock, and other accouterments. She noted a bar in the back corner, too. Eddy's firm must do a bang-up job. He might be the lead attorney, but she saw other names listed on the door plaque. As their commercial real estate specialist, no doubt he landed some of their bigger clients.
“Scott says he can't afford to pay property taxes and liability insurance while we're waiting to get a tenant.” Jill twisted her hands in her lap.
Eddy's chair creaked as he leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. “Nonsense. According to the early termination clause with the oil lube company, they owe you a year's worth of rental payments. That'll carry you through with the taxes until we get a new tenant. Did Kevin tell you we have a bank interested?”
“He said a lot of things, including the fees you're probably going to charge us for overseeing the termination clause, the environmental cleanup, and a new lease.”
Eddy's double chin quivered as he smiled. “Of course, we'll give you a discount. And don't forget that any expenses you incur are tax deductible.”
“Scott wants to sell the property.”
“And what do you want, dear niece?”
“It's a tempting idea just to get rid of the aggravation, but even if we got a good market price, we could never invest the money to make the same income. Our corner location is ideal for traffic flow. I'd think a fast food place would do great there.”
“Excuse me,” Marla interrupted. “Wouldn't that require a drive-through? Does the zoning allow for it?”
Eddy shook his head. “Not presently. We'd pass that problem on to the new tenant, so it wouldn't trouble you,” he told his niece. “Or you could exchange your property for another of equal value with the proper zoning variance.”
“As in a land swap?” Jill flicked a spot of lint off her pants. “Kevin mentioned that idea to me. Torrie didn't approve.”
“It's just another possibility, that's all.” Eddy smoothed back some stray hairs on his receding forehead. “If you're looking for a buyer, Pete Schneider is interested. He'd give you a good price.”
“He's the real estate agent who tipped us off that the property had been vacated,” Jill reminded Marla.
“Right, and wasn't it Torrie who insisted on getting a new tenant rather than selling?” she replied, looking out for Jill's interests.
“Yes.” Bending her head, Jill covered her face with her hands. “I don't know what to do. It's so confusing.”
“Did you notify the tax office to send you the bills hereafter?” Marla said. “Have they been going to you or the tenant?”