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“Sounds right.”
But either someone had screwed up the order or the first wave of guests had devoured most of the hors d’oeuvres, because there were only a few cubes of cheese, a half-filled basket of crackers, and a sliver of pâté left when Theodosia and Drayton went to fill their plates. Still, they did the best they could, then sat down at one of the small tables to eat their appetizers.
“The food is scarce but the surroundings are nice,” Drayton said. The memorial service was being held in the Madison Room, a gracious wood-paneled private room at the Lady Goodwood Inn.
“And look over there,” Theodosia said.
Drayton craned his neck to see a small memorial set up in the far corner. There was a photo of Josh Morrow, a kind of standard Hollywood headshot, sitting on a small table with small floral bouquets on either side.
“Looks kind of meager,” Drayton said. “Just like the food.”
“You know, Helene was one of the people who helped plan this memorial, so maybe her murder last night screwed things up royally,” Theodosia said.
Drayton nodded as he nibbled a sesame cracker. “Could be.”
They were both down to their last cube of Gouda cheese, wondering if anyone was going to stand up and deliver a heartfelt testimonial about Josh Morro, when Delaine Dish came scurrying in. She’d changed clothes (for the third time that day!) and was now wearing a black sequin cocktail dress with a deep V in the front to show off her décolletage.
When Delaine spotted Theodosia and Drayton, she hurried over to their table and plunked herself down. “Did I miss anything?” she asked in a breathless whisper.
“Just the food,” Theodosia said. No way was she going to tell Delaine about Carly showing up at her shop. That would send Delaine into a tailspin.
Delaine craned her neck in the direction of the buffet table. “Is it all gone?”
“I’m not sure there was much to begin with,” Drayton said.
Delaine gave a sulky look. “And here I am, totally ravenous.”
“You may have also noticed that this isn’t exactly a true memorial,” Drayton said. “Since people seem to be doing more drinking than memorializing the deceased.”
“Maybe everybody’s thrown for a loop because of Helene’s murder,” Delaine said, wiping away a tear.
“Maybe,” Theodosia said. She’d just caught sight of Joe Adler as he strolled in. He looked confident and upbeat, as if he owned the place. Wearing a cream-colored jacket, purple T-shirt, and tight jeans, he cut through the crowd like an ocean liner gliding into port, glad-handing and backslapping everyone he saw.
Delaine narrowed her eyes as she watched him. “I’ve had my suspicions about that man.”
“So have I,” Theodosia said. “The fact that Adler was able to step in so quickly to direct the movie makes me wonder if…”
Theodosia’s words were cut short as Carly Brandt rushed up to Joe Adler, pressed both hands against his chest, and gave him a hard shove. Adler staggered backward, almost losing his footing, as Carly got in his face and shouted, “You jackhole! You killed Josh and everybody here knows it. The police are eventually going to prove it and then you’ll be sorry!”
Carly’s hurled accusation brought everything to a screeching halt. Heads turned, eyes widened, chairs were repositioned in order to get a better look at what seemed to be an explosive situation.
It was also readily apparent that Joe Adler wasn’t about to take Carly’s threats lightly. She’d ignited a flash point. With a disdainful curl to his lips, Adler shouted back at her, “You poor, deluded has-been. You’re so angry about your own pathetic life that you’re grasping at straws.”
“I stand behind everything I say,” Carly screamed as her face twisted into an ugly grimace. “You’re a cold-blooded killer!”
“I happen to know you’re the one who stands to inherit three million dollars in life insurance,” Adler snarled back. “Which means I wouldn’t be surprised if you killed Morro simply to get your grubby hands on that money!”
Theodosia turned to Drayton. “Are you hearing this?”
“Three million dollars in life insurance,” Drayton said. “That’s a serious motive in and of itself.”
“Holy snickerdoodles,” Theodosia said as their voices grew louder. “Do you think we’ve been looking in the wrong direction?”
Drayton shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Now do you see what I’ve been talking about?” Delaine hissed. “I told you Carly was bonkers, that she could have murdered Josh. Now we have an actual motive!”
“Three million dollars,” Theodosia said under her breath.
