“No, we are not talking about this. I have four hours of not being the city detective, and I’m taking advantage of it.” He grabbed the water from the fridge and filled a glass. He held it out as a question, but I shook my head.

  “So you have to go back to work after the party?”

  He nodded. “Sorry. No champagne for me. I’ll be the designated driver. I’ve got some witnesses I want to talk to before they leave town Sunday.”

  “Witnessess? Someone saw something?” I leaned on the counter, watching Emma run around the yard. I wondered if my house arrest was still in effect. “So I can go running?”

  “Good try, but no. I don’t want you alone until we catch this guy. I finally got you to say yes, I’m not losing you now.” He went to the door and called Emma inside. “Time to go.”

  Nerves hit me as I followed him out of the house. I didn’t want to throw up, so I said, “It’s just a party. It’s just a party.”

  He opened the truck door, and I slid inside. He brushed a curl out of my eyes. “What kind of mess are you going to be for the wedding?”

  I laughed, but it came out a little tinny. “Probably a total wreck.”

  As I’d predicted, Aunt Jackie and my new uncle Harrold were waiting out on the bench in front of his shop. At least there was shade still on that side of the street.

  Greg parked, then got out to help them into the back seat. I really needed to get a real car so when I had to take my aunt places, she didn’t have to climb into Greg’s truck. Or we could have taken her sedan, but it was in the shop getting something replaced.

  “You look lovely, Aunt Jackie.” I turned to see her scoot over so Harrold could sit beside her.

  “I look hot and sweaty. I thought you were picking us up at one?” She threw the evil eye my way. Which I thought was totally unfair since it was my engagement party.

  I pointed to the clock on Greg’s dash. “It’s one minute after, so we were exactly on time.”

  She sighed. “I’m sure I told you several times if you’re not ten minutes early, you’re late.”

  Harrold patted her leg. “I tried to tell her we should stay in the house in the air conditioning for a few minutes. That you’d call us if you were here and we weren’t downstairs, but you know your aunt.”

  “Harrold, don’t stand up for them. Jill knows she’s late.” My aunt glanced at me, taking in the outfit and my hair. “I suppose Amy’s doing your makeup when you get there?”

  I pulled down the visor and opened the mirror. “What’s wrong with my makeup?”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you had any on.” My aunt turned and watched out the window.

  Sometimes she could be a pill. But she was my aunt and the only blood family I’d have at this event. I needed to be nice. And the look that Greg shot me told me he thought I needed to be nice too.

  I took a deep breath. “So how have you been, Harrold? I don’t think we’ve talked since you guys got back from Napa.”

  “You two need to come to dinner next week. I’ll open one of the bottles we brought back, and I can show you the pictures we took. I love wine country.” He beamed at me, and I knew I’d asked the right question. My new uncle was easy to please. Not like my aunt. Not at all.

  “We’ll call as soon as Greg’s finished with this murder case. Until then, I can’t count on him even coming home to sleep, let alone dinner.” I squeezed Greg’s hand. The comment was true, but I didn’t want to hurt him either.

  “Bad deal, that murder. I hear the woman’s sister came down to see Harper and was just in the wrong place.” Harrold shook his head. “I’m glad we have doubled up on Jackie’s shifts until you catch this guy. Me and the guys are there, but I’m not sure we are as imposing of a deterrent. Not like Deek or Toby.”

  My aunt patted his leg. “You are all I need to keep me safe. No one would come in to do me harm even if it was just you and me.”

  I loved their banter, but then I realized Greg was gripping the steering wheel tightly. I reviewed what Harrold had said. “Wait, I didn’t hear that the victim was Harper’s sister. It wasn’t Alicia, was it?”

  Greg glanced back at Harrold. “Where did you hear that? The information wasn’t released to the public.”

  “Lille told me this morning when I went down to the café for breakfast. She was very concerned that I make sure I’m not alone in the Train Station. The girl has a good heart.”

  I swallowed a laugh, which turned into a choking noise.

  “Now, Jill, just because you and Lille don’t get along doesn’t mean she’s not nice.” My aunt chided me.

  “Look, we’re here, and the party’s announced on the marquee out front.” I pointed to the sign and tried to change the subject. This had been the most uncomfortable five-minute drive of my life. Even Greg was feeling the strain. But why was he upset? “Greg, can you help me with something before we go inside?”

  My aunt made a noise as he parked the car. “You can wait for a kissing session until you get home. People are here to see you. Don’t make them wait.”

  “We’re an hour early. The only people in there are Sadie, Amy, and Justin.” I watched as they got out of the truck.

  Before the door closed, my aunt said, “Don’t be too long.”

  I waited for them to go inside the community center before I turned toward him. “It was Alicia, wasn’t it?”

  “That’s what the grieving husband said when we matched her description to the missing person’s report he filed on Monday. He said she’d been gone since Friday when he got home from work.” He rubbed his face. “Clearly our new business owner should have been able to recognize her sister, don’t you think? Yet her lawyer said she didn’t know the deceased. It’s creepy. I know she didn’t kill her sister, because she was at the diner having lunch when Doc says the murder happened. Besides, she’s not tall enough to have done it unless her sister knelt down before her. Which could happen, but that’s a stretch, right? I hate it when it’s family. I want to think that people are actually good and can be counted on to take care of one another.”

  I was torn. On one hand, I wanted to comfort Greg and tell him that some families do take care of each other. On the other hand, he’d let out a lot about the murder that he probably didn’t mean to tell me. If I interrupted, I might not find out anything else. I decided to go with my better side. “Sometimes people don’t think about others before they act. Why would Harper lie about the body in her shop being her sister?”

  “That is a great question. The better one is who is leaking information about my case to Lille? I figure she only told Harrold to keep him safe. She loves him like a father.” Greg reached up to run his hand through his hair, then stopped halfway. “We’ve got a party to put on, and I was the one who said no murder talk. I guess I need to hold up my end of the bargain.”

  “You know I’m always here for you to throw some thoughts around about your cases. And I’m kind of good at this investigation thing.” I squeezed his hand.

  “Good try, but that was my slipup. Harrold knowing all that made me react instead of just keeping it inside until I got back to the station. I’m trying to keep you safe and out of these investigations. Telling you my problems only drags you in deeper.” He leaned down and kissed me. “But thanks for listening. Now forget everything I told you.”

  “Okay, but you need to know I invited Harper to the party. I don’t know if she’ll come, but I don’t want you to be surprised if she does.” I glanced in the mirror to make sure my makeup was fine. Then I realized that Amy was going to fix me anyway. “Ready to go celebrate our engagement?”

  “Yes, but we need a united front on the wedding date. Party line is we’re taking some time at the end of the month to set a date and make a plan. Does that work for you?” He studied the outside of the community center like it was a war zone that he needed to get through.

  “Works for me.” I moved to open the door, but Greg stilled my hand.

  “Thank you for being you.” He nodded to the door. “And wait a minute while I open that for you. It’s supposed to be a romance kind of day. Maybe we don’t have all day to enjoy, but we should make the most of the next few hours.”

  As we made our way into the community hall, I realized that was what I loved about Greg. He wasn’t into the big grand gestures. Instead, he tried to make all of our moments together special. Every day. I guess being in law enforcement had given him the “live in the now” perspective since tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed for any of us.

  Amy hurried over to my side. “Thank God you’re here. Your aunt is going off on Sadie about the food. Can you go rein her in?”

  I saw Aunt Jackie pointing to the food table, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. If Sadie’s face was any indication though, it wasn’t good.

  Harrold was over chatting with Justin and hadn’t seen the problem. “I’ll handle it.”

  When I got to the table, my aunt was explaining why having the mini eclairs next to the chocolate brownie bites was an issue. Sadie’s eyes looked like saucers. I stepped between the two of them. “What’s going on?”

  “Your aunt doesn’t like the food setup.” Sadie waved at the table. “She’s right. I can’t believe I didn’t think of some of her ideas before.”

  “Well, we’ll let Sadie fix the setup. I need your help with Amy and my makeup. I think she’s going overboard. I just want something simple.”

  “Jill, you know on special occasions like this, it’s all about the presentation.” Aunt Jackie glanced at the table. “Sadie, I’m sure you can fix this. Thank you so much for all you’ve done already.”

  As she walked toward Amy, Sadie gave me a grateful smile. My aunt liked things a certain way. And if they weren’t that way, she’d let you know. I mouthed, “Sorry” to Sadie as I hurried after Aunt Jackie.

  Once the party started, things settled down. Darla and Matt had brought in an actual band, not a DJ like I’d expected. Kathi Corbin, the owner of Tea Hee, a local tea accessory shop, was dating an up-and-coming country music star. Her boyfriend, Blake, had brought his band to South Cove for my party. I chatted with Kathi for a while about his schedule. “I can’t believe they were available to play this event.”

  “Blake and the band are heading into the city after this and doing a concert tonight. Your party was a favor for me. He’s gone so much anymore since the band started to take off, I had some chips to cash in. And bonus, I get him home for the weekend after the concert tonight. He’ll have to leave again on Tuesday to get to Cleveland, but it’s nice that you gave me a reason to have him home.”

  “They’re really good.” I hugged Kathi. She’d become a close friend after moving into South Cove. Even with her southern belle drawl and gorgeous looks, I’d come to respect her business savvy and sharp wit. We had a lot more in common than I’d expected when she’d moved into town a few years ago.

  Amy pointed to the gift table. “You’re racking up the stuff.”

  “Not my plan.” Inwardly I groaned at the large number of items I didn’t have a need for.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m a pro at this now. We’ll sort through, get your thank-you notes written, and then get them returned and buy something fun for your deck.” She nodded to a very large box near the floor. “I spent a lot of the mayor’s money on that one, and I made sure it was returnable. Tina wanted to make sure their present was the biggest one on the table since they care about the two of you so much.”

  “And it looks good to the rest of the town?” I added. This party was filled with people who like looking good to others, but mostly, people were here to have a good time and wish us well.

  “It’s about time you made an honest woman of her.” Bill Sullivan slapped Greg on the back. “And now you can join the ball-and-chain club. We meet monthly at the community hall to express our gratitude for the women who put up with our idiosyncrasies. Harrold and Justin are our newest members, and when the time comes, they’ll bring you into the meeting.”

  “Sound fun.” Greg hugged me a little tighter.

  After Bill and Mary had left to visit with Aunt Jackie and Harrold, Greg turned to me. “I couldn’t tell. Was he joking? Or is there really a club for husbands?”

  “Not a clue. In South Cove, you never know. I guess you’ll find out when we get back from our honeymoon. Do you have something beachy and warm planned?” I pulled him out to the dance floor when the band started a slow ballad.

  “Are we supposed to go somewhere different than our normal life? I was thinking if we do a winter wedding, we could go to Colorado and ski.” He nuzzled my neck. “Get a chalet all to ourselves and hang out there for a week.”

  “I’m not much of a skier.” I laughed as he twirled me.

  The voices in the room died down, and after the song was over, the band took a break. I looked over to where the door had just opened, and Harper had just walked inside with a gift in her hand.

  No one said anything, they just watched her. So Harrold’s information hadn’t been limited to Lille, it seemed like the entire town knew Harper’s sister had been the one murdered in her shop. I hurried over to greet her, hoping it would break the tension in the room.

  “Hey, I’m glad you came. The band just took a break, but there’s plenty of food and drink left. I should introduce you to a few people.”

  She shook her head. “I really can’t stay. I just wanted to drop this off. You and your aunt were one of my first customers here and I wanted to see you in the dress. You look lovely.”

  “Don’t be silly. Come over and meet Amy. She’s my best friend, and you need more customers. There are a lot of women here who are asking where I got my dress. I feel like I’m a walking business card for you.” I took her arm and walked her into the room.

  The voices started back up, and the tension in the room eased. Whatever they’d been thinking must have been calmed by my acceptance of Harper into our group. Now to find out why she didn’t identify her sister, and my doubts would be eased too.

  Chapter 9

  By the time the party ended, Harper had chatted with several of the women I knew and had spent a lot of time with Kathi. Still, she was getting some looks from others in the group. I figured she’d get at least one dress ordered from the visit. I was eating the last lemon drop bite when Amy came over to my side.

  “So how was it?” She glanced around the slowly emptying hall. “Did you have fun?”

  Greg had already left, with a truck full of gifts in the back, to take Aunt Jackie and Harrold home. I was waiting for him to come back and pick me up with the few stragglers.

  “I’m beat. It was fun, but it’s hard being on display. I can’t remember ever talking to this many people in four hours before. All I want is dinner and to get into my jammies and watch television.” I nodded to Deek, who was leaving the party with a girl he’d brought. He’d told me he was bringing a date earlier in the week. A date, he’d clarified, not a girlfriend, so I wasn’t supposed to make a big deal of it. “Since we’re not heading into the city tomorrow, I’m going to sit down with Deek’s book and read all day.”

  “Did he tell you he has a publisher who wants to buy it?” Amy kicked off her shoes and rubbed her feet. “He’s so excited.”

  “He did mention it. What else did he say?”

  “Just that this guy found him online. I guess they’ve been talking, but Deek’s not sure about the investment he’d have to make.”

  “What? They’re asking him for money?” I grabbed my phone and looked for Deek’s number. When no one answered, I left a message. “Absolutely don’t sign anything until we talk.”

  “What was that about?” Amy looked confused.

  “Deek shouldn’t be paying anyone to publish. From what I’ve read of it, this is an amazing book, and he’ll be able to get an agent and or sell it to a publisher that pays him.” I groaned. “I don’t know much about the author part of books, but even I know that. I’m going to reach out to Cat Latimer. She’s an author that I know out of Colorado. She should be able to at least tell Deek if this guy is on the level.”

  “You are really worried about him, aren’t you?” Amy studied my face.

  I finished my last glass of champagne before I answered. “Deek’s a smart kid. The book is starting out to be pretty amazing. I could see him making a career of this author thing. If he makes the right moves now. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a difference.”

  “Well, I’m glad I’m not starting out again. Although Justin has been talking about what happens if he doesn’t get tenure this year. I guess it’s a sign that he needs to change universities and start over. I don’t know all the details, but if he gets a job in Iowa, I’m going to kill him. Then I’ll be a widow and I can still live here.” She watched as her new husband strolled over to where they were sitting. “Were your ears burning?”

  “You’re talking about not moving, aren’t you?” He sat next to her and handed her a full glass. “I told you not to worry. I’ll get tenure here. I’ve got a good feeling about it, and I’ve had great reviews. As soon as this book gets done, I’ll have one more item off my list.”

  “You’re writing a book? How come I didn’t know that?” I studied Amy’s handsome professor husband. They were so alike in some ways and so different in others. Justin was the calm to Amy’s storms. He had dark hair to her blond, but they were both in surfer shape. “Who is your publisher? Or do you have an agent?”

  “I’ll be published by the university press. Not sure if many of your customers would be interested in California history. Unless they like pirate stories that are real. I’m trying to make it feel like a novel and less like a college term paper, but everything has to be cited and footnoted, so no fiction there.” He sipped his drink. “And your eyes have already glazed over.”