Cut to the Chaise Read online

  THE BRIDE SEARCHES FOR A KILLER

  After Brett stood, he leaned down to Caprice, his hands on the table. “I can’t tell you much but I can tell you this. We’re looking at other suspects besides Michelle.”

  “Does Vince know that?”

  Brett just gave her one of his I-don’t-know shrugs. Still leaning toward her, he said, “I want you to promise me if you see a hint of trouble, you’ll call me immediately.”

  “I’m not looking for trouble.”

  “No, you’re doing worse than that. You’re looking for murder suspects. I know I can’t stop you, not unless I want to toss you in jail. I really don’t want to do that because you do gather good information from time to time. But I want to keep you safe and I know Grant does too. If you get tempted to get into trouble, just remember, you have a wedding date on May 12. “

  “Believe me, I’m not going to forget.”

  Brett straightened, gave her an encouraging smile, and then added like a big brother, “Maybe once you’re married, you won’t have enough time to interfere in our investigations.”

  Before she could comment, he left the diner.

  Books by Karen Rose Smith

  Caprice De Luca Mysteries

  STAGED TO DEATH

  DEADLY DÉCOR

  GILT BY ASSOCIATION

  DRAPE EXPECTATIONS

  SILENCE OF THE LAMPS

  SHADES OF WRATH

  SLAY BELLS RING

  CUT TO THE CHAISE

  Daisy’s Tea Garden Mysteries

  MURDER WITH LEMON TEA CAKES

  MURDER WITH CINAMMON SCONES

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

  Cut to the Chaise

  Karen Rose Smith

  KENSINGTON BOOKS

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  THE BRIDE SEARCHES FOR A KILLER

  Books by Karen Rose Smith

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Epilogue

  ORIGINAL RECIPES

  KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2018 by Karen Rose Smith

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-1-4967-0979-0

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4967-0980-6 (ebook)

  eISBN-10: 1-4967-0980-2 (ebook)

  To my husband . . .

  I can remember our wedding 47 years ago as if it

  were yesterday—white lace and promises that

  began with a ring on a yellow rose.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to thank Officer Greg Berry, my law enforcement consultant, who so patiently answers all my questions. His input is invaluable.

  Chapter One

  Caprice De Luca believed in telling the truth. But as she met her sisters and her best friend Roz in the parking lot of Rambling Vines Winery, she wondered if the truth was always the best option.

  Should she tell Roz now?

  Should she tell her before the big day when Caprice would marry Grant Weatherford and then they would have their reception here?

  Travis Dodd and his wife Michelle had decided to modernize Rambling Vines Winery two years ago with a full-out marketing campaign to promote the winery not only in Kismet but across the state of Pennsylvania. However, there was a reason Michelle had chosen Caprice De Luca Home Staging and Designs to redo the tasting room, the events room, as well as the first floor of the house on the estate. Roz didn’t know what that reason was.

  Her older sister Nikki pushed her blond-highlighted brown hair over her shoulder and gave Caprice a look that clearly said she should tell Roz now. Caprice’s younger sister Bella, her tumbling black curls around her face as wayward as she sometimes could be, elbowed her as they walked toward the tasting room. Caprice delayed the moment of truth by admiring the porch that wrapped around three sides of the building housing Rambling Vines’ tasting room, offices, and winery. The events room was in a separate building.

  “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before,” Bella said. “The winery is only a few miles out of town.”

  All four women studied the entrance where stone pillars supported the porch roof. Roz held on to the cedar banister and climbed the two steps to the porch. Her violet sheath emphasized her slim figure, while her blond hair and gold earrings gleamed in the April sunlight. In response to Bella’s comment, Roz frowned. “As much as Vince likes wineries, I’m surprised he never brought me here.”

  There was a reason for that, Caprice thought with a sigh. Was Roz’s musing an opening she should take?

  She was about to say to Roz, Let’s sit on the porch and talk. There were several high-backed rockers lining the porch with short round tables between them. But before she could say the words, Travis Dodd appeared in the doorway.

  Travis was about five-foot-ten, not as tall as Grant. After all, Caprice measured everybody by Grant’s height. To her, her fiancé was sexy and handsome and everything a man should be all combined in one.

  Travis looked as if he were dressed for a business meeting in a suit that Caprice decided might be custom-made. The silk tie was Hermès. His sandy blond hair looked a bit too perfectly styled and he sported that new scruffy beard look as if he’d grown two days of stubble and left it there. Still, he was handsome, and in the past, he’d been nothing but charming.

  Now he smiled at them, his blue eyes going from one of them to the next. “It’s good to see you ladies,” he said in a smoothly suave voice. “Michelle is tied up with a phone call, but she’ll be here shortly.”

  Caprice introduced Roz and her sisters, and he shook all of their hands. “Let me show you the tasting room until Michelle arrives. I know it won’t come into play for your wedding reception but your guests might wander in and out and take a look around the winery. That’s what brings back repeat customers.” He nodded to Bella, Roz, and Nikki and in a conspiratorial voice added, “That’s how Caprice’s name gets spread far and wide. You wouldn’t believe how many people ask who decorated the tasting room and the events room, let alone the house.”

  Caprice’s reputation mostly spread by word of mouth, and she was indeed grateful that the Dodds’ guests and customers asked about the renovations and designs.

>   “She even found us the perfect furniture,” Travis said as they went inside. “Exactly what we wanted.”

  Caprice had been a bit surprised when Michelle and Travis had wanted her to redo the tasting room with something totally different than they’d had before. Like many tasting rooms, there had been a counter and stools where a sommelier served wine and snacks. The couple had assured her over and over that they wanted something totally unique and mentioned settees and chaise lounges and a table large enough to sit six comfortably. A bar, yes, for whoever was managing the tasting room. But they’d requested a stone front and a granite surface on it. Shelves crafted of cedar like the banisters outside ran up the wall behind the counter, displaying bottles of wine. Wood and stone were everywhere.

  Roz pointed across the room. “I love that teal chaise.”

  The teal leather also covered two club-like chairs at the other side of the room with a dark pine table between them. Another chaise in claret leather was accompanied by several uniquely designed chairs in the grouping, while a low dark pine coffee table angled between them. The teal and claret were picked up again by the glasses and dishes and cups and saucers stacked on a shelf behind the bar. Throw rugs with those same colors dotted the rust-colored ceramic tile floor.

  “These pendant lights above the bar are amazing,” Nikki commented, pointing to the teal hand-blown glass.

  “And that chandelier,” Bella said. “I’d find a place to put that in my house if I could.”

  The chandelier was multi-tiered copper that blended in with the native stone and the browns of the rest of the room.

  All of a sudden, Michelle came running in through the front door of the tasting room like a swift wind.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said breathlessly. “I stopped to feed the stray dog who’s been hanging around on the tasting room porch.”

  “We didn’t see one,” Nikki said.

  “Oh, he followed me up to the house. But I don’t want to let him in. You know, fleas and all. So I put a bed around the corner on the porch and his bowls are there too. He’s been hanging around since yesterday.”

  Somehow Michelle had come to stand beside Roz. She was wearing a two-piece cream pantsuit. Both women were fashionable, svelte blondes with green eyes. At that moment, Caprice knew she didn’t want her friend to be blindsided. She had to tell her about Michelle. What if Michelle let something slip?

  Travis said, “If you’ll excuse me, Michelle will continue your tour. Caprice, we’re so glad that you and Grant chose us for your reception.”

  With Grant’s annulment coming through in March, they’d needed to find a reception venue quickly. That was difficult to do when those places were usually booked a year or more in advance. But when Caprice had phoned Michelle, Michelle had checked the winery’s calendar and revealed that she’d had a cancellation in May. She and Travis would be glad to accommodate Caprice and Grant for the reception.

  As Michelle nodded to Bella and Nikki and shook hands with Roz, Caprice suspected that Roz thought Nikki had been to the winery before and met Michelle then. And Bella . . .

  “This furniture is so trendy,” Bella stated. “The tasting room reminds me of those bookstores that have coffee bars and desserts. Customers can come in, sit, and talk. The atmosphere surely is inviting to bring friends along. It’s much more than a wine-tasting room.”

  Michelle nodded. “That’s exactly what we were going for, and Caprice helped us make it happen. Would you like to try out one of the chaise lounges?” she asked, pointing to the teal one.

  Nikki crossed to it and flopped down. “It’s comfortable. And the leather coverings are smart because you can clean them easily.”

  “Exactly why Caprice recommended them,” Michelle agreed. “Come on. Let’s go out the other exit and I’ll take you over to the events building.”

  As they headed toward the heavy wooden door, Michelle motioned to the left. “Our offices, the winery, and the grapes receiving department are over that way. That’s the business part of the enterprise. But the events room is my favorite part of the winery grounds.”

  After Michelle opened the door, they all followed a path lined with pansies that led to the events building. The building itself was much different than the winery. A portico reached over the entrance. To the left of the events building sat what looked like a long garage with three double-wide doors.

  April wind tossed Caprice’s straight, long, seventies-style dark-brown hair across her face. She didn’t get much of a look at the garage as Michelle ushered them inside the room where Caprice’s wedding reception would be held. It was exciting just walking in as a client of the winery rather than a designer.

  In the foyer, Michelle, acting as a tour guide, motioned to the reception area with a beautiful high-gloss polished hardwood floor. The colors in this building were cream and bronze to go with almost any décor a bride would choose. Other events weren’t always as color conscious.

  As they strolled into the main room, Caprice’s eyes automatically went to the focal point, a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. The cathedral ceiling added to the majesty of the room. French doors led to gardens that were now covered with daffodils. The other wall brought in sunshine through its many windows that stacked their way up to the cathedral ceiling.

  “This room almost has a church-like atmosphere,” Nikki noted.

  “We do have many weddings take place here too,” Michelle said. “Not just receptions. Weather permitting, we can also hold a wedding outside in the gardens.”

  “Grant and Caprice were lucky to line up a date at St. Francis on short notice,” Bella said. “And then with you. I couldn’t have been that patient waiting for an annulment. But it was important for them to be married in the Catholic Church.”

  “I imagine so,” Michelle agreed. “The De Lucas’ faith is important to them. It will be a wonderful ceremony, and we’ll make sure we match and complement it with everything we do here. Let me show you to the alcove where the DJ will set up. It’s over there next to the wet bar.”

  When Bella and Nikki started following Michelle, Caprice caught Roz’s arm. “Wait here a minute, will you? I’d like to talk to you.”

  “Here?” Roz asked, looking surprised.

  “I don’t want to wait any longer to tell you what I have to tell you.”

  Now Roz looked worried. “You’ve changed your mind about having me in your wedding? Maybe you’d like your Aunt Marie to step in instead since she’s going to be here?”

  “No, nothing like that. Of course, I want you in my wedding.” The other women’s voices were muted now as they turned toward the bar. “I need to ask you something,” Caprice said. “Has Vince told you about Michelle?”

  Roz looked blank.

  It didn’t surprise Caprice that her brother hadn’t told his present live-in girlfriend about an ex. “There’s not that much to tell,” she admitted. “But Vince and Michelle once dated.”

  With a smile, Roz gave a small laugh. “I know Vince dated lots of women before me. Kismet is a small town and running into them will happen.”

  In spite of Roz’s words, however, Caprice saw her friend studying Michelle more carefully.

  All of a sudden Travis came rushing into the events room looking troubled. He targeted his wife and ignored everyone else as he rushed to her. “I have a meeting in Camp Hill. I have to leave right now.”

  Caprice watched Travis and Michelle exchange a look. Michelle’s chin went up and she appeared defiant. Travis was looking down at her and his eyes bore the glare of a bully.

  After a tense moment or two, Travis maintained, “I don’t know when I’ll be back. I know you can handle everything here.”

  Just like that, Travis left again.

  Watching Travis and Michelle, Caprice wondered about their marriage. After she’d been married for five years, she hoped she and Grant would still be acting like newlyweds. Were her expectations too high? Maybe, but whenever she considered her parents’ marr
iage, as well as her grandparents’ marriage, she knew her expectations weren’t set too high.

  Michelle shook off Travis’s rudeness and his departure. Waving her hand over the large room, she explained, “Caprice has asked for round tables and tablecloths in pale aqua, rose, and yellow. She told me your dresses are all florals in different styles. We want the room to be a backdrop for her, Grant, and the wedding party. The whole atmosphere will be elegant, fashionable, and unique. We’ll use white wood chairs for the guests and white plates. It will all be striking.”

  Caprice hoped that was true. She and Grant had come up with their ideas together. She really cared less about the colors and the state of the room than she did about her marriage to Grant. She simply wanted the day to be special for them and their families, no matter what food they chose or the flavor of cake.

  Bella closed one eye and glanced around the room, obviously envisioning it. “That’s so you, Caprice. It will definitely work.”

  Nikki asked Michelle, “Did you know that Bella is creating Caprice’s gown? It’s a vintage style and the design is fabulous.” Nikki turned to look at Caprice. “Your fitting is coming up soon, isn’t it?”

  “Whenever Bella wants to do it,” Caprice agreed.

  Roz usually had an opinion about everything, but Caprice noticed she was being unusually quiet. Was she thinking about the time Vince and Michelle had spent together? Her brother had dated Michelle for a few months and that’s when Caprice and Michelle had become friendly. However, Michelle had wanted more out of the relationship than Vince, who was dating someone just because he liked to date. Michelle cut off their relationship and dumped him. Although Caprice liked to think her talent and reputation had snared Michelle and Travis’s account to renovate the winery, she also believed Michelle had contracted with her because she felt a little guilty about what had happened with Vince.