Love Can Be Murder

She leaned in, her eyes sparkling. "I have a feeling that something really exciting is going to happen to you tonight."
    Again, the rumors about Marie having ESP flitted through Penny's mind. Then, inexplicably, her mind bounced to the mystery man and the sexual spark she'd seen in his dark gaze. Was he, by chance, the exciting thing that Marie was forecasting? Penny glanced toward the open door and took a sip of the cold, fruity drink. She winced at the afterburn, but the second sip went down more smoothly...and the third sip more smoothly still.
    By the time Guy arrived with Carrie, his gorgeous "date," Penny had emptied her glass and was starting to feel the minty tingle of the alcohol swimming toward her brain and extremities. Marie replaced Penny's empty glass with a full one, and she had finished half of the second drink when Hazel Means stuck her head inside the room.
    "Hazel!" Penny said happily, gesturing wide. "Welcome to my party!"
    The trim, middle-aged woman smiled, but she looked uncomfortable and fingered her hearing aid; Penny suspected that loud, public places were distracting for her. "I can't stay long, I just came by to wish you the best and to drop off a little something from the souvenir shop." She set a gift bag on the now overflowing table and winked.
    Penny was touched. "Thank you, Hazel. I realize you've known Deke and his family for years, and it's difficult for you to take sides. I appreciate your friendship."
    Hazel leaned in. "Mona is here, and she knows you're here. But Chief Davis is out there checking I.D.s, so maybe Mona will leave you alone."
    Penny winced—she didn't want to face her ex-mother-in-law tonight of all nights. "Thanks for the warning."
    "Don't mention it." Hazel patted Penny's arm and turned to go.
    "Oh...Hazel, did you get the mail I dropped off this morning?"
    "I wondered where that mail came from—it looked like it had been trampled."
    "Sorry...I, um, dropped it on the way over."
    "No problem. Thanks."
    "Hazel—who was at the museum this morning meeting with Deke?"
    Hazel shrugged. "No one that I know of. When was Deke there?"
    "I ran into him when I dropped off the mail."
    "Well, he has a key to the office. He comes and goes as he pleases."
    "I know, but I thought I saw someone in the window as I was leaving." Penny pressed her lips together, knowing they were growing looser by the second but unable to stop. "And someone in the cupola."
    Hazel laughed. "You must have been seeing things. The door to the cupola was boarded up years ago for security reasons. Nothing up there but bats and fog."
    Relieved, Penny nodded, but the movement gave her a head rush. "Of course. You're right—it was foggy this morning."
    "I have to run. The tourists will be lined up at the museum early tomorrow."
    Penny waved good-bye, then smiled happily when Ziggy Hines strolled into the room, holding a tall drink and looking well on his way to being sloshed. "You made it, Ziggy."
    "Not yet," he said suggestively, his gaze roaming the room. "But I still have high hopes for the evening." His head stopped. "Who is that woman?"
    Penny turned, not surprised to see him nodding toward Liz on the other side of the room. She was deep in conversation with Wendy.
    "Liz Brockwell," Penny said. "She was my roommate at LSU, and she lives in the city."
    He turned his back and rubbed his hand over his mouth. "I've seen her in my restaurant. Striking woman."
    "I can introduce you," Penny offered.
    "No," he said quickly, moving toward the door. "In fact, I should be going—I have to meet someone."
    Penny smiled—one of the young women he'd left her shop with, no doubt. "Good night, Ziggy. I'll call you when I have more truffles."
    He nodded absently, then glanced toward Liz and left abruptly.
    Penny frowned after him and shook her head. The man was Mr. Macho until faced with the prospect of meeting a woman on his own level. She sipped from her glass and studied Liz and Wendy from across the room, warmth infusing her chest. At one time the three of them had been inseparable, sharing their dreams and aspirations. Yet they had fallen out of touch...grown apart...just like her and Deke. It was funny that she prided herself on having a green thumb, on being able to nurse any plant back to health, yet she allowed her personal relationships to wither on the vine.
    Moisture gathered in her eyes. The alcohol was making her weepy.
    But the energy level of the small party was definitely ratcheting higher as drinks