Love Can Be Murder

don't you come and stay with me until this all blows over?"
    "I need to stay in town." The unspoken words hung in the air: I'm the primary suspect. "I have my business to run," she added hurriedly.
    "Right," Liz said slowly. "When is the funeral?"
    "I'm not sure, but I'll let you know."
    "I'll be there, and Wendy is saying that she'll come back, too. We're both so sorry, Penny."
    Penny's eyes began to water. "Thanks."
    "Promise you'll call if you need anything."
    "I will."
    Penny hung up the phone, fighting a sudden bout of tears. Telling people Deke was dead didn't make it seem any more real—only more unbelievable.
    A knock on the door sounded. She wiped the corners of her eyes and took a deep breath. "Who is it?"
    "It's me, Guy."
    "Come in."
    Guy poked his head inside, his expression forlorn. "You can come out now—they're gone."
    She pushed to her feet. "Thanks."
    When she walked out, Marie stood next to Guy, looking just as distressed.
    "I didn't do it," Penny said quickly. "And I'm sorry, but the police will probably be questioning you. Do you know who brought the voodoo doll to the party?"
    They shook their heads.
    Penny sighed. "Okay, don't worry about me. The best thing is to try to conduct business as usual."
    They both nodded, their expressions anguished, and she felt a rush of fondness and gratitude. "Guy, where's the best place to get a cell phone?"
    While he went to write down some information for her, she turned to Marie. "I'm going to be in and out until this blows over. Can you handle things here at the store?"
    "Absolutely."
    "Great—thank you." Suddenly a thought popped into her head. "Marie, what about the two friends of yours who came to the party, the ones who cut hair?"
    "Jill and Melissa? What about them?"
    "Could one of them have brought the voodoo doll?"
    She shrugged. "I can find out."
    "Do you know if either one of them is connected to Deke?"
    Marie squirmed and averted her gaze.
    "Marie?"
    The young woman sighed. "I don't know for sure, but Melissa bragged that she'd, um, slept with Deke."
    Penny felt the blood drain from her face. "When?"
    "She said it was when Deke first bought his car—he gave her a ride."
    And then she'd given him a ride. Penny fisted her hands at her sides—had the man exercised no restraint?
    "I'm sorry, boss. I didn’t know when I invited her to the party."
    Penny inhaled to get a grip on her emotions. "It’s okay. Thanks for being honest."
    "By the way, who was that man you were talking to last night at Caskey's?"
    Penny hesitated. "Um...just someone I met. He's in town looking for a missing girl and was asking questions about Mojo."
    "He looked mighty interested in you," Marie said lightly.
    The door chimed, and Penny looked up to see the man they'd been talking about materialize.
    "Good morning," B.J. said.
    Penny straightened under Marie's probing gaze. "Good morning."
    Good God Almighty, the man was in excess. He wore jeans and a holey sweatshirt. His hair was shiny clean but looked like it had been combed with barbed wire. And for someone whose specialty was finding things, he seemed to have misplaced his razor.
    He lifted a bag from Benny's Beignets. The bottom half of the bag was transparent with grease. "Hungry?"
    She licked her lips. "Um, no. This is a health food store."
    "I'll take one," Marie said.
    "Me, too," Guy said, emerging from the stockroom. He handed Penny a page of notes on where to buy a cell phone. "He's cute," he whispered.
    Penny's mouth quirked to one side. She awkwardly introduced B.J. as "a person who's helping me" and left Marie and Guy to figure out what he was helping her with.
    "Nice place," B.J. said, walking around.
    Penny frowned. "You're getting powdered sugar on the floor."
    He looked down and used the toe of his boot to scatter the white stuff, as if it would help. Marie and Guy both looked at him with dreamy eyes until Penny stared them down. She nodded in a "get lost" movement, and they scattered to straighten shelves.
    "I tried to call you," B.J. said.
    "My phone isn't working," she replied, then held up the sheet of paper that Guy had given her. "But I'm going to buy a cell phone."
    "I'll go with you," he said. "It'll give us a chance to talk."
    She nodded, although the dark tone of his voice made her chest tighten. What had he discovered?
    The chime sounded as the door opened, admitting Jules Lamborne.
    "Hi, Jules," Marie called loudly.
    But instead of her regular cheerful greeting, Jules lifted her carved walking