Seeds of Suspicion (Lack of Luxury Cozy Mystery #1)

Chapter 17

“Are you ready to roll, Lucy?” Margaret studied the Designer Diva’s storefront. “We need to pay close attention to the recent projects, not to mention try to figure out the relationship between Tammi O’Toole and Deanna Andretti, and why O’Toole is keeping the business open if she’s not a partner. She came across as being a little uptight when we talked on the phone.”

“Not surprising. How can you be totally chill when your colleague was just murdered?”

“Totally chill? Where did that come from?”

“Paige,” Lucy said. “I’m talking my daughter’s lingo.”

“She seems to have settled into farm life and loves working for Floyd. ”

“I’ll be the first to admit when she moved here after fleeing the hippie compound in California, I didn’t think she’d hang around, but something changed after her ex kidnapped her. It was a wake-up call, and we both realized nothing is more important than family.”

“I’m happy for you, Lucy, and for Paige. She may have been a wild child in her younger years, but she’s finally come into her own.” Margaret unbuckled her seatbelt. “I wish Chad would move closer, maybe even settle down and marry, but he seems content living in Albuquerque. If not for you and the others, not to mention Stephen, I would be lonely.”

“We’ll always be here for you, Margaret, whether you and Stephen decide to take your relationship to the next level or are living happily ever after as an unmarried couple. After the fiasco with my ex, Bill, I haven’t found anyone I click with, you know?”

“Kind of like Ruth. She’s perfectly content with her surveillance business, hanging out with us and enjoying her golden years. You have your guns. Ruth has her spy stuff. Dot and Ray have the Hot Meals on Wheels program. Gloria has a great life.”

“Now, all we have to do is help Liz get on the right track.” Lucy reached for the door handle. “Is that who I think it is?”

Margaret followed Lucy’s gaze and watched as a spry, white-haired woman traipsed down the sidewalk, moving at a brisk pace. “Eleanor Whittaker.” She flung the Jeep’s passenger side door open. “Eleanor!”

Eleanor did an about-face.

“Over here.” Margaret waved.

Eleanor waved back, waiting for them to catch up. “Hey, Lucy, Margaret. How’s it going?”

“Good,” Lucy said. “Margaret and I have an appointment at Designer Diva.”

“Deanna Andretti’s place. I heard she died. ”

“Someone strangled her,” Margaret said. “Lucy and I are doing a little intel.”

“Oh?” Eleanor blinked rapidly. “Who’s in the hot seat this time?”

“Liz,” Margaret and Lucy said in unison.

“Liz argued with Deanna and kicked her off her property hours before her death,” Lucy said. “We’re trying to figure out if her colleagues know more about what happened than they’re letting on.”

“I met Deanna once, at a zoom class. She had a hard time keeping up. I mentioned Rose’s vitality pills to her, but she didn’t seem interested. I suppose you can’t help everyone.”

“I miss Rose,” Margaret said.

“She’s coming to town to host the grand opening of VitaNew’s new store in Rockville,” Eleanor said. “Don’t mention it to Dot. Rose wants to surprise her. ”

Lucy made a zipping motion across her lips. “My lips are sealed. When?”

“In a few weeks. Johnnie’s coming, too. I invited them to stay at my place. Seeing how I’m her number one field sales representative, I figured we could strategize while she’s in town.” Eleanor’s watch chimed. “Gotta run. I’m hosting a workshop for the gals at the Montbay County Supper Club. Ciao.”

Margaret watched as Eleanor hustled off. “I wish I had half her energy.”

“Vitality potion courtesy of Rose. It will be nice to see Rose again.” Lucy held the door and followed her friend into the designer showroom. A woman with light brown hair, tall, and sporting a thick layer of makeup, stood near the back. “Hello.”

Lucy greeted her. “I’m Lucy Carlson. This is my partner, Margaret Hansen. We have a two o’clock appointment with Tammi. ”

“I’m Tammi.” The woman stepped around the side of the counter. She extended a hand to Lucy first and then to Margaret. “Welcome to Designer Diva. How can I help you?”

“I’m a real estate agent. Margaret and I flip area homes. We have our eye on a high-end property. It needs a total gut job and we’re looking to partner up with a designer.”

“You’ve come to the right place. We specialize in high-end design,” Tammi said.

“Are you the owner?” Margaret asked.

“Not technically, but I’m second in command. As far as your project—how would it work?”

“Our plan is to purchase the property using a hard money loan. Our partner, aka designer, would extend credit for renovations. After covering the costs of the repairs and renovations, we split the profit.”

“Where is this property located? ”

“It’s here in Montbay County,” Margaret said.

“In Green Springs?”

“We’re still negotiating the contract, so I would rather not say,” Lucy fibbed. “I’m sure you understand.”

“I…yes. You never can be too careful about someone going behind your back and stealing customers.” Tammi offered them a tight smile.

“Unfortunately, it’s been an issue in the past.” Lucy casually gazed around. “You mentioned that you’re not the owner.”

“The owner is currently…indisposed. I’m covering for her.”

Margaret shifted her purse. “We would love to see samples of your work and get some testimonials, if possible.”

“Of course.” Tammi led them to a nearby conference table where she showed them an array of renovations, including one of Lucy’s favorite styles, farmhouse chic. There was also a cool and contemporary condo and finally an elegant and expensive-looking Tudor-style home.

“These are all equally impressive,” Margaret said. “I’m sure you have glowing testimonials.”

Tammi reached behind her, grabbed a spiral-bound book and placed it on the table. “The most recent customer referrals are in the front.”

Margaret and Lucy grew quiet as they perused the recent projects, both focusing on figuring out if one of those customers may have had a reason to murder Designer Diva’s owner.

The front bell chimed, announcing an arrival. Lucy caught Tammi’s sharp intake of breath. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she abruptly stood. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment.” She strode to the front and began talking to the woman in a low voice.

Judging by the tone of their voices, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation .

Lucy, with her back to the women, shifted slightly. She discreetly removed her cell phone from her pocket and turned it on. “Are they looking this way?” she whispered.

“No,” Margaret whispered back. “What are you doing?”

“Taking a picture of the recent projects.” Lucy steadied her hand and tapped the camera’s icon.

Tammi’s voice grew slightly louder, and she could’ve sworn she heard the other woman say “cops.”

“Hurry,” Margaret hissed under her breath. “They’re wrapping it up.”

Lucy dropped the phone in her purse and placed a light hand on the back of her neck.

The woman left, and Tammi returned to the table. “I apologize for the interruption. Where were we? ”

“Going over your recent projects,” Margaret said. “Is this all of them?”

“It is.” Tammi went into a long spiel about customer satisfaction and warranties. She threw out the names of a few brands Designer Diva used and slid a “welcome packet” toward them. “I would like to take a look at your agreement ahead of time, if we decide to proceed with a partnership.”

“Of course.” Lucy slipped out of her chair. “Your portfolio is impressive. We believe you would be a good fit for this venture. In the spirit of full disclosure, we’re discussing our potential project with a few other local designers.”

Margaret followed suit. “Without wasting more of your time, we’ll have a definitive answer about the tentative project, hopefully sometime next week.”

“Sounds perfect.” Tammi straightened the stack of papers and escorted the women to the front door. “We’ll be in touch? ”

“Yes. Absolutely.” Lucy handed Tammi her card. “Thank you for meeting with us.”

From the sidewalk, the friends could see O’Toole watching them as they crossed the street.

“Well?” Lucy waited until they were back inside the vehicle. “First impressions?”

“She knows her stuff. I love their work, but did you see their prices?” Margaret let out a low whistle. “Even if we had a million-dollar project waiting in the wings, Designer Diva might be too rich for our blood.”

“I was thinking the same. Montbay County doesn’t have a lot of million-dollar homes in need of renovating, so I’m guessing they bid outside the county,” Lucy said.

“Did you get a clear picture of their recent projects?”

“I don’t know. I was trying to hurry and my hand was shaking.” Lucy retrieved her cell phone from her purse and pulled up the photos. “Not bad. They’re clear enough to read the names.”

“We’re close to the other designer store, Hometown Designs,” Margaret said. “While we’re in the neighborhood, we should swing by there.”

“I agree.” Lucy checked her side mirror and steered onto the street, making the short drive to the second business in record time.

She eased into an empty spot and turned her attention to the small shop. It wasn’t as upscale or large as Designer Diva’s building, but it was tidy and clean.

Yellow sunflowers filled the planter boxes beneath the window and a blue and white striped awning greeted potential clients. The lights were on and Lucy could see someone standing near the front.

It was a woman. She was talking on her cell phone, a concerned expression on her face .

Margaret nudged her friend. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Yes. A woman who’s having a serious conversation.”

“No. Not that. Isn’t she the woman who showed up at Designer Diva’s store a few minutes ago?”

“I don’t know. I was too busy trying to get a picture of the client list.”

“Well, I did and I’m almost certain this is the woman Tammi O’Toole was just arguing with.”