Chapter 22 #2
“I’ll take some water,” Jonathon said as he snapped his fingers and pointed. Romeo went over by the chair and lay down. Killer laid next to him. He set his bag down. “Let’s get something to drink before we start.”
Rarity showed him to the kitchen, and by the time Sam came back with her murder book, they were back in the living room, sitting and talking about the dogs.
She sat next to Rarity. “Tell me what happened. I have a feeling something happened after breakfast this morning.”
“First, you tell Jonathon about breakfast. I might have missed something you saw.” Rarity nodded to Sam.
“Okay, well, it seemed like everyone was still there, which I thought was weird. If the festival ended on Saturday night, why would you go to a Sunday brunch?” Sam looked at Jonathon and Rarity for an answer.
“Free food? Maybe their planes weren’t leaving for a while. They drank too much on Saturday night?” Rarity listed off the reasons she could think of.
“Okay, fair points. I guess it’s just me who likes to get home after two weeks of being away.
I’ll be honest, a weekend away and I’m ready to go home.
I guess I’m just a homebody.” Sam went on to tell Jonathon about getting there, then about getting them a place to sit, and how Talia had come up to say goodbye.
“Wait, you didn’t tell me that.” Rarity stared at her friend.
“You were going to find Jane and then Miranda stopped you. You were talking to her when Talia came over to the table. She said it had been a pleasure meeting everyone in town and how much she loved your little shop. She said she’d wanted to visit my crystal shop but had run out of time.
I didn’t think she even knew who I was.”
“I was just about to say, I didn’t remember seeing her at the shop, but she came in to see Darby because everyone was saying her double worked there,” Rarity added. “I still need to get Jane that movie. I don’t want to have to ship it to her.”
“We’ll go over to the hotel tomorrow morning, first thing,” Sam promised. “And we can go to breakfast afterward. Maybe we should go shopping and get out of Sedona for the day.”
Jonathon waved his hand in front of Sam’s face. “Before we start planning the mani/pedi appointments, can we finish adding to the murder book?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry.” Sam finished telling Jonathon about the breakfast at the hotel with the festival people.
Then Rarity started over with the morning, telling her side, adding a few things to Sam’s narrative.
After she was done, she added, “You know, I’ve never realized this is why our group works so well with solving mysteries—we all see something different.
I was focused on getting the movie back to Jane and how I failed at that task again. ”
“And I was focused on the food and seeing who was around us. Call me starstruck, but this was really fun. And some of the actors are already listed as up-and-comers, so I get to say I met them back when they were nobodies.” Sam paused.
“Okay, maybe that doesn’t help in this situation, but some days it does. ”
“I think there’s something there,” Rarity said but then shook her head. “I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“Well, let’s finish updating the book with your spider and snake attack. There is no doubt that it’s a warning to stay out of the investigation. It’s like an old movie threat.” Jonathon picked up his pen again. “Let’s go over what you did after breakfast.”
“Wait, I remember one more thing.” Sam’s face brightened.
“Talia asked about your book clubs. Or she commented on them. She said how wonderful it was that you had things for all ages, including adults. So we talked for a minute about the Survivors’ Book Club and why you started it.
She said it should be a movie. I told her that we sometimes turn into a sleuthing club, and she said it really should be a movie. Then her phone buzzed and she left me.”
“Talia knows that I’m running a book club that investigates local murders?” Rarity met Jonathon’s gaze. “Let’s finish this and talk about Talia as a suspect. I wonder where she was this afternoon.”
As they finished updating the book, Rarity groaned. “We’re going to miss Darby’s party.”
“I’ve already called her to let her know. Don’t worry, there are plenty of people there already. Darby has a crew. And Holly said she’d keep an eye out for any issues. Marc is out of town this weekend, remember.” Sam nodded to the television. “Let’s find a movie the boys would hate.”
Jonathon set his murder book into his tote bag. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just here for the entertainment.”
Rarity smiled and made a mental note to apologize to Darby. Although she thought that the current group in the room would have been the oldest people there. Maybe it was better that she wasn’t going.
Later, when Drew and Archer stopped by Sam’s for dinner, Drew told them that the department was working on verifying Talia’s whereabouts as well as Jax’s.
Rarity stopped chopping lettuce for the salad. “Wait, why Jax?”
“If he thought you got him fired, this would be perfect payback. At least in a twenty-year-old’s mind. Anyway, can you still stay with Sam tonight? I’ll feel better after I talk to a few people.”
“Sure. We have fun plans for the morning, and as soon as the two of you get out of here, we’re heading to the bar to look for someone to dance with.” Rarity finished chopping the lettuce and put it in the salad bowl.
Everyone was looking at her.
“What? Too much?” Rarity grabbed a tomato and started chopping.
“I know, I know, I’ll stay at Sam’s tonight, but tomorrow we are going to grab breakfast right after I drop the movie off with Jane at the hotel.
I already texted her and told her I’d be there at eight.
Which is good because she’s leaving town at ten. ”
“I think you’re more worried about returning the movie than she is about getting it,” Sam complained as she pulled the enchiladas from the oven and set them on top of the stove.
“I don’t like things undone. I know, it’s probably my control factor from when I was in cancer treatments, but if I say something is happening, I try to follow through.
Unless my house is under attack from spiders, snakes, or other crawly creatures.
” Rarity took the tongs and tossed the salad.
“There, my part is done. And Drew? We might even go shopping in Flagstaff tomorrow, so tell Jonathon not to wait up for us.”
He laughed as he grabbed the dishes and put them on the table while Archer followed with silverware. “He can be a worrywart when it comes to people he cares about. Get used to it. He and Mom have claimed the two of you as family. I don’t think that will ever change.”
Drew went over to the stove, picking up the casserole dish with pot holders. “Rarity, would you put something down on the table for this? And one more thing, be sure to call me when you get back in town so I don’t send out officers to look for the two of you.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Sam challenged him as she put a trivet on the table before Rarity could get to it.
He set the dish on the metal stand and then kissed her. “Try me.”