Page 21 of Murder By the Millions
“Does Bramblewood really have that much?”
For heaven’s sake. She ran the town council. How could she not know the statistics? “We have more than we’d like, for sure.”
The door opened, and two more women—regulars in their fifties—entered the shop. They hustled to the reading nook, unloaded their carryalls, and headed to the sci-fi and paranormal aisle.
Vanna rushed into the store behind them. “I almost forgot my iPad. Can you believe it?” She hurried to the sales counter. “I can’t live without it.”
Before the door swung shut, Jason Gardner stepped in. I debated whether we needed to invest in a revolving door.
“Hello, ladies.” He was clad in an outfit right out ofThe Great Gatsby—a three-piece cream-colored suit with a double-breasted vest, a pocket scarf, a black tie, and a handsome onyx jacket chain lapel pin. “What do you think?” He dragged an open palm down his togs.
“Wow, Jason!” Tegan exclaimed. “You look great! The costume is perfect.”
“Very dapper, Jason,” I chimed.
Vanna swiveled. An ooh escaped her mouth.
He chuckled. “Precisely the reaction I was hoping for. Lillian said it was a traffic stopper.”
“She’s right.” Finette crossed the store, studying him with admiration.
“Hello, ducky, old sport,” he said to her in a British accent.
She laughed and swatted his arm. “Stop!” Over her shoulder, she said, “It’s an inside joke. When he and I first met, he mistakenly thought my last name was Duckworthy.”
“I knew a guy in college with the surname,” Jason explained.
“Did I ever set him straight,” Finette said. “I’m a Fineworthy oftheFineworthys.”
“TheFineworthys,” Jason repeated. “The ones who are known for donating time to feeding the homeless, building Habitat houses, and cleaning up hiking trails.” He ticked their attributes off on his fingertips. “What else did the altruistic Fineworthys do?”
“I heard her father saved a schoolhouse from burning down,” I said.
“He rescued one of my favorite restaurants,” Tegan added, “from a near-fatal oil fire.”
“He also salvaged a church and the YMCA, if I’m not mistaken,” Jason said. Having recently arrived in Bramblewood, he sure knew a lot about Finette and her family. Was that her doing, or had he done oppo research so he could sweet-talk his way into a contract with the town?
“What you don’t know is my mother’s pet project was acting as a book fairy,” Finette said. “She’d buy books from the library, and she and I would hide them in places for people to discover.”
“Aw,” Tegan said. “What a nice memory.”
“I still do it, but I miss doing it with her.”
Jason gently chucked her chin and said, “Buck up, old sport.” He sidled past Finette and over to me. “Allie, yesterday I’d onlysensed your dissatisfaction with my plan to build a mall, but now I’ve heard for a fact you are not happy with me and my proposal.”
Tegan shook her head, meaning she hadn’t spilled the beans. Zach certainly wouldn’t have mentioned a thing. Vanna’s face was stony. Had she contacted him to ask for the catering gig and told him my plans in an effort to turn him against me? She wouldn’t dare. Not when we were getting along so well. We’d chatted about it at Dream Cuisine, so a bookshop customer hadn’t overheard. Possibly Chloe had mentioned it in a public place.
“Why aren’t you happy with the mall, Allie?” Finette asked. “It is going to be wonderful. Jason and I have been working closely for weeks to make this a superior project.”
“You’ve been in town for weeks?” Tegan asked. “And yet yesterday was the first day you came to the bookshop?”
“He’s been so busy.” Finette pulled her cell phone from her tote and swiped the screen. “Applying for building permits. Getting the designs approved by the town council. He hasn’t had a spare moment. It’s all calendared.” She flashed her cell phone at us. It displayed a lengthy to-do list. “This mall is going to be a feather in all our caps. And don’t you worry, Allie. Jason promises to make it a boon for Bramblewood. Don’t you?”
Jason nodded. “I do.”
“You know how much I love our town, Allie,” Finette went on. “After all, that’s why I ran for town council. To have my finger on the pulse. To steer the ship.”
“The way I hear it, ducky,” Jason said, “you joined the council so you wouldn’t have to be a lowly project manager again, forced to wrangle with all the contractors.”
