"Just grocery store roses," Ted said. "Why are you crying?"

"Because they're so beautiful."

Amelia looked embarra.s.sed. "Mom," she said, "don't be lame. Are we going to eat? I'm starving."

Ted poured the wine, and then they ate their salads. "Delicious," Josie said. "What's in this dressing, Amelia?"

"It's my homemade French," Amelia said, failing to hide her pride. "I make it with garlic, paprika, red wine vinegar, oregano and a little sugar."

"I've had lots of French dressing," Jane said, "but not like this. What's your secret?"

"I use vegetable oil instead of olive oil," Amelia said. "I read online that's how the French make real French dressing. Olive oil is too heavy."

The chicken with pine nuts and snow peas was served over pasta and heaped with more praise.

After dinner, they ate cookies until Josie caught her daughter trying to hide a yawn.

"It's almost ten," Josie told her. "It's time for bed."

"But I have to do the dishes," Amelia said. "That's my ch.o.r.e."

"Your hated ch.o.r.e," Josie said. "You did the cooking. You have the night off."

"Awesome," Amelia said. She slung her cat, Harry, up on her shoulder and said, "Night, Grandma. Night, Ted. Thanks for showing me how to fix the chicken."

Ted gave her a hug. "In less than a month, we can have a cooking lesson every night," he said.

"I'm proud of you, Amelia," Josie said.

"Whatever," Amelia said.

Tonight, Josie thought the ever-flexible word meant her daughter was pleased. But Amelia flinched when her mother hugged her.

Josie heard sc.r.a.ping sounds and saw Jane putting plates in the dishwasher.

"Mom," Josie said, "leave the dishes and take Stuart upstairs."

"We'll finish up," Ted said. "Josie and I need to talk. Go on, Mom. Doctor's orders."

"You're a dog doctor," Jane said, smiling at him.

"And you're dog tired," Ted said.

After Jane and the little shih tzu climbed the back stairs, Josie said, "What did your mom want?"

There was a long pause. This is going to be bad, Josie thought. "Uh, Mom wants to know if you rented chair covers for the reception," Ted said.

"I don't believe this," Josie said. "Your mom is facing death by lethal injection and she wants to know if I have chair covers? No, I don't. We talked about this, Ted. The hall wants eight dollars each for a chair cover-that's more than sixteen hundred dollars. We spent the money on food instead."

Ted looked sheepish. "I couldn't remember," he said. "We talked about so much, it sort of blended together. I'm not even sure what a chair cover is."

"A waste of money," Josie said. She slammed a plate into the dishwasher rack. "The reception hall has perfectly comfortable chairs with blue padded seats. A chair cover is white fabric that covers up the chair."

Clink. Clink. She slammed in more plates.

"Josie, don't get mad at me," he said. "I'm just the messenger. Chair covers are a big deal for Mom."

"Well, I have more important things to think about," Josie said.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. She added the four china salad bowls and picked up the cookie sheet from the countertop.

"I know," Ted said. He took the cookie sheet away from her and loaded it into the dishwasher. "I know this is incredibly petty. But it's how Lenore survives in jail. She's a strong woman, Josie. Thinking about our wedding is the distraction she needs to keep sane. She wants to pay for the chair cover rental. Please?"

What about my sanity? Josie wanted to say. It's supposed to be my day. I'm losing control of my wedding.

"What harm will it do to let her buy them?" Ted asked.

Josie felt ashamed. If Lenore wanted chair covers, it would only make her wedding look better.

"You can't have naked chairs in Boca," he said, and kissed her forehead. "The sight of exposed legs is shocking." He kissed her nose.

He got down on his knees and said, "Josie Marcus, will you say yes to decently covered chairs?"

Josie laughed and pulled him toward her. "Yes, yes, yes," she said. "Let her have the chair covers for one night. I'm getting you forever."

Ted backed her against the kitchen counter and unb.u.t.toned the first b.u.t.ton on her shirt, then the second. She was working on his shirt when a saucer fell off and smashed on the floor, breaking the mood.

"Not with Amelia here," Josie said, and started b.u.t.toning up.

"But in a month she'll always be with us," Ted said, kissing her more insistently.

"We'll be married then," Josie said. "We can wait until she's asleep or at school."

"I think I'm going to be coming home for lunch a lot," Ted said.

They heard Amelia giggling and Harry thumping around in her room. Josie reluctantly pulled away.

"Tell me what happened today," Ted said.

Now the romantic mood was deader than Rita. Josie told him her theory that Rita had killed Molly, the way she'd solved the shoplifting problem, and the horror of seeing Rita's body.

"How did she die?" Ted asked.

"I don't know," Josie said. "But her skull was smashed like that saucer." She shivered, though the night wasn't cold.

"You know the worst part?" Josie asked. "The part I feel so bad about?

"Rita was dead-and I was upset because I'd hit a dead end in the search for Molly's killer."

Chapter 29.

Wednesday, October 31 "Do you like caviar?" Alyce asked.

"Love it," Josie said. She felt rich and relaxed in the soft leather seats of her friend's Escalade. The luxurious Cadillac SUV seemed the proper place to discuss caviar.

"Good," Alyce said. "I have a terrific caviar recipe for your bridal shower."

"Oh."

Even caviar couldn't make Josie look forward to her shower. "It's really nice of you to give me a shower, but do I have to have one?" she asked.

Josie felt trapped. Alyce was driving her to Brides by Beatrice for the final fitting of her wedding dress. Her wedding heels were in a box on her lap and her bridal lingerie was in a bag at her feet. She wanted to leap out at the next light and run through the traffic to escape the shower.

Josie's blond friend looked soft as whipped cream, but she could be tougher than a two-dollar steak.

"Yes, you do," Alyce said in the same voice she used on two-year-old Justin when she meant business. "I've promised no stupid shower games. Just good food, good drinks, good friends, and good presents."

"But we don't need pots, pans, and sheets. We already have them," Josie said.

"I've seen your cookware, Josie. Goodwill would reject it. Ted brings over his own pots when he cooks at your house."

"All cooks have their favorites," Josie said.

"Ted will get more favorites at this shower," Alyce said. "We've made sure his requests are on your wish list."

"Okay," Josie said. "I promise to coo over the Calphalon."

"Fortunately, it will be in the boxes when you unwrap it, so you'll know what you're getting," Alyce said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't know a panini press from a truffle slicer."

Alyce's voice went slightly sharp with irritation. "This shower isn't about you, Josie Marcus. It's for your mother, who's always wanted a happily married daughter. It's for Amelia, who wants a mom with wedding pictures like everyone else at school. And it's for your friends, who want to welcome you to a new stage of your life. We want to celebrate with you, Josie. Are you going to deny us?"

"Well, when you put it that way," Josie said.

"Besides, fancy sheets feel good," Alyce said.

"Ted has these cool pin-striped sheets," Josie said. She thought of their last night together and suppressed a sigh.

"You can have more than one set of good sheets," Alyce said. "Won't it be nice to get rid of your scratchy old towels?"

"Fluffy towels will feel good." Josie was willing to admit that much.

"Your new dinnerware is gorgeous," Alyce said. "I love those square plates in a deep cocoa with the golden brown highlights."

"You make them sound like food," Josie said.

"They're a good showcase for Ted's cooking. I envy you."

"For a set of dishes?" Josie said.

"For marrying at thirty-one," Alyce said. "I got married right after college when my taste wasn't fully developed. I picked boring young-girl china-white plates with timid daisies."

"Is that why you collect china?" Josie asked.

"That's my excuse," Alyce said. "Grown-up weddings are more fun. You know what you want, and I'm not just talking about Ted. You've chosen sophisticated styles. Your shower gifts will be perfect, just like your new life."

"If I get a new life," Josie said. "Yesterday, I thought I had Molly's killer. Instead, I found that poor woman's body."

"That's the third time this morning you've mentioned Rita," Alyce said.

"I keep seeing Rita's foot sticking out from behind the bed. I thought it was a broken statue. Then I saw her head, all crushed in. Rita was a thief, Alyce. She didn't deserve to die for stealing."

"I saw the story on TV," Alyce said. "The police think Rita surprised a burglar and he hit her with a lamp."

"I stepped right over that lamp," Josie said. "I didn't notice any blood."

"You were distracted," Alyce said.

"A botched burglary may be what the police are telling the press, but there's more to her death," Josie said. "Remember Detective Gray, from Rock Road Village?"

"Smart, suspicious, steely-eyed?" Alyce asked. "He investigated Nate's murder."

"I don't know how smart he is," Josie said. "He arrested the wrong killer for Nate. He's the detective in charge of Rita's murder. He all but said I signed Rita's death warrant when I told the shop owner that she'd been stealing expensive items and selling them on eBay. He acted like I murdered Rita."

"He's wrong," Alyce said. "He was wrong about Nate and he's wrong this time, too."

"I hope so," Josie said, "because I keep seeing that poor silly woman on her bedroom floor. I was so sure she'd killed Molly. It made sense."

"Any other ideas?" Alyce asked.

"Two," Josie said. "The stalker bride's first victim, George Winstid, and his mother, Phoebe."

"You think they killed Molly together?" Alyce asked.

"Maybe. I think the mother did it. I found Molly, remember?"

"Two bodies in one week," Alyce said. "That's too many."

"One is too many," Josie said. "Ever. Molly's car window was rolled down. That was important, and the police overlooked it. That rolled-down window proves Lenore was innocent."

"I'm not following you," Alyce said.