Grand Prize: Murder!. Vivian Conroy

to a tall man in a smart tuxedo, and when he half turned, Vicky recognized Cash Rowland. He looked very different than he did in his usual sheriff’s uniform.

      Cash saw her as well and came over, smiling. “You look great. New hat? I didn’t bother getting anything special for the night. I still had this lying around from a wedding where I was best man.” He cast a quick look at Michael, then offered to get Vicky a drink.

      Michael stepped back graciously. “I have to greet the hostess and ask her a few questions about the party, the guest list. Who is that guy by her side anyway? He looks around him like he owns the place.”

      Cash grimaced. “That’s Lilian’s brother Sydney. He’s a lot younger and a bit on the wild side, even though Lilian will never admit that. He tried different colleges, didn’t fit in anywhere, then he tried different jobs that dear Daddy set him up in. All tanked as well. Of course it’s always somebody else’s fault, never his.”

      Michael pursed his lips. “Sounds just like you back when we were in college.”

      Cash turned red. “Not at all. I…”

      Michael raised a hand, focusing on Vicky. “I will be back later. Save a dance for me, huh?” With a wink he walked away.

      “Busy for the Gazette’s social column?” Cash chided. He took a deep breath, speaking low to Vicky, “Trust me when I say I know all about Sydney Haverton. Deke wasn’t amused when Lilian told him her brother had lost a job again and had to be set up with a position at Rowland Investment for the time being.”

      Vicky hitched a brow. “Sydney is working in Deke’s company now? Just like that?”

      “Working is a big word. Seems he doesn’t turn up when he should, misses meetings and in general behaves like he’s in charge while he has no idea about investments. But Deke can never say no to Lilian. He has to put up with Sydney, in the firm and here. Dear Sydney moved in, you know, for as long as he’s working at the company. Deke is mining all of his contacts to get Sydney a job elsewhere and be rid of him again. So far no luck.”

      “Vicky!” Marge came up to her in an electric blue dress. With a matching fascinator on her red curls it looked stunning on her. The bright color enhanced the fire in her hair, and it looked as if she had just walked off a twenties’ painting.

      Marge turned around slowly so Vicky could admire the dress’s waterfall back. Then Marge whispered in her ear, “You look amazing. How did Michael like it?”

      “OK, I think. He didn’t really say. We talked about Bella and the book signing on the way over.”

      Marge clicked her tongue and put a hand on her arm. “No talk about work tonight, OK? We’re here to have fun. Have you had champagne yet?”

      “Cash is getting me some.”

      Beside Marge, Kevin Fisher fidgeted uncomfortably in his tuxedo, running a finger round his collar. Like it was too tight. But every time he looked at his wife, his expression changed to pure adoration. Vicky figured that if anyone ever looked at her like that, she’d know it was true love.

      Voices resounded behind them, and they turned to see Bella Brookes arrive. She wore a tight wine red dress that set off her blonde hair. The bodice was embroidered with intricate silver patterns. Her face was shadowed by a gigantic asymmetric hat in wine red and black, and she held a large fan in her hand of painted silk with an edge of peacock feathers.

      The sum total was stunning.

      People stood and stared while Bella walked by, nodding to all sides and then greeting the hostess.

      Even Lilian lost her usual cool and stammered and flushed, then directed her guest of honor to the champagne.

      Vicky grinned at Cash, who had just come back with glasses for the both of them. “I think Lilian already got what she wanted tonight. Bella is turning heads.”

      “She’s pretty,” Cash said casually, “but a little too showy for me. Unreal. Like she should be on display at a museum.”

      Bella came over to Vicky and Marge and introduced her party. A handsome man in an expensive suit was the PR mastermind Paul DuBree. He had a tall blonde woman on his arm. The woman was not introduced. Her dress was rather short and adorned with many silvery tassels that moved as she walked.

      Bella said, “And here are our assistants. Paul’s right hand and our finance genius, Mark Miller. And my PA, Lisa Coombs.”

      Lisa muttered a general hello. Her hat was pulled down into her face so deep that her eyes were barely visible.

      Vicky was a little surprised that the assistants had been invited at all. She could understand Lilian had wanted DuBree, who had a reputation in his own right, but Lisa was merely an aide to Bella, and so was Mark Miller.

      Had DuBree simply brought his entire retinue because he was used to it?

      As the company moved away to meet other people, Marge said to Vicky, “That girl Lisa doesn’t look very happy. I wonder how she got the job with Bella.”

      Vicky shrugged. “Probably a student on a summer job. I think Bella mentioned in an email that Lisa was an English lit major?” She sipped at her champagne. Alcohol always went to her head fast and made her giggly and willing to take risks. Better take it easy. The night was still young.

      Bella emptied her glass in a few drafts and set it aside, laughing loudly at a joke made by Sydney Haverton. He seemed to be fascinated by this new face.

      Vicky let her gaze drift over the people present, recognizing a few locals. The mayor, of course, with his wife. The mayor’s wife wore a green dress with two strings of pearls. The bank director with his wife. The bank director’s wife wore a white gown with matching wide-sleeved robe. All people with clout.

      Then at the open doors into the garden Vicky saw a flash of a familiar face.

      Bob Jones.

      Strange that he had been invited too. She had been so certain Bob was not in Lilian’s league.

      But maybe Lilian had felt generous?

      Cash excused himself saying he had to talk to someone a minute and before Vicky knew it, Michael was back by her side. He put something in his pocket that was probably a cell phone. She hitched a brow at him. “No rest for the wicked?”

      “Only taped a quote from our hostess and the guest of honor Miss Bella Brookes. All I have to do is type it up for the Gazette.”

      “The edition is finalized by midnight, right? Can you make that?” Regret flooded her that he would be rushing off for work. His remark about work being too much sometimes suggested a deeper inner conflict she wanted to talk to him about. A quiet nightcap after the party seemed like the perfect opportunity for that.

      Michael smiled down on her. “I’m finalizing it myself, before 1.00 a.m. For this single special occasion. I’d hate to leave this party early.”

      Vicky held his gaze to determine his meaning. Then loud laughter drew her attention away from Michael. Bella Brookes leaned over to Sydney Haverton and put her gloved hand on his arm. Sydney smiled back and told her something.

      Lilian glanced in their direction, alarm in her face. As Cash had just explained that Sydney was a bit of a player who hadn’t finished college and didn’t succeed in his jobs, Vicky could guess he wasn’t exactly the sort of brother Lilian wanted to show off to her friends.

       I’d better intervene.

      She excused herself to Michael and went over to Bella and Sydney. “Hello there. I’m sorry to intrude but I recall Lilian has a great conservatory here with beautiful tropical plants. She specifically offered to show it to you. I saw a lot of botanical gardens in the UK, and I love tropical plants. Shall we have a look together? The orchids should be especially lovely.”

      Bella was interested at once. “I love orchids. I try my own hand at them from time to time. But somehow I always give