A Vintage To Die For (Violet Vineyard Murder Mysteries Book 2) by JM Harvey

that I look at underwear ads… He glanced at Jessica, flashed a brilliant smile, and then looked at me and put a more sober expression on his face.
    “They police have told us to leave everything as-is, Mrs. de Montagne,” he said. “The kitchen is a mess, but I’ll be back tomorrow to clean up.”
    I nodded. He shot Jessica a lingering glance before he ducked out the door and was gone.
    Jessica’s eyes stayed on the door long after he had disappeared, a slightly dreamy look on her face.
    “He’s hot,” I said and her head snapped my way.
    “Mom!”
    I leaned forward in my chair. “Tell me,” I said. I was reminded it had been Jessica who had recommended the caterers…and now I had a good idea why. I assumed he was the person that she had been ‘talking to in the side yard’ when Alexandra had screamed.
    “Charlie is a nice guy,” she said, a schoolgirl smile spreading across her face. “We met years ago at UC, but I didn’t really know him until he catered Gloria’s wedding. We hit it off and…” she shrugged and tilted the smile at me. “You wondered why I was giggling when we brought the ice,” she added. “I was talking to Charlie when Blake came around the side of the house.”
    “Talking? The way you were blushing, I’d guess you were doing more than talking. While I was paying him by the hour,” I said jokingly.
    Jessica laughed and so did I. It felt good. The first easing of tension since Alexandra had yelled ‘Murderer!’
    And then Hunter ruined it.
    “Not much laughter out here, ladies,” he said as he came through the door and flopped down on the bench beside Jessica. I didn’t know if that was meant as reproach or not; it was hard to tell from his deadpan delivery, but it annoyed me anyway. He rubbed his face with his hands and then looked at me with weary eyes. “Hell of a party, Claire.”
    I had no reply for that. Victor came in at that moment, dressed in his party best, a yellow guyabara shirt, faded jeans and a pair of beaten-up boat shoes. He dropped down on the bench on the other side of Jess.
    “Samson’s out back threatening to leave,” he said to Hunter. “He wants to take Marjory home.”
    “He’ll be lucky if I don’t take them both to jail,” Hunter replied with a bone-deep sigh.
    “You can’t believe they—” I began but Hunter held up a hand.
    “If I believed they killed him they’d be in jail.”
    “I don’t think Jorge killed—” Victor said, but Hunter cut him off as well.
    “I don’t believe it either,” Hunter said. “McCullers is a jackass when he drinks, though he’s never done anything violent. But…” he shrugged as he left that hanging there.
    “The blood,” I said and Hunter nodded.
    “And Angela’s assault on Blake,” he added.
    “Assault,” I said doubtfully. “She threw a glass.”
    “Blake is calling it assault,” Hunter replied. “He says he’ll press charges. Angela would be in jail along with Jorge if I knew where she was.”
    “Angela’s gone?” I asked.
    Hunt nodded. “Jorge says he fell asleep in the front yard. He says when he woke up she was gone. She probably took a cab home,” he said. “Or to the nearest bar.”
    “Hunt?” Deputy Midge Tidwell yelled down the hallway from the kitchen.
    “In here!” Hunter yelled back and Victor, Jess, and I all jumped.
    Midge popped into the doorway. She had a brown paper bag in her hand. “Got a second?” she asked and beckoned for Hunter to come out into the hallway.
    Hunter groaned. “Just tell me,” he said. “I’m too tired for secrets.”
    Midge gave the three of us a skeptical look – one that lingered on me for a long moment– then shook her head. “This is important,” she said. “I think—”
    “Spill it, Midge,” Hunter said.
    Midge didn’t like it, but she did what she was told. “I found a hook-billed knife in Angela Zorn’s car.” She held up the bag. “There’s fresh blood on it. And we found a yellow slicker jacket and rubber