Strung Out to Die by Tonya Kappes

board.
    “How can we help you?” I asked looking into her red-rimmed eyes.
    “I’m getting a divorce, or I think I am. I’m looking for a support group to help me get through it.” She dropped her head and looked at her long thin fingers. She played with her simple wedding band. “I’m Sadie May.”
    “You’ve come to the right place, honey.” Bernadine wrapped her arms around Sadie.
    Flora got Sadie some tissues.
    “What did your no-good soon-to-be ex do?” Cheri patted the chair next to her for Sadie to sit down.”
    Sadie sat and melted down into a full, inconsolable sob.
    “Now, now, dear.” Agnes Pearl assumed her grandmotherly role. “Men are like commercials. You can’t believe a word they say.”
    Sadie’s light blue eyes were watery, but a smile crossed her face. “I knew I could count on you Divas to cheer me up.” She dabbed her eyes, and then tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear.
    “Tell us, what did he do?” Flora asked.
    She had to get the full scoop. I leaned in, and Bernadine eased her chair a little closer to make sure she was within earshot. This was the stuff we Divas live for. Juicy gossip.
    “I think he’s cheating on me.” There was uneasiness in her voice.
    “Think or know?” I asked. “Because you are getting divorced.”
    “Huh?” Cheri’s nose curled up.
    “Have you already filed for divorce or you just planning on filing?” I asked again. This all sounded very much like it was in the early stages.
    “No.” Softly Sadie answered. “He doesn’t know that I think he’s cheating.”
    “Hold up!” Agnes Pearl put her hands in the air to stop all the talking. “You mean to tell us that you only suspect him and you want to be a Divorced Diva?”
    “Yeah, Divorced Diva.” Flora made sure Sadie understood that you had to be divorced to join the group.
    Unless you were Ginger, of course.
    “Sadie, he might not really be cheating.” I tried to comfort her. Obviously she needed a friend to talk to. “What do your friends think?”
    I don’t have any.” She frowned. “We just moved here for his job and he’s always working.”
    Sadie used finger quotes on “working.”
    “Just because he’s working a lot doesn’t mean he’s cheating.” I assured her. “I’m no detective, but I have been cheated on, and I can smell a cheater from a mile away. This doesn’t sound like a cut-and-dried cheating situation.”
    “Good. So I can count on you to help me?” Sadie’s tears had dried up lickity-split.
    “What?” I wasn’t volunteering for anything. What little time I did have was going toward exonerating myself, The Beaded Dragonfly, and Sean of murder.
    “Since you said you were the expert, you just need to see him, right?” Sadie looked for any hope that I’d say yes.
    “Why don’t you call us back when you have some real evidence that he’s cheating. Then we can go from there.” I scribbled the phone number down for The Beaded Dragonfly and sent Sadie on her merry way.
    Agnes got up and gathered her belongings.
    “I think that girl has done fell off the tater wagon.” She motioned for Marlene. “Let’s go home. That Salsa With The Stars show is on tonight, and I don’t want to miss it.”
    Marlene rolled her eyes and chomped her gum. “We don’t want you to miss anything, Agnes.”
    That was everyone’s cue to get their own stuff and head home. We’d had a long day and night.
    “We’re meeting at Ginger’s tomorrow morning.” I confirmed it with everyone. “Marlene, are you set to work?”
    Marlene was going to cover for me at the shop while I paid my respects. There was no way Marlene was going to set foot in Ginger’s house. Ginger didn’t like her, and she may have been dating Doug when he died.
    “You can count on me,” Marlene said, as she helped Agnes down the stairs. Agnes tried to bat her hands away again and Marlene smacked her hands right back.
    I shook my head. This was a crazy bunch of Divas, but they were my