Demons and Diamonds

Chapter 3: Liars and Lace

Saturday morning didn't seem as Saturday mornings usually do. I woke up feeling wretched and hollow, and not even our housemaid Gloria's world-famous pancakes could cheer me up.

"How are you doing, my beauty?" Gloria asked, pouring me a glass of orange juice. "I heard about last night."

"I don't really know what to feel, Gloria. Delores was just the kind old lady who worked at the store I loved, and now she's dead. Murdered. And my best friend is a suspect."

"Have you talked to Abby yet?" Gloria stroked my hair. "Perhaps she can explain."

"You're right." I sighed. "I mean, I know she didn't do it, and I'm already acting like she did." I grabbed the phone and headed back up to my bedroom. I put it on speaker as I got dressed.

"Hello?" Abby sounded even worse than I did. "Cassie?"

"How are you? What happened last night?" I asked, putting on a light layering of make up.

Abby groaned. "They questioned me for hours. They think I did it, Cass. Just because I wasn't on the surveillance tape. I mean, I duck out to make a phone call and suddenly I'm a murderer?"

I was silent for a moment. "You told me you were going to the bathroom."

Abby echoed my silence. "Yeah, to make a phone call. I wanted some privacy."

"Abby, I can tell when you're lying. You have to tell me the truth, okay? I kind just hold up lies for you, no matter how close we are. Someone we both knew is dead and, as much as I hate to say it, they think you did it. So you need to tell the truth so that we can prove that it wasn't you." After thinking about it for a moment, I pulled on the dress I'd bought yesterday and put the necklace around my neck. The enclosed wings rested between my breasts.

Abby sighed. "I really don't want to talk about this right now."

I nodded to myself. "Okay, well I'm going down to The Birdcage so I guess I'll talk to you later."

"Wait! Why are you going there?" She sounded urgent.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that I haven't told you. Apparently Delores left me the store in her will. I have no idea why."

"Why would she leave it to you and not me? I spent so much more money there than you did." I was surprised by how spiteful Abby sounded.

"Uh, I don't know, Abs. But I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Sure thing." Abby hung up.

I put that weird conversation to the back of my head and headed downstairs. I had the piece of paper with the writing on the mirrors carefully tucked into a hidden pocket in my handbag along with the keys to the store.

"Well that's a lovely dress." Gloria looked up from doing the dishes and smiled at me.

"Thanks, I bought it yesterday." I smiled back. Since I was going alone, I decided to take the car. I usually hated driving, when it was such a small town, but it was a half-hour walk back into town, and I didn't want to do it alone, especially since I would be walking past the place where we found Delores's body.

I parked my '87 Mercedes outside The Birdcage and took a deep breath before going inside. I had no idea how the mirrors had turned back last night, and I vowed to figure it out today. I turned on the lights and locked the door behind me, hanging up the 'Closed' sign. I set my bag down on the counter and took a slow look around the store, including checking behind the mirrors, but I found nothing.

Suddenly, the door opened and two boys came in. They were about my age, seventeen, or possibly slightly older, and they hadn't noticed me. They were arguing about something, but before I could get the gist of it, one of them saw me.