A Hint of Mischief by Gerber Daryl Wood

Author:Gerber, Daryl Wood [Gerber, Daryl Wood]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Fantasy, Paranormal
ISBN: 9781496736048
Amazon: 1496736044
Goodreads: 59120614
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2022-06-28T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Dipping flowers in her cup, so the merry fairies sup;

Sip and laugh, and laugh and tip, loving cups from lip to lip.

—Florence Harrison, “Pixy Work”

“If only she had lived to have seen these,” Nova said.

I let out the breath I’d been holding. If only.

“I wish she’d trusted me to grow as an artist. The whole reason I offered to make these for Misty was to prove to Farrah I had the artistic ability.” She motioned to us. “You three, of all people, know that one piece of art does not define an artist.”

I definitely did; I’d made some disastrous fairy gardens. “It’s so hard as we start out,” I said, to reassure her. “We put things on our social media, and it reflects who we are. The brand is the brand. We’ll earn reviews that we don’t like, but we get over them. It’s just one opinion.”

“That’s what I told Farrah last year when she came to town for a week,” Nova said. “I told her even though one bad review wouldn’t destroy my overall standing, it hurt, but I added that I forgave her. She said she—” Nova’s voice caught. “She said she understood. As an actress, she was careful about which projects she chose to do. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself, which was why . . .” She blinked, a moment of panic in her eyes.

“Which was why . . . what?” I asked.

“No, I can’t. I shouldn’t.”

“C’mon, you’re among friends. What happened?”

“There was this project she wasn’t certain she wanted to do because there was nudity involved. Berto Bagnoli was helming the project. She really wanted to work with him again. She wasn’t a prude—she had an incredible body—but she was hesitant because it was a horror film, so . . .” She rotated a hand. “So she asked Misty to read the script and give her opinion.” Nova took a sip of wine and then another. “Misty adored the script and said Farrah should do it, but Farrah, being in a snippy mood, said, ‘If you like it all that much, you do it. I’ll make sure Berto reads you.’”

I gasped. “For a leading role?”

“Yep. Misty took her at her word. However, flash forward, Farrah wound up doing the part—the film hasn’t been released yet—and the director didn’t bring Misty in for a reading.”

“Ouch,” Meaghan said.

Nova nodded. “Misty, who was hurt by Farrah’s disregard, told her so. Chastened, Farrah promised to find another opportunity for Misty, but . . .”

“But she died,” Meaghan murmured.

Tears leaked down Nova’s cheeks. Were they real? Was she raising the issue between Farrah and Misty to throw suspicion off herself? After all, she’d told Misty how Farrah had panned her work all over social media. Was that enough motive to want her dead?

Leaning toward Meaghan, I whispered, “Would you ask Nova where she was on the night of the murder?”

Meaghan gawped at me. “Why? You can’t think—”

“She had a bone to pick with Farrah.”

“No. I won’t.”

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