The Larceny in the Luau by Shéa MacLeod

Author:Shéa MacLeod
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: travel, crime caper, cozy mystery, quick read, beach read
Publisher: Sunwalker Press
Published: 2021-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

“I didn’t take her ring, I swear!” Margaret declared tearfully. “The earring’s mine, but I lost it earlier in the evening. Evangeline still had her ring then.”

“Cheap backs,” Betty said with a nod. “I bought a pair from one of those shops. Fell off an hour after I left. Won’t make that mistake again. Only this style from now on.” She tapped a hook style earring, from which dangled little pewter pineapples. Cute.

There was no way to know if Margaret was telling the truth about losing her earring earlier in the evening. Since her hair was down, her ears were hidden most of the time. Besides, I wasn’t that observant when it came to earrings unless they were something unusual or had a lot of bling.

What I did know was that Margaret hadn’t moved from my side throughout the luau, other than a quick trip to the bathroom about halfway through. Unless she had serious astral projection skills, there was no way she could have stolen the ring.

“Don’t worry, Margaret,” I assured her. “I’m your alibi.”

She gave me a grateful look, practically wilting in her seat. “Thanks, Viola.” She glared at Evangeline, who sniffed.

“We’re each other’s alibis,” Jeremy said, pointing to his husband, then himself. “We never left our seats.”

“So you say,” Evangeline said. “But who’s to say you’re telling the truth? You could be lying for each other.”

Evangeline was right. I’d watched enough Investigation Discovery Channel to know the police tended not to take spousal alibis seriously.

“Same goes for you two.” Evangeline shot a glare at the Blicks.

Frank was unperturbed. I got the feeling not much disturbed the man. He exchanged his empty dessert plate for his wife’s half full one and placidly munched his way through the remaining treats.

As for Betty, she gaped like a fish. “Well, I never! Frank and I wouldn’t dream of stealing. We believe in hard work and paying your own way.”

“Is that why your husband’s in insurance?” Jackson asked dryly.

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.“Come on,” Cheryl said, interrupting the brewing fight, “somebody stole that ring. It didn’t just up and walk off Evangeline’s finger. Maybe we should all turn out our purses and pockets.”

“Why should we do that?” Jeremy asked. “You’re not the police.”

“Because it will prove once and for all who is innocent,” she said.

“And who isn’t,” I added. “The police are taking their own sweet time. Don’t you want to get out of here?”

“I have nothing to hide,” Margaret said staunchly. “I don’t have any pockets, but I’ve got this.” She plucked her substantial floral print crossbody bag from the back of her seat and dumped its contents on the table.

The mound of items spread out, nearly knocking over my water glass. I moved it away and nodded to her things. “Mind if I look?”

“Go right ahead,” she said, lifting her chin.

Along with the usual detritus found in a woman’s handbag­—wallet, compact, lipstick, crumpled Kleenex, bottle of hand sanitizer, roll of mints, and that sort

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