Page 167 of Say Yes to the Death

“I’m glad to hear it,” Claire said, furiously whisking the gravy. She could only imagine what Rachel would have to say if there were lumps in it.

Rachel continued to avoid eye contact. “Things have been hard since the divorce and George’s death. Work was all that I had left. I really thought Mr. Windsor’s case would be the defining case of my career. I didn’t think about what it would cost. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Claire raised her eyebrows. No wonder she had been such a nosey nightmare. Although Rachel was essentially still a vial of nitroglycerin coated in acid and porcupine quills, burying herself in work to avoid personal problems was something Claire was an expert at. It wasn’t excusable, but it was understandable.

“I’d like to offer my services, if you ever need them, for your business or personally. Free of charge, of course.”

“I did assault a couple of Barney’s friends in July, so I may need to take you up on that. Thank you, Rachel.”

As Rachel disappeared, Claire’s heart rate settled like a ticking bomb had just been removed. That was probably the longest conversation she and Rachel had ever had without threatening or belittling each other. Claire reached back into the dishwasher and took another swig of secret wine before turning back to the turkey.

The front door opened. If that was George coming back in with another complaint, she was going to drown him in the gravy.

Mindy rushed into the room, looking a little worse for the wear. Her raven hair was drawn back in a messy ponytail, and there were bags under her eyes.

“Hey, Min,” Claire said, putting everything down to give her friend a massive hug. “Did you finish hanging up all your art last night?”

“I did.” Mindy yawned. “By the way, you left your bar cart in the apartment.”

Claire stepped back to the turkey and resumed staring at it. “That was a housewarming gift for you.”

“Thank you. And thank you for subletting to me. I know what that place means to you.”

Claire shrugged. “I’m glad it’s going to someone who will carry on the shenanigans. Plus, everyone in that apartment complex saw me naked. It was time for me to go.”

Mindy giggled. “Ooh, top shelf,” she said as she pried open a bottle of the wine Rachel had brought. She poured a generous serving into a long-stemmed wineglass.

“I can’t wait to see it all re-decorated. How are you doing?” Claire asked with genuine concern.

“I’m fine. It was good to get out of that place. Too many memories of Gavin there.”

Claire reached over and squeezed her hand. It had been months since the incident, but Mindy was still struggling. Gavin, as it turned out, had used his connection to Mindy to feed information about Claire to ESA.

“Love you,” Claire said, smiling sadly at her friend. “Any chance you know how to carve a turkey?”

“Give me that.” Mindy grabbed the knife. “I need to stab something.”

Claire began moving side dishes to a bar cart that she had repurposed.

The doorbell rang again. “For fuck’s sake!” She dropped a foil-wrapped tub of mashed potatoes onto the cart and whirled around.

Jack and Tanya stood on the porch. Claire let them in, and Tanya immediately began babbling.

“Brianna couldn’t make it, sweetheart. She has to be on set tomorrow for Private Sarah,” Tanya said, rushing in and kissing Claire on both cheeks. “We made a tofurkey for anyone else with dietary restrictions,” she added, brandishing it proudly.

“Thank you so much. Could you set it on the cart? And then you can go straight back the hall, double doors at the end. We’re almost ready to eat.”

“Of course, sweetheart. What a beautiful home. The energy is wonderful in here, except at the front door. You might want to grab a bundle of white sage. Are these floors original? The stonework out front is just breathtaking,” Tanya rattled off in one breath, not even waiting for a reply. She walked down the hallway, inexplicably knocking on the walls every few feet and pausing to listen.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Jack had not followed Tanya.

“A quick minute,” Claire said, setting another dish on the tray as Mindy hacked at the turkey.

“What’s up?” she said when they had made their way to the front porch.

“A professor from Venor has been declared missing.”

“Who?”

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