Free Deadly Décor (A Caprice De Luca Mystery) by Karen Rose Smith

Bella found Bob Preston’s body?”
    “I, uh, I found her with Bob Preston’s body.”
    “Don’t tell me you’re involved in another murder investigation.”
    “All right, I won’t tell you that,” she retorted. There was that old tension between them again. It never took much.
    “I can’t believe you’re involved in another murder.”
    “It’s not like I went looking for it. And that’s not the point. The point is, Bella was kneeling in a puddle of paint beside Bob, blood on her hands, when the police arrived. She and Bob dated when she was in high school. They thought it was serious.”
    “I remember Vince telling me that when he suggested Preston’s company paint my place.”
    “Did they?”
    “No. I decided to do it myself. But I don’t understand why the police are going to question Joe if Bella found the body. Unless . . .”
    Swiftly, Caprice told him what had happened when she was preparing Eliza’s mansion for an open house. After that, she told him about Bella’s coffee date and her scheduled meeting with Bob at the community center.
    Grant whistled through his teeth. “I knew Joe and Bella were having trouble after that blowup at your mom’s birthday party, but this is beyond trouble. Just what does Joe expect me to do for free?”
    “Just be there tomorrow.”
    “Your family has meant a lot to me over the years, Caprice. Sure, I’ll help out. But tell me one thing.”
    “What?” She felt as if she were walking into some kind of trap.
    “Are you going to stay out of this murder like you should, or be foolish again and try to get to the bottom of what happened?”
    She heard the judgment in his tone, at least that’s what she thought it was. “This is my sister and her husband, Grant. I’ll do whatever I have to do.”
    “That’s what I was afraid you’d say,” he muttered. “I’m going to tell you the same thing this time that I told you the last time. Stay far away from the police station. Stay far away from the investigation.”
    “And what if I don’t take your advice?”
    “Then we’ll both be sorry.”

Chapter Five
    When Grant crossed the threshold into Bella and Joe’s house the following morning, the living room went silent. Not that there had been much conversation before her brother’s partner’s arrival, Caprice thought. The tension between Bella and Joe was as thick as any tomato sauce she’d ever reduced.
    Immediately Grant assessed the situation. He glanced at Caprice but spoke to Joe. “I think we should go over a few basics before we see the detective.”
    “Why don’t you go into the kitchen,” Bella suggested.
    Caprice knew that with Vince advising Bella and with motives for murder in question, Grant would want a private session with Joe. Taking advantage of that, she’d have one with Bella.
    After Joe and Grant sank down on chairs at the kitchen table, she pulled her sister to the farthest corner of the living room . . . away from the kitchen. “Tell me you and Joe talked more about all of this.”
    “I can’t tell you something that didn’t happen,” Bella snapped.
    Caprice reacted to her sister’s snippiness. “What do you two do, just sit and stare at each other?”
    “No. We go to separate rooms. We take care of the kids. We glare, not stare, at each other.”
    To her dismay, Caprice didn’t know a better way to handle this . . . a better way to get to the bottom of it. So she just went at it. “Has Joe given you an explanation for where he goes at night?”
    “He doesn’t explain anything. He never has. Not unless he’s trying to pretend he knows everything about everything.”
    “Bella . . .” Caprice wanted to be understanding, she really did, but this kind of back and forth wasn’t going to cover any ground.
    As if Bella realized that too, she looked away, down the hall to the kids’ rooms. They weren’t there. Timmy and Megan were having pancakes with their neighbor Nellie.
    Maybe Bella was remembering happier times