Cat Scratch Cleaver

a reprimand as she trots on over. “How dare you have another homicide right here in our innocent cove?” She bites the air with her words as she gives a quick look around as if expecting to find a body.
Mackenzie used to be great friends with both Emmie and me right up until high school when she made a sport out of stealing our boyfriends.
And in the mother of all boyfriend ironies, Mackenzie was dating Leo right up until Emmie snatched him away.
I’d say I was sorry, but I’d be lying.
I make a face at her. “Would you like cheese to go with that whine?”
“That’s tired and boring.” She squints over at me. “Just like you.”
Mack is pretty in a Disney villain sort of way, with her full-bodied dark chestnut hair that seems to have a life of its own, those sharp pointy brows, and the perpetual scowl on her blood red lips.
I’d offer her a s’mores bar, but that might mean she’d stay a while.
“What do you want, Mack? You do realize I don’t kill people for a living. I can’t help you with the homicide at the cove.”
“It happened on your watch. While they were filming at your café. Look, I don’t know what you’re up to, or what voodoo princess you’ve upset, but I don’t need this kind of bad press in my town. And here I thought it was a great idea to have the film industry welcomed with open arms. I should have known you were going to find a way to putz this up for me. And I see you went with an old standby. A body.”
I give a few quick blinks in her direction. “If it means anything, production trailers are still parked in the lot. And no one other than you has blamed me, or the inn, for what was a grisly murder on public property.” I give a quick smile as I lob the ball her way.
“Fine.” She takes a deep breath before scowling over at Emmie.
Emmie Crosby. As if having Bizzy to deal with wasn’t enough, I have Em to gouge my emotional eyes out as well. I don’t know what Leo sees in her. I’m the mayor of this damn town. All she does is wait tables.
She slits her gaze my way once again. “I’ll try to speak with what’s left of the production crew. Let me know if you botch things up further and chase them out of town for good.”
“Mackenzie.” I wince at how callous she sounds. “They lost their lead actress. I doubt they’ll be finishing the film.”
She rolls her eyes. “Sometimes I wonder if you know how the world works.” She takes off just as Fish scampers into the café and heads over to where Sherlock relocated once he spotted the mad Mayor.
They’re coming this way, Bizzy. Fish yowls. And Georgie is with them.
I glance to the entrance.
I suppose I’ll learn who they are in just a few seconds.
Georgie, Faith Grayson, and Kiki Woodley all stride into the café at once and they look like a trio of women on a mission.
“Bizzy!” Georgie snaps her fingers over her head as if she were dancing the calypso, and in that tie-dyed pink and blue kaftan, she looks just about ready to. “These girls were at the front desk asking for you.”
Kiki, the girl with long red curls and enormous brown eyes, gives a nervous laugh.
“I was looking for a short stack,” she says my way.
“You’re in the right place,” I tell her. “We can get that for you right over there.” I nod to the register before looking back at Georgie. “This is Faith Grayson, the production assistant, and Kiki Woodley, the makeup artist. S’mores bars, anyone?” I hold out a tray in their direction and they each thank me as they snatch a few up.
“Ooh!” Georgie’s entire face brightens, and I can tell by that wily look in her eye I won’t like what comes next. “Bizzy is getting hitched in a couple of weeks. Do you do makeup for weddings?”
Kiki laughs. “Well, I tend to lean heavy on special effects.” I haven’t done makeup for a wedding since that horrible night. She closes her eyes a moment.
I narrow my gaze over at her.
She almost made Heather’s death sound as if it happened years ago. But then, people are in shock, and there’s no saying a private thought has to make sense.
“I’ve got it covered, Georgie,” I say. “But thank you for thinking of me.”
Georgie averts her eyes. “Who said I was talking about you? I’m in need of one serious makeover for the big day. And with special effects, I bet she could make me look twenty. How many special effects will twenty bucks get me?”
Kiki takes a breath and holds it. “About ten minutes?”
Georgie belts out a low, gravelly laugh. “You’re on, Toots.”
Faith, the shorter woman with the pale skin and dark scruffy hair that lands around her neck, raises a hand briefly.
“Actually, I was looking to speak with you, Bizzy. Peter wanted to assure you the production team would be around for a bit, filming a few finishing shots.”
Georgie makes a croaking sound. “I guess it’s true what they say. The show must go on. Hey? They’re not going to use any footage from the crime scene, are they?”
Both Faith and Kiki grimace at the thought.
“No.” Faith gives her a careful smile as if she were suddenly speaking to a toddler. “We were basically at the end of our production. If anything, they’ll hire another actress to fill the role. There were only two or three scenes she had to film next and they were death scenes.”
A horrible groan escapes Georgie.
“Life imitating art!” she howls. “It happens all the time. I’m a big believer in it. I recently put a replica of myself in the mosaic I’m working on, and next to my portrait I put a handsome mosaic man in a Hawaiian shirt, and guess what?” She elbows Faith and clucks