“It’s good you found them. I’ll just look around for any of the, uh, other clothes.”
Willa wasn’t fooled by Kate’s seeming indifference. “Yours is over there.”
On a hanger on an old screen painted with butterflies was the dress Kate had only seen a bit of. It was a 1920s flapper dress of emerald green silk charmeuse. Around the neckline and the hips were wide bands of gold beads. Kate picked up the dress and held it at arm’s length. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Everything Nadine wore was beautiful.”
“She said Diana wore a minidress.”
“I couldn’t find it. I wonder if she still had it on when she left. If she rode a horse in it, she didn’t leave anything to the imagination. Teddy will have to find something like it.”
“A string bikini, maybe?” Kate said under her breath. “And what about you? What are you wearing?”
Willa groaned. “I did find my dress. Why did I think ruffles were attractive on me?”
Kate looked at her sitting there in her sleek, skintight yoga gear and couldn’t imagine her in a dowdy, ruffle-covered dress. “So tell me about you and your lawyer last night.”
“How did—?” Willa laughed. “This is as bad as it was before. No one could do anything without the others finding out.”
Kate didn’t mention how the Pack had worked to break her and the lawyer up. Willa seemed to be remembering good things about the past. “How was your date?”
Willa closed her eyes for a moment. “Wonderful! He’s like I remember. Smart and funny and caring.”
“Did you tell him about Renewal?”
“Yes. And he said—” She took a breath. “He said he’d always known I had potential. I just needed to get away from the leeches.”
“That being Nicky, Byon and Nadine.”
“And Clive. Eddie thinks he strung me along, that he was after my fortune. Eddie doesn’t like Clive much.”
“No one seems to,” Kate said.
“Eddie is coming tonight. Your aunt invited him.”
Kate stared at her. Does Aunt Sara think Eddie the lawyer is a suspect? “Have any other outsiders been invited?”
“The gossip is that the police inspector is coming.”
“Really?” The would-be writer? Kate thought. “When did you hear all this?”
“At breakfast. It was a feast of food and information. Where were you and Jack and Sara?”
“At Puck’s,” Kate said quickly. And searching inside Sean’s remains. “That’s where we met Diana. If your new boyfriend is here, will you be Willa or Meena?”
Willa put the album down and stood up. “I think it’s time to reveal my true self. What do you think?”
“Honestly? I think you should be Willa until after the play. Then when you take your bows, strip off to reveal Meena. It will be deliciously dramatic.”
“Ohhhh. I love it! There are lots of ugly clothes in boxes around here. I’ll just use one of them. I can—”
“Here you two are!” It was Nadine.
Willa jumped behind the screen and franticall
y motioned for Kate to toss her the padded dress.
Nadine plopped down in the chair Willa had been using. “You can come out. And you don’t have to pad yourself.”