Diva 01 _ Diva Runs Out of Thyme, The by Krista Davis

People lined the hallway, watching and whispering. Natasha wept in Mars’s arms as though she’d lost her dearest friend.

    Mom flew at me. “Oh, honey.”

    My family clustered around me.

    “Simon’s dead,” I said.

    “Heart attack?” Dad asked, ever logical.

    “Someone killed him,” I whispered.

    Natasha must have overheard. Sniffing, she pulled out a dainty handkerchief trimmed in robin’s-egg blue. “Are they going to arrest you?”

    Mars’s British friend, Bernie, appeared out of nowhere. “Arrest Sophie? Are you mad? It’s a wonder no one did the man in sooner. And how about you, Natasha? You came on the scene suspiciously fast.”

    Her mouth dropped open.

    In spite of the horrible situation, I flashed Bernie a grateful smile for defending me. Bernie had been Mars’s best man at our wedding and dropped in on us occasionally during our marriage. He was always the perfect houseguest, loads of fun, pitched in, and was easy to have around the house. The last I’d heard, he was tending bar at a pub in England. Had the situation been different, I’d have cornered him for an update on his life.

    Dad’s hand gripped my shoulder. His eyes met mine and I knew what he was thinking. I was in deep trouble.

    Hannah clung to Craig. “I can’t believe this is happening. Do you think we’ll be on the news?”

    Craig eyed me like a hawk, his face grim. His scrutiny made me want to squirm.

    “Inga,” Dad said to my mom, “I suspect we’ll be a while. Wasn’t there a wedding store in Georgetown that you didn’t get to yesterday? And didn’t you want to show Craig the tux we saw?”

    Dad knew exactly what to say to sell the trip to the wedding enthusiasts.

    Mars’s brother, Andrew, chimed in, “No such luck, Mr. Bauer. We’re corralled in this hotel like a bunch of cattle. It’s stupid, if you ask me. If I’d wanted to kill Simon, I’d have done it two years ago.” He snorted. “I got my satisfaction, though. The money he stole from me won’t do him any good now.”

    Vicki looked aghast. “Andrew! Don’t even joke about that. They’re likely to take you seriously.” She elbowed me and glanced around. “Do you think anyone heard that?”

    “Only your family and mine.”

    I’d spent a lot of time with Andrew and Vicki when I was married to Mars. Vicki had a rough childhood. She’d lost her parents quite young and been raised by a brother who had lived abroad as long as I’d known her.

    Sometimes I wondered how Vicki and Andrew felt when Aunt Faye left her fancy house to Mars and me. I imagined quite a bit of tooth-gnashing went on privately when we divorced and I ended up with the house. Vicki and Andrew had bought a nice townhome in Old Town, an easy walk from my house, but it couldn’t compare in size or architectural charm.

    I chalked up Andrew’s ill-conceived remark to his desperate desire to be important. It didn’t take a shrink to realize that Andrew longed for the kind of success and respect his brother, Mars, had achieved. Although Mars’s connections to the rich and powerful opened a lot of doors for Andrew, I’d seen more than one person with a panicked expression try to dodge him at parties. His reputation for financial disaster surrounded him like a barnyard stench.

    “What is wrong with you people?” Natasha dabbed at her eyes. “A wonderful man has been murdered and you’re all just thinking about yourselves. I’m devastated.”

    Andrew smirked. “Knock it off, Miss Prim and Proper. If I were Mars, right about now I’d be wondering why you’re blubbering about the death of a virtual stranger.”

    My dad intervened. “Let’s settle down. We’re all upset, Natasha. Let’s stop this pettiness before people say things they’ll regret.”

    The loudspeaker squawked and came to life with a piercing squeal. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Detective Fleishman of the Alexandria Police Department. I’m sorry to have to ask you to return to the