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“No, it was my husband’s. But as you say, very coincidental.”
This woman was a real head case. “Anything else?” I asked.
“Not that I can think of. I’d have to say that anything is possible. I washed my hands of her a long time ago. If there’s nothing else?”
I shook my head and stood to leave. “Thank you so much for your time.”
If anyone had the recipe for raising a sociopath, it was Marion Rayfield.
45
Piper
Leo’s family was coming over for Thanksgiving dinner in a few hours, and Piper was nervous. She’d wanted to have help here today so she could focus on her guests, but Leo had cautioned her against it, saying his mother wouldn’t think well of her if she did.
She’d met Leo’s family only once before, on their disastrous would-be wedding day. Leo had confided to her that his mother thought he was getting remarried too fast. Piper would have preferred if he’d have kept that information to himself. Why couldn’t men tell when discretion was the better part of valor?
The house was blessedly quiet. Rebecca had left to spend the day with her father, and Leo had taken Evie to the Compo Beach playground, but Stelli had complained of another stomachache and was resting upstairs. Soon enough the house would be filled, though, with Leo’s parents, his brothers, their wives, and their kids. There would be sixteen for dinner, including Piper, Leo, and the children. She hoped today would be a time when she might ingratiate herself with the family.
She tied an apron around her waist and went to work. She’d put the turkey in early that morning and was putting the finishing touches on the homemade pie crusts. She had made the mashed potato and sweet potato casseroles last night, and they were in the refrigerator, ready to be popped into the oven. Now she was organizing appetizers and veggies for before the feast. She’d decided to tackle a Greek appetizer, hoping it might endear her toLeo’s parents, and settled on spinach pie, painstakingly filling the filo she’d gotten at the grocery store with what she hoped was the perfect balance of spinach and feta cheese.
She put the three pies in the oven, set the timer for forty minutes, and went into the dining room, where she put together a simple centerpiece—a row of seven low glass vases with a single white mum in each—simple and elegant. Straightening one of the place mats, she moved a wineglass a tad, and left the room feeling satisfied. Now she could go upstairs and get herself ready before Leo and Evie returned.
It was nearly three by the time they got home, just enough time for Evie to change before everyone arrived. Piper had laid out Stelli’s clothes but saw when he came downstairs that he’d chosen a different pair of pants and shirt. A silent act of defiance? she wondered. Evie, who was old enough to choose her own clothes, had picked a cranberry-colored sweater dress.
“Evie, you look so pretty. Would you like to come help me in the kitchen?”
“Sure,” Evie said, following Piper.
“Here you are,” Piper said, putting two boxes of crackers on the kitchen table. “Will you put these crackers on this cheese board?”
The dessert pies were cooling, and the spinach pie would soon be ready to come out of the oven. Piper opened the oven door to check on it. It needed a few more minutes to brown on the top, so while Evie was busy with the crackers, Piper pulled the shrimp platter out of the refrigerator. As she turned around, she almost bumped into Leo.
“Boy, you’ve been busy. The house smells amazing.”
She smiled. “I’ve loved every minute of it. I hope everyone has a big appetite.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” he said, and grabbed a shrimp from the platter. “My family loves to eat.” He popped it into his mouth just as the doorbell rang. “Speaking of which... I’ll get it.”
Piper wiped her hands on the apron before taking it off, turning to Evie, and motioning her toward the foyer. “Let’s go see who’s here.”
They must have come as a convoy, Piper thought as the entire family came trooping through the door.
“Leo,agape mou,” Evangelia said, hugging her son to her.
His father moved in for a bear hug as soon as Leo’s mother let go. They stood together looking at Piper. Evangelia gave her a forced smile. “Peeper,” she said. “Very nice to see you.”
“It’s Piper, Ma,” Leo said, and Piper heard Stelli snicker behind her. “What have you got?” Leo pointed to the three shopping bags they’d brought with them.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Piper,” Stelios said as he enfolded her in his strong arms. At least one of Leo’s parents was nice to her.
“You know, Ma never goes anywhere empty-handed,” Gus said.
Piper looked at the bags in alarm. Had the woman brought food?
“Take, take. Into the kitchen,” Evangelia ordered them.
With a sinking heart, Piper picked up one of the bags, which was quite heavy, while Leo picked up the other two. His mother and father followed them into the kitchen, where Piper and Leo set the bags on the counter. Piper’s heart sank as the others unpacked the contents from two large insulated bags—a huge platter of sliced lamb, a pan of roasted potatoes, a deep tray of rice. It was the entire dinner. She was too upset even to look as theystarted on the second bag. What was Piper supposed to do with everything she’d cooked? What kind of crazy people brought an entire meal to a home where they’d been invited to dinner? As they unloaded the last bag, Piper saw a tray of baklava and another of something they calledkoulouraki, some kind of braided cookie. She wanted to cry—or scream.