Just Buried

by Addison Moore

  “So you’re saying all I have to do is contact the rental company for the tents and the bounce houses, and about one hundred of my closest business associates to have it moved to Sunday?”

  She scoffs without bothering to answer the question.

  “Because, yes,” I continue, “I will do that if it means Georgie won’t have to miss a single accolade she’s undoubtedly due to receive from the people who attend the festivities. It’s not about me, Mackenzie. It’s about Georgie and my stretched thin kitchen staff. Georgie has already made it clear she’s not missing my wedding. It’s not fair to make her choose.”

  She wrinkles her nose my way as a wicked smile wiggles on her lips.

  Fish lets out a yelp of a meow. What in the world is she smiling about?

  Sherlock growls. She’s evil. She’s still bitter that Jasper didn’t choose her. And she likes making Bizzy dizzy. I heard her say those exact words to Jordy the other day.

  I believe it.

  Mackenzie leans in. “I must admit, it gives me more than a kernel of pleasure to see you writhe—and so close to your wedding day no less. And here I thought Bizzy Baker got all the green lights in life. Nothing ever seemed to go wrong for you. It would figure you’d blame me. You always seem to blame me for anything that doesn’t go your way.”

  “Maybe if you wouldn’t have pushed me into that whiskey barrel I wouldn’t have anything to blame you for.”

  She inches back a notch. “That whiskey barrel? That happened a million years ago—and I shoved you in there on a dare.”

  My mouth falls open. “You held me under. I almost drowned.”

  She shrugs. “Hux told me to do it. He said you snitched on him for stealing the car and he was grounded for a year. I was simply following orders.”

  I gasp so hard at the revelation I see stars.

  “Huxley?” I stand to my feet in a rage.

  “Yeah?” She nods as if I should have known this. “He promised he would tell you right afterwards so you wouldn’t be so angry with me. Clearly, he didn’t.” She makes a face. “Not that I care. After the way you treated me in high school, there was nothing left to salvage of our friendship.”

  My mouth rounds out. “You stole every boyfriend I had in high school. Why would I want anything to do with you?”

  “Every boyfriend you had in high school came to me. I figured if they were willing to cheat, I’d do you the favor and take them off your hands!”

  “Ladies, ladies.” Leo Granger pops up with Emmie by his side as she holds a platter of those fresh baked blondie bars.

  Mackenzie grunts my way. “We’re done here. But I’ll leave you with this—if you’re such a saint, why don’t you move your wedding to Sunday?” She takes off and I gasp.

  “Move my wedding?” I mutter the words as if I was in a trance.

  I guess I hadn’t thought of that.

  Ugh. I do not want to move my wedding. Maybe that does make me selfish, but as I see it, I can still make a couple of calls in hopes to make things work out.

  No dress, no cake, no flowers, no date.

  Why does it feel as if no wedding comes next in this cursed equation?

  Emmie grunts. “Don’t you listen to her, Bizzy.”

  Leo shrugs. “A Sunday wedding sounds good to me.”

  Emmie elbows him. “Nobody asked you.”

  McKenna walks in with Misty and Lucky in tow, and immediately I’m pulled out of my newfound stupor.

  “Aren’t you all a sight for sore eyes,” I say, making my way around the counter.

  Both Fish and Sherlock get straight to rolling around with Misty and Lucky just as I hand McKenna a blondie bar.

  “You know me so well,” my good friend hums. Her flaxen locks are slicked back into a carefree ponytail and she’s adorably bundled in an auburn cashmere cardigan. She nods to Emmie. “So is Operation Wedding Day still a go?”

  I cast a suspicious glance to my bestie and her plus one. “What’s Operation Wedding Day?”

  Leo frowns. “I’m just here for the food.”

  McKenna’s phone pings and she gives a hard groan as she looks to the screen.

  “I can’t believe this. My mom’s dress came in early from the cleaners and my seamstress wants me down at her shop right now to do a final fitting.” She sighs hard. “And wouldn’t you know it? The head seamstress is allergic to animals. Do you think I could park these two at the pet daycare in back? That might help get me there faster. I’d drop them off at my place, but they tend to get into mischief if I leave them together unsupervised.”

  “I know how that goes,” I say, giving Fish and Sherlock the side-eye as they run wild with their new companions. “Leave them with me. And take your time. Fish and Sherlock love the company.”

  “Oh, thank you!” She looks to Emmie. “You have the notes I sent you, right?”

  “I do,” Emmie assures her. “Go on, get going. I can take it from here.”

  McKenna takes off, and I snatch another blondie off the tray.

  “Take what from here?” The words snip from me, but I can’t help it. I’m not big on surprises.

  Leo nods to someone near the front, and I turn to see both Jasper and my sister striding in as if they’re on a mission.

  “Why do I get the feeling I’m ground zero for some kind of intervention?”

  Macy chortles, and Jasper gives a devilish grin that only makes me want to pull him into the nearest corner and have my way with him.

  Leo clears his throat because clearly he heard my inner raunchy ramblings. It’s so easy for me to forget that he can read my mind. But by the quasi-apologetic look on Jasper’s face, he can, too.

  “Hey, beautiful.” Jasper lands a kiss to my lips. He nods to Emmie. “Let’s do this.”

  “Okay.” Emmie winces my way. “So, don’t kill me, but I’ve sort of taken it upon myself to kick your wedding planning into high gear.”

  Macy swipes both Misty and Fish off the floor as they try to dart past her.

  “And I’m here to kick your butt if you try to put off any more decision-making.”

  Leo lifts a hand. “I heard there’d be cake.”

  Jasper sighs over at his old friend. “I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to ask if you wouldn’t mind being in the wedding party.”

  Leo sobers up as he stares hard at Jasper. They used to be as close as brothers.

  Closer. Leo nods, acknowledging my thought.

  “You have brothers,” Leo points out.

  Jasper nods. “And they’ll be in attendance. But I wanted to know if you’d stand up for me.”

  Leo looks at Jasper a good long while. And I don’t need to pry into his mind to know he’s reliving all those years they spent as best friends.

  “You bet.” Leo pulls Jasper in for one of those man-hugs and I press my lips tight in order to keep my emotions in check. It warms my heart to see them come full circle with their friendship.

  “And that will be perfect,” I say. “I was just about to ask Emmie to stand up for me. No offense, Macy, but I figured you wouldn’t want to stand through the whole ceremony anyway.”

  She nods while swallowing down a bite of a blondie bar.

  “You nailed it on the head. Also, I plan on wearing black. It’s my best color. And I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve already invited Archie to the wedding.”

  “And what about Gio?” I muse.

  “Are you kidding? The man made me pay for his drink last night at the Magic Castle. I may be a thoroughly modern woman, but as soon as you ask me to pay for your liquor, you’re off the hot list and onto the not list.” She gives both Fish and Misty a squeeze before setting them onto the floor once again. “So let’s get this party started, shall we? I vote for cake tasting first.”

  Jasper and I are quickly shuffled to the kitchen of the Cottage Café where Emmie has set out six different cakes for us to sample.

  “Emmie, you shouldn’t have,” I say as she doles a thin slice of each onto a plate for us
.

  “I should have six weeks ago,” she counters. “Now let’s get to tasting. We have chocolate with chocolate ganache, chocolate raspberry truffle, hazelnut praline, caramel apple cake, café latte cake, cookies and cream, and marble cake with Bavarian cream filling. Of course, you’re welcome to come up with your own combination, but the café needs answers and we need them today. It’s time for me to start perfecting my recipe. Your cake has to be just right.”

  Jasper and I moan our way through each bite.

  “What do you think, Bizzy?” His brows bounce as he gives an approving nod to the entire plate.

  “What do you think?” I shrug. “I want to have something you like there, too.”

  Leo lifts a hand. “I’ve got an idea. You both blurt out the flavor you like best and I bet Emmie can make them both work somehow. On three?”

  Leo, Emmie, and Macy count it off, and both Jasper and I say, “Chocolate raspberry truffle,” at the very same time.

  “That was easy enough.” Jasper pulls me in with a crooked grin blooming on his lips.

  “Oh, and I liked the caramel apple cake, too,” I say as I look to Emmie. “Any thoughts on that?”

  “I say we start with a groom’s cake—chocolate for Jasper.” She nods while jotting it down on the enormous yellow legal pad in front of her. “It’s a great way to have two different cakes. And if I were you, Bizzy, I’d go with raspberry truffle and maybe have a caramel apple set out on the dessert table.”

  “Consider it a done deal,” I assure her.

  “Now”—Emmie pulls out her laptop and sets it before us—“we need to pick a style.”

  The screen is populated with a hundred thumbnail images of wedding cakes in every shape and size.

  “Ooh.” Macy points to a cake in the shape of a black stiletto with a bright red heel. “That’s the one for me.”

  Emmie laughs. “I’ll tuck that into the back of my mind, but something tells me I won’t be needing that info anytime soon. You’re allergic to long-term relationships in the event you haven’t noticed.”

  “Technically, I’m in one now,” she says, taking another slice of the caramel apple cake. I don’t blame her, it’s that good.

  “With whom?” I ask, trying to figure out how she came up with that one.

  “Alex Fox.” She shrugs. “We’re doing that whole long distance, open relationship, late night racy texting thing. It’s working out beautifully. I highly recommend it.” Her phone chirps. “I bet that’s him now.” She pulls her phone out, and her face contorts in horror. “What in the fresh H-E-double hockey sticks? Someone stole my credit card and ran up a five thousand dollar tab at the Magic Castle last night. I’m sorry, Bizzy, but I’d better call and take care of this. I have that credit card tied to all of my utilities and my car payment. This is going to be a nightmare to untangle. Have fun, you guys.” She picks up a knife and pauses before slicing off another piece of that caramel apple cake before setting the knife down and snatching up the whole cake instead. “What the heck, the day has already fallen in the shredder.”

  She takes off, and Emmie turns the page on her list.

  “Flowers?” she says it curt while looking my way.

  “I’ll talk to Archie,” I say. “He’s working on McKenna’s floral arrangements. I bet I can work a deal out with him.”

  “Okay.” Emmie turns the page once again. “We already have the caterer—me.” She flashes a bright smile. “So what do you want for appetizers? What do you want for dinner, and how many dessert tables are we looking at?”

  Jasper picks up my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Yes, yes, and yes. Whatever Bizzy wants is fine by me.”

  Leo laughs. “Bizzy, that’s code for a nice big juicy steak.”

  “How about surf and turf?” I shrug to Jasper.

  Emmie lifts her pen. “How about surf and turf with a traditional Maine spin on it? I’m talking lobster, crabs, clams, the whole nine fishy yards.”

  “Throw in clam chowder and you’ve got a deal,” I say.

  Jasper nods. “How about some crab cakes?”

  Leo pats his stomach. “Let’s toss in some brisket.”

  Emmie purrs his way, “I was just about to put some brisket in the oven for tonight.”

  Leo curls his lips. “You do realize food is my love language.”

  I elbow Jasper. “Why do I feel as if we’re intruding?”

  “Because you’re intuitive.” He frowns over at the canoodling taking place across the way. “If I were you, I’d implement a no getting frisky in the kitchen rule.”

  I wrap my arms around him. “Now what fun would that be?”

  Emmie takes Leo by the hand and quickly navigates him to the office.

  I twitch my lips at the sight. “Do you think it’s too late to implement a no canoodling in the office rule?”

  Emmie slams the door behind them as if letting me know exactly what she thinks of my no canoodling rule.

  I shrug up at Jasper. “How about a quick walk along the sand?”

  “It sounds like just what I need before heading off to Seaview.”

  Jasper and I collect our menagerie and head on out into the cool fall air. The cove is sparse with tourists, and the Atlantic creates a dramatic navy backdrop against the powder white sand.

  Lucky runs out before us. Race you to the water, he barks in Sherlock’s direction, and they’re off like a couple of greyhounds.

  Misty lifts her paws in a dainty manner. I don’t care for the sand.

  “Come here, girls.” I scoop them both up and hand Fish to my soon-to-be better half.

  Jasper casts those silver eyes my way. “I did a little research on the disappearance of that girl Bernie and Archie mentioned last night.”

  “And you found out her name is Embry Knight?”

  “Bizzy Baker.” Jasper closes his eyes a moment, and both Misty and Fish purr with delight.

  Fish mewls as she snuggles in his arms. Isn’t he handsome?

  Misty mewls. He does have the most adorable freckles.

  Freckles? Fish sits up straight. Are you talking about Sherlock? I was talking about Jasper.

  A tiny laugh gets caught in my throat. “I think Misty has a little crush on Sherlock Bones.”

  Jasper tips his head to the side. “Are you trying to change the subject?”

  I bite down a smile. “I think this circles back to me being intuitive. Speaking of intuitive, there’s another missing girl and her name is Shelly Grant. I looked them up this morning. Jasper, that’s three women, all from Edison.”

  “I know.” He casts a glance out to the water. “I was up all night researching it myself. The sad thing is, if nobody reports it, the sheriff’s department can’t step in to help. Did you see their pictures?”

  “No, did you?”

  He pulls out his phone, and I lean in as his screen lights up a picture of all three women side by side.

  “Jasper.” I gasp. “They look like they could be sisters.”

  “I thought so, too.” He leans in to get a better look along with me. “All three have blonde hair and blue eyes. All three worked and lived in Edison. Anita was a waitress at a nearby diner; Embry was a dancer at a nearby club.”

  “A dancer?”

  He nods. “At a club called Make It Rain. And the only reason I’m telling you is because I’m well aware that garnering the information would suddenly be on your agenda.”

  “You do know me.” I hike up on my toes and kiss his cheek. “And Shelly?”

  “Bank teller. She was let go just a few weeks before her disappearance.”

  “Interesting.”

  Fish lets out a meow that sounds more like a chortle. Bizzy’s wheels are turning. I can tell by the way she’s chewing the inside of her cheek.

  I press my lips together quickly to stop doing just that.

  Jasper puts his phone back into his pocket. “I’d better get to work.” He lands a kiss to my lips. “Keep away from trouble, would you?”

/>   “Trouble? Me? I’ll be looking at wedding dresses online all day. And judging by the price tags, that might just be trouble.”

  “It’s on me, Bizzy. You pick up whatever you like.”

  “At the price points I’m looking at, buying a house would be cheaper.”

  He lands Fish in my arms.

  “I trust you.” He dots my lips with a kiss before taking off.

  Fish nuzzles against Misty just as Lucky and Sherlock run up panting.

  Where to now, Bizzy? Sherlock barks.

  “How about we head to my cottage and I’ll get you all a bowl of fresh water while I scroll the internet for a dress?”

  And any information I can find on those three women.

  After seeing their pictures, I don’t think those disappearances are random after all.

  It makes me wonder if we’ve got a monster on our hands, and I very much think we do.

  Then there’s Julian’s killer to tend to.

  And I very much plan on tending to them both.

  Chapter 9

  My little cottage has always been my favorite little hideaway, with its shabby chic style, complete with frilly curtains and comfy sofa that just so happen to share the same yellow and white checkered print. The sofa is a little older, but the curtains were a new addition I picked up online a few weeks back and they add another overall layer of coziness to the place.

  As soon as I got back to my cottage with all of the animals, I gave them each a fresh bowl of water and treats—bacon for Sherlock Bones and Lucky, and kitty vittles for Fish and Misty. I even tossed out several balls of yarn for them to play with but, of course, all four animals are fighting over the same orange ball. The fire is roaring, and I’ve settled on the couch with my laptop and a cup of hot apple cider as I try to dive deep into the lives of Anita Dolman, Embry Knight, and Shelly Grant.

  “It turns out, all three of these look-alikes were having some financial struggles,” I say as Sherlock and Lucky come away with their own ball of yarn and curl up next to the fire.