The Bloodstained Bride

by Rachel Woods

  “Tom, please don’t.”

  “Did you create a slush fund for that bastard?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Zeke said you directed him to set up an offshore account in the Aerie Islands,” said Tom. “Derek told you to do that, didn’t he? Just like he told you to get the bump removed. There was nothing wrong with your face.”

  “Tom—”

  “Can’t you see that Derek only wants your money? He doesn’t love you. Not like I do.”

  “What we had was great,” said Besi. “But it’s over, okay?”

  “Don’t forget what we mean to each other, Besi,” warned Tom. “It’s over when I say it’s over. You understand me?”

  “Let go of me,” said Besi, her voice laced with annoyance and fear. “You’re hurting me!”

  Not caring that he was wearing nothing but a towel, Leo walked into the bedroom.

  “What the hell is going on?” Leo demanded, stalking toward Tom, who had his hands firmly around Besi’s forearms, holding her immobile as she tried to jerk away from him.

  Scowling, Tom released Besi, turned, and hurried from the bedroom.

  “Thanks,” said Besi, rubbing her arms. “I don’t know what the hell his problem is.”

  “You okay?” Leo asked, glancing at the red splotches on her skin, where Tom had grabbed her.

  “I’m fine!” Besi smiled at him. “How are you? I haven’t seen much of you this week, besides a few glances at rehearsals.”

  “I could say the same thing about you.” Crossing his arms, Leo regarded Besi. The absence of the bump from her nose made her look slightly different, but she was still pretty much the Besi Beaumont he remembered from school. Heart-shaped face. Strawberries-and-crème complexion. Wavy honey-blonde shoulder length hair.

  “Melanie said you haven’t been feeling well,” said Leo, his gaze dropping to Besi’s throat, where a small locket hung around her neck. The cheap trinket Tom had referred to, Leo figured.

  “I’m feeling much better now,” said Besi, who seemed to be doing her best to avoid his gaze as she adjusted the thin straps of her sundress. “Thank you for asking.”

  Clearing her throat, Besi looked at him. “I’m a bit tired and wanted to take a nap before this afternoon’s rehearsals, so …”

  “So?” Leo asked, tilting his head.

  “I’d like you to leave now,” said Besi, a definite edge in her tone. “Please.”

  Leo smirked. “Besi, this is my room.”

  “What?” Besi frowned. Her eyes widened, darting left and right as realization dawned and embarrassment clouded her features. “Oh, God, Leo, sorry. You’re right. This isn’t my room. My apologies. I will leave.”

  “Besi, wait.” Leo walked toward her. “Can I ask you something?”

  The frown returned for a few seconds before Besi smiled again. “Sure? What is it?”

  “I know this is probably none of my business,” started Leo, “but I was wondering … what was all that about? With you and Tom?”

  Besi hesitated, looking away. “It was nothing. Tom is upset because Derek asked you to replace him as his best man, and—”

  “That’s not what I heard you say,” said Leo.

  “It’s not what you think,” said Besi, desperation in her gaze.

  “You and Tom aren’t having an affair?” Leo asked, shocked by his question as he tried to wrap his mind around the idea of Besi and Tom.

  “It wasn’t an affair,” said Besi, rolling her eyes. “We were hooking up now and then. And it’s over now.”

  “Does Tom know it’s over?” Leo asked.

  “Hooking up with Tom is not something I’m proud of,” said Besi. “It was a stupid decision. But, my mistake doesn’t have to ruin what I have with Derek. Tom and I are over, okay? So, please, Leo, don’t say anything to Derek.”

  8

  “Are you going to tell Derek about Besi and Tom?” Vivian asked, staring out of the passenger window of her husband’s old Ford truck, gazing at the Caribbean sea, shining like copper in the late afternoon sunlight.

  “Not sure,” said Leo, in the driver’s seat, steering the pick-up along the winding coastal road. “Besi swore that the affair was over and she regretted getting involved with Tom.”

  “You believe her?” Asked Vivian, pushing her wedge heels off her feet.

  “She said it was over between her and Tom,” said Leo.

  Vivian shook her head and stared at the road ahead. She was still ruminating on the revelations about Besi and Tom that Leo had shared with her an hour ago during dinner at Dizzy Jenny’s, a popular beachside restaurant. After picking her up from the Palmchat Gazette, Leo had suggested an early supper. Over grilled goat kabobs and rice, Vivian had listened in rapt attention, shocked by the idea of the bride-to-be having an affair with one of the groomsmen.

  Now that she’d had some time to process the information, Vivian wondered if Besi and Derek had a quasi-open relationship. Derek was a shameless flirt. At the cocktail party, he’d behaved more like a lust-struck frat boy than a man who was soon to wed the love of his life. Maybe Besi tolerated Derek’s antics because she dabbled in a bit of wanton behavior of her own.

  “I am surprised about Besi hooking up with Tom, but maybe I shouldn’t be,” said Leo. “Maybe it’s a case of the apple not falling far from the tree.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Besi might be like her mom, Adrienne,” said Leo. “My mom told me that Adrienne Beaumont wasn’t exactly a one-man type of woman. Adrienne was pretty wild. Lots of casual hook-ups and one night stands before she was forced to marry Samuel Beaumont.”

  “Adrienne was forced to marry Sam Beaumont?”

  “Marrying a guy old enough to be her grandfather wasn’t something Adrienne wanted to do,” explained Leo. “It was more of a necessity than a choice. Adrienne came from a family of aristocrats, but they were broke. Her family had benefactors, one of which was my mother’s family, who provided for them because of their nobility.”

  Nodding, Vivian said, “I get it. Adrienne wanted financial stability.”

  “And Sam, the self-made son of a coal miner, wanted class.”

  Twenty minutes later, as Leo drove the old Ford into the seven-car garage, pulling into an empty slot between a Jaguar and a black Volvo, Vivian noticed Isaac Morris, the garage manager responsible for the care and maintenance of Burt’s fleet of luxury vehicles.

  “Wonder what Isaac’s up to?” asked Vivian.

  Standing at the rear of a Mercedes, Isaac appeared to be writing something on a piece of paper attached to the clipboard he held.

  Shrugging, Leo said, “Probably just routine inspection of the vehicles. Dad gave the wedding party permission to borrow any one of the cars, so he’s probably a bit more busy than usual.”

  “That’s right,” said Vivian, remembering Burt’s generous offer as she grabbed her purse and exited the old Ford. Slamming the passenger door, she joined Leo, and they headed over to Isaac, a small, wiry native St. Killian dressed in grease-smudged short-sleeved coveralls.

  After brief greetings, Isaac pointed to the back of the German sedan and said, “Looks like we got some damage to the Mercedes.”

  Vivian’s gaze traveled to the left tail light.

  “What happened?” Leo asked.

  Isaac scratched the side of his head with the pen. “Not sure. Maybe somebody wasn’t paying attention and backed into something.”

  “Somebody in the wedding party?” asked Leo.

  “That’s what I’m thinking, but I don’t know for sure,” said Isaac. “All I know is someone must have borrowed this car Monday night because there was no damage to the car when I left Monday evening, around eight o’clock, but today we got this busted tail light. I’m making a note so one of my guys can fix it.”

  “Have you been keeping track of who borrows the cars?” asked Vivian.

  Isaac shook his head. “Mr. Burt said that if somebody wants to borrow one of the cars,
they tell Lem and then Lem comes to get the keys from me, or from one of my guys if I’m not around.”

  “So Lemmie would know who borrowed the Mercedes,” said Leo.

  Nodding, Isaac said, “Yeah, but I’m not gonna bother asking him. Busted tail light ain’t no big deal. We got the parts in the supply room. Just was writing it down for inventory purposes.”

  Leo said, “Whether it’s a big deal, or not, it’s still damage to one of Dad’s cars and whoever borrowed the Mercedes should have told either Lemmie or you.”

  “I don’t wanna accuse none of Mr. Burt’s guests,” said Isaac. “Could have been one of my guys accidentally did it when they was moving cars around. I gotta talk to them about it, too. Most of Mr. Burt’s guests have taken good care of the cars.”

  “Have all the guests been borrowing cars?” Leo asked.

  “Pretty much.” Isaac scratched his head again. “Only car out right now is the white BMW. Lem came to get that vehicle for the bride. Said she’s going shopping.”

  Moments later, after leaving Isaac to his duties, Vivian and Leo headed into the mansion. On the way to their guestroom, they ran into Lemmie, who was walking down the wide, curving staircase as they were heading up.

  Leo asked Lemmie, “Who borrowed the silver Mercedes yesterday?”

  Lemmie frowned. “Oh, that was Mr. Hennessy. He asked for it late last night right before I was about to go to bed.”

  “How late?” asked Vivian.

  “Oh, must have been around a quarter after midnight,” said Lemmie. “Isaac had already gone home, so I had to search for the keys.”

  “Did Mr. Hennessy say where he was going?” Leo asked. “Or, why he needed to borrow a car after midnight?”

  “No, he didn’t,” said Lemmie. “And I didn’t ask. Wouldn’t have been my place to do so.”

  “Just wondering because there was some damage to the Mercedes,” said Leo.

  “Nothing too major, I hope,” said Lemmie, his frown deepening.

  After Leo reassured the house manager that Isaac would take care of the repairs to the Mercedes, Lemmie headed off. As Vivian and Leo continued up the stairs, Leo asked, “Where could Derek have been going after midnight? He doesn’t know this island and other than me and Dad; he doesn’t know anyone who lives on this island.”

  “The roads are very dark at night,” said Vivian as they stepped onto the second-floor landing and headed down the hall that led to their room. “It’s very difficult to navigate around Montmarch.”

  “Think maybe I should find out where he was headed last night,” said Leo.

  “Think he’ll tell you?” asked Vivian.

  “I’m sure he’ll tell me a lie,” said Leo. “But, I’m going to ask anyway.”

  9

  Half an hour later, after changing into something more casual, Vivian and Leo went in search of Derek and found the wedding party lounging around the pool.

  Derek, engaging in sophomoric horseplay, chased Kelsea, who laughed and shrieked as Derek tried to catch her and throw her into the pool. Drinks in hand, Tom and Zeke stood in the five-foot section of the pool, engaged in conversation. Jacob sat on the side of the pool, feet dangling in the water. Beneath the shaded portion of the terrace, Melanie and Winnie sat at opposite ends of the large U-shaped sectional sofa.

  “I’m going to go talk to Derek about the Mercedes,” said Leo.

  “I’ll see what Melanie and Winnie are up to,” said Vivian, giving her husband a quick smooch before they separated.

  Making her way toward the sectional sofa, Vivian wondered about the relationship between Besi’s bridesmaids. Kelsea and Winnie seemed to tolerate each other, but neither woman appeared very accepting of Melanie. Even now, Melanie, engrossed in something on her phone, and Winnie, drinking champagne, seemed to be deliberately ignoring each other.

  Approaching the women, Vivian greeted them, and then took a seat between them, in the middle section of the sofa.

  Moments of strained silence passed, and then Melanie stood and said, “I’m going to go and check on Besi. She has a headache.”

  “Don’t you mean a nose ache?” Winnie snorted as she grabbed the champagne bottle from the bucket of ice on the coffee table and topped off her flute with bubbly.

  After rolling her eyes at Winnie, Melanie turned to Vivian and asked, “Are you and Leo joining us for dinner?”

  Vivian said, “No, we already ate. But, Melanie, you said Besi has a headache?”

  “She’s in her room resting,” said Melanie. “I’m going to see if she thinks she might feel well enough to—”

  “I think Besi left the mansion,” said Vivian. “Burt’s mechanic said she borrowed one of the cars to go shopping.”

  “Really?” Melanie frowned. “Is he sure?”

  Vivian nodded. “Maybe she’s back by now, though. He said she left an hour ago.”

  Her expression confused, Melanie said, “I’ll go check her room, and if she’s not there, I’ll text her. Wonder why she didn’t tell me she was leaving? Hmmm. Thanks for telling me.”

  “No problem,” said Vivian, as Melanie headed toward the French doors leading into the house.

  “Besi can’t fart without Melanie being there to smell it.”

  “Excuse me?” Vivian glanced at Winnie.

  Pouring more champagne into her empty flute, Winnie said, “Melanie acts like she’s Besi’s keeper or something.”

  “Maybe she’s just concerned about Besi,” said Vivian.

  “Maybe Melanie just needs to stop trying to run Besi’s life,” said Winnie. “She’s too protective of Besi. She doesn’t give Besi room to breathe, you know? I don’t blame Besi for sneaking away. Poor girl probably needs a moment to herself to think, you know? To contemplate her foolish choices and figure out how she's going to get out of this mess she's in.”

  Curious, Vivian asked, “What mess does Besi have to get out of?”

  “This wedding to Derek,” said Winnie, thrusting the champagne bottle into the ice. “Besi doesn’t love him, you know.”

  Vivian didn’t comment as she reflected on the conversation between Besi and Tom that Leo had overheard.

  “Besi doesn’t love Derek with all her heart and all her soul.” Winnie took a long gulp of the champagne and then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “She doesn’t love Derek the way he deserves to be loved. She doesn’t love him like I do.”

  Startled, Vivian stared at Winnie.

  “Besi stole Derek from me,” said Winnie, gazing toward the pool, where Derek and Leo were talking.

  “Wait a minute,” said Vivian, confused. “You and Derek?”

  “We never had a chance because of Besi,” said Winnie, lips curled in a cruel sneer. “Derek doesn’t know how I feel, how I’ve always felt about him, how I have loved him with every fiber of my being since the day we first meet. And now I have lost him forever because of that bitch Besi.”

  Vivian wasn't sure what to say, but she doubted Winnie was sober enough to comprehend anything beyond her own self-pity. Her glassy-eyed gaze was unfocused, fixed on some strange notion of unrequited love.

  “I’m out of champagne,” slurred Winnie. “I need another bottle.”

  “Maybe you’ve had enough,” suggested Vivian.

  “Maybe you’re right.” Shrugging, Winnie stood. Wobbling, she struggled to maneuver around the sectional and giggled when she bumped into the coffee table.

  “Careful,” said Vivian, rising to her feet, ready to catch Winnie if she stumbled. Turning, she watched the mining heiress stagger into the house. Was Winnie really in love with Derek? And what about her claims that Besi had stolen Derek from her? Had there been any truth in Winnie’s drunken soliloquy?

  “Was it something you said?”

  Slightly startled, Vivian faced her husband. “Must have been. Or, maybe I smell?”

  “Babe, I love the way you smell,” said Leo, smiling as he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. “Even when you stink.”
r />   “Oh, shut up,” she said, and after a kiss, she asked, “What did Derek say about the Mercedes?”

  “He admits to borrowing the car,” said Leo. “But, he claims he doesn’t remember damaging the taillight.”

  “Where did he go?” Vivian asked, looking toward the pool.

  Horsing around, Derek walked up behind Jacob, still sitting on the edge of the pool, and used his foot to push Jacob into the water. Seconds later, Jacob emerged, sputtering and cursing at Derek as he struggled to tread water.

  “Says he went for a drive,” said Leo. “Had to clear his head.”

  “You believe him?”

  Leo shook his head. “Not really.”

  “Well, Mr. Bronson,” said Vivian. “I just found out something else you might not believe.”

  Frowning, Leo asked, “What’s that, Mrs. Bronson?”

  “Winnie is in love with Derek.”

  10

  As Vivian entered the cavernous kitchen, a large commercial affair with a row of freezers, two Viking stoves, three large islands, and a walk-in pantry as big as a small house, she spotted Lemuel Shaw, the house manager of the vast estate, talking to three members of the household staff.

  With attentive nods, the trio of maids hurried off to their tasks, while Lemuel moved to stand in front of the sink, facing a row of windows.

  “Hey Lemmie,” said Vivian as she crossed the kitchen toward the house manager. “How are you?”

  “Ms. Vivian,” said Lemuel, his smile weak. “I’m doing okay. And yourself?”

  “I’m fine,” said Vivian, picking up on the house manager’s dour mood. “Enjoying my stay at the Bronson Compound.”

  “I’m very glad about that,” said Lemuel, looking away. “Be sure to let me know if there’s anything you need. We have a breakfast buffet set up by the pool. Mr. Leo and the other members of the wedding party are out there.”

  “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to join them,” said Vivian, concerned for Lemuel. “I have a staff meeting that I’m late for.”