Wedding Belles

by Beth Albright

  We smiled though our tears.

  “I love you so much, Sonny. I am so sorry.”

  Sonny put his index finger to my lips. “Shh,” he soothed. “No apologies. This is only a break for now. Not a breakup. I will not lose you, Blake. Not ever again.”

  I tried to smile. “We’ve only just gotten to the place that I’ve longed for, Sonny. I need you so badly, but I know we have to do this.”

  Sonny kissed me goodbye and opened the front door. He smiled at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I left his driveway, watching him in my rearview mirror. He stood on his porch, leaning against the side post, his hands in his pockets. I turned out on the little dirt road and he faded from sight. If this break was supposed to make things better, why did I feel like everything had just gotten so much worse?

  37

  Two miserable days later, I was at the office on the phone with Wynona Aaron when Wanda Jo popped in and slipped a message under my nose that read, “Call Sonny ASAP. They’ve got news.”

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Aaron, but something has come up and I need to run. I’ll talk to you next week or sooner if I have anything new to share.”

  I hung up and dialed Sonny. I felt a pit in my stomach take root after the talk we had the other night. It felt wrong not to be able to see him and run to him.

  “Blake, I’m glad you called. We’ve had a new development in the Aaron case. How soon can you get here to discuss it?” He sounded so formal and businesslike. This emotional distance was killing me.

  “I’ll be there in a minute.” I hung up, my hand lingering on the phone. I let out a deep breath. At least I’d get to see him.

  I called down the hall to Wanda Jo to let her know that I’d be at the police station, then raced across the street—just like I did that night during the thunderstorm in May, when Sonny gave me his white shirt that I never returned. I ran under the old clock and across the side street, crossing just in front of the Warrior River Bridge and rushing into Sonny’s office, my feet pitching fits. I felt I deserved an award for running across two city streets in my Jimmy Choos. Even in a crisis, shoes are what it’s all about. Just ask Cinderella or Dorothy.

  “Hey, Sonny, what’s going on?”

  Sonny stood up and got me a chair. “We got some partial fingerprints from the boat. Better still—they match the ones on the can Dwayne dumped outside his club. Tressa’s prints, which we pulled from that fast-food bag and Lewis’s watch, haven’t shown up anywhere else.”

  “Can you arrest Dwayne?”

  “Not yet,” Bonita said as she walked in and pulled up a chair. “Placing him on the boat doesn’t prove that he killed Walter, it just proves that at some point he was on that boat. But I think our suspicions of this guy were right.”

  “We think Dwayne was posing as a day worker and that he was the one who pushed Walter off the boat. I’m willing to bet it was his idea for Tamlyn to marry Walter—someone rather lonely who didn’t talk to his family much. Maybe they thought he’d be an easy target, and once they’d killed him, he and Tressa could get all of the insurance money. If we can prove that T/Tressa was using her sister’s identity to marry Walter and pull off this scheme, then we can put a case together against her, too,” Sonny said. “Unfortunately, a lot of this is still circumstantial. We either need a confession or someone who can officially ID Dwayne as being the worker on the boat with Walter when he died. Blake, you saw the artist’s sketch, so we’re pretty sure we’ve got the right guy. But we need a crew member to confirm it. If it was Dwayne, he’d be the last one who had contact with Walter, making him a prime suspect. Based on that, we’d definitely be able to bring him in for questioning.”

  “Cal called this morning,” Bonita said. “There’s an unsolved murder in Tennessee where the benefactor is one Tamlyn M. Hartman. So we have us a pattern.”

  Sonny added, “Maybe that department’s investigative team has some information or photos we can use to nail Tressa.”

  “Isn’t it enough to charge her based on bigamy and forged documents?” I asked.

  “I don’t want to miss out on charging the two of them with murder, if I can prove it.”

  Bonita said, “We believe Tressa is being forced into this by Dwayne, which is why we think she’s trying to get so much cash from Lewis to sign the annulment. She’s hoping she can take the money and disappear, escaping Dwayne in the process.”

  Sonny nodded, his gaze lingering on me just a bit too long.

  “We really need those annulment papers signed by this Friday,” I said. “That’s the final deadline. I talked to the probate judge and he said as long as we get all the paperwork in by then, the wedding license can be issued.”

  “I know. Our plan is to get two birds with one stone. I need you to try and contact Tressa and ask her to come back here Friday to the grand opening of the Brooks Mansion to get the money from Lewis and to sign the papers. If we’re right about Dwayne, he’ll likely follow her out here to see what she’s up to, since he keeps such a tight leash on her. We’ll be there to catch her taking money from Lewis, and we can bring her in on extortion charges once she’s signed the papers,” Sonny said.

  Bonita got up and pushed her chair back. “Meanwhile, we’ll get the tugboat captain down there to get a look at Dwayne, too, and make a confirmation that he’s the day worker who was with Walter when he died. Once we get that, we can bring him in, as well.”

  “We will set up everything we can for Friday,” Sonny said. “Everybody and their brother will be at the grand opening so we can keep the captain’s surveillance and this whole sting hidden in plain sight,” Sonny said. “Though Dwayne may very well come in another disguise.”

  “Okay, this sounds like a viable plan. Let’s work it.” Bonita walked out of his office and headed down the hall.

  Sonny got up and gently closed the door behind Bonita. I tensed as he came closer and closer.

  “I know what you said, but when we have to see each other like this, the rules feel blurry.” He leaned down and kissed me gently, softly, slowly.

  I pulled away, though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

  “Blake,” he said. “This hurts.”

  “I know. It hurts me, too.” I picked up my purse. “I’ll call you, okay?”

  “I love you,” he said, looking like he wasn’t sure when he’d see me again.

  I had to admit I wasn’t so sure, either. Right now, we had the excuse of this case, but after that... Not seeing him, even weekly, would feel like a death. My heart couldn’t take much more, but I couldn’t afford a mistake.

  “I love you, too, Sonny,” I said. I blew him a kiss and walked out and closed the door. I slipped into the bathroom down the hall, amazed I was still holding it together. As I stared at the sad woman in the mirror, all I could think of was How am I going to stay away from my cop?

  38

  Late August hit us like opening the door of a dishwasher midcycle. The heat and humidity were so claustrophobic that even taking a deep breath felt impossible. The rest of the workweek had passed, and I had stayed away from Sonny unless it was business. It was sheer agony most of the time.

  I’d managed to get Tressa on the phone and she’d agreed to meet us at three o’clock for the grand opening of the station. She’d sounded desperate to make this happen, but midconversation I heard Dwayne barge in on her and yell in the background. She’d hung up right away, and I hoped he hadn’t hurt her. The plus side was that he was clearly suspicious of Tressa and I was certain he’d follow her out here when she came for the money.

  The drop date for the sting was today, and I was hoping with everything I had that Tressa would follow through. She could technically go on like this forever, marrying rich men, Dwayne killing them off and then taking their money and setting up in a different part of the country. In fact, if she hadn’
t made that little mistake of marrying Lewis in a college prank all those years ago, bringing her to our attention, who knows how many more rich, lonely men would be dead? I wanted this to end here—we all did. The question was, did Tressa?

  My main concern, though, was for Vivi and Lewis. We were cutting the deadline for their paperwork too close. If we didn’t have the annulment papers filed for her wedding license by midnight tonight, everything could fall apart and we faced the possibility of having to postpone the wedding. And even worse—this might be our only chance at getting the papers signed, period. If we failed, Vivi and Lewis would never be able to get properly married. We were really under the gun.

  That morning I went downstairs to find Vivi standing at the sink. She had a cup of coffee and looked racked with nerves.

  “Hey, little momma, are you okay this morning?”

  “I’m just a little jittery,” she said as she sipped her mocha.

  “Honey, the cure for jitters is not coffee. Here, I’ll take that.” I took the mug from her and handed her some OJ. “What’s going on under all that red hair this morning?”

  “Today’s the day. If we don’t get that signature, I can’t get married. I mean, not really married, what with bigamy being illegal and all. It’s just too close now. I don’t handle this last-minute stuff so well.” She took a sip of juice.

  “You don’t?” I said in mock amazement. “Let me call Dallas and get that on the news.” I reached over and patted her hand. “Look, Vivi, Bonita and Sonny have it all planned out. Lewis will lure Tressa into the office at the mansion and we’ll get the money transaction on tape. Bonita and Sonny will deal with her while the other officers are handling Dwayne, who we’re hoping the tugboat captain will be able to ID. We’re gonna do more than get those papers signed, honey. We’re gonna get a couple of criminals behind bars.”

  * * *

  We arrived at the Brooks Mansion just before 10:00 a.m. The big celebration had just started, but the crowd was thick, despite the already suffocating temperature.

  The mansion looked amazing with its new coat of paint, repaired front porch and restored windows and shutters. Lewis had ordered all the carpets, period bannisters and crown moldings before the restoration began. The old mansion had stood still as time wore her down, but the face-lift and renovations and the crowds outside seemed to infuse her with new life. She was experiencing a revival, in every sense of the word. She was so lucky Lewis had saved her and loved her so much. Everything just glistened.

  I stopped for a minute after I got out of my car just to look at her. Lewis bought her, with Meridee’s help, but we’d all worked together. I’d held off the people who’d tried to purchase the place and have it mowed down and turned into a shopping center. My fight had lasted just long enough for Lewis to slip in and buy the place up. Meridee always said that things always worked out like they were supposed to. I hoped today would be no different.

  “Gosh, the mansion sure is beautiful. I’m so proud of my Lewis,” Vivi whispered.

  We made our way to the front porch and the oval cream-colored plaque with crimson writing that read simply The Brooks Mansion, Circa 1837. The letters over the door were painted in crimson and read: WCTR Radio, Alabama Crimson Tide Network. It was perfect.

  We went inside and walked through the front foyer where large vases of massive magnolia and hydrangea arrangements sat on huge round mahogany tables. Passing immaculate parlors with shiny wood floors and tapestry carpets running up the center of the curving staircase, we found Lewis’s office.

  “Hey, baby, this place is spectacular.” Vivi leaned into Lewis and hugged him, tippy-toeing up and kissing him on the cheek. “I just adore all the final touches. So 1800s. You did a wonderful job, honey.”

  “Red, you look fantastic.” He kissed Vivi back, both of them literally flushing with excitement. “Today is gonna be big.”

  “Hey, Blake,” Lewis said as he hugged me. “This is amazing, huh? We’ll get that woman in here to sign, and then we’re gonna get us a license and have a wedding. It’s all worked out.”

  I didn’t want to ruin the moment, so I kept my worries to myself. When we got Tressa’s signature on that annulment form and all the papers were filed, then I’d have a mint julep on the porch and take it all in. Until then, I’d be biting my nails—figuratively, of course. I’d never really ruin my manicure.

  39

  Vivi and I went outside after Lewis gave us the grand tour. Meanwhile, coeds from the school of communication were conducting tours in the home for the townspeople that had arrived for the celebrations. On the grounds out front, a petting zoo had been set up just to the right of the main house. To my surprise, Dallas had set herself up atop the lone mule and was talking happily about the festivities to the camera pointed at her from below. Never would I have thought she’d go so close to an animal with such a stink, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that she’d do anything for a good screen shot.

  Meanwhile, a small merry-go-round already had a line. Fire trucks and police cars were on display—it truly was a community event.

  A line of young women made their way to a table where a little job fair was taking place. The interviews were for the spot of station receptionist. All of the young ladies were done up like they were on their way to a pageant. All that was missing were the tiaras. Many of them were already in fits because the humidity was melting their makeup.

  Harry arrived with Dan and set up a little area for some quick hand-shaking and campaign speaking. Bullhorn McGraw was there, of course, in his green pickup truck, sitting on the lawn chairs in the back of it right alongside his wife and hollerin’ into his megaphone.

  Hot dog stands, cotton candy and popcorn shacks were set up in the center of the quad. Students at the university were just coming back from summer break, and Lewis had the Alabama cheerleaders and some members of the Million Dollar Band, Alabama’s marching band, there to entertain the crowds.

  It was festive, to say the least. Kitty and Meridee were over at the mayor’s tent, drinking iced tea. When I hugged them, I could smell that their iced tea was already spiked with Jack, even though it was still morning. I decided to bite my tongue—I mean, it was a celebration, after all. And more than that, it was Lewis’s coming-out party, showing the entire town exactly who he really was. I was so happy for him and for Vivi, too. Today was a day of new beginnings. Now we just had to sweep out the old—the old wife, I mean.

  The citywide party seemed to be going pretty well and, since it was hotter than all of hell, we had huge numbers of volunteers for the dunking booth.

  I should have known, though, that things couldn’t go smoothly for long. Harry had his shirtsleeves rolled up and was shaking hands with the crowd, so of course, Bullhorn thought he needed to compete. Bullhorn had his driver pull the truck up near the little goats in the petting zoo and then stood up to speak. However, there is a rule that, if you grow up down South, you just know. Don’t startle the mules.

  Bullhorn must not have been thinking, ’cause certainly he knew the rule by heart. He bellowed into that megaphone and the lone mule with Dallas perched on top went nuts, breaking through the fence and running at turbo charge straight toward the media tents.

  Dallas grabbed the mule’s neck for dear life, screaming and wailing as it charged past.

  I saw Dan leave Harry and run after her, the mule keepers running right behind him. It was actually the most fun for Vivi and me as we watched her grip the mule’s neck, losing a sparkly high heel as they galloped right past us, followed by all the people chasing her.

  As they all ran past, I toasted with Vivi. “To Dallas, as she chases her dreams,” I said, raising my iced tea to Vivi’s. We both burst out laughing, but her cameraman just kept right on rolling. Dallas actually did achieve one of her dreams that day—she’d been the lead for the six o’clock news!

&
nbsp; The festival coordinator brought up the rear of the impromptu parade, hightailing it over to the now-collapsed media tents with her clipboard. “That damn Bullhorn! We told him to stay in his area. Everyone was assigned an area!” We all could not stop laughing. It was perfect—just what we needed in the moment.

  I have no idea where the mule stopped but eventually Dallas came wobbling back, her bottle-blond hair in a fit full of snarls, grass and twigs. The mule and a few of the goats trotted straight on by, the zookeepers trying to rope them. It looked more like a rodeo than a city festival. And now the chickens were loose, flapping up onto the bed of Bullhorn’s truck. I saw Harry double over laughing.

  “Oh, my God, I am fixin’ to wet my pants,” Vivi said, toasting with me again.

  Eventually three o’clock came and we headed inside the Brooks Mansion to meet Sonny and Bonita. I hadn’t heard from Tressa, but I knew how bad she wanted out and away from Dwayne, so I was certain she’d show up.

  The anxious minutes ticked by. Sonny pretty much had to stay out of sight because of running into Dwayne that night at the club. They had set up their monitoring equipment in a little closet off of Lewis’s office. Bonita was making some calls and chatting with me and Vivi. Vivi was mostly pacing, with her hands on the back of her hips.

  We were all inside Lewis’s new office, a gorgeous chandelier hanging overhead from the twelve-foot ceilings, and we could hear the construction workers walking around finishing up the last-minute renovations upstairs.

  “Where in the world could they be?” I asked aloud. “I mean, this is nuts. I’ve called Tressa three times and she doesn’t answer.”

  “I know. I am just a wreck. The courthouse is gonna close at five o’clock. Then what’ll we do?” Vivi despaired.

  “Okay, y’all don’t get too upset just yet. People like them don’t just disappear when there’s money on the line,” Bonita promised.