"You're wrong," Olivia shot back. "She is a friend. Yes, she has a job to do, but I have no idea how to plan a wedding. As you just pointed out, I'm not the type of woman who does things like this. I thought that Janelle would help me. After all, she kept pushing for the proposal, but no-o-o. All she cares about is the brownstone. My mother is trying to plan her dream wedding, and all you want to do is talk about money. So I do consider Lacy a friend."
"Yet you know nothing personal about her."
Olivia set her lips in a thin line. This was getting them nowhere. "I'll call you if I find your wallet," she muttered as she brushed past him to go upstairs and get dressed. It hurt her that she and Andrew couldn't seem to agree on anything, but the fact was that he seemed so blind to her problems.
Lacy had been the answer to her prayers. She'd listened to Olivia's concerns about the wedding, and in a calm voice, Lacy had come up with a solution to each one.
Andrew was wrong. Even if Lacy's motivation had been to make more money, it still didn't change anything. She’d been Olivia’s friend during the wedding process, when no one else was there.
With Snowball, decked out in a yellow dress that looked like it might once have been part of a Beauty and the Beast costume, Tucker, and Goodwin trotting along next to her, Olivia walked down the streets of Lacy's neighborhood. She had her ear buds hooked up to her phone, and she held the tiny microphone on the wire closer to her mouth. "Janelle, I know that I said that I'd try to swing by the bakery today, but Andrew lost his wallet, and I promised that I'd try to find it."
"It's not even noon, Olivia. You have all afternoon," her sister answered crossly.
"Yes, but in case you haven't heard, my wedding planner is dead."
"Oh, I heard. Apparently, it's all your fault. You're cursed."
Olivia groaned and rolled her eyes. "Who told you that?"
"Kristy was in here earlier to grab a muffin, and she was rather loudly discussing the meltdown you had outside of Candlelight Farms. Unfortunately for you, Celeste was also there."
Perfect. Just perfect. "How long until you think the whole town is talking about my curse?"
"Kristy is a bit busy," Janelle said airily. "I'm sure it'll take at least until Happy Hour at End Game before everyone finds out."
"So now you see why I'm so busy. I have to talk to the vendors who worked with Lacy to make sure that they aren't as superstitious as the rest of Lexingburg. You gave me a week, right? So we still have time."
"You are procrastinating," Janelle accused her. "You are going to wait until the last minute, then something is going to happen, and we're going to lose the brownstone. Franklin is only going to be so patient with us."
"If you'd stop stressing me out about it, maybe I'd get it done sooner," Olivia snapped. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go. I'm here." She almost felt bad as she pulled out her phone and hung up on her sister, but truth be told, she was more than just a little angry with Janelle. She'd always assumed that Janelle would do the wedding cake, and her sister had actually hesitated when she'd asked. Outside of that, Janelle hadn't done a single thing to help Olivia out. It had hurt the younger sister’s feelings. It also made no sense. Janelle had been so excited a couple of months ago. What had changed between them?
"All right, troops. We have a mission," she said, guiding the dogs up the driveway. Eyes sweeping the ground, she walked slowly and searched the area. The worst-case scenario was that someone walking by had already found Andrew's wallet and picked it up. If that were the case, hopefully they would be a Good Samaritan and turn it in.
When she didn't find it in the driveway, she unlatched the gate and peered into the backyard. It wasn't a crime scene, and since Andrew had already been there, it couldn't hurt if she went in. Still, she felt like a trespasser when she stepped in and closed the gate behind herself.
The grass must have had a growth spurt from the recent rains, for it was tall and lush. The dogs happily rolled around while Olivia searched carefully for the missing wallet. Fortunately for her, Goodwin honed in on something near the fence line a few feet down from the gate. "Good boy!" Olivia said happily when she reached him, and she was so happy, she bent down and kissed her dog. There was the wallet!
Reaching down, she picked it up and opened it. She had no idea what Andrew carried in his wallet, but she made sure that his license, bank card, and credit cards were still there. She was just about to fold it closed again when she saw the bent corner of a photo peeking out from one of the pockets. Curious, she pulled it out.
It was a picture of her. She remembered the night well. It had been only a few weeks after their first date, and she'd canceled plans because she had a cold. Andrew claimed that he'd been thinking about her all day, and if she couldn't go out, he'd come to her. He’d brought her soup and crackers, medicine, and Tabasco sauce to help open her sinuses. She'd balked at first, but he lit some candles, wrapped her up in a blanket, and cuddled with her on the couch while they ate. She'd protested the whole time, saying that she looked awful, and he'd get sick, and he snapped a picture of her to tell her that he thought she was beautiful. She'd made him delete the photo, but obviously, he'd managed to recover it and had printed it out.
Two days later, he was also sick, but he’d told her it was worth it.
Smiling softly to herself, she tucked the picture back in his wallet and dropped it in her bag. At a crashing sound, her head whipped around, and she frowned. "Goodwin! Snowball! What are you doing?"
The dogs had knocked the trashcan over and were digging in the resulting mess. Groaning, she hurried over and reclaimed their leashes. "Come on!"
Leaning down, as she lifted the trashcan up to right it, something caught her eye. With a sharp intake of breath, she released the dogs and pulled out her phone.
When the sheriff came on the line, she said, "Nick? It's Olivia. I have some news about your interrogation with Matthew."
"We're checking on his alibi now. What's up?" he asked gruffly.
"When Andrew tackled him, he claimed that he was searching for his baseball cards."
"Yeah. He said that he couldn’t find them."
"That's because Lacy had thrown them out in the trash. I'm staring right at them."
There was a beat of silence. "Olivia, what are you doing going through Lacy's trash?"
"I'll tell you when you get here."
9
Matthew was released within the hour. It turned out that he had an alibi for the evening of the time of the murder. He'd been at End Game with friends, watching a baseball game and drinking. More than ten people confirmed his alibi.
It was possible that he had an accomplice, but discovering the baseball cards left Olivia feeling a little unsettled. He hadn't been lying about why he’d broken in. Olivia had taken a few quick pictures of the cards and sent them to Andrew. He confirmed that the cards weren't worth much. Matthew's desire to have them back was nothing more than a deep-seated affection. It wasn't nearly as strong a motive for killing as money. Maybe the ex-boyfriend still harbored some rage, but it seemed to be more about pride than heartbreak. Nothing in his history indicated that he was capable of killing someone, and Lacy's murder had taken some thought and planning. It definitely hadn’t been a crime of passion.
Nick told her that Matthew was much more amicable once he told him that he'd return the cards when the case was closed. Right now, they were being held as evidence.
Dropping off Snowball and Tucker, Olivia stopped at the house to check on Fender. The basset hound seemed to have gotten his second wind for the day, so she leashed him and got him and Goodwin settled in the car. While she thought about the next move to make in her investigation of Lacy's murder, she had some damage control to do.
First was Chris Hawker—or Fresh Elegance, as his card stated. Apparently, his gigs were a part-time job. At night, he claimed to spin smooth tunes that would make the heart sing, but during the day, Chris was a delivery driver for Garland Couriers. Parking her car, she wa
ited until she spied him coming out of the small store with several packages in his arms. When she saw his attention was fixed on opening the trunk of his car and then arranging the packages in some kind of order inside, she grabbed Fender and Goodwin and hurried across the parking lot toward him. While his head was still in the trunk of his car, she opened the car’s back door and urged her dogs in.
Chris pulled his head up in a panic and stared. "Hey! What are you doing?"
"We need to talk," she said, crossing her arms.
Closing the trunk, he frowned. "I'm about to go on a delivery. If this is about your wedding, we can talk later."
"Normally I would agree with you, but you haven't returned any of my phone calls." Smiling sweetly, she opened the passenger door and slid in.
"Olivia!" Hurrying around the car, he opened the driver’s side and leaned down. "You can't come with me! Are those your dogs? Get them out of my car!"
"This is the perfect solution. You are clearly much too busy to return my phone calls, so I'm joining you. That way we can talk, and I won't have to take up any more of your precious time."
With a sigh, he slid in and closed his door. "Olivia, I told you before that I wasn't sure if I could accommodate a fall wedding."
"You're telling me that every single weekend from August to December is booked for you?"
Chris sighed. "Look, I guess there's no harm in saying something now. Lacy had a lot riding on your wedding, and she needed it to happen in the spring. When I got your message, I called her, and she told me to stick with the original dates. But now that Lacy is dead, and there are rumors circulating—" he hesitated.
"Chris, you're—what? Twenty-three? There is no way that you believe in some silly curse."
"Normally, no," he admitted ruefully. "But my mother is very superstitious, and she told me that I needed to stay away from you. I'm sorry, Olivia."
Frustrated, Olivia crossed her arms. "Okay, but this curse idea started because people thought my wedding plans were falling apart. Now you're telling me it's because Lacy didn't want to budge on the date.” She swallowed and tried for a reasonable tone. “And I get that. We'd almost finished planning the whole thing, and I can see her not wanting to start over, but it's not my fault—right?"
"I'm sorry, Olivia. There isn't anything that I can do."
"Chris, you're the only DJ in town. If you won't entertain at my wedding, I'm going to have to interview people from Lowell. I don't want a complete stranger playing at my wedding, but I'm sure they don't let superstitions rule their lives."
The younger man turned the key and started the car. He avoided her gaze. "I know this sucks, Olivia. I suggest if you really want to go through with your wedding, you search for vendors outside Lexingburg."
"Sucks? Really? This is my wedding, Chris. This is ridiculous," Olivia yanked on the car door handle and climbed out. "This is the twenty-first century! How can some legend from a hundred years ago be ruining what's supposed to be the happiest day of my life?"
"I really am sorry, Olivia."
Refusing to acknowledge him, Olivia slammed the door and let her dogs out of the back of the car, though Goodwin played a little tug-of-war before agreeing to come out. He loved car rides. In a huff, she marched back across the parking lot toward her car. She was so angry that she almost didn't see the two women staring at her.
"Olivia?"
Whipping her head around, Olivia saw Tina standing near her car with another woman she didn't recognize.
The wedding planner gave her a faint smile. "Are you okay?"
Her shoulders slumped. "The whole town believes this bride's curse nonsense. Chris was my DJ, but now he's refusing to work for me. My whole wedding is falling apart, all because someone murdered Lacy."
"You're Olivia Rickard?" Tina's companion frowned.
"Olivia, this is my assistant, Rachel Wolf. She used to work for Lacy."
Nodding to the younger woman, she couldn't help but notice that the assistant was glaring at her. "I really am not cursed."
"Maybe if you hadn't hired the worst wedding planner in town, you wouldn't be in this position. If you'll excuse me, we have some business to attend." Turning her nose up in the air, the young woman walked away.
"Wow," Olivia muttered. "I guess there's no love lost between them."
Tina waved her hand dismissively. "Rachel used to be Lacy’s intern. She had a lot of plans and ideas when she started working with Lacy, but I think the internship was too much for her. You know how it can be. No pay, and tons of stress. When they parted ways, Lacy didn't hire her on as an assistant. I think it stung. But it's my gain. She's a wonderful assistant."
Once again, Olivia was discovering that Lacy might not have been the sterling woman that she'd once thought. "Well, I won't keep you," she said awkwardly.
"Olivia, hang on." Tina dug into her purse and pulled out a small notebook. After jotting a few things down, she tore out the page and handed over the paper. "There are a few DJs that I've worked with in Lowell. They'll be a little pricier, but they're less likely to believe in the curse."
Slowly taking the paper, Olivia gave the wedding planner a curious look. "Why are you helping me? Don't you believe in the curse?"
"The history and the small-town quirks are one of the big draws of Lexingburg. I like to honor those traditions—but at the same time, I can understand your frustration. Planning a wedding is hard enough as it is."
"Thank you." Olivia folded the note and tucked it in her pocket. Andrew would probably hit the roof if she hired a more expensive DJ, but at least they'd have one.
"Good luck." With a nod of her head, Tina turned and hurried after her assistant. Feeling a little more confident, Olivia got her dogs into her car and checked the clock. By now, Janelle would have left the bakery to go home and get ready for her weekly date night with her husband, Patrick. That means Olivia could go hang out with Jackie and not get caught. The last thing that she wanted was her sister harping about the sale of the brownstone.
An hour later, she'd showered and changed to a pair of gray running pants and a blue t-shirt that read I Just Want To Have ABS-solutely All The Fries. With her back pressed against the brick of the bakery, she carefully eased toward the window and peeked through.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the cursed bride. What on earth are you doing?"
Olivia froze at the thick drawl. Almost embarrassed at being caught, she turned her head and plastered a fake smile on her face. "Delilah. How delightful to see you."
Delilah Devereux owned the women's boutique on the other side of Happy Endings. Delilah’s Silks was one of the most popular shops in Lexingburg, and before Andrew had come to town, Olivia used to shop there herself. That was before Andrew chose Olivia over Delilah. It had caused nothing short of a fierce feud between the two women, although Andrew thought Olivia was being ridiculous whenever she mentioned it.
"Olivia. It would seem that I can never say the same about you. Why are you spying on your sister's bakery?"
"You do know that we're about to buy this building, right? And by we, I mean both Janelle and I."
Delilah sniffed. "Yes. I've heard. You're not seriously opening the upstairs to those mangy mutts, are you?"
"I am a dog walker."
"It must violate some kind of health code to have dogs so close to food."
Olivia smiled sweetly. "I'll be adding an outside entrance in the back to take care of that. Of course, that'll mean more construction. I hope that doesn't disturb you."
"It's a shame. I rather enjoyed your sister's bakery. I suppose that I'll have to take my business elsewhere."
"We'll miss you," Olivia said mockingly.
"Well, I do hope that you can figure out how to plan a wedding and get married when everyone thinks that you're using your poor fiancée for his money. A cursed bride. I guess that puts a damper on things. What must he think about all of this?"
Unable to help herself, Olivia stretched out her hand to make her diamo
nd flash in the light. "He just loves me so much that he's willing to elope if it comes to that. I'm really not all that worried about it." Yet another lie, but she wasn't about to admit that she and Andrew were fighting over the wedding. "Now, if you'll excuse me . . ."
Satisfied that she’d had the last word, a sadly rare occurrence with Delilah, Olivia whirled on her heel and strutted down the sidewalk to Shelfie. Determined not to look back to see if the other woman was watching, she opened the door to the bookstore and entered. Exhaling loudly, she slumped inside.
"Are you out of breath? I'd ask if you jogged here, but I think I already know the answer to that," Jackie said dryly.
"Delilah," Olivia muttered.
"Oh." Her friend smiled sympathetically. "I guess she said something about the curse?"
"She has to know it would take more than superstition to break Andrew and me up, right?"
"You can't let Delilah get to you." Jackie closed the book that she was reading and walked around the counter. Hopping up to perch on the top, she crossed her legs. "So, tell me about the case."
At least she had one ally. "I talked to Nick this morning. Lacy was killed by cyanide. It smells like almonds, so it's possible that it was mixed in with an almond-flavored cake. They let Matthew go. He had an alibi for the murder, and I found the baseball cards that he was looking for."
"So who's your next suspect?"
Olivia sat heavily in the overstuffed green chair at the end of a bookshelf and shrugged. "I'm quickly finding out that I don't know all that much about Lacy. There's Fannie and Tina, her only real rivals in Lexingburg. I guess either one of them could have killed her to help eliminate the competition. Plus, Tina used to be Lacy's partner, although she seems to be doing well on her own, so it's not like she's hurting for business. I also met Tina's assistant today. Rachel Wolfe. Do you know her?"
Till Death Do Us Bark (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 2) Page 7