Mimosa Cream & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 16

by Susan Gillard

  Heather groaned. They decided, though, that between all of them there would be both options and they could share entrees if they needed them.

  “Good,” Amy said. “Between taking care of bridal responsibilities and sleuthing I’m building up quite an appetite.”

  “Looks like you won’t have to wait long,” Heather said, indicating to where some caterers were beginning to bring out the dinner.

  Amy smiled. “Then this is the second lucky thing to happen to us.”

  However, instead of their dinner being brought to them, a seeming crisis arrived. Monica and Meredith hurried over to their table in a tizzy.

  “Oh, it’s terrible,” Monica said.

  “A disaster,” agreed Meredith.

  “What’s wrong?” Amy asked. “The groomsmen aren’t single? Or you discovered one of them smelled?”

  “Chris smells very nice. Thank you very much,” Monica said.

  “But this isn’t about groomsmen,” Meredith said. “This is about something much more serious. Something that threatens the entire wedding.”

  The others exchanged a look.

  “Come on,” Monica said.

  They were quick to follow her.

  The Crisis

  “Can you believe that?” Monica asked.

  “No,” Amy said. “I cannot believe that we ran over here for this.”

  “This is very serious,” Meredith said. “Mona had a visual scheme for her wedding, and this is ruining it."

  “Yes,” Amy said, wryly. “This is what is going to ruin it.”

  “I don’t know why you’re not taking this seriously,” Monica said. “You’re not being very good Maids of Honor.”

  “We are taking this seriously,” Heather assured her. “The missing centerpiece is a top concern.”

  Fearing they had found out about the murder or that someone else was in danger, Heather and her friends had hurried after Monica and Meredith. The bridesmaids had led them to Table One where the centerpiece was different from all the others.

  Heather was trying to calm the women down so that they would not disturb the guests who were trying to eat at the table.

  “Mona chose all the centerpieces to look like that antique from the painting with Mrs. Greyander,” Meredith said. “But this one is a regular vase. It’s just glass. It doesn’t match. It’s ruining everything.”

  “This is a crisis,” Monica agreed.

  Heather looked around the room at all the other centerpieces. The other tables had the correct vases that Mona has ordered. They were sturdy replicas of the vase from the painting. They each contained a dozen pink roses. One vase had flowers that looked bent, but Heather didn’t want to point out that “crisis” too.

  The vase at Table One also held a dozen pink roses, but it was not the colorful replica found at the other tables. It was clear glass.

  Heather admitted that it didn’t match, but based on everything else that was going on, she wasn’t very worried about it. The table still looked pretty.

  “So, what are we going to do about this?” Monica asked.

  “Exactly,” said Meredith. “How can we salvage this wedding?”

  “First, let’s all take a deep breath,” Ryan said.

  Heather nodded. "This isn't as bad as it seems. At least, this is at Table One, right? We could justify this and say it was symbolic."

  “I don’t know,” Monica said.

  “I just don’t want Mona to be disappointed,” Meredith said. “We wanted everything to be perfect for her.”

  “Or,” Heather said, getting an idea. “I could see if we could use the original vase that’s upstairs to hold the flowers.”

  “Do you think Talia would object?” Monica asked.

  “No,” Amy said. “I don’t think she’s going to say anything about it.”

  “It would only be for a short time,” Heather said, quickly. “And it’s for Mona.”

  “Are you talking about me?” Mona asked, joining the group.

  “Oh no,” Monica said.

  She and Meredith hurried to block table number one from Mona’s view.

  “What’s going on?” Mona asked.

  “Nothing you have to worry about,” Heather said.

  Mona paled for a second. “I thought I saw Detective Hoskins inside. Is he investigating something? Did something happen?”

  “Hoskins inside?” Ryan asked. “Really?”

  However, they realized that Hoskins was inside the room, so they couldn’t deny his being there anymore.

  “He must be here for some donuts,” Heather said.

  “That’s right.” Amy nodded. “Hoskins loves donuts. It must have been too much of a temptation to stay outside and not have any.”

  “And since everyone has arrived, he must have decided it was safe to come in an get one,” Ryan agreed.

  “Because Heather makes the most delicious donuts,” added Jamie.

  “All right,” Mona said, putting her hands on her hips. “What’s really going on here?”

  “We can’t hide it anymore!” Monica said.

  “It’s the centerpiece,” Meredith said.

  They moved so that Mona could see the glass vase.

  “But don’t worry,” Monica said. “We’re coming up with a plan to make sure that this different looking vase doesn’t spoil the whole event.”

  “You were worried about this vase spoiling my wedding?” Mona asked.

  “That’s right,” Heather said.

  “So worried,” Amy agreed.

  “And so, we asked Hoskins to look around a bit and see if he could find the vase,” Heather continued making up a story.

  “You ladies really are on top of everything,” Mona said. “I couldn’t have asked for better bridesmaids.”

  Mona pulled them all in for a hug. When she released them, she was beaming.

  “You’re really not that worried about this vase?” Meredith asked.

  "No. I’m relieved,” Mona said with a small laugh. “With the detective here and you acting strangely, I was afraid that a murder had taken place at my wedding!”

  The Real Vase

  “I don’t know how I kept a straight face when Mona said that,” Amy said.

  “Same here,” Heather agreed.

  “You better figure this out soon,” Jamie said. “I don’t know how convincing I can be for much longer. Laughing at the absurdity of a murder happening here. It felt funny.”

  “But the wrong funny?” said Amy.

  “Exactly,” Jamie said.

  Heather led the group to the room where the painting of Mrs. Greyander and the vase were. Ryan pointed to it.

  “Is this the vase you want to borrow for the centerpiece?” he asked.

  Heather nodded.

  “That should calm Monica and Meredith down,” Amy said. “Even though it didn’t bother Mona, it sure bothered them.”

  "We can put it on the table we think will be the safest and then move that centerpiece to Table One," Ryan suggested.

  “It’s funny,” Heather said.

  “The odd-feeling-funny again?” Amy asked.

  “Right,” said Heather. “It might be nothing, but the vase is in a different spot than when we saw it on the tour that Talia gave to us.”

  “What does that mean?” asked Jamie.

  “It means that somebody moved it,” Heather said. “But that’s all I can say. I can’t tell if it’s at all related to the murder. But I’m not sure why somebody would move it.”

  “Maybe somebody else had the same idea we did to use it as a centerpiece?” said Amy.

  Heather picked us the vase. It was heavier than she expected.

  "I think it's made of stone and then painted to look more decorative," Heather said.

  “Yeah. It’s stronger stuff than those ceramic teacups we painted,” Amy agreed.

  Heather turned the vase upside down to see if there was a label informing them of what it was made of. Instead, there was only a one-inch black l
ine written on it.

  “What does that mean?” Amy asked.

  “I don’t know,” Heather said. She twisted the vase around in her hands looking at it. Then she froze. “But I don’t think I should be touching this anymore.”

  “Why not?” asked Amy.

  “Because this looks like a large cylindrical object that could have been used as the murder weapon,” Heather said before gulping.

  “I’ll go get Hoskins and Detective Pearson,” Jamie said, running off.

  Amy sighed. “This is the worst wedding ever.”

  When Jamie returned with the detectives, Heather looked at them guiltily. “I hope I didn’t destroy any evidence. I didn’t think it was a potential murder weapon until after I picked it up.”

  She placed it carefully back on the shelf. Detective Pearson examined the vase.

  “It does look like the same size and shape as the wound,” she said.

  “I can’t believe someone would use an antique like this to kill somebody,” Amy said.

  Detective Pearson took a black-light flashlight from her belt and shined it on the vase.

  “It looks like they didn’t,” she said.

  “It’s not the murder weapon?” Hoskins asked.

  “There no traces of blood on it,” Detective Pearson said. “I doubt the killer could have cleaned it up so thoroughly that there would be nothing left.”

  “That’s a shame,” Hoskins said. “I thought you’d found an important clue. It is the right size and shape for it.”

  “Well, there’s a whole dining room of the same sizes and shapes as centerpieces,” Amy said.

  "The missing vase," Heather said. "That's why one of the vases is a clear glass one now. The killer must have used that vase to kill Talia Pinster. He had to replace it with something so it wouldn't be missed and had to use that glass one."

  “So, the missing vase is what killed her,” Amy said.

  "That makes sense," said Ryan. "The killer must not have thought of using this one as a replacement and had to use what he could find in the kitchen to cover up that a centerpiece was missing."

  "This doesn't explain why the vase up here was moved, though," Heather said.

  “It might be unrelated,” said Amy.

  "What we need to do is find where the killer hid the vase he used to kill the victim,” Ryan said. “It could be hidden anywhere in the house.”

  “What’s going on here?” Phil Greyander asked as he appeared on the scene.

  “Déjà vu?” Amy asked.

  “The wedding is downstairs,” Phil said. “Does everyone have to travel around the entire house?”

  "It does when we're investigating…" Detective Pearson began. She didn't want to say murder, so she concluded with "a theft."

  “A theft?” Phil Greyander asked. “Who has robbed me? I knew people couldn’t be trusted here. What has been taken?”

  “It’s nothing of yours,” Heather said. “Don’t worry. We’re looking for a missing centerpiece.”

  “A missing centerpiece?” Phil asked.

  “Yeah,” Amy said. “One of those replica vases. But don’t fret. Yours is still here.”

  "A vase downstairs is missing?" Phil asked, seeming to sweat a little. "That seems rather strange."

  “Why do you say so?” asked Heather.

  “Well, with the guard out front, who would rob a wedding?” he asked.

  “That’s right,” said Hoskins. “Especially when the guard on duty is a real detective.”

  “Did you have to go through security?” Heather asked.

  “I had to remind them who I was in order to come in,” Phil said.

  “And when did you come in?” asked Ryan.

  “I came to see the wedding,” Phil said. “Susan and I. Talia had suggested we see it and so we came to watch.”

  “You and Talia didn’t get along very well, did you?” asked Heather.

  “I got along with her better than the caterer did,” Phil said.

  “What were your disagreements with her about?” Detective Pearson asked.

  “I just wanted some more privacy at the house,” Phil said. “Just because I was going to allow the public to see some aspects of the house didn’t mean that I wanted them to pry through everything. I think she was starting to understand that.”

  “Oh, really? When was the last time you saw Talia?” Heather asked.

  “Last night,” Phil said. “Why? What are these questions about? Surely, you don’t think I could have stolen a centerpiece? Why would a Greyander stoop to something like that?”

  “No, Mr. Greyander. We don’t think you stole a centerpiece,” Heather said, but she wasn’t so sure that he wasn’t guilty of other things.

  The Caterer

  “Why are you here? I don’t want to hear any complaints about my cooking,” the caterer Glenn Ventura said. “My steaks were perfect.”

  “I bet they were,” Amy said. “We didn’t get a chance to eat any of them.”

  Glenn stopped looking so defensive and softened. “You must have been doing errands for the bride and missed supper.”

  “You might say that,” Heather agreed.

  “What wonderful bridesmaids,” Glenn said. “Here, let me get you something to eat.”

  Heather and Amy decided that they should talk to the caterer alone so that they didn’t overwhelm his kitchen with investigators. They were happy that being co-Maids of Honor was helping them get the conversation rolling.

  He handed them some plates of food, and they began to eat. Heather was so hungry that she forgot her questions for a moment as she chewed on a piece of chicken. Then, she collected herself.

  “We were trying to find Talia about something for the bride,” Heather said. “But we’ve been having trouble finding her. You haven’t seen her recently by any chance, have you?”

  "No," Glenn said, beginning to frown. "I haven't seen her since this morning. She checked in to make sure that we knew our cues to open the doors and begin serving the champagne and donuts. It's been busy, so I didn't notice that I haven't seen her since then. However, now that I think about it, that is a bit odd. She likes to poke her nose into things."

  “She would get in your way?” Heather asked.

  "Oh, yes," Glenn said. "She is very particular about things. I guess I am too. I want things done properly."

  “We didn’t mean to overhear,” Heather said cautiously. “But it sounded like you two might have been arguing last night.”

  Glenn nodded. “The usual, I’m afraid. I thought Hillside Hovel opening up would be good for business, but it’s also a headache. Talia plans on having more tours and having events where meals will be served. She wants to hire me, but doesn’t want any of my insight.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She wants me to cook, but only the things that she approves. She wants a menu that is authentic to the time that Hillside Hovel was built. I can appreciate the idea, but tastes have evolved so much since then. She was destroying my creativity by being so adamant about it. She wants such a bland menu.”

  “And that made you mad?” Heather asked.

  “I’m considering not accepting the job,” Glenn said. “But I suppose I need the money. I probably will agree to it. Even if it means only serving one type of cheese.”

  “And that was what you were fighting about last night?”

  “We seem to rub each other the wrong,” Glenn said. “Maybe we can learn to compromise.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not,” said Amy.

  "Where were you this morning before the ceremony?” Heather asked. “Preparing this wonderful food?”

  “That’s right,” Glenn said. “My team and I were making sure that everything was ready for the cocktail hour and for dinner.”

  “And everyone saw each other here for the whole time?” asked Heather.

  “I suppose so,” Glenn said. “We were all working very hard. Except for Hilary. She disappeared at one point.”

  “She
was missing before the ceremony?” Heather asked.

  “I think during it,” Glenn said. “I wanted everyone in their places to open doors and serve the champagne as soon as the cue came. But she was late opening the doors.”

  “I think the cue was delayed,” Heather said. “It might not have been her fault.”

  “Speak of the devil,” Glenn said as a young female caterer entered the kitchen. It was the same woman that Heather saw Glenn yell at before. “We were just talking about you.”

  “Why?” she asked. “Was there something wrong with my serving?”

  “No,” Heather assured her.

  “Then, is there something wrong with the food?”

  “There is nothing wrong with my food, Hilary,” Glenn boomed.

  “Then what’s going on?” Hilary asked.

  “We were talking about how you missed your cue to open the doors on time,” Glenn said.

  “I opened it after I heard the music,” Hilary said.

  “And you were standing by the door the entire time?” Glenn said. “To open it the second the music sounded?”

  “I did run to the bathroom for a minute,” Hilary admitted. “Is that a crime?”

  “Well, that’s not a crime,” Amy said.

  “Hilary, do you know Talia well?” Heather asked.

  “No,” Hilary said. “I guess I’ve seen her around, but I haven’t really talked to her. Why? Did she complain about me?”

  “No,” said Heather.

  “Now, why don’t you get back to work instead of yammering here all day?” Glenn said.

  “You were asking me questions,” Hilary said.

  “No excuses,” said Glenn.

  Hilary glared at him and left, muttering, “I can’t wait ‘til I leave this job.”

  "Now, how is that food?” Glenn asked.

  “It was delicious,” Amy said, having finished her plate.

  “Is there anything else you need?”

  "Some biscuits," Amy suggested, and he handed her some.

  Heather also had a request. “I have one more question for you. I’m trying to figure something out for the bride. How many other people are here besides the guests?”