The Wedding Witch: a paranormal cozy mystery (The Fairyvale Mysteries)

by Sofia Belle

  “Depends,” she said. “Is that man gonna be there?”

  I exhaled a long, slow sigh. “Before you get your lingerie ready, let’s figure out where he was the morning of Linda’s death.”

  Chapter 11

  ** **

  “I don’t feel all that great.” Layla patted her stomach. “Can you drop me off at home? I need to nap before it’s time to open the store.”

  “Aren’t you curious?”

  “Curious about what?” She looked over the center console as I drove in a winding, zigzag path toward home. “Curious as in a general character trait? Curious as in a bit strange? If so, yes, and yes. Now that I think about it, that’s a really classy way to call me weird. Should I be offended?”

  I laughed because she was grinning, too. “No offense intended. You’re perfectly curious in all forms. But what about Andy? What about Clive? Linda? None of these puzzle pieces add up yet. Doesn’t that make you wonder?”

  “Yes, but here’s the thing.” Layla turned a faux-serious expression on me. “I can wonder and have a stomachache all at the same time. And all the wonderin’ in the world isn’t gonna make me feel better. That’s something that only Pepto and a few reruns of Sex and the City can cure.”

  “Okay, I’ll drop you off at home.”

  “Drop me off? Where are you headed?” She narrowed her eyes. “I thought you were gonna rest, too, at least until it was time to go back to the donut shop.”

  “I’ve got things to do. I have to meet with Hailey to go over some last-minute ceremony details. The wedding is still this weekend, and she still hasn’t decided on flowers yet!”

  “There’s only one shop in town, and you know the folks at Whitman’s rely on a little bit of the ‘magic powder’ to make their blossoms the best, if you know what I’m saying. They’ll be ready in plenty of time. A wedding with the Monroe price tag? They’ll jump for the chance to put their name on those buds.”

  “I know, but we still have to do the final tasting of the meal, too, so she can make any adjustments. She’s worried about the salt content.” I shook my head.

  “Dang, that sounds fancy,” Layla said. “But if you’re gonna be doing some tastings of food, I might consider foregoing the all-important nap on my schedule today and coming with you. Maybe Bianca can open up shop.”

  “You made her close, didn’t you?” Bianca was Layla’s first and only hire at the lingerie shop. “Don’t work her too hard.”

  I had to give Layla credit; she might run a store called the Witch’s Britches, but she ran it like it was the National Bank of Switzerland: organized, efficient, and clean. She’d struggled to give up any sort of control. She’d stressed for a week before letting me sort the sock display.

  Bianca was a nice girl who’d fought hard for the job and had to do a lot of begging, convincing, and groveling to get hired. Eventually Layla had caved, and a few weeks later she had decided that working with Bianca was the best thing since push-up bras. Now Layla said she couldn’t live without her.

  “She likes it,” Layla said. “Plus, I pay her overtime if she opens or closes, and if the store is empty, I let her work on her designs. Part of the deal when I hired her was that I’d give her the small closet in the back. It’s only been a few weeks, and she’s already turned it into her own design studio.”

  “That’s great.” I smiled. “I’m happy to see you two are getting along so well.”

  “I’m secretly considering letting her make some of the designs and sell them on the floor.” Layla raised her eyebrows. “They’re really, really good.”

  “So she won’t mind about today?”

  Layla shook her head. “She might be there already. Sometimes she comes in early just to have some peace and quiet in her cute little closet. That thing is a pretty nifty studio.”

  I redirected the car as Layla made a call to her employee. They chatted for a second, and by the time Layla hung up the phone, she was grinning from ear to ear.

  “I love her,” she said. “How did I live without her?”

  It was my turn to make a phone call, so I buzzed Hailey on the speakerphone. “Hello?” I said. “Is Hailey there?”

  The butler asked me to wait a minute, and I could imagine him running through the halls of the magnificent estate, looking for the bride-to-be. A second later, her softer voice came on the line. “Hi, Bel?”

  “It’s me,” I said. “Say, I know we were going to meet this afternoon to do the tasting, but I had a few other last-minute details I wanted to run by you. I’m in the area with a friend—you know Layla?—and I was wondering if we could swing by for a second to get some direction on the flower arrangements. I was hoping to take care of it this afternoon.”

  “Yes, of course, and bring Layla. She’s the funny one, right?”

  Layla gave a smug smile and flashed me the thumbs up.

  “Sure,” I said, a grin tugging the smile on my lips. “Funny looking.”

  Layla frowned.

  “Just kidding,” I said, realizing that it might come off rude since Hailey wasn’t in the car to see Layla playing along. “Yes, she’s the pretty one with a great sense of humor.”

  Layla turned her frown into a double thumbs up.

  Hailey’s laugh tinkled across the line. “Great. Stop by. I’ll tell the guards to let you in.”

  “Guards, plural?” I knew Hailey’s family had some extra security, but during previous visits to her mansion, I hadn’t had to talk to any of them.

  “We put an extra one at the driveway. Just to be safe, what with…” She cleared her throat. “What with the wedding coming up.”

  “How are you doing with everything?” I asked. “Are you okay, Hails? If you want to postpone, of course you know I’m flexible. The deposits are just money, and most of the vendors would understand and offer a full refund under the circumstances.”

  She hesitated a second. “No, I want to marry Clive, and I’m not letting bad people stop that. If there are bad people involved, that is, since I doubt it was a heart attack like they keep telling me.”

  I remained silent, since I couldn’t confirm or deny.

  “It wasn’t a heart attack, was it?” she whispered. “Why is everyone keeping me in the dark? I’m not the fragile bride, Belinda, I’m a person. And I didn’t know Linda all that well, but she was going to be my family. Of course I care. I just wish people would stop treating me with kid gloves.”

  “The police are not talking to anyone,” I said. “Honestly, the chief hasn’t publicly confirmed anything.”

  “Are you lying to me? Not you, too, Bel. Don’t lie to me.”

  I sighed. “I’ll tell you what I know, Hailey. He said that it might not be a heart attack, and there might be something else involved. If that’s the case, then her death would be considered a murder.”

  “Something else at play? Like what?”

  I swallowed. “These are all theories. You can’t repeat them to anyone.”

  “Of course not.”

  “Poison,” I said. “Or something of that nature. If someone wanted Linda dead, they went to some length to cover up the murder. And remember, we still don’t know she was killed; maybe she did have a heart attack or an allergic reaction to something she ate or drank, and it was just a tragic accident.”

  “Thank you, Bel. I mean it. I’ve been sitting over here in the dark. My mom wants to keep me tucked in bed, and my dad wants to post the entire army outside my room. I am getting stifled.”

  “I’m coming, and I’m bringing Layla,” I said. “We’ll bring you a snack and something to do, all right? And I promise you, Layla’s a breath of fresh air. You’ll be happy for silence once she leaves, believe me.”

  Hailey laughed. “I see why you’re good at your job, Bel. I don’t know how you do it. But anyway, I’ve just sent a note to the guard, so you can drive right in, and one of them will escort you up to my room. I’m sorry it has to be so formal. I hope you understand.”

  “Of course,�
� I said, raising my eyebrows at Layla. I hadn’t known we’d be passing through the Monroe equivalent of TSA before I’d get the chance to ask her which color bouquet she wanted to carry down the aisle. “We’ll see you soon.”

  After I hung up the phone, Layla tsked. “Drama, drama, drama. That household could be a soap opera.”

  “Yeah, but do you really blame her parents? If I had a kid and all the money in the world, and something happened to one of my daughter’s bridesmaids, I would probably be protective, too.”

  The phone rang then, and I answered it, thinking Hailey was calling back to offer further instructions. “We’re almost there!”

  “Almost where?” The chief’s deep voice rolled across the phone lines. “What are you up to, Bel?”

  My eyes widened as I gave Layla a don’t you dare talk right now glance. “Oh, uh, Chief! I didn’t expect you.”

  “Who did you expect?”

  “My client,” I said a bit stiffly. “I have the biggest wedding of my career to plan, if you weren’t already aware, and she hasn’t decided on her final bouquet yet. Time is running low. Would you like to come consult on pros and cons of doing lilies over roses?”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m warning you not to go on with it.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I recommend cancelling the wedding.”

  “I just got off the phone with Hailey, and I’m not cancelling anything.”

  “Then she might need a police escort walking her down the aisle instead of her father.”

  “What are you talking about?” I felt that familiar, suspicious tingle in my stomach that told me something was wrong. “I just talked to Hailey. She wants the wedding to go on. Her family is taking plenty of precautions in case there was foul play with Linda.”

  “You can forget about the ‘in case’ part of that.” The chief cleared his throat. “Linda was murdered, Bel. And we have a reason to believe the killer isn’t finished with his business.”

  My fingers froze around the steering wheel, my mouth forming a silent O as I drifted the car into park on the side of the road. “Why?”

  “I can’t force you to cancel the wedding,” the chief said. “And I know it’s a big deal to you. I can’t give you all the details, but I can tell you one thing: someone murdered Linda, and I don’t think they got what they were after. If the wedding goes on, there’s a chance they’ll strike again. It could be on their special day.”

  I gaped. Really, I should have expected this. A wedding would be the perfect place to finish the job. Lots of strangers around, people dressed to the nines ready to mingle, dance, and eat the night away in close proximity to one another. It’d be a simple matter to sprinkle a dangerous powder or drop a poisonous concoction into one’s drink. Hailey had requested that champagne be flowing all evening, so the opportunities would be endless.

  “Do I have your word you’ll stay out of it?” he asked.

  “I’ll be careful,” I said, disconnecting the call before the chief could argue with my evasive choice of words. As soon as I heard the dial tone, I turned to Layla. “This means one thing.”

  “You need some wedding cake tastings to calm down?”

  I shook my head. “We need to find who’s responsible for Linda’s murder before this weekend. Because if we don’t and the chief is right, the next event on the planning agenda might be a funeral.”

  Chapter 12

  ** **

  After convincing a guard that Layla and I weren’t terrorists, we climbed a staircase the size of Mount Everest before reaching the front door to the Monroe mansion. Grand, sweeping columns lined the front of the house, the whole thing perched on top of a hill overlooking the town.

  It sat there, illuminated by strings of silver lights, blossoming flowerbeds, and luxurious trees, glowing from the reflection of the stars. It was often the first building that tourists saw when they came to town, like a lighthouse guiding ships in from the sea.

  The Monroes guarded their privacy with unrivaled ferocity, and I could count the number of times on one hand that they’d allowed guests within their property, which was why the location of the wedding was a huge deal. The Monroes had offered their courtyard for their daughter’s wedding, and it would be the first time many folks stepped foot on the property.

  I’d stopped by on a few occasions to scope out the backyard layout and get ideas for decorations. They had a big lawn, one that wouldn’t take much work to prepare.

  The Monroes kept their landscaping in tip-top shape all year round, so we didn’t need to add a whole lot except for tents, chairs, canopies, and the additional flowers for the tables. A gorgeous pool reminiscent of ancient Greece sat to the side, glistening and gleaming during the daylight, cool and majestic in the evening.

  I raised my hand to knock, but the door was thrown open before my fist hit wood. A plump woman in an apron and a warm smile wiped her hands on a towel hanging from her shoulder as she stepped aside and gestured for us to come into the entryway.

  “Miss Bright, nice to meet you.” She smiled then gave an expectant look at Layla. “I’m Pippa.”

  “Lovely to meet you,” I said, extending a hand for a warm, pudgy shake. I forced a smile at Layla. “And this is my assistant.”

  “Yep, nice to meet you, Pippa.” Layla also went for a handshake, smiling broadly. “I assist in all things undergarments.”

  Pippa cleared her throat. “Undergarments?”

  “Really, it’s more like lingerie.” Layla gestured toward herself. “You know, the nice stuff underneath. In fact, if you’re looking to spice things up in your home life, we recently got in this beautiful French maid set. It’s got this little skirt that hardly covers your fanny and a nice matching bra. It also comes with a feather duster. A real live feather duster.”

  “Oh, that’s not necessary.” Pippa blushed. She stared for a long minute, the three of us locked into an awkward silence, until the hostess finally turned and called over her shoulder. “Miss Monroe, they’re here!”

  Footsteps thudded down the staircase, and Hailey slid into view moments later. “Thanks so much for coming, Bel. And you too, Layla.”

  Pippa moved close to Hailey’s side and lowered her voice while pointing toward Layla. “She specializes in undergarments.”

  Layla nodded and chirped a hello. “I run the Witch’s Britches.”

  Hailey blushed, reaching out and shaking Layla’s hand. “I ordered some honeymoon clothing from your place, and a few of the girls at my bachelorette party gave me gifts with the tag from your store on it.”

  Layla winked. “Then y’all have good taste.”

  Pippa looked uncomfortable and excused herself. Hailey gave an apologetic smile as her hostess disappeared into the kitchen. “Shall we walk and talk? It might be best to be outside so it’ll be easier to picture where all the bouquets will go.”

  We followed Hailey outside, Layla lagging a bit behind as she oohed and aahed at every turn of the path. Hailey fell silent, her long blond hair swishing over her shoulders, a pale-yellow sundress cool against her skin tones. She looked every part the innocent bride with her wide, bright eyes. The only thing missing from her picturesque look was a smile; her lips turned down in a half frown, her forehead knitted in concern.

  “So, about the flowers,” I began. “We’ve decided to go with Whitman’s?”

  “Sure, whatever.” Hailey waved a hand.

  I stopped walking in the middle of a stone path that had us winding through a quaint garden dotted with ancient benches, antique birdbaths, and sundials that looked older than the time they told. “Hailey, are you doing okay?”

  She spun around, the hem of her yellow sundress billowing around her knees. “I didn’t ask you here to talk about flowers.”

  “Oh?”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Going on?” I looked over my shoulder, but Layla was far more busy examining a flourishing apple tree than listening to what was happening. “Ab
out the wedding?”

  “Don’t play games with me,” she said. “I want to know about Linda.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you. I’m not a cop; I’m sorry, but I’m not privy to their information.”

  “No, but you have the freedom to move around as you like. To talk to anyone you want. Did you know that I have guards holding my phone?” She did a spin, emptying her pockets. “I don’t have a cell phone. Can you believe it? They took it away.”

  “But you called me.”

  “Yes, and I had to ask permission like a teenager. They listened over my shoulder. And they’re questioning the girls. The cops have talked to all of the bridesmaids, they’ve interviewed both Clive and me, along with my family...why?”

  “I’m sorry, Hailey.” I looked down, focusing on a tiny strand of green grass trying to poke its way up between the stones. It reminded me of Hailey: fragile, full of life, but stunted by its surroundings. I bent over and moved the rock, giving the small piece of grass space to breathe. “Your wedding is supposed to be a happy time. Sometimes there’s stress. That’s inevitable. It’s a big day. But not this. Never like this.”

  “Can you help me?”

  I looked up, still squatting down. I silently rooted for the little-grass-who-could. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Help me understand. Have you heard any rumors of what might be going on? I overheard Pippa saying it was a shame. What’s a shame?”

  “A shame that Linda died?” I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m in the dark too.”

  “But you must have heard something.”

  I hesitated. It wasn’t really my job to discuss the specifics of Linda with her. That was the police’s job or her family’s job. I was only here to talk about flowers.

  “Please.”

  Something in her eyes convinced me. Fragile though that strand of grass might be, it was still fighting. Just like Hailey, and I could hear the determination in her voice. If she wasn’t going to give up, maybe it was better she heard the truth. “Fine. But you didn’t hear it from me,” I said. “I’m warning you, I don’t know much.”