A Criminal Celebration in Hillbilly Hollow
Page 9
“Come on, let’s go eat. I don’t know about you, but this wedding thing is making me hungry,” Billy said.
I had to admit I was hungry. I had expected the nerves to overtake my hunger, but they most definitely hadn’t. I reached the buffet table, surprised by the sheer amount of food there. It all looked so good it was hard to choose what to have. As I made my way along the table selecting tasty looking morsels, I spotted Tucker. I debated asking him how he was getting along on Summer’s murder case, but I stopped myself. No, it was my wedding day. There was no way I was actively investigating a murder during my own reception.
We made our way back to the table. The conversation trailed off for the most part as everyone tucked into the food. The early morning start, which was unusual for most people although not for me and my grandparents, coupled with the fresh country air, certainly seemed to have given all of the guests a healthy appetite.
When we had finished eating, Autumn got her megaphone out again and asked for the speeches. My grandpa went first, giving a moving speech about how much he had always loved me, and how I was like a daughter to him. It was pretty much the most I had ever heard him say at one time and I felt myself tearing up more than once at his lovely words.
Suzy went next, expanding on her speech from the night before. Again, I felt myself tearing up as she talked. I looked around at the gathering. Hillbilly Hollow was more than just a town. It was a real community, an extended family who had opened their arms and welcomed back their prodigal daughter. I had never felt more loved, more accepted or more content than I did through Suzy’s speech, as she talked about my return last year to Hillbilly Hollow and my once more filling the holes I had left in her heart, in Billy’s heart, in my grandparents’ hearts and in the collective heart of the town.
Brian was up next, giving an uplifting, hilarious speech about Billy that was the perfect antidote to my tears. My eyes still felt wet, but this time it was with tears of laughter. Billy roared with laughter beside me.
“I’ll get you back for this,” Billy joked as Brian’s speech finished to loud applause and he sat back down.
“Too late.” Brian laughed, flashing his wedding ring at Billy.
Suzy stood back up.
“Now let’s hear from the blushing bride and the lucky groom,” she shouted.
More applause followed and I felt myself being pulled to my feet. I offered a quick thank you to everyone for coming, for welcoming me back, for the presents and cards and well wishes, and then I let Billy take over. He directed his speech at me, telling me how sad he had been when I’d left town, how happy he had been when I returned, and how he thought he had died and gone to heaven when I finally agreed to date him.
His speech was eloquent and full of raw emotion and by the time it was over, I had lost my battle with the tears and they flowed freely down my face. As I sat back down, I realized the moment was upon us for our first dance and I turned to Suzy in panic, knowing my mascara was streaked down my face and there would be pictures taken.
She quickly fixed my face, tears shining in her own eyes as she did it. The band subtly took to the makeshift stage. The lead singer spoke into the microphone.
“For the first time, please welcome to the floor Dr. and Mrs. Stone,” he shouted.
Billy stood up and held out his hand to me. I smiled at him and took his hand and he led me out to the improvised dance floor, which consisted of floor tiles stuck onto a huge square of hardboard and laid down covering half of the field.
The band began to play a favorite song of ours. Billy pulled me into his arms and I rested my head on his shoulder as we held each other and moved in a slow circle to the music. The song was only a quarter of the way in when the guests began to clink their glasses, urging us to kiss.
“I think we’d better give the people what they want,” Billy said.
“Yes, I’d hate to disappoint our guests,” I agreed with a smile.
We kissed and as his lips touched mine, I felt a stirring deep inside me. That feeling told me I had definitely made the right decision. Billy had always been the one; it had just taken me far too long to see it.
We pulled back from the kiss and smiled lovingly at each other and then Billy shouted “come on”, and beckoned and the dance floor was soon full of other couples. The band switched to something more lively and the party was well and truly underway, filled with laughter and dancing and a whole load of champagne.
We had made the slightly unconventional decision of holding off on cutting the cake for awhile, letting people enjoy the party and have the first course settle first.
As I twirled and laughed on the dance floor, I had never been happier. This was exactly the wedding reception I’d always dreamed of, and I was married to the man of my dreams. What could be better than this?
10
I danced with Billy, and then with Suzy and then with my grandparents, each in turn. I danced with Betty Blackwell, who finally decided to let her hair down once she realized the catering staff were actually quite good at their jobs. I didn’t know how long this more relaxed version of her could possibly last, but I knew I had to take my chance while it was there and have a little dance with her.
I danced with Beth and each of Billy’s brothers and then I danced with Brian. When my feet were screaming at me and my throat was dry, I finally slipped off the dance floor, returned to our table and sat back down to take a long drink from my champagne. The bubbles fizzed down my nose and tears filled my eyes as it stung slightly. I shrugged. Worse things than that could have happened. I took another drink, being slightly more careful this time.
As I looked around at everyone having a good time, I had to admit that Autumn had done a superb job. Everything was great and running right on schedule. And Derrick was still in a more jovial mood than he had been yesterday, chatting and laughing with our guests.
Billy came over and reclaimed his seat by my side as I looked around, grinning happily. My cheeks ached from smiling, but I was so overwhelmingly happy that I just couldn’t stop myself from doing it.
“I can’t believe you dragged me out there to dance and then escaped yourself and left me there.” He laughed.
“On the contrary, I believe it was you who dragged me up there,” I retorted, joining in his laughter.
“All the same, it’s nice to take a breather,” he replied.
I nodded. It was. It was lovely to just sit back and take in the moment. People were still up dancing as the band belted out tune after tune. People sat at the various benches chatting, maybe catching up with friends they hadn’t seen for awhile. All around us, the air was filled with love and laughter and magic. I wished I could take a mental picture of it all, because whatever happened in our futures, I never wanted to forget this moment.
“So, how does it feel to be my wife?” Billy asked.
“Perfect.” I smiled. “I feel, I don’t know, different somehow. Like we’re official now.”
The current song came to an end and the singer spoke into the microphone.
“Okay guys, we’re going to take a short break now, but don’t worry, we’ll be back soon with more of your favorites. Don’t go away.”
The band left the stage to loud and heartfelt applause. There were whoops and cheers and even a loud whistle or two as well as the expected clapping of hands and stamping of feet. When the applause died down, Autumn’s voice rang out through the megaphone again.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s now time for the cutting of the cake. I’m sure you’ll all join me in putting your hands together for Billy and Emma,” she shouted.
I wasn’t ready to move. My feet were still burning, but the guests were clapping and cheering and I didn’t want to let anyone down. The cake looked delicious and I knew they were all eagerly waiting for a slice. I was very tempted by it myself.
Billy stood up and held his hand out to me. I slipped my hand into his and he pulled me to my feet. He didn’t release his grip as we walked over to the
cake table. Autumn beamed at us as we approached.
“Knock yourselves out, guys,” she said, smiling.
She handed Billy a cordless microphone and faded away into the background, a skill I was sure she was much better at than Summer would have been. Billy made a short speech wherein he once again thanked everyone for coming.
Autumn pressed a large knife into my hand and, for just an instant, our fingers touched during the transfer. I didn’t know why but a strange shudder passed through me during that second. There was something uncomfortable about holding such a wickedly sharp knife in front of a gathering that likely included a murderer. I didn’t realize that I was staring wide-eyed at Autumn across from me until her own eyes narrowed. For just a moment, I imagined I could read in their blue depths some sort of malevolent emotion.
Then I felt Billy’s light touch on my elbow. I broke eye contact with Autumn and the feeling passed.
I shook my strange thoughts away as Billy covered my small hand with his big one and we cut down into the cake. The guests went wild, clapping and cheering as we cut through the cake. I turned to Billy and smiled. He returned my smile and leaned down and kissed me as a hundred flashes went off, capturing our happiness.
We put the knife down and I looked around for Autumn, but she seemed suddenly to have disappeared. There was no sign of her anywhere. I sighed inwardly. The guests would expect to be served a slice of the cake pretty soon now. They were all moving back to their tables, waiting for the cake to be offered around, and I knew I would have to cut it all myself rather than keep them waiting.
I should have known it would never come to that. The thought was barely formed when Betty Blackwell was at my side.
“I don’t know where that over-priced party organizer has rushed off to, but you listen to me, Emma. This is your wedding day, and you won’t be doing this yourself. Now go and sit down and let me sort this out.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but I was too late. Even as I had danced with Betty, I had known the more relaxed version of her wouldn’t stay for long, and here she was proving me right. She was in her element when there was a job to be done, so I let her handle this for me.
“Beth. Suzy. Get on up here and help me,” Betty shouted, turning away from me and going into organization mode.
Suzy raised an eyebrow as she made her way back up to the cake area and I shrugged. The conversation was easy for both of us to understand without words. Her asking what had happened to Autumn and me telling her I didn’t know. She reached my side and gently pushed me and Billy away from the table.
“Go on. You heard Betty. Go and sit down and leave this to us,” she said.
Suzy could give Betty a run for her money on who was the bossiest, and I allowed myself to be moved away from the table. I had no chance of having my protests heard now that Suzy and Betty had joined forces against me, even if I still wanted to protest, which I really didn’t. Surely everyone deserved a little break on their own wedding day.
Billy and I went back to our table and sat down. I scanned the field and the yard, trying to spot Autumn. She must have gone to the outhouse, I thought to myself. I spotted my grandma and grandpa talking to Margene Huffler. Snowball was by their side and Margene seemed quite taken with her.
I looked away, and that was when I saw her. Not Autumn, but Summer. She stood off to one side of the festivities, an ethereal figure in the distance. No one else noticed her, of course, since they didn’t share my gift for seeing the dead. For all I couldn’t see her closely enough to know exactly where she was looking, I knew just the same. She was looking at me. I could feel her eyes boring into me and a shiver ran through my body.
“Are you alright?” Billy asked with concern in his voice.
I forced out a laugh. “I’m fine,” I reassured him. “I just got a bit of a shiver there. A goose must have walked over my grave.”
I looked back to the spot where Summer had been, but she was already gone. Why had she come here today? Was she trying to give me a message? Was she telling me to watch Derrick more closely, or was she telling me I was right with my suspicions about Doris? Or maybe I was focusing on the wrong people...
Suddenly, it hit me, although I couldn’t have said where the knowledge came from. Autumn was the one who had disappeared and it was Autumn Summer was trying to warn me about. As the pieces fell into place in my head, I didn’t know how I hadn’t seen it sooner. I had suspected Autumn for a time, but it was a short time and I had written her off as a suspect pretty much straight away. But it was all there, I just hadn’t been looking for it. Not really.
I’d had two perfectly likely suspects and I’d stuck with them. But of course, both of those suspects had been handed to me on a plate by Autumn, one way or the other. How had I not noticed that the evidence I had managed to gather so far all centered around her? It didn’t matter now, it only mattered that I had finally put everything together.
It had been Autumn who had put the idea of Derrick as a suspect into my mind, painting him to be someone threatening with a grudge against Summer. Clearly she had been planning this murder for quite some time and she had already begun planting seeds of suspicion before she did the dirty deed.
It had been Autumn who had led me to the threatening notes in Summer’s desk. In an office she conveniently mentioned not being able to face entering. A chance for her to have plausible deniability for the notes.
Summer was far too organized not to keep all of her client’s files in her office. And now that I knew, I could see her office in my mind. I could see the empty shelf amongst the books, an anomaly uncharacteristic of Summer. It must be the place Autumn had cleared when she moved the files to a common area in case I checked her story. Or in case Tucker went there.
But she had known he wouldn’t. By her own admission, she knew he was no detective. But she had obviously known who I was. She had clearly known I would go poking around, and she had carefully executed a plan to give me, not one, but two suspects and keep my suspicions firmly away from her.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I now believed she had murdered her sister, I would find myself grudgingly admiring her for the simplicity of the plan she had used to throw me off the scent.
Now that I had seen it, though, there was no unseeing it. It made so much sense. It made it clear why she was okay when she caught me snooping around her building, why she was so quick to allow me access to Summer’s office. She had planted the notes and she had wanted me to find them. Catching me in the act and being annoyed about it had all been part of her act.
It also explained why she didn’t push me to tell her what I had found in Summer’s office. I had put it down to shock at losing her sister, to grief. But it hadn’t been. She didn’t want to start asking questions and risk tripping herself up. And she had known exactly what I had found anyway, without having to risk asking the wrong question or saying the wrong thing. She must have somehow stolen a notepad from Doris’s shop and written those notes herself.
The more I let myself go down that path, the better I could see it. The notes that were supposedly from Doris had been written on notepaper with her current header. But that wouldn’t have been right. She wouldn’t have waited so long after Summer had ripped her off to start sending threatening notes, if that was what she had wanted to do. The ripping off of Doris had happened long before Flower Power was rebranded. I knew this for a fact because I had done the design work for Doris. If Doris had genuinely sent those notes, it would have been on paper headed with her old logo.
Autumn wouldn’t have known that I had worked on Flower Power’s rebranding. She couldn’t have known that I would know the exact date the logo changed and would work out from that knowledge that the notes had to be faked.
My mind was whirling, churning it all over. Was it possible that Autumn had somehow sensed I was getting close to the truth? Had I unconsciously betrayed with a word or look the suspicion that even I hadn’t known was growing at the back of my mind?
Autumn had by far the most to gain from the death of her sister. She got full ownership of a business she had put her heart and soul into but still owned less than half of. She got to do things her way, by building genuine relationships with her vendors rather than making enemies of them. She got her nagging older sister off her back.
“Here you go, honey,” Suzy said, putting a plate in front of me with a slice of my wedding cake on it. She frowned slightly when she saw the expression on my face. “Emma? Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Oh, if she only knew.
“I’m fine.” I laughed. “Honestly, everyone keeps asking me if I’m alright and I swear I’m starting to get a complex over it. I’m just looking around, trying to take it all in.”
Suzy frowned. She didn’t push me to say any more, but I could see by her determined expression she would be trying to corner me later to find out what was wrong with me. Hopefully by then this would be dealt with and I could tell her.
I wanted to jump up and try to sort this whole mess out right now, but I knew it would be seen as rude not to partake in a piece of my own wedding cake. And Billy and I had only been married for a couple of hours. He didn’t deserve to have me running out on him before we’d even shared our wedding cake.
I picked up my piece of the dessert and nibbled the edge of it. The orange flavored sponge cake with a beautiful dark chocolate ganache melted in my mouth.
“From now on, you’re in charge of choosing every cake we ever eat,” Billy said as he swallowed his first bite. “This is delicious.”
“You should thank the baker for that.” I laughed. “I had the easy job of just tasting it, remember?”
“Well, you have good taste,” he said.
“Does she?” a voice asked. “Because she married you, didn’t she?”
I laughed as I looked up at Billy’s brother. He plonked himself down next to Billy and started chatting with him. I tried to eat my cake quickly but not quickly enough to look suspicious. This would be my perfect opportunity to slip away while I wasn’t leaving Billy sitting here alone.