The Sweet Baked Mystery Series - Books 1-6

by Katherine Hayton

  “That’ll be lovely.” Holly took them from him and left with a cheery wave over her shoulder.

  Wendy and Meggie were standing outside the marquee casting their own narrowed looks at the bright sky. “You’d better hurry,” Wendy warned. “Otherwise, you won’t have time to get home and change.”

  Holly’s matron of honor dress was still hanging up in her room, waiting until the last moment to be donned, to prevent too many wrinkles. She gave a nod and hurried inside the tent, calling out, “Gwen.”

  The woman was fiddling with something inside her plastic case and didn’t appear to hear her calling. Holly walked closer. “Gwen?”

  Again, there was no response, and Holly tapped the woman on her shoulder. She jumped a foot into the air and turned around, a hand clutched to her chest.

  “Sorry,” the photographer said as she gratefully took the towels from Holly. “I was a million miles away.”

  “Those should get you on your way to being dry, and I’ll fetch a spare outfit from home that you can change into while your uniform’s drying.”

  The woman shot her a grateful glance before her head disappeared into the fluffy embrace of a white towel.

  “Hurry up,” Meggie called from the entrance. “Crystal would never forgive us if we didn’t ensure you were home to take her to the chapel on time.” She started humming a few bars from a song that shared some of the same lyrics and Holly saluted.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m on my way. Are you okay to usher the guests indoors?”

  “Of course,” Wendy said. “We were born ready.”

  Holly skidded on a strip of mud as she ran down the long driveway, headed for home.

  Chapter Six

  “Those poor ribbons,” Holly said with disappointment as she looked at the state of her car. Yesterday afternoon when she finished up the decorations, it had looked fantastic, bedecked with a host of ribbons and bows that would leave no one with any doubt that this was a car on its way to a wedding.

  Now, with the downpour having caught it while parked in the driveway, it looked a sad mess. All of the bows drooped, and the ribbons sagged so much that they came close to trailing on the ground.

  “It doesn’t look that bad.” Crystal was attempting to negotiate her way over the wet driveway without dropping her skirts or train into the mud. A wrinkle-free experience was a hope lost to the past.

  “I should have parked it in the garage,” Holly said with a tone of regret. “No matter how rickety it might be in there, it still would’ve kept the rain off it.”

  “And it would now be coated in a thousand spiders with a sprinkle of rat droppings,” Crystal added as she thumped her passenger side door shut. “Now, get in and drive me to the wedding.”

  As Holly climbed into the driver’s side, being careful of her own skirts as she did so, there was a huge creaking behind her. She turned just in time to see the entire garage roof collapse, finally giving into the years of neglect in a rush of splintered wood and rot.

  Crystal burst out laughing. “Just as well you didn’t park the car in there, or we’d be toast.”

  Holly shook her head in disbelief. “I swear, this day is getting weirder and weirder.”

  “Well, it’s about to get the strangest of all in a few minutes. I mean, can you believe it? Me? Walking down a wedding aisle.”

  Holly looked over at her sister, hearing an odd note in her voice. “Don’t you dare cry,” she scolded Crystal as her own eyes misted up. “There’s no time left to do any makeup repairs.”

  She tooted the car horn as Simon stayed out of sight. It was time to get this show on the road. After the second honk, he emerged from the back door, tie in hand.

  “I swear, that man,” Holly grumbled. “We’ve had to have our hair and makeup done and get into about a hundred layers of dress. He only had to get into a suit and tie, and he couldn’t even manage that the whole way.”

  “Play nice.” Crystal turned in her seat to release the catch for the back door. “You’ve got the rest of your life to complain about how useless men are.”

  Holly giggled as she started up the engine. Simon sat in the back seat, staring behind him with an enormous frown on his face.

  “Are you ready?” Holly asked, tossing a wink to her sister.

  “Has the garage always been like that?” Simon asked, then looked bewildered as the pair burst into laughter.

  “Oh, my goodness,” Crystal exclaimed as they pulled into the driveway of the Masters’ residence. “I swear that’s the same outfit that Alec’s mom is going to wear.”

  She was pointing at Nina, the manager of the local theater. The woman’s ginger curls were crushed under the weight of an enormous green hat—one that would double nicely as an umbrella in a pinch—above an emerald dress and matching jacket.

  “Surely, it can’t be exactly the same,” Holly muttered as she parked the BMW as far away from the drying puddles as she could. “It’s very distinctive.”

  “See for yourself.” Crystal pointed over to where Alec’s parents were standing, making uncomfortable small talk with Brian Masters as far as Holly could see.

  “Dear me.” Holly could barely believe her eyes as the exact same emerald green suit adorned Crystal’s future mother-in-law. “What are the chances?”

  “Poor Nina,” Crystal said as she gathered her skirts up in her hand. “She probably went to every store in town to make sure she had something unique.”

  “I’ll go and let the celebrant know we’re ready,” Simon said as he opened the door of the back seat. “Then we can get this show on the road.”

  “I think that Brian’s telling him already.” Holly pointed over to where the man had joined up with Wendy and Meggie to usher the gathered crowds indoors. She reached down under her seat and pulled out the change of clothing that she’d brought along for Gwen. “Could you take this into the marquee and give to the photographer though? You’ll be able to recognize her instantly—she’s the one who looks like a drowned rat.”

  As Simon hurried off, Holly edged out of the car and smoothed down the layers of her dress. With the wedding ceremony so close at hand, the butterflies had started to dance in earnest in her stomach.

  “Am I late?” a voice called out, and Holly turned to see Phil Clifford trotting up the driveway. His face was flushed, and he seemed out of breath, as though he’d run the whole way there.

  “No. We’re still a few minutes out from starting,” Holly reassured him. “I wasn’t sure you’d be able to make it with everything that happened last night.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” Phil said, staring in all directions but at Holly. His hair stuck up in little spikes and he appeared utterly flustered.

  “Did you find out any more about who might have started the fire?”

  Phil’s eyes narrowed as he looked across the grounds to where Alec was standing with his folks. “I think those two might have had something to do with it. Leastways, that’s what is top of the rumor mill right now. The fire department and the police won’t tell me anything.” His face crumpled up until he looked on the verge of tears. “They just keep asking more and more questions.”

  “I’m sorry that it’s happened,” Holly said, not knowing what else to say. “I hope they can give you some closure soon.”

  “I do need to ask you something” Phil lowered his voice and whispered, still not meeting her eyes, “Do you know if there’s a bathroom in the marquee?”

  Holly felt a surge of relief that his question hadn’t been more difficult. “Not in the marquee, but if you go through the back door over there—” she pointed to the rear of the Masters’ house “—you’ll find it past the lobby.”

  “Thank you.” Phil hurried off, and Holly surmised by his speed that he was in urgent need. The poor man had probably been staying in a stranger’s house the night before, and she was amazed that he’d still managed to make it to the wedding.

  “I can’t believe it,” Nina said, appearing at Holly’s elbow. “
Did you see what that old witch is wearing?”

  Holly stifled a smile as she followed Nina’s accusing finger to see Helen staring nervously back in their direction. The poor woman looked so astonished to see them already looking that Holly offered her a friendly wave.

  “It’s an unfortunate coincidence,” Holly agreed. “Though I must say that you do that outfit much better justice than Alec’s mother.” The statement was absolutely true. Nina’s vibrant red hair offset the emerald shimmer of the fabric to perfection.

  “Thank you.” Nina seemed slightly mollified by the compliment. “If only I’d gotten here earlier, I could have gone home and changed, but I was running so late that I only just got here before you.”

  “Did you have an emergency at the theater?” Crystal asked. She was standing on tiptoe, presumably looking to see where Simon had gotten to.

  Nina snorted. “I had a silent partner who decided to turn up this weekend and stop being so silent. All the time I was trying to get ready this morning, she was babbling on about how she wanted to pull her money out.”

  “Really?” Holly turned to her with a look of concern. “Would that leave you in an okay position?”

  “It wouldn’t,” Nina said from between tight lips, “but luckily I know enough about contracts to make sure it wasn’t a possibility. She’s had to run back to Christchurch with her tail between her legs, but it took a good few hours of arguing to get the point through her thick head.”

  Seeming to become aware of her surroundings all of a sudden, Nina gave a shake of her head and turned her smile onto full beam. “You look lovely, Crystal. I hope you have a fantastic wedding.”

  “Thanks, Nina. Why don’t you hurry off before you’re left without a seat?”

  Nina gave a wave and hurried across the sodden lawn, giving an occasional exclamation as her heels sank into the damp earth. It made her hitch and start, and Holly was happy that neither she nor Crystal had bothered with high heels for the day. They’d both agreed that flats would be best, since they’d be standing for at least a few hours.

  Holly saw Simon headed back their way and turned to Crystal, expecting that her sister might look nervous now it was down to the wire, but instead finding her looking perfectly serene. “Are you okay to do this?”

  Crystal nodded. “I’ve been waiting over forty years to get hitched, and I don’t want to wait another minute!”

  When Simon returned, he held his arm out and bowed, while Crystal hooked her elbow through his. Holly walked around the front of the car and scanned the path between the vehicle and the marquee, finding the clearest track to follow.

  “Let’s get this done,” Crystal said with a small laugh.

  Holly led the way, restricting herself to one small peek behind her to see that Simon was elegantly escorting her sister and keeping her dress out of the way of the potential hazards. She hesitated at the door to the marquee, nodding to Aidan at the front of the room. Once the wedding march sounded and Crystal glided past her, Holly fell into step behind her. Simon did well, leading Crystal up to her future husband.

  To his credit, Alec cut a dashing figure at the front of the room. His morning suit fit him like a glove, and his curly hair and beard were nicely trimmed and slicked back to suit the occasion. Holly gave him a broad smile and a small curtsey as she advanced toward him, but the man only had eyes for her sister.

  As Crystal came to a standstill and Simon gave her hand over to Alec, he shot a quick glance in Holly’s direction. For one brief moment, she looked into his eyes, and it was as though the intervening years had fallen away.

  It was odd, but standing there at the front of the marquee, Holly’s mind catapulted back fifteen years to when she had been the one dressed in cream lace. Simon had been opposite her then, too, and a tear welled in the corner of her eye as she thought back to that day.

  Even after what followed, that had been a highlight of her life. To stand before an altar swearing undying devotion to a man she loved had felt like the most joyous occasion in the world.

  Her signature on the divorce decree hadn’t been nearly so exciting.

  Then Aidan gave a cough, and Holly turned to face forward.

  Halfway through the opening speech, Crystal grabbed hold of Holly’s hand and squeezed her fingers tightly. She turned to look at her sister, ready to intervene if there appeared to be anything wrong, but Crystal seemed to have reached out to share her happiness. No signs of fainting or distress in evidence.

  Then came the moment that every bridal couple dreaded.

  “If anyone knows of any reason—” Aidan began before a noise at the back of the marquee forced him to break off.

  Holly turned around to see Esmerelda hauling herself to her feet, eyes sharp and focused on the bride. “I know of a reason,” she called out.

  The sound of a car backfiring rang throughout the marquee as the entire crowd gasped in unison.

  Chapter Seven

  As the crowd waited for Esmerelda to say her piece, Holly could feel her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Even if it wasn’t about her, the fact that the woman had chosen to interrupt Crystal’s ceremony with her mean-spiritedness was almost more than she could bear.

  “Just kidding,” Esmerelda said with a harsh laugh. She sat down again and folded her hands neatly in her lap. The assembly stared at each other in bafflement, and Holly exchanged a tense shrug with Crystal, whose eyes had opened wide in fright.

  “Ha-ha,” Aidan said with forced jollity. “Always nice to have a congregation in a good mood at a wedding.”

  His pleasant manner and casual voice did more to calm the crowd than anything Holly could have done. She shot him a grateful look, and he calmly nodded back to her. Another pang hit her chest at the regret of another opportunity missed.

  All she needed was for her first boyfriend, Matt, to come up here and join the festivities, and all the poor choices that Holly had ever made in boyfriends could celebrate together in one place!

  “Since nobody has expressed any reason why these two should not be married,” Aidan shot a hard stare at his Aunt, who pretended to look in another direction, “then we’ll progress to the wedding vows. I believe that the couple has chosen to write their own?”

  Crystal and Alec nodded, looking on firmer footing now that the incident had passed. Although Holly’s pulse was still trotting along at a faster beat than usual, she, too, had started to relax.

  “Would you like to begin, Alec?”

  Although the couple had been standing, holding hands in the middle of the aisle, Alec now turned and took both of Crystal’s hands in his. Holly felt a lump growing in her throat and looked at the corner of the marquee ceiling as she tried to convince herself she wasn’t about to cry.

  “I promise to love and care for you, and I will try each day to be worthy of your love,” Alec began, and Holly lost the battle for control. A tear ran down from the corner of her right eye, turning the happy couple into a kaleidoscope of fragmented colors.

  “I will always be honest with you, kind, patient and forgiving. I will even attempt to be on time when it really matters.”

  There was a giggle from the assorted crowd, some of whom were well used to Alec turning up a good half hour late for everything.

  “Most of all, I promise to be your friend and your confidant. I will be loyal and attentive to you for as long as we both shall live.”

  Crystal leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Alec’s cheek, whispering, “You’re not getting away that easily. I expect you to be attentive to me long after I’m dead.”

  He gave a giggle, the sound so completely different from anything that Holly had heard out of him before that her tears dried up instantly. How funny it was that she could know this man for as long as her sister had, yet so much of what he showed Crystal would always be completely hidden from the rest of the world.

  Just like all the things that Holly whispered into Petey’s fur when they were alone at night and she was feeling low.<
br />
  “And now, Crystal, if you’d like to recite your vows to Alec,” Aidan said with a small nod.

  “Alec, I promise you to always laugh with you and to never go to bed angry. To always listen to what you have to say, even when we don't see eye to eye, and to remember love is saying 'I feel differently' instead of 'you're wrong.'”

  “A likely story,” Alec interrupted with a whisper, and the first few pews burst out laughing. Crystal freed her hand enough to give him a mock thump, then grabbed hold of him as tightly as he’d held her before.

  “Most of all, I promise to love you, under any circumstances. Happy or sad, easy or difficult, through the sunshine and through the rain for the rest of my days.

  I feel so lucky to have found you, and I couldn't imagine growing old with anyone else.”

  Aidan cleared his throat, and Holly wasn’t surprised to see when she glanced at him that he, too, was welling up at the beautiful ceremony. Suddenly, she felt happy that Minister Woodfield had come down with his stomach bug. It was far more fitting that Aidan, who’d known Alec and Crystal far better for far longer, should officiate their wedding and bear witness to their vows.

  Simon stepped forward, offering a case containing a wedding band to Alec, who slipped the ring onto Crystal’s finger. As soon as he retreated into place, Holly stepped forward, presenting a mirror image of the same ring to Crystal and standing guard while she placed it on Alec’s finger. When Holly stepped back again, she wasn’t surprised to find that her eyes were once more filled with tears.

  “With the exchange of vows and of rings, Alec and Crystal have bound their lives together in a formal commitment. Therefore, by the authority granted to me as Registrar of Marriages, I now pronounce you to be lawfully married as husband and wife.” Aidan stood back and tipped a wink to the congregation. “You may now kiss the bride.”

  The room erupted into congratulations and cheering as Alec performed the duty that Aidan had asked of him. He bent Crystal back with a flourish and kissed her for a solid minute before coming up for air. Only the sound of his father loudly clearing his throat seemed to remind Alec that he still had an audience.