When Mr. Oglethorpe didn’t respond, Tyler looked at me and mouthed, surely he’s just sleeping it off?
“I don’t think so. Mamie swore he was dead.”
Tyler reached out and touched Mr. Oglethorpe. “Come on, man. You’ve given Mamie quite a scare.”
Oglethorpe slid down and off the bench and landed face down on the ground.
I stifled a scream. “Tyler, he’s dead.”
The candy cane sticking out of his neck did not appear decorative at all.
Chapter Three
The police arrived and herded everyone into the banquet hall—which now looked garish considering the dead man down at the lake with a candy cane stuck in his neck was footing the bill for the whole shindig.
Olivia, her mother, Tyler, and his father had taken seats at the head table. Mrs. Jamison strolled in like she’d just arrived, looked around, then seated herself next to her husband. Olivia was bawling and had her head planted firmly on Tyler’s shoulder. Between sobs, she speculated how everyone had conspired to ruin her day. Mamie stared at me like she could cut out my heart and eat it for breakfast.
A shiver inched up my spine. Where the hell did my mother go? I had chosen a table as far away from the families as possible without leaving the room, which I was ordered not to do. Three bridesmaids sat next to me, tittering away at the audacity of the father-of-the-bride for ruining poor Olivia’s bridal moment.
“He did this on purpose,” the brunette closest to me said.
“Kelsey, you can’t be serious. He’s dead. It’s not like he planned to die.” This was from the blonde. I learned her name was Patrice.
“Olivia said he’d been acting odd the last couple of days,” Kelsey whispered.
“Y’all are crazy,” the other blonde said. “I’m going up for one of those Sinful Santa drinks. Who wants one?”
“Melly, the bartender bailed on them,” Kelsey said. “All you can get is wine or beer. You have to pour it yourself.”
“Dang, I really wanted to try that cosmo.” Melly detached a candy cane from the centerpiece and stuck it in her mouth.
I cringed remembering the candy cane sticking out of Mr. Oglethorpe’s neck. Although, that one wasn’t real. It was a candy cane ink pen. Not the cheap kind you get at a discount store. Olivia had these made for rehearsal dinner party favors. They were arranged at each place setting. Anyone here had access to them. Even the staff—my mother included.
Kelsey slapped the candy from Melly’s hand. “You idiot. Those are for decoration.”
I removed my cell phone from my pocket and tried to ignore their conversation.
“Well,” a voice behind me said, “this is an odd twist of fate.”
“Not to be crass, Sam, but it couldn’t have come at a better time,” Chase Austin said.
The men pulled out the last two chairs at my table and sat down. Both carried beers from the bar which had become a free-for-all once everyone had determined the alcohol was unattended.
I leaned more toward a glass of chardonnay. The Oglethorpes had excellent taste in alcohol. But, I knew if I left, someone would take my seat, and I’d lose my opportunity to find out what these two were talking about. Plus, the three bridesmaids might have some insight into why Mr. Oglethorpe had been acting odd.
Sam took a long swig of his beer. “Oglethorpe might not be a financial genius, but he knows his brew.”
Mr. Austin gave him the side eye. “Right.” He tugged at his collar and loosened his tie. “Why is it so damn hot in here?”
When Mr. Austin rolled his sleeves up, I scooted my chair closer. “The cops are probably trying to turn up the pressure, so someone confesses.”
He stared at me. “What are you talking about, Shelby?”
“The heat. They probably cranked it up to sweat the truth out of us. It’s an old trick. I’ve seen it in tons of cop shows. The killer eventually cracks and confesses. Ultimately, the killer will beg for mercy.” I laughed. “Just trying to relieve the stress.”
“Come on,” Mr. Austin said to hottie guy, Sam. “Let’s find another table.”
Sam grabbed his jacket and looked around. “Where’s your coat, Chase?”
“Must have left it in the car. It’s too dang hot in here anyway.”
I shrugged and tapped into my phone, Mom, where are u?
My cell rang, and Mother’s icon appeared on the screen.
“Where are you?”
“I’m home,” she said.
“Uh. Why?”
“I got a headache.”
“You’re gonna have a bigger headache when you hear what I have to tell you,” I said, wishing I’d downed a chardonnay before I answered the phone.
Melly pushed her chair out. “Okay, who wants wine? I’m only asking once.”
My lucky day. Or not. I raised my hand, and she gave me the hairy eyeball, then shrugged. “White or red?”
Chardonnay, I mouthed.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked.
“That’s what I want to know,” I said a little too loudly. The two remaining bridesmaids stuck their heads together, whispering.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mom said.
“I saw you down at the lake with Olivia’s dad. And you left your purse here.”
“Oh—” Mom started.
“What happened? Mamie came back looking like she’d been dragged behind a car.”
“She took a tumble down the hill. When I went to help her, she went off on me. I couldn’t take her nonsense, so I left. Last time I saw her, she was screaming at Sebastian. Had her nose all out of joint accusing us of having an affair.”
“Are you?” I asked.
“Of course not. You know better.”
“When Tyler’s mom found out I was doing the photos, she threatened me,” I said.
“Threatened you? How?”
“She swore she had some kind of dirt she was going to use that would ruin you. Is it about you and Mr. Oglethorpe? What does she have on you?” I demanded.
“No. Nothing,” Mom shot back in a snippy tone.
“Well, I hate to be the one to tell you, but you’re going to find out soon enough. Sebastian is dead, and Mamie’s accusing you.”
Chapter Four
Mom was sitting at the table with a thick packet of papers when I came home. The police had finished questioning me. After they gave me the obligatory speech about not leaving town, yada, yada, yada, they told me I could leave. I grabbed up Mom’s purse and left before they changed their minds.
Mom pushed the packet aside and looked up with red-rimmed eyes. “Sebastian is really dead?”
“He is. I’m so sorry.” Even though Mom said she wasn’t involved with Mr. Oglethorpe, I knew she cared for him. Much like I still cared for Tyler. I knew there would never be anything between me and Tyler except friendship. And I imagined it was the same thing with Mom. Once the person you thought was your soulmate chose someone else, there wasn’t much wiggle room in the relationship.
“How?” Mom refilled her wine and took a glass out of the cabinet for me. “You want some? I have a little pinot gris left.”
“Yes, please.” I pulled out a chair and sat down, feeling deflated. “He was sitting on that bench by the lake and had one of Olivia’s frou-frou candy cane ink pens jabbed into his neck. Blood everywhere.”
Mom held up a hand. “Oh, stop. Poor Mamie.”
“Poor Mamie!” I lifted the wine and downed it in one swallow. “Are you freaking kidding me? She’s pointing the finger at you.”
“When I left, Sebastian was very much alive. Drunk, but alive.”
I noticed Mom had changed into jeans and a sweatshirt. “Did anyone besides Mamie see you with him?”
Mom swirled the wine in her glass. “Apparently you.”
“Duh! Anyone else?”
“I wasn’t paying attention, until Mamie flew into her rage. Sebastian was in such a state. She started pounding on him and screaming about how he’d scre
wed her over. Chase Austin and Nancy Jamison must have seen what was going on, because they showed up as I was leaving.”
“I still don’t understand why you were with him? You were supposed to be tending bar. The next thing I know people are lining up waiting for drinks, and you’re down at the lake with Mr. Oglethorpe who’s supposed to be greeting guests.” At this point, it hit me that there would not be a wedding tomorrow, which meant the paycheck I’d expected would not materialize, and Mom definitely wouldn’t get paid for today. We were sunk lower than low.
“Sebastian came to the bar for a gin and tonic. I could tell he’d had too much to drink. Instead of serving him, I took him outside to walk it off, so the guests wouldn’t see him drunk.” Mom downed the last bit of her wine and put the glass in the sink. “When we got down to the lake, he started crying. What could I do?”
“Crying? What was that about?” I remembered the conversation between Mr. Austin and Sam about Mr. O. being sloshed at some meeting.
“Sebastian was about to blow the whole wedding wide open as a sham,” Mom said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Olivia isn’t pregnant.”
“Are you serious? She lied to Tyler?” My head throbbed at the thought of the magnitude of Olivia’s deception. How could she do that to Tyler? How could she lie about a baby for goodness sake?
Mom nodded. “Sebastian overheard Olivia confess to her mother. He’d been fighting with his conscience about what to do. He confronted Mamie, and she told him to butt out. He wanted my advice.”
“Ack! What are we going to do?” I asked, knowing that Tyler needed to know.
Mom shook her finger at me. “Do not even think about telling Tyler.”
“He should know,” I replied.
Before Mom could answer, the doorbell rang. “Hold that thought,” I said.
I expected to see the police but got a surprise when I looked out the peephole. “It’s Tyler.”
“This is not your story to tell. Maybe with all that’s happened, Olivia will do the right thing.”
“That’ll be the day,” I said and pulled open the door.
“Can I come in?” Tyler asked. “It’s mass hysteria at the Oglethorpe’s, and I had to get away.”
I moved aside. “Sure, I guess.”
No stranger to my house, Tyler knew his way around. He carried in a six-pack of beer, pulled three out of the carton, and put the rest in the fridge. He slid a beer to each of us, then turned a kitchen chair backward, and straddled it facing the table. After twisting off the cap, he took a long swig. “I had to get away, those women are suffocating me.”
I looked at my mom, then at Tyler. “Nothing but women here. Until you showed up.”
“You know what I mean.” He still wore his suit from the rehearsal, but he’d lost the tie, and his shirt was untucked. “I can’t deal with another Olivia outburst.”
“I assume the wedding is postponed?” I said.
Tyler nodded. “Everything is on hold.”
My mother hiked an eyebrow. “Makes sense.”
“What happened after I left?” I asked.
“After the coroner came, I took Mamie and Olivia home. Mamie is blaming you, Grace. Told the police you and Sebastian were having an affair. She said she saw you arguing with him at the lake, and Shelby had seen you—”
“Wait,” I cut in. “I did see them, but they weren’t arguing. They were talk—”
Mom held up her hand. “This is going to get ugly before it gets better. I was with Sebastian. We were discussing Sebastian getting himself sober enough to go back into the dinner.” Mom cut a glance at me. “And we definitely were not having an affair.”
“That doesn’t explain him being drunk at rehearsal,” Tyler said.
“There’s something going on at work.” Mom was right. It wasn’t my place to spill Olivia’s secret. Surely, she’d come to her senses. “Tyler, do you know who the guy was with Mr. Austin at the rehearsal dinner? Sam something?”
“He’s with Brasher Construction. A firm from Atlanta. They’ve been trying to buy out Sebastian and Austin,” Tyler said. “Brasher’s in expansion mode, grabbing up a lot of the smaller firms, expanding the brand out into communities where the population’s growing. Sebastian’s been resisting until recently. I think after the wedding was over, he was going to sign the papers.”
Mom nodded. “That fits with something Sebastian told me. He told me he was having financial difficulties. Mamie shoved this whole event down his throat, and he didn’t have the courage to tell her to scale it back. She wanted the wedding to end all weddings, and he wanted to give Olivia everything. He agreed to the buyout after the wedding, but he started having second thoughts.”
Tyler put his face in his hands. “This is all my fault. I knew Olivia went overboard, and I should have put the brakes on.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Ha! When could anyone stop Olivia Oglethorpe from doing what she wanted? You know as well as I do, once she sets her mind on something or someone, she intends to have her way.” I hadn’t meant to be so blunt, but Tyler was acting like such a martyr. He wasn’t the prize in this whole wedding fiasco. The prize was Olivia proving to me one last time that she could have anything she wanted.
Tyler looked up. “Don’t I know.”
Mom slapped the table. “You knew what you were getting into. Quit feeling sorry for yourself.”
Tyler’s face went red.
I collected the bottles and placed them in the recycling bin. “What about Mamie? She was livid today. And Tyler, you saw her when she came back into the banquet hall. What was her explanation for her appearance?”
The Mamie Oglethorpe we all knew and loathed never had a hair out of place, a speck of lint anywhere on her person, and heaven forbid she owned an article of clothing that had ever been ripped or torn. No, Mamie was meticulous, and she’d die on the spot rather than be seen in public in any condition other than perfect.
Mom reached behind her chair and opened the fridge. “Want another beer?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Tyler said.
I held up a hand. “Not for me.”
Mom pulled two out and pushed one toward Tyler. “When I left, Mamie was screaming at Sebastian.”
Tyler twisted off the cap and tossed it at the trash, making a perfect bank shot off the wall.
“Two points,” Mom said with not much enthusiasm.
Pop top basketball used to be a thing in our house when Tyler and I were growing up. We’d sit at the table for hours tossing pop bottle caps into the trash can. Loser always had to pick up the ones that missed.
“Sooo,” I said, drawing out the word. “What was her explanation?”
“She said Grace was standing over Sebastian, and she went to get a better look. When she got to the lake, she realized Sebastian was dead, and she feared for her life, so she took off running and tripped. Said Grace caught up with her and grabbed her arm, but she got away. She broke a heel in the process and ran all the way back, worried you were following her.”
Mom’s eyes rounded. “That is the biggest load of horse manure I’ve ever heard. Mamie’s covering up for someone, and I aim to find out who. She’s not going to make me out to be some husband-stealing bimbo, I can tell you that. And Sebastian never looked at another woman after he married Mamie. I won’t let her sully his name.” Tears sprang to Mom’s eyes, and she wiped them off with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.
Tyler’s phone buzzed, and he frowned when he read the text. “It’s Olivia. I better go call her.”
Mom stood up. “You should go home. They’re going to need you over there. That’s your place. Not here.” She walked to where Tyler was seated, leaned in, and hugged him. “You’re always welcome, but you need to go be with Olivia.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. She was right, but I couldn’t stand by and watch Tyler be roped into a sham marriage. The words, “Olivia’s not pregnant,” spewed out of my mouth before I could stop the
m.
“Shelby!” Mom grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
“What did you say?” Tyler asked.
“Olivia lied to you. There’s no baby!”
“That’s just mean, Shelby, and not like you at all.” Tyler pulled me into a hug. “Look, I know we’ve been through some stuff, but you have to face facts.”
I jerked away from him. “Mom tell him. He needs to know the truth.”
Mom shrugged. “Oh, Shelby. What have you done?”
“Not me. Olivia. I’m not the one who lied, and I’m not going to keep this from him. Tyler deserves to know the woman he’s about to marry is a fraud.” I’d put Mom in a terrible position. Olivia had deceived Tyler, but I couldn’t be a party to another deception. Not where he was concerned.
Tyler looked from Mom to me. “Is it true, Grace? Is Olivia lying about the baby?”
Mom put her hand on his arm. “I’m afraid she is, son. Sebastian was going to tell you. He’d just found out.”
“This cannot be happening.” Tyler hung his head. “Why? Why would she lie about something so important?”
Mom shook her head. She knew as well as I did that Olivia did it to trap Tyler once and for all.
“I’ve got to go,” Tyler said. “Someone needs to answer a lot of questions.”
Mom and I followed him to the door. We all hugged before sending him on his way, back to the Oglethorpe’s. Back to his lying fiancée.
After Mom shut the door, she turned to me with fire in her eyes. “You were so wrong to do that, Shelby.”
“I’m not sorry. He needed to know. I feel horrible for him. Did you see how dejected he was?”
Mom sighed. “Still, it wasn’t your place to tell him, honey.”
“If it had been Sebastian all those years ago, would you have told him?” The minute I said it, I regretted my words. “Mom, I’m sorry.”
“I know. And yes,” Mom paused, “I would have. Tyler’s going to have to work it out with Olivia, though. And you’re going to need to keep your distance.”
“Do you think Mr. Oglethorpe’s murder has anything to do with Olivia not being pregnant? Could Mamie have killed him because he was going to tell Tyler?”
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