A Deadly Edition

by Victoria Gilbert

  Brad, standing nearby, turned the color of the red roses in the garden, while Alison slipped her arm through his and leaned into him, beaming.

  “Congrats, you two!” Sunny shouted, clinking glasses with Fred before they both took a long swallow of champagne.

  “Yes, congratulations, my dears,” Zelda said, her eyes sparkling. “Now we just have to work on a few others.” She cast a significant look at Hugh, who shared a smile with Aunt Lydia, before she spun around to face Scott and Ethan. “Doesn’t this give you any ideas?”

  “Yes,” Scott said, throwing his arm around Ethan’s shoulders. “It gives me the idea that we should dance.”

  Zelda made a disgruntled noise and waved him off, while my parents and some of the other guests laughed.

  “Scott has the right idea,” Richard said, circling around the table to grab Karla’s hand. “It is time to dance. And maybe”—he cast me a warm smile—“offer a little surprise for my bride.”

  “I’ll go get everything set up,” Karla said, dropping his hand and hurrying off.

  Richard crossed back to me and offered his arm. “Shall we?”

  “What’s this all about?” I asked, as we walked out of the tent and made our way into his yard.

  He glanced down at me, his eyes sparkling. “Oh, just one of my surprises for you.”

  “One?” I asked, arching my brows.

  “You didn’t think I’d limit myself to one, did you?” He kissed me before leading me to one of the folding chairs, several of which had been rearranged to face the temporary dance floor. “Hold this for me, will you?” He stripped off his jacket and laid it over my lap before kicking off his dress shoes.

  Karla held up a pair of jazz dance shoes, which Richard slipped on as soon as he joined her on the dance floor, while I detached the trailing veil from my headpiece and laid it and Richard’s jacket on the chair to my left.

  “This should be good,” said a familiar voice.

  I glanced at the speaker as he settled in the seat to my right. “Where’s Mary?”

  “Resting in a chair over in the tent,” Kurt said. “She tires easily these days, and anyway, she and Delbert Frye wanted a little time to catch up.”

  I studied him, imposing in a pearl-gray suit cut to fit his large frame perfectly. “You look quite dashing today.”

  “And you look gorgeous,” he replied, taking hold of one of my hands. Lifting it to his lips, he kissed my fingers. “I confess to being a bit envious of Richard today.”

  “Ha,” I said, wrinkling my nose at him. “Like you’d ever tie yourself down. Although”—I curled my fingers around his hand—“I do think you might give love a try again, after all these years.”

  Kurt’s eyebrows disappeared under the fall of his thick white hair. “But I have done so, my dear, many times. Just because it didn’t last doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” The twinkle in his eyes faded. Fixing me with an intense stare, he lowered our clasped hands to rest on the adjacent arms of our chairs. “And one thing I’ve learned, after all these years, is that there are many kinds of love. Not all of them end in marriage, or are even romantic, but all can mean quite a lot. Or at least”—he released my hand and sat back, his focus shifting to the stage—“enough.”

  Noticing that Richard and Karla were getting in position for their dance, I didn’t reply.

  The song was one Richard had shared with me before—Josh Groban singing “Won’t Look Back.” Richard had told me it was how he felt about our upcoming marriage, which had made me tear up at the time.

  This time, as he and Karla danced together in a performance that showcased all the brilliance of their partnership to lyrics that promised a lifetime of real, and realistic, love, I cried without shame.

  Kurt handed me a cotton handkerchief halfway through the performance, demurring when I tried to give it back to him at the end.

  “Keep it,” he said. “You might need it again today.”

  “And you won’t?” I said, after swallowing back a hiccup.

  “I have another,” he replied, standing. “I came prepared.”

  “Don’t you always?” I said as I rose to my feet to join the applause for Richard and Karla.

  Kurt just grinned and asked me to save him a dance before striding off.

  Richard leapt off the low platform to run to me. Sweeping me up in his arms, he gave me a long, passionate kiss. “Did you like it?” he asked, as he set me back on my feet.

  “I loved it. But now it’s time for our first dance, don’t you think?” I motioned to the assembled crowd of guests. “Then everyone can join in the fun.”

  “Absolutely.” Richard took my hand and guided me over to the dance floor. “Did you already tell the band what we wanted?”

  I caught Karla’s eye as she stepped down onto the grass beside the platform. “Yes, they know what to do,” I said, giving her a wink. “Just tell them it’s the first dance and we’ll be all set.”

  Richard led me onto the dance floor before giving the band their cue. As the opening bars of “Sway” rang out, he turned to me in surprise.

  “What’s the matter?” I asked, widening my eyes in fake innocence. “Not up for a rumba?”

  He laughed before taking me in his arms. “You little sneak,” he whispered in my ear as we began to dance. “You rehearsed this. With Karla, I bet.”

  “You are correct, sir,” I said, tightening my grip on his shoulder and hand. “Now dance.”

  It was glorious, I had to admit. I’d learned the basics with Karla, but in Richard’s arms, with him guiding me, I felt a freedom I’d not experienced before. It gave me a little peek into his world and helped me understand, for a brief moment, what he must have felt so many times—the power of movement to express what words could not.

  When the dance ended, we were met with applause from all the guests and shouts of “Bravo! Brava!” from most of Richard’s dancer friends, including Adele, who rushed forward to offer us her special congratulations.

  “You know that now you’ve proven yourself, you’re going to have to dance with me much more often in the future,” Richard whispered into my ear as we took another bow.

  “Gladly,” I said, pressing closer to his side.

  “Okay, now that we’ve demonstrated our skills, it’s time for everyone to get up here and show what you can do,” Richard called out, waving a hand to draw the guests onto the dance floor.

  The platform was soon full of couples, some trained dancers who put on quite a show, some—like Scott and Ethan, and my parents, and Aunt Lydia and Hugh—amateurs whose enthusiasm made up for their lack of professional experience. Even Fiona and Jim Muir, I noticed, managed a respectable foxtrot and waltz.

  Sunny and Fred, waltzing beside us, made Richard and I switch partners for half a dance.

  “You weren’t lying, you are pretty good,” I told Fred, before spinning into the arms of Brad, who’d handed off Alison to Fred.

  “I hate to talk shop today,” Brad said as he expertly patterned me across the crowded floor. He stopped at the edge of the platform near the rose-laden fence. “But since you did help us with research and other information, I wanted to let you know that we apprehended Honor Bryant, and she confessed to digging up the aconite from Bethany’s garden, as well as handing Oscar Selvaggio the tainted cognac. But she didn’t distill the poison—that was one of Esmerelda’s flunkies, who gave Honor the finished potion to douse Selvaggio’s drink.”

  “I guess Esmerelda wanted him dead because he cheated her by selling her forgeries.”

  Brad nodded. “She wasn’t the type to put up with that. But she was clever. According to Ms. Bryant, Esmerelda pretended to be interested in acquiring that Kelmscott Chaucer. She even told Selvaggio that things would be square between them if he got the book for her.”

  “I assume she asked him to attend Kurt’s party, saying she or one of her flunkies would meet with him there to finalize details?”

  “Yes, and she commissioned Lance D
albec with the task.” Brad looked down at me, his expression grave. “He sent the text to Selvaggio, telling him to meet out in that garden shed.”

  “Was he the one who actually killed Selvaggio, then?” I asked, hoping, for Honor Bryant’s sake, that this was true.

  “No, the guy was already poisoned when he stumbled out to the shed. Ms. Bryant says that Dalbec was just supposed to keep him there so he couldn’t get any medical help.” Brad’s blue eyes narrowed. “We assume Dalbec watched Selvaggio die, then confiscated his cell phone, threw that tarp over the body, and ran off into the woods.”

  I smiled at my parents as they danced by us, but my thoughts were elsewhere. “Dalbec must’ve parked on that back road and taken the path through the woods, like he did when he kidnapped Adele yesterday.”

  ‘That’s the theory.” Brad shrugged. “Dalbec isn’t saying much, although he swears he never intended to kill anyone but Kurt Kendrick. He says he meant to let you and Ms. Tourneau go after he dispatched Mr. Kendrick and then just disappear somewhere. Apparently, he’d set up some sort of escape plan.”

  “Leaving Honor Bryant to take the rap.” I fiddled with the glass pendant of my necklace. “I suspect she was forced into poisoning Selvaggio because of her debts to Esmerelda’s gang.”

  “Unfortunately. She told us they threatened her life, as well as the lives of her family, if she refused.” Brad stared into the swirling crowd of dancers. “That and her testimony against Esmerelda may help her avoid the worst sentence for her crime, but of course she won’t escape completely unscathed.”

  “Sad.” I looked up into his pensive face. “You are a good man, Brad Tucker. I hope you know that.”

  A flush colored his cheeks. “Thanks.” He stepped to the side. “But here’s Richard, ready to reclaim you.”

  Richard held up his hands. “I have no claims on Amy,” he said with a grin. “Except those of love, of course.”

  “The best kind,” said Kurt, as he stepped between Richard and me. “I do believe I was promised one dance.”

  Richard moved aside. “I’ll allow that.”

  “You’d better,” Kurt said, flashing one of his wolfish smiles before he spun me off in a fast foxtrot.

  “Good heavens, I can’t keep up,” I told him as we danced past Hugh and Aunt Lydia.

  “Nonsense. Just follow my lead.” Kurt quick-stepped me to the edge of the dance floor. “Although I could understand if you want a breather.” He lifted me up and set me down in the grass next to the platform. “You wait here. I’ll grab you another glass of champagne.”

  I looked back at the dance floor, which had cleared as the band launched into a vigorous jive. Only Richard, Karla, and some of the other professional dancers remained, indulging in swings, jumps, and dips that the less accomplished couldn’t hope to match.

  It was fun to watch, though. I applauded their efforts with enthusiasm but was happy to stand quietly by, sipping the champagne Kurt had brought me before he wandered off to talk to Adele.

  Sunny strolled over. “The most awesome wedding ever,” she said, throwing her arm around me.

  I gave her a sidelong smile. “I do think it’s going rather well.”

  “Absolutely the best.” She laid her head on my shoulder. “I’m so happy for you, I could bust.”

  I slid my arm around her waist. “And I’m happy all the people I love are here. Especially you,” I added, hugging her close.

  “Bestest day for my bestest friend,” she said, shooting me a bright-eyed glance from under her golden lashes. “I ordered it up specially, you know.”

  “Did you? Thanks.” I leaned my head against hers. We stood like that for several minutes, watching the dancers.

  As the band took a break, Richard jogged over to the edge of the platform. “Can I steal her away for a minute?” he asked Sunny.

  “I think that sounds like a fine idea,” she said, stepping away from me. “I probably should check on Fred anyway. Last I saw of him, he was talking shop with Scott and Hugh. I bet Lydia and Ethan will appreciate it if I break up that convo.”

  “Definitely sounds like an important mission.” Richard jumped down onto the grass and hugged Sunny before giving her a little push. “Off you go. And tell those guys this is a wedding, not one of their task force assignments, okay?”

  “Will do.” Sunny gave him a mock salute before hurrying off.

  Richard pulled me close. “How about you and I sneak away for a minute?”

  “Another surprise?”

  “Could be.” Richard stepped back and took my arm. “Come on, we can take the secret way.”

  He escorted me past the arbor, into the woods that bordered his lawn. Lifting my long skirt, I followed him down a narrow path that required us to walk single file.

  It led to an old arbor, groaning under the weight of ancient wisteria vines.

  “Our special place,” he said, as he pulled me into the center of the tunnel-like arbor that connected his land to the woods behind Aunt Lydia’s house.

  I looked up at the tapestry of dark-green vines and clusters of deep-purple blossoms. “It’s blooming again.”

  “Yes, perfect timing on our part.” Richard kissed me before stepping back and pulling a small box from his pocket. “This is the other surprise,” he said, handing it to me.

  I opened the box to reveal a brooch—a delicate filigree of gold studded with emerald chips that looked like leaves and amethysts that mimicked the chandelier of blossoms overhead. “Oh,” was all I could say, before snapping the lid shut and throwing myself into his arms.

  After several more minutes lost in kisses, Richard lifted his head to study my face. “So I guess you like it?”

  “It’s perfect,” I said. “I love the way it tells our story.”

  “But only the beginning.” Richard cupped my face with his hands. “There’s so much more to come.”

  “And I can’t wait to write that epic,” I said. “With you as my coauthor, of course.”

  “One thing’s for sure, it will be guaranteed to have a fascinating plot and many lovable side characters,” Richard replied as a breeze whistled through the arbor, showering silken flower petals over us like a fragrant drift of snow.

  “We don’t know the ending yet, though,” I murmured as I laid my head against his chest.

  “But I know it will be happy,” he replied, and then kissed me until I was convinced that his words were the indisputable truth.

  Also available by Victoria Gilbert

  Blue Ridge Library Mysteries

  Bound for Murder

  Past Due for Murder

  Shelved Under Murder

  A Murder for the Books

  Book Lover’s B&B Mysteries

  Booked for Death

  Mirror of Immortality series

  Scepter of Fire

  Crown of Ice

  Author Biography

  Victoria Gilbert raised in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, turned her early obsession with reading into a dual career as an author and librarian. Victoria has worked as a reference librarian, research librarian, and library director. When not writing or reading, she likes to spend her time watching films, gardening, or traveling. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers and lives in North Carolina. This is her fourth Blue Ridge Library mystery.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Vicki Lemp Weavil

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.

  Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.

  Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.


  ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-476-2

  ISBN (ebook): 978-1-64385-477-9

  Cover design by Griesbach/Martucci

  Printed in the United States.

  www.crookedlanebooks.com

  Crooked Lane Books

  34 West 27th St., 10th Floor

  New York, NY 10001

  First Edition: December 2020

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