The Bakers and Bulldogs Mysteries Collection: 20 Book Box Set

by Rosie Sams

Melody laughed. “I’m afraid not. All of my attention is going to be on getting that cake and the rest of the food safely to the event hall. I couldn’t care less what I look like.” She paused only for a moment before she quickly added, “Don’t worry, I won’t look too shoddy.”

  “I wasn’t worried,” Alvin said.

  “Okay, good. I wanted to make sure you knew you weren’t going to end up with a hideous date.”

  Now it was the sheriff’s turn to laugh. “You couldn’t look hideous if you tried.”

  The comment created a brief moment of awkwardness, and Melody heard Alvin clear his throat on the other end. They were getting closer but weren’t quite at the point where they could openly make such comments without at least slight embarrassment.

  Thinking that the kind thing to do was to rescue him, Melody spoke first. “I appreciate your willingness to help with the food. I’ll see you in two hours.”

  “See you.”

  “I guess it’s time to really seize the day, isn’t it?” Melody asked Smudge after hanging up with Alvin. She immediately dialed Kerry.

  “Hey, Kerry. How goes it?”

  “As well as can be expected on a day like this,” Kerry answered, her voice flustered.

  “Don’t worry, I haven’t deserted you. I’m just headed back from a walk with Smudge, and then I’ll be over at the bakery.”

  “Get ready first if you’d like, we’ve got it under control for the moment.”

  “I did plan on getting ready first. I’ll be over as soon as possible, though.”

  “We need you here, but don’t rush so much that you neglect your looks.”

  Melody exhaled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  The stress left Kerry’s voice for the moment, turning to teasing. “You know what I mean. Make sure you dress to impress. And I don’t mean because of the wedding—I mean because of a certain sheriff we all know….”

  Melody scolded Kerry for saying such things, but truth be told, she was feeling as giddy as a teenager already. Telling herself to focus and not let childish excitement get the best of her, she turned toward home, her mind tallying up last-minute tasks that needed attention.

  Melody rushed to the mirror on the far end of her office when she heard the front doorbell of the bakery ring. She ran a hand over her hair and straightened out her emerald green chiffon. It was the first dress she’d bought herself in a long time, and she hoped it would be all right. She leaned in closer to make sure that the red lipstick she only bothered with on special occasions was just so and then made her way to the front, Smudge on her heels.

  “Hi, Al,” she greeted when she found him seated at a table in the front room. Melody hoped that her eyes didn’t give away her feelings as she took in his appearance. She loved the way he looked in his sheriff uniform but thought he looked stunning in a dark blue collared shirt that brought out the color of his eyes.

  “Hey, Mel. You look great!”

  “Thank you.” Melody turned away in the hope that he wouldn’t notice the blush heating her cheeks. “Uh, the food and everything is back here.”

  She led the way to the kitchen, where Kerry had already arranged ice packs around all of the food.

  “Hi there, you two,” Kerry greeted, sending Melody a smile that was anything but subtle.

  Melody wanted to smack her then and there for her lack of tact but instead focused on the task at hand. “Here it all is. Shall we get to it?”

  “Let’s do it,” Alvin agreed, taking the box of sandwiches Kerry handed over.

  Between the three of them, the van was loaded up in no time. Kerry made a point of taking her own car, leaving Melody and Alvin with the van and some alone time.

  Though Melody could have been annoyed with her friend’s meddling, she had to admit she was excited to be one-on-one with Alvin before the craziness began.

  The moment they arrived at the venue, it was all hands on deck as they plunged into the pre-wedding chaos.

  Melody helped with the unloading before searching out Leslie, who had arrived first to guide the dining room setup.

  “Hey, Les. How’s everything?” Melody asked when she finally located her assistant.

  Leslie looked up from the silverware she was busy laying out on one of the tables. Her face was flushed though she looked adorable, all dressed up for the wedding.

  “It’s going all right. This setup crew is pretty efficient, so that helps.”

  “Well, you know Doctor Mitchum,” Melody said. “Nothing but the best will do for his daughter. She glanced around at the staff busily at work. “Where is the cake table?”

  Leslie scanned the room. “I guess it still needs to be put out.”

  “Well, that cake can’t just sit in the van,” Melody pointed out. “I’ll go see to it.”

  Kerry arrived just then, brow furrowed. “I can’t find the special cake knife anywhere. Didn’t you put them in the van, Leslie?”

  “I’ve been here all morning!” Leslie retorted. “Are you really trying to pin something that fell under your responsibility for the day on me?”

  “But I told you to put them in the van this morning when you were leaving!”

  “Seriously, you two, not here,” Melody interjected.

  “It’s not going to be fun making do with some random knife from the kitchen,” Kerry said. “Do you want your beautiful cake butchered?”

  Melody waved her off. “Don’t panic, I’ll find it. And you two, if you could, please try to get along for once.”

  Kerry and Leslie nodded, reluctantly. Melody figured that had to be enough and turned away.

  She made her rounds about the entire venue, ensuring that everything related to food was in order before asking about the cake setup. One of the staff-members quickly saw to it. Melody shook her head when she found the cake knife right in the front of the van, though Kerry had been too flustered to even notice.

  “The knife has been found, and the table is ready for the cake,” Melody told Kerry after finding her fussing over the drink table that would soon feature the bakery’s homemade raspberry iced tea.

  “Okay, good,” Kerry said. “Are you going to head over to the church now?”

  “Yeah, if you’re sure everything is under control here. It seems to be… I don’t see why you can’t come along now.”

  Kerry’s eyes grew mischievous. “You and Sheriff Loverboy go ahead. Save two extra seats. Leslie and I will be over soon.”

  Melody tried to look stern but knew she failed miserably when Kerry only laughed.

  Shaking her head, the baker made her way from the venue.

  “Everything’s under control?” Alvin asked as they turned toward the church, which was within walking distance.

  “Seems to be,” Melody said. “Now all we have to do is get through the wedding, reception and everything else. No sweat.”

  Alvin only laughed. “Yeah, no sweat.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The church was exquisitely decorated for the wedding. Classic love songs resonated in the crowded sanctuary, keeping everyone entertained while waiting for the ceremony to start.

  Melody admired the flower arrangements, especially loving how well they matched her choice of floral design for the wedding cake. Guests mingled throughout the building, milling through the pews talking and finding seats. Melody didn’t recognize any members of the wedding party. Perhaps they were all helping the bride and groom prepare. She glanced at her watch. It was already fifteen minutes after the wedding was scheduled to begin. She supposed it was normal for an event like this to be delayed a little….

  “Where do you want to sit?” Alvin asked.

  Melody glanced around, wanting to make sure she’d be able to exit the church before the throng when it came time to dash to the reception. “How about over there nearest the side exit. We’ll still be able to see okay, right?”

  Like a perfect gentleman, Alvin agreed to wherever she thought best and helped her save seats for Leslie and Ke
rry. Once seated, they waited for another ten minutes before Melody began to wonder if anything was wrong. The wedding was now a half-hour late, and there was no sign that it was about to begin.

  “Something wrong?” Alvin asked.

  “Just wondering why things haven’t started yet…..” She could tell that the attendees were becoming restless and questions that mirrored Melody’s rippled throughout the room. It seemed to Melody that around now, the bridegroom should be present at the altar with his best man just waiting for the bride’s arrival. Kerry’s previous accusations against Robin on the day that Dorinda and Laurel visited the bakery popped uninvited into her head. Wasn’t it usually the players who left their brides at the altar because when it came down to it, they couldn’t make themselves commit?

  Even as she told herself that she was surely jumping to conclusions, Melody turned to Alvin, already standing.

  “Al, I think something’s wrong. I’m going to go and find out what’s happened.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Alvin said.

  Melody nodded, gratefully. They moved swiftly out of the church and to the small bed and breakfast nearby that was reserved for the bride and groom along with their wedding parties.

  “I didn’t see a single member of the wedding party back there,” Melody told Alvin as they walked. “I really hope nothing has happened and they are just running late…..”

  They crossed the street and entered the bed and breakfast where the wedding party stayed. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all assembled in the lobby, waiting. An air of uneasiness permeated the room, causing Melody’s stomach to drop as her suspicions were confirmed.

  “What’s happening?” Melody inquired of the room at large.

  “No one knows,” one of the bridesmaids answered, fiddling nervously with her bouquet.

  “Robin has been missing for hours,” a groomsman said.

  All of a sudden, a piercing cry shot through the air, causing everyone in the room to freeze.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Alvin shot into action, moving swiftly down the hallway toward the sound of the shout. At the doorway to Dorinda’s room, he turned back, putting a hand out to stop Melody. “I’d better check on them first.”

  Melody wrung her hands impatiently in front of her as he slipped inside. Only a few moments passed before she disobeyed the sheriff’s command and followed him.

  The cries had grown substantially louder, and Melody’s insides grew cold when she realized it was Dorinda who was now sobbing uncontrollably. However, what she noticed next was far worse… the groom!

  Robin Werther lay in the center of the room….. dead. At least, it was safe to conclude that he was dead, considering the amount of blood that pooled around him and the fact that his skin was as white as snow.

  “Dorinda, step away, please,” Alvin ordered the trembling bride who sat crumpled next to her fiancé’s corpse. With shaking hands and wobbling legs, she stood, stepping away. She almost dropped once more to the ground, but Melody reached her just in time.

  “I’m so sorry, Dorinda,” she said, only causing Dorinda to sob harder. She wrapped an arm around the distraught bride’s shoulders and glanced around the room. “What on earth happened?”

  “I did it.”

  Melody, Alvin, and Dorinda turned to the sound of Dr. Ambrose Mitchum’s voice. A few moments of tense silence passed as the threesome stared wide-eyed at the bride’s elderly father, all dressed in a pristine, white tuxedo. His face was pale as a ghost.

  “No, Dad,” Dorinda cried. “Don’t say that.”

  Melody continued to hold Dorinda’s shaking shoulders, wracked afresh with sobs. The old doctor’s eyes were rimmed with tears.

  “I killed that man,” he repeated. “I killed him because he didn’t really love my daughter. The truth is, he was taking advantage of her. He was using her to build his career. I could not let anyone do that to my precious daughter! I should have stopped it before now, but I just couldn’t.”

  “This is absurd,” Melody muttered softly. “There’s no way you could have….”

  “You didn’t do it, Dad!” Dorinda cried hysterically. Melody’s heart broke for Dorinda and her father. She caught Alvin’s gaze and easily confirmed that he too didn’t know what to think of the situation.

  Dorinda squirmed out of Melody’s hold and went to his father. He caught hold of his daughter as she began to sob again.

  “I’m sorry, Dorinda. I’m sorry!”

  Melody watched the doctor closely, wondering at the fact that he was so quick to claim he’d just committed murder. Once again, something wasn’t right.

  “Dad, no. Please, you didn’t do it. I know you didn’t,” Dorinda insisted.

  “I have to bring you both to the station,” Alvin said.

  Dorinda and her father looked over at the sheriff with something akin to shock, as if they’d forgotten his presence completely. Dashing tears from her face with little regard for her carefully laid wedding makeup, Dorinda nodded. However, Dr. Mitchum wasn’t quite so quick to agree.

  “You don’t have to bring my daughter. It’s all my fault, Sheriff.”

  “Are you telling the truth, Doc?” Alvin asked. “Or are you protecting someone?”

  “I’m not protecting anyone,” Dr. Mitchum confirmed once more. “Just leave my daughter out of this, please.”

  “We can’t accept your confession yet until we’ve investigated the situation further,” Alvin explained, stepping aside, motioning for father and daughter to proceed with him from the room.

  “I’m telling you, I’m the guilty one, and she has nothing to do with it!”

  Alvin glanced over at Melody. When Dr. Mitchum embraced Dorinda once again, he crossed the room to speak with her. “I’m going to go and call the station. Will you stay here with them for a few more minutes?”

  Melody nodded, mutely. Once Alvin had left the room, she angled away from the sight of the dead body, going over in her mind all that could have possibly happened. If Dr. Mitchum didn’t commit the crime, then who did? And why was he so adamant that he was the guilty one? Poor Dorinda….

  “More officers are on their way,” Alvin said, snapping Melody out of her reverie. “I think now would be a good time for you to bow out.”

  Though she wanted to help, Melody obliged, readily.

  This was too strange—it was best to let the law handle it from there. As she made her way down the hall, she tried to think up the best words to say to the bridal party, waiting to hear the news.

  What a tragic way for a day that was supposed to be so joyous to start. Melody couldn’t help going over, and over the misgivings she’d had during Dorinda’s visit to the shop…. and Kerry’s words about Robin… even her color selection for the cake. Blue chrysanthemums had seemed far too innocent to her. What had she chosen instead? Red. Roses as red as blood on the hands of a murderer.

  The bakery door felt as if it weighed 100 pounds as Melody pushed it open, stepping into the shop. The fact that the lights were on assured her Leslie and Kerry were already there.

  “Hey,” Melody greeted them as she entered the kitchen. Both Leslie and Kerry leaned against the counter, cups of tea in hand.

  “Melody,” Kerry immediately said, straightening. “Is it true? Is Dr. Werther really… dead?”

  Leslie’s eyes were as large as saucers behind her glasses as she waited for her boss to answer.

  Melody exhaled, nodding. “Yeah.”

  Silence fell over the room.

  “You want some tea?” Leslie finally offered.

  “Sure.” Melody joined Kerry by the counter.

  “How was Dorinda?” Kerry asked.

  Melody released a dry laugh. “How do you think?”

  Kerry shook her head. “I just can’t believe it. Are there any suspects yet?”

  “Ambrose Mitchum claims he is responsible,” she said.

  Kerry’s brow furrowed. “He just admitted straight out that he did it? But why?”
r />   “It’s a great question. Thanks, Leslie,” Melody said, accepting the large mug of Constant Comment.

  “What on earth did he say his reason was?” Leslie interjected.

  Melody shook her head at the memory. “He said that Robin was only marrying Dorinda in order to further his career and that he couldn’t let her go through with a marriage based on only that.”

  Kerry and Leslie exchanged a confused glance.

  “I know, it’s strange,” Melody said, taking a cautious sip of her hot tea.

  “Did you see his body?” Leslie asked, her voice hushed.

  Melody nodded. “Al went to check on Dorinda when we heard loud cries from her room. There, we found the poor lifeless Robin at his bride’s feet. He had what appeared to be a stab wound, but I didn’t see a weapon around. Then, Ambrose came in and confessed to the murder.”

  “You were smart to take a police officer as your date, I guess,” Kerry remarked though the morbid attempt at humor didn’t elicit any response. “At least, there’s no need to search for the murderer.”

  “There still might be. There’s no proof yet that Ambrose is guilty.”

  “But, he confessed, didn’t he?” Leslie said.

  “That doesn’t automatically mean he is. And I wouldn’t be so quick to accept what the doctor is saying. Can either of you truly picture Ambrose killing anyone?”

  Kerry and Leslie muttered that they couldn’t, shaking their heads.

  “There are lots of questions that need to be answered,” Melody said.

  “I, for one, am grateful that it is Al and his guys who have to do the questioning and not me,” Leslie said, bringing her empty tea mug over to the sink.

  “Can we head home now?” she asked. “I don’t think I’d be able to work more today even if I tried.”

  Kerry and Melody agreed. “Kerry, I’ll just close up shop and then give you a lift since you’re on my way,” Melody offered.

  “Sure, thanks, Mel.”

  “See you all later,” Leslie said, grabbing her keys from her pocket. “Try to get some rest.”