Southern Sass and a Battered Bride Page 4

  “Did she say if she liked the cake before going into character?” I hoped Lucy would hear me and pop up for a second to speak to me. She didn’t. Oh well, I’d done my best.

  “Maybe she told Paul before she got whacked. She has to play dead really well, too.” Betsy leaned down. “The guests are coming, Lucy. Don’t make a peep or the whole reception will be ruined. I’ll just fix your legs so it looks more realistic.” My friend maneuvered Lucy’s legs in the most unladylike fashion. Betsy admired her handiwork and began all-out guffawing. To my utter surprise, Lucy didn’t break character.

  “You’re evil, Bets. Lucy, if you slap her for this one, I’ll not come to her aid.” Amused, my head shook involuntarily.

  My best friend, what a joker. I supposed Lucy would grow accustomed to her antics now that she’d officially become part of the family. Another thought struck me. Could this be Lucy’s attempt at fitting in? My opinion of the bride rose at the notion.

  Rebecca came rushing in through the back of the tent with a chest full of ice. Wisps of her long dark hair escaped her ponytail and her face was flushed. “Marygene, I’ve been looking for you. The ice machine has some error code on it. It’s stopped making ice.”

  “Did you tell Sam? He usually knows how to reset it.”

  “Yeah, I did. He’s on it.” Rebecca wiped the sweat from her forehead.

  Lord help us if we couldn’t keep the shrimp on ice. I rushed toward the prep tent. I’d told Jena Lynn last month we needed to order a new ice maker. The machine had malfunctioned on more than one occasion. Sam, being the tinkerer he was, had managed to breathe new life into the machine each time. I prayed his luck would hold out.

  “Sam! Talk to me.”

  Bent over the machine with his tool kit, Sam grumbled something unintelligible but, a second later, the low hum of the ice maker began, and then it roared back to life.

  “Sam, you’re a miracle worker.” I held my hand over my heart.

  “That’s what all the ladies say.”

  “Yuck.” I laughed and threw a towel at him before I went back out to the reception tent. The guests were milling around and already forming lines around the food stations. Everything was going to plan, and a swell of pride filled me at pulling off the most complicated wedding reception of my career.

  “Oh my God!” Alex seemed to be really getting into character.

  “It’s starting.” Betsy sidled up next to me with a plate of food. She was stuffing her mouth with roasted shrimp cocktail and laughing at the same time.

  I feared she’d choke herself.

  “You shouldn’t have positioned her that way. You’re so bad.” But I snickered along with her.

  If I’d been Lucy, I wouldn’t have stood for it. She was going all out with this thing.

  “Somebody call nine-one-one!” Alex shouted.

  Guests were getting excited and ready to join in. Betsy and I moved closer as Alex shouted again.

  “It’s the groom! He’s the killer,” an older woman shouted from the table closest to where Lucy lay.

  “No! It’s the caterer! Only she would have access to the batter.”

  I turned to gape at the table behind me. Several older residents already seemed to be tippling the champagne from the fountain at a rapid rate. Terrific. There were always messes when people started knocking them back too early.

  “Ohhh! You’re going to the clink!” Betsy died laughing and pointed at me.

  Alex lifted his bride from the floor and clutched her to his chest. When he turned, that’s when it clicked something was amiss. I knew Alex. He wasn’t acting.

  My heart pounded and I rushed next to him. “This isn’t part of the game, is it?”

  “No! Marygene, I can’t get a pulse!” Alex’s face wore the expression of a madman, with wild eyes shifting as they searched mine. “Sh . . . she’s pregnant,” he croaked.

  All the blood drained from my face. “I’ll get help.” I ran.

  CHAPTER 5

  Chaos ensued. I ran right into Javy and nearly bounced off until he steadied me by the arms. I’d shouted something a little incoherent about Lucy and Alex and needing help. He’d jumped right into deputy mode and instructed me to get Doc Tatum before he whipped out his phone and called for an ambulance. When I found Eddie and explained what was going on, he’d informed me Doc Tatum had a medical emergency at the hospital and had left ten minutes ago. The person with the most medical experience on site was Theodore “Teddy” Gaskin, our funeral director/coroner. At Eddie’s behest, he rushed inside the tent to offer what help he could provide, and I followed. Javier began ordering people to file out the side. Some of the guests believed the ordeal to still be part of the game. Others were in a state of panic. My staff stood confused.

  I sidled next to Javier and didn’t protest when he took my hand and wrapped his fingers around mine. Eddie was on the ground next to Alex, encouraging him to release his bride and let Teddy work. I held my breath as Teddy attempted to get a pulse.

  Many thoughts flew through my mind at a rapid-fire pace. Mama had warned me and I’d disregarded it. I could have called for help earlier. Like the second I’d found her. When someone was ill or injured, every second counted. Then I wondered, had Lucy been ill? Had there been some complication with the pregnancy? Then the fact that the large mass in attendance greatly outnumbered the small Peach Cove Sheriff’s Department concerned me. With so much going on, how could they possibly gain control of a crowd near pandemonium?

  Teddy’s dark brows were knitted together, and his mocha-colored skin lacked its usual glow as he began CPR. His treatment appeared rough as he pressed on her chest. Her lifeless form moved with each press.

  Alex’s eyes bulged and his body began to shake. “Get off her, you idiot! You don’t know what you’re doing. You’re a freakin’ funeral director!” He shoved Teddy away and poor Teddy hit the ground with a thud. Through the blurred vision of tears, I watched the distraught man as he cradled Lucy in his arms and began rocking. Begging her to wake up.

  Without a thought, I went to my knees next to him and wrapped my arms around him as he wailed. I had no words. Still, I attempted to form some and managed, “I . . . I’m so sorry. So very sorry.”

  His eyes were wild, his face contorted in both rage and agony, his nostrils flared, and a little spittle hit my face as he shouted, “Get away from me! You aren’t sorry. You hated her!”

  I scrambled backward as Javier and Eddie fought to pull him off Lucy.

  “Come on. Son,” Eddie said softly. “An ambulance is on the way. Let Teddy see if he can help the girl until they arrive.”

  I longed for the sirens of the ambulance, and I pleaded to God, praying Lucy could be helped and, by the downcast eyes and solemn expression on Teddy’s face as he worked, I feared they couldn’t. Guilt consumed me. If only I’d listened to Mama and hadn’t looked for another solution.

  “I don’t want her in here,” Alex said, and I met Eddie’s gaze.

  He nodded toward the exit. Javier aided me to my feet, and I backed out of the tent.

  My heel sunk in the sand as I stepped out of the way of the line of attendees that trailed behind Javier, who exited right after me, back to where the wedding had taken place only moments ago. The sun’s rays were blistering, making us all wish for a gust off the Atlantic to cool our sweaty brows. I wiped my face clean, my stomach still in knots.

  Betsy and Aunt Vi flanked me a few yards from the tent. The rest of my staff, including Sam, stood behind us. The Sunshine Murder Mystery Company’s staff mingled with mine as I scanned the faces in the crowd for Jena Lynn, Zach, and Olivia. There were too many people.

  Mama walked out of the tent toward us. Her yellow dress with white daisies blew in the wind. She held her dainty hand up to block the sun. “Something isn’t right here.”

  You could say that again.

  “If the girl passed on, I’d feel it, and I don’t.” It was a rarity to see Mama’s face twisted in such deep confusion. />
  I overturned my palms as inconspicuously as possible, giving her the “what gives” sign.

  “I wish I could tell you. Something is wrong, either on my side or that girl still lives.” She faded from sight. Sirens were louder now, and I knew the ambulance had arrived. With Mama’s declaration, I held out the tiniest shred of hope Lucy would either receive medical attention for whatever was wrong or we’d find out this all had been an elaborate ruse. Lucy was known for her theatrics. This would certainly be burned in the memory of all who attended. My instinct immediately refuted the second notion. Alex’s reaction had been real. There wasn’t any denying that. Would Lucy enact something so horrific and not inform her husband of the plan?

  Alex came out of the tent, assisted by Teddy. The thin man had a difficult time holding Alex’s weight.

  “Oh no . . .” Betsy mumbled.

  “Poor baby,” Aunt Vi said.

  “This is awful,” I whispered.

  Alex stumbled a couple of times before falling to his knees. Eddie hurried over and helped. My heart rent into pieces at the sight of Alex’s ashen face, his eyes devoid of their normal playful warmth. He didn’t lift his head as the two men hauled him toward the chair Javy had dragged over.

  “Let me go to him!” Alex’s mama shoved against Javier and rushed to her son.

  He leaned into her as she consoled him. His shoulders shook, and I fought the tidal wave of emotion welling up within me. I willed my inner strength to rise. I had to be strong.

  It helped that Betsy was close. She kept glancing over at her cousin, her eyes red rimmed. She loved Alex more than he knew. It was his mama that kept her and Aunt Vi at bay.

  Aunt Vi shook her head toward where Alex sat. “This is just awful. Where are those dang medics?”

  “They’re up on the ridge.” Sam came up behind us.

  “Oh, thank the Lord.” Vi rubbed her forehead. “I’m going to have to find another place for Mama to sit.”

  I glanced over toward the ceremony site, where Betsy’s meemaw sat under her small umbrella. I turned around and whispered to Sam to help Aunt Vi.

  “I don’t think the medics are going to be able to do anything. Her lips weren’t the right color.” Betsy looped her arm through mine.

  I hoped she wasn’t correct.

  “Sam, use the extra tent and the portable air conditioner. It’s way too hot for her to be sitting outside.”

  “On it,” Sam said.

  “Thank you, dear.” Aunt Vi patted his arm.

  Everything happened so fast from there. I found it hard to follow the flurry of movement and the squawking guests as the EMTs rushed into the tent with their little bags. Alex followed them inside with his mama plastered to him. The next thing we knew, Alex was yelling, and his mama started calling for Eddie. Seconds later, the EMTs left the tent without Lucy. Betsy and I huddled together.

  “Oh my God. She’s dead.” Betsy gripped my arm tighter.

  “Why’d they leave her body inside?” I sniffed.

  Eddie and Javier were scurrying around with hardened expressions.

  “This isn’t right.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Something is terribly wrong, Bets.”

  “You’re just now figuring that out?” Betsy shook her head, not understanding my meaning.

  Before I could elaborate, Javy called me over, and I followed him a distance away from the others. “Have you been in the same spot the entire time?”

  “Yes.”

  “The entire time? You didn’t go anywhere, not even for a minute, or was your attention divided?”

  I searched his face. “I . . . I might have glanced away for a second, but I didn’t leave. I sent Sam to set up a spot for Meemaw.” I pointed to where Sam had improvised by putting up our small pop-up tent we kept around for extra storage and set Meemaw inside with an air conditioner. She’d been joined by a few of her contemporaries. It was too hot for them to sit out here exposed.

  Javy nodded. “Did you see anyone coming or going?”

  I understood he meant the reception tent.

  I gave my head a shake. “What’s happened? She wasn’t murd . . .” My tone trailed off.

  Javy leaned his head close to mine. “She’s gone, as in physically gone. We can’t find her. And, in her condition, it’s highly unlikely she got up and walked off without being noticed. The coroner couldn’t get a pulse or thinks he couldn’t.” Javy shook his head. “Alex pulled Teddy off before he finished CPR. Now Alex’s in there grilling him, and Teddy is so shaken up he actually claimed he can’t say for a hundred percent.”

  My fingers went to my parted lips. “My God.”

  “Someone had to remove the body, and if that’s the case—”

  “Foul play.”

  Javier’s brows furrowed, and his mouth thinned out into a flat line as he nodded. “And if we’re being completely candid here, the body should have never been left unattended in the first place.” Javy didn’t blame Eddie, but by the way he was staring over in his direction alluded to his disapproval.

  I started to defend my father, stating that this case hit close to home. Eddie viewed Alex as more of a son than simply his deputy. But the argument died in my throat when Eddie used his megaphone to address the attendees, and I jumped.

  I swallowed hard and turned around to where Eddie stood. Most of the guests had moved closer to the tent during the commotion.

  “Everyone must remain at the ceremony site until further notice. I understand you’re all upset and want to know what’s going on. But I’m going to have to ask for your patience.”

  The megaphone dropped by Eddie’s side, and he waved Javier and me over. “Where is Paul Fowler?”

  “I . . . I haven’t seen him.” I searched the faces in the crowd.

  “Paul!” Eddie blared over the megaphone. “Paul Fowler.”

  “Here!” Paul moved through the group standing behind Betsy. He must have slid in when I wasn’t paying attention. I wondered why he hadn’t joined me at the front. Though he hadn’t any ties to Alex or Lucy, still, this would affect the company he worked for. Front and center was where he needed to be.

  Eddie’s serious expression had Paul taking a step backward. “Young man, I need you to be up-front with me about what’s going on here. Is this some ruse? Part of your company’s event?”

  I gaped at Javier. This wasn’t an angle he’d mentioned that the sheriff’s department was exploring. His attention stayed with Paul and Eddie.

  “No, sir.” Paul’s face paled. “Miss Carmichael stressed her desire to be the focus of the murder mystery. She was perfectly fine when she positioned herself for the event. This”—he waved his hand toward the tent—“I assure you was not part of the plan. Why? Is she?”

  “Please wait back over there with the staff.” Eddie pointed his index finger at Paul. “But stay put. I want to be able to locate you the second I need to.”

  Paul did as instructed, casting a worried glance toward me before standing in the exact spot he’d been moments ago.

  Surely he didn’t think I had something to do with him being singled out. It was procedure, whether Paul had any clue what had happened to Lucy or not, and the fact that it obviously wasn’t a stunt. Even I knew that. Alex would have never fallen to pieces the way he had. And Lucy certainly wouldn’t enact some elaborate performance without the knowledge of her husband. The notion seemed absurd.

  Eddie pointed to the tent. “Deputy Reyes, we need to cordon off the entire perimeter and try and get a handle on things before it gets even worse. Theodore claims he couldn’t get a pulse. Almost positive he couldn’t. But clearly, the girl is gone. Fowler appears credible, and, until we know otherwise, we’ll have to consider this a crime scene.”

  Javier glanced over to where all the guests were. “We’ll need to clear it first. We can’t run an investigation with all these people around. The scene’s probably been contaminated already with all the foot traffic and people touching everything.”

  “It�
��s a nightmare, for sure.” Eddie rubbed his forehead. “We’re going to need to check all the vehicles before we can allow anyone to leave. Make sure there aren’t any traces of the victim and keep on alert for anything suspicious. I’ll start with the business vans, make sure they’re all accounted for, and then help you with cars, taking the folks in groups. That way we can check each one thoroughly before they drive away. I’ll get Sam to help since Alex will need to sit this one out. I also need to ask him what vehicle the bride arrived in.”

  “What can I do?”

  Eddie glanced at me as if seeing me for the first time. “If you could get your keys to Javier and try to calm your and Sunshine’s staff, that would be helpful. We’ll need the keys to their vehicles as well.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

  My head bobbed in a grim nod. “They’ll need to go back inside the tent. Most of them stashed their purses inside the little locker in the back tent.”

  Eddie shook his head just as Javier spoke. “Having them trample back through the crime scene isn’t ideal.”

  “Does Sam know where the locker is?” Javier asked.

  I gave a single head nod, feeling numb.

  “I’ll go with him to retrieve it and bring it out to the staff. Sheriff, with it being just the two of us, we’ll need to use the coroner as a deterrent for nosy guests. Station him outside the tent and make sure no one else enters.”

  Eddie agreed and moved through the small crowd and paused to speak with Teddy.

  I glanced at Javier as he scanned the area like a hawk. “I’ll go have a word with your brother while you give the staff your update.” He held my gaze for a couple of seconds. “Keep your eyes and ears open.”

  His jaw tensed, and his brow furrowed. He wanted to convey something to me. I believe I understood. Where Eddie wrestled with the notion that something sinister occurred here, Javy did not. Eddie grew up in a different world than Javier. He’d once told me the types of crimes he’d worked before relocating to Peach Cove after his divorce. Drug lords and hardened criminals were a part of his daily life. Eddie hadn’t had to deal with such crimes. We trusted one another and expected good to prevail.