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Lauren spent a pleasant Sunday with Mitch. He loved the carrot cupcakes she’d saved for him, and they went over the guest list, finalizing it, with a total of fifty-three guests, including the café regulars who had become their friends.
Zoe spent the day with Chris, returning in the evening. Her face lit up when Lauren handed her the guest list.
“Awesome! Now all I need is the date to paint on the pottery mugs.”
“We’re working on it,” Lauren reminded her.
“Is Mitch coming with us tomorrow to check out Stately Vue Hall again?”
She shook her head. “He still has to put in a couple of hours before he can get away. He’ll meet us there.”
Mitch had been apologetic about his work schedule. She understood.
“It’s a shame Chris can’t be there, too. But he’s got a shift tomorrow.” Zoe made a face.
They decided on an early night. Tomorrow was going to be busy for Lauren – after checking out the knot garden, they were going to visit Mrs. Finch, and then she wanted to mix up cupcake batter in readiness for Tuesday, when they opened the café. Plus a myriad of wedding related things to think about, such as the invitations.
Zoe had sent her a copy of the samples she’d found online, and Lauren had shown them to Mitch. He said he was happy with whatever she decided. Now she just had to choose.
Checking that a notepad was beside her alarm clock, she snuggled into bed with Annie. She dreamed of walking down the aisle to meet Mitch.
***
“OH, EXCUSE ME.” LAUREN stood aside to allow Brianna, the bridezilla from last week, pass by her in the parking lot of the reception venue.
The father and daughter had just emerged from the stately building.
“Daddy, I must have my wedding here.” She clung to his arm. “The flowers Reginald showed us were so beautiful. I must have my wedding here!”
“Didn’t see you there.” George, Brianna’s dad, nodded to them, walking past. He looked business-like in dark gray slacks and a pale blue shirt.
“Where’s your fiancé?” Brianna’s gaze sharpened, and she paused.
“On his way,” Lauren replied.
“Oh.” Brianna sounded disappointed, then blinked as she noticed Annie. “You have a cat!”
“Her name is Annie,” Lauren said.
“Brrt,” Annie greeted her politely. Today, Brianna wore a summery pink frock that must have cost a fortune, and made Lauren feel that her apricot dress that she’d been pleased with that morning had suddenly turned into a frumpfest.
The heady scent of roses wafted from Brianna.
“Daddy, I want a cat like that.” The girl pointed to Annie.
“I thought you wanted to marry Bobby,” her dad replied.
“Yes, and now I want a cat as well. Just like this one.”
“We’ll see,” he replied. “Excuse us.” He nodded to them, and made his way to a fancy black sportscar parked a few spaces away from Lauren’s. There were no other cars in the lot.
Lauren watched them drive away with a roar.
“No wonder your Mom wanted you to have the wedding here.” Zoe’s eyes widened as they walked into the large knot garden.
Small and large squares of green box hedge formed fancy designs, with flowering shrubs in the middle of each square. The gravel path curved around a corner.
“Brrt!” Annie looked around in approval. She wore her lavender harness.
“It is beautiful,” Lauren agreed. She could just imagine her, Mitch, and Annie having their photos taken in here. The sweet birdsong in the distance added to the magic.
They’d arrived early, fifteen minutes ahead of their appointment, so they could have a good look around on their own, without any pressure from Reginald.
“Do you think we should let Reginald or his assistant Myrna know we’re here?” Lauren asked after a few minutes of strolling through the garden, the scent of roses perfuming the air.
“Or his ex-wife Elizabeth,” Zoe added. “Good idea.”
“Brrp,” Annie replied, leading the way to a particularly delightful red rose.
The weather wasn’t as warm as it had been last Thursday, but Lauren began to feel hot. She’d rubbed on plenty of sunscreen on her bare arms, thinking her outfit of a lightweight apricot dress cut to flatter her curves was an appropriate choice for the morning. She and Zoe usually wore capris and a t-shirt as work attire during the summer, and jeans and sweaters in winter.
Zoe had dressed up a little for this meeting as well, with lavender capris and a white top with the merest hint of a ruffle, which suited her slim figure. The colors complimented her brunette hair.
“Did I say I love your outfit?” Lauren glanced at her cousin.
“Brrt!” Annie agreed.
“Thanks.” Zoe grinned. “It’s cool and comfy and a bit smart – but still me. Hmm, maybe I’ll get married in it one day.”
“Are you and Chris ...” Lauren held her breath. Her cousin was pretty private about her relationship with Chris, one of the few things she was close-mouthed about.
“No,” Zoe replied hastily. “At least, not yet. But ...” she sighed which was unlike her. “It would be nice one day. I guess.”
Lauren knew her cousin well enough to realize that I guess was totally unnecessary.
“I hope I’ll be your maid of honor – or should that be matron of honor?” she teased. “If you two get married after us.”
“Brrt?” Annie asked hopefully, looking up at Zoe.
“Of course you’ll be my maids or matrons of honor – both of you,” she replied. “If it ever happens.”
Lauren touched her cousin’s shoulder in reassurance. She’d thought for a while now that Chris and Zoe were perfect for each other. Chris’s easygoing, laid-back nature was an excellent foil for Zoe’s good-hearted impulsivity. And Chris was a genuinely nice guy.
“We’d better go inside.” Lauren looked at her watch. “Maybe we can check out the other part of the knot garden after our meeting.” She gestured to the part that curved around the corner, hidden from view.
“I hope they allow Annie inside.”
“Brrt!” Yes!
“If they don’t, we can have the meeting outside,” Lauren said firmly. Although she appreciated the beauty of the garden, and would love to have her wedding photos taken here, she didn’t think the rest of the venue was quite her – or Mitch – or Annie – or Zoe.
“So, have you changed your mind about having the reception here?” Zoe asked.
“Maybe I should wait for Mitch before I answer that.”
A loud scream pierced the serenity.
Lauren and Zoe looked at each other with wide eyes.
“Brrt?”
“What was—”
Another loud scream interrupted Zoe.
“It’s coming from over there!” Zoe pointed to the hidden part of the garden they hadn’t explored.
They ran toward the sound, Annie in the lead. They stopped in their tracks at the sight of Myrna pointing to a pair of trouser-clad legs sticking upside down in one of the square hedges, his feet shod in polished black loafers.
“It – it must be Reginald,” Myrna gasped. “I was looking for him because I knew you had an appointment with him.”
“We need to check if he’s alive,” Lauren said, wondering how on earth they could do it without disturbing the scene too much.
Zoe picked up a pair of pruning shears lying on the ground. “Maybe we can do it this way.” She bent down and hacked away part of the hedge closest to the ground. It was damp, as if the garden had recently been watered and hadn’t yet dried in the summer temperatures.
“I can see his face!” She peered through the branches.
“I think I’ve got a mirror.” Lauren rummaged through her small purse. “Here’s my compact.”
“Eww.” Zoe froze in her bent position.
“Brrt?” Annie joined her.
“Reginald’s got flowers stuffed in his nose and mouth. And a trickle of blood down his cheek.” Zoe wiggled her arm through the hole she’d made in the five-foot-tall box hedge. When she pulled her arm out, she looked at the shiny surface doubtfully. “I can’t see any breath on it.”
Lauren peered over her shoulder. The small mirror gleamed in the sunshine, but her cousin was right.
“What are we going to do?” Myrna shifted from one foot to the other. “He can’t be dead!”
“We’ll call for help.” Lauren pulled her phone out of her purse.
Thankfully, the sound of sirens reached them in a few minutes.
They retreated to the shade of a small tree, where they could still keep watch over Reginald’s body. A statue of a graceful roman woman, tastefully clad, kept them company.
Lauren watched as the authorities took over the scene.
“Lauren?” Mitch’s voice.
“Brrt!”
“Mitch!” Relief flooded through her as he strode up to her, looking calm and capable in fawn slacks and a button-down white shirt.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He cupped her shoulders, looking at her intently, then at the paramedics working on Reginald – to no avail – having removed him from the hedge.
Shakily, she told him what had just happened, Annie interrupting with a series of brrts.
Zoe added that they’d bumped into spoiled bride Brianna and her father George when they arrived.
“Where’s Elizabeth?” Mitch’s gaze sharpened.
Lauren realized she hadn’t seen Reginald’s ex-wife.
“Reginald!” They heard a female voice coming closer. “Where are you? You’ll be late for the next appointment.”
Elizabeth rounded a hedge and halted when she saw everyone. Her gaze flickered to the paramedics, her eyes widening in shock.
“What’s going on?”
“Ma’am, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you,” Mitch began. “Perhaps we should sit down somewhere.”
Elizabeth’s gaze swung to Myrna, then to the rest of them.
“Reginald?” Elizabeth put her a hand to her mouth. “No, it can’t be!”
“I’m afraid it is.”
“What’s going on?” Lauren heard Detective Castern’s voice and inwardly shuddered.
“Not him,” Zoe muttered.
“What are you two doing here?” the middle-aged detective scowled at them. He did not get along with Mitch – or anyone else. Unfortunately, they both worked at the department in Gold Leaf Valley.
He noticed Mitch. “Denman. What are you doing here?”
“Castern.” Mitch nodded. “I had an appointment here with my fiancée.”
“We’re potential clients,” Zoe told him.
“And I suppose you called 911.” He glared at Zoe.
“That’s right. We did.”
“I’ll speak to each of you separately.” He turned to Elizabeth. “Are you the owner? I’ll need somewhere to question all the witnesses.”
“You can use one of the reception rooms,” Elizabeth told him in a shaky voice.
“You’d better show me.” Castern escorted her toward the building. “I want all of you to come inside so you don’t contaminate the scene.” He ignored Annie.
Zoe rolled her eyes. “How can you stand working with him?” she muttered to Mitch.
“Some days are harder than others when we’re both in the office,” he admitted. “But I enjoy putting bad guys away.”
“It’s a shame you can’t put him away.”
Lauren stifled a smile.
“Brrt!”
Once they entered the stately building, Detective Castern took over the main reception room, leaving the four of them waiting in the hall, along with Myrna.
“I don’t know how this could have happened.” She sniffed back a tear. “Who could have done this to him?”
“Did he have any enemies?” Mitch asked.
“No.” Myrna shook her head. “We have consistent five star reviews for our venue. Reginald makes sure that all the wedding parties are happy with our services, before and after their reception.”
“You don’t have any brides that were upset they couldn’t get the date they wanted?” Lauren asked, thinking about Brianna. The girl had been insistent on Saturday, August fourteenth.
“Of course that happens at times,” Myrna replied. “But Reginald knows how to temper their disappointment. He explains that they won’t get a better experience anywhere else.”
“Even the budget brides?” Zoe asked. “The price we were quoted didn’t seem very budget to me.”
“This place has a lot of running costs,” Myrna answered. “Part of my job is doing the bookkeeping and paying the bills. And there are salaries for the three of us as well. Budget brides get a wonderful experience here, and they’re not treated any differently to our VIP clients.”
“Apart from the menu,” Zoe muttered to Lauren.
“How many appointments did you have this morning?” Mitch asked.
“Just you, and Brianna, and her dad,” Myrna replied.
Detective Castern strode down the hall.
“Myrna,” he said. “Come with me.”
Myrna looked like she wanted to gulp as she meekly followed him down the hall, passing Elizabeth on the way.
“How did you find Reginald?” Elizabeth joined them in the hallway. She dabbed her eyes with a white linen handkerchief. Apart from that, she looked competent and professional in her pastel blue suit.
Lauren quickly explained, glossing over the upsetting details.
“I don’t know who could have killed him.” Elizabeth shook her head.
“What did Detective Castern say when he took your statement?” Mitch probed.
“That I shouldn’t talk to anyone else about it,” she replied primly.
“That’s true,” he allowed.
“Even though Reggie told me you were a police detective.” Elizabeth switched her gaze to Lauren. “Have you decided to take the Tuesday in October, dear?”
“No.” Lauren and Mitch answered together. They glanced at each other and smiled briefly.
“Oh.” Elizabeth sounded disappointed. “Would you still like to be on my cancellation list?”
“No, thank you,” Lauren replied for both of them. Perhaps it wasn’t fair of her, but she didn’t want to hold her reception here now.
Elizabeth glanced down at Annie, as if noticing her for the first time. “You do know cats aren’t allowed in here, don’t you? I’m afraid she won’t be able to attend your reception, if you still want to hold it here.”
“Brrp.” Annie’s lower lip protruded a little, as if she were pouting.
“Annie is my co-maid of honor,” Lauren informed her. “She’s a big part of the wedding.”
“Yeah, Lauren and Mitch can’t get married if Annie isn’t there.” She glanced at Lauren. “Can you?”
“No.” Lauren shook her head. It wouldn’t feel right.
“That’s correct,” Mitch confirmed.
“Brrt.” Thank you. Annie sounded happier.
Detective Castern’s interview with Myrna took a while.
Elizabeth departed to her office, saying she would have to break the news to Reginald’s family and friends.
“Let’s explore.” Zoe’s eyes sparkled.
“Brrt!”
“Where?” Lauren asked.
“Just down the hall.” Zoe waved her hand along the cream painted corridor. “I wonder what’s in the rooms down there?”
“Why not?” Mitch said. “I’ll go with you.”
They strolled down the hall, Lauren wondering if Detective Castern would appear at any moment and bark at them. She decided it was worth the risk.
Zoe opened a door and they peered inside. The room was a miniature of the main reception room where they’d had last week’s meeting – the same cream ceiling with decorative flat moldings, and the walls with tasteful gold accents at the corners.
But somehow the space didn’t seem overwhelming in its perfection.
“So cute!” Zoe gazed around. “If they’d shown us this room last week ...”
“I know.” Lauren nodded. The smaller size seemed more her and Mitch, but she could tell it wouldn’t hold fifty-three guests – and each person on the list was important to both of them.
“Yeah, too small.” Sometimes it seemed Zoe could read her thoughts. “And Elizabeth said cats aren’t allowed.”
“Brrp,” Annie agreed sadly.
They ventured further down the hall, Annie leading the way.
She suddenly pounced on something red.
“What is it?” Lauren bent down and picked up the item from the beige carpet.
“It’s a rose petal.” Zoe peered over her shoulder.
She handed it to Mitch.
“I’ll put it into evidence, just in case.” He pulled a small plastic bag out of his pocket and latex gloves. “But it could be nothing. Maybe Elizabeth has flowers in her office.”
“The big room we were in last week had a bouquet of roses,” Lauren said thoughtfully.
“And there were roses in the knot garden this morning,” Zoe added.
“Brrt!”
“Thank you for finding this.” Lauren praised her fur baby.
“Yeah, it could be an important clue.” Zoe winked at the feline.
“Next,” Detective Castern barked from the other end of the hall.
“I’ll go,” Zoe volunteered.
“Okay.” Lauren nodded.
“Denman, the boss said if you’re finished here with your fiancée, you can return to the station.” Detective Castern informed him.
“You don’t want my statement?” Mitch asked.
“I don’t think it’s necessary.” He turned on his heel, Zoe reluctantly following.
“I can stay here with you,” Mitch told Lauren. “I don’t care what he says. I don’t take orders from him.”
“It’s okay.” She squeezed his hands. “Annie and I will be fine.”
He kissed her tenderly, then strode down the hall. “I’ll call you later,” he promised, before rounding the corner.
“As soon as we’re finished here, we’ll go home,” Lauren told Annie.
“Brrt!”