"What the actual…" I yelled, throwing my hands into the air, my gaze falling to the round face of Detective Ray Kahoalani, the homicide detective with the Aloha Lagoon Police Department. This wasn't the first time we'd met, and as much as I was sure he'd be dismayed at the idea, it probably wouldn't be the last.
"I'm sorry, Samantha," he replied as I blinked against the glare of his very colorful Hawaiian shirt. I often wondered why he chose shirts like he did, as they never matched his mood, but then maybe it was a tactic for him to appear to be a little more cheerful. "I know that you were supposed to be getting married, but the murder of your caterer is a serious matter."
"I know. It's just…urgh! Why me?" My shoulders slumped as my stomach clenched, and my body felt heavy. Tears prickled as sadness for Vivienne mixed with my disappointment.
"That's a question I'd like an answer to," the detective replied, his brow lowered, his pencil at the ready on the clean page of his notebook.
"What do you mean? You don't think I had anything to do with this, do you?"
"You were seen in the kitchen this afternoon. I have a witness stating that you were there looking for Vivienne in relation to the discomfit she was causing."
I blinked rapidly. "Yes, but I didn't find her. Well, I kind of did, but my wedding planner Whitney had already sorted the problem out. Detective, I was getting ready to be married at the time of her death."
"How do you know the time of death?"
"Oh, ummm…I may have overheard the coroner, Aimi Yoshida, mention it," I mumbled. Aimi and I had met on a few occasions, but we weren't what you would consider friends. In fact, whenever she saw me at a crime scene, she tended to walk in the opposite direction, but today I had gotten lucky, as a large pile of plates stacked on the counter had given me some cover, allowing me a moment to eavesdrop.
As soon as Whitney had announced that Vivienne was dead, I'd run to the kitchen, only to find her face down in my wedding cake, blood pooling from her neck. Several of the kitchen staff had gathered around her body, looking like they had no idea what to do. I'd immediately pushed past them and checked for a pulse, but with the amount of blood she had lost, it was futile.
With Casey at my side, we'd stayed close by until the officials had arrived, and Jimmy Toki, the resort's head of security, had tried to get me to leave. I'd mentioned that I knew the victim and was extremely upset, so he'd allowed me to stay until Detective Ray had ordered everyone out of the crime scene. We were now back in the function room, which had been repurposed as the interrogation room. Well, that's what it had felt like once all of the guests had been sent to The Lava Pot to enjoy drinks on us. Now, instead of laughter and celebrations, the room was filled with tears and sadness as all of those who had been in contact with Vivienne had been held for questioning.
"You have a knack for getting yourself involved in these things, don't you?" Detective Ray's sigh was long and loud.
"Well, it's not like I go looking for it. Honestly, I just wanted to get married today." My gaze crossed the room to where Casey was being interviewed by a uniformed officer, and tears welled behind my lashes.
Ray lowered his notebook, the kindness in his eyes momentarily replacing his cop face. "I'm sorry. I really am. A marriage is something to be celebrated. It should never be marred by something as heinous as murder."
"Are you sure this was a murder? She couldn't have slipped and fell on the knife?" It sounded lame even to my own ears.
"Yes. It was just unfortunate that she landed in your wedding cake. Now if you will excuse me, I have evidence to collect and potential suspects to interview. For what it's worth Samantha, I wish you and Casey all the very best."
"Thank you."
Detective Ray pushed his notebook into the pocket of his tan-colored slacks and purposefully stepped towards Whitney.
My heart went out to her, as she looked visibly shaken. I knew that her history with Vivienne hadn't been a good one, but Whitney had a kind heart and would be feeling the loss of a human life.
"How are you holding up?" Casey asked, now standing in front of me.
"This sucks in more ways than one."
"Yeah, I know. You look amazing, by the way."
I glanced down at my dress and tears welled before they fell in large splashes on the fabric.
"Do you think we can still get married today? I mean, I know that it's not going to be the celebration that we intended, but we could just pop over to the chapel and ask Pastor Dan Presley to marry us. I know Luke and Alani would come and witness it and make everything legal."
Casey sighed deeply, his voice low and heavy. "I can't speak for you, but this isn't how I want to remember our wedding day."
"Well, no, but I really wanted to marry you." I swiped the tears from my cheeks and looked up at him, my breath temporarily stuck in my throat.
"I wanted to marry you too." Casey pulled me in close, kissing the top of my head, and I felt the weight of the night sit heavy on his shoulders.
With his arms surrounding me, I allowed my gaze to wander the room, taking in the ashen faces of those who had known Vivienne. As my caterer I knew very little about her, yet her death had shaken me up. I could only imagine how her colleagues were all feeling.
Detective Ray was now interviewing the cake-maker Charlotte. Sitting nearby waiting their turns were three other chefs, two wait staff, Whitney, and Rhiannon, the fiery redheaded chef who had been seen arguing with Vivienne earlier. She sat with her head in her hands and didn't look overly upset about the death of a colleague, but then she wasn't doing a happy dance either.
As I thought of Vivienne's blood mixing through the white icing of our wedding cake, nausea swirled in my stomach, and I fought against the bile that rose into my throat.
"Are you okay?" Casey asked, peering down at me, concern etched deep into his frown lines.
"Yeah, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to eat cake again though."
"It was pretty awful," Casey started, only he was interrupted by Alani as she rushed across the room towards us.
"Hey guys." She twisted her ponytail between her fingers as she glanced around the room. "How are you both holding up?"
"Been better," Casey replied. "How's everyone?"
"They're pretty shaken, but the rum in the Lava Flow cocktails we've been sharing around seems to have done the trick."
"Thanks for taking care of them, Alani. This wasn't the evening we all had planned."
"When are you allowed to come and join us in The Lava Pot?"
I shrugged. "Ray didn't mention it."
"He told me we can go whenever we're ready," Casey explained. "We both had alibis for the time of death, so he's not concerned about our whereabouts."
"Then what are you still doing here?" Alani asked. "Come and get a drink with us. You both need it."
Despite the horror that had occurred, the balmy evening warmed my soul as we made our way through the resort grounds towards The Lava Pot. The salty breeze rippled the palm fronds, as the sound of the waves gently lapping the sand eased the knots that had formed in my shoulders. I took a moment to look up at the stars twinkling like jewels in the black sky and realized that despite the fact that I hadn't gotten married like I'd planned, I was still one of the luckiest women in the world. I squeezed Casey's hand and smiled as a surge of happiness pushed all sadness aside.
"I love you," I whispered close to his cheek.
"I love you too. Now, are you ready to face our guests? They probably want some explanation as to why we hadn't told them about the wedding."
Oh geez. I'd forgotten about that. A memory of his mother's frozen features as I held Luke's arm and had started my walk down the aisle flashed front and center. We stopped on the boardwalk outside the tiki bar, and I stretched my neck attempting to dispel the knots rapidly reforming in my shoulders.
The bar's large glass and timber folding doors had been pulled back, allowing the patrons to spill outside, their laughter and chatter resonating happiness. The sound usually made me happy, but as I wobbled on my stilettos, my breathing faltered, and I swallowed hard.
"Can we just go to our room, put our pj's on, and watch some Netflix?" I asked, my fingers crossed tightly behind my back.
"I've already messaged the bar staff and asked Owen to have a Lava Flow ready and waiting for you," Alani added, breaking into my happy thoughts. "And Luke's expecting you to make an appearance. We've been answering questions about your marriage all evening, so you don't need to worry about explaining what was really going on."
"Awesome. I hope Owen has a large beer waiting for me too." Casey grinned, and suddenly I felt like anything was possible.
He held my hand tight as we pushed our way through the crowded bar, many onlookers seeing my dress and congratulating us as we passed. I gave them all a weak smile, put my head down, and didn't come up for air until Casey pulled out a barstool for me and placed a large glass of strawberries mixed with rum in my hand.
Downing half of it in one go, I turned to see his mother standing alongside him, her eyes hard, her mouth set in a grim line.
"Well, well, well," she said, her hands on her hips. "Don't you have some explaining to do." Her attention was zeroed in on Casey, so I took the opportunity to hurriedly empty my glass and waited to hear what he said.
He threw his head back and laughed. "Did we surprise you?"
"That's one way to describe it." Leonie was a very attractive woman. She was early fifties yet didn't look a day over forty. Her ash blonde hair was highlighted with three shades of caramel, accentuating her large electric blue eyes. Her figure reflected her love of running, and I'd been told that she had a wicked sense of humor. I just hadn't witnessed that one yet.
"Awww, Mum, come here." Casey put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Instantly she melted, and as her arms went around his waist, her eyes softened, and lips turned up in a smile.
"You know how I hate surprises," she commented as he squeezed her tight.
"We just thought that while you were all here, it was a great time to get married."
"So long as this isn't a ploy to get permanent resident status," she mused. "I mean I do want you to come home one day soon. As gorgeous as the weather is here, there's nothing like an English summer."
Casey chuckled. "Can't say I've missed 'em. But don't worry, I'm marrying Sam because I love her, and you and dad taught me that when you love someone, you hold them tight and never let them go. I'm going to hold her tight, Mum."
Tears welled as my emotions boiled over.
"I have to say that this day has not been what I was expecting at all." Leonie tsked. "When you said come to Kauai for a holiday, I was thinking of lying on a sandy beach working on my tan. I never thought I would end it being interviewed by the police."
"They spoke to you?" I coughed as the rum burned my throat, and I signaled to Owen that I'd like another one.
"Yes. They've spoken to all of us. Not that I had anything to tell them. Casey, I really think it's time that you come back to England. Why don't you come home with us in a couple of weeks when this holiday is over?"
I gasped as Casey grinned. "Mum, I have friends and a job here."
Her gaze flickered to me as her nose pinched ever so slightly.
"You have all of that at home. I spoke to the owner of The King's Arms, and he said that he'll have a job waiting for you. All you have to do is turn up."
"I also have Sam and her family here," he added, winking at me. His tone was jovial and in complete contrast to the nausea that was gripping my stomach.
"You have family at home also," she added.
"Hey guys." Casey's oldest sister Jessica moved in behind her mum, fatigue sitting in the dark rings below her eyes. "We're going to head back to our room."
"Can you stay and have one drink with us?" Casey asked. "I've barely had a chance to chat with you since you got 'ere."
"And whose fault is that? You were too busy sneakily getting married to chat to me."
Casey chuckled. I honestly didn't know how he found it all so amusing. From where I was sitting, it looked like every member of his family was annoyed at the idea.
"Nice dress by the way, Sam," Jessica added. "Shame about the stain."
All eyes moved to Vivienne's blood that shone brightly down the side of it.
Oh geez, with everything going on I hadn't even noticed it.
"I need to get it to the cleaners before it's ruined forever," I commented, absently lifting the fabric.
"Why?" Leonie asked.
My eyes shot up to meet hers. "W…well, when we get married, I have to wear something." I shifted uneasily on the barstool and bit down hard on my back teeth.
"Sam, you need to burn that dress," Jessica replied.
"I can't do that! It's my wedding dress." I frowned as I fiddled with the fabric.
"Girl, that dress has death cooties on it. There's no amount of bleach that will get that stain out of it."
I gulped and stared down at it.
"I think it's an omen to cancel the wedding," Leonie added.
"Cancel it?" My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as my eyes widened.
"Uh-huh. Your wedding got interrupted by murder! If that's not an omen, then I don't know what is."
"It's not an omen, Mum," Casey added impatiently. "Someone didn't like Vivienne, and it didn't end well for her."
"If you ask me, it was the planner lady who killed her," Jessica suggested.
"Whitney?"
"Yeah. After all she was the one who found the body. Plus, I saw her earlier this afternoon, and she and the dead woman were screaming at each other. I even heard Whitney say that if Vivienne didn't stop trying to ruin her business, then she was going to kill her. At the time I thought it was just a saying. I mean, I tell my husband that I'm going to kill him all the time, but I don't mean it. Obviously Whitney was a bit more literal about it."
"No, you're wrong," I said, defending Whitney. "She's really sweet and wouldn't hurt anyone. She wouldn't kill Vivienne. She was just trying to get her to play nice with the other caterers so that our day would go smoothly."
Jessica shrugged. "The policeman I told that to didn't think it was so innocent. I overheard him talking to that detective about it."
Oh geez. Images of Whitney being dragged away in handcuffs flashed through my mind, and my lips started to tremble. The emotion of the day took its toll, and before I knew it, I was a blubbering mess. Casey instantly held me tight until I managed to control my breathing, Leonie and Jessica both staring at me like I'd grown a second head.
"This, d-day was s-supposed to be the, the happiest of my life," I spluttered.
"It's okay, Sam. It'll all work out. You wait and see. When we do get married, it's going to be amazing. And besides," Casey continued, lowering his head and whispering in my ear. "We still have the honeymoon suite to look forward to."