Wedding Day of Murder (3 page)

Riley made brief eye contact with
Lacy, pleading. “Mom, it’s not that bad. Lacy can go with us.”

“Riley, she looks like a skunk and
smells like Home Depot. She can’t go. Come on, we’ll find Tosh and finalize
plans for the rehearsal. I’m not happy with his mother’s guest list.” She
breezed from the room. Riley heaved herself from the chair and toddled after
her mother, closing the door in her wake.

“Was it my imagination, or did
Riley look trapped and a little bit desperate?” Jason said.

“I think Mom’s presence is wearing
on her, which is strange. Those two have always been so close. It was always me
and Dad and Riley and Mom. I think Riley feels strange about the alienation.
She’s unaccustomed to feeling frustrated by mom and being the brunt of such
intense and scathing focus.”

“You’d think your mom would have
grown accustomed to the situation by now. She’s been here for weeks,” Jason
said.

“Twenty three days, to be exact. If
you think you have it bad, be glad you’re not Tosh. He’s stuck in the middle
between Riley and Mom and between Mom and his parents. Mom’s turned into a
mother-of-the-bride-zilla. The wedding has to be perfect; so far nothing has
been good enough, Tosh especially. You know she tried to get them to live apart
until after the ceremony? Tosh put his foot down on that one.”

“How are Tosh and Riley doing, do
you think?” Jason asked.

“Mom’s presence has been a strain
on an already strained relationship, but I’ll give both of them credit for
trying hard. Riley has surprised me with her commitment to him and their
marriage, and Tosh has surprised me with his strength in standing up to her.
He’s determined that she won’t wear the pants in their marriage. She wants to
be pampered and spoiled as she’s always been. I’m keeping my fingers crossed
that after they work out the initial kinks they’ll be okay. And I’m trying my
best to stay out of it.”

“You miss him,” Jason said.

Lacy shrugged.

He poked her shoulder. “C’mon, I
know you do. You guys were tight and then he abruptly dropped off the planet.”

“I still have you,” she reminded
him.

“Is it the same?” he asked.

“No. He and I did goofy stuff
together,” she said.

“We can be goofy,” he said.

“You’re not goofy,” she said.

“Ouch.”

“That was a compliment.”

“If you want goofy, and I’m not,
then that’s a failure on my part,” he said.

“Jason, you can’t be everything to
me,” she said.

“I can try,” he said, but she could
tell he was joking.

“Kimber’s here now, and that’s been
a lot of fun. And Andy moved this week, so there’s that. Between the two of
them, my goof quota will definitely be filled.”

“Just in case, maybe you and I
should do something that you and he used to do together.” He paused. “What did
you used to do together?”

“We watched a lot of TV.”

“I can watch TV,” he said.

“Sci-fi stuff,” she added.

“I’ve seen the occasional
Star Trek
here and there.”

“We watched Korean fantasy shows
about futuristic alien cowboys who take over the earth and repopulate it with
dinosaurs,” she blurted.

There was another pause, longer
this time. “So, Kimber and Andy can fill that goof quotient, you say?”

She laughed and rested her head on
his knee. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I should go. I think I’ve
picked as much paint from your hair as I’m likely to get today. Why don’t you
leave the oil in and see if it can leech some more paint out. Whatever is left,
I’ll work on tomorrow after you have your teeth out. Maybe it’ll be easier if
you’re unconscious.”

“You say that to all the girls,”
she said.

“Only the ones I’m dating,” he
said. He kissed her once more, and then he was gone.

Chapter 3

Lacy oiled her hair. The sickening baby-fresh
scent was overwhelming. She slicked it back off her face and tucked it behind
her ears. For once in her life, she planned to take her mother’s advice and
avoid the public eye until all the paint and oil were gone. A knock on her door
a few minutes after Jason’s departure dashed her reclusive plans.

Kimber opened the door without
waiting for a reply. She was followed closely by Andy—college friend and
Kimber’s secret love interest. “Oh, wait, Andy. We have the wrong room,” Kimber
said. “We were looking for Lacy and found the Godfather. Nice hair,
Signor
. Or is it
El Don
?
Padrino? Gumba?
Help
me out here, I’m confused.”

“Ignoring you now and focusing on
Andy,” Lacy said.

“Stop being mean, Kimber,” Andy
said.

“Thank you, Andy,” Lacy said.

“You’re welcome. Should I kiss your
ring now or later?” he asked.

“He’s been in town two days, and
you’ve already corrupted him,” Lacy accused Kimber.

“Pshh, he was born this way,”
Kimber said. She linked her arm through Andy’s and gave it a squeeze.

“It’s true, I was,” Andy said. He
returned Kimber’s squeeze. Lacy tried not to beam. For the last two days, they
had been nearly inseparable. She hoped that was a good sign that their
relationship was moving in a more romantic direction. Before the move, they had
lived in the same city for three years. Kimber hadn’t been sure Andy would
follow her. Lacy had urged her to take a step of faith. She was heartened that
it appeared to be working. If Andy’s move and smile were any indication, he
couldn’t live without Kimber.

“So, back to your hair,” Kimber
prompted.

“I had a little accident,” Lacy
said. She folded her hands on her desk and tried to sound demure and
nonchalant. “It was no big deal.”

Andy and Kimber shared a look. “’No
big deal,’ she says,” Kimber said.

“I’m relieved to see Lacy hasn’t
changed a bit,” Andy said. “Remember when we took that road trip to Gettysburg
and she got her leg stuck in a cannon?”

“Remember when the bread dough
expanded in her student mailbox and the entire wall had to be replaced?” Kimber
paused and turned to Lacy. “Why were you mailing bread dough?”

“It was frozen. I thought it would
get to my grandma overnight. I had no idea they let the mail sit there for
days. That was not efficient,” Lacy said.

“Remember when she almost fell out
the window?” Kimber asked. “That one was scary.”

Andy nodded. Lacy shuddered. She
didn’t like to remember that one. “Whoa, look at the time, and me with all this
work to do,” she said, motioning to her empty desk.

“We should let you go. That hair’s
not going to oil itself,” Kimber said.

Andy poked her. “Remember why we
came.”

“Oh, right, we wondered if we could
change the time of supper tonight because of the meeting,” Kimber said.

“What meeting?” Lacy asked.

“The emergency town council
meeting,” Kimber said. “It’s all over town. I can’t believe you haven’t heard
about it.”

Lacy pointed to her head. “Busy
morning. Why is there an emergency town council meeting?”

“To talk about the protesters,”
Kimber said.

Lacy’s forehead dropped to her desk
with a loud thunk. “This is not good.” Some members of the town council had
been gunning for the Stakely building since its inception. For whatever reason,
they were threatened by all the changes taking place in the community. They
blamed Lacy and had been trying to find a way to shut down the Stakely
building. Every month their tactics became seedier and more underhanded.

“It’s going to be fine,” Kimber
said with uncharacteristic optimism. “We’ll be there to support you.”

“For sure,” Andy said. “I’d like to
see somebody try and mess with you with Kimber and I standing guard.”

Lacy put her head up; it left an
oil imprint on her desk. “What would you do to defend me?” She was heartened
and amused by their unwavering support.

“Kimber could sculpt them
maliciously, and I could mess up their tax return so bad they would never get a
refund,” Andy said. “Nerd power!” He and Kimber high-fived.

“So, about supper. Are you ready to
go now?” Kimber asked.

Lacy checked the clock. Time had
gotten away from her. The day had been an unproductive failure. “It’s four. Who
eats supper this early?”

“People who skipped lunch and are
starving,” Andy said. He pressed his hand to his stomach. Lacy’s stomach
rumbled in sympathy. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and that had been before
her run with Jason.

“What about my head?” Lacy said.

Kimber produced a scarf from her
purse and tossed it onto the desk. “I always carry a spare.”

Lacy inspected the pretty silk
fabric. It was bright purple and yellow with a bold geometric pattern. It
looked nothing like her and everything like Kimber. Then again, what choice did
she have? She fastened it over her hair. Kimber shook her head with
disapproval.

“Girl, you look like someone’s
Russian grandma. How do you take something stylin’ and make it dowdy?”

“It’s a gift,” Lacy said. She sat
still while Kimber rearranged the scarf. Under Kimber’s magic touch, the scarf
covered all of her hair and still managed to look cute, as if Lacy were wearing
it because she wanted to and not because she was trying to cover an oil slick
the size of the Exxon Valdez.

“Is there a back exit to this
place?” Andy asked. “Because we should probably try to sneak you past the
angry-looking mob of protesters out front.”

“There’s a back exit, but we still
have to walk around the front to go anywhere,” Lacy said.

“Maybe they won’t recognize you
under the scarf,” Kimber said.

“They’ve seen enough of me this
morning to memorize my moles,” Lacy said. “But we’ll hope for the best.”

“Try not to fall and draw attention
to our escape,” Kimber said.

“It’s only a few feet,” Lacy said.
“What are the chances that I’ll…”

Kimber held up a hand and shook her
head. “Don’t even say it. Just stand between me and Andy and we’ll hold onto
you.”

Lacy didn’t say so, but anytime the
three of them were together they drew attention. Her porcelain complexion and
red hair were a stark contrast to Kimber’s ebony skin and Andy’s Asian
heritage. They were a walking multicultural club, which was coincidentally
where they had met Andy during their freshman year of college.

“Do you need to call Jason? Can he
make it on such short notice?” Kimber asked.

“Jason’s not coming,” Lacy said,
trying hard to bite back her disappointment. “Duty calls.”

“It always does,” Kimber remarked,
more to herself than to Lacy. Kimber had opinions about things and had never
been shy in expressing them. However she had made a concerted effort to stay
out of Jason and Lacy’s relationship. It helped that she liked Jason and had
known him for as long as Lacy had--since kindergarten.

“Let’s go,” Andy said. He and
Kimber flanked Lacy as they sneaked downstairs, out the back exit, and around
the front of the building. Lacy kept her head down. She felt someone’s eyes on
her, similar to the feeling she’d had that morning in the shower. When she
turned to look, one of the protesters returned her gaze. He was a tall man,
probably in his mid-thirties, with a mustache and green canvas coat. His eyes
on Lacy were intent, his stare unwavering. Lacy felt a moment of panic that he
would alert his fellow protesters to her presence, but he remained mute.

“Don’t look at them,” Andy
whispered, nudging her gently with his elbow.

He was right. She turned back
around and faced forward, allowing Kimber and Andy to whisk her away like a
participant in the Witness Protection Program. They kept up the Secret Service
routine until they reached the restaurant. Since it was only four, the
restaurant was barely occupied. They were seated in a booth right away.

“What’s good here?” Andy asked.

“Nothing,” Kimber and Lacy answered
together.

“Why are we here?” Andy asked.

“It’s what’s within walking
distance. To get to the good restaurants, you have to drive to the outskirts of
town—that’s where you’re find the diner, the Greek place, and the Italian
place,” Lacy said.

“Are the Greek and Italian places
at least authentic?” Andy asked.

“Oh, no, they don’t serve Greek and
Italian. The Italian place does tacos, and the Greek place does Italian,” Lacy
said.

“I’m going to stop asking questions
now,” Andy said.

“Your next goal should be to bring
a good restaurant downtown,” Kimber said. “The Stakely building still has room,
and the ice cream place does a good business.”

“I’m saving that space for a
bakery,” Lacy said.

“Girl, there’s more to life than
baked goods,” Kimber said.

“I hear your words, but I don’t
understand their meaning,” Lacy said.

“I thought your grandma bakes,”
Andy said.

“She does, and she’s phenomenal,
but she makes a certain kind of food—homey, comforting--chocolate chip
cookies and banana bread, that sort of thing. I would like to have someone who
does French pastries to give the place some distinction. And if fresh chocolate
croissants were mere steps from my door every morning, then everyone wins,”
Lacy said.

“Keep them away from me,” Kimber
said. “I’d like to keep my pants size. In fact, I’d like to lose a size.”

“Your pants look good from where
I’m sitting,” Andy said.

“I’m wearing a skirt,” Kimber
pointed out with a smile.

“That looks good, too,” Andy said.

Lacy smiled into her menu. The seat
beside her jostled. She looked up in time to see Michael slide in beside her.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked.

“Did you follow us?” Lacy blurted.
He had a habit of showing up wherever she was, much to Jason’s irritation.

“No, I followed the man who
followed you,” Michael said. He picked up her menu and studied it.

“What? Which man?” she asked.

“The one lingering shadily by the
door,” Michael said. “Don’t look at him. You three are miserable at
surveillance. He’s one of the protesters.”

Lacy turned back around. She hadn’t
seen the man, but she could guess which one he was. “Is he wearing a green
canvas coat?”

“Yes,” Michael said. “How did you
know? Has he been giving you problems?”

“No, but I noticed him staring at
me when we left. It was an odd sort of stare, like he was trying to communicate
telepathically or something,” Lacy said.

“Did you tell your boyfriend about
it?” Michael asked.

“No. It just happened, but I
probably won’t anyway. I mean, obviously the protesters are a bit off. Jason’s
already on high alert. It wouldn’t do to make him paranoid, especially when
he’s working late tonight. He would worry.”

“Maybe he should,” Michael said.

Lacy nudged him. “It’s weird when
you’re serious.”

“You don’t take your safety
seriously enough,” he said.

“You sound like Jason.”

“He’s jealous and overbearing with
the protectiveness, but that doesn’t invalidate his point,” Michael said.
“You’re in the public eye, and that makes you a target. And most of the time
you’re blissfully unaware of your surroundings.”

“I am not,” Lacy argued. “I’m
always aware.”

He set down the menu and turned to
face her. “Without looking, tell me everyone who is in the restaurant right
now.”

“There’s us and the waitress and,
um, I think there was a couple in the corner,” she said.

He shook his head. “There are nine
people besides our group, and you willfully ignored the biggest threat to your
health and safety. Shocking.”

“What are you talking about?” she
asked, but as she looked over her shoulder, she saw them. Probably because they
were waving hard enough to land a plane on a freighter.

“Yoo-hoo, Lacy,” Rose, her
grandmother’s friend, boomed above the quiet chatter. “Nice to see you out with
another one of your men!”

“What’s she got on her head?”
Gladys stage whispered.

“I think she’s trying to go
incognito,” Janice replied. “Probably so Jason won’t hear about it.”

“I knew they wouldn’t last,” Gladys
added.

Lacy waved and added a weak, “Hi.”
She gestured helplessly toward Michael to show that she would come over if not
for his presence blockading the booth.

“You’re not going to go talk to
them?” Michael asked. “I’ll be glad to move so you can get by.”

“Move, and you’re dead to me,” Lacy
threatened.

“Do you think one of us should go
talk to the creepy protester guy?” Andy asked. “He shouldn’t be following you
around.”

“The stranger has a point,” Michael
said. He craned his neck to the entrance. “But the creepy stalker is gone.”

“Andy Kyun, this is Michael
O’Donnell, Michael, Andy,” Kimber said. “Andy’s a friend from college.”

“And our town’s newest resident,”
Lacy added.

“Welcome to the funhouse,” Michael
said. “Do you have any eligible sisters you could bring with you?”

“Sorry, I’m an only child,” Andy
said. “I have some cousins, but they only speak Korean.”

“Even better,” Michael said.

The two men laughed and the
waitress came to take their orders. To Lacy, the evening could only have been
better if Jason had been able to join them. She, Kimber, and Andy kept the
conversation flowing. It wasn’t until later that she would realize how
unnaturally quiet Michael had become, and it wasn’t until much later that she
would understand how ominous silence could be.