Weddings Can Be Murder (14 page)

Katie sat straight up, the cobwebs gone. “Carl Hades? Was it Hades? Does he look like Antonio Banderas?”

Les dropped down on the edge of the bed and yawned into her hands. “Now that you mention it, he does.”

Katie’s heart took up speed racing, but it had no place to go, so it just ran laps around her chest. She jackknifed out of bed, started for the door, stubbed her toe, then glanced down at Papa Smurf smiling up at her from the front of her nightshirt. What was wrong with this picture? Okay, “Smurfwear” didn’t feel like the proper attire for this situation.

Question Number One popped into her head: What
is
this situation?

“Oh, boy,” Katie muttered and bunched up her hair.

“Do you want me to tell him to come back later?”

“No!” She met Les’s eyes. “I just need…a minute.” Her mind
would
start functioning. Right? Carl was here.

Question Number Two: Why was her heart doing marathons?

“Clothes.” She pointed to her closet. She grabbed her hair again. “Ponytail.” She pressed a hand to her mouth, sniffed, and frowned. “Gotta brush teeth.”

Les squinted at her. “Katie? Are you awake?”

“Yes.” Katie scurried to her closet and tossed out a pair of jeans and a pair of khakis, followed by a green sweater and tan blouse. Darting back into the room, she held each piece of clothing up and eyed Les. “This one? Or this one?”

Les blinked. “Green sweater. Dark jeans.”

“Oh, you’re so good at this.” She tugged Papa Smurf over her head and tossed him on the bed, then ran to grab a bra.

Les continued to stare. “I’ll tell him you’re coming.”

Three minutes later, dressed, ponytailed, and minus most of the peach fuzz on her teeth, she stepped out into the hall. She saw him from behind. And heavens, he looked good. Tall, sturdy, and the nicest butt she could ever recall seeing.

Stop!
Oh, gawd! Why was she checking out his butt?

Because you’re interested in his butt
.

Okay, physically she was attracted to Carl. She could handle that. She wasn’t a prude. But neither was she the type to be stopped dead in her tracks by a man’s butt. Especially when she was supposed to be engaged to someone else’s butt.
Supposed to be?

Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered what she’d told Joe.
I’m not sure if flushing the engagement ring was an
accident or not
. Was Joe here now? Her gaze shot around the room.

No Joe.

Katie had planned to get home and finish that discussion, but by then she couldn’t think in sentences, much less talk in them. Then Les had persuaded her to take a sleeping pill, and—

Her attention refocused on Carl’s backside and instantly Katie wanted to run. Run back to the bedroom, bury her head under the covers. Hide. Hide from what Carl Hades made her feel. Hide from what Joe Lyon didn’t make her feel. Oh, yeah, that sounded like a plan. She had her foot poised to turn when, just like that, like a
film going off in her head, she saw Tabitha being shot. Panic curled in her belly.

“Here she is,” Les said.

Carl started to swing around, and Katie’s desire to hide did a complete turnover. Utterly complete. She remembered how he made her feel safe. How he smelled. How he’d made her feel so alive even while she’d been facing death.

He hadn’t completely turned around before she threw herself into his arms. And boy, was that a mistake.

But it was one of those too-late-to-stop mistakes. Like the moment when your hand pushes the car door closed behind you, you hear the lock click, and your brain shouts
Keys!
When your mind yells
Don’t
, but something has already said
Do
, and the brain refuses recalls.

Yep. The man she’d Velcroed herself against wasn’t Carl Hades.

Katie’s first thought was,
At least this mistake has a
nice butt
.

Her second thought was,
Nice butt or not, I could have
just worn Papa Smurf
. Impressing strangers wasn’t too necessary.

Her third thought was that she really needed to peel herself off him, but her fourth thought was just to stay right where she was. Because as soon as she un-Velcroed herself, she’d have to face this stranger with the nice butt.

“Miss Ray?” Said stranger dropped his hands from around her. Obviously, he’d felt compelled to return her embrace. That, or he’d felt the need to protect himself. “Are you okay?”

There was that word again:
okay
. Why was it that people chose the most inopportune times to ask that question?

She stepped back and stared. Not a stranger. She knew him. Her mind searched through identifying data. Her brain finally spat out the answer. The cop who’d interviewed her.

“Miss Ray?” He appeared concerned—as in the are-you-nuts kind of concerned.

She couldn’t recall his name. Nor could she recall thinking he had a nice butt earlier at the station. Funny, how you missed things like that.

“I’m Detective Ben Hades. We met this morning?” The fact he felt inclined to remind her of their meeting confirmed that he thought she might be a good candidate for a padded cell.

“I remember you,” she said. “I don’t hug just anyone.” Okay, she wished she hadn’t said that. What was wrong with her?

Sleeping pill.

Yes. She could blame this all on the sleeping pill, and she’d started to do just that when he grinned and her mind spun off in another direction.

She stared at his smile. So familiar. Her brain started playing connect-the-dots. “Hades? Your name is Hades?”

“Yes. Ben Hades. I’m the one you spoke to this morning.”

“I remember,” she said. “I just didn’t catch your name this morning. Are you related to—”

“Yes.” His eyes widened as if he’d figured it out. “Carl’s my brother. I guess we sort of look alike…from behind.”

“Yes, you both have nice…” She caught herself before she fell into that one. But, quick, she needed a replacement word.

“Thank you.” He grinned as if he’d finished her thought.

Her face flushed. Definitely, the sleeping pill.

Silence threatened. “And your father. You all look alike. Not that I…checked out his backside.”
Yup! Sleeping
pill
.

He chuckled. “That’s right, you met my father, too. You just need to meet my wife, my son, cat, and dog, and you’ll know the whole family.”

His words triggered an image, a family image. “What about Precious?”

Ben Hades laughed for real this time. The deep-timbred sound brought on memories of another laugh. Her heart filled with an ache. How could she miss someone she barely knew?

“I can’t believe he told you about Precious. Did you know my wife has to take it in to be groomed because Carl’s too embarrassed? But she gets them to put bows in the dog’s hair just to tick Carl off.”

Katie smiled and found she liked Mr. Ben Hades more now than she had this morning. “Please sit down.”

“Why don’t I fix us some coffee?” Les offered.

Katie had forgotten Les was there. “I’m sorry. This is my friend Les Grayson.”

“We introduced ourselves.” Ben glanced at Les. “I’ll take a rain check on the coffee.” He gazed back at Katie. “I came by to tell you…to remind you again to take precautions.”

“Has something else happened?” she and Les asked at the same time.

Ben stuffed his hands into the pockets of his blue Dockers. “You witnessed a murder. While we don’t have any reason to think you might be in immediate danger, it’s best if you’re cautious.”

A chill worked its way through Katie. “You…you think he might come after me?”

“I didn’t say that. I just think being careful is wise.”

Ben left soon after saying that, and Katie and Les locked the doors, made coffee, and sat in the kitchen in an awkward silence.

“Did Joe go to work?” Katie inhaled the scent of her coffee.

“He said he was going in for a while, but he’d be by later.”

And I have to figure out what I’m going to say to him
.

Les shifted in her chair. “You know, we could both go
and stay at my brother’s,” she said. “Or a hotel. It could be like a vacation: order room service, buy some romance novels, and—”

“Ben didn’t say I had to leave.” Katie peered at the steam rising from her cup. “And we
did
lock the doors.”

“Yeah, but who wants to stay somewhere where a murderer may or may not come looking for you?”

Emotionally, Katie flinched. If this had happened a few days ago, she would have suggested they stay at Joe’s place. Sweet, handsome, wonderful Joe. “Oh, God.” She dropped her elbows on the table and moaned. “Everything is so fuckedup.”

“
Fucked-
up?” Les asked. “You mean, you deem this f-word worthy? Now I’m really getting scared, girlfriend.”

Katie looked at Les and just said what was eating at her: “I can’t marry Joe.”

Les’s green eyes grew round. “Okay, it’s f-word worthy.” She dropped her head on the table and gave it a thump.

Katie studied the top of her friend’s head. “I just—”

Les snapped back up. “No. I can’t let you do this. I’m the one who put this stupid notion in your head. I’m the one who said you flushed the ring on purpose. And…”

“And what?” Katie asked.

“And I’m an idiot. You don’t need to listen to me.”

“But I always listen to you.” Katie half grinned.

“Well, you shouldn’t.” Les jumped up from her chair and paced.

“Hey, I’m not feeling this way because…because of anything you said.”

Les swung around. “Are you sure? Absolutely sure?”

“Yes. I mean, it’s true that what you said made me start thinking, but the questions were already there. You were just the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Les made a face. “Again with the straw! I don’t fucking want to be the straw! I
can’t
be the straw.” She stared at Katie. “You can’t do this.”

Katie swallowed a gulp of uncertainty. “So you think I should marry Joe?”

“Yes. No! I mean, it’s not important what I think. What’s important is what
you
think. You told me you loved him.”

Katie blinked. “Yes, and I do. I mean…I think I do.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “But I want to throw up every time I think about him.”

“Okay, but like you said earlier, you throw up before every big event in your life. You’re a nervous puker.”

Katie stared down at her coffee, fighting the nausea and recalling the sympathy puker with whom she’d spent last night. “Maybe I don’t really love Joe.” The nausea increased. “No, that’s not true,” she confessed. “I do love Joe. I do.”

“Good, then that’s solved.” Les let out a big sigh.

“I just don’t love him in the right way,” Katie finished.

Les’s shoulders slumped. “Maybe it’s just cold feet.”

Katie stared at her coffee. And the tiniest bit of doubt rose in her like steam from her cup. “Did you have cold feet?”

“Me?” Les asked, as if she didn’t understand the question.

“Yes. When you were engaged to Mike. Did you ever think you were making a mistake?”

Les plopped down in her chair and reached up to touch her chest. “No. I couldn’t wait to marry Mike.” She spoke while looking down at her coffee. “Without him beside me, I didn’t feel whole or complete. It was as if I needed him to breathe.” Les looked up. “You don’t feel that way with Joe?”

“No.” She forced herself to admit the truth. “It feels comfortable. But I don’t stop feeling lonely.” She frowned. “Even the sex is…ho-hum.” She shook her head. “It’s crazy, Les. Joe’s a sexy guy. Great body and he does everything right. His techniques are on the mark. Not too fast, not too slow, and yet…”

Les stared. “You’ve never had the big O?”

“Of course I’ve…” She blinked. “Okay, I’ve faked it some. A lot.” She hated admitting it, but this was Les she was talking to. “Most of the time.”

Katie paused. “I keep waiting to hear the voice go off in my head. The one that says, ‘yes.’ You know that voice?”

Les glanced away. “Yeah, I know that voice.”

Katie hesitated. “I have comfortable. I have sweet. But no pizzazz, and I don’t think it’s his fault. It’s me.”

“How could it be your fault?” Les asked.

“I…Until last night, I thought I was broken.”

“What happened last night?” Les’s eyes widened. “You slept with that man?”

“No. Okay, I slept with him but we didn’t do anything. It was cold and there was just one cot and nothing happened.”

“But…?” Les asked.

Katie swallowed. “He smelled so good and felt so good.”

“And?” Les asked.

“That’s it. That’s all that happened.”

“Wait. You feel guilty because you noticed he felt and smelled good?”

Katie fought the urge to go at her lip again. “I wanted to do something. There were all sorts of bells going off.” She sighed. “I might have been freezing my ass off, but I was so hot. If I hadn’t been engaged to Joe, I swear, Les, I would have screwed that man every which way to Sunday.”

Les’s eyes lit up. “That’s why you practically attacked Mr. Hades. His brother is the guy you spent the night with, right?”

Katie nodded. “Guilty.”

“Why, Katie Ray.” Les grinned. “You little slut.”

Katie moaned. “I’m a terrible person, aren’t I?”

Les rolled her eyes. “You couldn’t be a terrible person
if you graduated with a master’s degree in it.” She paused. “But decent people feel guilty about wanting things, even when they didn’t do anything but want.” Her gaze became somber. “However, this means you do care enough about Joe to feel guilty. So maybe you
do
love him.”

“Do you really think this is just cold feet?” Katie asked.

“I don’t know. And don’t ask me to tell you what to do.”

Katie half grinned. “You’ve been telling me what to do since I was in kindergarten.”

Les smiled, but her expression was forced.

Katie rose to get a coffee refill and was hit with a very ugly thought. “Can you imagine what my parents would say about me calling off a wedding?”

Les huffed. “Fuck it, Katie. When are you going to stop trying to live up to their standards?”

Katie went back and dropped back into her chair. “Probably never,” she admitted. “But I’m going to have to talk to him.”