Slaughter of the Wedding Cake (Sandy Bay Cozy Mystery Book 19)

by Amber Crewes

  “It’s a great idea,” Meghan cried as she turned to Jack. “Honey? What do you think?”

  Jack smiled. “I couldn’t have come up with a better plan,” he told her. “Pastor Winston, we want to get married here.”

  The Pastor grinned. “Perfect. So, who will break the news to your Mama?”

  23

  A fter Pastor Winston left, Meghan was surprised by another guest.

  “Meghan,” Joy greeted her as she walked inside the front door. “So sorry to show up unannounced.”

  Meghan wrinkled her nose, but quickly pasted a smile on her face. “No problem, Joy. What’s up? I wasn’t expecting you.”

  Joy gave Meghan a big hug. “I’m sorry things have been tense between us,” she began. “I love you dearly, and I want to be there for you during this time. Weddings are so important, and I want you to know that I love you and I support you.”

  Meghan smiled. “Thank you,” she said, surprised by Joy’s declaration, but pleased nonetheless. “That is so sweet of you to say.”

  “I mean it,” Joy insisted. “You are one of my oldest and dearest friends, and I wouldn’t want anything to come between us. I’m here to help you with your little situation.”

  “Little situation?” Meghan asked as Jack walked into the room.

  “Well, this tall, blonde drink of water must be the groom,” Joy exclaimed. “Jack, I’m Joy. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m one of Meghan’s childhood friends.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Jack said kindly as he shook her hand.

  “Joy stopped by to help us with something?” Meghan explained to Jack. “Though I’m not sure what.”

  “The cake,” Joy told her. “I heard about the trouble with David Major and your wedding cake, and I wanted to offer my help.”

  “To bake our cake?” Meghan asked in confusion. “You bake?”

  Joy shook her head and laughed good-naturedly. “No, silly. I want to introduce you to the designer who made my wedding cake. Giovanni is a gem; he’s from Rome, but he has family in Dallas, and he made a custom cake for us. He is in town now, actually, and I want you to meet him. I insist.”

  Meghan looked at Jack. “That sounds nice,” she told Joy. “But I think we want to keep things low-key, Joy. Giovanni sounds extravagant.”

  “Oh, he is,” she assured Meghan, missing her point. “He’s fabulous. He’s made cakes for Martha Stewart, Meghan. Martha Stewart!”

  “Help,” Meghan mouthed to Jack.

  “Joy, that is so kind of you to offer to make an introduction,” Jack chimed in. “But…”

  “No buts,” Joy declared. “Giovanni is having tea at my parents’ house right now. You two will come over with me to meet him. I insist.”

  “Meghan and I had plans to relax and…”

  Joy cut him off. “Trust me, this will be worth your time,” she winked at Jack.

  Just then, Rebecca and Henry came downstairs. Rebecca’s eyes were red, and Henry’s face was drawn. “Mr. and Mrs. Truman,” Joy greeted them. “What a pleasure. I was just trying to steal Meghan and Jack away for a little outing, but I am so happy to see you both.”

  “It’s nice to see you, Joy,” Rebecca said, feigning a smile as she gave Joy a polite hug and kiss on the cheek.

  “You are always a joy,” Henry joked as he nodded at her. “Meghan? Jack? Why don’t you two get out of here? Go with Joy and have some fun. Your mother and I have some things to talk about, and we don’t want to dampen your fun.”

  Meghan shook her head. “I don’t know,” she began.

  “Just go,” Henry urged, still trying to be polite for Joy’s sake, but struggling to maintain composure.

  “I think they should stay,” Rebecca announced. “Meghan? Why don’t you stay?”

  “No,” Henry insisted. “Go with Joy. Go have fun. Right, Jack? You two should go out.”

  Meghan looked at Jack. “Babe?”

  “Stay with us,” Rebecca repeated. “Don’t go, Meghan.”

  “Jack, I know you and Meghan want to get out of here and get some fresh air. Go on, now,” Henry urged.

  The room was brimming with tension, and Meghan took Jack’s hand. “I think we’ll just get out of here,” she murmured as Joy’s face filled with delight. “Mama, Daddy, see you later.”

  They left the house and followed Joy to her car. “You won’t be sorry,” she promised them as they drove off toward town. “This will be an afternoon you won’t forget.”

  Twenty minutes later, they were shocked to find nearly thirty people waiting for them at Joy’s parents’ house. “Surprise!”

  “What is this?” Meghan asked as she walked into the massive, impeccably decorated living room to find many familiar faces smiling at her.

  “It’s a party for you,” Joy explained. “I invited our entire high school class to celebrate your engagement.”

  Meghan turned to Joy, touched by her kindness. “Thank you,” she said as she embraced her old friend. “This is so sweet.”

  “Everyone wanted to meet Jack before the big day,” Joy told her. “And this is the perfect chance. I had Julio’s cater, so you can enjoy tacos, mingling, and later, some margaritas.”

  Meghan squeezed Jack’s hand as Joy flitted off to greet the guests. “Here we go,” she whispered. “Everyone I grew up with.”

  A gaggle of perfectly dressed woman approached them. “Gracie, Alex, Trina,” Meghan smiled. “This is Jack. Jack, these girls and I were on the Student Council together. Gracie’s parents and mine are friends.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Gracie nodded. “Jack, it is such a pleasure.”

  “The pleasure is mine,” he smiled kindly.

  “What is it that you do?” Trina asked Jack. “We know Meghan sells cupcakes, but you are….?”

  “A detective,” he informed the women.

  “That must be exciting,” Alex cooed, her dark hair held back by a diamond barrette that was nearly the size of a ruler. “A small-town detective. How quaint.”

  “It’s what I always dreamed of doing,” he told them.

  Gracie waved across the room. “Let me introduce you to my husband, Kenny.”

  A stout, balding man strode toward them. “Kenny, darling, this is Meghan’s fiance, Jack,” Gracie explained.

  “Nice to meet you,” Kenny said to Jack. “Meghan, so good to see you.”

  “Kenny went to school with us as well,” Meghan explained to her fiance.

  “We were high school sweethearts,” Gracie gushed, flipping her waist-length hair behind her shoulder. “He proposed our senior year at Ole Miss, and here we are now.”

  Gracie dangled her hand before them, and Meghan nearly gasped at the massive emerald cut ring on her finger. “How long have you two been married?”

  “Six years now,” Gracie boasted. “Six perfect years.”

  Jack leaned in close to Meghan. “Babe? How long are we staying?”

  She kissed his cheek, and then whispered, “not much longer. I promise.”

  After making the rounds and saying hello to nearly all thirty guests, Meghan tugged on Jack’s sleeve. “Are you ready to go?”

  He frowned. “I was ready to leave when that girl shoved her ring in my face. Or when the waiter spilled caviar on my shoes. Or when those two guys you were in the science club with started talking about hedge funds.”

  Meghan laughed. “That’s one side of Peach Tree Grove,” she told him. “The stuffy side. I never liked all the formality, but it comes with being from the South.”

  He shook his head. “I’m exhausted.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” she told him, leaning in to kiss him and stare into his blue eyes. “Let’s get you home and rested, and then, I’ll show you the real Peach Tree Grove!”

  24

  L ater that afternoon, after Jack had finally had the chance to unpack and shower, they decided to explore the town.

  “And that is where I used to go for tutoring,” she told Jack as they drove down Oxford Street
past the Peach Tree Grove Library. “My tutor was a sweet librarian who needed some extra income. She was so kind when she worked on math with me.”

  Jack smiled. “It’s funny how you never forget people who were kind to you!”

  “That’s so true,” she agreed.

  They drove past a large three-story building with narrow windows.

  “Oooh, and that is where I took ballet. The building has such a beautiful foyer; they imported the tiles from Venice, and it looks like a scene from a painting.”

  “Let’s stop and check it out,” Jack said. “I have to use the restroom, so we’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

  She pulled over and parked the car. “I’m so happy you’re here,” she murmured as they walked hand-in-hand to the building.

  “Me too,” he smiled.

  She tried to open the door, but the building was locked. “Is it closed?” she muttered as she scanned the door for a sign. “What’s going on?”

  A workman opened the door. “Ma’am?”

  “What’s going on? Is this building open?” she asked.

  The workman shook his head. “Sorry, Ma’am. Building is closed. We’re doing renovations for the new owner. Mr. Barrington wants this place redone as soon as possible.”

  “Cameron Barrington?” she asked.

  “Yes, Cameron Barrington bought this place last week. It was on the market for a long time, and apparently, he came into some money and made the deal. He’s moving his newspaper operation here.”

  “Oh, I see,” she replied. “Thanks for your help.”

  She led Jack back to the car. “That’s strange,” she commented as he raised an eyebrow.

  “Who is Cameron Barrington? You had a sour look on your face when he mentioned him.”

  She frowned. “He’s the jerk who wrote the nasty stories about my family in the newspaper. He also was married to Thelma.”

  “The woman your brother killed?”

  She gasped. “Babe! How could you say that?”

  “Sorry,” he apologized with sincerity. “I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

  “Cameron was married to Thelma,” she confirmed. “We don’t know if David had anything to do with it.”

  Before he could reply, she pointed across the street. “Speaking of Thelma, that man was her assistant,” she told Jack as she saw Stanley Bull. “Stanley? Hey, it’s Meghan,” she waved, but he did not turn to look at her.

  “That was weird,” she told Jack. “Stanley knows who I am. I wonder why he didn’t say hello.”

  “Let’s go find out,” Jack said. “We might as well.”

  They crossed the street, and Meghan gasped. “Wait,” she whispered. “This is the bar where Thelma and David went to the night she died. Why is Stanley going in there?”

  Jack raised an eyebrow. “We should probably just go,” he urged her. “Let’s stay out of this. We don’t want to cause trouble, and it doesn’t really matter if that guy didn’t say hi to you.”

  She bit her lip. “Something seems off,” she muttered. “Why is Stanley Bull going in there? Wouldn’t that be strange to go into the last place where your boss was seen before she was murdered? What is he thinking?”

  Jack furrowed his brow. “I don’t know, babe,” he said. “But I don’t want to find out. Let’s not stick our noses in something that isn’t our business.”

  Meghan shook her head. “I want to go in.”

  Jack sighed in exasperation. “Meghan, Stanley Bull has every right to go into a bar. Just because his employer happened to visit that bar before she died doesn’t raise any red flags for me. He is minding his business, and we need to mind ours.”

  She put a hand on his shoulder. “Honey, it is my business,” she informed him. “The police are going to charge David, my brother, for the murder of Thelma Barrington, and Cameron Barrington is spreading rumors and lies about my family. This is my business, and the more I think about it, the more I think Stanley Bull could be involved.”

  Jack’s blue eyes widened. “You really think so?”

  She stared at the door of the bar. “Let’s find out.”

  25

  “I don’t see him,” Jack said as they walked inside.

  “Do you think he’s hiding from us?” Meghan asked.

  “Why would he be hiding?” Jack scoffed.

  Meghan did not answer the question, but she strode up to the bar. “Can I speak to the owner?”

  she asked the gray-haired man standing behind the counter.

  “Speaking,” he smiled at her. “I’m Roy, the owner. Meghan? Meghan Truman?”

  She stared at him. “How did you know that?”

  He laughed. “I know your Mama,” he told her.

  “Everyone in town knows my Mama these days,” she said under her breath.

  “What was that?” Roy asked.

  “Nothing,” she muttered. “How do you know my Mama?”

  “I used to run a stand at the farmer’s market,” he explained kindly. “When you were a little girl, she used to bring you and your sisters to my stall to buy oranges and tomatoes.”

  Meghan thought for a moment. “I remember that,” she told him, smiling as she thought of herself as a little girl, sharing slices of fresh oranges with her sisters. “Nice to see you again.”

  Roy nodded. “Your Mama was so kind to me. When I was down on my luck and couldn’t pay my bills, she paid me for more produce than anyone could buy in a lifetime. She really helped me out. I offered to repay her, but she refused. She’s a good lady. Shame on the newspapers for painting her to be a bad person.”

  Meghan gave him a weak smile. “Thank you for the kind words.”

  “I mean it,” he insisted. “I’m indebted to your Mama.”

  Meghan raised an eyebrow. “Then maybe you could help us with something?”

  “Anything.”

  She took a deep breath. “Can you give me some information about David Major? I know he used to come around here, and he’s in some trouble. My Mama is worried about him... for obvious reasons... and I want to know more.”

  Roy pursed his lips. “David used to come in here and meet up with Thelma,” he told them. “I wondered if there was something going on between them; they used to come sit in that back table. They were always whispering and putting their heads together.”

  Jack folded his arms over his chest. “Why do you think that is?”

  Roy shrugged. “I don’t ask questions like that. Anyway, the day Thelma was murdered, she came in here looking angry. David came in a bit later, but she was already gone.”

  Meghan bit her lip. “What did he do?”

  “He left soon after,” Roy informed her.

  Meghan thought for a moment. “Do you know anything about Stanley Bull? He comes in here too sometimes, doesn’t he?”

  Roy nodded. “Stanley was just here. He left a second before you arrived. He ran out the back door. He looked like something was wrong.”

  Meghan turned to Jack. “He knew we were coming in here,” she said. “He was trying to avoid us.”

  Roy went on. “I’m just sick for your mother,” he lamented. “That Cameron Barrington is something else. He’s one of my least favorite customers. I’m so sorry he’s making things hard for sweet Rebecca.”

  “You know Cameron?”

  “Unfortunately,” Roy sighed. “He used to come in here for happy hours. He never came with Thelma, which I thought was odd. He’s a rude drunk, and I hate serving him. I’m so mad that he bought the building across the street. He’s been in here more often lately, given the proximity, and he’s driving me mad.”

  “When was the last time he came in?” Meghan asked.

  Roy stroked his beard in thought. “Actually, he came in on the night his wife died,” he told them.

  “He usually came in around five for happy hour, but that night, he was here much later.”

  Meghan’s eyes widened. “He was here on the night she died?”

  “He was,�
�� Roy confirmed. “I have to get back to work, but it was nice meeting you two. Take good care, and say hello to your Mama for me.”

  “I will,” Meghan smiled as Roy walked away from the counter. “Babe, let’s get out of here. I have a funny feeling about Thelma’s death, and I think we need to go to the police.”