by Cat Chandler
“Just fine, Dillon.”
Nicki rolled her eyes. Now Rob finally got Matt’s name right? Over the entire two years they’d dated, Rob had acted as if he could never remember it.
“What brings you here?” Matt asked, although to Nicki it sounded more like a demand than a simple question.
Rob lifted his chin up a notch. “I’m going to rescue Alex’s wedding so everything can go off on time and as planned.” He turned his head and gave Alex a wink. “I don’t like to see an unhappy bride.”
Nicki dug her nails into Matt’s arm before he could open his mouth.
“And we all appreciate that, Rob,” she said smoothly, giving an inward sigh of relief when Matt stayed silent.
Her former boyfriend grinned at her, turning on a full display of his boyish charm. “I hope that will earn me a dance at the wedding.”
When Nicki felt Matt go rigid beside her, she sent a pleading sideways glance to Maxie, who immediately stepped forward, her lips curved up into a polite smile.
“You’ll be at the wedding?”
“Most likely. Especially if the catering contract comes through. I’ll want to be sure our first event goes smoothly.”
“How nice,” Maxie’s smile faded just enough to make her point that she didn’t mean what she was saying.
Nicki was definitely going to have to ask her older friend to teach her that little trick.
Rob reached up and straightened his tie, a clear sign he’d also gotten Maxie’s message. He quickly nodded at Alex and Jenna, and completely ignored Matt as he turned a smile on Nicki. “Don’t forget about that dance.”
As she watched him walk away, Nicki shook her head. She had no idea what it would take to get through Rob’s thick self-involved skull that they were no longer an item. She looked up at Matt when he clamped a hand around her shoulder and turned her toward the big picture window.
“If you’ll excuse us for a moment, ladies, I have something I need to talk to Nicki about.”
Once he’d marched them out of earshot of the others, Matt dropped his arm and turned to face Nicki.
“You aren’t really going to dance with that jerk, are you?”
“Of course not. Why would you think that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I didn’t hear you tell him to go take a hike?”
“I can’t do that, Matt.”
He crossed his arms and stared at her. “Why not?”
Nicki frowned and did the same. “Because I’m a bridesmaid.”
Matt’s forehead wrinkled as he unwound his arms and pushed his glasses further up his nose. “I’m sure that makes sense to you, but care to explain it to me?”
“It’s the bridesmaid code.” She nodded when he still looked confused. “It’s our duty to do everything we can to help the bride. Even if that means letting an ex-boyfriend solve the wine problem for her wedding.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I could have solved the wine problem.”
“Oh really?” Nicki smiled at him. “So then you’d be working at the wedding, and I’d have no one to dance with?”
Her smile broadened as understanding dawned in his eyes and he grinned back at her.
“I guess it’s a better idea to let old Rob run around popping champagne corks while you and I dance the night away.”
Nicki rose on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on Matt’s cheek. “I certainly thought so.”
“The bridesmaid code, huh?”
She beamed up at him. “That’s right.”
“I guess everything is back to sunshine and roses,” Jenna said from somewhere behind Nicki.
“If it bothers you, Matt, I can make other arrangements through the events office here,” Alex offered, her worried gaze on Matt.
He shook his head and smiled at her. “No, that’s okay. I’m cool with the bridesmaid code.”
“The bridesmaid code?” Jenna circled a finger in the air next to the side of her head. “I think our editor friend must have spent too much time in the sea air today. Scrambled those Kansas-wheat-field brain cells of his.”
Matt laughed. “I grew up on the Chesapeake Bay, Jenna. Sea air doesn’t bother me.”
“Oh. Then it’s just close proximity to Rob that causes everyone to go loco.”
Fully aware of Jenna’s low opinion of her ex-boyfriend, and not wanting to get into a debate over it, Nicki pointed toward the cafe. “Are we ready for dinner?”
Maxie clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “I think a change in plans is in order. We all need a bit of food, and Alex needs a distraction. Why don’t we go up to my suite, put up our makeshift murder board, and order in room service? My treat, of course.”
Her suggestion was met with a round of smiles and nods, and they all followed Maxie to her mini-suite on one of the upper floors of the hotel.
Jenna looked around at the roomy sitting area and whistled. “How did you score one of these? The guy at the desk said the place was fully booked.”
“It’s simple, dear. Make your reservations early instead of waiting until the week before the wedding.”
The computer geek turned red, but managed a glare anyhow. “I was busy. And besides, I knew Alex had reserved a block of rooms for us.”
“Yes, of course.” Maxie smiled. “And now that we’re all here, we have a baker’s murder to solve before Alex and Tyler’s happy day, so we’d better get to it. But practicalities first. What would everyone like to eat?”
Ten minutes later, with the room service order finally placed, Maxie walked into the separate bedroom and emerged a few seconds later with a roll of butcher paper in one hand, and a box of markers and a roll of masking tape in the other. She handed the butcher paper and masking tape to Matt and gestured toward a blank wall.
Nicki raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Where’re the paintings? My room has paintings on every wall.”
“Oh, I called ahead while we were on our way here and asked them to be removed. I told the hotel manager I was very, very particular about the artwork I allowed around me.”
Jenna laughed. “And he believed that?”
“One of the nicer things about getting older, dear, is people are very willing to believe you are either senile or eccentric. It allows us to get away with quite a bit, actually.” Maxie winked at her. “It also helps to stay in one of their more expensive suites.”
While everyone laughed and congratulated Maxie on an ingenious ploy, Matt finished hanging up the butcher paper. When he stepped back, he picked up the box of markers Maxie had set down on a small table, and removed one, holding it out in front of him.
“So, who will be doing the honors?”
Alex immediately put her hands behind her back. “Not me. Jenna’s declared my handwriting as unreadable. And I don’t want to get any ink marks on my hands this close to the wedding.”
“Matt’s handwriting is worse than Alex’s,” Nicki declared. “And mine isn’t much better.”
The group’s computer geek strode up and snatched the marker from Matt’s hand. “Oh give it to me. I always write on the board.”
Jenna walked over to the paper taped to the wall and stood for a moment with the marker poised in her hand. She quickly put in three columns with headings — suspects, motives, and a ‘to-do’. Stepping back, she looked over her handiwork before turning to the group behind her. “All right. Who’s first on the list?”
“Brad Ashton.” Nicki gave Alex an apologetic glance. “It’s looking as if he has the most to gain.”
Jenna wrote furiously. “Right. The will that probably leaves the business to him.” She put a question mark next to the motive, and wrote “check on will” on the to-do list.
“Gin, his wife.” Matt gave a sheepish look to Alex. “I’m sorry. I don’t know her, but she had just as much reason as her husband to want the business.”
“Or maybe they both did the baker in, and have decided that he’ll take the fall for it,” Maxie suggested, sending her own sym
pathetic look to Alex.
The doctor rolled her eyes. “All right, all right. Before I drown in all this pity, I agree they both should go on the list. Although it’s kind of weird that Gin would ask for Nicki’s help if she was the one who murdered Robin.”
Nicki slipped an arm around Alex’s waist. “I agree. They’re on the list, but at the bottom of the suspect pool. I didn’t get a killer sort of vibe from her.”
Jenna grinned as she wrote Gin’s name on the board. “Oh? Now you’re getting ‘vibes’ about killers?”
“Not in this case. I’m not seeing anyone with a good enough reason to kill Robin. At least not for money.” Nicki shrugged. “I wouldn’t think killing your partner would be a good way to attract customers. And it might cost them the St. Armand account. Although Lydia did mention that Robin’s Catering does have other clients.”
Alex tapped a finger against her lower lip. “But not one as big as the St. Armand, I would guess. It’s the biggest employer in the area. Along with the park service.”
“I’d say the same,” Matt agreed. “And by the way, just how many towns is Clay Thomas the chief of police for?”
“Just the three in Henley Bay,” Alex said. “The towns have their own mayors and city councils, but have always pooled their tax money. If they didn’t, none of them could afford a police department. Or a fire department, or quite a few other services we usually take for granted.”
Matt nodded. “Sounds smart. I just wondered because he had some pretty nice digs.”
“Because they rent them from the National Park Service for an excellent rate. Actually it’s more of a barter system. The cities pay a dollar a month, plus supply the electricity and water, and the Park Service gives them space for the police department.”
“Clever,” Maxie agreed. “Maybe Soldoff should barter with the vineyard owners for a thing or two.” She pursed her lips. “I’ll bring it up with my Mason.”
Maxie’s husband, Mason Edwards, was officially retired as the chief of the Soldoff Police Department, and now acted as the unofficial gardener for the square in the middle of town. Maxie always referred to him as “my Mason”, so everyone else in town did the same.
“Right,” Jenna said. “Now back to the list before our food gets here.”
“Lydia is definitely next,” Nicki said. “She’s the ex, and didn’t like Robin much at all, either before, after, or during their marriage from what she said.”
“Oh dear, how unfortunate and uncomfortable,” Maxie commented. “How long have they been divorced?”
“About six years.” Nicki said.
“That seems a long time to still have any motive,” Jenna frowned as she wrote Lydia’s name on the paper.
“Passion, good or bad, never dies.” Maxie nodded at Nicki. “You should use that in one of your spy novels.”
Nicki only made a noncommittal sound since she was sure that her purely fictional but very macho Tyrone Blackstone, the ultimate spy, would never say such a thing.
“Okey, dokey. Passion it is for her motive.” Jenna put it down with quote marks around the word.
“The daughter, Tina. She might have wanted an early inheritance,” Matt said.
“Aha!” Jenna declared. “We’re back to money.”
“Or Mink, the girlfriend.” Nicki thought she was probably a better candidate to murder Robin than the absent daughter. “Out of anger. Lydia said Mink and Robin had been going together for five years, and that he’d never marry her. She could have killed him during an argument about their future together. Or lack of one.” She hesitated for a moment. “And Paul Franklin.”
“My florist?” Alex’s question ended on a squeak. “Is there anyone involved in planning my wedding who isn’t a suspect?”
“I don’t know yet about Amanda,” Nicki teased. “And I’m not sure if Paul is a suspect or not. I just think he should be on the list.”
“All right,” Jenna said, jotting down the florist’s name. “Is he money or passion? Right now we have two of each.”
“I don’t know,” Nicki admitted. “I went to see him and he told me about Lydia, but not that they’d been divorced a good six years. And he told me that he was no longer a formal business partner with Robin, but not that Lydia had talked her husband into breaking apart his partnership with Paul. Which doesn’t sound very amicable. He even implied that Robin had a problem with Amanda, the events manager at the hotel.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why he’s doling out information in small pieces. And I want to ask him about the wine.”
“Wine? What wine?” Jenna and Maxie asked in unison.
Alex laughed. “Oh, Robin had bottles of wine displayed in his office, and Nicki noticed that one of them was missing.”
“Very high-end wine,” Nicki added. “All with little placards underneath them that included the type of wine, year bottled, the vineyard, and the value.” She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t get a chance to try it since I wasn’t sure if it would be dusted for fingerprints, but I would bet that the glass display case was locked. It almost looked like a museum.”
“And what was the missing wine?” Maxie asked.
“The card only said ‘Dad’s Wine’, and there was some kind of pin on the end of a ribbon lying where the wine should have been. I didn’t get a chance to make out what it was before the chief walked up.”
“Doing the usual interrogation about why she was standing in his crime scene,” Alex said. “It was almost like being at home with Chief Turnlow.”
“Back to the wine,” Matt declared. “So we don’t know when the wine went missing? It could have been long before the murder occurred.”
“Maybe,” Nicki acknowledged. “Even probably. But I’d still like to know why Robin displayed it in his office. Lydia didn’t know much about it. She thought Robin’s dad might have picked it up in Europe during the war, or more likely that it was a gift from his wife. Apparently Robin’s mom was a wine collector. But I’d still like to find out, and I’m betting Paul would know.”
Jenna stepped back and stared at their temporary murder board. “So, we need to talk to the events manager, the girlfriend, and this Paul character.”
“And I’d like to talk to Brad, and have another chat with Gin.” Nicki frowned. “There was something she wasn’t telling me, and I’d like to know what it is.”
“I can ask Gin to come by, and bring Brad with her,” Alex said quietly. “She called this afternoon and told me the chief didn’t hold Brad, so he’s back to running the business.” Her mouth drooped at the corners. “Gin isn’t sure how long that will last, though.”
“Hopefully at least until after the wedding.” Maxie stood up. “The first thing we need to do in the morning is visit the caterer along with Nancy, and agree on a plan to straighten out this cake mess.”
Nicki wasn’t so sure she wanted to know what Maxie’s mysterious plan was, but she did want another chance to look over the crime scene so she nodded her agreement.
“Why don’t Jenna and I track down the girlfriend?” Maxie offered.
“Oh wonderful. I’ve always wanted to spend time with someone who goes by the name of ‘Mink’,” Jenna grinned. “But we can’t be gone too long. I have to get started on the slide show.”
Alex’s head whipped around as she stared at Jenna. “Slide show? What slide show?”
“The one your mom asked me to do. She said she’d bring the pictures with her, and I can scan them with my phone.”
The doctor put both hands to the sides of her head and gave a small shriek. “No slide show. I don’t want a ten-foot screen flashing pictures of me in the bathtub as a kid, or god only knows what else Mom might have brought.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take out any naked photos. But I have to do the slide show.”
“Why?” Alex demanded.
“Part of the bridesmaid code.” Matt gave a solemn nod while Nicki giggled.
“That’s ridiculous,” Alex snapped out just as there was a knock on
the door.
Matt’s whole face brightened. “Food’s here.”
Chapter Eighty-Seven
The next morning, Nicki, Maxie, Alex, and Alex’s mom, Nancy, walked through the doors to Robin’s Catering. Jenna had decided to hang back at the hotel when Nancy had presented her with a box full of pictures, despite Alex’s very vocal protest.
Just like the last time they’d entered the waiting room, Karen was sitting at the reception desk, facing an empty lobby. She looked up with a smile that became a bit strained when she spotted who was in the group. She even cringed a little when Nancy made a beeline for her desk, stopping just a foot in front of it.
“Good morning, Karen.” Nancy gave her a bright smile as though they had not found a dead body the last time they were there.
“Good morning, Mrs. Kolman,” Karen said cautiously. She looked around the woman standing in front of her, and smiled at Alex and then Nicki. “Hi.”
Nicki smiled back, hoping to put the young receptionist at ease.
“Hello,” Maxie said, stepping forward and putting an anchoring arm across Nancy’s shoulders. “I’m Maxie Edwards. And we’d like to talk to someone about a wedding cake.”
Karen cleared her throat as her eyes darted nervously over to Nancy. “We don’t have a head baker at the moment. But Mrs. Ashton is setting up lots of interviews for one,” she hastily added.
“I’m sure she is, dear.” Maxie said with an encouraging smile. “But unfortunately, we need to have a cake next week.”
The receptionist’s shoulders drooped. “I know. But neither Brad nor Gin are in right now. They both had to go talk to Amanda over at the St. Armand.”
“Oh, we wouldn’t dream of interrupting their busy schedules unannounced,” Maxie went on smoothly. “I understand Mr. Boral had an assistant? Perhaps she’s available?”
“Kylie?” Karen’s eyes widened with surprise. “You want to see Kylie?”
“If that’s the name of the assistant baker,” Maxie nodded. “Is she here?”
“Well yes, but…”
“Wonderful. Perhaps we could go on back?” Maxie started around the receptionist desk as Karen grabbed for the receiver on her phone.
