It felt really nice, and I was able to relax a little.
“So what have you guys been up to?” Phoebe asked.
“It’s a shame you missed the bachelorette party,” Briana said. “I won $1500.”
“How?” Phoebe asked.
“In a poker tournament. I got it for finishing fifth place.”
“Wenling only got $500,” I said. “Briana beat her.”
“She took it well,” Briana said.
Phoebe made a face indicating disbelief.
“Okay, she took it well for Wenling,” Briana said with a laugh.
“So you guys found the dead body in the pool back here,” Phoebe said, peeking through the curtains at the pool area.
We had the curtains completely closed, so nobody could look in at us getting ready.
“It was an accident,” Briana said.
“You know what’s funny about that is that DC thought it might not have been after all,” I said.
“Really?” Briana asked. “Maybe when you get back from your honeymoon, we should look into it some more.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I said.
Dar-dar returned with the makeup artist and Wenling, who was dressed and ready.
“I ordered mimosas,” Wenling said.
“Where?” I asked.
“From the caterers,” Wenling said. “I arranged it so we could all relax.”
A few minutes later, I heard a knock on the door.
Wenling jumped up to answer it. As she let the waiter inside, I heard Mom and Aunt Evelyn still arguing.
“Who wants to mimosa?” Wenling asked, grabbing a glass and shutting the door with her foot.
Everyone said yes, and I decided to join them. There’s nothing like a mimosa or three to make an anxious bride relax.
No worries, right?
21
“It’s almost time. Are you ready?” Mom asked.
We were all lined up just out of view from the guests ready to go.
“Absolutely,” I lied.
Holy smokes! This was it!
I wasn’t having doubts about marrying DC, I just felt incredibly nervous about walking down the aisle—especially in heels after all those mimosas.
Mom gave the thumbs up to the string quartet, and the music started. My bridesmaids walked down the aisle ahead of me and I waited alone, around the corner from all the guests. I took one last look in the mirror that Darwin was smart enough to hang just out of view.
I’d never been one of those people who loved to look in the mirror at myself, but you know what? My hair, the makeup, the dress, it all turned out better than I’d hoped.
The intro to the wedding march sounded—literally my cue.
My nervousness fell away. I was ready.
I walked down the aisle. I’d opted to go alone as Dad couldn’t be here.
DC turned to see me. Our eyes locked. I knew in a way that I’d never known anything else before that this was the right thing for me.
DC’s eyes shined with unshed tears. He held it together right up until the point that I got to the altar. Then he had to wipe his eyes. I wiped mine too. A few words. We exchanged rings and I dos, and an amazing kiss.
And just like that, we were wife and man.
22
After the ceremony and photos, the party flowed into full-on fun. Filipinos like to cha-cha. That’s just something you need to know about us. We also love karaoke. And by “we” I mean culturally as a people, not me personally. But you know what, it was my party, and I’d embarrass myself singing and dancing if I wanted to.
We certainly had the means to do it. Mom had booked a DJ and karaoke booth. They rotated every hour.
There wasn’t a moment when the music stopped.
The cake was a hit, the food, the house. All of it. Celia looked disappointed that she hadn’t been more of a part of the festivities—especially with how all of our relatives from the Philippines were impressed. Mom beamed.
DC and I went around all the tables and thanked everyone.
I thanked the ladies at the book club, and DC met my brother’s family. Everyone in town was there and even people we’d done catering for our of town. I smiled and waved to Margaret from our first catering gig and Barbara Turing and some of her crew from Turing Tech.
So many memories from the past and well wishes for the future.
Ford and Dar seemed to hit it off—especially on the dancefloor. Even the two widows seemed to be having a great time.
DC and I danced, laughed, and drank.
We both went inside for a moment to get away from the guests and have a moment alone as married people for the first time.
We shared a quiet dance just the two of us in the living room, and then I decided to sit on the couch.
DC went back over to the mantel to look at the picture of the tiger and Ford.
“I’d like to go to Thailand and spend some time with baby elephants maybe on our anniversary,” DC said.
“You wouldn’t mind if I stayed in the hotel while you did that, though,” I said. DC was definitely the outdoorsy type, and I was more of an indoor cat.
“You wouldn’t feel like you’re missing out on the elephants?” he asked.
“Not really,” I said.
“Would you be bored?” he asked.
“You know me. If there’s a book, I’m entertained.”
“I love you,” he said.
He took my hand, helped me off the couch, and led me back to the sliding glass doors to head back out to the party.
We paused before rejoining everything and stared out the window.
“You know,” he started, but then stopped himself. “Forget it.”
“You’re thinking about Cal, aren’t you?”
“Something just doesn’t add up,” he said.
“I know what you mean, and it’s not just the affair Rhett’s having with Lexi,” I said.
“What affair?” a woman’s voice asked.
I turned to find Sylvia there.
“We didn’t see you there,” DC said, changing the subject.
“The port-o-potty lines were long, so I decided to come inside. What were you saying about Lexi and Rhett?” she asked.
“It’s only a rumor,” I said.
She shook her head. “I should have known. He’s always been such a mooch, and she’s loaded.”
“You mean she’s loaded now that she’s inherited Cal’s money, right?” DC asked.
“She didn’t need Cal’s money,” Sylvia said.
“Because of her business,” I added.
“Her business! Ha!” Sylvia said, her face red with anger. “She’s an heiress to a major oil family. She likes to pretend she’s on her own. I can’t believe those two!”
“It might not be true,” I said.
“Yeah,” Sylvia replied, but I could tell from her tone she wasn’t convinced. “That cake was fantastic, by the way. I think I’m going to get another slice.” And with that, she opened the glass door and headed over to the table where the leftover slices of cake were.
As far as I could tell, Mom’s sheet cake had slipped in seamlessly.
“She took that kind of hard,” DC said.
“She was very loyal to Cal. Maybe she was disappointed his new bride was cheating on him.”
“With his money-grubbing assistant,” DC added. “But there goes motive.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“With Lexi being more wealthy than Cal, and Rhett marrying into Lexi’s money, there’s no reason for them to murder Cal over a will.”
“That’s true,” I said.
“Unless Lexi wasn’t with Rhett,” Mom said, startling us.
“How is everyone sneaking up on me?” DC asked as he turned around.
“I saw Sylvia come into the house, and I was just curious what she was doing,” Mom answered.
“She said she was going to the bathroom,” I said.
“She did that eventually.
But before that, she went into a few rooms looking for something. And then she came out here. And overheard you,” Mom said.
I looked out at the guests at the party, searching for Lexi. We needed to talk to her.
That was when I spotted Sylvia approaching the young widow near the pool.
“Oh my God!” I said.
“Sylvia’s the killer,” DC said.
“I assumed when Rhett said that his girlfriend had just come to Vegas he was talking about Lexi,” I said.
“It’s so obvious,” DC said.
We opened the sliding glass doors and made our way to Sylvia and Lexi.
“How dare you!” Sylvia accused Lexi in a harsh whisper. Sylvia gave the young widow a hard shove.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lexi said. “But you need to keep your voice down and keep your hands off of me.”
Almost as if they knew something was about to happen, Dar-dar, Wenling, and Briana joined us, but they remained quiet.
“You’re having an affair with Rhett,” Sylvia said, her voice louder.
“Cal’s assistant?” Lexi said. “I’d never date that loser user.”
Sylvia pushed Lexi. “He’s not a user or a loser. He just didn’t grow up like you did with family money.”
“It’s not like you grew up poor, either,” Lexi said.
“You don’t know anything about me,” she said.
“Cal told me all about you. How you lied and pretended like you grew up working class, but you went to an Ivy League school because a rich uncle paid for it. You’re not a pull them up by their bootstraps person either. At least I didn’t take my family’s money,” Lexi said.
“They’re going to start a catfight right in the middle of your wedding,” Dar said.
“This is so exciting,” Wenling said.
“Shouldn’t we stop them?” I whispered to Mom.
“We need Sylvia to confess,” Mom whispered.
“You knew what he was doing,” Lexi accused Sylvia.
“What was he doing? And who is he?” Dar asked Wenling.
Wenling shrugged.
“You do know,” Lexi said.
Sylvia grabbed Lexi by the hair. “You cheated on Cal with his assistant!”
“No, I didn’t!” Lexi said, “But you knew Rhett was embezzling from the dealership, and you let him do it.”
“That’s impossible. Cal signed all the paperwork himself!”
The crowd started to gather and stare. We all stepped back to give them room.
One of the groomsmen went to stop the fight, but DC pulled him away and shook his head no.
“What paperwork would that be?” Ford asked.
Sylvia turned to realize that everyone was looking at her.
“She shouldn’t know about the results of the audit,” I said to DC. “Should she?”
“No, she shouldn’t,” DC said.
“I knew Cal’s mind was slipping,” Sylvia explained.
“No, it wasn’t!” Ford yelled. “He was as sharp as ever!”
“Totally sharp,” Lexi agreed.
“Like you even cared about Cal,” Sylvia said, turning back to Lexi and pushing her hard.
Lexi lost balance and started to fall. She grabbed onto Sylvia. The two of them tumbled into the pool.
“Oh my God, it’s like that episode of Dynasty!” Dar-dar exclaimed.
“Like when they were fighting in the fountain,” Wenling joined in.
The two women fought as they tried to swim.
“We have to get them out of there before someone drowns,” DC said.
And before I knew it, DC had taken off his shirt and shoes along with his best man, and they dove into the pool to stop the fight.
I watched as Sylvia grabbed at Lexi’s hair and tried to push her under. But it was obvious Sylvia wasn’t a strong swimmer.
“I don’t think Sylvia would have been able to drown Cal in the pool, do you?” Briana whispered.
“And her arms aren’t long enough to do it from outside the pool and falling in,” Dar added.
DC and his groomsmen dragged the two women apart and up the stairs of the pool. The crowd clapped. DC’s best man zip-tied Sylvia’s hands behind her back.
“You can’t arrest me,” she said. “What are you charging me with?”
“Assault,” one of the men said.
“Fine, I’ll be out in an hour,” Sylvia said.
“Does this mean I’m going to get arrested, too?” Lexi asked.
“You were acting in self-defense,” Mom said.
Ford bent down and whispered to us. “Did Sylvia kill my dad?”
“There’s no way to prove that she did anything but start a fight,“ DC explained. “What’s her motive?”
“Rhett might turn on her,” I said.
“Maybe,” DC said. “But what’s her motive?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to your mom about at the Lucky Dragon,” Lexi said. “I suspected she was seeing Rhett, and when I told Cal that I didn’t need his money, Cal decided he was going to give more to Rhett and reallocate a few charities.”
“But if she was with Rhett, why would she care if he inherited money?” Ford asked.
“It would mean that he wouldn’t need Sylvia any longer,” Mom explained.
“That’s what she meant,” Lexi said.
“Meant what?” I asked.
“She told me the surefire way to keep a relationship going is to make sure you’re needed. Then, only death can keep you apart,” Lexi said.
“That’s depressing,” Wenling said.
“I better change my clothes,” DC said.
“I should go home,” Lexi said.
“Don’t you have something here to change into?” Mom asked.
“I’ve left Dad’s room untouched except rummaging around for paperwork,” Ford said. “Your clothes were still in the closet last week. It’s the only room closed off to guests.”
“After I made such a big scene?” Lexi said.
“Stay,” Ford said.
Mom excused herself and headed over to the DJ booth. Minutes later, the DJ spun “Fight for Your Right to Party” by the Beastie Boys. Everyone laughed, and the wedding got back into party mode.
“Well, I have already fought. I might as well party,” Lexi said and headed into the house.
“Let’s dance,” Dar-dar said to Ford, and the two of them headed to the makeshift dance floor.
Since DC was changing out of his tuxedo, I decided to go in with him and change into casual clothes as well.
“Shorts?” I asked.
“I didn’t bring anything else but shorts,” he said. “You can wear something fancier.”
“Nah,” I said. “If you’re going casual, so will I.”
After all, it was our wedding. Our job was to enjoy it. No matter what.
I grabbed a comfy top and a pair of leggings and changed.
“This has been really fun,” he said.
“Mom did a great job,” I said.
“Not just the wedding, but working a case with my wife,” he said. “Ever think of joining the force or becoming a private investigator?”
I remembered what Mom said about opportunities coming my way, but my gut told me that it wasn’t for me. “I think I’ll just be your sounding board when you need it,” I said.
DC smiled and hugged me. “That works for me.”
I looked up at him. He gave me a quick kiss.
“We better get back to the party,” he said after our kiss ended. “Because if we don’t get back there soon, we’re never going back.”
I laughed. “We’ll have time for more of that on our honeymoon.”
We headed out to the backyard hand-in-hand. The party had gotten back into full swing. People drank, laughed, talked, and danced.
“It’s so nice and warm out,” Todd Fletcher, the editor of our town’s newspaper said as he came up to us. “I wish I’d brought my swimsuit.”
“Feel
free to jump in like I did,” DC joked.
Todd laughed. “I’ll pass on that, but I got some great photos of you in the pool and the fight,” Todd said. “And of course some great photos of the wedding. Congratulations! Thanks for inviting me. This is one of the best weddings I’ve been to.”
“It’s the only wedding with a murder scoop,” DC whispered into my ear.
“Can I call you guys for a comment before you leave?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said.
DC didn’t answer, which meant he couldn’t comment on behalf of the department. But I could.
“That’s going to be an interesting wedding story,” I said to DC as Todd went to mingle with the other guests.
My brother, James, approached me. “Pretty exciting. I get to see you doing your crime thing. Never a dull moment in a small town.”
“You should move back,” I said to my brother.
“Seems like a nice place to retire,” David said. “Except all the fighting and murders.”
“We’re not just known for murders,” Al said. “We’re also known for having your mother here. Celebrity spokesperson, Jo Murphy.”
“I’m the son of a celebrity,” James said.
I realized James had never met Al.
“Al, this is my brother James. James this is Al, the mayor.”
“Wow, you have the mayor at your party,” James said.
“I won’t be the mayor for much longer,” he said.
“You really think you’re going give up being mayor?” DC asked.
“It’s just a matter of finding someone to run.”
“No one loves this town more than you,” DC said.
And then it dawned on me, maybe there was someone who loved this town just as much as Al.
“I do,” I said. For the second time today. “I love this town, maybe I should be mayor.”
DC and Al looked at me. Their eyes were wide.
“You have my vote,” Al said to me.
“Mine, too,” DC added.
“You’d make a good mayor,” my brother joined in.
“Yes, I would,” I answered.
23
I woke up the next morning to the sound of swearing coming from somewhere not far from me. It didn’t bother me. I knew it was DC.
Wedding Cake and Widows: A Comedy Cozy Mystery (Mom and Christy's Cozy Mysteries Book 8) Page 12
