"Lacy isn't able to fix these things?" Tina said with a frown. "That's not like her."
"You know her?"
"Very well," Tina laughed. "We used to be partners. We parted ways a couple of years ago, when I wanted to strike out on my own—but Lacy is a force to be reckoned with. If things aren't going well with your wedding, I have no doubt that she'll have the problem fixed before the end of the week. Especially if those vendors want to work another wedding in Lexingburg."
Olivia fiddled with the ring on her finger and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Lacy passed away. That's why I'm here."
"Lacy's dead?" Tina asked sharply, clenching her fists. "When? How?"
"The sheriff is investigating, so I really don't feel right talking about the details until he announces it to the press. Is it possible that you could help me out?"
Olivia had hoped to brush right past the subject, but Tina narrowed her eyes and studied her closely. "How do you know the details of Lacy's death?"
"I found her body," she whispered.
The wedding planner visibly stiffened. "You're missing your wedding dress, and you discovered Lacy's body? May I ask you a personal question?"
"Wedding planning seems to be a very personal activity," Olivia admitted. "Go ahead."
"Did your fight with your fiancé and the problems with the dress occur before Lacy died?"
"Yes," Olivia said slowly. She had a feeling that this conversation was about the take a horrible turn. "Is there a reason that you're asking me that? Fannie acted oddly about the whole situation as well."
Tina's mood seemed to change in an instant. "I'm sorry, Olivia. I'm afraid I won't be able to help you. I'm far too busy."
"You don't even know when I'm going to get married or how much I have planned."
"I'm afraid that doesn't matter. There is no way I'll be able to work with you."
"But you were just out here with your book, so you obviously had no problems taking on a new client with I walked through the door. Fannie said the exact same thing. What is going on?" Olivia demanded.
Instead of answering question, Tina avoided her gaze as she hurried to the door and opened it in a pointed invitation to leave. "I'm so sorry, dear, but I have an appointment with a client, and I really must hurry. I wish you well in your wedding planning."
Shaking her head in frustration, Olivia slowly walked to the door. "How am I going to plan a wedding if none of the planners in Lexingburg will help me?"
"Perhaps you should take it as a sign. Maybe you're just not meant to be a bride."
Olivia gasped at the woman's hurtful words, but before she could demand an explanation, Tina slammed the door in her face.
And locked it.
"Are you kidding me?" Olivia yelled through the glass at Tina's retreating back. "I don't need you! I will plan the perfect wedding, and you'll be sorry that you weren't here to help me!"
Someone cleared their throat, and Olivia flushed when she realized that a group of bystanders were witnessing her temper tantrum. Noting that Kristy, her real-estate agent, was among the group only made things worse. Kristy was a notorious gossip. Soon the whole town would know that the wedding planners had rejected her.
"Are you okay, Olivia?" Kristy asked.
"I'm fine," she muttered. "Just a little disagreement. If you'll excuse me." Keeping her head down, she hurried past them and tried to ignore the whispers. Just a few days ago, she'd practically had a whole wedding planned and thought she'd be walking down the aisle in a month, but now the wedding planner was dead, the wedding was falling apart, the groom was getting cold feet, and the whole town would soon learn of her problems.
She had just started to think that things couldn't get any worse when she got the text message from her wedding DJ.
Sorry, Olivia. I just don't think it's going to work out.
Her vendor had just broken up with her over text message. How humiliating was that?
Maybe Tina was right. Maybe she'd been naive to think that she could ever be a bride.
That evening, as Olivia took Snowball, Lily, and Tucker out for their last walk of the day, she racked her brains for a way to tell Andrew that none of the wedding planners would help her. It would be so simple if she could just stick with the plan that she'd already made with Lacy, but she had a feeling that would cause another fight.
"You would think that he'd want to marry me as soon as possible," she told the dogs. "He thinks I'm a flight risk."
"Are you a flight risk?"
With a yelp, Olivia whirled around and was relieved to see Lady Celeste standing outside the door to her shop, looking at Olivia with an amused expression on her face.
The older woman threw her arms wide, royal blue sleeves with their oversized pink flowers fluttering with the dramatic gesture. She cocked her head and pushed at the matching floral headscarf, and her supposedly Romanian accent thickened as she said, "I didn't mean to scare you, dear. Did you think the dogs were talking back to you?"
"The way that my day is going, it wouldn't surprise me," Olivia admitted. She had been so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't even realized that she was walking past the town "psychic’s" shop. The older woman was the town’s "psychic," and although she looked as if she was pushing sixty, she hadn't seemed to age a day in the whole time that Olivia had known her. No one in town quite knew what to make of her. Olivia had no idea if Lady was part of her name or a title, and she’d never been brave enough to ask. Until a few months ago, Olivia had assumed the woman was nothing more than a lovable fraud. It wasn’t until Lady Celeste’s little pet psychic show that Olivia started to believe that maybe Celeste was the real thing.
It was a little disconcerting.
Lady Celeste pushed her shop door open, setting off a sweet tinkling of silver bells. "Would you like to come in and rest a minute? I believe your dachshund is experiencing some pain and needs to rest."
"Pain?" Olivia looked down at Lily and frowned. The dachshund hadn't been limping and didn't seem to be walking slowly. Nevertheless, she guided the dogs into the store and sat down on one of the chairs.
"Now, let's see what the problem is," Celeste said as she bent down and picked up a squirming Lily. "Oh, here we are. You have a tiny prickle stuck between your toes, darling. We'll just remove that, and you'll be good to go."
"Wow," Olivia managed as she watched the psychic release Lily. "You really are good."
"I know." Celeste smiled. "Now, I believe that you have something on your mind that you'd like to discuss? Some pre-wedding jitters?"
The whole town was placing bets on whether Olivia was actually going to make it down the aisle, so Olivia wasn’t surprised at Celeste's first guess. "Not the wedding, but more like the wedding planning."
"Oh, was Lacy your planner? That is unfortunate."
Shocked, Olivia stared at Celeste. "Did Nick make the announcement already?"
"No, dear. I felt her passing." She said it so simply, as if Olivia should have already known the answer.
"Did she happen to mention who killed her before she passed on?" Olivia was only half joking. She was starting to suspect that Lady Celeste might actually have a real gift.
"You know it doesn't work that way," the psychic admonished, wagging a stern, heavily beringed finger.
"Right." Olivia smiled ruefully. "Well, her passing is both tragic and very unfortunate for me. Andrew didn't like my timeline, and my wedding dress has disappeared. Now, with Lacy gone, I need a new planner to try and fix everything, but no one in town will work with me! And what’s worse—they're being rude about it."
Lady Celeste suddenly reached over and grabbed her chin. Taken off guard, Olivia nearly fell out of her chair, but the psychic had a firm grip on her, with a strength that belied her sixty-some years, as she stared into Olivia’s face. Then, without warning, Celeste released her chin and grabbed her hand, turning it over and peering intently at the palm. "Oh, dear," Celeste whispered.
"
What? What do you see?"
"You are carrying the Bride's Curse."
"I'm carrying the what!"
Celeste dropped Olivia's hand and stepped back, a frightened look on her face. "The Bride's Curse. Oh, you poor dear. No wonder no one will work with you. Lacy, no doubt, was its first victim."
Appalled, Olivia jumped to her feet. "Lacy died because someone murdered her. It had nothing to do with me, and—and the idea of a curse is too ridiculous for words!"
Lady Celeste shook her head vigorously enough to make her headscarf flutter, tsk-tsking. "You said yourself that everything seems to be falling apart. Why do you think the wedding planners are shunning you?" She dropped her voice dramatically. "They're afraid that they'll be next. The Bride's Curse is very real, my dear."
Whatever thoughts Olivia had entertained about Lady Celeste's true gifts crumbled. It took all her self-discipline not to roll her eyes at the woman's earnest expression. "Let me guess. You wagered that I wouldn't make it down the aisle, and now you're trying to make sure you don't lose your money."
Lady Celeste snorted and tossed her head. "Scoff all you want, but a hundred years ago, on the very ground where Lexingburg was built, the Bride's Curse was born. They say that two young people—who were supposedly very much in love—were planning to join forever in a handfasting union, but on the day of the wedding, the groom realized that his bride wasn't marrying for love but rather for wealth. They say that he cursed the bride and all future brides in this area—" she flung her arms wide in a theatrical gesture, "—that if a bride should enter a wedding pact with a false heart, she shall create chaos and destruction with every step she takes to the altar."
Furious, Olivia was about to lay into Lady Celeste when the door opened, and Mayor Donald Henderson walked in. "Olivia," he said with a big smile. "I have been looking for you."
Olivia doubted that very seriously. The mayor had a huge crush on Lady Celeste, and everyone in town except the psychic seemed to know about it. His attempts to get Celeste's attention had led to Olivia ending up with Fender. Still, she was too angry at the moment to deal with Mayor Henderson's love life. "Now is not a good time," she snapped.
"I'm afraid this can't wait. This concerns your wedding."
Was everyone in town about to have an opinion about her wedding? "Now what's wrong?"
He frowned. "There is no need for you to take that tone with me, young lady. I have only your best interests in mind. Now, I've heard talk that the wedding plans are falling through. May I ask what the problem is?"
Confused, she just stared at him. "Why are you concerned about my wedding plans?"
"Well, I've been keeping an eye on things, and I realized that this is an opportunity that could benefit everyone."
"My wedding could benefit everyone?" she asked stupidly.
"Yes. Lexingburg is an excellent place for weddings, and I think we can use that to our advantage. I was going to use your wedding pictures and your wedding story to help sell the idea on our town website."
It shouldn't surprise her. Mayor Henderson was forever trying to make Lexingburg the "go-to" destination. He never seemed to understand that he was a mayor of a small town, not a travel agent.
Celeste clicked her tongue against her teeth and shook her head. "Mayor Henderson, it's a lovely idea, but I'm afraid that Olivia has the Bride's Curse. I doubt there will be a wedding."
"The Bride's Curse!" the mayor gasped.
"Stop telling people that! I'm not cursed!" Olivia snapped. "I love Andrew, and I want to marry him. Whoever killed Lacy did so because it was personal, and it has nothing to do with me."
The mayor dropped his head into his hands. "Oh," he moaned. "This is horrible."
Bending over, Olivia clipped the leash back on Lily. "The only thing that's horrible is that superstition seems to rule this town. I will have the wedding of my dreams, and no, Mayor Henderson, you will not use it for advertising. Andrew and I are going to be very happy, and if I have to solve the murder of Lacy McBride to prove it to everyone, then that's exactly what I will do!"
Spinning on her heel, Olivia started to march out of the shop. Her exit would have gone more smoothly had Tucker not gotten his leash caught on the chair and started to drag it outside with him, but Olivia didn't bother to stop. Too furious for words, she dragged the chair all the way out to the sidewalk before she jerked the leash free, turned, and headed home.
The first thing she needed to get was a certain book.
7
Rose Palmer hit the button to play the voicemail again. The woman, sounding desperate, rattled off an address and asked the PI to come to her as soon as possible. Lifting her head, Rose checked the brass numbers to the side of the door.
She had the address right. Holding down the lit button on the side panel, she listened as the doorbell sounded again. No answer, just like the first three times she'd pressed the button.
A car was in the driveway, and she could see the lights inside reflected off the frosted glass window. Someone was home.
Concerned, Rose walked down the steps and headed toward the back. Maybe someone was in the back yard. As she passed a window, something caught her eye. Stopping, she smiled and gently tapped on the windowpane. A beautiful calico cat stared back at her and meowed. Rose was just about to leave when she saw the blood on the cat's paw. Inhaling sharply, she focused on the scene just beyond the cat.
Here she'd thought she would be investigated a cheating spouse. Not a dead body.
When Andrew's car pulled up, Olivia pulled her ear buds out of her ears and bounced nervously on the balls of her feet. She'd been on edge since leaving Lady Celeste, and even diving into a new Rose Palmer book had failed to bring comfort. Once again, she practiced the speech in her head. Andrew would be furious if she tried to investigate Lacy's murder, but surely he would see the risks of not looking into it.
Unlike last time, she wasn't going to try to do this behind his back. She would ask for his help. Surely, he wouldn't refuse her then.
"Goodwin," she said urgently. "Go, greet Andrew. Go greet him!" She opened the door, and the large dog flew down the front steps. When she heard Andrew's panicked shout, she whirled around and saw that Goodwin had knocked Andrew's backpack to the ground and was running all over the yard with it.
Oops.
"Goodwin! Get back here—right now!" Andrew bellowed.
Jumping out the door, Olivia clapped her hands. "Come here, Goodwin! Come here!"
The problem with Goodwin is that he could be so very well behaved when he wanted, but he could also be the devil dog. Right now, he was a demon spawn from hell.
"What is all that racket?" The front door to the house next to hers slammed, and an old man hobbled out, shaking his cane. "Stop that! I'm trying to watch my shows!"
Old Man Cramer was usually such a good neighbor, but he sometimes let his temper get the best of him. He thought he was the law in Lexingburg and was constantly writing in his notebook and reporting crimes. Unfortunately, his crimes usually turned out to be nothing more than children playing or Olivia trying to get Goodwin under control.
"Sorry, Mr. Cramer," Olivia said breathlessly as she snagged her dog's collar. "We're just having some fun."
"Well, pipe down! I swear, they should enforce the curfew here. They just let you hoodlums run rampant!"
It would have been a waste of breath to remind her neighbor that not only was she in her own yard, but it was only eight o'clock. Giving Andrew an apologetic look, she hauled Goodwin up the steps and back into the house, where she pried the bag from his mouth. "He didn't mean it. I didn't take him out on my last round of walks, and I guess he has some energy stored up."
Andrew knelt, and Goodwin immediately ran over to wash him all over in kisses. "It's okay, boy," he whispered. "We'll go for a walk now. Would you like that?"
That wasn't a half-bad idea. Then maybe Olivia could burn off some energy as well. "Do you want some dinner first?"
"No, I had a late lu
nch."
Olivia leashed Goodwin and Fender. "Maybe we can stop by the Corner Grill on the way back and get some hot dogs to take home."
"Sure. Sounds good."
His voice was clipped, and she sighed. Last night he’d seemed to have forgiven her, but this afternoon, he was agitated again. Maybe now was not the best time to tell him about the rumors swirling around town.
As they left the house, she locked the door behind them. As usual, the dogs pulled in two different directions as they started out, but they soon fell into a rhythm.
"How was work?"
“Interesting,” she said vaguely as they headed to the back entrance of the neighborhood. There was a short bridge that connected to a wealthier neighborhood, and she liked looking at the houses. Andrew must have sensed her distress, and he reached over and squeezed her hand. She gave a returning squeeze and asked, “How was yours?”
"Long. I didn't get much downtime today. Some of the department resident students are about to take their exams next week, and we needed to run a few tests to make sure that everything goes smoothly. I guess a couple of years ago, when they first started doing the exams online, the site crashed. They’ve been paranoid ever since."
They started across the bridge and fell into an awkward silence. Olivia made a fuss over Goodwin as he picked up a piece of trash in his mouth. Finally, she decided to gingerly approach the subject of the wedding. "I ran into Lady Celeste and Mayor Henderson. Did you know that the mayor wants to use our wedding photos to market Lexingburg as “the wedding place” destination?"
"I did not."
"Are you okay with that?"
Andrew shrugged. "Maybe we can get him to foot the bill for the photographer. At least that would save us some money. Maybe your bad luck is finally turning around."
Flinching, Olivia stopped in her tracks and stared at him. "What do you mean, bad luck? You think I'm bad luck?"
"Not you, sweetheart," Andrew sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just mean that this wedding seems to be bad luck."
Panic filled her. "Our wedding is not bad luck, Andrew. Saying that isn't funny. This is the moment that we pledge ourselves to each other for the rest of our lives. You shouldn't even be joking about that!" Her voice reached a fevered pitch.
Till Death Do Us Bark (Happy Tails Dog Walking Mysteries Book 2) Page 5
