8 Blush, a Bride and a Body

by Cindy Bell

  “Maybe not,” Dimitry shrugged and his thin lips curled into a cruel smile. “But as of this moment you are a murderer, Bekki. You know women, they get a little crazy about their weddings,” he chuckled a little. “So what happened, Bekki? Did he ruin your rings? Did he try to charge you more? Or did you just get greedy?”

  Dimitry bent his knees slightly so that he could meet her eyes more directly. “Was this a crime of passion, or a crime of opportunity, Bekki?”

  Bekki was silent as she stared at the man before her. Officer McKay stepped closer, until Bekki could feel the warmth of his body heat against her cheek. She didn't have to turn her head to know that he was pointing the gun towards her.

  “Tell me the truth, Bekki,” Officer McKay said calmly. “When I bring you in, I'll tell the prosecutor how you cooperated and confessed. It will all go much better for you.”

  “I didn't do anything,” Bekki breathed out as she continued to stare at Dimitry.

  “Is that what you would prefer?” Dimitry asked in a harsh whisper. “Tell me, Bekki, it's your choice, you confess, or I will make sure you never have the chance to see that fiancé of yours again. So sad,” he added as he narrowed his eyes. “So tragic, that a man dies right before his wedding day.”

  Bekki's eyes widened at his words. She hadn't anticipated him threatening Nick. It was one thing to be faced with her own mortality, but the idea of knowing that she was responsible for Nick's death was more than she could ever bear.

  “Bekki?” Dimitry asked again as he studied her. “What's it going to be?”

  Officer McKay pulled out a small voice recorder and stood beside her. “Trust me, Bekki, this is a better deal than what I expected him to offer you. Just confess that you killed Patty, then no one will ever look into the diamonds, or find the guns, and everyone moves on with their lives. Well, yours will be in jail, but considering your situation, I think that's quite generous of Dimitry, don't you?”

  Bekki closed her eyes briefly. She remembered the moment her father saw her in her wedding dress. She remembered Nick's smile of anticipation, the way he so clearly adored her. She knew that if she was gone both of their hearts would be broken. At least if she confessed, she might have a chance of staying alive although she honestly thought that they would just get her confession and then kill her. Her only real hope now was that she could keep Nick alive. She presumed that they would have no reason to kill him if they had her confession.

  “Yes,” Bekki finally said quietly. “Yes, I killed him,” she opened her eyes and looked directly into Dimitry's.

  “Why did you kill him, Bekki?” Officer McKay prompted as he recorded her words. Dimitry leaned close to Bekki's ear and whispered.

  “Make it convincing or the deal is off,” he warned her.

  “The wedding was coming up so fast. And he was refusing to give me the rings. He said that he changed his mind and didn't want to sell them. I offered him more money, but he kept refusing. I was just so frustrated and I…” she hesitated a moment and then cleared her throat. “I just couldn't help myself. I just wanted my rings.”

  “So you shot him?” Officer McKay pressed.

  Bekki gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. She reminded herself that she had no choice. It was very unsettling to admit to murdering someone, but not nearly as unsettling as knowing that she was probably going to be killed.

  “Yes,” she finally said. “And then I left,” she added.

  “So where's the gun?” Officer McKay asked.

  “I dumped it,” Bekki replied coolly.

  Officer McKay switched off the recorder and smiled as he tucked it back into his pocket.

  “Now, before you get any wild ideas Bekki, you need to understand that I have an impeccable reputation. If you so much as breathe a word about my involvement in all of this, I have all of the information I need about your loved ones to make you regret it. Understand?” he met her gaze intently. “Because it's going to be awful hard for you to do anything about it, when you're in handcuffs, isn't it?”

  Bekki grimaced, and then nodded slowly.

  “I'm glad we understand each other,” Dimitry said quickly and then gestured to the two men beside her. “Search her.”

  Bekki immediately thought of her phone in her pocket. If it was still recording, which she hoped it would be, it would have their entire conversation on it and be the only proof that she could use against them. But if Alvin and Paul found it, she was sure they wouldn't let her keep it.

  “Better hurry,” she said mildly as Alvin jerked her up from the chair. “My phone has a tracking device on there. My fiancé insisted,” she explained. “He’s going to come looking for me. So, you better make sure that phone sticks with me.” She cringed as Alvin's hands wandered over her pockets and waistband checking for any hidden weapons. When he came across her phone in her pocket, he pulled it out. Luckily the phone had gone back to a locked screen, so he couldn't see that she had the device recording. Of course that also meant the phone might not have been recording after all.

  “This is all she's got,” Alvin said as he handed the phone over to Dimitry.

  “Your fiancé, or should I say former fiancé? I'm sure he's not much for tying the knot behind bars, hmm?” Dimitry chuckled. “He really tracks you? Isn't that a little controlling?” he laughed again as Alvin pushed her towards Officer McKay. Officer McKay reached for her hands and Bekki gasped as he pinned them behind her back. Her heart ached as she realized her nightmare was coming true and she was going to end up in handcuffs. At least it looked like they weren’t going to kill her, but she had no way to protect herself. Officer McKay would be believed, and even if he wasn't Dimitry probably had some influence with judges. She was going to jail unless she told the truth, in which case everyone she cared about would be at risk. Bekki swallowed thickly as the cuffs locked on her wrist. She knew that what she did next would be a big risk, but it was the only thing she could think to do. She could only hope that the phone was still recording.

  “I love Nick, he is the most amazing man I've ever met,” Bekki gushed as tears glazed her eyes. “I will always love him, even if we're not able to be together. I hope that none of this will ever stop him from living his life, and finding some kind of joy.”

  “Isn't that sweet,” Dimitry smirked. “Do you think it's going to sway me now? I don't care about your romance,” he said dismissively.

  “We will always be together,” Bekki said through a clenched jaw. “I'm so sorry, Nick,” she added as she braced herself. “But we will always be together, under the stars,” she murmured. Dimitry was studying her with confusion.

  “This isn’t going to help you now,” Dimitry said. “I can’t leave any lose ends.”

  “What?” Officer McKay asked in confusion.

  “We need to kill her!” Dimitry said. “Did you honestly think I would keep her alive? We just needed her confession. I mean, what happens if she squeals.”

  Officer McKay looked surprised, but Bekki was not surprised that they planned to kill her.

  “Call in the arrest and then you will have to take her to another location and shoot her,” Dimitry demanded of Officer McKay. “Make it look like self-defense.”

  Bekki tried to calm down and focus as she knew she only had one choice. Officer McKay was barking into his radio about bringing her in, and Alvin and Paul were flanking their boss protectively. No one expected Bekki, who was in handcuffs, to suddenly fling her body forward. She wrenched her handcuffed wrists out of Officer McKay's grasp, and slammed her head directly towards Dimitry's jaw. In the same moment she hooked her foot around the leg of the folding chair and flung it hard towards Alvin who was already reaching for his weapon. As Alvin fought off the chair Dimitry cried out in pain as her forehead split his bottom lip. Officer McKay scrambled to turn off his radio so that the dispatcher would not hear the commotion that was unfolding. Paul drew his gun as Bekki slid her foot into the strap of her purse. She pulled it towards her, and ducked down just
in time to avoid Paul's first shot. With her purse in her hand she felt for the small tube of perfume that she had inside one of the front pockets. It was not one she often used but she had selected it for the wedding.

  “Get on your knees!” Paul barked as Dimitry spat blood on the floor beside her. “Boss, you want me to kill her now?” Paul asked sharply as Bekki obeyed his command and rested on her knees. She kept her head tilted down and was working the tube of perfume out of her purse behind her back.

  “Yes,” Dimitry spat more blood out and huffed. “Then we can move her afterwards.”

  “But we need to make sure it looks like it was done in self-defense,” Officer McKay explained. “I can't claim self-defense if I shoot a woman with her hands cuffed behind her back.”

  “Uncuff her,” Dimitry commanded. Bekki's heart was racing as reality was starting to set in. She knew that if Officer McKay took off the handcuffs, there was no question that they planned to kill her right then and there. As Officer McKay walked around behind her, she managed to get the lid of the perfume off. She sprayed it as he leaned down to unlock the cuffs. The perfume hit its target, the officer's eyes.

  “Ouch!” he cried out and clawed at his eyes. He dropped the handcuff key in the process. Bekki was trying to get it when Alvin grabbed her by the wrists and stood her up.

  “This one is way too much trouble,” Alvin said sharply. “We could always just say she took off after confessing. No one has to find the body.”

  Dimitry's slow, cruel smile made Bekki's heart sink as she tried to jerk free of Alvin's grasp.

  “This is why I like you, Alvin,” he smirked and patted the younger man's cheek lightly. “You're not just muscles, you've got a little bit of brains, too. Take her out back, there are plenty of places to get rid of a body. As for you,” he turned back to face Officer McKay. “You really are incompetent, aren't you?” he asked with a growl and smacked the officer hard on the side of his head. “This is the second mess I'm having to clean up for you. First, your so called friend has to die because he's too nosy, and now I've got to kill this one because you didn’t clean up your mess. Just for that, I want double the money you owe me. I want every gem in that store, and everything else you can get your hands on, understand?” he glared at Officer McKay.

  “Yes, yes, I understand,” Officer McKay nodded quickly. Alvin was pulling Bekki towards the back door of the warehouse. She dragged her feet attempting to slow the process down. She was planning how she could escape Alvin when Dimitry's voice followed after her.

  “Paul go with him, this one's feisty. Make sure the job gets done,” he commanded his other bodyguard. Paul nodded and began following after Alvin and Bekki.

  Bekki tried to keep herself calm, but she didn't see a way out of this situation. When Alvin opened the back door the afternoon light shined brightly in Bekki's eyes. She heard skin on skin contact and a few grunts as well as a scuffle before her sight began to clear. She stood there, still handcuffed, and blinking, but with no hands on her. When her eyes focused she was staring into Nick's deep green eyes that were filled with concern. She had never seen a more beautiful sight. She wondered for a moment if she was dreaming. He placed a finger to his lips to silence her. His gun was drawn as he glanced past her into the warehouse. He pressed his lips close to her ear as he uncuffed her hands.

  “Stay out of sight,” he insisted sharply as he took the cuffs and used them on Alvin and Paul who were out cold. He looked up at Bekki, and as their eyes locked. Bekki could see the relief in his eyes. He parted his lips as if he would launch into a lecture right then and there, but instead he stood up swiftly, grasped her around the waist, and kissed her firmly. Bekki melted into the passionate embrace, her mind still reeling from the sudden flurry of activity.

  “Stay here,” he growled as he broke the kiss. His words left no room for argument. Before she could stop him, he ducked inside the warehouse. Bekki crouched down and picked up the guns he had taken off the two men. She held them awkwardly in her hands and peered through the open doorway of the warehouse. Nick moved swiftly and silently.

  Suddenly, Bekki heard the squeal of tires and looked up to see Morris' patrol car, along with several other patrol cars behind it. Morris jogged up to Bekki. He took the guns from her trembling hands and looked into her eyes.

  “It's okay,” he assured her.

  “Nick's inside,” she gasped out. Morris nodded sharply and then handed the guns to another officer. He and three other officers began creeping into the building. Nick was already getting close enough to Dimitry and Officer McKay to hear their conversation.

  “None of this would have happened if you hadn't killed Patty,” Officer McKay was arguing with Dimitry.

  “I had to kill him,” Dimitry replied coldly. “You didn't keep control of him like you promised. He started asking me questions about the diamonds. He even had the phone number for the FBI. He was going to cause me some big trouble. So, I did you a favor, and I killed him myself. It's not my fault that you didn't get there in time to clean up the body. This is on you Officer McKay, and I promise you if any accusations ever come my way, I will make sure that your involvement in all of this will be quite clear.”

  “No need for that,” Officer McKay said gruffly. “We've got her confession.”

  “And I've got yours,” Nick barked as he pointed his gun at the back of Officer McKay's head. “Drop your weapons,” he commanded sharply.

  “Ha,” Dimitry laughed and reached for his gun. Then he noticed the other officers who had quietly approached and were now flanking Nick. “Oh,” Dimitry sighed and reluctantly dropped his gun to the floor. Officer McKay did the same.

  Bekki slipped back inside the warehouse when she saw that the situation was under control. She watched as Nick roughly pinned Officer McKay's hands behind his back. She could tell from the way he put the cuffs on the man, that Nick was restraining himself. He looked up as if he felt Bekki’s eyes on him. She wasn't sure what to expect. Would he be furious with her? Then she saw that soft, slow smile, the one that she had fallen in love with so long ago, and once again over the past year or so. She found herself smiling at him in return.

  ***

  The warehouse became a crime scene, and Morris offered to take care of the situation so that Nick could have some time with Bekki. When Nick walked up to her, Bekki had a thousand apologies prepared.

  “Shh,” he murmured before she could even speak. He rested his forehead lightly against hers and rested his hands on the curve of her hips. “I listened to the recording,” he said quietly as he pulled away enough to meet her eyes.

  “It worked?” Bekki asked with some relief.

  “Yes,” he replied and held her gaze intently. “Always, under the stars,” he murmured and kissed her gently. The soft kiss became more passionate as his arms slid around her waist. He held her close as she deepened the kiss in return. When they both pulled reluctantly apart, Nick's expression was one of pure gratitude.

  “I'm sorry, Nick,” Bekki shook her head slightly. “I shouldn't have come here alone.”

  “All that matters is we're together, now,” Nick assured her. “Don’t worry I had the situation under control. Morris was giving me all the information he was giving you. When Morris told me about the address he had given you along with the information, I had no doubt you'd come here. So, I came to offer you some back up.”

  “I'm so glad you did,” Bekki sighed.

  “I will always be your back up,” Nick winked lightly at her. “Speaking of which, are we still getting married tomorrow?”

  “No,” Bekki said quickly.

  “No?” Nick asked with sharp concern as he met her eyes.

  “Tonight,” Bekki pleaded as she searched his gaze. “I want to get married tonight. Can we?”

  Nick looked a little surprised but he nodded slowly. “I'd marry you right here, right now if I could, Bekki.”

  Bekki's hand was trembling as he handed her back her phone. “But you're going to h
ave to be the one to tell Marie and Sammy.”

  Bekki laughed nervously and dialed Sammy's number.

  Chapter Ten

  Even though the preparations for the wedding had been for the next day, everything was ready to go. It took about two hours of rushing, everything seemed to happen in a whirlwind, but by the time the sun began to set, they were all gathered at Bekki's mother's house. Word had spread fast, and it seemed the entire town was milling about finding out the plans from one another and gathering together for the wedding. As Sammy helped Bekki with her dress, Bekki smiled at her with gratitude.

  “Thanks so much for all of this, Sammy,” Bekki said as she looked into her friend's eyes.

  “Anytime,” Sammy said with a grin and then laughed awkwardly. “Okay, well hopefully only one time for this particular event,” she winked at Bekki. Bekki laughed at that.

  “What's this?” Sammy asked as she picked up the extra box beside the garment bag that had held Bekki's dress.

  “It's my veil,” Bekki said with a small smile.

  “Oh, I thought you didn't want to have one?” Sammy asked with surprise.

  “It's my something old,” Bekki explained as she lifted the veil out of the box. “And I've honestly never seen a more beautiful piece.”

  Sammy helped her pin it onto her hair. Bekki's long, dark waves were pulled back off her face and fell loosely past her shoulders. Once the veil was added, Sammy gasped with appreciation.

  “You look amazing,” she cheered and stood next to Bekki as they looked in the mirror. Sammy looked beautiful as well in the pale lavender dress that Bekki had chosen to accentuate the color of her hair.

  “Did you ever think this day would come?” she asked Sammy with a shy grin.

  “From the first moment you walked back into town,” Sammy replied with a knowing smile. Bekki looked at her with shock.

  “Seriously?” she asked.

  “Oh Bekki, you and Nick were always meant to be,” Sammy laughed and nudged her best friend gently. “Are you ready to take the plunge?”