Wedding Bells and Death Knells (We're Not Dead Yet Club Book 2)

by Constance Barker

  “What are you up to, Hazel?”

  Hazel gave me a sly wink. “Just investigating.”

  “Well, do me a favor, will you?”

  “Of course…”

  “Keep an eye on Hayley. There’s something not right with her…”

  “You mean beyond losing her friend on her wedding day?” She peered over my shoulder at the bride. “Alright, I’ll keep an eye out.”

  “Thanks…”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going back to the crime scene. I think I have an idea how Ryan died.” I nodded to the tray in her hand. “And judging by what you’re doing, I imagine you’ve had the same thought…”

  “Why?” Hazel asked, staring down at the tray timidly. “What am I doing?”

  I laughed and asked her about Cecil – but then again you know that bit already – before heading off back up the hill…

  … Back to the church.

  Chapter Ten – A Master Class in Interrogation

  Ida May seated the Minister at the front of the church and grabbed a single chair that was left discarded by the altar. She carefully lifted it up and set it down again right in front of him as he slowly began to regain a sense of where he was.

  He wasn’t an old man – far from it, he looked like he was in his mid-thirties or early-forties at most. As his vision began to return to him, he stared up at Ida May with pale green eyes and his hands gently massaged his short mass of blonde hair.

  He slowly began to lean forward. Ida May had to lean out to prevent him from toppling right over.

  “Take your time,” she whispered. “Let your head catch up.”

  The Minister blinked twice before focusing hard on Ida May. His eyes seemed to dim as they widened and a look of sheer panic gripped his features.

  “Those people,” he muttered calmly. “They believe that I…”

  “You fainted,” Ida May explained. “I walked you back up to the church so that we could talk in private.”

  The Minister began to shake his head. His trembling hand massaged his temple while he squinted and blinked to shake the last of the confusion from his mind.

  “Why would you think that? What have I done to deserve this?”

  “You didn’t enter the church with everyone else this afternoon. You were the only one left outside when Ryan was killed. That gives you opportunity.”

  The Minister squinted again. “But not motive.”

  Ida May breathed hard and leaned back in her chair. She had considered being harsher on him during her interrogation but, given his state of airy confusion, she doubted it would result in much more than a garbled and rather unhelpful story.

  “Minister, I need…”

  “Robert,” he replied simply.

  “Sorry?”

  “My name –Robert.”

  “Robert…” Ida May nodded and took another deep breath. “You were seen outside at the time when Ryan was murdered. I need you to explain why…”

  Robert gave a half-hearted laugh. “The curse of the modern day minister,” he muttered. “I am duty bound to my religion to remove all distractions, but my human soul craves for something my position neither readily gives nor makes available to me…”

  Ida May thought hard for a moment, repeating his words quietly inside her head – trying to make sense of them. Eventually she shook her head.

  “What?”

  “As you are well aware, I decided to make the church technology-free. There are no phones, no televisions – no devices of any kind. I made that decision several years ago to ensure that my congregation would be free of distraction when in this place of worship. And by God’s good grace, He has seen fit to make this place a veritable black hole of cell phone reception – I suppose it was for that reason that I felt I was doing the right thing…”

  He licked his lips and sighed.

  “But the soul is a delicate beast, and even I am subject to the whims and wills of human nature.” He looked hard into Ida May’s eyes. “You ask why I was outside. My reply is simple. I was trying to get signal for my phone. In recent weeks I have become something of a football fan and I wanted to check on the scores before the long – and often overwhelming experience – of undertaking Jeremy and Hayley’s wedding…”

  “Moments before the wedding started?”

  Robert shrugged. “What can I say? I was hoping that God might lay aside his barricade against technology and allow enough signal through for me to quench my soul.”

  He gave a small smile – the kind of smile that Ida May knew well. She didn’t trust it.

  “I’m sorry, Minister,” she began, shaking her head from side to side. “I don’t buy that story at all. You – above all people – would know what the signal was like around here. You weren’t about to go marching off up the hill for anything short of an emergency.”

  Robert gulped. Although his eyes stayed strong in their resoluteness, his hands began to tremble once again and his legs began to quiver uncontrollably. He stared down at the floor, a look of complete shame crossing his face, as he reached slowly into his pocket.

  I can’t imagine what Ida May thought he might be reaching for – when she was telling me about this afterwards, she explained that she was simply being cautious. But, in my opinion, I think – for the first time in her life – Ida May was terrified of what the Minister was about to brandish at her. That was why she kicked back her chair and retreated a few steps back towards the safety of the altar.

  As it was, she had no need to be afraid. When Robert’s hand returned from his pocket, it didn’t hold a knife or a gun – but rather a single sheet of paper, which he held out for Ida May to take. With her heart still thumping in her chest, Ida May stepped forward and plucked the paper from his grasp before holding it up to the light to read it.

  “It’s blank,” she muttered, looking curiously back at the Minister.

  Robert nodded soberly. “My notes for the wedding,” he explained. “I regret, last night I visited a bar a short distance into town. I had only intended to go in for one or two – I knew I still had a lot to prepare for today. But you know how out of control things can get. The soul is rather a delicate and easily manipulated beast…”

  Ida May thought she understood. She carefully folded up the paper and placed it in her pocket. “You were looking for inspiration.”

  “Online inspiration,” Robert corrected her. “I couldn’t just turn round and say, ‘Hey folks, I haven’t actually got anything inspirational to say today because I was out at a bar all night,’ could I? So I tried to use this beautiful setting and nature for inspiration.”

  Ida May nodded. “It appears by the blank page you didn't find any inspiration.”

  The Minister shook his head. “No. It appears God already knew something was going to happen to save my bacon…” A wave of panic crossed his face. “Not that the poor chap’s death is a good thing…”

  “I understand,” Ida May returned to her seat and collapsed into it. “Did you see anyone else while you were out? Anyone enter or leave the room where the groomsmen were dressing after everyone had gone into the church?”

  “No. No one.”

  Ida May thought for a moment. An idea was swimming into her head. An idea that was so cold and heartless that it sent a chill down her spine. She had seen the body; there’d been no signs of a struggle. That left only one real option.

  And only one real suspect…

  At around the same time Ida May was coming to her conclusions, I was beginning to come to mine. As I passed the door to the church, I could hear Ida May and Robert talking and decided that it was best not to interrupt such a vital interrogation. I slipped past the door and followed the outside wall until I reached the room where Ryan’s body had been found.

  I expected to find the door locked – Jasper had said he would do as much. But, to my surprise, the door was not only unlocked but ever so slightly ajar. Jasper – it appeared – had been more disturbed by the discover
y than I had initially thought. As I placed my hand on the wood and pushed the door open, it’s creaking echoed around the room. Light spilled in on to the dead body of Ryan whose eyes were filled with such panic and dread that he looked almost demonic.

  I carefully stepped inside and skirted my way around the outside of the room, examining everything and anything as I made my way around the perimeter. There was nothing really of interest – a couple of closets to hang clothes up in, a few bits of religious bric-a-brac and, of course, the groomsmen’s suitcases.

  This was where I began my search.

  I rifled through each suitcase, thoroughly examining everything inside. I found little of note. Hector’s suitcase was largely empty save for a collection of different colored ties. Ryan’s contained only an empty water bottle and a box for cufflinks.

  Jeremy’s, however, was most interesting. In a side pocket, I found that a small glass vial had been stuffed right down into the bottom. I pulled the vial out and examined it in the light. It was empty, but the lid was loose and it seemed obvious to me that it had been shoved into Jeremy’s suitcase with such force that someone had been desperate to hide it.

  As I pondered the strange vial, my mind began to whirl. I thought back to the first – and only – time I met Ryan. I thought of the last thing he was doing before he was found dead and my heart sank into a bitter realization.

  I turned towards the table and crossed over to examine Ryan’s face. I tried my best to ignore his contorted expression and leant forward to examine his lips. As I expected, there was a slight hint of white foam on his mouth and the air around his lips smelled of something I couldn’t quite place.

  I turned to the rest of the table.

  The champagne bottle was still there – a quarter of the contents still remaining along with two empty glasses. I quickly scooped them up and made way back outside, slamming the door shut behind me.

  I had now seen the body too. The foaming at the mouth, the empty vial in Jeremy’s suitcase and the champagne bottle and glasses… It all added up to one awful conclusion.

  And only one real suspect…

  Chapter Eleven – Poison and Disagreements

  I bumped in to Ida May as she was leaving the church with the Minister. Before they parted ways he turned to her and said:

  “I shall be in my office should you need me.”

  Ida May nodded. “Thank you. I’m sure the detectives will want to speak to you when they arrive.”

  The Minister allowed himself a small, insincere smile. He doffed an imaginary cap and gave a small bow muttering, “very well,” before turning his back on us and making his way slowly around the side of the church. We waited until he was well out of earshot before Ida May turned to me and grasped my hand with such excitement that I feared she might yank it off completely.

  “I think we’re on the home stretch,” she declared, her eyes drifting off towards the barn. “I think I’ve worked out who murdered Ryan and how…”

  “Me too,” I replied excitedly. “Poison.”

  “Exactly,” Ida May agreed, nodding enthusiastically. “And that can only mean one person is responsible for all this…”

  “So you agree then?”

  “Of course I agree.”

  I hesitated slightly. “I thought you’d be more put out…”

  “Nonsense. Sure, I like the man – but a criminal is a criminal at the end of the day. And it is our solemn duty to bring him to justice…”

  She was taking it all rather well. “So, there won’t be a problem on your end?”

  Ida May seemed somewhat surprised by my question. “Absolutely not,” she replied. “Unless you…?”

  “No, no. You’re right. Justice must be done.”

  Ida May nodded confidently. “Very well then. Shall we proceed?”

  “After you…”

  I should have realized that Ida May and I weren’t quite on the same track as soon as we entered the barn. She strode straight past Jeremy and made her way to the far end of the bar. She picked up a large wine glass and a spoon and rattled the two together so hard that the high pitch ching of metal on glass reverberated around the room for a good two seconds after she’d finished.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have news.”

  Jeremy was the first to react. “Did the Minister confess?”

  I gave him a short, sharp glare. “You’ll know in good time, Jeremy.”

  I made my way across the room to join my friend. As I looked around the packed room, I could see every set of eyes locked firmly on us. All – that is – except for Hazel, who was still carrying a now rather empty looking tray of drinks, and Hector. Despite our call for silence, the two of them seemed to be deep in conversation at the far side of the barn and barely seemed to notice that the rest of the room had fallen into silence around them.

  “Ida May is right,” I announced. “We believe we have found our killer. I have just investigated the crime scene and found absolute proof of who killed Ryan. Proof that corresponds with testimony received from various others throughout the day.”

  “Excellent news, my dear Clara,” Ida May replied, her eyes scanning the audience in front of her. “And we can now announce that the Minister is not responsible for Ryan’s mysterious death…”

  “Absolutely,” I concurred. “Without a doubt…”

  “What?” it was Hayley’s mother who had spoken. “If not the Minister then who?”

  “Yes,” Percy called out. “Who killed Ryan?”

  “The answer, my dear Percy,” Ida May replied. “Is quite simple.”

  We exchanged glances, gave a swift nod of agreement and spoke in unison: “It’s…”

  “Cecil…”

  “Jeremy…”

  Ida May’s face fell instantly – I imagine mine did as well. Her mouth fell open and her eyes instantly narrowed on me as she turned towards me: “Jeremy?”

  “Yes,” I replied. “You thought it was Cecil?”

  “It is Cecil. It must be Cecil.”

  “The evidence points to Jeremy.”

  “What evidence?”

  If we were confused, it was nothing compared to how the rest of the barn was feeling. While the two of us bickered by the bar, Hazel – apparently more aware of what was going on than we originally thought – made her way through the crowd, picking up Cecil and Jeremy on the way. The two men were nothing short of shell-shocked, not to mention confused and terrified by how the events had transpired around. All the while, the crowd of party-goers had renewed their collective discussions about the case and were once again beginning to become rowdy and uncontrollable as they defended their respective parties.

  “What are you two doing?” Hazel asked, as she brought the two murderers before us. “Are you trying to start a riot?”

  In characteristic fashion, Ida May was the first to speak. “I think Clara is trying to start a riot!”

  “I’m starting a riot? What are you doing accusing Cecil for?”

  “I happen to believe he did it. Why would you ever believe my nephew was capable of such a monstrous act…”

  “Because…” I hesitated, glancing towards Jeremy, who had gone as white as a sheet as he watched the bickering between us. “Ryan was poisoned, correct?”

  “Right,” Ida May replied.

  “Jeremy was the last person to see him alive?”

  “Right.”

  “There was an empty vial in Jeremy’s suitcase…”

  This time Jeremy finally summoned the will to reply for himself.

  “What are you talking about?”

  I turned towards him. “The vial that contained the poison that killed Ryan.”

  “I never had a vial…”

  “That’s what you say…”

  “And I believe him,” put in Ida May.

  “And why would I kill him on my wedding day? It doesn’t make sense…”

  Hazel cleared her voice, raised a hand in the air and waited until we all stopped talking. Turning he
r attention to Ida May and me first, she spoke in a uncommonly authoritative manner that I wouldn’t normally associate with my friend.

  “We appear to have caused a minor uproar,” she said calmly. “Might I suggest that we retire Cecil and Jeremy to separate rooms until this is all sorted out…”

  “Why should I do that,” Jeremy spluttered. “I haven’t done anything wrong…”

  “Any neither have I,” replied Cecil.

  “Perhaps,” Hazel replied. “But I think it would be the wise course – for your own protection.”

  The two men stared at the crowd behind them. Most were staring viciously in their direction – although admittedly most seemed to be directing their anger towards Cecil – and looked about ready to break out into a full-scale riot. With a little convincing, the two men finally relented and were led silently out of the room by Ida May who sent them into separate rooms with strict instructions not to move for any reason.

  As we waited for her return, I watched as Hazel made her way back through the elevated crowd to quickly talk to Hector. A few minutes later, the pair of them came back to me just as Ida May returned from securing the two suspects.

  “I don’t know what you’re playing at, Clara…” Ida May said, her voice teeming with anger.

  “I can’t help what the evidence suggests, Ida May. I’m sorry, but it looks like your nephew murdered Ryan…”

  “What evidence? Jeremy had no motive to kill Ryan…”

  “Read between the lines,” I replied. “You read it yourself.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  I sighed, my eyes wandering over to where Hayley sat, staring around the room with her eyes once again soaked with tears.

  “I think Ryan and Hayley were having an affair…”

  “What?”

  I turned back to Ida May. “Remember the text message Jeremy received? ‘Got a txt from H. RBTL’? Isn’t it obvious who ‘H’ is?”