Undercover with the Undead

by Susan Harper

  “I can’t believe you guys kept it a secret from us for so long,” Veronica said with a giggle.

  “You’re one to talk,” Dawn said. “Tell us about this secret boyfriend of yours.”

  “Secret boyfriend!” Veronica exclaimed. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Sure,” Autumn said.

  “You turned down a phone number a celebrity tried to give you,” Brittany said. “You’re dating someone.”

  “Maybe I’m just working on myself,” Veronica teased them.

  “Sure,” Felicity said and laughed.

  “What celebrity gave her a phone number?” Monte’s mother asked curiously.

  Dawn answered, “Jerome Mason from that show—”

  Little Natalie interrupted. “Zombie Zone!” she squealed excitedly.

  Felicity chuckled. “You watch the show, Natalie?” she asked, and the little five-year-old girl nodded excitedly. Natalie’s mother’s face turned red. It was not exactly a show appropriate for small children, but the child was obviously a fan.

  The party continued, but since Felicity was the one sitting next to Natalie, she received an earful about the show throughout the rest of the gathering. “So you really like the show, huh?” Felicity asked with a bit of amusement. Felicity wasn’t really a fan herself, like every other person in Senoia seemed to be. She had seen a few episodes, but she could hardly give a summary of the plot.

  “I love it!” Natalie said and made a chomping motion like she was a zombie. She told Felicity about the storyline. She also was well informed about all the gossip surrounding the actors. “You need to go to zombie-biters-dot-com,” she said. “It’s the show’s fan website. You can watch some really cool deleted scenes that they don’t put on the DVD sets. They already added the deleted scenes from last season on there, and they are so good! I can’t believe those scenes didn’t make it into the show.”

  Felicity again giggled at the girl’s enthusiasm. “You really think I should watch the show, huh?” Felicity asked. “I saw some of the first season, but I haven’t really watched much after that. I got kind of busy.”

  “But it’s so good!” Natalie exclaimed. “You have got to catch up on all the seasons, and then you need to watch those deleted scenes. Zombie-biters-dot-com has so much cool stuff! You just got to check it out, Felicity!”

  Felicity smiled at the little girl. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to be informed on the show. I mean, it is shot locally and all. Right down the street from my shop.”

  “Yeah!” Natalie said. “And the website—”

  “Natalie, she heard you,” her mother said and patted the little girl’s head. “Leave Felicity alone and let her talk with the adults.”

  “Oh, it’s all right,” Felicity said. “I’m actually pretty curious about the show. I was just hired as a PI by one of the show’s writers.”

  “What’s a PI?” Natalie asked.

  “A private investigator,” Felicity explained. “It’s like a detective.”

  “Ladies!” Veronica called, alerting everyone in the room to end their private conversations. Veronica was holding up a glass of champagne, and everyone apart from Natalie did the same. “Just wanted to grab your attention for a second before I toast our bride-to-be. I just wanted to remind all you ladies to shoot me a text today or tomorrow so that I remember to send you all your to-dos for the bridal shower next weekend. Everything is pretty much ready to go for that, but I have a few last-minute things I’m wanting to take care of. Also, I need all of your input on the upcoming bachelorette party!” She winked when she said that last part, and then she laughed. “It’s going to be a blast, and that’s only two weeks after the bridal shower, so we need to nail down our plans for that one.”

  “You’re not planning anything too crazy, are you, Veronica?” Dawn asked.

  “We’ll keep her in line,” Felicity promised with a wink.

  “Good,” Dawn said.

  “Oh, boo!” Veronica hissed. “We are going to have fun, no worries there. So, anyway, I just wanted to give a toast to my bestie, Dawn. Girl, you found yourself a good one in Monte. Hold onto him. I am so happy for you two. I cannot think of a better couple. To Dawn and Monte!”

  “To Dawn and Monte!” the group sang and clinked their glasses together.

  Felicity clinked her champagne glass against Natalie’s water cup, and the little girl giggled, happy to be included. Veronica then pulled out a large poster board—a final game to play, evidently. She had slightly red cheeks as she sat the poster up. “Okay, so I saw this game online. It’s a little weird, but I thought it would give us all a few laughs,” Veronica said.

  At the top of the poster, the game was titled Other Than the Bride. Felicity raised a brow curiously. Veronica seemed giddy and embarrassed, so she could only imagine what she had in store for them all. A few phrases were written on the poster board with a sticky note covering each word in the phrase: Take --- to Disney, Hang out at the club with ---, See --- in her birthday suit, Take --- shopping, Go on a life changing adventure with ---.

  “What is this?” Dawn asked.

  “Okay, so it’s this game called Other Than the Bride. I had Monte write up the poster,” Veronica said.

  “I can tell,” Dawn said. “The handwriting is awful.”

  “Basically, he had five choices for each statement: Me, Felicity, Autumn, Brittany, or Natalie—the ladies in the bridal party. He got to choose one of us for each statement, and we have to try to guess which one other than the bride he would want to do these things with,” Veronica said.

  “Oh man, Monte’s going to be in trouble later,” Autumn said with a laugh as she nudged Dawn with her elbow. “Who is the birthday suit one!”

  “You, obviously,” Dawn said to her. “You’re gorgeous.”

  Autumn blushed. “That’s terrible! Veronica, how could you make Monte play this game?”

  “I thought it would be funny,” Veronica said. “Plus watching him squirm when I explained it to him was pretty hilarious.”

  “I bet,” Dawn said and rolled her eyes slightly; Felicity could tell Dawn didn’t really like this game. All the other games they had played she had enjoyed, but this one was a little weird for Dawn.

  “Okay, everyone guess,” Dawn said.

  “Shopping!” Veronica exclaimed and held up her hand.

  “No one likes going shopping with you,” Brittany said. “You’d blow his wallet.”

  “Funny,” Veronica moaned.

  “I’m the Disney trip one, I bet,” Natalie said and smiled. Dawn smiled at her cousin’s daughter, and Felicity suspected the game was turning out to be a bit more fun than Dawn had first anticipated.

  They were all laughing at the questions as they attempted to come up with what Monte would have chosen. “Okay, I agree with Dawn. Autumn looks like a supermodel. You’re the birthday suit one,” Felicity said.

  “You’re obviously the adventure one,” Autumn countered. “You’re the most fun.”

  “Veronica, you’re the take to the club one,” Brittany said. “So I bet Monte picked me for the take shopping.”

  When they had all guessed, Veronica removed each of the sticky notes Monte had placed over the poster board. “Hey!” Veronica exclaimed. “Not cool, Monte.”

  The answers were all Dawn. “Smart man,” Dawn said with a wink.

  Felicity laughed. “Monte didn’t play by the rules, huh, Veronica?”

  “No, he didn’t, but isn’t he just adorable?” Veronica asked, and the room full of women giggled.

  “That’s my boy,” his mother said. “A charmer like his father.”

  “Oh my gosh, I didn’t even notice this,” Veronica said and turned the poster board around. Monte had written a note to Veronica on the back: I’m not stupid enough to play this game a month before my wedding, Veronica!

  “Ha!” Felicity practically shrieked; everyone was laughing so hard they were holding their stomachs. “You actually throw a
pretty good party, Veronica,” Felicity said. “You should come work with me and Jefferson sometime.”

  Veronica smiled, clearly satisfied with the way the bridal luncheon had turned out.

  Chapter 9

  The following day proved to be one of the busiest Mondays Felicity had ever seen in Senoia. It blew the typical Senoia Saturday jam out of the water, and there was no rhyme or reason as to why. It was simply busy. She and Jefferson were constantly talking to people—and thankfully booking parties and a few lavish events as well. The morning alone got them two party bookings before lunch, and they were unable to take a lunch break.

  Felicity managed to pull Jefferson aside while her little shop was filled with nothing but window shoppers. “I’m going to order a pizza and have it delivered,” Felicity muttered. “I know you said you didn’t have breakfast.”

  “We never skip lunch on Mondays, but I was afraid we were heading that way,” Jefferson said, gripping his stomach as though in physical pain. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” Felicity said, taking a moment to sneak behind the counter to call in a pizza delivery order. She was hoping that she would be able to do some work on the case that day, but just as that was starting to seem like it was off the table, Phillip and Alisha came walking into the shop together.

  The small crowd got excited, and the pair paused to take pictures with the people. Once Felicity had finished giving the order, she smiled at them and waited behind the counter. The two escaped the excited fans, who slowly trickled out of the shop. “You’re Felicity Overton, right?” Alisha asked.

  “That would be me,” she said, and Jefferson joined her behind the counter so that he could fill out information on a new party booking at the store’s computer.

  “Kenneth told us to get in touch with you,” Phillip said. “He says you’re working Bridget’s case.”

  “That’s correct,” Felicity said and offered them a smile. She stepped out from behind the counter and ushered them over to the lounge furniture toward the front of the shop. “I appreciate you two coming by. That sure does make my job easier.”

  “How does a party planner manage to get hired as a private investigator?” Alisha asked as she slowly sat herself down by Phillip on the little sofa.

  “That is sort of a long story,” Felicity said. She had snagged her sleuthing notebook from behind the counter, so she was prepared to jot down some notes. She had stayed up late the night before writing down everything she knew; the notebook helped her keep her head together when working a complicated case. “But we’re here to talk about Bridget.”

  “Alisha is pretty torn up about it,” Phillip said. “To be honest, we don’t normally get too close with the extras, but Bridget had such a warm and welcoming personality. The three of us became really tight, you know?”

  Felicity cringed slightly. She realized they still didn’t know that Bridget had merely been a façade. She listened to them talk about Bridget for several minutes. They gave detailed accounts about where they had been the night of her murder and any conversing they had with her that night. They both seemed legitimately torn up about the woman’s death. “We didn’t know her that long,” Alisha said, “but she pretty much became my best friend. My best friend here, at least. I was really looking forward to being in Georgia for another season of the show just so I could hang out with her. She introduced Phillip and I to all of the local hot spots last year that we had no idea existed. She’s a Georgia girl—most of the extras are from around here—so she just really introduced us to the community in a way we hadn’t really bothered to do before. I love this state now.”

  “What? Weren’t a fan of Georgia during the first seven seasons?” Felicity asked in a light-hearted way hoping to lighten the mood slightly.

  “Honestly?” Alisha said, her cheeks a little flushed. “Filming in the middle of summer in Georgia outside wearing combat boots and jackets… It was rough. I loved being around the crew, but as soon as filming ended, I just wanted to be inside where it was cool!”

  Phillip then chuckled. “Until last season. Bridget took us around town, man! Whitewater rafting—we travelled out to Chatanooga with her. We visited Helen, the little German town a few hours north of here. Then we went to Savannah for a few days when we had a break from filming. She even dragged me into a Civil War museum, and I actually thought it was cool. She took us to the shooting range all the time, and I think it really helped me last season get into character.”

  “Wow,” Felicity said. “You three really were close.”

  “We were,” Alisha said, and she looked about ready to cry. “I just don’t know who would want to hurt someone so sweet.”

  Felicity decided to take a chance and reveal Bridget’s identity; she wanted to gauge their reaction. She locked eyes with Jefferson for a moment, who was hiding out behind the counter, and as though he read her mind, he gave her an approving nod to go ahead with the plan. “Well, to be honest, you two were at the top of my list for a while,” Felicity said, and they both looked confused and shocked.

  “I beg your pardon?” Alisha asked.

  “Can you confirm some of the stories you just shared with me?” Felicity asked. “About you two being friends with Bridget?”

  “It’s all over my Instagram!” Alisha declared. “She was my friend. How dare you accuse me of wanting to hurt her!”

  “Well, I thought maybe you had figured out who she really was,” Felicity said. “But your husband confirmed for me you were clueless.”

  “Ronnie?” Alisha asked. “Ronnie hardly knew Bridget at all. He got her the job, but they had just bumped into one another at a coffee shop or something one day.”

  “Yeah, that’s not true,” Felicity said. “Bridget’s real name is Eleanor Elliot.”

  “So, she used a stage name?” Phillip asked. “So what? A lot of actors do that…although Eleanor Elliot has a lot better ring to it. She should have just kept it.”

  “Bridget wasn’t a stage name,” Felicity said. “It was her secret identity. Ronnie hired her as a private investigator to spy on you two.”

  Philip and Alisha both grew ghost white. Felicity imagined they were going over everything they had ever told Bridget or done in her presence. “That’s not true,” Alisha said, her cheeks turning slightly red, contrasting terribly against her now ghostly white face.

  “It is,” Felicity said. “And right before she was murdered, she gave Ronnie the material she had gathered on you two.”

  Alisha suddenly shrieked. “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe this!” She grabbed her head as her face went even paler. She teetered from side to side for a second before Philip grabbed her to steady her. Jefferson wasn’t sure if the girl was going to pass out or throw up, but he grabbed a trash can and sat it beside her just in case it was the latter.

  Felicity cringed slightly. I know they’re actors, but I doubt she could fake that, she thought, deciding that they were both shocked by the news. Philip was nervously rubbing the back of his head, pulling out some of his hair in the process. “You’re sure about this?” Phillip asked.

  “I’m sure,” Felicity said.

  “Phillip!” Alisha cried out as she put down the trash bin. “She was there that night we tried the, um…”

  “Cocaine,” Felicity said. “Yeah, I saw the picture.”

  “He’s building a custody case against me!” Alisha cried out, and Felicity saw tears streaming down the woman’s face. Now Felicity almost felt bad, but she had needed to see how they would react.

  “I’m sorry if this came as a bit of a shock to you,” Felicity said.

  “You think!” Alisha stood up. “I need to go talk to Ronnie.”

  “You need to calm down before you do that,” Phillip said, and Alisha spun around and smacked him right across the face. He elected to remain behind as Alisha darted out the door. Phillip sighed as he watched Alisha go. “I knew Ronnie suspected something. Especially after the way he blew up at us the night of the party.”

/>   “Were you and Ronnie friends?” Felicity asked.

  “Yeah…” Phillip admitted, embarrassed.

  “Then why would you sleep with his wife?” Jefferson spat.

  Phillip shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I get tired of playing the hero.”

  “That’s no excuse,” Felicity said.

  “I know,” he said and stood. “I better go calm Alisha down before she goes and talks to Ronnie.” He left Felicity and Jefferson.

  Soon after, their pizza arrived and the two of them scarfed it down while discussing the case. Unfortunately, they were not given long before more people arrived. “What is with this crowd today?” Jefferson muttered.

  “It’s good for business. Don’t complain, or you’ll jinx it,” she said, and they went back to work.

  The day continued similarly, a heavy stream of traffic coming in and out of the building. The day was drawing to a close as they entertained their last potential customer of the day: a mom who was ushering around four rambunctious young children. She was looking to hire them for a birthday party.

  “Are the four of them…”

  “Quintuplets,” the mother said as though she was going to pass out.

  Felicity could not imagine dealing with four wild five-year-olds all at once. Three boys, one girl. Just as the mother was finishing up signing some paperwork for a quintuplets’ birthday party, one of the little boys knocked over a suit display. To make matters worse, the display smashed into one of the book display shelves, and four rows of books came crashing down with it. “Eddie!” the mother wailed in embarrassment.

  “Oh, it’s okay,” Felicity assured the woman as she examined the catastrophe that lay before her. “Nothing’s broken.”

  “I am so sorry!” the woman had the culprit’s arm in her grasp, and the boy looked very embarrassed.

  “No harm, no foul,” Felicity assured her. The woman tried to help clean up the mess, but Felicity brushed her off. “We’ll take care of it,” she promised.