by Cindy Bell
Now, Wendy had her own business, but the events of the morning had brought back memories of Camilla and her time with her. Camilla had still been alive when Wendy had been helping to plan the wedding of a couple who had specifically requested Oliver Handley and the resort he worked for as the caterer and venue for their wedding. Unfortunately, that had turned into a disaster when the place was closed by the health department, and as usual Camilla had left it to Wendy to fix. As overbearing as Camilla had been, there were times when Wendy missed her.
Chapter Three
As Wendy drove towards the coffee house where she was meeting her clients, in the back of her mind she was worried about what had happened. She took a deep breath and knew that she had to switch into wedding planner mode. Wendy believed that weddings were one of the most important events in a person's life, and she wasn't going to let anything interfere with that. This couple was particularly easy to please, as they simply wanted the most expensive of everything.
Wendy parked outside the restaurant and walked across the sidewalk towards the door. She could see Shawna and Kyle snuggled close at a table waiting for her. She smiled to herself as she saw the love blossoming between them. It was a refreshing sight after seeing a frozen health inspector. She cleared her throat and put that memory out of her mind. As she stepped inside the restaurant Shawna spotted her and waved.
“Hello, you two,” Wendy said with what she hoped was a cheerful smile as she joined them at their table. “How are you doing today?”
“Just counting down the minutes,” Shawna said gleefully and squeezed Kyle's hands. “I can't believe it's happening.”
“Days, there's still a few days,” Kyle reminded her with a laugh and squeezed her hand in return.
“Two days,” Shawna pointed out. “Besides, I'm so excited, I have to count the minutes.”
“How about seconds?” Kyle suggested and offered his future wife a look of admiration. Wendy tried not to laugh. She knew she had to break the news to them, and she wasn't looking forward to it.
“Unfortunately, I have something that may be a little disappointing for you to hear,” Wendy said as she studied them both.
“Oh no,” Shawna gasped. “What is it? Is it the cake?” she asked anxiously.
“No, the cake is fine,” Wendy explained. They were using a separate vendor for the cake. “But my visit with Oliver Handley did not go well today. He apparently has some problems with his catering company and we won't be able to use him for the catering service.”
“Oh,” Shawna pouted a little.
Wendy braced herself for the explosion. One thing that she had discovered since she began wedding planning, was that a bride two days before her wedding was like a powder keg waiting to be sparked. Shawna only shrugged a little. “Well, we had chosen Oliver because he catered for a friend’s wedding, he makes the most exquisite food,” she pointed out.
“But babe, if he can't do it there's nothing we can do,” Kyle said with a grimace. “I'm sure Wendy will be able to find another company to fill in.”
“I know,” Shawna forced a smile. “Well, it's not like it's bad luck or anything, we'll just find another caterer. We will, won't we, Wendy?” she asked.
Her words echoed in Wendy's mind. 'It's not like it's bad luck'. They brought back very clearly a memory of another bride she had dealt with. When Oliver's restaurant had been shut down, the bride and groom who were planning on using the venue were not very happy. The bride was beside herself. She kept insisting that it was bad luck, and that Wendy had to find a way to fix things. Wendy had felt badly for her at the time. Sure her reaction had been a little over the top, but all brides wanted their wedding to be perfect.
“Wendy?” Shawna asked again in a sharper tone. “Are you listening?”
“Hmm?” Wendy asked. “I'm so sorry, yes I am,” she blinked a few times. “What were you saying?”
“I was saying, we won't have a problem finding another caterer in time for the wedding, will we?” Shawna looked a little more suspicious. Wendy quickly snapped into gear. She didn't ever want any bride to doubt her attentiveness to their wedding.
“No problem at all,” Wendy assured her. “I always have a back-up plan just in case a caterer falls through. How does Bridgettes sound to you?”
“Bridgettes,” Shawna repeated and then tilted her head back and forth. “Okay, not as fancy, but it will do.”
“I appreciate you being so understanding,” Wendy said with relief. “And don't worry about a thing, it will all be taken care of.”
“Well, what can you do?” Shawna said with a laugh. “It’s not worth making a fuss over the things you can’t control.”
“Yes, and there are so many things that are going right about the wedding,” Wendy said with a smile. “I'll be checking on the cake and other things this afternoon just to make sure everything is prepared for the big day. I know that you were still deciding on your first dance song. Have you made any progress on that?”
“It is not going to be heavy metal,” Shawna said flatly before Kyle said a word.
Kyle scrunched up his nose. “The one thing I asked for Shawna. You chose everything else about the wedding. I want the song.”
“No,” Shawna shook her head firmly. “How can you even dance to that?”
Wendy sensed that the argument was about to escalate.
“Well, let's see, Kyle, I think you might be feeling a little uninvolved with the wedding plans. Is there something other than the first dance that you'd like to have a say in?” she suggested calmly.
“Well,” he tapped his fingertips lightly on the table. “We only have one beer available and I would rather have a selection of beer instead of such a large selection of wine.”
“What?” Shawna gasped. “Are you kidding me? Our guests are going to be appalled if we don't have the best wine available.”
“So what?” Kyle demanded. “It's our wedding, not theirs.”
“Shawna, Kyle makes a good point,” Wendy said soothingly. “Too many times I see couples caught up in what they think their guests want, which is wonderful, it's very generous to be so concerned about your guests. However, your wedding only happens once. What if we brought in a larger variety of some of the finest beer available, as well as the finest wine?” Wendy suggested. “What do you think, Kyle? Would you be willing to compromise on the first dance song for the sake of having the best quality beer available?”
Kyle considered it for a moment, then nodded. “I think that could work.”
“Shawna?” Wendy asked as she turned back to the bride. Shawna didn't look too pleased but she nodded.
“Fine, but the beer can't be on the menu, people have to ask for it,” she insisted.
“Fine,” Kyle agreed and grinned. “More for me.”
“Wonderful,” Wendy said. “So, what song do you think it will be, Shawna?”
“I'll let you know as soon as I pick one,” Shawna said with a grimace. “It's just such an important decision.”
“I know,” Wendy smiled soothingly. She made a note to look up the best beer options in the area since it was too late to have anything shipped.
“Can we go over a few of the details about the linens?” Shawna requested just as the waitress walked over to take their order. After Wendy had requested her coffee she pulled a small planner out of her purse. It was a much more compact version of a huge folder she had at home that included every minute detail of the wedding. Wendy kept one for each of her clients. It made a good keepsake for the couple once the wedding was over. She made sure she had all the important information in that planner as well as her tablet.
Wendy flipped open the planner and turned to the page that included information about the linens. As they chatted about whether the color they had chosen would clash with the bridesmaids' dresses, Wendy managed to ignore everything about the murder that morning. It wasn't until she had nearly finished her coffee that her mind surfaced from wedding plans once more. At almost the sam
e time her cell phone began to ring. She reached into her purse and silenced it, before checking to see who was calling. When she saw that it was Brian she quickly answered.
“Excuse me,” she whispered to Kyle and Shawna. She walked over to the register to settle the bill for the coffee. She always liked to go the extra mile and pay for coffee at the meetings she had with clients. She thought it was an inexpensive yet valuable gesture.
“Wendy, I didn’t get any specific information from the health department,” Brian said. “But I found out that someone called in reporting the infestation of mice three days ago and they did ask for George by name.”
“Really,” Wendy replied. “Who called it in?”
“I don’t know, my contact told me this information from memory, but he said he’ll check his records and he’ll get back to me with the name,” Brian explained. “I’ll let you know when I find out.”
“Thanks,” Wendy said before hanging up the phone.
Wendy turned back towards the table and the happy couple who were finishing off the last of their coffee. She wanted to find out more about the murder and they had gone through everything they needed to. “I have to run,” Wendy said as she walked back to the table. “Please remember that if either of you think of anything you want to discuss, or change, you can always call or text me. We are getting so close!”
“So close!” Shawna squealed with excitement.
Chapter Four
It wasn't until Wendy started driving that she knew where she was going. It was time to get a clear answer from Oliver. How could you have a mice infestation without knowing about it? He had to know about the mice long before that morning if the infestation had been reported earlier in the week and if he did know about it then why was he lying about it?
When Wendy pulled into the parking lot of Handley’s she noticed that all of the police cars had cleared out but there was still some crime scene tape up?
Wendy stepped out of the car determined to get the full story from Oliver. She walked towards Handley’s. The only car in the parking lot belonged to Oliver. There was a closed sign on the café door. Wendy walked to the side door that had been unlocked earlier in the day. She tried it and found that it was still unlocked. She pushed the door open quietly. Once inside she could see that the area with the walk-in freezer was still taped off. Wendy could also hear Oliver's muffled voice drifting out of his office.
Wendy walked as quietly as she could towards his office. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but in this case she was hoping to overhear a little honesty. She plastered herself against the wall near the corner of his office. The rectangular window of the office was blocked by blinds. The door to the office was cracked open. She could hear Oliver's voice more clearly now. She listened closely and realized he was on the telephone.
“I just lost it,” Oliver gushed into the phone. Wendy could hear the gasping of his voice. It was clear that he was overwrought. But that didn't matter to Wendy, only his words mattered. It sounded as if he was admitting to what he had done. “I just don't know how this could be happening again,” he continued in a strained voice. “It just doesn't make any sense to me. There were no mice here yesterday! Now they are everywhere!” he moaned. “Why? Why is this happening to me?”
Some of his words became unrecognizable as he half-mumbled and half-moaned. Wendy was sure that whoever he was talking to had to be a trusted friend. She wondered if he would lie about the mice if he was talking to someone he trusted. She frowned. She knew that it was possible. After all, who would want to admit to having a rodent problem when they were in the food service business?
“I'm going to lose everything,” Oliver hissed into the phone. “There is no coming back from this. There's nothing I can do now. I'm ruined.”
Wendy grimaced and leaned a little closer to the door. She didn't want to miss a word of what he was saying. When she shifted, she heard a strange skittering sound. Her stomach clenched as it was the kind of sound that made her think of giant spiders or frightening, tiny alien creatures. It was the kind of sound that tiny little mouse claws made when running across a cement floor. As she watched, a mouse emerged from behind a stack of boxes. Its beady, black eyes seemed to stare straight at her as it crept forward. Wendy tried to focus on the conversation happening inside the office.
“What can I do now? Who will believe me?” Oliver was lamenting with what sounded like tears in his voice. Wendy was trying to feel sympathy for him, but she kept hearing that mouse getting closer to her. She turned towards it, and saw that it was still staring at her. She shook her foot at it, hoping to frighten it away without making a sound. The mouse didn't retreat. It didn't budge at all. Then it slowly began to move directly towards her.
Wendy stared at the mouse that was creeping closer to her. She knew that if it began running up her foot or leg she might end up screeching and alerting Oliver to her presence. Considering that he might have been the very person who had 'lost it' and knocked an entire metal shelf on top of a man and then locked him in a freezer, she didn't want him to know that she was there. Also, she would have no good excuse for hiding out and sneaking around without even alerting him to her presence. She needed to do something about that mouse. She lunged forward slightly, certain that this would spook the mouse. Again the mouse only froze and stared at her.
Wendy had never seen such a bold mouse before. Most mice she had encountered in her life had been bolting across a floor or pavement to get to cover. They tended to be frightened by humans. Not this mouse, however. This mouse was almost on top of her shoe.
Suddenly, Wendy realized how strange that was. An idea popped into her head. To confirm her suspicions she knew that she would need a sample. Since the mouse was practically asking her to pay attention to it, she didn't think that it would be a problem to capture it. How to capture it, was a bit of a problem. She glanced around for any kind of container she might be able to use to trap the mouse. But there was nothing within reach. If she went searching she might scare off the mouse or alert Oliver to her presence. She adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder as she thought about whether she could take her shoe off and use that. Then it struck her. She could use her purse. She could zip the mouse right up in it. The very idea made her a little ill.
Wendy grimaced and opened her purse. She didn't want to do what she was about to do, but she felt as if she had to. She crouched down in front of the still advancing mouse. She took a deep breath. Then she scooped up the mouse with her purse. It wriggled and squeaked inside her red purse. Wendy tried not to think about it. She held it tightly closed and crept out of the building. All she could do was hope that Oliver didn't notice her. When she reached her car, her phone began ringing. She checked the ID to see that it was Brian calling.
“Hello?” she said as she set her purse carefully down on the passenger seat. She couldn't even imagine what would happen if that mouse got loose in her car while she was driving.
“Hey,” he said with warmth in his voice. “I just wanted to see if I can check in with you. Where are you headed?” she could hear the suspicion in his voice. She knew he thought that she had been up to something.
“I'm going to the pet store on Main,” she replied with a slight laugh as her purse wiggled on the seat.
“The pet store, why?” Brian asked, obviously confused.
“I'll tell you when you get there,” she replied quickly as her bag wiggled again. She wanted to get there as quickly as possible.
“See you in ten,” Brian replied before hanging up the phone.
As Wendy drove towards the pet store her mind drifted back to the conversation she had overheard Oliver having. How could he not have seen the mice before today?
As if the mouse knew that she was thinking about it, it began squeaking and squirming inside her purse. Wendy shivered slightly.
***
By the time Wendy reached the pet store she was having to convince herself not to toss her entire purse out the window.
>
When she parked her car she could see Brian was already there. He was standing on the sidewalk in front of the pet store. He looked so handsome that Wendy couldn't help but take a moment to notice. His wavy, dark hair was being ruffled a little by the light wind. Of course Brian was attempting to put it right back into place, determined not to let the wind have any say over his hairstyle. She smiled to herself as she opened her car door and stepped out. He smiled when he saw her. She was relieved to see the smile as it made her relax.
“So, are you going to tell me why we're here?” he asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. “Are you going to get a dog or something?”
“No,” Wendy laughed a little. “I don't think I could handle that kind of commitment.”
Brian smiled a little at her words, and Wendy wondered if he had taken them in a different way. “I am actually here to do some research,” she explained.
“Research on what?” Brian asked. But before Wendy could answer her purse began squeaking. She cleared her throat and double checked to make sure the zipper was completely sealed.
“Wendy, are you squeaking?” he asked with slightly widened eyes. Wendy held her purse tighter. The little mouse was squirming around like crazy.
“It's not me,” Wendy said with a faint blush.
“What do you mean it's not you?” he asked and narrowed his eyes. “It's not me, that's for sure,” he chuckled a little. The mouse squeaked louder. Brian pointed towards her purse. “Is there something in there?” he asked anxiously.
“Well, that's why we're here,” Wendy began to explain. “You see, I thought the mice at Handley’s were rather friendly. Most mice will go running when they see a human, they won't run right in front of them. The mice that ran past us earlier didn't seem frightened at all.”
