Murder of a Wedding Belle

by Denise Swanson

  “There’s not enough money in the world to make me get involved with our crazy cousin’s wedding.” Vince’s butterscotch blond locks brushed the collar of his bright blue polo shirt as he shook his head. “Loretta told me about the fit Riley threw at her shower last night. Which, by the way, I was surprised Loretta was invited to.”

  “Mom likes her.” Loretta Steiner was Skye’s sorority sister, occasional attorney, and possibly her future sister-in-law. Until a few months ago Skye would have said the chances of the latter were slim to none, since Vince had a love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation, but he seemed to have changed. Now it wouldn’t surprise her if Vince and Loretta announced their engagement by the end of the summer.

  “Riley was a little distraught,” Skye explained. “She didn’t want the shower to begin with; then she was unhappy when it turned out to be in Mom and Dad’s garage. When she realized the gifts weren’t from her registry, she sort of lost it. She especially hated the macramé plant holder shaped like an owl and the traffic-cone orange plastic bowls.” Skye patted his arm. “But I’m sure she wouldn’t be a problem for you. Women are putty in your hands.”

  “No.”

  “I’ll pay you three times what you’d make that day at the salon.” As Vince started to shake his head, Skye added, “And I’ll run interference with Mom the next time you’re in trouble with her.”

  “No matter what the reason?” Vince’s green eyes held a calculating expression.

  “No matter what.” Skye hoped he didn’t have something awful in mind.

  “Pinky swear?” He held out his hand.

  Skye crooked her little finger through his and agreed, “Pinky swear.”

  As she left her brother’s shop and headed downtown, Skye hummed a few bars of “Bad Boys and Blondes,” the bossa nova tune she’d heard at the dance lesson. With Vince onboard, the good ship Riley’s Wedding was back on an even keel. Skye only hoped the rest of the day went as well.

  After meeting Frannie and Justin at the bowling alley and getting them started decorating for the bachelor/bachelorette party that night, Skye took off for Plainfield to pick up the newly engraved menus and programs.

  During the hour drive, she considered what they had discovered so far about Belle—which, except for the fact that she was extremely demanding, extorted commissions from the vendors, and passed counterfeit money, wasn’t much.

  Skye hadn’t spoken to Wally since their dinner the night before, but unless Belle’s parents had told him something that suggested a new lead, or he’d learned more about the obnoxious customer who had tried to walk out on his bill at the Feed Bag, the case was at a standstill.

  Just as Justin’s MapQuest directions had promised, Skye found the engravers on Route 59, a little north of Plainfield’s main street. The menus and programs were ready and looked perfect, and she was back in her car in less than fifteen minutes. Before she started the engine, she called Wally for an update.

  “Any news on the guy from the Feed Bag?”

  “Yes.” Wally’s amused tone held a tinge of irritation. “Unfortunately.”

  “He’s the leader of the counterfeiting ring?” Skye guessed.

  “No. He’s Belle’s father’s attorney.”

  “You’re kidding me.” Skye was floored. She would have never guessed. “How did he get to Scumble River so fast?”

  “Mickey Canfield sent him on the Canfield’s private plane as soon as he hung up from talking to me yesterday morning,” Wally explained. “A better question is: Why did he come?”

  “You mean why the attorney and not the parents?”

  “That, and why anyone came at all.”

  “And the reason is ...?”

  “The explanation the attorney gave me is that Mr. and Mrs. Canfield are too broken up to travel.” Wally paused. “Which could be true, but we’re not even ready to release the body, so there was really no need for anyone to make the trip yet. It’s not as if a corporate attorney would know anything about a criminal investigation or be able to help find Belle’s killer. He admits he only met her once or twice at formal dinners.”

  “So you think there’s something he’s not telling you,” Skye guessed. “Like he’s here to make sure nothing we find out makes the Canfield family or corporation look bad.”

  “Bingo.” Wally’s voice was rueful. “Considering our first meeting, the lawyer isn’t exactly my biggest fan. On the other hand, he did agree to meet me at the bank to have the hundred-dollar bill he tried to pass examined, and it was legit.”

  “Hmm.” Skye tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “Maybe one of the bridesmaids will have an idea about what the Canfields want to keep quiet. I’ll try to talk to them about it tonight at the bachelorette party. They should all be in good moods.”

  “In other words, you’ll use truth serum on them.”

  “Huh?” Skye had no idea what Wally was talking about.

  “Alcohol plus estrogen equals truth serum.”

  “That is so sexist.” Skye pretended to be exasperated. “I can’t believe you said that.”

  “Hang on,” Wally backpedaled. “The alternate formula substitutes testosterone and works equally well.”

  “That’s better.” Skye chuckled. “As long as it goes both ways, you’re forgiven.”

  “One other piece of news.” Wally was serious again. “They were able to trace that threatening call of yours to Madame Olga’s dress shop, and she’s now in custody.”

  “Really? For threatening me?”

  “No. The Chicago police raided her shop last night and confiscated over three hundred thousand dollars’ worth of designer dress knockoffs.”

  “Wow!” Skye was just thankful that Riley and her party had picked up their gowns yesterday afternoon. “Did Madame Olga admit to making the threatening call?”

  “Yes. She let it slip when they arrested her.”

  “Good.” Skye smiled. “One less loose thread to worry about.”

  “Unfortunately, she has an alibi for the time of the murder. She was in New York on a buying trip and didn’t get home until Sunday night.”

  “Nuts.”

  After she said good-bye, Skye asked herself whether she should have told Wally what Cora had said about Riley getting nasty when she didn’t get her way. Skye thought it over and decided that since Belle hadn’t gotten in Riley’s way, that information wasn’t relevant.

  Still, when she had a minute, Skye intended to locate Riley’s high school boyfriend and find out what her cousin had done to him. Maybe she’d come up with a way to ask Riley who he was tonight at the party.

  As a last resort, Skye would ask her grandmother, but she didn’t want her family to have any hint that she was investigating Riley. Even though Cora had warned her to be careful around her cousin, she would be upset if she thought Skye was trying to prove Riley was a murderer.

  Skye drove back to Scumble River by way of the country club. The lights were being installed there today, and she wanted to make sure things were going as planned. The hairstylist had already thrown one monkey wrench into the works, and Skye didn’t want to be surprised by another tool showing up.

  The lighting guy was standing on the scaffolding in the ballroom when Skye arrived. He was singing an out-of-tune version of “Like a Virgin” as he wired a chandelier to the ceiling in the center of the room. Another man, apparently his assistant, silently held the huge fixture in place.

  Skye stood by the door until they were finished and noticed her, then said, “I’m Skye, the new wedding planner. Do you have a minute?”

  The young man nodded, told his helper to take five, climbed down, and joined Skye. “The name’s Cosmo. What do you need?”

  “Just wanted to see how you’re coming along.” Skye gestured to the dozens of sconces already lining the walls. “It looks like you’ve got a lot done already.”

  “We have two more chandeliers to hang in here.” Cosmo took out a red handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Th
en we’ll move on to the patio and the tent.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “We’ll probably get the patio done today and finish the tent tomorrow.” Cosmo refastened his ponytail. “Don’t worry, dude. Brian will chew my ass out if we don’t keep on his schedule.”

  “Is he like that for all the events you do?” Skye asked, wondering if there was more to Brian than she had picked up on when she’d questioned him.

  “Nah.” Cosmo smiled widely, revealing perfect teeth. “Usually he’s pretty laid-back, as long as stuff gets done on time in the end.”

  “But not with this job?”

  “Right.” Cosmo took out a pocketknife and cleaned some dirt out from under his thumbnail. “He’s been freaking out about this one.”

  “Oh? Why is that?”

  “Probably because the other planner was such a bitch.” He shot Skye a quick glance. “No offense. Hope she wasn’t your BFF or nothing.”

  “None taken,” she assured him. “I know Belle could be a bit much. I was her assistant before she ... er ... left, and she was hard to please.”

  “Is there anything else?” Cosmo looked at his watch. “I really need to get back to work.”

  She thought a moment and said, “I thought Brian said he was the only one who dealt with Belle. How do you know she was ... uh ... how she was?”

  “The thing is ...” Cosmo studied his work boots. “Miss Canfield contacted me a while back.”

  “What did she want?”

  “The first time she called, she wanted to know if I’d work for her directly and cut Brian out of the loop.” Cosmo shifted from foot to foot.”

  “The first time ...?” Skye trailed off, hoping Cosmo would feel obligated to fill in the blanks.

  “Yeah.” He hesitated. “I told her I couldn’t go behind his back like that, but she called again, a couple of times.”

  “What did she want?”

  “She was fishing for information on Brian.” Cosmo’s expression hardened. “Said she was just checking to make sure he could handle such a big event.”

  “Did you tell her anything?” Skye asked. “Was there anything to tell?”

  “No.” Cosmo shrugged. “This is our biggest order ever, but Brian’s cool. He had it covered.”

  “Did you tell him she was calling you?”

  “Nah.” Cosmo shook his head. “She told me not to, and it would have just freaked him out more. You should have seen him sweating Saturday while she was grilling him about the details.”

  Interesting. Belle was even sneakier than Skye had thought. Were there other secrets they still hadn’t discovered about the wedding planner? And did one of them get her killed?

  A moment later Skye realized the significance of what Cosmo had said. “You came with Brian here, to the country club, on Saturday?” Why hadn’t the crew leader mentioned that when Wally questioned him?

  “Not exactly.” Cosmo edged toward the scaffolding. “I came here with the other workers. Brian drove by himself.”

  “Did he leave when you guys did?”

  “Uh-uh. He was still talking to Ms. Canfield.”

  “Did you see him after that?” Skye asked.

  “Nope. He was supposed to meet with me back at the store to tell me if the lighting designs were approved, but he never showed.”

  So, Brian was the big guy with tattoos who had been with Belle Saturday night at the Brown Bag. Why had he denied it?

  CHAPTER 20

  Let the Poker Chips Fall Where They May

  The instant Skye reached her car, she phoned Wally to fill him in on what Cosmo had told her about Brian. After hearing her report, Wally said he was heading immediately to LaGrange to pick up the crew leader for more questioning. Brian had just edged out Iris as their chief suspect.

  Skye spent the rest of the afternoon calling vendors, then hurried home to dress for the evening’s activities. Although the bachelor/bachelorette parties were scheduled for seven p.m., she arrived at the bowling alley at six to check out the arrangements.

  When Simon had purchased the business a few years ago, he had changed the name from the Gold Strike to Bunny Lanes. Skye had been touched by his choice. Simon hadn’t always had the best relationship with his mother, and naming the alley after her had been a strong indication that he was capable of forgiving and moving on.

  He had also transformed the nineteen-sixties brown and orange interior to a sleek palette of blues with touches of silver. At the time of the remodeling, he had explained that his goal was to modernize the place enough to attract new people, but not so much that he lost the old regulars. Skye hadn’t been sure he could achieve the correct balance—Scumble Riverites did not like change—but he had, and the makeover was a huge success.

  Having both the bachelor and bachelorette parties in the same venue was tricky, but Riley had insisted her groom be near enough that she could keep an eye on him. She had specified no porn and no strippers. In theory, Skye agreed with her cousin, but she wasn’t sure that Nick’s best man was on the same page. She could only do so much to prevent Zach from breaking Riley’s rules.

  With that concern in mind, Skye’s first stop was the bar, where the men would hold their party. Previously a single long counter located next to the grill, the bar had been enclosed and expanded during the renovations and now included etched glass doors, a small stage, and a dance floor.

  Frannie and Justin had decorated the bar with red and black balloons, and Skye had rented a pool table, two antique pinball machines, and a big-screen TV equipped with electronic games and a DVD player—all of which had been delivered that afternoon. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza would be available from the grill, served by three attractive waitresses wearing cheerleaders’ uniforms.

  As Skye entered, Bunny minced over on four-inch heels and embraced her, asking, “How many guys are you expecting?”

  Skye was momentarily distracted by the older woman’s appearance. Bunny had plainly been ordering from the Victoria’s Secret catalog again. Tonight, she was decked out in hip-hugging, see-through, black chiffon pants and a sheer white camisole that was split down the front and held together with a single red ribbon.

  “Let’s see,” Skye finally managed to choke out. “The groom and groomsmen make five. Riley’s uncles and cousins add another four, and Nick’s father brings the total to ten. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few more. Nick and Riley have a tendency to add to the guest list. I think it goes along with their philosophy that if one is good, two is better, and a lot is best.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem.” Bunny tucked an errant red curl into the cascade of ringlets on top of her head. “I always say the more men, the merrier.”

  Skye hurriedly changed the subject before Bunny could expand on her views about the opposite sex. “I really like these new chairs. This blue Ultrasuede fabric is holding up extremely well.” It was a big change from the old Formica tables and torn vinyl booths.

  “I’m pleased as punch how good things are going with the alley.” Bunny shot Skye a quick glance. “Thanks for not telling Sonny Boy about me taking that bribe and it turning out to be funny money and all.”

  “You really should tell him yourself,” Skye warned. “There is no such thing as a secret in Scumble River, and Wally had to warn the other business owners about the counterfeit bills, so the story is bound to get out.”

  “I’ll cross that bridge when it starts burning.” Bunny waved her hand. “Let me show you what we have for the girls’ party.”

  “Great.” Skye gave up. Bunny would do what Bunny would do. And since Skye was no longer dating Simon, his mother-son issues were no longer her problem. Another reason not to even consider his plea for a second chance.

  Bunny dragged Skye through a set of swinging doors at the rear of the bar, which led to the grill. “The girls can hang out here or by the lanes.”

  The grill had also received a recent face-lift. The countertops were now blue faux marble, and
the stools were upholstered in a denim fabric with silver studs. Justin and Frannie had decorated this area to look like a nineteen-fifties soda shop, with posters of Elvis Presley, Frankie Avalon, and Bobby Darin. To add to the sock-hop atmosphere, Skye had rented a jukebox filled with hits of the era.

  “The girls can choose from these.” Bunny handed Skye a menu that included a variety of soda-shop food, including milk shakes and banana splits. “How many are we expecting?”

  “I really have no idea who’s coming. Besides the wedding party, Riley invited my mom, Aunt Kitty, Kevin’s wife, Ilene, and some high school friends.”

  “Oh, well.” Bunny shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll have enough of everything. I doubled the original number Miss Canfield gave me.” She tugged on Skye’s hand. “Come on. Wait until you see the rest.”

  Skye allowed herself to be pulled to the back of the alley, marveling at how fast the redhead could walk in sandals that consisted of nothing more than thin soles and a single strap attached to stiletto heels.

  When they arrived, Bunny swept her arm in an expansive gesture. “What do you think?”

  Here, the usual tables and straight chairs had been replaced with sofas, overstuffed armchairs, and low cocktail tables. The overhead lights were turned off, and lamps equipped with pink bulbs created a rosy glow. The menu in this newly created lounge area consisted of hors d’oeuvres, flavored martinis, and chocolates, all served by a trio of buff young guys wearing tight black pants and formfitting tuxedo shirts.

  “You did a great job.” Skye hugged the older woman. “It’s magnificent.”

  “You bet your butt it is.” Bunny beamed. “You didn’t think I could do it, did you?”

  “Not at all.” Skye crossed her fingers. “I had complete confidence in you.”

  “Sure.” Bunny glanced at her watch and her expression turned serious. “It’s already six thirty, and you know all the Scumble River people will be here early. I’ve got to make sure the bartender has the setups ready, and finish putting the snacks on the tables in the bar.” She turned to leave, saying over her shoulder, “Wait until you get that bill tomorrow. I bet we make a fortune on drinks tonight.”