Independence Day Murder Page 10

  I finally spotted Mandy, who was wearing a white sundress with little embroidered flowers on it. She looked almost ethereal as she floated through the space, directing people here and there. I still was not quite sure how she could be so calm. The day before my wedding, I had been a nervous wreck.

  "There you are," Mandy squealed, running up to me and giving me a quick squeeze. "I thought you'd never make it."

  "I would have been here sooner, but I had to bike," I said.

  "See, I told you she loves that bike," Trevor said, coming up behind Mandy and slipping his arm around her waist.

  He leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. Their relationship had always seemed so odd, like some cosmic forces were playing a game where they tried to put opposites together and see what happened But this little moment in time felt like a little open window into their relationship. The love energy that flowed between them was so strong.

  I shook my head, wondering if I was still a little drunk from the night before. But no, I wasn't drunk. I was just excited and full of love for these two friends of mine to finally get married.

  Derek came around with a tray of full glasses of white wine. When he got to me, he practically forced one into my hand. I tried to politely decline, but that just made him more persistent.

  "Please, you saved me and my business," he said with puppy dog eyes. "It is really the least I can do."

  So I accepted and took a tiny sip, glad my horrible experience from last night had been because of whiskey and shots, not wine. It meant that I could still stomach a small bit of wine. I was going to make sure I nursed this one glass of wine all night long.

  Because I was the late arrival and the maid of honor, I was given the job of being the gofer for Mandy. She was so laid back that it basically meant that I occasionally held her wine glass while she did things and once, I went to correct someone who she spotted was folding the napkins the wrong way.

  With just under an hour until the groom's dinner was about to start, I realized I should probably get dressed. I slipped into the bathroom and changed from my sweaty shirt and shorts into the dress. I looked in the mirror, turning from one side to the other. Mandy had been right. This dress made me look amazing. Just wait until Max saw me in it.

  I took my ponytail down and combed my fingers through it, then put half of it back up in a little bun thing. It was the best I could do and I figured that everyone would be looking at the bride and not me. Good thing I was getting my hair professionally done tomorrow for the actual wedding.

  The rest of the guests for the groom's dinner were starting to arrive. I took my half-empty wine glass and mingled. When my parents arrived a little early, I managed to only be a little bitter about the fact that they had made me bike here and could have definitely brought my dress with them. I was a little annoyed when they told me my car was still not fixed. The tandem bike was still my go-to vehicle for now.

  As the rehearsal ticked closer, I kept looking around for Max. He still wasn't there. I kept flipping my phone open thinking I had missed something, but I didn't have any messages or missed calls from him. I knew he was busy, so I didn't want to call and disturb him. After all, he did know that the groom's dinner was tonight.

  "Would the bridal party please come with me for the rehearsal?" the pastor said into the microphone.

  I joined the giggling group of bridesmaids as we headed out the door to the ceremony space that the winery had set up. It was a nice patch of grass just outside of the fireplace room we had done our planning in so it also overlooked the flowery meadow. It even had a little trellis for the bride and groom to stand under.

  We all stood around as the pastor described to us exactly what he needed us to do and what we were going to practice. Trevor sidled up next to me as the pastor told us the order we were going to do things.

  "Where's Max?" he whispered. "He's one of my groomsmen, remember?"

  I did remember and I was quite surprised that he was this late. Even though Max was fully immersed in a murder investigation, he was always one to keep a promise to a friend. He and Trevor had become really close over the last few months and this was very unlike him.

  "I'm not sure where he is, but I'll give him a call," I said. "Give me a minute."

  I slipped away through the back of the crowd and far away enough that I could hear to make a call. The phone rang and rang. Finally, the voicemail message clicked on and I left a short message. I figured he must be on his way to the winery. Max never picked up the phone when he was driving.

  "Max, it's me," I said. "The rehearsal is starting and you aren't here. I just wanted to make sure you hadn't forgotten. Love you."

  I hung up, figuring Max was on his way. It just wasn't like him to be late though.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The first thing the bridal party did was to set ourselves up where we would be standing for the actual ceremony. There was a hole where Max would be standing and when Trevor noticed, he looked over at me. I gave my best confused grimace with a shrug. Max had to be coming soon; I was just sure of it.

  After we were all evenly spaced across the front of the space, we practiced exiting down the center aisle. I was the second one out, since I was the maid of honor. I was walking with Trevor's best friend Matt, a fellow skater boy who I had known vaguely in high school.

  As we stood at the back and waited for the others to walk out, I started to try to make small talk with him but was interrupted by my ringing phone. With a quick apology to Matt, I pulled out the phone and answered, glad to see that it was Max calling.

  "Hello? Max?"

  "Tessa, I'm afraid I won't make it to the rehearsal," Max said. He was speaking slowly and in a weird monotone voice. Something was wrong, I could tell. "I've had a personal emergency. Call me again after the rehearsal and I'll tell you more."

  "Are you hurt?" I asked frantically. "Are you in the hospital?"

  "No, I'm okay," Max said. "Just call me after the rehearsal is over and I'll tell you more."

  With that, there was a click and dead silence on the other end of the call. I flipped the phone shut, confused. Max had not sounded like himself and I didn't like it one bit. What kind of an emergency could he be having that he didn't want to tell me about? If it was something minor like car trouble, I think he would have just come out and said that.

  I wrung my hands a bit before I noticed that Matt was staring at me. He may have been a skater boy in high school, but he was one of the few that had managed to grow up, cut his hair, and get a job as an accountant. None of that hid the tattoos he had all up and down his arms and the fact that he still talked in that lazy skater boy way when he wasn't at work.

  "Are you alright?" he asked. Matt had been standing so close to me because of the limited space that he couldn't help but listen in on my end of the telephone call.

  "I'm okay," I said. "I'm just not sure about Max. He said he wouldn't be making it. Max is never late and he would never miss something like this."

  "Wait a minute, something is wrong with Max?" Trevor asked as he butted into our conversation.

  I reiterated the phone call for Trevor, telling him that Max had said there was an emergency he would tell me about later but that he wasn't hurt. Trevor's face clouded over with worry.

  "That isn't like him," Trevor said quietly.

  "Ahem, if the next couple could please enter," the pastor said.

  I turned and saw that everyone else had practiced their entrance walk up the aisle and it was now our turn. Shoving my arm through Matt's, I tried to focus on walking slow and steady but my mind was racing. I just wanted the rehearsal to finish so that I could call Max and figure out what was going on.

  Once we were all back up in our spots, the pastor droned on about the ceremony. He went through the order of things and what we should do. As the maid of honor, I had to grab Mandy's bouquet several times to hold while she did the more important things. I tried to focus on what the pastor was saying, but I kept findin
g myself zoned out, coming up with all sorts of horrible scenarios that Max could be in right this minute.

  Finally, we practiced the walk out of the ceremony once more and then we were free to head back inside to the groom's dinner. Instead, I darted around a corner and pulled out my phone. Punching in Max's number, it started to ring. Trevor appeared next to my elbow and I quickly put it on speakerphone so that he could listen in also.

  "Hi Tessa," Max said. "I can tell you a little bit more now, but I have to make it fast. I found another clue at Murray and Carol's house. It's a big clue and it ties everything together. I know who killed Murray."

  I was about to ask who the killer was when the phone clicked dead again. Trevor and I exchanged a look. This was not looking good. I knew I could not sit through this dinner while I wondered how Max was doing. I had to get to Murray's house right away.

  "I have to go to him," I said, looking up at Trevor.

  "I do too," Trevor said. His face was set and serious. I knew I wouldn't be able to convince him otherwise.

  "No, you have to stay," I said. "You are the groom and this is called the groom's dinner."

  "No he doesn't," Mandy said as she came around the corner. "Max is more important than making Trevor stay to eat dinner. Just promise me that you'll bring both of them back in one piece."

  I gave Mandy a big hug and breathed in her floral perfume. People always said that we looked alike but looking at her today, I knew I could never look that beautiful. The most wonderful thing about her was that she was even more beautiful on the inside.

  "I promise you I'll bring both of them back unscathed," I said. "Your groom will be in one piece for the wedding tomorrow."

  Mandy smiled and disappeared around the corner. Trevor and I headed towards the parking lot. As I looked around for Trevor's car, he disappeared and then reappeared with a bike helmet in hand and a big grin on his face.

  "You have to be joking," I said.

  "Come on, this is like our signature thing as detectives," Trevor said. He was already strapping the helmet on his head. "Besides, I'm the groom. That means it's my big day."

  "Oh fine, there isn't much else I can do if I don't want to alert the world to Max's problem," I said. If I went to get the keys to my mother's car, I would have to sit through an interrogation from my parents and lose precious time. I put my helmet on and buckled the ends together.

  "Just one thing," I said. "You have to take the front because I have a phone call I have to make on the way."

  I hiked my skirt up and climbed onto the seat. We pushed off and slowly made our way out of the parking lot. I was thankful that my dress wasn't too long and that I had worn flats today. This would not have worked out if I had decided on high heels.

  As soon as we were cruising on a straightaway towards Murray's house, I pulled out my phone and hit the button to dial Philip's number.

  "Hey Tessa," Philip said. I could hear an edge of surprise in his voice. I might like Philip and pal around with him, but I didn't really ever call him on the phone.

  "I have to make this short because I'm biking," I said. "But I think Max is in danger. He said he found a clue to Murray's murder and he knows who the killer is. He is at Murray and Carol's house right now. He sounded weird and I think something is wrong. Meet me there."

  I didn't even wait for a response before I slapped the phone shut and shoved it back into my pocket. The wind was blowing straight at me, shielded only a little by the fact that Trevor was in front of me. My maroon dress was swirling around and made me feel like a witch riding a broomstick.

  The stares and waves we were getting this time were even more intense and I didn't have to look hard to figure out why. This time, Trevor and I were riding the tandem bicycle dressed in a suit and a fancy dress. I'm sure the look of determination on my face was also pretty evident.

  My legs started to ache as we pedaled as hard as we could. I tried not to think about how sore I might be tomorrow. Matt might have to carry me up the aisle and place me on the spot I was supposed to plant myself for the ceremony.

  No, I shook my head as a few tears came out of my eyes. The wind was making my eyes water, but a few tears sprung to them as I thought once again about Mandy's wedding. I was not going to let someone or something ruin it. No matter what happened, I had to walk down that aisle tomorrow and I had to make sure Trevor made it to the wedding in one piece. I could see Murray's house come into view. We were almost there.

  Whoever said being a maid of honor was easy was obviously not solving a murder alongside it.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Trevor and I parked the bike in the driveway of the giant house and walked up to the front door. It was a dreary house and every time I saw it, I couldn't help but dislike it. Maybe it was just that Murray had been such a horrible man or maybe it was that I knew how unhappy the sisters had apparently been but no matter what, the house just seemed to evoke negative feelings.

  I put my hand up to ring the bell, but I stopped. My hand floated in mid-air as I wondered if that was what we should do. Maybe Max was hiding somewhere inside and we needed to be sneaky about it. What if he wasn't actually here, but in the backyard or garage instead? I was paralyzed by all of these nagging thoughts that I stood still, trying to sift through all of them.

  Trevor scrutinized my face for a moment and then reached forward and jabbed the doorbell himself. I looked over at him and was a little surprised by just how confident he looked. Trevor was not a man to ooze confidence, but today he did. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

  The large white front door swooped open and Max stood framed in the doorway. He was stonefaced and I couldn't read deeper into his thoughts. I took a step towards him, but hesitated when he lifted one of his hands slightly. I was confused, but I trusted that he was doing what he could to keep everyone safe.

  "You said you found a clue?" I asked.

  Max glanced back behind the door before looking back at me. Whatever he found must be back there. I took a moment to notice that he had changed out of his police uniform and into khakis and a nice button-up shirt. So this stop at Murray's had been mostly unplanned. He had gotten himself ready to come to the rehearsal before something held him up here.

  "Yes, I did," Max said. "But I'm not sure I can show it to you. You weren't supposed to come here."

  "I know you didn't tell me to come, but I had to make sure you were alright," I said. "You had to have realized that I was going to come when you said where you were. And Trevor was concerned too when you didn't show up for the rehearsal."

  Max flinched slightly, as if it pained him to think about missing his friend's wedding rehearsal. Whatever was keeping him here was bigger than just finding some clue. I just couldn't tell what it was yet.

  I took another step towards him as his eyes opened wide, begging me to stop coming closer. For whatever reason, Max did not want me to get close to him. I stopped and Trevor stepped up next to me.

  "You might as well show me the clue since I am here," I said.

  Max took a deep, steady breath. He was still clutching the door handle with one hand. He looked tired and when I looked into his eyes, they were almost pleading with me to leave. But I hadn't biked all the way across town in a dress just to turn back around. I needed to help Max with whatever was going on.

  "Oh come on Max, show her who's behind the door," came a woman's voice.

  Max looked back behind the door where I couldn't see before slowly opening it. Standing next to him was Rebecca and she was pointing a gun straight at him. She was inexplicably dressed in a long, silver gown that was covered from top to bottom in sequins. Every time I saw Rebecca, she seemed to become a different person. It seemed like such an odd way to deal with death. Max kept flicking his eyes toward Rebecca, always making sure he knew where she and the gun were.

  "Good evening," Rebecca said. "I wasn't expecting any more guests tonight, but I suppose two more won't hurt. Come in, come in. It's a party now."

  T
revor and I slowly walked in the door. When I got to Max, I grabbed his elbow. He patted my hand to show me that he loved me, that he wasn't mad at me. Then I stepped in front of Trevor. I couldn't let anything happen to him. Rebecca stuck her free hand out towards me.

  "Give me the purse," she said. "I can't let you have anything, even that heavy flashlight you were going to use on me the other night. Imagine if you tried to hit me with it."

  Rebecca gave a loud laugh as I tentatively handed over my bag. That flashlight was the only weapon any of us had. I knew that Max wouldn't have brought his gun with him and Trevor only had himself and his bike helmet along. Now we would have to depend on our smarts and our wits to figure out this mess.

  "Into the living room," Rebecca said. "Come on, march!"

  I grabbed Trevor and shoved him towards the living room, walking right behind him. If a human shield was what it took to get Trevor to the wedding tomorrow, that would be the part I played. I was the maid of honor after all. I cringed when I remembered what I had told Mandy. I'm not sure saying I'd keep him unscathed had been the best choice of words.

  Once we were in the living room, Rebecca floated in. She always managed to hold the gun steady in her hand. Making a bee-line to the bar area, she grabbed a cocktail she must have made before we came in. She was acting casual, as if we were all there for a party.

  "I'd offer you both a drink, but I'm afraid I can't make drinks and hold hostages at the same time," Rebecca said. A laugh seemed to stick in her throat as she threw her head back. I couldn't tell if she was drunk or trying to playact, but it was very unsettling.

  Trevor, Max and I all squished together on the couch. There were three of us and only one of her, but unfortunately she had a gun. Rebecca watched us as she tipped her glass up and drained the last drops. She smacked her lips and turned back to the bar, splashing more whiskey into her glass.