Independence Day Murder Read online

  "I'm just glad that everyone is alright," Mandy said. "And Tessa, I will shift the hairdresser appointments around so that you are the last to get your hair done. I think you deserve some sleep."

  Of course, I hadn't really been able to sleep so I could have made the earlier appointment, but I did appreciate the extra time I took to lie in bed. It came in handy when my phone rang and I picked it up to discover Carol on the other end.

  "Hi Tessa," Carol said. She sounded tired. "I just wanted to call and say thank you for everything. Thank you for helping to find Murray's real killer. And as angry as I am with Rebecca, thank you for not letting her drown last night."

  "It was the least I could do," I said. "I'm glad you've been released."

  "Maybe sometime you could come over and we could have some coffee together," Carol said. She was looking for a friend and I decided I was going to be that friend.

  "Why don't I come over Tuesday?" I said, knowing that if I didn't set plans now, they probably wouldn't ever be set. "We can talk about what happened. You know, I'm also a widow. I know what it's like."

  "That would be nice," Carol said. "I'll see you on Tuesday."

  I'm not sure that Carol and I would ever be friends, but maybe I could help her find a support system here in Shady Lake. It was a nice place to recover from grief and trauma. I was glad that because of the rough patch I had been through in my life, I could use it to help Carol through hers.

  Suddenly, I realized that I had been lost in thought and it was my turn to walk down the aisle. Trevor's friend Matt stuck out his arm and I slipped mine in, smiling at Max one more time over Matt's shoulder. We walked out of the ceremony, smiling and waving at friends and family in the crowd.

  The guests moved into the tasting room and then we did a big entrance, every couple coming in and waving to the crowd before we took our places at the head table. We all had to sit in certain spots so I wasn't able to sit next to Max, but every time I looked his way, he smiled at me. The butterflies in my stomach were out of control throughout dinner.

  At one point, Derek came by and I couldn't help but pull him aside and ask about the scene at the beach the night before. Derek winked at me.

  "That was the sand we had already ordered," he said. "But the city will provide more which should keep our beach looking nice for quite a while."

  We laughed together about the situation. The Save the Beach club had won on all accounts. This week had turned out to be both the best and worst week Derek had ever had. Isn't it funny how that happens?

  When it came time to make the toast, I had a doozy of a story to tell. The butterflies of love I had been feeling turned into butterflies of nerves, but as soon as I told everyone about Trevor bringing me the tandem bicycle, I had the audience hooked. I regaled them with the tale of how Trevor and I had solved the murder and still made it to the wedding today.

  "But what it boils down to is just what a great person Mandy is and how connected she and Trevor are," I said. My eyes were starting to well up with tears. "When we said we needed to take off to go help Max, Mandy didn't even blink an eye as we climbed on that bike. She knew it was just what we had to do. She knew she could trust Trevor because let's face it, not many brides would let their groom and the maid of honor ride off into the sunset during the groom's dinner."

  Titters of laughter filled the room. A familiar guffaw of laughter came from the end of the head table where Max was sitting. It was just enough to convince my body that it didn't need to cry right this minute.

  "In short, it's been a long time coming," I said. "And I just hope that when I get married, my relationship will be as strong as the bond between Mandy and Trevor."

  "Hear hear," came the cry from the crowd as everyone raised their glass.

  I took a sip of my wine as the tears threatened to spill over. Over the edge of my wine glass, I locked eyes with Max. He had a few tears in his eyes as he smiled back at me, knowing that I was obviously talking to him. This time, it was my turn to wink at him.

  After a delicious dinner of chicken and rice with vegetables, a dinner that managed to be elevated above the normal, standard wedding dinner fare, it was finally time for dancing. The DJ called Mandy and Trevor to the dance floor and all of the guests piled out of the tasting room to watch them dance. The dance floor was a beautiful patio that had strands of Christmas lights strung above it in rows. It was almost like dancing beneath the stars before it was even dark.

  Max found me and slipped his arm around my waist. I had spent almost the entire day away from him between beauty appointments, pictures, and the ceremony. I closed my eyes and leaned into his chest, breathing in the scent of his cologne.

  Mandy and Trevor twirled around the floor to an old love song, only having eyes for each other. It was like the entire rest of the world had melted away and it was just the two of them left. It was breathtaking and beautiful to watch.

  "We will be the next ones up there," Max said in a husky voice, bending down to whisper in my ear.

  I turned and smiled up at him before he bent down and kissed me softly on the lips. I wished it could have lasted longer, but it wasn't our wedding day. Not yet.

  The rest of the night was a blur of dancing, wine, and laughter. Mandy and Trevor danced the night away, never leaving the dance floor. As we celebrated, I knew I wanted my next wedding to be full of as much fun and laughter as this one.

  My first wedding had been really fun, but also stress-inducing as I tried to make it the best wedding to ever happen, only comparing it to every other wedding I had ever been to and stressing over making mine better. It had turned out to be a wedding just like any other wedding.

  Not like this one. This wedding was simple, but everyone would remember it. They would remember the love swirling in the air as the night went on.

  At one point, Mandy's mother Sally pulled me aside and gave me a big hug. Sally had been like a second mother to me in high school and I couldn't help but melt into her hug. Our embrace stopped when the DJ started playing "We Are Family."

  "Come on Tessa," Sally shouted. "We have got to dance to this one together. You'll always be a part of my family."

  After the last dance had been played and we all saw the happy couple off, Max and I climbed into the back of a Shady Lake taxi. Max had called ahead and reserved us one of the nicer cars in the fleet, which was a silver luxury SUV drive by a retired local man named Herb who had even donned a suit and a chauffeur's hat for the occasion.

  As Herb wound us slowly around the lake towards Max's house, I laid my head on his shoulder. His suit jacket was still around my shoulders, fighting off the cool night air and the A/C that was blasting from the vents in the car. Max leaned over and gently kissed my forehead.

  In that moment, I felt what Rebecca had been hoping for. I felt secure and loved. But unlike Murray who only wanted power and control, Max loved me whole-heartedly, wanting to be my partner in life. I was lucky that I had found a love like this not only once, but twice in my life.

  I thought back over the last week of my life and I couldn't help but be grateful. I had been through a murder investigation, keeping a wedding on track, and saving a killer from drowning. But here I was sitting next to the man I loved and I knew that I was the luckiest girl in the world.

  Other Books in the Series

  Do you like what you read and want to read more? Jumped into the series in the middle and want to see how it started? Click here to find all of the books in the Small Town Minnesota Cozy Mystery series.

  About the Author

  Linnea West lives in Minnesota with her husband and two children. She taught herself to read at the age of four and published her first poem in a local newspaper at the age of seven. After a turn as a writer for her high school newspaper, she went to school for English Education and Elementary Education. She didn't start writing fiction until she was a full time working mother. Besides reading and writing, she spends her time chasing after her children, watching movies with her hu
sband, and doing puzzle books. Learn more about her and her upcoming books by subscribing to her weekly newsletter.

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  Copyright

  Independence Day Murder by Linnea West

  © 2019 Linnea West

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:

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