Weddings, Receptions, and Murder Read online

  Weddings, Receptions, and Murder

  A Craft Circle Cozy Mystery

  Stacey Alabaster

  Fairfield Publishing

  Contents

  Copyright

  Message to Readers

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  Thank You!

  Copyright © 2017 Fairfield Publishing

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except for review quotes, this book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the author.

  This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental.

  Thank you so much for buying my book. I am excited to share my stories with you and hope that you are just as thrilled to read them.

  If you would like to know about all my new releases and have the opportunity to get free books, make sure you sign up for our Cozy Mystery Newsletter.

  FairfieldPublishing.com/cozy-newsletter

  Chapter 1

  My dog’s ears perked at the gut-wrenching sound of tires skidding somewhere nearby outside. Brakes squealed to a halt and I cringed, holding my breath and waiting for the sound of the crash. I jumped up, quickly craning my neck to check out the window that no one had been hurt.

  I let out a sigh of relief. No casualties. Just an irritated man climbing out and slamming the door shut before he surveyed the damage to the smoking heap.

  The man himself was unscathed, but that trash can he had slammed into, and his front bumper, were never going to be the same. A cop arrived at the scene and began taking details while the man yelled at him.

  “Yikes, Jasper.”

  I walked back to the front counter of my little craft shop where Jasper curled up. “I am going to have to firmly decide not to take that as a bad omen.”

  We went back to browsing the internet. I say ‘we.’ Jasper was more interested in watching the birds through the window.

  “I think this one is just perfect,” I said, pointing to a little red model on the computer screen. “Don’t you agree, Jasper?”

  Well, to be honest, Jasper, my border collie, just wasn’t at all interested in looking at a computer screen, even if it was to hunt for cars.

  “What is he doing, sitting at the front counter like that?” Brenda, my assistant manager, came in from outside with a scowl on her face, carrying a few dozen yards of lace.

  I grinned at her. “I’m just showing him pictures of the new car I intend to purchase.”

  She sat the lace down and looked worn out from the effort. How heavy could lace possibly be? “Oh, you’re not really going through with that silly idea, are you?”

  I cocked my head and stared at her. What possible reason could she have for me to not get a car? “You’re always complaining that I’m late,” I pointed out flatly. I was the owner, the boss, of the craft store, officially. But Brenda certainly acted like she owned the place and certainly acted like she was in charge of me.

  “Oh, those things are a waste of money,” she said, riffling through the drawers for something. She picked up a roll of ‘two for the price of one’ stickers and started doling them out on our sale items.

  “You mean cars?” I asked her. “Most people consider them fairly necessary.”

  “I just don’t see why you need one in a small place like this,” she said, turning back to me. “You’ve managed all right so far, haven’t you?”

  Well, yes, but only just. Walking to and from work every day—not to mention everywhere else—for months had kept me trim and fit, but it had also kept me from doing things I really wanted to do.

  “There are a hundred reasons I need a car right now, Brenda,” I answered. “For one, as I said, I need to get to work on time. Secondly, the craft circle that I’m part of is now meeting in the library on Thursday nights. The library that just happens to be on the other side of town from my house.”

  Brenda shot me a satisfied look. “That was only two reasons. You said you had a hundred.”

  I tried not to roll my eyes. “Fine. Jasper would love it if I had a car. We’d be able to drive down to the beach.” Jasper’s ears perked up. I wasn’t sure whether it was because he recognized the word beach or he was just picking up on my excitement, being the clever and intuitive breed of dog he was. Either way, he picked up on something.

  “The beach is two hours away!” Brenda cried. “That is hardly nearby.” She scoffed and peeled off the last sticker, placing it, ironically, on a packet of stickers we had for sale. “Why, it’s barely worth the bother if you ask me.”

  Well, I didn’t ask her. Anyway, Brenda was more of a cat person, and her two cats wouldn’t exactly appreciate a trip to the beach in the same way that Jasper would. Even Casper, my other dog, a small white terrier, would love a frolic on the sand and a splash in the water.

  I shook my head and got back to work. Well, not work so much as checking out photos of my new baby on the computer screen. I didn’t think Brenda actually minded whether I got a car or not. It was just in her nature to be contrary, especially where any idea I had was concerned. She just had to go and pour cold water over it, whether she actually believed what she was saying or not.

  The internet connection must have fizzled because the page wouldn’t load.

  Maybe it was time to do some actual work. Or at least, I could pretend to do some work on the way to checking the Wi-Fi modem in the back of the shop. I could at least make sure all the shelves were fully stocked on my way.

  But on my way, I stopped when I noticed that there were, in fact, two entirely bare shelves. Hadn’t we just gotten a bunch of new stock that morning?

  I spun around.

  “Where are all the Mason jars?” I asked Brenda accusingly.

  “We sold out!” she called out to me.

  Okay, I could admit to being a little flaky sometimes, but I wasn’t born yesterday. “Of all one hundred and fifty?” I asked, not believing her for a second. There was more to this Mason jar business than I could put a finger on, but I was in a rush. Now that I’d decided on my car, I needed to get to the dealership by the end of the day. Either Brenda had gotten rid of the jars, taken them home for herself, or there had been some sort of accident that she was trying to conceal.

  “We’ll deal with this when I come back. And believe me, we will deal with it!”

  If I was about to go splashing out on a new car, then I couldn’t afford to have hundreds of dollars’ worth of stock just disappear. I was going to have to start running a slightly tighter ship. I was annoyed at Brenda, though. She was supposed to be the responsible one of the two of us. And if I was going to leave her alone in the shop unattended, then I needed to trust that she wouldn’t lie to me, or take stock home for free.

  I grabbed my coat and called for Jasper, doing a quick eyeball of all the stock on my way out the door.

  It had better all still be there by the time I got back.

  It was a bit of a hike to the car dealership that was on the freeway half a mile out of Pottsville, but I didn’t mind making the long walk, seeing as it was the last day I would have to be car-less. May as well stretch my legs to the breaking point, eh?

  Jasper arrived at the driveway of the dealership and plonked himself down, panting.

  I let him rest for a moment or two, but I was too excited to wait much longer than that.

  “You’re goin
g to love this, aren’t you, Jasper?” I asked, leading him into the dealership. Dogs love riding in cars. Or so I’d heard, anyway. Jasper was the first pet I’d ever actually owned. Pottsville was the first time I’d really put down roots, in my forty-one years, after traveling and living all over the globe.

  A friendly brunette woman with a wide smile and bright fuchsia lipstick greeted me at the door. “What a good boy,” she said, kneeling down to ruffle the top of Jasper’s head. He gratefully snuggled into the palm of her hand, demanding even more attention.

  Her name tag read “Bianca,” and underneath it was the word manager. She looked slightly young to be the manager of a car dealership, I couldn’t help thinking. I wasn’t sure she was even thirty. Still, not unheard of, I supposed.

  I tied Jasper up just outside the door and told him to wait and be a good boy.

  “This is the one I had my eye on,” I said, nodding toward the sporty little red number with the detachable roof over in the corner. I rubbed my hands together a little while I edged over to it. It was calling me, like a siren. It was the one for me. The loud color certainly screamed my name, and everyone would see me coming in that little beauty.

  “It will certainly turn heads,” Bianca commented. She glanced at Jasper waiting eagerly by the door. “He’ll love it too, being able to stick his head out the windows and take trips down to the coast.”

  I laughed. “He certainly will. And as much as he loves being constantly walked, I know that he’s going to love being chauffeured around even more.”

  I looked at the price tag splashed on the front window and hesitated, just for a moment. To be honest, it was about a thousand dollars out of my price range. I’d already known the price from the website, but seeing it like that, in such large numbers, made my heart pound a little too fast.

  Bianca noted my hesitation. “I can take five hundred off, but at the moment, that’s the absolute best I can do.”

  I paused. “Maybe I should have a little look around.” But I’d already fallen in love with the car. I was going to have to make it work, no matter what it took.

  “Can I come back tomorrow once I’ve got the loan finalized with the bank?” I asked.

  I was surprised to see that Bianca found this to be a problem. She frowned and shifted from one foot to the other.

  “To be honest, Georgina—and this is not my playing games with you—another client had their eye on that car, and they have told me they intend to come in at nine am tomorrow to make me an offer.” She made an apologetic face. “But if you could get in here before, say, seven-thirty, then I’m more than happy to sell the car to you first.”

  Just as my hopes were raised, they were dashed again.

  “Shoot, I don’t think I’ll be able to get over here that early without a car.” I thought about it for a moment. “And I’m not sure there is anyone who can drop me off.”

  I didn’t know why, but it must have been my lucky day. Bianca decided to take pity on me.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Bianca said with a friendly wink. “How about this. As long as you can get the paperwork finalized, I can do the rest. I’ll drop the car off for you in the morning. I can have it to you by eight, and the other customer will be none the wiser. I’ll get a taxi home, at no charge to you, of course. What is your address?”

  Chapter 2

  I’m not prone to huge displays of emotions or hysterics, especially over inanimate objects, but when I saw my brand new red car pulling up in the driveway the following morning, I couldn’t help myself. I did a little happy dance right in the middle of my driveway and called out “hallelujah!” It was mine. It was really mine.

  I’d set my alarm for 7:45, jumped in the shower, and thrown on jeans and a t-shirt. I hadn’t quite had time to pack the picnic basket I’d been planning, but I’d grabbed a picnic blanket and figured I’d be able to find a shop or a takeout store on the way. Once my little baby arrived, I was going to want to take her out on the road right away. I wouldn’t be stopping to make sandwiches.

  Bianca pulled up and came to a sudden halt, hitting the brakes a little too hard. I wasn’t that bothered, though. All I could see was the shiny red hood, so shiny I could see my own smiling reflection as I bounced over to it.

  “Good morning!” I called out. “And it is a very good morning indeed!” It was, in more ways than one. The sun was beating down on this late spring day and summer was truly in the air. Perfect for a mini road trip. I was practically skipping around the car I was so overjoyed.

  I was so excited that I only briefly noted that Bianca didn’t look anywhere near as excited as I was. She was definitely downbeat. Flat. She was wearing dark sunglasses, but even so, I could see that her eyes were tired. But I put it down to an early morning and the fact that she was stretching her reputation a little by giving me the car before her other client. If she had already casually promised the car to someone else, maybe she was feeling a little guilty about the whole thing.

  “Thank you so much,” I sad, taking the keys off her. “You don’t know how much I appreciate you going the extra mile for me like this.”

  “My pleasure,” Bianca said. She shot me a little smile, but it seemed a bit dull. Oh well, early morning and all that. “Enjoy the car, Georgina.” She bent down for a second to pet Jasper on the head. “You too. Be a good boy,” she said before her taxi pulled up in the driveway and she left.

  “Well, what do you say, boy? Let’s take this car for its maiden voyage!” Wait, that was just for ships, wasn’t it? Ah well, we were headed down to the coast, so I told myself it would work.

  I grabbed Jasper’s leash and a blanket which I placed in the backseat for him to sit on. “I’ll take the roof down when we’re out on the freeway,” I promised, shoving my own items in the back too, sun hat and beach towel. “You are going to love it, Jas!”

  But the strange thing was: he didn’t look like he was loving it at all.

  He didn’t look excited. He looked scared.

  I had assumed that Jasper would be more than eager to jump into the backseat to go for a ride. I thought I would have to hold him back. But he was hesitating, yapping in a low growl at the trunk.

  I jangled his leash. “Come on, boy, we’re going to take a road trip to the beach! Won’t that be fun?” I didn’t care what Brenda said. Two hours wasn’t that long of a drive. It would be more than worth it anyway. Jasper and I had not even left Pottsville—not even once—in the four months since I’d been there. And for a globetrotter like me, that was tough. I was starting to get itchy feet and I was definitely starting to go stir crazy. I didn’t think I’d ever stayed in place for four months straight before.

  I was ready to pump my foot on the accelerator and just take off, even if it was only for one day.

  And I expected Jasper would feel much the same. We were going to leave Casper at home for the day because she was smaller and I was worried she might get loose. To be honest, I figured Jasper would probably appreciate having all the attention to himself without having to share it.

  But he was still hanging back and whimpering, eyeing the car with suspicion. “Come on,” I said to him. “I’m not that much of a bad driver.” I mean, sure, I was a little bit out of practice and it had been a few years since I’d driven in the US, but he had nothing to be scared about.

  Yet, he did seem scared.

  “Come on, Jasper! Hop up!” I was starting to get a little frustrated.

  I patted the backseat and told him to jump up, but he was still edging away from the car. Then, hesitantly, he walked up to the back of the car, sniffed at the trunk, and then started yapping loudly before running straight back to me with his tail between his legs in distress.

  “Hmm.” I supposed it was possible that Jasper didn’t have much experience with cars. He was a dog that I’d rescued from a local shelter not long after I’d arrived in Pottsville. Maybe his previous owner was much like I was--without a car.

  Another thought occurred to me. Mayb
e the last time Jasper had gone for a car ride, he’d ended up being dropped off at the shelter. He’d gotten in the car and never come home again.

  At least, not until I’d picked him up two weeks later.

  I knelt down and patted my knees gently. “Come on, Jasper, why don’t you ride up front with me?”

  He seemed a little happier about this plan but still jumped up only reluctantly. And he still had his neck craned around to the back of the car even as we pulled out of the driveway.

  Still, I figured he was just a little afraid that I was going to drop him off back at the dog shelter. And I would never do that—not in a million years. I knew he’d relax once we’d been driving for a little while.

  As for me, as soon as the “Come back to Pottsville — We’ll Miss You!” sign flashed past me, I relaxed into the seat and grinned. Not that I didn’t love my new home. But sometimes, you really do have to leave a place to be able to miss it. And I was willing to miss it, at least for a little while.

  The beach was two hours away, but after twenty minutes of driving, I could no longer bear the sound of Jasper’s crying and whimpering.

  Something was really wrong.

  “What is it, boy?” I asked, pulling over.

  Jasper leapt out of the car as soon as I pulled his door open and I shouted for him to come back, sprinting after him. I was worried he was going to run right into the freeway and get hit by a car.

  But he was preoccupied with the trunk. I cringed at the sound of his nails scrapping along the steel and paint. It was worse than nails on a chalkboard.

  “Jasper, move! Down boy!” I said, scolding him a little. I fumbled around for a second, unsure exactly how to get the trunk to open.