Barbara Graham - Quilted 03 - Murder by Music (25 page)

“Yessir. Looking through the windshield, it looks like he ate a revolver. It's still in his hand.”

Tony rubbed the back of his neck. “The man addressed the letter to me, but I don't recognize the name.”

Darren said, “I used to see him around sleeping in the car, but I had no idea he'd invested up at the Nest. He would move the car from place to place.” There was a pause. “It has Michigan plates.”

“I'll send the doctor up but it sounds pretty clear cut to me.” Even though part of Tony was relieved to have the shootings easily solved, he regretted that the man had felt he had no other options.

The Methodist Church was resplendent for Patrick and Celeste's wedding. Resplendent was the word of the day on Tony's calendar. He smiled at the apt description. When Tony was just a boy, his father, a Methodist minister, moved his family to Silersville to serve in this church and community. He'd died prematurely in a car accident.

“My dad would have loved seeing it like this,” Tony whispered into Theo's ear. “I don't think it has ever looked better.”

“Yes, your dad would be proud and no, I don't think it's ever been lovelier,” Theo whispered back.

Nina arrived on the arm of one of the ushers. “I told him I wanted to sit with you two.” She fluffed her gleaming red hair as she settled next to Tony. She flashed him a wide grin. “You look good in a suit, but I trust you've got a gun handy. I heard this might be a dangerous place today.”

Tony groaned but didn't comment.

Nina wasn't fazed. She leaned over him to talk to Theo, parked in the aisle next to him. “The church looks terrific. Did the bride's parents really pay to have it painted and new carpet put in? That's what I heard.”

“Yes. They were still hard at work in here during the rehearsal.” Tony pointed up at the stained glass window in the front. “And they had the glass mended and completely cleaned.”

“With all the gorgeous flowers, I can barely see the fresh paint.” Theo shifted in her wheelchair, apparently studying the enormous but tasteful displays of roses and candles. She glanced over her shoulder toward the doors. “Speaking of flowers, Blossom's here with Kenny and DuWayne. They're getting to be quite a threesome.”

Tony turned to watch the two men walking with Blossom, each clutching one of her arms. They apparently waved away the official ushers and kept their respective positions. If two escorts were company, three might be considered a crowd.

Tony thought Blossom looked as resplendent as the refurbished church. She was wearing a frothy yellow dress with big orange polka dots. When she saw him and Theo, she waggled her chubby fingers in their direction and her smile widened. After they made it past their pew, he whispered to Theo, “I think the polka dots match Blossom's hair color perfectly. What do you think?”

“I think she looks like a lovely ocean liner with a pair of tugboats guiding her out to sea.”

Theo was having a wonderful time. She enjoyed weddings as a rule. When the music began, everyone settled into their pews to enjoy the event. The first notes from the organ made her eyes widen in surprise. She leaned toward Tony. “Did they buy a new organ too?”

“I guess. Or they found a magician to fix the old one.”

“Must be nice to have a checkbook without limit.” Theo sighed. “It's certainly improved the quality of the music.”

Tony reached for her hand. “Are you sorry you didn't marry a rich man?”

Theo felt all warm and gooey inside. “Nope. I got just what I wanted.” She glanced over his shoulder at the woman being escorted down the aisle. “Uh-oh.
Not
good.”

“What?” Tony didn't turn.

“You'll have to see for yourself. Elf is making quite a statement.”

Tony did turn then, his curiosity evidently winning out.

Theo barely heard him groan. She couldn't stop staring at Elf. The singer wore a floor length black sequined gown with the neckline plunging all the way to her waist in the front and even lower in the back. “How does it stay on?”

“She looks like a lounge singer from Las Vegas.” Nina sounded shocked.

The youthful usher at Elf's side appeared to stumble against the end of the pew, but he didn't lift his eyes from the exposed cleavage.

Theo glanced to the front of the sanctuary where Patrick and the minister and groomsmen waited. With the exception of the groom, the men appeared frozen. Patrick looked murderous. He took a step forward, his hands clenched into tight fists.

The best man, the bride's older brother, reached forward and touched Patrick's arm, stopping him.

Theo thought it took an eternity before Elf stepped into her appointed spot and sat down. Theo couldn't see her face, but she guessed her expression was triumphant. If being noticed was her goal, Elf achieved it in her unique style. Not in good taste though.

The next usher escorted the official mother of the groom. In her lovely champagne beige dress, she looked happy and relaxed, except for some lines of tension around her mouth. Her husband appeared proud. As he stepped past Elf, he did glance down into Elf's cleavage display, and his cheeks flushed almost purple.

The mother of the bride maintained her elegant demeanor. Her dress of aqua silk made a quiet swishing sound as her escort led her past the other mothers and settled her into place on the other side of the aisle.

Theo held her breath, half expecting an explosion, but all she heard was beautiful music. The clear tones of the much-improved organ rang as the processional continued.

The bridesmaids' gowns, a beautiful shade of deep teal shimmering with overtones of rose, were elegant and flattering. The girls carried a fortune in flowers.

Everyone, except Elf and Theo, stood when the music changed and signaled the approach of the bride and her father. The bride was lovely, of course, and kept her eyes focused on Patrick.

Theo could see Elf, by peeking between the standing guests. The singer slouched on her pew and crossed her arms over her almost bare bosom. Theo assumed she was not smiling.

The remainder of the ceremony went smoothly although Theo could almost feel the congregation waiting for an explosion. The bride and groom kissed, inspiring a great cheer of joy mixed with relief. The couple turned and led the way down the aisle. Elf managed to jump into the path of the groom's parents, but the MacLeods didn't appear concerned. Their part of the wedding was over. Even Mrs. MacLeod smiled, all tension relieved. The rest of the celebration belonged to the bride's family.

“How would you like to be posing for pictures with the tight-jawed wedding party?” Nina asked as they waited to leave the church.

Theo leaned toward Tony so she could speak softly, “I'm guessing Elf is not going to be in many of them.”

“Or the photographer is going to alter the digital pictures and erase her.” Nina's distinctive laugh drew attention from other guests.

Theo rolled her eyes and grinned. “At the very least, I'll bet he adds a bit of computer fabric to the front of Elf's dress.”

Nina didn't exactly whisper when she said, “If I was in charge, I'd turn it into a turtleneck.”

“What's the plan?” Tony shifted on the pew. “Are we supposed to go somewhere now or just sit in here until the fight ends?”

“And listen for the sounds of gunfire?” Nina cupped a hand to her ear.

The jests got worse. Finally Theo held her hands up in surrender. “The plan is for us, all the guests, to go out to the museum and look around and enjoy light snacks. It's supposed to be the guests' entertainment while the wedding party is driven around town in an open, horse-drawn carriage and has a thousand pictures taken.”

“And Elf?” said Nina. “Do you suppose she's part of the wedding party?”

“I think she'll be lucky if they don't run her down.”

Because of the large guest list and limited parking at the museum, a fleet of small buses that looked like old-fashioned trolley cars, were supplied for shuttle service. Tony opted to drive his vehicle because of Theo's wheelchair. He escorted Theo and Nina into the museum and left them with friends while he went to look for his mother. He found her sitting on one of the display chairs, staring into space, ignoring the sign she had spent so much time working on. The card lay at her feet. “Do not sit here.”

“Mom?” Tony didn't know if he should chastise her or not. “Are you okay?”

“Didn't the church look lovely?” Jane lifted her face and her smile was nearly as radiant as Celeste and Patrick's.

“Yes. I'm sure Dad would agree.” He leaned against the wall behind him, watching as the wedding guests wandered about the museum, oohing and aahing. “I think he'd like your museum, too.”

Jane glanced around and seemed to notice the crowds of people for the first time. “Oh, my.” She jumped to her feet and replaced the sign. “I'd better pay attention. I'm supposed to answer questions and hand out brochures.”

“I didn't see you at the church and wanted to make sure you and Martha got there for the ceremony.”

“We had a lovely time even if we held our breath when Elf sashayed down the aisle in that dress. My goodness, I've never seen such a gown.” She fanned herself with a brochure. “How's Theo?”

“The wheelchair is just what she needed.” He helped her adjust the sign. “Have you met Katti?”

“Oh, yes. I think she's wonderful.” Jane laughed. “I wonder if Claude was prepared to have her take over his life. I can't wait until we all get to go out to the dump for their wedding celebration. It promises to be lots of fun.”

Theo watched Elf strut into the museum, clinging to the arm of her driver. If anything, the front of the dress looked like it had dropped even lower. At least the driver's chest was covered today with a white shirt and conservative suit.

Next to her, Nina whispered. “If she's wearing anything under the dress, it's not much. There's just about nothing left to the imagination. My ex-husband would be salivating all over her.”

“Not if her bodyguard could help it.” Theo studied the man. “Do you think he seems to be more than professionally involved?”

“I'm guessing she hired him as much for his looks as his bus driving talents.”

“Speaking of which . . .” Theo leaned closer. “Why do you think she's staying in her touring bus instead of the mansion?”

“Is she really?” Nina looked thoughtful. “How do you know?”

“Someone mentioned it at the shop the other day. We have our fair share of up-to-date gossip, you know.”

“Well, there's certainly been a bit at the high school. The halls have been buzzing.”

Since Nina taught where Patrick coached football, Theo was curious. “Don't tell me Elf followed Patrick to the field, or worse, into the locker room.”

“It hasn't been quite that bad, but I heard him say if he'd known she was coming, he might have suggested they run away and get married.” Nina took a beautifully decorated canapé from a passing waiter. “Mmm, caviar.”

Theo selected a puff pastry tidbit filled with salmon mousse. “I don't know whether to feel sorry for Elf or slap her. It would have worked out so much better for everyone, especially the now deceased Scarlet of course, if they could have followed the original plan.” Theo craned her neck to keep Elf and the driver in view.

The bride and groom made their grand entrance into the museum amid cheers and applause. The couple posed for more pictures in front of various displays. They included Elf in many photographs, but the photographer appeared quite adept at separating Elf from the other mother of the groom.

Theo guessed it helped, but she still heard an almost constant litany of complaints from Elf. She wasn't interacting with any of the guests, the bride's family or any of her own relatives.

Nina leaned over and whispered in Theo's ear. “If she doesn't quit whining, I vote we shove a sock down her throat.”

Tony was visiting with Mr. Durand, the father of the bride, when the caterer imported from Knoxville trotted over to where they stood.

The caterer's face was taut and furious as he pointed toward Elf. “She, she.”

The bride's father cut him off. “She's got no authority to do anything here tonight but eat, drink and keep her mouth shut. If she so much as looks like she has more to say, tell me. I'll get rid of her.”

Obviously mollified, the caterer headed back to do his job.

Durand glanced at Tony. “She's a menace. You're welcome to keep her.” Durand lifted a tumbler of whiskey with a little ice in a quiet salute before taking a sip.

Tony couldn't disagree with the man's assessment of Elf. In all honesty, he could easily live without hearing or seeing the woman again. “I wanted to thank you and your wife for all the improvements you paid for at the church. It's a small congregation and not a wealthy one.”

“I don't think you realize how much money it saved me having the wedding here.” Durand's gray eyes sparkled under heavy, dark eyebrows. “I'm delighted the church didn't need a new roof or all new plumbing.”

“Excuse me?” Tony wondered if he'd missed something. The man had spent a fortune already and the caterer was pouring more of his money into crystal glasses. No limit. Besides the shuttle buses, there was a separate fleet of cars prepared to take over-imbibers directly to their homes. Tony could practically see the dollar signs fly by.

“If Celeste had gotten married in Lexington, her mother would have worn the numbers off at least six credit cards instead of two.” He smiled at his wife and raised his glass in a silent toast even as he continued talking. “She'd have given parties. She'd have redone our church, but it's much larger. She would have redecorated the house. I hate to imagine the cost of the new wardrobes she would have purchased for all of us.”

A waitress carrying a tray of shrimp and crabmeat treats stopped by and offered it to them. The man paying for everything stacked them high on a small china plate. “I might as well get my money's worth.”

Moving away from the happy man, Tony saw the wedding planner nod her head in the direction of the DJ. The torch was passed. The man lifted his cordless microphone and suggested the wedding party and friends make their way from the museum into the barn. The real party was about to begin.