Matrimony, Money and Murder Read online

  Wendy’s life had been fairly average growing up, with two well-meaning parents and no siblings. She had kept to herself and read many books. But when she hit her teenage years she became addicted to romance, in movies, in books, in poetry, wherever she could find it. Unfortunately, high school boys were not the best resource for genuine romance so she hadn't dated much.

  Aaron had come into her life by what she thought was a fateful accident. They had literally tripped over each other on the beach, as he was sprawled out on his surfboard in the sand getting a tan, and she was jogging beside the waves. It was a sunny morning and she had closed her eyes against the glare. She didn't see Aaron there until she tripped right over his outstretched legs. Part of her suspected that he might have tripped her on purpose. Either way, she ended up in his arms, gazing into his eyes, and she could have sworn she heard violins playing in the distance. But all of that had been a lie, obviously, because whatever romance she thought she had found had all been in her mind.

  Aaron didn't feel that way about her, or he wouldn't have been able to walk away. The hardest part was facing the truth, that she didn't really feel that way about him either. She had wanted to, just because she wanted her romance, but she could now acknowledge that it was never genuine.

  When she returned to the condo alone, she knew that she had two choices. She could collapse in grief, wallow in the bottom of a carton of ice-cream, and believe that her life was over. Or she could stand up and make some changes. She was trying to see what was happening to her as a new beginning, instead of an ending. It didn't make the betrayal hurt any less. First, she felt she needed to do a good cleansing.

  She spent the afternoon sorting through photos of Aaron and tossing them in the trash. She came across some of Camilla as well. When she saw her perfect smile, she got angry again. She had trusted the woman, believed in her, supported her through every crisis that her company ever had. She pulled a pair of scissors out of her kitchen drawer and cut the pictures into tiny little pieces. Then she tossed them in the garbage. She had tears biting at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Even though things had ended so roughly with Camilla that didn't change the fact that she had learned a lot from the woman. She had honed her skills. She was now familiar enough with the business to open a wedding planning business herself. Why shouldn't she?

  “I could do it,” she said to herself, her mind beginning to race with the possibilities.

  She smiled a little at that idea. She began to feel her positive nature returning. Maybe Camilla firing her had opened a door for her. Maybe she could be her own boss, and start something wonderful. The thought grew and grew in her mind. She soon began researching and putting together ideas for her own business. She did her best to ignore the pangs of hurt over Aaron. As her emotions had settled, she had to admit that he was right. She had been trying to force a romance between them that was never going to happen. She wanted him to be her prince charming when he was nothing more than a surfer boy who had never grown up.

  Chapter Two

  When Wendy woke up the next morning, she was more determined than ever to land on her feet. She wasn't going to let Camilla or Aaron knock her down. She had contacts of her own, clients she had brought in herself, and one was due to be married in a week. Camilla never would have got them as clients if it wasn’t for Wendy and the bride having a mutual friend who recommended Wendy. She had a meeting planned with the couple that morning at a beachside hotel where they were holding their reception. Brenda and John were a sweet couple who were marrying later in life. Brenda had never been married before, but John had been married twice. Wendy had expected him to be reluctant about a big wedding, but he had announced at their first meeting that he wanted their wedding to be a celebration of finally getting it right.

  She didn't have time to pick up a new cell phone before she headed to the meeting, which made her feel a little naked, but it was actually a little liberating for people not to be able to contact her. When she arrived at the beachside resort to meet with Brenda and John the couple was already seated at a table with a window overlooking the beach. Everything in the restaurant was crisp and white. It gave the whole place a fresh feeling. As she walked towards the couple Brenda looked up at her with a grim frown. Only then did Wendy notice a third person sitting at their table, as she had been half-hidden by one of the supporting pillars in the restaurant.

  “Camilla, what are you doing here?” Wendy asked with disdain as she walked up to the table.

  John shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and Brenda sniffled.

  “Camilla said you couldn't work with us anymore,” Brenda said with tears in her eyes. Brenda was very meticulous about her wedding and she and Wendy had gone over it with a fine tooth comb.

  “I am perfectly able to work with you, Brenda,” Wendy assured her as Camilla turned to look at her with her damning, dark eyes.

  “The Bartholomews are my clients,” Camilla said grimly. “You can't steal them from me.”

  “They're actually my clients,” Wendy argued, her voice more insistent than Camilla's. “I brought them in from a personal referral, and they never signed an agreement with you. They would never have come to your company if Brenda and I didn’t have a mutual friend.”

  Brenda's soon to be husband, John, looked at the two women warily.

  “Maybe we should let you two discuss this,” he said as he took his fiancée's hand and led her away from the table. Camilla stood up from the chair she had been sitting on and glowered at Wendy.

  “You have some nerve thinking you can just steal my clients!” Camilla nearly shouted, drawing the attention of the wait staff and other patrons in the restaurant.

  “They're not your clients,” Wendy hissed in return. “I am the one that has all their plans, I am the one that booked everything for them. You have no clue what Brenda wants, and I know everything about the wedding. Would you really risk ruining a couple's wedding just to be petty?” Wendy demanded as she searched Camilla's eyes with increased fury.

  “I'm not the one being petty here,” Camilla snapped back and took a threatening step closer to Wendy. “You can't just walk in here and steal my business!”

  “You are being petty. I'm a great wedding planner, it took you firing me to make me realize that. I don't need you, or your name, all I need are my skills, which you no longer have. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to have a meeting with my clients.”

  “I'll never let you get away with this,” Camilla warned her with a sharp edge to her voice. “You will not work in this town again!”

  “I'm not afraid of you, Camilla,” Wendy growled back, feeling her determination grow even stronger. “Anything you try to do to me, I'll make sure you pay for it.”

  Camilla stopped and looked back over her shoulder. She met Wendy's eyes directly and the heat that sparked between the two women was so intense that one of the waiters stepped up between them.

  “I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave,” he said calmly to Camilla.

  “Me?” Camilla laughed shortly at that. “You're throwing out the wrong person. After all, she's the one that's threatening me!”

  “Oh, it's not a threat, Camilla,” Wendy heard herself say without thinking her words through. “It's a promise!” Wendy's temper had gotten away from her.

  “We'll see about that,” Camilla sneered. She turned and walked out of the restaurant.

  “Are you okay?” the waiter asked as he looked over at Wendy.

  “Yes,” Wendy nodded and took a deep breath. “I'm sorry for causing a scene.”

  “Don't be,” the waiter rolled his eyes which were nearly hidden beneath thick, black rimmed glasses. “I've seen that woman around enough to know she needs to be knocked down a few notches.”

  Wendy raised her eyebrow at that. She had never really heard anyone speak openly against Camilla as she had such a powerful influence in the wedding industry that everyone seemed to go out of their way to be kind and accommodating to he
r. She nodded with a slight smile to the waiter and then walked over to Brenda and John who were huddled by the bathrooms.

  “I'm so sorry, Wendy, I didn't know what to say to her,” Brenda gushed and rubbed her hands together nervously.

  “No, I'm sorry,” Wendy said firmly as she looked from John's concerned expression to the tears still building in Brenda's eyes. “You shouldn't have to deal with any of this when you're preparing for your perfect day. Don't let this disrupt any of your enjoyment, okay?” she smiled warmly at Brenda.

  “Okay,” Brenda sighed with relief and abruptly hugged Wendy. “I don't know what I would do without you.”

  Wendy smiled as she hugged Brenda back. Even though they had only known each other for a short time, Wendy was used to this kind of outpouring of affection. A woman put her complete trust in her wedding planner. It was a special kind of bond, and though it tended to fade after the wedding, until the big day it grew very quickly.

  “Now, about the cake?” Wendy asked as she pulled away from Brenda. “I know your choices are limited because John is allergic to nuts.”

  “Deathly allergic!” John exclaimed.

  “Have you managed to agree on a flavor,” she asked as they walked back towards a table.

  “We haven’t really discussed it,” John sighed as he sat down with them. “But I would like it to be pure chocolate.”

  “And I want vanilla,” Brenda said firmly.

  “Vanilla?” John scrunched up his nose. “What is the point of eating cake if it's vanilla?”

  “Well, I think I found the perfect cake for you,” Wendy grinned as she looked between the two. “It's a marble cake blended with vanilla and chocolate, and we can even make one side of the cake more chocolate and the other more vanilla. How does that sound?” she suggested.

  “I don't know,” Brenda hesitated.

  “It'll be a great way to represent the two of you blending your lives together,” Wendy pointed out.

  “That's true,” Brenda began to smile and then nodded. “It sounds good, what do you think, John?” she asked as she looked over at him.

  “As long as there are no nuts,” he laughed.

  As Wendy guided them through the final touches to their wedding plans she did her best to smooth over any disagreement that erupted between them. That was one thing that was sure to ruin a wedding. The planning shouldn't be stressful, or it might sour the big day itself. By the time they had finished with the meeting they had finalized their cake, the tablecloths, and a song for their first dance together as a married couple.

  “All right, we have a little over a week,” Wendy said as she looked at the two of them. “Don't worry, everything is going to be perfect. Make sure the two of you are taking a little time to be together, without any wedding talk, okay?”

  “That would be great,” John said playfully, and Brenda nodded with a sheepish smile.

  “I guess it has been taking over our lives a little,” she admitted.

  “That's my job,” Wendy assured them. “Your job is to take a few moments each day to remember exactly how and why you fell in love, okay? Because the most important part of a wedding, is the love that you bring to it.”

  As Wendy stood up from the table, John and Brenda were already gazing lovingly at each other. Wendy felt a slight pang of hurt as it reminded her of Aaron, but she pushed it down. She never let her personal affairs interfere with a wedding.

  ***

  When Wendy left the couple she went to speak to the resort staff to make sure everything was arranged for the wedding, and that Camilla hadn't thrown any wrenches into their plans. She stopped by the florist on the way home to confirm the order of pink roses, and then headed back to her condo. She completely forgot that she needed to get a cell phone. She was lost in her visualization of the Bartholomews’ wedding as she went to unlock the door of her condo. She found it was already open. Her heart jumped. Was it Aaron?

  When she opened the door all the way she found that it was Aaron, but not in the way that she hoped.

  “I've been trying to call you,” he said with annoyance as he picked up a box he had been filling with the things he had left behind. “I tried to come when you weren't here, sorry.”

  “Sorry, for sneaking into my home, or breaking my heart?” Wendy challenged as she studied him.

  “I don't know, both,” Aaron shrugged and brushed his blonde hair away from his eyes. “This doesn't need to be painful.”

  “Not for you,” Wendy agreed. “Just take your stuff and go,” she ordered him, her blood beginning to boil.

  “Don't be like that, Wendy,” he murmured and put his box down. “I thought we could maybe, say goodbye, in a nicer way.”

  “Are you insane?” Wendy asked with wide eyes. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I think you should leave.”

  “All right, all right,” Aaron nodded and stared at her for a long moment before picking up his box again. Wendy's heart was racing. She longed for the idea of marrying him so much that she nearly gave in. But as he walked past her with a cold expression on his face, she knew that he never really cared for her the way she thought.

  ***

  It was hard for her to stay focused on wedding details when her mind kept drifting back to Camilla, and Aaron. Finally, she took a break and went for an evening walk along the beach. She loved the fact that she could step outside and straight onto the beach. The sand between her toes was always soothing to her, even with everything that was going on at the moment.

  As Wendy paused for a moment to dip her toe in the water she noticed flashing lights far down the beach. From the distance she guessed it was near the resort area. Her stomach fluttered as she wondered what tragedy might have unfolded. It always saddened her when someone was enjoying a vacation or celebration and ended up injured or worse. She watched the glimmering lights for a few minutes before returning to her condo.

  Wendy sighed and tried to focus on the wedding details again. She reminded herself that this was for Brenda and John, two people in love, and ready to start their lives together. She stayed up for another few hours adding details and changing plans, before finally collapsing into bed. It took her a little while to fall asleep. She shed a few tears at the emptiness of the bed, and the coldness in Aaron's eyes. She shed a few more for losing her mentor, and then finally she fell into an exhausted slumber.

  Chapter Three

  Wendy barely had her eyes open when she heard an insistent pounding on her door. She had hoped to wake up to a much brighter future, but it was just noisier. Her body was demanding that she go back to sleep. Since she had no job to get to, and no boyfriend to answer to, she felt no reason to answer the door. Perhaps it was an overzealous sales person. She knew they would give up eventually. She buried her face in her pillow once more and did her best to ignore the pounding.

  “Police!” a heavy voice shouted through the door. That one word made her leap right up out of her bed with her heart in her throat. Police? Images of handguns and handcuffs filled her mind.

  “Uh! Just a minute!” Wendy called out as she was sure their next step might be to burst through the door. She snatched her robe off her desk chair and pulled it on over the pajama pants and t-shirt she had worn to bed. She was sure she didn't look anywhere near decent, but police didn't tend to care about that. She pulled the door open and stared right into the faces of two police officers. One was tall and thin, the other short and round, and both looked displeased.

  “Didn't you hear us knocking?” the shorter officer asked.

  “I'm sorry, I was just so tired,” Wendy murmured and shook her head, still in a daze as she tried to blink the sleep from her eyes. “What is this about?” she asked nervously.

  “I'm Officer Delaney, and this is Officer Polson, we're here to ask you a few questions about your employer, Camilla Blue,” he said as he took a step forward, intending to enter the condo.

  “Former,” Wendy said as she stepped back to allow them both in
side. “Camilla let me go two days ago. Is she in some kind of trouble?” Wendy asked, and hoped that there was no glee in her voice. She thought perhaps she had crossed the wrong person and was arrested for assault.

  “She's dead,” Officer Delaney said flatly as he set his glittering gray eyes on her. “And you were one of the last people to see her alive,” he seemed to be gauging her reaction very closely.

  “What?” Wendy's eyes widened as the word struck her hard in the gut. “Dead?” she stammered. “But that's impossible!” How could a woman as powerful as Camilla suddenly be dead?

  “Is it?” Officer Polson asked and flipped open a notepad. “Where were you last night between the hours of ten and twelve pm?” the officer asked sternly.

  “I was here,” Wendy said quickly. “Why do you need to know that?” Everything began to fall into place in her mind as Officer Polson made some notes, and Officer Delaney swept his gaze nosily around her condo.

  “You live here alone?” he asked skeptically before looking back at her.

  “I do now,” she answered hesitantly. “My boyfriend moved out recently,” she lowered her voice feeling strange for divulging such personal information.

  “Oh? Before or after you fought with Camilla Blue, first over her firing you then yesterday over clients?” Polson asked as he studied her closely and even puffed out his chest as if he was attempting to intimidate her.

  Wendy's heart sped up until she could barely find a way to breathe. She realized this was more than a friendly visit, this was an investigation, and their prime suspect seemed to be her.

  “I didn't fight with her,” Wendy corrected defensively.

  “There were witnesses,” Polson pointed out sternly. “A Marcia Cruz, and a Veronica Timmons,” he said before looking back up at her. “Does that seem right to you?”

  “Well yes, they were both there at the office when Camilla fired me,” Wendy said swiftly as she guessed that Ronnie was short for Veronica. “I mean of course I was upset, I did everything for her, and she just fired me like I was nothing.”