A Criminal Celebration in Hillbilly Hollow Read online

  A Criminal Celebration in Hillbilly Hollow

  Blythe Baker

  Contents

  Description

  Newsletter Invitation

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  About the Author

  There’s a deadly occasion in Hillbilly Hollow...

  It’s finally here. The week of Emma and Billy’s long-awaited wedding has arrived. There’s just one problem: a dead body has turned up and half the wedding party are suspects.

  Can Emma use her ghost whispering powers to solve one last crime and still make it to the church in time for her vows? Or will the big day end in tragedy?

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  1

  I was humming to myself as I pulled the truck up outside of Hope Community Church. I got out and looked around at the extensive grounds. The greens of the perfectly manicured lawns shone like emerald and jade. The flower beds bloomed brightly as the sun sparkled down on them.

  I knew it was perfect. But perhaps it was a little too perfect. The church itself was a large building, white in color, with picture perfect stained glass windows that glinted in the light. There was no denying the place was beautiful, but it wasn’t Mount Olivet. That was the problem.

  Billy and I had finally begun planning our wedding in earnest after Billy’s workload came back down to normal levels. We worked out every last detail together, basking in the happiness that comes with dreaming of a life together, rather than just a wedding. I was never going to be a bridezilla. I was happy to compromise. Sure, my wedding would be the most special day of my life, but it would be Billy’s too, and I wanted his input. There was very little we even had to compromise on. Most times, we both chose the same thing. It was good to know that we were so in tune with each other and that our tastes were so similar.

  We had both wanted the ceremony to be held at Mount Olivet, a tiny rustic church with overgrown gardens and large wooden beams across the ceiling. It had been the site of Suzy and Brian’s wedding and Billy and I knew it was perfect for our own. I could almost see it lit up, fairy lights strung across the ceiling, flowers adorning the ends of each pew. We had booked it immediately for our June wedding. It had seemed so far away then.

  But now, with the event less than a week away, we had learned that there had been a fire at Mount Olivet Church. Which left us without a venue.

  Summer Martin, our wedding planner, had called me with the news. Before I could begin to hyperventilate, she told me that she’d already found another venue for us to check out and she gave me the address for Hope Community Church.

  Hope Community was brand new, only a couple of months old, and it showed. It was pristine, glowing, but it had no real character. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed as I looked at it.

  I wished for the hundredth time that day that Billy could be here with me. I wanted us to make the decision together, but there was no way he could get away from work right now. He had obviously booked time off for the rehearsal dinner, the wedding and our honeymoon. He couldn’t take today off too, so he had told me to take a look and decide myself and he would be happy with whatever decision I made.

  It wasn’t like we really had a choice anyway.

  I looked at my watch. I was a little bit early, still. I leaned against the hood of the truck, enjoying the warm sun on my face. I didn’t have long to wait before a sporty white car pulled up beside my truck and Summer emerged from it.

  Summer was a character, to say the least. She was constantly glammed up to the nines, sporting tight little dresses or pencil skirts and blouses. She always wore sky scraper heels and they didn’t slow her down in the least. Her blonde hair was always curled to perfection, hanging in romantic looking waves that framed her petite face.

  But there was more to her than met the eye. That woman wasn’t someone you wanted to get on the wrong side of. She was super organized, and she expected everyone around her to work with the same efficiency she did. She didn’t tolerate lateness, mistakes, or the slightest hint of a no. If you wanted something and Summer Martin was your wedding planner, you got it, no questions asked.

  I had found her intimidating when I first met her, but Billy convinced me to give her a shot. He reminded me that we were both super busy with work, and I had to help my grandparents a lot more around the farm lately, so we needed the extra pair of hands. I soon realized that Summer only had an attitude with her suppliers and her poor assistant Autumn. When it came to clients, Summer would move mountains to get them the wedding of their dreams.

  “Emma, darling, how are you?” Summer enthused as she crossed the gap between us.

  She took hold of me by the tops of my arms and air kissed each of my cheeks. Then, she held me out at arm’s length and nodded her approval.

  “You look wonderful. Radiant. Just like a bride-to-be should look.”

  I smiled, caught up in her whirlwind of enthusiasm. “I’m good, thanks, Summer. How are you?”

  “Perfect, darling, perfect,” she said.

  She glanced over her shoulder, her smile giving way to a frown. “Autumn? Autumn? What is taking you so long? Get over here right this instant.”

  She turned back to me and rolled her eyes. “Excuse my assistant. She seems to think you have all day.”

  I did have all day really, but I refrained from telling Summer that. Instead, I watched as Autumn came over to us, lugging a heavy looking box.

  She was the polar opposite to Summer. Her mousey brown hair was frizzy and she always wore it pulled back in a loose ponytail. Straggles hung around her face, frizzing up even more than usual in the heat. Her glasses had slipped down her nose but she didn’t have a spare hand to push them back up. Where Summer oozed elegance, Autumn oozed thrift shop in her mismatched outfit of a long, hippy style skirt and a bright purple button-down shirt.

  When I first met the two women, I had wondered how they had even met, let alone ended up working together. Summer had told me not long after that Autumn was her sister. I got the impression Summer kept her around because it was expected of her, but I couldn’t for the life of me work out why Autumn continued to work for Summer, who was constantly snapping at her and criticizing everything she did. Oh well, there was nothing so strange as family, I guessed.

  Summer rolled her eyes again as Autumn finally joined us. “Put the box in the back of Emma’s truck. Honestly, Autumn, I don’t need you messing this up. Now.” She barked the last word and snapped her fingers twice.

  The longsuffering Autumn didn’t respond, she just moved to put the box in the truck.

  I gave her a sympathetic look and she grinned at me.

  “Those are the sample wedding favors you asked to see,” Summer explained to me. “There are a few different varieties. If you can let me know by the end of tomorrow which one you’d like to go with, I’ll get that organized for you.”

  “I can let you know today,” I promised her.

  There was no way I was making Summer Martin wait. I had come to like her, but I still didn’t want to get on the wrong side of her sharp tongue.

  She nodded her head and then clapped her hands again, making me jump slightly. If she noticed, she didn’t comment. She turned and began to walk away.

  “Let’s go and see this fantastic venue,” she trilled.

  Autumn caugh
t up with me and we exchanged an amused look, as Summer marched along giving us a running commentary of the grounds we walked through. She pointed out the various flower beds, and gave her opinion on the best places to have our pictures taken.

  “But don’t worry too much about that just yet. Derrick Williams is booked and he is the king of location. He’ll be along shortly to take a look around and find the best spots,” Summer went on.

  She paused to check the time on her cell phone.

  “Actually, he should be here by now. He might be the king of location, but clearly he’s not even a prince of punctuality. Autumn, give him a call and see what’s keeping him. And make it clear this is not acceptable.”

  “He’s only a minute late, Summer. Like literally one minute,” Autumn said quietly.

  Summer stopped walking so abruptly I almost ran into her back. She spun around to face Autumn.

  “Is one minute late not still late? Will so much as one minute late cut it for Emma’s wedding? Do you think she deserves less than the very best?”

  “I … no, of course not,” Autumn stammered, blushing furiously. She turned to face me. “I didn’t mean that, Emma. I just …”

  “It’s okay,” I cut her off, feeling sorry for her. “I know what you meant and it’s fine.”

  “Emma is just being polite,” Summer snapped. “It’s not fine at all. It’s not even close to fine. Now do as I said and call Derrick. Deal with it, Autumn, or do I have to do that myself and leave you completely useless?”

  Autumn scuttled away, pulling out a cell phone and scrolling through her contacts.

  Summer began walking again and I followed her. I fell into step beside her, feeling a little uncomfortable about the way she was treating Autumn.

  “Emma, you look upset. What is it?” Summer asked as we walked up the winding path to the church’s entranceway.

  I reminded myself that the relationship between these two women was none of my business, and that if Autumn accepted it the way she did, who was I to tell Summer off for it? Instead, I decided to tell her my other concern, one that was entirely my business.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I just … I know this place is beautiful, there’s no denying that. But, well, it’s very different from Mount Olivet, isn’t it?”

  “It is and I’m sorry about that. But it’s the height of the wedding season and all of the rustic places book up months in advance. Even this place, which is so new, was reluctant to see us on such short notice. You have no idea the strings I had to pull to make this happen. But it’s your day, darling, and if you hate this site I will find you somewhere else if it kills me. But just take a look, huh? You might fall in love with it.”

  I nodded. I doubted I’d be falling in love with the church, but Summer was right; I couldn’t judge it by the outside. I wanted to go in with an open mind and at least give it a fair look.

  We reached the door and Summer stopped and turned to face the grounds, motioning for me to do the same.

  I gasped as I turned around. The view was absolutely breathtaking, even though we had only climbed a few feet. The grounds lay in front of us, and through the trees, the town was just in sight. It was like another world, an enchanted forest. It was all set before a backdrop of purple mountains that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

  “Imagine coming out of the church as Mrs. Emma Stone. Your friends and family line this path, throwing confetti over you both, laughing and celebrating. The sun is shining, the grounds are beautiful. And you have this view.”

  I started to imagine it and I could see myself doing just that. Maybe it was a good thing the path here wasn’t lined with cobblestones, like at Mount Olivet. After all, my wedding shoes were hardly practical for walking on something bumpy.

  Summer turned back to the door and threw it open with a flourish. She led me through a small entryway. The church was all white walls and gold trim. Each window was lined with gold details, and the cross above the altar was bright gold. The pews were polished mahogany, shining and clean. The floor was a stone effect hardwood floor.

  Summer began to lead me down the aisle.

  “Imagine your flowers here and here,” she said, pointing to ends of the pews. “The reds of the roses will look so stunning against the mahogany. The white ones will look delicate, even whiter against the dark wood. And the gold trim gives it such a royal feeling, doesn’t it? It’ll be like your own princess fairytale wedding.”

  The more she talked, the more convinced I was becoming that this wasn’t such a bad idea. I’d never seen the inside of Hope Community Church before, because Billy and I had immediately ruled it out as too modern when we were looking for a venue. We both enjoyed learning more about Hillbilly Hollow’s colorful history and we knew that we wanted somewhere that fit that picture. But there was no denying this place was special.

  “Come on, come and see where you’ll be exchanging your vows,” Summer said.

  She was talking like this venue was a done deal, and I supposed it was. I didn’t pull her up on her comment, I just followed her. The door to the church opened and closed again and Autumn appeared.

  “Did you speak to Derrick?” Summer demanded.

  Autumn nodded. “Yes. He was stuck in traffic. He’s here now, though.”

  “Where is he?” Summer demanded.

  “He’s out front looking for the flowerbed with the best light, and then he’s going around back,” Autumn said.

  Summer nodded and stepped away from me. “Show Emma the altar and answer any questions she might have. I’m going to go and give Derrick a piece of my mind. Meet me around back. And don’t give the secret away.”

  “Secret?” I asked as Autumn nodded meekly.

  Summer grinned at me. “You have to see it to appreciate it, Emma, and once you do, you’ll fall in love with this place. I just know you will. But to get the full effect of it, it has to be a secret until you can see for yourself.”

  “Okay.” I laughed, once more caught up in her enthusiasm.

  Summer walked away and Autumn smiled awkwardly at me. “She can be quite the handful,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. “And I would not like to be Derrick when she catches up to him.”

  “No, me neither.” I laughed again.

  Autumn led me further down the aisle towards the altar. She looked to her left and then her right and then she leaned in close to me as if she was expecting Summer to jump out from behind a pew at any second and catch her gossiping.

  “You didn’t hear this from me but Summer and Derrick used to date, you know. They were together for almost two years and then he dumped her. She claims she’s over it but you never can tell with her. The way she treats him, she sure doesn’t seem over it. I reckon one day he’ll snap. I’m always saying to her, Summer, one day that man is going to conk you over the head with a shovel.”

  “You really think he’d go that far?” I asked, shocked at her revelation.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Well, no, not really. But you never can tell, can you? Anyway, Derrick isn’t alone in being treated badly by Summer, is he? I mean, you’ve heard the way she talks to me and I’m her sister for Heaven’s sake.”

  This was the most I had ever heard Autumn say. She was usually quiet in her sister’s presence, speaking only when spoken to. I kind of liked this more outspoken version of her and I decided to try and satisfy my curiosity while she seemed to be in a talking mood.

  “Why do you keep working for her if she’s always so mean to you?” I asked.

  Autumn giggled nervously. “Working for her? That’s a joke,” she said. She didn’t explain what she meant by that, but left it a mystery.

  We reached the altar before I could say anything else and Autumn stepped up a few steps. She disappeared behind a wall for a moment and came back with a decorative metal arch. She placed it in the spot where Billy and I would be standing to exchange our vows.

  My curiosity was far from satisfied on the Autumn and Summer front. Autumn’s an
swer just made me more confused, but I didn’t like to pry further into the relationship of the sisters.

  Autumn said, “This arch will be draped with greenery and cherry blossoms. Some large feature flowers that match your bouquet will be scattered through it. Can you imagine anything more beautiful to stand beneath as you exchange your vows?”

  I shook my head. I really couldn’t. The arch I could see in my mind was perfect, and I knew Summer would make sure this one was every bit as beautiful as what I imagined.

  Autumn grinned. “You like the place, don’t you?”

  I broke into a grin of my own and nodded my head. “I absolutely love it,” I admitted.

  “I knew you would,” she said. “Come on, let’s go meet Summer. You haven’t even seen the best part yet.”

  Whatever the secret to this place was, I knew it must be good because both of the sisters actually agreed on it being the best part of the site.

  I followed Autumn towards a side door I hadn’t noticed before.

  Autumn glanced over her shoulder at me. “I stick around because I’m a partner,” she said.

  “Huh?” I asked. Had I missed something?

  “You asked me why I stay working for Summer. I don’t work for her. She introduces me as her assistant and I go along with it because, quite honestly, life is too short to argue semantics. But I’m a partner in the business. She gets to make the final calls because she owns the larger share, but I’m not about to walk away from my own business and work for someone else.”

  Autumn’s revelation surprised me. I was expecting her to say something about family loyalty, or that she owed Summer her help. But apparently it wasn’t that after all. I couldn’t quite see this mousey lady in front of me as a businesswoman. But then, people could surprise you.