A Criminal Celebration in Hillbilly Hollow Read online

  Either that, or this was just a brief warning that she was back and would be next to me in seconds. I felt a shiver go down my spine at the thought of it, but I dismissed the idea when Snowball returned to my side. That had to mean Summer was gone again for now.

  I headed quickly back into the kitchen and slammed the door closed behind me, narrowly missing Snowball’s tail. I knew that according to all of the stories ghosts could walk through walls like they weren’t there and a closed door was unlikely to keep Summer out if she wanted to follow me to my room, but I still felt better for shutting the door.

  I made my way up to my attic room, trailed by Snowball, and changed into my night clothes. After sitting down in front of my small dresser, I removed my make-up and brushed my hair out before putting a thin layer of moisturizer on. There. I was prepared for tomorrow. Or at least my skin was.

  I turned the light out and slipped into bed quickly before I could think of anything else I needed to do. Everything would have to wait until after the wedding now, until after Billy and I had returned from our honeymoon. Anything I may have forgotten would just have to stay forgotten.

  Still, my thoughts kept going back to Derrick and Doris and the threatening letters. There was something there niggling at the edge of my mind, but I couldn’t quite grasp what it was. The more I tried to focus on it, the further away it seemed to slip. I tried clearing my mind and letting it come, but it was no good. The less I tried to think about it, the more prevalent it was in my thoughts. I knew it would come to me eventually, and when it did I would most likely kick myself that it had taken me so long, but something told me that wouldn’t happen tonight. I had enough worries about my wedding tomorrow without trying to chase vague theories and suspicions.

  I forced myself to close my eyes and think of nothing but my wedding. The investigation would have to wait now. I certainly wasn’t going to be doing any investigating on my wedding day. Like everything else, it would get done when I got back from our honeymoon, and if Summer didn’t like that, then quite frankly, she could lump it. Tomorrow would be the start of my new life, and I didn’t want my last night here at my grandparents’ house to be tainted with thoughts of murder and troublesome ghosts.

  As I slipped into sleep, my last thought was of how handsome Billy was going to look in his suit tomorrow, and I figured that was exactly the kind of thing I should actually be thinking about tonight.

  9

  My stomach was roiling with nerves as I stepped out of the car in front of Hope Community Church. Suzy, Beth and my grandpa quickly followed behind me. Suzy and Beth moved around me, arranging my dress.

  I looked down at myself when they had finished. My white dress had a tight bodice and no straps or sleeves. From my waist, it flowed, a beautiful cascade of white netting. Silver details on the bodice caught the sunlight and made it look like I was sparkling.

  Suzy had done my hair and make-up this morning. My eyes were smoky, my lips and cheeks pink. I wore the front part of my hair pinned back, the length of it tumbling down my back in loose curls. My veil was pinned in place.

  Suzy took both of my hands in hers and smiled at me.

  “Don’t be nervous, Emma. You look gorgeous, and everything is going to be just fine,” she said.

  I smiled back at her, hardly daring to speak in case I burst into tears and ruined my make-up. Beth handed me my bouquet, and between the two of them, they covered my face with my veil. They walked on ahead, leaving me and my grandpa alone for a moment.

  “This is it, Emma. Your last chance to run,” Grandpa said.

  “Oh, I missed that opportunity when I put these shoes on.” I laughed.

  I nodded down towards my feet, clad in white satin shoes with heels so big I felt like I would go tumbling over at any second. I clung to my grandpa’s arm for dear life.

  “Seriously, Emma. Billy is a good man,” Grandpa said.

  “Is that your way of saying you approve of him?” I smiled.

  “Yes, I think maybe it is.” He grinned back. “I just hope that one day you two get to the ages Dorothy and I are now, and you’re both still as much in love as we are.”

  I fanned my face frantically with my hands as tears prickled in the corners of my eyes.

  “Oh Grandpa, don’t. I can’t cry yet. I want to at least look half decent as I walk down the aisle,” I exclaimed.

  “You look more than half decent, Emma. You look stunning,” he said, his voice filled with pride.

  I was glad to reach the doors to Hope Community and have Suzy and Beth join us again, otherwise I was certain I would have lost the battle with my tears.

  Suzy and Beth moved behind me, picking up my train. Grandpa raised a questioning eyebrow at me, asking if I was ready, and I nodded. I was definitely ready to become Mrs. Stone.

  We entered the church and I instantly heard the wedding march start up on the organ. Billy and I had opted for the traditional song for me to walk down the aisle to. I clung even more tightly to my grandpa as we moved slowly along the aisle. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, partly from nervousness at knowing all eyes were on me, and partly from excitement. I still could hardly believe that my wedding was finally here.

  I glanced to my left and my right as I walked. The flowers really did pop, and the arch up ahead looked exactly how I had imagined it would. Stunning. Looking at the flowers, their beauty, the work that had gone into every little detail of the arrangements, it was hard to imagine Doris Young as a murderer. I scolded myself, telling myself now was most definitely not the time to be thinking about that.

  After what felt like a lifetime, I finally reached the altar and Billy. He looked every bit as handsome as I had imagined he would in his grey suit and light pink shirt. He smiled as I approached him and I smiled back, feeling my eyes twinkling with emotion.

  Grandpa placed my hand into Billy’s and then went and took his seat beside Grandma, who was looking very elegant in her Sunday best. Billy squeezed my hand and then released it to push my veil back as Suzy and Beth took their places behind me.

  The pastor smiled at us warmly and began the ceremony. Our vows flew by without a hitch. I didn’t stutter or splutter or, worse, get Billy’s name wrong, all of which I had done in my worst nightmares in the weeks leading up to the wedding.

  “You may kiss the bride,” the pastor finally announced.

  I felt a swirl of excitement in my stomach as Billy leaned down and our lips touched. Sparks seemed to fly and I was momentarily taken aback by the reminder of how much I loved this man.

  The pastor finished off the ceremony and Billy and I signed the register, along with our witnesses. We left the church, followed by our wedding party, now Dr. and Mrs. Stone.

  The guests began to disperse, headed for the reception, as Billy and I and our bridesmaids and groomsmen stood uncertainly in the doorway, waiting to see what would happen next. My grandparents had taken Emma Rose and I knew it wouldn’t be too long before Suzy began getting a little anxious without her here with us.

  Derrick appeared as if from nowhere and began organizing us into groups and poses around the flower beds at the front of the church. I remembered Summer saying he would check for the places with the best lighting and views, and I had to admit he had chosen spectacularly. While I might have had my misgivings about Derrick last night, today he was like a different person. He was happy, smiling and shouting cheerful instructions to us all. I let myself relax. Obviously he had just been having an off night last night. It happened to us all sometimes.

  Once Derrick had taken a huge number of photos, Autumn appeared, smiling brightly at us.

  “Congratulations, Dr. and Mrs. Stone.” She beamed.

  My face flushed as she called me by my new name. It would take some getting used to, but I liked it.

  “Thank you,” we said in unison and everyone laughed.

  “Oh no,” Suzy groaned jokingly. “They’ll be finishing each other’s sentences by next week.”

  Autumn l
aughed and then turned back to me.

  “Emma, Billy, Suzy and Brian, you have a few more shots left to do. If the rest of you would like to come with me, I’ll drive you over to the reception,” she said.

  I said a quick goodbye and thank you to Beth, and Billy shook hands with his groomsmen and then they were whisked away by Autumn, who was wearing a yellow sundress with a wide brown belt. I smiled to myself as I watched her walk away, her hair its usually frizzy tangle. I had half expected her to show up looking like Summer would have. I was glad she hadn’t; it would have been too weird.

  Once Autumn had taken the others away, Derrick took us around the back of the church, to the beautiful waterfall. I had forgotten that Billy hadn’t yet seen the little oasis.

  “You weren’t kidding about how this place was the perfect venue, were you?” he whispered.

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  “And you are the perfect bride. But I always knew you would be,” he added.

  He kissed my cheek and Derrick’s flash went off as he caught the moment. I had a feeling that photo was going to be my favorite picture out of all of them. It was natural rather than posed and it had the stunning waterfall in the background.

  Fifteen minutes and what felt like a hundred more photos later, we were done. Derrick headed for his car, telling us our car was on its way. We waited for a minute or two and a large silver limousine appeared. I frowned and glanced at Billy. We hadn’t ordered this. The driver got out and came to open the doors.

  “Hi,” I said. “I think there might have been some mistake. We …”

  “All part of the service, ma’am,” he said smiling. “Autumn’s special touch.”

  We exchanged glances again and I felt my face breaking into a wide smile.

  “It’s perfect. Just enjoy it,” Suzy said, laughing as we got in. “I can’t believe you were trying to talk us out of this.”

  We sat in the limousine sipping champagne on the short drive to my grandparents’ house. The reception was being held in their backyard. My grandpa had even moved some of the cows from the field next to the yard and paid a couple of local kids to remove all the cow pats so we could have the extra space for the day. It was the outdoor country reception Billy and I had dreamed of.

  I had yet to see the place decorated. Autumn’s team had waited to come in until after I had left that morning. We pulled up at the front of the house and got out, thanking the driver, who tipped his hat and congratulated us. We walked around to the back of the farm and I gasped when I saw the place.

  Rustic wooden picnic benches had been set up in the field, all decorated with white ribbons. In the actual yard, wooden tables were loaded down with every kind of food imaginable. Everywhere I looked, white ribbons streamed and people milled around chatting and laughing. It was perfect.

  The floral arrangements from the church had been brought along and each one was now a center piece for the tables with a small bundle of white and silver balloons floating above them. The barn and the house were strung with fairy lights, ready for when the sun went down.

  Suzy elbowed me and pointed to the house. I followed her gaze. A huge white banner read, “Congratulations to the happy couple.” At either end of it was a photo of Billy and me.

  Autumn stood up as we approached the party. She had a megaphone and she didn’t seem to be in the least bit uncomfortable about using it.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” her voice boomed through it. “Please welcome the bride and groom.”

  I blushed once again as rapturous applause came from the gathered guests. I looked around, spotting all of the familiar faces. There was Margene Huffler, looking pretty in pink. Betty Blackwell was beside her, elegant in navy blue. Suzy’s mom was sitting with my grandma and some of her reading group. I spotted Tucker at one of the tables with a pretty girl beside him hanging on his every word. It felt as though the whole town had turned out to greet us on our special day.

  The most special guest, Snowball of course, ran towards me from behind the outhouse, which was also strung with fairy lights. She bleated happily, in her element with all of the people here who had no doubt all been giving her attention. Around her neck was a red bow which perfectly matched the color of the red roses in my bouquet and floral displays. I squatted down and petted Snowball, who gently nudged me with her nose as I scratched beneath her chin and then behind her ears.

  She moved to Billy next and I laughed.

  “She knows you’re one of the family now,” I said as he bent down to pat her.

  Suzy had gone off in search of Emma Rose and Brian had followed behind her.

  “Listen,” I said to Billy while we were alone. “This dress doesn’t exactly scream outdoorsy. I’m going to go inside and get changed. Can you keep people distracted for five minutes?”

  “Of course,” he agreed. He slipped his suit jacket off and held it out to me. “Can you take this with you? I kind of wish I’d brought my jeans, but this is a start.”

  I laughed and nodded, and then I headed towards the house. I hurried through the kitchen, pausing to hang Billy’s jacket on the back of a chair, before I went to the attic stairs. It was only when I heard a familiar bleat as I put one foot on the bottom step that I realized Snowball had followed me inside. As she brushed past me on the way up the stairs, I wondered absently if she would smudge my dress, but then I noticed the smell of shampoo wafting up from her. I had to laugh at the thought of my grandma bathing her.

  I hurried on up to my room, where I wriggled out of my dress and zipped it back into its bag. I loved my dress and wearing it had been like a dream come true. I had felt like a fairy tale princess in it. But at the same time, I would be glad to slip into something a little more comfortable. I kicked the high heels off, relieved they were gone and I could once more feel safe on my feet.

  I had already laid my outfit out. A white dress that hit just above my knee. It was cotton and would keep me nice and cool. I had finally opted out of the spray tan to Suzy’s dismay, but the white of this dress really brought out my natural tan. It had short sleeves and a panel of lace around the neckline. I slipped my feet into white ballet style shoes and laced the ribbons up my legs. I checked myself in the mirror. I looked fine, still bridal enough for anyone to know it was my wedding, thanks to the white, but comfortable enough to actually enjoy the party. It would be nice not to have to worry about breaking an ankle or ruining my dress.

  I smiled to myself as I moved away from the mirror. Somehow, I had expected to look different now I was married, but of course I didn’t. Well, except for my cheeks. They were glowing beneath my blush.

  “Come on then girl, we’ve got a party to get to,” I said to Snowball.

  I made my way downstairs, followed by the little goat, and walked back towards the kitchen. My heart almost stopped as I stepped into the kitchen and saw a figure rushing towards me. I gasped and then laughed at my own nerves when I realized the figure was Betty Blackwell.

  “Hi Betty. Is everything alright?” I asked.

  She smiled at me. “That’s what I was coming to ask you. I saw you slipping inside and thought maybe you were a little overwhelmed, but now I see what you were up to.”

  I was touched that she had noticed and made an effort to come and check on me.

  “Oh, goodness me,” she exclaimed before I had a chance to answer her.

  Snowball had put her little hooves on Betty’s legs and she was bleating incessantly.

  “Snowball, stop it,” I said.

  She ignored me of course.

  “She just wants to be fussed over,” I said to Betty, moving closer to pick Snowball up.

  Betty surprised me by bending down and laughing as she stroked the little goat.

  “Aren’t you just a friendly little thing?” she cooed as she stroked her.

  I watched, fighting to hide my amusement at this softer side of Betty. Betty straightened back up and, satisfied, Snowball returned to my side.

  “
Congratulations, by the way,” Betty said.

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  “You know,” she said as we walked out to the yard. “You didn’t have to pay that wedding planner. I would have been more than happy to organize everything for you.”

  “That’s really sweet, but I would never have asked that of you,” I said. “I’m just happy you’re here. Now no organizing today. Just relax and enjoy the party.”

  “I’ll try.” Betty smiled.

  We crossed the yard and Suzy approached us.

  “So now that you’re finally here, we can eat, right?” She laughed.

  “Right,” I agreed.

  “Good. I’ll go talk to the caterer,” she said.

  “Allow me,” Betty interrupted.

  I laughed as Betty hurried away to harass the caterer. It was probably too much to ask for Betty to just relax and not take charge of something or someone. I didn’t feel guilty. She would be in her element with a team of caterers to boss around.

  “The caterer isn’t going to know what hit her,” Suzy joked.

  “I know,” I agreed.

  I linked my arm through Suzy’s and we made our way through the crowd to the head table. I kept stopping to greet people and chat with them, accepting compliments until I could feel my face reddening. We finally reached the table. I had barely touched down on the seat when Autumn shouted through her megaphone again.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for. The buffet is now open,” she shouted with a laugh.

  Her announcement was greeted with rapturous applause from the guests.

  “What time is it?” I asked Billy.

  “Stop worrying,” he teased. “The band isn’t due to start for another hour after the food and toasts are done. They’re all set up and ready to go.”

  I grinned, amused that he had known exactly why I wanted to know.