Terror in Taffeta (3 page)

“Can I talk to you?” I whispered.

“Sure,” he said, holding up a just-one-minute finger to Nicole and Vince.

I pulled him through a nearby archway into a quiet corridor.

“Brody, Dana isn't sick. She's dead!”

“What?” He stared into my eyes to make sure I wasn't joking.

“I thought she'd fainted, but she never got back up.”

“That's terrible! What are you going to do?”

“Mrs. Abernathy said I'm not supposed to tell Nicole, but I have to tell her, right?”

“Hmmm,” he said. “What would Emily Post do?”

“I don't know!” I snapped. “I skipped that chapter.”

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, sensing correctly that whatever he was about to say should be kept to himself.

“Sorry,” I said. “You know how I get when I'm stressed. Oh, man, look at her.”

Across the room, Nicole and Vince chatted with some guests. Vince said something and she threw her head back and laughed. The radiant bride. It's a cliché for a reason.

Brody shook his head. “She looks so happy.”

“I know,” I said. “I hate the thought of taking that away from her.”

“Well, Mrs. Abernathy told you not to say anything, and she's the one paying the bills for this shindig. I say keep your mouth shut. You can always blame her later.”

I nodded in agreement. It wasn't the best plan. But it would have to do.

*   *   *

I hadn't had a bite to eat all night long, so I headed toward the kitchen to see if I could wrangle some leftovers out of the caterer, whose snapper Veracruz had been the talk of the evening.

“Ah, Miss Kelsey!” he exclaimed as I walked into the kitchen. “How did you enjoy dinner?”

“It looked amazing, but it's been crazy out there and I didn't get a bite. Can you help a girl out?”

“For you,
señorita
? Of course. Let me see what I can put together.”

As he buzzed around the kitchen, clanging lids and scavenging for leftovers, I peeked out to gauge how much longer we should wait before we cut the cake. Surely no one would notice if I disappeared for ten minutes. I needed a moment alone so I could figure out what to do.

“Here you are,” he said, handing me a steaming plate that he'd warmed up for me. “There's plenty left, so come see me if you're still hungry.”

“Thanks—I owe you one,” I said gratefully, taking the food and heading back into the courtyard.

The bridesmaids, having gotten a few cocktails in them, were getting boisterous. “Kelsey, come dance with us!” Zoe yelled as she kicked off her shoes and ditched them under a chair.

“Yeah,” Claire chimed in. She shimmied her way over to me and tried to drag me onto the dance floor. “C'mon!”

“I have to check on the cake,” I replied, plastering a convincing smile onto my face. “I'll join you in just a bit!”

“Okay,” Zoe said, “but as soon as you're done, get your butt back over here!”

I smiled and waved, sure she'd forget I existed as soon as I was out of sight. The girls danced away, and I made a U-turn toward the stairs to the second floor. I needed to get some food in me and I needed time to think, but before I could make it to the walkway, one of the groomsmen intercepted me.

“Kelsey,” he said. “Can I talk to you?”

“Sure, Trevor—give me a few minutes and I'll be right back,” I said, trying to breeze past him before he stopped my momentum.

“No, it's important.” He grabbed my arm, coming dangerously close to upending my dinner plate. Didn't he know not to stand in the way of a woman with blood sugar issues? My stomach growled at him menacingly.

“Okay, what's up?”

“I wanted to ask you about Dana.”

My stomach dropped. “Oh, um, yeah?”

“How is she?”

“Oh, are you two friends?” I said, trying to keep my facial expression neutral. Okay, so I was stalling, but I hadn't seen the two of them even speak a word to each other all weekend. Then again, it wasn't unusual for groomsmen to inquire about the other members of the wedding party. Hooking up with bridesmaids was part of their unwritten duty.

“We've met,” he said noncommittally.

Well, of course they'd met, but how well did he know her? Was he going to push me for answers?

“I'm not sure where she is right now,” I said, which was very true.

“Is she okay?” he prodded. “She didn't look too good.”

“Too much heat.” I waved my hand casually. “Happens all the time.”

“But I haven't seen her since the ceremony. How was she feeling when you left? Is she coming back to the party?”

My vague-but-truthful comments weren't satisfying him. I quickly weighed which would send me to hell faster: lying or letting Nicole find out from someone else that she was short a bridesmaid.

Deciding to go the lying route, I plastered a smile on my face. “She's absolutely fine. She's just had a lot of excitement. She's back at the villa. In fact, I'm taking her this plate so she can eat something. So if you'll excuse me…”

Trevor stared after me as I darted away. I'd tried to sound convincing, but I'm no Meryl Streep. At least I hadn't cracked under the pressure.

Away from the crowd at last, I scarfed down a few bites and tried to formulate a plan. I needed to tell Nicole before she found out on her own, but when? How? This was
so
not part of my job description.

I still didn't have a plan, but having something to digest improved my mood dramatically. I steeled myself for a moment before I reentered the fray. Everyone looked like they were having fun; at least I had that going for me. Brody spotted me across the courtyard and worked his way through the guests. “Rough night, huh?” he asked.

“I'll say. I've never lost a bridesmaid before.” I stared off, lost in thought. “Although I did lose a flower girl once.”

Brody stared at me, aghast. “You did? That's horrible!”

“What? Oh, no, it wasn't like that. We found her in the garden, poking at a ladybug. Totally ruined the dress, though.”

“Oh, thank God.”

We watched the happy guests gathered in the courtyard, oblivious to Dana's absence. “I really should get back out there, but I don't know how much longer I can keep up this fake smiling.”

“Don't beat yourself up,” Brody said. “You're doing the best you can under the circumstances.”

“I know.” I shook my head. “But I have to get it together. I've been hiding from Nicole all night because I'm afraid she'll see right through me, but avoiding the bride is kind of a wedding-planner no-no.”

“Hang in there,” he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and squeezing. “We've only got a couple more hours.”

“Thanks. Now get out of here. Don't you have to go get a picture of the dad with his empty pockets turned inside out or something?”

“Ouch!” he replied. “That hurts.”

“And that,” I said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, “is my cue to have them cut the cake!”

As I headed over toward Nicole, I passed Zoe and Claire chatting amiably with the best man, Ryan McGuire, at one of the eight-top rounds.

“Sorry to interrupt, but it's time to cut the cake.”

“Okay,” Zoe said, grabbing her drink from the table and slurping up the last of it. “I don't suppose Dana is going to grace us with her presence?”

I shook my head, smile frozen in place to keep my face from betraying anything.

Zoe rolled her eyes. “I can't believe she's being such a drama queen. I knew she'd mess things up for Nicole.”

“Please don't be mad at Dana,” I said, thinking how bad Zoe would feel when she found out the real reason for Dana's absence.

“Well, good riddance,” said Zoe. Claire nodded in agreement.

Ouch. “Okay, well, let's go finish things up and I'm sure tomorrow—”

“We're six minutes past cake-cutting time.” Mrs. Abernathy appeared out of nowhere, a particular talent of hers that I'd only just realized. “If we're going to be delayed, Kelsey, I certainly hope it's not because you're partying with the bridesmaids.”

“I'm not partying with anyone,” I said. “I'm working.”

“Well, that couldn't possibly be true, or we wouldn't be six minutes past cake-cutting time. I'm sorry: seven minutes.”

Oh, why had I given her the schedule?

“No, yes, of course,” I said, pushing Zoe and Claire in front of me, partly to point them toward the cake but mostly to put them between me and the mother of the bride.

“Oh, for heaven's sake,” Mrs. Abernathy said, glancing down at the bridesmaids' bare feet. “Girls, put your shoes on. This is a wedding, not a hoedown.”

Two minutes later—making us nine minutes late, which I considered a victory overall—Nicole and Vince pulled off their cake-cutting duties admirably, neither one smushing fondant into the other's face. Not that they would have dared, as Mrs. Abernathy had warned them more than a few times that it was uncouth.

As the servers passed around the wedding cake, Nicole pulled me aside.

“Hey, Kelsey, where's Dana? Is she okay?”

That was it. I couldn't take it anymore. The statute of limitations on mother-of-the-bride threats had just run out.

“Nicole, can we talk for a second?”

“Sure,” she said, looking concerned. We tried to duck out unnoticed, but an overly cheery voice interrupted our trajectory.

“There you are!” exclaimed Mrs. Abernathy.

“We've been here all along, Mom.”

“Isn't this cake to
die
for?” she said, taking Nicole by the arm.

Okay, seriously? She was going to go there?

“Mom, Kelsey and I are going to step outside for a second—”

“Nonsense, darling! Your guests are starting to leave, and we simply must do the sparklers before everyone's gone.”

“But, Mom, I asked Kelsey about Dana and—”

“Oh, yes, dear, Dana is sleeping. She even asked us to bring her a plate earlier, isn't that right, Kelsey?”

The evil eye Mrs. Abernathy gave me as she patted her daughter on the cheek had me rooted to the spot.

Oblivious to any tension, Mr. Abernathy approached, beaming at his daughter. “There are my two girls! Great job, Kelsey. What are you ladies gabbing about?”

“Nothing, darling,” Mrs. Abernathy cooed at her husband. “Nothing at all.”

 

CHAPTER 3

When my cell phone started sounding wake-up marimbas the next morning, I chucked it across the room. But when the church bells of La Parroquia started clanging every fifteen minutes, there was nothing I could do but pull a pillow over my head.

I hadn't slept more than two hours all night because I couldn't stop replaying the events of the evening in my mind. I burrowed down into the covers, but an insistent knock on my bedroom door sent me hurtling out of bed.

“You in there?”

Thank God. It was only Brody. I padded across the chilly, Saltillo-tile floor and opened the door to find him greeting me with an extra-large mug of
café
con leche
.

“Caffeine!” I cried, seizing the cardboard cup. “My dear old friend.”

“Me or the caffeine?” Brody asked.

“Well, I meant the coffee, but as the person who came bearing it, you're now officially my favorite.”

“I thought you might need it,” he said, rolling his suitcase into my room and dropping his camera bag on my bed.

“You thought right.” I took a long swig. “You already checked out of your hotel?”

“Yep,” he said. “Mrs. Abernathy had asked me to come by and shoot a few more photos at the farewell brunch this morning. Of course, that was before the whole … you know. Dana thing. So I'm not sure if it's still on, but I figured I'd better get on over here early just in case.”

“I don't think they had time to cancel brunch. None of the guests know what happened.” I took the lid off my cup so I could get to the caffeine faster than the little hole in the lid would allow. “Who else is up?”

“Nicole just came out of her room. If you hurry, you might get a chance to talk to her alone.”

Not a bad plan. People would be arriving in just a couple of hours, and I wanted to make sure Nicole was okay and find out how she'd taken the news of Dana's sudden departure. After throwing on a sundress and twisting my hair up in a clip, I got the go-ahead from Brody—who deemed me “presentable, but barely”—and headed downstairs.

I found Nicole at the breakfast table with her new husband and her mom. The three of them had gathered for some coffee and pastries to hold them over till brunch. Nicole wasn't waiting for brunch to make up for all the months of dieting, though; she was digging into a plate of eggs with gusto.

“Kelsey!” she exclaimed. “We were just talking about you. Thank you so much. You did an amazing job last night. Dad had to catch an early flight out, but he told us to be sure to thank you.” Her disposition was strangely sunny.

“Yeah,” said Vince. “My family had to take off, too, but they said to tell you thanks for everything.”

“Good morning,” I said, smiling uncomfortably. I paused for a moment, not sure how to proceed. “How'd you sleep?”

“We slept
great,
” she said, bumping Vince's shoulder playfully with her own. “Hey, have you checked on Dana this morning? I knocked on her door, but nobody answered.”

Shocked, I turned to look at Mrs. Abernathy. Hadn't she told Nicole? Feigning ignorance, Mrs. Abernathy sipped her coffee and waited for me to answer.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled up a chair and sat down. It was time to end this. “Nicole, Vince, I have some bad news.”

Nicole sat up straight. “Bad news?”

“What is it?” Vince asked. “What happened?”