Chapter Seven

~ Jenna ~

As I make my way into the church sanctuary via the choir room, I recall a public relations class I took as part of my MBA at the University of North Carolina. There had been a short unit on crisis PR, and now I wish I would’ve paid better attention.

It would come in handy right now.

I have a plan in case a wedding is called off. I even have a crisis management plan for the rare occasion that a bride or groom is left at the altar, but I hadn’t thought about having a murder plan.

Still, the basics of public relations—good or bad—is to make people feel at ease, and that’s what I’ll try to do as I break the news that there won’t be a wedding to the guests who have gathered to celebrate Riley and Grace Marie.

The family has agreed that they don’t want to announce Riley’s death right now. Not yet. They want to wait until they have a handle on what happened. Patricia hasn’t even had a chance to talk to Charles yet. Reverend Flannery was taking her to the Birkshire Condominiums so she could be with her husband.

That leaves me to deal with the guests. My marching orders are to tell them that, unfortunately, there won’t be a wedding or reception today. I am not to offer any other details.

The fact that Riley Buxston is dead will hit a lot of people hard. He may have been an affable screwup, and people in the community may have mixed feelings about Charles Buxston’s business practices, but the town will rally around the Buxstons and come together over the loss.

However, the idea that there has been a murder in our close-knit community will likely turn things upside down. I get a sick feeling when I think about it. The thought that a killer is loose in town is one of the most unsettling things I’ve had to process in a long time.

Before I can break the news to the guests, my best friend, Tess, appears.

“What’s going on?” she whispers.

I want nothing more than to sit down with her and unload all the ugly details. It would be therapy and Tess would help me put it into perspective. But, right now, I have a job to do.

“I’m going to go out there and make an announcement,” I whisper. “It’s chaos right now, but as soon as things settle down, I’ll fill you in on everything.”

Tess’s eyes are huge. “Is there going to be a wedding?”

I shake my head.

Her mouth forms a perfect O.

“Later,” I say. “Because right now, I have to go out there and tell everyone about the change of plans.”

She nods and gives me a quick hug. “Hang in there.”

When I step out onto the dais, the organist stops playing the prelude music and the crowded the sanctuary goes quiet. Everyone is staring at me expectantly. As I survey the faces, for a moment, I battle a bout of panic that steals my voice.

But I give myself a mental shake. It’s best to be matter-of-fact.

“Good morning, everyone. I regret to inform you that there won’t be a wedding or reception today after all. That’s all I can tell you right now. Thank you for being here today. You’re free to go.”

A collective gasp sounds from the congregation. Some murmur among themselves.

Free to go? I cringe at the words. It’s not as if they were being held against their will.

Bobby Don Fox stands up. “Is everything okay?”

Again, the crowd quiets. All eyes are on me.

Of course, everything is not okay. The wedding is canceled. Even if Riley was still alive but they’d decided to call it off, everything would not be okay. But I can’t say that.

“Mr. Fox, I’m not at liberty to discuss details.”

“I’m not asking for details.” His voice has an edge. This is a man who does not like the word no. “I just want to know if everyone is all right.”

“You’ll have to talk to the family.”

Before he can prolong the argument, I turn to the organist and give her the signal to resume playing. She strikes up a jazzy rendition of 'How Great Thou Art.' It doesn’t seem appropriate, but she doesn’t know what’s happened. At least she didn’t choose the 'Hallelujah Chorus' or 'Ode to Joy.'

As people begin to file out of the pews, I wonder if Riley’s killer is among the crowd. Then I remember Grace Marie’s odd demeanor when she heard the news. She didn’t shed a tear. I know she’s capable of emotion because of the show she put on in the office yesterday morning. Her performance had been fit for a costume melodrama. Was that what it was? A performance… Complete with the words, as much as I want to be your wife, Riley Buxston, sometimes I want to kill you.

Rose Henshaw, who runs the bookstore, touches my shoulder as I’m en route to the choir room.

“I’m so sorry the wedding has been canceled. I do hope everyone is okay?” There’s an implied tell me more.

I recognize the woman’s not-so-subtle fishing for information. It’s classic of the Gossip Brigade. But she isn’t going to get anything more from me. I need to choose my words carefully. In fact, the less said the better.

“I’m sure Patricia would be very touched by your condolences. I’m happy to relay your kind words.”

I punctuate the reply with a sweet smile. Rose graciously takes the hint. But before she turns to go, she says, “I know you have your hands full with the helping the Buxstons wrap up the wedding, but we are counting on you to come to the Christmas festival meeting at the bookstore Monday at noon. Are you still planning on being there?”

I volunteered to organize the Hemlock Christmas Festival, which is scheduled to take place in ten days. It’s the perfect opportunity to showcase my event-planning skills. The exposure for my business will be invaluable. Plus, Hemlock is such a community-minded town, I’m proud to do my part to make the annual festival a success.

“Of course, Rose. I’m looking forward to it.”

Rose’s face brightens. “Wonderful, Jenna. I knew we could count on you.”

She hesitates and I’m ready to walk away, but she holds on to my arm.

“Don’t let this situation discourage you.” She waves her hand to indicate the wedding. “Things happen. I’m sure Riley’s bride will recover. Or did she walk out on Riley?”

I smile my most patient smile, but I tilt my head to indicate I knew what she was trying to do. “I already told you, Rose, out of respect for the family, I can’t give you any more information than what I said to the group as a whole.”

“Of course not. But do call on me if I can help, dear.”

“Jenna, there you are.” It’s Todd, which means Reverend Flannery and Patricia must have reached Charles.

“Hi, Todd. I’ll be right there. I need to run, Rose, but thank you for offering to help. I’ll see you at noon on Monday.”

When I’m safely in the choir room, I say, “Thank you for saving me.”

“You’re welcome,” he says. “It looked like she had you cornered and wasn’t going to make it easy for you to get away.”

“You’re right about that. Rose Henshaw is persistent. So was BD Fox. For a minute, I thought he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. How’s Charles?”

Todd shrugs. “About as good as can be expected. He’s with Patricia and Ben now.”

“Good. I’m glad they were able to get out of here before the crowd filed out.” I shake my head. So many thoughts are whirling through my brain; I’m at a loss for what to say. “I can’t believe Riley is dead.” The words sound clumsy.

Todd touches my arm and smiles a sad smile. “I know. Who would want to do this to him? I mean, Riley was a lot of things, but he was the last person I ever expected to be murdered.”

I shudder and glance around the choir room, trying to find my bearing in the robes that are hanging in a neat row on a rolling rack on the far wall next to the upright piano. Hymnals and black music folders are stacked on a nearby table. It all seems so normal and orderly, but nothing feels normal right now.

“Did anything happen last night when you all were out, Todd? Did he say or do anything that would make you think he was in trouble?”

“No. Nothing out of the ordinary. He was just being his usual, drunk, loud, obnoxious self. You know how he loved to be the center of attention. Everyone was buying him shots when they found out he was getting married.”

“Where did you go?”

Todd blanches. “What do you mean?”

“Last night. Ben had to leave so he had to call an Uber for Riley.”

Sadness clouds his eyes. “Yeah. I know. Maybe if I’d kept an eye on him…things would be different today. But we’d gone out like that dozens of times.”

“Where were you?”

Todd blanches again. “I’ve already given my statement to the police.” But just as fast as he puffs up, he blows out a breath. “I’m sorry, Jenna. I know you cared about Riley. I did, too. The fact that he’s gone—” Todd’s voice breaks. His eyes swim. He gives his head a quick shake. “I think it’s all just hitting me.”

Todd is big guy. He’s as tall as Riley, but where Riley was a little lumpy, Todd is fit in a way that suggests he spends a lot of time at the gym. He has brown hair cut close to his scalp and hazel eyes that look more green than brown right now because of the sadness clouding them.

“My assistant, Brianna, was at the Hideaway last night. She just broke up with her boyfriend and was upset. She needed to talk. I wish I would’ve been there for Riley.” He swipes his hand across his face and sniffs.

“Did you and Riley hang out at the Hideaway a lot?”

He gives a one shoulder shrug. “We did back in the day. But he’s been in Atlanta for the past few years. I haven’t really seen him much until he moved back to Hemlock a couple of months ago.”

My phone buzzes a text from Walter Danforth, the country club manager, informing me he told the person manning the gatehouse to tell anyone from the wedding who showed up that the reception was canceled.

I text back that I’ll see him soon.

“I need to go to the country club and make arrangements for the food and the flowers. I also need to make sure that Grace Marie and Nicole haven’t killed each other. One death is enough.”

“I saw your mom herding Grace Marie and Tonya out to the parking lot when I got here. I assumed she was taking her to the hotel.”

“Yes, apparently, Grace Marie refused to ride with Nicole.” I drop the tidbit to see what Todd knows.

He arches a brow. “Why would Grace Marie refuse to ride with Nicole?”

I got the scoop from my mother before I addressed the congregation.

“From what I heard, Nicole and Riley had a fling one time when he and Grace Marie were broken up. Did you know about it?”

Todd gives a noncommittal shrug.

“Tell me what you know,” I say. “It might be important in light of what’s happened to Riley.”

He nods solemnly. “I don’t know much, only that she and Riley hooked up when he and Grace Marie were on a break. It wasn’t serious. At least not on Riley’s part. I don’t know how Nicole felt.”

“My sources say she was pretty torn up over the news about Riley, but I guess we all were.”

Sadness clouds his eyes again. “You don’t suppose Grace Marie found out about Nicole and—” Todd grimaces.

“Apparently Grace Marie knew before she asked Nicole to be the maid of honor. She did it because she was keeping her friends close and her enemies closer. Once that was out, Nicole confessed that she still loved Riley. Then, in an even stranger turn of events, Nicole hinted that Grace Marie left the hotel suite after they returned from their bachelorette party.”

“Really?” Todd taps his chin.

I tell him about Grace Marie dragging Riley to the shop yesterday.

“I know we all process grief differently, but yesterday’s histrionics, made today’s non-emotion even stranger. She learns her fiancé is dead and she acts more irritated than upset.”

“And she doesn’t even ask what happened,” Todd said.

“Do you think Grace Marie killed Riley?” I ask.

“She has the motive and if what Nicole is saying holds up, she may not have an alibi.”

“I’ll pass that along to Chief Bradley, but, right now, I need to get over to the club.”

Todd and I walk to the front of the church, which, to my relief, has cleared out quickly. Through the glass front doors, I see a few stragglers huddled together in the parking lot, but there’s nothing I can do about them.

I don’t see my mother’s car. That means she’s probably driving Nicole to the hotel. I wonder how the three of them will do in the suite.

I grab my purse, coat, and keys out of the church office. I’m just about to push open the door when Jackson Bradley rounds the corner and pulls it open for me.

“Just the person I want to see,” he says.

I can see why Mom is infatuated with him—even though she won’t admit it. He’s cute in a rugged too-old-for-me sort of way. No disrespect to my father, but I wish she’d give Jackson a chance. Go out to dinner with him and have some fun for a change. But that’s not my business. The last time I suggested that, she got upset with me. She and I rarely fight.

“Todd, Jenna,” he says.

“Chief.” Todd lifts his hand in a quick salute. “I’m just on my way out. I’ll catch you later, Jenna.”

“Bye, Todd. I’m on my way out now, too, Chief,” I say. “I have to get over to the club and wrap up everything over there.”

“It’s a shame about Riley, isn’t it?” Jackson says.

I nod solemnly as the reality of everything crashes over me again, like a wave in a rough ocean. I’ve been bounding along in business mode since I heard the news. I was able to compartmentalize it—until now. It hits me full force.

Riley is dead. Dead. I’m never going to see him again.

“I need to talk to you,” Jackson says. “Would you like to come by the station or if it’s easier, I can come by your house later today?”

“I have so much to do this weekend,” I say. “Could I come by early in the week and talk to you? After I get squared away with the wedding? I’m going to offer to help the Buxstons with the funeral.”

“No,” Jackson says.

At first, I think he’s kidding. So, I chuckle, like I’m going along with his joke. But he doesn’t smile and he’s looking at me all solemn, like I could be in trouble.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Jenna. I need to talk to you today. I don’t know if you realize it, but as far as we can piece together, you were the last person to see Riley alive. Please don’t make me bring you in to the station to get your statement. Offering to meet you at home was me being nice and working with you.”

I blanch. “Are you saying I’m a suspect?”

He takes a deep breath. “Right now, I just need to get your statement, find out what you know.”

Something in his voice makes me worry that it’s more serious than that. Then again, he’s not here to arrest me.

And I’m not guilty. Period.

“Right now?” My mother is walking up the church steps. “What do you mean by right now, Jackson? My daughter didn’t do anything wrong.”

“It’s okay, Mom,” I say. “I’m fine with talking to Chief Bradley.”

“No, it’s not fine,” Mom continues.

“The coroner says the preliminary time of death is between 11:30 p.m. last night and 2:00 a.m. this morning. The security camera footage I viewed from the lobby and the elevator of the Birkshire Condominiums show that Jenna was the last person to enter Riley’s condo until Charles, Todd, and you entered it this morning.”

“Did that same footage show her coming down the elevator?” Mom asks.

“It did.”

“And?” Mom says.

Jackson looks at her like she’s crazy. “It shows her leaving Riley’s condo approximately ten minutes after she entered.” He shrugs, but it’s definitely the period at the end of the point he’s making. Not a shrug of confusion.

“How did she look in the last video clip? Did she look like someone who had just bludgeoned her friend to death? Did she?” It’s clear she’s not going to stop until she gets Chief Bradley to concede. “How dare you accuse her?”

“I’m not here to arrest her, Maddie. But I do need to talk to her.”

“That’s fine,” I say before Mom does something that forces Jackson to arrest her. My whole life she’s been a mama bear, my biggest advocate and fiercest protector. Now, I feel like I need to protect her from her own ferocity. “I did see Riley last night, and I have nothing to hide. What I know might help you catch who did this to him. But right now, I need to tend to the reception vendors. Would you mind coming by the office this afternoon around 4:00?”

“I can do that,” Jackson says, slanting a glance at Maddie.

I nod. “I’ll see you then. Right now, please excuse me. I have a lot of work to do. And, Mom, don’t you have some information you’d like to share with the chief?”

~ Maddie ~

After Jenna leaves, I’m left standing face-to-face with Jackson.

“You know she didn’t do anything wrong,” I say.

“I wish I did know that.” He crosses his arms over his chest, closing himself off.

I want to pick up something and throw it at him, but that wouldn’t help matters. Instead, I glare at him. That probably doesn’t help either, but it makes me feel better.

“Maddie, as far as we can tell, she was the last person to see him before he died. She doesn’t have an alibi.”

“I’m her alibi,” I shout. “And she wasn’t the last person to see him. The killer was.”

The door to the church opens and Reverend Flannery walks in.

“Is everything okay here?” he asks.

“Yes,” I say and feel bad, because I’ve just lied to a minister while standing in a church. Until I hear Jackson say he believes Jenna didn’t murder Riley Buxston, nothing will be okay.

I glance out the window and the parking lot looks empty.

“We were just leaving, Reverend Flannery,” I say. “Are Patricia and Charles all right?”

He smiles a sad smile. “As good as can be expected given the circumstance.”

“Jenna has gone to look after things at the reception venue. Please let me know if I can help in any way.”

“Thank you,” the reverend says. “Any leads on who might have committed this heinous crime, Chief?”

Jackson doesn’t look at me. “We’re working on it, Reverend. We’ll catch the person who did this.”

“Good. Because not only is it a tragic loss for the Buxston family, it’s a tragedy for our entire community. We’ve never had a murder in Hemlock.”

Leave it to Riley Buxston to be the first.

If I could kick myself for thinking such a hateful thought, I would. It’s not as if he chose this end. But still, it’s so typical of him to leave chaos in his wake. Chaos that touches my daughter.

Stop it.

I cross my arms, mirroring Jackson’s body language. I pinch my inner arm until the odious thought about Riley gives way to the self-inflicted pain.

“Shall we?” Jackson says to me and motions toward the door with a nod of his head.

I already have my purse on my arm because I’d just gotten back from dropping Nicole off at the hotel. I will make sure Jackson goes right over to talk to her before she leave for Atlanta.

I talk as we walk toward his car. “Think about it, Jackson. Jenna got home just before midnight. She came upstairs and we had a cup of tea. That’s when she told me that Riley had come to see her. She was worried about him. She drove him home and made sure he got inside safely. She even called his brother, Benjamin, and left a message saying she was concerned about Riley because he was so drunk and he was freaked out about the wedding. Do you think Jenna could’ve sat there with me, sipping tea and telling me all this, after bludgeoning her friend to death?”

“I don’t know, Maddie. I don’t know Jenna very well. Passion can drive otherwise law-abiding citizens to do the unthinkable.”

A growling noise escapes my throat. Honestly, the sound surprised me.

“Passion? Are you kidding me? There is no passion where Riley and Jenna are concerned. At least not for Jenna.”

“Maybe it was self-defense. Maybe in his drunken state, Riley got overly friendly with Jenna. Maybe she didn’t mean to kill him. Maybe she was just trying to get away from him. If that’s the case, she needs to tell me.”

“You stop right there,” I demand. “Was there a sign of a struggle?”

“The place wasn’t trashed, but a few things were knocked over. I wouldn’t expect someone Jenna’s size to trash the place.”

“That’s exactly my point. Could someone Jenna’s size really take on Riley Buxston? He’s a big guy. Or, he was a big guy. Plus, there would’ve been blood. Right?”

Jackson nods.

“She didn’t have a spot of blood on her hands or her clothes.”

“Maybe she changed clothes and washed up before she came up to see you.”

“No. I heard her car pull into the driveway. She parked, let herself in, and knocked on my door. She didn’t have time to wash up or change clothes.”

“Maybe she stopped and changed before she got home.”

“Now you’re suggesting that the crime was premeditated. As far as I know, my daughter doesn’t carry a change of clothes in her car. She has no reason to. If she needs to change, she comes home to do that. So, what you’re suggesting is that she took a change of clothes with her. That means, you think she planned to kill Riley Buxston before she even left home. You’d better have hard, solid evidence of this before you drag my daughter through the mud, Jackson. Maybe we should start with taking a look at the clothing she was wearing in the surveillance video. I’d bet everything I own it was the sweater and pants she was wearing when she got home.”

He starts to speak, but I hold up my hand. “Instead of venturing any farther down the wrong path, I suggest that you talk to Grace Marie Taylor. She’s been talking pretty tough lately. Yesterday, she said to Riley, and I quote, ‘…as much as I want to be your wife, Riley Buxston, sometimes I want to kill you.’”

Jackson’s eyes fly open wide. He takes a notepad out of his pocket and starts writing. “You heard her say this?”

“I didn’t hear it with my own ears. But it came from a reliable source. And then she—”

“Who is your source?”

“Jenna told me.”

Jackson nods and closes the notepad. “She did, did she? Did anyone else hear Grace Marie say it?”

“Other than Riley, no.”

“That doesn’t help us much, does it?”

“Will you let me finish, please?” I say.

“Of course.”

“Today, when Jenna and Reverend Flannery broke the news about Riley, Grace Marie asked if Riley was playing some kind of sick joke. If so, and if he didn’t apologize, she said she wasn’t going to marry him. Then she said, and I quote after hearing it with my own ears, ‘In fact, if he isn’t dead, I’m going to kill him.’”

Jackson writes this down.

I take the opportunity to tell him about Grace Marie’s demeanor when she marched Riley into the shop. Then I tell him about her stone-cold reaction when she heard Riley was dead and how she didn’t ask what happened and instead immediately turned on Nicole.

Jackson nods and homes as he writes. Now, I feel as if we’re getting somewhere.

“I’ll talk to Grace Marie and Nicole,” he says.

“I would suggest you do it sooner rather than later, because Nicole and Grace Marie are sharing a suite and neither of them can stand to be in the same room with the other. Nicole was talking about going to back to Atlanta today, and Grace Marie made no pretense that she wants her gone.”

Then I remember what Nicole said.

“By the way, apparently Nicole had a fling with Riley and Grace Marie knew about it.”

Jackson shakes his head and resumes writing down what I’m telling him. “This is like bad reality television.”

I’m tempted to ask him to name a good reality television show, but instead, I stay focused. “Oh, it gets better. As the girls were having it out in the bridal room, Nicole mentioned that Grace Marie wasn’t in the suite all night. Nicole said that Grace Marie snuck out around eleven p.m.”

Jackson’s brows shoots up and he glances up from his notebook. “Seriously?”

“According to Nicole. Of course, Grace Marie denied it, but Nicole said the hotel’s security camera would prove it.”

“That’s definitely something I’ll look into.”

“Of course it is. It’s huge.”

Jackson shrugs as if he doesn’t agree.

“What do you mean? Why does security footage implicate my daughter, but you’re all shrugs and noncommittal about the dead guy’s cold fiancée?”

“Because I haven’t seen the footage. And I know that you love your daughter and would do and say anything to clear her.”

“Well, then, I suggest you get over to the hotel and do your job.”

I shouldn’t have said that, but I’m so furious I am literally seeing red spots dance in front of my eyes.

“Okay then.” His voice is tight. He snaps his notebook shut. “I’ll go do my job.”

“Good. Goodbye, Jackson.” My voice catches and I turn away before he can see the tears welling in my eyes.

All kinds of irrational thoughts flash through my mind, everything from kicking his patrol car to putting Jenna on a plane and getting her out of the country until he catches the real murderer.

Again, I’m mentally cursing Riley for making such a mess out of things one last time before he made his grand exit. The thought is heartless. The guy is dead. He’s been murdered. No one deserves to die at the hands of another person, but my daughter is not the person who killed him.

I have never been so certain of anything in my entire life.

If I have to launch my own investigation into Riley Buxston’s death to prove Jenna’s innocence, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

I’ve done it on the pages of my cozy mystery manuscripts.

I think it’s time to start channeling my inner Aubrey Christiansen.