Laina Turner - Presley Thurman 08 - Vows & Victims Read online

  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  Title

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Other Books By Laina Turner

  Vows & Victims

  A Presley Thurman Mystery

  Laina Turner

  Chapter 1

  I can’t believe you’re actually getting married,” I said to my best friend from back home, Katy, while packing to head down there for the upcoming nuptials.

  “You mean you can’t believe I’m actually getting married to Chris. I know you don’t approve.”

  “It’s not that I don’t approve. I just want you to be happy. And Chris doesn’t have the best track record in making you happy.”

  “I know, Presley, but he’s changed. I realize you’re not going to believe me until you see for yourself, which you will, I promise, when you get here. He’s a completely different person. You just need to spend some time with him. He’s really been trying hard.”

  I held back a sigh. I wanted to be happy for her, but there was a lot of negative history there. However, Katy was a grown woman and could make her own decisions, or mistakes, as I saw it. I just needed to be the supportive friend, and if things fell apart, be there to pick up the pieces and not say I told you so.

  “So you’ll be here by noon, right? In time to go with me to the florist and the caterers? And, oh yeah, stop by the hall to make sure everything is set, just to name a few things?”

  I plopped down on the bed, phone still in my hand, and sighed quietly so Katy wouldn’t hear me. It was taking a lot of effort to try and show genuine enthusiasm, not just for the whole wedding in general but for all the work the maid of honor was supposed to do. I was happy to be a part of her wedding, but I wasn’t the best at all the organization and stuff.

  “Yes, I’m going to pack tonight and head out first thing tomorrow. I can’t wait!”

  Katy laughed. “Whatever. I’ll see you then.”

  I got off the phone and sat up, taking a mental inventory of what clothes I had clean that I should pack. My bridesmaid dress was there already waiting for me. Hope to God it still fit, since six weeks ago when I had it fitted and altered it had been a little tight and I just hadn’t been in the dieting mood. Food was so good.

  I quickly made my clothing decisions and got everything together, except what I needed in the morning to get ready. I got in my pajamas, set my alarm and lay down to try and get some sleep, but my mind kept thinking about what Katy was about to do. It reminded me too much of the problems I was currently having with Cooper, and I wasn’t sure sleep would be forthcoming.

  When the alarm went off at six, I wanted to hit the snooze once or twice, as was my normal practice, but I knew I needed to get up and on the road if I was going to make it to Alkon in time for the many meetings Katy had planned for us.

  At seven fifteen, I was in my black Kia Sportage pulling into traffic to head out of town. Jared, my roommate, was still sleeping when I left, so I wrote him a note to not forget it was garbage day. I joked that taking out the garbage was the only reason I kept him around.

  I’m Presley—thirty–something, auburn–haired, size eight on a good day, size ten most of the time—Thurman. I live in Chicago in a condo with my friend Jared and was heading back to my hometown of Alkon, which was a couple of hours south of the city. While I left that small town one minute after graduation, not all of my friends did. Katy, for example. And my parents were still there, so I frequently went back to visit.

  This was only the second time I had been back since the murder of Senator Tom Daniels. I had become involved in the murder, no fault of my own of course, and some of the key players had been friends of mine. Coming back stirred up some not–so–great memories, and with Katy’s wedding I had a great big memory smacking me right in the face.

  I merged onto the freeway and thought about Chris, the guy Katy was marrying. He had never treated Katy very well, in my opinion. Not only had Chris and Katy been on again and off again since high school, but he had also been involved romantically with Helen, the wife of Senator Daniels, when the senator was murdered. Chris had been played by Helen so, of course, when he got his heart broken he ran back to Katy, who, God knows why, took him back. It had been their pattern for so many years I almost wondered if it was just her habit.

  I tried to put it out of my mind because I truly did want to be supportive for Katy, and obsessing over all the reasons why she shouldn’t marry Chris wasn’t going to help that. So instead, I thought of my own current situation. I had recently started a job as a food blogger. It didn’t pay much and was basically a start–up column for a local paper, which had begun taking their product online, much like the writing gig that had indirectly gotten me involved with the murder of Senator Daniels.

  In that case, I had been an online journalist and the online magazine had sent me to interview the senator because he was visiting Alkon, which also happened to be his wife’s hometown. Shortly after the murder, in an unrelated series of events, the online magazine went under. It was sad, not only because I lost my new job, but my friend Trevor had been the editor and was instrumental in getting it off the ground. He had lost his job, as well as his investment. Lucky for him, he had found another job quickly, not surprisingly though, because he was talented. Me, on the other hand, I was still searching. I was, by definition of my college degree, a human resource professional. I had spent many years after college climbing the corporate ladder working toward that golden job in the C–suite. Then I became disillusioned, was sexually harassed by my slime ball of a boss, and walked out one day.

  It was the best—and scariest— day of my professional life. While I never regretted leaving the business world, it left me without a clear path. I wanted to find a way to make a living doing what I loved, but it wasn’t easy. Life was funny. When you were young you thought you would have it all figured out by the time you left high school. Ha! I left high school a long time ago and I still had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up.

  Writing this food blog scared me a little. What I knew about food mainly centered around eating it, but I was convincing enough, or they were desperate enough, that they hired me. My first piece was due Friday, in three days. Another reason I was stressed about the wedding. I had to find time to write five hundred words on a topic I knew little about. Coming to Alkon was also a great opportunity to talk to my mom, who really was a person who knew about food, and I was hoping she could help me. If only I could get her to write it for me.

  I turned on the radio and station surfed, distracting myself from everything, and tried to just enjoy the drive. A couple of coffee stops and a couple hours later, I made it into Alkon and went straight to Katy’s salon. As I pulled in, I was surprised I didn’t see any cars in the lot and then I remembered she didn’t open until 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, as it was one of her late nights.

  I had made such good time I had arrived twenty minutes early, so even Katy was not there yet. I got out of my car to stretch my legs and walked around in circles in the parking lot. Then I headed over to peek in the window of the salon. Katy was always changing the décor and I was curious to see what t
he latest look was.

  I shaded my eyes with my hands and leaned against the front window to eliminate glare so I could see in better. I could see she had replaced the tile colors with a softer blue, which gave the salon a much lighter feel than it had before. As I looked around I saw a mannequin sitting, or rather slumped over in one of the hair styling chairs. Why would she have one of those? Or was it a mannequin?

  I squinted to see better and almost wished I hadn’t. Holy crap. That was most certainly not a mannequin. I reached for my phone, thinking, What are the odds this would happen to me twice?

  I had just found a dead body.

  Chapter 2

  Soon the place was hopping with cop cars and employees of the salon, along with curious town folk who listened to the police scanner for excitement and then rushed out to follow the drama. I was almost surprised not to see my dad or any of his friends.

  “What the hell, Presley?” Katy said by way of greeting when she got to me after answering some questions the cops had.

  “Beats me,” I said, throwing my hands up in the air. “I just made the mistake of getting here early and looking in the window.”

  “How could something like this happen on my wedding week?” Katy wailed. “And at my business!”

  I gave her a hug. “It’s just a minor snafu. It’s not going to ruin your wedding,” I said sympathetically, though I couldn’t help but wonder if this was yet one more sign that her marrying Chris was a bad idea.

  “There is a dead body in my salon, Presley. This is more than a minor snafu. It’s a dead body!” she said, her pitch rising with every word.

  She had a point. Couldn’t really minimize something like this.

  I decided to change tactics. “Do they know who it is in there?” I said.

  Katy shook her head. “Not yet.”

  The door of the salon opened, and the paramedics rolled out a body on a gurney, covered up, much to the onlookers’ dismay, if their disappointed murmurs were any indication.

  “Honey, are you OK?” A concerned looking Chris rushed up and put his arms around Katy, who melted into his arms.

  Not that I was about to jump to a quick judgment overall, but this was a side of Chris I hadn’t seen before. He had never been all that caring and compassionate. Maybe he had changed. At least in this moment, I was impressed.

  After a few minutes, he let go of her. “Hi, Presley.”

  “Chris.” I nodded, watching as the ambulance pulled away and a police officer walked over. It was the same one who had arrived on the scene first.

  “Presley, I have a few more questions for you.”

  The cop was Officer Schultz. I knew him somewhat from when the senator was murdered.

  “Sure, but I don’t know much. I was just looking through the window.”

  “These are just routine questions, but you never know, you might have observed something and not initially realized it.”

  He went through his questions, not giving any real information, and finally closed his notebook. I took advantage of his pause to ask a question of my own.

  “Do you know who that is? I mean…was?”

  “Weren’t you involved with Senator Daniels murder?” he countered.

  “Kind of, I guess.”

  He just looked at me a moment. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking and it made me more than a little uncomfortable. I’m not sure why, it wasn’t as if I had done anything wrong.

  “We haven’t yet ID’d the body. Thank you for your time.”

  I turned to Katy and Chris. “He wasn’t very chatty.”

  “Oh, Presley, don’t start,” said Katy.

  “Start what?”

  “Trying to get involved in this. You are here to be my maid of honor and all that entails. Not to try to solve a murder.”

  “I’m not trying to get involved,” I said defensively. “But aren’t you the least bit curious as to who the dead body found in your salon is?”

  Katy rubbed her temples. “Of course I want to know. I want to know who it is and why she was in my salon. And how she died. I mean, maybe she broke in and died of natural causes.”

  “Katy, as nice a thought as that is, I don’t think it’s very realistic. People aren’t like cats where they just go off to die in a salon somewhere,” I said, trying to lighten the mood, which didn’t at all work because Katy just glared at me. She didn’t seem to find me funny. “I’m sorry, Katy. I know this is the last thing you needed. What can I do?”

  “Well, as weird as it seems to just go about our day, what else is there? We can’t do anything about a dead body, and clearly the salon will be closed for a few days, at least, I’m guessing. So, off to check on the hall and meet the caterer,” she said with forced enthusiasm.

  I really felt bad. This was definitely not a series of events any bride–to–be wanted on their wedding week. So I just needed to help her put this unpleasantness out of her mind and enjoy wedding stuff.

  “Maybe it will take my mind off all this negative stuff,” she added.

  “Is Chris going to come with us?”

  “No, it’s just us girls. He has to go back to work.”

  That was another thing Chris had struggled with in the past—consistent gainful employment. He wasn’t a bad guy or even lazy. It was more that he couldn’t ever really commit and follow through, whether to Katy or to a job. So this was a good thing. Still, a part of me couldn’t help but wonder if the reason why Chris was ready to marry Katy was her financial stability. Maybe this meant I was wrong. I really wanted to be happy for Katy.

  “What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go to the caterer.”

  Katy gave Chris a kiss goodbye and then jumped into my vehicle.

  “I know you’re not thrilled about me marrying him, but I promise he’s changed. You’ll see it,” Katy said as we pulled out of the parking lot.

  “Katy, if you’re happy, I’m happy. That’s all that matters. Now, where are we going?”

  “You remember the old Ships Inn restaurant? Someone bought it and turned it into a banquet facility. It’s absolutely gorgeous inside.”

  “I can’t wait to see it.”

  We chatted for the ten–minute drive, mostly about the wedding, and soon pulled up to the Towne Banquet Hall. As we walked in, I realized Katy had been right. It had been beautifully redone. Very elegant and upscale.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Katy said, “and it looks much pricier than it is.”

  An older, probably late fifties, woman walked down the hall toward us. “Katy, so wonderful to see you. I bet you’re getting excited for the big day,” the woman said with a level of cheerfulness that should have sounded fake but didn’t at all. Probably made her very good at her job.

  “I am. Just want to get all the little details ironed out. Joy, this is my friend and maid of honor, Presley Thurman.”

  “Hi, Joy. Nice to meet you.”

  “You aren’t by any chance Sue Thurman’s daughter are you?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Such a lovely woman. We share a passion for flowers and are on a few gardening club committees together.”

  Of course they were. My mother knew everyone in this town, which had always meant she knew everything I did minutes after it happened. Something that had driven me crazy when I was twelve and that still drove me crazy now.

  I just listened while Joy and Katy ran through the list and gave my opinion when asked. Katy had always been extremely organized, and this was no different. She didn’t actually need me, except for moral support. She had this handled. We were out of there in thirty minutes and onto the next stop, the flower shop. I was happy with how well this was going.

  Once again, I just stayed in the background unless asked for my opinion. My mind kept wandering off to the dead body found in Katy’s salon. Alkon was typically a safe, relatively quiet town. Not a town where dead bodies were found in unusual places. I was so lost in thought that I jumped when Katy poked me.

  “Ear
th to Presley,” Katy said. “I was asking you which ribbon you like best. The inch or inch and a half?” she said holding up both for my inspection. Katy’s wedding colors were a beautiful icy pale green and cream, and those were the ribbon colors she was holding up in the different sizes.

  “Sorry. My mind was wandering. I like the inch better.”

  “Good. Me, too.” She turned to the florist and laid the samples back down. “The one–inch it is. And you will have the bouquets delivered to the church by noon Saturday and centerpieces to the Towne Banquet Hall by two?”

  “We sure will, Miss Smythe,” the florist said.

  As we walked out, I asked, “How does it feel to know soon you will be Mrs. Stone instead of Miss Smythe?” I teased.

  “Weird. But at least my initials don’t change,” she joked back.

  “Now where to?” I asked as we got back in the car.

  “Dress shop for final fittings.”

  I groaned. This was a stop I definitely wasn’t looking forward to.

  “Oh stop. It’s not going to be that bad.”

  “I’ve been eating a lot of things lately that I shouldn’t. Why do you think I’m wearing yoga pants?” I said, pointing to my black pants with the hot pink piping with matching jacket. “They’re stretchy and accommodating.”

  Katy rolled her eyes.

  Chapter 3

  Katy’s phone rang and she dug it out of her purse. She frowned.

  “I don’t recognize the number,” she said to me.

  “Ugh, I hate that.”

  “Should I answer it?”

  “I would, only because with the wedding so close it could easily be someone wanting to discuss wedding details, and you don’t want to miss a wedding call.” I smiled.

  “Good point,” she replied. “Hello? Oh, hi, Officer Schultz.” She looked at me to make sure I heard it was the police calling her.

  I was hoping he was calling Katy with some information. I was quite curious to find out who that was at Katy’s salon. She listened for a few more minutes before getting off the phone.

  “Well?” I said impatiently. “What did Officer Schultz have to say?”