Ten Little Bridesmaids (Serial Episode 9) (The Flower Shop Mystery Series) Read online

  Table of Contents

  A Note From the Author

  Ten Little Bridesmaids

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  Acknowledgement

  Also by Annie Adams

  About the Author

  Ten Little Bridesmaids

  A Serialized Cozy Mystery

  No. 9

  Two Little Bridesmaids

  By

  Annie Adams

  Ten Little Bridesmaids, No. 9 © 2018 Annie Adams

  Two Little Bridesmaids

  All rights reserved

  Published by Annie Adams

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. The book contained herein constitutes a copyrighted work and may not be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, or stored in or introduced into an information storage and retrieval system in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Art © 2018 Kelli Ann Morgan / Inspire Creative Services

  Formatting by Bob Houston eBook Formatting

  A Note From the Author

  The Ten Little Bridesmaids serial is made up of 10 episodes. Each episode is the continuation of the story of Quincy McKay, her fiancé, Alex Cooper and Quincy’s friend and employee, K.C.

  The stories are sequential and the first episode is called Ten Little Bridesmaids. This is episode 9, Two Little Bridesmaids. And be warned, there are plenty of cliff-hangers!

  The story is set at the Harmony Lodge, a resort on an island in the middle of a lake somewhere deep in the mountains of Northern Utah. After attending the wedding of friends, Alex and Quincy stay on for a weekend getaway that turns into a murder mystery.

  I hope you have as much fun reading this story as I had writing it, along with the Gatsby themed wedding and the nods to the early twentieth century, when a very famous story was written by a very famous authoress, about a group of people trapped in a mansion on a remote island…

  This serial is indeed an homage to Dame Agatha Christie and one of her most adored stories.

  Sign up for the Friends of Annie Adams Newsletter to get a free copy of Death and a Dozen Roses, a Rosie McKay novella (prequel to the Flower Shop Mystery Series) and visit my website to find the titles of all of my books. If you would like to join my private Facebook group K.C.’s Crew, click on this link.

  As ever, thank you for reading my books and enjoy!

  Sincerely,

  Annie

  Ten Little Bridesmaids

  Ten Little Bridesmaids all stood in a line;

  One drank herself silly, and then there were nine.

  Nine Little Bridesmaids went searching for mates;

  One took a wrong turn and then there were eight.

  Eight Little Bridesmaids searched for signals from heaven;

  One looked too long and now there are seven.

  Seven Little Bridesmaids puffed on cigarette sticks;

  One’s camp caught fire and now there are six.

  Six Little Bridesmaids kicked a beehive;

  One got stung and now there are five.

  Five Little Bridesmaids went shopping at the store;

  One bought some lipstick and now there are four.

  Four Little Bridesmaids traveled across the sea;

  One ate some cake and now there are threee.

  Three Little Bridesmaids went chasing kittens through the dew;

  One never came back and then there were two.

  Two Little Bridesmaids left to tally their sums;

  One turned green with envy and then there was one.

  One Little Bridesmaid left on her own;

  This broke her heart, so then there were none.

  CHAPTER ONE

  "I can't believe they just took off on us," Alex said as he stared at the empty space where the boat was supposed to be. I couldn't help but feel bad for him. He'd told me how he had developed a bond with Chad. Or at least, he thought he had. And now Chad had probably taken off with Johnny and the boat and they were long gone.

  I stood behind him, so I leaned in and hugged him from the back. "Maybe they figured out how to fix the boat after you left, and—took it for a test drive?" He seemed so deflated and I wanted so much to help him feel better. He turned in my arms to face me and forced a smile as he looked down at me. "Maybe you're right."

  He didn't sound convinced. I gave him a quick kiss and hugged him once more.

  "You know what we need?" I said.

  "Besides a boat?" He was downright surly this time. Verification of how much we needed what I was about to suggest.

  "We need a nap. Why don't we go back to the lodge and see what the others are up to? Maybe they'll feel the same way."

  "You want us all to take a nap together?" he asked.

  "Uh—no. I could think of a million things I’d rather do. I'd rather try to swim back to the parking lot from here than do that.”

  “You’d hate it that much? You, the non-swimmer would rather swim for miles in cold water, than force yourself to sleep in the same room with the others?” The smile lines returned around the corners of his eyes, giving me motivation to continue. I knew Alex had wanted nothing more than to make me happy by having us come to this island. The least I could do would be to help him feel happy too.

  “It’s not them, personally, but oh, yeah. I would find a way—somehow.”

  His mouth hitched to the side again. “I’ve no doubt that you would.”

  “In fact, once I made my swim, I’d jump in my van and drive–oh, wait. She’s broken down.” I sighed, completely taken out of my happy imaginings and plopped right back into reality. “I never thought I’d see the day. I mean, her name is Zombie Sue for a reason. Or—it was."

  “She’s not really—” Those perfect lips of his clamped together abruptly to form a straight line.

  “She isn’t really—what?”

  His cheeks had taken on a rosy glow, which was usually my department. His eyes focused off into the distance. He snapped his gaze back onto me. “Sorry. It just occurred to me what you meant by take a nap.” He winked and grinned at me like a cad.

  My mouth hung open as I sucked in an audible breath. “No! That’s not what I meant.”

  “I beg your pardon, milady but I’m surprised you’re so offended. Weren’t we about to do that very same thing when we came in here?”

  “I didn’t mean it to come out that way. I just meant—that’s not what I was suggesting.” My face felt hot. “I think we both need some sleep to get our heads right. Actual sleep.”

  He smiled and ushered me toward the door. He heaved a final sigh as we left the boathouse to return to the lodge.

  "Do you think Eva left with the guys?" I asked.

  "I don't know. I considered that possibility."

  "I know I've been suspicious of her being the murderer in t
he game, and I've been a little jealous—”

  "A little?" he said with a bit too much emphasis.

  "Anyway, as I was saying, despite those things, I don't think Eva would have taken off and abandoned us. Maybe she really was the next victim and I'm terrible at figuring out who-dunnits."

  "I'm thinking about what we need to do to get home," Alex said. "I don't believe this game has gone like it was supposed to. There's no way we would be left completely out of communication with anyone. When we get back to the lodge—and after I get some sleep—yes, you were right about that,” he nudged my shoulder with his, “I'll see if I can mess with the phones enough to make a call. I don't really know much about phone systems, but we have to try something."

  "Maybe we can wander around until we find a cell signal. Like on top of the lodge," I said.

  "We need to talk to the others and come up with a plan."

  I held his hand. "We'll figure it out."

  He let go of my hand and pulled me into him, next to his side, as we walked back to the lodge.

  "What was I thinking?" I shouted.

  He jumped away from me, startled. "What? What is it?"

  "London has a crew coming to clean up tomorrow. This is Sunday, isn't it?"

  "Yes, this is Sunday. What about London? You mean like, England?"

  "No, the other florist. She told me her clean-up crew is coming tomorrow to take down the big floral pieces. All we have to do is wait for them."

  I actually saw the tension leave his body.

  "You saved the day. This calls for a celebration. Last one to the house is a rotten egg," he shouted, as he took off running toward the lodge.

  I ran after him until my lungs burned. It was only about twelve steps, but hey, I gave it a shot. I would let him win this one outright. It was just good to have him back to his playful self again.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Something’s wrong,” Alex said as we re-entered the kitchen.

  “You mean the security door wasn’t locked—again?”

  “It wasn’t locked, but that’s not what I meant.”

  I was beginning to think my suspicions about that door had been insignificant. Maybe it was just broken and left unfixed. Like that hinge on my bathroom cabinet door that’s loose and close to falling off. There’s another hinge on the door, so I still manage to close it, and I’ll get around to fixing it any time now, but probably not until the door falls off completely. Maybe this kitchen door was like that, just being ignored until it wasn’t possible to ignore it any longer. Or maybe someone had followed us again, like the last time we went outside together. Hard to say, and at this point, I didn’t care.

  “What do you think is wrong?” I asked him.

  “Listen to that…”

  “I don’t hear anything.”

  “Exactly.” He touched my nose with his finger. “K.C. is in this lodge, and I don’t hear anything. It’s very suspicious.”

  I rolled my eyes and gave a good-natured shake of my head at him. He was teasing, but he wasn’t far from the truth. “Maybe everyone else is as tired as we are and they’re taking naps.”

  “Together? That seems kind of weird.”

  I gave him a bland stare. “Funny, seems like I’ve heard that somewhere before. We should check in with them before we go to our room,” I said.

  We walked toward the main staircase. As we passed the garden room, I saw a flicker of movement in my peripheral vision. I stopped to look inside the open doorway, forgetting that I was holding Alex’s hand.

  I felt a yank on my arm as Alex reached the length’s end of our human rope.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure if it’s anything. I just thought I saw…I don’t know what.”

  “Let’s take a look. We’ve got all day—and night.”

  “It’s not strange that this door is open, right?” I said.

  “No, not necessarily. Although, it seems odd that this one is…”

  He walked calmly to the French doors at the back of the room which led to the pool deck. A familiar chill ran up and down my arms and I quickly joined him in an attempt to distract myself from whatever or whomever had caused my skin to get prickly.

  “C’mon.” He slipped past the French doors and I followed. We found a corner of the concrete that was shaded by the overhang of the building, near the barbeque grill. The rest of the deck reflected the midday sun in a sparkling, yet blinding, brilliance.

  Obviously, no one was there. Anyone on this pool deck would be completely out in the open. There was nowhere to hide. But I continued to feel an eerie sense that we weren’t alone.

  “Let’s come back here tonight,” Alex said quietly. “We’ll take a little rest, maybe hang out with the others, have some dinner. Then we’ll ditch the other three. We’ll try the hot tub again before we leave.”

  “Aren’t you worried about a repeat of last time?”

  “If we’re that unlucky, then we truly are living in some version of hell. I can’t imagine a repeat of that circus act. I’ll figure out a diversion for them. Even if I have to resort to bribery. I’d like us to have some perfect alone time on this trip before we leave.”

  Ever thoughtful, my fiancé. It was easy to feel undeserving.

  “We’re alone now. I don’t know how perfect the timing is. But isn’t it perfect when we get the chance to be alone together?”

  “Such a wise woman.”

  Honestly, the allure of the pool was still lost on me. Sunburn and the smell of chlorine were the memories I most associated with any trips to the cement pond. But I’m not so naïve that I don’t know why other people like the pool. Obviously people can show more skin in a bathing suit. In most cases that’s a good thing, except for the time I saw a three-ton man in what might have been a Speedo—most of it had disappeared into the abyss. That time it was not so good.

  I certainly didn’t mind the idea of seeing more of Alex. His golden skin, muscled chest, and chiseled abs with a wisp of hair trailing between the two muscle groups. He was practically meant to be in a swimsuit.

  Now that I thought about it, returning to the pool that night sounded like a pretty good idea.

  “Why are you smiling?” Alex asked me.

  “Who me?” He’d caught me thinking about him and his chest hair.

  “Babe, you’re blushing.”

  “It’s hot out here.”

  “No, there’s something more. Tell me.”

  I couldn’t help myself. I took a step toward him, then pulled his head down to mine and kissed him.

  “Wow, what did I say to deserve this?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I want to know what I need to do to get a repeat.”

  He covered my smile with another kiss and backed us up until I was against the wall next to the barbeque grill.

  “We should go upstairs and take that nap,” he said, his voice coming in as a low rumble.

  I whispered next to his ear, “That wasn’t what I meant.”

  “Hey, you kissed me first.”

  I tried to give him a withering stare. It didn’t work, I couldn’t do it. “Your dimples are showing.”

  “Oh yeah?” Something about the way he looked back at me made me melt inside, clear to my bones. Good thing he was pressed against me, holding me up, or I would have spilled into a puddle on the patio.

  He dipped his head and kissed me again, and then said, “C’mon. Let’s go upstairs.”

  “There you are!”

  I shrieked and Alex whipped around. From the partial view I had around his shoulder, I could see a scarlet-faced Pam. She stood a mere three feet away from us. Her change in color didn’t appear to be from embarrassment. Her furrowed brow, taut mouth, and eyes drawn into slits said that she felt something more aggressive.

  “What are you doing here?” Alex actually shouted at her. I wasn’t used to that volume from him. After the initial sh
ock, I felt like clapping him on the back and cheering. She’d finally pushed him to the limit.

  “I thought you guys were looking for Eva. Instead, you’re out here—” Her lips twisted, seeming to fight against what her mouth wanted to say. Her arms were extended, hands pointing rigidly at the spot where we stood.

  “Were you just standing there, watching us?” Alex said to her, disgust saturating his voice.

  “No! Of course not, I was just—”

  “Wait.” Alex’s posture softened and he held his hands up in a non-threatening, “I give up” gesture. “I’m sorry, Pam. I didn’t mean to yell at you like that. You just startled us. I apologize.”

  Don’t let her off the hook! You’ve got nothing to apologize for. My kind and noble fiancé. I probably didn’t deserve him. But my vote was still on yelling at Pam and calling her out on the lies and stalker behavior.

  Pam’s expression switched in an instant. “I’m sorry I startled you.” I noticed she put an ever-so-sly emphasis on the word “you.” She stared directly into his eyes and didn’t acknowledge my presence. She looked like someone who’d volunteered to go on stage at the hypnotist show at the state fair.

  I stepped out from behind Alex. “Did you guys find Eva?” I asked.

  Obviously annoyed, she glanced my way and her face became a flinty, cold, slate. “No, of course not. We’re done looking for her.”

  She explained how they’d found Eva’s charm dangling from the handle of one of the garden room doors.

  “You must’ve just missed us,” she said sweetly.

  “So, what are you doing now?” Alex asked directly but gently.

  “I…was just getting drinks for everyone.” She pointed her thumb over her shoulder, indicating the garden room behind her. “I was going to the kitchen next to get a beer. Can I get you one, Alex? I know Quincy doesn’t drink.”

  Quincy was also standing right in front of her.

  Alex reached around me and cupped his hand over my shoulder, then pulled me into his side.