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On her wedding day, Katherine leaves to come to the aid of a friend and her new husband follows avoiding the second wedding reception.
Blurb:
Katherine’s wedding day has arrived and she and Lars make their vows. When she notices one of her best friends hasn’t arrived, she begins to worry. Her friend owns a shop where tea and accompaniments are sold. Her friend’s partner is a micromanager. Katherine’s friend has wanted to dissolve the partnership. A call to the New England town brings the dreadful news of a murder. Kate’s protectiveness factor takes hold and she leaves a note for Lars and heads to rescue her friend. Though she has promised to leave murders alone, she feels she has no choice. Lars follows to help her solve another murder.
Editorial Review
Long-time beau Lars has finally convinced Katherine Miller to become Katherine Claybourne. But fans won't be surprised that even on her honeymoon, Kate can't stop herself. She's a magnet for murder. ~ Writer Gail Roughton
Excerpt
Lars and his youngest son waited at the front of the
church. Edward entered. The music changed to the hymn from Finlandia. The
ushers, Lars’ older sons, opened the doors.
“Show time,” I whispered.
Andrew and I walked down the center aisle. The pews
rivaled a holiday service. Friends, neighbors, relatives, acquaintances and
strangers who must be Lars’ business associates lined the pews. Andrew and I
reached the railing before the altar.
Lars clasped my hand. The ceremony began. Before long we
exchanged vows and the rings Maria had designed for us. Lars kissed me.
“That’s a wrap,” he whispered.
I held in my laughter.
Edward stepped from the podium and clasped our hands. “I
present you Katherine and Lars Claybourne.”
The recessional began. Instead of walking down the aisle,
Lars and I led the way to Fellowship Hall where the Women’s Guild had prepared
the first reception. Wine, iced tea and coffee and fruit punch were served
along with finger sandwiches and other appetizers. Two five tier cakes stood on
a table, one iced with white and the other one of my chocolate cakes. Lars and
I stood at the door to greet the guests and hear good wishes.
As the line grew shorter I realized Joyce hadn’t arrived.
Worry stuttered through my thoughts. What had happened? Traffic. Construction.
An accident. Illness. Brenda.
Lars clasped my hand and startled me. My fears for my
friend remained strong.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Joyce didn’t come.”
“I’m sure she left a message for you. We’ll learn when we
go for your luggage. It’s time to taste the food and cut the cakes. On our way
to Montreal ,
we’ll stop at her house.”
His belief in a logical explanation brought a moment of
relief. We reached the buffet table where Lars filled two plates with an
assortment of tidbits. I tasted a slice of brie topped with sliced strawberries
and put the plate down. Though I’m sure the food was delicious concern for my
friend killed my appetite.
When Lars finished sampling every offering, we cut the
cakes and fed each other a small piece. A flawless tasting. Both cakes were
terrific. Two of the Guild women cut the bottom layers cakes into slices for
the multitude of guests. The two middle tiers would be taken to the restaurant
for the second reception. The top ones would be boxed for Lars and me.
Edward strolled toward us. “Katherine, Lars, what a
fabulous celebration. The cakes are fabulous but of course I’m partial to the
fabulous chocolate confection. Did you make both?”
“Just the chocolate.” My smile threatened to morph into
giggles. Fabulous must be his word of the day.
“Lars, a word in private. I’ve had a fabulous idea.”
Before I could protest he drew Lars away. Moments later
two of the Elders joined them. The four walked toward the door leading to the
garden.
Not today. I
needed Lars’ phone to make a call. I was convinced Joyce was in trouble. Since
the incident in Santa Fe
he kept his cell phone in his pocket. Mine was at the apartment. This suit had
no pockets and my purse was at home.
Following to snatch Lars from his kidnappers proved
impossible. Every time someone stopped me to gush congratulations my stomach
tightened. I thought about being rude but we were in church and today was meant to be a joyous
occasion.
I noticed Sarah’s foster son near the stage. He held a
rectangular object in one hand. His fingers moved so fast they blurred.
Texting, I hoped. I hurried toward him. He held a phone.
"Jamal, could I use your phone. There’s a call I must
make.”
“Sure, Mrs. M.” His hand covered his mouth. “Forgot.
You’re now Mrs. C. Do you know how to use one?”
I patted his crisp curls. “I may be old but I have some
skills with modern technology. Mine’s at home.”
He scuffed the floor with the toe of his shoe. “Didn’t
mean you were old.”
“It’s all right. I won’t be long.” I slipped from the
noisy room and ducked into the small parlor. Drawing a deep breath, I dialed
Herbal Haven’s number. After fifteen rings I hung up. How did I transpose the
last four numbers last week? After two tries, I heard Joyce’s voice.
“Who is this?” she asked. “More harassment?”
“It’s Kate. What happened? What did she do?”
“Got herself murdered.”
“What?”
“No joke. Everything’s a mess. I couldn’t call you. They
took me in for questioning yesterday morning and didn’t release me until an
hour ago when it was too late to call.” Her voice trembled. “They told me not
to leave town.”
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5 comments:
Oooh, scary for her. I like this.
Don't leave town? Wow, that's scary.
Yikes! Looks like her intuition was correct. Who needs a honeymoon anyway? Loved the snippet, Janet.
Oh that's scary. Calling in for questioning and told not to leave town!!!
Why can I never find your tweet button????
Your reference to Finlandia reminds of a time when I worked at a company with some Finnish customers. One of them was in town for training and came to my office for something, and I had the classical music station on. They were playing Finlandia. The woman simply could not understand why a US station would play the piece. For her, it was played for special occasions and only special occasions, NOT just for enjoyment.
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