Cupid's Corpse: A Cozy Mystery (Gemma Stone Cozy Mystery Book 3) (5 page)

Nick let out a low wolf whistle when she came out of the bathroom wearing a cobalt blue dress that she’d picked up at the Busy Bee Consignment Store in town. It was soft and somewhat form fitting, with three-quarter length sleeves and a lace overlay. The skirt flared just slightly above her knees. Best of all, it was a designer knock off and still had the original tags on it when she purchased it.

“Where did you get that?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she said. And then remembered they were probably on camera. Could they hear them talking? She couldn’t be sure. “You bought it for me dear, don’t you remember? I believe when we were in Paris last fall.”

“Well, I have very good taste indeed,” Nick said, quickly catching on to what she was doing.

“Yes, you do,” Gemma said, slipping into her black high-heels and smiling at her reflection in the full-length, cheval mirror beside the bed. “After all, you did pick me.”

“I did.” He let his gaze wander downward. “It looks good on you.”

While Nick showered, Gemma picked up the clothes he had scattered around the cabin. She wasn’t one to pick up after people, but this kind of sloppiness bothered her. She didn’t remember Nick being so messy. Of course, they’d never really spent this much time together in a confined area before, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to his apartment.

He emerged partially dressed in the exquisite black suit he’d rented from Top Hats before leaving town. The slacks fit him beautifully and the sight of him in that perfectly tailored jacket nearly took her breath away. It accentuated his height and those broad shoulders he’d developed since hitting the gym regularly.

Trying to keep her eyes off of Nick, Gemma spent extra time trying to control her hair, gave up and decided to let it have its way this evening. It curled around her face and onto her shoulders, looking for all the world like she had styled it that way. She also made sure her make-up looked top notch.

“You have to admit, we make a pretty good looking couple,” Nick said, coming up behind her to look at their reflection in the mirror.

“It’s all about wealth and breeding, my dear,” she said, giving him a teasing wink. “And we have that in spades.”

Wearing their coats, they stepped out into the late evening air. Two or three other couples were ahead of them on the path and the closer they got to the lodge, the more people they saw. Gemma recognized Madge from the store where she’d shopped that afternoon and waved to her. The woman waved back. She was dressed in a dark suit and on the arm of a handsome older gentleman.

“What a cute couple,” Gemma said to Nick.

“Think we’ll look like that when we get old?” he asked.

Laughing, Gemma swatted at him playfully and was immediately assaulted with a tin foil arrow. Looking up in surprise, she saw Mr. Muzak already taking aim at another couple. Still dressed as Cupid (did he wear that outfit all the time?) he was practically beaming, looking happier than she had ever seen him.

Everyone seemed to be gathering in the restaurant and Nick and Gemma joined the crowd waiting for someone to lead them out to the theater.

“If you’ll just wait here, please,” Missy Tyler said loudly. “Mr. Muzak will be here momentarily.”

It was Cupid himself that led them to a door which opened to the outside. They followed a short path into a side door of the old theater.

Just like the restaurant the night before, the theater had been transformed into something that was romantic and welcoming. The overhead lights were burning brightly and candles flickered on the tables, adding yet another layer of romance. The chairs were covered in red satin with heart shaped backs. Pink and red heart-shaped confetti was scattered on the floor and tables everywhere she looked.

And people were smiling, holding hands. Love was in the air and it was all because of Mr. Muzak and his vision for the evening. Nick squeezed her hand and Gemma began to wonder if maybe, just maybe he was the right one for her after all.

Then she groaned ad shook off the thought. This place was starting to get to her.

Joel Cunningham was busy making last minute adjustments to the setting and checking his watch every few minutes. Several times he stepped out onto the stage and peered up into the balcony. Gemma assumed he was checking to make sure the lighting was perfect. He peeled what looked like painter’s tape off the floor and replaced it, making two little X’s.

Harold showed up and led them to their table.

Gemma continued to watch Joel. She’d noticed this nervousness when they first met but now it seemed much more pronounced. She guessed that he wanted everything to run smoothly for this evening. Again, she wondered what Joel and Natasha had planned for their future. And she wondered what, if anything, Mr. Muzak knew about it.

A small string ensemble began played quietly in one corner of the room, something romantic and kind of bluesy at the same time. Gemma sipped her wine, relaxing a little.

“Quite a turnout,” Nick muttered.

“Indeed. And it looks like we’re sitting front and center. I’ll bet Mr. and Mrs. Muzak will sit at that table in front of us.”

Even as she spoke, Joel led Mrs. Muzak to the table Nick had just indicated. She was wearing the red gown she’d purchased earlier that day and her dark hair was piled high on her head with little tendrils curling down around her ears. She really was a very beautiful woman and Gemma wondered if she had ever modeled.

Joel whispered something to her. She laughed softly and he stepped away. He moved back up on the stage, peered into the balcony and fussed around with the microphone stands, lining them up with their respective tape marks

“Why don’t they just get Howard or one of the other guys to do the lighting for the stage?” Gemma whispered to Nick. “Joel is going to go crazy before he gets it just right.”

Applause filled the room as Mr. Muzak joined his wife. Still wearing his white robes, he lay his bow on the table and turned to take a deep bow. The crowd loved it, whistling and calling out his name. Natasha stood close by although she looked as though she wished the floor would swallow her. Gemma caught sight of Joel standing at the end of the stage with his hands clasped in front of him. He nodded once at Natasha and then tapped the face of his watch twice.

A signal of some sort? Gemma and Nick exchanged glances. He’d seen it, too. Good, that meant she wasn’t just imagining things.

Their salads arrived and she realized she was hungry. Dark green spinach leaves contrasted with the red, green and yellow peppers. It was tossed with a raspberry vinaigrette, sweet and tangy at the same time. Strawberries were sliced over the top along with candied walnuts and cranberries.

“The food here is exceptional,” Gemma said. “We must compliment the chef, dear. Or perhaps hire him for our private staff.”

“Yeah, we’ll do that,” Nick said, not picking up on her joke at all. He was too busy watching Joel.

The murmur of conversation filled the air around them and just as soon as they finished their salad, the main course arrived. The ribs were tender and some of the best that Gemma had ever tasted, and the roasted potatoes were a perfect compliment. She noted that Natasha mostly just picked at her food, pushing it around on the plate while Mr. Muzak leaned forward, trying to talk to her.

It seemed so strange to think that the elegant couple at the next table could be criminals.

Just as the dinner plates were being collected, the small quartet began playing “It Had to Be You.” Gemma saw Mr. Muzak stand up and reach for his wife’s hand and she thought they might start dancing. Natasha stood, took her husband’s hand and shot a furtive look at Joel, who was still standing in the shadows at the edge of the small platform they were using as a stage.

Mr. and Mrs. Muzak were awkwardly taking their places on the stage. It looked as though they were being careful to stand on the little taped X’s Joel had arranged earlier. What an odd pair they made standing there. They were almost the same height, but Natasha was slender where her husband was heavier, rounder. Dressed in her chic gown, the high-heels she wore and her elaborate up-do made her look even taller. Mr. Muzak, oblivious to everything else and still dressed as Cupid, gazed lovingly at his wife, took her hand and kissed her fingers.

“Look,” Gemma said, looking up and then pointing toward the stage with her fork. “She looks so uncomfortable standing there with him.”

“Uh-huh. Awkward,” Nick whispered back. “Almost looks like they’re fighting with each other instead of holding hands.”

Again, Natasha looked as if she wished she could disappear.

“Joel’s watching them like a hawk,” Nick whispered.

“He has been all evening,” Gemma said. “Between that and checking his watch every five seconds.”

“Muzak said Joel was a stickler for schedules,” Nick reminded her.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Lovers. I do hope you have enjoyed your dinner this fine evening,” Mr. Muzak said, his deep voice easily filling the large space.

Everyone applauded.

“And dessert is even better,” he added with an exaggerated wink and kissed his wife on the cheek.

Again, there was wild applause. It was obvious they all loved this man.

“I just wanted to take a few moments of your time this evening to talk about love. There are all kinds of love in this world. The love between a parent and a child. The love between friends.” Mr. Muzak paused and looked at Joel.

Joel bowed his head slightly.

Mr. Muzak continued. “And the love between a man and a woman. I stand before you a man humbled by seeing his dreams come true. It has been my life’s work to build a place where love can be lived. Not just felt, but lived." He faltered for a moment.

Gemma saw his knuckles whiten as his grip on Natasha’s hand tightened. Natasha reached across her body to hold his hand in front of hers and looked down to make sure she was still on her mark.

“The world outside this place isn't always kind to lovers. I have known my share of pain. But I always knew that this was where I would end up, safe in the arms of my true love. It was a long road. But here,” he paused for effect and held Natasha’s hand to his chest. “Here at last my heart has found its home, and I welcome you all to share in that joy with me. Here, where love can live and thrive, I wish you all the same happiness that I have found."

Natasha at last raised her eyes from the floor and a look flashed between her and Joel that was impossible not to notice. The look reminded Gemma of the way Holly and Mitch looked at each other. It was obvious they saw nothing but each other at that moment.

Gemma leaned forward to bring this to Nick’s attention when a loud
slap
drew her attention back to the couple standing in the spotlight.

Mr. Muzak stood there for a moment on the stage, in the spotlight, with an arrow buried deep in his chest.

G
emma gasped and covered her heart with both hands, staring agape at the scene before her. “Nick...,” she whispered, but Nick was already moving.

Boris Muzak looked at his wife with bewildered eyes, opened his mouth as if to say something, and then tumbled forward onto the floor, almost dragging Natasha down with him. The tip of the arrow jutted out between his shoulder blades and blood had already begun to stain the white robe between his wings. The crowd sat there in stunned silence. No one moved or said a word until Natasha Muzak screamed, the most piercing, heart wrenching sound Gemma had ever heard in her life.

Joel was beside her almost immediately, leading her away from her husband, who was almost surely dead.

Absolute pandemonium broke out on the floor and Nick rushed toward the stage, quickly taking charge of the situation. Harold was right behind him, blocking the other side of the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen please, please return to your seats. This may or may not be a crime scene and you don’t want to do anything to contaminate it.” He shouted to Joel. “Call nine-one-one.”

When Joel didn’t react immediately, Harold shouted, “I’m on it.”

The crowd reluctantly backed off but only a few people actually sat down. Gemma stayed put, fighting to keep from running to Nick for safety. He was busy. Instead, she twisted around and watched the crowd carefully.

Was the person who fired that arrow among the startled people in the room, or had they already escaped unnoticed in all the chaos? She looked for and found Missy Tyler easily. Dressed in her usual dark business suit, Missy moved from one group of people to another and appeared to be trying to soothe the ones who seemed to be the most upset. She, on the other hand, appeared to be cool and calm.

“Harold, get some of your wait staff at the exits to make sure no one else leaves the building,” Nick instructed once the crowd seemed to have settled down somewhat. “When the sheriff gets here, he’ll want everyone in the same place.

“She,” Harold said.

“She?”

“The sheriff is a woman, Donna Burton,” Harold explained. “She lives nearby so she should be here quick.”

Gemma thought Nick looked relieved.

“So sad,” someone said from behind Gemma, echoing her thoughts exactly.

“Who could have done such a thing?” someone asked.

There was soft sobbing and more conversations going on around her. Still on stage but several feet away from the body now, Natasha crumbled against Joel, clinging to him and wailing as if her heart would break. Gemma spotted Madge Dillworth at a table across the room. Their eyes met and Madge nodded as if to say, “I told you so.”

Sitting very still and trying to tune out all the conversations going on around her, Gemma looked at the spot where Mr. Muzak had been standing on the stage. She looked up and then back, trying to figure out the trajectory of the arrow. It had to have come from the balcony. She couldn’t tell from where exactly, but could it have been from where they had heard Joel and Natasha talking earlier that day?

Then there were sirens and several uniformed officers burst into the area, led by an unassuming woman with chestnut brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, a frown on her pretty heart-shaped face and a big gun on her hip. EMTs were right behind her, carrying their equipment. Gemma was sure all the medical equipment in the world wouldn’t bring Mr. Muzak back to them.